Hey there! If you've gotten to this point, I want to say thank you again for taking the time to read this. Now that you've gotten a little used to me listing some tracks, I'll permanently list the day/ night time songs and continue to list the rest throughout the story. You don't have to read all of this of course!
—
-Inside Kenvale [Morning] - Beneath The Mask, Instrumental (Persona 5)

-Inside Kenvale [Daytime/Afternoon]
Skell Garage (Xenoblade Chronicles X)

-Inside Kenvale [Night]
Beneath The Mask (Persona 5) / Iwatodai Dorm (Persona 3)
—
-Atlacall [Morning] -
New Days (Persona 4)/
Lazy Afternoons (Kingdom Hearts 2)

-Atlacall [Daytime] -
Tokyo Daylight (Persona 5)/
Your Affection (Persona 4) / Heartbeat, Heartbreak (Persona 4) /
NLA: Day (Xenoblade Chronicles X)

-Atlacall [Night] -
NLA: Night (Xenoblade Chronicles X)/
Beneath The Mask (Persona 5)
—
Thins - Layer Cake (Persona 5)
—

The next morning arrives. The trio all wake up at the same time, as if their bodies are used to a certain schedule. Lux leisurely sits himself up, his nostrils catching a whiff of a familiar smell.

"You guys smell that shit?"

"My bad," Jade mumbles as she rubs her eyes.

"Not that. Somebody's making food downstairs."

"Oh, yeah...I do smell that."

"We should investigate," Klaus jokingly exclaims in a deep pitched voice.

"Uh, no. You're staying right here. Do your exercises."

"What the hell, mom?! I'm trying my best!"

"And that's exactly why. Do them. Now."

As Lux and Jade get out of bed, Klaus closes his eyes, lowering his head to quietly mumble a manufactured affirmation to himself. "Red is red...and blue is blue...Red is red...and blue is blue."

Lux and Jade leave the room. She steps ahead of him, walking down the hallway with her right hand on her hip. She turns her body just enough while she continues on to get a good look at his unhurried process. "You coming, old man?" She jests, a giggle escaping her.

"Damm legs are still waking up."

When they step into the main area in front of the kitchen, a stream of thin layered steam is flowing from the pans resting on the surface of the oven. Lux's eyes narrow, confused as to how any appliance is being used when the rest of the house should be vacant.

"What the hell...?"

"Oh, my lord, the eggs!" An unfamiliar voice shouts from the same kitchen area.

Jade and Lux see a somewhat petite young woman with sepia stained hair wrapped into short twin ponytails. She's wearing small, white colored glasses with an orange shirt, along with an orange and white plaid skirt, which is mostly covered by her oversized bright black jacket. The young woman is running back, forth and all around the kitchen, checking on the different foods cooking in the pans.

"Whew...mighta burned the house down, Tora," she says, exhaling in relief.

Lux glances at Jade wearing a confused face, and she shrugs in response. He walks into the kitchen and steps forward to stand near the island. "The hell are you doing?" He asks, making himself known.

"Ee!! Who in the Sam Hill are you?!" The young woman squeals then quickly turns around, only to see Lux a short distance behind her.

"I asked you that. Now answer."

"I live here you disrespectful, somehow very attractive man!"

"Right." Lux yawns as he scratches his chest, not giving much care about who this young woman is anymore. "Look, I just woke up, so I don't really give a shit right now," he expresses, walking past the young woman, basically shoving her aside. He looks down at what she's made. It's a plate with eggs, bacon and perfectly brown buttered toast. "Nice," he casually states before nabbing the plate and sluggishly walking out of the kitchen.

"H-Hey! That's mine you grubber!"

"Not anymore."

Lux sits on the couch in the lounging area. He puts the plate on the small table in front of him ready to eat. Before he can reach over to grab anything, the plate slowly starts to rise into the air, quickly floating back to the kitchen where the young woman is standing. He glances back at the young woman who grabs the plate from above her. "Did you do that?"

"You're dang right I did! I told you it was mine."

"Well, make some more, 'cause I'm hungry."

