It felt like I had been in an endless sleepwalk. The images were hazy, and the noises were indistinct. My consciousness slipped in and out so irregularly that while it made sense when it happened, nothing made sense in the bigger picture, so my mind disposed of the events.

My body felt out of place when I zoned back to consciousness. I was well awake, neither tired nor weak, but my movements appeared slow due to the uncertainty to what had been going on. I was certain I had been on the couch. Yet all of a sudden, I found myself standing in what had been a gloaming living room, now became an irradiant space in a blink of an eye.

I became aware of the fact that my arms were wrapped behind my back and it startled me. I tried twisting my body but that made me lose my balance instead. Out of nowhere, a strong, steady hand reached out and wrapped around my waist before I tumbled to the floor.

My breath hitched as I steadied myself on my two feet and looked up at the unknown person in my apartment. As soon as our eyes met, my body relaxed immediately and I let out a loud sigh of relief. He felt my once-tensed muscles loosen up in his arms as he ran his hand down my arm and released me.

"Please make some noise next time before you come in." I sighed while I backed out of his arms and folded my arms across my chest. "What if I hurt you?"

Pierce cracked a smirk as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "You didn't notice when I came in?"

I tilted my head. "I might have. Was it a few minutes ago?" I scratched my head as my face scrunched up in deep thought. "I swear it's impossible not to remember, but..."

The man shut his eyes and he ran his hand through his hair. "I hate it that you two don't share memories." He mumbled something I had difficulty picking up.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, I asked what the hell were you two doing?" Pierce opened his eyes and it locked on mine.

My eyebrows raised. "'You two?'" I repeated. "Who else is here—"

I cut myself off abruptly as I twisted my body and found the limp body of the hockey team's captain lying a few feet away. The memories of him straddling me on the couch flashed through my head and I instantly remembered where we left off.

My blood boiled and Pierce caught me balling up my fingers into a fist as I growled under my breath. "That motherfucker."

Jeremy seemed to have gained consciousness again. He shifted loudly on the ground with low grunts and periodic moans about his head hurting. Pierce observed him in silence, while I did so with a dark expression.

The boy suddenly let out a low growl in pain and got on his feet again, his body facing away from us by the couch. I cleared my throat and saw his body freeze. Jeremy quickly looked behind his shoulders in alarm and his eyes flickered when it landed on me. I eyed him with growing disgust and anger. My patience was dwindling with every second.

"Reese's," Jeremy's eyes lit up with a strange attraction. "Did I just wake up?"

Pierce raised his eyebrows and quietly looked behind him to see if the boy was referring to someone else out the window. I, on the other hand, had already walked up to his form and in an instant, my hands gripped the collar of his shirt and I pulled him closer to my face, blocking his air passage.

Choking, he instantly cursed and ripped my hands from his throat. "What the hell are you doing, woman?" His yell was the first loud thing I heard since regaining consciousness. My eyes narrowed, unfazed.

I don't remember what happened. I don't remember how far we went. I don't know how Pierce got in here with the commotion, and I don't remember how he handled it. But at this very moment, I was going to handle this abortion-fail and there was no one in this world that could stop me.

The fist was loaded and I released the full-pack against his lower jaw, knocking him off his feet effortlessly. Jeremy landed with a painful thud and he cursed a handful of colorful words. Blood trickled over his dry lips from accidentally biting the inside of his mouth too hard. He had to crack his jaw again before he could close his mouth.

I stood there breathing in and out steadily, yet my body was a ticking bomb. Any trigger that he made towards me was going to be redirected back at him in ten-folds. 'Angry' wouldn't even begin to describe my current state.

"Mother-fucking bitch, stop it before I hurt you." Jeremy growled out as he snapped his eyes back to me, bloodshot. My lips remained in a tight smile. I found a convenient umbrella on the floor and kicked it up, catching it before I pointed the end at the boy's throat. He recoiled in frustration.

"What was that?" I cocked my head at him, "I couldn't hear you properly. Your head's too far up that flat ass of yours."

"I don't get your deal," Jeremy rebuked. "What the hell just happened with you? You were just fine when we fuc-"

I raised my eyebrows slowly and he, realizing too late that this Risa wasn't the same Risa he had been with earlier, shut up immediately.

"We did what?" A growl erupted from me.

