Chapter 6: A step forward, a thought back

Mistakes were made and things weren't certainly going easy for Miles Lionheart as he prepared himself for the next step after his exodus from Prism University.

The shaking train-carriage kept him from finding rest in the last few hours and so he decided to spend this time trying to summarize, strategize and plan the following approach for how things had escalated to the point of seeing him running away.

Three years filled with desperate attempts of him trying to get some recognition or even developing some ambition out of the different opportunities offered by the prestigious establishment that was Prism Uni were all slammed back by something that was painfully true.

Lack of interest, an absurd lack of willingness to master any of the few things he had learned to either like or love in the last three years of studies, his whole self unable to keep up with the strong personalities of his generation, many of them actually being around him as he struggled with his own life.

People like Davin, Toby and Shin, which had found their own state of balance in their own ways, or like Tiggs, Vixy and Ann, which learned in due time how to properly exist in the universe, were prime examples of those that had conquered fame this early in their lives with (mostly) rightful ways and attitudes.

Even unpleasant people like Angel and Tiare had their own objectives defined and ready to be conquered with sufficient hard-work and willpower with how things were going for them.

He sighed for the umpteenth time, his mind wandering further to the very individual he had to have hurt the worst with this shitty decision of his.

He was conscious that everyone was suffering because of his selfish mindset as of now and yet, she was standing on top and giving him the worst look possible.

Of all the people that Miles was sure that had tried to keep him from straying from the 'shining future' lying before him, it was Hope.

An aspiring singer and someone that was attracted madly by the little runt that was Shin Aryoko, the girl didn't have any reason to notice him right by the first day, and yet she did and shared with him part of her life.

It had been inspiring, her dreamy tones motivational and pushing him to try his hardest to qualify in something, all attempts resulting in out-right failures and further angsty directed at himself.

She had cared even when she hadn't shown any malicious interest about using him, genuinely giving him true faith in himself and steering him in the right directions at the right time.

Sadly, she had been completely unaware of how much of a terrible person she was harboring so kindly and gently, and possibly she was hurting because of it. The moment he had stepped inside the train, every single moment with her flashed in a dual trail of tears.

Miles had been glad that he had been wearing a hoodie at the time, there was just so much he had to let out without anyone seeing. Without anyone preaching him about his behavior.

Hope had been there for him since day one, she had been his first friend and his closest confidant. She had been there in his best and worst moments, bringing with her the literal hope he had been lacking during those trying events.

Even now, after his ungraceful fall that led him to leave Prism University, her presence was tangible by the warming number of attempted calls his phone had registered.

Desperation was palpable to his numb mind, yet he still refused to answer. Even the little runt had to go out of his nerdy ways to get in contact with him, four were the failed calls displayed by the device and… the others did try too.

Even Tiggs, the girl which he had shared that very singular night… that had brought him to breakup from his declining lifestyle. Gone was the old Miles that would always whine over his inability of conquering his own place in a legitimate manner, now a more selfish and simplistic Cat Prime was walking with his name and resemblance.

'...Man, that did sound quite cheesy, now that I think about it.'

He sighed as he walked outside the small train that had taken him the further place from where he had just escaped. This little forsaken town in the countryside region of Gossamer was predictably the best hiding spot where he planned to keep a discreet silence over what had just happened.

Call it being a coward or an ungrateful moron, but Miles wasn't truly feeling the strength of being butchered by heart-stricken words as of now for he knew that even a single hint of a familiar voice would have been enough to have him collapsing on himself and let go of his current state of composure.

'Reborn' was his new gig, but he was still too frail to truly venture about the possibility of sharing some meaningful words with his former friends after what had happened mere days ago. He expected anger, distrust and utter hatred from them because of how he had dealt with his own problems.

Tiggs was surely hating herself for complying at her need, probably calling herself the real cause to blame for his departure. Untrue, but not totally wrong, Miles had to admit in a bitter mood.

