"Heya, okay, I'll have two six-slicers, one half tuna, half bacon, one half vegetables, half margherita, if you please. Hold the anchovies on both."
The elf waitress looked at the angel woman that had just come out of some rift and was now taking a seat at a big table.
"There are no anchovies in these toppings." - She said, deciding not to mention the whole 'appeared out of nowhere' part.
"All the more reason to hold them." - Said Lucas, smiling - "And nice, you didn't mention the rift."
"I'm a waitress. I've seen weirder. And to drink?"
"Dr Pepper for me. And I'll wait to see what my companions, if any, will drink. Thanks."
"Okay." - The waitress left.
Lucas sat, looking around the place, wondering what exactly she should be seeing.
Let's see... An android woman and an invisible chick I can only see due to her clothes... Two satyr men... A chick that looks a bit like a neanderthal... A normal woman with a 3-foot, flexible neck... - She thought.
That was when the neanderthal woman got up and walked up to Lucas.
"You smell like the Water element." - She said, simply, in a German accent - "You are its keeper, are you not?"
"And... Who are you?" - Asked Lucas.
"Johanna Katharina Silke Becker. You can call me Johanna." - Said the woman - "Keeper of the element of fire."
Lucas paused for a moment, figuring this was at least part of why she was called here.
"Sit down, bitte sehr. I've got pizza for everybody. Name's Lucas. I'm from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil... And... Well, I don't like to think of myself as a keeper or something. It's been given to me and it's part of me..."
"I'm from Freising. Bayern, near MÃŒnchen... Germany." - She said.
"Been to MÃŒnchen! Ever ate at Donisl?" - Asked Lucas, smiling.
"Great place." - Said Johanna, smiling - "But we should discuss the matter at hand..."
"Right..." - Said Lucas - "Did... Did someone call you?"
Johanna nodded.
"Not called per se, but sent a cell phone message, yes" - Said Johanna - "Asking me to come here."
"I see. Well... The water element... is my sword." - Said Lucas.
Adam and Tiffany walked into the pizza place right after a slug girl and a drow boy. The horned girl looked around at the same time an angel woman seemed to look at the slug girl.
Then the three looked at one another.
Jon looked at Tiffany.
"Uhm, hi, Tiffany..." - She said uneasily.
"Hi, Jon. Let's go to that table." - She pointed the one at which the angel woman sat with the cavewoman. Jon seemed to recognize the cavewoman and the angel woman. The drow seemed to recognize the angel woman. Adam still had no idea what was going on.
Tiffany spoke up.
"Uhm... The four of you have a lot to discuss. I know it. I don't know how I know it... Sorry..."
"There's five of us here besides you." - Said Tim.
"Yes." - Said Tiffany, sighing - "Look. Trust me. I... I don't know why. Just trust me. Let's sit somewhere else."
Tim looked at Tiffany. Ordinarily, there would be no chance in Hell he'd just do what she had just told him to, but he accompanied Tiffany to another table.
"Okay." - Said Lucas - "NOW I get what was going on. Four people, four elements... Johanna here's fire... I'm water... You, Jon, are Earth. And cute harpy woman here is air."
"Adam..." - Said Adam, blushing.
Jon looked at Johanna and at the strange angel woman she recognized as her teacher's girlfriend, whose notion of tact seemed to fluctuate wildly.
Johanna nodded.
"It is fine, Jon. And Adam. We should know one another. I am Johanna Katharina Silke Becker, Adam. You can call me Johanna."
"Lucas." - Said Lucas - "From Brazil. She's German."
Adam nodded.
"Well... Yes. I have the air element."
"And I am the one with the Earth stone..." - said Jon, wondering what else the angel knew.
Johanna took the initiative and told her story.
Lucas nodded, respectfully, as Johanna finished her tale.
"Okay, my turn. I nearly destroyed the universe with this sword once, since we're all making confessions..." - She said, hoping to coax Jon into admitting she changed the Sun - "Accident, of course. Plus I did do some very nice bits of good with it, all of which I will tell you..." - She said, deciding to omit the bit where she changed international politics, lest one of the people there took exception to her position.
