Uni's mind, despite her exhaustion, was now wide awake and spinning with worry for Trixie's well-being and annoyance at her decisions. Her fatigue seemed to have completely vanished, replaced by the weight of the situation they now found themselves in…

  Stephanie, too, was deep in thought, her little face still showing signs of worry for Trixie. But her fatigue still lingered, and despite her attempts to stay alert, her eyelids slowly drooped, and she stifled a little yawn.

  Esther remained silent and as still as ever, her neutral expression seeming almost a little contemplative now. Despite her silence, her mind was filled with thoughts of the situation, and the exhaustion she'd felt from before was still nagging at her.

  The sound of an airplane flying outside their window was the only thing that broke the silence for a few moments, but it soon faded, leaving the room once again in a state of quiet. Uni's gaze lingered on the open window, her mind still spinning. She couldn't help but worry about the challenges that lay ahead.

  The sun was setting outside, the sky turning into a shade of orange. The soft light filtered through the window and danced across the room, bathing everything in a warm, but somewhat eerie, glow.

  Stephanie's head was becoming heavier as her exhaustion began to take over, and her eyelids, too heavy to keep open. She fought the sleepiness, trying to stay alert, but the weight of the situation and the fatigue were starting to take a toll on her. She sat there, her little form slumped over, her head drooping. Uni and Esther observed her struggling to stay awake.

  Uni, noticing her friend's fatigue, gently nudged Stephanie's shoulder. "Hey, you should get some sleep," she whispered, giving Stephanie a small, yet tired smile.

  Stephanie shook her head weakly. "No, I'm...fine..." she mumbled, her voice trailing off as her eyes threatened to close again.

  Uni chuckled softly, shaking her head. "No, you're not. You look like you could pass out any minute now," she said, gently patting Stephanie's head.

  Stephanie let out a small sigh of resignation. She knew Uni was right; her exhaustion was overwhelming, and staying awake was becoming increasingly difficult. She nodded weakly. "Maybe...a short nap, then.”

  Uni smiled softly, satisfied with Stephanie's reply. "Okay, get some rest then.”

  Stephanie nodded again, her eyes half-lidded. "Wake me up...if...if anything comes up..." she murmured, her words starting to jumble.

  Uni chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Don't worry, I will." she reassured her.

  Stephanie nodded weakly, her eyes closing, finally giving in to her exhaustion. Within moments, her soft, steady breathing echoed in the room, signalling she was now asleep.

  Uni watched her for a moment, feeling a mix of concern and affection for the now-sleeping Stephanie. She let out a heavy sigh, her exhaustion hitting her again, but her worry for the upcoming challenges kept her from seeking rest, at least for now. She let her gaze linger on the peacefully sleeping Stephanie for a few more moments before moving her eyes to look at Esther whose expression hadn't changed much.

  Esther noticed Uni glancing at her and gave her a slight nod. There was a small understanding in the silent exchange, each aware of the other's thoughts. They were both worried about Trixie, the thought of which sent a pang of concern through them.

  The room was silent, save for the soft breathing of the sleeping Stephanie. Uni and Esther were left with their thoughts, the fatigue and worry still weighing heavily on them. The sun's hues were now a deep shade of pink, and the room was slowly being consumed by a growing darkness.

  A gentle knock broke the silence, the sound so sudden that it made Uni and Esther jump in surprise. Their gazes shot towards the door, their hearts pounding.

  Uni and Esther exchanged worried glances for a moment, before Uni stood up, carefully avoiding Stephanie from waking her up, and slowly made her way towards the door.

  Her hand trembling slightly, she reached for the door handle and slowly twisted it, the creaking sounds of the hinges echoing through the room. As the door swung open, she prepared herself for whatever lay beyond.

  She froze in her tracks, her eyes widening in disbelief at the figure in the doorway. "...M...M...Mable...?!" she said, her voice barely a whisper.

  Standing there, with a small smile and her usual carefree expression, was Mable. She wore her usual casual attire, her lavender hair framing her face in messy waves. Her perceptive eyes, which were silver just like Uni's, scanned the latter's features. "Hey," she greeted, her tone casual. "May I come in?”

  Uni was stunned, her mind still reeling from seeing Mable standing before her. "...Uh, yeah... sure," she managed to stammer out, stepping back to let Mable enter.

  Mable gave a little thank you before entering the room, her gaze wandering around the room before she spotted the sleeping Stephanie. There was a slight raise of an eyebrow. "Who's that? She's a cutie," she said, a small laugh lacing her voice.