"We—"

Pierce coughed and our heads turned to him. He pointed to the umbrella I was holding and said, "I knocked him out before he did anything. And, resume scene."

I turned back to face Jeremy and found myself going in for another swing to release my frustration. He was prepared though, and brought his hands up to pack a punch of his own. Midway into almost knocking him out again, I decided a punch wasn't enough. I skidded to a stop, shot him a dull look, and ducked underneath his arm as I headed swiftly to the kitchen.

Jeremy's punch missed me big time and he tripped forward onto Pierce, who caught him bewilderedly.

"Pierce, hold him!" I demanded from the kitchen.

The man looked down at Jeremy with raised eyebrows. "Um, ew?" He responded back as he released the boy's figure and Jeremy tumbled to the ground again. He tried to get up and race to the kitchen but Pierce grabbed his arms and snapped it behind his back, doing exactly what I had originally meant when I said to 'hold him.'

"Why exactly am I doing this, Risa?" Pierce groaned with annoyance as he looked Jeremy up and down with squinted eyes.

"Who the fuck is he?" Jeremy grumbled uncomfortably at the buffer man. "Why do you have a man in your apartment? Get your hands off me!"

"Kid, you should be more concerned that your girl's in the kitchen and you're being held hostage." Pierce gritted his teeth as he mumbled a word of advice into the oblivious boy's ears. The boy cursed instead and jabbed his elbow back into Pierce's midsection, earning himself a tighter hold and a few new broken finger bones.

"Should I use the wok pan or the skillet pan?" I shouted for an opinion from the kitchen.

Pierce's eyes widened. "You're making eggs at this time while I'm babysitting?"

I scratched my head as I looked back and forth at the pans in each hand. Deciding, I tossed the wok pan without the handle back into the lower cupboard with a loud bang and the two boys from the living room flinched.

Straightening up, I tossed the chosen frying pan comfortably from one hand to the other as I made my way back to the living room. Jeremy's mouth parted in horror as Pierce cleared his throat and hid his face behind the boy's body, just in case.

"Say hello to Betty," I grinned as I almost reached where he stood, pan raised. "She was only two-weeks old before she died due to a broken neck."

Jeremy gulped as the hairs on his arm stood up. "... H-How'd she go and do, do that?"

My eyes suddenly lost color in them as I looked him down with demons in my soul. "Because of you." I charged with the pan and Pierce seemed to have finally judged that I might commit a murder today. He tried pushing the boy to the other corner of the room but both men stared in alarm as I arched the pan back like I was able to pitch a baseball.

Pierce cursed under his breath and his head snapped to the boy he was forced to save. "Get out the door—goddammit you're as slow as your grandmother."

"I don't have one!" Jeremy grumbled back in panic, running to the door and fumbling with the knob like his life depended on it.

"Well then your grandpa."

"He died!"

"—Well now he'll have company." I cut in as the pan flew across the room at astounding speed. Pierce blocked the blow and the pan fell loudly to the ground, amplifying intense vibrations on the wooden floor.

Jeremy had barely managed to slip his head through the apartment door before I switched weapons and flung the umbrella instead. It made contact with his neck and his upper back. His cries of pain were heard as the apartment door swung shut as quickly as it had been open.

Silence filled the room afterwards, with only the furious pantings of both Pierce and I trying to catch our breaths. I let out a tired groan with my hands on my hip as I slowly turned back to face Pierce, who was gazing at the door where his umbrella fell.

"You threw Angelica..."  The man whined in such exaggerated agony that I became woke again as I raised my eyebrows at him weirdly. He caught my stare and rolled his eyes as he stopped facading and went back in character with his true self.

"What's with those eyes?" He scoffed playfully as he met my eyes. "Acting like you didn't just name your frying pan, Betty."

I rolled my eyes and took a seat on the couch, running a hand through my hair swiftly. "That rotten onion had some nerve coming into my apartment. Damn it, I need soap."

I immediately rose up from the couch. I marched to the kitchen once more and Pierce became skeptical as he turned his head to observe my movement.

"What... are you doing?" He asked as he eyed me snatching the dishwasher soap like I had dug up some ancient treasure.

"I'm cleansing."

"Your soul?"

"My mouth, you dipshit."

Pierce sighed. "Sunny, that's not a good— and she doesn't listen, great."

I ignored his commentaries as I thoroughly washed my mouth out until the glass of water in my hand was finished. Pierce took a seat on the couch with a shrug as he started off our conversation with some questions.

