Everyone gathered at the Indoline ship, where Fan was waiting for them. Morag and Brighid were there as well, giving orders to a few soldiers nearby. As Morag was occupied with her work, Brighid walked up to the group. "Good morning, are you already leaving?"
"Yeah. We've got to go to Indol, and drop off Iona and Roc in Leftheria still." Nia said as Rex talked with Fan. The woman nodded, and Rex breathed a sigh of relief before saying something to Fan and running up to the group.
"So, good news. Hey Brighid." Rex said to the fire Blade, who simply smiled and raised an eyebrow at the boys casual greeting. "We're gonna have to stop at Leftheria before we can make it to Indol, so we can drop Iona and Roc off there no problem."
"That's a relief." Roc said. "That actually is probably the best way things could've played out for us."
Rex nodded. His name was called by Fan, standing beside Morag. He trotted over to the two women.
"Rex, Morag has a request for us. I've already given my approval, but she would like your say as well." Fan said, before turning to leave the two to talk as she walked up onto her ship.
"Okay, what's up, Morag?"
"Well, I made my report on the issue with Bana and Torna to Emperor Niall, my brother, and he says he would like me to get permission from you and Fan to go to the Praetorium with you. He wants me to observe you to get a more definitive answer to whether or not the Aegis is a threat to Mor Ardain. I said I would as long as you and Fan la Norne approved. I've seen enough to know you mean my people no harm, but my brother likes to be safe rather then sorry."
"Okay... yeah I don't see why not. Always a pleasure to have you around, Flamebringer." Rex said, holding out his hand for a shake.
Morag chuckled at Rex's simple way of handling this. As she shook his hand, she couldn't help but wish that all motions of alliance were as simple as they are with Rex. The boy was a bit naive to the deeper ways of how the world works, but in no way was his naivety due to being oblivious. It was because the boy wanted to believe that there was good everywhere in the world.
Morag couldn't help but see similarities between Rex and Niall when he was younger, even though both boys were roughly the same age now, Rex maybe even a little older. It made her wish Niall wasn't forced to mature so fast. How similar would he be to Rex if he wasn't thrusted into the position of Emperor so soon in his life? Shaking thoughts of Niall out of her head, she looked at Rex again. "Right, I forgot to ask, but those two in the factory. The blond male and black haired woman, they were from Torna, yes?"
"Yeah, why?" Rex asked.
"Well, a soldier named Nairen, who was stationed on a Core Crystal delivery Titan to Indol came to me a couple days before you arrived. Apparently, they were raided by a man wearing all white with a katana, and he slaughtered almost all the guards and Drivers, stealing all the Core Crystals on the transport as well. Nairen escaped with a single Core Crystal, and was found drifting on the Cloud Sea by an Argentum cargo ship." Morag said. "Nairen claimed that the man left on a black ship like the one those two Tornans did back in the factory. Do you have any idea who that could be?"
Rex sighed. "That sounds like Jin to me. Nia will know more then I will, though I have had a rather... bad experience with Jin myself." Rex said, turning so his right side faced Morag, and with his sword in his left hand, pretended to plunge it through his back when all he really did was slide the sword between his arm and his left side. Morag hissed softly. "Ah... I see."
"Yeah. Yet another moment where Nia had saved my sorry ass. I don't know what I'd do without her." Rex said, turning to the Gormotti. She noticed his gaze and gave a quick wave, which he returned. Morag raised an amused eyebrow as Rex and Nia spent a moment just looking at each other.
"Rex." Morag said, smirking as Rex snapped out of his stupor.
"Huh? Oh, sorry Morag." Rex apologized. "Got distracted by... uhh." Rex paused as Morag folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at the lie he hadn't even told yet. "... yeah."
Morag laughed, and for the first time in a while, it was more then just a snicker or chuckle, it was actual laughter. Rex groaned in embarrassment, before he started laughing along with Morag.
Brighid smiled as she watched her Driver have a moment to actually loosen up a little. Her normally stoic and professional exterior rarely gets to be put aside, and she mostly only drops her formalities for the rare moment where her and Niall are alone and off duty, where she can dote on him and reprimand him for overworking himself constantly. Never for simply laughing.
As Brighid watched Morag's small smile as she and Rex quit laughing and retuned to just simply talking, she felt content knowing that as long as Rex and his crew was around, Morag may actually have some opportunities to have fun for once. The woman was always a terrible workaholic, even when she was young.
