“Thank you, Horatio. And I will.”

Horatio nodded, watching as Gen'ya grabbed a plate and headed to their room. He'd have to make sure that they were actually eating and not just making the excuse of not wanting to eat in front of people as a way to get out of it.

For now, though, he'd let it slide. His goal at the moment was to make sure everyone was comfortable and getting along. A small smile touched his lips as he spotted Nico attempting to speak to Revan, who was very obviously working at ignoring them. Tio wished the sound holder luck, he may not have known Revan for very long, but it was obvious that he was going to be stubborn.

Content that the group was all getting settled with their food and conversations (or potential conversations), the time holder nodded slightly and spoke up again. "The rest of the day is yours. Feel free to explore some more or return to your rooms once you're done eating, I'll be in my room. If you need anything at all, you're welcome to come get me. Tomorrow, training starts at 10:00 AM, I recommend eating before."

After one more glance around the room, Horatio turned and headed down the hall toward his room, waving at Mira to join him as he passed the space viewing room. She kissed Juno's cheek before trotting out and casually grabbing Horatio's hand, swinging it playfully as they walked. "What's up, Tio?"

"I'll explain when we get to my room, I need help with something."

Mira looked up at him and raised an eyebrow, taking in the slight furrow of his brow. She'd been around him long enough to notice the small signs of worry. Horatio wasn't very expressive, so she'd learned to pick up on little things.

"Sure."

They entered Tio's room and Mira sat down at the table while Horatio grabbed a large book off one of his shelves and pressed a button on the side of the table, causing the surface to flicker and display a large version of the database.

"Vision?" Mira questioned, voice tightening in worry as she watched her friend flip through the book.

"Yes. After a concern that Aries brought to my attention, nonetheless. What ships do we have again?"

Mira bit her cheek and swipped across the table face, scrolling to a short list of ships. "Falcon, Eagle, Dove, and Hawk."

"Our group will travel in the Dove, yes?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I need the control pannel pulled up please, double check the technology and make sure there's no way for interferiance to happen. Add extra protection if you need to." He flipped through the book faster, eyes scanning its contentents with growing frustration. Mira sucked in a breath and reached out to grab his hand.

"Tio, stop. Look at me, what did you see?"

The time holder looked up and Mira almost drew back in shock at the sight of panicked tears gathering in his eyes. She'd only ever seen him cry once. Five years ago. "Tio..."

"I don't know that I can protect them from what's coming."

---

Nico Cosmos / AMAB Agender / 16 / Unlabeled/Queer / Ambi / Sound- Musical Knowledge / M: Everyone

“Did you need something?”

Ouch, harsh. This might be harder than Nico initially expected. Still, they had to try!

"Well, I figured I should talk to you some! Are you hungry? I can grab you a plate if you want!"

May as well offer to be helpful, then he could adjust based on "Rowland's" response. After all, Nico knew about all the techniques there were to talk to people, he just had to find the right one! After all, they had all the time in the world!

---

Briar Sallow / Nonbinary / 17 / Minsexual / Poly / Manipulation/Judgement- Minor Illusions / M: Everyone

Briar too the first bite of their food and their eyes lit up. It was so good! So many flavors, absolutely delicious!

They glanced over when Gorōta sat next to them and grinned happily. "Hey there! What's that? It looks good! I've never eaten stuff like this before, only seen it in commercials and things! It's absolutely delicious!"

They took another bite, chewed, swallowed, and then continued talking. "How much do you think I could eat? I don't wanna eat too much, considering we have training tomorrow and all." Yes, Briar had kind of been listening when Horatio spoke. Only enough to understand that they were free tonight and had training at 10:00 AM the next morning. "But this is really good and there's a lot of other stuff I want to try too. I heard lobster is good, and mac & cheese. And ice cream and pie! But then, we have time! I can just try more things later! What's your favorite food?"

