The next morning slowly sneaks its way past the breezy night. Lux awakens to an empty bed, loudly yawning as he sits up. After sliding out of bed, he expectantly sees Sakuro wide awake and sitting on her mat. "Good morning, Brother."

"Hm..." he grunts, sending Sakuro a low energy greeting as he scratches his chest.

"What shall you do today?" She inquires, undeterred by his surliness. It would be the same at any point of the day.

"I don't know...Figure it out as I go along. Yo, hot or cold? Don't really give a shit which I use."

"I choose hot water."

"Alright. I'm going to shower real quick."

"Okay."

After stepping inside the bathroom, Lux spends some time cleaning up. Once finished, he steps out of the shower and dries himself off before putting on a new set of clothes. Looking in the mirror, he decides to keep the L necklace around his neck.

He puts on a white shirt with letters in red font that spell out: F U, along with white joggers with diagonal red lining and white and red sports shoes. Finally, he ties a cloudy colored cloth around his upper left arm. When he walks out of the bathroom, Sakuro glances over at him, giving him an accepting look from seeing his new fit. "I am fond of your fashion choice."

"'Preciate it. 'Ey, you said some shit about my room not too long ago, right?"

"Yes, I did."

"'Ight. I feel like doing somethin' about it. You're coming with me."

"Okay!" Her smile is beaming. An expression that shows itself with ease around Lux. After leaving the estate grounds, he and Sakuro enter the south district. Standing at the end of a sidewalk, he turns to face her with his arms crossed.

"Alright. What the hell are we looking for that can help with spicing up my room?"

"Searching for a furniture store may be a good start."

"We're gonna start with that, then."

So the hunt begins. Lux and Sakuro walk side by side throughout the district. During the quest, the two luckily find rare materials, as well as help a few Abnormals that are feeling a bit troubled. Eventually, their pursuit takes them into the east district.

     Lux and Sakuro examine the wide and vibrant streets as they pave their way through the district. After some time, they come across an enormous building with large letters above it reading: ATLACALL SUPER FURNITURE/ELECTRONICS STORE. They notice Abnormals entering and exiting the building, carrying small furnishings or electronics in their hands or rolling larger furniture alongside them using equally sized carts. "Looks like the place we're searching for."

"I am excited to see what's inside." Sakuro returns. Most aren't able to detail a concrete expression from her calm demeanor. Regardless of the way her eyes sparkled, Lux can tell that she masterfully keeps her body in a relaxed state.

The interior of the building is enormously spacious, at every angle are various colors marking the different sections and aisle ways, all filled with furniture like wide desks, stands or beds resting in the comfort of the tall shelves.

To the far right is a huge area where you can browse for smaller pieces of furniture, like tables or chairs. Towards the far left is an area that looks like a completely different store. It housed many electronics like TVs, consoles, laptops, and varied designs for Blackcell cases. Lux and Sakuro glance around in every direction, not prepared with the building's massive inner area. "What in the hell?"

"We've stepped into a different universe..."

"Hello there, sir!"

Both Lux and Sakuro look to their right when they hear a voice. They see a slim, tan skinned man with short brown hair wearing a blue shirt, a brown vest over it, along with blue jeans and brown shoes. The man happily walks up to Lux, who faces the man with a threatening look. "You tryna shank me? Don't walk up to me like that again."

"Uh, sorry about that..." he stammered, stopping in his tracks.

Lux laughs heartily, amused by the man's instant weakness. At least in his eyes, anyway. "I'm fucking with you. Who the hell are you and what are you wearin'?"

"Well, you two seem a bit lost, maybe I can help you. I'm Michael, an employee here at Atlacall's Furniture and Electronics! May I ask for your names?"

"Halcyon. She's Sakuro."

"Mr. Halcyon. Miss Sakuro! If you have any questions or need assistance, don't be afraid to ask! I'm here to help you!"

"All this guy's excitement is creepin' me out."

"I strongly agree," Sakuro whispered, never taking her eyes off of the overly jolly and helpful salesman.

"All this talkin' is cool and everything, but what does anything you just said have to do with me? We're just tryna buy something."

