Pals mentioned:

"Okay, I just need to slip this off and we should be good..." Lily lay on her back now, looking up into a part of the paneling that probably wasn't supposed to be accessed regularly considering its purpose. Or maybe it was just a shitty design. Either way, it gave her one hell of a time judging by the volume and creativity of curses that Lily uttered as she worked. A faint sheen of sweat had even managed to form on her brow even though cool air flowed past them from deeper inside the facility. "Almost...there!" 

A loud snap followed not even a second behind her exclamation and Juniper watched Lily recoil away from the opening as something shot around inside. Probably the spring, if Juniper had to guess. 

"Fuck!" Lily said before shaking her head and punching part of the panel. 

Juniper had also ducked out of reflex but only giggled following the ordeal. Especially since everyone appeared to come through alright. 

"I hope you didn't want that back the way you found it." Lily finally admitted before sitting up. "Because that's going to take someone who actually knows what the hell they're doing to fix."

"Aw, but you did know what you were doing. Breaking it!" Juniper laughed again and then started to gather up the tools so Lily wouldn't have to. 

"And break it I did." She nodded in agreement before finally letting out a small laugh of her own. "Well, at least it won't prevent you from opening it anymore. Can't guarantee it will be easy, though."

"That's alright. One problem at a time." Any more and Juniper might be overcome by the magnitude of them piling up. "Thank you again. I'll be sure to make it up to you."

"Promise?"

"Promise. Anything you like."

"Anything!?" Lily's expression quickly shifted to one of consideration as if she really had to think about it. However, by the time Juniper finished with the tools, she only shrugged and stood up. "Too much to choose from! How will I ever decide?"

"I'm sure you'll manage," Juniper quipped before raising a hand up from where she was sitting. "Now, help a lady up, will ya?" 

“Oh? A *lady*. Well, how could I refuse?” Lily stepped close and took her hand before hauling her up in one easy motion. It didn’t seem like it took her much effort to do so and Juniper thought she caught a peek of muscles beneath the other woman’s T-shirt sleeves. Naturally, there was really only one way to find out the truth of it! 

“Why thank you,” Juniper said with a grin before wiping her hands on her shorts. “I swear, as long as I can get it closed tonight, I’ll be happy.” Hell, even if she couldn’t, it wasn’t like the shack was all that secure. Still, she was most worried about the weather getting in at this point. Instead of Pals or people. At least this place had the advantage of being semi-hidden. While she pondered this fact, Juniper couldn’t help but notice that Lily seemed to be intently packing the rest of her things. As if she were planning on leaving. “Going somewhere?”

“If Mist and I leave now, we might be able to make it to the village before nightfall.”

Always in such a rush to leave!

“Lily…” Juniper took a step closer and put her hands on the blonde’s shoulders before gently squeezing. “You just got here; you can’t leave now. At least stay the rest of the day. You know, relax a little. Sleep in that big, comfy bed. Then, you can set out tomorrow morning. I don’t need anything that bad.” At the very least, Juniper had food, water, and now even better shelter. So what if she didn’t get a hammer within the next day or two? 

Lily paused and stared down at her bag silently for a few moments. Eventually, she looked up to her Katress who shrugged in response. “It couldn’t hurt. We’ve been on the move a lot these past few days.”

“See? You’ve been on the move a lot,” Juniper amplified the concern and then intensified the little massage she was dishing out by really digging her thumbs in. This caused a little groan of satisfaction to slip from Lily’s lips and she hung her head to let Juniper’s fingers better kneed her sore muscles. 

“Fine, we’ll stay for the night but there will be no relaxing. Not during good daylight, anyway. There is plenty of work to be done around here by my judgment.”

Ah, was this a little bit of Miss Lily coming out? Still, Juniper couldn’t help but smile at her decision and she excitedly patted Lily’s back a few times for emphasis. “Wonderful! Now I’ll have to actually clean the bedding and you can…” She stopped short of telling Lily what to do. After all, she probably knew better than Juniper what to prioritize. 

“I want to look around in here some more. Everything appears broken but maybe I can change that. Or get an idea of what can be done about it. Maybe I can find spare parts while I’m away.” As she spoke, Lily’s eyes wandered over the darkened interior, already on the prowl for the next project. “I’ll need to borrow Vesta for her light but you can use Mist to help with whatever you need in exchange.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, especially if you’ve got a lot of stuff to move around. Nothing really beats what she can do.”