The Cat Prime had gone far with this life-changing choice, there was no doubt about it and… he felt sorry about how shit had hit the fan.

But to risk an apology now that he was away from the painful topic? He couldn't help himself but appreciate the fact that he was granted a less-expensive life in this village in the middle of nowhere.

He could remember hearing the English Literature teacher mentioning about this very place, having spent numerous summers here to experience the simple life of a farmer, growing to love this town and its inhabitant.

Yet Miles wasn't here to be a manual worker for some old farmer, he wasn't searching for labor or stress for some little gain.

He wanted a place where to rest until the heat had simmered down enough for him to re-approach the 'gang' without any major hard-feelings. Which would be a terribly long time given how some knew how to cultivate a grudge for years at best.

A hum roared quietly from his throat to his closed lips as he ventured in the partially-crowded roads of the town, golden eyes blinking left and right as he basked at the lack of any people from the 'big city'.

He was the only one coming from Prism, he guessed silently and happily. Still, he knew he couldn't linger much around this simple district and any deep exploration would end up being planned only much later as he had yet to settle down his things in his 'new home'.

The dusty gym bag currently by his side was being used to keep everything he had claimed as his own after coming at the University. A handful of stuff that was either clothes, pictures of lovely ladies, or some books he deemed worth to 'save' from the 'eternal exodus' of his. A tiny smirk formed in his face.

His crappy sense of humor was almost there to torment those that dared to irk him if not by just a little. One can wonder how much he would last before getting his own butt kicked by some annoyed girl or some jealous guy.

Miles yawned as he found the little flat that was supposed to shelter him until propitious times and… it was a shack. A rundown shack that hadn't seen life for decades from the state of things. It was just at the edge of the town, far enough for his loud snort to not be caught by any of the country-folks wandering around.

He had thought that with the current state of money (or what was left of his meek pocket money) he could have gotten some interesting deal out of the 'kind' and 'respectful' gentleman that had offered him that horrible place.

Knowing that he had been deceived and given the worst affair of his life (second only to the mess he had caused back at Prism), he decided to do something he had avoided for some time now.

Entering through the broken down door and pacing towards what was supposed to be his living/bed/bathroom, he fell on the simple mattress on sight, his noise flaring at the disgusting stench coming from it, but he continued with his planned reaction.

The following loud yell that lasted for more than a dozen of seconds was muffled by the fabric of the moldy thing and Miles got up from it with a tired expression. Not one that required sleep, but rather one that had him needed some little action before truly going for a power-nap.

He was aching for some trouble, maybe something to get him out from his gloomy state. He truly wanted to get shitfaced this early in the morning, like he really wanted to see some star before resting.

Anything that could get him to stop about Hope would work for him.

There was a pub in the town, he discovered with a gleeful mind and, as he entered inside, he was greeted with the presence of some people already enjoying the happiness that only alcohol could offer.

He didn't waste any time in getting in one of the stools by the counter and cheerfully asked for a light-beer. The bartender lifted a surprised frown, possibly shocked by the fact someone as young as he was had ordered beer this early in the day and… he still complied.

The beverage was quickly dispensed and he took just a sip. It was enough to get him mind running smoother as the stinging feeling woke him up from his early discomfort. He felt more-focused, more interested on things.

'Yep, this is doing the trick.'

Another sip, this time longer than the first one, and the mug felt warmer to his touch. Miles blinked on the side, golden eyes turning to stare at the fellow men beside him and… he frowned.

Instead of a Prime, the closest guy to him was actually a human close to his age. The Cat blinked again, this time surprising evident in his face as he tilted closer to see if he wasn't seeing things with how little fur was visible on the dude's face.

The man frowned in return and narrowed his eyes at the Prime.

“Is something wrong?" He asked with a calm but cautious tone, causing the young man in his quick look at the realization he had been 'caught in action'.

“Just surprised to see a human here of all places," Miles replied with an interested tone. “Are you perhaps a tourist?"

