Chasing The Sun

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 39, Post Number 966

-The Forgotten Deserts, 10:00 A.M.-

"Would you remind me why we're in this unbearably hot place again?" Will asked Lucia as his yellow scarf blew in the dry wind and kicked up a small cloud of sand. On his back was a large tan backpack filled with drinking water for Lucia. On his face was a frown.

"We're here to look for an odd creature shaped like the sun." Lucia replied as she fanned herself with her right hand. She wore her mint green t-shirt, long white skirt, and brown boots. On her right hip was Shining Light in its holster.

"You sure know how to choose jobs, Lucia. First we go to Sombras Manor and now we're in this place." Will said sourly. Lucia ignored that jab and continued to speak.

"We're working for Simon Wright, Will. He's heard rumors of a creature shaped like the sun that was spotted somewhere around here a few days ago. Since he's currently busy with some research and can't leave Magnolia Town, we're going to search for the creature for him." Lucia explained. Will continued to frown.

"Well, at least there aren't any ghosts here." Will commented. Lucia laughed a little.

"How are we supposed to find this sun thing anyway?" Will asked the blonde mage. Lucia shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know for certain, Will, but Mr. Wright said that we needed to go to the center of the Forgotten Deserts if we want to find this sun creature." Lucia told Will all the information she had been given on the job, which was not very much. It was mostly rumors that Simon Wright had heard, nothing of substance.

"Great. We're going on a wild goose chase in the desert." Will sourly remarked. Lucia laughed again. From what little information she had been given before setting out for The Forgotten Deserts, this whole venture sounded like a wild goose chase.

"Maybe there's something to it, Will." Lucia gently suggested to her companion.

"I hope so, Lucia. I really do. I'm gonna be fine since I'm a robot and I don't sweat or need to drink water, but I'm not sure if you can last through the search in this hot place." Will said to Lucia.

"I'll be fine, Will. We'd better get to searching, though. We've got a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time to do it in. As the day goes on the heat will only get worse." Lucia said to her partner. Will turned to face her.

"Good idea. Let's get going." Will said to Lucia.

"All right then, Will. Follow me." Lucia said before starting to walk at a slow pace because she did not feel like moving fast in this heat. She was glad that she had chosen to wear a t-shirt and put on sunscreen before coming out here because when noon arrived the sun was going to be high in the sky and the heat was going to be awful. Having long hair was not going to help, but she would just have to live with it.

-Deeper into The Forgotten Deserts, twenty-five minutes later-

It had been less than an hour since they had started their search and Lucia was already starting to sweat. As she had predicted her long hair was not doing her any favors by trapping heat. She lifted her hair up from time to time, but in a matter of minutes more heat was trapped, rendering the process an exercise in futility.

"How are you doing, Lucia? Do you need water yet?" Will asked Lucia. Lucia shook her head.

"I'm a bit sweaty, but I'll be OK, Will. I don't need any water just yet, but ask me again in an hour or so." Lucia replied to Will's questions. She was fine for the time being, but that might change an hour from now. She would know for certain when noon arrived and the sun was at its worst.

"All right then. If you get into distress let me know." Will said to her.

"I'll let you know." Lucia said to the gray-clad robot. They then continued to walk in silence with the crunch of sand beneath their feet and the occasional gust of wind to break the silence. Lucia hoped that they would find the sun creature without having to spend the entire day out here because she doubted that she could last that long out in this hot and dry place.

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-The Forgotten Deserts, three hours later-

It had been two hours since Will and Lucia had started their search in The Forgotten Deserts for the sun creature and Lucia was beginning to get more than a little sweaty. She had already drank some of the water that was inside the backpack Will was carrying but no matter how much water she drank it never seemed to be enough. She was doing her best to conserve water for the return trip, but it was a struggle that she felt like she was going to lose.

"Do you see anything interesting, Will?" Lucia asked her companion while wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her right hand. Will shook his head.

"I don't see anything other than sand. All I'm seeing is sand, sand, and more sand." Will replied in the negative. Lucia made eye contact with him and his mouth opened partially as if trying to come up with a response. He soon came up with one.

"To elaborate a little, I'm not seeing anything in the area except sand. No other people, no strange creatures, no landmarks, nothing." Will replied. Satisfied with that answer, Lucia faced forward again.

"I think we're just wasting our time here, Lucia. I don't know if this sun creature exists to begin with. For all we know someone spent too much time in the sun and started seeing things, then when they got back to civilization told their friends about what they had seen or what they thought they had seen." Will opined to her on the futility of their errand. Lucia shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe we really are wasting our time. Maybe there's something to the rumors that Mr. Wright had heard. We're going to search this desert and find out." Lucia calmly replied. Will did not look entirely convinced by the blonde's words.

"Don't push yourself too hard, Lucia. Whether we see this sun creature or not we've got the return trip to Magnolia Town ahead of us. It's a long walk to Magnolia Town." Will urged her not to push herself too hard because of the return trip to Magnolia Town that would have to be made whether the search was successful or not. Lucia sighed. Will was right... she had better not overextend herself because she would eventually have to turn around and walk out of here.

"All right, Will. I won't overexert myself." Lucia promised him. She looked into the distance in the hope of spotting the sun creature but did not see anything other than sand, sand, and more sand. Lucia sighed again and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Let's keep going, Lucia. We'll move at a reasonable pace, but we're not gonna move fast if we don't have to." Will said to her, suggesting that they maintain a reasonable pace instead of moving faster and exhausting themselves searching for their quarry.

"Good idea, Will. Let's keep going at the pace we've been going at." Lucia agreed with his plan. Together the two moved forward and slowly pushed deeper into The Forgotten Deserts while walking under the unrelenting heat of the midday sun.

-Deeper in The Forgotten Deserts, two hours later-

It had been roughly five hours since they had started their search and they had nothing to show for it, not even a suspected sighting. Lucia wiped the sweat from her forehead for the umpteenth time. She had long since given up on counting how many times she had done that. Will looked at Lucia.

"Lucia, are you OK?" Will asked her. Lucia nodded.

"I think so. I'll be fine as long as we keep moving." Lucia said to him. She felt like she was walking in an oven thanks to the heat and the wind having stopped blowing roughly two hours ago. When that had happened the heat became a lot harder to deal with, but Lucia was making it so far. As long as she kept moving she could handle it, but if she ever stopped to rest before she got back to Magnolia Town she might have trouble getting going again.

"You don't look too good, Lucia. You're sweating a lot and your face is red." Will told her how she looked from his point of view.