Following the comment, both women turned to regard the Katress, who winked in response to the attention. “She’s certainly something else,” Juniper added before nodding her head and returning her attention to Lily. “Right, it’s agreed then. I’ll take Mist, Aurora, and Flora. You get Vesta to…in-Vesta-gate in here…”

That pun earned Juniper a groan of displeasure from everyone, Pal and human alike.

“What!?” She brought her hands up and put them on her hips as a look of surprise settled on her face. “Come on! That was good.” 

“Whatever you say, Miss Juniper!” 

“Alright, alright. Come on then. Vesta, can you follow me real quick so we can get the bedding? You all know what it’s time for…” More laundry. However, this time, there was quite the reward waiting for them all at the end if they managed to get everything washed and hung up to dry. Shit, even if they didn’t you better believe Juniper would be sleeping on that bed without any sheets if she had to. Anything was better than a ratty sleeping bag and literal wood. 

Once Vesta nodded in agreement, Juniper gathered up the rest of her Pals so they could all see the interior. After a brief tour, and lots of “Oo’s” and “Ah’s,” the group grabbed the two sheets, pillowcases, and the wool blanket. That last item wasn’t exactly the most comfortable, but Juniper knew it would be warm and durable. Just what they needed. Now that they had everything collected, the small group bid their farewell to the two staying behind and then set out once again for the small pool. After gathering the tin and the canteen as well. No reason not to get everything they needed in one go. 

Despite Mist’s earlier prowess, Juniper and her Pals carried the items between them. She didn’t know how the Katress’ powers worked but decided to save them for when the blankets would be wet and heavy to carry. She also just didn’t want to be rude and use Mist like she was some kind of magical pack animal. Juniper also had something else in mind for their walk…

“Mist, can I ask you a question?” She came up beside the taller Pal and slowed to match her pace.

“I don’t see why not.” 

“Lily seems…well, it’s like she doesn’t want to be in one place too long. She told me you are her only Pal, but I got the impression it wasn’t always that way. Combined with my rather brief introduction to this island, I can’t help but get the feeling something happened.” Juniper let the statement linger before looking over. “How far off the mark am I?"

The question prompted Mist to match her gaze but she otherwise remained silent while they continued walking. At least for the next few steps. 

 “You are correct. Though, that’s putting it lightly.” Before elaborating, Mist turned her attention to Aurora and Flora where they were chatting a few paces ahead. “Can you two give Juniper and me some privacy?”

 Juniper quickly followed this with a nod and pointed to the wash they both held. “Run up ahead and get started on those, please. We’ll be along shortly.”

“Yes Ma’am!”

“You got it, boss.” 

Both of the Pals subsequently got a little pep in their step and quickly pulled out ahead. Once they were out of earshot, Mist returned her attention to Juniper. 

“I’m going to tell you this because I highly doubt Lily will. And because she seems to have become quite…interested in you.”

“Interested in me? Or in my body?” 

The Katress chuckled but still shook her head slightly. “I mean, you have a nice figure, yes. However, I think it’s more than that.” She paused for a moment and looked away while she thought. “For example, this is the soonest we’ve come back to check on someone. At least in recent memory. It’s normally about a week. But once she heard what you did for Vesta, she couldn’t stop bringing you up.”

“I see…” And Lily had apparently been watching her even after they went their separate ways that first day. “Then, why leave me on my own like that? Or pretend to. Why not try to help me and the others that wash up?”

The question caused Mist to suck in a deep breath and look back over. It also seemed to…deflate her, in a way. “Well, it wasn’t always like that. After Lily first got here, and a long time after, it was the opposite.” 

“Really?” 

“Oh yes,” Mist nodded, causing her hat to wobble slightly on her head. “Lily’s start looked remarkably similar to yours. She gathered a team of weaker Pals like you have. Lamballs and Cattiva to help her work. Chikipi and Lifmunk for food. Others too.” 

Juniper took note of the names she didn’t recognize. Cattiva and Lifmunk? If they were involved in food, those were definitely names she needed to remember. “And you, of course.”

“And me,” Mist shrugged before continuing. “Dare I saw I was her first real upgrade. For obvious reasons. We’ve been together ever since she bound me. Everywhere she went, I went. Which was the problem.”

“Why would that be a problem?” As far as Juniper could tell, having a Pal as powerful as Mist would be great for anyone.

“We’ll get there. First, you should know that it wasn’t just Pals that Lily surrounded herself with, there were humans too. Other survivors that had the misfortune of becoming permanent guests of these islands.”

“Surrounded herself with? You mean they joined her at her camp?”

“Yes, they pulled their weight and some even got strong enough to head off on their own. Lily did her best to make sure she took care of everyone she became responsible for."

