The next morning, everyone met up at the Airport.
Sera, Nicolai, and Gloria were there to see their family off. Claire was there too, standing in a far corner, saying her final goodbyes to Vision.
"You stay safe and come back as soon as possible," Claire whispered, trying hard not to cry. He held her shoulders and rested his forehead against hers.
"I will..."
After his assurance, a few tears fell from her eyes. Vision's heart trembled, and his hands shook as he wiped them away hurriedly. Then he cupped her cheeks and pulled her in for a long kiss, before muttering,
"Goodbye."
Then he stepped away and joined the rest of the group.
Mirror and Aura hugged their parents once more.
Veil waited near the Thunderbird, tapping his foot impatiently and hugging Flow close to him by the waist.
Gloria was talking to Flow, but her eyes kept drifting down to the hand on her daughter's waist.
"I hope you don't have a hard time running Lightning Rod alone," Flow said, hanging her head.
"Coal will be with me, and I helped your father run things before. I'm sure I'll be fine." Gloria replied, her gaze drifting downward again, then she added,
"By the way... when are you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?"
Veil's ears perked up, and his foot paused mid-tap. Flow's face heated up, and she stared off to the side.
"...I'll do it when we get back," Flow muttered shyly.
Veil began stroking Flow's waist, causing her to tense up as he turned toward Gloria with a smile.
"It's nice to meet you, I'm Veil. Flow's boyfriend," he said.
Flow's pulse quickened.
"It's nice to meet you, too. We have to get together when you return," Gloria offered in a polite tone.
"I agree," Veil replied, then he pecked Flow's cheek and tugged her closer.
Flow was too overwhelmed by the situation to say anything.
"Looks like it's time for me to go," Gloria said, seeing Pierce entering the area. She then waved and walked away.
As soon as Gloria's back was turned, Veil bit Flow's earlobe, and she pressed her lips together to keep herself quiet.
"Why didn't you introduce me right away?" he inquired.
"... I've never introduced a boyfriend to my parents before, I didn't know how to start... and we're leaving soon... so it felt like a bad time," Flow explained, her voice shaking from nerves.
Veil clicked his tongue, then moved away from her as Pierce drew near.
Aura, Fenix, Caster, Mirror, Veil, Vision, Shade, Panther, and Cantarella lined up in front of Pierce, awaiting his orders.
"I hope you're all ready. This is not a leisurely trip; you will suffer through long nights, intense training, and strict travel schedules. We have to make an impact while we still have the public's interest. This isn't for the people already here on Talitha; this is for the rest of the Maledictus, the Cursed, who have not been freed yet. For the rights of those who have not even been born. Do you understand?" Pierce's voice echoed, and his resolve resonated in the hearts of everyone in the room.
"Understood," the group chimed in unison.
Pierce scanned the faces of everyone, then he smiled brightly, saying,
"Good! Alright, everyone, get on board. The Thunderbird takes off in ten minutes. Be sure you don't leave anything behind."
They all nodded and replied,
"Yes, sir!"
Pierce smiled proudly, then he walked over to kiss Gloria before boarding the Thunderbird himself.
As the others in the group trailed after Pierce, Fenix grabbed Aura's wrist and whispered,
"You remembered to pack it... right?"
Her face turned crimson, and she replied,
"Of course."
Fenix sighed with relief, then released her wrist so that she wouldn't fall too far behind. After that, he picked up their bags and boarded with the others.
There were staff on the Aircraft, chefs, a cleanup crew, and two pilots.
Members of the cleanup crew escorted the group to their rooms.
"The men's section is in the right wing, and the women's is to the left. Men follow me, and Barb will show the ladies to their rooms." A man with the nametag Dartz announced. Barb gestured for the girls to come with her.
Aura first walked over to retrieve her bag from Fenix, and he gave her a quick kiss as soon as she got near.
"I'll see you later," he whispered. She turned around sharply.
"Yeah," Aura mumbled in response, dragging the bag away with her.
Flow started to follow Barb but was yanked backward because Veil wouldn't release her hand.
"I gotta go," she muttered nervously.
"... Fine... but make sure to relay your room number to me, later," he replied, finally letting her go. Flow nodded and rushed away.
Mirror and Caster waved goodbye to each other as they parted ways.
Everyone else had already lined up with their assigned person without delay.
Barb led the way. After reaching the first room, she said,
"Please settle in and unpack. When it's time for lunch, there will be an announcement over the intercom, and I'll return to show you the way."