"That may be true, but we didn't think to bring a tent or some other portable shelter, so there's nowhere safe to stop and take a break." Lucia said in return, pointing out that even if they decided to stop and take a break they did not have any kind of shelter to safely rest in. Will frowned.

"You're right, Lucia. But you can't keep going with taking a break at some point in the trip." Will said to her. Lucia took a quiet breath of hot desert air and thought about her next words before speaking again.

"I might have to take a break in the next hour or so, Will, but let's keep going until then." Lucia said to him. Will did not object to that.

"OK." Will agreed. With that the pair resumed their search for the sun creature.

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[Total Word Count: 1,606/11,000]

-Deeper in The Forgotten Deserts, three hours later-

Will and Lucia had pushed deeper into The Forgotten Deserts and were still no closer to finding their quarry than they had been hours ago. Lucia was still on her feet, but she was sweating quite a bit and was more than a little unhappy because of that. She was hoping that they could find the sun creature and get out of here before she suffered heatstroke. That was not looking likely, though. She had nothing other than the vague statement "in the middle of the Forgotten Deserts" to go on and that was not very much help at all.

"Lucia, are you OK?" Will asked Lucia.

"I'm still OK, Will." Lucia replied with an economy of words. She was feeling more than a little tired from all the walking and she was tired of all the sand. There was nothing to break up the monotony of sand, sand, and more sand that stretched as far as the eye could see. The heat was unrelenting and the wind was nowhere to be found.

"You don't look like you're OK." Will commented. Lucia turned her head and made eye contact with him.

"I just want to find this sun creature and get back to civilization as soon as possible." Lucia replied as calmly as she could.

"Me too, Lucia." Will stated. Lucia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was going to keep moving and looking for the creature Simon Wright had sent her here to find no matter how badly she wanted to give up and go home. She hoped that she could find it soon, though. Lucia could will herself to keep going for only so long before that willpower ran out or she got too hot and tired to continue without significant health risks.

"Let's keep going, Will." Lucia said to her companion. With that they continued to trudge forward into the desert in the hope of finding their quarry before Lucia gave out and had to turn around.

-The Forgotten Deserts, two hours later-

After two more hours of walking without seeing her quarry Lucia was starting to think that she had been sent on a wild goose chase after all. Maybe the rumors were just that... rumors. Unable to keep walking any longer because of her tired feet, Lucia paused in place and stayed there while Will walked forward a few more steps. Once Will realized that he was no longer being followed he turned around to find Lucia standing in place.

"Lucia, are you OK?" Will inquired. Lucia remained silent for a few moments.

"I'm gonna need to stop for a few minutes." Lucia finally admitted. She had been fighting the urge to stop because she knew that if she stopped it would take a lot of effort to get going again, but she could not keep going without a break. Lucia was stopping in the middle of the hot desert with no shelter, but right now she was too tired to care. She just needed to stop walking.

"I'd offer to carry you, but my metal body's hot enough to cook an egg on. You wouldn't want to touch me right now." Will said to Lucia. The blonde frowned. She was kind of hoping that Will could carry her for a little bit, at least until her feet stopped hurting. That hope had been dashed.

"It's fine, Will. I just need to stop for a few minutes." Lucia repeated. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. It felt good just to stop moving for a bit. She needed to get going soon because stopping in the middle of the desert to take a break without being under shelter was not a smart idea. She was taking this break anyway.

"Hey Lucia, I don't know if I'm seeing things or not, but I think I see what looks like a small sun in the distance." Will said to Lucia. The blonde faced Will.

"Where?" Lucia asked him. He pointed his right index finger in front of them. Lucia looked where Will was pointing and saw the little sun too. She saw it floating away from them.

"Hurry! We've gotta catch up with it before it goes out of sight!" Lucia said, breaking out into a jog and ignoring the exhaustion that had forced her to stop. Will followed behind her. Lucia hoped that she was not hallucinating and chasing something that was not there. If she was chasing something that did not exist she would have wasted a lot of energy that she could not afford to waste, energy that she would need to walk back to Magnolia Town whether she was successful in finding the sun creature or not.

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[Total Word Count: 2,402/11,000]

-The Forgotten Deserts, forty minutes minutes later-

Lucia had spent the last thirty minutes walking briskly and the last ten minute jogging after the sun creature with Will following closely behind her ever since her companion had spotted it. Her exhaustion had been forgotten during the effort to catch up to it, but she needed to catch up to it soon because her legs were beginning to hurt again. Lucia wondered if her quarry was ever going to stop moving. It was either unaware of them or it was leading them into a trap.

After an additional five minutes of jogging Lucia was about to give out again when the sun creature must have finally heard the blonde's feet crunching on sand and stopped moving. Lucia took advantage of that pause to catch up to it, finally closing in on it. When she was within arm's reach of the creature it suddenly spun around and faced her, causing the blonde to shriek and fall onto her backside. Will stopped at Lucia's right and and turned his right hand into an arm cannon, aiming it at the creature. Its body was shaped like the sun and it had two red eyes almost closed in a fashion that looked liked it was constantly squinting.

"Whoa, man! There's no need for violence!" The sun creature exclaimed. Lucia blinked and Will's right arm visibly wavered between lowering his weapon and keeping his weapon aimed at the creature in case its pleasant demeanor was a trick to lure them in before it attacked.

"You can talk? And you can understand us?" Will asked the questions that were on Lucia's mind. The sun bobbed up and down.

"Yeah, man! I can understand you perfectly!" The sun answered. Lucia's surprise was rapidly being replaced with curiosity. The sun creature was talking to them in a perfectly understandable manner.

"Um... have you seen any more creatures like you anywhere out here?" Lucia asked the sun creature once she could finally speak again. It shook from side to side.

"No, man... I'm the only one out here. I'm alone in the desert. Just me and my thoughts." It answered. Will looked at Lucia and Lucia looked at Will. Will soon lowered his arm cannon and turned the weapon into a normal arm again.

"So you're the only one like you, huh?" Will repeated Lucia's question with slightly different wording. The miniature sun bobbed up and down again.

"Yeah, man. I'm the only one like me out here." It answered. Lucia stood up and dusted off the back of her skirt, then faced the miniature sun.

"How long have you been out here?" Lucia asked it.

"I've been floating around out here for at least seven days. I lost count, man. It's been kinda boring. I haven't seen too many people around here and that's not cool 'cause there's no one to talk to." It told the pair how long it had been in The Forgotten Deserts and commented on the lack of excitement in the area. Lucia remained silent, but Will continued to talk for her.

"At least seven days, huh?" Will asked.

