At the crack of dawn the morning after the impromptu camp cookout, Ryan sent out the Wizard’s Eye Mk. II to the city so he could catch as many people as he could.

His crew seemed to have already adjusted to the day-night cycle of this half world arcology, so he was alone and bored at the moment.

He had already finished examining the remaining astronomy work from their home universe and even done some for the one they were in.

He still didn’t feel confident enough to handle Chie’s work as she hadn’t explained things to him as she worked and since he found chemistry to be boring and not urgent hadn’t tried to know more than what he needed to allow her to do her work.

The only real things he could do were Luna’s repairs, which were mostly automatic to him now, watch for danger, or explore with the drone which he didn’t feel comfortable doing considering how quickly the first three got destroyed.

Ryan turned his attention from his thoughts back to the city and its surroundings.

First, he examined the city.

The outside of the city had a circular wall made of thick hedges twice the height of a person. A large gate at the wall’s center connected to a road that headed east, through the forest. Inside the city, he saw two distinct types of architecture. On the southern side of the city he saw traditional medieval style housing, where mostly humans lived. On the northern side he saw many trees, the largest of which held treehouses, with the rest of the houses scattered below. A port dominated the western side of the city.

Ryan focused on the Eastern gate. It had an around the clock watch so he ignored them for the moment and instead watched several armor-clad figures headed for the forest. From there he studied the area just outside the gate and saw there were several tents and wagons filled with goods waiting for the gates to open for the day. Finally he turned to the shed with the remaining Mk. I saw it still had someone sleeping on the roof.

For the next several minutes, he had the Mk. II scout out the perimeter to the forest.

A figure appeared on the wall.

He almost missed them as they were using the battlements to stay concealed, but thanks to his ability to see IR he could track them even when they went into shadows.

The figure peered over the edge of the wall and scanned the area below, then jumped down.

They then took off at great speed, far faster than a normal person could run, and didn’t stop until they were near the fields at the edge of the forest.

As the figure got closer, he noticed it was the elf girl with the longer than normal ears he’d seen before.

The girl stopped near the edge of the forest and looked around before letting out a deep breath.

Unlike the others with armor that went out, he could see her face thanks to her wearing a light, open faced helmet.

The girl looked cautious as she started walking, and continually surveyed the surrounding area until she entered the forest proper.

Ryan wondered why she was being so cautious, and why she would go into the forest by herself. There was no way she had the equipment to handle what was in the forest. Just one shrew would probably be enough to kill her with a well-placed poison spitball. But he had seen her before, so he imagined she was probably doing this for a while, so she was probably okay.

Even if she was safe, he realized this presented an opportunity to him. He found his progress at learning the locals’ language tedious, the way he had been eavesdropping.

What better way to learn than to find a lone person going where no one would see them? He also got the feeling she was coming out here in secret so the chances of them being found might be low?

She was also super cute and his type and he wondered how she would feel dating a brain in a jar…

Ryan shook the thought from his mind and wondered about the best way to contact her. Should he just go in with the probe? The two locals he’d tried with before had thought it was a monster and ran away. This girl had what looked like a rapier type sword at her hip, so she might just attack and destroy the Mk. II.

Maybe Mikan? Mayu had made the fairies to act as a sort of drone for this purpose. He had no way of knowing what the locals thought of fairies, but it had to be better than a floating eyeball with wings.

Ryan lifted Luna from the ground and used the FTL to appear just east from where the girl was.

Mikan currently “slept” in a tiny bed on top of a drawer next to Mayu’s bed.

Ryan “woke” Mikan up and looked around the room.

Aoi currently slept on a pillow next to Mayu's head and had wrapped herself in Mayu’s hair, which she was also currently drooling on.

Saki slept in a bed identical to Mikan’s. The bed was next to Mikan’s, and the fairy had kicked her sheets off and rolled partially on to Mikan.

Mikan smiled at the three sleeping peacefully. The fairies had easily taken to Mayu and Mikan and seemed happy. Mayu was currently sleeping the best she had since waking up on Luna and had never looked more peaceful. He could still see a longing in her eyes which would probably never go away unless she returned to her daughter, but he could tell the fairies meant a lot to her.

Mikan carefully slipped out from under Saki’s legs.

The purple and red-haired fairy had taken a liking to Mikan more than Mayu. She seemed to be skittish and probably felt more comfortable being around a fairy like her, over a human that towered over her.

Aoi rolled over and pulled on Mayu’s hair.

