Tandi's eyes fluttered open. She yawned softly as she stood up, her mind beginning to start up again. She really needed to stop falling asleep on the job. What was she doing in this alleyway again…? No, this wasn’t the alleyway… Where was she…? She was in a small room, on a nice couch… It was a lot nicer than anywhere she’d stayed before. As she stumbled to the door, she heard voices from a nearby room. Oddly familiar voices… “…I believe she will remember all of the alternate timelines, but none of the mental effects will persist.” “So, she won’t be my warlock anymore? “ “No, but you can practice your ritual beforehand now.” “And she won’t be my pet anymore?” “No, but you can avoid overwhelming her mind with your breath now.” “And she won’t be able to meld into shadows?” “No, but you can wait until she’s not mesmerized to teach her now.” The voices grew near, and Tandi considered running. But she recognized those voices… She liked all those voices… Except Chronnalein's. But… She had a feeling she’d be fine. So she sat back down on the couch, and waited for them to come in.

The party entered, and Tandi looked nervously up at them. Chronnalein grinned down at her, Abyssinian gently sat next to her, Dracy patted her head, and Serenity awkwardly fiddled with a flower. Tandi quietly asked, “…What happened…? I’m so confused…” Abyssinian gently stroked her head. “After our last adventure, Chronnalein found an artifact that could rewind time, or create alternate timelines, or something. And while looking for something to test it on, you apparently accosted her for her money. So, she… Trapped you in a time loop to test it out. And she sent each of us individually- WITHOUT telling us beforehand, I might add- to walk past that alleyway and encounter you. How do you feel?” Tandi was silent for a while. “…Weird… Confused… Scared, a bit…” Dracy leaned down and softly hugged her. “Don’t worry, Mommy Dracy and her friends will help you feel all better!” Abyssinian glared at her. “You’re not her ‘Mommy’ anymore, Dracia… U-Unless she wants you to be…” She glanced back at Tandi. “So… What do you want? I know what you went through must have been a lot, but… Do you want to stay with us?” Serenity smiled awkwardly. “You can be my Warlock.” Dracy giggled. “You can be my pet! “ Abyssinian placed a hand on her shoulder. “You can be my sidekick.” Chronnalein cackled. “You can be my guinea pig!” Everyone glared at her. “…I’ll ask first! Usually!” 

Tandi thought for a long time. She still felt so weird after what Chronnalein did to her. And it was scary, being around people this overwhelmingly powerful, people that could destroy her in seconds. Yet… She felt so nice when Serenity made her a Warlock, like she belonged somewhere. She felt so loved when Dracy cuddled her and made her feel nothing but happiness. She felt like Abyssinian was the sister she’d never had… And always needed. And Chronnalein… Well, without Chronnalein, she never would have met the others. So eventually, she nodded. “Y-Yes… I want to stay with you… All of you…” Dracy hugged her in celebration. “You’re gonna love it here! We go on all sorts of cool adventures, and I’ll hug you so much, and we have so much cool stuff, and-“ Abyssinian gently shushed her. “Let’s not overwhelm her so fast. Come on, Tandi, I’ll show you to your room.” She gently raised Tandi off the couch. “I thought this was my room.” Abyssinian chuckled. “Nah, this is just a back room. We’ve got enough bedrooms on the flying ship to house an army.” Tandi looked at her in amazement. “Flying Ship…?” Abyssinian chuckled and rubbed Tandi's head with her tail. “Yeah, you’ve got a lot of amazing stuff left to see, sidekick.” Tandi smiled happily. She couldn’t wait.