"Wow, that was amazing Daddy!" Opal says enthusiastically. "You figured out how to get into the tunnel! And then you found the magical cavern, right?"

     "Heh, not quite Little Gem," Varian says.

     "Not even close," Cassandra adds. "We had no idea that the real adventure hadn't even started yet..."

Cassandra sits alone in her tent, hugging her knees. She is embarrassed about what happened, but even more embarrassed about how she reacted to... well, being embarrassed. Why did Varian have to say what he said?! Now things are just going to be awkward and uncomfortable between them. And she does not deal well with awkward and uncomfortable.

     But, she knows that she needs to quit acting like a child and figure out what the plan is. She heard the others conversing once she entered her tent, but she was too distracted by her own emotions to hear what was being said. She sucks in a deep breath, and then wills herself to stand up and exit the tent.

     "Ah, you finally decide to rejoin the party?" Eugene says.

     "Can it, Fitzherbert," Cass says. But she quickly shuts her mouth and glances around to make sure Abhu didn't hear her. Before her return to Corona she felt that she had grown considerably adept at keeping her attitude from slipping out. But now, it's as if she has to begin all over again.

     When she doesn't see Abhu, she involuntarily sighs with relief. But she realizes that, not only does she not see Abhu, but Varian, Ruddiger, and Owl seem to be gone as well. She only sees Eugene laying against his tree, and Adira sharpening her sword nearby.

     "Um... Dare I ask where Varian and Abhu took off to?" She asks Eugene.

     "Well after your little performance, they took off with Hugo to find something from the missing journal page," Eugene explains.

"Wait, Hugo? As in, the thief we chased down after the storm?!"

"That's the one," Eugene says, seemingly growing bored with this conversation.

"Why would they trust him?" Cassandra asks.

"Look Cass, I'm not gonna recount the entire event to you," Eugene says. "Let's just say you missed a lot, and leave it at that." He folds his arms behind his head and closes his eyes.

Cass sneers at him, and then gives his injured leg a swift kick.

"Ack!" Eugene exclaims, bolting forward to cradle his leg. "Seriously?!"

"Your leg needs to hurry up and heal," Cass says. "You were already irritating enough without it, now you're practically unbearable!"

"It would heal a lot quicker if you'd leave it alone!" Eugene shouts at her.

"Quit being such a baby," Cass says, tossing her hair as she strides over to Adira. She knows she was a bit rough with Eugene, but she needs some kind of outlet to release her frustration... "Which way did they go?" She asks Adira.

Adira points in the direction the guys disappeared in without looking up. Cassandra begins to head in the direction she is pointing, but she stops herself.

"Hey, Adira... I have something to say." This is the last thing Cass wants to do, but it is something that has been bugging her for a while now. Ever since she left Corona, she has been trying to turn over a new leaf. If she is being honest with herself, she knows that she hasn't been totally successful. But she still wants to mend as many fences as she can.

"Say what's on your mind," Adira says, still not glancing up.

"So, um..." Where to begin? Apologies are not something that come easily to Cass, especially when they're to people she doesn't even like. "Look, it's no secret that you aren't exactly my favorite person. But... that doesn't excuse the way I acted in the past. The things I did, especially to you. I'm—"

Adira holds her hand up to silence her. "There is no need for an apology. It's in the past, and that's where it shall stay."

"Seriously? You're not mad?"

Adira shakes her head.

"Not at all? Not even a little bit?" Does this lady feel anything?

Adira finally meets Cassandra's eyes. "Do you want me to be angry?"

"I mean, I would be..." Actually, Cassandra is still angry. Angry at herself.

Adira stands up, and briefly places a reassuring hand on Cassandra's shoulder. "We're good, Short Hair."

"Really?" Cass says, patting her lengthy locks. "That nickname isn't exactly accurate anymore."

But Adira doesn't say anything more, simply walks away and stares out at the dome in the distance.

Cassandra shrugs. She wants to repair the bridges she burned, but it feels strange having someone actually forgive her. She is still so furious with herself for the things she did, that she feels she doesn't deserve anyone's forgiveness. Why should anyone else forgive her when she can't forgive herself? She even struggles with how kind Rapunzel has been to her, since she is the one who bore the brunt of Cassandra's fury.

Then there's Varian, who has not only forgiven her but has confessed his love for her...

Every thought she has tends to wind back to his profession. And it is rather tiresome. She shakes her head in frustration, and then heads into the forest to track down the guys.

As Varian, Hugo, and Ruddiger make their way into the tunnel, both guys pull out their own alchemical source of light —Varian's being a vial full of luminous green liquid, and Hugo's being a smooth, ovoid stone that is radiating a bright white. Hugo snorts derisively at Varian's, who only glares.

