More on M.U.G.

After Jessica's dad joined in the now party and the doctor had removed all of her equipment. Harmon got on stage with Peter and they acted out a small skit. The skit was not flattering towards Jessica's need to please at all and she shocked them both from a table top pointing her wand at them. Peter put up a magic protection shield and hid himself and Harmon behind it. They were laughing their butts off but it triggered a memory in someone else.

"Hey Jessica did you ever finish that shield I ordered," Tim one of her former students asked her. Jessica nodded and pointed up. His is a young half-dwarf half-human boy who hasn't even sprouted his first chin whisker yet. Standing at 3'9" he could only get custom gear from M.U.G. so when he had ordered it it didn't set off any alarms in Jessica's head.

"It is upstairs," She replied and looked around, "You guys want me to open the real shop?"

"FINALLY!," the group called out.

Jessica walked over to the M.U.G. wall of fame and opened a panel behind the display case that had held Stinky's everbag. She placed her hand on the palm ready and the wall slid up into the ceiling, revealing a stone staircase behind it. She walked up the and into the second floor of M.U.G. it had stone floor and solid concrete walls. She had modeled it after a movie she had once seen on a black market bizzare from Earth. This was a place only for adventures

There were rows of adventures gear on shelves and a clothing section. Above where the check out counter was down stairs was another one this one had special orders stored behind it. A few of them followed her to the counter while everyone else spread out to gather supplies they were running low on. When the downstairs had started becoming more of haven Jessica had added this second floor so the meeting hall was separated from the main business. She did not open this floor to non adventures anymore. Not since she was forced to start allowing her downstairs to look so unlike her vision. She got the kid his shield and he was very happy with as Jessica read the user manual to him. She told him where to add soil and seeds in the back to add his magic to it and cause the plain metal front to erupt with life the way he wanted it. The other special orders where all things specially designed to work with the kind of spell the others were used to.

"Hey, Tim," Jessica called to him as he fiddled with the display pop up from the shield.

"Yeah teach," he replied distracted.

"Pop quiz," Jessica said sternly. All 4 of her former students gathered into a line in front of her. She asked them a few questions about safety protocols when traveling to double check they had read a least a few adventures guides before taking on the jobs with the strikeforce. She nodded satisfied.

She clapped her hands together and held up one of her rewrite spell pens. This was a tech she had made to fix buggy spells and she did not hand them out lightly. The room fell silent and they all watched her carefully place it on the counter.

"Two women stand in a kitchen one a famous chef the other an unmarried young lady. There are two identical set of ingredients set on the counter. Both women point to a set and shout bake. One set of ingredients quickly sets about turning itself into a delicious cocoa brownie the other set does not move. Whose set is making the brownie and why?" She stood there and waited. Brutus was the first to give an answer.

"The chef's of course because she knows how to cook them," He called out confident in his answer. Jessica shook her head.

"Wrong," she replied and crossed her arms. The other adventures had all been thinking along the same lines.

Amarilla raised her hand having followed everyone up and had been checking out a pair of sun glasses. She had them in her raised hand. Jessica pointed to her she lowered the hand and put them back on the shelf.

"Can I ask for more information," Amarilla asked hopeful. Jessica nodded, "Is is answer entirely or partly wrong?"

Jessica beamed at her, "Entirely."

"Then wouldn't it be the unmarried lady who succeeded in making the brownies because the chef doesn't know how to BAKE them?," Amarilla asked glancing around.

"Are you asking me or telling me?," Jessica challenged her.

Amarilla thought for a second and nodded to herself, "Telling you. Baking is not the same as cooking and you no one can use a one word spell on a subject they are unfamiliar with."

"That is correct!," Jessica said and everyone clapped. Amarilla blushed a little and Jessica waved her forward.

"Do you know what this pen is for?," she asked the young girl. Amarilla nodded and took it from the counter.

"Do I really get to keep it?," she asked looking up at Jessica. Who simply smiled and handed her a user's manual.

