Author's Note

This took me days to properly proofread, and the next chapter only took me one. I'm just glad to finally have it published.
So enjoy!

Preparations for The Family

“…Now what?” A young girl asked.

It has been seconds since Ken and Sul escaped the world to who knows where. Actually, that’s not true; the little girl has a pretty good guess of where, but if felt polite to ask anyhow.

The rooftop of Memory’s Skyscraper is host to seven individuals. All wearing a white cloak with gold trimmings, and a gold clip that holds it together around the collar.

The voice came from the smallest member of The Order. Just second to the last from the right.

“Well,” to her left, a member of average adult size with an aged, but jovial voice starts while scratching the back of his head “I, for one, am tired after watching the younglings fight with such spirit. A long night’s sleep would do some good to this old heart of mine.”

“Hmm?” The deep voice comes from the member of big figure, broad shoulders, and muscles that his garment can’t hide. He turns and stares at the mane one member away from him, “But the night is when the real action shows its ugly face.” He gives out a hearty laugh, “You haven’t lived till you faced wave after wave of endless heartless. Believe me, earning death’s embrace puts a whole new perspective in life.” Unseen by anyone, the little girl clenches her fist. He crosses his arms, revealing his bulky, defined muscles. “Someone as old as you has to experience it as least once.”

The old man’s response is a soft chuckle, “You insult me, youngling. You make it sound as if I had a peaceful lifestyle.”

“Before we digress,” The female’s voice comes from the member second to last on the left. She’s holding a tablet while searching the contents on screen, “I’m proud to announce Luminous Suit Mechanoid is 72.69% operational.”

“Hmph,” the gruff comes from her right side. The member sitting on top of the giant screen, a leg hanging from the edge, the other bend so the foot is on screen with his arm across the knee, “three weeks ago you said it was at 71.something. Give it up, Eris. These things are only good for two things.” He moves the arm from his knee and slowly straightens it, thumb up and index finger aiming at the inert mechanoid below, “Getting shred apart and being practice dummies.” His thumb folds like the hammer of a gun.

Eris only keeps moving the content of information that appears on her screen, taking a glance at some and moving the rest after a few seconds of inspection, “Are you implying they’re useless?”

He rests the arms above his knee again, “No, not at all. All I’m saying, is that they’re as useful as Neoshadows are annoying, many in number but lack in quality.”

“…I intend to correct that.”

The little girl that started the conversation looks around, feeling rather ignored at the moment with a small pressure building on her forehead, “But what about my question?”

“Starla, I don’t remember impatience part of your training.” The member one Eris’s stepped to the side so she could hear the firm, and even tone of his voice.

She also steps to the side, but the pressure accumulated into a painful headache, “But I was patient!” She stomps her way towards him, but her outburst caused him to flinch back, “All I asked was one question, but Elden said something else, then Kane began saying mumbo-jumbo stuff again,” she starts poking his chest roughly with a finger when in distance, “and Eris and William wanted a go at each other and I-” her entire body twitches as a jolt of pain invades all around, “and I-” she holds her head in both hands as headache turned into an unbearable migraine.

He takes two steps back for his own safety, “I-I am sure the minor dispute didn’t harbor any ill intent.”

“Starla is right.” He turns Eris, who is still analyzing the contents, “William’s indifference towards my mechanoids is something I can ignore, but outright comparing them to shadows,” her finger stops on the screen as she ponders for the right words, “…is an insult to my person.”

From the corner of his eye, William can see the youngest member of the Order covering her ears the best she can while shaking her head lightly, “No fighting. No more fighting.” Her murmurs are surely heard by everyone because of the silence.

“You could had at least feigned.” He tried to reason

“…” her fingers move around the screen again, “had I lied, her Empathy would have told her otherwise.”

“The more reason for you to at least apologize.”

“Why would I do that? I don’t regret my hostility towards William, and I’m sure he thinks the same about his actions.”

The mentioned member doesn’t reply nor gives any sign he’s listening.

