"Did you get taller?" Hisato questioned, crinkling his small nose. "She did, didn't she?" He directed his second question to Spyro.

"You're going to make an Amazonian joke, aren't you? Always so bitter I'm a head taller than you." Vatra waved her hand from the top of her head to Hisato's, noting their obvious difference in height. She couldn't help but chuckle and stepped forward, pulling Hisato into a hug. Besides Spyro, he was the only other person from her past she knew and trusted.

Hisato returned the gesture, pulling away after a moment. "One of these days I'll catch your face before you hide it. Both of you." He looked between Spyro and Vatra with a grin. "What are you guys here for, anyway?"

"Meeting up with some pirates," Vatra answered. "The usual."

"Well, we haven't had anyone new in a while, but you guys can hang around for as long as you need. There hasn't been much trouble lately," Hisato said.

"Thank you. And I hope it stays that way for you. We saw some tricky bandits out in the Dead Zone. They're getting desperate," Vatra commented.

Folding his arms, Hisato leaned back on the heels of his boots. "What can I say, I'm a guardian spirit, and it's been quiet for a little too long. I've been aching for a little action around here. It would give me something to do, at least."

"The last time I saw you fight was in the Boshin War, and I can't say you were the best guardian spirit," Vatra said.

"You were at the Boshin War?" Spyro asked. He turned his head quickly at the mention. "How interesting. I did not think you bothered yourself with battles outside of Europe."

"First of all, ouch," Hisato said, directing his first statement to Vatra, "and second of all, it seems that Vatra hasn't told you about the time she went on her self-discovering trip to Japan during a civil war and thought it best to literally sell her life for a fight."

"So, nothing has changed about her," Spyro concluded. "I am not surprised."

Vatra blew air from her nose. "And when I died in a glorious blaze of fire, they all thought I was the Hou-ou. Chiyo was pissed at me for a few centuries after, thinking I tried to take her place. Admittedly, not my finest moment in subtly dying, but we all learn lessons... Speaking of learning, I'm learning that I really want to move out of this blinding room and walk around somewhere else."

"She has been deflecting me all day," Spyro said with a not-so-conspicuous lean to Hisato.

Hisato flitted a gaze between them with a smug look. He ran a hand through his hair, smoothing back his mohawk, and gestured for them to follow him. "All right, all right. Let's end this age-old discussion and go somewhere else. If you guys need to buy up on any supplies, we recently got a new shipment in from Rumoria."

"We do need some food," Vatra said with a nod.

She held up her wrist, checking to make sure she'd transferred enough credits to her account before they left the room. The screen from her watch was cracked, and took a moment as she tapped in the instructions.

"Shit," Vatra breathed out, impatiently scrolling along the screen.

"All that credit, and you have yet to buy a new watch?" Spyro observed, leaning over her shoulder.

Vatra growled and swiped the screen out of view, trusting that she had enough credits in her main account. Regardless, Spyro would have enough for both of them.

"You're learning this sarcasm too quickly," she said with a half-smile. "Lead us away, Hisato."

"Both of you remind me of an old married couple," Hisato joked, folding his hands behind his head. The doors leading out into Belltower whisked to the side in front of him like two servants bowing out of the way.

"We might as well be," Vatra commented. "Foregoing the vows, I'd say we are pretty much everything an old married couple is. The long walks, the jokes and arguments. I know way too many of his bad habits, and he knows mine. We do everything together, too."

"Minus the intercourse," Spyro interjected in a plain tone.

A loud cough erupted from Hisato, tripping him up in his steps. He spun his head to Vatra, as if expecting her to be embarrassed, but she only shrugged at the statement.

"As I said, I agreed with you that we're like an old married couple. I'm hardly surprised by what he's going to say," Vatra said.

She folded her arms and looked around the narrow corridor they were walking down. Bleak metal lined with the faint glow of white lights; it was the back alley behind the hangars. The hall was cold, and she ached to get out into the main rooms of Belltower.

Hisato cleared his throat after a few moments of silence. "So, you've both remained alone?"

"I've been alive too long to worry about something as trivial as love. I've seen mortals die chasing it, and gods start wars over it. I've never been fond of the idea, anyway. And Spyro's as romantically uninterested as a pot of rice," Vatra said.

Stopping to the left of Spyro, Vatra cocked her head to the side. "Are you in love, Hisato?" She pressed her inquiry after realizing there was a judgmental tone to Hisato's question. As if it were wrong for them to be alone.

If only Hisato could see the incredulous look crossing her face. She yearned to hear all about the details of this supposed long-lost love. It was the most interesting thread she'd been able to tug at in a while.

The three of them huddled beside a door.

"Maybe I'm not as cynical about the idea as you," Hisato said, waving his hand by the door. It shot to the side, bringing in a warmth over them.

"I didn't say I was cynical," Vatra mumbled, following close behind Hisato. She remained beside Spyro, nearly bumping shoulders with him.

Her thoughts were shut behind a wall of noise and bustling crowds. Belltower was particularly busy for not having any new arrivals for so long.

A wide path before them navigated an abundance of shops set up in an open market. The dozens of stalls were tucked away on either side, using the floor of the level above them as their make-shift ceilings. Cooking food sizzled and popped from the closest stall, sending a waft of perfectly grilled meats. Vatra's mouth watered.

"I thought Belltower was not on the permanent residency list," Spyro observed. "I believe it is on trade only."