The question might have sounded impertinent, but the alcohol was lessening his already-low inhibitions and the bluntness was set free for him to use.

The man frown deepened, but he shook his head. “Not a tourist. Just been there for less than a week."

Oh? A fellow new kid? What are the odds!

“Well, I'm new too," The Cat admitted with a small smile. “Name's Miles. What yours?"

“Matt," He replied curtly, his frown softening. “Nice to meet you, Miles."

He extended his gloved hand, causing the former student to return the action and shake it.

“Likewise, Matt."

There was some silence yet now that he had his beer and some peace, Miles' own attention span was taken by that unique sight.

Humans weren't that much of a common sight even in Prism, but to see one living here of all places was enough to bring up the fact that there had to have been a major reason for Matt to have ventured this deep.

Could it be an attempt to avoid the urban restrictions of jobs for fellow humans or was it some shady business similar to the Cat's plight?

Difficult to discern at first thought and words. Thus, his curiosity spurned him to speak more, to ask for 'more clues'.

“Sounds like you have learned lots from a few days," He pointed out with a cheeky tone. “I wonder, do you have a work or something here or-"

“I work at a farm." Matt interrupted quietly. “Just a quiet place where I do stuff mostly alone."

A lone worker at a farm? Now the mystery was turning juicier than planned. Why would an owner hire just a worker for the tasks and maintenance of a place as big and complex as a farm?

“That's tough!" Miles said after another long sip at his cup. “I bet the work is brutal."

A little snort left the human's lips. “Only a little. It's manageable." He commented with a somewhat-happier tone.

It was kind of odd to see someone that had to endure a daily dose of labor look this much… happy with what he had. His mood reminded him of the others at Prism Uni, how they seemed so satisfied with that they had obtained over time… but it was also different.

Many of those examples had some qualities that took them to their celebrity and popularity, but Matt wasn't showing any of that.

No quality other than strength and endurance could genuinely help with the hard work that was the one of manual laborer, the strains of each task being unbelievably complicated and quite difficult to process through in practice.

He was far too average to look at and he even wasn't tall and bulky enough for the Cat to believe that the human was the sole worker to a farm around here. It was far too incredible to just accept the statement he had just heard.

“You mean that you do this all alone?" Miles pressed on, there sure was something off about this. Something he was missing-

“I do the work at the farm mostly alone," Matt explained with a sigh. “The son of the owner helps me with some of the minor things like replanting the minor plants and providing water all around."

“So it's two workers-"

“He is mostly helping his mother as she is most of the time bed-ridden," The interjection brought a brief halt to his interest, the fact he had gone towards a rather sore topic for the human was evident at the tense tone and little flinch he had on his face.

“But I do think I have a co-worker in a friend of mine that should be here anytime now-"

“Good morning."

The sudden loud but calm greeting was enough to not only interrupt the farm-worker but also get Miles to turn his attention at the entrance were… a fairly tall and strong Bull Prime was approaching from.

'Oh Cripes!'

“Oh Minos, good morning to you too," Matt smiled as he stood up to look at the incoming tall man. “And let me introduce you to Miles here."

The Cat gulped nervously and sported the calmest composure possible, which was a panicking look mixed with a scared one. “H-Hello."

“Hello to you too, Miles," Minos replied back with a polite edge. “And I suppose you are new to town, aren't you?"

“Y-Yes. Just arrived today and… this is a nice place, isn't it?" Miles had to calm down before causing a mess, but his brain was doing the complete opposite and chit-chatting more than he wanted to.

Red eyes sported surprise at the sudden question, but the fellow Prime nodded.

“It is," Minos answered with a small smile, taking a seat beside the human and away from the Cat Prime, much to the latter's relief.

More silence, this time of the awkward time.

Miles took this opportunity to down hard the rest of the beer and… yep, his mind was starting to lose it at the sudden intake of a large quantity of alcohol.