"You want me to teach you how to dual wield swords?"
"Yeah, I can use whatever tips and tricks you teach me if I ever need to fight with Roc!"
"Roc has scythes, though. Dual scythes are used very differently then dual swords are. Though, who am I to deny you? If you're willing to put in the work, I'd be happy to teach you with Brighid's swords." Morag said, pulling the two whipswords off her hips.
"When we do find time to actually practice with these, be careful not to move your hand too high on the guard. That's how the whip lashes out." Morag said, demonstrating by moving her hand up so it's directly underneath the guard, and one of the straight swords flopped down into a loose whip, which Morag lashed out, shattering a large rock with a loud snap.
"The whips are a whole extra thing that is way more complicated then it seems, so we'll just stick to the swords." Morag said, putting her hand right up to the guard again, the whip retracting back into the straight sword, as she returned both swords to her hips. "We'll start off with the basics and work our way up."
"Got it. Can't wait, Morag." Rex says. "Kind of looking forward to seeing how your training holds up to Vandham's."
"Vandham..." Morag mutters. Rex's eyes light up when he hears Morag.
"Did you know him?" Rex asked, getting a lot closer then Morag expected. The boy was practically right in her face with a very excited look.
"Yes, Vandham and I did meet once." Morag said, softly pushing Rex away from her face. "Much like how I am the strongest Driver in Mor Ardain, Vandham is the strongest Driver in Uraya. We met before at a treaty signing between Uraya and Gormott, a few years before tensions between Uraya and Mor Ardain escalated. I'm impressed you got the man to train you, he must've taught you well."
"Yeah, he did." Rex said. "But then, Torna came after me because of... well, you know." Rex said, flicking the green Core in his chest. "And he died trying to save us all."
"Oh..." Morag piled the brim of her cap down over her eyes. "I had not heard of that... I'm sorry, Rex."
"Nah, it's okay." Rex said. "We've all come to terms with it. Vandham was the strongest Driver in Uraya, huh? He never told me that."
"He wasn't one for titles. At least he wasn't when I met him." Morag said. "I'm not really either."
"Don't you have a whole bunch of titles, though?" Rex asked.
Morag rolled her eyes. "I have two nicknames. Three if you're generous. And they aren't ones I've chosen for myself. Special Inquisitor isn't a title, it's my job. Flamebringer was a name given to me, not a name I gave myself, and the Strongest Driver in Mor Ardain title is another one given to me."
Rex nodded, listening intently.
Morag sighed. "If I had it my way, I'd just be called Morag, but alas, no. It's either "Flamebringer", or "Special Inquisitor Morag", or "Lady Morag." Never just... "Morag"" Morag looked at Rex. "Y'know, I think you're the first person who has ever just called me "Morag", aside from Emperor Niall."
"Really? Well, if you don't me to use your nicknames, I won't, Morag." Rex said.
"That... would be nice, Rex. Thank you."
...
Fan's Indoline ship sailed along the Cloud Sea at a rather calming pace. Rex had stepped out of the small room he was graciously provided by Fan, and leaned against the railing. Anxious to go home again, excited to see everyone, nervous to tell Aunt Corrine about what he's been up to lately, a little disheartened to say bye to Roc and Iona for an unknown length of time... it all came together to make it near impossible for him to sleep.
"Something bothering you, Rex?" Fan said, walking up to stand beside him.
"Ahh, it's nothing." Rex said. "Just getting some air."
"I find that unlikely." Fan said. "You're struggling to get some sleep aren't you?"
"I..." Rex sighed. "Am I that easy to read?" Fan giggled.
"No, actually. I'm a Blade though. Suppressing someone with ether is like tapping into their being. When I suppress someone, I'm seeing and feeling what they are. It's like an Affinity Bond in that regard. All I need to do is this..." Fan said, her suppressing waves falling over Rex, and for a second, his body felt like it locked up, then it was gone as Fan removed the suppressing ether. "...and now I can read your emotions, basically."
"I'm not... sure how I feel about that." Rex admitted, to which Fan smiled at.
"I know. You're feeling a little apprehensive right now."
"Ahh... yeah." Rex said.
"It's rather late, Rex. You should go try to get some sleep again. I could give you a hand too, if you want."
