"well would you look at that," She couldn't help but be impressed by what was sitting before them? through the lenses of a device, they crafted over the last few weeks. they could get a closer look at the makeup on a rock. in truth, it was only an X13 view it was much more than what they could get from the use of a melody.

it would be even better after they improved on their application of the microscope, it was a new way to see the world around them. all because they found out about their life outside their planet. It was thrilling to her, she wanted to see this life. maybe they had answers to why the creatures were so hostile towards them.

of course, any of that was going to take time. maybe longer than she would be alive. maybe she would be dust by the time those answers arrived. it saddened her for a moment. 'I may not get the answers but at least I can help someone else achieve them." that thought encouraged her, what kind of answers would her discoveries lead to later down her life?

she considers writing a scroll. it would probably be needed in the future. now that was an interesting idea, writing a scroll. She wasn't sure if it would be of use but she would write it. who knows maybe someone will share her excitement and read it.

who knows but she was going back to studying the world through a microscope. who knows what she would learn and who would be more excited than she? She couldn't help but wonder about it, the world had gotten so much bigger.

*******

"you know I have many words to describe you at the moment," Aero glared at Adir looking at the older male who smiled shyly as he placed down a card. a bit of bark with details carved into it. winning another round of the game they were playing.

the family was still in the meadow having decided to pull out the games and food they brought. currently aero was losing a simple game, and Adir was cheating. the man admitted it and challenged Aero to see how he was cheating.

'it's his fingers I know that much, but he moved only when he knows I'm distracted' The man was moving fast he would give him that much. he still wanted to beat the man even if he didn't figure out the trick. throwing down a piece of bark he tried to watch the man's finger, but it happened fast.

At the same moment, the man threw down his park he shuffled his cards. 'where did that piece come from?' it hadn't been there before. it could haven't come from his sleeves as they were a bit too short. so it had to come from somewhere else.

aero ran his gaze over the man's form. Adir chucked when he noticed, which got him glared at for a brief moment. before Aero continued with his deduction. losing the current round but having a better idea of how to defeat Adir.

"you know he's not going to stop playing until he wins at least once," Neora stated from where she was watching the boys play. "oh that was clear after the third round," Aero pretended to not hear them. instead shifting through the pieces he currently had in his hand trying to determine how he could win.

' it would help to have a better card, but with these, I can get a score of 7.' the goal of the game they were playing was to get a score between two numbers that were decided at the beginning of the round and keep it when you were out of cards. the current around was a score between 4 and 9.

aero could get a score of 7 but he wasn't sure if he would be able to keep it. not when there were cards that could alter your opponent's score. Adir is continuously pulling from somewhere to unleash on Aero. He was pretty sure Adir had half the cards.

'I'll still beat him,' Aero thought as he set down a card to bring his score to 2. Adir responded by raising his score to 5, aero raised his score by 4, and Adir raised him by 3. The game progressed slowly the two going back and forth with their scores trying to maintain in the green zone.

Adir made liberal use of the cards he had hidden away. at the same time, he pulled many good cards from the deck. he might be cheating with that as well, but Aero cared less when his score somehow reached 20 points.

gritting his teeth he looked at the cards he had in hand, ones that would increase his score instead of lowering it. which was bad for his score. but he was going to win.

******

looking frustrated at the latest results of his experiment Xoqax almost groaned. instead, he turned around and walked out of the building. he couldn't believe some of the results he was getting. after a thought, he understood a bit more of pride energy.

he focused too much on the energy side of it and not the pride of it. energy could be understood in numbers wasn't something new. but measuring pride the emotion was a thing, the lord's helper was helpful in understanding that. 'pride is founded, arrogance is not!' a stance the cosmic lord believed and one of the reasons that he was frustrated.

a machine could tell the difference between pride and arrogance, so not only did he have to build a scanner, something he did well if you ask him. but he also had to create a new program, while not impossible. but ask any programmer and they'll tell you how crazy it can drive you.

the scientist's wings fluttered in annoyance as he walked out of his lab. mostly to eat and wash, right after he dealt with this annoyance. stretching he pulled out his curved blade of silver ver jade. pointing it at a spot down the hall. for a moment nothing happened, then the spot shimmed then a six-legged alien appeared.

"been a while since I've encountered your kind, as stealthy as you all are." xoqax smiled gently, but it didn't do anything to hide the blood lust that was being to leak from him. "you know I've hit a stall in my research and I think your brains going to be of great help to me!" xoqax began his approach his wings flaring and his target started backing away.

" you mad scientist I've come to check on you by the sectors courts, you've failed to arrive at your check-in. " xoqax stopped remembering just how much time he's spent in his labs. "I've been working a bit too hard haven't I," sighing he put the blade away his wings dropping as well.