"Yeah, man. I don't know how it happened, but I showed up here one day and found myself lying in the sand. I've been floating around here looking for someone to talk to, but everybody screams and runs when I face them. You two are the first guys to not run from me." It told Will. Will crossed his arms over his chest as the wind began to blow and his scarf fluttered in the wind.

"Hey man, I dig that scarf. I really like the color." The sun complimented Will about his scarf.

"Thanks... um, do you have a name?" Will asked it. It shook itself back and forth.

"Nah, man. I'm just a nameless traveler trying to find their way in a strange land." The sun answered Will's question. After the response came a pause in the conversation. Lucia chose that moment to jump into the conversation.

"So you don't have a name and you're new here." Lucia summarized the miniature sun's statement. It bobbed up and down a third time.

"Yeah, man. I don't know how I ended up here, but one day I ended up here and... well, here I am. Standing here in the desert. Or floating because I can't really stand like you guys because I don't have legs and feet." The sun told her. Lucia was curious about the sun creature and how it ended up here, but it was obviously confused as to how it got here, so asking it about its origins would not do any good. Until it remembered its origins they would remain a mystery to Will and Lucia.

"OK." Will said in a conclusion to the conversation that was a bit awkward, but Lucia had to bear in mind that not every question had an immediate answer. After that an awkward silence filled the air as each of the three waited for someone else to speak.

The Sun Creature:

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-The Forgotten Deserts, eight minutes later-

"So, um... what are you gonna do from here? Stay here?" Will asked the sun creature after the lengthy and awkward silence that ensued a short time after Will and Lucia finally met the creature and discovered that it was sentient when it spoke to them and engaged them in conversation. After the initial conversation the trio had struggled to come up with something to talk about, but Will had ended the awkward silence with his question. It shook itself left and right.

"No, man. I'm gonna go somewhere else." The miniature sun answered.

"Like where?" Lucia finally came up with a question. The sun turned towards her.

"I don't know, man. Just somewhere that's not here. Looking around and seeing nothing but sand is a real downer." It answered. When Lucia heard the response she suddenly had an idea.

Why not ask it to go with them to see Simon Wright?

That approach might be a long shot in more ways than one. The miniature sun might have somewhere else that it wanted to wander to. Maybe it would just turn them down outright because it suspected a trap to trick it into captivity. Despite those possibilities Lucia would ask it anyway.

"Hey, would you like to meet with a paranormal investigator who lives in Magnolia Town?" Lucia asked the miniature sun, making it a point to tell it exactly where it was going so that there was no trickery involved. It made eye contact with her; its perpetually squinting eyes made it hard to tell if the sun creature was about to turn down the offer or take her up on it. Its expression also made it hard to tell if it felt threatened and was about to attack her or not. Lucia watched it and waited for an answer. Although she did not say it, she hoped that the sun creature would make up its mind soon.

"Sure, man! Anywhere else is better than this place!" The sun replied. Lucia was visibly surprised. She had not expected the sun creature to accept the offer that easily. She quickly recovered her composure before it changed its mind.

"OK then. If there's nothing else you want to do here, we'll start heading for Magnolia Town right away." Lucia said to it, giving it a chance to take care of any unfinished business it might have here before they moved on. She was not sure what kind of business it would have here, but she was giving it a chance to do whatever it needed to do before the trio set out for Magnolia Town. It continued to look at her.

"I'm ready to go now, man. I'm ready to go see the world!" It told her. Will looked at Lucia.

"You heard the man... er, creature, Lucia. Let's get going. You need to get to somewhere cooler before you pass out or suffer from heatstroke." Will said to her. Lucia nodded at the gray-clad robot.

"All right, Will. I'll lead us out of here." Lucia said to her companion. She then turned around and began to put one foot in front of the other while the sun creature floated to her left and Will walked to her right. The unusual party was about to leave The Forgotten Deserts for the comforts of civilization. Lucia could hardly wait to get to Magnolia Town.

-The Forgotten Deserts, three hours later-

It had been three hours since the trio had started the trip to Magnolia Town and it had been a long and uneventful walk. Lucia had finally consumed some water an hour ago and was in fairly good spirits now that she and Will had found the sun creature and had convinced it to go to Magnolia Town with them. She was also glad to be heading towards somewhere that was not hot and not full of sand.

"Hey Scarf Man, what's your name?" The sun creature asked Will as the trio moved, breaking the silence that had prevailed since the start of the journey. Will turned to face it.

"The name's Will." Will answered.

"Will, huh? Nice to meet you, Will." The sun creature commented. It then turned its attention to Lucia and Lucia turned to face it.

"Hey man, what's your name?" The sun creature asked Lucia.

"Lucia. Lucia Winchester." Lucia gave her name.

"Nice to meet you, Lucia." The miniature sun said to her. The trio continued to move towards as the brief conversation started to wind down. A few minutes later when the sun creature spoke again.

"You guys said that a paranormal investigator wanted to see me. What's his name?" The sun creature asked Will and Lucia.

"His name's Simon Wright." Lucia answered.

"He sounds like a pretty cool guy." The miniature sun commented on Simon.

"He's a good guy to know. He's very friendly and I'm sure that he'd be interested in talking to you." Lucia praised Simon in front of the sun creature. Simon Wright was a friendly guy who seemed to get along with virtually anyone. That character trait should make the miniature sun willing to speaking with Simon.

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-Three hours later, The Forgotten Deserts-

The unlikely trio of Lucia, Will, and the sun creature were making their way out of the desert. The temperature was still high, but by this point Lucia was more or less used to it. She had also drank some water earlier, so she was feeling a little better than she was hours ago. However, she still wanted to get out of the desert as fast as possible. She had long ago grown tired of the unrelenting heat and the endless sand.

"Are you OK, Lucia?" Will asked Lucia. Lucia looked right and faced the gray-clad robot.

"I'm doing all right, Will." Lucia replied calmly. She was thankful that today she had chosen to wear a t-shirt instead of her usual long-sleeved shirt. While its short sleeves did not protect her arms from the sun, they did not trap heat like longer sleeves would.

"You look kinda rough, man." The sun creature said to Lucia. Will looked at Lucia and studied her face for a few moments before speaking.

"The sun's right. Your face is starting to get kinda red, Lucia. Did you bring any more sunscreen with you?" Will asked Lucia. Lucia shook her head.

"No, Will. I didn't think to bring it with me. All I brought was the water in the backpack you're carrying." Lucia replied. She felt her face with her right hand and learned that both Will and the sun creature were right. Her face was rather hot and it stung when she touched it. Her skin was sunburned, which would make the next few days a little rough.

"At least we're not too far from where we came into this place. All we have to do is keep moving and we'll get there." Will tried to assure Lucia that the worst part of the trip was almost over. Lucia took a quiet breath.

