I wasn't aware that the burly man with the Inertia badge was awake, or that he was Jordan's roommate.

Fifteen minutes ago I was asleep, stealing warmth from some certain person, relaxing after I was forced to be put into social placement - by going to a damned restaurant at that.

Now I was at Jordan's castle, staring at a man who had worked at the Inertia. The Inertia, which is a place I'm not very fond of. Even before we got here I was told not to punch anybody, so I wasn't on attack mode.

I glanced up at Andor, seeing if maybe I could say a few choice words. Though, I had no luck. He stared out at the world, hands shoved in pants pockets, pondering about something.

I sat on Jordan's wobbly, metal table, which I really just sat on anymore to annoy Jordan, swinging my legs back and forth. I tried to look as nonthreatening as possible to the man who probably knew me as the girl that killed a full hallway of soldiers with one gun.

Jordan stood in front of me, bags under his eyes and black hair in a grumpy mess. When I walked in he was kicking at his single mattress at the side of the throne room, and he seemed as if he was aching to go to sleep. The same as I was.

DAMMIT DON'T THESE PEOPLE KNOW I JUST WENT ON A WITCH HUNT!

"So," I sighed, trying to get all my bad feelings off. I had to realize that just because he had that badge doesn't mean he was in the center of it all. He could have just worked at the factory part, "What's your story?"

"Hm?" Guard Tom questioned. He sat with a crutch at his side, his left leg still bandaged up. His right still in tact. "What do you mean?"

"Everyone has a story," I shrugged.

Jordan smiled because I had asked him those words once. It was how I greeted a lot of people. I immediately got the gross details, and it usually made me trust a person more.

"I don't-" he paused, taking a deep shaking breath. "Nope- nothing exciting from me. Just a dead end job and an accident that left me here-." He gulped down a big case of dry mouth. "I've been told you're monster hunters, or something along the lines of that."

Can I just comment that his voice was bizarrely high pitched. Higher then 5 year old me -and no I do not mean the drug. I didn't, and still don't, have the money for that!

"Yeah," Jordan laughed under his breath, completely running on willpower and little amount of Martha's packed coffee he had left in his blood stream, "something like that."

Andor flinched beside me, making everyone in the room stare including me.

"You okay?" I asked.

He didn't answer me, just scrambled the grab a pen from the table. He scribbled two words on piece of paper and showed it to Guard Tom.

"Do you know this name?" Andor asked, completely fixed on what's Guard Tom's soon to be answer was. His eyes were shot like a missal at a target.

The paper had the name Matthew Gaines written on it, which was just coincidentally the last two initials on the letter that led us to the Wizards.

Guard Tom squinted his eyes at the map, but I could tell he was just acting out the part. He didn't know who the initials were. Why would anyone who had anything correlated to the Inertia help us? It's more likely that Guard Tom knew something about that drone that was watching us.

"Nope," Guard Tom shrugged shaking his head, which I knew he would do. "Don't know any Gaines, sorry."

Andor stepped up, glaring back at the map.

"Hon, your not going to intimidate the words into telling you what the name is," I comforted.

"Hey," Jordan called up from where he was, which was now sitting on the mattress. "How did you figure that out?"

"I remember it from a dream last night," Andor spoke quickly. Probably quickly because he was hoping I wouldn't hear.

"Oh?" I said more of a statement than a question. It came out a lot more quietly then I meant to, too. I wasn't aware that he was remembering more. I thought he already went through all that at the Inertia. How the hell did I not notice that!?

Andor glanced up from the paper and caught eye of me. His face went soft. "I was going to tell you, but you were so busy that-"

"No-" I thought was the only right thing to say "-it's fine."

Of course it wasn't fine because it's not hard for me to know when I'm gone and not fine. That's basically my two moods. Andor wouldn't stop starting at me with those big blue eyes, and the rest of the room got silent.

Jordan cleared his throat. "So why don't I get you a room to get you to stay in Guard Tom."

Jordan helped Guard Tom up and showed him out of the main throne room.

I just stared awkwardly at the ground.

Andor walked up to me.

