It's deep into the night, a time too early in morning. Lux's door creaks open revealing a shadow creeping in, closing it a few moments later. He wakes up in reaction to the door being shut, yet doesn't lift his head up to see who or what has entered his room. "...If you're gonna kill me, can you least do that shit tomorrow?" He utters.

A voice titters in reaction to Lux's comment as he feels someone climb into bed with him. "If I wanted to kill you...I would've tried it when we were at Silver Cloud."

"What the hell do you want, Jade...? Why are you in my bed?" Lux inquires, instantly recognizing the female voice while he moves into a more comfortable position.

"I can't say hi...?"

Lux can smell the alcohol on her breath, before he can think about anything else, he feels Jade delivering soothing kisses on his neck. "I want to sleep with you tonight, baby. Are you okay with that?"

"Do what you want. Don't be touching me all night. I'm tryna sleep."

"Mhm. Hold me, Lux. I don't want to feel ugly," Jade nearly slurs, gently gripping his chin.

Silently, he lifts his arm just enough for her to wiggle under his warmth. Smiling, she tucks herself into his chest. Lux lowers his arm while she wraps hers around it in affection. "Lux...I-"

"Nope. Go to sleep, J."

Hearing Lux's tone, Jade doesn't say anything else, instead, she falls asleep instantly in the comfort of his body that she knows so well. It remains home to her. Now wide awake, he shakes his head in irritation for choosing to deal with this. Yet, he knows she's the same for him. After an hour or two passes of thoughts flooding his head, finally he shuts his eyes, and drifts back off to sleep.

~

A warm and mildew morning makes its way into Atlacall. Lux and Jade wake up almost simultaneously. She turns her head to look at Lux and softly kisses his cheek to greet him. "Morning."

"Morning. You want to tell me why the hell you're still in my bed?"

"Because I want to be. Are you going to do something about it?"

"It's too early for this." Lux unhooks his arms from around his bedmate, sliding out of bed. Standing up straight, he releases a deep and growling yawn that lasts eons. "Stay if you want. I ain't lying down anymore."

"Okay." Jade responds as she groggily sits up in bed, leaning back on the snug headboard as she grabs the small remote on the nightstand to her left. Turning on his T.V, she begins watching an animal channel on low volume.

Lux's wandering eyes can't help but to attach their sights to Jade, who's only wearing one of his shirts as if it were an overcoat. Noticing his subtle gaze brings a curl to her lips while she positions her body in such a way that the skin leading to her crotch is at the forefront of his glance. "Don't think I don't see you looking over there. Thinking about riding this ride again?"

"Can't say. It might be a little better if you had a mask on."

"Oh, no. I am not ready for that yet."

Lux chuckles as he takes a few steps. For some reason, he looks over at Sakuro's mat expecting some kind of hello. "Got a little used to her sayin' hi in the morning."

"Did you say something, baby? I didn't hear you."

"I'm just talking out loud."

"Okay. Are we taking a shower?" She asks, spotting him step up to his bathroom door.

"I'm taking a shower. Didn't say anything about you coming with me."

"That's too bad. I'm coming anyway."

"Great."

After removing their clothes, the two of them step into the shower. Hot water flows out of the shower head after Jade turns the knob below it, allowing she and Lux to begin washing themselves. "Wait a minute. You have a place to sit in here?" She asks.

"You don't in your shower?"

"Not as long as this. I'm already jealous. Yours is bigger than mine."

"I knew you had a dick. It's somewhere down there."

"Oh, my god. Shut up."

Fifteen minutes of good washing pass. After allowing the water to just wash over them for a few more moments, they step out, wrap in towels and begin to dry off. He soon decides to change his attire. He deprives himself of a shirt and puts on blue and black joggers, one side black, and the other blue with no shoes.

Next, he changes his necklace to another. This one has a black chain with a blue fire design dangling from it. He also places black strips on both his forearms and two tight dark blue armbands on his wrist. After Jade slips into one of Lux jackets, she looks over at his new fashion choice and nods in approval. "Hm. Not too bad."

"'Preciate it."

Once the two step out of the bathroom, Jade returns to her spot on Lux's bed to continue to watch TV. "I'm going to hang out in here today."

"Alright. Don't break any of my shit."

"I'm not breaking anything. I'm not a child."

"Do I have remind you about the-"

"Aht, aht! You said we weren't going to bring that up anymore. Besides, I said I was sorry."