Until a few days ago, he would have easily tanked four to five entire bottles of the drink, but being tired and lacking the energy to process the beer, the Cat Prime wasn't in his top shape.

He blinked, his sight turning a little blurry and his mind giving one last smart decision before going out from the loop. He had to go and catch some shut-eye… without any derail.

Without hesitation, he wobbled his arm over the counter and tapped his knuckle on the creaky wood. The owner of the pub noticed the gesture and approached. “Do you need something, sir?"

“I- I wish to pay," The young man replied, holding back a 'hic' from leaving his lips.

The elder nodded and prepared the piece of paper with the correct price of his order and, once he was passed it, Miles' eyes widened just a fraction at the number.

He double-checked, narrowing in surprise at the incredibly-cheap cost of a single beer.

The quality was actually better than any he had taken back in Prism and the price was affordable if not a complete steal in his opinion at how low it was. He nodded at the bartender as he fished from his pouch the required amount of money and stood up from his seat.

“It's nice to know ya both," He admitted in a little drunkish tone. “And I hope to see ya later. Going for some nap now."

There was a small smile on the human's face. “Well, see you soon too, Miles and… be careful to not trip."

As if he could ever stumble right no-Thud

The Cat Prime groaned as his face slammed painfully on the unforgiving wood but he was grateful enough to thank both dudes from picking him up. Minos pulled a little quicker compared to Matt, possibly because of his clearly-superior strength compared to the human.

“Are you sure you don't need help to get back to your current home?" Matt offered once again, this time the tempting deal gaining a legitimate interest from Miles… but he shook his head.

“I want to have a 'lone walk. Nothing personal," Miles specified and soon he was let go as he wobbled out of the establishment and back to his old tracks. The old and stinky mattress, being his current objective as of now.

And just as he wandered out in the open with a tired and terribly-influenced mind, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of day tomorrow was going to be.

After all, he still needed to find some source of income for the sake of surviving the following few days…

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Diana sighed happily as she slowly flipped another page from the picture-book sitting on her lap, her green eyes fixed so intensively at the precious photos contained in that little thing.

She was glad of having been finally granted some free time from her son's careful ministrations, the young man having gone to the kitchen to prepare the food for lunch and giving her some long-deserved lone time to spend with herself and only herself.

The woman hummed as she felt being dragged down in multiple memory lanes at the sight of so many beautiful moments of her life.

Her mind was restless in bringing up the very events that had inspired those pictures, when times were simpler for her and the rest of her family.

Before things could actually escalate to this decaying predicament she was facing, both literally and socially. Only Randal had remained close to the maternal house, being the usual sweetheart by aiding around with his understanding but somewhat lovable manners.

Her big boy had turned in a proper man. Every time she would say this to him to get a blush or two out of him, just for the sake of seeing him flustered and nervous as he had been back as a child.

Yet many things had changed from back then, gone were the years when she was still strong enough to take all the burdens of life at once, now it was a responsibility that Randal shared in half while the tasks of the farm were firmly directed by the lone human she had taken in mere days ago.

Matt was the sweetest young man together with her son, very kind and very understanding of the situation happening around Las Lindas.

The distrust directed at them had been mostly shattered the evening before during dinner, the gift he had given to her was now safely contained in the well-maintained pot beside her bed, the flowers bringing some more life to the little gray texture of it all.

It had been some time since she had received flowers, the last time being when Randy had returned, bringing a couple of her favorite sunflowers, those having long died away because of the lack of light in the room.

A little tragedy that had saddened her until now, her hopes of having this couple of Lavenders to survive stronger than any of her current ambitions. Which wasn't much, truth be told, but it was enough to get some effort out of her weary body.

She was tired of doing many things, yes, but she wouldn't refuse to have this pretty ones be preserved to survive for a long time. They just looked… so gorgeous and lovely for her to stare at. Something that left her mesmerized and quite endeared to, despite the simplicity of their form.