"How are you gonna help me sleep? A bedtime story?" Rex joked.
"No, silly. Suppression!" Fan said, again casting her suppressing ether on Rex. The boys body locked up again, and slumped down on the handrails.
"Uh... Rex?" Fan said, feeling a little nervous. The boy began snoring, and she sighed. "Oh dear. Guess I overdid it."
"Poppi detect ether signature! Everything okay Miss Fan?" Poppi walked around the front of the ship.
"Oh, hello Poppi!" Fan said. "I was trying to help Rex go to sleep with my suppression, buuuuut..."
"Fan used too much and Rex-Rex fall asleep on railing." Poppi declared. "Fan go to bed, Poppi can take Rex-Rex back to his bed noooo problem!" The maid robot said, pulling Rex off the rail, and holding him with two hands over her head.
"Okay, Poppi. Thank you." Fan said, turning to go back to her room. She flinched and hissed as she heard Poppi accidentally slam Rex against the doorframe, the boy still out like a light. Poppi continued trying to jam Rex into the door, failing horribly each time, every time Rex made contact with the door, a loud *thump* followed.
It wasn't long before Morag, her uniform swapped for a simple black sweatsuit and her cap not on her head, groggily opened her door beside Rex's and immediately took Rex from Poppi when she saw Poppi basically beating the doorframe with Rex's body. Morag slung the boys arm over her shoulder and somehow that was what woke him up, not the constant physical trauma of the maid robot slamming him into the doorframe.
Poppi returned to her room, her face somehow flushed red from embarrassment, and Fan giggled as she followed Poppi to the other side of the ship.
"Are you sure you're fine?" Morag asked as Rex slowly teetered his way to the desk. "I think your head took quite a beating there."
"Nah, I'm fine, I'm fine. Just tired. Gotta just... finish this." Rex plopped down into the chair at the desk, slowly picking up a pen. "Kid at the orphanage..." Rex loudly yawned. "He's counting on this."
Rex finished writing his signature at the bottom of what he was doing before pushing it further onto the desk. He yawned again, before his head dropped onto the desk, once again snoring loudly.
Morag watched the boy in awe. It was interesting how quickly the boy could go from a fearsome powerhouse in battle, to an average sleep-loving teenager. Morag grabbed the blanket off the bed, and draped it over Rex's body, and taking a peek at what Rex was writing. It was a letter of recommendation for an Indoline school with the name "Kirk Hamnas" written by the student registry. Rex was filling out a letter to help someone, likely one of the children in his hometown, get into a school.
With a new level of respect for the young boy, Morag left the room and shut the door softly behind her.
Nia trudged towards Rex's door, followed by Dromarch. "Hey, Morag. He in bed?"
"Not quite. He passed out on the desk."
"Ugh. Knucklehead. Kay, thanks Morag. Fan sent me to give Rex a bit of healing. Said he might have a bit of brain trauma, then Poppi got all flustered."
Morag chuckled. "Yeah, Poppi tried to get Rex back into his room and couldn't quite get him past the doorframe. Tried a good couple of times before I woke up from the banging."
"Ugh, thank god that thumping wasn't my imagination." Nia muttered. "Kay, night Morag, see ya tomorrow mornin'" Nia said, opening the door to Rex's room and entering with Dromarch. Morag smiled as she returned to her room.
Nia pulled the blanket off the boy and tossed it back on the bed. She shook Rex's shoulder, as he stirred back awake with a little "What is it?"
"C'mon, Rex. Get in yer bed, we're givin' you a checkup." Nia said, pulling Rex up and dragging him to the bed.
"Why am I getting a checkup?" Rex groggily asked, his voice scratchy from sleepiness.
"Because Poppi was practicing swordplay on the doorframe with your head." Nia said as Rex flopped back on the bed. Dromarch's healing ether in her hand, she put it on Rex's forehead, and Rex sighed at the comfortingly familiar feeling.
"Enjoying this?" Nia teased. Rex chuckled.
"Definitely better then Fan's suppression. Having your body basically shut down isn't very fun. I'd take some healing over that any day." Rex said.
"Aw, I'm glad ya like my talents so much."
"Course I do. The healing, the sharp tongue, the dancing. It's all great."
"Wha' dancing?"
"Oh come on, don't pretend like you don't do those little dances in the battlefield." Rex teased back.
