The Ex Came Back: A Roleplay

## The Roleplay

### Date Crashers

"You see, River, there are very few things in this world more beautiful than a flammard," he said. The silence of the Hadgerstaad Forest of Overmorrow was interrupted by his words, which came out with a smooth European flair. It was a steely, deep baritone voice, but it was soft and gentle, at least for whom he was speaking to.

As he continued his speech, the many elm and eucalyptus trees were swaying in the gentle breeze of the afternoon; that was the only noise in this clearing of the forest aside from this man and his partner, although the former was doing most of the talking. He was almost the height of some of the trees, dark-furred and brooding. Most of his appearance was neatly put together aside from his messy mop of hair. The rest of his prim and proper outfit was strewn aside under a tree; all he was wearing was a thin black turtleneck.

He was twirling his own sword in his hands, a wide and thin broadsword emanating dark shadow energy. "… And that is why you must take the utmost care in handling swords. They are very delicate. Not quite as beautiful and delicate as you, but–" He paused and realized for how long he had been droning on, and smiled cheekily. Obviously, smiling wasn't something he was used to; the smile was more like baring his teeth than anything. "Apologies. You have been forced to listen to me for a while." He approached the girl and held out his sword to her. "Would you like a go at it, and then I take you through the motions?"

"I'll give it my best, Upsilon," his partner answered. She bunched up her blue, wavy quills back and wrapped a black band around them, making a ponytail. Her hands gently grasped the blade's hilt, but wouldn't carry it any further without his guidance. She only stared up to him with those kind dark eyes of hers, admiring his words, and his awkward, cute smile. She would have admired him forever if she could. But that was foolish.

She returned her focus to the blade, and kept the point downward and close to her body to avoid any accidents. She smiled back at him, "And... don't apologize, I like hearing your voice. Heehee, and your rambles..."

"I am glad someone does." Upsilon took her in his arms, lining up his with hers, and guiding her into the perfect Alber stance to begin. Despite how large his hands and body were and how he almost seemed to eclipse her with his tall, dark personage, his hands as he held her were gentle and almost caressed her. "Try a feint then."

A feint... a... feint? What was a feint? Did he say faint? No, no he couldn't have, Upsilon wouldn't tell her to pass out and collapse right here. River had heard him use the word before but she never got around to asking what it meant. Even then, she had still seen him train with this sword, so she could make an educated guess. She rolled back her shoulders, tightened her grip, and thrust the sword forward into the air.

Upsilon chuckled in delight and kissed the back of River's neck affectionately. "Have you been taking notes? That was perfection. … Alright. I knew you could perform a feint just fine. I only wanted to hold you like this for a little while."

Hearing this, River lowered the sword and leaned back into him. She giggled, and nuzzled her head close to his chest. “You can hold me as long as you’d like,” she said, “And, well, I learned from watching you.”

"I would not advise giving me that much power," Upsilon murmured gently. With a flick of his wrist, the shadow broadsword dissipated into thin air. He took River's now-empty hand and held it in his own, running his thumb over all of her fingers tenderly. "I would hold you all day if I could."

The girl let out a wistful, loving sigh. With his hand in hers she gently lifted it close to her chest, near her heart. She lifted her face just a little, getting on her toes from his height, and gently kissed his cheek. “You really are a romantic,”

He grinned. "I try to be."

Before he could say anything else, a noise could be heard from one of the bushes a couple yards behind them: the swaying of leaves. Almost in a second, Upsilon changed his position to protect River from that direction, and his sword was drawn and pointed at the shrubbery almost instantaneously. His eyes narrowed into a glare. "What was that?"

The bush continued rustling, a bird flew out of the foliage, and then it stopped. River’s tensed shoulders released, and she shrugged, “Hmm, it must have been the wildlife-”

Before she knew it, something dark, something scruffy and scrappy and taller than her leapt out of the forest. The shadows fell over its face, and the only clear thing River could see were bright, piercing blue eyes. Eyes that she was all too familiar with. Her body locked up again, and she stepped back to Upsilon. But this stranger gave a toothy smile.

“Riv!” He called out. When he straightened his posture more of the light fell upon him, exposing his large ears, long tail, and especially bright pink claws on his finger tips. He winked and snapped a finger, “Sorry for my absence, sweetheart. I just got another episode, y’know?”

When he finally noticed Upsilon, he laughed and put his finger on the tip of his sword and gently pushed it down. “Hey, cool it. Another friend of Riv’s? Nice to meet ya, name’s Mayhem, I’m her boyfriend.”

River clenched her teeth, unable to choose between being shocked or being furious. “N-No you’re-“

But Mayhem didn’t really care what she had to say. He knew she would be surprised. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him, romantically carressing her cheek, and began to move to place his lips upon hers…

Upsilon snatched Mayhem's hand and kept his grip tight around the wrist of it, looking back and forth between Mayhem and River, utterly confused. Was he supposed to be upset? Protective? Was this actually her boyfriend, or not?

