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The streets were now full of people, as they headed back to the hotel. James kept them entertained by telling different stories from his youth and jokes he had picked up on his journeys. They were close to their destination with their laughter adding to the noise of the crowd before a familiar woman caught James's attention up ahead and approaching them. He circled around the girls, putting them behind his back and whispered "Eicaf Eratum. Emritşiğed züy." while grabbing at Alicia and Petricia's wrist.

"It's an honor met someone of your talent, Mr. McLane!" Heather Maddigan called out as she stepped up to them, the obvious excitement in her voice all too honest to be a ruse. She extended a hand, James grasping it to get a good shake. "I was always a really big fan of your work when you were in the ring. I took up a couple of classes when I was younger because I witnessed your skills. If you ever needed a partner, I'd love to go a 'round or two!"

The girls' jaws hit the floor at the genuine grin and sparkling eyes of an excited fan meeting her hero. James couldn't help but chuckle as he cut his eyes to girls' expressions. "I'd love to one day. It's always nice to run into a fan from my glory days! Especially to find that the Queen of Dekarea's Ace is one. Helps me remember all the fun that was. Was a sparring invitation all you needed, Ms.?" Maddigan blushed at the fact that idol knew of her existence and title.

"Oh! Um, no sir! I only ask that you keep a lookout for a couple of criminals I'm scouting for!" Maddigan drew her hand to her side, finally taking note of the three girls behind him, "Might I ask who these three are with you?"

"These three are my nieces. Yea I know what yer thinkin' 'How can they be yer family if they're felines?' Well ya can pick yer friends and ya can find yer enemies, but ya can't choose who ya kin is. Kitena, Inilla, and Mita, say hello to the nice lady." The three gave very strained smiles, Alicia's blonde and Petricia's orange "ears" twitching uncomfortably as they mumbled greetings.

"Well aren't you three as cute as can be!" Maddigan was positively glowing from talking to James. Well, the blonde and the redheaded fayri looked a little like the perpetrators. But the swaying tails inclined her to believe that they were as he said. "Well, if see the culprits I'm looking for, please be sure to contact me. I hope you'll keep up your end of my offer."

The Ace then stepped aside to let them pass, the girls' letting out a collective sigh once they were out of earshot. "Whatever you do, do not let down that spell, lovelies, there a bunch of these fine ladies all over." James voiced was quite serious for being in such a hushed tone. As they continued to stroll down the street, the teens could easily pick up on the soldiers.

They rounded the final corner to see the hotel come into view, Mini waving to them from the doorway. Once inside, instead of directing them towards their room, she gathered the girls and her husband into their apartment. "We have a problem, girls!"

"My restaurant has been overrun by those flimsy card soldiers." The woman griped as she threw up her hands in frustration. Alicia maneuvered to the window that overlooked the restaurant. To the woman's word, every seat in the place seemed to have a solider on it. The princess gulped, backing away.

Petricia, on the other hand, was full tilt in expressing her excitement with a grin. Oh she loved it when situations get tough like this. Her eyes glittered with adrenaline as her mind shot off plans in how to escape this time and get out wound free (or at least without causing too much damage to the surroundings). Maybe use an invisibility spell to—"How did you know the right language to activate my disguise and make it so perfect?" Petrica asked, her attention on James, who had been forced to face the wall since they had entered the room.

"That old rat has been all over the place," Mini chimed in as she pulled out Alicia and Petricia's uniforms, "For such a muscle-bound idiot, my husband has a rather large memory and a knack for picking up languages. Because of phonetics and the like, if you try to a spell that isn't in your base language, it's possibly something might get mistranslated and you'll get mixed results. Anything speech he picks up, he can practically parrot with perfect accuracy."

"Alright, ladies," Mini cautioned as she pulled Sūraja into an orange dress, a red covering hanging from her right shoulder and going down her side diagonally, with an orange turban-like headband being placed on her head. "You lot have got an appointment with a spider! Don't trust everything he says, no matter how gentlemen he seems to be, he won't hesitate to spin a lie or two into whatever he tells you. If you aren't back in two hours, I'll send James to look for you to make sure you haven't been eaten by Zeke or worse arrested by those damn cards."

James final faced the four females, his hand touching a nearby lamp to reveal a secret stairwell. "Sorry that ya don't have enough time to gather all your things, but it's best if ya headed over there now and wait for that deluded woman's cronies to split and head back home. Do not drop the disguise spell. Now go, I'll see you later!"

Before Alicia or Sūraja could get out a word of protest, they were quickly pushed down the stairs only to emerge from the backstreet behind the entire building. Her expression and the fayri's were exactly the same, mouths agape and eyes open from shock. Petricia merely cricked her neck and stretched out her hands to crack her knuckles.

"So we're weaponless, got at least 100 or so soldiers after us, a crazy strong second in command that may or may not be out for our blood, and an hour time limit to meet with a fayri who could be physic. This is going to be sooo much fun. TO THE ROOFTOPS!" Her friends jaws seemed to dropped even lower as they watch her skip off towards another alleyway across the street.

