"It's a downfall of superhero groups I'm afraid.  We all go soft.  The lone wolf still has pack instincts after all."  Mirage said, with a small shrug of her shoulders.  "And I fail to see what the big deal is.  You're going to be away for a little while but you'll be back.  Although, if we are supposed to be giving you little tokens to remember us by..."

Mirage slipped up to Friday once more, pulling the womans face towards hers to give her a small kiss on the cheek.


"Not as good as a ring, but I did not have a lot of notice."  She said with a sultry look.  "Now you hurry back.  Lucas here will be a weeping handful until you get back."

Lucas looked at Mirage briefly and then smiled at the femme fatale.

Turning to Friday, he then said, "You will be missed by us, Friday...ALL of us..but you take care of business...and if you need anything...know that we all stand ready to help. But you'll be back before you know it..I'm confident."

After a slight pause he then said, "Vaya con dios, mi amor..."

Friday blushed a bit after Mirage's kiss.
How does she STILL do that?

Still, she smiled at her friends and nodded.

Yeah, true enough.  I'll be back when I can.  I'm just feeling a little.....I dunno, needy at the moment, I guess.

She shrugged guiltily and grinned.

With people like you guys to come back to, I hope I won't be gone too long.

Brushing a few fingers through his hair, with what members remained of Legacy being present, this seemed the best momen as ever.

"Helen, Lucas, heh...  guess you guys saw me, huh?  I know now might not be the best to say this, but I probably should.  I registered.  And I was asked to deliver a message to you guys.  They were wondering if Legacy wanted to register as a group, and be the official sanctioned protectors of Weston City."

Lucas turned to Zeke.

"I thought as much, Zeke. To be frank, Helena and I really wanted to go over their proposal with a fine-toothed comb...just to make sure that we aren't getting ourselves into something that could hamper us a lot. Do you have any detailed information that you might be able to share with us?"

"For one, it sounds like they're using some of Machinesmith's projects again.  So I'm guessing they're relatively connected with the DPA.  As for hampering us, I don't think they'd hamper us at all.  Really the interview I had with them was just a formality.  To really figure out what's going on, we'd have to talk with one of their supperiors.  All in all it sounds to be on the up and up."

Lucas put his hand to his chin for a moment. "It certainly SEEMS good. But who will have access to the records of our identities? Will it be public knowledge? Also, will the government use this to call in any favors from the Legacy whenever they feel like it? I don't mean to be cynical, Zeke, but usually there are things that sound too good to be true..."

"Somehow, for the most part, they already know who we are.  I have been very careful to do everything I can to not let on that Ezekiel Urban is Hotwire.  I set up the appointment as Ezekiel Urban, didn't even list myself as Hotwire or fill out any information as to who I was.  And they knew I was Hotwire.  The fact that isn't already public knowledge is rather encouraging.  If the public knew who I was, do you think I could have got out of that office without a camera crew waiting outside of that room for me?  I mean, sure, I'm not as high profile as the rest of you guys.  But still, a picture of me out of costume would probably be worth something.  Besides, the world isn't perfect and of course the government is going to have its intentions and their own agendas.  Anyone is going to have them.  Hell, we each have our own and sometimes they don't always make themselves known to each other.  And we're a team.  It's just how the world works."

Lucas nodded.

"I would like to look over the proposal in greater detail when possible. I kinda like to know what I'm getting into. That way we can be sure that there are no hidded provisions that we need to be aware of. Just out of curiousity, Zeke, what brought you over to the side of Registration?"

Watching the cab taking Friday to the airport, Lucas waved at his departing girlfriend. And then...Friday was gone...on her way to Texas. Lucas could feel the separation from her already..while it was agonizing in a way, he also knew that the young heroine needed space to deal with what was happening with her. But with the ring, Lucas hopefully let her know that he was there to stay with her, no matter what she was going through

Lucas' phone went off with Hotwire's message...

"Oh hell....it's starting already..."

OOC: I guess I got a little confused, so I wasn't sure if we wanted to cut the goodbye short, with our new developments. If I need to edit this post, I can :)
>>>>>>>>>>>>To Legacy HQ>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Mirage looked at her phone, shaking her head slowly.

"No rest for the wicked I suppose." She said, the image of Lane Summers, plucky girl reporter, faded away leaving only Mirage in her normal attire of long slinky dress, tall boots and veiled hat.

In a burst of crimson smoke, she vanished.

>>>>> To Legacy HQ

"I figure there is only so much I can do with what I have available to me now.  I mean I've been grabbing what tech I can from guys I bust out there in the city, but I can only do so much, and I know I can do more.  But I need to have supplies and stuff available to me.  That's why.  Something else, they've gave me some leads on what's going on with Hunter.  I'm heading to the HQ, try to figure some things out.  Maybe he's come by while we've been gone."

Standing he smiles easily towards Friday.  Moving over to offer her another hug.

"Watch out for yourself.  And hey, keep in touch."

He heads out then.

For continuity sake.

