When the two finally returned to the water to redo their washing, Fritz and Melik were waiting pleasantly on the rock. Fritz had already brought his partner up to speed on what was happening, explaining the appearance of three women and how he accidentally saved them. Still, the grimace on Fritz's face wouldn't vanish, not even when he saw Nyx's face grow a grin. He appeared lost in thought, as if something troubled him.

Melik, on the other hand, jumped off the second he saw them, running up and giving Noah a big hug. He then turned his orange eyes to Nyx; they were like daggers but only for a moment. "Steal him from me permanently and we're going to have a problem," he teased before skipping back to his tall friend.

"So I hear I accidentally saved the trio," he plopped on the rock so his arms fell between his bent legs. He looked almost like a cat sitting there beside Fritz, who was very prim and proper atop that rock. "Did Eleanor take them in?" His brow rose upon learning the truth. "Interesting," he turned to Fritz.

"I hope Nieko can continue to hold his position," Fritz said gravelly. "While we've been in the facility, I can't say I've seen their names pop up."

"I can vouch for the green-haired girl, Ossia." Melik lifted his arm, which kept him upright, so he fell onto Fritz. He was teasing Nixie, showing her that he could get close to her name. Nuzzling Fritz's arm, the rusty-haired male was about to get Fritz to smirk.

Ruffling Melik's hair lightly, Fritz laughed while shaking his head. He knew what his short friend was up to but he wouldn't put a stop to it. He rather liked the attention as it wasn't something he often received.

After Melik firmly wrapped himself around Fritz's lithe body, the redhead went back to analyzing the situation. "That just leaves the other two. I wish we could get in contact with Arvin and Varun." Melik quivered his lower lip. "They've always been better at hacking and decoding cryptic text."

"Would it be too dangerous to have Nieko do it?" Fritz asked though it was rhetorical. He knew they couldn't risk Nieko getting caught. Heaven forbid the trio actually be the enemy, they would forever blame themselves if lives were lost. Namely, the twins.

"I was wondering the same thing. Perhaps you should go into town and see if you can get service out there. I'll stay behind and watch Noah and Nixie. A few of the hunting pack members on patrol don't hate me so maybe I'll give them some words of caution."

"I would hold off. No need to plant a seed if its false. Let's let Nieko handle this. He's the most capable of the three of us. If anyone can sniff out a mole, it's him."

Fritz's gaze fell on Nyx. "I don't recall if we've told you this, but Nieko controls fire. If things get bad, he will drop his facade. He's very aware of his surroundings and will not harm anyone accidentally. When he was younger, he scarred someone. Ever since, he's learned to control his fire." That's when the frown came. "If things get bad--and I'm not saying they will--please go to him." His brows softened as his steady teal orbs held Nyx's gaze. "Eleanor still doesn't trust us. I'm not sure I could get close to protect you. I know you and Nieko have your differences but I trust him. And if you trust me as much as I believe you do, you'll trust him too."

Melik stifled a laugh before wiping a single tear from his wild orange orbs. "Fritz," he scoffed, "aren't you a real charmer. Looking out for Miss Nyx. Why, if I didn't know better, I would say you've fallen for her." Elbowing Fritz, he snickered. "You're so cute when you're being all protective."

Annoyance washed over him and before Melik to cling to Fritz again, the male was flying from the rock and into the water. A torrent of wind tossed him about until he was kissing the mud before Noah's feet.

"I'm not cute," he growled while holding his head high with an arrogant glow to his cyan eyes.