Get dressed.

Eva, Niki, and Amara depart, and you slip your clothing on. It takes some time for the harpies to dress one another, and as nice as it is to watch, Chula eventually nudges you out the door, booting you from your own bedroom so they can finish up in peace. You're garbed and ready for the day. The next thing to do is gather together a party to find Lepo. It'll be a bit of a trip, so you don't want to take too many people away from Castle Phoenix in case something goes wrong, and it might not be all that dangerous unless the goddess is a vengeful one. The only reason you ran into trouble last time was because an elemental was drawn to the latent magical energies in the area.

So who do I bring? I could take the same folk as before, but maybe I should mix it up. Give everyone a chance. You wander through the great hall and towards the throne. You pause and stare over the seat in silent thought.

"Hey. Kyle?" comes a voice.

You turn to see Thomas Whitham--one of the few humans among the ranks, and one of the few boys as well. It is nice to have a guy friend to hang with one and awhile. The girls are great, but they can be overwhelming. His brown hair is tied back with yellow beads like usual, but his leather armour looks a little nicer than before. It seems he's been suited up with an upgrade. A sword is sheathed in a scabbard hanging from his hip, and over his back is a bow.

"Oh. What's up, Tom?" you ask.

He scratches the back of his head nervously. "I was just wondering... I know you like taking the girls with you, and I can't blame you for that one, but do you mind if I come with you on an adventure some time? I'd really like some real experience adventuring with a party, and I want a chance to prove I'm useful. I keep thinking about the Golden Sword. I really got my butt whooped."

"Yeah, I guess so. As long as you're prepared. We face some nasty threats sometimes."

"Of course. I'm ready for anything."

"We've actually got a mission already. It's straight through the Empire to the mountain range on the other side, so it'll be a trip, but we're meeting with the Mother of Bunnyfolk to reconcile an old relationship."

"... Excuse me?!"

"So I definitely need to bring Eva. I'd bring RF too if she were here... I guess you can come too if you think you can handle it. That makes three people total. To meet the magic number four, we'll just need one other."

"Wait, go back. This is a metaphorical mother, right? Not like, the legendary goddess and creator of their species Rinlin told me about."

"Hopefully she's as willing to talk as the Mother of Catfolk was."

"Answer my questions!"

"Hey, can you do me a favour? Bring Eva here, so I can explain the situation. I'm sure she'll want to meet with her too."

Tom hangs his head. "Yes... I can do that. I have one last question though. Was she hot?"

"Of course she was."

"So that's the one you choose to answer, huh?"