Mayu groaned a little, but didn’t wake up.

Mikan lifted into the air, and Ryan cracked open Mayu’s door just enough for her to slip through.

The Usual Breach wasn’t far, so Mikan soon flitted down and through the treetops near the elf girl.

Ryan wanted no more dragon trouble, so returned Luna to the island.

Luna made a soft cracking noise as air filled in the gap in the air the ship had just made with its sudden departure.

The elf girl heard it and looked around her.

Mikan purposely shook a bush.

The girl spun in the bush's direction, unsheathed her rapier, and took a combat stance.

Ryan spoke the greeting he’d learned, “Hello.”

The girl relaxed a bit, but stayed in her combat stance, “Who is there?”

Mikan landed and poked her head out from the foliage, “Hello.”

The girl’s gaze turned puzzled when she saw Mikan and said something Ryan didn’t recognize.

Ryan felt nervous. If he got Mikan killed, he’d feel bad, and he didn’t even want to think about how the others would react, especially Mayu and Saki.

Still, he needed to contact the villagers eventually, and now seemed like a good time.

Mikan fluttered into full view.

The girl’s eyes widened, and she said a single word.

Ryan could only guess, but ‘fairy’ was probably the most likely.

Mikan smiled and pointed to herself, “I Mikan.”

The girl looked unsure if she should be happy or cautious and did a quick scan of the surrounding forest.

Ryan had a hard time thinking about what to say next and took it slow.

The girl spoke, “You* *** *** Mikan?”

Mikan nodded and pointed to herself, “Mikan.”

The girl smiled and pointed to herself, “My *** *** Étién.”

So, the girl’s name was Étién. He also now knew how to say ‘my name is.’

Mikan smiled, “Étién.”

Étién put her rapier away, but still looked cautious, “What *** you ***?”

Ryan guessed Étién was wanting to know what Mikan was doing there.

Mikan pointed to herself, then used her hand to show talking before pointing to Étién.

Étién seemed to understand and nodded.

For nearly an hour, Ryan spoke with Étién. It started off slow as they tried to figure things out, but as he picked up words, things went smoothly.

It was Mayu waking up that took his attention away from Étién.

Ryan took the initiative, speaking in Japanese, “Morning, Mayu.”

Mayu rubbed her eyes and replied in Japanese, “Good morning, Ryan.”

Ryan lowered his voice as Aoi stirred from the noise, “Um… Just wanted you to know I took Mikan to the forest near the city.” He brought up the Mk. II’s feed of Mikan and the Elf girl, “I found someone interesting and she’s teaching me her language.”

Mayu looked wide awake now and studied the video.

Étién sat on a rotting log, with Mikan sitting on her lap.

Mayu studied the scene and seemed satisfied, “That is very good. Are you learning much from her?” She smiled, “She’s very cute.”

Mikan blushed, but neither Étién nor Mayu noticed, “Uh, yeah she’s pretty cute… Uh… I mean… Yeah! I’m learning a lot from her. I’ve learned more in an hour than I have the last couple days.”

Mayu laughed softly, “That is good to hear.”

Mikan’s face turned to embarrassment after letting his feelings slip, “You’re… uh… not mad I took Mikan out without saying anything?”

Mayu thought for a moment, “Hmm, maybe a little. But I trust you, and Mikan is part of you now so you do not need my permission to do things.”

Mikan smiled, “Oh, I just thought since…”

Mayu shook her head, “I will be angry if you take Aoi or Saki without asking because they are still learning, but you are…” Mayu looked sad for a moment, “You are an adult and show you think before you do something. However, if it were Anton, I would feel differently.”

Mikan laughed, this time getting Étién’s attention, “Okay, thanks for the vote of confidence.”

Aoi woke up and rubbed her eyes, “Mamma? Aoi is hungry.”

Mayu looked at Aoi and smiled warmly, “Okay, I will be getting you some a bar.”

Aoi frowned, “Bar gross. Aoi wants fish!”

Mayu looked conflicted, “I am sorry, we don’t…”

Ryan started printing one of Sashae’s fishing tools, “Maybe now is a good time to teach Aoi and Saki how to fish.”

Mayu looked unsure, “I do not know how to fish.”

Mikan laughed evilly, but only Étién heard it, “Go grab what I printed. I’ll teach you how to use it on the way.”

Mayu still didn’t look so sure, “Okay. Maybe walking will be good for waking up.”

Mayu turned to Saki, who showed no signs of waking up.