  Uni closed the door behind her, her thoughts racing as she turned to face Mable. "She...she is," she replied, her voice betraying a small hint of worry. "But...how on earth did you get here? You weren't supposed to know where we live, we just moved in without telling you or the other Alliance members yet!”

  Mable shrugged, her pale fingers lazily tracing patterns on her plaid purple skirt. "What can I say? I'm a good tracker," she replied nonchalantly, leaning against the wall. "And your phone is super easy to tap into. It practically broadcasts your location.”

  Uni felt a mix of astonishment and annoyance at her fellow Alliance member's nonchalance. She crossed her arms, frowning a little. "You tapped into my phone?!" she said, her voice a little sharper than usual.

  Mable grinned, amused by Uni's reaction. "Guilty as charged," she said, her tone light. "But hey, no harm no foul, right?”

  Uni sighed, a mix of irritation and resignation in her expression. She knew better than to argue with Mable when she was in this mode. "Fine, I suppose," she said, trying to control her annoyance. "But you didn't have to breach my privacy like that, y'know?”

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  Mable chuckled. "Oh, come on, you know me! I was just curious to know where you and the others were. No harm intended, really," she replied, her gaze casually scanning the room once again before landing on Esther, who was watching the exchange silently.

  Uni groaned, rubbing her forehead. "Of course you were," she muttered.

  Meanwhile, Mable had spotted Esther, and a wide grin spread across her face. "Well, well, look who it is? The mute, mysterious girl that Trixie's fond of." she said, her gaze now completely focused on Esther.

  Esther, feeling the focus shift to her, looked at Mable with a cool, neutral expression. Mable chuckled, amused by her reaction. "Don't speak, huh?" she observed, walking over to her.

  Esther's gaze never wavered, her face showing no emotions as Mable got closer to her. "Silent treatment, hm?" Mable teased, her eyes scanning Esther from head to toe. "You know, people usually find that creepy, but you manage to make it...intriguing.”

  Uni stood at a distance, watching the exchange silently. She was used to Mable's playful, nonchalant behavior, but she couldn't help but worry about how Esther was coping with it. Esther, still as silent as ever, held Mable's gaze, refusing to show any reaction, positive or negative.

  Mable circled around Esther like a shark, her gaze never leaving the stoic girl. "You're a tough one, aren't you?" she said, a smirk playing on her lips. "Most people would be at least a bit anxious by now, but not you. I admire that.”

  Then, without warning, Mable's hand reached up and flicked Esther's nose lightly, a little too hard, but the action was still playful. "Boop," she said softly, her smirk widening.

  Esther's eyes flickered in surprise, but she didn't react other than a slight wince. Not a word or sound escaped her lips, no matter how hard Mable tried to get a response from her. Mable's smirk deepened at the continued silence, seemingly intrigued by how much restraint Esther had.

  Uni watched silently, her concern growing. She knew that Mable could sometimes push too far in her attempts to get a reaction out of people, but it seemed like Esther was unfazed by her behaviour. Mable chuckled, finally breaking her gaze from Esther and walking back toward Uni.

  "So anyways," she began in a nostalgic tone. "It's been a while since we've seen you all. What's going on?”

  Uni sighed internally, knowing that Mable wasn't one for small talk. She knew that Mable was here for a reason and was just wasting time with pleasantries. "There's...a lot going on, actually." she replied, her voice betraying a hint of apprehension.

  Mable raised an eyebrow, sensing the tension in Uni's voice. "Oh? And what sort of stuff?" she inquired, her tone losing a bit of its playfulness and taking on a more serious note.

  "Well, first of all...Trixie is currently in a bit of a...um, let's say, a compromising situation..." Uni trailed off, unsure exactly how to word the problem without giving away too much.

  Mable's eyebrows shot up, her interest piqued. "A 'compromising situation'?" she repeated, now fully focused. "What do you mean by that? Is she in trouble or something?”

  Uni hesitated for a moment, trying to think of the best way to explain it. "Well...not exactly in 'trouble'..." she said, her voice quiet yet hesitant. "More like...in a situation where she's not herself and is being influenced by other people…”

  Mable let out a scoff, tilting her head curiously. "What do you mean by that? What's influencing her? And how does she not seem like herself?”

