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Y.Z. Act III [PG-16]

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"Ah! Violette!" Christian was the first to break the silence atop the rocks as he chased after the young woman, his hand outstretched in her general direction. When she was out of sight, his head drooped very low. "...Don't leave me alone, too." He kicked a small stone off the side of the cliff-like group of rocks, before he began heading back to where they had set up. Ah... what to do now. He felt like he was going to have a heart attack. He needed to seek some kind of comfort. His primary source had just run off, too. Great. Sven... It was true, as Ellianne, she had had feelings for him. and now he was gone. And soon Reid would be gone too. Well, depending on what decision Armon made. If he decided to let Sanako die... But the memory option was a problem too. It would be killing Reid as well if he lost his memory and was forced to be Sanako for the rest of his life. Reid would be gone. DAMMIT IT WAS THE SAME THING.

---

"I... I... N-no! NO!" Sanako tried to explain herself to Armon as her eyes began to water, but the words wouldn't come. What was she going to say? It was all Mistral's fault! Why did she... why did she!? When Armon finally stated that he didn't care anymore, her heart just crumbled away. She deserved it, she knew, but... but... after everything that had happened to them... Everything went black for a quick moment, but she eventually came to again seconds later. Against what she had promised earlier, she began to cry as the one she loved left her behind in Stahn's arms.

She wasn't there long, however. Only moments after Armon disappeared did Stahn grab the girl by the neck and hold her out over the edge of the cliff. "So you really think your life is insignificant after all?" He started. It wasn't if she could reply. She could only squirm painfully as his hand clamped itself around her neck, strangling her. "You wouldn't be acting like a spoiled child if you found it significant, I mean. I thought you were going to change, but it seems you can't. Maybe you really want to die, then? I mean, if you can't bring yourself to change, I guess that must be it!" His voice was so enthusiastic! He was really going to do it! He was really going to drop her! With her wings bruised and tattered from the earlier fall, there would be no plausible way for her to recover if she was dropped from that height. She'd die. No questions asked. "Maybe in your next life, you'll treat yourself a little better. Maybe you'll actually be a likable person." He grinned an malificent grin. Was... he saying nobody liked her? Did everyone hate her? What did she ever do to anyone!? All she wanted to do was make things easier for them! "Goodbye." And with that, the hand let go, and Sanako fell towards the ground.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She screamed, before eventually blacking out.

"...That was cruel..." Auricia whined, Sanako's unconscious body draped over her shoulder.

"Maybe when she wakes up she'll have a different outlook on things." Stahn said coldly as he flicked a zippo lighter open and closed. "Though, she's lucky you were still around."

"...You don't mean you actually intended on letting her die..."

"Maybe, maybe not."

---

Deon sat atop the rooftop of the inn the entire group was staying at. He didn't feel like going to the beach. He had to sharpen his blades, after all. He glanced over at the horizon, and noticed the dark clouds moving in their direction. "Tonight... I guess is the end of a journey."
 
"Hmmmm..." Gil leaned her chin into her fist, puckering her lips in thought before sitting up straight with a wholly unconcerned, cheerful look on her face, "Sounds pretty serious!" She crossed one leg over the other, ignoring Armon's baffled irritation as she scratched the back of her head, "Ahh, but I don't really want to talk to my parents... Especially not about money, since they don't have the slave trade business anymore. Solomon stole most of the money I stole, so.... maybe we can ask Solomon to talk to his parents?"

"I don't want to drag outsiders into this." Armon shook his head.

Gil sat back again, pouting, "But he's not an outsider! Well, not really." She narrowed an eye at Armon's stubborn expression before standing up with a dramatic sigh, "I'm not talking to my parents. Period."

"Gil-"

"They're the worst kind of human. I don't ever want to see them again." She interuppted him, glaring daggers as she lifted her foot to take a step. Oh but wait. She brought her foot back and looked as if she were reconsidering. "I could always kill them and take over- I'M JUST KIDDING!! Jeez, your so uptight. Nah, I'll talk to them and see what their terms are. Find out the exact price of the operation though, it'll be easier to convince them if I treat it more like a business transaction. Tell me when you find out. Oh and- somebody has to come with me. Why? Becauuuse, they probably don't want to see me as much as I don't want to see them." Gil nodded, hurrying back to the water, "IT'S HOOOOOT!" She yelled, hopping in as though she hadn't just been discussing something serious.

