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"Trees and plants don't sleep.... at least not most of them. If you want the simple way to think about it, the trees just don't look the same when the sun isn't around much." He could very well explain that the trees were conserving their energy, but Trilla didn't need a lecture on her birthday.

A while after Eecheb started throwing snowballs at the wall of the igloo, he would see another splatter against the ice. Not far behind him, he would be able to see Proto rolling up another snowball to toss at the igloo.

Nana would feel Mas pat her lightly on the back. "I apologize; you were never told about these things because I believe Thanatos would not have told you either. One of them was the demon he once told you of. I cannot be entirely sure, but using the information you gave him, I believe he attempted to create a technique with which to disrupt the demon's shape-shifting ability. Instead, he was unable to finish designing the technique and the attack instead had the effect of nigh completely obliterating the man...." Thanatos had gone on to use the same disruptive ability on more than one other occasion, and Mastema wasn't certain if Thanatos had developed the technique any further. Mastema turned his attention away from Nana. "Still, even after everything he has experienced, I have never known Thanatos to blinding do something; he always has a larger, more influencial goal in his sights."

"Do you believe he has some ulterior goal in having us train him?" Slayer asked, wanting Mastema's opinion.

"That," Mastema answered, "I cannot be sure of anymore. He already had strength before, so I cannot understand what drives him this time."

"If you say the boy has a goal, then it might be helpful to find out what that goal is. It's getting difficult to teach him any more, regardless of whether we know why he wants to or not," Slayer broke the awkward silence that fell over the group.

Mastema took a moment to respond. His eyes were closed in focus, as he normally did when using telepathy to send a message of some kind. One would almost think he was having a conversation with Zio.... or someone else.

"This conversation is entirely too depressing," Mastema responded. "I say put the matter to rest for now and forget it." Mastema started to rise from the table.

"You're kidding. You don't think it's serious?" Sho seemed half aghast.

"I know it is important, but there is really nothing I can do, you see?" he stretched his arms slightly, "if Thanatos has chosen this path, it will not be us of all people who can change his mind. Think about it..... who in this citadel has truly known Thanatos for who he really is? All we have are our insinuations about his nature from the past and what we hear of his exploits from outside. Thanatos himself has long since stopped confiding in us." The statement seemed to have no emotional effect on Mastema as he stood up, waiting for the others to do so. "I suggest we continue this another time when it is more suitable."

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"Gyah!!" Than yelped, lurching forward slight as snow spattered to the ground. After recovering from the initial shock of being hit by a snowball, Than turned about and flailed his arm in the air. "Dame! Proto! Isn't it against the rules of snow ball combat to throw at a pedestrian."

A few 'accusing' beeps from Proto and a pointing finger were the response Thanatos got. "Oh that's it! You're rust, bot man." Lifting to his feet while simultaneously scooping up snow, his fist compacted the snow into a crunched spheroid before he lobbed it at the white and gold bot.

As the ball spattered on Proto's upheld forearms, Proto again moved to create another snowball and lobbed it back at Thanatos.

War had begun.

As Nana and the others rose, Mastema slipped his arm around her waist, perhaps out of habit or perhaps out of understanding. If Thanatos had truly regressed into himself and introverted himself, then it would be almost unpredictable where it would lead, especially to those who differed from his path.

Thanatos breathed heavily, pinned behind a tree, knowing that the moment he stepped out, Proto would be free to pummel him with a storm of snow. Luckily Than had thought ahead and set a trap for the bot. Not a few moments later, the sound of snow giving way under Proto's feet was heard and Proto plummeted to his side. Seizing the moment Than burst from behind the tree, ready to retaliate against Proto, when the snowball that Proto held whizzed past his head and missed by inches, leaving a rather resounding thud against the tree bark. "Come on Proto.... even if you're down you shouldn't miss by--" a russling of branches cut off Than's sentence and he looked up in time to have his face meet the mound of snow that fell on him. With a loud 'guaack' from Than, the group from the igloo would emerge just in time to see Than disappear under the snow that had fallen from the tree.

Proto added one point to his counter on the scoreboard in his head.

It wouldn't be long before Than was flailing to escape his captivity of snow. Proto used the time wisely to find himself a safe place to remain for the moment. Than didn't even seem to know that the others had come out of the igloo.

Sho and Slayer weren't the types for snowball fights. Mastema could only notice Micha's new creations, and hoped they wouldn't be the closest thing he ever got to a real girlfriend.

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Defend the citadel? What a joke. Why was there so much need him to be here was something Vanguard 5 could only contemplate, walking down the street an looking from left to right. Behind him, on the walls of the buildings were marks that looked as if something had burned or melted a swirly pattern on them, though there was no residue of molten material. V5 moved on undeterred.

"Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb......" The rhyme continued to chime out from V5, hauntingly sung.

"And again the victor never shows himself on the battlefield," was Mastema's only comment.

"I don't know what's more wicked," replied Sho, "his aim or his arm ._.," Sho didn't expect Micha to be as accurate at aiming as he was.

Mastema again looked to Trilla and decided it only fair to let her know the war was won. "Trilla, I think your little game is over now. I think Eecheb's unable to continue for the moment."

It seemed that Proto and Than had come to an end of their fight as well. Than was probably too tired to continue, or maybe the two just didn't have a reason to continue. Than was laying back on a mound of snow, just resting for a moment, also unaware of Eecheb once again causing his own undoing.

"Well if we are all fine and good, I think we can leave now." Eecheb could have his fun later when he and the others started taking down the igloo. That would let the boy release a little stress. For now, Mastema moved over to Micha, and a moment later the boy would find himself picked up by his father and given a seat on Mastema's high shoulders. Mastema counted on Nana to tend to Eecheb. Trilla didn't seem to need help. Sho stretched in the back, not particularly worried at the moment.

Than would eventually get off his behind, seeing everyone was leaving, and make his own way to the exit.

At least Eecheb was in a comfortable position if anything, though Micha was indeterminate. Mastema could have held onto both Trilla and Micha, or even all three, if he wanted, but he had to maintain at least some of his image of dignity. Trilla could get a ride from Mas another time. Sho, however, noticed Trilla's admiration at Micha's position and decided to make his own gesture as a family member. As the group left the Peace, Trilla would find herself hugged before being lifted onto Sho's shoulders like Micha was on Mastema's, while holding one of her hands in each of his. Trilla and Sho were somewhat alike; each had at least one brother who'd cheated him/her of position as tallest sibling, something which Sho would never forgive Mastema for constantly reminding him of. Looking somewhat down the street, anyone could see the droids that were positioned as if they were guarding something. The number totalled six in all and anyone could see they were armed.

Mastema himself was slightly curious as to why Zio had deployed droids here. It didn't seem entirely necessary.

The answer to that questions was something Proto was hard at work procurring, accessing networks to identify which droids these were and when they had deployed. That was when he hit a dead end. Records indicated no droids were currently deployed in the citadel, at least not in this part. While asking Zio to update its logs, a strange static overtook Proto's vision for a moment, partially covering his view, before vanishing. It was familiar, something he'd experienced recently. A long .492 seconds later, the experience was identified. Was it the same thing that....

Not even finishing the thought, a high sound beep squealled from Proto's place and suddenly the bot took off in a bolt in front of the group.

"Nan to iu!!?" Than was the only one to understand Proto's message but was too off guard to follow through immediately. Not second guessing Proto's call, Than raised his arm and called on his shadow abilities. "Drunkard shade!" A moment later, a wall of blackness arose in front of the group at the same moment the six droids dropped their rifles and opened fire on the group. The shots could be easily heard from the other side of the wall.