---

Micha Abbott / Male / 17 / Homosexual / Ambi / Elemental- Air / M: Everyone

“I mean, sure. Want me to grab you a plate?”

Micha looked up and smiled. "Sure, if you don't mind! Where do you want to sit? I don't really have a preference." He could tell from Aries's tone that he was being cautious, probably a little anxious talking to new people. That would make sense.

The new element holder was determined to make sure he was someone who Aries was comfortable around though. After all, he'd helped Micha out twice already. Granted, the first time he didn't really have a choice, considering the fact that M had literally grabbed his arm to keep from falling, but he didn't push him aways, so Micha chose to call it a helpful gesture. The least he could do in return was be a good friend.

Mira's eyes widened and she stood, walking around the table to wrap her arms lightly around her friend. "Don't say that, Tio! You can't possibly know."

Horatio's head slumped against Mira's chest as the tears began to fall and it became clear just how tired and frustrated the time holder really was. Mira was fully aware of the fact that, back home, Tio had been under constant pressure from his parents, but she'd thought things had been getting better since they'd left. Evidently, things were just as bad, if not worse.

"Fher said the visions can be easily misinterpreted, remember, you could just be overthinking!"

"But what if I'm not?" Horatio protested, voice quivering. "Everything was shutting down, Mira, everyone looked so... afraid, and... and Nico was gone, I don't know why, but it couldn't have been good. If... If I'm not overthinking, then what? Even if I'm constantly paying attention, how can I guarantee their safety? They're my responsibility, Mira, I can't let anything happen to them!"

"Tio, you can't possibly blame yourself for everything that happens. It's not fair to you."

"Fair doesn't matter! I'm supposed to protect them!"

"You can only do so much. That's okay, you're doing your best!'

"What if my best isn't enough?" Horatio's voice dropped to a near whisper again and he pulled away, looking tearfully into Mira's eyes.

She sucked in a breath, shaking her head slightly as she watched her friend. "Tio, don't think that way."

"I have to."

---

Nico Cosmos / AMAB Agender / 16 / Unlabeled/Queer / Ambi / Sound- Musical Knowledge / M: Everyone

“I don’t need a plate.”

Right. This might be harder than Nico thought. 'Rowland' was definitely gonna be a hard nut to crack. No need to fear though! Nico was the best at annoying people into loving them!

"Okay, cool, cool. I wasn't planning to eat either! Where should we sit? Or do you want to explore more? Oh! What music do you like? I don't mean to brag, but I'm pretty good at singing and stuff!"

Okay. Maybe a little too much, but at least it was something! Surely 'Rowland' could find something (hopefully kind enough) to say about the amount of words that had just come out of Nico's mouth.

---

Briar Sallow / Nonbinary / 17 / Minsexual / Poly / Manipulation/Judgement- Minor Illusions / M: Everyone

“Probably this- Which is a, uh, vegan mushroom stroganoff, by the way. As for how much you could eat? Well, I mean- I wouldn’t recommend eating all of that in one sitting, but uh… Since this is technically lunch, you still have the rest of the day to pace yourself and eat throughout.”

"Ooo, cool!" Briar exclaimed, nodding along to the words. "Oh yeah, I guess that makes since. I just get overexcited. I've never seen so much food in one place before is all, especially not so much good food! It's really awesome!"

---

Micha Abbott / Male / 17 / Homosexual / Ambi / Elemental- Air / M: Everyone

“How’s the corner table over there?”

Micha smiled. "Oh, uh, any table's fine with me! I don't mind!" He responded quickly, he was slightly aware of the fact that Aries was avoiding eye-contact. Possibly a sign of anxiety?

Whether that was the case or not, M decided not to comment on it, not wanting to be rude. Assuming things usually caused trouble, which was exactly what Micha didn't want right now.

