Author's note: As stated last chapter, there will be some overlap between Chapter 24 and this Chapter 25. Maybe a tiny bit of Chapter 26 too.

[When all the truth does is make your heart ache, sometimes a lie is easier to take...]

The thoroughly disagreeable doctor finally took Amber's dirty caps. “Bring 'er inside, quick now. Follow the signs. We'll get started in a minute or so.”

Not trusting my words, I fought against the impending breakdown by channeling all my suddenly unleashed energy into carrying my sister's stretcher. Naiara grabbed the other end.

You blessed girl.

Even Cept was forgotten as she and I rushed Breeze through the gates of Sprinkles Supplies, across the courtyards, and into the headquarters proper.

“Signs, signs, she said signs, WHERE ARE THE SIGNS?” I started to slightly panic as my wings flew out to ward off any ponies brazen enough to bar my sister's path to health, I still couldn't see these mystery markings of which Fedexi Lexi seemed so sure. “If she lied to me, just to get the caps, then so help me...”

“Turn left here, Cass.” From the back end of the stretcher, Naiara tugged me to one side.

I dug my hooves in, stopping in my tracks.“How do you know?”

Pivoting smoothly around my centerpoint, Naiara switched our positions so that she was leading. “Look up, Pegasus.”

I am not exactly staring at my own navel, Zebra! Still, I humoured her, angling my eyes skyward.

A trio of pink butterflies was painted on the ceiling, at the end of a prominent left arrow.

“Oh.” Am I going blind? I need my eyes! They keep Breeze safe!

Setting the pace, Naiara glanced back as we moved off. “When was the last time you slept?”

“A few hours on that first night in Lethbridle. Nothing since.” This time I did look down, as I knew what she would say next.

“It's showing, Cassie. We need you sharp for whatever comes next. Lethbridle wasn't the end of it. Latvi got out.”

Her rebuke was less jagged than I had anticipated. “I'll sleep when Breeze is out of danger, no sooner.”

“And no later,” she pressed. “Our backup is on their way to Steel Ranger city. We need to be at our best. There's only us to watch over Breeze.” Grunting, she dropped a hoof extra hard on her next step as she looked over my shoulder to the corridor we has passed. “And Cept, whenever he decides to show up!”

Mercifully, we reached the medical bay, only to find it unoccupied. “Moreso than Cept,” the volume of my words rising with my blood pressure, “where is that Doctor?”

My legs shook as we settled Breeze in. “Oh, I knew coming here was a bad idea. What was I thinking? I should have taken Breeze to somewhere more trustworthy!”

Naiara laid a hoof on my shoulder. “Hey, c'mon, she's done good work in the past. She healed up Snow after you shot her, didn't she? Both times?”

I shrugged her off. “That was then. After all the upheaval in the region, Fedexi Lexi might not have enough supplies anymore. Maybe Amber bought them all up...” Those shelves don't look nearly full enough!

“Or there hasn't been time for sterilise the equipment they do have...” What if something gets into Breeze's system?

“And she doesn't have the right information about Breeze! She doesn't know what she can and can't be given!” Do they have safe blood for transfusions? WHERE IS CEPT?!

Spots forming in my vision made me aware of my body's desperate desire for new air. Doubling over, I held my head in my hooves as I took several deep breaths.

While I sucked in oxygen, Naiara softly rubbed my back. “You really need some sleep. We'll stay just long enough for Lexi to give Breeze the okay, and then I'm putting you to bed, alright?"

My reply was barely a grumble. “I am perfectly fine.”

Any further argument was abandoned as Lexi entered from the corridor behind us, the case full of caps floating in her purple magic. Without Lexi taking her eyes off Breeze, the case was deposited in Naiara's lap while medical equipment began to lift from their stations. “Ah'm workin' here, girls. You need to keep out of the way.”

Sufficiently recovered, my argument with Naiara was the farthest thing from my mind. “What can I do to help?” I could wash cloths, or prepare bandages, or wipe her brow, or... whAT IS SHE DOING?!

To my horror, Lexi's magic was twisting Breeze's front legs this way and that, seemingly at random. Lexi's frizzy mane bobbed as she jerked her horn around, in an attempt to remove Breeze's greaves. “The hell're these things? Tryin' ta fix a girl up, and she's covered in armour? Let's get 'em off already.”

