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Laura sat still, mildly impatient yet mildly happy at the same time.

Albus was about ten feet away from her. His fur glistened with sweat that seemed to attach itself to each fine hair and he was panting from exhaustion. None the less, he took in another deep breath and unleashed another torrent of flames on the immobile practice dummy. The sudden surge of heat began to boil the sweat off his body, causing a small white puff accompanied by a hissing noise. The material the dummy was made out of could not burn, Tolin had made sure of that when he designed the interior area. But that did not mean it was immune to the flames.

The flames ceased. The once-humanoid training doll continued to drip down to the earth. Small bits of forcibly created molten rock dripped off the bottom of the dummy and onto the floor where they eventually hardened into small mounds. It was only a few seconds of labored gasps before Albus continued his assault.

It would have seemed strange to any outsiders. Albus had no reason to train. His path had already been set before him as a career of politics and intellectual intrigue. Of mixed words, pens and treaties. His flames would be useless. His strength would go untouched, except by the perpetual rot of time. Even to further himself as he was now, he needed no more strength. He was a Champion. He was a part of the highest rank the guild could offer and he was one of the few who attained it. Simply put, he had no more reason to fight. No more reason to advance. Few could stand in his way.

But Laura knew why. Laura, and Laura alone. Even Albus had forgotten why he had started in the midst of his exhaustion, but Laura knew. She had asked him why they were going to the move tutor. It wasn't as quiet as the library or the team room and physical exercise was not exactly something he pursued.

It was something he had said and that she had noticed. It was after their trip, far to the north. For the page of the journal. A mission from and for the guild itself. "I slept better that night." And he had, for that night alone. He had slept better. He was... not happy the following day, but his mood was much more relaxed. He was much calmer.

Suddenly, the Flareon fell over. The flames shot out aimlessly for a moment before stopping completely. Albus merely lay on his side with his eyes closed, gasping for breath.

The labored breathing finally calmed, but Albus didn't get back up. Laura moved towards him and tentatively reached out with a paw before pulling back. His body was still far too hot. Her skin couldn't burn, but the heat was still painful. She waited a few minutes before finally nestling down beside him.

The Move Tutor had, over time, effectively been closed down. When it took them so long to return, the door was locked and the key was quietly tucked away, as there was no one to teach and no one left willing or capable to learn. The door would finally open so many days later only to be locked shortly after as the entire team stepped into one of the inner rooms. It had, of course, been chosen for this reason; total privacy. A thin layer of dust coated the floor and was quickly swept away by footsteps both ignorant of and bothered by the dirt that laid there. Tolin and Puer strode on ahead, undeterred by the layer of dust while the rest of the team stayed behind, either bothered greatly by the dust or waiting for those who were.

Tolin walked ahead slightly before stepping into one of the few rooms not meant for sparring or practice. It was small. Simple carpeting covered the floor and a small table sat in the middle along with a few chairs that sat in the corner, waiting to be taken and used. One such chair was pulled aside by Tolin and he quickly turned about and sat down to face his team, the entirety of which sat before him sans Serrin. It was the first time they had gathered since his return and barely any time had passed; it had been only a night since Alfred had even found out he was alive. It was good to see them again, it really was; but there wasn't much time for idle conversation in the meantime. Things had to be done.

So here they were. Gathered together for the first time in months to talk business. "You all know this, by now, I'm sure. But it needs to be said. I'm disbanding the team." There wasn't any surprise or shock. Just a few gentle nods at an expected event. "The guilds are barely hanging together after what's happened. Most of the power structure is gone, Rebirth is in tatters and someone needs to pull everyone together. And while the guild masters generally get along, none of them are willing or capable of standing above the rest. So for the time being, I'm going to be acting as Rebirth's leader." Again, a few quiet nods. Nothing more; this was expected. "I... haven't been able to run a team for a long time, but I haven't had the time until now to disband it. I'm sorry for that."

"It's fine." Puer was the first one to speak, his voice as even and expressionless as his face was. "You did what you had to."

This time, it was Tolin who nodded. "If anyone needs anything from the team's supplies, they're free to take what they need. My needs will be managed by my position, as will Serrin's. If there's any funds or tools you need, take what you will." It would've been a dangerous comment to anyone else, but to the team in front of him that was hardly the case. Beyond that, what he suspected would be the case very quickly was.

"I'm not taking anything. I'm moving back to the estate. Laura and Lia will be coming with me." Albus didn't even pause in his speech, but the Vaporeon offered a somewhat embarrassed smile in response. "I've offered Sam a position as well. He'll work with me as a consultant. Whether or not my Mother lets me take over where my Father left off, I intend to do as he did." He paused slightly to glance over at the Togekiss who floated only a few feet away. "I'm sure William will be coming with me as well."

The Togekiss blushed subtly, embarrassed at having been seen through so completely. "Y-... Yes, that would be much appreciated. Thank you." He shifted slightly where he floated beside Lia, though not so much as a glance was exchanged.

Which meant that almost everyone was accounted for. Albus, Laura, Lia, Sam, ASAR and William were all headed towards the mansion. Tolin himself would take control of Rebirth with Serrin accompanying him. That, of course, was almost everyone. Only one was left without a clear and obvious path and it was the very first one who had joined the Scyther. "And you, Puer?"

The Rhyhorn spoke quickly and promptly. "When I came here, my goals weren't the same as they are now. I've learned a lot since I came here, but none of it was learned through this team. So I'm going to start my own team. I will, on my own, climb the ranks of this guild." It was a simple goal, but it was one spoken with conviction. He had come here to be a part of a team and that was only something he did so very briefly; troubles arose and the team splintered in it's own way as they each individually became involved in the troubles that shook the foundations of their life. So he would start again. And this time he would fulfill his role.

Tolin nodded. It was good. He could leave this happily and without worry.

They would each be fine on their own.