That day saw much activity in the apartment of David Whitman. A crash course in modern Earth civilization was soon in order.

"So what is this supposed to be?" Asked Sera while opening and closing the refrigerator door to watch the come on and off.

Kirn seemed equally interested in the simply appliance.

Dave stood back and let Rob start to give the explanation. This first day of having the Stormphoenixes around was going to be awkward the whole way through.

"We use it to keep food from spoilin?." Rob began the lesson of basic kitchen dynamics. "That?s why it?s cool inside."

"But how?s it kept cold in there?" Kirn pressed.

"Well, it uses electricity, and that--."

"So what?s electricity supposed to be?"

It was becoming plain that Rob was going to be busy for some time detailing just the kitchen, and that didn?t cover the rest of the apartment, much less what was outside of it.

And while Rob had to be one of the most intelligent people Dave knew, he had a low threshold of patience when it came to teaching others.

"Okay, forget what I said about it being lightning." Rob threw his hands up after a five-minute lecture. "Just don?t jam anything metal into the outlets on the walls other than a plug."

"Plug?" Sera remarked curiously. "You mean like a cork one in a bottle."

"No, not that kind? Just one with a? Dave, you wanna take over on this?"

The young martial artist had been watching the entire lesson go on with amusement.

"You?ve got more technical know-how than me." He leaned against the kitchen counter leisurely. "I still have problems installing applications on a computer."

"Yeah, but you?ve got a better way with words."

"Flattery?s the most desperate cry for help."

Dave stepped up to bat as the new instructor.

"All right, lightning and the electricity we use in one in the same. It?s the sources of them that makes the difference."

Where Rob had been struggling and getting only confused stares from Kirn and Sera, Dave was quickly able to obtain nods of understanding.

"Anything you want to add on, Rob?" Dave asked.

"Naw, you?re doin? fine, man."

"By the way, how much cash can you scrounge together?"

"Minus what I?m savin? in the bank?" Rob pulled out his wallet.

"Yeah."

"I?ve got close to a thousand on my card, and I could stop by an ATM for that, no problem."

"You mentioned getting some kind of wardrobe for our friends here. I was thinking that maybe you could hit on that while I stay here with Kirn and Sera."

"Sure, that?ll work." Rob gave the visitors the once over to estimate what size clothes would fit the pair best. "I should be back in an hour or so."

"Just hurry back." Dave ordered. "I really don?t want to do all the teaching here solo."

"Don?t worry, man. Be back soon."

With that farewell, Rob was out the door leaving Dave with the two most unusual guests he had ever met.

"So?." He turned to Kirn and Sera. "What would you like to see next?"

"In all honesty." Kirn pinched at his filthy robes. "I think it would be best if we got ourselves cleaned up a bit before this tour continues."

"Geez, I should have asked about that when you first got here!" Dave quickly apologized.

"Don?t fret over it." Sera consoled. "I think we?re all having trouble getting our priorities straight after what?s been happening."

Dave directed the pair to the bathroom and instructed them on the basic use of the facilities. Seeing that the shower dealt with little more than water, the two showed no apprehension in using it.

Sera went first while Kirn sat back in the living room with Dave to discuss the circumstances of their separate journeys.

"He said that he wouldn?t be kept from his paradise?" Dave brought his hand up to rub his chin in thought.

"That was the closest thing Deathblaze said that seemed to regard his spell." The mage nodded. His staff stood propped in a corner of the living room along his pack. The wizard?s spell book sat on the coffee table next to the one in Dave?s possession.

"Hmmm. So we?ve got the Realms ready on the brink of extinction and a dragon griping about a vacation spot. How are those supposed to fit together?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, my friend."

Dave fell back into the cushions of his chair and casually pushed off with one foot to send the chair swiveling in a slow rotation. Coming back to face Kirn, he drew himself forward.

"I don?t suppose you?ve ever heard of the conservation of matter and energy?" He questioned the blue robed individual.

"Sounds like more of that science you spoke of earlier." Kirn said.

"It is." Dave acknowledged. "Physics to be precise. Basically it says that matter and energy can be neither created or destroyed, only changed into different forms.

"What if Deathblaze isn?t trying to just destroy the Realms? What if this spell will give him the power to reshape them? Remake creation in his own image?"

"I follow what you?re saying." Kirn realized. "So by sucking the whole of Existence into one space, he could make three new realms to suit his whims."

"Maybe the dragon wants to make just one huge realm or maybe he plans to carve out hundreds of smaller ones. In any case, I still don?t see it being a change any of us would be likely to survive. But keep in mind I?m just riding a theory."

"It?s the most logical one I?ve heard so far on the subject." Kirn pointed out. "And with what Sera and I have learned in the past weeks, that?s saying a lot."

"But that still doesn?t explain why he had that one man on Neddel killed by those Bloodtalons you talked about. With a plan of such a grand scale in the works, you?d think that taking the time and power to kill one human before the rest would seem kind of petty."

"You want to talk about petty?" The mage said. "Deathblaze?s cave was littered with treasures from both our worlds. And for what? How could such material items hold his interests?"

"I don?t suppose we?ll have the opportunity to ask him anytime soon." Dave replied. This whole mystery was growing more and more bizarre, and there was still no real progress made as to what could be the true driving force behind it all.

