After many assurances about how their mutual interest took a back seat to team dynamics, everyone but Will seemed satisfied with the arrangement. The older warrior eyed Myles sternly in a way that he’d failed to achieve even during their most intense training sessions together.

“He is worried for her wellbeing,” Ashra explained as if Myles didn’t have the idea already.

I know, and I’m sure we’ll be talking in private about it soon enough.

“You can end him if you wish. It will not be a challenge.”

Myles hesitated for a moment, but he figured it was just a monsterkin thing. After seeing the dungeon she’d come from, he wouldn’t be surprised if part of their courtship was beating the blood and bones out of an honor guard or even one another to set boundaries or make sure they were worthy of one another. Despite the thoughts on the matter, Ashra didn’t bring it up, so Myles didn’t bother to ask before a knock on the door broke the atmosphere.

Silpha?

“It’s a Korgan. Definitely not a Runner. I’d recognize someone like that, but she is definitely not a Runner.”

Myles let things process for a moment before he took a deep breath and sighed. Here we go.

“Come in, Trosana,” Myles called as he got up. He could feel the other’s surprise at his reaction through the link and smiled to himself. “The door’s open.”

He gave the others a ghost of a grin as the knob turned and the door opened. As it did, a familiar face smiled into the group as she looked decidedly different from the first time Myles met with her.

Trosana Leea no longer wore the eye-catching, low-cut clothes she had on the first day when Myles was still just a [Baker]. Instead, she was modest in comparison and cut a similar figure to almost every other female runner. Enchanted leather armor with something harder sewn in at critical points protected the dragonic Korgan from head to toe. She didn’t carry weapons, but that didn’t mean much when most people had some means of dimensional storage. Her purple eyes practically twinkled of their own accord as she took the first steps into the Chase estate proper.

“Myles,” she said proudly and without a hint of hesitation. “You are the greatest thing to ever happen to me since I landed a job at the Times.”

The way she spoke those words were like words to a lost love. The passion was so intense that Myles couldn’t help but blush.

Seeing Myles as embarrassed as he was, it was only right for Kendra and Lyna to take the chance to enjoy his awkwardness.

Will, being the most reasonable of the bunch, just waved the antics of their interviewer off and got comfortable.

Tail shifted in place as Trosana reached the party and took the empty seat Myles had vacated.

“Well, this is the first time most of us have met, so let’s get the awkward stuff out of the way first. I’m Trosana Leea of The Runner’s Times. I am Myles’s sponsor and, if you haven’t figured it out yet, all of yours too.” Then, she pointed to each member of the team, naming them off one by one. “And you’re Kendra Kessa, Lyna Hugea, the mysterious Tail, Will Riggs, and the famous Ashra Snowpelt. It’s an honor to be around so many famous Runners.”

“Famous?” Lyna asked.

“Us?” Tail added, speaking louder than Myles had ever heard them.

“Oh, yes. Yes, you are.” Trosana grinned like a predator as she wrung her hands together. “You have no idea how many people I’ve undercut thanks to Myles.”

“Thanks?” Myles offered, unsure of her meaning.

“Oh no, thank you,” Trosana said, offering him the seat again as she stood to address them. “Now, I don’t want to be pushy, but we have six hours to do everything. I want to do individuals first, then a short group session.” From seemingly nowhere, A stack of letters appeared. “Then, we have fan mail. We can combine those last two, but I really want to get an expose on all of you.” Her eyes turned greedily to Tail. “You and I have a lot to talk about, by the way.”

Tail moved uneasily in place but nodded. “Very well, but I won’t answer anything personal.”

“We’ll see about that,” Trosana promised as she turned to Myles. “As the team leader, congratulations on that by the way, you can choose the order your team is interviewed, but you are last.”

“Why?”

“Because, Myles, you’re going to take the longest,” she said with a glint before adding a stage whisper. “Plus, I promised Magnus that I’d deliver something special, and I don’t think you want it done in front of your team.”

Myles balked. “What?”

“Trust me, you’re going to want this in private.”

Myles didn’t doubt his dad would have sent something, but he’d assumed it’d have to go through the normal channels and he’d get it as a package. Was it legal? He didn’t want to get in trouble or risk his dad getting arrested for something. What would be so embarrassing that Trosana of all people would want it done in private?

Of course, he wasn’t the only one thinking along those lines.

“Remember when we talked about harems, Myles?” Kendra asked pointedly. “I said no harems, and you said you weren’t building one. I’m just not that kind of girl. How can I compete with that!”