"Yeah. I hope we get there soon, though. I just want to go sit down somewhere that's dark and not move for awhile." Lucia commented. While she was feeling a little better now than she was roughly three hours ago, she was feeling more than a little tired and the heat was not helping matters. She hoped that Simon would not mind her sitting down when she met with him once she finally got to Magnolia Town.

"We'll ask Simon about it when we get to his place in Magnolia Town. I doubt that he'll refuse that request, especially when he gets a good look at you." Will told her. Lucia did not give an immediate reply to that because she was busy trying to keep putting one foot in front of the other while wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her left hand. Once the sweat had been wiped away she spoke to Will.

"Just getting out of here will help me a lot." Lucia told him. Getting to a cooler climate would make the blonde feel almost as good as being able to sit down. Sitting down in a cooler climate was the ideal solution to Lucia's woes, but she would have to get to Magnolia Town first.

"Good point." Will conceded. The pair then stopped talking and continued to move along the path that would take them out of The Forgotten Deserts. All she had to do was keep putting one foot in front of the other until she was out of this place. That was easier said than done, though. It was hard to ignore the effects of the fatigue that she was feeling and she was starting to slow down a little.

"Uh, guys, can we slow down a little?" Lucia asked Will and the sun creature before she came to a complete stop. Will and the sun creature turned to see Lucia standing in place. Will hurried over to her side.

"Lucia, are you OK?" Will asked her again. Lucia nodded weakly.

"I'm fine, Will. I just need to slow down a while." Lucia replied. She could not keep moving at the brisk pace the trio had been going at for the past few hours. She would need to move more slowly so that she had a better chance of staying on her feet through the rest of the journey.

"I'd offer you my shoulder or offer to carry you in my arms, but my metal body's still pretty hot. You wouldn't want me to touch you right now because doing that would make things worse." Will said to her. Lucia gave him a small smile.

"It's fine, Will. As long as we don't move so fast I'll be fine." Lucia assured him. Will looked skeptical for a moment, then decided to accept what he was being told.

"All right then. We'll keep going, but we'll move at a slower pace so that you'll have an easier time of things." Will informed Lucia. The sun creature floated over to Lucia's left and faced her.

"Are you sure you'll be OK, man?" The miniature sun asked her. Lucia turned to it and made eye contact.

"I'll be fine, thanks." Lucia assured it.

"All right, man! Glad to hear it!" The sun said in a cheerful tone of voice. Lucia started to walk forward again with the miniature sun at her left and Will at her right. It would not be long before the trio was out of the desert and on the way to Magnolia Town.

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-Magnolia Town, fifteen hours later-

It was nighttime when Lucia, Will, and the sun creature finally reached Magnolia Town. The trio had had to travel slower than they otherwise would have thanks to Lucia's considerable fatigue, but just getting out of the desert had been a relief to the blonde. Getting into a cooler climate had made things even better. The arrival of nighttime was practically a gift from above.

Now that they were in Magnolia Town the trio were slowly making their way towards Simon Wright's house. Lucia led the way through the town's streets while Will walked to her right and the sun creature floated to her left. There were few people on the streets at this time and the few people who were on the streets did not pay much attention to the trio. That was fine with Lucia, who was just wanting to get to the client's house and show him the sun creature.

"I'm glad we're here, Lucia, I bet you're glad we're here too." Will said to Lucia. Lucia turned right and faced him.

"Yeah, Will. I'm glad we're here and we're out of the sun. I'm especially glad to be out of the sun." Lucia said to Will. Her arms had started to turn a little red along with her face. She needed to look into getting some sunscreen that was more resistant to sweat.

"You don't look so good, man." The miniature sun opined. Lucia turned to face the small sun.

"I've felt better, to be honest." Lucia said candidly. She felt hot and tired and she just wanted to sit down and not get up for awhile. She needed to keep going to reach the client's house, but right now it was all she could do to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

"Maybe you should sit down awhile, man." The small sun suggested to her. Lucia shook her head.

"I really want to sit down, but I'm afraid that if I sit down now I won't get up." Lucia told the small sun her concern. The sun's suggestion was tempting, but she was so close to her client's house. She needed to keep going just a little bit longer.

"I wish I could help you, Lucia. My metal body's still kinda hot, so I still can't carry you without hurting you. Otherwise I would carry you the rest of the way." Will said to Lucia. Lucia turned to face him.

"It's fine, Will. I've just gotta focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Once we get to where we're going I'll be fine." Lucia said to him. She continued to walk towards Simon Wright's house with the small sun to her left and Will to her right. She could not wait to get to her destination and finally be able to sit down.

-Outside Simon Wright's house, fifty minutes later-

After almost an hour of walking through the nearly empty streets of Magnolia Town the trio had finally reached their destination. Lucia stopped in front of the door and felt the crushing weight of fatigue almost drag her to the ground, causing her to begin slumping over. Will had to step in to keep the blonde on her feet.

He quickly offered her a shoulder with his scarf draped over it to make touching his hot shoulder less painful. The moment her lower arm made contact with the scarf she could feel some of the heat through it. Grateful for the support despite the discomfort that the heat was bringing her, Lucia took the shoulder and was thankful that the scarf protected her from the worst effects of direct contact with Will.

"I've got you, Lucia." Will said. Will helped lift the blonde back into a standing position, where she was able to stand thanks to Will's help.

"Thanks." Lucia thanked Will for his timely intervention. She then reached out and knocked on Simon Wright's door three times. She stood and waited for Simon to answer. A few minutes passed and the door eventually opened.

"Oh, Lucia! This is quite the surprise!" Simon said to her. The blond man then looked at Will for a few moments before his eyes eventually moved to the sun creature. When he saw the sun creature he winced.

"Hey man! You must be Simon!" The sun creature cheerfully greeted the paranormal investigator. Simon blinked and made eye contact with the small sun.

"Yes. I'm Simon Wright." Simon replied. His facial expression made it clear that he was not quite sure what to make of the sight of a small floating sun that could talk. The man then turned his attention back to Lucia.

"You looked tired, Lucia. Would you like to come in and sit down?" Simon asked Lucia. That was an offer that was too good to pass up.

"Yes, please. I'd like that." Lucia said, doing her best to restrain her enthusiasm and not sound desperate. Simon stepped aside and Lucia went inside followed by Will and the small sun. Once the trio was inside Simon gently shut the door behind them.