With a sudden SHNK!, and an accompanying yell from Lexi, Breeze's hidden blade popped out. As she reared back, I took the opportunity to dash in and trigger the greaves' release. The two accessories clattered to the floor.

Anything but happy with the surprise, Lexi pointed at me, then the greaves, then the door. “Get that garbage outta my medical bay! This is a place o' healin', not fightin'!”

Feathers ruffling, I placed myself between her and Breeze's creations. “Garbage? You dare to mock my sister's work?”

Unimpressed, Lexi's horn lit up, brushing the greaves and I aside. “I'm tryin' t'save yer sister's life. I don't care about her work, or yer pride. Right now, neither should you!” Telekinesis pressed harder. “Get out, and let me help her.”

Overbalanced from the magic shove, the last sentence hit me the hardest. I would have fallen, had Naiara not been there to support me. “Come on, Cass. Try to calm down. Let Lexi do her work. We'll be right outside.”

“I... mhm.” Hitting the retract on the hidden blade, I stashed both of Breeze's gadgets under my wing, and followed Naiara out.

Lexi's words followed me out. “Ah'll do all I can.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The clasps snapped shut, pulling out a few hairs in the process.

Worth it, I thought, around my pained hiss, now they're safe until Breeze wants them back.

Matching my front-leg bracers, I now had Breeze's greaves on my hind legs. It was the only way I could think of to guarantee their safety, until Breeze was healthy again.

“Looking good,” Naiara stepped around me, appraising, “now you're double the trouble.”

My hoof wiggled until the pins-and-needles faded. “Hmm, perhaps, but even I don't know all that they can do.”

“Really?”

A smile graced my lips. “Yes. Breeze is never satisfied with these things. She'll change the entire setup on a whim, often without telling me.” I managed to utter a small chuckle. “I used to joke that we spend more caps on her parts than we do on food or shelter. I've never tallied it, but I don't think I am far wrong, either.”

Sitting down against the far corridor wall, Naiara waved a hoof across my a-greaved limbs. “So what all has she put in them, over the years? Is it all weapons?”

“No, she often makes space for small tools. The less that goes into saddlebags, the better in her opinion. Not that I can blame her.” My feathers flexed. “They can restrict the wings, you understand.”

Nodding, she tapped her heel on the floor. “I getcha. Same with me and horseshoes. Can't sneak with 'em, and they're better suited to Cept's style than my Stompeii Emboli.”

My eyes found the medical bay doors. “You beat Breeze with that style, back when the two of you first met.” My sister was very impressed, after the bruises faded.

Chuckling, Naiara rubbed the back of her neck ruefully. “Heh, I'd forgotten about that. Seems like a long time ago.”

“Many things do.” It wasn't so long ago that I wouldn't have even considered travelling with this many others. A contemplative silence fell over us.

It didn't last long.

“I can't believe you just let her go like that, right after we all found each other again.” The reproach came from one of the Doublehorn triplets, rounding the corner. I couldn't tell which one was which. This one had a softness to his rumbling baritone.

“Snow knows what she's doing!” Another shot back, sharper than the first. “She's been out here longer than us, and she knows how to take care of herself. She damn near tipped Crush, who's bigger than you, when I met her. She's really getting the hang of her magic.”

The third buffalo spoke up now. His was the calmest, lowest voice of the three. “That doesn't mean we should have let her go alone into the Steel Ranger capital. We all saw what those ponies' armour and weapons are capable of. Snow shouldn't be doing something this dangerous without help.”

“She has help. Or did you miss the five people who went with her? Snow's got more friends out here than we do!”

I'm reasonably sure that one is Al. Naiara and I shared a look, but stayed silent to listen as the three took up the entire corridor to argue.

“We don't know anything about any of those guys. Are they even fighters?” This was the younger Doublehorn, Lo. “Snow's never been in a fight in all her time in the Stable. She's still new at this.”

Rumbling in this throat, Buff waved his Pipbuck-less hoof. “We all learned fast, Lo, and we've heard the radio broadcast. Snow's not as new at this as we might like.”

“Exactly!” Al confirmed, but Buff cut him off before he could go any further.

“That being said, there will be a lot of Steel Rangers in Neighlway. She and her five friends are flying into grave danger.”

“You mean four friends and one sister.” Al didn't back down against his brothers. “Undertow and Snow will watch out for each other.”