"I got a really interesting study project, I was hired by the lorddess of greed." he didn't have a reason to lie to the courts. one it would cause him more trouble later on, two the influence of the lordess should help him make up for his mishaps.' honestly I thought it was something trying to steal my research again.'

while the cost was mostly the lesser of two annoyances, a less bloody one as well. xoqax continued towards his shower and food. "ugh!" he gagged a bit tasting the storage dew elixir. it was stored using the best technology and magic available. he brought it specifically because if it wasn't fresh it tasted weird. this was as fresh as it was going to get so far from his home, so it was a bit more bitter than it should have been.

as he ate, Xoqaz checked the state of the asteroid base he was living in. "well I'm surrounded," there were about twenty war class ships." I'm not that big of a threat. nor could I build something that dangerous."

"could I?" he wondered after a moment. well, he accidentally made something that dangerous, then someone stole that for a weapon. which is how he got started with the courts. but it was a lot more complaints than that. it had been years of his life. but he didn't care about that past.

The future and more discoveries were to be made." so who cares about these annoyances."

******

"How are you cheating more than I am?" Neora only laughed at Adir's question. her only response was to lay down another piece of bark. bring her score up by a few points. while adir carefully considered to what piece to play, she looked to where Aero was stretching. She was mildly jealous of how limber the boy could be, cause at his moment one foot was on the ground while the other stretched above his head.

after winning one game against Adir, which might have been a pity win or surrender after Aero had noticed that Adir was hiding cards in the breast of his clothing. after that, the younger male moved to stretch just because he wanted to move his body. it's even more relaxing with the flowers around them. there scent and color.

'so is anything interesting happening with Xoqax? I know he's tried some test on the new information.' the helper responded quickly as Aero switched feet. 'nothing beyond a visit from the courts.' aero blinked, he knew that title.

law across the universe as a difficult matter. forget start systems. the laws between neighboring planets could be complicated. so when you counted the sheer number of plants with sentient life. yeah, it was a mess, but the first. the race the source first lived with. worked to make some form of universal law.

the best result was an organization whose name roughly translated to the courts in his tongue. he knew their full original name, but most people didn't call them by that unless they were in trouble. which is a lot of suspicion.

any aero asked for the detail, which brought up Xoqax's history. "I should have asked about his past." aero decide after a moment of thought. 'from what I know about the lord of greed, she cares more about your ability and you're greed. then most other things.' greed was the source of her power and she knew how to watch it greatly.

xoqax's greed for knowledge was something she recognized and determined was worth the risk of his rage. 'from that story I can tell he had great pride in what he learned. which makes him a great choice to work for me.' but he still had questions about the man's past.

for no other reason to ask if the man could teach him to do what he did. cause that was impressive, lowering himself to splits aero wondered what he should do about the court. he wasn't arrogant enough to think he could do anything about them at the time. Probably not for the next few years either.

'but due to Xoqax's history with them, any job I send the man on would draw their attention.' for the moment he could see being at least a nuisance of some kind, it probably bothers xoqax more than it did Aero. The only way he could think about dealing with them was by asking the lordess of greed. 'I already own her quite a bit,' financially and morally.

so, for now, he wasn't having more contact than paying his debts or talking to her, 'I don't know if she is interested in talking yet.' but something to change later, now he finished up his stretches as his mother and adir finished up their game.

following it a game between the three of them Neora and Aero teamed up on Adir before turning against each other. this patterned repeat for the next two rounds with the wins going to either Aero or his mother. before Adir turned the tables on them by upping his cheating.

"What!" even Neora was taken aback by how Adir was managing to cheat. she knew her boyfriend was pulling out cards but she couldn't predict what kind of cards. by the zalts how many did this man have hidden." I didn't think we brought a second set."

"I did," Adir stated smiling brightly as he set down a card to give Aero five points bringing him out of the range. the teen frowned considered his card and set down one that brought his score down by ten.

while it was still too low it brought him a bit of workroom. honestly, most of the deck was cards that raised your score by small to medium amounts. or lowered it by big amounts.

"oh don't think your winning that easy!" Neora threw down a card that lowered her son's score by seven points. too which he hissed but calmed as that was still workable. Aidr used his turn to increase his score. closes to winning. he still palmed a few hidden cards just in case.

they were quickly proved to be needed when Aero drew a card that brought down Adir's points and Neora did the same." what!?" they shouted when he threw down his card that ruined their work. but that didn't put down their drive to win. the games continued for another flower before they stopped to eat. due to their age, Neora and Adir ate more than Aero.

as they ate aero checked into the scientist's situation. learning that it had been improved, but there were a few complications. for one the courts would be checking in on everyone in a while. which would get in Xoqax's way. an annoyance, also they learned the work was for aero. or rather the newly named lord of pride.

which got the scientist some leeway, but put the entire court on guard. cosmic lords were never a small matter, even the newly crowned ones. They always made big splashes with lots of chaos. the worse so far was what the lord of wraith did when someone. 'what did he do?' aero asked when the helper tried to explain why his involvement was setting the court off.

'moved a moon,' the calm answer was completely bonkers. 'a medium class moon to be specific. around 2,000 to 4,000 miles. he didn't know much force it took to move something that large, but he wondered if he would find out. 'yeah that'll be fun.'

you could choke on the sarcasm in his voice.