Team Spartan E6.2 P1 ''More than just friends''

There was a strong sense of serenity that greeted Mycaelis as he walked by the lake. Carrying a trio of wooden planks over his right shoulder, he looked upon the crystal blue waters of Tao Lake. He exhaled an exhausted sigh and allowed the troubles of the previous day to leave him. "The sooner they leave, the better," he mumbled.

"Michael, they're only going to be staying for a little while." Mycaelis turned to his right and discovered that Vagus already at his side. The Totodile seemed vacant in his expression as he too carried a smaller plank of wood under his arm. He stood gazing out at the lake before him. "It's just until they get a new place going for themselves."

Vagus' words were answered by a frustrated scowl from Mycaelis. Two days. It had been two days since he had submitted to Vagus' whims to allow Leon the Riolu and the rest of his Rogue team to stay within their home. The very mention of the idea at first almost made Mycaelis fly into a perpetual fit of rage. It was not until after hours upon hours of bickering with Vagus that he finally conceded.

"You know what? I still can't believe you convinced me to allow this."

"Its only for--"

"I don't care how long its for! Our base is our base!"

"Look, if this is about Noir eating your--"

"He's driving me bloody nuts, Vagus! I spent all yesterday afternoon hunting those Rattata and swear to freaking Arceus if I get my sleep interrupted by that nutcase again, I'm gonna snap!"

Vagus seemed to fall silent, knowing that his brother would speak over him again.  Mycaelis turned to him and allowed a slight expression of remorse to crawl its way across his face. He knew he was overreacting. Leon, Noir and Meri hardly spent any of their time in the base. Mycaelis was a harsh host; it came as no surprise to him that they wanted to spend as little time with him as possible. "Sorry."

Instead, Noir and Meri seemed content to continue planting seeds for the guilds. They had even made the kind offer, which Mycaelis accepted, to take Kareena to Foo's dojo this morning. Leon, however, was occupied by something Mycaelis found far more interesting. The Riolu seemed determined, almost hellbent on wanting to construct a treehouse in the blossom tree that he and Vagus had planted some days ago. Even Vagus seemed eager on the idea.  

The very thought of it was enough to make Mycaelis laugh, an act which had earned him a subsequent ban on entering the treehouse after its completion. He could not have cared less. As a Rescuer, visiting a treehouse occupied by idiots was already a frequent experience.

Vagus received Mycaelis' apology with a sigh. "Let's just go, okay." Ensuring that his grip on blank under his arm was firm, Vagus proceeded to continue his short journey to the blossom tree. Mycaelis followed him, carrying the heavier load of the timber over his shoulder. It was then that he thought it best to start conversation in the hope that Vagus would forget his outburst. "So this timber was pretty cheap?"

Vagus responded with a chuckle. "Cheap? Mate, Leon and I picked up some of it for free. It's all the dead trees they're chopping up. They can't get rid of all the leftover timber quickly enough."

"That so?" It seemed almost preposterous. Under PK, there was a price on everything in Tao. The cost of building the treehouse was of a concerned to Mycaelis; but if it got Leon and his team out of his home, he was more than happy to pay.

"Yup! Leon and I brought in a big haul of it last night." Vagus chuckled again. "We pitched Shroomy's wagon to do it."

"You did what?" snapped Mycaelis. "Dammit, Vagus, you're gonna get us in deep shit!"

"Relax, we put it back just the way we found it. Michael, it's not like he needs it anymore."

Vagus' calm response prompted Mycaelis to cast aside his worries. Instead his concern was replaced by curiosity and a tint of empathy for him. "You were up all night with Leonidas?"

Vagus scoffed as Mycaelis used what he thought was Leon's full name. "Well, night was the only chance we could get to use the wagon. Leon wanted to stay up working so I..." Vagus seemed to hesitate before responding. "Thought I should stay and help since everyone else had gone to bed."  

A disapproving frown crossed Mycaelis' brow. He was somewhat unconvinced by Vagus' motive to help a friend such as Leon. "Why so?"

The question made Vagus freeze on the spot. He turned to Mycaelis. "He's erm... a good mate of mine. I thought that's why we came to Tao. To make friends."

Mycaelis snarled. It was a naive ambition, one that he too had once indulged in. He knew that it was impossible to have friends unless he also had the strength required to protect them and let them go. Since almost losing his life to Merlot and seeing his brother's eye maimed beyond repair, friendship was something Mycaelis was willing to sacrifice in order to become stronger. "We came here to find a purpose, Vagus."

"Isn't making friend's apart of finding that purpose?"

"Can you even call him a friend, Vagus? He's a rogue with a teammate that drives folks up the bloody wall. You've only known him for a few months and you're prepared to take him into our home and even stay up all night to help him build one of his own."

Vagus remained silent and turned away, ensuring that only his eyepatch was visible to Mycaelis' scrutinising eyes. Mycaelis had known his brother since the day he hatched. He knew all too well when something was wrong.

"Vagus," Michael's tone was almost soothing. "Is there something you're not telling me about Leonidas?"