The infirmary’s air, crowded for the first time since Soketsu’s arrival, was filled with nervous expectation. Soketsu and Jill were sitting side by side on one of the beds across the entrance while Pabloc was just about to finish checking up on the green haired girl in complete silence.

Pabloc: "Hmmm…" The scientist finally put the stethoscope-like tool away and addressed the silently fidgeting girl. "It appears like you are completely healthy. I would even go as far as to say you are better off than before."

Kay: "Really?"

The girl let out a relieved sigh after hearing the scientist’s words. The mood in the infirmary has considerably eased up since Gabe left, but this was the first time they could see some relief on her face.

Pabloc: "Yes. I don’t know if it’s because this is your primal form or because the stabilizer that Gabe used, but your viridia-reserves are filling themselves about twice as fast as before and your body itself seems to be all right as well, if a little on the thin side." After a moment of pause he turned to Jill. "As for you…"

Jill: "Yes?"

Before answering he scooped up one of his familiar floating screens from the examination-table and began tinkering with it. After a few taps on the screen he finally looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Pabloc: "… I’ve got nothing."

Jill: "Nothing bad or nothing out of the ordinary?"

Pabloc: "Yes." After waiting for her to roll her eyes, he continued; "You are perfectly healthy. Your blood-samples are clean, your brain-waves are fine, your Soul-core is completely stable and your viridia-reserves are full. I am beginning to think the only reason you cannot walk properly is because you are not used to your size."

Jill: "… Then what should I do?"

The scientist carefully laid the screen back onto the table and walked over to her.

Pabloc: "Well, first off, let’s get you standing. Soketsu?"

Soketsu: "Yes?"

Pabloc: "Please give me a hand."

Soketsu: "Sure." The two men put their arms around Jill’s shoulders and helped her onto her feet. While doing so Soketsu suddenly voiced a question. "Wait, why didn’t you just levitate her?"

Pabloc: "I told you back in the workshop, didn’t I? With Lily sealed, I’m completely empty right now; it will take at least a few days before I can use my ability again."

Soketsu: "Yeah, now that you mention it…"

Jill: "Whoa!"

After a moment of surprise the two of them successfully managed to catch her as she stumbled forward and helped her onto her feet once again.

Pabloc: "Say, I didn’t even ask, but are you even comfortable with this body?"

Jill: "Comfortable?" She looked over herself with perplexed eyes before facing the scientist again, then promptly shook her head. "I don’t really know. I recognize it as my own, but it still feels strange somehow."

Pabloc: "Strange? In what way exactly?"

Jill took a small, stumbling step while answering.

Jill: "I don’t really know. I think I have problems with the perspective. I’m still measuring everything the way when I was a fairy." She took another small step and stopped while pointing at the wooden door leading to the storage room of the infirmary. "For example, you see that doorknob? I look at it, and when I want to grab it I immediately try to fly to it instead of just reaching out with my hand."

Pabloc: "I think I understand… In that case there’s nothing to worry about, you just have to get used to your new circumstances."

Jill: "Maybe, but I still feel like a klutz."

Soketsu: "It seems like you can move if we are supporting you, but can you stand on your own?"

Jill: "Yes, I think I can manage that much…"

The men nodded at each other and slowly let go of her. At first it seemed like her legs might buckle but she finally managed to stand upright.

Pabloc: "Ah. You are doing great."

Jill: "Thanks."

Soketsu: "I guess it’s like cycling. Once you take the first step the rest should come naturally."

Jill nodded and slowly raised her foot. For a moment it seemed like she would topple, but in the end she managed to keep her balance and take a small step on her own.

Pabloc: "Great! I was afraid you would need therapy but it seems like you will be fine on your own."

Even though it was hard to tell from her expression, she felt really relieved. She slowly raised her leg again and took another step, then carefully tried shifting her weight and turning around.

She almost made it, but she still lost her balance at the very last moment and she had to hold onto the edge of the food board of a nearby bed.

Jill: "… I need to practice."

Pabloc was just about to reassure her when the opening of the entrance drew his attention away.

Tiari: "Hello… guys…?" All eyes focused on the unexpected guest. The catgirl was quite a comical sight, as the moment she stepped through the door her eyes immediately went wide open like she was about to faint from shock. "… Jill?" After silently gasping for a few moments she suddenly dashed at the surprised Jill and tackled her with her arms wide open. "Jill!!!"