"Dave." Sera called from inside the bathroom.

"Yeah, what do you need?" Dave yelled back.

"Where do you keep the towels?"

"See the big drawer just outside of the shower?"

"Yes." The sounds of running water ended replaced by wet feet slapping against linoleum.

"Right inside there." Hollered Dave.

"Found them. Thanks."

"So what did you make of Deathblaze when you saw him?" Dave resumed speaking with Kirn.

Kirn reared up as if someone had just splashed ice water across his back before he regained his calm.

"He was madness unleashed." The mage said grimly. "It was like he was feeding off the fear he generated. Some of the people he killed, he murdered them outright. Others he just slowly tore open. Kind of like the way a boy will rip off the wing of a fly to see what the insect will do."

"I?m sorry to ask such a thing." Dave responded sincerely. "I know looking back on what happened must be hard for you. I just thought that your first hand knowledge would give me a better idea of what we?re dealing with. The way Deathblaze has been behaving unfolds like a great conspiracy half the time, and the other half it just baffles me with how illogical it appears."

"I think that unpredictability is what makes him so dangerous. But he is afraid of you and Rob. Two of Neddel?s greatest wizards said so before they died."

Further discussion between the two was interrupted as Sera came out of the bathroom. Her hair wet fell behind her. A thick, fluffy towel was wrapped around her, keeping the more private regions of her body covered.

"Did I miss anything?" She asked.

"We?re just going over some theories." Kirn answered. "So you?re done in there?"

"Yes. You?ve simply got to try the shower. It?s really relaxing."

"Just don?t stay in too long." Dave said. "Otherwise you?ll use up all the hot water."

Kirn stood up from the couch and went to wash himself. Sera, deciding to make herself comfortable, took her brother?s place on the sofa.

While the young lady took her seat, Dave suddenly realized that he had been staring. He would have been lying that he did not find her attractive with those bright blue eyes of hers. The way they complimented the rest of her. Still, he didn?t want to make this new visitor unsettled, so he was quick to start a conversation.

"So what do you think of the city so far?"

Sera had been quick to catch Dave looking at her. She had grown used to such looks from men. They always liked to leer. But Dave hadn?t been leering. In fact, had he known he had been caught looking, Sera was certain that Dave might have been embarrassed.

The treasure hunter fought to hold back a smile as her host?s voice cracked whilst he asked her opinion.

"It?s big. Far bigger than any I?ve seen before in my life."

"Don?t worry, Rob and I?ll help you get used to it."

She still was not sure what to make of this man just yet. When it came to the recent dealings involving Deathblaze?s allies here on Earth, David Whitman seemed to be confident, determined. But here, he actually seemed nervous.

In its own way, the situation made Dave seem kind of cute.

Perhaps Rob?s words had been more than merely a jest when Barbara had visited earlier.

"We really appreciate what you?re doing for us." Sera stated graciously. "If there?s any way we can repay you."

"That?s not necessary."

There was something about way Dave kept his gaze on her. It was not as if he was undressing her with his eyes. Sera had grown all too used to those kinds of stares. On the contrary, it was more like he was consciously forcing himself not to look at her below the jaw-line.

Already, she was able to see that for all the powers the Spirits had granted him, David Whitman was actually timid about sitting here with her.

"Well," Sera hitched the towel up against her chest to accentuate two of her more alluring features. "If something should come up, shall we say, don?t hesitate to ask."

"Oh!" Dave almost yelped out. He then cleared his throat to get better control over his voice. "I mean, oh. I?ll keep?that?uh? in mind. But you really wouldn?t need to go to any trouble on my account."

"You certainly are generous. And it wouldn?t be any trouble at all." Sera almost purred. "Believe me."

There was an uneasy silence. At least, it looked uneasy for Dave. Sera on the other hand nearly found his nervous movements to be a laugh riot. Did all men on Earth get this jumpy with a nude woman around? Or was Dave just one of those rare exceptions?

A thought came to her mind. She became curious as to just how well she could predict her host?s next action. Very slowly, and very sensually, she crossed her legs.

Dave showed how modest he really was when he turned his head away to look at a circular device mounted on the wall with the numbers one to twelve running along the machine?s circumference.

"Know what?" He then rose to his feet and went to the door. "Rob sure is taking a long time getting back. I mean, I?m starting to get just a little worried about him."

As if to emphasize just how "worried" he was getting, Dave glanced furtively through the door?s peephole.

"Actually, he?s been gone hardly more than a quarter of an hour."

"Really. It seems so much longer than that." Dave then went to the window direct his eyes to the street below. "So what do you think of New York?"

"You already asked me that question."

"I did?"

"Yes. You did." She informed him. Just how tightly wound is this guy? She then asked herself. Not that she was interested in him. Granted, he did have a nice build for someone of his size.

"Guess I forgot about that." Dave began to advance back to the door.

"Dave." Sera made her voice almost a commanding one.

"Yeah?"

"You?re pacing."

Dave halted in mid-step, suddenly realizing that he was on verge of doing laps around the apartment.

"Old habit of mine." He uttered after retaking his seat.

"Girls don?t flirt with you too often do they?" Sera decided to cut to the chase.