"Why don't you ask nicely?" She expands her cheeks, creating puffballs originating from a growing irritation. Lux comfortably leans back into the couch and puts his legs on the small table.

"Make me some food. Now."

"Why'd you say it like that? I-I'll come over there you know!"

"I don't see anyone over here, 'less I'm blind. Which I'm pretty sure I'm not, so. 'Ey, are you done with the food yet?"

"I don't even know who you people are!"

"That's not really an answer."

Jade decides it's time to calm the situation down. She walks over the young woman, and gently begins running hands up and down her shoulders to comfort her. "Why don't we just calm down for a sec? I'm Jade. The asshole over there is Lux."

"The asshole is still waiting for his food."

"If you have enough energy to mouth off, then you'll have enough to close it too." Jade retorts with an attitude Lux is all too familiar with. Unfazed, he impatiently glances at his wrist as if he has a watch on.

"Alright. I'll shut up. Food should be done in a minute, yeah?"

Jade sighs, her frown quickly transitioning into a smile when she transfers her attention to the young woman. When she speaks, it's in a soft and friendly tone. "What's your name?"

"U-Uh...T-Tora."

"Tora. That's a cute name. Why don't we make breakfast together, babe? Just you and me?"

The young woman stammers on her words. She's amazed by how affable Jade's
voice is. She puts the plate down on the island then slowly nods with her cheeks burning red. "Um, yeah. We can."

Lux chuckles as he places a small pillow behind his back for support. "She has no idea what she has in store for her," is the first thought that comes to his mind. Tora and Jade make three more plates of the breakfast Tora had made for herself. As they finish up, Klaus is walking down the stairs, quietly mumbling to himself.

"Red is red...and blue is blue. Red is red and..." When he steps into the main area, he glances into the kitchen and sees Tora. "Hm? A new challenger approaches. Don't worry, I'll take care of this. ...Hello, fellow traveler." His welcoming tone is almost overshadowed by his need to invade her personal space. He enters the kitchen immediately stepping directly in front of her. Feeling startled, she almost tripped as she backed away.

"Another one?!"

"Well, that's not nice. I am Klaus, a man giving you a proper greeting and you refer to me as 'another one'? She's guilty, your honor! Guilty!"

"Guilty?! What'd I do?!"

"Silence in the presence of his majesty!"

"Klaus," Jade says calmly.

"Wassup?"

"This is Tora. We made breakfast for everyone. Take this."

Jade hands Klaus a plate, and his eyes widen as he looks down at the food that's on the plate in satisfaction. He walks off with the plate in his hand, starting to mumble his affirmation to himself again. "Food. Glorious food. Nice to meet you, Tora. Red is red and blue is blue. Red is red..."

"Let's eat," Jade directs, grabbing two plates before nodding towards Tora. Once again, she's utterly amazed by how Jade was able to efficiently handle two men who, in her eyes, could've easily caused an uproar based on her first impressions of them.

"U-Uh...Yeah."

Jade and Tora walk over to the lounging area. Klaus is sitting on the far right end, slowly eating his food, while Lux is sleeping on the right side of the couch near Klaus, snoring quietly. Tora sits on the far left end and starts to eat from her own full plate while Jade kicks Lux's legs off the table, practically waking him up. Afterwards, she places the plate on the small table in front of him, then puts her plate down to the left of his.

"The fuck...?" Lux mumbles, feeling a hostile force evict his limbs from a comfortable spot to live.

"Wake up," Jade responds, effortlessly jugging her attitude and affection towards her friend.

"You better have woken me up for a good reason. I was in the middle of a pool party. You had on this nice swimsuit too. Mm, now there's something I'd love for breakfast."

"Oh my god. Here. Eat your food."

Jade immediately switches her harsh and aggressive tone to a kinder, more gentle tone when she looks over at Tora smiling warmly. "Do you want silverware, babe?"

"Huh? Y-Yes, please."