Mira sighed softly. Though he was typically seen as agreeable, Horatio could be a huge pain in the ass with how stubborn he was occasionally, usually regarding being unkind to himself and trying to protect everyone else. That said, the brunette was well aware that she wouldn't win this argument. In the fifteen years that she'd known Tio, she'd never really won an argument (unless Horatio took pity and let her, which wasn't the same as actually winning).

Instead, she tightened her grip on her friend's shoulders and started humming a soft, familiar tune. One that had brought comfort to both of them many times in their lives.

It took a few minutes, but Horatio finally calmed down and sat up, allowing Mira to draw back a step, and wiped his eyes, keeping his gaze down. "Sorry." He murmured.

"Don't you dare apologize, dumbass! You've held me while I cried countless times, it's about time I got a turn!"

The time holder let out a half-chuckle and shook his head slightly. "Right. Well, thank you anyway."

Mira grinned and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about it sweetheart, now, if you're able, tell me; what were you looking for in that big book?" She gestured to the thick novel still laying in front of Horatio, and he hummed quietly, reaching out to open it again. Now that he's broken down, he was able to focus better. His mind was clearer and he was able to process rather than just have a spiral of confusing thoughts.

"You remember I said that Aries brought something to my attention, yes?" His friend nodded. "Well, it's about the Plies. I mentioned that their pupils are slitted and he questioned whether they were slit horizontally or vertically. I checked and it's horizontally."

Mira raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"So that means the Plies aren't primary hunters, they're being hunted."

His friend grimaced. "That doesn't make sense. Everything we learned about them points to them being the hostile ones. The hunters!"

"I know, but it got me thinking. If Aries is right, which I'm convinced of at this point, then Kabalol might be a lot more dangerous than we could imagine. The Plies are strong and technologically advanced, so if something's still hunting them and they haven't figured out how to concur it yet, it's got to be a big threat. This book goes into detail about all the species we know, more detail than the database provides. I'm not sure if the creature hunting the Plies has been discovered or not, but I need information on everything that we do have. Strengths and weaknesses, preferred habit, etcetera."

Mira nodded. "Makes sense. What do I need to do?"

Horatio looked up and offered a small smile. "I still need reenforcement on the 'Dove,' if you don't mind. Just in case."

"I'll do what I can."

"Thank you, Mira."

---

Nico Cosmos / AMAB Agender / 16 / Unlabeled/Queer / Ambi / Sound- Musical Knowledge / M: Everyone

“I don’t listen to music. It’s a waste of time.”

"Whattt?" Nico exclaimed, plopping down in the chair next to 'Rowland' casually. "Oh come on! Everyone's gotta like at least some music!" They shrugged. "Oh well, guess the amazing art of vowel production and melodic intervals isn't for everyone! A little weird, but it's whatever! So do you like art-art? Like paintings and pictures and stuff? Oh, or are you a fan of games? Card games, board games, anything? I'm a fan of chess, personally, though I guess most people wouldn't believe that at first. Guess I'm just full of surprises!" Nico laughed lightly, eyes scanning the space holder for any and all reactions. Any small twitch of his lips or hand to signify amusement or downright annoyance. Anything at all.

---

Briar Sallow / Nonbinary / 17 / Minsexual / Poly / Manipulation/Judgement- Minor Illusions / M: Everyone

, “It really is.. We’ve got the whole world of food at our fingertips and all we have to do is think of what we want to eat? It's really something.”

Nico nodded excitedly. "It is, isn't it?! I mean, the fanciest food and plain old ramen noodles, we can have anything at all! It's so cool! And we can access it whenever and wherever as long as we've got a plate! That's pretty fucking awesome! I wonder who designed these things because you best believe I'd give them a giant hug if I could!"

---

Micha Abbott / Male / 17 / Homosexual / Ambi / Elemental- Air / M: Everyone

“Alright, I’ll go grab the plates.”

Micha nodded and hesitated before moving. Had Aries's question been implying that he wanted to sit at the corner table, or had it been a simple polite gesture? Maybe because Micha had mentioned being scared of space. This didn't really bother him though, it was open, sure, but he could see every wall and had already clocked his exit options. He still felt somewhat in control of the space.