"After you said you were gonna shank me for asking about it."

"...I plead the fifth. Still might do that, though. Haven't ruled it out," she half-teased.

"Uh-huh. Thought so. I'm out." Lux turns to face his door, promptly swinging it open.

Ending up where he does every morning, watching from the bottom of the stairs, he can see Klaus and Sakuro in the lounging area. Joel is leaning against the kitchen counter as he sips a green cup of coffee with a disgusted look on his face.

When he sees Lux step away from the stairs, he lifts his cup in greeting. "Lux. Good to see you, mate. Did you sleep alright?"

"You ever sleep next to a jaguar?"

"Can't say I have yet, no."

"Think about how it would be like and come back to me in a few hours."

"A challenge I'll accept. I might learn something more about the wildlife on this planet from doing activities like that. Oh, I've got to ask you this. Do you like this coffee stuff?"

"Nah. I personally hate it."

"Going to have to agree with you there. I don't know how Tora drinks this."

"She be putting the good shit in there if you know what I mean."

"Ohhh. No wonder she's always energetic. Makes total sense. Anyways, thanks for answering, mate."

"Uh-huh."

After his conversation with Joel, Lux walks over to the lounging area. He sees Sakuro and Klaus sitting on the floor with Ichi on Sakuro's shoulder. They're playing a game of rock, paper, scissors, although it seems to be an intense set, as neither of them are speaking. They move their clenched fist three times, then another to show what they choose. Klaus chose paper, Sakuro chose rock. He laughs maniacally as she lowers her head in shame. "How could I have lost...?"

"Ahahahaha! I reign supreme! No one can defeat me! It has been decided, Little Samurai, we are going to a place of my choice!"

"Ugh, I must accept my defeat..." she concedes with a look on her face that she may rather choose the Samurai way and end her own life for losing rather than accept her other option. She shrugs, deciding to honor the agreement anyhow. "We will go to a place of your choosing."

"Yata! Hm? What's this?! I sense a masculine presence...It's Lux! Gah! His six pack...it's too much energy...!" Klaus rolls away as if some unseen force is moving him. Ignoring his friend's hysterical behavior looks at Sakuro.

"What happened?"

"I was challenged by the idiot to a duel. I was unfortunately defeated. I don't know how he did it...he must act like an idiot as a front to throw his opponents off. Yes, that's it."

"Or you're just shit at RPS."

"That could also be a factor..."

"Good luck goin' out with him."

"Thank you, Brother. I will surely need it."

Leaving Sakuro to wallow in her shame, he exits the house to find himself entering the south district a short while later. Following the same path as yesterday, past Thins and into Arlin Park. He returns to the same quiet place as last time and sits on the bench. A few minutes of silence pass before Mary walks up to the bench with a smile on her face. "Well, hello again, Lux."

"Sup, grandma." Lux scoots over this time to make room for Mary to take her place next to him.

"How has your morning been?"

"It's been 'ight. Can't really complain. You?"

"I am having a somewhat troublesome morning."

"What? You lost your cane or something?"

"Goodness, no," she grins, shaking her head at a lower speed than normal. "You see, I had a bit of a...disagreement you could say, with a loved one."

"Hell would you be fussing about?"

"Hm. We are disagreeing on a certain matter. Needless to say, it ended up with them leaving. But they have not returned this morning, which has left me worried."

"Sounds like this loved one is your kid."

"...Yes. He's my son. We're obviously both Abnormals, but I feel he is too young to be joining the Ethereal military. He, of course, feels the opposite." Mary sighs as she gazes out into the distance. Her face tells of both sadness and concern. "I'm very sorry for troubling you with this. It's nice to talk to someone about it. Also, it made me happy seeing you as I walked up."

"I come here because I feel like it, lady. I'm not your councilor."

"Yes, that is true. Still, you didn't have to listen to what I had to say."

"Not like there's any other quiet place in this park."

"Yes. I feel the same way. Let's enjoy the silence then, shall we?" She suggests, which he silently accepts.

Lux and Mary spend the morning looking out into the distance of the park. At the start of the afternoon, she stands up slowly, then smiles at Lux. "I believe it's time for me to go. Thank you for the good time, Lux."

"Uh-huh."

