Wade.

IC: Alfon How adorable. "Well, Mimira, what are you doing all the way out here in the Magma Lounge?" I asked, looking for any sign of her parents. "Don't tell me you're trying to sneak a drink!"

IC: Rungui "Knock knock."

IC: Alfon "I'll pass," I said, slowly getting to my feet. "In fact, I think that's enough hugging for the next week. Any more and I'll be sitting in a hospital." I stretched, rubbing my sides with tender care. They hurt so bad that I almost didn't even notice the little girl jumping around the bar...yes, a little girl in a bar, surrounded by pirates, freelancers, wannabe heroes, and probably a few Maru in the near future. Because that made complete sense. "Hey there!" I exclaimed, crouching down to meet her eye level. "I'm Alfon! What's your name?" Let it show on the record that I'm great with kids.

IC: Volin I waited patiently, looking in all directions for any sign of Peho or Arvas. Still couldn't see them but they stopped shouting, so maybe they saw it? It was either that or the local residents got rid of their rowdy guests before they could get to me, meaning I could've been next. The airy swooshing sound didn't help eith- Oh. Oh no. I spun around (again), almost a second too late as the gentle giant skidded to a zooming halt right before me, kicking up a bunch of dirt while he was at it. In the midst of my hammering heart, it took all my willpower to not gooify him on reflex. Cuss words though? Didn't have a valve for those. "####ing ####!" I yelped, bringing my hands up but immediately putting them down. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

OOC: Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu- IC: Alfon I stared long and hard, feeling awfully confused as Lumi's cute, green little face suddenly blurred and refocused into Gunner's ugly mug, and her sweet, honey-like voice turned manly and snide. You can imagine my disappointment. "Oh, it's you." I said, swatting his hand away. "This is why I don't drink and asphyxiate."

IC: Rungui "Shut up, I'm hysterical."

IC: Alfon "Better to be rude than handicapped," I groaned, rolling onto my back. "But by all means, Lumi, go give him my love with a great big hu-" blink blink blink "Wait, Lumi? Why are you here?" I frowned. Last time I saw her was at Kongu's party, which was literally the day before. "Are you following me?"

IC: Volin All this yelling was bound to attract a lot of unwanted attention if it kept up. I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from shouting back. "There's gotta be a better way to do this..." I muttered, staring in the general direction of their voices. Couldn't see them, but I noticed that the forest wasn't too thick and neither was the canopy. An idea popped into my head, and while it might not have been the best one out there, it was better than shouting and stumbling in a forest that was likely to kill you. "Okay," I glanced around real quick, then raised my hand skyward, finger gun style. A few hot bolts of plasma shot out into the open air, carefully aimed so they wouldn't light any trees on fire, and they glowed bright as flames but were gone in nearly an instant. Hopefully they saw that.

IC: Volin It's not every day I wish I had a few pals to lend me a hand, but this was one of them. Didn't come off as much of a shocker when no one followed me to Kini, so I was cool with it for a while, enough that I actually had some time to enjoy the peace and quiet before I finally got here. When I heard that all too familiar screech in the distance, I knew I ###### up coming here alone. "#### me." I muttered, tensing with every branch I stepped on. Apart from each crack and the sound of my footsteps, it was eerily quiet. I kept my eyes peeled at all times, craning my head back every once in a while to make sure I wasn't about to get my spine ripped out unexpectedly. I'd tell you I wasn't scared, but when you're elbow-deep in Rahkshi territory and you've seen what those things can do, I'd be a moron if I did. KER-RACK BOOF! "Oh ####." I spun around, hands suddenly glowing a dangerous orange. Nothing there, but something made that sound, and it was close. "VOOOOOOOLIIIIIIIIIIN," ...what? ... I really shouldn't do this. "PEHO?!"

IC: Rungui "With a bit of laughing gas, you'll see the appeal too."

IC: Alfon "I'm a...hnngh...darker shade of blue now, if that...answers your question." While I appreciated the love, my lungs were on fire, a few of my ribs were on the verge of snapping, and if lightheadedness and stars in my vision were any indicator, I was about to pass out. This hug needed to end. "Sorry buddy," I said through gritted teeth, placing my hands on his arms. "But like I said...I will tase you." And just like that, a brief current of electricity flowed from my hands into Onuzek's forearms, causing them to tense one moment and then to loosen the next, giving me the opportunity to slip out of his grasp and crawl away like a scurrying rat. "Oh my god, I can breathe!"