Mirror's was first, so she nodded and walked inside with her luggage. Next was Cantarella's, then Flow's, and after that Panther's.
Once they were alone, Barb turned to Aura with a serious expression.
"Please forgive me... I wanted to make sure we had a moment alone,"
Aura remained silent and waited for Barb to elaborate.
"... I see that the young master is very attached to you," she began.
Aura thought for a moment, then concluded that this woman was referring to Fenix.
"Just know, he's very important to everyone on the island. I will be watching you very closely to make sure you're a good fit for him. We can't entrust him to just anyone, after all," Barb declared confidently.
Aura said nothing for quite a while, only staring at Barb with a blank expression.
"I understand... Could you escort me to my room now?" she replied flatly.
Her calmness seemed to unnerve Barb, but she said nothing else and just led the way.
"You have to create a unique keycode, don't share it with anyone," Barb instructed, keeping her tone professional, before leaving.
Aura made her PIN, then entered and started to unpack. For a second, she pondered over Barb's words, but quickly decided that the stranger's opinion didn't matter.
She then got started on an actually important task. She unveiled the Howdy Do Mat and placed it inside her closet.
A few minutes later, Fenix teleported into her room from his Mat. He immediately rushed over, hugging her and spinning her around.
"We only have thirty minutes before lunch," he muttered, loosening his grip slightly so he could look at her face.
Aura's blush spread up to her ears, and she stared up at him in anticipation.
"... Then let's hurry," she whispered back, before placing her hands on his cheeks and pulling him in for a kiss.
Fenix's eyes shot open in surprise for half a second, then they closed slowly as he smiled against her lips.
She wrapped her arms over his shoulders, giggling beneath the smooches while Fenix carried her toward the bed.
Flow peeked outside her door, making sure the coast was clear before heading for the right wing. As if he predicted this, Veil's door was cracked open.
As soon as she got close, he called,
"Come in."
Flow paused and looked at the room number, making sure to memorize it before she entered.
Veil was sitting on his bed, shirtless and shoeless. The sight was too much for her heart to take. Even so, she stared. Her eyes roamed up and down his physique for a beat too long before she forced herself to turn away.
"L-lunch will be soon," she commented.
"I know. Close and lock the door," he replied flatly, as he patted the spot on the bed next to him. She did as told before taking her seat. He gave a satisfied smirk.
"I just... think it was unnecessary to get undressed, is all..." she muttered.
Veil gently pushed her onto her back.
"I can get dressed quickly... it's fine," he remarked. Then he began unbuttoning her blouse.
"Veil?" she mumbled in surprise, looking away as his hand entered her shirt.
"It's lonely being the only one without a shirt," he stated playfully. Then he smiled smugly at feeling her skin grow warmer beneath his palm. "What's the room number?" he added while peeling her blouse open.
"B5..." she answered quietly... a second later, her voice dropped slightly, and she mumbled, "It's not fair..."
Veil lowered the straps of her bra and kissed along her collarbone,
"What's not fair?" he inquired between kisses. Her body stiffened, and she closed her eyes tightly.
"I'm the only one getting nervous," she squeaked.
Veil snickered and replied while unbuckling her belt,
"... Do you want to know what I'm feeling every time I look at you?" he asked sweetly.
"... Yes... because I get so overwhelmed with emotion. You're just ... so attractive that it's bad for my heart," Flow admitted while trembling and feeling his hand slide into her pants.
"... I get overwhelmed too... with joy and excitement. Because you're so stunningly beautiful and I know you're mine... every part of you. Your heart, your mind, and your body all belong to me. I have nothing to feel nervous about."
Flow's heart thudded violently in her chest,
"Wh—?" she began, but her words were cut short by a sudden jolt of pleasure. Soon she forgot what she'd wanted to say.
At the same time, Mirror snuck off to the Men's section, knocking on every door until she found Caster's room.
"What are you doing here?" he asked with pleasant surprise.
"We can play cards until it's time for lunch" she replied cheerfully while holding up her deck.
He laughed softly, then stepped aside so she could come in.
Vision lay in his bed staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, before pulling out his LoveNote and seeing several new messages from Clair,
"I miss you already. I just finished purifying the water supply. Going to hang out with Tinka, she says Hi."
He smiled at her handwriting, secretly wishing she could have come along. A while later, he got his pen out and wrote a reply,
"Tell her I said Hi."
He then closed the book and set it aside to resume counting the ceiling tiles.