"This what you need?"

A voice called, as a heap of miscellaneous mechanical parts were dropped onto a chestnut table. They clattered on the aged wood, specks of dust flew around as they did so. A few pieces made a sound rounded metal makes as it can't quite settle against a solid surface; It was an irritating, noisy sound.

Across the table, icy cobalt-blue eyes peered through rectangular glasses up from what he was focused on, startled by the sudden obnoxious sounds. His bothered gaze met the one responsible for the disturbance and was unsurprised to find himself staring at a familiar face, the one with an indigo shade of hair, layered with a length just around six inches below his shoulders. His eyes were hetero-chromic; His right a hot orchid-violet, and his left a bright lime green. His name was Ciderus Lycaon and curious enough, he also displayed a tail as well as wolf ears. They were black-furred with the same hetero-chromic colors in the front as his eyes, as if they were meant to match. His tail was equally as lime green as one of his eyes.

"I'm not sure Cider, I'd have to check if anything is usable or useful," the cobalt-eyed one replied. He reached around to tighten his low ponytail a bit, as it was threatening to loosen. His hair was quite long and fiery tangerine orange, the length of the ponytail coming well below his shoulders, reaching his waist. It was quite neat and tidy as if he cared greatly about his appearance.

"Well if you need anything else Chronos," Cider spoke, waiting for the orange haired one's acknowledgment, "Then let me know. I don't mind keeping an eye out for things you might need."

Chronos nodded in reply, resuming his task.

Sensing it was time for himself to depart, Cider took the door behind him, closing it quietly on his way out. It was a courteous gesture compared to his sloppy actions from earlier, as he didn't want to further aggravate one of his closest friends. He breathed a soft sigh. It was possible the various parts he brought him wouldn't be of any use, and he would yet again have to be sent out to find more.

He crossed his arms and tucked them underneath one another, his mind lost in thought. Problem was, he didn't really know what he was looking for. Chronos has told him to bring back anything that looked like it was salvageable, whether it be mechanical parts or wires, and the longer he took to find the one thing they needed, the longer they would all be stranded here.

Cider's eyes trailed around the room, stopping after he reached a window. The house they took shelter in was small; There were only a few pieces of furniture such as an aged table and some chairs, but other choices for adequate housing were few. It was nestled in an abandoned city, in the corner of two much taller buildings which seemed as if they had been business apartments of sorts. The area of this metropolis was dusty, like a desert, revealing this place had not been touched by civilization in many, many years. Eerie sounds could be imagined, though none played, but the awareness that this was a ghost town was a real, unsettling thought.

The disappearance of this city's citizens was unknown. There were signs boarded on to doors, the usual "keep out" and "go away" were present. It was strange that these were kept up; Surely there was no one around that would want to walk-in invited.

The fact that they had been stranded in this deserted place was perhaps fortunate, as there was no reason to hide, and the vastly spanned city meant anyone looking for them would have a tough time finding them. Cider was aware of this as he stared into the distance through the window near him. It was a relief to have a period of respite. The knowing that they were actively being tailed hung over him; The title of "Wanted Pirate" is a title one can't shake easily, even if one tried.

He heard abrupt sounds behind him as the door he left from re-opened, breaking his distanced gaze from the window.

It was Chronos.

"Unfortunately none of those are what I need," Chronos started, referring to the parts that were left with him. "We'll have to go out and find more."

Cider uncrossed his arms, letting one hand rest on the drab table in front of him.

"We?"

"I will be accompanying you this time," Chronos replied. "So we have better chances."

Cider's soft tail swished.

"Any other particular reason why? You never wanted to go out before."

"It's not because I think you've been passing up what I'm looking for on accident," Chronos quickly added, sensing Cider might have been offended. "I just have a better idea of what I need, from a technical perspective."

Cider looked as if he only half believed him, but he decided not to question it.

"Alright then," he conceded. "What about Zeph, you gonna leave him here by himself?"

Chronos opened his mouth to answer but caught the sight of movement on the stairs to his left.

It was a young male. His hair was olive green with a short ponytail brought forward, laying over his left shoulder. His eyes were a vibrant shamrock green, both friendly and bright. He was around the age of 18, a few years younger than Cider and Chronos.

"I trust he'll be alright here on his own for a while. We haven't seen anyone else in this city in two weeks," Chronos answered.

"Cider's going out again?" The olive haired male asked and approached the table the other two were gathered around.

"I am, and Chronos will be going with me this time," Cider replied. "You'll have to stay here Zephyr, wouldn't want you getting lost."

"I wouldn't get lost," Zephyr tilted his head. He knew Cider was only teasing.

"No, but someone needs to guard our things and hold down the fort," Chronos said, tapping the table. "There's important stuff in here."

"It's not going anywhere though, and you said there's no one else in this city," Zephyr echoed. They never took him out to explore and poke around a bit.

Cider reached forward and patted Zephyr's head playfully. "Stay here and watch our things. We'll be back in a few hours. Use the sun's location in the sky to tell what time-"

"Use your phone to see what time it is," Chronos interrupted, shooting a quick glare towards Cider, "And call us if you need to."

Cider grinned. Chronos was no fun sometimes.

After making sure everything was in order, and Zephyr had what he needed, they both grabbed their lightweight jackets and zipped them up before heading out the door.