Walking back inside the compound took forever. Basil liked his way of getting around much better. Didn't really matter though, he was used to running long distances. Pip, on the other hand, was another story. Basil was sure he'd never even run, period. So walking what Basil guessed to be about two miles around to the entrance gate left Pip looking like he'd walked into a monsoon.

"You alright?"

"Yeah," Pip was lightly panting at this point. Basil's eyes followed a drop of sweat down his throat and watched it disappear in his shirt. He averted his eyes and cleared his throat when Nyla spoke.

"We'll get you some water when we get inside."

They walked inside the compound and Basil was once again amazed by how beautiful the garden was. But now he was thinking about how they managed to do this in the middle of winter.

They walked down another three hundred staircases before coming to another office. But something felt off to basil. The office seemed to be the exact one he and Nyla had their argument in, but the way here was different that much Basil knew for sure.

"This isn't the same office as before."

"Impressive attention to detail," Nyla commented. She nodded at the guards and the room was emptied except for the four of us.

"Why have an identical room in a different area?"

Nyla smiled, "I just like the look."

"Weird."

Nyla laughed, "Yes, I suppose it is."

Nyla sits down on the couch and offer's Pip and Basil a seat across from her.

As Basil sat down a tray holding a pot of tea and cups were put on the table by what seems to be a maid before she scurried out of the room. Basil felt a sense of deja vu, and he was rudely reminded of the last conversation he had with Nyla days before.

"Before we begin," Nyla pours tea into three cups, "Tea."

Pip smiled, he loved tea. Basil would always make him a cup of tea in the morning before he went to school.

"You like tea?"

"I love tea." Pip put two sugars in his cup and stirred, "But Basil hates it, says its too bitter."

Basil looked sharply at Pip when he said that, at this point in time, he wanted nothing to do with Nyla and he wanted her to know nothing about him. Pip shrugged, not understanding what Basil meant by his look.

"Can we please get to the point?" Basil asked, not hiding the irritation seeping in his voice.

"Right. Yes, well," Nyla sighed, "If you're going to understand what's going on, we need to start at the beginning."