Starla can feel the front of her head beginning to throb as she murmurs to herself “Everything will be okay. Everything will be okay.”

A pat on her head brings her out of her thoughts; she slowly removes her hands from her ears and looks up to see Elden next to her.

His hand caressing the locks of hair under the cloak, “Oh Starla, you’re still too young to understand how love works.”

“Love?” she tilts her head in confusion.

“Yes, love. You see, when two people love each other very much, but don’t know how to express it, they resort to acts that will get the other’s attention. Like name-calling, pranking, and the worst of all, animosity.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes. Even I have trouble understanding why this phenomenon occurs, but it does.”

“S-So you’re saying,” her mind began connecting the dots, “Eris and William like each other very much, but they don’t know how to tell each other, so they have to use insults to express their feelings?”

He nods, “Little, Starla, it won’t take long for you to understand the underlying meaning of emotions.”

The two members of the main topic of the conversation, decided to mind their own business and led Elden handle everything.

As for the member that tried, and failed, to reason with Elden, he smiles underneath the cloak, I doubt there’s any truth of what he spoke, but it at least Starla’s mind is at ease. He turns somber as he recalls the meaning of that pain, Even now she has a difficult time restraining herself. I need to be vigilant of her during our missions, for her sake, and the civilians around her.

After some mumbling over, the youngest member almost jumped as a thought came to mind, “But if people who love each other act like they hate each other, does that mean Eris and Douglass are madly in love?”

Before the elder could respond, she’s grabbed from behind by a giant hand that wraps around most of her body. She doesn’t seem surprised, only confused as she’s raised high.

After Kane places the girl behind his neck, he holds her legs gently – careful so he doesn’t hurt her with his strength, “Heh, those two are head over heels for each other, hickies are like a peck on the cheek for them.”

“Hickies?” She asks with a genuine confusion, “What are hickies?”

Kane’s grin only grew wider, but a root covered his lips before he could explain. He shots a glare to the member responsible to this.

The rose – root growing from inside the bud – he’s holding belongs to no other than Elden, “Ha ha ha ha,” his nervous laugh only angers the giant more, “What about we leave those questions unanswered for when she’s at the right age.” That displeases him even further. The root retreats back, and the rose dissipates in a flutter of rainbow dust, “Say, how about I go answering your question, Starla.”

That’s enough to lit a smile on her face. Even under the shadow of her hoodie, that kind of smile would never go unnoticed, and at the angle where she turned her head, light from the monitors behind him illuminate part of her face.

The sight brings a smile to the elder, “As I said before, I would like nothing more than a nice rest at the castle, but knowing our undisputed leader, she would want us to vacate it once Douglass comes with some good news.” He rubs the back of his head, “Knowing my karma, he will come with excellent news.”

“YAY!” She throws her hands up and her exuberant cheer that spawned a few Neoshadows on nearby rooftops. Their instincts, however, told them to keep their distance. Specifically, the member seated between the six with the legs crossed, gaze focused on the horizon.

It’s uncommon-unheard of actually, for Shadows to hide from what is called their prey, but that member is giving them a bad vibe. Even with the long distance dividing them, they can feel the heavy aura the person emanates.
But what does grab the attention of six of them is a Dark Corridor appearing on the very left.

A few of them raise an eyebrow as the rest watch it with some interest, in Starla’s case, she leans forward from her spot, intrigued for what news he’s going to bring.

A black booth steps out first, followed by a white cloak with gold trimmings covering the rest of the body, “Hi,” he greets with a wave of his hand, “did ya all miss me?” His jovial tone only seems to affect Starla, who nods vigorously and then waits for him to continue.

“Oh, little Starla” the dark corridor behind him closes, “of course I missed you too.”

After he finished, he leans over and sets his elbow against the giant’s side; who blinks, then looks at his right to find Douglass there, “Hey, big guy, how you doing?”

He snorts, steam flaring out of his nostrils, “Fine until an annoying pest arrived.”

“Really! I didn’t know Mr. Nibbles came back. I guess he really does love you.”