But returning to Matt, her mind couldn't help but be focused on the little revelation he had allowed to pass to both her and Randal.

The news that his parent had passed away in a car accident several years ago had been a good motivation for the gloom tone he would adopt when even the topic was slightly touched prior to this revelation and…

She couldn't help but empathize with the continuous struggle happening in the daily life of the young man.

As much as her son would partly understand the situation, having been an orphan for a brief amount of time before getting adopted by Diana, it was the woman herself that found it quite ironic how fate had given her such a specimen that so strongly brought up her distant past.

It was a feeble thing from a long time ago, a time where she was still young and very lonely after losing her own parents during a natural disaster, an earthquake that had devastated much of the previous farm where she had been living for most of her childhood and early teen years.

It had all happened out of nowhere, shattering her little perspective of things and hopes of a bright future as her focus wavered and she was forced to re-evaluate things about her life that she once thought undeniable.

Things changed as a better Diana had rose from the dark tones that had preceded her new initiatives, her pace eased and quickened at the same time as she found her vocation at the farm she was hired to work for.

Then it became Las Lindas with the new responsibilities hailing from the fact she was now leading the very activity she had been just a worker for.

A bitter smile had crossed her features when the revelation had properly sunk deep in her brain, her own long-lost memories resurfacing briefly at the time as to remind her of the harshest bits of her early adulthood.

The farm had brought out a new chance at bringing balance to her whole self, but it had also rendered her static and… very-limited.

Even when he came around, with his loving tones and delightful sweetness, it had been unfair how things had ended up to be.

Even with the most precious of gifts given by the safe birth of her daughter, Mora had been left fatherless because of the development of many shady situations all at once.

There had been indeed a reason for her former husband's mysterious disappearance and the very motivation was caused by the very marks covering most of her body now.

Her eyes closed in minor pain, the 'scars' leaving her suffering for a while but not as painfully as usual. It had been so ever since Matt had tried to help her up after falling during one of the normal seizures and… the entire pain had completely vanished as he somewhat took it upon himself.

He had been sweating, looking pale and suffering a little as he got her out of the bathroom with Randy's help. The sight had not left her for some time, persisting even after that night she had woken up into.

Very frustrating to think that somehow the 'Scars' were affected and affecting the human that she was harboring as her worker at the farm, yet she was mostly curious as of why this had truly happened.

Never in any books detailing the complicated Prime culture was it mentioned about the effects the 'Narakhan Culture' had over humans, death being the sole conclusion to the presence of such 'degeneration'.

It was that, death. He should have been suffered much more if, but that was only if he had been forced to deal with a 'turning' process which hadn't been the case in question.

In fact, humans were the most requested medical aid for the treatment of faulted Turnings as those required

So why was Matt influenced by this phenomenon? She should ask… someone important. But what good would then do to the young man with so many eyes trying to find something 'wrong' about him?

Ambar wouldn't have been the one going through this, possibly someone a little more accustomed to the Narakhans, like Kayin, Grace or even Kate.

The Crests were the sole containers of the ancient knowledge and, in case of something as anomalous as the fact that had just happened, the woman was sure that one would be sent to deal with this disturbance.

Which is why it was best for Kate to never learn about this. A good-hearted person, but far too strict and rather practical in the solution of most of the problems around her as proven by their first 'unique' encounter.

It had been lucky enough for her to conceive her baby girl for her rare biology, but to face the partial wrath of the Crest of Light? Diana was sure that she had dodged quite the big bullet back when she had been protected by Ambar herself.

The High Prime had been rather secretive, yet open in disclosing of the essential information about her case and the importance of keeping a close eye on Mora.

As much as her daughter behaved and acted as a normal child to a simple teen, the girl had some of the Narakhan's genes in her body and the lack of the classic black marks on the babe's skin had struck a weird note to the ever-intelligent Crest of Wisdom.

Caution was advised over the matter, citing the importance of making sure the little Prime enjoyed a safe life away from any major dangers.