"Oh, s-shut the hell up!" Nia snapped, blushing a little at the embarrassment. "It... helps Dromarch and I communicate without words!" The tiger nodded in agreement.
"Uh huh." Rex said. Laughing as Nia playfully slapped his chest.
"Quiet, you." Nia said with a small smile on her face. She stopped her healing ether. "Go to bed, ya big dummy."
"Aw, no good night kiss for your best buddy?" Rex joked. Nia chuckled.
"Fine, jeez." Nia said, pecking Rex on the forehead, much to his surprise. She smirked at the boys surprised face and wide eyes. Dromarch shook his head in amusement and walked out of the room.
"What's the matter, Rex? Cat got your tongue?" Nia said, leaning over Rex's laying form, practically on top of the boy. Rex snapped back to reality, and smirked back. He wouldn't go down without a fight.
"I mean... it's all hers if she wants it." He says, relishing in Nia's blush so bright, he could see it through the darkness of his unlit room.
"Y-You... perv!" Nia said through laughter. Her blush only got brighter a she realized how close she was to taking Rex up on that offer.
"Hah, I win." Rex said.
"Oh... zip it." Nia conceded, taking some deep breaths to calm her burning face down. "I'll... um, see ya tomorrow morning?"
Rex put a hand on her shoulder. "You know it." Rex said, noting the blush returning to Nia's face. "Hey, Nia. I'm sorry... if I went a little too far. I didn't mean to make ya uncomfortable."
"Eh? No, nonono Rex, it's fine! I... wasn't really uncomfortable, just a bit flustered is all." Nia said, with a shy smile.
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." Rex said, and Nia nodded as she turned to the door and opened it, letting some moonlight into the room. "Oh, and Nia?"
Nia turned to see Rex standing up with a genuinely endearing smile. "You look really cute when ya smile like that."
Nia laughed, surprised at how bold Rex was being. "Like what?"
"Like that." Rex said. "Right now. It suits you. You should smile like that more often."
Nia smiled brighter, her blush softened. "Thanks Rex, you're pretty handsome yourself when you smile like that."
"I guess we both oughta keep smiling like this, then." Rex said, walking up to the doorway to stand with Nia.
"I'd like that." Nia said. "I wasn't kidding, y'know? About how you look real handsome... right now..."
"Neither was I... when I said ya looked cute." Rex said. Boy and girl spent a nice long moment looking into each others eyes.
"Meh... much better." Tora said, walking out of the bathroom. He looked at his two fellow Drivers, noticing how close they were and how they were just lost in each others eyes. "Get a room, friends." Tora said as he waddled back to his room.
"I'm gonna deep fry that potato..." Nia grumbled. "Well... I um... better go back to my room. See ya tomorrow, for real this time."
"Yeah. Oh, real quick." Rex said, before kissing Nia on the forehead. As Nia looked at him in shock, he stepped back into his room. "Figured I should return the favour. Night, Nia." Rex said with a smile as he closed the door.
Nia couldn't keep the giddy smile off her face. "Night, Rex." She whispered, before returning to her room with Dromarch.
...
"There it is. The Leftherian Archipelago." Rex said, admiring the view of his homeland in the distance. "Once we reach dock, we'll have a few hours of hiking to get to Fonsett."
"So, why are we stopping here?" Dromarch asked. "Is there no other dock in Leftheria we can pull in at?"
"There is actually. One much closer to Fonsett." Rex said. "But to get to it, you have to go over, or around..." He pointed to the towering wall where the Cloud Sea went nearly straight up, carrying on for miles. "... that. There hasn't ever been a ship that could scale that in history, and going around it could take three days minimum. So it's a lot quicker to pull into the harbour here."
"Incredible. Sometimes it's easy to forget just how many wonderous things there are in the world..." Morag said.
Rex turned to his companions. "It's hot here, but it's not a dry heat like Mor Ardain, it's a tropical heat. You guys might want to put some lighter clothes on."
"Oh, this jumpsuit is kinda all I've got right now." Nia muttered.
"Don't worry Nia!" Fan said. "I've got plenty of extra clothes on the ship, and you seem to be about my size. I'm sure I've got something that'll fit you."
"I'll help you with it, Nia. Ive got an eye for this kind of stuff. I bet we'll find something that'll leave you glowing."
"I'll come too!" Iona says. "We'll make you even prettier, Nia!"