Jill: "Ah!"

She was easily swept off her unsteady legs and both of them fell onto the bed she was leaning on with a loud thud, Tiari landing right on Jill’s lap while hugging her like there was no tomorrow.

Tiari: "Jill! Are you for real!? How!? When!?"

Soketsu: "Here we go again…"

The catgirl was snuggling up to Jill with all her might, all the while purring like a well-fed kitten in the hands of her beloved owner. Finally the girl let her go, raised her head, looking her right in the eye with an uncharacteristically bright smile, an expression that was immediately answered with an affectionate, almost motherly gaze.

Jill: "Hi Tiari…"

Tiari: "I can’t believe it! I missed you so much!" The girl once again hugged her with all her strength while tears of joy started running down her cheeks. "You have no idea how I missed you! It was so hard dealing with them without you around…!"

Jill: "I understand."

Tiari: "It was so hard being the only sensible one…" Jill raised her hand and gently started caressing her face. After a few peaceful moments the catgirl’s eyes suddenly popped wide again and she sharply raised her head. "Wait, you are a human!?"

Jill: "… You just noticed?"

Tiari: "I… I was so happy you came back that I… Wait, how did you come back!?"

Jill: "Gabe said he somehow resurrected me. He didn’t really explain anything to me."

Tiari: "So he resurrected you and made you into a human? … That dirty bastard! Please be careful! I’m sure he has some ulterior motives for bringing you back like this!"

Jill: "Ulterior motives?"

Tiari: "Yes, perverted ulterior motives!" The catgirl declared with the outmost conviction. "Why else would he turn you into a human? You know him too; he only does things like that when he has some evil plan!"

Kay: "Um… What’s going on?"

The only person who was seemingly left out of the loop finally raised her voice and all the attention in the room got directed to her.

Tiari: "Erm…" Tiari glanced over at her as well and she awkwardly asked; "Who is she?"

The catgirl’s confused expression was enough to tell that she really had no idea who she was talking to.

Kay: "Um… It’s me, Kay."

The catgirl first wagged her head to the right, then to the left, and then finished the routine off by theatrically scratching her head.

Tiari: "… Are you serious?"

Kay: "Yes."

Tiari: "… Okay, just what did I miss?"

Pabloc: "To put it short, we had a battle, she got stuck as a halberd and Gabe helped her return to her real form afterwards."

The catgirl was seemingly thinking for a moment, after which she first looked over Jill, then Kay again. Finally, she dropped her shoulders with a tired sigh.

Tiari: "I tell you, that guy is planning something…"

After a moment of pondering the catgirl once again shrugged her shoulders and immediately afterwards her cheeks were buried into the chest of the woman in front of her.

Jill: "Tiari…?"

Tiari: "Just let me indulge myself, okay? It’s been ages… Literal ages!"

A slight smile rose onto Jill’s face as she carried on stroking Tiari’s head.

Jill: "Well, in the end I think I should be glad there is at least one person who is happy I’m back from the grave."

Soketsu: "Hey, don’t act like we are not happy you are back!"

Jill: "Really? It’s not showing."

Soketsu: "Because…" He glanced over at Pabloc, and after a moment of hesitation he continued with a regretful voice. "Yeah, you are right. Sorry about that. The truth is, when I first saw you I couldn’t even believe my eyes. I was really glad you came back, but so many things happened today that I just couldn’t really comprehend it on the spot."

Pabloc: "I’m the same." Pabloc agree while fiddling with his nonexistent glasses. "With everything that happened today I was just too preoccupied with the hows and whens. Sorry for being late, but… Welcome back, Jill."

Soketsu: "Yeah, welcome back. We were really missing you from the team."

Jill: "I see. Thank you."

Even though these words filled her with reassurance, somehow they still weren’t able to chase her gloomy mood away. In the end Soketsu spoke up again with a jokey voice.

Soketsu: "Why the long face? Here we are pouring our hearts out for you and that’s how you react?"

Jill: "Sorry, I’m just…"

Pabloc: "Stop thinking about him." She glanced over at Pabloc upon his unexpected declaration and they locked gazes. "You are thinking about him, right? Don’t. It’s a waste of time."

Jill: "I know, but… This whole affair just doesn’t make any sense. He doesn’t make any sense."

Soketsu: "That’s nothing new."

Jill: "I know that too, but this time it’s even less than usual."