Trosana laughed. “I like her.”

Myles scowled just a bit, then his lips twisted into a dark smirk. “Kendra’s first.”

“Hey!”

“Excellent! I’ll let you talk the order out with the others outside while we chat.”

Kendra glared, but Myles gave her a smile as warm and soft as freshly baked bread. The edge melted as quickly as butter as she admitted defeat and flopped down into an empty chair.

After the door clicked shut behind her, Kendra sighed. “Alright, let’s do this.”

Trosana nodded and quickly began pulling crystals and different apparatuses from various places and spaces. Kendra had to admit her respect for the woman at the skill and practiced motions that she went through. Soon, a set up of crystals Myles would have been familiar with, and a few he wouldn’t, were set up all around the area. As she did, Trosana explained the purpose and use of each crystal. From recording redundancies to background projection, to visual recording, each had its purpose before she sat down and a floating blue screen appeared before her.

“I’ll count you in, and at zero, we start. Any questions?”

Kendra considered it for a moment. “A request, actually.”

Trosana listened intently and smiled, grinning like a madwoman as she answered. “Oh, we can work with that. Is that it?” Kendra nodded, and Trosana held up her hand. “In five, four, three, two…”

***

“Welcome to a very special edition of the Runner Times. I’m your host, Trosana Leea, and I’ve been tasked with a very special set of interviews today. Today, I will be interviewing the teaming rising not only in popularity but in our hearts, Team Rising Star. A group of Runners that seemed destined for the end have proven themselves time and again to be resourceful, energetic, and powerful in a way that no one has the right to be.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Trosana smiled. “As you should, I am here with our first interview of the day, Kendra Kessa. Daughter of Elias Kessa and granddaughter of Runner and teammate Will Riggs, who we will be interviewing later today. As all of you watching should already be aware, Kendra is a [Berserker] with a bit of a checkered past, even as far as being two weeks into the Run is concerned, but let’s start a bit before the Run and learn a little about this powerhouse. Kendra, tell us, why did you first come to be a Runner?”

Kendra smiled a smile that only spoke of the trouble she could cause and the pleasure she’d gain from it as she started. “Because it was the last chance I had to show Elias that I wasn’t some watch or toy to be tinkered with.”

The Korgan seemed to expect this and nodded. “I thought as much from what I could gather on my own, but why exactly? There were so many other, less dangerous ways to show him that you’re your own person. Gardening, perhaps. Why put your life so far on the line just to prove a point?”

Kendra dropped her head and sighed as a hand ran itself across her face. Her voice sounded tired as she replied. “Do you want the truth?”

“Of course, Kendra. The nation wants to know what their favorite [Berserker] is thinking.”

She looked up.

The smile Kendra once wore curdled, turning from something dangerous into something bordering on rancid. “Because I’ve always had a temper and a knack for fighting. I loved making things, to hold something that I made, that I created, but the success always felt hollow. You know? People never appreciated the calibrations that went into the watch I made, the ways that the crystal vibrations were contained in my air purifiers, or the simple ways that the heat was recycled in my inscribers without degrading the tool. It always made me feel angry when they just manhandled my work!”

“Many of us feel that way, Kendra.”

Kendra sighed again. “It took a long time to figure out I wasn’t meant for the life of an artisan. I had pride in my work, but I hated the people. Like I said, I had a knack for fighting, so it just seemed like it made sense to join the Run and head for a new direction in life.”

“Did you expect your grandfather would follow you?”

“Pantheon above, no!” Kendra laughed, changing her tone entirely. “Would you expect your grandfather to leave everything and suddenly become a Runner? Mists, he always supported me, but when he said I couldn’t do this alone, I didn’t expect him to join too.”

Trosana laughed politely. “Sounds like a good grandfather.”

“He is,” Kendra agreed. “ He’s always been there for me, so I should have expected it more than I did.”

There was a short silence as Trosana weighed the next question and found it just the right amount of tactful and engaging.

“Would you say your family is proud of you?”

Kendra’s brows rose, but for a while, she said nothing. Trosana considered going forward, but instinct told her to wait it out. The pause could always be edited out if she was wrong, anyways.

“No,” she said flatly. “Elias… I could care less. Mom tried to talk me out of it, and I doubt any of my aunts think what I’m doing makes me more of a lady. They already hated that I worked with my hands and looked at me like I was lesser than their more ‘lady-like’ Classes.”

