The second they stepped out of the cafe, the argument fired right back up, like they'd just hit pause for a much-needed coffee break.

"I still don't get it, Nox." Kendra had to practically jog to keep up with his ridiculously long legs. "A 'mission'? What the hell kind of mission? You can't just drop a bomb like that and then act like we're not gonna ask questions."

"It's my mission, not ours." He didn't even bother looking at her, just kept his eyes glued to the street ahead like it held all the answers. "You guys have families and stuff to worry about, right? So just find a nice, safe place in this city and stay put. It's that simple."

Yeda scurried along on his other side, her brow all wrinkled with worry. "But what if you need help? We're a party, Nox. That's the whole point. We're supposed to help each other."

"I don't need help." The words tasted like a lie in his own mouth. He knew it was a lie, a big one. That psycho mercenary, Lola, had come way too close to putting him in the ground for good. The only reason he was still walking and not a chalk outline on the pavement was a fluke, some crazy surge of adrenaline or something he couldn't explain and definitely couldn't rely on happening again.

Vasa, trailing just behind them, chimed in, her voice as flat and calm as a frozen lake. "Your logic is flawed. Undertaking a solo mission into unknown territory, especially against an organization known to employ high-level mercenaries, is a statistically low-percentage endeavor. Our presence would significantly increase your operational effectiveness."

He almost laughed out loud at that. 'Operational effectiveness? God, she really does sound like a robot.' He just ignored her and kept walking, pushing them all toward the hotel where he'd left Serian. He could hear their footsteps pattering on the pavement behind him, a constant, annoying reminder that they weren't giving up.

And Kendra, yeah, she definitely wasn't letting it go. "So who is this 'someone' you have to take home, anyway?" she pressed, her voice getting a little louder, a little more pointed. "Is it that girl from the cafeteria? Did you track her down again?"

"It's not her." His jaw clenched so hard he felt it in his teeth. He really, really didn't want to think about Ava right now.

"Oh, so it's a different girl then?" Kendra's voice shifted into that teasing gear he was really starting to hate. "Dude, you ditch us for one day and you've already got another secret girlfriend? You work fast, man, I'll give you that."

"She's not my girlfriend," he growled, finally spinning around to face them, his patience completely shot.

"Then what is she?" Yeda piped up, her big eyes wide with a mix of curiosity and confusion.

He just stared at the three of them—Kendra with her smirk, Yeda looking genuinely curious, and Vasa with her usual blank stare. They were all just… waiting. 'Sigh, this is so damn annoying. Why do they care so much? It's my business.'

"Just shut up about it, okay?" The words came out sharper than he intended. "It's complicated, and it's my problem." He turned on his heel and started walking again, picking up the pace.

"Ooh, touchy," he heard Kendra mutter behind him. She didn't sound hurt, though. She sounded amused, which was somehow even worse. "Definitely a girlfriend."

Yeda just let out a quiet giggle, her eyes darting from Nox's stiff back to Kendra's triumphant grin. Vasa, as always, just stayed quiet, probably filing this new 'data' away in her brain. They trailed him for another block in a weirdly charged silence until he finally stopped in front of a slightly run-down hotel.

And then, as if on cue, they all saw her.

A young woman was leaning against the building's brick wall, right near the entrance, her arms crossed as if she'd been waiting there for a while. The girls' chatter died instantly.

Kendra's mouth actually dropped open. "Nox," she breathed, her voice a weird, strangled whisper. She pointed a shaky finger. "What… what's with her ears?"

Yeda peeked around Kendra's shoulder, and her eyes went as wide as dinner plates. 'Are those… real? They're so… pointy.'

The woman, Serian, looked up as they approached. Her ears weren't just pointy—they were long and gracefully tapered, ending in a delicate curve that was both beautiful and completely, absolutely impossible.

Nox, completely ignoring their collective brain-freeze, just let out a long-suffering sigh. "She's an elf. Can we get over it?"

His casual comment hit them like a bucket of ice water.

"An elf?" Kendra repeated, the word sounding foreign and ridiculous. She took a step closer to Serian, all her earlier anger vaporized and replaced with pure, unfiltered shock. "You're telling me elves are real? Like… like from books and games and fantasy crap?" She was staring so hard at Serian's ears that the elf actually shifted uncomfortably and took a small step back.

"Yes," Serian replied, her voice formal and crisp, though she was clearly annoyed at being stared at like a zoo animal. "I am an elf."

"Wow," Yeda breathed, finally stepping out from behind Kendra, looking totally mesmerized.

Vasa just stared, her head tilted slightly. "The morphological structure of her auricles is consistent with common depictions of 'elves' in pre-Cataclysm fantasy literature."

"Yeah, yeah, science stuff later. Holy crap." Kendra closed the distance again, getting right up in Serian's personal space and squinting. "Are those real? Can I, like, touch one?"

Serian took another, more deliberate step back, her expression turning from annoyed to alarmed. "They are a part of my body, yes."

Nox let out a loud groan. "Kendra, back the hell off. Stop being weird." He looked at Serian, his expression hardening into a frown. "I thought you were gonna keep those hidden."

'Why did that goddess ask me to look after him? He already has these three with him.' The thought drifted through her mind, confusing her. 'And they are so… loud.'

"That ability requires a certain amount of mana to sustain," she explained, her voice quiet and a little strained. "I have… expended all of my reserves."

Suddenly, all three girls were looking at her differently, their nosy curiosity melting into genuine concern. Nox's expression snapped from annoyed to laser-focused. "You're out of mana? Why? What happened after I left?"

She hesitated, glancing at the others. Admitting how close she'd come to losing felt like a weakness. "I was… followed," she said, picking her words with care. "Two individuals confronted me in the park. They were associates of the one called Lola."

Kendra's head whipped around to stare at Nox, then back at Serian. "Lola? Who the hell is Lola?"

'Damn it,' he thought, a muscle jumping in his jaw. This was exactly the conversation he didn't want to have.

Serian seemed to sense his frustration, and answered for him. "She is a mercenary. It would appear there is a bounty on my head."

Kendra's eyes went wide, darting between Nox and the elf. "A mercenary? A bounty? Is this the 'mission' you were talking about, Nox? You're playing bodyguard for someone with a price on their head?" Her voice got louder with every single question.

"I am not a child to be 'babysat'," Serian cut in, her formal tone laced with ice.

"That's not what I meant," Kendra shot back, rolling her eyes. "My point is, you two are a giant, walking target now!"

"Are you hurt?" Yeda asked, stepping forward and completely ignoring Kendra's outburst. "Did they do anything to you?"

Serian shook her head, though the gesture was a little stiff. "I am unharmed." It was mostly true. She decided not to mention the throbbing pain in her ankle, or the bone-deep exhaustion that came from barely surviving. "But they were… formidable. I was forced to expend all of my strength to repel them."

Vasa, who'd been processing everything, finally spoke up again. "Your account suggests you were successful in the engagement. However, the complete depletion of your mana reserves indicates the encounter was highly taxing. It was a tactical victory, but a significant strategic cost."

"Yeah, whatever that means," Kendra muttered, her hand now resting on the hilt of the short sword strapped to her belt. She looked right at Nox, her eyes blazing. "This is exactly what I'm talking about. This just proves you need us, you idiot!"

'Okay, that's it. I'm done with this.' Nox felt a killer headache coming on. He pinned all three of them with a look that he hoped conveyed just how utterly done he was. "You're all staying here. End of discussion."