"Has it ever occurred to you that something might be seriously wrong with her?" The princess asked, her face twisted in disbelief. Sūraja exhaled a tired sighed, ears dropping and tail going limp.

"Believe it or not I have fancied the thought more than once. Occasionally I believe it is I that is insane for putting my utmost faith in her." Running her hands through her hair, she then smirked, "But she has yet to let me down thus far and I must say that things would never be as interesting without her spirit. Come, let us hurry so that way she doesn't get into too much trouble."

As it turns out, Alicia wasn't too fond of rooftop hopping— something to do with hitting the ground and not waking up again. When there was water below her? She had no problems throwing herself over the edge with reckless abandon. After all, once she hit the water there was more of a chance she could swim to land—but with where she was standing at the moment? No was she was risking a broken bone or worse.

Though as fate would have it, she'd have to do a little gambling no matter how much she did not want to. The current crevice before her was the widest they had come across. Sūraja had to land on all fours just to keep her balance when she landed (Petricia leapt over almost effortlessly). Alicia looked at her friends and then back over her shoulders at the shouts that were coming from behind her. At least 20 soldiers and police officers were after them, chasing from rooftop to rooftop.

"What kind of master thief wants to draw attention to them?" The blonde had all but shrieked when they had been spotted. Sūraja at that moment repeated several words that the princess hoped stayed without a translation. Petricia, not surprisingly, was cackling like a madwoman and shrugged as she cried "Run!" and dashed off!

Alicia took a deep breath before backing up a little. She went into a sprint, catapulting herself forward! Her arms rotated in circles as she caught air, trying to propel herself a few more inches. At the feeling of sudden free-fall, her heart seemed to sink into the pit of her stomach. She honestly couldn't believe this was how she was going to go out—

Her friends caught her by wrists seconds later, hands grasping around them as tightly as possible. Though she was dangling over the side, the girl smiled as she glanced up to her companions. Sūraja all but returned the gesture, Petricia grinding her teeth together.

"Ya, bunny princess," Petricia groaned, "Need to stop samplin' all the food that comes yer when we're workin'!" Alicia gave a playfully offended gasp, a whizzing sound catching her attention before she could retort. An arrow breezed by her ear and chinked into the brick wall, inches from her head. The blonde whipped her head back to see a line of several officers, their armguard doubling as crossbows, all aimed at her head. Oh come on!

The long ranged weapons gave an audible click to signify that they were locked and loaded. Alicia gave a tiny 'eep!' before swinging her legs back with another force for her to turn into a flip. Her friends let go of her hands as she did this, their hands on her back so that way they could steady her. The arrows missed, lodging into side of the building, Petricia smirked and gave their pursuers a razzberry. A laugh peal past her lips at their frustrated faces, they continued forward on this final rooftop. When they peered over the edge, they found themselves at the market circle, people crowding the rounded street

Without wasting another thought, they jumped over, only to tumble into the landing. The crowd shifted, citizens walking around the trio. Shouts could be heard from above them, and as the girls resituated themselves, the pounding of a cluster of footsteps could be heard. Getting onto her feet, Sūraja grabbed both the girls and yanked them into the closest tent.

"I adore how punctual that you three are!" Sūraja dropped her friends onto the ground as she jumped. Alicia and Petricia groaned as they looked up to see Zanazike sitting at table with a crystal ball before him. The dark purple tent walls seemed to be covered in masks and tiny dolls from different cultures, the figures seeming to stare at them.

"Don't be afraid of my friends, they don't get too far. I believe it would be wise to drop your disguise." He gave a snap of his fingers, Alicia and Petricia's illusions seeming to cancelling out. "You don't need to hide your identity with me, since I cannot "see". Now hurry off into the back, unless you wish to be under attack."

He pointed to a black curtain hanging behind him and the girls heed the seer's word. Scrambling through it, they were surprised to find a long extended hallway. Stretching up and along the walls were white mannequins with strange paint over their figures. Each one was dressed immaculately in a different outfit, be it a pant suit, flowing dress, or something simple like overalls. It was a rainbow of colors, fabrics, and designs.

"Oh wow," Alicia whispered, stunned by the apparel. Whispered because she couldn't take in the immensity of what was before her, "It's much bigger on the inside..."

Beside her, Petricia for all that she had known her, had nothing to say. Sūraja seemed uninterested as she pressed her ear against the drapery they had entered through. And despite her excellent hear, all she got was muffled noises. Curse him and his more advanced spell casting! How was she supposed to be nosy with him blocking her!

Wrinkling her button nose, she could turned away to find Petricia seeming to browse through the collection of clothes. Alicia seemed to be doing the same a little further down but not with the intent of trying on the outfits. The collection was rather extensive, Sūraja noted.

Though those mannequins seemed a little too real and while they had no faces, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched...

"Sūraja," The fayri eyes shifted her eyes away, feeling her pupils round as she focused on the voice that had called out to her. The blonde was now holding what seemed to be a clipboard that had been hanging off of one of the figurines arms.