The young man was taken aback by the question, but soon relaxed when he saw that Sera had only been having a little fun with him.

"Honestly?" Dave shook his head. "When it does happen, it?s rare."

"Sorry, if I upset you. But you really should look at yourself when you get that jumpy. Almost like a child who?s eaten too much sugar."

"Do you normally like to set guys on edge like this?"

"Only the ones that I know I can." Sera pulled her lips back into a smile. "But seriously, I think your friend is right about you needing to cut loose."

"Heh?." Dave wrung his hands at the remark. "Story of my life."

"Well, what about your life?" Asked Sera. "Any family?"

"The last family I knew passed away a long time ago." For such a long passage of time, Dave sounded as if his loss had occurred just yesterday.

"I?m sorry. I didn?t know."

"You couldn?t have. I don?t talk about it too often."

"Friends?"

"Just Rob." Dave shrugged his shoulders. "Known him since grade school."

"Anyone special in your life?" Sera grew concerned. "The way Barbara seems to be special to Rob?"

"Not really. The right someone is just a person I haven?t looked very hard for."

The deeper and deeper Sera delved in to try to get a feel for this Shadowed One, the more of a yawning void she able to uncover. Under the jokes between him and Rob, and under his agitation about social interaction, all she could find appeared to be a sad, lonely individual.

Learning made Sera feel a twinge of remorse for toying with him like she had.

There had to be some way how all this started for him. A reason, why he was so introverted. Maybe she would ask Rob about it later.

In the meantime, there were other questions pecking at her mind.

"Turoth said that your world had changed from what it once was." Sera noted. "In what ways?"

"I suppose to answer that, you?d have to go all the way back to when the Spirits first came here.

"Nobody really took them seriously at first. At that time, I was studying all kinds of myths Earth had about magic and religions and that kind of thing. So when I saw the tabloid covers ranting about wizards from another planet, I examined the stories for barely a minute then went on my merry way. Which is a lot more than most people did.

"No more than a few days since then had gone by when the Spirits announced their presence nationwide. I can?t say they went about doing it in the wisest fashion, though."

"Why? Did they do something foolish?"

"Foolish or brilliant. Depends on who you ask. The Spirits went on this trashy talk show that occupied a god-awful timeslot. Anybody who didn?t see it the first time saw the footage a hundred times over on the news. The Spirits had a car brought out in front of the audience. Before fifty-something spectators, the cameras, and one talk-show host, the Spirits got in a circle around a beat-up Oldsmobile and lifted it without touching it."

Sera was intrigued by this story and found herself edging closer and leaning forward. There was a multitude of Earth terms she did not recognize, but she wasn?t going to interrupt Dave more than absolutely necessary.

"At first it hovered there, which didn?t impress the audience much. Everyone sitting there was probably looking for hidden cables or mirrors. Then the Spirits made the car spin. It turned and rotated so fast and in so many ways that it defied belief as well as gravity. I don?t think life for any of us was the same again."

The Spirits? quest to find acceptance on a new world, one that perhaps wouldn?t curse them, it struck a cord in Sera?s being. Her brief visit to the hateful town of Gil-ki-tew gave her the briefest inkling of the hope the arch-mages must have once held.

"Parts of the world were willing to welcome the Spirits with open arms." Dave brought his arms up and stretched his spine. "Other parts weren?t so enthusiastic. Have you ever seen a crowd of people break out into violence with just a spoken word?"

There was a pause as Dave waited for an answer. Sera merely sat pensively, waiting for him to continue.

"Or maybe just a religious symbol being held in plain sight? That?s all it would take in those next few weeks. Not even good old America was safe from fanatical groups that we all thought lived a whole ocean away. Because just about everyone had a point of view they were willing to push to extreme measures."

"What point of view did you push for then?" Questioned the woman from Neddel.

"I believed the safest thing to do was stay out of everyone else?s way. Course, there were times I got caught in the middle like some other folks did.

"But all in all, I?d say we pulled through. The human race eventually proved that they were able to come to a resolution. The Spirits had come, and nothing anybody did was going to change the past. Things started to settle down, and I think the Spirits were more relieved than we were. After all, they were the ones who started the ball rolling.

"And just when we were beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, life just got a whole lot more confusing."

"From what I understand," Kirn said, stepping out of the bathroom. "Confusion has become the status quo." A towel was wrapped around his waist. The wizard?s physique showed that he did not need to rely solely on his magic to get him through a scuffle. "I caught the last few sentences after turning the water off. I think I know what rocked the boat next."

"The Spirits left without warning." Dave stated.

"Thought so."

"The timing really couldn?t have been worse." Dave went on. "Right at the beginning of an election year, everything the world believed in was turned upside-down."

"Election?" Kirn ran his fingers through his long hair.

"When we select who?s going to run the country, in a nutshell. Anyway, while everyone?s still getting their bearings on what?s been going on, politics marched forward like it always did. Some governors and senators threw in for the race, but one of a dozen independent candidates was the frontrunner. A business CEO named Michael Fredericks.

"Voter turnout was at an all-time low, and Fredericks somehow knew all the right people. I voted for one of his opponents, so I wasn?t too thrilled to see Fredericks in the White House myself.

"But it didn?t stop there. Our new President began to work towards a one-world government. Which I suppose could be a dream or nightmare come true, depending on your beliefs at the time.