“Why you-”

“No more fighting!” Starla’s voice came on top of them, but it doesn’t stop Kane from looming dangerously over the smaller member.

“You heard the girl,” Elden places a hand on Douglass’s and Kane’s shoulder, pushing them – with the latter staying still because of his size – apart in a gentle manner. “How are we supposed to bring new order if we can’t keep it amongst ourselves?”

“Perhaps it’s for the best,” Eris’ comment caught them off guard, causing them focus on her instead. But her attention is focused on the screen: it’s displaying a 2-D model of the mechanoid with the top layer off, showing numerous circuits, metallic cylinders of various sizes for bones, and other stranger components found throughout the body. Currently, red marking appeared on its mask and chest in the shape of its wounds, although they’re nowhere to be severe, the rectangular box near its head is alarming.

Photon Charge: 4%

Photon Charge: 0%

She managed to contain a sigh, then places the tablet in a pocket inside her cloak, This will create troubles in the future.

She turns around, and finds that they’re still waiting for her to continue. She shakes her head, preferring to drop the subject rather than repeat herself again, “Douglass, how did the investigation go?”

He perks at the question, one could tell the way he straightened his slouchy posture, “Ooooh, well, what can I say?”

She blocks a black gloved hand that was about to touch her shoulder. Slowly, she exhales; her patience is not running thin, but his antics are annoying.

Right next to her is Douglass; his shoulders shaking as he stifles his laughter, “What’s the matter, Eris, are you cranky~y? Did you skip dinner?” She closes her eyes, hoping that when she opens them, he will be somewhere else instead. So when she opens them, seeing a sandwich in front of her is confusing, “Brought you some food of that world, its called a Hay Sandwich. Now guess what’s in it.”

She gives him a deadpan expression only he can see.

“Jeez, where did your sense of humor die?”

With a twitch of her finger, the ‘sandwich’ is set aflame, then shortly crumbles into a pile of ash, “With my family!”

“Enough!” They flinch back. Their leader hasn’t moved from her spot, but the weight in her voice is enough to have effect. “Douglass, mission report.”

He recovers, and makes an exaggerated bow, “Your wish is my command.” The act earns a sharp turn of Eris’s head, no doubt glaring at him.

She, as the rest of The Order that aren’t sitting down, fix their gaze to the collage of monitors further back the rooftop, so they can see Douglass after he teleported in front of them.

“The residents of the world were…fun to watch.” He raises a hand and snaps his fingers. The monitor on his left shows a street view of a town. Simple, yet diverse structures that range from small to two floor houses, but all seem to be made of the same material. What came as the real interest are the strange four-legged creatures that trot on the street. All in various sizes and color.

“What are they?” The awe in Starla’s voice would be contagious if this weren’t a serious matter.

“Ponies. You know, like horses. Only a little smaller and more cartoonish.” He takes a glance at the screen, “At least these ones are.”

The member who tried to reason with Eris shakes his head in disapproval, “Does the world hold any use?”

“Oh, Lancelot, you just love getting to the point don’t ya?” Before the other could reply, Douglass snaps his fingers again. All the screens have something to show this time. An empire made of crystals with a castle shrouded in a white glow during the night. A castle/city protruding from the side of a mountain. A large pony, long legs, snow-colored fur, golden necklace with a diamond amethyst in the center and a crown of the same design, and rainbow mane and tail flowing in an invisible wind is standing over a balcony and looking over her kingdom. The last is some sort of cavern, and at the very center is a crystalline tree with five branches holding a large gemstone each; it has the carved shape of a six-point star and of a sun and of a waning moon below it.

The images, despite beautiful or strange to some, doesn’t provide a clear answer. Douglass can see that in the way Lancelot crossed his arms.

“Aside from being one of the largest worlds I had the honor of seeing first. This world baffles even my understanding of magic, and when I say magic, it’s the kind we don’t know anything about.”

“Care to explain why this magic is so rare?” Eris’ skepticism draw a chuckle from him.

