"We need to create water," Jamie stated.

James nodded, already understanding their goal. "Are we far enough along with our crafting to do it?"

Shrugging, Jamie said, "how should I know?"

Grunting, James picked up the extra pipe they had found. "It sounds simple, but we both know it won't be. We have to take into account water pressure, temperature, and fluidity. Will it be Soul Water or regular water? What happens if one is thicker than the other. We aren't going to figure this out in one day."

"Nope!" Jamie chirped.

Summoning his soul to his finger, James started carving the rune they would need into the pipe. They would likely have to salvage pipes from nearby buildings in order to finish this project.

"I'm going to try," he said before closing his eyes and focusing on the rune.

Power welled in his soul as he felt the rune with his mind's eye. He knew he needed to create water from nothing, but he had already done that with his Soul Water, so he understood that part. But how was he supposed to adjust the pressure.

Minutes passed in silence before the rune clicked into place. The pipe started to vibrate and his eyes snapped open as water exploded from both ends, soaking both of them.

"Turn it off!" Jamie yelled.

"How?" he yelled back.

Reaching out, she used her finger to carve a line through the rune, breaking it. The water cut off just as quickly as it started, leaving both of them dripping.

Inspecting the pipe, James found cracks running along its length. Tossing it aside, he said, "too much pressure. Broke the pipe."

"Now we know to use less." Running a hand through her sopping hair, she added, "I'm going to get started on the heater. You just need to keep practicing with the pipes we have."

Picking up another, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Why do I feel like we are trying the impossible?"

"Nothing is impossible with enchanting," Jamie claimed. "You just lack the mental discipline."

Pointing out to the scrap metal by her feet, he asked, "and you are doing much better?"

"Of course I am. I'm better than you in every way," she teased.

Scoffing, he turned his attention back to his pipe. "How are you handling your Soul Weapon?"

Frowning, Jamie slumped. "It's hard, but rewarding. My weapon is very strong, but the pain is unlike anything I've felt before. I'm…I'm adjusting."

"Are we going to talk about why you uprooted your life to join me?"

Snapping her attention to him, she narrowed her eyes. "Does it matter?"

"Not really," he said with a shrug. "But how am I supposed to help if I don't know."

"There's nothing I need your help with," she said coldly.

Raising his brows, he watched her wince.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I don't want to talk about it so please don't ask again."

Nodding, he started carving the rune into the pipe again. He wasn't going to push the subject. She and Mender were clearly after his power for reasons that were personal. He was simply the best way for them to succeed.

Closing his eyes, he focused on the pipe. Pulling up his last mental picture of what he wanted, he adjusted it slightly, and aimed the pipe away from them. Pushing his soul into the rune, he felt it click into place and opened his eyes.

Water flowed from the pipe, but wasn't strong enough, or so he thought. Frowning, he glanced at Jamie.

"Why can't we simply make pipes that turn on and off with a touch?" he asked.

Frowning, she set down her plate. "I didn't think of that. If we did that, we wouldn't have to create an entire system and could bring the pipes with us. How would we heat the water?"

Rubbing his chin, he glanced at the still flowing pipe. "Can't we put multiple runes on the pipes. They are large enough and if we work together, we should be able to do it."

Nodding excitedly, she carved her finger through the rune on the pipe. "New plan! We need just a steady flow of water that links with a power rune. You'll have to enchant them separately and then link them. I'll work on the same but for heat. If we can link mine to yours, we might be able to create hot water on demand."

Perking up, he grabbed another pipe. "Then, if we merge two pipes together into one spout, we can mix hot and cold water to adjust temperature for the outflow. Just like the sinks I saw upstairs."

"Yes!" Jamie exclaimed. "That was my thought as well! But I want the ability to turn off the hot water just in case."

Nodding, he grabbed his notebook and started drawing new runes. "Okay. I think I have an idea for the power switch. I can mimic the water rune again with the same level as I just did."

Humming, she grabbed her notebook as well. "Let me copy your power rune. We'll work on it together to complete it. We won't be able to test them until we link runes though."

"Yes, yes!"

Laughing, Jamie gave him a beaming smile. "Thanks, James."

"For what?"

"For giving me this day. I really am a crafter at heart, even with my other vocation."

Returning her smile, he slid her his notebook. "Don't mention it. We'll be taking more time off until we figure out this city. If we are stuck here, I want to milk it for strength."

Chuckling, Jamie shook her head. "Leave it to you to make us grow stronger."

Carving the new runes into the pipe, he didn't respond. Instead, he thought about what sort of connecting runes he would need. His system would be three parts. The power rune, connection, and water rune. Then, he would connect the water to Jamie's system, all on the same pipe. It was going to take more than one day to figure out.

***

Hours passed before James needed a break. His head hurt from working on the runes for so long. His soul felt strained after pouring more energy into creation than he was used to.

"Shall we check on Luna and Mender?" he suggested.

Jamie eagerly nodded. "Thank god. I didn't know if you were going to take a break."

Chuckling, he got up and pulled at his wet clothes. "Maybe we should dry off and change first."