"And that's exactly what I'm here to help you do! If you'd like, could I give you a quick tour?"

"What do you think, Sakuro? You gonna take this man's candy if he offers some?"

"I would not. I'd rather know what his blood type is," she spoke, leaning in as if she would sniff the employee and be able to tell by the smell on his skin.

"We going or not, shorty?"

"Yes, I would like to go on a tour."

"The lady said she wants to go on the tour," Lux shrugged, giving him the greenlight to continue with spiel.

"Perfect! Why don't you two follow me? This won't take too long."

"I'm blaming you if we get nabbed."

"I will take full responsibility."

Lux and Sakuro follow behind Michael. He leads them to the aisle ways, where the two of them see multiple lift machines taking furniture either off or onto the shelves, along with many Abnormals talking amongst each other while searching around as they browse back and forth. Michael turns around to face Lux and Sakuro, wearing a pleasant smile on his face. "This section is where all the large furniture is located! Here you can find any considerably sized piece of furniture to your liking. We have beds, sofas, stands, and even water fountains!"

"Kinda feel like you went left field there," Lux stopped him at the mention of fountains. "What do you think? Any of this shit catch your eye?" He turned to his partner who was rounding on a large entertainment center made of solid oak.

"Yes."

"I don't see shit I like. I'm done here. Where are we goin' now?"

"I'm glad you're excited for this tour, Mr. Halcyon! Please, follow me this way!"

After Michael struts to the far right area, his prospective customers promptly join in. The area is wide with large windows guarding the back. It contains tables, chairs, small sofas, and miniature decorations. It is sparsely filled with Abnormal couples holding hands while debating with one another as to what exactly would fit in their comfy homes. Michael once again spins around to face Lux and Sakuro, keeping the same smile as before.  "This is the area for smaller furniture! It's much more quiet and relaxing in my opinion. Here we have quaint sofas, tables, chairs, and even small bird baths!"

"I don't believe those belong in the same sentence as tables or sofas..." Sakuro responds, confusion on her brow.

"What do you think? See anything you like?"

"Dunno. You ask too many questions. Take me somewhere else."

"I'm loving your excitement, Mr. Halcyon! This way, follow me."

After a short walk, Lux and Sakuro trail behind Michael into the electronics area. It's a spacious area, mostly filled with TVs in different sizes, laptops, computers, and Blackcells either on shelves, islands, or back counters. Yet again, Michael looks to Lux and Sakuro with a smile, awaiting their overall thoughts, hands clasped in excitement. "Here we are, the last part of our tour! Oh, I miss you guys already! We offer many electronics that suit your needs! We have wide screen TVs, Blackcells, laptops, all with a two year warranty on your first purchase!"

"The fuck is a warranty?"

"I believe they replace that which has been broken," Sakuro confidently answers.

"So you give me my shit back for free? Huh, ain't that something."

"Good deals, am I right? What do you think? Are you as excited as I am? I know you are!" Michael rambled on excitedly.

"I'll give it to you, Beagle. We're pretty interested in this place."

"Excellent! One more thing before I go! If you purchase a certain amount of furniture, you'll be eligible to be part of our membership!" Micheal explains in an enthusiastic manner before handing Lux a small circular remote. "If you have any questions, just press that button, and I'll POP! (he exclaimed, hopped a bit to drive the point home), right in front of you! I would also like to add that any purchases made will be delivered straight to your home if you so choose!"

"That's convenient," Sakuro says aloud. Mentally tired from the tour, Lux waves Michael, displaying his disinterest in hearing any further explanation.

"Alright. I'm tired of hearin' your voice. Get out of my face."

"Alrighty! Have a great time!" Michael suddenly disappears into a puff of blue smoke. Lux turns his focus down at Sakuro to gain her opinion.

"Where are you tryna go first?"

"I will browse for things at your pace, Brother."

"'Ight, then."

The duo peruse the electronics section purchasing laptops, fans, TVs, and new Blackcell cases. Lux purchases a dark red case with an orange colored dollar sign embedded into the back, while Sakuro buys herself a white case with a red dragon seemingly flying around in the clouds drawn on its back.

