"How are we getting her onto the ship?" Cyrus asked while motioning towards the Arctic dragon.

I didn't bother to respond because the ship opened up a hatch that was wider than the combined roads of the highways of Lexie's Idle dimension. Everyone stepped back as the pathway anchored itself onto the edge of the tower. When my blond partner looked like he was ready to faint, I reached out to wrap an arm around his waist, urging him to use my body as his support as we boarded the ship.

Come to think of it, Cy had never been a fan of any kind of traveling. Carriages, cars, ships, Arch-Passages, water-hopping…he equally disliked all modes of travel that weren't on foot. When I looked down at him, his gaze was set firmly on the wall in front of him and not the edges of the ramp, from which I could see a magnificent view of the Darenvy kingdom and the Phoenix countryside in the distance. Once we were inside and the hatch rose behind us, I already began to mourn not only Darenvy but the estate we'd renamed W.R.E.C.K.

I'd just gotten Cy safely inside when a loud smack startled everyone. When I looked toward the source of the sound, it took me a moment to figure out exactly what happened. A male crimson dragon had apparently rushed towards our Arctic dragon, and she'd immediately swung her tail to slap him into the ground, as he was half her size. The white dragon let out a warning roar right into his face.

Verity lowered herself to look the crimson dragon in the eye. "Serves you right for startling Crystal like that, brown-eyes." She chided. "She does like anything that deals with chocolate, though. So, if you stare her down with your big eyes long enough, she might forgive you."

"I let you out of my sight for a few hours, and you come back sporting a swollen cheek, Kazren?"

We all turned to the source of the sound, and I barely managed to fight down the urge to snicker. Unlike the redheaded Kazren, the man before us looked like a more authentic pirate. He wore an opened, tattered tailcoat of a captain, with no shirt underneath, and buckled brown pants tucked into top-heavy black boots. He wore a gun holster, and his hat featured a long, golden feather that had seen better days. He had a black goatee with a sharply shaped mustache that I envied, and his eyes were a startling shade of pale green.

"It was a misunderstanding, Gar," Kazren replied. He didn't even look our way as he said it.

"Where are my manners? My name is Garridan. I am the captain of this ship." He introduced himself with a slight bow. "Kazren, here is my unwilling first mate and co-pilot. We don't quite agree with the actions of our home dimension at the moment, so we are quite the homeless outlaws."

"You were able to leave your home dimension with this?" Cy questioned as he motioned to the enormous ship.

"Have you told him nothing, Lin?" Kazren wondered aloud.

"I haven't had the chance," I responded.

"I imagine everything is on a need-to-know basis," the blond Wanderer huffed. "I'm already used to the fact that I will never know what is going on until it happens."

"Wait, Cy, it's not like that," I interjected, reaching out to lift his chin so I could see the aggravation in those hazel eyes. "They're just awful experiences that I don't want to relive just yet."

"Honestly!" Kazren gasped. "They weren't all so bad."

"Knowing you, I'm certain that they were." Garridan teased the redhead. Our attention drifted towards them once again.

"You know nothing about me in that way," Kazren growled.

"Only because you won't allow me to," Garridan retorted.

"You two are almost as fun to watch as Lin and Cy," Alexandra mused.

The two of them took a step back as if they had forgotten that we were there, and the captain finally returned to the subject at hand.

"My apologies," Garridan continued as he turned his attention to Alexandra. "Lexie, I'm certain 'Ren told you what we've seen. They're convinced that you're actually there, in hiding. It's like they've taken the entire country hostage until they find you."

"Stubborn, stupid, Luis. This is why we don't have any Wanderers or Idlers left. They refuse to believe what's right in front of their eyes." Alexandra responded. "If it's me they want..." She let out a sigh of defeat. "Take us there."

"I had a feeling that was going to be your decision," Kazren commented. "Follow me, everyone. It will take us a few hours to reach Wight-Led. I think we have some empty rooms on floor B4."

"Verity, would you be a dear and keep an eye on Ronin for me while I pull up the invisibility shield and get us ready to depart?" Garridan asked while nodding towards the red dragon, trying to inch his way closer to his female counterpart.

Verity let out a soft snort. "And I thought I was bad when I named mine Crystal." She said as she shook her head and led the dragons away.

Cyrus and I followed Kazren and Alexandra to an elevator. As we stepped into the shaft, I felt the blond's fingers curling around my arm. Though I thought I'd been doing a decent job trying to keep him from noticing just how concerned I was about the whole situation, I underestimated my partner.

"Have a little more faith in the strength of your friends," Cyrus insisted. I tried to give him a reassuring smile, which he half-returned. That was when we were jolted out of our moment by a certain serpent.

"Do we have enough time to explore this immense ship?" Vianis asked.

"Why don't you explore it on your own?" I suggested. "Just think, you could wander into the kitchens, where the chef could be making eel sushi..."

"Revelin," Cyrus admonished when Vianis once again hid under his clothes. The way he kept scurrying around under there made me want to shop him up into sushi myself. "Must you be so mean to him?"