Before he could turn away, she pulled off her shirt.

"Jamie!" he chided.

Laughing, the woman shook her head. "It's not like you haven't seen me naked before. In fact, we've all seen each other naked. It's odd…"

Rolling his eyes, he pulled off his shirt and grabbed a towel from his storage. Tossing a second to his sister, they started stripping and drying themselves the rest of the way. Once they were ready, the found clean clothes and got dressed, comfortable once again.

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"We should take our clothes to the roof to dry," Jamie suggested.

Nodding, he took the lead as they left the basement. Their sopping clothes were added to their storage for the time being, and it didn't take longer than a few minutes to reach the roof.

Once outside, they found several tables spread out across the concrete surface. Linda was at one of them, cutting and shaping leather while a pile of feathers lay next to her.

At another, they found Luna and Mender sharing a bottle of wine while playing chess. Neither of them were drunk, but their cheeks were rosy.

"Seems we didn't miss much," James joked.

Luna glanced up at him with a frown before noticing who it was. Jumping up from her chair, she waved at him. "James!"

Laughing, he pulled his wet clothes from his storage and strung them over the line someone had put up. By the time he finished, Luna was by his side, her arms wrapped around his waist.

"Did you miss me?" he questioned.

"Mender is a cheater," she pouted.

"That's only because you had never played before," he assured her. "I see you broke out the wine."

"Yeah." Pulling him over to her table, she pushed him into the chair before claiming his lap. "It's our down day, so we thought we would drink a little. We aren't getting drunk though!"

Rubbing her back, he peered around her side at the board. Mender was clearly winning and it would only be another turn or two before the match was done.

"We should cook out tonight," James suggested. "We haven't had a decent meal in a while."

Mender nodded right away. "We have enough vegetables and meat for skewers. I also brought ingredients for glazes, we just need some of your magic water."

Rolling his eyes, James said, "it's not magic water."

"Sure, sure." Mender waved him off. Turning to the sky, he smiled. "I have what we need for a mobile cook station, so we can get started whenever."

"The scent might draw Forsaken," Luna warned.

"They wouldn't attack us when we are all together like this," James stated. "They have some intelligence still."

Squirming in his lap, she didn't settle until she had a reaction from him. "Fair enough. But you are not doing the cooking this time. The others can handle it."

Holding her hips still, he pulled her tail. "Stop squirming, vixen."

Jamie cleared her throat. "My innocent eyes cannot bear the sight of seeing James turned on. Please stop."

Everyone paused, even Linda.

"Innocent?" Linda questioned. "Weren't you just trying to kiss me last night?"

"What's this?" Mender asked with a laugh.

"She especially wanted to touch my ears," Linda added. "It was very sweet."

"I hate you all," Jamie stated as they laughed.

Luna wiped a tear from her eye. "Jamie? How many poor maidens have you swooned over the years?"

"Not enough…" Jamie answered with a distant look. "There is never enough…"

"You're hornier than Amber," James joked.

"Take that back!" Jamie snapped playfully. "I swear that cat is in heat every moment of the day."

"She only wants one man," Luna pointed out.

"Do you think if I gave in, she'd get it out of her system?" James questioned with a chuckle.

They all sighed.

"Not a chance," Linda said. "She'd likely pin you down or tie you up for a week before she was satisfied."

Eyes wide, James shook his head. "I'll stick with Luna."

Turning, Luna kissed his cheek. "You better. How did enchanting go?"

Jamie jumped on the change of subject. "We are making progress. A few more breaks and we should have it figured out. We might even be able to sell our ideas in Running River if they don't have something like it already."

"I wonder what else you two can create?" Linda wondered out loud. "I wouldn't mind an enchantment for my tannery. I could prolong my tannin with your help."

"I would like a brush," Luna stated. "One that makes my fur super soft."

"I'd like some dice," Mender offered.

They all frowned as they turned to him.

"Dice?" James asked.

"Loaded dice," Mender said with a smirk. "Imagine the money I could make in the next city."

They all shared a laugh before James got up and moved Luna back to her chair. "I'm glad you all are doing well. I'm going to go gather everyone if you lot want to get started on the glaze and cooking."

Moving his last piece, Mender knocked over Luna's king. "Checkmate."

Glowering, Luna growled deeply. "I'm going to make you eat these game pieces!"

Laughing, Mender swept up the game into his ring. "Let's get started."

Leaving the four of them on the roof, James headed down to the street, he had to reach the grocery store first and then he would find the Elson brothers. They were likely still inspecting the buildings.

Screaming and giggling could be heard from a block away from the store. Picking up his pace, he reached the entrance and found Amber surrounded by dragons. They were playing some sort of game where they had to tag one another.

The nekorian was out of breath as she chased Everest who was giggling and flapping her wings to pick up her pace. But once he stepped inside, all of the playing stopped.

"James! Play!" Everest screamed.

Amber slowed to a walk and headed toward him. "Come to make sure I'm still alive?"

"That thought never crossed my mind," he teased.

