"No, Mr. Lance," the Myrmidon said from the other room, "we just think a little differently than men do."
He realized that he was surrounded by only women, and they were all giving him an odd look. Before he had a chance to respond, or even think up a response, Gaia formed up out of the ground, looking a lot better than she had when she left. His dad and mom came down the hall a bit later, looking disheveled with Areth humming happily after.
"Good. You're all here," Gaia said as Sheila tried to fix her master's rumpled hair. Eldon did his best not to think about what they'd obviously been doing.
"What's going on?" Mandy asked.
"It's time for those heading to Earth to leave," Gaia said without any further preamble. "It's been over two months since you were last in that world, and the Paladonic Knights haven't wasted any time. If you're going to reach the summit in time, you need to leave sooner rather than later."
