Cat’s grumpy composure turns to slight confusion while the class excitedly responds to this mysterious answer.  She then smiles and sways mischievously over to AB.  “Gramps, this is why I love having you guys being the ones to lead the trip.  I hope I’m as good a storyteller as you are one day.”  Then, leaning against him, she coldly says, “But remember, if you royally wreck this trip, I’ll eat all the mac ‘n cheese for myself.”

    As the class cheers on this lighthearted dispute, AB rests his arm on Cat’s shoulder and messes with the hair on the back of her head.  “Oh child, you have so little faith in your old grandpa.  Just wait and see.  Who knows?  Might improve your teaching skills.”  Having said this, AB quickly teleports away, victoriously saying as quickly as possible, “Seeya, Acer, Buddy, Charlie, Dana, Eva,” and he’s gone.

    “OHH!!  GRRR!!” Duplica is boiling now.  “How rude of him to just run away!”

    Everyone else is dying of laughter, thus making it difficult, though not impossible, to say the goodbyes and such.  After all of this is had, the deaders return to the Drawing Board, and the class heads to the next era of XL history.  While traveling, Keb shares a private conversation with Cici.

    “What just happened?” Keb whispers.

    Not understanding the meaning of the question, Cici simply rehearses the nonsense between AB and Duplica.

    “No, I mean why did everyone get so serious over the Happy War?  It’s old news to us.  Sure, thinking back to it is sad, but I don’t understand why it hit everyone so hard.”

    “Oh,” Cici was afraid this was what Keb was referring to.  “I don’t know.  For Dana, I guess it was just the moment of standing in a place in which she hasn’t been for centuries and then watching it happen.  Did you not pay attention to the fact we were showing the kids the action while the heroes commented on it?  But for me, you know why I was sad.  It’s been so long, but taking the life of another, especially like I did, it never goes away.”

    “Ah,” Keb goes into deep thought for a second before saying, “then even though this is a live history lesson, let’s not get lost in the past, okay?”

    “Good advice, sis.”  At Cici’s words of agreement, we move on to the next era.

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