"Who was that boy?" He queried.

I stopped what I was doing and angled my head to look at him in the living room. "Jeremy Tanner. Hockey team's captain. He goes to my university and hangs around the high-tier crew. Serena and Vanessa are his girls. And... never-mind."

"Never-mind?"

I bit my lip slightly as I turned off the sink water. "And... me."

"You?" Pierce seemed to be contemplating something recent as he zoned out for a bit. "You don't seem the type to stoop to his level."

"Yeah? Well, I am, apparently." I answer with a hint of irritation. "I don't know how I got stuck with them. I just know I did, and the whole school knows."

"I would've thought your guy friend would have opposed it."

"He did, countless times. I've been lectured, criticized, warned..." I trailed off as I dried my hands on a towel and made my way back to the living room. As soon as I took my seat diagonal to him on the couch, he locked his hands together and directed his attention to me.

"Yet you enjoy hanging around them?" He asked me sincerely. I frowned. I felt like I was being accused of something I couldn't control.

"No, I don't." I confessed. "I just... it's complicated. Please stop asking about it."

He shifted on the couch. "Are there other men like him?"

My brows raised cautiously. "Excuse you?" Silence befell us and a strange tension in the air rose that I hadn't even realize was there before.

His question didn't seem to be a mistake, however. He persisted with it. "Like Tanner. Are there any other guys like him that are around you?"

"And why is that to any of your concern, Beta?" I shot back at him, surprised at the unfamiliar crisp coldness dripping from my tone. "Shouldn't you worry about your team and not my love life?"

"This is necessary."

"I see. Then I guess I should start telling you all the women I've been seeing too? That'll help you regain your memories, hm?" Even I had caught the strange level of sarcasm in my tone. I quieted down and tried to calm my mind.

He wasn't making any sense. Nothing had been making sense since Jeremy came here. What exactly... happened?

Even Pierce flashed a mild hint of uncomfortableness in his eyes before it was washed away. I tried again. "Sorry, I'm just a little confused. I take it back, I haven't been seeing anyone. I really don't see how this helps, but if you need it, there it is. Your girl's single and she doesn't mingle."

"... That's a lie." Pierce dropped all of a sudden, causing my chest to tighten. "You told me you had someone you cared about."

My brows furrowed at his persistency. My mind started racing and the one scene of him being in my room for the first time after I had woken up from my dream resurfaced. My eyes widened, worried that I might have let something slip then.

"I don't remember." I sighed truthfully. "If you heard me say stuff in my sleep, then please just ignore it. You shouldn't trust someone sleep-talking."

Pierce avoided my eyes as he contemplated something in his head. I watched him silently, trying to make sense of where he was trying to lead our conversation.

"So um, how'd the interrogation go?" I changed the topic awkwardly.

Pierce looked up at me like he was glad I mentioned it. Then he retreated with a small frown and kept his mouth closed, his eyes wavering.

I saw it all. He was hesitating. "Pierce?"

The man sighed under his breath before he looked up and seemed more awake. "Your friend didn't come," He suddenly brought up. "Do you know why?"

I raised my eyebrows and my focus zoned out a bit to think. "Ah, he has a track meeting after school today. He said so in the café, right?"

"But your school was in lockdown. So after-school activities, I assumed, should've been cancelled?"

"It takes a while to drive to the police station. He probably bobbled back and forth and didn't have time to drive back to the station after remembering about the lockdown. The boy's been dead-set on going there though, he might try again tomorrow," I explained.

Pierce nodded in agreement. "I'll be ready for him. The interrogation hasn't finished, actually. We're spilling into the next day for convenience. You know the law. We can't interrogate them past 10. I'm planning to return tomorrow with a different tactic."

"What do you mean?" I tilted my head with a frown.

"Kenya. She was the person of target. Maybe with her there, we'll get more answers. So far, all we've confirmed is that those assailants work for someone, and they are in a chase. They were planning a kidnapping and Kenya was their target. Why they needed her specifically and who they work for is still unknown. Can you pass on to Kenya to come to the police station tomorrow?"

I took all of his words in and let them sink. "She can't go. Her dance group has a show tonight and tomorrow night. Cody told me."

Pierce sighed and rubbed his hand gently on the nape of his neck. "Then I guess we're using Beta's seal."