Lux can't help but release a half-laugh as Jade walks away, catching on to the fact that this stranger has no idea how to handle her contrasting sides. To encourage himself to gulf down his breakfast, he wraps the bacon around the eggs, mushing them all together to take a huge bite out of the result. Satisfied with the taste, he cocks his head back and speaks with his mouth completely full.

"Holy uck! This wit is good! How's your shit, Klaus?!"

"One-hundred percent satisfactory," Klaus responds with a makeshift okay sign, his deep voice making its return.

Jade returns to the couch with two forks in her hand. She gives one to Tora, and keeps the other for herself. She then sits down comfortably on the left side of the couch between Tora and Lux, quickly giving a smile to Tora once again. "Do you want to feed each other our eggs?" She tenderly poses a question, lifting her recently groomed eyebrows to await an answer.

"Wha? I mean, I-I guess so if you're okay with it."

"I am if you are."

Jade picks a few scrambled eggs with her fork, and puts it in front of Tora's mouth. Tora opens the gates of her mouth, allowing the egg-like citizens led by Jade inside, pulling the fork out when Tora starts chewing. After Tora swallows, she does the same action with Jade, who seductively sucks on the fork as Tora pulls it away.

"So, um...who are you guys exactly?" She inquires, her cheeks blushing a bright red.

"Your leader hired us for some reason," Lux begins, answering the innocent inquiry. "We're supposed to meet him at your little headquarters this morning."

"Oh! You're them? The hires? I thought you'd be, um..."

"What? Say it with your chest."

"Um...older?"

"Yeah, I thought I'd be older too, but here we are," Lux responded nonchalantly before then taking another bite of his mushed creation. Klaus raises his head, glancing at the ceiling as if it holds all the answers to the universe.

"Time is a funny concept. One day you're sitting on a porch, the next day the porch is gone. And you'll never get it back."

"Damm. Look at Klaus being all philosophical. This is a wise man right here."

"You said you lived here, right?" Jade asks, turning yet again to face Tora. All too used to her companions' shenanigans, she practically ignores their conversation in the background. "For how long exactly?"

"Oh, for about two years now. But to be honest, I kind of live in my work area, so I can't blame Matthias for letting you guys in."

"What if we told you we're not the people he hired, and we broke in here?" Lux asks, a mischievous smirk growing across his face. The worried response he gets from his target only fuels his entertainment further.

"Umm..."

"Bet you're scared now, huh? Eating breakfast with cannibals?"

"Cannibals?!" Tora asks, eyes widened. Lux guffaws, amused by the fact that Tora is genuinely fearful of cannibalism.

"I'm fuckin' with you. You're not eating that?"

"Uh, no. I'm full."

"Hell yeah."

"You mentioned a work area?" Jade keenly mentions, reaching past Tora to pat Lux's back when he starts coughing on his food.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I work with the Ethereals. Oh, wait. You probably already know that. Um, I'm an expert in a certain field?"

"Slow down when you're eating, baby. You work at the headquarters, then?"

"Yeah, it's a really cool place. Nice people too. Oh, gosh! I'm gonna be late!" Tora suddenly pops up from the couch, rushing out the door, yelling to the trio as she does. "Thank you for the interesting breakfast!"

"She had to shit or somethin'?" Lux asks, recovering from his choking.

"She said she'd be late for something," Jade begins. "I've got no clue what it is, though."

"Welp, you almost had her."

"Almost. Anyways, we need to go too. It's about time we talk about what we're doing."

"With you on that. Get your ass movin', Klaus. We out." Lux stands up from his spot, and places his hand on his friend's shoulder. Klaus nods, springing up with a happy smile on his face.

"And away we go."

The trio leave all the plates on the small table, then walk towards the door and out of the house. When they walk outside and down the dirt road, they see the dim, morning light shine throughout the area. "You know where we're going, Lux?" Jade throws her words into the air, the forming cloud making its way over to Lux.

"Vern said somethin' about a huge building or something. Has their symbol on it. Said we can't miss it."

"That didn't help not one bit."

"Well, that's what you got, woman. So we goin'?"

"Yeah, whatever. I'm sure we'll find it."

