Galaxy of Hyperion: Mystic Heir

Chapter Nine: In Desert Sands

Jayler had to admit that he was rather happy with the handiwork of his team. No matter how he looked at it, they had done a good job with cleaning up the castle. Much to his own surprise, they worked quickly, and the primary areas had already been cleared away after just a few hours. Of course, they still had to worry about the individual rooms where the members of different Hanilia factions would be staying, and Gemini seemed pretty insistent on assigning different regions for the various factions. It was progress regardless though, and Jayler was more than willing to accept that. Cleaning the area had been a gargantuan task, and yet, he was certainly starting to feel as if they could round it off and finish in a timely manner. 

The other Clan Leaders were exhausted by the time they called for a lunch break. Gemini refused to admit it, but Jayler could still see the way that her body sagged with relief when it was time to eat. All six of them gathered in the main area and sat in a circle on the floor to eat a few sandwiches that Tuila had created for them. There were a few other members of the Draconic Superiors scattered around the castle who had either finished lunch already or wanted to keep going, so it was only the Clan Leaders in the entrance hall. Jayler was fine with such, as it gave him a time to talk to his friends without anyone else around. It wasn't as if Jayler didn't like being around the Draconic Superiors; he simply enjoyed all the time he got around the Clan Leaders. 

"So... I'd say that we're making some pretty good progress on the castle," Lex declared, starting off their unofficial meeting with her regular seamless charm as she took a bite of her sandwich. "I'm glad that we've already gotten through the main areas. The rooms are going to be the hard part, but this is still progress."

"I'm glad that we've been able to come so far as well," Ocean agreed with a small nod before turning to look at Gemini. "Do you think that you'll have the plan figured out for the areas where the specific Hanilia factions will be staying in soon?"

Gemini nodded. "Yeah. I've gotten a pretty good feel of the layout for the castle, so it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out who is staying where. There are a few larger towers filled with smaller rooms that we can use to figure out where the larger factions should stay when they're around here. The small areas can be used for the factions of six or so like our group," she explained. "We can keep everyone with their team without any real issues, and it keeps the area organized enough that we'll be able to identify where each person is at a given time. I'd say that it makes this easier for everybody staying in the castle."

"You're nice and on top of things," Luke smiled to her. "I'm glad that you have so much confidence in your skills. It's certainly admirable to see."

Gemini shrugged nonchalantly. "It's just how I am. I hate to see something in disarray, so I figured that I might as well do what I can to keep this area as organized as possible. We're going to be spending a lot of time here in the future, and it's nothing like the hideout we're used to."

"That's for sure," Xia snorted. "We knew where everyone was at all times while we were in the hideout during the war on Daragon because it was only one room. All it took was looking around to figure out where a given person could be found. This place is a bit more complicated, but I don't think that's a bad thing at all."

"I'm glad to hear that we all agree," Jayler laughed. "As much as I love the hideout, I think I could get used to sleeping on a bed that isn't beneath four others in a column. The hideout had a nice cozy feel to it, but this... This castle really makes it feel like we're on a genuine fantastical adventure, and I think that's the perfect sensation to get from it all."

"You're such a nerd," Xia laughed, but there was no malice to her voice. She took a swig from her cup of water. "Anyways, we should probably take advantage of the cleaning while we have the chance. Who can say for sure when we'll be able to enjoy peace like this again? For all we know, it'll be a pain in the neck to go further when it comes to searching for the members of the other Hanilia factions."