Soketsu: "Don’t worry about it. He’s an idiot and you will have more than enough time to force some answers out of him."

Gabe: "Force some what out of who?" The whole group turned their head in unison in reaction of the voice coming from the entrance. "I’m back, what’s the situation?"

Seeing the confused looks in their eyes the scientist tilted his head in confusion.

Gabe: "What?"

Soketsu: "… What happened to your face?"

Gabe: "Oh, that’s why you are looking at me like that? No biggie, I was just running around and accidentally bumped my head into Ahaz’s fist a few dozen times. It happens even in the best families."

Seemingly not caring about the confounded atmosphere in the room he casually walked over to Pabloc’s side.

Gabe: "So, how are the girls?"

Pabloc: "Fine. Both of them."

Gabe: "Good to hear! Now then, we should be off to Avalon ASAP. I promised Ahaz that I will get back to him once I’m done with showing Jill around."

Soketsu: "Why? What is he doing?"

Gabe: "Is that really a question? Oracling." There was a moment of silence. "You know, clairvoyancioning." And then there was another. "Argh, you know, that thing when he goes all waaaaaa with his eyes closed and tells you the lottery numbers for the next five years."

Pabloc: "Why didn’t you just say he was predicting?"

Gabe: "Oh come on, that word sounds so overused!"

After a the whole group showed their disapproval by various gestures, including sighs, shoulder-shrugs, head-shakes and complete and utter disregard of the mad scientist’s existence…

Pabloc: "Let’s just go and forget this conversation ever happened."

Soketsu: "Agreed."

Gabe seemingly didn’t care about his companions’ grumbling at all. He quite vigorously moved to Jill’s side but almost immediately came to a screeching halt.

Gabe: "… Tiari, what are you doing? Bad kitten, bad! Stop sitting on her like that, we need to move!"

The man grabbed the flabbergasted catgirl by her shoulders and put her beside the bed like he was moving a potted plant.

Tiari: "Hey!"

Gabe: "Here, now get on."

He forcefully grabbed Jill’s wrist and pulled her over while offering his back for the ride. The others, feeling somewhat awkward, and for a few moments it seemed like Jill was hesitating, but in the end she reached out and grabbed the man’s shoulders.

Gabe: "Heave-ho!"

The mad scientist swiftly took Jill onto his back in a piggy-back ride and lightly shook his shoulders with an impish smile.

Gabe: "Phew… Did you eat something while I was away? You seem heavier than before."

She didn’t answer, but her silence was suggestive enough to tell that she wasn’t exactly pleased with the man’s words… Or it should have, except that he obviously didn’t mind. After making sure she was holding onto him properly he immediately moved to the door.

Gabe: "Move it, move it."

Pabloc: "Wait. Lily’s not back yet."

The mad scientist immediately stopped on his track and turned to Pabloc from the entrance.

Gabe: "Huh? Why, where is she?"

Pabloc: "She went to make some clothes for Kay."

Soketsu: "Huh? Make?"

The man suddenly interjected into the conversation with a surprised tone.

Pabloc: "Yes, she said so when she left, didn’t she?"

Soketsu: "Yes, but I thought it was like a slip of the tongue…"

Pabloc: "No, she likes doing handiwork; actually she is the one who makes all my clothes. We have a huge supply of fabrics at home."

Soketsu: "… Are you serious? She makes your clothes?"

Pabloc: "Yes, along with hers and yours and everyone else’s in this group."

Soketsu: "No way…"

In the meantime Gabe let out a tired breath and began tapping his foot.

Gabe: "So I have to wait for her to come back? Give me a break…"

Jill: "Why don’t you put me down until then?"

Gabe: "… Nah, it would be a hassle to pick you up again." Jill glared at the back of Gabe’s head, and then she promptly whacked the same place with her knuckle. "Ouch! Hey, what was that for?!"

Jill: "Hmpf!"

Gabe: "Hey, don’t go all passive-aggressive on me!"

Jill: "Says you."

Gabe: "Seriously, I’m-!"

Lily: "Ah, Gabe-sama and Jill-san are playing horsie again!"

Gabe: "Whoa! You’re already back? We couldn’t even start properly filling out the downtime!"

The mad scientist immediately moved out of the way as the easygoing girl strolled into the room with a small heap of clothes in her hands.

Lily: "Kay-chan! I brought you kawaii clothes!"

Kay: "Kawaii?"

Pabloc: "It means cute."