"How come I have never heard of you before?" he asked, his focus now settling on Mayhem. Upsilon already couldn't stand his face. "There must be some confusion here. I was under the impression that I was *her* romantic partner…"

Mayhem felt his grip around his wrist and growled, yanking his hand back and stepping away. He looked between the man and River, trying to sort this out. But eventually his gaze settled on the girl, “What, you… you’ve been cheating on me?”

“N-No!” River finally stomped her foot down. She took to Upsilon’s side, and glared at their interruptor. “We stopped dating over four months ago. We aren’t together anymore, okay?”

Mayhem’s shoulders dropped, he felt like a balloon pricked by a needle. “What?! What are you talking about? We never broke up! I just had to leave for a while-“

“For four months? And you… you didn’t even say where you were going, you didn’t tell me goodbye, you didn’t even leave a note.” She turned her body away from him, but still gave him a side-eye. “I’m not stupid. I know what *ghosting* is.”

“But that doesn’t mean I broke up!” He shouted, “Didn’t you even try to contact me?”

“I did!” River shouted back and clenched her fists, “I wrote letters, I called you, I even sailed out to try and find you! But…” she looked away now, “You were never there. So I moved on. I’m with someone else now.”

Mayhem looked up from her and he stared at the tall mink backing her up. He suddenly felt a gross taste in his mouth. His body felt like fire barely contained. “Are you kidding me? You just snatched her up as soon as she was open?”

"I had not the faintest idea that she had just been in a relationship," the mink answered back hoarsely. "It sounds like you need to leave, and that you have no business with her."

“Oh, I’m sorry, am I ruining your little *date*?” Mayhem snarled, trying to mock them. But no one was moved, and River only turned the other cheek.

“Yes, you are.” She sighed, and put her attention back on Upsilon. She reached out for his hand and gently grasped it, “Look, let’s just… go somewhere else. I’m really sorry about this…”

Mayhem’s hair puffed up in rage, “What are you apologizing to him for?! He’s not the one who just lost his girlfriend!”

Upsilon smirked; he wanted to egg this stranger on a bit more. "It sounds like you did not have a girlfriend in the first place…"

Mayhem’s hair fell over his face, and his fur was straight on edge. River backed up, holding tighter onto Upsilon’s hand. Even when they were together, she had never seen him so furious before. He was usually far more level-headed, but this… this was unprecedented. “I… I’m sorry, but we’re going now.”

“Like hell you are! I’ve done so much for you, I’ve supported and protected you!” He growled. His clawed hands spread out, and with total reckless abandon, ran and went to lash at the both of them.

This was too easy. Upsilon brought out his dark sword in a flash once more, and held it by its handle against Mayhem's claws, blocking him from River's path. With a little force, he swung the sword on its blunt side at Mayhem to push him away. "What on earth are you doing–!? You believe she wants to get back with someone who just tried to attack her?"

Mayhem was shoved to the ground and landed on his back with a heavy thud. When he looked back up, all he saw was the dark mink glaring at him, and River flinching away in fear. He was crushed, all he could do now was carefully get back up on his feet. He glared, bared his teeth, yet he seemed to be shaking a little. An incomprehensible grumble came from him until he quickly ran off in the other direction, gone in a flash.

A quiet, slow breath released from River's lungs. She only put herself even closer to Upsilon, and held tightly onto his arm, "I... I'm really sorry. I didn't know he would be so... aggressive," she looked to both of her sides in the forest, fearing that her former partner may be lingering still, "Look, let's just leave, please..."

"You are right," Upsilon replied hoarsely. He went over to retrieve his knight-wear and began to put it back on. "But, I would like an explanation as to who he is, your relations and history with him, and how he knew you would be here…"

River now put a hand on her own arm, sighing heavily and rubbing her shoulder. As he was dressing, she began to elaborate. "His name is Mayhem, and I used to date him earlier this year. It was a... what's the word..." she paused to think, "An on-and-off relationship? We would meet at strange places and sometimes he would disappear for a few days, maybe a week, but he always came back."

Suddenly, she felt a weight on her body, but there was nothing there, physically anyway. But she felt this, and she had to turn away, "Until... well, he left for a really long time. Didn't give me a note, or a warning, nothing. I searched for him after so many months, and then... I thought he left me. That he didn't want me anymore, so... I went on my own for a while and, well," she looked back to Upsilon, holding a weak little smile, "I saw the great guy I was missing out on."

The girl now held her hands together, looking down at them. "When we were together, he always knew how to find me, somehow. He never explained how, but I think it might be because he's a canine, and maybe he could track me through scent..."

Upsilon lowered his head and clenched his fists, which were beginning to tremble. Anger was slowly filling him up. Why was he feeling this way? He hadn't the faintest idea. Why had River moved on so quickly? What was that phrase his sister used? Was he a rebound? "Why… why did you not tell me about this? When was the last time you saw him…?"