The woman Mist described was much more in line with what Lily seemed like in Juniper’s imagination. Her behavior thus far just seemed off. Like it was at odds with her intentions. “That’s very admirable of her.”

“Yes. She’s really amazing when she puts her mind to something. Which is why this next part was so devasting.” Again, the Katress paused and Juniper could tell out of the corner of her eye that she brought a hand up to wipe something off her face. Whether it was a tear or just some errant piece of debris, she wasn’t sure. So, she waited until Mist was ready to continue. 

“You see, Lily and I were out one day scouting far away from the camp. She wanted to find a way to other islands and it looked like we’d found a land bridge to a smaller one to the North. Anyway, while we were gone, one of the local gangs attacked the camp. They were…merciless.” 

Juniper bit her lip then and almost stopped herself from asking the next logical question, but she had to know. “What happened in the end?”

“The Pals that fought back were killed. The others were taken away. Though a few managed to escape and tell us what happened when we returned.”

“And the other people?”

“Dead. Most likely killed for trying to organize a defense or protect the Pals."

Dead. That was almost unimaginable to Juniper. Killed for what? Just trying to live? Scraping a few things from the land? It made no sense. “Fuck me. That’s terrible, Mist. I’m so sorry.” No wonder Lily was so guarded. This was awful to hear and Juniper's heart ached for the woman. And for Mist. "What did you do when you found out?" 

Again, Mist took in a deep breath and averted her gaze. "We got back a little before sunset and found the carnage. To say we were enraged would be quite the understatement.” She turned back to Juniper and in her eye was a part of the fire that must have burned that night. A simmering anger that hasn't ever been fully extinguished. “The thing about big groups like that is they're very easy to track. And that's what we did, followed them back to their camp. We killed them all, Juniper. Every last one. Like the monsters they were."

Juniper's eyes widened and she swallowed hard. She suspected Lily didn't exactly share her own loving approach to things but it was chilling to hear it spoke aloud. "Just the two of you? All on your own?" 

Mist nodded and shrugged before looking down at her hands. "Yes. We waited until they were drunk and passed out or sleeping. Then we moved through the camp, silent as death. Not only did we not want to be noisy, it was also intensely personal at that point."

It was hard to picture Lily doing such a thing, she wasn’t exactly the kind of cold-hearted killer you might see in a movie or something. Her smile was warm, genuine, and inviting. It was also hard to imagine what kind of terrible power the Katress could call upon in a fight. All in all, it was a lot to take in and she did her best not to let too much emotion play across her face. 

"Don't judge Lily too harshly, please. She’d just lost nearly everything, including her desire to help others survive here. She still clings to it, I think. Can't completely let it go but...well, it's hard to come back from that."

Juniper shook her head before bringing up a hand to place over her heart. As if she could physically stop the pain that manifested there. "I would never. I can't imagine going through that. To lose so much…I don't even know what I'd feel." Anger, no doubt. Mad enough to harm those who wronged her? Possibly. Honestly, it was a whole line of thinking she preferred not to go down. "Thank you for telling me this, Mist. I'm sure it's not easy for you to talk about either."

"Time has dulled the pain though I'm not sure it will ever go away. Time and Lily. We've been through a lot together. I'm telling you all this because I care about her and I’m hoping she might be able to one day get back to where she was. Maybe you can help with that." 

"I understand and I promise I'll help her however I can." Juniper wouldn’t allow herself to do anything less.

Mist grunted her approval and the two fell silent as they continued on towards the pool. When they arrived, they found Aurora and Flora happily chatting and washing their respective items in the water. Juniper came to a stop at the edge and was about to ask Mist if she intended to join them. However, before she could, the Katress simply reached up and removed the hat from her head. Pale, blue hair spilled out past her shoulders and Juniper could see the large, cat-like ears flick about in different directions. Like she was listening intently for something or someone. Apparently satisfied, she stepped off the edge and plunged into the water below without much preamble. 

Juniper watched as she strode up to the smaller Pals and helped Aurora stretch out the fitted sheet but remained on the edge herself. How much was Mist holding onto as well? It couldn't have been easy to live through the ordeal she described and see her friend hurt so badly by it. Before she joined the trio in the water, Juniper made a silent promise to herself to help not only Lily but Mist too. That done, she quickly joined the others and set about doing the same with her blanket. 

It didn’t take long to finish the task with so many hands available for work. Of course, they also took the opportunity to wash themselves and gather more water to take back home. Juniper was happy to listen to the conversation while they worked but didn’t really speak unless directly addressed. There was simply too much on her mind. She did think it was cute to listen to all the questions her Pals came up for Mist, though. However, a few about certain…positions made even her cheeks burn red. Only to worsen once the three Pals focused their gaze on her. 