My ears perked up and I snapped my head to him in disbelief. "You're willing to use it for her but not for me?"

He caught my expression and arched his brows. "This isn't even up for question. You know I can't do that without a reason."

"There's plenty."

"Not strong enough in my case."

I groaned and threw a pillow at his face. He was caught off guard and crashed into the backrest before the pillow fell to the ground. He glared at me.

"Seriously?" He posed sarcastically.

"You take me as a joke, don't you?" I refuted irritably. "My existence. Why am I even here? Why are you even here? Have we forgotten why we've teamed up in the first place?"

"I'm still telling you everything that's been going on—"

"Telling isn't enough," I explained to him calmly. "You have to show me you really care about your team. You need all the help you can get. I don't know what you're hesitating for and what you're afraid of, but I won't bring you down. Stop being scared."

He looked me in the eyes. There was something there like... admiration? Hesitation? Risk?

"What about the footage?" He asked in a different tone.

I blinked as I glanced underneath the couch where my laptop still laid hidden. "Nothing," I sighed as we moved on. "Can you believe it? I looked it over like five times. I think the interrogation will help us more. This may just be some regular school break-in and not related to Kenya's case."

He frowned. "Forward the video to me. I'd like to check it out sometime this week. And you're sure nothing else showed up while you watched that footage?"

"Yeah, nothing else." I confirmed absentmindedly.

"Then let's move on to our next piece of evidence."

I sat up straighter on the couch when I processed his strange phrase. "You received something during the interrogation?"

"No, actually, you were there when I received it." The man replied with a smirk.

"How? What is it?"

He got up and walked to his suit jacket that was slung lazily on the end of the couch next to me. He picked it up and sat on the arm's chair so that we were directly in front of each other, and he reached his hand in a pocket to pull out something.

My eyes narrowed as soon as I saw a stunning, golden USB drive. He tossed it to me and I caught it effortlessly, quickly examining the design and size of the drive. My eyes snapped back to Pierce in astonishment. "Whoever left this with you sure has a lot of money. I think I recognize who. This tech designer is famous for his engravings. Everyone working in the underground business knows of his alias. Why would a French silversmith be in touch with T6's case?"

"Before we jump to that, let's backtrack for a bit. Aren't you going to ask me how this ended up in my hands?" Pierce stated with a matter-of-fact expression.

I held my tongue. "My bad. How did you get this?"

"Yesterday. You remember when you came over to my place?" He started.

I nodded. "Of course. But we just talked."

"It was in my coat's pocket when I was hanging it up on the coat rack. I was going to tell you about it but thought I needed to make sure it was even worth our time."

"Was it in there before?" I asked.

"No."

"But why would something just be in your coat when you've had it on the whol—" I cut myself off. Pierce met my eyes as I suddenly said, "No, you didn't have it on you the whole night, did you? You switched clothes with..."

"That actor."

"Osias Blake." I breathed out, nodding.

"The same man with the guard in his ride that I suspected was K2." Pierce chimed in as I handed him back the USB drive for him to inspect. "I haven't had a chance to open the files yet since I've been dealing with the police all day. What do you say we look at this one together?"

I looked up at him with slightly wide eyes before I smirked. "Now you're talking. My laptop's underneath the couch, Commander."

He raised his eyebrows as his attention dropped from the flash drive to me. "Is that a normal place for a laptop?"

I laughed as I watched him bend down and pull out the laptop in surprise. "I was trying to hide it from Jeremy before he came. If he broke that, I would've broke him. There's too much on there that he can't ever touch."

Pierce nodded quietly at my words as he opened my laptop. "Password."

My eyes twitched. "Aha, I'll just type that in for you." I tried to grab my laptop, but the man eyed me amusingly as he raised the laptop out of my reach.

"If you don't say it, I can just hack it. But I'm afraid that that way might give me access to more things than you intended me to find out."

I grunted with a tilt of my head. "Are you kidding me right now?"

"Sure I am."

"Then hand it over."

"Or, try to grab it before your system is overridden. Your time starts, now."

My eyes widened when he hopped off of the arm's rest and sped-walk to the kitchen. Horrified, I chased him down for a second before I realized he had entered my territory: the kitchen.

I cracked my neck calmly as he sat on the counter and began typing in random words he thought associated to me. "You know Pierce, Emily hasn't been used yet because she lacks a neck. But since your hands are occupied maybe it's perfect for you since you can't fight back. I'll set y'all up on a blind date?"