River took note of how he was moving, and suddenly she began to fill with a sense of dread. She looked away, “The last time I saw him was four months ago. Probably even longer than that…”

She felt like closing in on herself. “I… I didn’t say anything because it still hurt. But you were there for me. You’ve always been reliable, and actually stable… I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about him. I should have been clear from the beginning…”

Before Upsilon could say much else, another sound could be heard deep within the forest. It wasn't the rustling of bushes as someone tried to hide; it was loud and sounded like it was coming from multiple people. Suddenly, three figures approached him and River in the clearing. Two were men in silver armor so sterling, it was almost white, and the last person was, simply put, a princess. She didn't wear a crown on her head, but it was easy to tell from the immaculate clothes to the tulle and train flowing out from the dress, to the perfectly wavy golden locks spilling down her back. One of the men in armor spoke now, his face expressionless: "Lady and gentleman, please bow for her majesty Princess Dawn Maron of the Kuikon Kingdom."

Upsilon tensed up. What on earth was *she*doing here? He knew the protocol though. As much as he hated this, he got on one knee and knelt before her, and looked pointedly at River.

The woman smiled in contempt seeing Upsilon grovel, and looked over to River, eager to see what she would do. "I hope I wasn't interrupting something."

River quickly looked to Upsilon, and then back to this mysterious princess. She didn't know what that word meant- bow? Bao? She had to figure out something quick, she couldn't just stand there and look like an idiot! It would be downright shameful. Mimicking Upsilon seemed like the safest option, but she knew that he always showed the utmost politeness. Maybe it would be fine if she kept it more casual. After all, *princess* likely isn't that sacred of a title, is it?

The girl kept on her feet, and simply waved her hand in a friendly manner at the other girl. "Oh, um, hello! It's nice to meet you Miss!"

The guards gasped slightly at this, and Upsilon's eyes widened as he frantically tried to motion for her to mimic his own motions. But Dawn seemed to find delight in River's response and laughed lightly. "You're a funny one! Upsilon, you've found a very entertaining friend." She smiled down at River with a sickly sweet smile. "I'm Princess Dawn Maron, Upsilon's bride-to-be. Who are you, darling? You're really funny, I might have to invite you to our wedding just for laughs."

“Wedding?” River’s smile dropped. She looked between the princess and Upsilon, trying to read whatever was going on in the minds of these two. Although she still wasn’t perfect at english, and she still had much to learn from this land’s culture, she knew at least one thing. Out here, lovers only remain with each other. To have anyone else while taken is taboo.

A sense of fear washed over her shoulders and she backed up closer to the mink. “I don’t understand, Upsilon and I are already dating. Is your kingdom, erm… polyamorous?”

Dawn tensed up and froze. "D-…D-*Dating!?"*

Upsilon winced. This was going to be a tough one to explain.

He got up from his kneeling and addressed the two women. "Princess Dawn and I used to be in a relationship, but… we stopped courting over a year ago." Upsilon stood closer to River and held her hand protectively. "River and I, we are together right now. Gaiagon does not practice polyamory… I'm hers."

Dawn practically hissed. "Since when did this relationship happen!? What even *is* she?! A princess?"

River flinched merely from the sting of Dawn’s words. Turns out her and Upsilon weren’t that different as she once thought.

Still standing her ground, she gestured to herself. “My name is River. I’m not a princess, but I’m a lot of other things!” She tried to smile, “For starters, I’m sort of a sailor…”

"Oh." Dawn rolled her eyes and glared at River. "So you're a pirate then? He went from the future queen of an entire kingdom, to a swashbuckling pirate?"

“Ah, a… a pirate? No, no I don’t steal anything! I only sail to explore, I mean, no wait, uh…” River found herself stuttering like an absolute fool. She wanted to hide behind her own quills. “I’m not from around here, I’m sorry…”

"A foreigner! Even better!" Dawn threw her hands up and rolled her eyes. "Where are you from anyways?"

River felt like a clam being forced open; she didn't want to just spill out all her information right here, but how else would she save face? She placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm from... Ali'ikai. I know what I said probably sounds like nonsense, but, it's a small island. Um, it probably isn't on any of your maps if they haven't been updated in the past five years..."

Dawn looked to her guards with a knowing look. Then she looked back at Upsilon. "You found sea trash and made it your mistress?"

This whole time, Upsilon had been clenching his fists and physically biting his tongue in order to prevent himself from saying something he would regret. But "trash?" He couldn't sit still any longer. "Dawn, you know very well this is unnecessary, and you know very well how foolish and petty you seem for grasping at such low-brow insults. We have been separated for a year now, and River… she is my partner. Not my mistress."

Dawn smiled creepily at River, not even making eye contact with the mink the whole time he was speaking. "You know, in Gaiagon's history, mistresses be put to death for interfering with a royal marriage… I don't know what primitive tribe you come from, but between our two countries, you don't fuck who you want and expect no repercussions."

The girl couldn't even look at Dawn in the eye anymore. She knew that if she did, she may just tremble and feel the need to collapse from embarrassment and fear. River only stuck closer to Upsilon, wanting to hide behind him, but if she did that then she would only look even more pathetic.