"I was really going to tell you," he said with a shaky voice. His eyes were hazy and his breath came out thickly.

I held his hand. "I know, your fine."

He leant down and kissed me, but I left it at that because Jordan would probably be storming back down soon to finally get some sleep.

And I wanted some sleep too.

"I'm cold," I stated, stretching my arms, "and sleepy," I started to head to the door, "and you have magic god warmth so let's go back home-"

"I'm not a god-" he interrupted, laughing.

"Yet-" I commented.

Dianite sat down in front of me, his hands folded and his legs crossed. He glared at me with a signature smirk.

Sadly this Dianite was equally as scary.

I gulped down some air, sitting up in the seat. We both sat at a table at Sonja's restaurant. I got teleported here against my will. I would never come to her stupid restaurant with my own consent.

"Erm may I ask why I'm here?" I spoke and my words were shaky.

A teacup appeared in front of Dianite with the blink of his eye. For a ghost he was very powerful.

He sipped at the drink, eyes still glued to me. "I want to tell you a story," he said, smacking his lips and placing the cup down.

I gripped the arm rests of the oak chairs harder, still trying not to slink down into my seat. "What would that be?"

Dianite placed his folded hands on the table, looking me straight in the eyes with a powerful stare. I stood up straight in my seat as Dianite leaned down at the table, as if to mute his words.

"I went to the Inertia- and I found something," he paused, growing a wider smirk, "interesting.

"I seemingly walked into my old factory, which I needed to steal a badge for anyway.

Ridiculous how they treat you at an establishment you raised.

Snow covered the entrance, so no one had shoveled anything in a while. Machines were off because I didn't hear the buzzing noice of slave labor - I'm guessing that's what my brother is using - and the chimneys didn't have an inch of smoke coming out of them.

The place was a complete disaster.

Boxes were a shredded mess. Ruble was lying everywhere, and other for the guard that let me in - a complete idiot for not noticing me, by the way - no one had been in the factory.

Except, thought, underneath the snow I saw a lump. An uneven lump at that, a lump that the snow couldn't have made. The lump curved in certain places, too. Certain places that reminded me of a body-."

He paused to take a sip of tea, glancing upwards at Sonja's sparkly little lights that she had tapered to the ceiling. He just pondered for a moment, eyes misty, clearing his through of anger. He let out some feeling.

"The body, thankfully, was dead before it got packed under that snow. The body was even dead before your dear Hope put an arrow through his head.

I figured this out by investigating. I took the body back to my home base - oh you've seen my place, a little quaint area with the Wizards. I live in their core thing -. Anyway, I cut this body open and found that all of his insides were decomposed, like around a year old decomposed. The inside organs were just liquid.

I made the hypothesis, then, that maybe he didn't have live soldiers. Maybe he's been running out. Maybe he's been recycling.

That's when it hit me.

My dear brother has been reanimating his fallen soldiers, and then stitches them up good enough so they can walk-"

"Excuse me, my lord," I interrupted, "but what does this have to do with me?"

Dianite stopped his smirking and gave me a smile. "Something tells me your not this normally polite."

I shook my head no.

Dianite chuckled, sipping down the last bit of his tea, or fruit punch, or whatever it was.

He shook around the empty tea cup. "You didn't want any did you? It was liquid Hellfire. Not very good on the way down, but warms my nonexistent body."

"I think I would die if I drink that, sir."

Dianite laughed harder, propping his feet up on the table. "That effects you Tommy because if my brother is reanimating bodies, he needs a necromancer.

So I thought of that little drone that's been filming me take my baths and those three initials that's been perplexing Andor so much.

Maybe." Dianite shrugged, "our necromancer is D.M.G."

Dianite was right. Those soldiers were not human. They were wobbly and animalistic. I was surprised they could walk upright. Mianite was recycling soldiers.

But why would a necromancer be filming us though? What would be the need to spy on us? Who would want to know about our lives? I mean, I get it I'm interesting, but I'm not that interesting.

Dianites attention peaked to the ceiling. He closed his eyes concentrating on something, breathing carefully in and out.