Kay: "Ah…"

Seemingly not even caring about the discussion between the two, the girl joyfully spread out the clothes she brought onto the examination table.

Lily: "Here Kay-chan! Wear this!"

Seeing the clothes immediately made Kay lose her words. The dress in Lily’s hands seemed anything but casual-wear, in fact its frilly design made even the blonde girl’s usual attire pale in comparison.

Lily: "Nyu? What’s the matter?"

Kay: "What… is that?"

Lily: "It’s a magical girl costume~! I made it for Tia-chan but she never wears them..."

Tiari: "No comment."

Lily: "I veered it a little at the chest and tucked it around the shoulders, so it should be perfect for you! Here, try it on~!"

Kay: "… I… Thank you, I think?"

At this point the no longer bespectacled scientist gently tapped on the shoulder of the blonde girl.

Pabloc: "Lily-chan…?"

Lily: "Hai? Oh, Pabloc-san! I brought you a change of clothes too!"

Pabloc: "Thanks, but on the actual topic…" He paused to clear his throat and then pointed at the dress in her hands. "You cannot expect Kay to wear that right now."

Lily: "But why? It’s kawaii! It’s really kawaii!"

Pabloc: "Yes Lily-chin, it really is, but you cannot force people to wear something like that on the spot."

Lily: "Nyu… I see."

Pabloc: "Good. Did you bring another change of clothes?" She promptly shook her head, leading Pabloc to sigh in resignation. "I see."

The man gently patted the girl on the top of her head and then reached for his clothes on the table, after which he scooped them into his hands and carefully handed them over to Kay.

Pabloc: "Wear these."

Kay: "But… these are yours…"

Pabloc: "Don’t worry about that. I can survive for a few more hours with some torn clothes but we can’t have you walking around in a bathrobe."

Kay: "I see… Thanks."

Pabloc: "Don’t mention it. By the way, Soketsu?"

Soketsu: "Yes?"

Pabloc: I forgot to mention before but there are some spare slippers in that case back there."

Soketsu: "I’m on it."

As the man moved to the wardrobe at the back, Kay tugged on the scientist’s hem.

Kay: "Where can I change?"

Pabloc: "Oh, yes. Behind the folding-screen over there should be fine."

In the meantime Soketsu returned with a pair of slippers and Kay immediately jumped into them.

Kay: "Thanks."

They both moved to the back and Kay disappeared behind the paravan. At the same time, in the entrance of the infirmary the black-coated man with the silver haired woman on his back let out yet another weary sigh.

Jill: "I already told you to stop sighing."

Gabe: "Hey, I’m sighing for a different reason than before, so it doesn’t count!"

Tiari: "Idiot! Stop annoying Jill!"

Gabe: "Ah, the cat hath spoken, huh? Protective as ever, aren’t you?"

Tiari: "Ah! And stop groping her you pervert!"

Gabe: "I’m not groping her, I’m just holding her! This is how piggyback-rides work!"

Tiari: "Pervert! I know you have some dark agenda, and I will expose it! I won’t let you soil Jill, you animal!"

Gabe: "… Wut?"

Tiari: "Don’t act dumb!"

Gabe: "… Hey, Pabloc! What’s her problem?"

Pabloc: "How should I know, she’s with you."

Gabe: "Nah, I already disowned her."

Tiari: "Don’t change the subject!"

Gabe: "I’m not changing the subj-"

Jill: "Gabriel."

Everyone raised a brow after hearing the word, but the man in particular jumped like he was struck by lightning.

Gabe: "Yes?"

Jill: "Stop arguing."

Gabe: "… Fine."

Tiari: "Yeah! And stop groping her too!"

Jill: "You too, Tiari."

Tiari: "O-Okay."

The three became dead silent for a few moments, then Jill’s lips finally curved for real, maybe the first time since her rebirth.

Jill: "You guys… Seriously, you two never change."

It seemed like the mad scientist had something to say, but in the end he swallowed his words as Kay emerged from behind the folding screen with Pabloc’s clothes hanging on her.

Kay: "Um… I feel silly…"

Pabloc: "Don’t. They are a little too big for you but they should do for now."

Soketsu: "Yeah, it’s actually not that bad."

Gabe: "Great!"

Seeing that everyone was ready the mad scientist enthusiastically readjusted Jill on his back and stepped through the entrance.

Gabe: "Move it, time is precious!"

Pabloc: "Wait, I have to stow my tools away first!"