Nia sighed. "Sounds like I don't have much of a choice, so sure! I'll play mannequin for you two." Nia said, following Brighid and Iona back into the ship. "Thank you, Fan!"
"You not gonna go change, Morag?" Rex said as he pulled his clunky salvager armour off.
"I'll be quite fine." Morag said. Rex could already see the beads of sweat forming on Morag's head.
"Are ya nervous or something?"
"No, I'm not nervous!" Morag demanded. She sighed. "It's just unprofessional of me to not be wearing my uniform while on different Titans. I'm still the Special Inquisitor of Mor Ardain, and I am representing my homeland."
"Do you have to, though? Like, did Emperor Niall order you to keep your uniform on?"
"Well, uh..." Morag sighed. Niall did tell her try an loosen up on their way to Indol. "If this Rex fellow was so ready to assist us in our problems, he can't be all that bad. You don't need to keep up the professionalism until you're in Indol, so if you're stopping anywhere before, have a break from duty. I'd say you've more then earned it." Niall's words rang out in her head.
"No, he didn't. Not until we're in Indol, at least." Morag said.
Rex chuckled. "So what are ya doing in that stuffy uniform still? Go put something more comfortable and beach friendly, yeah?" Rex said, before walking into his room to change.
"Tora think Rex-Rex on to something. Friend Morag go get ready for weather! Tora will too!" Tora said, throwing his clothes off completely. "Poppi, mind putting these in our room?"
"No problem, Masterpon." Poppi took the clothes and walked off.
"You Nopon really don't care at all, huh?" Morag muttered. "Stripping so confidently like that."
"What? Morag surely knows that many Nopon not wear clothes! Not weird for us!" Tora defiantly stated.
"No, I suppose it isn't. Very well." Morag said, walking into her room.
...
"Okay... so, umm...before I do this..." Nia muttered, slowly unzipping the jumpsuit. She turned to Brighid. "You can keep a secret, right?"
"Of course. What's wrong, do you have a scar or something?" Brighid asked. "I assure you, I don't judge."
"Well, I guess it kind of is, but it isn't quite that. Just... don't freak out, please?" Nia's ears lowered, showing her nervousness.
"Why would I freak out... oh." Brighid whispered as Nia unzipped her jumpsuit, her Core Crystal on full display. "You're a Flesh Eater." Brighid whispered.
Nia was nearby shaking. "Um... yeah. I... don't really show this off."
"Well, considering Indol looks down on the practice, Im not surprised." Brighid said. "And you should absolutely keep that covered while we're there."
"Yeah... you, umm, you aren't...?"
"Of course not. I know Flesh Eaters aren't made like how Indol paints them out to be. I don't think any less of you, Nia. If anything, I'm proud that you had the courage to show me this."
"Thanks Brighid. You, won't tell everyone else, right? I want to do that myself."
"Of course. I won't tell a soul. Not Rex, not Morag, nobody. Now, you probably want something that will still cover that up, I assume." Brighid said, turning to the closet where spare clothes hung off hangers. "It has to cover your Core, but also needs to be breathable and appropriate for the tropical heat..." she turned back to look at Nia. "And I think yellow definitely suits you, sooo..." Brighid phished through the closet. "How does this look?"
Brighid pulled out a short, yellow T-shirt. Nia tried it on, it fit her nicely. It covered her Core adequately, stopping before her stomach, and was breathable and suited for the weather.
"I like it!" Iona said.
"Nice find, Brighid..." Nia said, admiring the shirt in a mirror. "This is perfect!"
"Glad you like it." Brighid said. "I had a feeling you'd look good in a crop top. How about for shorts? Maybe this white pair?" Brighid passed Nia a pair of white denim shorts that came very slightly down her thighs.
"You look great!" Iona cheered.
"I like it as well." Brighid said. "It goes great with the the shirt."
"I'm trusting you on this." Nia said, looking at herself in the mirror again.
"What about sandals?" Iona asked.
"Why don't you help me find a pair?" Brighid asked, and Iona happily searched through the bottom half of the closet, pulling out a pair of strappy white sandals.
"I bet this would look great!" Iona said. Nia put the sandals on, admiring her finished outfit.
"Niiice, I look hot!" Nia said, spinning to get a look from other angles. She grabbed her little strap of small knives off her jumpsuit and wrapped the strap back around her waist.