"I'll activate my eagle eye card!" Klaus swings his right arm, creating a silly pose to emphasize his empty hand.

"Lead the way, Klaus." Lux chuckles, encouraging his friend toward the city in the distance.

The trio walk throughout Atlacall in search of Ethereal HQ. On the way, they find scraps of items they feel could be useful, small packs of lost cash, and interact with certain troubled Abnormals. On a certain sidewalk, they are stopped by a blonde haired woman, her splendid tanned legs allowing her to tower over citizens of average height. Her complete attire doesn't shy away from her personality; A pair of black sunglasses along with a slick, sky blue dress.

"Excuse me! Oh, excuse me!"

"The hell you want, lady? We got somewhere to be." Although Lux's aggressive tone would usually drive away strangers, it attracts the woman, raising her interests to new heights.

"My, my...such vulgarity! I love it! It's official. I must have you!"

"Can we help you?" Jade cuts in, sending a glare centered in distrust toward this imposing outsider.

"You sure can! My name is Tonya West. I own a fashion store for the Abnormals here in Atlacall! If you're going to fight for our rights, you must look good while doing it, wouldn't you say?"

"That actually doesn't sound half bad. Babe?"

"Yeah, I ain't a fan of this uniform," Lux replies, having no problem sharing his opinion. "It's complete shit."

"Splendid! Why don't you all give me a call when you want to meet? I'm dying to see you again already!" With a bright smile, Tonya hands Lux a small business card and elegantly walks down the sidewalk, instantly stopping yet another person to grab their attention. Lux looks at the business card, then shrugs before putting it in his back pocket.

"She had a nice ass, so I've got something to look forward to at least."

"Took the words right out my mouth," Jade responds, acknowledging her attraction despite her initial attitude. Klaus hops into the conversation as well, focusing on his need to mention Tonya's lips. This only causes Lux to release a short lived laugh into the wind.

"She had nice lips. I like nice lips."

"Lips? Everyone's got their shit. I can't blame you."

After their odd encounter with Tonya, the trio continue on their way towards Ethereal HQ. They find a few useful materials, and interact with more Abnormals to either help with their troubles, or listen to a problem they're having, so that it may be solved later. After some time of searching, the trio finally find a huge building at the edge of the north district of Atlacall.

On the front of the building is the symbol Lux saw before, only on a much larger scale. There is a huge pair of stairs leading up to the entrance of the building, with Abnormals in white uniforms walking back and forth, up and down, and some are even riding in small carts. To the building's left is a closed off area that seems to be under construction. "Pretty sure this is it," Jade states, taking in her surroundings.

"He won't kidding' about not missin' it," Lux adds. This shit is bigger than I thought."

"Woah, woah, what do you mean by that?" Klaus asks in a comedic tone.

"Ah, shaddup."

"You boys ready to go inside?"

"Yeah. We ain't come here for nothin'." The trio walk up the huge steps, then head inside through the multi door entrance.

                  - Ethereal Headquarters -

- Main Menu (Arknights)

The entranceway was small, even for a base's standards, there are three long lines of Abnormals passing through a gate that seems to scan whoever passes through it. A scoff is launched from Lux's lips, his impatience immediately kicking in. "You're kidding me." Hearing his irritated grunt, Jade turns her head to speak.

"I know you don't want to, but how else do we get through?"

"Like this."

Lux rudely bullies anyone in all the line of Abnormals as he presses forward. Once clear of the gate scanner, its beeps ring out accompanied by lights flashing red. Multiple guards with unique black shoulder padded armor suddenly surround him.

They move their hands in an odd motion and a large see-through metal box appears from above, trapping Lux inside. Jade shakes her head, sighing. Any and all trouble caused by Lux is like putting an old hat she's kept with her since childhood. It'll somehow always be there. "That boy is so stubborn."

"Who the hell is this?" Questions one of the guards as he glances at his partner with a confused look on his face.

"No idea. Where's his shirt?"

Lux looks up and down the interior of the box, completely unimpressed. He raises his fist, a bright orange aura surrounding it. "I'll give you about five seconds to move. Two if you irritate me more than you already have."