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-Inside Simon Wright's house, forty-five minutes later-

Lucia was sitting on the couch and had been sitting on it for almost the entire visit to Simon Wright's house. Minutes after she had entered his house Simon had quickly and courteously moved the books off of the couch and to another room so that she would have a clear place to sit down. She needed the clear place to sit down because she felt awful. Now that she had finally stopped moving the fatigue had hit her like a freight train. Lucia was sitting up for the time being and she was doing her best to remain sitting despite the urge to lie down across the couch. She was halfway tempted to lie down and blame her fatigue, but she did not want to look unprofessional and risk losing Simon as an employer, so she would continue to sit up for as long as she could.

"Are you OK, Lucia?" Will asked the blonde while standing a short distance in front of her. Lucia took a quiet breath, then raised her head and made eye contact with Will.

"I'm doing all right now that I've finally stopped moving, Will." Lucia replied. Earlier she believed that if she had stopped moving for any reason she would not be able to move under her own power again. That belief was true. Right now her legs were hurting and she had so little energy that she could not get up from the couch if she wanted to. Only an emergency could make her get up and even then she would be moving slowly.

"I'm glad we made it here when we did, Lucia. You didn't look like you could have traveled much further." Will commented on the blonde's condition. Lucia nodded weakly.

"You're right, Will. If we had had to go much further I would have been hard-pressed to keep going." Lucia confirmed his belief. By the time the trio had made it to Magnolia Town the blonde had reached the limits of her endurance. Unless an emergency had forced her to keep moving she could not have kept moving, not even at a slow pace.

"Where's Simon and the sun creature?" Lucia asked Will. Will jerked his left thumb towards the doorway that opened onto the kitchen.

"They're in the kitchen. They've been talking for quite some time. From the sound of it they're getting along pretty well." Will informed her. Lucia was a bit embarrassed to have forgotten that fact, but she chalked it up to being tired from the walking under a blazing sun she had done earlier. She doubted that anyone was going to call her out on it, especially not Will.

"Oh, right. I totally forgot about that." Lucia admitted sheepishly. Will made eye contact a second time.

"Are you sure you're OK, Lucia?" Will asked her again.

"I'm sure that I'm fine, Will. I'm not gonna be at my best for awhile, but I'll recover soon enough." Lucia assured him. She had not felt this bad in a long time, but she would recover from her exertions. At least she did not have to take the sun creature back to The Forgotten Deserts once Simon was finished talking to it.

"All right, Lucia. I won't keep bothering you about it." Will said to her. Lucia reached down into the olive green backpack of water Will had carried and fished out another bottle of water, the first she had had since entering Magnolia Town. She opened it and began to drink from it like she had not had any water all day. No matter how much water she drank she felt like she could not get enough of it. At least she was out of the heat now.

Lucia sat on the couch and finished her bottle of water, then put the cap back on the empty bottle and set it aside for the time being. She needed to remember to carry it with her and throw it away once her business with Simon was finished. Lucia listened closely and could hear the voices coming from the kitchen, but she could not make out what was being said. She was too tired to listen for any length of time and was too tired to invest the effort in figuring out what Simon and the sun creature were talking about. Besides, if anything that needed her attention came up, Will was certain to let her know.

Lucia leaned over and reached for another bottle of water that sat in the backpack and grabbed it, then sat back on the couch and carefully opened it. Once it was open she began to drink from it while listening to the voices of Simon and the sun creature coming from the kitchen. As she halfway listened to their voices was glad that she had the opportunity to sit back and let them talk while she recovered from all the walking she had done today.

[Post Word Count: 832]
[Total Word Count: 6,704/11,000]

-Simon Wright's house, four hours later-

Lucia had spent the past several hours sitting on Simon Wright's couch and listening to the muffled voices of her client and the sun creature as they talked about whatever it was they were talking about. She did not know what they were talking about and she was not inclined to get up and walk over to the kitchen doorway to find out. She was too busy sitting on the couch and drinking bottle after bottle of water. Will had been standing a short distance from the kitchen doorway and had not approached her to talk about the ongoing conversation, so she assumed that no news was good news.

Lucia really wanted to lie down on the couch and stretch out for awhile. She was getting too tired to continue sitting up, but she did not want to make Mr. Wright angry by lying down on his furniture and treating it like her property. Even though she wanted to recline on the couch Lucia continued to sit up on it out of respect for the client. As soon as the thought of lying down had been forced out of her mind Simon entered the room with the sun creature in tow.

"Hello, Lucia. You look kind of tired." Simon said to her. Lucia put on a smile for him and made eye contact before responding to him.

"I am tired, Mr. Wright. But I'm doing a lot better than I was earlier. Being able to sit down helped a lot." Lucia told him exactly how she was doing. The sun creature floated out to Simon's right and faced Lucia.

"I'm glad you're doing better, man. For awhile you looked pretty awful. You looked like you were about to drop at any moment." The sun chimed in on her condition. Lucia weakly chuckled.

"I was about to drop at any moment, but I'm feeling a lot better now. I'm not going to be able to run a marathon, but I'll be able to at least walk home. With Will's help." Lucia replied and added that she was so tired that she would need Will's help to get home. Will looked at her.

"Don't worry, Lucia. I'll get you home safely. I'll carry you in my arms if I have to." Will pledged his assistance to her. Lucia was glad for that offer of assistance. She was going to need the help to get back to Luminous Rose Guild Hall.

"Thanks, Will." Lucia thanked her faithful robot companion.

"This sun creature's been interesting to talk to. It hasn't been able to tell me about its origins because it doesn't remember them very well, but it did tell me that it came from the sky. This is the second mystery creature shaped like a celestial body that I've dealt with." Simon told Lucia without elaborating on the last sentence. Lucia did not press the issue. She was too tired to delve into that mystery.

"It told me about what it wants to do, though." Simon added. Lucia was visibly intrigued by that. She momentarily recovered from her lethargy and sat up straight.

"It said something about being unable to get back to where it came from, so it wants to travel the world it's on." Simon told Lucia. Lucia recalled something about the miniature sun being a traveler when they had first met back in The Forgotten Deserts.

"Does it now?" Lucia asked with a good deal of interest. The sun creature chose the gap between Lucia's question and Simon's response to jump in.

"Yeah, man. I want to travel all around this world and see everything I can. I'm a traveler by nature. I go where my feet carry me... if I had feet. As you can tell, I just float everywhere." The sun confirmed what Simon had told her.

"I think I've learned everything I can about it, so it doesn't have to stay here with me. In fact it wants to travel with you." Simon told Lucia. Lucia looked towards the sun creature and it moved its body up and down to indicate its agreement with Simon's words. Lucia looked toward Will.

"It's your call, Lucia." Will let her know that in the end the decision on whether to take the sun creature along with her or not was hers to make and hers alone. Lucia looked towards the sun creature, then towards Simon. She spent a few moments in silence thinking over the decision before she announced it.