Gabe: "You can do that tomorrow! We have no time to waste!"

Pabloc: "For the love of…"

Knowing him, the scientist had no choice but to give up the argument on the spot with a slightly irritated grumbling. Gabe had no intention to acknowledge this as he excitedly left the premises.

Soketsu: "Geez, why is he in such a hurry anyway."

Pabloc: "Who knows? Come on Lily-chan, let’s move."

Lily: "Hai~!"

With this the whole group left the infirmary with varying levels of enthusiasm.

~~~

Lily: "(Psst. Pabloc-san!)"

Pabloc: "(Yes?)"

Lily: "(What is Gabe-sama and Jill-san doing?)"

Pabloc: "(It’s… Actually, I have no idea.)"

Once again the group felt awkward in the presence of the two, except this time it was a different kind of awkward than before. Gabe and Jill were sitting facing each other in the speeding monorail car, and the two were so blatantly avoiding eye-contact that it was downright comical. In fact, it was almost like they were teasing each other in some sort of strange game, where they always fixated their gazes in the exact opposite direction as the other. Finally, after playing in silence for a few minutes, the scientist spoke up in a somewhat tactful manner.

Gabe: "… Guys, why are you looking at us like that?"

Pabloc: "No reason at all."

Kay: "No. Absolutely none."

Soketsu: "We are not even looking."

Tiari: "Yeah, who would want to look at you anyway!?"

Lily: "Nyu? Gabe-sama, you are being weird again~!"

Gabe: "Ah, I see. For a moment I was afraid I had a stray nose-hair or something. So, where were we?" Before anyone could figure out what he was referring to, there was a chime coming from the speaker above the car’s exit. "Oh, we are almost there."

The mad scientist quickly stood up and offered her back to the young woman sitting in front of him.

Gabe: "Hop on." Jill grabbed onto the man’s shoulders without hesitation and obediently let herself to be lifted. "Wow, you actually did what I said right away? What gives?"

Jill: "I’m just really curious about this Avalon of yours."

Gabe: "I can’t blame you, though you probably won’t be able to see it properly right away…"

Jill: "Why?"

She readjusted herself as she was clinging onto the man’s back. In the meantime, the monorail slowly began its deceleration.

Gabe: "Because it’s the middle of the night. … Why are you looking at me like that?"

Jill: "I’m not looking you in any particular way."

Gabe: "Agh… Stop putting the pressure on me!"

Jill: "I’m not putting anything on anyone."

Gabe: "All right, all right! You know what? Fine, I will take the time to turn on the sun once we are there so you can take a good look. Are you happy now?"

Jill: "Turn on the… sun?"

Tiari: "Don’t ask him to explain or we will be here till morning."

Gabe: "Hey! Good idea, that would take care of… oh, wait. No, I can’t. I have to get back to Ahaz later, so I have no time for that."

Tiari: "… Is that seriously the only reason you stopped?"

Gabe: "Yeah, why?"

Tiari: "… You are impossible."

Gabe: "Why, thanks." In the meantime the car came to a slow stop with one last soft clunk and the automatic doors soon opened without a sound. "Final destination!"

Gabe almost literally jumped out of the monorail car and started walking towards Avalon’s main entrance in a hurry. The rest of the group naturally followed suit, even if they were somewhat less eager about the whole ordeal. It only took them a few minutes to reach the first checkpoint, at which point Gabe stopped on his track like he hit a metal wall.

Gabe: "Oh, dammit! I totally forgot about this!"

Jill: "About what?"

Gabe: "Argh! What a hassle!"

Jill: "But what?"

As the others caught up with them, the mad scientist nonchalantly pointed at the catgirl amongst them.

Gabe: "It’s her."

Tiari: "Huh? What’s your problem?"

Gabe: "Your pass. It takes too much friggin time to let you in."

Tiari: "You are not thinking about leaving me behind, are you?"

After a couple of long and strenuous seconds of silence Gabe shook his head.

Gabe: "No, of course not."

Tiari: "Why did you even need time to think about that!?"

The mad scientist shook his head dismissively and turned around.

Gabe: "Whatever. We are taking a shortcut."

Pabloc: "Shortcut?"

Pabloc raised his hand inquiringly and was just about to reach for his nonexistent glasses again before he shook his head and simply walked up to the man.

Gabe: "Yeah, I really don’t have the time for going through the whole process, and we are all tired anyway, so let’s cut this short."

Pabloc: "What do you mean by that?"

The mad scientist continued on without answering, not caring about Pabloc’s complains at all. As they neared the checkpoint Gabe wordlessly raised his hand.

Jill: "Uh… Gabriel?"

Tiari: "Aaaah! Stop groping her!"