Trosana nodded, showing a keen understanding of that sort of mentality. “But what would they say if they could see you now? Rich by most standards outside the grand dungeon, dating what some would say one of the most popular Runners in Kess, and part of one of the most popular teams this Run?”

She smiled. “I wouldn’t say we’re dating, but we’re definitely exploring the option as of last night.”

Trosana grinned. “Your smile says otherwise, but you’re dodging the question.”

“They’d curse me to the Mists and back again,” she said proudly.

Gotcha.

The smile on the Korgan’s face tweaked just a bit as Kendra answered. “And just how long have you had feelings for him? The nickname, how you constantly picked on him like a schoolgirl, holding him to a higher standard? Mists, how you offered him a spot in your group that first night even. Really, it all adds up and makes me think you at least thought he was attractive from the get-go.”

Kendra felt the red rising in her cheeks but refused to yield to it. “Long enough.”

Sorry, Kendra.

“Did that have anything to do with how you yielded command so easily to Myles after the botched dungeon run?”

Kendra’s smile fell, and she frowned at the woman’s setup, picking up on it too late. She should have seen it coming. She was ready to say as much but took a breath. She was a [Berserker], not petty.

“No, but It hurt. I’ll say that much. I thought I was doing what was best for everyone, and I wasn’t. Simple as that.” She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. “I almost got everyone killed with my stupid plan, and if it weren’t for Myles, we might not have made it out of there in one piece.”

“That’s very true, but he almost didn’t.”

“I know.”

“A lot of people wouldn’t be able to say that without clenching their teeth. That shows the true spirit of a leader. Someone that can get out of their own way for the good of those around them. Kendra, you are a leader, no matter what others might think, just not the leader they needed then.”

The words surprised her coming from the Korgan woman. She wanted to say something, but she only managed something simple. “Thank you.”

Trosana grinned. “Only saying what the world is thinking, Kendra. Now, how about a few questions about your abilities…”

***

“For our second interview, we have with us the team’s most eccentric member, Lyna Hugea. As a [Master-of-Arms], Lyna has an innate mastery of all weapons and armor types. From simple knives to the most complex magi-tech battle suit, if it can kill, Lyna can use it.”

The halfling grinned. “I think you’re forgetting someone.”

Trosana raised a brow. “I am? It’s just… Oh. Right,” she said as Lyna pointed to the sapphire-eyed stone set against the front of her helmet that sat on the table between them. “I remember from the replays. Rocky, right?”

Lyna grinned, “Yep.”

Trosana nodded, then sighed internally remembering the number of letters directed towards the pet rock. “Right, The world has so many questions about your friend there.”

“And I’m sure he’ll be willing to answer them in due time.”

“We can only hope,” the interviewer sighed, doing her best to keep any sarcasm from her tone. She did, but only by the skin of her teeth. “So Lyna, tell us how you ended up here in the Seventh Run with your friend there.”

Lyna grinned. “If I’m going to surpass my da, I need to do everything I can to forge alliances and become something my family can be proud of. I was already a warrior at heart, and now I’m the greatest Class I can imagine to be a better one.”

“So you’re here just to test yourself?”

“Of course, I know Myles came here to become one, but I think he had the heart of a fighter long before that. Kendra too. I don’t really know about Will or Tail, but we’re really all here for the same reasons when you get right down to it, aren’t we?”

“And what’s that?”

Lyna grinned. "Respect and power.”

The Korgan found herself nodding before she even realized it and smiled back. “I don’t think the others give you enough credit.”

“I say that all the time.”

The interview went smoothly for the majority of the time until she reached the final few questions. “Rocky…” Trosana said, unsure if she should continue with the line of questioning. “Your fans want to know more about you.”

Lyna nodded in his stead. “It only makes sense. He is pretty great.”

“Yes… Well, our first question is a simple one. Rocky, are you alive or a figment of Lyna’s imagination.”

Lyna went quiet for a moment before she answered. “Rocky and I are both offended at the fact you’d have to ask such a question.”

Yep, it was going about as well as she expected. “Is that a yes then?”

“If you have to ask that question, you should already know your answer.”

Nope, not alive.

“So, Rocky, how did you come to be adventuring with Lyna.”

A longer silence this time, but the rock adorning her helmet didn’t make a move as Lyna began to tell the tale. “Rocky has been in my family for generations, passed from parent to firstborn child when they come of age. He has a bit of geode in him, and the nova sapphire is meant to bring luck. No one has ever died carrying him into battle or in service to the Halls and Hills of our ancestors, so I’d have to guess he’s been doing his job properly.”