"The whole globalization thing didn?t set in well with a lot of people here. Europe wasn?t happy with the idea either, since many of the countries over there wanted to stay independent. But all sorts of leaders fell over themselves to join up with Fredericks. And where the big-wigs went, the public was forced to follow."

"Just like that?" Sera showed angered disbelief. "You needed someone to make your decisions for you so badly that let that madman just shuffle you around?"

"Easy, Sera." Kirn hushed his sister.

"No." Dave held up a hand. "When you look at it from a distance, what happened does seem pretty unbelievable. Just about everyone in the states had been through enough with the Spirits hitting the doorstep and suddenly moving on. Not that Americans are the most assertive people. Most of us are more than happy to just get the fast food, cable TV, and nightly six-pack of beer. Keep that flowing, and the general populace stays pretty content."

"That?s deplorable." Sera snapped. Maybe the people of this world had merely gotten what they deserved for standing off to the side, she began to think.

"I?m not patting John Q. Public on the back for being complacent. And there were people who did fight back. Though Fredericks proved that if he was anything, it was quick and efficient. People who couldn?t be bought off or threatened were labeled as criminals.

"By this time, most of the old federal agencies had been dissolved and the Enforcers took their place. So people who were rebelling soon found themselves in for a fight against a new group they knew virtually nothing of.

"Things just went downhill from there. The last malcontents who weren?t caught or killed in a gunfight banded together in a last ditch effort to stay alive."

"Which failed, I see." Commented Sera.

"To give them credit, the malcontents put forth a good effort. But in the end, they were on the run all the way to a forest in North Dakota. I guess they thought they could buy themselves some time hiding out in the woods. But Fredericks was solidifying the formation of the World Management Committee. And when five-hundred people started hiding behind trees, the Committee dropped the bomb, literally. Sixty acres of forest were blasted away to neutralize a group of scared men and women armed with hardly more than hunting rifles."

"So what did the public think of the whole thing?" Kirn asked. "I?d think so many deaths would be provoke some kind of response."

"That whole fiasco didn?t see much airtime. But the people who did keep their eyes open spoke out. To try and smooth everything over, Fredericks got on television and said what happened in North Dakota was ?a sad but necessary step to push forward for the ideal of peace.? A memorial was later built near some of the bigger craters left by the planes, though most of the area is closed to the public."

"How long did this all take?" Questioned Sera.

"From the time when the Spirits disappeared?" Dave propped his elbows on his knees and laid one hand in the other. "I?d say two years went by before we were living in a total police state. We?re supposed to be in another election year right now, but it?s like the whole media won?t acknowledge it. And not that many people have been complaining."

"So even if Deathblaze wasn?t enchanting the realms, the situation here isn?t likely to change anytime soon." Said Kirn.

"That?s the way it appears so far." Dave agreed. "In the meantime, I need to brush my teeth real quick. Feel free to look around the place. There?s nothing dangerous here, so don?t panic if you accidentally light up that box on the stand there, or something like that. I haven?t seen the television bite anyone just yet."

Dave left his seat and was on his way to the bathroom when Sera called his name.

"Yeah?" He halted to check what was up.

"Remember, if something comes up?."

Her tone made Dave cock an eyebrow in her direction.

"I see that having you around is going to take some getting used to." He said before leaving.

"What was that all about?" Kirn questioned.

"I was just having a bit of sport with him." Sera crossed her arms over her stomach.

"Wait a minute." Kirn scratched his head in bewilderment. "What happened to saying that you don?t like men ogling over you."

"He wasn?t ogling." Sera countered. "He was being rather gentlemenly. I thought it was kind of sweet."

"So you just threw yourself at him?"

Sera shoved Kirn in the shoulder for his blunt assumption.

"No, it was just innocent flirting. Seemed like he could use some."

"Whatever." The mage ended the discussion. "You?d think after being your brother for nearly twenty-five years, I?d be able to understand you."

Shortly, Dave came back out and spoke further with the two off-worlders. The rest of the apartment was shown to the visitors who had become fascinated with everything from the toaster to the thermostat.

In time, Rob returned with both hands clutching shopping bags from at least three different stores.

"You wouldn?t believe the time I had out there." Rob complained while setting the bags on the couch.

"Why?" Asked Dave. "You have trouble making it to the subway on time?"

"Subway wasn?t the problem." Replied Rob. "The problem was everybody givin? me the hairy eyeball while I was buyin? bras and panties."

"Oh." Dave said stiffly. "I see what you mean."

"Yeah, but when I got to register, I told the clerk I could fit into a petite just fine. Damn I feel pretty."

"Some days I wonder about you, Rob." Dave shook his head at his friend?s crude sense of humor.

"Hey," Rob jabbed a finger in Dave?s direction. "I?ve got a girlfriend. And how many years has it been since you?ve--?"

"Let?s leave the topic of my sex life off the record, please." Demanded Dave.

"Or lack thereof." Rob quickly threw in.

"Kirn, Sera," Dave checked into the bags and handed them off to the Neddellians. "How about you try on what Rob picked out, and we?ll see if it?s going to work for tonight."

Both of the two from Neddel peered uncertainly into the strange wrappings.