After they're finished, the two of them leave the electronics section for the large furniture area. Once there, they purchase newly designed beds with mattresses, stands, desks, and sofas. It's at that point they notice a huge crowd surrounding a central space of another aisle. "Hm? Hell is goin' on over there?" Lux asks out loud.

He and Sakuro head to the adjacent aisle to investigate. He shoves his way through the crowd, launching his sight ahead of them to see what all the commotion is about. In the center of the crowd, casually browsing through the furniture, is Vern. Rather than having his uniform on, he's instead wearing a tinted gray vested shirt with matching jeans, dark grayish dress shoes, and a similar colored fedora on his head. "Ah, parfait. Just what I was looking for," the Ethereal leader says aloud, not particularly concerned with who hears him.

The Abnormals behind Lux are filling the silent gaps in the air with whispers and murmurs amongst themselves. "Is that really him? I've never seen him without his uniform on. He's really cute, isn't he?" Two customers of the opposite sex serve from the crowd in an undertone.

After confirming his purchase, Vern turns to leave the aisle, politely asking the Abnormals in front of him to move aside. "Excuse me, everyone. Pardon me." He steps through the crowd stopping in his tracks when he all of a sudden notices Lux's presence beyond everyone else's. "Ah, Lux. And Miss Sakuro as well. It's good to see you both."

"Vern? What the hell are you wearin'?"

"Hm? Ah, you see, it's casual Friday. Everyone at Ethereal HQ is required to wear something they're comfortable in, myself included. I am glad you finally found this place. They have unique sets of furniture. I myself have just finished purchasing a desk. I'm afraid my last one fell victim to my clumsiness, as I spilled my cup of coffee onto it."

"Leader of an Abnormal rebellion and you're clumsy. I'm not letting you live that down."

"I would be disappointed if you did." Vern simpers in response to Lux's words. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to headquarters. Enjoy your time here," he offers, calmly leaving off with a light smile on his face. The crowd slowly starts to dissipate due to his exit. Lux and Sakuro glance at each other, both shrugging as if on cue.

"Where we goin' next?"

"Perhaps the section we have yet to explore?"

"Let's go, then."

The shopping duo leave the large furniture area, then walk into the smaller furniture section. Once there, they purchase tables, chairs, small night stands, and decorations and accessories such as small paintings or small statues. As they continue to walk throughout the furniture area they glance at a few smaller sofas that catch their eye, while hearing a young couple beside them doing the same as they hold each other's hands.

The young woman is wearing a burgundy shirt with tight dark blue jeans and a small blue jean jacket, while the young man is wearing an Ethereal military uniform with a white cap on his head. "How about this one? It looks nice," she stares, her head cocked to the side.

"Eh, it's too brown. A little bright, too." The young woman titters at her partner's answer, showing her bright white teeth in response. They had been here for an hour and a half now, surely they would have to settle on something eventually.

"You said that about the last one, Jacob. How about you pick for us, then? Either way, we have to get a new one."

"I know, I know. All these sofas look bland, though. I miss our old one."

"Yes, the same one that was old and dirty and needed to be replaced."

"Alright, alright, I get it. Don't have to rub it in..."

"Well if ain't Pussy with a Cap," Lux jests, instantly recognizing the young man.

"You can't be serious right now...What the hell do you want?"

"Jacob, calm down," the young woman directs in a soft tone.

"This asshole is always trying to mess with me, Morgan."

"Woah now. Is that a little anger I'm hearing? Kinda disappointin' knowing you're not gonna do shit to me."

"You think you're all high and mighty just because you're getting paid by Matthias? I'm getting sick of you."

"Then stop talkin' and do somethin' about it. I'm fine with beating your ass in front of your girlfriend here. Looking fantastic by the way," he throws in her direction with a smile.

Jacob's skin is suddenly covered in a rough, gray lined stone. He steps directly in front of Lux, gazing into his eyes with an irritable rage. "The fuck did you just say? Do you think this is a game?!"