I squirmed in my seat.

Dianite opened his eyes quickly, and deeply sighed out of frustration. "Sorry to leave you with the check." He stood up, buttoning his jacket. "But my sister needs me."

And with the familiar bussing noise that I knew as Dianites apparition he was gone.

And I was left with the damned check to pay for his god damned liquid hellfire!

I don't know if I'm mad or respect the evilness.

I jiggled the microwave plug, trying to make the machine turn on and warm my mid afternoon breakfast.

I mean, don't get me wrong, the microwave was a steal in the first place. I knew they had stoves and electricity, but someone invented a microwave. Yes please.

Still it perplexed me how they didn't figure out how to make a radio, but they have a microwave.

Beggars can't be choosers.

Which is why I was trying not to completely smash this microwave. I just wanted breakfast.

"Dammit!" I yelled. I didn't care if my anger could wake up Guard Tom. This is what he would have to deal with if he wanted to live in the castle.

"Shit. What got your panties in a bunch?" Someone spoke from the throne room. I knew who that someone was, after I processed it. What was Hope doing here?

Instead of me walking to the throne room, before I could even lean up from my spot by the outlet, Hope had moseyed into the kitchen.

"You look kinda understaffed," She snarked.

At least her comment cheered me up a tiny bit.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, not that I minded her being here, but Hope kinda hated the castle. She came as least as possible.

She crossed her arms, giving a way to mischievous smile. "I brought I guest," I could hear the satisfaction in her voice. Whatever she did, it probably wasn't good.

I arched my eyebrows in confusion. By this time I had just dropped the microwave plug and given up. "What?-"

"You know I would have thought you would have cleaned up the place."

I remembers that melodic but harsh voice. I remembered those lowered voice structure in her vowels. Hope had brought Ianite to my domain!

I gave Hope a horrified glare, but she just shrugged at me.

"Sorry," she said, but I saw in the ornery shimmer in her eyes that she wasn't sorry.

Ianite walked into the kitchen with her hair up in a bun. She didn't have a gown on, but I mint blue shirt and some jeans. She looked normal. She looked like a mom. Still very gorgeous, though. I mean she was a goddess.

Meanwhile, I sat on the floor in dirty pajamas with drool in my hair after I just slept on my mattress without a bed frame.

"Were finally getting you a bedroom," Hope stated. She spoke sternly, so this was happening. "I chose out a bed frame and Steve made it for you. Now your going to help me construct it."

Now I realize why she brought Ianite. I couldn't be grumpy and say no with Ianite staring down at me with these big purple proud eyes. I had an image to keep.

I sighed. "Fine, let me get dressed-"

"Oh no, we don't have time for that," Hope decided. "Were just getting this done, then you can sleep for another day."

I did like the idea of sleeping for a whole day.

I stood up off the ground. Ianite still looked at me with keen eyes. I told myself I should be polite, and I was. As much as it pained me to be polite to Hope.

As soon as I know it me and Hope are constructing a bed frame. A task that we had no idea how to accomplish. Ianite said she would stay downstairs and organize some things for me, which I was fine with. She could organize my sock drawer for all I care, as long as everything starts to smell like her.

Hope continued to unfold all of the directions that Steve had wrote down for her. He decided to lay it out like the big map, so Hope was just unfolding and unfolding. The paper started to reach colossal heights, getting so big that Hope had to place it over her head. She read over the paper, which was on top of her like a blanket. The paper, which Hope was probably suspecting to look like a shopping list when she asked for it, looked like a freaking blueprint for a skyscraper.

"We need tools," she muffled from under the directions. "That nail stick, whatever it's called-"

"You mean a hammer," I interrupted before she confused herself more.

"Yes, that thing," Hope huffed. She felt around for a wall, or something to guide her down to the floor so she could sit.

I started to construct the bed post together with the bed frame when Hope finally sat down. She still had the directions covering her face.

She tried to pull the paper off from her. As she was pretty much blind, she didn't notice that she was sitting on the opposite end, so the pulling was useless.

"I would help you, but you embarrassed me in front of Ianite." I said nonchalantly.