“How about this. Can you name a being that can move the sun at will?” He moves a pointy finger in her direction and wiggles it a bit, “Well, can ya?”

She stays silent.

“What I thought.” He throws his arms up high as the thrill of this is too much to contain, “Believe me when I say this world has everything what we ask for, and as an added bonus, we can learn from the magic it offers.” He removes the cloak from his head, revealing his short, dark, spiky hair, and silver mask adorned with black tendrils moving about. “I think this deserves some praise. Dontcha think so too, Sigil?”

Despite six sets of eyes falling on her, she remains still, “…” Her head hangs lower; the implications of starting and finishing their goal are too many for her to count, and that’s not suggesting the possibility of failure, “We will begin by locating a new base in…did you find the name of the world?”

“Yes. If I heard it right, the residents of Ponyville – and no, I didn’t make that name up – call it Equestria.”

“Where are they?” Donald is pacing back and forth in Yen Sid’s Study Room.

Goofy is watching on the side, waiting for his best friend to cool off – which will take a while- and the other inhabitant - wearing a black coat - is in front of the star shaped window, looking at the endless dawn with a carefree smile.

“They shoulda been here by now.”

It might be Goofy’s imagination playing tricks on him, but he saw a bit of steam coming from the magician’s ears, “Don’t worry, Donald. Knowing them, they are probably running late as usual.”

This stops his pacing, but turns his hardened gaze at his taller friend, “Those two are an hour late.”

“Almost an hour,” Goofy points out cheerfully.

“And they stole The King’s Star Shard!”

He holds a finger up, signaling Donald to stop for a moment as he searches a pocket of his vest. Goofy pulls out a crumbled piece of paper. He opens it and reads it out loud, “‘Hi guys, it’s me, Sul. I – well we – leave this note so you guys won’t worry about us. We will be back soon.

P.S. If you see his Majesty, tell him we burrowed his Star Shard for a while.”

This brought a chuckle from the other occupant, but only made Donald cross his arms, “They could have asked us if they wanted to go somewhere.”

After a shake of his head, Goofy replies, “I think that’s just it.” To which Donald raises an eyebrow, “We hardly let them do anything on their own, so they still think we’re treating them like kids.”

His eyes retreat to the floor as he tries to come with an argument, but soon relents as his face softens, “I know, but…”

Seeing his best friend like this brings out a smile on him, because after years of fighting and spending time together, Goofy knows exactly what he’s trying to say, “But it’s just like when we first met Sora.”

It didn’t take long for a smile to set on the magician’s features. A mischievous glean on his eyes as he meets Goofy’s gaze, “Hey, remember when Ken had to smile?”

“Gawrsh, how can anybody forget?” His smile only got wider.

“But do you remember how he smiled?” He adds while leaning forward.

Goofy had to cover his mouth to avoid bursting into laughter, but then, without warning, he reveals a cheeky grin, upper lips pulled up revealing his teeth, cheeks shaking as if using those muscles for the first time while his eyes are turned to the upper corner.

“BWA HAHAH!” Donald fell to the floor, clutching his stomach. His laughter along with Goofy’s – although more restraint – echo throughout the study room, inciting a small chuckle from the other occupant.

Ken’s smile was as monumental as Sora’s first time, so it didn’t come as a surprise when everybody present broke into an uncontrollable laughter. This made the eleven-year-old archer red with embarrassment, and made him bow to never show a smile ever again. After much convincing from Sora, – who said that a smile would make someone else happy – Roxas, – suggested that a simple smile would do it – Aqua, – she actually wanted him to do it again because it’s been ages since she laughed that much (on second thought, that turned his face into a dark shade of red. Strengthening his resolve) – but it took a puppy-eyed Sul and a couple of “Please” (he really wanted to ride the Gummi Ship) to finish the job.

However, before he got aboard the ship, he still wasn’t smiling, to which he responded “I’m smiling on the inside.” To everyone’s surprise, it actually worked.

“Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!” Donald’s laughing shows no sign of letting up, until the room is illuminated by a white light from the outside.

(One Minute Ago)

Ken, if you are getting Sul into danger, I will freeze you again. …So come back safe.

Sele is sitting in front of the Tower’s entrance, elbows on her knees and chin perched on her hands.

Her sky blue eyes watch the stars above, waiting for a sign that they will return soon. She moves a strand of her shoulder length, sea blue hair off her eyes. She’s wearing her usual ragged cloak, clipped around the collar and draped behind her. Revealing her light blue dress that reaches above her knees combined with black, loose fit jeans, along with running shoes – blue on top with white around the sole.

She closes her eyes, What kind of mission will Master Yen Sid have for us?

It was a few days ago she overheard a conversation between the old Keyblade Master, Sora and Riku, talking about a new world unlike any other. Where there’s magic that the ex-witch could not begin to comprehend, creatures far stranger than the ones in Halloween Town, and a light so bright, that it’s unclear what other secrets it may hold.

Maybe they will take us with them. …I wouldn’t mind. A smile crosses her lips, A new world sounds…exotic.

A strong flash passes through her eyelids, prompting her eyes open.

She gasps. The once empty field now hosts Sul lying on his back, holding the Star Shard in his hand, and Ken lying facedown with his cloak on top.

A simple glance tells her they’re both death tired, but she knows for certain that her little brother is the most wounded – as always.

“Sul!” She gets up and hurries over to his side. Her staff – Mirror Drop; a dark blue rod reaching from her shoulder to her legs with a clear, crystal ball at the top end – manifesting under a cluster of bubbles that pop later.

He grumbles while trying to use any part of his body, but the grass beneath him feels more comfortable by the moment.

A green light washes over his body. His injuries heal a moment later, but exhaustion still remains. Albeit, more bearable on its own.

Sul opens his eyes, and thanks to the never-ending dawn, the sunlight was pleasant to the eyes.

“Trouble waking up?”

The teasing tone draws a smile from him. Standing next to him with a soft smile, Sele’s presence is always a welcoming comfort for him, “Just tired.” He responds in a slouchy voice.

“And I know who to blame for that,” she extends a hand to which he accepts.

He’s unsteady on his feet, but can stand on his own.

Seles’ smile widens, but when she turns to her other brother – AKA the one responsible. (Double) AKA the man standing and brushing dust off his shoulder like nothing in the world is wrong –, her face becomes barren of emotion.

Cleaning his cloak is rather useless. Ken knows that, but the grass on his shoulder is bothering him more than it should. Cuts, dirt and worn out spots mean years of use, something he can be proud of, but grass over him means he took a lazy nap on the ground. He won’t let anybody think of him as such.

He stops in mid-brush as the air turns cold. His skin feels littered with ice starting from his feet. What I give to face that mechanoid right now.

He cautiously turns his head, so when his brown eyes meet with a pair of sky blue, he fully turns and straightens up as if in the presence of His Highness…and his sister when she wears eyes that can cut through steel.

Those eyes have a stronger effect for she’s standing a few inches away. The staff on her right hand looks like a dangerous weapon of torture right now.

“Look at me in the eyes,” he obeys her command. “Ken, I will be fair, and let you tell me what happened before I do you know what.”

A foreboding chill ran through his spine, “We-” her eyes narrowed, warning him not to lie, “I wanted to see what the The Order was planning. Yesterday, Chip and Dale intercepted a message, regarding of testing a new type of weapon-”

He flinches when she moves the orb in front of his face. The center glowing a dangerous faint light, “So you thought it was a good idea to explore with just you and Sul?”

“No, he found me grabbing the Star Shard, so I had to take him or he would have told His Majesty...or you,” he then adds, “and then you would have told His Majesty.”

“What else would I have done? By the way, King Mickey already knows.”

He blinks twice, but “But how-”

“Sul left a note.”

He’s left speechless while Sul replies for him, “I thought I should’ve let His Majesty know, so he wouldn’t worry.”