"Yes."

When we were brought in front of two rooms, I took Alexandra aside. "Lex, are you sure you want to do this? I thought you hated Luis, especially when he tried to stop you from joining The Academy to eventually Idle in the Lanthanum dimension?"

"It's been so many years since then," Alexandra admitted. "I don't think what Kazren was told is the whole of it. That's why I want to see it all for myself." She reached up to gently tap her hand along the side of my face. "Have I thanked you and Cyber yet for coming with me? Whatever is happening on Wight-Led isn't anything that the four of us can't handle together. If Mak and Ith were also here, it'd be even easier."

"We can bring them over if we need to," I suggested. "I'd just feel wary of dragging them into danger again after all they've been through. They just barely celebrated their honeymoon."

"I feel the same way," she responded. "We'll call on them only if we have no other choice, yeah?"

When she left for her assigned room, I headed back to where I last saw Cy and ended up overhearing something that nearly caused me to blush.

"I really didn't know. I'm still trying to get my head around it, even. The way Lin was before…" Kazren insisted. "Let's just say that I know why Alexandra calls him 'Limber.'"

"No," came Cyrus's voice. "I know why Lexie calls him Limber. He's only ever bottomed for me."

"And now, you've not only physically wounded me but also mentally scarred me all in one day."

"I'm sure you've heard far worse than that," I stated as I made my presence known. "Are you satisfied with giving away that juicy tidbit, love?"

"Absolutely," Cy replied with a cheeky grin. "The stunned look on his face was priceless."

"I've been the worst influence on you, I see," I admitted as I wrapped an arm around the blond's shoulders. "The truth is right before your eyes, Kazren. If he weren't so opposed to it, we'd have been married already."

"Stop kidding yourself," Cyrus chortled. "Like you'd ever settle."

The emotional little stab I felt must have shown on my face because Kazren wisely chose to get the hell outta dodge.

"You know what? I think Gar needed me to check the floor below us."

"Actually, I'd like to also check the floor below, along with the rest of the ship," Vianis piped up, slithering his way onto Cyrus's shoulder. "May I, Master?"

"Go right ahead," Cy replied. "Just keep out of trouble."

He carefully lowered the serpent onto the ground. He watched him scamper off before shoving me into our assigned room and locking the door. "Vianis is out exploring."

The implication of his tone had me already shedding my clothes. A feral smile formed on my face. "Why don't we take a shower together?"

Cyrus was already sauntering towards the bathroom as the words fell out of my mouth. He tossed me a glance over his shoulder that had me adjusting my pants. Then, I mentally cursed at myself before immediately undoing and struggling out of my pants. How could a mere glance stupify me to this degree?

I followed him in, and it wasn't until his deft hands made short work of the rest of our clothing that I realized Cyrus was just as eager as I was. Before I realized it, he tugged me under the lukewarm spray. We barely had any room, but my partner didn't seem to mind.

"Rev..." I heard him before his hands slid along my wet skin.

Before I had time to react, those same hands reached up to grasp the back of my head, tugging me down into a heady kiss. Cyrus's kisses were right on the edge of savage whenever he meant serious business. I swore I let out a pathetic whimper when he pulled away with a final suck on my bottom lip.

"Mmm, why don't you put your Vim to good use?" He taunted.

"With pleasure," I growled in his ear.

That was when we felt and heard a rumbling sound coming from somewhere above us. I was determined to ignore it, but Cyrus was utterly distracted. I sighed in disappointment when one of his hands covered my mouth to halt our activities.

"Wait, do you hear that?" The sound became louder and sporadic. One particular echo caused him to jump. "What is that?"

"Probably plasma shots."

To my chagrin, Cyrus stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He gathered the clothes that were tossed all around when a loud buzzing noise came from the door. "Revelin, go get it."

Grumbling and cursing under my breath, I all but punched the side panel that opened the door. I was met with the sight of a messy-haired Kazren holding Vianis up by the scruff of his tiny neck. He immediately dropped him, and I had to scramble to hold my towel in place and catch the little eel with my other hand.

"What did the fucker do now?" I asked.

"That shameless little voyeur interrupted something private," Kazren hissed. That's when I noticed the hickeys at the base of his neck and his swollen lips. If Cyrus and I weren't getting any, no one else on the ship should, either. That thought soothed my pettiness just a bit. "You're lucky that Garridan's shots kept missing."

"W-well, there's nothing quite like running for one's life that makes someone m-move as fast as I did in order to avoid them," Vianis whined in a cracked voice.

"My apologies," I told Kazren with a slight frown. "From now on, he will not be left to wander alone."

The redhead wasted no time in leaving. By the time I turned back around, my fiery blond was already dressed in a set of gaudy pajamas, and it took all of my willpower not to strangle Vianis to death in front of him. However, the sheepish smile he gave me as I handed the serpent over caused my heart to skip a beat. Why was I such a simp for him?