The easygoing discussion more or less continued as they made their way back. This time, Juniper asked Mist to float the laundry beside them. Which she appeared to do effortlessly. When they arrived back at the shack, they found Vesta and Lily standing outside the entrance to the facility. Both appeared relaxed and Lily was sipping what Juniper assumed to be water from a canteen.

“Girls, can you make sure the washing gets hung up, please? As best you can.” Juniper barely waited for their acknowledgment before turning and continuing on. Upon seeing the group’s arrival back at camp, and Juniper headed straight for her, Lily stood straight from where she leaned against the wall.

“I think I may have figured out what this place was used for, I–”

Lily’s words abruptly cut off when Juniper didn’t slow and suddenly wrapped her up in a hug. Causing a little “oof” to escape her lips before laughter followed. “Hello to you too.” 

Though she was curious about what Lily had found, Juniper was still too wrapped up in what she’d discovered to not do this first. She wouldn’t let on that she knew what happened in Lily’s past but she just wanted to provide even a minimal amount of comfort in this moment. 

“Hello,” She offered before squeezing one last time and standing straight herself. Without letting go.

“What’s this for? Miss me that much?”  

Juniper shrugged and returned the smile. “Something like that. Also, just a ‘thank you’ of sorts.”

“Ah. Well, it’s certainly a good start.” 

They both laughed at this and Juniper finally relaxed her grip and walked over to where Vesta stood. “I imagine you were very helpful, right?”

“Yes!” The Foxparks nodded and stepped in to close the distance between them.  

“Good girl, I knew you would be.” Juniper brought up a hand and ran it through Vesta’s hair a few times, stopping to scratch a little at the roots. That small bit of affection had the foxlike tail wagging excitedly behind the Pal as she closed her eyes and raised her head further for a few moments. Greetings complete, Juniper turned and indicated the entrance with a hand. “So, you have an idea of what this place was used for?”

“I do,” Lily came to stand next to her, peering into the darkness. “First things first, I’m sure you probably won’t be surprised to find out that I couldn’t get any of the appliances to work.”

“No, not really,” Juniper readily admitted. 

“Honestly, I’m not even sure that power is really the impediment either. Everything looks pretty gutted when you get inside them.”

That was interesting. Were they not the first ones to find this place then? Had someone previously ransacked it looking for valuable components? That at least made sense. Still, Juniper sighed her disappointment. “That’s a shame. Not that we have power right now but it would’ve been nice. Just more work to do…

“It never ends, trust me. Anyway, I took a good, long look at that console and I think it was used for communication of some sort.”

So, Lily had reached the same conclusion? “That’s kind of what I thought too. The overall size and layout reminded me of something you might see on a ship.” 

“Oh? Well, good to know we agree. I also found some wires that run from the back of the console into a tube in the wall. From what I could feel it abruptly takes a 90-degree turn and shoots up. Same with a pipe behind the stove. I bet if we went up above this place, we’d find where they come out.” Lily paused and gestured toward Vesta. “I was going to take Vesta with me but how about you and I go instead. Up for some more walking?” 

“Of course!” Juniper turned to offer the Foxparks a smile before looking back toward where the other three Pals were working. “Vesta, can you go help at the shack, please. Maybe between the four of you, those blankets can get dry a little quicker.”

“Sure, I’ll go help.” The Foxparks waved to them both and then bound off in the direction of the shack. Naturally, two pairs of eyes followed her as she went.

“She’s pretty cute. No wonder you jumped off a cliff to save her.” 

“Please, that sounds so dramatic. It wasn’t that high.” Juniper turned from where she watched Vesta and regarded Lily with a curious look. “Besides, I bet you would’ve done the same thing.” Even though Lily only shrugged in response, Juniper still didn’t doubt it. However, she didn’t argue the point. Instead, she brought up a hand and pointed in the direction that would take them to the stairs up to the next level. “Ready?”

“One second,” Lily turned and then dipped back inside to grab her bag from where it rested. After she’d done so, she reached in and pulled out a handgun. Which she quickly inspected to ensure the safety was on. She then holstered the weapon on her thigh and nodded in Juniper’s direction. “Okay, let’s go.” 

“Do you think you’ll need that?” Juniper couldn’t help but let her eyes drop to the weapon as an uneasy feeling settled in her stomach. 

“No, but I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.” 

Well, that did make sense. With any luck, by being prepared, they wouldn’t be tempting fate. “I hope so.”