"I'll take the sun creature with me, Simon." Lucia announced her decision to Simon, Will, and the sun creature.

[Post Word Count: 774]
[Total Word Count: 7,478/11,000]

"All right then. It's settled." Simon said to everyone.

"It looks like you've got a new traveling partner, Lucia." Will said to the blonde mage. Lucia was not sure what he was getting at. She was not sure if he was making an observation or if he was afraid of being replaced by the sun creature. Lucia thought back to Dr. Abel's words about having to upgrade Will's components to keep him competitive against newer technology. She made eye contact with Will for a moment, then looked at the sun creature.

Lucia did not know very much about it or its anatomy. As far as she knew it did not need any special care. It had not told her anything about what it ate, when it slept, enemies that it had, environments that were suitable for it to live in, or anything of that nature. The sun creature was a total mystery to her, but at first glance it seemed like it did not need food, sleep, or medical care to live.

Will, on the other hand, required specialized care. He needed maintenance whenever he got damaged in battle and he needed maintenance every few months or so whether he got damaged or not. He also needed upgrades from time to time. That fact reminded Lucia of a point that had been made about the gray-clad robot several months ago.

There would come a point where Will just could not be upgraded any more.

Once that time came Will would be considered a "museum piece."

Lucia wondered if Will was hinting that he felt like he was being replaced by the sun creature. He had not told her that outright, but she was getting heavy hints that that was how he felt about the situation. Lucia decided to keep that belief to herself while they were in front of Simon. She would act like everything was normal.

"It looks that way, Will." Lucia calmly replied. She was not sure if she had said the right thing, but Will did not show any sign of an emotional reaction to her words. He did not say anything in response either, so Lucia turned her attention back to the sun creature. It was looking at her as if waiting for its turn to say something.

"I'm glad that you want me to travel with you, man. No one I met in the desert would talk to me. They just screamed and ran away." The sun creature said to Lucia. Lucia could easily see why. It looked like it was constantly squinting and its red eyes did not help matters. That face made it hard to determine if the creature was friendly or not.

"If I may say this, you do look kind of intimidating." Simon chimed in, saying what Lucia was thinking. The miniature sun turned to face him.

"What do you mean by that, man?" The small sun asked him. Simon crossed his arms.

"It would be easier to explain what I mean if I showed you. Please follow me." Simon requested of the small sun. He walked past the couch Lucia was sitting on while the sun obligingly followed behind him. Will and Lucia were left in the living room. Will made eye contact with Lucia and hesitated a few moments before speaking.

"Are you doing any better, Lucia?" Will asked her.

"I'm continuing to do better, thanks. It's still gonna take a bit of time before I'm able to make the trip back to Luminous Rose Guild Hall, but I'll at least be able to walk under my own power." Lucia gave the gray-clad robot a report on her status. Her feet were still sore and her legs hurt, but she was going to live. She had finally consumed enough water to feel hydrated again, so that was another plus. All in all Lucia was starting to recover some vitality, but she was not going to be running a marathon any time soon.

"That's great, Lucia. You're also starting to look better. You still look like you've spent a lot of time in the sun, but you don't look so worn down." Will added.

"I don't feel quite as worn down either, Will." Lucia replied to that statement. She was not sure if he was really worried about her or if he was trying to find an opening to talk about how her really felt about the sun creature's presence, but she was not going to force the issue, especially not within earshot of Simon and the sun creature. Will would talk to her whenever he was ready to discuss the matter.

[Post Word Count: 772]
[Total Word Count: 8,250/11,000]

-Simon Wright's house, twenty-five minutes later-

"Hey everyone! I'm back!" The sun creature greeted Will and Lucia as it emerged from the back of Simon Wright's house. Will and Lucia looked at the sun creature and watched it float in ahead of Simon before stopping a short distance ahead of Simon and to his left.

"It's ready to start traveling with you, Lucia. Thanks for bringing it here for me to see. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I'd think that the reports were brought on by people who had been in the sun too long." Simon reported to the blonde mage. Lucia slowly got up from the couch, picked up any empty water bottles she had left on the couch while she had been sitting there, and put them in the backpack at her feet. She zipped up the backpack and handed it to Will, who slung it on his back. Lucia then faced Simon.

"All right then, Simon. Is there anything else we need to discuss before the three of us leave?" Lucia asked the client if there were any last-minute details that needed to be sorted out before she left for Luminous Rose Guild Hall with the sun creature in tow. Simon shook his head.

"No, Lucia. There's nothing else we need to discuss." Simon informed her.

"All right then, Simon. We'll get going then. Thanks for your hospitality." Lucia thanked the paranormal investigator for his hospitality. Thanks to him letting her rest on his couch she had regained the energy necessary to undertake the long walk back to the guild hall. Without that boon she would have had considerable difficulty in making the trip without having Will carry her to her destination.

"It's the least I could do, Lucia. Thanks for finding the sun creature and bringing it to me." Simon thanked Lucia for confirming the rumors of the creature's existence.

"I'm glad I could help. I'll see you later, Simon." Lucia bade her host farewell and waved goodbye with her right hand. She then walked towards the front door with Will following right behind her with the sun creature bringing up the rear. Lucia opened the door and walked out of the house and Will followed, shutting the door behind them once the sun creature had exited the building.

-Outside Simon Wright's house, Magnolia Town-

After leaving Simon's house the trio faced towards the way that led out of Magnolia Town.

"Hey Lucia, it's been awhile since you were last on your feet. Are you sure that you're up for the walk?" Will asked Lucia about her physical condition. Lucia faced the gray-clad robot.

"I'm sure that I'll be fine, Will. I've had enough time to recover from walking through The Forgotten Deserts and walking to Magnolia Town. I'll be fine." Lucia assured him that she was able to make the trip without undue difficulty.

"OK. I'll take your word for it, but if you need my help, don't hesitate to let me know." Will told her. Lucia noted that he did not seem to bear any animosity towards her for agreeing to take the sun creature with her, but that could be because Will was a robot and thus a master of hiding how he really felt. She did not have much time to dwell on whether or not Will was worried about being replaced as Lucia's traveling partner because the sun creature moved ahead of them.

"All right, man! It's time to travel!" The sun creature said in a voice full of enthusiasm. Will looked at Lucia again.

"Well, you heard the miniature sun. Let's get going. You lead the way." Will said to her. Lucia did not pick up any sarcasm in his voice, so she believed that he was fine with letting the sun creature join them. She then took a few steps forward.

