[Freezair]

"Yes! It's a game you can't play. Sorry."

Not very discreetly (would that be "creetly?"), Kaimana whispered to Lohe, "I'm trying to make him think it's all fake so he won't want to get involved."

His chest heaving, somewhere between a laugh and a sob, Lohe bent down to Garrith. "Zu'hai have mercy on both our souls..."

[48]

[GrayGriffin]

"Really?" asked Shawn. "Why? Everyone in the castle always says I'm too little to do something, and then I find out I have a brother, but it turns out his game is something I can't play either!" He was sniffing loudly now, trying to hold back his sobs.

"Oh...oh dear..." muttered Garrith. "Oh dear..."

[62, 35]

[Freezair]

Kaimana's eyes blanked. A careful ear could almost hear the gears crunching in his head. "Be...cause! Because it's only for big kids. You are much smaller than me. Ergo, you are not a big kid, and cannot play. I'm deeply sorry, brother, but I did not invent the rules."

"Oh, honestly. He's full-grown for a Nago." Lohe quietly winked at Garrith. "You should allow him to play..."

[49]

[GrayGriffin]

"Really? I can play too?" asked Shawn, liftin his head hopefully. "Please, brother? I promise I won't mess up anything!" He grinned and held up both foreclaws. "Pinky swear!" he added, extending one claw.

"Huh..." said Garrith. He certainly hoped this would work. Shawn could have very strange mood swings sometimes, though he had grown to partially anticipate them.

[63, 36]

[Freezair]

"What the--Lohe! Do you not understand the importance of our mission here? We have very important things to do to protect the security of these lands! We can't just go letting every Johnny-come-lately into the organization--"

"What is our mission, then?" Lohe asked.

"It--It's... it's, uh... Well, I know we were supposed to meet someone here..."

"How do you know the 'someone' we were to meet isn't your brother? Why, he could be... Undercover!"

[50]

[GrayGriffin]

"Meet someone?" asked Shawn. "I don't think I'm here to meet anyone..."

"Maybe it's a big secret," suggested Garrith.

"Or maybe it's you!" exclaimed Shawn. "Don't worry, I know you can't tell me if it's you."

"But it's not me!"

"I knew you'd say that!"

[64, 37]

[Freezair]

"Yesssss," Lohe said thoughtfully. "Why, he could be so deeply undercover, even he doesn't know about it! There's nothing slicker than that."

"Great moons of Jupiter!" Kaimana reared back in alarm. "Why, that's so utterly insane it could very well be the truth! But... how would we know? How could we be assured that he is in fact the one we were sent to meet?" Kaimana began to pace. "Does he know the password? Do... do I know the password?"

[51]

[GrayGriffin]

"I don't know any password," said Shawn sadly. "Do you know the password, Garrith?"

"Eh...'password'?" he suggested sarcasitcally. "No, I don't know it etiher. How do we know there is a password in the first place, or even-"

Shawn cut him off. "Maybe it's because we recognized each other! Maybe that's why we don't need a password! Garrith, you're so smart!"

[65, 38]

[Freezair]

"Hmmm... I must inquire. Agent 57!"

The startled Ballama suddenly appeared on Kaimana's shoulder, shaking a haze of sleep off his back. Its ears flipped as it shook its head.

"Hmmm...? Oh. What do you need, Kaimana?"

"I need you to get in contact with Them! Tell me--am I to meet this Shawn? Is he our contact? What's the password? What should I be doing? Tell them to answer me!"

Tensly, Agent clung tight to Kaimana. "Geez! Alright, alright, calm down! I'll check in with the chief." Agent's ears swiveled like radio antennae seeking a signal. "Lessie... Hmmm... hmm... nope... aahh... Aha! Uhhh... Yeah! You--you're supposed to meet Shawn. It--it's him. Totally. No password or anything. You just--yeah, hang out." Agent 57 yawned, curled back up in the crook of Kaimana's wing, and faded out once more.

Kaimana looked nonplussed.

Lohe's face bubbled. "Well, you heard him...!"

[52]

[GrayGriffin]

"Ooh!" exclaimed Shawn. "So it's Confirmed now!" He grinned. "So, what are we supposed to do then?" His voice dropped. "And who arranged all this?"

"I dunno. It wasn't anything that led us here...nothing special..." replied Garrith.

"The haunted house!" exclaimed Shawn. "If it wasn't for that, we wouldn't have met Haipaa or Iskim or Kaimana or Lohe or Agent!"

"But...I don't think Zed has anything to do with their...their organization."

"How do you know? Maybe it's...a secreeeeeeet."

[66, 39]

[Freezair]

"Hmmm. Perhaps they want me to put a stop to this... 'Zed' character. Perhaps he has connections with their... organization!"

Lohe sighed. "Kaimana, is this going to turn into a repeat of the Nori incident? Because I would strongly prefer not. Especially if you plan on dragging other people into this..."

[53]

[GrayGriffin]

"Really? But...Zed's not bad! He's strange, but he's not bad!" insisted Shawn. "He might be the reason I met you after all! If he was bad, he'd try to stop us from meeting!"

Garrith facepalmwinged.

[67, 40]

[Freezair]

"But it could be just what they want!" Kaimana stuck his neck out adamantly. His beak chattered as he spoke. "If we're together, then..."

His eyes shrunk.

"...Then they can... take care of us both at once!"

Panic drew his neck tight. He rocketed toward the sky, spreading his wings. "Quickly, Shawn! We've lingered too long! We need to get out of here, or else... Or else... Oh, I don't want to think about it!"

"What the--KAIMANA! GET DOWN HERE!"

"You too, Lohe! We must run!"

[GrayGriffin]

"What?" exclaimed Shawn, flying into the air after Kaimana. Garrith, shocked, barely managed to hang on. Oh dear, if Kaimana actually lured Shawn out of this place, he didn't know what they would do! He wanted to go home now-surely Akse was almost done with their delicious meal.

"Where should we go?" exclaimed Shawn, panicked. "What should we do? Should we split up?"

[68, 41]

[Freezair]

"Yes! Flee from this place! Go someplace safe! Anywhere they can't find you!" Kaimana refrained from mentioning that nowhere was safe, so as not to scare Shawn.

"What the--oh, for heaven's sake!" Lohe leapt up after Kaimana and started chasing him. "Get back here! You just can't leave like this; it's not polite! If you insist on playing this game, at least invite Shawn with us to your 'safehouse' or whatever--"

"Of course!" He suddenly air breaked, and started circling to hold his position. "We'll follow him to his house! They probably don't have it bugged! Like they almost certainly do with ours."

"Oh, for the love of--very well." Lohe looked down. "MAY WE FOLLOW YOU TO YOUR HOUSE?"