A bit earlier

Tang Yin felt the wind blowing into her face with vicious force, above her grey clouds building up. A storm was coming.

"Get on my back," Jiang said. "I'll fly us the rest."

She nodded, and then the man next to her turned into a dragon. She was tightly above him, her hand stretching out and coated in spirit power as she retracted her wings into her back and landed gently, light like a feather. Her legs wrapped around him as she took out a long, warm coat from her storage and wrapped it tightly around herself.

The winds grew stronger, but the shore was close, so they sped up, knowing they would most likely make it. Jiang's muscles were moving beneath her legs as she leaned in close to his body, and the sea beanth them turned into a blur.

Heavy wingbeats carried them until they landed, the storm already raging at the shore. Yin jumped down from his back, his hand at her side as he shrank smaller and smaller until he was human again, grasping her hand tightly in his human form. He took out a coat, and just a second before it started pouring, he had himself covered.

The two of them walked against the wind until they reached Vast Sea City. The borders were guarded, but after showing their emblem from Poseidon, they were led inside without further question. The city had not changed much, but the more they looked around, the more they noticed the increased military presence.

Soldiers were in every street, some in uniform, some without. There was also a keen rise in spirit masters, as they noticed more and more people strutting through the streets carrying the scent of spirit power.

"It was far more relaxed five years ago," Jiang said, hissing. "You see those seals, I have never seen so many people from the mercenary guild before in one place, normally they are distributed all over."

"You are right." Indeed, the number of mercenaries was startling. They turned into an alleyway and then weaved their way to where they knew Gale and Damian had their small corner store. And indeed, about four streets in and almost lost, despite a very detailed description, they found the small corner store.

Thousand flower mechanics

It was subtle; nothing stood out particularly about it.

Closed for today, for private reasons.

When Yin opened the door, though, and Jiang entered, they saw Gale listening to a guy in spirit hall robes, and definitely not having fun listening to him.

Tang Yin took up position and raised her head, glaring at the man with Jiang right behind her. The mans eyes set on them. There was not a word being said before he stormed out, red faced. Well that had been fast.

Yin grinned as the door closed and then ran to Gale to hug him.

"Gale!" She said and found herself in a warm hug. Gale had not grown taller, but he filled out, and his hair had grown even curlier then before. He seemed to be more an adult now in comparison from the young man he had been the last tiem she had seen him.

"Yin." He said with excitement. "It's so nice to see you."

"I am not so little anymore." Yin objected and felt a piercing gaze on her back. Taking a step back, she stretched out her arm and turned. "See, I have grown a lot." She announced and then stopped looking at Jiang. "And don't worry. I like you more." She said toward the grumpy dragon, and Jiangs relaxed slightly.

"It does not mean I have to like it."  He pointed out, and she smiled misciviously before hugging him. "Return hug." She said, and he huffed before lifting her off her feet and giving her a squeeze and settling her down. The awkwardness from before when they had first returned to Poseidon now gone.

They had spoken about things, sparred a few times, got hits in and Yin had long forgiven Jiang, for almost five years now They were an item. Tang Yin admitted that any day, Jiang had made an effort. At this point, she found it difficult to imagine having anyone else at her side. She didn't think that after Jiang, anyone like him would come again.

Once clear about her feelings, she was not the one to hold them back. Confident this time she had better taste then last time.

"Now. I heard someone needs an arm?" Gale asked, two dimpleas appearing as he grinned, and Yin nodded as he took out a wooden case from below the counter. It seemed heavy, and then I opened it. Yin let out a gasp at seeing what Gale had wrought.

"Wow." She said and bowed over the mechanical arm lying inside the velvet that seemed to be straight out of a science fiction movie. It was sleek and streamlined, cool metal with veins running through it and a core embedded where it was to be attached to her stump and then on top of the hand, with veins weaving their way forward. "That's amazing."

"Wait until it's finished. We haven't really had a chance to try it out so far." He said and then went around the corner, coming forth with a chair. "Sit down. So we have to try out how well it connects to your spirit power. We asked a local spirit master to help out with trying to see if it reacted, but they are low leveled, so I have no idea how it's going to fare with you."

Yin settled down and then started unwrapping her side.

"I have to be quite honest, it is built to withstand a lot, but you probably should not go fight a douluo with it. Not yet anyway."

"I see." She said she felt quite naked when her thumb was free. Gale attached the arm and used a small leather construct to hold it in place. "For now, try ot channel your energy slowly, alright, we ramp up slowly."

"Sure." She did as he asked, and the veins started filling with blue, wandering down the entire arm. "How are you and Damian doing? Your letters always said you are fine, nothing wrong, but I cannot imagine there to be a lot of business in a location this remote."

"Pretty fine actually," Gale said. "Stop once you reach level twenty, please."

"Sure."

"We had some trouble, but it was solved, mostly. Damian took over the local mafia, started legalizing it, and is almost done. He has a real trading imperium now, you know. That's why don't worry about spirit hall or business here, we get plenty."

"Oh wow." Yin stopped at twenty when she suddenly realized what he said. "Wait...you said Damian took over the local mafia? Like the cloak and dagger kind we deal in illegal substances mafia?"

"Sure. It's more just smuggling now, avoiding taxes, and less illegal substances; we leave that to the other families. We mostly do legal deals now, trading for rare materials and some cooperation with Ning Fengzhi and Ning Feng's mom."

"Eh..." Yin said and stared at him while he was leaning over the arm.

"Try moving the fingers now. You have to concentrate." He said, and she tried moving her fingers, focusing on them, while her mind was still grappling with what Gale had told her with such utter nonchalance. As if it was nothing.

The door opened.

From the outside, Damian walked in. He looked like a legit coldblooded businessman now.

A long coat hanging down from his shoulders, black hair slimmed back, a hat that shielded him from the rain.

There was a faint scent of blood emanating from him, almost completely overpowered by the scent of the storm. His dark eyes were like bottomless pits as he smiled at seeing them.

"Little Yin, Jiang." He said, and the blank expression suddenly changed, as if someone had breathed life back into it. He was the same Damian they knew; gone was the cold man who had just entered the door.