A soft groan escaped Stephanie as she slowly emerged from the realm of slumber. Her eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, her hazy mind struggled to make sense of her surroundings. Her eyelids felt heavy with slumber, and it took her a few seconds to fully register where she was. A wave of confusion swept over her as she looked around the room, still not fully comprehending the situation.

  She sat up, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. As her bleary eyes finally focused, she saw Uni and Esther still sleeping beside her, their faces peaceful in their slumber. Memories of the previous day came flooding back, and she recalled the journey they had made to get here.

  As she sat there, her mind still adjusting to being awake, she noticed someone else in the room besides the two sleeping girls. Her eyes darted around, curious about the unfamiliar presence, and then they landed on Mable, who was sitting quietly in a corner, her gaze fixed on the girls' sleeping figures.

  Stephanie's eyes widened slightly as she recognized Mable. She hadn't expected to find anyone else here, and the sight of Mable sitting silently in the corner caught her off guard. She watched Mable for a few moments, observing her, before whispering a soft, "Hey…”

  Mable's gaze shifted towards Stephanie, and a small smile played on her lips upon noticing she was awake. "Hey kiddo," she greeted gently. "Finally decided to join the land of the living, huh?”

  Stephanie stifled a yawn and rubbed her eyes again, still feeling drowsy. "I guess so..." she mumbled, her voice carrying a hint of drowsiness. "How long have you been here?”

  Mable shrugged casually, her gaze returning to the sleeping figures of Uni and Esther. "Been here for a while, just observing everyone sleep. It's a calming sight, isn't it?”

  Stephanie couldn't argue with that. Despite the circumstances, there was a strange comfort in watching her two friends sleep, their troubles temporarily forgotten in their slumber. She nodded slightly in agreement, still trying to fully shake off her grogginess.

  Mable chuckled softly at Stephanie's sleepy nodding. "You look like you could use a little more rest," she teased softly, her eyes still fixed on the sleeping girls. "You still look tired.”

  Stephanie let out another yawn, as if to confirm Mable's observation. "Yeah, I guess I am still tired..." she admitted, her voice still a bit groggy. "But it's kind of hard to sleep when there's someone watching me…”

  Mable let out a small gasp of feigned offense. "Oh, come on, I was just being a good guardian, watching over you three. Can't a girl do that without getting accused of being a creep?”

  Stephanie rolled her eyes playfully, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Yeahhhh, sure. A 'good guardian'. That's definitely what you were doing~”

  Mable faked a gasp again, her hand placed dramatically over her heart. "I'm offended, kiddo! Are you implying that I wasn't being a responsible guardian? I'm hurt, truly hurt.”

  Stephanie stifled another yawn, but a small chuckle escaped her lips. "Nah, I'm just messing with you. But seriously...why were you watching us sleep? That's kind of creepy, you know.”

  Mable shrugged nonchalantly, a playful smirk on her face. "What can I say? It's like a sport to me, observing people at their most vulnerable state. There's something intriguing about it, don't you think? But seriously though, I've been watching over you guys to ensure your safety until we go to the Alliance HQ today.”

  Stephanie's eyes widened a little with concern, her grogginess temporarily replaced with a bit of worry. "Wait, why are we going to the Alliance HQ? Is there something wrong?”

  Mable shook her head, a reassuring smile on her face. "Oh, it's nothing to worry about, kiddo. Just some loose ends need to be wrapped up before we head back home. Nothing that you as a kid should even worry about.”

  Stephanie's shoulders relaxed a little at Mable's reassurance, but a hint of concern still lingered in her eyes. "Okay..." she murmured, her exhaustion now mixing with a touch of unease. "But...is everything going to be fine?”

  Mable's expression softened, and she reached out, ruffling Stephanie's hair affectionately. "Everything will be just fine. You and the others just focus on getting some more rest for now, okay? I've got your back.”

  Stephanie nodded, her exhaustion taking over once more. She leaned back against the pillows, her eyelids growing heavy again. "Okay..." she mumbled softly, her eyes closing halfway.

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  Mable chuckled softly, a small smirk on her face. "That's a good girl...go back to sleep. You need your rest for the road ahead.”

  Stephanie nodded weakly, her exhaustion taking hold. "Okay..." she murmured sleepily. "...Wake me up when it's time to go…”

  Mable nodded, a soft smile on her face. "Don't worry, kiddo. I won't let you oversleep. Just rest for now, okay?”

  And with that, Stephanie's exhaustion won out, and she drifted back into a light slumber, leaving Mable there, watching over them with a mix of fondness and responsibility.

  ★

  The atmosphere in the main office of the Alliance HQ was tense, a mix of concern and determination floating in the air. Svenja sat at her desk, her usual poker face replaced by a frown as she watched the group of young people standing before her. Uni, Esther, Mable, and Stephanie all stood in front of Svenja, each with their own thoughts. She had questions about Stephanie, the unfamiliar face catching her interest, but her upcoming mission was what she needed to save all her energy for, so she let it rest for now.