It isn't long before the three of them come to a dead-end. They shine their lights in every direction, yet the only way to go is back the way they came.

"Well, wasn't this fun?" Hugo says. "Guess this mission's a dud."

"Do you always give up so easily?" Varian asks, not really desiring a response.

"There isn't anything here, Freckles. What're we supposed to do?"

Varian contemplates this. What are they supposed to do? They can't go anywhere, but they can—

"Look up," Varian says, holding his vial high above his head. Hugo does the same with his stone, and the brightness of their two light sources shines dazzlingly upon a single mirror hanging from the tunnel's ceiling.

"Okay," Hugo says slowly. "What's that supposed to be?"

"I'm surprised you don't recognize a mirror when you see one," Varian says. "You seem like someone who never stops looking at one."

"And you seem like someone who doesn't look at one nearly enough," Hugo retorts. But when Varian no longer responds, he turns his attention back to the mirror. "So what's the deal with it, anyway?"

     "I'm not sure. I need to get up there and examine it," Varian replies.

     "Sorry to tell ya, but I don't have a ladder I can pull outta my back pocket."

     Varian mentally calculates his and Hugo's combined heights. "You could be a ladder."

     Hugo glowers. "You're joking."

     "Come on Hugo, you're the jokester."

     "Ugh..."

     Reluctantly, Hugo squats down enough for Varian to clamber onto his shoulders. It takes a moment for Varian to gain his balance, especially as Hugo begins to rise up. But once Hugo is able to stop swaying, Varian holds up the illuminated vial and inspects the mirror.

"There's gotta be something..." Varian mutters.

"Could ya hurry it up, Freckles?" Hugo groans. "You're not as light as your twig-like frame would lead one to believe."

After observing the mirror for a few moments, Varian notices something behind him in the reflection. But it's too dark for him to make it out. "Walk over there," he commands Hugo, pointing.

"What? Get down and walk over there yourself!"

"Stop being difficult and just do it!" Varian says.

"Fine, fine. The longer I know you, the bossier you get..."

Hugo slowly wobbles to the opposite side of the cave, Varian leaning slightly to cling to his head. Ruddiger can no longer hold in his laugher at the hilarious sight of the two alchemists.

"Okay, stop!" Varian tells Hugo, who immediately complies. After regaining his balance, Varian shines his light upon the tunnel wall. His expression falls at what he sees.

"Well? Don't leave me hangin'," Hugo says.

"It's... it's just the gibberish written on the sixth page of Abhu's journal," Varian says.

"Okay... Something tells me it's not just gibberish, then," Hugo says.

Varian ponders this. What could this jumble of letters mean? He gazes behind him at the mirror, remembering how he saw them reflecting in it. Then it hits him.

"That's it!" He says, snapping his fingers and almost toppling off of Hugo's shoulders in his excitement. "How did I not see it before?! So dumb, Varian!"

"Again, care to share your findings with the rest of the class?"

"The gibberish isn't gibberish at all! It's another code. It's the Reflect Method!"

"That does make sense," Hugo says. "So are you gonna translate it anytime soon? My back is killing me."

"No need to translate here," Varian says. "Like I said, it's written in the journal."

"Which is where...?"

"Outside with Abhu, duh."

The second Varian finishes his sentence, Hugo shoves him off of his shoulders. Varian falls flat on the hard floor of the tunnel, yelping with surprise and pain.

     Hugo darts toward the tunnel exit, followed by a furious Ruddiger. The raccoon grabs the bottom of his pant leg, viciously tearing into it. But Hugo swiftly kicks him away, and pulls out an alchemical sphere that explodes in a cloud of dust when he tosses it to the ground.

     The explosion causes the tunnel to quake, and large boulders fall from the ceiling. Varian leaps up, grabs his raccoon, and races after Hugo. But a pile of rocks falls directly in front of him, blocking his way to the exit.

     "It was fun, Freckles," he hears Hugo say on the other side of the rock pile once the dust settles. "But a thief's gotta do what a thief's gotta do."

     "Why are you doing this?" Varian coughs, having inhaled some of the dust.

     "Admittedly I don't know what this cavern is that you are all fussing about, but it's gotta be something phenomenal for some guy to dedicate his entire life to finding it!" Hugo laughs triumphantly. "I'm sure once I snag the journal and find the cavern, I'll figure out a way to capitalize on it. Why would I share that?"

     "I knew I should've never trusted you!" Varian shouts. Ruddiger chitters his agreement.

     "Oh, boo-hoo. How will I ever live with myself?" Varian can almost hear Hugo rolling his eyes, as he dashes out of the tunnel. "¡Adios, hombre!"