While in a normal context it was sure that Mora wasn't going to show anything abnormal, the same wasn't assured in case of extreme danger and any grand calamity.

This is why, despite having the rebellious streak, Diana had been careful enough to make sure her daughter never experienced much of a problem in the family and… that ended biting her back in return as the child, at the time just a young adult, craved in a spoiled manner more information about her father.

Of course, the woman had denied her the chance of knowing the harsh truth and… things fell apart from that. Little Alej had left the farm just two years prior to that turning point and Randy had been studying far from home, thus was unable to visit as frequently as before going to college.

With Mora's departure for the sake of answers, Diana was left alone without a reason to continue with her burdens.

The lack of willpower was essential in the hastening of the corruption's pace and in the span of just five years her health had deteriorated to a point where even preparing something to eat proved to be a difficult task for her body.

Another sigh turned up from her lips and her attention shifted back to the picture book in her hands. She flipped again the page and this time, her stare fell on the child that was Alejandra Coldthorn.

The little intelligent gal that had been under her care for most of her childhood to the late stages of her teenage years.

She had been a shy but adorable thing that somehow fitted well with the troublesome duo formed by her children.

It's been just a year since she had last seen the aspiring businesswoman and the last encounter had ended in possibly the worst outcome available.

While the ambitious young woman had turned into someone respectable and clever even beyond books, there was still something of a pretentious side that had persisted after so long.

And while her reasoning sounded really pleasant and good to hear about the acquisition of Las Lindas under her management from the way she worded it, the owner of the farm knew perfectly the subtle strategy the girl was falling for.

While her good heart was telling her to take over the lands, Alej was completely unaware of the trap she was going to be deal with if such situation ever came to pass.

While she was leading a company, the board of directors had the most influence and power, people without ethical morals that would gleefully attack their own boss for the sake of obtaining the highest seat of power.

'Misconduct of the administration' was a thing that had been applied to many modern companies like the one her surrogate daughter was currently ruling over, and that was why any mistake she did, even those for the sake of heart, were going to bitterly hurt her in the long run.

Her mind wandered back to the letter that Matt had given to her, the one that dignified the fact that little Alej had indeed came to Gossamer for a day and… avoided to make contact with her.

It wasn't difficult to see that the girl was still afraid of how things had gone ugly that particular day they had last meet and yet she was impressed by the fact that the gal wanted to spare some words with her.

There was the implicit guarantee that nothing about the farm was going to be discussed and that it was only going to be a meeting to talk about… mending things up. To recover what was recoverable and make amends for any mistake made by both sides.

It was a good request, Diana mused quietly, but it would require a reply for the sake of informing of time and place about the meeting. Her house and maybe after lunch.

Actually, it would work better if it was during lunch as to freshen up the old memories about the times she would take a seat at the table, impatiently humming before getting served a delicious plate of vegetable soup.

Diana closed her eyes and nodded to herself. That would certainly work well for her… but what about for Patches? Only the letter she was going to write to reply to her request was going to give her some feedback and… she sighed.

Since when writing had been so much difficult from her part? To even compare it to a dull task was to say that she truly never was a manual worker in her youth. What a shameful decline for someone as strong and hard-working as she once had been…

The woman huffed, eyes opening up as her green orbs returned to the book and… she felt like she would do with some extra photos. She had Randals', Mora's and Alej's pictures of when they were incredibly young and adorable…

But she had yet to recover anything from Matt's own childhood. She had thought of searching with some proper phone calls but… she was also aware that most of those things would take a monumental effort to recover and send those back to her.

And it would also be expensive in a normal circumstance and money wasn't currently easy to provide for anything that 'serious', even though she wouldn't mind to give up some of her old clothes for the sake of getting hands over such an important piece of 'history'.

That is why, instead of continuing to dully muse over the past or any other sad topic of her life, Diana decided it was time to score some favors with someone she knew that could have easily get access over those 'sensitive files'.