Ryan turned off the video of Mikan and Étién, “I’ll let you know when Saki wakes up. If you do it right, it shouldn’t take long.”

Mayu nodded, “Okay.”

Mayu and Aoi left the bedroom and grabbed the fishing supplies from the fabrication room, before leaving Luna.

Ryan moved the MK II back to Luna, and followed Mayu and Aoi to the beach.

Mayu stopped at the top of a short cliff, looking over a deeper section of water, and placed a long handled fishing net and a bucket on the ground next to her.

Aoi flitted just above the water, “Lots of water! Lots of water!”

Mayu smiled as she watched Aoi, “Be careful!”

Ryan flew the Mk. II just above Aoi, “Maybe we should have waited for Saki after all?”

Mayu pulled a makeshift hand grenade from the bucket and smiled, “I like Sashae’s fishing.”

Mikan chuckled again, earning another weird look from Étién, “Well, it was really Anton’s idea. Sashae asked him to design some fishing supplies, and this was what he came up with.”

The grenade was basic and looked more like a large firecracker than the ones used by the military, but it did its job.

Mayu motioned for Aoi to come back, “Aoi! Come back or no fish!”

Aoi pouted, but came back, “Aoi was playing…”

Mayu hefted the grenade, “This is more fun, but dangerous. Aoi needs to stay back.”

Aoi looked curiously at the grenade, “Dangerous?”

Mayu nodded, pulled the pin, and tossed the grenade, “Very dangerous.”

The grenade exploded, sending a jet of water into the air.

Aoi squeaked from fright and flew behind Mayu, “Very dangerous!”

Several fish and fish chunks floated to the surface, stunned or dead from the shock wave.

Mayu pointed at the fish, “Fish.”

Aoi flitted from behind Mayu and immediately saw the fish, “Fish!” She then flitted towards the fish and tried scooping one from the water, “Fish!”

The fish slipped from Aoi’s grasp and splashed back into the water.

Mayu laughed and picked up the net, “Fish are slippery, so we are using this.”

Aoi tried picking up another fish, but only got herself wet as she lunged too far, resulting in her face and arms going into the surf.

Aoi shook herself off and spit water from her mouth, “Tastes bad!”

Mayu laughed softly, “Do not drink. It makes you sick.”

Aoi shook her head vigorously, “No drink! Tasted bad!”

Aoi humphed at the fish then fluttered back to Mayu, where she watched her scoop fish from the water.

Mayu got three fish, which she placed in the bucket.

Mayu considered the fish, “Not enough.” She looked over to some nearby tide pools, “Maybe look for crabs.”

Ryan flew the Mk. II over to the tide pools as he could see crabs more easily, “I’ll see if I can find any.”

Mayu smiled and headed for the tide pools.

Not long after they started looking, Saki woke up .

Ryan made a hologram of Mikan, “Saki! Come! Mayu and Aoi getting fish!”

Saki didn’t seem to like that idea and pouted as she shook off her sleepyness, “Saki no like cleaning fish.”

Ryan opened the door, “Go see Becky?”

Saki shook her head, “Play with Mikan.”

Ryan brought up a blank hologram, “Draw?”

Saki smiled, “Yes! Draw!”

Meanwhile, back near the city, Étién started looking anxious.

Étién hefted Mikan from her lap, “Need go.”

Mikan lifted into the air, “See again?”

Étién smiled and pointed to the ground, “Here, tomorrow?”

Mikan nodded, “Yes.”

Étién looked happy and waved, “Bye.”

Mikan returned her wave, “Bye.”

Mikan flew through the forest canopy, and Luna appeared to pick her up.

Once Mayu and the fairies ate the fish and crab Mayu caught, they settled in med bay.

Mayu and Ryan had just begun teaching Aoi and Saki, when Sashae entered.

Sashae glanced at the fairies first, then turned to Mayu, “Me learn okay?”

Mikan smiled and nodded enthusiastically, “Yes!”

Mayu grabbed an unused chair from a nearby workstation and moved it next to the fairies, “I am happy to.”

Ryan recalled how hard it had been to get Sashae to speak. This was unexpected, but welcome, “Thanks for coming.”

Sashae gave Aoi and Saki dirty looks and turned to Mayu, “Good.”

Ryan did some more exploring around the city, called Ildathach, with the Mk. II. He could already tell his short time with Étién that morning was worth it, as he could pick out more of the farmers’ conversations as they arrived at their fields and tended to their livestock. He also noticed their way of speaking seemed a bit more crude than what Étién had taught him, but not enough that he didn’t understand them.

