In Captain Moore's mind, the thought of 'elven elders' sparked an image of old, greying elves with canes. He imagined a few yelling at their company's guest for breaking curfew or getting captured, all the while nursing back pains.

He wasn't sure if he was impressed or disappointed when her expectations were… not too dissimilar from reality.

Three elves were standing in front of the fort, all far older than the ones the UN had taken in. All of them were dressed similarly to Caelu the first time Corporal Chen saw her: ragged clothes and robes caked with mud and dirt. He had never directly asked Caelu, but the captain was confident that the state of their clothes was due to tradition if anything else. He could not fathom any other reason for always wearing dirty robes caked in grime.

The sun was high in the sky, glaring down on the elves and humans in the open. He noticed a few people sweating, even in their short sleeved uniforms. From the rear, he heard Corporal Chen cough while sipping her canteen despite sitting in an open tent that provided shade to her and a few others.

"So these are the outsiders entering our forest," one of the greying elves asked, his face dulled by age yet retaining some youthful features. He was carrying a long wooden staff, though he wasn't using it for walking. "They are despoiling the serene view of Tesa's creations with their… metal monstrosities. They don't belong here."

"Elder Septen, this entire journey was your idea!" Another elven elder cried. She looked even older than the male elder, her face worn and wrinkled from time. Unlike her colleagues, she carried a walking stick and pressed it harshly into the ground. Her voice quivered as she scolded her partner. "Can't you behave for even a single minute!"

"Bah! Just because I suggested the idea doesn't mean I liked it. The Grand Elder felt a nudge from Tesa. It is not my duty to question the Grand Elder's or Tesa's will!" Elder Septen scolded. "Besides, it's not like these humans understand a word we're saying. Stop annoying my backside, Elder Auru."

"... I wouldn't be too certain. After all, humans are quite crafty according to the texts," the third and last elder elf stated. He seemed a tad younger than Septen and carried a staff, though more decorated and newer than Elder Septen's staff. His dark green hair stood out amongst the grey.

"No one asked for your opinion, Nedurp!" the elderly male elf grumbled.

The UN group, consisting of a few select members of the UN staff, Bravo Company, and HQ Battalion, waited in silence in front of the entrance to Fort Colossus. Its large steel gates and walls manned by soldiers loomed over the elvish and the human delegation, a foreboding silence filling the human side. Several drones whizzed about, monitoring the situation on the ground and under the ground as well. If the new elves thought anything of the flying machines, they didn't show it.

"So how are we going to communicate with them then?" Elder Auru demanded.

Elder Septen glanced sideways at Nedurp, who looked away and shrugged. The younger elf smirked and watched as the elder's face turned red. "I thought you didn't need my opinion, Elder Septen?"

"Bah! I'll figure it out on my own then."

"We can understand you just fine. I am… Leader Fletes, the chief 'elder' for my group," Assistant Director Fletes mused in Danj with a Spanish tinge, wearing a three-piece suit and a sun hat on his brown flowing hair. The tall man towered over even the tallest soldiers, and some soldiers called him a "half-giant" behind his back. "Admittedly, I was curious about your unexpected visit."

"... They speak?" Elder Septen sputtered.

Nedurp chuckled. "Crafty indeed."

"They must've done something to Caelu or the others.; there are no other explanations! They're either enslaved by magic or dead… What did you outsiders do with them? Extract their knowledge, their memories? Or something far more…"

"Elders! Nedurp!" Caelu shouted, waving her hand and running up to the elves from the human side. "I'm fine!"

"You always speak without thinking." Elder Auru smacked the other elder with her walking stick, earning a howl of pain. "It's as if you wanted Caelu and the others to be hurt."

Elder Septen groaned as Caelu hugged Elder Auru and Nedurp. "It's only her… what happened to the other two?"

"Chiu and Roke are… beyond the sky."

"Child," Elder Auru said. "What does that mean?"

"It's difficult to explain… but elder, believe me! These humans are friendly, and they're not from here. They're from a place far away…"

"Very far," Captain Moore stated. For some odd reason, he was utterly… unfazed by the skit occurring before him.

He blamed the first mission for throwing his expectations off track.

Iris whispered into his ears during the brief lull. "Are these guys really… some sort of elvish leaders? They seem kinda wacky."

The captain silently agreed, though his face remained impassive.

Nedurp nodded. "I suspected as such. I told you that they were different than the humans we studied, Elder Septen."

"Bah! You and your parchments. So what if they're from elsewhere." Elder Septen waved his hands at the fort. "They built… that thing in the middle of our forest! Right on top of where we had planned to move for the winter!"

"Before another argument happens," Assistant Director Fletes said. "Would you like to come inside? We do have refreshments."

"Do you have anything cold?" Nedurp inquired suddenly. Several streams of sweat were trickling down his head.

"Of course."

That led to Nedurp and Elder Auru dragging Elder Septen towards the entrance despite his angry protests.

"You can't do this to me! Nedurp, unhand me, or you will be severely punished! Auru, do something!"

Caelu tagged along, chatting with the female elder while Nedurp hissed at Elder Septen's screeches.

The UN group followed from behind, with Assistant Director Fletes leading the elvish delegation with his executive officer. Captain Moore and his company followed closely behind, discussing things in hushed whispers.

"Seems like the elves like cold things. I should've noticed that sooner with Caelu, considering her love for ice cream," Captain Moore mentioned.

"I escorted Caelu into the mess hall yesterday. When I showed her the freezer and explained its functions, she sat in it for half an hour," Specialist Smith said, her tone as even as always.

That comment prompted a few laughs from Bravo Company as they marched down the 'main street' of the fort. A few civilians and soldiers watched as the group passed by, and drones continued to patrol in and out of the fort. However, there was a noticeable shift in tension, and even the soldiers on guard duty on the walls looked more relaxed than before.

The group arrived at the HQ building and was further divided between the elvish group and those permitted to attend the meeting with the elvish delegation. Captain Moore entered with just Specialist Smith, who was still acting as the liaison for Caelu and Bravo Company. The remaining members of Bravo Company dispersed for their daily duties under First Lieutenant Doe.

As the elves sat down, Captain Moore noted the dirt from their clothes creating a linear mess throughout the floor and furniture and grimaced at the thought of the private that would need to clean up this mess.

It took all of one minute for the elven delegation to be sidetracked.