She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to risk being hurt, and she didn't want Upsilon to suffer for anything else. She reached down to his hand, and gently, but firmly, grasped it. "Um, Uppy, I really, *really* think we need to leave..."

Upsilon took River's hand and walked off from the way they came, opposite Dawn and her knights. He could hear her screaming behind them, throwing taunts this way and that, but he ignored them, and instead turned to River and grimaced. "Jesus, River… I am so sorry. I had no clue she was even coming… if you need me to explain…"

River only held his hand tighter, and yet, felt like she couldn't look him in the eyes. They were both embarrassed, and though she knew they shared the same emotions right now, this would be difficult to navigate.

She had to do something. Mustering up some courage, she finally moved to meet Upsilon's gaze, and gently pulled him a little closer towards herself. "I... ah, it's okay. With Mayhem, a-and her so soon after, I'm having a bit of um... 'whip-splash'? It's a lot at once..." she then sighed, "Dawn... seems like a handful. Are you okay after all that?"

Upsilon sighed heavily. Seeing Dawn then brought up a whole bunch of memories and guilt he didn't feel like dealing with. "She is most certainly a handful. I am fine… I am more worried about you, though, and what she said to you."

River nudged her shoulder up against his. Her gaze returned to her feet. “Y-Yeah… I mean, her comments were rude, no denying that. I should have known she’d use what I’d say against me…” now, her body felt cold, and locked up. “She wasn’t serious, right…? About the whole… marriage thing, or the ‘being executed for dating you’ thing too…”

"Oh… erm… she was telling the truth," Upsilon looked away quickly, twiddling his thumbs. "H-However! We are neither married nor betrothed… so it is extremely unlikely you would be put to death for being in a relationship with me. What an outrageous, archaic law. I will go about changing it one day…"

Suddenly all the pressure that had built up in River's chest was released in one go with a quick 'whew'. She knew that Upsilon wouldn't have been hiding another relationship from her, but the confirmation always feels nice. She felt a tad selfish, wanting him all for herself. "It sounds like she hasn't moved on from her time with you either..." her gaze trailed off to the side, "And... thank you. For standing up for me. I was too embarrassed to really talk back to her."

"I apologize I did not do so earlier," Upsilon looked down at River and offered his hand to her, as he knew he had some explaining to do. "Dawn… all she wants is to merge the territories of Gaiagon and the Kuikon Kingdom together; she simply wants more power. That is the only reason she is insistent on us wedding. Otherwise… I am of no use to her."

River grabbed his hand, and while she loved his safe and inviting grasp, she couldn't help but feel disgust when she heard this reasoning. She found her hold on him only tighter as she mulled over this information. "That... that's awful! I can't believe that's, just, well, a thing that happens!" Suddenly, she realized how she sounded. She shouldn't be sounding this way, so angry. She took a breath, and sighed, "It... it feels disgraceful, to only be together for territory reasons. And if she wanted power so bad, why isn't she going for the *actual* king of this country?"

Upsilon patted her hand gently, echoing her disgust. "Well, Our Majesty King Balavan is quite… erm. He is an older man, you see, and he is making moves to pass on the crown soon, anyway. So she is preemptively staking her claim on me."

"But you're not-" River paused. She spent a moment, connecting the dots in her head, until suddenly she was able to come to a possible realization, "Y-You're secretly a prince? And you're Balavan's son?! But, you aren't- you look nothing alike!"

"Ah, erm… no. I am his head knight, and we have had conversations about passing the crown onto me, whenever he decides is best for him, and for me. I am still indeed a mink… and certainly not blood-related to King Balavan. Prince-in-waiting, perhaps… but that sounds a little pompous of a title, hm?"

River wanted to slap herself as soon as she heard this. Of course, leave it to her to spout something so ridiculous. "Oh, oh my gosh I am so sorry, haha... ha. I just, I didn't think you'd be next in line, it caught me off guard. But you really could become king?"

Upsilon smiled kindly; she was so cute when she got flustered. "Yes, and it is not a 'could' situation. It is more of a 'will' – a very definite happening. I apologize if that is a lot to take in?"

"A bit? But not in a bad way or anything!" River shook her head, struggling so hard to get her thoughts into words and out her mouth. "I'm just really surprised! I mean, you already have a lot of responsibilities as a knight, and then you'll become even more important and-"

She stopped. The girl turned her gaze down and softly kicked at the dirt by her feet. "Oh... now it makes sense, why she called me 'sea trash' and all that. In the bigger picture, I'm really not as important as either you or her, haha..."

Oh no. The look that crossed Upsilon's face showed how much it hurt his heart to have heard her say that. He immediately wrapped his long arms around her in a bear hug and rested his head easily on top of her head. "River… you know very well that is not true. My rank within the monarchy, wherever that may be, does not make me worth more than you. You are absolutely intrinsic not only to my life, but also to others, and an essential component of my happiness."