He found another blood trail leading to a pool just inside the forest.

It was still fresh, so he quickly scanned the area between the drone and the city, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Aside from farmers and other workers, there were a few carts and wagons, but when he jumped to them and searched inside, he found nothing unusual.

Ryan decided he would need to watch more closely from now on. It was probably just an adventurer or a hunter, but just in case it was something else…

...and the rest of the day was boring compared to that morning.

Mayu would spend an hour or two teaching with Ryan, then spend the rest of the time counting on Mikan keeping Aoi and Saki occupied while she researched.

Chie was feeling well enough to start her research again.

Becky continued repairs on the dorsal sensor.

Anton finished removing enough melted metal from the Usual Breach and could start replacing the hull there.

Sashae scavenged for food after her lessons, before returning to Luna to practice her music.

The next two days went like this, including more blood trails.

On the fourth day of meeting Étién, things finally got interesting.

Mikan fluttered from behind a tree and waved at Étién, “Good morning!”

Étién ran over to Mikan and gave her a hug, “Good morning, cutie!”

Mikan blushed at the comment, and because she was being squeezed between Étién’s modest chest.

Étién finally let Mikan go and jogged deeper into the forest, waving for Mikan to follow, “Follow me! You are excellent at talking now so let us do something more interesting!”

Mikan wondered what Étién had in mind and followed her, “Okay.”

By now it did not surprise Ryan at how quickly he learned languages. Once the computer part of his brain learned a word, it didn’t forget it.

Soon, Étién entered a small clearing and stopped.

The clearing was small enough that overhead branches blocked out most of the sky, but it was still brighter than the surrounding forest.

A stump twice Étién’s height dominated the center of the clearing and many stab marks covered it.

Many of the trees around the perimeter had bark missing and also had their fair share of stab marks.

Étién unsheathed her sword and pointed it to the stump then turned to Mikan, “This, is where I practice.”

Mikan flitted to the stump and studied the stab marks before glancing back to Étién, “You practice with your sword here?”

Étién smiled and did a few practice thrusts, “Yes!”

Ryan considered printing a fairy sized sword, “I was wondering why you snuck out here every morning.”

Étién looked to the side and shifted uncomfortably, “Uh… yeah… it is the only place I can practice.”

Ryan had thought as much, “Hmm… Are you not allowed to practice, so you sneak out here?”

Étién looked at her feet and nodded, “Yes, my mother won’t let me.”

Mikan put her hands on her hips, “You know it’s dangerous out here, right? I’ve seen mice things that spit poison, giant insects, giant birds, flying eyeballs, and even a…” He didn’t know the word for dragon, “a flying lizard that breathes fire.”

Étién’s eyes went wide at the mention of a fire breathing lizard, “You saw a ***?”

Ryan now knew the word for dragon, probably.

Mikan nodded, “Hmm, that might be it.”

Ryan really wished Mikan could make holograms, then got an idea, “Do you mind if I bring a… magic tool?”

Étién looked excited, “You have a magic tool!?”

Mikan pointed to Étién’s rapier, “Hey, you’ve got one too.”

Étién glanced at the rapier, “Oh yeah, but I think yours is better.”

Ryan jumped the Mk. II above the clearing.

Mikan felt a light breeze as the drone displaced the air around it.

Ryan lowered the drone into the clearing.

Mikan raised her hand, “It’s here.”

Étién looked up just as the rustling of leaves signalled the arrival of the drone, “I recognize that! Those adventurers killed one a few days ago.”

Mikan sighed, “Yeah, my friend had to make another one to replace it.”

Étién nodded sympathetically, “That’s horrible.”

Mikan shrugged, “He likes making things.”

Étién thought for a second, “Is he a ***?”

Ryan had no idea what she was talking about, “Nah, he’s a Klingon for now.”

Étién looked puzzled, “Is he an adventurer?”

Ryan wondered what an adventurer was in relation to building things, “Why? Do adventurers build things?”

Étién nodded, “Some do.” She thought for a second, “You said, ‘for now?’ He can get a new body after dying?”

Mikan’s eyes went wide, “Wait. There’s people here that can come back after they die!?”

Étién turned towards the city, “In the ***. When twenty-one days pass, they rise from the ***.”

That sounded exactly like the resurrection tubes on Luna.

Ryan lowered the Mk. II and turned on a hologram showing one of the resurrection tubes, “Does it look like this?”

