[b][center]Collab with BBeast and Sage[/center][/b] Zachary looked in mild surprise at his hands when Ishigo mentioned the strange cores. He had almost forgotten that he was still holding a trap core. He promptly twisted around and shoved it into the depths of his backpack. "There, nobody should ask about it now." They continued on into the town. --- The market district of Kell was compact and rather small in its layout. However, it was efficient and it allowed for the perfect amount of traffic to flow through the many shops that lined its circumference. The shape of the district was circular, with a large flea-market set up in the very center. There, street vendors, booths, fruit stands, and other small wares were sold in a very live and comfortable environment, all surounding a large fountain and central park. The border of this flea market was a circular path that stretched for a mile around. Along this path were small buildings resembling townhouses that were narrow, but tall. Inside, specific wares and items could be found, all stored in the floors above the respective store. The stores were connected around the circular border, leaving a space for a road every six or seven buildings. A total of thirty six buildings - and seven roads connecting to the district - created the circular market district. Ishigo and Zachary had just emerged from the busy road leading to the district from the east side of kell. Ishigo was somewhat surprised by the sheer activity of the district: it was rather sporadic for such a small city. However, he realized that maybe Kell was like many other small Gaian cities; what they lacked in size, they made up for in resource and population. Zachary looked around, searching for particular shops and orienting himself. "Our first stop is a shuttle shop. There should be one around here somewhere." Ishigo nodded in agreement and then reached for his holopad which was stored in a case that attached to his belt. It had been a long time since he had the leisure of using the device given to him by Hector, and he was surprised it still functioned. "Hmm..." Ishigo looked around as he waited for his holopad to update its software, as it had seen nearly a year of inactivity. Once it completed, he opened a browser and accessed a database of Kell's shops. "There's a registration office nearby; they sell carriages and shuttles, but not directly from their little building. Might as well give it a shot," he said before showing the directory's information on a "Flyby's Transport Co." Zachary's mouth turned to a slight frown. "What we really need is a mechanic, or a shuttle stop. This place seems active enough to have facilities to cater for passing shuttles." He then shrugged, "But I suppose we could ask them." Ishigo looked back at the page on his holopad and nodded. "If anything, they'll be able to lead us to where we could find such a place." --- Flyby's Transport. It was a small business that specialized in providing civillians access to their own carriages and shuttles, if they had the finances for such luxuries. The shop was rather plain, besides a handful of models that depicted the type of vehicles that were sold. Behind a small front desk, a lone man rested on a chair, reading some sort of novel. Ishigo opened the door and noticed the man look up as the store let out a soft jingle to alert him of a new customer arriving. "Ah, welcome!" he said as he set down his book, clicked a few keys on a desktop computer, and walked from behind his desk to the center of the shop. "My name is Felix, how can I help you fine gentlemen?" Ishigo took a moment to eye the man. He seemed to be in his fifties or sixties, with a balding head of white hair and a frail, thin body. He looked at the two behind large glasses, but his face lit up in a warm smile that comforted Ishigo; he had bad experiences with schemers in market districts of Sovereign. Zachary spoke up, his voice confident as he had rehearsed this line in his head and, as was common, Kaa'is was working behind the scenes to make sure he maintained the right tone. "We were looking for somewhere to top up the cores in our shuttle." The man nodded, his brow wrinkling as he thought to himself. "Ah, yes, yes, I see. Well... hm... You aren't looking to upgrade your shuttle to one of our fine selections, then? We have tremendous sales, as it is!" Ishigo shook his head, "We just needed some cores, really. No new shuttle." The man nodded and looked to the side, "Well... Why not try Pitstop? It's right near the main gates, and it has one of the cheapest prices out of any shuttle stop you'll find nearby." Ishigo hesitated. He couldn't exactly answer that, but he knew that Pitstop, as well as many other shuttlestops, kept records of shuttles that went through them. It was a government policy to regulate shuttle traffic and records in the case of accidents, theft, and what not. As it was, their group was using a makeshift shuttle with a removed military tag. It would not bode well for them at all. Zachary hesitated for a moment too, for he was also aware of this, but his hesitation was to formulate the correct words. "Do they sell spare cores?" The man raised a brow, "You mean like personal fuel packs? I'm not sure... The store was originally run by a military reserve who got called to take care of those monsters that broke out of Sovereign, so the actual shop might not be open, but the station itself is. If not, you could always try a Core vendor." At mention of the Sovereign breakout, Zachary maintained his poker face, with Kaa'is helpfully keeping any hints of adverse reaction under control. "Thank you for your help, Felix. I'm sure we'll find something. Have a nice day." Ishigo nodded at the man and turned back to leave the shop. Once the two were outside, he pulled up his holopad once more and began browsing while speaking to Zachary in a low tone. "We're going to have to watch what we say. I should probably look up some news to make sure we seem somewhat knowledgable about things out here. But what do you say? Core vendors?" "I'd rather try my luck with the station. Vendors don't normally stock enough kinetic cores off the shelf," Zachary replied. "We'll be on foot, so we can always turn around if there's nothing there for us." Ishigo nodded, "You're right." He then searched for the quickest route to the Pitstop station, memorized it, and put his holopad away. The two began walking, and after leaving the busier roads of the central market district, Ishigo spoke once again. "Zachary... how are you holding up?" he asked. He knew that there was a lot to hide during their current venture: emotions, identity, and intentions among other things. Ishigo often found himself underestimating the toll that everything might have taken on his group. There was a moment's pause, as Zachary considered the question. In truth, he was a bit of a wreck. He was haunted by the actions brought about by his unnatural addiction. He was in a world of uncertainty and danger. He was worried about how long until withdrawl would return. He was holding for now, but he knew not how long. "I'm a little nervous that we're not in the clear yet, but I'm going alright," he replied, Kaa'is concealing the truth that lay beneath his expression. Ishigo nodded and looked forward. "I understand. Don't worry about what Felix said. These people are going to need time before they can accept the reality that is thrown at them. It may seem unfair, since the brunt of the reality was forced into our souls, quite literally. But in the end, our actions and our will is what makes us just as human as the rest of them." Ishigo looked to Zachary, "You're taking a big risk by allowing all of us to come with you, but at the same time, I promise to have your back. Sometimes even the best of us need some support, right?" Ishigo said with a smile. Zachary returned the smile. "Thanks."