Lux is still comfortably sitting on the small sofas enjoying the peaceful breeze of evening. Only a few moments passed before Jade and Tora walked out onto the balcony area greeting him together.

"Oh, heya, Lux!"

"Yo."

Without saying a word between each other, Jade sits down and Lux hands her a cigarette. A small dance perfected between the two long ago. The ability to anticipate the others' needs was forged out of necessity and desire. Once she takes it, he lights it for her as she begins smoking alongside him. Not being very fond of the smell, Tora decides to sit a fair distance from the two as they smoke.

"I told Tora about Sakuro." Jade starts the conversation, the words seeping out with the grayish colored smoke.

"Can't wait to meet her!" Tora eagerly interjects.

"Bet you say that about everybody," Lux casually states after releasing a smoke cloud from his mouth.

"I just wanna be friendly. It must suck for her, right?" Tora explains with a look of confusion on her face as to how he couldn't possibly feel the same.

"Her family probably turned her in for all we know," Jade added.

"It's not our problem to think about it like that. She decided to join us, so she's one of us now."

"Why'd you do it?" Tora wants to know, turning her sights away from the urban landscapes beyond the balcony.

"Do what?"

"I mean, we could've easily sent her back to Alimoor, ya know? We've got territory there," she clarified, leaning up in her chair eager for his response.

"Nah. She's not like everybody else. I can tell. Plus, she put up a good fight when she was at her weakest. It gives me the feeling that she can handle herself. And I haven't even slept with her."

"Oh, because that makes so much of a difference," Jade interjects with a laugh. Lux can't hold in his laugh and the two enjoy their inside joke before Lux readdresses Tora.

"Let me tell you somethin', Tora. When you were some punk in Silver Cloud, you had three choices: Die, join a group, or have someone make you their bitch. It's pretty much the same out here, isn't it? Everybody's a part of somethin'. Being alone in a world of survival isn't always the best thing. Learned that firsthand there."

Jade steadies her gaze on Lux. This is only the second time she's heard Lux make that statement. The first was when they met. After breaking herself out of her self induced trance, she returns her attention back out past the balcony as she blows smoke out of her mouth.

"He has a point, babe. It wasn't easy being in there. I can confidently say that we wouldn't have gotten this far if we didn't believe in that saying."

"Wow. ...You guys have been through a lot, huh?" Tora asks, her curiosity and concern spilling out through her glances. Lux shakes his head, yet another cloud of smoke discharging from his lips.

"Nah, everybody goes through their own shit. We're no different in that regard. We just went through enough to make us realize something others don't."

"Now let me ask you something, baby."

"Okay," Tora nods. "I'll try my best to answer."

"Why and how are you so comfortable around us?"

"Maybe she wants to sleep with all of us and not just you," Lux jests.

"I-I don't! That's not the reason!"

"Ain't that nice. Answer the question."

"Well, um...oh gosh, I don't know. I believe I have a good sense of judgment with people. Even though I don't really hang around them much. Maybe other people see you guys as unapproachable, mean, or the kind people you don't wanna be around overall...But I just don't see you the same way they do, I guess. I know we don't really know each other that much and I probably sound crazy."

"Nah, you don't. Thought you were annoying at first. But you're a cool weirdo."

"Oh, um, thanks...?"

"What he means is, you aren't bad to us, either. You're a really nice change of pace," Jade says in a tender voice while she takes a hold of Tora's hand, intertwining their fingers.

"That's not what I said but okay. We can go with that, I guess," Lux exclaims. In this rare time of showing his emotions, Tora spots his eyes looking away to prevent any confirmation about how he feels.

"Hehe, I get it. Thanks, Lux."

"Yup. I'll kick your ass sooner or later."

"Wha?!"

"Ignore him. Sometimes he doesn't realize he talks too much."

"I'm just sayin'. It's coming when you least expect it. One day you're sitting and typing on your little computer, then BAH! You got fucked up by me. Bet you're scared now, huh?"

"Maybe a little..."

"Heh, thought so."

Lux, Jade and Tora continue through the night talking amongst themselves. After some time, they hear the doors behind them slide open and Jade sees Klaus walk into the balcony area. "'Ey, the hell is going on? Y'all supposed to be out here this late?" He questions using a deepened voice.

"Go fuck yourself, blue skin," Lux replies, having the same tone he would in his past with a guard.

"Heya, Klaus," Tora happily greets her friend.

"Hey, girl. Y'all having a party out here or something?" Klaus happily responds before walking over to the sofas joining Tora. "Where are the drinks at? We're out of drinks, y'all. What?! This club sucks! I-I'm sorry, what do you want me to do, man?"

Tora giggles at Klaus's performance as the group continue to talk, laughing amongst each other. It's close to the dead of night. Moments of peaceful silence pass until the doors to the balcony once again slide open. When Jade glances back, she can see Sakuro with Ichi on her shoulder standing by the door. Noticing her gaze, the new arrival steps back in an attempt to shroud herself in the darkness.

