Eat breakfast.

When you awaken, Delphi is laying naked beside your pillow. It's a strange sight to see her there--only six inches tall. You place your hand over her body almost like a hug. Though you should be getting up, she takes hold of your fingers and snuggles up under the warmth of your grip to seem even more comfortable than before. You decide to spend a little bit more time there before starting the day.

Your party isn't in the greatest of shape. There are likely guards on the lookout for you and the others, yet you haven't left the capital--you can't, not until you're able to find Vivi. The only lead you have is that she was going to meet with the new king to see if her knightly status had any sway, and given she's yet to return, you imagine that didn't go over well. The unfortunate truth is that the only people who are going to know are those at the royal castle, and you were already wanted before your dramatic party crash.

You all sit in the corner and slurp down bowls of simple stew, though Delphi insists in sharing from yours, as she hardly has use for an entire bowl of her own.

"So, uhm... Kyle," Lala speaks up first. "What exactly do we do now?"

"We're not going home without Vivi," you reply.

"That's right," says Delphi. "We came here for both you and her. She's missing too."

Lala taps her chin. "That was the little witch girl, right?"

"And if I remember right, she was related to that spectre we dealt with the beach. I think," Fang adds.

"Well, if anyone can do it, I think you can," Lala says, looking straight towards you. "With our help too. It's the least I can do for saving me, and I saw what you were able to do back in the mansion. You vanished right before my eyes in a way I haven't seen before."

The tavern only has a few others, though you swear they're nearly the same folk as the night before. It isn't all that strange to imagine a tavern has regulars, though given the nature of this place, it might serve mostly as a hideout.

You put a hand on your head and speak quietly. "Yeah... I think Lepo and Feli might have bestowed some kind of power to me but I'm not exactly sure. It isn't like anything else. When I've levelled up in the past and obtained a new spell or whatever, it's come naturally to me. This is different. I have no idea how to control it. See, Lepo had this ability she called Bunny Hop where she could jump with such power that she warped space around her and was even able to travel miles away."

Lala's eyes practically illuminate. "That's such a cool name! Oh, I wish I could do something like that. You truly are amazing."

"Don't say that yet. I haven't been able to do it on purpose. Though it also makes me wonder. Feli had a sort of extra sense. Feeling people's intentions. I imagine her reaction time would have been unreal if we fought. Kinda reminds me of Spider-Man a little bit. Anyway, she called it Kitty Sense."

"Who is Spider--"

Fang interrupts. "That's awesome! And a really cute name for it too. Do you think you have that?"

"Not sure," you reply. "But I think I might. That's something I understand even less. At least with Bunny Hop, there's some kind of physical action."

A figure stops beside the table. It's the same woman from yesterday--red hair, eye patch, tattoos. She has a folded up piece of clothing under her arm. "Sorry. I don't mean to butt in, but I'm really starting to feel bad for your friend. Are you really going to keep her walking around without pants? It's about autumn now you know."

"Why are you looking at me?" you reply. "I'm not in charge of people's pants..."

She tosses a pair of long shorts onto the table. "Hopefully they help."

Lala reaches for the piece of clothing. "Are you certain? I don't think I could possibly--"

"Oh just take them. Unless you're into people seeing you like that." She then turns and walks back towards the counter before another argument can be made.

"Th-Thank you," she mutters. Lala stands up and steps into the pair of shorts. She can barely get them up to her hips and for a moment you swear they're about to tear in half, but she manages to snap the incredibly tight covering around her legs--black, reaching nearly to her knees. It's a strange outfit for certain. She has the top half of a lovely red dress, but then it's torn to bits around the midsection, and below that is a pair of shorts you'd maybe expect to see in the gym. "How do I look?" she asks as she turns. Lala has an amazing ass, and it nearly looks like she's wearing nothing at all back there. The imprint of her panties beneath is clearly visible.

Fang puts her hands together and leans on the table. "Thank you, gods above."

"Oh. Are you praying for our safety?" Lala asks.

What's the play here? Even if Delphi shrinks me down, could I find Vivi or even into into whatever dungeon they might have her in? And then how do I get her out? Delphi can only shrink one person at a time, which means it would just be the two of us conducting this rescue mission. But what if there was some way to get in without sneaking? If I do that, and I can figure out the Bunny Hop, then I can do exactly what Lepo did for us. Teleport the group somewhere else.

"Hey guys. I have a stupid idea," you say.

The others look over.

You take a deep breath. "Well, if we want to get to Vivi, maybe all we need to do is do what Vivi did."

"You mean get caught on purpose?" Delphi asks.

"If only one of us can be shrunk at a time, Delphi can do one of you. Then both of you could sneak in with me while I stay fully sized. I meet with the king, see what happens, and then if he takes me to the dungeons or whatever, I'll eventually figure out how to Bunny Hop out. Best case scenario, we're taken right to Vivi and then we escape together. Worst case, they try to kill me, and I either fight my way out or hop my way out. Either way, I think this might be the only way. We don't even know where she is."

"I'll come!" Fang raises her hand.

You shush a finger on your lips. "All right. Not so loud, but I appreciate the motivation."

"Then I'll watch from nearby," Lala says. "Just in case everything goes poorly."

Delphi lifts off onto your shoulder. "Well, let's get you fixed up then. Don't want to walk up to the king looking like you're on the run from the law. Though, are you sure about this? I'm with you either way."

You nod. "Yeah. I'm sure."

"All right," Fang says. "I'm ready when you are, Kyle. If it turns out something shifty is going on within the castle, then that means it's the ultimate job for a vigilante. Let's take the law into our own hands."