Lux is instantly amused by how charged Jacob's emotions are. He wants nothing more than to fight Jacob, to see how strong he is compared to himself. "There he is. C'mon and hit me."

"Jacob. Stop," Morgan begs, attempting to pull him back by his stone arm. Shaking her off, no fear to be seen, he continues to stare down Lux. After a few silent moments, Jacob's body returns to normal as he steps back towards Morgan.

"I'm off duty today. You know where the training room is?"

"Sure do," Lux assures him almost happily.

"Noon."

"Alright. Can't wait for this. Be seeing you, Pussy with a Cap," Lux says as Jacob and Morgan walk away. He waves, making sure to get under Jacob's skin.

"He challenged you to a duel, yes?"

"Yeah. I don't fuck with people who aren't gonna fight me. Dawson was up to bat and now it's his turn. No exceptions." Sakuro happily glares at Lux with a certain respect as she and him lock eyes. "Hell is that look for?"

"You are a very interesting man. You challenge anyone you feel does not show a will to your liking. Fighting them in a duel of sweat and blood. I like that about you."

"'Ight, stop being a creep. We're out."

"Okay."

Lux and Sakuro leave the furniture store, entering into a hot afternoon outside. The two of them return to Kenvale after a decent walk. The house seems empty as they step inside with only Joel sitting on the couch in the lounging area. There's multiple notebooks spread out on the table in front of him. When he hears someone walk inside through the front door, he greets them as he scribbles. "Hey, Lydia."

"Who's that?" Lux inquires. Joel looks up, glancing behind him. His eyes are widened, not fully realizing what he said.

"What? Oh, sorry. Force of habit..."

"Is Lydia your old lady back on Mars?"

A chortle escapes Joel as he continues to write in a nearly filled notebook. "No, no. She's um...huh, what would she be here? Well, yeah, I guess in your understanding, she's my "old lady." Although if she was talking to you, she'd probably say she's my girlfriend or fiance. Those are two different things. What am I on about? Erm, changing the subject here. Where'd you both go today?"

"Bought a bunch of furniture for myself and everyone else. Should be here in a few hours or so."

"I'll make sure it gets in okay. I'm not going anywhere. Not for a while, anyway."

"I will be upstairs, Brother."

"'Ight." Lux walks over to Joel as Sakuro strides up the stairway. He looks at all the open notebooks spread across the table. They seem to be different sketches of machinery he's never seen before. "What is all this shit?"

"Hm? Oh, sorry about the mess, mate. It's just ideas that popped into my head. I was thinking, I need to find a better way to move around while we're fighting. So, I'm working on installing a sort of jet booster to my legs. What do you think?"

"You mind?"

"Oh, sure." Joel hands Lux the notebook he was writing in. Lux inspects the drawing, he sees lots of blueprinted designs and directional arrows all leading to an outlined sketch of Joel's boots.

"How is this supposed to work?"

"Right, then. So when I lift my heel the boost would, in theory, activate. I'd be able to walk and run normally, but with a propellant force behind it."

"I'm not feeling the puttin' it on the legs part."

"Really? Why's that? I'd love to hear your feedback."

"When I'm fighting, I need to be focused on what I'm doing. Putting these whatever you call it on your legs might fuck up what you're paying attention to because you want activate them. If you ask me, I'd put that shit on my back or somethin'."

"My back? Hm...Yeah, that could work. How about I draw something up and you take another look at it?"

"Sure."

"Appreciate this," Joel thanked his new creative partner.

"Uh-huh."

Lux returns the notebook to Joel after he's finished. Realizing the time, he exits the house and leaves the estate grounds. He then travels to the north district to enter Ethereal for his appointment. Approaching the training room, he sees Jacob on the far side warming himself up with diamond pushups. "Sup, motherfucker."

Hearing Lux's voice, Jacob stops, popping tall. He strides over to his bully, stepping fearlessly in front of him. "You came. Good. You've been a pain in my ass ever since we met. I don't know what your issue with me is, but you are never talking to Morgan like that again. Respect is what she deserves. A concept that's clearly not making sense in your twisted mind."