"Not what I?m normally used to." Kirn remarked. "But I?ll give these a try."

Sera took the sacks handed to her with no comment and went into the bedroom, while Kirn headed into the bathroom.

"So how?ve things been while I was out?" Rob questioned once he was alone with Dave.

"Not too bad." Dave said. "They got cleaned up, and I gave them a history lesson about the Committee. Aside from that, it?s turning out that you might not be the only one who gets his jollies at my expense."

"Which one?"

"Sera, she?s almost as bad as you."

"Oh really?" Grinned Rob. "Now you?ve got my attention. So, has she been like comin? on to you."

"Nothing like that. She was just playing some innocent little head games."

"I don?t know." Rob trailed off.

"Forget it." Dave took off his glasses to polish them with his shirt. "I?ve got other things to think about right now. Like how we can hit the Committee without having a warehouse brought down on us."

"Phillips." Rob suggested. "I say we keep usin? him as our info-whore."

"I hate to say this, but I think that?s all we?ve got left to go on. Probably in the next few days here, we should make our move on him."

"Is this on right?" Kirn came out of the bathroom with a pair of cargo-pants. The mage had managed to tuck the pant legs into his new white socks, but the button-down crimson shirt was on properly.

"Hold on a sec, buddy." Rob instructed as he knelt down to get Kirn?s pants situated. "Socks go on the inside of the pants."

Sera soon came out. She wore jeans that hugged her figure almost as well as her leather leggings had. A plain white T-shirt with tiny yellow flowers running along the collar gave just the right touch of femininity for someone who had been wearing a sword and dagger earlier in the day. Her shoes were stylish sneakers that still had this year?s "in" look.

"I?ve got just two complaints." She said, scratching her left arm.

"What?s the problem?" Rob came back to his feet. "Too tight?"

"Too loose." Sera answered. "With the braziers, anyway. I think you were looking for something that would better fit Barbara."

"Whoops, sorry about that. And second?"

"I keep getting this itch right here." Sera indicated her arm.

"Let me see." Dave examined the short sleeve and found the price tag with its plastic string still attached to the garment.

"Try taking these all off." He told his guest.

"I got some other stuff for you to try on." Rob gestured to the other bags on the couch. "With a bit of work, I don?t think anybody?s going to guess you?re not from Earth. Shit, never thought I?d hear myself say that to someone."

And so the day went by with the four getting better acquainted and preparing the two off-worlders for the outside world.

Dave ordered pizza for lunch that afternoon, and Rob explained that very little that came on the television was real. By the time the morrow had come, that Thursday would become a learning experience for all.

Seven o?clock in the evening, and the knock came at the door.

Cross the fingers and hope for the best. Dave said to himself once he had grasped the doorknob.

The door swung open. In the hall outside of his apartment, Rob stood arm in arm with Barbara. Both of the two were smiling widely in greeting.

"Good to see you again, Barbara." Dave welcomed the two in. "I see you were able to get Rob set to go on time."

"I had to." Rob beamed. "She promised me sex later."

"I never promised that!" Laughed Barbara.

"No, but you were goin? to."

Right there, the attractive blond woman sucker-punched her hulking boyfriend in the stomach. Rob yelped out, but it was more of surprise than pain.

That?s what Dave liked best about Barbara in the short time he had known her. She didn?t put up with Rob?s crap. When Rob got out of line, Barbara let him have it full bore.

"So this is??" Barbara directed her view to the man seated on the sofa.

"Barbara, this is Keith. Keith, Barbara."

Kirn stood up and shook hands as Dave had instructed. His long hair was now pulled back in a ponytail.

Cheerful hellos were exchanged between the two.

"So Dave tells me you have a sister who?s coming along?" Barbara recalled.

"Sara, yes. She should be ready any second." Kirn walked to the closed door of the bathroom and knocked.

"Be out in a minute." Sera called from the other side.

"Just hurry up, Rob and his friend are here."

Dave had not gotten a chance to see the outfit Rob had bought Sera for this night?s activities, so Dave figured it was more than likely she was having trouble with a zipper or strap.

Out came Sera, and Dave felt his pulse jump. The short black dress. The way she was able to get the makeup on just right. Sera looked more like fashion model than an adventurer.

"You must be Barbara." She said. "Rob talks about you all the time."

A short dialogue went between the women, but it was lost to Dave. He just stood there, forgetting just about everything short of his name.

"All set, Dave?" Rob asked.

"Yeah." Dave snapped back to reality. "We?d better get moving."

Kirn, Sera, and Dave put on their coats.

Once out of the apartment, Kirn went on ahead with Rob and Barbara while Dave lagged behind briefly to lock the door.

"I got the look right, didn?t I?" Sera stood behind Dave.

"Yeah. You look great." Reassured Dave. "Rob did the fantastic job picking the dress out."

"I?m glad." Sera smiled.

With a quickened pace, they went after the others.

It felt so normal, yet so foreign to Dave. He hardly ever went to clubs, much less with an attractive girl at his side. It made him forget what the Spirits had done to him and why. For this time, there was no enchantment on the Realms, no dragon, no impending doom.

The recollection brought Dave down like it always did. No great surprise there.

"Dave, you okay?" Rob asked concernedly upon noticing Dave?s glum face pointed to the cold sidewalk.

