As predicted, Hex had been right. It was a short wait until someone did arrive with their ship's unmistakable embodiment of Emberguard, and there had been no time for tarrying. Cider had instinctively objected, but he was easily voted against, and it was decided the goat was to be placed back where they found it, at the junkyard. Hex had made the trip, and Cider was found still sulking in his spot at the table as Hex returned, his wolf ears flattened in an unhappy expression.

Most of the candles in the house were blown out, save for a few. Hex situated himself by the window, keeping an eye in the junkyards general direction. A few moments ago, he witnessed the small ship landing and was patiently waiting for it to leave before suggesting their next plan.

"How could you go against Poker Goat, he never did anything bad to you," Cider pouted, his lime tail lightly smacking his seat every few seconds. He was upset that he had been practically ignored when he protested, as Hex and Chronos had rushed to put a strategy together.

"Keeping that goat here would have caused complications. Whoever is on that ship would have wanted to know why I'm aiding three felons, and that wouldn't be easy to explain," Hex replied calmly, not taking his eyes from the window.

"And speaking of ships, it appears our visitor is leaving, which means now would be a good time to get all your stuff together."

"We're leaving?" Zephyr wondered aloud. He was sitting next to Seris, who began repacking their soaps neatly in the beige basket.

"We can't risk someone returning here. After they inspect the goat, it will be obvious it was tampered with, and the may want to know by whom. If we leave now, we won't risk that chance."

Hex noticed Cider looked as if he had something on his mind, most likely about the goat, and he spoke again.

"We can discuss more about this later. Just grab whatever you still need and throw it on my ship."

"What about our own ship?" Chronos inquired. He had been gathering the unlit candles from different shelves in rooms and placing them in one of the boxes before stopping to ask. Their ship couldn't go far without a new power coupling, and they still had yet to find one.

Hex fumbled his hand in his pocket before he tossed a small round device to Chronos.

"Stick that on the side of the ship and hit the button. It'll cloak it, and should be safe to leave here undetected."

"You always carry those in your pocket?" Cider's voice was heard as he dropped water bottles he was carrying into a box. He must have stopped sulking to grab them from upstairs moments ago, as he dropped a few on the floor along the way, leaving a trail any detective could figure out.

"Actually yes, it doesn't hurt to be prepared."

Seris stood up, his sky blue ponytail swaying as he did so. He held the basket in his arms, now packed full of soaps, and placed it by the door. The other boxes were stacked and taped shut, ready to be taken away.

Cider and Chronos both took a few boxes and followed Hex to his ship, where they were placed in the back room so they wouldn't get in the way. The interior was quite large, and it was different shades of grey with the occasional red colored controls spread about. There was a separated room in the ship where the boxes were placed, and one might think it to be a guest room or a small lounge. It had a sectional sofa that lined the sides of the walls and looked like the kind of seating found in club bars, and Cider quite liked it.

"Now this is fancy," he hummed to himself, taking a row of seats to sprawl out on. He propped a pillow under his head and closed his eyes, enjoying the time of respite. It was interrupted when he felt a weight land on his chest, and opened his eyes to find the soap filled basket sitting on it and Hex standing over him.

"Put that in the back, and don't drop any of them."

"You couldn't be bothered to walk a few steps over to the left?" Cider replied, sitting up to take the basket off his chest and pointing to the area the boxes were kept.

A simple and uninterested "No," was heard from Hex as he walked back through the doorway, and Cider placed the basket next to the boxes before returning to his cozy spot. He soon heard Chronos walk in, who placed his boxes in the same place as Ciders.

"Seris and Zephyr just came aboard, so we'll be leaving in a short while," he stated, pausing to let Zephyr by him. The olive haired male took a seat opposite from Cider, who had taken up the entire other side.

"And I'd sit up for take off if I were you."

Cider made an ok-hand to acknowledge Chronos' statement and sat up moments later after he saw the orange-ponytailed male leave. He assumed Chronos took a seat at the front of the ship, alongside Hex and Seris. It made sense, but he was missing out on some nice snooze time.

At least that's what Cider thought anyway.

In a short timespan, it wasn't long until Zephyr found himself looking out the window behind him to find evident signs that they were in space. There were plenty of stars speckled about in the distance, as well as the occasional brightly colored nebula clouds floating about. He could even see the tan colored planet they had just left, slowly growing smaller as the ship sailed away into the unknown.

