[center][h3][color=B22222]Somewhere in the Desert[/color][/h3][/center]

It was frustrating, but not exactly surprising, when Bert witnessed Powder Keg collectively dealing with his Sable Dance.  He did draw some satisfaction from the fact that two of them bled now thanks to his sand blades' handiwork, and as he watched from atop his pillar, Lucas -who didn't appear to have reacted to the Dance, instead going for a fistbump with the dark-haired boy- received a healthy slash on the back of his leg.  Before he could examine further through squinted eyes the interaction of Lucas and Nolan, his attention strayed to an oasis of ice in the middle of his Sand Tumult: the frigid terrain resulting from Amaya's defensive Ice Dragon Wing.  When she began her approach, Bert readied himself, but not to such a degree that he was oblivious to the advancing Fleo, whose Siroccos bore her from sand tower to sand tower in a quest to get closer.  Judging by Fleo's height advantage, she'd reach him before the Ice Dragon Slayer would.

His suspicions proved double correct when the words [color=C2B280]“Vortex Impact!”[/color] sang out from his right.  Turning away from Amaya for the time being, trusting his Sand Tumult to impede her enough to prevent her getting to him preemptively, Bert crafted a sand shield -albeit with arms aching from the aftermath of the burning Ash God's Bellow- and held it out for Fleo to kick.  His surprise was palpable, then, when Amaya popped up behind him and shouted at him before attacking.  Caught by surprise in his miscalculation, Bert span around to defend himself with his shield, and immediately a casing of ice enveloped his shield courtesy of Amaya's kick.  Her next attack shattered the shield, but Bert, frozen not by her ice but momentarily by her words, hesitated.  Phoenix Wing, the hero guild?  And since when did water monsters have such varied powers anyway?  For just a second, Bert looked upon the scene from an outsider's perspective.  That hesitation allowed Fleo's skull-rattling spinning drill kick, the Vortex Impact, to connect with his lower back.  Empowered by the dusty rotation, her foot was driven into the sand wizard's back with force, prompting him to yell in pain and anger.

However, the Vortex Impact's weakest iteration wasn't nearly enough to stop him.  Amaya, having obviously seen this, aimed another strike at Bert, but he wasn't ready to give up quite yet.  Reaching behind him, the sand wizard grabbed Fleo, who by this time had lost enough momentum to be merely hanging in the air, by the throat.  [color=C2B280]“Gurhk!”[/color] she garbled as Bert swung her lightweight frame around bodily, positioning her directly in the path of Amaya's kick.  The dusty woman didn't have time to protest before she was accidentally frozen, and a wrathful kick from Bert pushed her right into Amaya, and together the two fell from the tower.  Wiping sweat out of his eyes, Bert stepped to the edge of his tower to look down and see what happened, unwittingly exposing himself to Nolan and Lucas, who he'd momentarily forgotten.

[center][h3][color=d8bfd8]Nero – Back in Magnolia[/color][/h3][/center]

Nero shrugged cheerily.  [color=d8bfd8]“Doesn't matter!  When you're ready to start lookin', just tell me who, or even where.  Or just ask for a power boost that'll make it easier for you.  If I made you a foot taller, you'd be able to walk through any crowd and see everyone!  Doesn't get any more neato than that, heh!”[/color]  When the jolt of the train announced the journey's end, the genie was among the first to his feet.  Eagerly he stepped from the carriage, expecting Prince to take care of Lazarus if he thought of the afflicted light mage at all, before waltzing out the doors and onto the platform.  Without anything better to do than find wizards with wishes, he decided that he'd continue to tag along with the Phoenix Wingers and head back to the guild hall.  On foot, the cross-town trip of Magnolia took some time, even on a direct route, but with a sick man in tow the Balsam squad made it back in remarkably good time.

Upon reentering the hall, Nero raised both arms theatrically.  [color=d8bfd8]“Ta-dah!  Lazarus got sick, we found Sasha's long-lost bro, and I didn't curse anyone, I swear!  ...Not effectively,”[/color] he muttered the last bit.  After that, he didn't pay much more attention to his former comrades, particularly in a minute or so after Trinity started doing something weird to the catman.  

He found his way to the bar again, and after recognizing him the tender suppressed a grimace.  “...can I help you?”
[color=d8bfd8]“Yes, hello again!  Did you save my potatoes?”[/color]  Nero cracked up.  [color=d8bfd8]“Just kidding!  It's been, what, five hours?  They'd a' probably gained sentience by now.”[/color]  The bartender's stoic face cut through his mirth like a razor through skin.  [color=d8bfd8]“'Cause of mutation...?  Ah, never mind.  You'll learn to laugh some day, friendo.  How about carrots?  Have any a' those?”[/color]
A few minutes later, the dark mage had wolfed down his carrots.  Either he hid a prodigious appetite, or food had been paltry for him as of late.  As the bartender watched Nero finish off the last bite, he smirked, and asked, “You know this food isn't free, right?”

A few second passed before Nero, eyes uncharacteristically wide open, peeped, [color=d8bfd8]“What?”[/color]
“Yeah, it's not much, but you have to pay for food here.”
Nero's thoughts drifted back to when he'd played with a coin in Balsam—his only coin.  [color=d8bfd8]“Do you take wishes?”[/color]
“Sure,” the tender said, still grinning.  “I wish for exactly enough money to pay for your food.”
After a few seconds, Nero patted his pockets.  [color=d8bfd8]“Um, I think I left my wallet in my other poofy pantaloons, so I'm gonna hafta owe you.  But you'll get your wish!  Scout's honor.”[/color]