"Sure, I?m good. So where are we stopping first?"

On a Thursday night, the line to get into The Back Yard was practically non-existent.

The heavy-set bouncer at the door cast an uneasy looked at Rob who stood taller and heavier than he did.

Inside, the music came loud and the multicolored lights flashed all about.

Kirn and Sera looked like a pair of kids just entering Disneyland for the first time.

"Don?t get out much, I take it?" Barbara yelled over the blaring techno music.

"You could say that." Kirn replied.

In the center of the main room, the dance floor was active with patrons.

Grabbing a table near the bar, the five of them took off their coats.

"I need to go to the restroom." Barbara informed the others. "Sara, you want to come with me?"

"Sure."

The two ladies went off to the back, leaving the men at the round table.

"Women goin? to the shitter in packs." Rob chuckled. "I guess it?s universal."

"So what do people do here?" Kirn needed to know. "I mean the lights and songs are incredible, but what?s the purpose of it all?"

"For me, I start off by gettin? a drink." Rob elaborated. "Either of you guys want anything while I?m up?"

"Whatever cola they?ve got on hand." Dave said.

"Do you have anything like ale here?" Ventured Kirn.

"Yeah. Beer for the magic man and pop for the pussy tea-totler."

With Rob off to the bar, Dave took it upon himself to teach Kirn the finer points of the club.

"Basically, people come here to mingle. You know. Fraternize."

"I see." Kirn nodded.

At that moment, a quartet of young females in what were probably the shortest skirts the sorcerer had ever seen passed by.

"And may the Soul eternally smile upon this establishment." He added on while taking in the sight of eight gamine legs.

So far, the night was shaping up quite nicely. Hopefully, Sera and Barbara were getting along just as well.

"So how long have you known Dave?" Barbara inquired. She pulled out some eyeliner from her purse after checking her face in the smudged mirror.

"I?d say a little over a year. He used to work with my parents, and we?ve been good friends for some time." Sera lied.

The relative silence in the soundproofed restroom was almost like a separate world when considering the high volume of the music outside.

"You two ever hit it off?"

"I?m sorry, I didn?t quite catch that."

"Hit it off. Was there ever any chemistry between you?"

The phrases were new to Sera. Obviously it was some kind of Earth slang, but she could deduce the basic content.

"No, we?re just good friends."

"Sorry for prying. You just look like his type. And he seems to be a sweet guy."

"Yeah. He is." Sera then let out a girlish giggle.

"What?s so funny?"

"Just this one thing about Dave. He?s adorable when he bumbles."

"Bumbles? How?"

"I?ll show you when we get back to the table. You?ll love it. But what about you and Rob? I?ve heard you two??hit it off? pretty quick."

"He?s smart. He?s funny." Barbara said. "And I like my guys built."

"That?s Rob." Sera smoothed out one spot of her hair that was out of place.

"He?s also loudmouthed and obnoxious."

"That?s Rob, too."

"But there?s the way he acts so? real when we?re together. He speaks his crude little mind, but speaks it honestly. Like he?s not hiding anything from me."

Sera found herself at a loss for words. The sincerity Barbara spoke of could not have included the war Rob and Dave were waging against the single greatest threat to Creation.

"I think you?re very special to him."

"I hope so. You don?t meet someone like that everyday. Anyway, let?s get back out there. I want to see Dave bumble like you said."

Smiling again with childlike mischief, they exited the lavatory and milled their way to the table where they had left their friends.

Rob took another sip from his scotch when he noticed Barbara and Sera approaching.

"Where?s Keith?" Sera wondered upon seeing the vacated seat and half-empty glass.

"He drank a bit of beer then got up." Rob said. "I asked where he was goin?, and he said he was goin? to ?make use of the club?. Whatever the hell that means."

"He should be fine." Dave waved off. "I don?t see him getting into any major trouble here."

Barbara sat down next to Rob, and Sera took a chair next to Dave.

"Dave." Sera called over the noise while giving the come hither gesture with her finger.

With glass in hand, Dave drank his cola as he leaned to his side.

Cupping her hand to his ear, Sera said something the other two at the table couldn?t quite hear.

However, when Dave heard what Sera had to say, he sputtered into his drink. Coughing for a second, he went ashen and his jaw looked ready to hit the table.

"That is standard isn?t?" Sera spoke in the most serious manner.

"I need to refill my drink." Dave was quick to say.

"But it?s not even half empty." Barbara stated.

"With ice." Dave jolted the table as he hastily got up. "I really like to have plenty of ice in my glass."

As if that was all the explanation the others at the table needed, Dave made a fast retreat to the bar.

"I?m getting thirsty myself." Said Barbara before scooting her chair out from under the table. "Sara, you were right. He is cute like that."

The instant Barbara was away, Rob leaned in to interrogate his remaining companion.

"You?ve gotta tell me what you whispered in his ear. Because that was the coolest expression I?ve ever seen on Dave?s face."

"I just asked him if it was felatio customary in appreciation for the night?s lodging."

"Ha!" Rob howled. "No wonder he looked like he?d just dumped in his pants!"

"No, he didn?t seem to take it too well."

"You weren?t really serious about??"

"No. I just wanted to get a reaction out of him."