"I don't know if that's how I'd say it, but you pull the look off very nicely, Nia." Brighid complimented. She let her fire cover her body, and when it dissipated, Brighid's flowing regal dress was replaced with a simple royal blue sundress, and a sunhat sat on her head. "And now I'm ready for the weather too."
"Wow..." Iona said. "I want to be pretty like you two one day!"
"Ya already are, girl." Nia said, pulling one of her yellow hair ties out and putting a little braid in Iona's green hair, putting her hair tie in to hold it. "And now, you've absolutely got us beat."
"Really?!" Iona asked, her eyes practically glowing.
"Positive." Brighid said as she reached into the closet pulling out another, smaller sunhat and putting it on Iona's head. "You're absolutely stunning, dear."
Iona cheered as she ran back out of the room. Nia and Brighid smiled at each other as they followed her out.
"Thanks, Brighid. For, well..."
"Of course, Nia. No problem."
...
Fan smiled at everyone's changed outfits. "You all look ready for some relaxation."
"Are you not gonna change as well, Fan?" Rex asked. His salvager suit was switched out for a blue shirt with tropical white flowers that he left unbuttoned, showing off his Core Crystal, tan cargo shorts, and a pair of black sandals. A Ropl-tooth necklace hung from his neck.
"Oh no, I'm quite alright. These robes are actually very breezy. I'll be just fine." Fan said.
"If you're sure, Lady Fan." Morag said. Her uniform was replaced with a black tank top, grey shorts, and brown gladiator-style sandals. Her cap was switched for a similarly styled sunvisor, her hair in the usual bun.
Nia, Brighid, and Iona walked around the front of the ship to meet them. Rex's eyes frequently dropping to Nia's thighs before shooting back up to her face within a split second. Her legs were left rather exposed by her short white shorts.
"You look very relaxed, Lady Morag." Brighid said as she returned to her Driver's side.
"I'm much more comfortable in this then I am in my uniform, though I do feel more exposed then usual." Morag admitted.
"One thing I want to try on you really quick." Brighid said, running back around the ship.
"She's a real fashionista, huh?" Nia asked, scratching Dromarch by the scruff on his neck.
"She likes it a lot more then I do." Morag said. "I can't wrap my head around it more often then not, but I enjoy watching her have fun with it."
Brighid returned holding a pair of sunglasses. She put them on Morag's head, resting them on top of the sunvisor brim. She thought for a moment, before removing them, and hanging them off the collar of Morag's tank top. She clapped her hands. "Perfect."
"Where's Tora and Poppi?" Rex asked.
"They're in their room. Tora said he wanted to make sure that Poppi's new frame can handle climates like her previous one could." Nia said.
"And it can!" Tora said, walking over with Poppi right behind him. The robot was no longer wearing a maid outfit, now having a dark red one-piece swimsuit on. "Poppi is perfectly capable of handling everything to do with tropical climate. Alloy still rustproof and airtight to prevent water from entering her body or damaging her frame, and joints are properly covered to prevent sand or dirt from gathering up and causing grinding and breaking down of Poppi's interior mechanics!"
"In summary, Poppi is perfectly capable of handling extreme climates, at least in terms of hot climates!" The robot declared with a proud smile, putting her hands on her hips.
"Yes, Tora have to do more tests and modifications if Poppi is to handle cold climates. But surely she be A-Ok for now!" Tora said.
"Great, but uh... where are ya clothes?" Nia asked.
Tora sighed. "Tora is ready for tropical climate of Leftherian Archipelago! Nudity in Nopon is not weird for us!"
"Struck a nerve there, eh Nia?" Rex chuckled.
"Oh stuff it, you." Nia said, as she elbowed Rex.
"You all look great!" Fan said. "Now I feel like I maybe should have put on something else."
An Indoline monk walked over. "Ma'am, we'll be arriving at the docks in less then a minute."
"Thank you." Fan said, the monk turned and walked away at her dismissal. "Well, don't have time anyways. We'll be landing very shortly."
The ship pulled up to the dock, and a monk lowered a ramp for the everyone to step off. Rex took a deep breath of the familiar tropical air. The small harbour was bustling with a couple people as workers shuffled around and a few kids ran around playing. "Ahh, been a hot minute, eh, Gramps?"
"Yes, it has. About a year, I believe." Gramps said. With Rex's helmet gone, Gramps resorted to sitting on top of Rex's head.
