How long had it been since he had seen Mu?

A question Caius wondered when said ninja, and his spirit partner, showed up at their doorstep. Because the very worker at the desk was, in fact, Caius himself. Easy not to recognize him in civilian’s garb and with his head buried in paperwork, granted. Today happened to be a day off for both members of their administrative staff. Chance for both of them to study for a test at the magic university that was coming up, and maybe spend some time together. Caius and Celes had offered it together, as a thanks for dealing with all the mounting bullshit that had come up during Celes’ time away, and then again during Caius’ time away. Including dealing with the Rest holding a criminal in house arrest.

So it was that Caius had taken the morning shift, while Celes would take the afternoon. Fortunately they didn’t really need administrative staff at night, since jobs and paperwork could wait until morning. So the both of them were free to go by the evening. For now though, Caius had found himself rubbing at his eyes as he steadily went through processing jobs both incoming and finished. Their job activity hadn’t really decreased much since slaying the Kraken about two years ago, so it was still as busy as ever.

They really did need more staff.

Either way, he really didn’t expect to look up and see a familiar face (or the closest thing to their face considering he wore a mask) and emna bowing to him, asking if either Caius or Celes were in. Had he met Celes at some point? That was a story he had to hear. Caius pushed back the chair and rose to his full height, in order to tell Mu right away who he was. The mercenary stretched out a bit, releasing the strain on his stiff joints. He really didn't like doing this.

"Celes is probably off to lunch right now, but I can see if Caius is in if you want" the mercenary would lightly jest with a small smile as he stepped out from a desk far too small for him. "You and Enma are looking well."

Caius didn't seem too surprised when Enma commented on the strangeness of him being here. Mu had tried to be cordial and not voice that sort of thing, but.. Enma was another story. And they weren't the first to ask today why Caius was manning the front desk. “The girls got the day off. So I’m filling in,” Caius answered with a shrug, making that a part of his stretches as he finally managed to get himself comfortable before stepping out from the desk. “It’s part of the growing pains of any organization. We have received a lot more work after the Kraken incident. We’ve restructured and I have been running the Rest myself, though Celes came back from Provo once our new operation was stable, to fill in for me while I had business to take care of. Right now we’re both here, so we gave the girls a day off. The girls being our two administrative clerks."

The mercenary cocked his head towards the main room for if the two wanted to sit by the fire and relax after walking all the way here. "I'm glad your travels haven't dampened either of your spirits" he commented, though Caius would quirk a brow as he turned to Enma for a moment. "Does Mu actually have a tail and scales?" he inquired curiously. He hadn't known Mu to be anything but human, but... With all that armor, he had never really had reason to suspect otherwise.

"As for work... After the Kraken, we've weathered the influx of jobs and hired some administrative staff. Celes went to Provo to help one of our leaders start a clinic over there, so it was up to me to train the new staff. Strange for me, considering I'm not used to staying in one place for very long. But it was fruitful, I have learned a great deal about how much more there is to this job than just fighting. I've trained recruits, done paperwork, trained staff, gone on grocery runs, and made time to meet people around town and get to know the town we've been protecting," Caius continued to elaborate as he walked into the main room, looking around the bar to see if he could fix up Mu some kind of drink. "There's also been some threats we've had to deal with. Kuja, who worked with the Lich. Sephiroth, who laid waste to Provo's square and may be at risk to strike again. And while Celes managed to quell the Dominant Clive's attempt to destroy Torensten's crystal, we had been holding him here on house arrest until recently. Not to mention the re-emergence of a parasite that once took over a host and slaughtered hundreds. It's been extremely busy, to say the least."

He would offer Mu a choice of drinks, even offering one to Enma as well even if he doubted they could drink. "You here to join up and lend us a hand?" he joked cheekily then. He didn't think Mu would actually accept, but it was worth a shot.