Tim walked over and said, "Hey when you get done reading that thing could you help me fix my air bike?" Amarilla looked at him and nodded. She did know what this pen was for her parents had one but it was locked away is one of their everbags on that fateful day. She knew the reason she was the only person who still had magic was because unlike the people who knew Jessica or the children from Fae families her protection had come from ever member of her family casting a protection spell at her as they fell to their deaths. She was stunned that she was now one of only 5 people Jessica had ever given one of these pens to. She carefully placed it in her everbag and sat on the floor to read the manual. Her parents knew the Strongwell's daughter didn't take writing these lightly and expected people she gave them to read them carefully before using her products. Jessica slid the register to another spot on the counter so people could by their supplies without having to walk over her and Tim sat down and carefully read his own new manual. He had been glacing over his but thought Amarilla's idea was better.

They both were still there reading long after everyone else had headed back downstairs. Jessica let them be because she was happy that they knew what to do before playing with one of her products and she hoped that would become friends. Tim had also lost some family in the fall. Unlike Amarilla though he was not alone. She hoped they could help each other when the pain swelled up with in.

When Jessica was back downstairs with everyone else she went into her workspace for a while to make some of them the modified version of the everbag scanner. She was happily humming to herself when she felt a spell bounce off her protections. She turned around to see Mary-Anne standing there.

"Do I have your attention now?," Mary-Anne asked as though hitting her with a forceful attack spell was the same as tapping her on the shoulder.

"Mary-Anne, you really need to stop," Jessica said sighing and putting the length of cable she was measuring down.

"You never gave me the real truth as to why you left us and I want it damn it," Mary-Anne demanded. Jessica pinched the bridge of her nose and sat down.

"Mary-Anne I did tell you all the truth from the beginning. I still feel that a marriage should be between two people. It is just the way my family is, we don't judge anyone else or begrudge them their happiness," Jessica took a deep breath during the pause Mary-Anne walked up next to her and looked down.

"Then why for the love of Karth did you even enter your compatibility profile in the system?," Mary-Anne asked forcefully.

"You know about my families issues with fertility. It took my parents 50 cycles before they had me," Jessica started Mary-Anne opened her mouth and Jessica cut off, "My family has over the generation been finding it more and more difficult to have children. I want children and all the test show that I am healthy but when they run simulations my dna does react with any on profile. I will never have a child of the Strongwell bloodline and the day I left you would not shut up about what our kid would look like. I tried to cut you off and explain but you refused to hear me." Jessica turned her back on Mary-Anne. She knew the woman knew all of this but simply refused to accept it.

"We could always try just like your parents did," Mary-Anne said.

Jessica began to cry softly as Micheal and Henry the other two entered the room to find Mary-Anne. They had not known she had been harassing Jessica. Peter who did know walked in a saw the scene.

"Damn it Mary-Anne do you have these two pestering her now too?," He asked pulling her away from Jessica and unfurling his wings to block their view of her.

"What is he talking about?," Henry asked. Micheal taking in Jessica's crying and Peter's anger put a hand on Henry's shoulder.

"Mary-Anne," Micheal said softly the shock of her behavior settling in his heart, "Jessica told us from the start that she may want to leave the group for family reasons at some point. When she left Henry and I understood and let it go. Why for the sake of all that is love would you…" He trailed off not even knowing how to explain the situation before him.

Before they all went on their first date Jessica had listed all the reasons things might not work out on her profile. She had been upfront about her reasons for wanting to try. It wasn't a big surprise to either man when she exited it one day. They had hugged her and wished her well. Right now though these two women that they both cared for deeply were standing in stark contrast to one another. Jessica wouldn't look up from her desk and let was actively allow Peter to act as a shield and Mary-Anne was trying to peek around his wings giving them both looks of "can you believe this guy".

They had all know that she was a little more aggressive about getting what she wants but none of them had thought she would pursue someone who had very clearly stated she was out.

"Mary-Anne, Jessica has some work she wants to get done and I think it is time we had a talk," Henry said finally understanding what was happening. Peter grabbed Mary-Anne and lead her out the back door. He forcefully shoved her out and locked it. He put up a blocking spell and turned to face the two men.

"Why don't the three us talk somewhere else before you get a story in your heads that isn't true," Peter said motioning to them to follow him.

Jessica tried her eyes and got back to work. She knew that after today Mary-Anne would in deep treatment for a while and she could finally relax and move on. It isn't that issues don't come up between people on Karth. They fight and argue and have drama's just like on Earth. However, on Karth when you have issues you are expected to work through them. People are still people no matter where in the universe you are after all.