Étién didn’t seem the slightest bit startled at the hologram, “Yes. One of these rises from the ***’s floor with the adventurer’s new body.”

This was huge news. Did this mean the sender of those letters had brought him and his crew back to life using the same things used here?

Étién studied Mikan’s surprise stricken face and grinned, “I knew it! You’re a new adventurer! They never know our language and you speak the one they do too.”

Ryan recalled letting a few English words slip out here and there, “You… you might be right.”

Étién kept grinning, “This is my first time seeing a fairy adventurer.”

Mikan backed away, “Mikan isn’t an adventurer. Mikan was made by an adventurer.”

Étién looked at her curiously, “Hmm.”

Ryan wanted to change the subject before Étién dug too deeply and remembered why he brought the Mk. II there, “So… want me to show you a dragon(?)?”

Étién gave Mikan a look that showed she knew she was trying to change the subject, then turned to the Mk. II, “Yes!”

Ryan brought up a hologram of the dragon, “Dragon?”

Étién’s eyes went wide, “You truly witnessed a dragon!”

Mikan nodded, “It killed two other magic tools like this one.”

Étién nodded in understanding, “Yes. Dragons like magic tools.” She looked at the sky, then turned to the stump, “Can you show me more tomorrow? I should practice.”

Mikan flitted onto the probe and sat down, “Yeah. I’ve kept you for a few days and I’d love to watch.”

Étién smiled and readied her sword, “It delighted me to take the time to teach you our tongue.”

The Mk. II noticed Étién’s legs, arms, and sword glow in the IR and microwave frequencies.

Étién took off in a run impossibly fast for a normal person.

When she reached the stump, she thrust at it, her arms nearly a blur. She then lept back, nearly reaching the treetops five meters above, where she pushed off a tree and attacked the stump again.

Ryan was in awe at Étién’s training. He never imagined a person could move like this.

Next she lept between trees with ease and would disappear into the foliage, before leaping out in an unexpected direction and attacking the stump again.

For the next half hour she continued this routine, before finally collapsing on a large rock.

Étién wiped some sweat off her brow, “Time for me to return home.”

Mikan fluttered from the Mk. II to Étién, “That was amazing!”

Étién gave Mikan a sad smile, “I am not as amazing as you think I am. I am still very weak and I lack the power to injure.”

Ryan showed her a hologram of a poison shrew, “My friends had a hard time killing these. I bet you could take on five of these on your own.”

Étién nodded, “La-bhallan are indeed easy to kill with practice.”

Ryan turned off the hologram, “I better let you go.”

Étién looked at the sky, “Where do you call home?”

Ryan made a hologram of Luna, “On this ship. It needs lots of repairs, but she’s gotten us through a lot.”

Étién seemed surprised, “I have seen flying ships from Uí Breasail when they send delegations to Ildathach. How did you come upon it?”

Ryan showed her the hologram of the resurrection room, “Someone put us in it using these.”

Étién’s eyes went wide, “Then the Builder gave it to you?”

Ryan didn’t have to think very hard to figure out who this Builder might be, “The one who built this land? I don’t think they built the ship, but if these,” he highlighted the resurrection pods, “are theirs, then they probably added them.”

Étién nodded, “The Builder brings many from your world. For what reason we do not know, but still they come.”

Ryan had one more question before Étién left, “Where is Ui Breasail?”

Étién pointed southwest, “Ui Breasail is the island in the sky.”

Ryan brought up an image of Ui Breasail, “They didn’t like us.”

Étién’s expression became sullen, “Yes, they are not known for their acceptance of outsiders.” She perked up again, “Can I see your ship tomorrow? I would be delighted to meet your friends as well.”

Ryan turned off the hologram, “Uh, I’ll ask them and let you know.”

She smiled and spun on her heels towards the city, then looked over her shoulder at Mikan, “Thank you. We will meet again tomorrow?”

Mikan smiled at waved goodbye, “Yep!”

Étién left the clearing.

Ryan wished they could have talked longer. Until today they had focused on his learning of her language. He could tell she wanted to talk more about other things, but had insisted on waiting until he was better.

Ryan felt guilty that he had initially chosen her because he thought she was beautiful, but he’d come to love her personality as well. She was kind, patient, diligent, and… well, he could go on and on. If she were only ten years older and he had a body, he’d have already asked her out.

Mikan rode the Mk. II through the forest canopy, where Luna appeared and picked them up.

He couldn’t wait to formally introduce Étién to the others.