“He knows what he said, Al,” Lo replied testily. “Snow, her friends, and whatever Undertow is, will-”

“'Whatever Undertow is'? She's her sister! SHE'S OUR SISTER! What is the matter with you two?”

Several heads popped out of doors, to see what the cienna-furred buffalo were yelling about. Al and Lo didn't seem to notice, but Buff made a 'quiet down' motion. “Undertow is a stranger to us, Al. We don't see her that way.”

“Snow does! How is this any different than how we got our first sister? Tell me.” Unblinking, Al turned back and forth between the two. Buff was stoic, while Lo's lips were tightly pressed together.

It was Buff who replied first. “I don't have anything against Undertow personally, Al, but the situation isn't the same this time around. It's complicated.”

“No, it's not.” Lo sulked. “Snow's ours.”

This took Buff, Al, Naiara, and I all by surprise.

Lo's brothers replied in sync. “What?”

“Snow's ours.” Lo moaned again. “She's been with us for our whole lives in the Stable. She's always been there for us and we've always been there for her. Now she's only out here for a month or so and she's replacing us! New friends, new family, new magic...” He swallowed as his voice shook. “...she's changed, guys! Why has she changed?”

Buff and Al looked on in stunned silence. Lo's stout hooves scrubbed at his moistening eyes. He sank down onto the floor, blubbering. “I want my big sister. I wanna go home. I want Snowflake!”

Defeated by Lo's helplessness, the other two Doublehorns sat down with him. Al spoke first. “Listen, Lo, I get it. When I lost you guys, it was like losing Snow all over again. But I did what you're doing now. I expected her to be exactly the same as she was in the Stable, and got upset when wasn't. I hurt her with that, bro.”

“But she should-” Lo half-wailed, before being shut down by Buff.

“No, she shouldn't. Al's right. We can't expect that of her anymore. She's been through a lot out here. She's been changed by it. WE have probably changed too, even if we don't notice it right now.” He moved his large frame close to his brother, keeping his intonation soft. “Like it or not, things are different now, and we have to do everything we can to help each other get through it.”

“Sorry, Lo.” Al knocked his horn against Lo's. “I'm scared too. About a lot of things, but I've spoken a lot with Lexi about Snow since I've been saying here, and we've gotta have faith in our sisters to come back safe and sound.”

I felt something stir in my chest when neither Lo nor Buff challenged Al's use of the plural. It's hard waiting around to know the ones you love are okay, the lights shining through the gap in the medical bay doors seemed a little warmer at that moment, isn't it?

Gathering my hooves under me with a sigh, the words out of my mouth were not what I'd expected to say anytime soon. “Excuse me, you three? If you'd like, we can tell you all about what your sister is like, ever since leaving the Stable.”

“Cassie...” Naiara's warning was coupled with her rising too.

“My grievance is with her, not them.” I whispered out of the side of my mouth. “They are little ones. I will be mindful of that.”

Still frowning, Naiara relented after a few moments. Creased brow easing into a smile as she turned to the boys, good cheer was injected into her words. “Let me tell you about how I first met your sister. It all started with this jackhole gate guard...”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“So there Snow and I am, standing on top of this shack by the lake, and the rope goes slack. We look up, and Bosco's following us down, quite a bit faster than we got there too.”

Naiara, in full storyteller mode, was spelling out the scene with her hooves. We sat in the Sprinkles Supplies bar. It was empty aside from us, which allowed Naiara to hold court as she regaled the boys with tales of their sister's adventures. Each was taking up a booth by themselves, while Naiara moved and gestured on the floor. From my perk on a bar stool, it was the audience that held my attention, rather than the performance.

Closest to the door, Buff sat calmly with a barely touched glass of water by his side. The eldest buffalo brother smiled at the appropriate moments, but never seemed to lose himself in the story.

Nearest to the bar where I sat, Al chugged on a Sparkle cola, guffawing openly as Naiara yelled “MY BALLS!” in a reasonable facsimile of Bosco.

In the centre booth, Lo had stars in his eyes as he sucked brahmin milk through a straw. He might as well not be blinking. He devoured the tale of how Naiara, Bosco, and Snowflake crashed at Undertow's place without a word of interruption.