Any words that tried to form in her head fell apart. She couldn't say anything, couldn't argue. With his arms around her all River wanted to do was lean into him, and so she did, resting herself against his body. Her face felt warm, maybe from his touch, or from personal embarrassment. She chuckled half-heartedly, "You... you're so sweet. Sorry, I let those thoughts get to me again, but... thank you. I love being with you..." she nuzzled up to his chest, "And, I'm sorry that this date's fallen apart. Two exes in one day, huh?"

"We have awful luck, I suppose," Upsilon replied with a chuckle. Even though the experience had been traumatic, he was still grateful he could smile and laugh with her about it. "I hope the next one we go on will not have any uninvited guests… although, that depends on if Dawn's behavior has changed your mind about being with me."

River furiously shook her head, “No, no way! I love being with you!” Her mouth finally made a beautiful smile, and she nuzzled his face, “No one could ever make me leave you like that. I was actually really scared that Mayhem would make you reconsider being with me…”

"Ha." Upsilon puffed out his chest and glared just at the mention of Mayhem's name. "A part of me wants to run into him again so I can give him a proper piece of my mind. I would like to know everything there is to know about him…"

River shrugged and smiled just a little, “Is it bad that I wouldn’t mind if you did? And…” she pondered, “If you’re really curious I can tell you what I know about him, though, he didn’t share that much with me.”

"Yes, I need everything," Upsilon replied quickly. They had just now made it to the edge of the forest and were beginning along a dirt path that would lead them to the back of castle grounds within minutes. "He made an attempt to attack a royal guard, so I am able to charge him and, if he is captured, imprison him in the dungeon… or hand him off to a jail on the outskirts of town far less nice than ours. Any information would help greatly."

"Y-You were thinking of arresting him?" River stammered. She knew he was quite the lawful type, and that he wouldn't stand for Mayhem's reckless actions, but she wasn't too sure how to feel about this proposition. Yet, she remembered what he had done scared her, so perhaps this was for the best. "Well, his name is Mayhem, and he's a wolfdog for starters. I know he's a wanderer and usually shows up when no one expects him to. Though, he usually prefers to visit at night, I've only seen him during the day a few times. As for any friends or family of his... I don't actually know, I've never met them before."

"Interesting." Upsilon placed a hand on his hips and rubbed his chin, squinting into the distance. "I have connections with a bounty hunter, I might have to give her a call and see if she can bring him in."

He turned to her abruptly. "Has he ever tried to hurt you before?"

River shook her head, “Not at all, this is the first time he’s ever done that…” she then mulled over her thoughts, “Well, on purpose anyway. Sometimes it would be like he forgot he had claws and he accidentally cut me a few times…”

But then she put up her hands and furiously shook her head, “I-It wasn’t that bad or anything! They healed pretty quickly and there’s no scars.”

Upsilon shook his head immediately, grimacing and reaching for his sword. "I am almost tempted to give chase to him right this minute… do you think he has run far?"

“Absolutely,” River nodded her head and sighed, “He’s pretty fast. But look, I don’t think he’s going to bother us anytime soon, so for now… how about we just call it a day? It was really nice to be with you…”

"… Who says it has to end?" Upsilon took her hand but didn't look at her. It seemed as though he was a little nervous. "Maybe… you can spend the evening at my house… it is a short walk from here."

This took her back. She had never spent a full night with him before, but, she did quite like the idea. With a little pink on her cheeks, she gently nudged his shoulder, “I like the sound of that, Uppy. I do want to spend more time with you…”

Perfect. Upsilon couldn't help but smirk, and he took her hand and immediately started walking toward his home with her. "Well, shall we?"

### The Next Day

It was bright and early, she hated this time. It was hard to hide in this light, and boy did she rely on hiding a lot. To keep herself hidden at this time she had to wear a dark, scruffy old cloak, with a cheap wooden mask laid on her face. She hated it too, this itchy weight on her skin, clothes were the worst. Sadly it was the only way to make sure no trouble would befall her.

She knew her way through the forest, and thanks to River she especially knew her way to Upsilon’s house. That’s the only place where she could be since she didn’t return to the docks last night. After traveling and recounting memories, this concealed figure had finally come upon the place. A massive home, a mansion more like it, old and disheveled, creeped her out to some extent. But this was the place, that’s for sure.

She walked up to the door, checked both of her sides, and carefully removed her mask and took off her hood. She curled her clawed hand into a ball and knocked on the door. “Hey, uh, it’s me. Zuasi. You guys home? Is Riv there?”

There was silence. Finally, after what felt like minutes, a figure emerged behind the window of the front door, and with a slow, sleepy movement, the door turned open to reveal Upsilon. He looked like he had just woken up, and his hair was an absolute mess. With heavy-lidded eyes, he looked to see who had knocked and found Zuasi. Her appearance always managed to startle him, although he was getting better at not outwardly showing that. But her very… *unique* appearance certainly woke him up.

"Ah, good morning," he greeted in a quiet voice, trying his best to feign pleasant surprise. He moved away from the doorway to let her come in. "What brings you here at this hour…?"

Zuasi herself was startled by him. Not because he was a freak like her, but because she still had no idea how to act around him. She tried to chuckle lightly, “Ah haha, uh, hey Upsilon. Um, I noticed River didn’t come back to the docks last night and I was wondering if she’s with you?”

