Some Things Just Can't Be Understood

"Hmm" Pheobie closed her eyes with a smile. "How long till we get to your base?"

"...Probably not too much longer," Maple replied. "I need to get out soon. Don't want to greet them naked." He made no motion to move, however.

"do you want me to let you up?" Pheobie asked softly.

"...Not really, but I do need to get ready," Maple replied lazily. "So yeah, I guess so."

Pheobie sat up. "Should I get out too?" She asked

"Yeah. We'll probably won't be on the ship long once we get there," Maple answered as he got out and dried himself off with a towel.

Pheobie drained the tub and got out as well. She grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her.

"No need to fix anything," Maple said as he put on his clothes. "They'll be here for business, not lunch."

Pheobie nodded. "Okay, I'll stay in my room out of the way then" She mumbled. "With Goldie."

"Well they should see you so they know you're here," said Maple. "But it would be best to stay with the pets, yes."

"Okay" Pheobie smiled slightly.

Maple had just gotten his clothes back on when the usual buzzer sounded. "We're here."

"I'll go get dressed." Pheobie murmured, headed out and to her room. She whistled for Goldie as she went.

Maple waited until she closed the door behind her, and then went to the door to open it. Waiting for him were three serious-looking colleagues, in lab coats similar to his.

"Hello my allies!" Maple greeted with as much cheer as he could gather. The smiling greeting was not returned, but Maple expected that.

Pheobie dressed in her black skinny jeans and put on a polka-dotted bra under a bright green long sleeved shirt and an orange tee shirt. She changed the color of her highlights to match the green shirt.

Goldie and the cat were both laying across her bed.

With a smile, she sat on the bed and started petting them.

"What took you so long?" asked one of the colleagues. "Usually if it involves your Chief you're here in a heartbeat."

"Yeah, well, my GS was...on the fritz," Maple fibbed. "Should've, uh, just gone to another one, but I've gone through so many lately. I know the higher-ups were complaining about that."

Pheobie smiled lightly.

Goldie and the cat seemed to love to have her full attention.

"Anyway, what's the situation?" asked Maple more seriously.

"Chief has been appearing on various dimension ships and causing corruption," said one of the colleagues. "Some instances have resulted in lost fleets."

"He's appearing inside a dimension ship? How?" asked Maple. "The outside should be corrupt-proof."

"That's what we're trying to figure out," said one of the others. "Either he's developed a unique power, or there's some fatal flaw in our current ship design."

Pheobie continued to pet and play with Goldie and the cat (Though the cat preferred the petting to the playing) and stay out of Maple's way.

Maple folded his thoughts in thought. "Hmm, could go either way. But yeah, it's essential that we figure out how to deal with this."

"You're assigned to Ship 5," said of the researchers.

"Where are we going?" asked Maple.

"All attacked ships have appeared in one sector," said another researcher. "So we will be going there."

Pheobie yawned lightly. She laid down with the animals. She didn't want to sleep though, she wanted to wait for Maple.

"Alright," Maple replied, nodding. "I have a request though."

"More liquor?" asked one colleague with a smirk.

"Well, I do need that too," Maple admitted. "But that's not the point. I have a girl that's been traveling with me, and her pets. I need someplace for her to stay while I'm gone."

"Does she have four eyes and blue skin?" asked another.

"No," Maple growled. "She can turn things different colors, but aside from that she's just a regular human. I assume you can handle that?"

"Yeah, compared to everything else we have to deal with."

"Good," Maple replied. "Pheobie! You ready?"

Pheobie jumped a little at her name being called. She stuck her head out of the doorway. "Huh?" She asked

"These people are going to be leading you to where you're staying," called Maple. He purposefully left out 'dear' because such a relationship would be disapproved of here, especially with an outsider. "Make sure to get everything and everyone you need before you go."

"Kay" Pheobie replied. She shoved her clothes back into her back pack (That had been the only thing removed to begin with) and put it on before picking up Mr. Kitty. She grabbed her pokeballs as well before calling Goldie to follow her. She walked out to where Maple and his colleagues were.