Gabe: "I’m not groping her, I just need to compensate for holding her with one hand so I’m only grabbing onto her more firmly."

Tiari: "Yes, and that’s called groping!"

Gabe: "No it isn’t as I’m not doing it to find out the feel and/or texture of her butt, nor am I stroking it for some sort of gratification while handwaving the issue."

Tiari: "But you do! You totally, do!"

Gabe: "Whatever."

Without saying anything more the mad scientist lightly waved at the nearby security console and immediately after that… nothing happened.

Gabe: "Okay, let’s move on."

By the time the others would be able to find the time to ask anything the man was already on the other side of the first checkpoint, save for the only man who apparently tried to keep up with him…

Soketsu: "Wait! Didn’t this take about fifteen minutes the last time?"

Gabe, visibly annoyed, glanced over his shoulder while not even slowing his pace.

Gabe: "Normally? Yes, but I have maximum clearance, so I just turned off the whole security system altogether."

Soketsu: "Wait, what!? Isn’t that kind of defeating the whole purpose of a security system?!"

Gabe: "Maybe, but you see, there were times when I just had to get into Avalon for a snack in the middle of the night and it was a hassle to go through the whole procedure."

Soketsu: "Are you serious? You compromised the integrity of your security system for midnight snacks!?"

Gabe: "Not really. It is a shortcut only for me." In the meantime Jill pointedly cleared her throat, and when that didn’t seem to work, poked Gabe on the top of his head. "Yes? What’s up?"

Jill: "What’s with that gate over there?"

Gabe: "Oh right. This is the first time for you. That’s the main gate of Avalon."

Jill: "… Why is it so huge?"

Gabe: "What do you mean? Because it’s-"

Tiari: "Compensating for something."

Gabe: "Hey!"

The mad scientist and the catgirl was once again at each other’s throats, but even so, Jill was completely lost in thought. Mesmerized by the sight in front of her, she didn’t pay any attention to the newest quarrel between the two. She kept intently gazing at the structure, then as if a sudden spark snapped her out of her fascination, she lightly tapped on Gabe’s head again.

Gabe: "Huh? What?"

Jill: "What did you say, what is this Avalon of yours again?"

Gabe: "I told you, it’s where the girls live."

Jill: "You mean it’s some kind of housing district? And why is it sealed off? And why-"

Gabe: "Whoa, slow down! Avalon is a city."

Jill: "A city? Underground?"

Soketsu: "Yeah." Soketsu chimed in with a self-derisive chuckle. "I had a hard time believing it when I entered the first time as well."

Jill: "Seriously?"

Gabe: "Let me just open the gate and you will understand without explanations."

Saying so the scientist casually walked over to security console by the gate, or at least as casually as he could while carrying Jill on his back, and began operating it. In a few seconds the light covering the gate began fading and before long it completely disappeared.

Gabe: "Okay, I have roughly two hours to spare before Ahazkun would get slightly more upset because of my absence, something that no one wants to see happening. I’m only going to give you a barebones tour; you will have more than enough time to explore the city on your own anyway."

Before Jill could find the words to answer, or rather, before she could voice any more of the countless questions in her head, the giant doors began moving with a low, rumbling noise. As the wings of the gate parted, the first thing that surprised her was the bright sunlight coming from the other side, accompanied by a gush of fresh air.

Gabe: "What the…?"

For her surprise, Gabe seemed even more baffled than her when he took a glimpse at the sunbeams coming from the other side.

Jill: "Whoa!"

Without a moment’s notice, the mad scientist took off with surprisingly agile steps and rushed through the gate in the blink of an eye. As Jill could finally lay her eyes upon the sight before her, it instantly took away her breath. A blue sky above her head with the warm light of the sun caressing her skin, and most importantly, the tranquil city sprawling in front of her as far as the eye could see.

Jill: "… Where are the people?"

The question was only natural. After all, no matter how idyllic the city in front of her seemed like, it was as empty as a ghost-town. The man however didn’t answer; instead he turned back to the others with a serious expression.

Gabe: "Something is wrong. It’s half past two in the middle of the night, it should be dark at this hour."

Pabloc: "… So?"

Gabe was seemingly thinking for a moment, then turned around and started walking with brisk steps.

Jill: "Whoa!"