There was a way to tell that he was enjoying himself, however. While Buff smiled, and Al laughed, Lo blew bubbles in his milk. That's actually rather sweet. I wonder if there are any cookies around here? He's being good now that the crying's stopped.

A mix of satisfaction and sadness nipped at the back of my throat. Too bad MY stories about Snowflake wouldn't be so enjoyable for them.

“Hey, birdypony, ya in here?” Lexi's arrival in the bar put an abrupt end to Naiara's retelling, not in small part to my running her over to meet the doctor just inside the door.

“How is she?” Hopping to see behind Lexi, in case Breeze was with her, I didn't immediately notice her expression. When I did, it stopped me cold.

When we landed at the gates, she'd been angry, but now her eyes were soft and her lips curved down. “She's gonna be okay...”

The world brightened around me.

“...eventually.”

And dimmed again. “W-what?”

Lexi rubbed my shoulder. “Yer sister's hurt bad, girl. Real bad. From what I hear, all of yeh've been busy for days straight now, and it's caught up with her. If there was time, Ah'd suggest you all get some rest, but that don't seem likely.” Lexi looked Naiara over too. “Stress'll eat away at a body if it ain't given time to relax. All o' ya could use some time off. I'm guessing y'all were in Lethbridle these past few days?”

Not by choice, but... “...yes.”

Air blew out of the side of the doctor's mouth. “Thought so. Lotta fightin', lotta enemies, lotta strangers. Breeze, well probably all o' yeh, were running close to ragged 'cause o' it. The buildup didn't help when she got hit. Whatever got her,”

“A Raider's axe.” I supplied limply.

“Right, well, it woulda done plenty just by itself, but catching her when it did has left her real weak. Ah can heal her up, but it's gonna take some time. She's gonna have to stay asleep and in bed until then.”

No! “You can't let her wake up?”

“Not unless you want her bein' in a lot o' pain.” Lexi drew back, and her face turned slightly bitter. “It's the same deal as when Snowflake got hurt bad. At best she'll be up for a few minutes at a time. Y'gotta wait until she's back to full strength. It can't be rushed. Recovery time is important to make sure a patient ain’t been permanently damaged by a pony hittin' her when she ain't lookin'.”

“Was that a shot at me?” I tried to growl, but it paled in the face of Lexi's counter-hiss.

“Only fair, after you takin' a shot at her.” She walked around me into the bar proper, nodding to Naiara and the Doublehorns. Her words were still directly at me, however. “Don't think ah've forgotten about that. Now I'll let you look in on your sister in about an hour or so. After that, we gotta discuss arrangements.”

Trying to avoid the glances I was getting from all four of the others, it didn't immediately become clear to me what she meant. “Arrangements?”

“Arrangements. Now, yer caps will cover the girl's treatment, as well as a bunk for you while she's healin', but Ah ain’t gonna have non-employees walkin' around Sprinkles all day gettin' in the way. Y'wanna stay? Then get t’work. Ask Al about that 'fore anything else happens.” With that, she strolled behind the bar and began mixing herself a drink.

“You can't drink that!” Wings flaring, my hooves left the ground in preparation to knock the beverage out of her hooves. “You're still healing my Breeze!”

“Didn't I just tell you that y'can't overwork yourself?” Taking a long draught, Lexi appraised the cocktail, before adding another ice cube. “Healin' takes time, fer both of us. Her body's gotta do its fair share o' the work, and for that it needs fuel. Ah got 'er on a drip, t'get her body ready for the next step. Gotta do it in stages, that Raider axe hit her near the base o' her wing. Ah ain't worked on many Pegasi, but plenty of griffons've got themselves hurt and paid fer healin'. Y'should know this as well as anybody, but Ah gotta do this slow an' steady so she don't end up grounded.”

My own wings failed me at the thought. “Breeze might never fly again?” But she loves flying! This can't be happening!

“Ah don't think it's as bad as all that, but do yeh really wanna take the chance?”

I crossed my hooves in front of me frantically. “No, no, of course not. I can wait as long as it takes. I'll be right be her side the entire time. Just... make her whole again. Please?”

Setting down her half-empty glass, she leaned on the bar counter for a moment before responding. “That's better. Y'don't always have to go fightin' e'rybody over every little thing for yer sister. Sometimes, y'need ta have a li'l faith. Good feelings can do as much as any doctor if yeh let 'em, like how Undertow asked me t'help, even after yeh shot 'er sister.”

