Gemini was peacefully reading a book when Justin threw open the front door and physically dragged him out of the house and into the evening city of Seh Jenah, where they found a tavern resting on the corner of one of the less busier streets, in reality it was one of the nicer taverns that Gemini had ever seen, and the interior did not disappoint either as well respected adventurers and commonfolk spoke at a medium tone with casual smiles on their face.
Justin grumbled as they walked in, muttering something disappointment while Jacob threw his arms behind his back and yawned before taking a seat at the bar, which the shaggy blonde haired brute named Brody as well as Gemini followed suite.
"Nice place..." Jacob complimented the tavern with a satisfied look on his face, meanwhile to Gemini's right, Brody placed his bare arm on the polished wooden table and scoffed.
"I suppose, although you've never seen a Capital Tavern... Those are where its at." Brody nodded in his own approval, while Jacob glanced towards the curtain where a young bartender around Gemini's age with long and silky black hair and an impressive figure to back up her bright blue eyes: The bartender walked out and greeted the three of them with a smile.
"Three rounds of Seh Jenah Ale-" Brody began to say before getting cut off by Gemini who desperately cut in.
"Just two."
"Alright, two Establishment ales?" She double checked, which Jacob nodded with polite thanks.
"You allergic?" Brody asked, tugging at the corner of his mud-stained white tank top.
Gemini shook his head, "No, I just don't drink..." Which Brody scoffed again but refrained from pressuring the dwarf.
"What's Justin doing?" Jacob asked, leaning over his shoulder while trying to find the leader of their odd trio.
"Said something about blackjack didn't he?" Brody mumbled, before the bartender returned placing the mugs on the table with the flash of her mature smile.
"You should try mingling with her." Brody suggested, clinking his glass against Jacob's who took a sip with a bitter grimace, meanwhile Brody downed half the glass in a single swig.
Gemini shook his head. "That would be an insult..." He said with a solemn sigh.
"Oh hush now, aint nobody care that you a dwarf. Just be yourself man, you only live once." Brody complained, downing the rest of his ale, while Jacob only glared at his mostly full mug with dread in his eyes.
"I'm going to go to the bathroom..." Gemini quickly got up and fled from the scene walking through the most optimal route for the avoidance of people before quickly scurrying into the bathroom and looking into the mirror at the far back of the well kept bathroom.
Gemini flipped the metallic wheel and a small fountain of water began to splash him in the face, cooling his panicked nerves, allowing him to glance at himself in the mirror.
That's when Gemini realized that someone was standing behind him, wearing a full suit of polished steel armor with obsidian trims and a completely covered face.
Gemini felt fear at first, but a strange sense of familiarity ran through his veins, which had been something that only made the situation twice as horrifying, because when Hextra had taken over his mind, it had been welcoming it at first, almost as if it would provide him with safety.
So, he was extra on guard when he turned around to see the knight who only tilted his head at Gemini.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" The knight asked, his voice deep and almost pained, making the man appear as almost a shell of armor with nothing inside of it.
"I- Uh- No sir..." Gemini said, putting his head down and frantically escaping the bathroom.
For it had not been the familiarity or the fear that caused Gemini to flee as fast as possible, but it had been the resemblance between the sense of corrosion that both Chase and Rider had both radiated like a plague...
...
Luke sat before the fireplace with a conflicted look on his face, Luna meanwhile was happily swaying her head while knitting a shirt on the opposite couch.
"Don't you agree?" Luke asked, looking up at the girl with silver hair and eyes wearing a white sleeping gown over casual clothing as she set her project down and threw her legs over the side of her couch.
"Hmm... I agree that the both of them need to step it up as leaders in the absence of Leo, Hans, and Michael... But I don't think we should speed up their development when it comes to their affinities, ask a god like me or Volaris, you have to let it naturally grow and flourish, trying to rush a powerful affinity is asking for it to backfire on you... We have already seen it first hand with Chase, his own abilities are litterly killing him because he went too far..." Luna said waving her finger in the air as lunar particles danced around it.
Luke grimaced, "It's not enough... Luna, if Chase hadn't somehow brought himself back to life, we all would have died... We need them to get stronger, and we need to follow in their footsteps when they do, but it has to be them who pave the way. Don't you understand?" Frustration sat on the tip of Luke's tongue.
"Than what do you propose? Because, I'm certain that Volaris is testing Equan... Which means I shouldn't interfere."
Luke took a deep breath.
"What about Chase? He is using a weapon he has no clue how to wield and trying to face stronger and stronger threats by the day." Luke suggested, clicking his metallic fingers against themselves.
"We shouldn't not with the corruption going off every time he uses pyronetic energy..." Luna dismissed, shaking her head with conflict now shown in her expression.
"Than what if we just improve his combat? Or a different ability, he has more than just flames..."
"Fine... But you have to figure out how to improve the both of them without ruining their progress..." Luna grumbled, standing and heading too her room for the night.
"Wait..." Luke thought aloud.
"What is it?" Luna asked with a lazy turn.
"I might have an idea..." The sound of the fireplace flickering was all that followed... As the two immediately got to work on their plan to strengthen the pillars of lightning and flame...