He didn't know about Aries though. Was the space uncomfortable for him? Was that why he asked? But he looked nervous too. What if he was claustrophobic? The corner table might be bad then.

After a second (which seemed like much longer as Micha's mind raced), the element holder made his way to a table. It was a full other table-length away from the closest wall, and two away from the corner table that Aries had pointed out. This way it didn't feel too cramped or like they were completely surrounded, but it still came with the security of having a wall close by. Maybe this would work, then.

Of course, if Aries asked to move, M would do so happily, but for now, this seemed like the best idea.

Horatio Caeso / Male / 19 / Demisexual Panromantic / Ambi / Time- Visions / M: Everyone

Mira finished sketching out a few ideas before she smiled and stood, squeezing Horatio's shoulders and lightly kissing his head. "Okay, I'm going to ask Junie to help me out with some of the actual engineering now, take care of yourself, okay silly?"

Tio nodded and smiled slightly at his friend. "I will, thanks, Mira." She nodded and headed out of Tio's room with her plans, shutting the door quietly behind her. Horatio waited a moment before sucking in a breath.

"Fher, I need your assistance, please."

It only took a minute for the elder time holder to appear, examining the younger with wise eyes. "What troubles you my child?"

"I have a question about the planet Kabalol." He hesitated. "Aries, my physical holder, has brought my attention to the fact that the Plies have horizontally slitted eyes which likely means they are being hunted. Are you aware of any other species on Kabalol that are not documented?"

The elder's eyes flickered with surprise before he nodded very slowly. "Me and my team were alerted to a presence in Kabalol when we were stationed there for a short period of time to attempt trade with the Plies. We never came into full contact with it, we didn't even actually see it, but we heard it. Whatever it is it's very large and it made a kind of hissing sound. That's all I know."

Horatio nodded thoughtfully. "Thank you. I had a vision today. I saw my team in chaos, panicking. Our ship broke down and my sound holder, Nico wasn't anywhere to be seen. I'm worried."

Fher took a deep breath and sighed. "Indeed, it is a worrying vision. Tread carefully, my child, and be aware that in a battle the sound and healing holders are often the targets because they are known to be weaker."

Horatio's chest tightened. "What can I do to prevent whatever I saw from happening?"

The elder shook his head. "Time is powerful, child, and dangerous. Attempting to change the timeline often ends up making things worse. Build up your team, trust them and make sure they can trust you, that's the best you can do."

"There has to be another way."

"Horatio, listen to me." Fher's voice, normal steady and warm turned harsher, full of warning. "Do not abuse your power. Do not try to change every little thing that might go wrong. You will only hurt yourself and those around you. Your visions are a guide, a warning, do not take them for granted, and do not try to fix everything that you think might be going wrong in them. When the time comes, act, but do not assume that everything is as it seems. You hold the greatest power to ever exist in your hands right now, child, and possibly the most dangerous."

"I understand that," Tio said, voice soft. "But I can't just stand by and let things play out like that, my team is in danger."

Fher met Horatio's eyes steadily. "I understand your pain and worry better than anyone else, my child." The elder stated, voice low and heavy with pain. "I know how you are feeling right now, but trust me when I tell you that trying to change something you don't fully understand is never worth the risk. I nearly lost my healer, my partner, because of that very mistake. You have time, child. You have more time than anyone else, so don't spend it all worrying about what might happen later. Your team needs you now. Let's do what we can to teach and help them now. Worry about later later. They're your family, kid, and I can promise that they'll be the best thing to ever happen to you if you just stop for a second and see it. Don't make the same mistake I did."

Horatio's shoulders slumped a little and he nodded. It wasn't the answer he was looking for, but it made sense. Everything made sense. Of course, it was logical. Still, Tio struggled to come to terms with the idea that he couldn't do anything now. It felt wrong, like he wasn't trying hard enough to ensure everyone's safety.