Hisato chuckled. "It is trade only. And that's all I'll ever say it is." He stepped forward, leading them on into the steady streams of people buying their supplies. "What food are you looking for?" Hisato asked over his shoulder.

Vatra didn't register his question and stopped in front of a clothing stall. She dragged her eyes over fine Katherian silk, feigning the urge to reach out and touch its rare fibers. The merchant, hardly a Katherian herself from the blue tint of her skin, flickered a forked tongue over her teeth before leaning out over the table that displayed her wares.

"Ninety credits," the merchant said. Double eyelids flitted over her golden irises.

"Really?" Vatra asked.

It was a steal, and she knew real Katherian silk from a fake anywhere. If the merchant herself knew the difference was another story. The rest of the merchandise was rather questionable. If anything, the piece was worth twice that.

"I thought we needed food," Spyro said, his voice low as he walked up beside Vatra.

Touching the red fabric gently, Vatra gave a small shrug of her shoulders. "What's a little splurging? We have time to get food."

"Except we do not know when our friends will be arriving," Spyro added. "We should use our time sparingly."

"What would you even use that for?" Hisato chimed in.

"Excuse me," Vatra paused and turned to the both of them, "when did I get two voices of reason? I don't need either of you to give your permission for me to buy something nice. I just want it to... Who cares what I use it for?"

She turned back to the vendor and snapped up the piece of Katherian silk with a stubborn grasp. Vatra's right hand darted out, proudly displaying her partially broken watch.

The merchant glanced at the watch with a twitch of her lips. Amusement, hopefully. After a moment, she held out her own wrist and interlinked their watches.

Vatra crossed her fingers that her point wouldn't be ruined by a decline of her account. The approving chirp nearly made a sigh of relief pass her lips.

"You are exactly the same after all this time," Hisato said with a laugh. He watched Vatra hold her Katherian silk like a child, a grin on his face.

"And what's that? So absolutely wonderful, you regret turning down our offer to join our crew?" Vatra mused. She brushed a tender finger over the silk, tracing the fire-like design on the red background. How fitting.

"Stubborn as hell," Hisato answered coolly.

"Hot-headed," Spyro added. "And we still need to buy our food."

"Yeah, yeah," Vatra said with a wave of her hand. "You go buy the food, Spy. I think I tested all my luck on the credits. Just make sure at least some of it is healthy."

Spyro gave a small nod of his head without much disagreement and disappeared into the throng of humans and non-humans alike. A sea of beings from all planets, from all backgrounds. Even they themselves were just as different as the most unique creature there. Vatra felt at ease.

"These pirates, can you trust them?" Hisato asked, pulling Vatra to the side of the crowd.

They were nestled into a nook between two merchant stalls. Bleating, exotic animals rattled cages on one side, and people were selling clothing on the other. The loud sounds drowned out their conversation.

He's lived up in this tower too long, Vatra thought, slightly jealous of how safe he had it.

"Of course not," Vatra replied easily.

"Are you guys in trouble?"

"It's a job," she said. "We're not the ones in trouble as far as I know."

"Not this time," Hisato sighed out. "You need to be careful dealing with pirates. I hear things working in Belltower. Which group is it?"

"It's sweet that you worry about us, but we can take care of ourselves. We've been doing this for a long time." Vatra placed her hand on Hisato's arm, wishing he could see the genuine care she had in her eyes.

"Which group is it, Vatra? I should have asked sooner, but I don't want to be the one saying these kinds of things around Spyro. If it is the group I think it is... I know how he can be... and I don't want to be the one causing more harm. It's my job to protect this place, after all. And I know you're the only one that can keep him calmed down, so I thought I would approach you first," Hisato said.

"Damn, Hisato, you're really scared, huh? Spy's powers have you all freaked out?"

"Which pirates did you bring to Belltower?" he pushed, gripping her by both arms. All joking and light-heartedness from before instantly washed away from his face.

"Those stupid Grease-heads," Vatra growled. She ripped her arms from Hisato and pushed him away from her, nearly knocking him into the stall.

A passerby glanced their way, and the two of them quieted down until all attention drew away from them.

"Damn, I knew it. And you saw them?" Hisato asked.

"I talked to them, but I've dealt with their crew before," Vatra said, voice down to a low whisper. "I know these guys, they're hardly anything to be this scared over."

"No, not the new guy that's taken over as their captain. Vatra, their new captain is Enyalius."

Oh, by the gods how ironic, Vatra thought. She tried distracting her careening mind by thinking of how on the nose it was a Greek god found his way into the ranks of a pirate crew known for looking like the cast of Grease.

Though, the smile that had found its way to her face turned to a deep frown. Even though Hisato couldn't see it, he must have sensed her growing dread. He'd grabbed her by the shoulders, steadying her wobbling knees.

A pit formed in her belly. Like the opening jaws of a black hole, it swallowed everything good and pure left in her bones. She gripped onto her Katherian silk like it was the last grounding moment of her happiness.

"Hisato, please don't tell Spy about this," Vatra croaked out. "Just find him and bring him to the ship, tell him I fell ill with something. I ate some bad samples of Grethorian shrimps and started shitting myself in front of everyone. Whatever it takes to get him to think this meeting's over."

"I think it's too late for that," Hisato said. He nodded over to Spyro.

Vatra followed his gesture, and saw Spyro looking around for them. He was holding the small device indicating when a ship broke the atmosphere, and it was clearly flashing.