"Ma'am, we'll begin pulling around the mountain to reach the dock on the other side. If the Aegis's words ring true, it will take us at least three days. Are you sure you'd like to go with them and not stay on the ship?" A monk asked Fan.
"I'm sure, thank you." Fan said. "Leftheria is a very wonderful place, and I don't get the chance to explore the world like this very often. And I'll be perfectly safe with them around."
The monk nodded. "Very well Ma'am. Stay safe." The monk walked back up the ramp, pulling it up behind him, and the Titan ship pulled away from the dock and away along the Cloud Sea.
"Well, if it isn't Rex." A man in a brown shirt and overalls said, standing over by a pile of barrels. "Haven't seen ya around for a while!"
"Hey Barnes!" Rex greeted. "Busy day?"
"Nope. You're actually the first ship to pull up to the harbour in a couple days. Leftheria is a pretty quiet place, though. So we aren't too surprised. You heading to Fonsett, I assume?"
"That's the plan." Rex said. "Well, don't die of boredom, kay? Nice to see ya again!"
"You too!" Barnes waved.
They continued into the archipelago, waking along calm, grassy fields and sandy beaches, until they reached the first bridge between the small Titans. "So, is the Leftherian Archipelago just these small Titans?" Brighid asked.
"Well, yeah, but also no." Rex answered, they stopped to look at the wall the Cloud Sea made. "I don't know why the Cloud Sea does this, but there is a larger Titan inside there. It's uninhabited, for obvious reasons, but it's in there, and all these smaller titans that make up the archipelago all circle around it." Rex said, pointed further down the wall, where one of the smaller Titans floated into the wall. Right after, a different Titan came out of the wall.
"The littler islands that don't have a bridge like this all actively circle around the giant Titan inside the wall. The bigger ones that have bridges between them don't move at all." Gramps said. "These larger Titans are what make the Leftherian Archipelago habitable for people. The smaller Titans don't stay out of the wall long enough for permanent settlement, and the giant Titan inside the wall has always been there, since the creation of Alrest. It hasn't revealed itself once."
"Woah... man, if only Gormott was this interesting. It's basically just... forests." Nia said.
"Trust me, this isn't even the best part!" Rex said. "So, to get to Fonsett from here, we need to go through the wall."
"Tora thought Rex-rex say it was impossible?"
"It is, except for two special spots in the wall." Rex said, pointing off in the distance. A small section of land was barely poking out of the wall, and there was an opening visible in the small section poking through the Clouds. "There's another one of those further down the wall." Rex said. "Those two entrances are the only two ways to go directly through the wall of clouds."
"So what's the difference between the two?" Morag asked.
"Well, that one there puts us out further from Fonsett, but closer to the harbour. It's a longer trek to Fonsett from there, but it's a bit safer. While the one further from here puts us out closer to Fonsett, but it's a bit more dangerous." Rex said.
"So it's between safety and convenience?" Dromarch muttered. "I propose we take the closer one. Better safe then sorry, I believe."
"I guess so... I kinda want to get to Fonsett quickly though..." Nia muttered. "I want to see where Rex spent his childhood. Guys like him don't come from just anywhere, y'know?"
"That's a compliment, right?" Rex asked, as Nia gave him a cheeky smile and stuck her tongue out at him.
"It would be better if we got there before dark, but I agree with Dromarch." Brighid said. "It's better to ensure our safety. We aren't expected to be there at any specific time, so we aren't in much of a rush."
"So, upper path it is." Rex said. "No problem, Keep up!" He said as he led everyone through the Archipelago. Occasionally an aggressive Quadwing or Ropl would attack them, but any wildlife was warded off with relative ease. A small Tirkin camp was easily snuck through, and upon seeing the ginormous Tao flying around above one island, it didn't take anyone long to figure out that there was a nest somewhere and to stay on the ground. Soon they could see Fonsett a few islands below them, as they stood at the edge of one of the bridges.
"There it is... Fonsett Village." Rex said, smiling as he looked down at the small village from their high vantage point. "Not too far now, and this is one of the fun parts of taking this way." Rex said, pointing down at the bridge, which sloped downwards hard. The sand was flowing down the bridge fast, creating what could almost be called a slide.
