The rain, as it turned out, had no plans to stop coming down. Annabelle and Lucian managed to set a tent up beside the buildings, but in the process had gotten quite wet. Lucian's cat ears were much flatter against his head than normal, and he sat beside Annabelle with a look of both mild discomfort and slightly less mild displeasure on his face. He tugged at his hoodie, “Could you give me a hand?” He glanced over at Annabelle as she laughed a bit, clearly amused by his mild suffering.

  Taking off your own clothing with one hand is one thing, doing so while said clothing is wet and sticking to the fabrics and skin beneath it is another. An extra pair of hands was all but necessary for Lucian to get his hoodie and undershirt off in one piece, and she seemed more than happy to help.

  Annabelle pulled her own top off, rain soaked as it was. Thankfully for the both of them, the air in the jungle wasn’t cold, or even cool, but pleasantly warm like one would expect from a tropical environment. It certainly helped that they were in California, so there was no need to huddle together for warmth - Annabelle joked about how cliché that would be and Lucian agreed. He was no stranger to intimacy, and there were certainly feelings between them, they had made that clear, but they agreed this was neither the time nor the place to explore them.

  Instead, they passed the time with conversation and laughter, talking even as the sound of rain hitting the tent above them intensified. An hour passed, though Lucian couldn’t be quite sure since he hadn’t timed it, and the rain began to slow, stopping another 15 minutes later.

  They made their way out of the tent, the air thick with the mist that follows such heavy rain. Annabelle helped Lucian wring his shirt and hoodie out, before doing the same to her own top. They also agreed that damp was slightly better than soaked but even so Lucian didn’t bother putting his back on. He would once they got closer to the city, and once it dried out some more.

  Lucian’s stomach growling decided that they would have a bite to eat before starting the journey back. And after exerting themselves in the dungeon, Bianca’s enchanted garlic knots hit the spot.

  “Mnn. She really is good.” Lucian made a happy noise as he chewed on a piece. Lucian felt an exhaustion he didn’t know was sitting in his body begin to fade as [Enchantment of Recovery] kicked in.

  “She really is.” Annabelle agreed, tearing one in half and popping a piece into her mouth.

  The snack, though light, was both filling and supernaturally energizing. They packed up their things, storing their dungeon loot in one of the duffle bags, and began the trek back towards the city.

  The journey back was uneventful, as the majority of the monsters simply avoided them. A giant mantis that [Analyze] told Lucian was called a Swiftshredder Mantis did try its luck but they dispatched it with laughable ease.

  Eventually the fence that now separated the city and the jungle came into view. They had made sure to go where they knew a gate was this time. Several soldiers stood guard, looking inwards towards the jungle. Two were carrying hunting bows, and one carried a simple looking wooden staff.

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  “Good afternoon folks!” Lucian called out, making himself known. A soldier with a rifle raised it on reflex before relaxing. There was some commotion, before one of the bow wielding soldiers nodded. They opened the gate and allowed them through.

  The guards asked a couple questions, but did seem to be aware of the fact that Lucian and Annabelle had gone into the jungle earlier, though not the specifics. They asked the pair to wait for a bit, and spoke with someone on a radio.

  Not long after, a large black SUV pulled up to the group. The door opened and a tall middle aged elf, if his pointed ears were any indicator, stepped out onto the ground. He wore a charcoal grey three piece suit, only a few shades darker than his neatly combed hair, and a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. A sky blue tie hidden mostly behind the waistcoat was the only real splash of color aside from the suit's buttons, which were golden.

  Lucian wasn’t sure if he liked where this was going, but despite the alarm bells going off in his head, the man didn’t feel threatening - at least not directly.

  “Good afternoon.” The man began, holding his hand out to Lucian, “You must be Lucian Caldwell.”

  Lucian hesitated before taking the man’s hand and giving it a shake, “And you are?”

  “Eric Stevenson, Department of Homeland Security.” The man introduced himself, then looked over to Annabelle.

  “Uhm, Annabelle. Nice to meet you?” She tentatively answered the unspoken question.

  Stevenson nodded, “A pleasure to make your acquaintances." He gestured to the car, “I’d like to offer you two things. First, a ride to wherever it is you’re heading. And second, a discussion.”

  Lucian raised an eyebrow at the man, and quickly activated [Analyze].

  As the unhelpful result revealed itself to him, he tensed slightly, shifting his weight slightly. Stevenson smiled and locked eyes with Lucian, “A good idea, if extremely obvious. Don’t worry, I’m no threat to the two of you. My class, unfortunately, has no combat skills.”

  “Or you could be lying…” Lucian moved back slightly, straightening his back fully.

  “Or I could be lying.” He agreed, “In this case, however, I am not.” He smiled properly, “I’ll give you an explanation on the way. I can tell you want one.”

  Lucian glanced at Annabelle, then back at Stevenson, “A bundle of lies wrapped up in a bureaucratic box.” He mused to himself before answering, “You’re right, I do. If she’s fine with it, then I agree.”

  Annabelle thought for a moment, “If you think so, sure. I trust you.” She nodded to Lucian.

  “I guess we’re going with you then.” Lucian sighed.

  “Wonderful.” He gestured to the open car door, and the three of them got inside. The rear of the SUV had two rows of seats, facing one another, almost like a limo but not quite. Stevenson took a seat and crossed one leg over the other. Lucian and Annabelle took seats across from him, facing the front of the car.

  “So… Now I get my answers?” Lucian tilted his head slightly.

  Stevenson nodded, “Of course. But first, where to?”

  “My apartment.” Annabelle said, giving the driver in the front seat the address. The look in Stevenson’s eyes said that he already knew both of those things.

  As the car began to move, he regarded the pair across from him and smiled, “Now then… Let me explain.”