Enough chit chat, Maya thought to herself as she stood impatiently with arms akimbo. She drummed her fingers against her hips in rhythmic irritation. Perhaps she never learned the virtue of patience during her years as a royal official, or maybe Marcus’s personality was rubbing off on her. Either way, she was growing increasingly weary of the shadow-cloaked planet and its eerie post-apocalyptic vibe. She wished to leave as soon as possible, and the masked tangerine was not going to get in her way. Bored and exasperated, her thoughts drifted away from the boy crowned with a mop of bright orange hair to those around them in the hangar. She reached out with her consciousness and rifled through the minds in the small crowd, hoping to pick up on deviations in cognitive function that alluded to the presence of a “higher being.” Like shadows stretching across a room as the last hours of daylight filter through a window, her thoughts seeped across the nonphysical plane of reality. She could not read or infiltrate minds like more ominous fiends she had encountered in the past, but she was more or less able to sense general auras. The tendrils of her mind tingled with delight as they encountered an electrifying wealth of untapped mental power. Bingo.

	Sharply looking away from Fuma, her pupils, embedded within a shimmering pool of aquamarine, narrowed as they spotted a female standing behind the masked leader. Maya’s full lips curved slightly in relieved satisfaction. That [i]had[/i] to be the Archoness she was searching for; she could feel it in her gut. The female was strikingly alien in her appearance, but she was undeniably beautiful. Her smooth skin was akin to obsidian, and it was etched with delicate veins of lapis lazuli. While it was hard for Maya to see it under the harsh white lights of the hangar, the woman’s markings softly glowed like a bioluminescent jellyfish in the pitch black waters of the deep. 

As Fuma began to speak again, Maya shifted her attention back to the masked punk. She listened, but only half-heartedly. 
  
	“Specifically vague? Sort of ironic considering you’re the one wearing a mask. Transparency is overrated anyway; it leaves no room for the imagination. Furthermore, I never [i]said[/i] I was alone, but you never explicitly asked. It would be foolish to embark on a mission unassisted, wouldn’t you agree? Especially for a poor, defenseless girl like myself.”

[color=00aeef][i]Snide remarks won’t get you anywhere. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.[/i][/color] Andromeda advised.  

[i]What would I want with a bunch of nasty flies?[/i] Maya dryly thought. 

Arching an eyebrow, Maya watched as the scouts that brought her to the hangar regrouped and exited into the night once again. 


	"At any rate, I did bring you here, and I will cooperate with you. I only have one condition," Fuma remarked gravely, "If you harm any of my fighters, I will not hesitate to kill you before your little boyfriend has even a fighting chance."

	Maya struggled to compose herself as laughter threatened to bubble from within her chest. An amused snort was the only thing that managed to escape. She rolled her eyes so hard that she was surprised they didn’t go spinning out of her skull onto the floor. The little orange troll’s threats were cute. A part of her just wanted to pinch his cheeks and tousle his hair. She admired how much he cared for his men – a mark of good leader –but if she wanted them dead, they’d be drowning in their own juices already. It’s kind of hard to shoot straight when your lungs are filled with water or when the intraocular fluid is ripped from your eyes. And Paul, well, he could pause time and slit everyone’s throats. 

	“Understood. I don’t bite unless prodded,” Maya quipped with a flirty wink, “And I too despise killing, so at least we have that in common. I’ll pass on the clothes, but I would appreciate something warm to drink. Thank you for your hospitality. I won’t be a nuisance for very long.”

	The suspected Archoness with unnaturally dark skin stepped towards Maya, introducing herself as Rai. Maya smiled knowingly, eager to get to know the woman. If she truly was who Maya thought she was, Rai was destined to do great things –to save nations and vanquish evil. The charcoal goddess would acquire unfathomable powers and develop extraordinary skills. At the same time, sadness filled the pit of Maya’s stomach. The perks of Archonhood were often outweighed by the inevitable pain, loss, and heartache. The Water Archon’s soul mourned as flickering memories of dead loved ones stung like salt against a fresh oozing wound. 

	Not wanting to get ahead of herself, Maya decided to observe Rai a little bit longer before popping the “Are your parents dead?” question. While she was almost 100% certain she had found the Archon, Maya didn’t want to have to shove her foot in her mouth as she had done countless times before. Furthermore, Marcus would kill her if she jumped the gun and jeopardized the mission in any way. 

“Thank you, Rai,” Maya replied as she followed Rai, “Forgive my ignorance,but what exactly is this place? It looks like some sort of military outpost. Is there a war going on?”