  The only sound that could be heard was the ticking of a clock, the seconds feeling like hours…

  Finally, after an excruciatingly long moment of silence, Svenja let out a deep sigh and finally spoke, her tone serious and firm. "Aight, tell me everything. Me and my team need rest for tomorrow to face that damn demon, so make it quick.”

  Uni clenched her jaw, her expression serious and determined. "Well, where do I even begin...?" she said, her voice filled with a mix of frustration and worry.

  Svenja leaned forward, her gaze fixed on Uni. "Start from the beginning," she said, her composure still unwavering. "How did this whole situation with Trixie unfold?"

  ...

  Svenja took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts. "Aye, so lemme get this straight. Ye went to Meteor Corp to return Piper so she can be hooked up to the Supercomputer...then Sarolta came in, wrapping Trixie around 'er little finger with some manipulation...an' then that's when Trix started actin' weird, yeah?”

  Uni nodded, her expression filled with frustration and disbelief. "Pretty much, yeah. Sarolta somehow twisted Trixie's loyalty, and she's basically obeying her every command now. It's insane how easily she was manipulated. You know she was never like that. She would never willfully be anyone's 'puppy'. This is not like her.”

  Svenja's shoulders slumped, her expression hard. "Aye, Trixie's always been a free spirit. It's worrisome how easily she's fallen under Sarolta's influence. D'ya know why Sarolta targeted her...specifically her, out o' everyone?”

  Uni shook her head, frustration evident on her face. "Apparently, Trix has been somewhat of Sarolta's favorite child of sorts. She was her favorite of all the agents, raising her from a little girl and training her to be the best she can be. Trixie was unhappy with her recent shortcomings and accepted to be 'disciplined' by her. But THIS...this is...this is beyond words, you know? Trixie's basically become her...her dog, her 'puppy'. It's like she doesn't even have a mind of her own anymore. It's sick and twisted.”

  Svenja clenched her jaw, her expression hardening even more. "Aye, this is beyond anythin' anyone could have predicted. Sounds like Sarolta's playin' some serious power games here. That's why we're gonna get to the bottom o’ this.”

  Uni nodded, her expression a mix of determination and worry. "Exactly. We need to find a way to break this manipulative hold Sarolta has on Trixie. She may be 'agreeing' to this, but this is not what she truly wants. We need to snap her out of it.”

  Svenja sighed deeply, a pensive expression on her face. "Aye, breakin’ that hold will be easier said than done. Sarolta's a master at manipulation, an' from what it sounds, Trixie was already in the perfect position for her to step in an’ take advantage.”

  Uni nodded grudgingly, knowing that Svenja was right. "Yeah, she was vulnerable and unsure of herself because of her past failures. Sarolta probably saw this as the perfect opportunity to get her hooks in even deeper.”

  Svenja's expression softened slightly. "Aye, that's likely the case. We needa take a step back an' carefully evaluate the situation. We don't want to act recklessly an' put Trixie in any more jeopardy than she already is. You lot go ahead an' rest your minds for now. After I handle some business, we'll go to Meteor Corp together so I can give 'er a piece o' my mind.”

  Uni nodded, her expression filled with a mixture of gratitude and determination. "Thank you, Svenja. We'll do our best to rest and try to clear our heads.”

  Svenja chuckled, a small smirk forming on her lips. "Ye better. Ye all look exhausted, especially that young 'un over there." she said, her gaze shifting to a quietly observing Stephanie.

  Stephanie's eyes widened for a moment, then softened as she met Svenja's gaze. She nodded shyly. "I'm...I'm okay, just a bit tired..." she mumbled.

  Svenja chuckled softly, her expression softening, even if just a little. "Ah, no need to reassure me, young lass. A couple of hours o’ shut eye should do ya good. You an’ the rest o' the girls get some sleep, an' we'll worry about all this later.”

  Uni nodded, a weary smile appearing on her face. "You're right, we could all use some rest." She looked around at the others for confirmation. Esther was silent but nodded in agreement, while Mable yawned nonchalantly, not denying the need for a nap.

  "Aight then," Svenja said, "Ye lot go rest up. I've got some things to take care of, an' I'll come an' get ye a few hours afterwards so we can head to Meteor Corp. Sound good?”

  "Sounds like a plan," Uni replied, a mixture of exhaustion and determination in her voice. "We'll be ready when you are.”

  Svenja nodded. "I trust that ye will be." She made a soft shooing motion with her hand, signaling for them to leave. "Now get to it. Y’all look tired as hell.”

  The girls all nodded, exhaustion now fully settling on them. They bid Svenja farewell for now and made their way out of the office, ready to get some well-deserved rest before facing the challenges that lay ahead.