There was a cacophony of clatter as water, milk, and cola all hit the floor. “YOU WHAT?!”

Naiara darted in between myself and the three Doublehorns. Well... they're quite large after all, aren't they?

The zebra was hopelessly outmatched, but she still tried to defuse the situation. “Boys, now I know what you're thinking, but if you just—”

“How can you possibly know what we're thinking? She shot our sister!”

“And your sister has tangled with my clan!” Naiara's rebuke was powerful, and set them back slightly. The girl's jade eyes bore into them. “I trust your sister, and I trust Cassie, but sometimes things get complicated!”

However, it only dulled their fury, rather than douse it. Lo bit clean through his straw. “Complicated is figuring out what's safe to eat out here, Naiara. 'Don't kill your friends' is simple wherever you are.”

“Oh really?” I jumped in. I'm rather less than willing to be demonised by this particular family. “Even when this 'friend' goes Raider?”

“Better than full assassin!” Buff snorted.

CHK-CHK!

The cocking of the barrel stopped us all cold. Now on this side of the bar, one hoof pressing on Al's shoulder, a shotgun and half a cocktail in her telekinesis, Lexi inserted herself into the standoff. “Now, Ah'm certainly not sayin' that I condone what Venatici here did to Snowflake, but she's right that the circumstances were not ideal. Yer sister's no saint, boys. She's tryin' her hardest t'be a good gal, but she doesn't always do so well at it.”

The shotgun spun in a lazy circle, sending us all ducking and diving. “That being said, this is MY place, and Ah ain't havin' y'all scrappin' while yeh stay here. This can be hashed out when YOUR” she nodded at the Doublehorns, “sisters get back, and YOUR” then at me, “sister's back on her hooves. Until then, all o' yeh cool it, else mah friend here will be making another appearance. Got that?”

I didn't speak, nor did anybody else. Keeping my eyes on the loaded weapon seemed like the safer bet at present.

“GOOD—”

Five different yelps, mine included, sounded out as we dropped to the floor in tandem.

“—EVENING, EQUESTRIA! This is DJ Pon3, coming to you live with a special report. Big things are happening up north, fillies and gentlecolts, and you'll hear it here first.”

Eyes shuddering from pressure in my chest, I levered myself up into a booth alongside Naiara, who was taking rapid and shallow breaths with a hoof over her eyes. If I ever meet this DJ, I will break his jaw.

Playing from Lo's Pipbuck, DJ Pon3 continued his broadcast. “You know what they always say, my little ponies: I've got good news and bad news, which would you like first? Wait, I can't hear you, let me flip this bitfor instead. What's a bitfor? For flipping, silly. Might not be worth much to a trader, but at least this bit can settle arguments. Okay, here we go... and it's good news first. Okay then. The good news is that a lot of the problems that the northern region has been having with Raiders and slavers have been solved in one fell swoop. 'How?' you ask? Well, that's the bad news.”

Looking around the room, a menagerie of facial opinions were on display. Lexi quirked an eyebrow, Al stared unblinking at the device, Lo blanched, Buff grimaced, and Naiara snorted. Wordlessly, the youngest Doublehorn turned the volume up.

“The bad news, dear listeners, is that the ponies of the northern region took care of their Raider-and-slaver problem by building a giant cage to trap them in. A giant cage by the name of Lethbridle. That's right, folks. In order to get rid of the slavers and Red Ice's goons running around in the region, the leaders of the biggest city in the province decided to turn said city into one big ponytrap. Now, on the one hoof, that is actually pretty hardcore, to seal of the city with the baddies inside, but on the other hoof, well...”

“Here we go.” Lexi closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

A slightly more melancholy tone crept into Pon3's words. “See, the thing is, a lot of people made their homes in that city. Not just ponies either, there were griffons and buffalo too. To keep the Raiders and slavers locked in, they had to lock themselves out. That is a LOT of homeless guys, guys. Doesn't help that Lethbridle was the only major settlement in the region, the rest are small scale. Still, some refugees are heading to the different smaller towns in the regions, and this is where it gets into a mix of good-and-bad news.”

Lexi looked out of the window, as if expecting a great horde of displaced families at her doorstep.