At the front of the ship, Chronos sat with his hands in his lap, keeping an eye on the window ahead of him. It crossed his mind that no one seemed to ask where they were headed, and he found himself curious.

"Where are we headed exactly?"

Hex glanced towards him, his hand still on the ship's steering.

"Grimhaven."

"The Exiles city? That Grimhaven?"

"That's the only Grimhaven, as far as I know, so yes," Hex responded. He hadn't mentioned it earlier as he knew Chronos might oppose.

"May I ask why? I thought we were trying to avoid trouble, not jump into it."

"It's the only place Seris and I can go for a drink on duty. Anywhere else just looks bad."

"So even Mr. Perfect breaks the rules," Cider spoke from the doorway and yawned. He fell asleep shortly after takeoff and was still tired from waking up from his nap. His tail was ruffled where he layed on it.

"At times, yes."

He looked over to Seris on his left, who also decided to take a nap. His head was resting atop his folded arms on the counter near the controls, his black goat ears laying gently over his shoulders.

"And keep it down, Seris is trying to sleep."

Chronos brought his voice to a softer, quieter tone.

"You think it's a good idea to go somewhere that Emberguard is kind of hated?"

"I have a good rep there, even bought drinks for everyone at the bar a few times. We won't run into any problems," Hex assured.

It was true, he was respected for not bringing in any felons from Grimhaven, in exchange for someplace he could sit back and relax. Contrary to the connotation of an "outlaw," Grimhaven was a well-upkept criminals refuge, a city where those who've made millions through stealing and reselling materials could retire, or live worry-free. It was a city built by felons, for felons, in a sort of twisted society. It wasn't an anarchic city, but minding your own business was still suggested practice, less one give the wrong person a "bad look."

Cider ventured from the doorway back into the guest room and returned with Zephyr, who hovered by the front window next to Chronos.

"Oh good, you got Zephyr. I was just about to say we're almost there," Hex said, noticing Zephyr join them up front.

"We're almost there? I don't see anything at all," Zephyr asked, scanning the front window for any indication of a city. He could only see distant stars from every angle.

"Grimhaven's hidden by a large cloaking forcefield that will reveal itself as you pass through it. Did I mention it was designed and built by a few of Grimhaven's most tech-savvy citizens? Well, now you know," Hex informed. "If the city were out in the open, one of the factions would shut it down, most likey by Clockhaven or Emberguard."

It took a few moments, but the city suddenly appeared like a desert mirage. It looked gothic, but modern, and looked busy as ever with ships bustling about. Hex, having been here numerous times, knew the easiest path to take to the landing bays of the city, and it wasn't long before he had found a quiet place free from the "city rush." The ship was powered down to a resting state, and he motioned for the others to head out. The door closed behind Hex, and he slotted his keycard to lock it, listening for the lock sound before taking his card back.

He turned to find the group waiting for him, with Zephyr kicking loose gravel around on the ground. He walked towards them, casually looking around the area for any kind of inconspicuous characters, but there were none to be found lurking about.

"Nervous with all these 'trouble makers' hanging around? You never know when they could jump out," Cider directed to Hex, his lime tail wagging playfully. He kind of liked places like this, the ones with a small sense of danger.

"No, but you should still be cautious. I said they won't cause us trouble, as in they won't cause Seris and I trouble. People here haven't seen you three around before, can make them jumpy sometimes."

Hex passed the group, insinuating they should follow him. He did know where he was going after all.

"Just don't mingle with anyone, and follow me. And don't give anyone any weird looks," Hex told, directing the last bit to Cider in particular, who only yawned in reply.

From the landing bay, they followed Hex for a short few paces along the sidewalk until coming upon a neon sign with the words "The Marble Snake." Chronos guessed this was the name of the lounge, and Hex held the door open for the others, hearing a small entry bell chime as he did so.

First impressions were quite nice; It was a well-lit bar with a white-grey theme, and strawberry-orange hued lights lined the walls as a trim. The bartender was dressed well, with a black and white uniform and a small orange flower was pinned to the front pocket area. He stood behind the bar, mixing drinks and chatting with his customers, and the group passed by him while selecting a table. Eventually, they settled on a booth in the corner colored black and burgundy, and Hex adventured to the bar to pick out drinks for himself and Seris, who always wanted his usual.