Jill actually had to grab onto Gabe’s shoulders to keep herself from falling as the man suddenly surged forward, leaving the others a few paces behind him before they would began moving as well.

Gabe: "I don’t know what happened, but first we should get to the mansion and you will wait there, the tour can wait until I find out what happened."

For a few moments, Jill was seriously contemplating about what she should ask him, if anything, but considering the scientist’s serious tone, in the end she decided to keep quiet for now. It only took them a few short minutes to arrive at the outskirts of the actual town, but when they reached the ‘mansion’ Gabe mentioned, they didn’t really find what they were looking for.

Gabe: "… What the hell?"

The air was filled with the smell of burnt wood around the place where the building was supposed to stand, currently occupied by a huge pile of scorched metal and wood. As they laid their eyes upon it, all of them fell silent in front of the sight of destruction. However, one of them was different.

Jill saw something that shocked her even more than the burnt remains, or the sight of the town for that matter. Actually, Avalon did not surprise her that much, as it was not something she would have put beyond the man’s eccentric tendencies. Crazy as it might have seemed for someone else, creating an underground city for whatever purpose did not seem impossible to her, not even weird, simply because she knew the mad scientist. It was still a grand sight, but it wasn’t surprising. On the other hand, for the very same reason, she couldn’t believe her eyes when they were laid on a small, flying shape aiming towards them.

?????: "Fairfather!"

Jill’s feelings were always hard to read. That’s something everyone realized after meeting her at least once. She almost always wore a neutral poker-face and her expressions were toned down all the time; her smiles were barely noticeable and her furious scowls usually seemed nothing more than small frowns. Not this time.

Clear and utter bewilderment. Or at least that’s what it would have been on someone else, but on her face, such an expression was the sign of a shock beyond compare. She felt like her head was about to explode with questions and no matter how many times she looked at the small being in front of her, her mind just couldn’t compute the information. No, actually, she comprehended what she saw, she just couldn’t believe it. It was akin to when an angel would descend upon an atheist. It was something that couldn’t be denied, but accepting it was even harder than believing that her eyes were deceiving her.

Gabe: "Claire? What happened here?!"

The fairy Claire was wearing a dark-blue jumpsuit with yellow markings and a helmet under which her long, brown hair was flowing down on her back. She flew to them and stopped right in front of the scientist, floating right there while talking.

Claire: "There was a fire in the guests’ mansion."

Gabe: "I can see that, but why is the sun up?!"

Claire: "Ah, that’s because we needed the light for the evacuation, so we set the time forward by twelve hours on the environmental system."

Gabe: "Evacuation?! Is everyone all right?!"

Claire: "Mostly. We have a few light injuries amongst the firefighters but nothing serious. Luckily we were able to put it out before the fire spread."

Hearing these words the scientist’s tense shoulders finally eased up as he let out a huge sigh.

Gabe: "Phew! I was really afraid something serious happened here…"

Claire: "Something serious?"

Gabe: "Ah, you see, we had intruders in the facilities. I was afraid there was another attack or a sabotage or something when I first saw that the sun was up."

Claire: "Intruders? What happened?"

Gabe: "Nothing serious, Lily got them."

Claire: "Lily?" The fairy visibly swallowed and whispered. "Poor bastards."

Gabe: "Yeah, but-"

Jill: "Excuse me?"

The two’s small-talk was abruptly interrupted by Jill, who was staring at the fairy all this time like she was seeing a ghost. Claire, on the other hand, only seemed to notice her at the moment she first spoke up.

Claire: "Yes?"

Jill: "Are you… really a fairy?"

Claire: "Huh?"

Gabe: "Oh, yes. That. You see, I had no time to tell you, but a few things have changed since you died…"

Claire: "Died?"

Gabe: "Oh, that too. You see, she is…"

Soketsu: "Hey, Gabe?"

Gabe: "Huh?"

Interrupted, the mad scientist grudgingly turned towards the source of the voice, only to meet the disapproving gazes of the whole group.

Pabloc: "Honestly now. You are getting ahead of yourself again. We would first like to know more about that fire."

Soketsu: "Especially me and Kay. We were actually living here…"

Kay: "Yes, all our things were inside…"

Gabe: "Okay then… Claire, please give us a quick rundown."