"Blah, blah, blah. You want an apology, then beat it out of me. Are we fighting or not?"

"We are. No powers. We're fighting normally."

Jacob takes his shirt off then walks a short distance back. Once he turns to face Lux, he assumes a fighting stance. Lux assumes a fighting stance as well, beginning to hop up and down with excitement. "Fuck yeah. Let's do this shit."

"What the hell is wrong with this guy...?" Jacob mutters to himself.

Using the strength of his legs, Lux is the first to advance. Without the need for words, he allows his bloodthirsty leer to tell the story of how this fight will go. Jacob may not know it, but other than smoking, fighting gives Lux that heightened feeling of emotion he needs to get by. The two begin to exchange many blows. Left hooks, right hooks, guts punches, at times they even block or dodge each other's attacks. Jacob starts to get aggressive, fueled by blinding anger as he yells loudly. "I am not losing to you!"

He completely ignores the pain from Lux's extending punches before unleashing a full combo using only his fist which ends in a right uppercut. Immediately afterwards, Jacob tackles Lux, beginning to violently strike downward with killing intent. "Fuck you! Fuck you!"

Lux takes many blows to the face in this exchange. Seeing an opportunity, Lux turns his body in a strategic position, launching Jacob off of him with a swift extension of his legs. The two of them both slowly stand in a full reset. "You just had to keep saying shit...I was always just your unwanted son, right?! That's why you turned me in!"

Jacob launches himself in Lux's space in an uncontrollable rage. By now completely losing his focus, commencing to flail his arms in every direction in an attempt to greatly harm Lux. He finds an opening, throws out a left fake and Jacob falls for it, allowing him to unleash a powerful right hook which staggers Jacob. He then follows up with a piercing jab just prior to taking two strides behind Jacob, lifting him up, finishing him off with a suplex.

As Lux stands over Jacob, breathing heavily, he lets him recover. Jacob groans in pain, repositioning his body so that he's sitting up and facing forward. Lux extends his arm out to help Jacob up. Jacob looks up at Lux, then silently takes his arm. After Lux's competition finds himself on his feet, he places his hand on Jacob's right shoulder. "Hey. Listen. I didn't mean no disrespect to Morgan. I was seeing what you were about. If what I did was too messed up for her, I'll apologize. We good?"

Jacob nods slowly as he looks away, his eyes filled with shock and shame from his actions. He takes two steps away, retreating from any physical contact. "Yeah..."

"You wanna tell me who the fuck you were taking to? 'Cause it sure as hell wasn't me you were fightin'."

Jacob sighs heavily, carrying a burden of feelings he hasn't let go. "My pops...your attitude reminded me of him. Guess that's all I saw during the fight. Before Annihilation, it was just me, my two brothers, and him. I didn't live up to his expectations, so we were always butting heads. I didn't play any sports, I didn't want to be a tradesman. He...would beat me when nobody was home or around. He hated me. 'The child that slipped through' he would always call me. Never his son. My brother died on Annihilation and when my dad found out I was Abnormal...bastard couldn't wait to turn me in," he laughs to himself and shakes his head in disbelief. "What am I doing? I don't even know why I'm telling you this. What do you care?"

"I never said I didn't care."

Jacob glances at Lux, surprised by his response as he was expecting him to say something more aggressive or disrespectful. As he looks at Lux, he can see in his eyes that he somehow understands. "You...You really just wanted to fight me, didn't you?"

"Yeah. What else did you think I wanted? I don't have any issues with ya. Just wanted to see if you were pussy or not. I don't fuck with cowards."

"Well, did I pass at least?"

"Ain't saying nothing to that. It wasn't a test. Did you tell Morgan about this shit with your father?"

"No. I haven't."

"Fix that shit. And don't be a weirdo about it." Without saying anything else, Lux walks off towards the elevator. As he does Jacob hesitantly opens his mouth to speak.

"Uh, Lux, I just..."

"Save it. You know where to find me if you wanna go another round." Stepping into the elevator, Lux gives Jacob a farewell wave without looking back. "Be seeing ya."

"Yeah. See you..."