Armon looked over his shoulder. What a hopeless girl. He wasn't sure if he should really depend on her, but even without the slave trade, the Jaquez family still made a bundle off of their multiple airship factories.

"So that girl's gonna be stickin' around, huh?" Dieter said, eying Armon, "Well that's good."

"...Eh?" Good? Wait wait wait, was this Dieter, who took so much glee in killing people-

"Sick people smell really bad." Dieter shrugged, closing his eyes, "Well, either way, even if I was a human too, I wouldn't be able to get the plague." He laid down on his towel and put his hands behind his head as a pillow, "I don't have faels, so I'm good to go."

Armon blinked. Speaking of faels...

He let a silence settle itself between him and the two skills, before he gave up. Jeckt and Xaviae still weren't talking to anyone, apparently.

"Hey," Armon looked down at Dieter, trying to think of a subject while he waited for everyone else to arrive, "What's it like being a skill?"

Dieter opened his eyes. "Not much different from being human, other than the fact that I have better senses than you when I want to, and that I'm naturally a billion times better at fighting than you, why?"

Armon shrugged, "No reason. You just make it seem like it's being an alien species or something."

Rasch looked up from his book as well, "It is."

"It's like, we look human, but we're not, is what Rasch means." Dieter translated, "Most of us don't like being skills, because y'know. We look like regular people, but we're really monsters that can change into anything. You don't really think much about Rasch's ability to change his appearance, but it's just not something that normal people can swallow. And Rasch hasn't ever actually changed in front of you- Imagine how nasty it is for someone's features just to suddenly rearrange themselves."

"You like being a skill though." Armon pointed out, trying not to imagine someone's face stretching and changing shape.

Dieter shrugged, turning over to signal that the conversation was over at this point, "Because life is better than when I was a human. For most of us, it is."

Rasch brought his attention back to his book.

Armon still didn't understand. If being a skill was better than when they were a human, why did the other skills dislike it so much? Or was it just Dieter's twisted way of thinking? Armon sat down on the sand, wishing he'd never brought it up. Now he had even more things swirling around in his jumbled head. Everything was just too complicated in this world he'd been thrown into.
 
"Look at it this way. Sure, our lives were bad. My mom slaughtered my sister and I, while Auricia's mother pushed her in front of a train." Tsukasa decided to clarify Dieter's explanation with his own. He was dress in a dark purple pair of swim trunks, which matched his hair and eye colour perfectly. Tsukasa and Auricia must have had a thing for their hair colour. It showed in their swimsuit choices. "But... there were good qualities as well. Qualities we miss. I had friends, other family, and such. However, I can't go back to them. I'm supposedly dead, remember? Auricia had a younger brother she cared a lot for, but she can't see him anymore. She's 'dead' too. As for the transformation thing, you can tell that few of us are fond of it, aside from Rasch. Auricia has a weak stomach, and I don't like the feeling. It isn't as luxurious as that one over there makes it seem." He was obviously referencing Dieter.

"Anyways. Sanako or Reid? Who are you saving? I'm not going to pretend to know the details of this operation, but I know Stahn never makes things easy. Just make sure you make the right choice, Adela Ciaccio. Your friend is on the line. Mine too..." Rod said aloud as he dusted sand off his belly. "He's my friend too..."

---

When Sanako awoke, it was already well into the night. Cicadas could be heard outside, making sweet music in hopes of finding their special someone. The room was very dark, and was barely lit by a dim light coming through the crack in the door. She was at the inn, now, it seemed. When her eyes finally adjusted, she saw someone at the end of the bed, a girl, her silver locks reflecting the dim light. Sanako checked herself over. Nope, she was still a girl. So why was Ellianne not Christian? Maybe she requested a favor? But why? The girl was quite obviously asleep, her face buried in the sheets at the foot of the bed. The poor girl...