Pierce's eyes flickered and he slowly glanced up at me from behind the screen. "... Is this another one of your pans?"

I smiled. "She's a year old and hasn't been dented yet. She's a compatible woman for you."

"Why are all of your murderous cooking utensils female?" The man stressed right before he scooted off the counter and walked briskly to the stairs.

"Because the males all died in the war." I stated bluntly as I caught up to him. I heard him curse when the laptop had locked him out.

"I was sure 'Cody' was it." He mumbled just as he dodged an attempt from me to snatch my computer back.

"What?" I exclaimed, my breathing uneven. "You tried Cody? Just what do you think our relationship is?"

He chose his words carefully. "Perhaps, platonic after all."

"Exactly, Cupid." I contested as I pushed him away from the stairs. We ended up racing back to the living room. "Just hand it over! Why are you being so stubborn?"

"Then just tell me your password! I won't tell anyone," He shouted over his shoulders.

"It's not a matter of you telling anyone, it's personal," I huffed. "And I'm sure you don't even have anyone to tell it to, you loner piece of top bread that no one wants."

He rolled his eyes and continued angling the laptop away, struggling to start his hacking. "If I'm the top piece, then you're the bottom."

He suddenly stumbled on the couch and grunted softly as his head hit the backrest a little too hard. I had reached for my laptop and, not realizing we were at the couch, tumbled onto him and we both rolled off violently until we crash on the ground. My head hit the table and I winced, shutting my eyes for a moment.

I heard both of our loud breathing and felt my chest rise and fall rapidly. My eyes shot open when I felt hands on either side of me on the ground. Pierce was hovering above me, massaging his neck as he finally met my gaze. Our eyes locked on each other for a split second, and we stayed quietly stunned.

He looked down at me in surprise, before his eyes relaxed and he was lost for a second. This was the second time I had seen him so close before. The first time, he was all battered up and bruised. Now, I could make out his eyes so clearly that my image was even reflected in them... Was his eyes always this clear and bright?

I tried shifting, getting up, but I stopped midway when for some reason, his unbuttoned collar caught my attention and I realized he was dressed formally. My muscles tensed when he didn't move and seemed to be leaning in even closer.

The man brushed a strand of hair from my face, lips parted as he regained his breath. My cheeks heated up as I tensed at his touch. But soon I realized his touch was gentle. I didn't know why I had the tendency to flinch at a man whenever they were close to me.

"Are you okay?" Pierce's rough, faint voice snapped me out my thoughts as I felt the headache settling in. "Your head, I mean."

I couldn't speak. I felt like I was frozen in time.

// "If I'm the top piece, then you're the bottom."

I flushed. Pierce seemed to have caught on to my thoughts because his concerned expression soon shifted into something a little more mischievous. His hand dropped from the nape of his neck as it went back to the other side of my head, trapping me underneath.

"Well, what a new sight. I take it back, Miss Sunny, I haven't seen your cutest state yet."

I wanted to dig a hole and die. "What are you even talking about?"

"Nothing, you're just giving me a lot of things to tease you about."

"Is my face pink?" I asked carefully as I looked up at his eyes with a hint of amusement.

He gazed down at me. "Pink as a rose."

"Good, cause your's starting to look a bit... red." I smirked, watching him in satisfaction as he struggled with figuring out whether or not he should believe me.

He eyed my doubtfully and coughed once, suddenly deciding to not risk it. He sighed and got off of me as I sighed out in relief and helped myself up as well. The tension released and I felt it was safe to breathe again for much-needed oxygen.

"Well played, Risa." Pierce rolled his eyes as he handed me the laptop. At last, I took it from him awkwardly and entered in my password, unlocking the device in a second.

"See? Now was that so hard?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

He laughed and my eyes dilated a bit while I watched him. There was something satisfying about— almost just as satisfying as messing with him— seeing him laugh.

I only hoped it was a sincere one.

I grabbed the golden drive he had dropped on the ground and plugged it into the side of the computer. We waited in silence as the two of us continued to steady our breaths.

Pierce observed me quietly and I soon motioned for him to come next to me so he could see the contents too. The couch was for one person, but the man sat himself at the arm's rest to my left and he looked down to see both the laptop and I.