"OK. Since there's nothing left to do here, we'll get going then." Lucia said to Will and the sun creature before taking the first steps on the long walk back to Luminous Rose Guild Hall. Will followed behind her and the sun creature quickly moved ahead to float at Lucia's left side as the blonde mage started leading the trio out of Magnolia Town.

[Post Word Count: 710]
[Total Word Count: 8,960/11,000]

-The next day, on the road to Motor City, 10:35 A.M.-

After parting ways with Simon Wright yesterday Lucia had managed to make it back to Luminous Rose Guild Hall without incident and she had spent the rest of the day recovering from her exertions in The Forgotten Deserts and the long walk from The Forgotten Deserts to Simon Wright's home in Magnolia Town. Today she was on a trip to Motor City to visit Dr. Reid, who needed someone to watch over her home while she went on a supply run. Lucia had answered the call and she chose to take the sun creature with her while Will remained back at the guild hall. Lucia saw this errand as a good chance to start taking the sun creature with her and keep her word that she would take it traveling with her. Lucia's face was still red from the long exposure to the sun and she was still more than a little tired from her travels, but she was confident that she could make it to Motor City without too much trouble.

The weather was a bit warm and matters were not helped by Lucia's choice of outfit. She was wearing her gray long-sleeved t-shirt and long white skirt with brown boots because she was going to Dr. Reid's house and wanted to look somewhat decent. At least the wind was blowing strongly enough and frequently enough to keep her cool.

"So we're going to a place called Motor City, huh?" The sun creature asked Lucia as it hovered on her left side.

"Yes. We're going to Motor City to meet with a client of mine who needs me to watch over her house while she goes to town for awhile." Lucia answered.

"That's great, man! As long as I don't see that desert for awhile I'm fine with going anywhere!" The sun chimed in. Hearing the desert mentioned compelled Lucia to speak on the matter.

"I'll stay out of The Forgotten Deserts if I can help it. The only reason I'll go there again any time soon is for a job." Lucia assured her traveling companion that that place was not somewhere she wanted to revisit any time soon. After spending a good part of the day wandering in that place and getting a nasty sunburn for her troubles the blonde mage was not exactly eager to go back to The Forgotten Deserts. One of the only things that could make her go there was if a job took her there.

"So, where exactly are we going in Motor City?" The sun asked her as they continued to walk. Lucia turned left and faced it.

"We're going to a client's house. My client's a woman named Dr. Loretta Reid. I've helped her a few times in the past." Lucia filled the creature in on where they were going and who the client was.

"All right!" The sun said in a jovial tone of voice. Lucia was amused by it. It had a cheerful disposition that nothing could bring down and it seemed to be excited about traveling somewhere new.

"I estimate that we'll be there in three hours or so." Lucia informed it.

"That's fine with me, man. It's not like I have anything else to do." It said to her, undeterred by the figure it had been given. It then turned and looked at her with its squinting red eyes.

"Do you think you can make the trip, man? You look kinda red from yesterday. And you still look kinda tired." The miniature sun asked Lucia. Lucia paused and made eye contact with it.

"I'll be fine, thanks. I'm feeling a lot better today than I was yesterday. At least we're not in The Forgotten Deserts right now." Lucia assured her traveling companion. Simply not being in that place did a lot for her physical well-being. She had never traveled in a desert before yesterday and she hoped that she would not be visiting another one for a long time.

"You said it, man. That place was really dull to float around in. I'm glad that I'm out of there so that I can go somewhere with some interesting scenery." The sun creature again expressed its dislike of the area it was found in. Lucia let the remark pass without comment and resumed walking. The wind picked up a bit and blew her hair about as she continued to walk towards Motor City with the sun creature closely following at her left side.

[Post Word Count: 756]
[Total Word Count: 9,716/11,000]

-Motor City, outside Dr. Reid's House, four hours and twelve minutes later-

After a little over four hours of travel Lucia and the sun creature had successfully navigated Motor City and were now standing outside the front door to Dr. Reid's house. Lucia was standing in front of the intercom grille that was to the right of the door while the miniature sun hovered to her right. While Lucia was trying to remember the password her companion talked aloud about its experience floating through Motor City at Lucia's side.

"Motor City was so exciting to go through, man. There were so many buildings and some of them were really tall. There were also a lot of people and so many of those... uh, what are those fast things with four wheels called again?" The sun creature asked Lucia. Lucia made eye contact with it.

"They're called cars." Lucia informed her companion. The sun creature had marveled at all the sights in the city, but it seemed to be particularly fascinated by the cars that were everywhere. Every time one would go by them it would turn and face it until it vanished down the road.

"Cars? Cool, man. I've never seen any of those before coming here. And you say that people can drive them to get to where they want to go?" It asked Lucia another question.

"Yes. I've never driven one myself, but from what I've seen in Capital Crocus they can go really fast, a lot faster than either of us can walk." Lucia answered the question.

"So, what do we have to do now?" The sun asked Lucia.

"We have to speak into this intercom and tell Dr. Reid the password so that she can let us in." Lucia answered calmly. The sun creature was curious about the world and it was interested in everything around it. She would have to indulge its curiosity later... right now she had work to do. Lucia remembered the password and reached out with the index finger of her right hand extended towards the button. She pressed it once and let it go.

"Password?" Dr. Reid's voice asked Lucia. The sun creature turned sharply and looked at Lucia.

"Whoa, that box can talk?" It asked Lucia while the blonde mage was reaching to press and hold the button that would enable her to speak to the doctor. Lucia laughed a little.

"The person on the other end talks into a speaker and their voice is transmitted to me through the technology in the box. At least that's my understanding of how the technology behind it works. I'm not entirely sure myself." Lucia did her best to explain to her companion how the intercom worked before admitting that her knowledge was imperfect. She then pressed the button and held it down before speaking the password.

"Clarke." Lucia gave the password.

"Welcome, Lucia! I'll be right there to open the door!" Dr. Reid informed Lucia. The blonde mage and her companion waited patiently for the front door to open... they did not have to wait long because within the space of a minute the front door opened and Dr. Reid was on the other side.

The doctor was dressed in a pink tank top with khaki cargo shorts and brown work boots. For once her long blonde hair was not frizzy like she had been electrocuted. She also looked happy and not because she had a full mug of coffee in hand.

"Hey Lucia! It's been awhile since we last met!" Dr. Reid greeted the blonde mage. The doctor looked at the miniature sun to Lucia's right and blinked.

"Um, Lucia, am I seeing things or is that a small sun floating right next to you?" Dr. Reid asked Lucia with palpable concern on her voice. The sun faced the doctor and spoke to her.