"I understand."

Fher smiled, seeming relieved. "I'm glad. Do you need anything else?"

"No. Thank you."

"Of course, call on me if you need anything else. Take care, my child."

"You too."

Then he was gone.

Slumping in his seat, Horatio groaned softly, feeling even worse than before. The group had just got together and things were already falling apart.

---

Nico Cosmos / AMAB Agender / 16 / Unlabeled/Queer / Ambi / Sound- Musical Knowledge / M: Everyone

“Art and games are wastes of my time. I prefer to do my work without the risk of distraction.”

Nico sighed, crossing their arms. Damn, this guy was really stubborn. Oh well, he may be good at playing hard to get, but Nico excelled at being annoyingly persistent! It was perfect!

"A little boring don't you think? Don't you ever take a break? A little relaxation is good once in a while you know."

---

Briar Sallow / Nonbinary / 17 / Minsexual / Poly / Manipulation/Judgement- Minor Illusions / M: Everyone

“It really is. I don’t think I’ve ever had this many options before- The closest I’ve come is the cheaper options on the Applebee’s menu, when my friends and I went once. Whoever designed these definitely deserves a hug.”

"Absolutely they do!" Briar agreed, bobbing their head happily. "If I ever meet them I'm giving them the biggest hug in the world! I mean, seriously amazing work right here!"

---

Micha Abbott / Male / 17 / Homosexual / Ambi / Elemental- Air / M: Everyone

Micha hesitated, unsure of what he actually wanted to eat before eventually coming up with chicken noodle soup and crackers, watching as a bowl magically appeared on his plate, surrounded by saltines. It was a comfort meal really, something his mother always made when he or Niki was sick.

His eyes flicked up again as Aries began to speak.

“Your, uh… Your outfit looks nice.. Your family seemed nice too… Do you all get clothes from the same place.?”

The second that Aries mentioned clothes, Micha's eyes lit up and all of the obvious shyness disappeared, replaced by excitement.

"Really? Thank you so much! I actually make most of my own cloaths, it's been a passion of mine since I was little! I love, love, love to sew and design! So many opportunities! I actually planned to open up a clothing store where people could order custom clothes and stuff once I graduated high school, but that didn't happen sadly. That's okay though! I brought all of my stuff here anyway! Actually, I could make you something if you ever want it, it's absolutely zero trouble, and I'd love to if you want something! Any colors and any style and any material! I've got basically everything!" Micha's smile turned sheepish as he recognized that he might very well be rambling.

"Sorry, I got a little over-excited there. I know fashion isn't everyone's favorite thing, so I don't want to bore you or anything!"

Mira Dolia / Female / 19 / Lesbian / Ambi / Mentions: Juno, Horatio

As soon as she stepped foot out of the room Mira let out a breath that she hadn't known she was holding. Tio was her best and closest friend, someone who she'd known for a very long time. He was the only person who had been there for her through her parent's divorce, he'd been there for her theater shows for fifteen years, he'd supported her through her figuring out her sexuality, and he'd been there at her graduation just last year. Horatio was more than a friend, he was family, and Mira hated seeing him so distressed.

After a moment, she shook her head and straightened the sleeves of her leather jacket, heading back to the observatory room where her girlfriend was still working.

"Junie, I need help."

Hazel eyes found hers immediately and Juno stood, opening her arms to allow Mira in. "What's wrong?"

Falling into her girlfriend's grasp, Mira buried her face into the others shoulder. "It's Tio. He had a vision or something and he totally freaked out. Like, literally had a panic attack!"

Juno frowned slightly, rubbing Mira's back gently. Juno wasn't actually that touchy, nor was she generally that emotional, actually, she was a lot like Horatio, but she'd learned to be more warm and open for Mira's sake, aware that if she needed space she could simply ask. "That's not normal."

"I know! And then he asked me to double-check security on the 'Dove' and add extra security stuff!"