Claire: "Yes. The fire department got notified of the fire roughly two hours ago, so we sounded the alarm and brought in the fire extinguishers immediately."

Kay: "Alarm… So what we heard was not an intruder alarm?"

Gabe: "Intruder alarm? Why would we have something like that? Sure, if someone reported a breach in the facility then there would have been an announcement or something, but you were the ones who met the intruders first, right?"

Undeterred by the interruption, the fire-fighter fairy continued her speech.

Claire: "The fire apparently started at one of the guest rooms then it spread through the whole building."

Pabloc: "Was it an accident?"

Claire: "We don’t know yet, but we cannot single out the possibility of arson."

Gabe: "An arsonist amongst the fairies? Im-frickin-possible."

Claire: "I would like to say the same, but we can surely say that the fire wasn’t caused by a short circuit."

Gabe: "Are you sure?"

Claire: "Yes. We suspect the fire was caused by an open flame."

Gabe was about to object again, but then he paused and glanced over to a pair of suspiciously fidgeting people standing behind him. After some thinking he turned back to the fairy.

Gabe: "You said the fire spread from one of the guest rooms?"

Claire: "Yes. We have witnesses."

Gabe: "I see…" This time he fully turned around and faced Soketsu and Kay again. "Is it just me, or you two have been awfully fidgety over there?"

With the mad scientist’s sharp eyes focused on him, Soketsu immediately hung his head.

Soketsu: "I-It’s nothing, just…"

Gabe: "Just?"

Soketsu: "Well… errr… We might have left a few hundred burning candles in our room when we left."

Gabe: "A few hundred burning candles?! What the hell, people?!"

The two immediately shuddered before the man’s genuinely angry voice.

Soketsu: "It’s… a long story. We left in a hurry and just forgot to blow them out…"

Kay: "Sorry…"

For a few moments the mad scientist seemed like he was about to lash out at the two, but in the end he only shrugged his shoulder in his usual, overly dramatic manner.

Gabe: "Whatever. I let you get off the hook this time since there were no serious injuries, but tomorrow I’m going to give you two a looooong lecture about fire-awareness." After saying so the man turned back to the fairy by his side. "Say, how many injured are there?"

Claire: "A few light burns and Emmi got her wings hurt when she was hit by some falling debris."

Gabe: "Emmi? Geez, that girl is such a klutz…"

Claire: "Not really, she is just too enthusiastic."

Jill was once again surprised by the relaxed, familiar tone of the conversation between the two. The number of questions she had only kept increasing without an end in sight, but just as she was about to turn the conversation her way the scientist abruptly moved over to Soketsu’s side.

Gabe: "Here."

Soketsu: "Huh?"

The man reflexively moved before he even understood what was going on, and a moment later Jill was already in his hands, for both of their greatest surprise.

Jill: "Hey! Don’t just ditch me like that!"

Gabe seemed somewhat amused by her comment, yet he didn’t say a word and instead he turned around and started walking.

Gabe: "Take her to sight-seeing or something, I’ll take care of the injured and the official matters and will join you later."

Without further ado, the mad scientist walked away from the rest in a hurried manner, accompanied by a few more fairies coming from around the building, leaving the group behind and confused yet again.

Pabloc: "And just when I finally thought he started to act somewhat more casually around Jill…"

The subject of his sentence didn’t answer, seemingly deep in thought. After a few second she gently tapped the shoulder of the man holding her.

Jill: "Please put me down."

Soketsu: "Huh? Are you sure?"

Jill: "Yes. Apparently I have to take things into my own hands if I want to learn anything. I best start with learning how to walk again."

The man slowly let her down onto her unsteady feet, and the moment she stood upright she immediately turned to Pabloc.

Jill: "Now then, about that tour…" The scientist noticed it immediately; there was something different in the her demeanor. Her voice was firm and her eyes were burning with a quiet yet fierce determination. "Tell me everything about Avalon and the fairies."

By this point Pabloc had seemingly given up the battle with his bad habit and was rubbing the bridge of his nose while answering.

Pabloc: "Well, I can tell you what I know, but why the sudden interest?"

Hearing the question, the light of determination in Jill’s eyes began burning even brighter as her lips curved into a defiant smile.

Jill: "Isn’t it obvious? I need to know so that I can confront him."

Pabloc raised a single brow at the declaration and then promptly shrugged.

Pabloc: "As good a reason as any."