"Fighting won't be necessary, Lux," A familiar voice states. Lux turns his head to look to his right, and spots Vern walking up to the box. He pauses in front of what Lux considers his next target, forming a light smile for him.

"'Ey, Vern. Tell your stupid ass men to let me out of whatever the fuck this is. Or I can make it easy for everyone- and by everyone I mean me- and just kill 'em."

"Your need for violence is astounding." Vern subtly states in a short winded chuckle. "Laisse-le partir. He and his associates were hired by me."

"Sir," One of the guards nods to his leader.

The two loyal sentinels sway their hands in the same motion and the metal box slowly rises to its original position. In response, Lux lowers his fist, causing his aura to go away. Shoving both the guards aside, he walks past Vern and into the main area without uttering a word. Jade and Klaus walk up to Vern, and he nods to them in greeting.

"Mr. Fulgur. Miss Umbra."

"Man in white uniform," Klaus excitedly mocks. "See? I can do it too, snowman."

"That you can. If you'll please, I'll lead you all to the meeting room."

Jade and Klaus follow their host from the small gated area, and they enter the main part of the headquarters. It's a huge, wide open area with a skylight above. There are Abnormals in different designed white uniforms either flying or walking about, filling up the area with sounds of talking mixed with solid footsteps of boots. The floors are a dark silverish metal decorated with fair sized gray benches every few feet.

A rough diamond slowly spinning in a rotation can't be ignored as it hangs just in the center. There are many passageways going in different directions with signs above the entryways indicating the area you're going to. If you were to look up, you would see many small bridges stretching across to their respective sides with Abnormals walking along them. In the far back is a large elevator built of thick glass. Vern waves for his new guests to follow as he steps forward towards the elevator. "This way, if you'll please."

The trio comes behind Vern as they stalk towards the elevator. Jade glances around in every direction in interest, not used to seeing such busyness and a wide interior. "These headquarters. What exactly do you do here?"

"A very good question, Miss Umbra. I was going to tell you this during our meeting, but I suppose it doesn't hurt to show my hand to you now. You see, we have been preparing, building ourselves up, rather, for this very day. We operate on a military regiment, training and honing our gifts to fight for our own. Each major level of the base caters to a unique department we may have, such as Research and Development or Combat Training."

"Shit sounded so scripted I might pass out," Lux comments, his gaze looming over the Abnormals around him.

"My apologies if I've offended you, Lux. It is merely how I speak."

"You need to fix that shit. Sound like a politician."

"Yes, you could say that. Now that I have your attention, I would like your overall opinion."

"On what? Your base?"

"Oui, c'est exact."

"Why are you asking me?"

"I am merely curious about your mindset."

"Alright. Weirdo. ...It's cool. Could use a bit more 'we gonna kill you' vibe."

"Demande pardon?"

"He means it could be more intimidating," Jade respectfully chimes in.

"Yeah, you look like pussies in these uniforms. Blue skins at least know how to dress. I wouldn't be scared if I saw a group of you."

"Ah, I see. I appreciate your honesty. I shall keep it in mind."

Vern walks up to the elevator and presses the up arrow button. The elevator rapidly descends from above, finally stopping in front of them. A light ding can be heard just before the doors slowly open. Everyone walks inside, anticipating the choice Vern has for their destination before it begins to ascend.

Low volume elevator music mixed with the deep but faint hum of the elevator mechanism fills their ears as well as the silence. Vern stands on the left where the buttons indicating which floor you want to go to are. Jade and Klaus are both leaning against the small metal railing on the right as Lux rules over the spot near the railing in the middle with his arms crossed over his chest. To avoid any silence, Klaus speaks out with a poor French accent. "Going up?" Hearing his words, Jade titters at her friend's horrible attempt at an accent.

"Shut up. That was so shit."

As the elevator continues to ascend, they realize the entire interior of the base can be seen from their current point. The fascinating realization is suddenly interrupted when they hear Vern begin humming along with the song currently playing on the small corner speakers. Lux glances around in confusion, then turns his head towards Vern.