"Good," she muffled, the fell to the side, struggling to get right side up again. "Fuck!" She yelled out loud.

After a few more curse words and a few rips in the directions Hope got herself free. She had no injuries, other then frizzy hair.

She looked me square in the eyes. Not to yell at me, or tell me to shut up. She seemed worried. "You know your not actually her husband, right?"

That took me surprise. What was she saying that I was in love with Ianite because I wasn't. Even though she had pretty shiny hair and glistening eyes and was so wise and smart. No, I was not in love with my god. That's just strange. Right?

"Yeah," I tried to laugh my feelings off. "Why would you even bring that up?"

"Jordan," She sighed, as if this was hard to tell me. It's not like she was ripping off a bandaid. I was not in love with Ianite.

"I've seen you fall in love before," she spoke softly. "You chase things that you can't catch, or something that's reckless-"

"What was Capsize reckless!?" I snapped. "Your one to talk okay. You, like, lost it when Andor went to the Inertia."

She cleared her throat, going silent and looking down at the directions.

I felt guilty because she was right. She knew me to well, and she had caught on to something that I hadn't even caught onto myself.

Everything was silent after that. There was only noise from the crumpling of the paper from Hope and the hammering of nails from me.

I almost said something. Tried to defend myself or make her believe that I wasn't in love with Ianite. I couldn't say anything, though, because I couldn't make myself believe the words that I was trying to sculpt.

Someone screamed from downstairs, and it wasn't Ianite.

Hope and I scrambled down the staircase.

Ianite stood in the throne room, arms crossed behind her back. She had a light smile, trying to make herself look less threatening.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she said to Guard Tom in a soft voice.

"You- you." Every bit of Guard Tom was trembling. Everything except the hand that had to hold his crutch. "I thought you were dead."

Instead of getting offended, Ianite's smile widened. "Is that what you've been told." Her smile then went away. "I've been trying to make things better."

"H-how," Even Guard Tom's words were trembling, "How are you even here?!"

"I could ask the same about you," She said. "Most people don't survive more then a day from the Taint."

"I - I," Guard Tom stood up straight, gulping down a big breath of air, "I want answers from you-" he tried to look big and strong, "- I deserve answers."

"Well then I guess we can agree on something then," Ianite said, "I want answers from you too."

Guard Tom didn't know how to answer to that.

"How about we make a deal. We can swap a secret everyday. Then you have something off mine and I have something of yours." Ianite made her voice stronger. "Will that do?"

Guard Tom glanced at me for some reassurance. I thought it was strange that he looked at me for guidance. He had only just met me, but I guess I was the thing he knew right now. I nodded for him to say yes.

He shook his head slowly. "O- okay then."

"Great," Ianite gave a big, beautiful smile again, "I love stories."

The birds were tweeting their supposably melodic songs again, but it didn't bother me much this time. I was to busy thinking. My arm was perched up on the farmhouses front porch. I took in the view of the newly planed apple trees and water chestnuts.

The sliding door swished open and Andor came to stand right beside me. He leaned his arm around me, and I pulled myself against him. I could feel his heartbeat, and somehow it followed along with the waves crashing against the dirty shore.

"What happened?" He whispered, looking out to the skies and admiring the birds.

I took a deep breath. I realized lying was useless, so I just decided to be cryptic. "Me and Jordan aren't seeing eye to eye."

"Fine, don't tell me then," Andor said. He wrapped his arm far enough around my waist to squeeze my hand, "I'm just glad it isn't your nightmares."

I stifled a laugh. "If anybody's having crazy dreams, it's you."

Andor, though, didn't find this so funny. He gave me the most intense look I have ever seen from his eyes. "Your the one with nightmares. You woke up last night crying and screaming. Don't you remember?"

I nodded my head. I remember crying and screaming, but I'm pretty sure that was Andor. He woke up. He had the bad dream. "That was you-"

Or maybe not.

"-right?"

"Hope." He mustered out weakly. "Are you okay?"

"I-I," My stomach and my chest started to feel heavy out of fear, "I don't know?"