"Then stay in Torensten awhile. The body needs to rest to operate at full capacity in battle" Caius advised Enma, and Mu in kind. Completely oblivious to the irony that he didn't follow his own advice. His only rest lately was when he was with Lumina. Though his attention was taken by Mu revealing he was not, in fact, as human as Caius was. Instead, he was part of a race called the Au Ra. He actually had a tail! And scales! And those horns on his mask were-

"Those are real? I thought they were decorative" Caius admitted with a small laugh. He had thought it an ornament, and had never put stock in the idea that maybe Mu didn't just have a keen sense of fashion. "They are very... Draconic. You're not selling me very well on the idea you don't fit with the Dragon-blades" Caius cheeked, with a rare pun shot by the Dragonblades leader. It wasn't often that Caius was this laid-back, not when in the midst of the Rest. But with people like Mu? It came to him a bit easier. "Suppose enhanced hearing would aid your profession, however... Though I'm still not entirely sure what your profession is or who you work for."

It seemed he had already filled Mu in on Kuja before, and had simply forgotten. A lot had happened since, so he was bound to forget some details. But he was glad to have someone like Mu around, keeping an eye out. Even if he didn't think himself a fit for their organization, Caius wouldn't say no to Mu's aid when it was offered. Nor to offering him a drink if he was thirsty. Letting Mu take their pick, Caius poured a drink for him. And one for Enma, just as a courtesy. Then one for himself, because it had been a long day.

"Sephiroth tried to destroy his world. He claims to not remember anything of it, but he got into a fight that levelled Central Provo. Not very convincing that he won't do it again. He has two confidantes, Genesis and Angeal. Genesis is a pyromaniac, an unfeeling sociopath. Angeal is more reasonable but didn't hesitate to help him in a fight with a lot of collateral damage, either" Caius thought it right to share his intel, if it might help Mu with his hunt through the shadows. "The parasite is... Complicated. The woman that is its current host is..."

He took a deep breath. This was going to be heavier than he had hoped.

"My partner. Romantically. I have to find a way to expunge it before it takes her completely, and her body will have to be destroyed to render it dormant again."

Yeah, a LOT had happened since Mu had been here last, Caius having an actual romantic partner being chief amongst them. But if he couldn't figure things out with that parasite, it would be a short-lived affair.

"The Original Sin has been... Quiet, since Celes and I stopped their leaders. Too quiet. Their activity has slowed to a crawl, but I don't trust it. They have too many resources, and I don't know where they're coming from. I feel as though they are biding their time, but I don't know what for."

"I suppose I could see it. Torensten knows a thing or two about war with dragons, after all. It's a surprise we've gotten as far as we did" Caius admitted following Mu's story about how their kind had tried to immigrate to a country at war with dragons, and how well that had turned out. "Have you heard about the dragons that came out of that gate and attacked Torensten, all those years ago? It was very difficult for Celes and I to gain business at first, just on our name alone."

But it was a name they stood by, considering their origins.

"That trust was hard-earned. And we especially couldn't allow Vordun to roam free here before the whole Kraken thing."

Before that, Vordun had only entered Torensten on occasion. Mainly when the populace was already fleeing for their lives from some large monster or other. Mu had been there for one of those times, at the Festival Of The Hunt. Something that had led to Vordun being allowed on that boat in the first place when the Kraken attacked. It was hard to believe that had led to Torensten finally growing past their fear of dragons, though Caius doubted they wouldn't flee if another one were to show up. While Vordun was like a big, cute puppy you could throw treats to (and sometimes they did!), they wouldn't be happy to see another dragon, he was sure.

"Not that far from what we do. You just prefer to work alone and without restriction," Caius remarked pointedly, sliding the drinks to the two. "Makes me wonder just what kind of restrictions you're afraid of."

He had thought Mu to belong to some kind of shadowy ninja organization that paid his bills in exchange for jobs. And maybe that wasn't far off the mark, and he just couldn't tell him? Caius wasn't sure if he would ever know. Caius downed his own drink as he considered Mu's words on Sephiroth. "I thought the same. But I also met him before the Provo fight. Something about him was... Unsettling. Enough for me to warn Celes to keep tabs on things in Provo well before the fight happened. Something is off about him and his confidantes both. Notwithstanding the fact one of them set a manor on fire with people inside."

Including him. Caius was still sore about that. And speaking of sore, know what was really sore to him? The fact that was his partner who he might have to stick a knife in if they couldn't fix this. "Yeah. Yeah burden is one way to put it," he spoke quietly. It was a burden on them both, really. "I hope your romantic life is a bit less dramatic."