Sanako got up out of bed, as sore as she was, and draped a blanket over Ellianne, before kissing her on the head - something she did quite frequently as Reid, as their relationship was almost that of siblings. That done, she snuck out of the door. She was careful not to make a sound as she made her way down three flights of stairs, and out the front door of the inn. The inn was on the oceanside, so she decided to trail down a dock on the water, until she was at the end. She fell to her knees, clasped her hands together, and prayed. Something she hadn't done since she was a child. But... as things as they were, now seemed like the best possible time to get into the habit once more.
 
OoC: The timeskip kind of messed me up, so the beginning will be the replies and stuff in their memory and uh. Stuff. This is the result of me listening to 'Beautiful Enough' from the Hanazakari no Kimitachi e OST a thousand times over. ;; It's such a sad song. </3



"Oi oi, speak for yourself!" Dieter barked at Tsukasa irritably, sitting up, "Family? Keh! You mean wondering which whore in the room was my mom? Don't kid me kid, even with you around it's better than it was before. It's luxurious as heck! Sure we can't see the people we want to cause we're dead, but I still think we got us something good! Sure we all pretty much hate each others guts, but that's the way a family works on the outside, isn't it? Other than you, I like the new people I've met. You say you 'had' friends. Well, what about Auri-chii? I thought you guys were friends. You're just too hung up on things you can't go back to. Thinking about it and feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to change anything, so why think about it?"

"If you know you don't understand Dieter," Rasch muttered with a frown, shoving aside the memory of his own brothers, "Then don't talk about it." Dieter could never understand the desire of wanting to see the person who'd 'killed' him again. A kidnapper, from the tidbits Dieter had shared, could never mean something like Mihael had.

Dieter looked over his shoulder at Rasch with wide eyes. Not for the fact that Rasch was talking- he was in a different form, of course his frequency of speech was different. "Every last one of you." He rolled his eyes, lying back down, "Can't get enough of your own self-pity."

Was there something wrong with him? No, everyone said there was. Of course there was something wrong with him. Dieter ran a hand through his hair, his eyepatch hanging from between his left hand's index finger and thumb, while his head was bent over a sink, the tap running as he blinked. A steady flow of blood dripping off of his chin and diluding into the clear water as he sighed heavily, spitting out the bit of blood that had dropped into his mouth. What good were families? Weren't they kind of like a family? They argued over stupid stuff, cheated in the game of betrayal and justice they played, and don't most families hate each other? That was like him and Tsukasa, wasn't it? Dieter shook his head. Maybe the families he'd seen in his lifetime weren't like regular families?

Dieter looked up at his reflection in the mirror, his sopping bangs thrown back away from the blood. He grinned, laughing at himself. Man, he looked pathetic!

"What a stupid reason to look like a looooser!" Dieter taunted himself, rinsing off his eyepatch. But no matter how much he shoved it aside, he wanted to know. What his mother was like, what his father looked like. Did he have any siblings that his mother hadn't kept? Were they worse off than he was? What was a mother supposed to be like? Most of his earlier memories had been smashed to bits when they experimented on him, to make him into the better person he was now. He was better, wasn't he? All he remembered was sitting in the corner of a place that smelled like a lot of smoke and liquor, a fog of secondhand smoke screening the already dim room from his sight. A mother who left a child there couldn't possibly be good.

Dieter splashed his face with water.

All this pointless thinking was giving him a headache.

Don't think about things you can't go back to.

Just let it go.

-------------------------


Armon ignored the conversation between the other skills, looking over at Rod, "I guess... I'm not saving either. If I really think about it. But it's not like I have any other choice, so..." He looked over at where Gil was floating on top of the water, "I don't mind if Sanako doesn't remember me." He swallowed the lump in his throat, "As long as she's alive, that's all that counts to me. She can start over, and maybe this way, her life will be better. I know Adela has the same train of thought. It'll be like when Reid left in the first place. Me and Adela..." He nodded, lowering his eyes, "We're good at forgetting things."

Adela stared at the rain drops tossing themselves against the windowpane. She sorely wanted to see Reid. It had never occurred to her that she'd actually want to see him, and yet be unable to at the same time. She pulled on the string and let the blinds drop, pulling on the hem of her t-shirt.