"Yes… she is upstairs." Upsilon's heart began to race. "Was she supposed to leave last night with you…?"

Zuasi shrugged, “Not really, just that’s where we stay and I wanted to make sure she wasn’t kidnapped or murdered in the night or anything.” She tried laughing again, but, it was pretty obvious she was uncomfortable too. Then, her ears suddenly flickered as she remembered. “Oh yeah, you’re a knight, right? There’s a weird rumor going around the town like one or two nights ago about uh, some weird kinda monster or creature or whatever around the edge of town. Kinda out of nowhere but I thought you should know.”

Upsilon paused, taking a moment to digest what Zuasi had just said and fixed his hair to where it was less of a mess. He looked at her incredulously, tilting his head. "Monster, you say? Did this monster happen to look like it was made of ink, by any chance? Or dark black sludge?"

Zuasi shook her head, “Oh, nah, the dude’s pretty much flesh and blood from what I heard. Though most people only catch it at night and even then it’s hard to see. Probably has a few dark markings at least.” She dozed off for a quick second, only to snap back to reality, “Oh, yeah, is it okay if I come in? It’s kinda weird standing in the doorway.”

"I moved out the way so you could come in," Upsilon replied, moving back even more. "I thought perhaps you wanted to stay outside. It is good to know that the monster is not made of ink, but… dark markings. Interesting. I will have to look into it, and send more guards to watch the city limits tonight. Where did you hear of this?"

Zuasi wanted to slap her face, it felt like she didn’t know how to read any social cues. Sheepishly she folliwed inside and let out a great sigh. Now in the safety of shelter she finally took off her cloak, revealing the rest of her body. “Heard some people on the docks talking about it last night. I mean, I didn’t ask them anything since they probably would have tried to get away, but uh, yeah. Wanted to be sure Riv was safe and all that.”

Upsilon nodded understandingly. "Ah, well, she should be up relatively soon… she was sleeping when I answered the door. Thank you for the information."

As if on cue, the sound of footsteps came pattering down closer and closer until it was revealed to be River making her way on the stairway. She had a strange wobble in her step and her clothes, which were really only shorts and a tube top now, looked a little messy and wrinkly. But when she noticed Zuasi in the house with them, a light flickered on in her eyes. “Zuasi!”

River ran up to the other and put her arms around her in a friendly hug. “Sorry I forgot to tell you I was staying here last night. You holding up okay?”

Zuasi scratched her cheek, “Haha, kinda sorta, about as good as I usually do. I just had to make sure you were alright.”

River giggled, “Of course I am. I was just on a date, that’s all- er, well…” the memories of yesterday’s events resurfaced to her. “There was a problem though, um, we kind of ran into *both* of our exes yesterday and-”

“WHAT?!” Zuasi exclaimed and looked between Upsilon and River, “No way, Mayhem came back? That guy’s a prick! Er, no offense River but like he gave me like ten times stronger the bad vibes that I got from Upsilon over here.” And thinking of him, she turned her attention to the mink, “That dude sucks, right? What’d he do when you crossed paths?”

"Oh, well he almost killed us!" Upsilon crossed his arms and complained. "Made a mad lunge at River and scurried off when he realized I would not take his threats lightly… eh!? Why do I give bad vibes!? The only one who should be setting alarms off is that absolute creature that is Mayhem! What a fitting name for him."

River laughed lightly, “It’s alright Uppy. Zuasi gets bad vibes from everyone; she even got them from me when we first met.”

Zuasi crossed her arms, “They usually go away after some time, but with Mayhem? They never left. I could just sense bad stuff from him, and I guess I was proven right with just how well he took that rejection. Like, even I got emotional issues but I’d never attack you.”

“I know you wouldn’t,” River reassured, “Though, while I was up there, were you two talking about something? I only got maybe a few bits and pieces on my way down.”

"Something about a monster on the outskirts of the city?" Upsilon recalled, looking to Zuasi for more information. "With dark markings?"

Zuasi nodded along. “Yep, kinda weird rumor I overheard.”

River then chuckled, “Are you sure they weren’t talking about you? You have some pretty dark marks yourself.”

“PFFT no!” Zuasi flicked her ears and whished her tail, “They were talking about something way bigger than me. Besides, you guys are one of the only people who’ve seen what I look like.”

Upsilon nodded. "Yes, but the 'black markings' comment gets to me. *You* have black markings… and they are not really common in Gaiagon. Perhaps this is a distant relative of yours coming to visit?"

“As if. The only person on the zeti side of my family who actually likes me is my dad, and there’s no way he’d go anywhere near other people.” Zuasi shrugged her shoulders, “Maybe they were talking about you, Upsilon. You got some black marks on your ears and all that.”

River gently shook her head, “As funny as that would be, he would be recognized as himself instead of a monster. But Zuasi, perhaps it could be your dad? It’s been over a year since you’ve seen your parents, right?”