"Babe," Jade speaks up in Lux's direction.

"Hm?"
Jade motions her head towards the door. Lux doesn't bother to turn his head to look in the same direction, he only blows smoke out of his mouth before speaking. "That Sakuro?"

"Mhm."

"'Ey," he begins in Japanese. "Get your ass out here or I'll drag you out."

"You speak Japanese?!" Tora asks, completely surprised by this new information. Ichi barks as if he's speaking to Sakuro, who then nods in understanding before stepping out onto the balcony up to where the group is sitting. She puts her hands on her legs, lowering her head in a small bow just before speaking in a very soft tone.

"My name is Nakagichi Sakuro...but you can call me Sakuro."

"Oh. My. Gosh! She's so cute! Hi there! I'm Tora!"

"Hello..."

"That might be the only thing she knows how to say in English," Lux states. "She understands you, though. C'mon and sit with us, Sakuro."

Sakuro nods in affirmation, then climbs onto the sofa taking up the empty space on the opposite side of Tora before waving in her direction. "It's nice to meet you, Tora."

"It's nice to meet you too!"

"You speak Japanese too?" Jade inquiries.

"Nope!"

"Hey. Relax with that head shit," Lux orders, his tone resembling an older sibling.

"Oh, right. Sorry, Sakuro."

The group spend the rest of night enjoying one another's company while reminiscing over certain memories from their past lives. When it's decided that it's time to go to bed, everyone retires to their individual rooms, sleeping until first light.

~

Dawn arrives. The sultry early morning waves spread throughout Atlacall, causing many to wake up earlier than usual. This includes Lux, who gradually sits himself up, groaning as he slides out of bed. "Shit..." he sighs, releasing a groan while he scratches his neck. He drags his feet as he slowly follows an unconscious path leading away from his bed.

Burping loudly, he transfers his hands from his neck to his chest. A faint shuffling of movement crosses his hearing, and slowly he glances over at the front of his bed. Lowering his field of vision, he sees Sakuro and Ichi sleeping on the floor. Rather than the worn trencoat from the submarine, she's wearing a version of the Ethereal's uniform.

"Huh...? Am I seeing things...? Whatever..." he mutters, choosing to ignore what he assumes is an early morning hallucination before stepping into his bathroom. He turns the right knob in the sink and splashes his face as water flows out of the faucet. Once Sakuro wakes herself up fully, she walks over to the opened bathroom door to greet Lux.

"Good morning, Brother."

"Not going crazy, then. What's up? Why the hell were you sleepin' on the floor? Why aren't you in your own room?"

"I had a nightmare and I couldn't sleep...so I came in here," she explained, her eyes taking him in.

"Alright. You're either sleeping on the bed with me or you're getting a mattress."

"Okay..."

"Sleep on the floor like that again and I'm kicking you the same way I did last time. Now c'mon. We're finding somethin' to do." he bellows, sleep still clouding his voice.

A happy smile forms on her face. Ecstatic Lux even offered to take her with him for today. "Okay!"

After Lux gets dressed, he and Sakuro depart from his room to make their way downstairs. As they step into the main area, they find Tora in the kitchen, presumably making herself breakfast. Jade and Klaus comfortably sit on the couch in the lounging area. Tora turns her attention towards the stairs when she hears footsteps, noticing Lux and Sakuro walking into the main area. She greets the two of them while reaching her hand into the top cabinet above the refrigerator.

"Good morning, y'all!"

"Good morning," Sakuro returns, smiling.

"Sup, forehead," Lux tosses out.

"Hey! That's not nice."

"Looking at your face ain't really nice either, but I still gotta deal with that. All got our crosses to bear, I guess. We're out, Sakuro," he shrugs, waving his hand for her to follow him.

"Wherith shall the wind take you?" Klaus ask in an accent which was a mix of different origins.

Lux shrugs in response to Klaus' question as he continues to stride toward the door. Before the two leave the house, Tora rushes over to intercept them after she realizes she's forgotten something. Once she stops in front of Sakuro, basically towering over her even with her height, she bends over to hand her a small Blackcell with a smile on her face.

"Oh, right! Wait, hold on a sec! This is for you, pumpkin!"

Sakuro takes the Blackcell from Tora, staring at it in different angles as if it's something completely new to her. Still, she gives Tora a head shake of appreciation, even though she didn't know what she had been gifted.

"Thank you, glasses lady. I will cherish this."

"Heh, glasses lady," Lux chortled.

"I don't really know what you said, but I'm sure you said thanks! And if that's the case, you're welcome!"

"Least you didn't read her mind this time. You done?"

"Mhm! Y'all have fun now!"

"'Ight, see you weirdos later. C'mon, Sakuro. Let's go."