Meanwhile, Cider, Chronos, Zephyr and Seris took a seat and waited patiently. Hex returned with two drinks and placed one in front of Seris before he took a seat next to him.

"You know I figured you would've gotten booze. This is a bar you know," Cider spoke, noticing the fizzing glasses both Hex and Seris had.

"Cherry coca-cola and Sprite are our favorites," Hex responded, sipping his glass.

"What about the whole 'can't drink on duty' speal from earlier?"

"That's true for alcohol, but I'm in a soda mood tonight."

"Well, alright," Cider shrugged and folded his arms. "You said later, and now it's later, so what about Poker Goat?"

"What about him?" Hex questioned, but he already knew the answer.

"Is Emberguard gonna fix him and take him back to that planet, back where they found him?"

"Unlikely. The goat's model is too old to be of any use. I'd guess he will be dismantled, maybe scavenged for parts if he'd lucky, but Hypnos wouldn't want his old tech running around to be picked up by someone."

"They can't dismantle him, he's such a good boy!" Cider exclaimed and frowned.

"Remember they're not pets."

"You're not gonna let him convince you this is okay, are you?" Cider looked to Chronos, who hadn't said anything.

"Well..."

"Think about Zephyr, he could be a guard dog for him, or a guard goat," Cider insisted, pointing to Zeph across the booth.

Chronos tilted his head and looked at Cider.

"You're using Zephyr's safety as a means to persuade me?"

"Yeah," Cider admitted with no shame. "But the goat's got an alarm system. Maybe you could tinker with it so it can detect danger or something. It's not that bad of an idea, it's got some practical purpose."

Chronos thought for a while.

"It's not an incredible idea, but I could see it being useful."

"You're not seriously thinking about a rescue mission for this goat," Hex took another sip of his cola. He was in disbelief they would think of something so foolish.

Cider looked to Chronos, who nodded slightly, perhaps regretting his decision in the future.

"I guess we are," The violet and green-eyed one concluded with a grin.

"I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but I think it would be impossible," Seris stated, watching the bubbles fizz in his sprite. "Emberguard's looking for you. You all would never get by their security without someone recognizing you."

"Actually, something is coming up that could theoretically work, but it would be very risky," Hex said, leaning against the table.

"What's that?" Cider inquired, his wolf ears perked.

"In a few days, Hypnos will be hosting an elegant Masquerade Ball, to exhibit a material he has finally located, something he's long saught after. A manor of distinguished individuals from all three factions will be attending to discuss future trade arrangements, but it could be a good opportunity for you to try your 'rescue' idea."

"So it's like a fancy party? I love fancy parties," Cider slapped his hands on the table rather gently, being mindful they were still in a lounge.

"It's an idea, but security will be very high," Hex warned, finishing the last sip of his drink. "On second thought, I don't think it will be a good idea. Even with disguises, they will see right through you."

"Sure, Hypnos' guards can see through some disguises, but not all disguises," a voice called. Hex turned his head to the right towards the bar, where the voice came from. There was only one man seated there now.

"You know it's rude to eavesdrop," Hex called back, not taking his eyes off him.

The man at the bar spun in his seat to face Hex, rather confidently. His hair was bright white and wavy, and he had a very long, wavy ponytail held together by golden metallic hair ties. He featured fluffy wolf ears similar to Cider's, but they were white and gold, and a white wolf tail wrapped itself around his waist to sit on his lap. His eyes were a mix of a peach and honey color, and several of the pieces of jewelry he wore revealed his Egyptian decent.

"Maybe so. But I hear you're in need of really good disguises, and I happen to know a guy."

"This guy, can you tell us where to find him?" Cider asked, quite curious. Hex shot a look at him, insinuating he shouldn't be talking to this stranger.

"Oh I can take you to him, he's not too far," the white-haired stranger replied.

Hex lowered his voice so only the group could hear.

"I told you not to talk to anyone, you don't need to ebb him on."

"He says he knows a guy who can help, that's kinda what we need right now," Cider said, glancing at the stranger. "Why not give him a chance?"

Chronos looked unsure as well, but Hex returned his attention to the man at the bar.

"What's your name then?"

"You mean my name?" The stranger picked up his own newly made drink from the counter, giving it a taste.

"Osiris Mantus."