[GrayGriffin]

"I'm only halfway sure," she admitted. "Yes, I can sense your emotions, but your attitude seems to shift so quickly, I never know which Joe I'm going to meet-the vicious killer? The playful child? The playful killer?"

"Well...I guess I was snickering a bit too much about the idea of a flesh-eating butterfly creature being out here," admitted Joe. "Especially all the silly people dismissing the idea as 'too unrealistic,'" His wings flashed out in steely sparks. "Ha! I'll show them unrealistic!"

[GrayGriffin]

"Everything about you is unrealistic," laughed the Quiksylph. "But I like it, you know."

"Are you including me in that?" asked Oath, peering over at the duo. "Not that I mind, of course! But people always get those odd looks on their faces when they learn that the Chimerantula is the mechanic. What, do you think you do the work yourself with your dainty little fairy hands?"

The Quiksylph crossed her arms and huffed. "Your manipulating hands are fairly dainty too, you know."

[GrayGriffin]

"Well yeah, but still-you're just tiny overall! Why would people think you're the one doing all the heavy lifting, instead of the actual largest guy here?"

"Really, you're going with that?" muttered A. Joe. "I quite clearly remember both us 'tiny' folks kicking your butt super-hard."

"I was taken off-guard!" objected Oath. "Besides, the point is that you would suck at mechanical work!"

"Perhaps I would," said the Quiksylph. "Still, I believe my presence here is still quite unexpected, if we are evaluating the realism of all of our natures."

[GrayGriffin]

"Oh really? How?" asked Oath. The Quiksylph gestured at him and A. Joe.

"Considering you two and the jobs you used to take, I'm pretty sure no one would expect you to have a Quiksylph beside you. Didn't you two go looking for one for so long and continuously fail in your attempts?"

It was true. Normally, Quiksylph were pure-hearted creatures, unlikely to be found alongside a pair of murderous bounty hunters. But they had believed it would lend them an air of legitimacy.

[GrayGriffin]

Naturally, the attempt to force themselves to be seen as good and approved of by a Quiksylph had failed miserably, and gotten them banned from several trading houses. No creature with such a pure heart would volunteer to be part of a deceptive scheme like that, or approve of them on its own.

Of course, the obsession that A. Joe had with finding a Quiksylph had come from somewhere deeper within, somewhere that he refused to acknowledge for the longest time.

[GrayGriffin]

Ever since he was reborn, he had been waiting to find the fae who had bargained for his soul again. But his memory had been hazier, then, and he could barely remember who she was specifically, or why she was so important to him.

All he knew was that he wanted a Quiksylph by his side. And even as the memories became more clear, he had never believed she would return to him.

Of course, he should have known better.

[GrayGriffin]

The bond had been between their souls, and his had been reincarnated with that bond still intact. Of course she would have sought him out again.

Of course he would have broken her heart with what he had become again.

But somehow, it had all worked out. He was back by her side, never to leave. And she was the same. He could tell, despite the way she acted sometimes, that she wanted to stay. And he hoped that she could tell the same despite the ways he prodded at her.

[GrayGriffin]

He supposed it was harder for Oath. The Chimerantula had had a perfect rapport with him before this, and suddenly he found it broken by the arrival of one who seemed like an intruder to him. He had approved of the plan when it was merely a scheme to increase their air of legitimacy, but definitely not when it ended up involving an actual bond. He had already been upset when he realized that A. Joe had all this history with a Quiksylph that he had never shared.

[GrayGriffin]

He supposed he probably shouldn't tease Oath about being beaten by both him and the Quiksylph that much. He didn't want to alienate his friend and partner, after all. He was a skilled mechanic and blacksmith, and saw nothing weird about working with a small, harmless-seeming Lunafly.

Maybe he'd ask him to make something for the Quiksylph. That might help the two of them get along better.

"Hello? Joe?" Oh, right. Oath and the Quiksylph were still right here in front of him.

[GrayGriffin]

"Nothing!" he exclaimed. "Just thinking about what you just said, Quiksylph. I guess it's true, but I'm glad you're here anyways."

"I'm glad to be with you as well, Joe." Joe noticed Oath flinch a little at that, giving the Quiksylph a sideways glance. She didn't really respond in any way he could see, but he supposed that came of not actually having any facial features.

"Anyways, we're dallying!" he exclaimed. "Come on, let's head further on and see if we can find one of those flesh-eating butterflies to convince to come back with us!"

[GrayGriffin]

The Quiksylph chuckled as A. Joe launched himself forward, deeper into the woods, fluttering after. "Good," she said. "Let's focus on that instead of petty arguments."

"...yeah," agreed Oath after a pause. "That's the kind of thing we can talk about back at the base, after all." He scuttled after the flying duo, scythes raised high, having to take a slightly longer path than them due to both being landbound and having a much bulkier frame.

[GrayGriffin]

"Oi, wait up, you two!" he called. "Not all of us are as dainty or winged as you!"

The Lunafly and Quiksylph didn't seem to notice his cries for a moment there, too caught up in flying spirals around each other, but eventually they paused and turned back, hovering in place.

"Sorry!" exclaimed A. Joe. "I guess I got overly excited."

"We'll be more careful as we continue on," assured the Quiksylph. "We wouldn't want to leave you behind, after all."

[GrayGriffin]

Oath quirked an eyebrow at that comment. He was pretty sure the Quiksylph would have been happy to flutter off into the distance with A. Joe and leave him behind, if it wasn't for A. Joe's encouragement.

"We will need your assistance if this turns into a combat situation, after all," she continued, and he scowled once she turned her back and went on to flying. Of course. She was only interested in how useful he could be to the team.

[GrayGriffin]

The Quiksylph flew on, paying more attention to the path below her. She and Oath did seem to clash a lot, even if she dearly wished they wouldn't. It was obvious how much A. Joe valued both of their friendships, after all, and the last thing she wanted was to break up one of said friendships. And she was pretty sure that what she'd just said had come out as quite insulting. Still, at times it was so hard to engage with that Chimerantula properly.

[GrayGriffin]

As the trio continued on, each lost in thought, A. Joe suddenly stopped, looking off into the treeline.

"Did you hear that?" he asked eagerly. The Quiksylph tilted her head, and Oath stopped and crouched slightly.

"It sounds like...flapping wings?" muttered the Quiksylph. She could sense the excitement coursing through A. Joe already.

"There's definitely something over there!" exclaimed A. Joe. With a burst of speed, he flapped his wings and started rushing in that direction. "Come on, let's see what it is!"

With a simultaneous cry of "Wait up!", the other two followed..

[Wild Pet Found]