Lux and Sakuro journey outside the door, closing it behind them before walking forward. Ichi lets out a soft yip as he hops onto Sakuro's right shoulder. They ultimately decide to go on an early morning trek throughout southern Atlacall. During their small adventure, they luckily find rare materials, scraps of items, and missing bills.

They also interact with a few Abnormals, listening to their troubles with a certain attentiveness. Lux and Sakuro then walk up to the entrance of Thins and enter. The bell on the front door rings, and Theo greets whomever walked in from the back counter. "Yo, welcome to Thins."

Lux and Sakuro notice a few customers browsing throughout the aisles. As Lux walks forward to the back counter, Sakuro follows behind while gripping onto his legs. When Theo sees Lux approaching, he smiles at him in greeting. "'Ey, kid. Good to see ya."

"Sup, Theo. Just lookin' through some shit."

"Take whatever you need. For the right price, of course."

Lux purchases a few weapons and gear for his squadmates. As he has them upgraded, Theo notices a small shadow behind Lux, which causes him to look further back to see who it belonged to. Spotting the culprit, he directs his questioning glance to Lux. "This your kid?"

"Does she look like my kid?"

"Don't know. I'm sure you get around despite your age. There's a middle aged man in there somewhere."

"Funny. She isn't my kid, dumbass."

"Heh, just asking. ...Oh, yeah. One of your guys came by the other day. Uh...Klaus I'm pretty sure his name is?"

"Yeah, what about him?"

"Crazy kid scared off one of my customers. He was a big guy too."

"He grab his ass or somethin'?"

"Other way around. He 'requested' for the guy to grab his. After the customer left, Klaus looked at me and said, "He just mad 'cause he got dirty ass shoes," Theo recounts, leaning his head back and holding on to his cap while he laughed at the ridiculousness of his own story. "Oh man, I couldn't help but to laugh. Kid is pretty funny once you get used to him."

"Most don't. It ain't easy for him to be present all the time if you get what I'm saying. Assholes get creeped out too easily."

"That's a truth right there. I've got family from my mother's side all the way in Aebreron. Her sister has two children that people may not see as normal. Ironic, considering the times, eh?"

"Yeah. It's not like there wasn't shit in the world before Abnormals came about," Lux replies. Theo nods in agreement, satisfied with the completion of their conversation.

Once Lux finishes with everything, he and Theo do their usual handshake before he steps back from the counter. "Good lookin' out, Theo."

"I've got you, kid. Oh, yeah. One more thing."

"Hm?"

"You've got a Blackcell, yeah? I'll add my number up there. Forgot to do it a bunch of times before."

"'Ight." Lux says in a nonchalant agreement. He hands Theo his Blackcell, then Theo puts his number in. A short moment after, Theo hands it back to Lux. Once he presents Lux with a friendly offer, he chuckles, somehow expecting him to immediately respond with aggression.

"Thanks. Call me if you need something outside of work."

"I won't."

"Heh. Be seeing you, Lux."

After Lux and Sakuro walk out of Thins, Lux stretches, letting out a much needed groan before turning to look down at Sakuro. The two of them continue to walk aimlessly through Atlacall. Their wandering takes them to the west district, specifically to the entrance of West Fashion Stop. Lux leans against the wall a fair distance from the front doors while Sakuro sits on a small bench directly in front of him. "Do I feel like shoppin' for clothes? Hm. Let me call Jade and Tora. See what they're doing."

He takes his Blackcell out of his back pocket and gets them on the line. Once they answer, he transfers the both of them to a group call. "Yo."

"Hey, baby."

"Hiya, Lux!"

"Sup you two. Y'all feel like shopping fpr clothes?"

"Sure," Jade answers. "I need some anyway."

"Same here," Tora adds. "And I'd love to go shopping with you guys! I think it'll be fun!"

"It'll be the discovery of the century when we find why you're so excited about everything. I'll be here waitin'."

After hanging up, he joins Sakuro on the small bench as they wait for the two to arrive. Twenty minutes of patiently waiting goes by, and the two of them finally see the ladies approaching the bench.

"Hope we didn't take too long, " Jade says, initiating the conversation with a tender smile. She motions her head towards Tora, taking note of the time it took to leave Kenvale. "This one was still deciding what to wear."

"It's not my fault, okay? I couldn't choose between the blue shirt or the red one!"

"We're just going clothes shopping, babe."

"Just because we're going to shop for that, doesn't mean I have to walk out the house looking like a wolf in sheep's clothing!"

"She speaks in such riddles. I wonder how someone can understand her," Sakuro utters, the weight of thought tilting her head. Irked by the stagnation, Lux grunts, calling upon everyone's attention.

"Look, are we going inside or what? All this yappin' is making me regret ever calling you guys."

"Oh, right! Let's go!" Tora excitedly shouts as she and the others enter the store side by side.