The phone had been nearby the stand with the flowers and her fingers deftly composed the rarely used number, a private connection to someone set in 'high' places. Some time passed, the phone buzzing as it began to contact the other side of the call and-

“Mh? Oh, if it isn't Diana. How are you doing, lovely?"

The Cow Prime snorted in amusement. “Doing excellently, Ambar. In fact I can't hardly leave the bed for how much fun I'm having," She snapped with a soft tone, causing some rustling to happen right where the High Prime was.

“Your sense of humor is still as silly as a rock," The Bear Prime giggled back. “But seriously, how are you doing, Diana?"

“The pain has reduced a little… but I don't think I will last long enough to see the end of the year," Diana admitted sadly. “Still, I hope to see long enough to see something rather interesting."

“Oh? How much 'interesting' are we talking about?"

“Do you remember when you provided me with Naerie's photos as a baby?"

“I'm aware of that instance, I also remember how my little girl had gotten a little annoyed by this," Ambar giggled in remembrance. “A pity that she forbid me from trying anything similar about her other photos..." The Cow Prime could sense the pout on the fellow mother's face even without seeing it personally.

She sighed. “I need the baby photos of… a new worker of mine. He's a human and-"

“Diana, dear, do you know how difficult it is to barge in and take the photos from under a foreign government's nose?" There was some silence, enough to bring some tension to the woman and then- “Yeah, I will do it. It will be a good way to kill time and… can you forward his name?"

“Matt Newcastle." She said without hesitation nor doubt. It was about time she got hold over these precious data for 'scientific purposes'- or better, for 'motherly purposes'.

There was even more silence at this point and… then Ambar spoke once again. “Matt Newcastle? That's his name, right?" The High Prime repeated with a strangely curious tone.

Diana nodded slowly. “Yes."

“Mhh, interesting and- Yeah, it will be fun!" The Bear Prime accepted eagerly. “And I hope you aren't planning anything 'curious' about this fellow-"

“Oh, please Ambar," Diana replied back with a snort. “As much as he is good looking, I think I can't see him as a potential lover… differently from yourself."

“Fair enough, remember to take your meds and to not over-exert yourself, lovely lady." The comment was met with a snort and an eye-roll from the Cow Prime. “Ciao!"

The call ended and… Diana sighed quietly as she started to think more about what was Matt to her and why she did feel attracted… in a non-romantic way. It was odd to explain but, the more she looked at him, working hard and bantering with Randal…

The more she would see someone else that was now away from home.

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AN

Miles is in, I've yet to recover Learning Experience (the bonus comic which explains why he left Prism University) and I know enough from Learning Curves to know that he has a strong bond with Hope Ravenhurst. And yes, I've seen the latest Knighthood page and…

You want to see the full body of little Hope's growth? She did turn out in a proper beauty after three years.

Truth be told, I wonder how she will impact on Joy's training, there wasn't much mentioned about her training and (if) she had been trained at all. I can only wonder and think without any important base about it.

And I'm certainly not forgetting how you brought in Kate with that comment from Diana, I will have you know that she is rather… unimpressed of being mentioned in a bad 'light'.

No. We are not punning about-

Un-bear-able things. Sure~!

I want to say I hate you but-

You almost mistook 'Prime' with 'Faunus'. I think you should let go of-

How about you go back take care of Sirio and-

Oh, I will surely do that and- By the way, are you planning something about my baby boy's arrival? Now I want to know about-

I don't know. It's too early for-

Yes or no?

Ambar, be reasonable-

Then I will send Diana a copy of 'your' picture book, little one.

...You can't be serious-

Yes or no~??

Sigh, fine. I will see to have it in… one of the sequels. I don't know how it will fit since it was mentioned in the 'Ask the High Prime' but-

Also, isn't the latest question rather curious? Have you been doing something about it?

Me? Are you sure you are aware of my bank account?

You have a bank account?

Exactly.