  Uni sighed deeply, not looking forward to this part of the explanation. "...Well, she's willingly letting someone 'discipline' her. Basically like a 'puppy' of a sort. And when I say that, I mean it's literal- she's letting herself be walked like a dog and treated like one. Only thing missing was the leash and collar, but who knows, she probably has one on her at this point…”

  Mable's jaw dropped, her expression going from curious to baffled. "Wait, what?! You're serious?" she said incredulously. "Trixie, our tough, independent Trixie... is behaving like a dog? And let me guess...she's doing this willingly?”

  Uni nodded solemnly, her face grave. "Unfortunately, yes. And she's doing it willingly...she even admitted to it when we talked to her…”

  Mable shook her head, still in disbelief. "I can't believe this. Trixie has always been so strong-willed. Why on earth would she willingly submit herself to such...humiliation?”

  Uni shrugged, her expression a mix of frustration and confusion. "I honestly have no idea. We've tried talking to her about it, but she just keeps insisting that she did it because she 'wants to make Sarolta happy'...It's like she's brainwashed...It's really weird.”

  Mable's eyebrows furrowed, her expression now concerned. "Sarolta...the boss of Meteor Corp, right?" she asked, her tone turning serious.

  Uni nodded, a hint of bitterness in her tone. "Yeah...she pretty much ordered Trixie to be her 'puppy' and...well, everything that comes with it. So we're going back to the Alliance HQ and telling Svenja what's going on until Trixie comes out of the 'discipline'...”

  Mable's eyes narrowed, her usual nonchalant air replaced by a seriousness that didn't fit her at all. "So, you're saying that Sarolta, who's already known for being ruthless and cruel behind closed doors, has somehow got Trixie wrapped around her little finger and is treating her like a pet?”

  Uni nodded, her expression grim. "Pretty much, yeah. She's got her completely under her control. We tried to talk to Trixie, hoping to snap her out of it, but she seems blind to it. Now Esther and I are stuck by ourselves.”

  Mable sighed, running a hand through her hair. "This...is bad. If Sarolta got her under her control and now has her willingly as her 'puppy'...who knows what else she's got planned? And how does this even help Meteor Corp?”

  Uni threw her hands up in frustration. "That's what I don't get! Like, what's the purpose of all this? Yeah, Sarolta has always been known for being ruthless and cunning, but turning another person into a submissive 'puppy'...? It's downright bizarre and sick! So can you take us back to the Alliance HQ tomorrow so we can go over this with Svenja?”

  Mable nodded, her expression hardening. "Yeah, of course. We should get you all back to the HQ as soon as possible. We can't have Trixie around Sarolta for any longer than necessary…”

  Uni let out a sigh of relief, a weight lifted off her shoulders. "Thank you...we'll do that." she said, her voice filled with gratitude.

  Mable nodded in understanding, her gaze still serious. "No problem. Just... be careful until then, okay? We don't know what Sarolta's end goal is, but it can't be good…”

  Uni nodded, her expression serious. "Yeah, we'll be careful. We've been on high alert since this whole situation started.”

  Mable nodded, her expression solemn. "That's good. And you're not going alone, right? You're bringing me with you both?”

  Uni nodded, a tinge of reassurance in her tone. "Yeah, we'll bring you with us. Your support and ability will be useful.”

  Mable puffed out her chest in mock pride. "Hell yeah, I'm useful. And besides, who else is gonna make sure you don't get into trouble, right? Very well, we're gonna rest up and head to the Alliance HQ, first thing in the morning.”

  Uni couldn't help but let out a small laugh at Mable's antics. "Yeah, I guess you have a point. You have always been good at keeping me out of trouble.”

  Mable grinned, a hint of cockiness in her expression. "Damn right, I do." Then, her gaze drifted to Stephanie, who was still asleep. "And what about her?”

  Uni followed her gaze and smiled softly. "Stephanie? She's...well...she's still asleep. We had a tiring trip here, so she's a bit exhausted. But we're taking her with us, I'll tell you all about her later. There's quite a story to tell.”

  Mable's eyes twinkled in amusement. "Can't wait to hear the story. But, you know, you should probably get some rest too. You and Esther don't look so hot. Plus, we have a journey tomorrow anyways.”

  Uni nodded, the weariness evident in her eyes. "You're right. I'm...exhausted. A good rest will do me good.”

  Mable smiled, patting her briefly on the shoulder. "Good. You go get some sleep then. I'll keep watch." She gave her a playful wink.

  Uni rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Thanks, Mable. And behave, okay?”

  Mable saluted with two fingers, her signature playful smirk on her face as she watched Uni get back in bed. "I'll be the epitome of good behavior. Promise.”

  Uni let out a small sigh, "Uh huh...sure you will." she said sarcastically, yet fondly.