IC: Rungui Rungui blew air out of his nose, shaking his head but smiling thinly. For once, he didn't mind letting this one go. "Well," he said. "if things don't work out between us, I hope we can still see each other as doctor and patient."

IC: Alfon "I swear, I'm gonna tase you if you don't let me go." IC: Volin "Well, I'm gonna get moving then." I muttered decisively, feeling a little more than impatient by this point. Great Spirit knows I would have said something crass if I wasted any more time than we already had. OOC: Volin to Kini. Rahkshi hunters can follow at their leisure.

IC: Volin "Sooooo, we gonna move or what?"

IC: Alfon "Whoa whoa whoa hold up, stay ba- hnnnngggh!" Cut off mid-sentence, I wheezed for air while Onuzek's massive arms wrapped themselves around me, squeezing my ribcage until I felt like it was about to collapse. I only hoped I would suffocate first. "Get...off! It was a joke, it was a joke, you're gonna kill me, hoooooooly fuuuuuhaaaaaaaargh!" I was tapping out at this point.

IC: Alfon "I'm sorry, I- I..." I gulped hard, seemingly choked up and on the verge of tears as I rubbed my eyes. "I'm just so...ashamed." I sniffled. My voice quivered. "Does anyone have a tissue?"

IC: Alfon "Sorry, you lost me at 'I carry a case of ice cream all the time'." I said, looking around. "Where is it? Or is the emergency break-up kit off limits...?"

IC: Alfon "That happen often?"

IC: Alfon "I'm assuming that means you don't do chocolate ice cream either."

IC: Alfon "You're surprisingly astute for a drunk." I commented, sliding into my own chair. "I was expecting a little more panic and crying."

IC: Alfon I waved back. "Hey, big guy. Leah and Korero didn't kill each other while we were gone, did they?"

IC: Rungui Better to know an ugly truth than false hope. Rungui looked at Dalrin, suppressing a curl from his lips. "I'm gonna tell you the same thing I tell my patients," he said, sounding remorseful. "Not always."

IC: Alfon I nodded and pushed myself off the pillar, breaking into a slow walk alongside Skri as we headed back to the Magma Lounge. A few minutes of walking and talking later, we arrived and promptly made our way inside, Skri going first while I held the door for her. "Ayo!" I rang, followed by an audible clack of the door on my way in. I had a brief look around, noticing that everyone was gone with the exception of a few, Onuzek being rather hard to miss. I glanced at Skri, then shrugged. No one's here.

IC: Rungui Rungui leaned back in his chair, gently tapping the edge of his cup. "And I still stand by what I said: it's petty. You're out there fighting, risking your neck so people like your sister don't have to, so they don't have to die. You're saving lives, Dally. Best for you? Maybe, but I'll be ####### if that's not one of the most selfless things a person can do." He brought the cup to his lips, but there wasn't anything left. Hopefully Dalrin's sister came back soon. "Someone's gotta stand up for the little guys, and if we don't do it, nobody will. People like us, we know what it's like to lose someone firsthand, and I'd never wish anyone the pain that comes with it. If someone I knew was willing to give it all up to spare others of that, I wouldn't resent them. Even if they died for nothing, I'd be proud knowing that because of their sacrifice, several others were given a chance at a better life." Leaning forward, Rungui continued to speak in an even tone. "Your family may have lost the lottery, but they still benefited from the opportunity our protection offers them. If they wanna take that away from other people just like them, fine, but I'd make #### sure they understand what kind of selfish hypocrites they are."

There's some important stuff happening in Kentoku's most recent pages right now (look for Tyler and Krayz's posts), and the baddies up in Ko are busy hitting on each other, so expect to see a few romances that'll make you feel genuinely uncomfortable in the near future. Oh, and we got a spoiler for next year's arc in this topic. As for the Mangai Quest, I uuuuh...I dunno? Is it done? If it's not, feel free to retcon your character out of that whole plot and have them go their own merry way as if nothing ever happened.