“We’re fortunate His Majesty is merciful.”

He managed to break eye contact without repercussion, “The worst he’s done is scold us, and even then, he just reminds we shouldn’t do things on our own.”

“Because we don’t have to.” *Sigh* With much trepidation, Ken meets her gaze again, relieved that the orb is not on his face, but it turns to guilt at seeing her saddened eyes, “Reckless is not living. It’s asking to get injured. At least you were there with Sul.”

“Actually, we were separated when we entered the world.” Sul corrected without any intention of mischief towards his brother. For him, this is a typical moment between his family.

*Gulp* Her stoic expression puts him at edge again. He feels a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead, “I-I can explain.”

She raises an eyebrow.

He lowers his head in defeat, “I’m…not good at using the Star Shard.”

“So why did you use it?”

“I…”

Sul fills it in for him, “He wanted to see if he could finally use the Star Shard right.”

Silence hangs in the air. Its not unbearable; its not foreboding. Its a calm quiet that has no room left for discussion or questions to be answered.

The orb in Mirrored Drop glows faintly.

The double doors to the tower burst open with Donald and Goofy running through the threshold.

They are both sporting wide smiles as the Mage is about to greet the trio.

“Hey, guys-” he stops short at seeing a giant ice cube with Ken in it. “…Not again,” he grumbles, summoning his staff while his friend goes to Sul and Sele – the latter using her magic to replenish the former’s, whose now standing on steady feet.

The Royal Captain moves his hand to the side of his mouth and whispers, “Where did ya go this time?”

Donald raised his wand high, “Firaga!” A volley of fire is unleashed from the top of the hat, and turns into steam after it makes contact with Ken’s icy cage. The three feel the heat rise as they’re close to the human size sauna, but they really don’t pay that much mind to it.

“We went to The Order’s world to see what they were doing.” The captain was about to gasp ‘What?!’, but Sul placed a finger on lips to signal Goofy to stop. He then removes it and pleads “Please don’t tell Donald yet, or he will get angry at us.”

He quickly looks behind him. Said-duck is walking towards them with a fixed glare.

“What did ya see?”

He replies with a somber tone “They already made that new model.”

Goofy nods, but it doesn’t go unnoticed.

With eyes narrowed and arms crossed, he asks Goofy directly, “What did they tell ya?”

“Umm,” For his part, he looks to the side and scratches his chin.

Sul does the same minus the scratching. Sele closes her eyes, pretending to be concentration on her spell rather than facing Donald’s gaze if it comes her way. The steam finally runs out, revealing, wet from head to toe. For him, one good thing came out of this, Now Sele can’t bother me to wash my cloak.

Donald taps the ground with his foot, looking at all the suspects until *Sigh*. He unfolds his arms and drops his angry demeanor, “Let’s all go inside, so we can give you your mission.”

This brought different levels of excitement to the three siblings. The youngest brother smiled widely. The eldest grinned in anticipation, and the sister has a knowing smile.

The doors to Yen Sid’s study opened, and the first one to enter running is Sul, “Hey, Yen Sid, what kind of mission are we-Huh?”

The person - hands behind his back – is watching the dawn through the star-shaped window. He’s significantly taller than all of them, except for Goofy, and wearing the Organization’s black coat as a memento, but Sul knows he’s wearing blue pants – a little change doesn’t hurt he said once. His most recognizable feature is his long, spiky red hair.

“About time you guys show up,” by now, everyone’s entered the room. Ken and Sele share their brother’s confusion. He looks behind him, showing the tear-like tattoo under his eye along with his signature, easy-going smile. “Any longer and I would have left as well.”

This drew their attention around the room. Donald and Goofy, already aware the Old Wizard has left, walk towards the side of the main desk, and there they wait with eager smiles.

“I didn’t see him leave,” Sele’s gaze falls back on Lea.