"Hey, lady! That talking box of yours is amazing!" The sun complimented the doctor on the intercom system. Dr. Reid blinked again. The doctor's facial expression made it plain to Lucia that she was not quite sure what to make of the blonde mage's unusual companion. After a few moments the doctor changed her facial expression and smiled at the small sun.

"Thanks... um, do you have a name?" The doctor asked it. It shook itself back and forth three times.

"No, man. I don't have a name yet. My pal Lucia and I are working on that." The miniature sun told the doctor that it did not have a name yet. A puzzled look came across the doctor's face.

"Why don't you have a name yet?" Dr. Reid inquired.

"It's a long story, man." The sun creature explained. Dr. Reid looked up from the sun creature and towards Lucia.

"Would you two like to come inside and talk about the job?" Dr. Reid asked Lucia and the miniature sun.

"Certainly." Lucia replied in the affirmative.

"Yeah, man." The sun creature answered. Dr. Reid wordlessly stepped aside and Lucia walked inside the house while followed closely by the sun creature. Once the two were inside the door was shut behind them.

[Post Word Count: 854]
[Total Word Count: 10,570/11,000]

-Inside the garage, Dr. Reid's Laboratory-

After being invited into the house the duo of Lucia and the sun creature were now standing inside Dr. Reid's garage, where the doctor was telling them what she needed from them. A short distance away sat a white two-door truck that looked brand-new. Either it was kept in pristine shape or it was a recent purchase. Since she had never seen that vehicle in Dr. Reid's garage before, Lucia was thinking that it was the latter.

"I'm going to go on a supply run to get some necessities for my home and it's gonna be a few hours before I return, so I need someone to watch over my place while I'm gone. I'm not expecting anyone to break in or anything, but I like having the peace of mind that someone's watching over my property." Dr. Reid told them what the job was. Lucia was pleased to hear what she would be doing. It was an easy task that only required a modest investment of time on her part.

"OK Dr. Reid. We'll watch over your place while you're gone." Lucia assured the other blonde. Dr. Reid smiled.

"Thanks, Lucia. I'm sure that you and your friend will be able to keep everything safe until I get back." Dr. Reid said to Lucia. The sun creature chose that moment to chime in.

"Yeah, man. It'll be easy for us. We'll take care of your place." The miniature sun assured the doctor. Dr. Reid looked at it for a moment, then made eye contact with Lucia again.

"I'll leave it up to you two then. I'll see you in a few hours!" Dr. Reid said to the pair before walking over to the driver's side of the white two-door truck, climbing inside, and closing the door. She then cranked up the vehicle and opened the garage door. Dr. Reid then pulled forward and drove out, shutting the garage door behind her. That left Lucia and the sun creature to begin their work.

"Now that that doctor lady's gone, where do we start, man?" The sun creature asked Lucia. Lucia made eye contact with it.

"We start here. We just walk around the garage and make sure that no one's lifted or pried the garage door up to get inside. Then once we're finished here we go back into the doctor's house and walk through there to make sure no one's broken in through one of the windows." Lucia explained what they had to do. The sun creature bobbed up and down in understanding.

"OK man, that sounds easy enough. Let's do it!" It said to her.

"All right then. Let's get going." Lucia said to it. They then started a lap around the garage at a leisurely pace. Lucia doubted that there was going to be any danger, but if someone was foolish enough to try and break in she had magic and a Holy handgun with which to stop them.

-Six hours later, Dr. Reid's Garage-

Lucia and the sun creature had just entered the garage for yet another lap around it when the garage door rumbled open and Dr. Reid rolled in with a truck bed full of supplies. The garage door closed and the doctor turned the vehicle off, then climbed out of it and shut the door. She then walked over to the duo, who walked towards her.

"Hey guys!" Dr. Reid greeted them. Lucia waved at the doctor with her right hand.

"Hi there Dr. Reid." Lucia greeted her client.

"I trust that everything's been all right?" Dr. Reid asked her.

"Yes, Doctor. We've been constantly walking throughout the house and around the garage. Nothing out of the ordinary happened." Lucia reported.

"Great!" Dr. Reid exclaimed in approval. She then walked back towards the truck and stopped at the tailgate. She then motioned for Lucia to follow her.

"I'm gonna need some help unloading everything, Lucia. Would you mind helping me out?" Dr. Reid asked Lucia. Lucia did not have any problem doing that for the doctor.

"I'll be glad to help out." Lucia answered in the affirmative. She then walked over to the tailgate and began to help unload the truck bed while the sun creature floated to the left of the vehicle and watched the pair work.

[Post Word Count: 722]
[Total Word Count: 11,292/11,000]

-Dr. Reid's garage, fifty minutes later-

Lucia and Dr. Reid stood in the garage facing one another. It had taken them nearly an hour to unload all of the doctor's supplies of food, coffee, and other household essentials, but the difficult task had been accomplished. Now it was time for Lucia to see if there was anything else that needed to be done before heading home. The blonde mage wanted to get back to Luminous Rose Guild Hall so that she could look for her next job.

"Thanks for the help, Lucia." Dr. Reid thanked Lucia for both watching over her home and property and helping her unload the supplies from the bed of her truck.

"It's no problem, Dr. Reid." Lucia calmly told the doctor. The work was tedious and more than a little physically taxing, but it had been completed thanks to both blondes working together.

"There's nothing else that I need help with, so I won't hold you two up any longer. Thanks for the help today!" Dr. Reid notified them that she had no other tasks for them and thanked them again for their help. The miniature sun floated to Lucia's left side, then stopped and looked at the doctor.

"No problem, man. I didn't do very much, but I'm glad we could help." The sun creature said to Dr. Reid.

"I'm glad we could help, Doctor." Lucia repeated her companion's assertion.

"I'll see you two later. Take care!" Dr. Reid bade them farewell. Lucia waved goodbye with her right hand.

"We'll see ourselves out, Doctor." Lucia said in return. She then turned around and began to walk towards the mini-kitchen with the miniature sun floating close behind. Once they reached the mini-kitchen they went into the house and made their way to the front door, which Lucia opened. After both she and miniature sun had passed through it Lucia shut it behind them and the pair set out for Luminous Rose Guild Hall with Lucia in the lead.

Lucia was not sure what to make of her new companion. It had not demonstrated any special powers or abilities, but it had a laid-back personality and was content to go with the flow no matter what was going on around it. Maybe it would reveal more about itself when it had traveled with her long enough to learn more about her. In the meantime Lucia would be patient with the miniature sun and take it on adventures whenever it wanted to travel with her. If it wanted the occasional day off that was fine with her.

[Post Word Count: 430]
[Total Word Count: 11,722/11,000]