Scoffing, she flipped him off. "Ass…"

Chuckling, he used his thumb to gesture to the door. "We are having a barbeque tonight."

Perking up, Amber practically ran into his arms. "I'll break out the booze!"

Catching her before she knocked him down, he laughed. "Relax, kitty cat."

Growling, she smacked his chest. "Don't call me that!"

"Kitty leaving?" Everest asked sadly.

Pulling away from him, Amber knelt in front of the dragon. "I'll be back tomorrow, Everest. I'll miss you."

"Miss me?"

"Yes, you silly dragon." Rubbing the dragon's head, Amber smiled.

"Yay! Kitty play again!"

Chuckling, James waited by the door. "Behave tonight, Everest. We'll be back."

"I bad girl?" Everest's head slumped to the ground.

Eyes wide, James rushed over and rubbed her cheek. "Not at all, Everest. I was teasing you. That's all."

"Teasing? Joke?"

"Yes," he said. Giving her his best smile, he added, "friends like to pick on one another. We like to laugh and have fun."

"My friend?" Everest asked softly.

Amber hugged her. "Yes, dear one. We are your friends. Don't you ever doubt that."

Lifting her head, Everest pushed her face against both of them. "Friends!"

James felt the amusement from Mother as he stood again. Helping Amber up, they walked away together. They were able to slip out without worrying Everest even more.

"I love that dragon," Amber said after they were down the street.

"She's a good girl," James agreed. "I feel bad that she is stuck in this city."

Sighing, Amber leaned into his side. "We are going to get her out, right?"

"Yes." Bumping her back, he smiled. "I promise that we'll get her out of here."

Humming, she relaxed more than he had seen in days. "Thanks, James. I don't know what I would do if she had to suffer in here for longer."

Rubbing Amber's back, he nodded. "Let's go find the brothers and settle in for the night. We can play with her more tomorrow."

"Maybe I'll read to her tomorrow," Amber mused.

"You can read?" he questioned.

Coming to a stop, Amber glared at him. "Did you really just ask that?"

"Umm…"

Snarling, she poked his chest. "I'll have you know that I have a veritable library of books in my ring."

"Romance novels?" he teased.

Blushing, she looked away.

Turning, he walked away knowing that he had won.

***

The clouds were tinged orange and yellow as the day progressed. The scent of sizzling meats filled the air, making stomachs growl as they passed around glasses of wine. James was the only one that didn't partake.

Luna bumped into his side with a large smile. "This has been a great day so far!"

"It has," he agreed. "You're not getting drunk, are you?"

"I would never!" she said unconvincingly.

Rubbing his wife's back, he let her go in order to walk to the edge of the apartment's roof. Looking out over the city, he could hear the Forsaken sniffing the air and growing interested in their party.

"James!" a voice screamed out.

Everyone stopped as they heard the voice in their heads.

"Mother?" James questioned.

"Everest left the nest. She smelled your food."

Panic laced his heart as Amber jumped over the ledge of the roof. Before anyone else could debate joining him, he threw himself after the cat.

Landing with a deep thud, they both kicked up dust before racing off down the street. It only took seconds to find the icy blue dragon, cowering in the middle of the road with a dozen scorpion looking Forsaken around her.

"Help!" Everest screamed. "Bad bug! Bad bug!"

Roaring in rage, Amber charged forward with unbridled anger. Her glowing white claws tore into the first scorpion, cutting through its body as if it was paper.

James summoned his sword and was upon them a second later. Throwing out his hand, he latched onto all of them and started draining their souls rapidly. As they thrashed on the ground, Everest ran behind him to hide.

Even as the scorpions fell to the ground dead, Amber continued to carve apart bodies. "Don't you touch her!"

"Amber!" James snapped.

Turning to him, her eyes were filled with rage. When she settled on the shivering dragon, she calmed and dismissed her claws. "Everest! Are you hurt?"

James and Amber both crowded around the dragon and started checking her over.

"Wing hurts…" Everest murmured.

Gingerly checking her wing, James found a few broken scales and a trickle of blood leaking from a wound.

Picking her up, Amber started carrying her back to their apartment. "We'll have Mender look you over. He can heal anything wrong with you."

Everest slumped in pain and worry as they returned to the apartment. He could feel Mother relax as she sensed that her daughter was safe. He promised to bring her back in the morning.

The group was waiting anxiously as Amber carried Everest up to the roof. "Mender!"

The human jumped forward, his hands already glowing with energy. "Where is she hurt?"

Amber set her down. "Her wing." Wringing her hands together, her tail flitted anxiously behind her as they watched Mender check over the dragon. Soul energy washed away any pain Everest was feeling and a second later her scales mended and the wound closed.

"She'll be fine," Mender said with a smile.

"Barbeque?" Everest asked innocently.

Laughter filled the air before Luna carried over some cooked meat. "Here you go."

Everest ate it from her hand before laying down.

"Home. Warm," Everest murmured.

Relaxing now that she was safe, James moved back to the edge of the roof. He didn't know if he was going to get any sleep nor would Amber. Their friend was attacked only two blocks away and they couldn't sense it.

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