Suddenly Zuasi froze up and found herself scratching her cheek again, “Well, y-yeah, but they wouldn’t go this far out of their way, y’know? And there’s no way my dad would be out here without my mom so… yeah, haha.”

"You never know," Upsilon replied with a shrug. "Regardless, I will have probably have to oversee post on the city limits this evening, so I will be able to see for myself if this mysterious figure is family of yours or not!"

"I'm still not betting on it," Zuasi crossed her arms, and let out a little smirk as she looked to Riv, "But anyway, yeah that's just what we were talking about. I'm glad to see both of ya are doing alright at least. I was kinda freaking out a little when you didn't come back, so..."

River moved her hand to gently pat the hybrid's shoulder, "Sorry Zuasi, I should have left you a note or something. I know you get worried really easily."

"Yeah I do," Zuasi nodded, "But for real, Upsilon, thanks for keeping her and like, not let her get murdered walking back to the boat or anything."

Upsilon looked confused for a moment, but when he realized telling Zuasi the truth of what happened last night would've been more awkward, he nodded knowingly. "Ah, of course… I would never want River in harm's way… I did it for her safety, yes. Thank you for understanding."

River too had this little realization, and in her mind she wholeheartedly agreed. So to avoid any potential questions, she went up to Zuasi and patted her on the back, “You’re always so worried about me getting hurt out here.”

“Of course I am, duh! Do you know how many weirdos could be here?” Zuasi then leaned a little more towards River, and lowered her voice, “Especially considering how the people here feel about the whole, you know, *water* powers thing.”

"It means nothing of your personality!" Upsilon attempted to explain, "We just… would rather not have our infrastructure destroyed by a hydrokinetic that happens to get a wee bit upset by the king. To be fair, the only people with water powers in this region are pirates, so…"

"Ohh..." River put her hand on her chin in thought, "Now what Dawn said makes a lot more sense now..."

"Who's D-" Zuasi started, and then, was interrupted by an ominous, low rumbling from somewhere outside. It wasn't natural, it didn't sound like the earth moving or anything of the like. It came from something living, that was certain. Maybe it was a growl? Or perhaps it was the mere weight of something large thumping on the ground.

A wave of dread washed over Zuasi. While she felt fear and panic on a regular basis, this felt different. It felt out of her control. She looked to River, and saw the girl shared the same nervous expression, and yet, some confusion. She didn't know why she felt like this. But after some thought, Zuasi remembered this sensation. She'd felt it through her whole life and knew just what the source was from. But she couldn't let them know! If they knew, then...

"H-Hey guys, how about we uhh, go somewhere else? Like I know you guys are barely dressed and all that but hey there's plenty of things w-we should- can do far away from here!"

#### Fight!

Upsilon was hit by the same sense of dread the girls felt, but looking at his face, it was almost impossible to tell there was a disturbance. No matter when he felt senses of dread or terror, he *never*showed it. He simply could not; he was a leader, after all. He had to remain calm.

His eyes widened for a moment, but otherwise, his expression remained unchanged. His ears, however, perked up and stood high from the loud rumbling. Slowly, he moved to the coat hanger in the foyer to throw a red trenchcoat on over his sleepwear keeping his eyes on a window at the front of the house.

"Sure, yes," Upsilon said, very slowly. "I… wonder what that was. Perhaps an earthquake of some kind."

"There wasn't any shaking... or, are there sounds *before* and earthquake happens?" River asked, her voice a little more meek. Zuasi wasn't sure how to answer; she just shook her head guessing 'no'. "Okay then. Wait here, I'll just get my clothes from upstairs-"

Zuasi reached out a hand to stop her before she quickly left, but she was too slow and completely missed her. The hybrid cursed something under her breath and quickly donned her cloak and mask once again. In the short few minutes waiting for River, Zuasi kept pacing back and forth, back and forth muttering a couple more quiet swears. By the time River returned wearing her white dress, Zuasi immediately leapt and grabbed the girl's hand. "You look great! Let's go!"

River flinched, caught off guard, and was pulled back down to the bottom floor with Upsilon. Zuasi turned to the mink, "Hey you got a back door around here somewhere? I'd use the front door, but it's just that uhhh... I always feel safer with a back door! You know, because people are less likely to see me in the back, haha..."

Upsilon didn't want to play pretend anymore; this could've been a dangerous situtation. He narrowed his eyes on Zuasi, and while he pointed into the kitchen, directing them to the backdoor, he also summoned his sword by his side. "Zuasi… what is going on?"

No answer could come before there was another knock at the front door. Both River and Zuasi froze. They exchanged a look to each other, but River slowly loosened her wrist from Zuasi’s grasp, “Wait here, I… I’ll get the door.”

River went back to the front room, to the fromt door. She looked behind her for a brief moment, and made sure that the hybrid couldn’t be seen from this position. She took a deep breath, and opened the door.

A white furred mouse-like woman stood at the doorway. At least that’s what River could guess she was, perhaps some sub-species she had never met before. But her colors somehow put the girl on edge, and when she looked closer at the woman’s ears, she felt a sense of… familiarity? She couldn’t just stare forever, so she spoke. “Ah, um, good morning. May I help you?”