Adam was a bit overwhelmed by then. Johanna's ancestor was responsible for humanity's evolution as it was; Lucas's sword caused the French revolution, as well as all others that followed and sought freedom.
"I... Well... I didn't do much." - Said Adam, sighing - "At least not yet. I'm the one that caused my city to teleport..."
The pizzas had already arrived. Jon listened respectfully. She had a feeling Lucas, at least, hadn't given them the complete story of what she had done with the stone, but it looked like her heart was in the right place.
"What are you hiding, Lucas?" - Asked Johanna.
Simple and to the point. - Thought Jon.
Lucas sighed.
"Look... It's a sensitive matter..."
"As are all the other ones." - Said Johanna - "You must trust us."
"Very well. I set up a neat little arrangement involving lunar research. Countries that wish to do it can have it made easier by paying a fairly small fee... And by abstaining from doing realpolitik stuff."
"Realpolitik?" - Asked Jon.
"Well... What I did means countries can't prop up dictatorships and so on without me kicking them out of the Moon, thus losing them the opportunity to greatly advance their scientific research. Likewise, they can't become oppressive either. Didn't you notice how many countries have been moving towards a freer state of affairs in the last week? How sudden it seemed?" - Said Lucas, smiling.
"I see..." - Said Jon. She took in Lucas. She knew for a fact that the angel woman was very glad about her change. And that Johanna liked it as well.
That left Adam.
Jon sighed.
"I caused the Sun to change. By accident, mostly. It... depleted the stone. I will be able to change the Sun back in six months..."
Adam paused, trying to process that information. She herself knew how careless wishes could be damaging, so she couldn't hold it against Jon. She felt conflicted. Her lack of hands, the feeling of flying, the world turned upside down...
She finally spoke.
"It's... Okay. Tell us more."
Jon idly noticed Lucas didn't seem at all surprised by her statement. She went on.
"I wished for... something interesting to happen. Idly." - Said Jon.
That piqued Lucas' attention.
"Like the one wish that I heard when..."
Jon nodded.
"Yes."
"And what do you plan to do? I mean... Lots of people love their changes. I should know. I want to keep mine." - Said Lucas.
"I intend to wish that the stone changes people back or not according to whether or not it's best for them..." - Said Jon.
Lucas felt a bit sick to her stomach at that. She herself had no fate per se, not anymore, so she assumed it was rather impossible for the Earth stone to predict something for her on this level. Besides, she wanted to keep her form, 'best for her' be damned.
"Uhm... I recognize you are trying to do what's best for everyone. That's a relief. But... In my case... I really want to stay as I am. And seeing as this 'best for everybody' thing seems based on fate, I don't know that I would."
Jon was about to answer when Johanna wordlessly pulled the fire element out of her purse and a few bits of jewelry from her pocket. She said a few words in German, dropped the jewelry into the fire and watched as it disappeared.
"What was that?" - Asked Lucas.
"My thanks for what you did for the world." - Said Johanna, simply, as she put the element back - "You will only ever change back, Earth Stone or no Earth Stone, if and when you ever truly want it and after having a week to think it through."
"Wow. Thanks!" - Said Lucas, smiling - "But... Your jewels..."
"The power of fire takes something to give a wish. These jewels meant little to me. I promise." - Said Johanna, smiling.
"Danke schön." - Said Lucas, smiling.
"Bitte schön." - Said Johanna, seemingly amused by the angel's attempts to use her language.
"Well... There you go. I'm the one that did it. It seems it was... A defense of the world, though?" - Said Jon.
Lucas nodded.
"Yeah... It's complicated. Seems it was a defense against this Enemy. Listen. Let's exchange numbers. I set up a line on my plot that will get me called anywhere in the world. If ANYTHING attacks you guys... Call me. It will be Excalibur on their asses!" - Said Lucas.
The trio nodded.
"Okay." - Said Lucas - "I want to ask you guys something. I know these Feds... Nathan Hawkins and Cecilia Pennsbrook..."
"I met them too... They know of my element." - Said Adam.
"And of mine." - Said Lucas - "They can help. Of course, it's your call, Jon and Johanna, if you two want or not to talk to them..."
Jon thought for a moment.
