"My name is Corwin Hale. It is a pleasure to meet all of you," Corwin says, bowing to be as polite as Nell. He even manages to come off as feminine as she does, despite being clearly a man. Fenrir worries for Corwin when he sees Marija licking her lips while looking at him. It's clear her strike zone includes men and women alike as long as they are polite, feminine, and either look like princesses or princes who want to be treated like princesses.

Next is Rainbow Afro. As soon as he opens his mouth to introduce himself, Marija cuts in, "That should do it for introductions."

"Ouch," King Cat says. "You really hate his accent, don't you?"

"It isn't cute at all."

"You know, for somebody who loves to hang skeletons all over the place, you sure do love cute things. Kind of contradictory, don't you think?"

"How is that contradictory? Skeletons are cute. You should see the charm I have on my phone."

"Come on, don't get started on this in front of everybody. You're supposed to be some sort of tough chieftess, not a goth squealing over skeletons."

"You just reminded me. I got tickets for a concert but won't be able to make it. Want them?"

"Are they some goth metal band like the last one with tons of screaming?"

"Yes."

"I guess I'll drop by and take them off you for my sis. I—"

"Maybe some other time?" Rainbow Afro interrupts. King Cat and Marija clear their throats and lean back in their seats, trying to get back on topic.

"Sorry about that," Marija says.

"It's all right. I'm guessing you two are friends in real life?" Fenrir asks.

"Coworkers," Marija replies.

"And friends," King Cat adds. "But mainly coworkers."

"You never want to just admit it, you stubborn woman."

"You always want to be too personal, you insubordinate cat‑lover."

Rainbow Afro coughs, ending their back-and-forth. King Cat apologizes this time. "Sorry about that."

"Let's get to the point before we get distracted again," Marija says. "You believe an army is going to attack?"

"I'm willing to bet it will, but right now all I can say for a fact is that an army exists," Fenrir explains.

"And you agree with him?" Marija asks King Cat.

"That I do," he answers. "Call it a gut feeling. Or something else. Either way, I can tell something big is going to happen—call it a cat's instincts."

"Why don't you get some cat ears and a tail like the dog over there if you're so obsessed with cats?"

"Because those look better on girls than guys."

"You could always become a girl."

"Not after what you put me through last time."

Fenrir and Nell sit there, blinking at the conversation. Corwin is keeping to himself and tuning out any conversations that are clearly not meant for him to hear, and Tabitha is still looking at Marija’s muscles as if they are the most beautiful wonders she has ever seen. “The Shoebill is going to get jealous if you stare too hard,” Fenrir whispers to Tabitha. Tabitha elbows him in the side before returning her attention to Marija. “C’mon, y’all. I was busy practicing my new skills before this. Bicker like a pair o' lovers after the rest of us are gone,” Rainbow Afro says. Despite being the most immersion-breaking man in the room, he’s the one who seems to be taking the meeting the most seriously, even as he combs a rainbow-colored brush through his afro. “They are quite the characters, my hero,” Nell whispers. “Yeah, but they seem to get along pretty well. I like them,” Fenrir whispers back. “I should also mention that I will be expecting quite the pampering later.” “Thanks, and you’ll get pampered as much as you want.” “I am tempted to mimic Serra and ask if there is something else I can get as much as I want, but alas, I would feel guilty stealing her job from her.” “You know, just saying you want to say that is basically the same as saying it.” “Saying what, my hero? I have only said that I wish to be pampered.” “Sure you did. Anyway, if you want that later then I can give you as much of—” King Cat coughs this time. That's when Fenrir and Nell realize they have gone from whispering to speaking at a normal volume. They both blush and try to brush it off with light chuckling, but even Tabitha is staring at them with an unimpressed expression.

"Anyway," Fenrir says, "I think we have two options. We can either wait until the army attacks on its own, or we can lure it to a place where we're prepared."

"Is seeking the army out and destroying it at its location not an option?" Marija asks.

"It is—unless we have a good way of destroying an army at the bottom of the ocean. Tabs here could probably make some depth charges if she really wanted to, but I have a feeling those wouldn't be enough. Though they might help thin the numbers. Tabs, could you do that?"

"Already workin' on plans for some. The deer suggested that," Tabitha answers. "Leave it to Olly."

"Is it safe to assume you want to lure the army to a specified location, then?" Marija asks.

"Yeah. I think it'd be the best option to deal with it without putting any of the towns at risk."

"Spike Port is the most defensible town in this region."