The woman nodded. As River examined her further, she saw the woman’s wispy tail with some fluff at the end, and made her feel even more uneasy somehow. “My name is Amaya. I apologize for visiting so unexpectedly, but I need to know, have you seen anyone or anything strange out here?”

River shook her head, her heart suddenly beating faster. “Ah, I don’t think so, n-no. What do you mean by strange?”

Amaya looked to the side, “I… am looking for my daughter. I love her, but she is… strange compared to most others. Have you seen anyone with hair and ears like mine? She… she’s a hybrid, and has horns from her father. She also likes to keep her right eye covered. Please, if you have any information…”

Upsilon's body tensed up as he went to the door and put a protective hand on the door. For some reason, even though this woman was similar in appearance to Zuasi… some impulse inside him told him to protect her instead of giving her up.

"No, ma'am," he answered, his gaze completely trained on Amaya. We have not even been outside. If we see anyone with those features… well, we will let you know. Has she gone missing?"

The woman nodded her head. "Y-Yes, she has been missing for over a year now. She ran away back then, and we've been searching for her ever since. She's never been alone for this long or so far away from home before. We've been worried sick!"

River was beginning to grow the same suspicions that Upsilon had. The physical description was eerily similar, and learning of the time between their daughter's disappearance and the time she had spent with Zuasi were beginning to link up. But maybe, it really could be all of a coincidence? She had to ask, just to be truly certain. "Miss, what was your daughter's name?"

Amaya looked River straight in the eyes, "Her name, is Zuasi."

River breathed a tiny little gasp, just enough that the woman wouldn't hear. This is exactly what she had suspected. She was looking right at Zuasi's mother. She wanted to tell her, she wanted to tell this woman that her child was safe and with them, she wanted to see them reunite, but, in the end...

"Ah, that's good to know. I'm sorry, we've never met anyone by that name. But we will look out for anyone like that, okay?"

Amaya sighed and dropped her shoulders. "It's okay. Thank you for your time."

The woman backed off and left the doorway of the house. River slowly closed the door, and as soon as it was shut, her eyes met Upsilon's. "We're... gonna need to have a talk with Zuasi."

Upsilon immediately turned his head to where Zuasi had hidden, and his eyes sort of narrowed. But, something in the back of his mind bugged him – what had made that horribly ominous growl? "Someone has a lot of explaining to do."

River returned to the kitchen where Zuasi had hid herself, and was greeted with the sight of her pacing back and forth holding her arms, muttering "fuck fuck fuck shit fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK shit god damn fuck motherfucker fucking fuck holy shit-"

The moment she noticed another person was watching her, she froze and clamped her mouth shut and faked a big smile. "Oh, heeeey Riv! So uhhh... we finally good to go now or what?"

River only crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "Zuasi, you never told me you were a runaway."

"I-I'm not!" Zuasi stomped her foot, "I got old enough to leave the nest, that's all! I mean, I'm twenty years old-"

"In our years," River stared straight into her eyes, which the hybrid quickly looked away, "But you're half zeti. They age far slower than we do. You're still far from an adult."

"I'm still older than you!" Zuasi found herself backing up against the opposite wall. She felt a little shaky.

"But you're still a child!" River exclaimed, and slowly began to approach, hoping that just maybe they can calm down and talk this out. "Your parents are looking for you, they miss you and are so worried about you. I know it's hard, but you need to come forward with them, reveal yourself, and try to amend for all this-"

"Why?!" Zuasi tensed up further and turned her back on River, too scared to even look at her, "So they can just go back to hiding their biggest embarassment?!"

That was loud. Just loud enough for someone outside of the house to hear. The rumbling returned, it felt closer, heavier. There was no mistaking it, it was a growl. A real growl from a real creature lurking somewhere outside the house. Zuasi's ears and shoulders dropped. "Oh fuck that's probably my dad..."

Upsilon was too confused by all this new information to process it. Instead, he brought his sword back out and assumed his swordfighting stance. He put a hand on the front doorknob, taking all the strength to make sure his hands would not tremble. "I understand you ladies are having an important conversation and all that, but this seems a bit more dire! Who is your father… and will he hurt us. I am about to go out there and defend my home. I need to know now."

“He might?” Zuasi shrugged, “My dad’s named Zaratch. He’s uh… pretty big, like a little over twice my height, you know? But he’s really awkward and doesn’t know how to talk to others easily so uh… yeah!”

River shook her head, “Zuasi, I seriously think you should go out there and confront him. It’s the best we can do,”

“Haha how about no?” Zuasi chuckled nervously, “He’d just take me all the way back home-“

Another loud, low growl sounded. It must have been right next to the house. River glanced out the window and saw the massive shadow of something moving. A deep, booming voice emerged, “I know you’re in there.”

Zuasi let out a startled yelp from the sudden voice, “A-Ah! Dad?!”

The voice grumbled, “She’s in there isn’t she?! Return her at once!”