"We’ve been stuck here for a solid three days now," Zelr complained, his head hung low as he stared at the cell in front of him. Lailla stared out of the barred windows, her brow furrowed and a pout of boredom forming on her lips.

"Just be patient, they’ll realize we’re gone soon enough," Veira lectured, waving her finger in an idle practice.

"How can you be so sure though—" Lailla whined, only to be cut off by a cold feeling on her shoulder, a glare to her back that made her freeze.

"She’ll come," Zelr stated, causing Veira to let out a chuckle.

"I’m ten billion percent sure, she is a logical mind after all," Her hands flew above her head in a delicious stretch before leaning back down, her head resting on her knees. "It would be in her best interest to send it to us."

"If not for our alliance then for her trusted ally here," the mad scientist explained. "That’s why I opted for the idea in the first place, with Zelr here, they won’t just leave us, makes betrayal less likely."

"You’re so smart Veira!" Lailla praised, her hands clenching into fists in excitement.

"Tell me something I don’t know!" She burst into laughter, the moment cut short by something small and distant.

"Hey!" A soft voice hissed by the celled window, catching their attention. Lailla ran up to the window, taking another peek, her eyes widening when she saw.

Sylvi stood there panting and tired, with a note in her hand.

"Oh...you’re—"

"Sylvi, what are you doing here?!" Zelr shot up, confused as to why she was this deep in enemy lines.

"It’s from Astra!" She panted, completely out of breath as she handed the note to them.

Veira smirked to herself and pushed to her feet. With a simple flick of her wrist she snatched the paper from the girl’s hands. Her already wide smile only got bigger as she read it.

"I see."

***

"So?" Vagnis folded his arms with a confident grin, looking back at Orion who took a look at the inventions laid out before him.

Orion picked up a glass beacon, turning the transparent wares with his claws.

"Weird, what is this invisible container?"

"You mean transparent?" Vagnis’ brow shot up at the Owl’s statement. Orion’s head raised from the glass, shaking his head slightly, brushing off the suggestion.

"No, no I know transparent, like water, but this—"

"Right—here..." He took the glass from his palm, filling the cup with water. The owl’s eyes widened at the sight of it, amazed when the object suddenly came into being.

"Your craftsmanship is impeccable," He praised.

"Not at all...If it weren’t for Astra I wouldn’t be doing this—" He rubbed the back of his head with a bashful smile. Seeing Orion admire his work, he couldn’t help but smile.

’I get it now, that feeling Belk was chasing for all this time,’ he thought to himself. ’I can’t put this feeling into words at all...but I want more of it—’

"Well, this is proof enough that her claims are true..." He shoved the glass into his pouch almost recklessly with the water still in it, soaking it all the way through.

"H-hey what are you—!" But before the scout realized it, it was too late...he just decided to give up and bite his tongue.

"Don’t you want something more impressive—" He muttered, looking for something Astra built herself, but his words fell on complete deaf ears.

"Well, I’ll be off!" Orion announced, his left wing stretched towards the sky in a foreign salute. His wings started to flap as he prepared to take off, his body dipping slightly in the air as Vagnis grabbed onto it.

"H-hey! Wait a second! Will you!!" He snapped, the bird looking down at him with confusion.

"I’m coming too!"

"Hm?"

***

"They’re probably around here..." Vagnis pointed towards a copy of the map Astra made laid out on a table in the chief’s hallroom. "That’s where Veira headed off to—"

Freya leaned closer to get a better look.

"I need you to deliver a note for me..."

Sylvi stood by the table, the structure barely past her head so she couldn’t see. Desperately she hopped trying to take a look at the map but it came to no avail.

"You’ll take one of the neo wolves and head straight there."

"Hm..." Orion pushed aside, leaning over with his claw scratching against his chin feathers or lack thereof. "If they’re there, it’s highly likely they’ve already been captured by the Erpeopians."

"Seriously?! That’s where they are?!" Vagnis blurted out, his brow furrowed with worry...

"Man talks about bad luck—did Astra just pick places at random..."

"I’ll see it done," Freya said simply.

"Really? Thanks a lot—"

"No need to thank me, Veira’s trapped there, I should be dead if I refused..." Her words left Vagnis speechless, simply looking back at the map with a concerned look on his face.

"I’m starting to worry about how you guys operate..."

"Not like it’s any of your business, but this is my own complete opinion, whatever you think it is it isn’t—" She glared.

"Right, right, I get it—" He backed up slightly. ’She still doesn’t like me, does she...’

"I want to come too!" Sylvi announced, her arm waving wildly in the air in hopes someone would acknowledge her, only to get a pat on the head.

"It’s far too dangerous for you to come," he shot down without a second thought, deflating whatever ideas she had then and there.

"But—!"

"Your navigational skills aside, you’re just a kid," Vagnis interrupted, kneeling down to see her eye to eye. "Besides, Freya’s got this. Just let her handle this one, okay?"

"Kay..." She muttered, her hands reaching to tug at the ends of her shirt, tail deflated behind her.

"I know you’re worried, but Astra and Belk will get out fine," his hand kept ruffling her hair, despite her growing pout.

"kay..."