“Some folks are heading up to the border town of Cefar, but not many. It can't take many. A good chunk are heading to Vanchoofer, being lead by the former head of Lethbridle's guard force, Chief Rockhaunch. Nice party town, Vanchoofer, but probably not best for a prolonged stay. Others are making the long trip south. Who knows, maybe we'll even see them around Tenpony. If you've got anything to spare for 'em, ponies, then make them feel welcome. But back to it. The city's griffon population are mostly heading back to Gull Gulf, and the buffalo are heading west, to Grindstone. They've got the good sense to avoid Neighlway, with its oh-so-warm-and-cuddly Steel Rangers. Nobody's going there to get AWAY from their troubles.”

A collective sigh of relief went up around the room. I can take or leave Snowflake, but the others, Undertow-included, don't deserve to be hounded by the very people they saved in Lethbridle, just for being in close proximity to Red Ice.

“Lastly, some VERY brave individuals have, thanks to information provided by the Bernstein Conclave, learned the locations of the Raider bases around the region. They seem to have decided to house-swap with the Raiders who are now trapped in Lethbridle. Can't say that bunking in a Raider ghetto would really appeal to this DJ, but I guess they don't have a lot of options.”

A chuckle escaped Naiara's lips as she lay in the booth. “Oh, Undertow's just gonna 'love' that. More people in her lake.”

“We should be more worried about these refugees finding Hoofshine Harlots.” I reminded.

That got her to sit up. “Oh, crap. My room! My pretty dresses!”

“And all our supplies.” I reminded again.

“I... hold on a second folks,” Sounds of shuffling and muttered words came through Lo's Pipbuck as we waited for the DJ to continue. “Well now, this is a surprise. I'm getting a live call from Plottawa. Looks like Peanut wants to weigh in on this. After his, in this pony's opinion, rather stupid comments when last we spoke, this should be good. Gimme a few seconds to set up the connection.”

“What the heck?” Confused looks were exchanged all round.

“Wasn't Peanut in Lethbridle?”

“Yes, he was.” Buff rubbed his fur where his Pipbuck had been. “The bastard jumped me and took my Pipbuck, but we sealed the gate after Snow and I left. He was stuck inside.”

“Then who's calling from Plottawa?” Naiara's question was answered as a rich, mature voice came through the speaker. One that rendered her completely still.

“Good evening, DJ Pon3. My apologies, but I am not Peanut.”

“Naiara...” I looked over to the girl. I know that voice.

Her jade eyes had shrunk to pinpricks. “Elder Atesh?”

“Who's Atesh?” The Doublehorns remained clueless.

“The leader of the zebra fought against Crush and his buffalo,” I fixed Al with a level stare, “when we first met.”

Atesh's statescolt-like speech resumed. “I can provide an update on the situation around Lethbridle, if you will let me.”

“Uh... sure?” Pon3 seemed as confused at this as we were.

“Thank you. My followers and I are currently in control of Plottawa. As we have no need for slaves, we are willing to negotiate the release of any and all ponies present. From what we see, they have been treated well in their captivity, and are of fit mind and body.”

“And, if this is true, what do you want in return?”

Atesh almost sounded apologetic. “Caps are always welcome, but our true prizes are the Raider leaders, Red Ice and Latvi. Should both be brought to us, we will free all slaves immediately, and leave Plottawa open for any and all to shelter in. We will no longer need it after that point. That is all.”

“Wait a minute, you never gave your-” An audible click sounded on the DJ's end. “Okay then. So a mystery group claims to be in control of Slaverville North, and wants the Raider leadership. What a ride this has been. That's all I've got for you right now, my little ponies, so I'll just tell you the same as always. Keep fighting the good fight, and be kind to each other. I'll keep bringing you the truth, no matter how bad it hurts.”

As the single devolved into static, Buff and I stared at Naiara, while Al and Lo seemed to be trying hard not to. The zebra herself was still frozen, hooves gently tapping against each other as she sat with unfocused eyes.

“Naiara,” Lexi ventured from the bar, “Ah had two ponies from one of my runs caught an' taken to Plottawa. Think there's a chance your Atesh'll give 'em back?”

“I... yeah, a chance. Can't say more than that. I really don't know what Atesh is thinking with taking Plottawa like this.”

Lexi wasn't dissuaded. “Good enough. If you see the opportunity to bring it up with him, please do. Ah don't want Vorbis and Contego sittin' in there any longer'n they have ta.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~