Mary turns to amble towards the exit of the park. After a moment, Lux stands up, stretches, then leaves the park as well. Continuing on, he's sure to glance at the female Abnormals passing by as he enters the south district. Soon having a specific person in mind, Lux takes out his Blackcell, and goes through his contacts as he walks along the sidewalk. Deciding to call Wa-Ya, he dials and awaits an answer. Sure enough, after two rings, Wa-Ya answers the call, responding in a friendly tone. "Osiyo?"

"Yo."

"Akecheta. I'm kind of surprised by your call. Is something wrong? Are you having trouble with these...Blackclams as well? It is very confusing."

"If there was a problem with it, sure as hell ain't callin' you." He says bluntly, forcing a chuckle out of her. She can't help but laugh at how easy it is for him to say whatever is on his mind.

"What did you need, mata?"

"I'm about to workout. You intrested?"

"Oh, exercise is very good for the body. Actually, I go to a quiet gym in the east district. We can workout at the estate too if you prefer."

"Nah, it's all good. Where's this gym at?"

"Take two rights when you enter the district, then a left. It's right across from a um...how do I say? Food restaurant. Yes, that's it. The gym is called Muscle Class."

"'Ight, see ya there."

"Howa. I'll be waiting for you."

After hanging up, he slides his cell back in his pocket, following Wa-Ya's instructions to direct himself as to where to go. After a few minutes of searching, he discovers a small building at the end of a street with the sign 'MUSCLE CLASS' at the front. Confirming to himself that this is the right place, Lux swings open the door, sauntering inside.

Just through the doors there's a service desk immediately to your left, with a few chairs and a water fountain near the corner to your right. The ceiling is a grayish color as well as the small lights shining down from it. The floor is a firm, dark green carpet. North of the desk, a short distance from it, are double doors leading to the building's workout area. Lux steps forward only to see Wa-Ya speaking to a young, dark-haired woman at the service desk. "May I have a guest pass for today, Abby? I have a friend coming inside with me."

"Sure, no problem," Abby returns, popping her sugarfree gum.

"Thank you."

While Abby turns around and bends over to retrieve a guest pass, Wa-Ya glances back and watches as Lux approaches her. "Right on time, Akecheta. I'm pretty sure we have the gym to ourselves today."

"No kiddin'? Why did it have to end up empty? Wanted to show off how strong I am compared to the wimps around here."

"Ethereal military members usually fill up the gym at night when they're relieved from duty, or come early before they leave for work. It's fairly quiet in the afternoons."

"Here you are, Wa-Ya." Abby hands Wa-Ya a small green card, which she accepts with thanks.

"Wado, Abigail. Here you go, Akcheta. As long as you come here with me, we can go inside. You can get a membership too if you want," she informs her workout partner for the day.

"You sound like a sponsor. We workin' out or what?"

"Oh, yes. Come this way."

Entering the workout area, it reveals a huge space with the same dark green carpet from the other room, along with a variety of workout equipment to choose from. Mats and weights are on the far right side. The area is completely empty, only confirming what Wa-Ya claimed before she and Lux walked in here. "So, what are we doing today?"

"We're doin' arms."

"Ooo, I love doing arms. Let's get started."

Lux and Wa-Ya decide to work on their arms for the day. After putting on comfy workout clothes, the two begin their exercise. Some time passes, about an hour of working out until they both finish. Lux was nothing but impressed when he realized she was not only able to keep up the same pace as him, but has incredible stamina as well. After they finish, he sits on a small bench towards the back while his teammate sits on the floor beside him. He takes a big gulp out of a bottle of water, then hands it to Wa-Ya. "Hm?"

"Thank you." Wa-Ya takes the water bottle and drinks the rest of the fluid inside. "Whew...! I'd say that was time well spent."

"We need to start working out with each other more. Everybody else just gives up too early. Except Jade. But there's no way in hell I'm working out with her all the time. That passion of hers is deadly."

"I see." Wa-Ya laughs as she leans her back against the bench. "For others, maybe they can't do what we do as of yet."

"Sounds like excuses to me."

"You are an amusing man, Akecheta. Come, it's about time we go back to the house, yes?"

"Yeah."

The walk back to Kenvale is a long and relaxing one. Lux and Wa-Ya finally return at the start of a warm night. "I think I'll return to the guest houses and stay in for the night. Thanks again for the workout. I had a good time, mata."

"Same. Be seein' you."

"Osda usvi."