We waited for the files to pop up. Time ticked to a minute and nothing happened. It still showed something was still trying to connect... or load. Pierce seemed to think it was a hoax momentarily and was about to excuse himself for a drink. At that time, one picture popped up. It seemed like an advertisement, but why would such a fancy card be sent to them electronically?

I observed it closer. "Pierce," I said, looking up at him. "It's an invitation."

"To what?" He frowned. "This is a joke. Where would I be invited to?"

My fingers trailed the screen as I scanned over the date, time, and event. "Alright, more like a private invitation. Someone's inviting you, or maybe it's them directly, to Osias' movie set."

"That's the most random thing I've heard today, and I've heard lots of things today," Pierce raised his eyebrows.

My breathing stopped when I spotted the bottom of the card, engraved in faint letters. "Signed, K2," I looked back up at the man, who had leaned in to read the exact words.

"I knew it." Pierce suddenly exclaimed, getting on his feet as he paced the living room. I watched him silently with a side smile. "I knew I saw him in that car!"

"Are you going to attend?" I asked with a chuckle. "This will definitely get you some valuable information. I can't believe your missing government official has finally come out of hiding. Good for him."

"Of course I have to go," Pierce stated like everything was finally going right. "When is it?"

I waited for him to turn back and have his attention on me. "... Tomorrow. Same time as the interrogation."

The man stopped in his tracks and his face darkened. "Ah shit."

I frowned as I tried to come up with a solution. "Can't you reschedule the interrogation? Or skip it?" I asked.

"We only have so many days until those suspects are released without proof that they did any harm. All time is necessary, I can't skip it." He seemed frustrated all of a sudden and he slouched back on the couch, head in his hands.

I let out a small sigh as I continued looking at the card.

Then a thought hit me.

We had carried on this facade for so long that I had began to forget why I knew everything about him. K2 was my government official as well.

I looked over at Pierce and suddenly proposed an idea. "Let me go for you."

The man raised his head and met my eyes with uncertainty. "You?"

"I'll gladly accept," I smirked.

"But I have to be there." He rebutted.

"Not necessarily," I avoided his eyes. "The card didn't specifiy that it invited you. It's an open invitation for whoever received it. I could go without any consequences."

"But what will you do there? You don't know K2."

"But I know Osias Blake," I jutted back with a leveled tone. "He's well-known. This is his event. I can get something out of this. If he really is involved in your team's case, I can get the answers. Besides, the last time you two met, you called him noise pollution and he wanted to knock all your teeth out, so who's the better bet out of us two to get information out of him?"

Pierce rolled his eyes at my statement and nodded slowly. "Fine. You can go... if you can get out of school legally. Which isn't possible so we're just going to have to find another time for that actor and I to get in touch. I'm sure his stalker fans made a page with a set list of his agenda somewhere in the dark web. I can just find another convenient date and meet up with him."

"Promise?" I suddenly cut in.

The man raised his eyebrows as he glanced over at me. "What?"

"I can go if I find a way to get out of school, that's your words just now, right?"

"Legally." He emphasized, as if he thought that little part slipped through my ears unnoticed. "And I already know that's not going to happ—"

"You're not going to go back on your word, right?"

He frowned as if he wasn't sure if he should take my words lightly or not. The man seemed to settle on the prior. "Sure, I won't."

"Swear on your seal."

"I swear on Beta's seal."

"Atta boy," I smirked under my breath. "I got permission from the big man."

He eyed me distrustfully. "You still promised me you would bring Kenya to the station. You can't do that if you're not in school."

"I'll just take her with me."

"That's impossible."

"You can't stop me if you're not attending the event," I taunted as I placed the laptop on the table and stood up.

"I won't have to 'cause it's not going to happen." The man persisted, getting up as well.

I sighed and felt a hand wrap around my wrist from behind, pulling me back around. My eyes flickered as Pierce came into full view again.

"We're not going to that actor's event." He confirmed carefully.

I studied his eyes for a bit before I smiled and nodded, gently sliding his hand off of me. "No, we won't." I said out loud, putting the oblivious man at ease as he sat back on the couch.

... Not together, Commander.

▂▂▂▂▂

TheReflectiveSurfaceofMySoul: Is it my time to shine next chapter? YES. TOOK Y'ALL LONG ENOUGH.

Beta: Old man, I am disappointed in your scheduling skills.

K2: Shut up, you ego-inflated infant.