Alicia bit the tip of her right thumb before handing it off what she had found. Sūraja scanned over the list, the dates went chronologically, a name and a tiny sketch of an outfit accompanying different days. Not really understanding, Sūraja's ears folded down as she frowned slightly.

They popped up after Alicia then tapped on two days ago.

On the date of their arrival, their names were written in messy cursive, tiny sketches of the girls' pajamas. The next day there were their restaurant uniforms and then on the today only carried her name, a sketch of her current outfit visible.

"It seems you found my checklist, but fail to get its gist." Zanazike's voice carried in with a playful tone from behind them. They turned to find the sharply dressed seer with a smile on his face as he entered. "And I do hope that someone isn't thinking about taking my hard work. To steal from the blind takes a true crook."

Petrica arms were full of different outfits she had planned on...borrowing that all happened to be in her size. Her guilty smile dropped as he snapped his fingers and caused everything to float back into place. The spider fayri gave her a pat on the head and a chuckle as he strode by.

"Though I am pleased to know that you find it so appealing that it is worth stealing. Now I sense that the cat and the rabbit have inquiries that I can answer in a hurry."

He waited for them to speak as he moved to his desk at the end of the room, dark skin contrasting against the white light from the ceiling. Sitting himself down at the table, he opened a drawer to reveal a sketch pad. Alicia, not knowing where to start exactly, looked up at the countless inventory around them.

"What is it with all these clothes? When exactly did you make them all? Why are our names and outfits on this clipboard?"

"My dear sister, Naceha, taught me how to sew when we were very young. If you believe this to be slightly disconcerting amount, then know that her collection dwarfs my own horrendously." He gave a laugh at the silence as Alicia and Sūraja's face paling at the thought. Petricia eyes shone intensely. Oh, they so had to go and visit one day!

"While it seems that this spider has your tongue, being a seer does not pay to tremendously. So I used the skills honed into me in order to get a meal. I give my outfits to stores around the city and receive a part of the profit, so I think it to be a good deal. Knowing which customers will buy what item in advance has been a perk and it certainly seems to work."

That explained how Mini knew exactly what each girl would like to wear. Zanazike tailored each piece before they had turned up, giving them to Mini in advance. Every date corresponded with the day a certain person would need or want a specific outfit. But that didn't answer how—"As for how I can "notice" things, sharing my secret would be most wise." His voiced darkened and the smile was twisted as he turned to face his company. He began to unravel the bandages around his upper arms and hands— how had Alicia not notice them before? He paled eyes flashed as the three took in the newest revelation.

"Well they do say spiders have multiple sets of eyes." On each of his fingertips were green eyeballs, blinking and staring at them. They shifted between each girl, as Alicia took a step back while her companions step forward to get a better look. He wrapped them back up and turned back to his work. Eventually they snapped out of their stupor, Sūraja being the first to find her voice.

"W-we were told not to trust you. Give us a reason to believe in your abilities." He only knew of one person that didn't trust him, rolling his eyes at who came to mind.

"By Gemini no less? What good are a spider's webs to a mouse ears? Besides was it not her who told you to be here, correct? I know that to be a fact. Now, princess what is it you wish to ask? Information for a future task?" Alicia cleared out the dryness out of her throat, coughing slightly into her hand before speaking.

"What can you tell me about Wunderscion?"

"The world of gadgets and gizmos?" The glee in her voice was unmistakable, "Oh how things look so abysmal. The King and Queen have gone missing, their only son now center ring." Her breath hitched in her throat. Her parents had gone missing? Her brother was heading the throne now?

"A great betrayal has been put into motion, the one with lizard blood out to cause a grand commotion—" He stopped and turning his head as if to face them. "She left, did she not?" Her companions complied with a "yes" as he sighed. "Doesn't she know it's best to let me finish my thought? Oh well it's time for me to go outside anyway. Follow me, young ones, and do not stray."

They followed him outside to find Gemini McLane fussing over Alicia until she glanced over to them. Her face immediately shut down at the sight of the spider fayri.

"Oh what a surprise—" He started to say as he stretched out his arms for a hug only to be hit in the face with her sandal.

"Don't you give me that "surprise" crap, Zeke! You know very well I could never surprise you on important days like your birthday, when we were young. Buuut no you had to play a double standard and always get me everything I wanted. Well I'm not here for you and your stupid talent! I came here to make sure these girls weren't getting caught in your dumb webs!"

"Sorry if my memory fails me," he replied while rubbing his face as he sat up, "You didn't mind all too much get wrapped whenever we—" The other sandal hit him square in the face, Mini cheeks flushed a deep red. With an angry huff, she grabbed the other two girls by the wrist and pulled them away from the unconscious spider fayri.

"Oh while I never! What kind of man talks about such things in public, with children about! If I could get away with it and he didn't see coming I'd kill that old pervert!" The flustered mouse lady grabbed Alicia by the wrist as well and started on her way back to the hotel. The pressure from her aura was so immense that none of the guards or soldiers had enough nerve to approach them.