“So, he’s a family heirloom?”

“You could say that.”

She nodded, trying to accept that as fact before clearing her throat and continuing. “Rocky, why have you never joined the fight?”

“Oh, that one’s easy,” Lyna answered. “He doesn’t have arms.”

Damnit, Lyna. Give me something to work with here!

“Is that why he needed your help escaping the Serene Kraken.”

“Nah, given time he would have just choked the beast, but I didn’t want to swim to the bottom of the lake because he wanted adventure.” She scoffed loudly at that, setting up her next thought perfectly. “Like running with me isn’t enough for him.”

Trosana had to admit, even as frustrating as it was to play along, Lyna was dedicated to the hustle. She could respect that.

At least, she hoped it was a hustle anyway.

“Right. That’s how you met Myles, isn’t it?”

Lyna nodded. “More or less. We met that day when the Seekers were recruiting and we just seemed to work well together.”

“And what do the two of you think of your teammates?”

Lyna smiled a pixie-ish grin that seemed so out of place being on a warrior like her despite her race. “Wouldn’t trade my found family for the world. They’re welcome to drink in my family’s halls anytime they can make it.”

Rocky, as usual, said nothing as the light caught his eyes just right to twinkle.

“He says they’re a bit crazy, but good people.”

Trosana sighed but put on a good face as she nodded to Lyna. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Hugea.”

“Call me Lyna,” she corrected as she got up and set her helmet against her hip. “Not big on titles, Trosana.”

“I’ll remember that.”

“Now, about your abilities…”

***

Well, this has been fun so far.

Trosana sighed softly as Lyna’s interview wrapped up. It wasn’t that she disliked the halfling’s interview. No, it was more like she had been a bit more than Trosana’d expected. Then again, what had she really expected from Lyna? She was always a bit of a wild card personality-wise.

Did she really expect her to be different in person?

Whether she was playing up Rocky or it was actually sapient, she still had no idea, but she had done her best to be respectful of the Runner.

Interview days were some of the few restricted broadcast days, and the only broadcasts that came out next week would be the ones the sponsors paid for. For the Runners, it was like a mandatory rest, and very few argued with that.

Going to the kitchen sink to get a cup of water, she sighed as she heard the door open and wondered who would be next.

The familiar coolness of a rolling fog over her skin told her her fellow Korgan was next. However, it was Tail that spoke first.

“Before we begin, I have a few stipulations.”

Trosana nodded. “I thought as much. Will I have the chance to present a counter-offer?”

“No.”

Trosana nodded. “Can I call you Tallia then?”

At the mention of the Korgan’s true name, Trosana knew she’d made a mistake. She could feel the mist condense on the back of her neck and felt a chill dripped down her spine as her scales glistened in the dew.

So much for not trying to piss off members of Myles’s team.

“No. Tail is fine.”

Trosana nodded, finished her water, and turned to face the [Lunar Illusionist] wrapped head to toe in the familiar bandages and guarded eyes.

“Okay, Tail. Anything else?”

She felt the mist recede from around her and felt the air move to create a clearing around the kitchen, but Tail simply stood, waiting expectantly.

“Tell me what you see.”

She shrugged. What was she supposed to see? “I see a Korgan that was suffering from Wasting’s Disease, is taking full advantage of her healing body, and doesn’t want the world to know who she really is until she’s ready.”

For a long while, Tail didn’t answer, but the mist began to recede into their wrappings. The room was as it had been, dry and pleasant as Tail loosened the wrappings around their eyes, taking the goggles off to look eye to eye with Trosana.

“Wait, was that an ability?”

Tail nodded, and their voice changed. It was softer now, rough, but had a definite tone to it rather than the wispy almost ethereal nature their voice had before.

It sounded real.

“We can talk now, but keep my name and my ex-clan from the conversation unless I bring it up.”

Trosana nodded, considering the words and adjusting her questions accordingly. Then, she chuckled softly. Tail raised a brow, something Trosana could see now rather than just guess at. So, the Korgan woman explained. “You know, this is the most I think I’ve ever heard you talk.”

“It normally hurts to talk too much, but I’ve been getting better. I still prefer to blend into the background though. It feels natural.”

“Then I’ll be sure to keep it brief. Let me count you in, and we’ll start.”