"Okay. Had to be sure."

Barbara returned to the table long before there was any sign Dave or Kirn.

Checking about the bustle of passing folks, Sera showed signs of worry.

"I?m going to look for my brother. I want to know where he?s wandered off to."

"I?m curious about where Dave is, myself." Rob announced after finishing his scotch. "Barb, I?m gonna make a quick lap around the place, then how ?bout I meet you on the dance floor."

"Just don?t be too long." Barbara told Rob.

The three separated from the table and made their way around the club.

Rob didn?t have to go far to find Dave. He was leaning casually against a railing that bordered the dance floor, taking the occasional sip from his glass.

"So you always like your drinks cold, you say?" Rob joked as he came to stand next to Dave.

"I?m under some stress right now."

"She?s just playin?, man."

"I know. I know." Dave craned his neck to take a look for any action hitting the club. "It?s just not a game I?m very good at is all. So where is Sera, anyway?"

"Over there. She?s lookin? for Kirn." Rob pointed at the other side of the lit floor. Sera cast searching glances. "Maybe you should ask her to dance."

"If I didn?t know better, I?d say you were trying to fix us up." Said Dave.

"Look at her. She?s on a strange world she?s never seen before. I?ll bet she?s at least a little scared and needs someone to reach out to her. That?s all I?m sayin?."

The tunes blaring from the club sound system kept their conversation from carrying to other patrons, but Rob began to feel his vocal cords starting to strain just to carry his voice over the few feet to Dave.

"What about Kirn? I?m sure he?s finding this whole thing just as disorienting."

"For some reason, I think Kirn?s an exception to the rule. Take a look over there."

Dave made his eyes follow to where Rob indicated. In the middle of the strobe lights, right in front of the DJ?s booth, was Kirn. His dance steps were of a style popular only on his home world, but nobody around him seemed to react negatively. On the contrary, he had a woman straddling each of his legs once he had finished his native trot. A devilish leer made it apparent that he had no gripes about coming to this place.

"Ah, Christ." Dave said. "But at least he?s enjoying himself."

"Better let Sera know we found her brother. I?ll follow you. I told Barbara I?d meet her on the floor anyway."

"And you can make sure I ask Sera to dance, I take it."

"Only for the sake of bein? sociable." Rob insisted.

"I?m more worried about their mental health. We barely knew Turoth and the other Spirits, so their deaths aren?t hitting us too hard. But Kirn and Sera traveled with them for a week before they reached the cave. Maybe getting too much of Earth thrown at them might set something off."

Walking around the tables and past the booths, Rob and Dave again caught sight of Sera. In front of her was a gentleman having a few words with the offworlder. Probably trying to buy her a drink, Rob figured.

Whatever it was the man had to offer, Sera didn?t appear to be interested. A smile came to her face when she caught sight of Rob and Dave approaching. She took a step in the direction of her two friends, but was halted by a large hand taking hold of her bare arm.

Dave reached the two first and thus was the first to voice his concern.

"Is there problem here, Sara?" He asked.

"I was hoping to run into you guys." Sera said graciously.

"There?s no problem." Sera?s newest acquaintance claimed. "I was just about to dance with this lady here." He wasn?t nearly as large as Rob was, however his build showed he worked out from time to time. In any case, he had at least thirty pounds on Dave.

"Really, I?m flattered." The young woman responded politely. "But I would prefer to be with my friends here."

"Oh, don?t give me that." The nameless fellow argued.

"Look, friend," Dave said calmly. "Maybe it?s possible you had a little too much of the bar."

"Back off, beanpole."

A violent shove came from the fellow, and Dave tumbled across the floor. The surrounding people noticed the commotion and gave a wide berth, so Dave only bumped into a foot or two as he rolled back and came up to his feet in as fluidly as water.

Rob could have stepped in, but he held back. Dave was able to take care of himself even without his boosted strength that currently allowed him to press close to five times his own bodyweight.

"That wasn?t necessary!" Sera shouted.

"Says who?" The rowdy patron asked in a cocky manner, grabbing Sera?s arm again.

"Says me."

Even if the man was stone cold sober, Rob doubted he would have seen the punch coming. Sera?s fist swung around in a fast hook that dropped her annoying assailant quicker than either Rob or Dave could have advanced on the situation.

"Damn!" It was the only word Rob could utter.

A few calls of admiration came from several watching females who saw Sera lay the man flat.

Sera muttered something, but it was lost in the surrounding noises of the club.

Sure enough, the bouncer from the front swiftly came in accompanied by three of his burly associates.

The music was killed, and the men started to ask customers what had happened. It took little time before the situation was explained. The heavy-set employees of the establishment got a few laughs out of a woman flooring a rowdy visitor, but it did not get Sera and the others quite out of the woods.

"I can?t blame you for takin? a swing at the guy." The lead bouncer stated. Light reflected off the top of his shaven head. "I won?t call the cops on ya?, miss. But I?m gonna have to ask you and your friends to leave. We can?t have this shit goin? here."

"We understand." Dave reluctantly agreed.

Sera was completely guilt-stricken, and Barbara was with her off to the side consoling.

Gathering up their coats, the five left with the music starting back up behind them.

"I?m sorry to ruin everyone?s night." Sera told the others remorsefully.