"Is that you, man?"

"Oui. I enjoy this song. Ah, je suis désolé. Am I disturbing you?"

"Nah, just...Whatever, keep doin' what your doin'. I don't give a shit."

"As you wish." Vern continues to softly hum the song that's playing. When it finishes, so does he. A few silent seconds pass by before he decides to speak up again. "This may come across as rude, so I will apologize in advance."

"Yeah, wassup?"

"Is Mr. Fulgur, how should I say...fully there?"

"Figured somebody would ask that at some point," Lux states. Jade covers Klaus's ears then nods at Lux. He nods back then looks towards Vern to answer his question.

"We don't know you like that, but I'll tell you anyway since you already got files on us and shit. You know those concentration camps they send guys who are interested in other guys? He got sent there by his father- the bastard. His brain ain't all the way right, but he's still Klaus to us."

"I see. I apologize if my curiosity unraveled personal information."

"Nah, it's all good. He does a lot of shit to make his brain work, so it's pretty normal for me and J."

"You are good friends to be taking care of him."

"He looked out for us at some point, so we did the same for him. That's how it works."

"I see. A fine concept."

Lux motions his hand for Jade to move her hands away, and she promptly removes her hands from Klaus' ears. "What'd I miss?" He asks, glancing at Lux with his head tilted.

"Vern wanted to know how much dick you can take at once. I told 'em the only dick you take is mine."

"Wow, you covered my ears to say that in front of my back? Screw you, Lux. Klaus will remember that."

"You're gonna forget this shit happened in about five minutes."

"Short term memory is a real thing!"

"Uh-huh. Sure it is."

The elevator stops. A light ding can be heard again, and the doors promptly open. Everyone walks out into a spacious area. In front of them is a lowered portion of the area with rows of Abnormals on computers, talking amongst themselves. Above them are four walkways with uniformed soldiers striding back and forth, all leading to a central section acting as a hub of exchanging information.

In the center of it all is a wide and flat oval stand with a holographic map of a continent above it. There are seven red dots in different places on this holographic map, all lightly flashing its colors for those who have it in their eyesight. Just as Vern takes a few steps forward, a man with low cut hair painted with nearly obsidian black streaks wearing a uniquely designed white uniform sees him and yells loudly in command. "ATTENTION!"

The Abnormals who are walking along with the ones who were toiling away at their work stations suddenly stand up straight. They clench their fist placing their left arm across their chest. Vern sends his affable smile to each and every soldier he passes by, even adding in a cordial wave on his approach toward the man. When he arrives at his destination, he shakes the man's hand, the interaction uplifted with veneration. "Commander Dawson."

"Sir," the man responds, gesturing his head in respect.

"How is everyone?"

"Doing well, sir. Everything is almost prepared."

"Very good." Vern reaches into his front right pocket, then pulls out a pack of gum before handing it to Dawson. "You mentioned you were fond of the watermelon flavor, yes?"

"Uh, yes, sir. Thank you."

Vern glances around, taking his time before realizing that all the Abnormals are standing completely still in respect. "Ah. At ease, everyone. With Vern's calm words, the Abnormals return to their activities. "...I'll need to borrow the meeting room, Commander. I must brief my new hires."

"It's already been cleared and prepared for you, sir."

"Thank you. Have you seen Miss Zelterra? I was to join her on the way here."

"Haven't seen her, sir. She's most likely still in her work station."

"I see. If you happen to see her, please tell her to join us in the meeting room."

"Yes, sir."

Vern motions for his hires to follow behind him, and they walk across the east walkway and up to a gray door. As they're trekking along, Jade's curiosity takes the best of her when she forms a question. "Who's Zelterra?"

"Our telecommunication and technological expert. I'm sure she will join us shortly. Well, then. If you all are ready, shall we go inside?"

"That's a stupid ass question," Lux hastily replies, ready to get this so-called meeting over with. "'Course we're goin' inside."

"Very good, then," Vern says as he steps forward to place his hand on a small handle attached to the preceding door. After lightly swinging it open, he steps inside with the trio in tow.