Juno hummed softly. "Did he explain?"

"He said that in his vision everything was shutting down and someone, Nico, I think, was missing, but that's it. I don't know, I just told him I'd get maintenance done for him."

Nodding again, Juno pulled back gently, holding Mira's shoulders. "I can get maintenance done, I don't mind."

"I know, it's just... I don't want him to leave, Juno." Her eyes glossed over. "I really can't bear the thought of sending him to space. I mean, I know he's got a team now, but he won't talk to them! You know that! He's only ever talked to us, and that took years! I can't... I want to go with him."

"I do too." Mira looked at her girlfriend in surprise, met with determined eyes. "So we will."

"We can't-"

"We will." Juno cut Mira off and turned to the computers again, pulling up a blueprint of the 'Dove.' "We'll get maintenance done and we'll be there to do maintenance later. Horatio never turned his back on us, even when everyone else turned theirs. We're not going to leave him now. Let's get to work."

Slowly, a smile crept onto Mira's face and she nodded. "Let's do it."

---

Nico Cosmos / AMAB Agender / 16 / Unlabeled/Queer / Ambi / Sound- Musical Knowledge / M: Everyone

“Just because something’s effective, it doesn’t mean it’s boring."

Nico shrugged. "Sure, but that looks boring." He stated. "And it's really not healthy to be working all the time anyway, especially not on a device! You know, when I was little and I complained about not being able to watch TV or somethin' my sis would always tell me "Too bad, Nic, blue light will rot that pretty brain of yours, and I don't want my little brother becoming a zombie!" And who am I to argue with that!" They chuckled. "But, hey, if you wanna be a zombie, who am I to judge? You already look halfway there, when was the last time you slept?"

Nico was careful to keep her tone light, but they really were concerned, 'Rowland' looked like his head hadn't even touched the pillow in ages.

---

Briar Sallow / Nonbinary / 17 / Minsexual / Poly / Manipulation/Judgement- Minor Illusions / M: Everyone

“Definitely. I’d love to know how they did it too- Imagine if these were available for everyone! World hunger would be solved. So, I take it you’re a hug person?”

Briar nodded along with the first part of Gorōta's statement and then swallowed another bite before looking over and grinning at the question. "Can be. Depends on how the other party feels about it, don't wanna make anyone uncomfortable, ya know? What about you?"

---

Micha Abbott / Male / 17 / Homosexual / Ambi / Elemental- Air / M: Everyone

“You’re fine, I don’t mind. If you like fashion then I’m sure the topic is interesting. Maybe you could still open a shop? I think there’s online ones, right? I mean, I’m not sure but… Maybe? Sorry, I’m not really, uh… I’m not really well versed in fashion if you couldn’t tell, haha... Who uh, who taught you to sew and all? Or did you teach yourself? How many materials for clothes are there? What even are they? The only ones I know are like… The usual combination? Cotton and polyester..? I think…?”

Micha smiled warmly at the fact that Aries actually seemed interested in hearing about what he had to say, most people tended to laugh when M told them his interests. Most people excluding Kage and Ami, of course. They were amazing.

"No need to apologize, an online shop is a great idea, actually, I didn't even think of that! As for who taught me, it was my mom. She taught me most of the stuff I know, actually, she's pretty awesome. There are lots of materials for cloaths, too many to name all at once, but yeah, you got it! Cotton and polyester are probably the most common! Then there are different types of silks, wool, denim, lace, leather, chiffon, and my favorite, cashmere! The thing I like most about fashion, though, is that you can make it your own, you don't have to be held back or limited by others' ideas, you can just come up with whatever you like and throw it together! Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but that's just how it works, you can't have success without failure. At least, not usually."

Micha smiled and took a bite of soup, excited to discuss interests. Fashion was important to him, it had helped him by being his outlet in hard times, and that's why he loved to share it so much. Maybe it could help someone else too somehow.