"Don?t be." Barbara said. "I probably would have done the same thing to that creep."

Rob could not help but to feel bad for Sera. She probably had no idea how to react when that jerk back in the club started hanging on her. Still, she would need a few pointers on etiquette if they wanted to stay inconspicuous.

"You?ve been quiet, Keith." Dave spoke to Kirn.

Indeed, the other visitor from Neddel had said little since leaving the Back Yard.

"It?s nothing, really." Kirn slid his hands into his coat pockets. "Just kind of sorry to say goodbye to that place."

"Don?t fret it." Dave advised. "The city?s full of clubs."

"It is?" Kirn brightened at the statement. Then remembered that he was in the company of Barbara. "I mean? yes, you?re absolutely right. By the way, some of the ladies I met gave me these."

Rob saw Kirn produce a thick stack of bar napkins from inside his coat. Each one had a different phone number scrawled on them.

"Looks like you made off like a bandit." Rob complimented the wizard. "Just don?t lose those."

That answer seemed to satisfy Kirn for the time being.

Instead of hitting another club or bar, the group decided to grab a quiet dinner at a trendy little corner restaurant. The meal was far less eventful than the period of drinks and dancing had been. Kirn downed three cups of espresso while he and Sera observed the endless passing of pedestrians and traffic on the other side of the window.

Rob, Barbara, and Dave were lost in their own conversation on the details of their jobs at Darison Technologies.

"What do you think?" Kirn asked his sister.

"It?s going to take some getting used to." Sera responded.

"We could always go home." Suggested Kirn. "Dave has Arkin?s book. Our job was just to tell him and Rob what we knew, and that?s done."

"Leave the stage when the part?s played? We?ve come this far. I don?t think either of us can walk away now. Besides, Rob and Dave are still alone when you look at it. They can use all the help they can get."

"I was thinking along the same lines."

"So you?re willing to stay?"

"To watch out for my little sister, if nothing else."

"Why do I feel that?s not only reason you want to stay?" Sera interrogated.

"We have a whole new world here to discover." Kirn answered as he passed his pewter mug from one hand to the other. "Besides, I?m curious about what these numbers on napkins are supposed to mean."

Once dinner was over, Dave let out a yawn and decided to call it a night. The five walked out of the restaurant and stood upon the street nearby street corner.

"See you tomorrow?" Barbara placed her slender arms around Rob?s neck.

"Wouldn?t have it any other way, babe." Rob assured.

An extended kiss passed between the two of them.

"See you then." Whispered Barbara.

"It was nice to meet you." Kirn waved in a friendly manner.

"Likewise." Barbara said. "I hope we can do this again sometime."

"We?d like that." Sera concurred.

"Catch you tomorrow." Uttered Dave.

With the farewells dealt with, Barbara was off down the sidewalk. Turning down the street, the rest began to go on their own way in the cold night.

Returning to the home of Rob and Dave, the four stood at the door of Rob?s apartment.

"If you want to stick around, you?re more than welcome to." Rob told Kirn and Sera after hearing their decision to remain on Earth. "We should be able to fit you both in."

"How do you want to go about the sleeping arrangements, then?" Dave asked the obvious question.

"One guest per apartment should work out." Rob said. "Though I think it would be better if Kirn bunked with me. I don?t think my girlfriend?ll take it too well if she finds me livin? with another woman."

"Whatever works best for you." Kirn replied. "It?s your home to begin with."

"I hope you don?t mind sofa-beds. They?re all me and Dave have on hand right now."

"We?ll be fine." Sera assured Rob.

"In the meantime, we?d better get some rest." Dave stated. "Me and Rob have got to be at work in the morning."

"Be careful of Dave, Sera." Warned Rob. "He?s never been the same since I showed him the magazines in my dad?s sock drawer back when he was twelve."

"Thank you, Bobby. I?ll remember to add that to the list of reasons why I should have left you behind in Chicago."

"Don?t worry." Said Sera. "I don?t think he?s dangerous."

Uneasily, Dave cleared his throat and unlocked the door to his apartment.

"I?ll see you in the morning, Rob." He told his friend.

"G?night, you two." Rob saluted before parting.

Inside Dave?s apartment, the inner workings of the living room couch groaned as Dave folded out the bed.

"I?ll get you some blankets from the closet." Said Dave. "The TV remote?s on the table, so watch whatever you like before turning in."

"Dave?" Sera looked to her host.

"What?"

"Thanks for taking me and Kirn out into the city. It was fun. With these past days, I haven?t been able to feel like a normal person in some time."

"Glad to do it. I can only imagine what it must have been like for you."

Dave went to his bedroom and returned with several thick blankets tucked under his arm.

"Here you go." Said Dave, spreading one of the blankets over the sofa-bed. "If you want, you can take my room, and I?ll sleep out here. These things aren?t always comfortable to sleep on."

Sera plopped downed on converted couch and bounced on it a few times to test its feel.

"This will be fine, thanks for the offer though."

Taking turns at the bathroom, the two readied themselves for bed.

Remembering just how limited Sera?s new wardrobe was, Dave lent his guest one of his T-shirts for her to sleep in until they could buy some nightclothes for her.

The lights later went out, and the two settled off to sleep.

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