“Really?” he relaxes his arms and walks towards Yen Sid’s personal chair, now gaining the brother’s gazes as well. “I’m surprised you didn’t see any of that outside. The light show he put almost left me blind.” Once in front of it, he sits…uncomfortably. His discomfort is clearly shown as he shifts around.

Lea shifts to the front of the chair, legs up on the table, head on the stony recliner with hands behind for comfort. …It makes it worse. He moves his hands to the armchairs and pushes himself up, “How can he still walk after sitting in something like this?” He muses out loud while feeling an uncomfortable ache on his rear.

Sele holds back a giggle, and Donald facepalms without anybody noticing.

“Um, Lea,” Sul points at him with a finger, “Didn’t you used to sit in something like that?”

He rubs the back of his head, looks off to the side and says “Had Saix gotten the weekly meetings approved, I wouldn’t have lasted a month.”

“Was it really that bad?” He asks while studying the stone, but well-carved chair.

“Bad? It felt like I was sitting on glass, only less slippery.” Out of the corner of his eyes, Lea notices Sele suppressing her giggles. He lets out a playful smile and arched an eyebrow, “Is there a joke I missed out on?”

“Well-Hehe-maybe,” it took a few seconds for her to compose herself, “Master Yen Sid uses an alignment spell to increase the humidity around the base, and heats the surface so its above room temperature.”

“Let me guess, I need water affinity for it to work.” After she nods, he lets out a noncommittal shrug, “Go figure.”

*Ahem* Donald is giving Lea an impatient gaze. Then signals towards the teens with a jerk of his eyes.

“Oh, right.” He walks around the desk, “So, why do you think you’re here?” And finishes as he sits on the desk – just as hard as the chair, but noticeably warmer, which he will take.

“A mission, and its very important,” Sul answered. He knows meetings in the Mysterious Tower are never for light matters, more so with the Order lurking around the worlds like the Organization he heard about.

While the older brother ponders if it will be exiting or not, Sele smiles, Because she has an idea of what it could be.

“Important is pretty close, but I think you’re gonna love what comes next.” His lips curve into a small grin at seeing their confusion, “Pack your things. You three alone will take a field trip to a new world.”

The responses are a mixture of thrill from Sul, a gasp from Sele, and suspicion from Ken.

“When are we going?”

“Only us?”

“What kind of world is it?”

The three glance at each other before looking back at Lea. Who is slightly amused.

He points at finger at the sword user, “You first.”

Sul is more than happy to, “When can we go?”

“Just a matter when you are ready.”

Lea turns his head to Sele, “You said ‘you three alone’. Does that mean it will only be Ken, Sul and me?”

“That’s right, so no pressure.”

As he shifts his attention to the last brother, her confusion deepens, Is this the mission Yen Sid talked about?

“…What type of mission will this be?”

“Your favorite: exploration.” He taps the side of his head with a finger, “Got it memorized?”

The answer does draw an irritated glare from the archer.

“Come on, Ken,” Sul looks at his brother with an eager smile, “it sounds like fun.”

“Sure,” he moves his gaze to the wall on his side, “if all you like to do is ask questions all day.”

The younger brother tilts his head in confusion, “What’s wrong with that?”

Ken let’s out a sigh while massaging his temples with a thumb and an index finger, I thought I didn’t have to do these kind of missions when I became lieutenant.

*Hmph* Sele turns her head to the right - opposite to Ken - with her eyes closed “Sul, if he wants to be difficult, it doesn’t mean you have to be the same.”

The air grew dense as Ken didn’t respond, or even turn to see Sele is not giving him the indifferent stare.

This is nothing new of course, but still, Goofy can’t stand to see two friends, especially brother and sister, wordlessly dispute like this.

He chirps in with a wide smile, “Aren’t you all excited to explore a new world?”

Sul snaps out of his musings. A wide smile of his own adorns his face, “Excited?” He extends an arm to the side, curling it around Ken’s neck and bring him closer. Then does the same to Sele, “We can’t wait to go!”

The brother and sister look at each other from their position. Their looks of surprise quickly turn into a glare before turning their head in the opposite direction.