Rex excitedly turned to his accomplices as he stood right before the flowing sand. "Race you all down! Last one there's a Titan's left nutsack!" He shouted as he practically dove to start sliding down the slope.
"Seriously!? Out of any idiom you could've chosen, it was that?" Morag asked incredulously before she slid after Rex down the slope. "I ought to shove a bar of soap in your mouth, boy!"
Everyone slid down the slope, all of them piling up at the bottom, on one of the lower islands. "Ooh, Tora, mate..." Rex chuckled as Tora rolled down last.
"He already looks the part, so it's fine". Nia snickered as Tora burst into a fit of offended sputtering. Brighid gentler pinched Nia's ear, electing a little help from the girl.
"Alright, that's enough." She said. We're not too far from Fonsett now, right?" She asked Rex, who nodded in response.
"Yeah. There's one more slide like this one two islands down this way, and it puts us on the same island as the harbour close to the village. Then it's one more bridge and we're on Fonsett's island."
"Man, I'm beat." Nia muttered. "At least we're almost there. I could go for a catnap right now." She rolled her eyes as Rex quietly chuckled again.
They reached the next slide, and went down to walk up to the harbour. "This is where my ship will meet us in about three days." Fan said.
"So, Fonsett is right down there..." Roc muttered, looking down at the small village with Iona. "Say hello to home, kid." The bird said to the little girl. Noticing her anxious eyes, the bird ruffled the hair on her head. "Hey, you don't worry about a thing, this place looks awesome. You'll have a lot of fun here."
"Yeah. My auntie Corinne will take good care of ya." Rex said. "She makes the best Pan-fried Tartari this side of Alrest. Hands. Down. Trust me, you'll love her." Rex said, trotting down the bridge to reach his hometown, everyone following behind him. As they walked up to the arch that acted as the gate into Fonsett Village, a loud squeal could be heard.
"ITS REX!" A little girl screamed, announcing to the entire village of Rex's arrival.
"Oh no.." Rex muttered, as he lowered into a wide stance, like he was bracing himself for something.
There was lots of excited yelling and screaming growing louder and louder, as children streamed out of houses and away from their games to run to the entrance. They amassed into one giant horde of hyperactive kids, tackling Rex to the ground, completely covering the boy in a mass of little limbs and rapid fire questions. Rex's companions quickly backed away from the dog pile as more kids clambered onto the stack to get a look at Rex.
"Children!" A voice yelled, and the children's excitement and yelling dies down immediately, as they all got off of Rex, letting the boy stand back up, shaking the dizziness out of his head so he could look at his favourite aunt through clear eyes.
Corinne was an elderly woman with dark skin and grey hair. Her smile was oozing softness and tenderness, yet she also has an air of firmness and wisdom about her. Morag couldn't shake a feeling of familiarity at the woman's soft, yet stern aura. It reminded her much of her mother.
Morag's feeing of familiarity turned into a feeling of anxiousness as Corinne looked over the people Rex arrived with.
The woman was analytical too, another similarity with Morag's mother. Her soft grey eyes felt intense as she scanned over what she saw before her. A look of shock at the Core Crystal in Rex's chest. Followed by a hard glare at the weapons everyone wielded. Then an intrigued glance at Fan and Brighid, the woman obviously recognizing the two of them.
She gave Morag a skeptical look, and Morag could almost hear the woman's thoughts in her head. "What could Special Inquistor Morag be doing with my boy?"
A question which Morag responded to with steady, unyielding eye contact, giving her a look that hopefully conveyed "Nothing with ill intentions." to the older woman, which the woman seemed to pick up on before softening her gaze and giving the younger woman a smile. Corinne gave everyone around Rex a different look, trying to get a judge of character based solely off their reaction to her sharp gaze.
A gaze that soon landed on Nia, and Corinne almost got a giddy smile as she saw how close the Gormotti was standing to her nephew. Her eyes grew soft, and a surprisingly smug smile came to the corners of her mouth, something Nia picked up on, lightly blushing as she shuffled away from Rex slightly and looked elsewhere.
Her eyes finally landed on Rex, and the woman's eyes almost seemed to grow older with fatigue as she saw the light scar on Rex's stomach, something that wasn't there last time she saw him. Whatever she was thinking, she didn't mention it as she walked up to Rex, embracing the boy in a hug, Rex kneeling down slightly to get closer to her.
"Hello dear."
"Hey, Auntie."