>>>>>>>>>>From The Dragon And The Tiger>>>>>>>>>>

Lucas approached the outside of the office and sighed for a moment. It had been a long time since he'd been here. He remembered the last time he was here: the day that Friday had left for Texas. It was a sad day...but a happy one, because Lucas had given her his ring. A symbol of their love because it had both a dragon and a phoenix on it. Or in their case...Dragon Fist and Peregrine.

He unlocked the door and entered. The place had been kept up. Jamie, Friday's assistant, had done a remarkable job of keeping the place clean. She wasn't here, at the moment. It was just as well, because this was a solemn and solitary affair.

Lucas then placed four candles in a circle, and then placed Friday's picture on a pedestal where he could see it, and began to light the candles. Incense began to fill the room.

  Behind him, a voice spoke softly.  "Friday will be proud of your choice, Lucas.  I know that your heart hurts.  To love and lose, is a hazard of life, but it is better, by far, than never having loved at all."

Lucas turned around, recognizing the voice that had now spoke to him.

"Honorable Lin...it is good to see you again. You honor me with your words.....thank you."

He then went down into a kneeling position, focusing his mind as the incense filled the room.

"I've come here to honor Friday...and say a few words...I certainly hope that where Friday's spirit is...she can hear me."

  Lin nodded, and said softly "She will know, Lucas.  One way or another, she will know.  You have chosen the path that would make her very proud of you.  It is what makes you a stronger man than Oni, for he could not stand to keep fighting with a broken heart.  But . . . the miracle of the human heart, is that it can heal.  I have had my heart broken many times.  So many times, a lover or a husband would be there, and in what seemed but a few years, to me, they went from vital young men, to withered old men, and then to dust as one with the earth, their souls traveling onward.  Leaving me to mourn them.  Take strength in the little loves you still have, for the heart will heal, if you give it time and do nothing you can not be proud of."

"I will Lin....and thank you. I will not forget your words..."

He then turned towards the picture of Friday that stood in front of him. The picture showed her smiling. It also brought back many memories for Lucas about the time they had known each other: from the time where they first met in the skies above Weston...to their chat in this very office...the fight with Flamethrower...the forming of the Legacy....the conflict with and the defeat of the man known only as Brain....and current events up to now.

"Friday Winters....I, Lucas Martinez, come to you today in this place, mourning you...missing you...longing for your touch once more....but I know that all things are possible. I wanted to say a few things to you...things that are in my heart that I am sure that you already know...but things I must say nonetheless."

He paused for a moment.

"Friday...ever since the day that I met you, my life was never the same. In the time that I have known you, I have been made aware of a side of me that I never thought had existed. A side that included passion....and love...and contentment. With you Friday, I have been content...and I have known love...true love..for perhaps the first time ever in my entire life. And it is that love that carries me forward even now into these next stages of my life. You know that I have shed many tears for you...and still have even unto this day. But know that my love for you has ever been strong, and that the choice I have made I know you would be proud of. Thank you for being a part of my life, Friday. I shall never forget you. May the Spirits guide you safely in your passage from this world to the next...and know that you take my everlasting love with you. I hope that the ring that I gave you will remind you of that...wherever you are. I love you Friday..."

He then closed his eyes and breathed in the incense, hoping...and somehow knowing...that somewhere in the beyond, she heard those words.

Lucas opened his eyes after a moment. "Lin...thanks for being here...I apprecia--..."

And just like that, the ageless sorceress was gone. As suddenly as she appeared. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that she was there for him when he needed it...just as she was there when he awakened in Shangri-La.

He picked up the incense sticks and made sure that they were out, and then walked to the door.

Looking back, he then said, "Vaya con dios, mi amor," and then shut the door and locked it. Walking away from this place for what could be the last time.

  "Hold the spirit of your beloved in your heart, and she will never truly die, you know."  The voice came from his shoulder, where he felt a light tugging at his shirt, then a weight settling there.  It couldn't be more than a pound or two, whatever it was speaking with a distinct Chinese accent that was oddly sibilant.

Lucas looked over on his shoulder to see what it was that was tugging on it.

  Lin might or might not have gone, but she'd apparently left him a friend.  It LOOKED like a miniature Imperial Dragon.  All of a foot long, with beautiful deep crimson and purple scales, and a mane of hammered-gold, and vivid blue eyes.

"Why hello there.." Lucas said. "You must be a friend of Lin's."

  The tiny Dragon on his shoulder replied "Absolutely.  She asked me to keep an eye on you and make sure you didn't do anything too stupid while you're still grieving."

Lucas arced an eyebrow for a moment, but knew better than to argue with someone who had been summoned by an ancient Sorceress.

"So...you're like my second conscience then? All right....I guess I can deal with it. But as Champion of Light, I do have to follow the second tenet...Protect the Innocent...and that does involve patrolling the city and stopping crimes being committed."

  It chuckled, and said "Ah yes, but as long as I'm with you, you are unable to do the 'I must face it all without backup' stunt that grieving men sometimes pull."