"I'm so…" Adela bit her lip when she heard her voice crack, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, "so…" She worked to catch her breath, trembling while she fought to keep a sob down. She sat down before her knees had the chance to buckle, curling up against the edge of the bed and continuing to rub her eyes before any tears could fall, "Useless."

'We're all pretty useless.' Jeckt added, letting a mirthless laugh escape his lips, 'Like fael like Reila.'

Xaviae fiddled with the necklace in his hands, staring down at it as raindrops began to drip from the dark clouds in the sky. Yellow flowers dotting the field he stood in drooped under the weight of the water, while Xaviae raised his face to the cold bullets of water. He agreed with Jeckt, and quietly breathed out the last word exchanged between the three, '…Yeah.'

-----------------------------------

Lazarus stepped beside Ellianne, moss that grew on the floor beneath the very place he stepped silencing the sound of his shoes against the floor. When he brought his foot away, the moss disappeared, a miniscule white seed left behind. He laid a red sweet pea flower in front of her before turning to leave, closing the door behind him as quietly as he could.

"That's pretty cold." Levi said quietly, tapping an envelope against his leg.

Lazarus looked up, and nodded, barely inaudible, "Look up the meaning of sweet pea flowers, if you ever get the chance."

"Oh, so it's actually pretty considerate? I'll look it up sometime then. See just how Romeo you are, Romeo." Levi saluted casually as Lazarus turned around to leave. As soon as he'd disappeared down the stairs Levi raised an eyebrow, looking at the door to Reid's room, before glancing towards the direction where Lazarus had just disappeared. Man. Levi didn't blame Lazarus for leaving. He shook his head and waited for a few minutes before he was sure that Lazarus had left the inn, by the sound of the front door closing. "… That's gotta suck." He muttered to himself, still shaking his head when he shoved the letter roughly into the mail deposit.
 
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'One week' was the only thought on Sanako's mind that morning. It had been three weeks since Lazarus departed, leaving Ellianne in an emotional mess. The wyvern girl considered herself truly alone, or at least she would be in a matter of days. when they had been training all this time, Christian had kept himself to his room, refusing the leave. Sanako went to visit him from time to time, but she got little response from the young man. Flaire left a week later, a note left behind that said "I had no choice. I couldn't do it." Everyone was a little skeptical about what she was talking about. Well... other than Sanako, but she wasn't about to admit it. She glanced around her room. Nobody was around. Armon must have been out. Though, judging by the sky outside, it was probably early evening as the clouds dancing vigorously in the orange sea. Training had been rough lately, and Sanako had been having problems getting up. She had been sleeping in more and more. The reasoning was obvious. Her body was weakening significantly. Everyone knew it.

But tonight, tonight was going to be a night of celebration. After three terrible weeks of fighting, the Carn Liberation Group had finally won their battle. The phony prince fell to the combined forces, and Piper had been thrown on the throne. Though Sanako could only be concerned about the country's fate from hereon in. Either way, this defeat was a huge kink in his plans. He needed Carn for some reason. It wasn't just this defeat that gave NEAR an advantage. Thanks to Ashton's connections, the Skill laboratory was officially shut down. Now, only two problems remained: the citizens still being trapped in the catacombs beneath Flazure, and the fact that Kayle had yet to be apprehended. That very operation was going to take place the next day, so naturally the night before they'd be partying!

The pink haired girl struggled to get out of bed - everything was really sore, a feeling she had grown accustomed to in the past three weeks. When she finally did so, she made her bloodstained bed. She couldn't help it... but at night she had a tendancy to cough up blood. It was a miracle Armon hadn't changed sleeping quarters. She made haste to dress in... well... a long, cream dress that hung of her small shoulders via spaghetti straps. She wasn't in a habit of wearing dresses, but tonight was a special occassion. She then slipped on a pair of cream coloured sandals, and made her way to the bathroom, where she combed her hair - leaving it down - and applied the slightest bit of makeup. This... was her last party. The thought hadn't occurred to her until after that instant, and she collapsed to her knees as she lost the will to stand. She just stared blankly at nothing, as if in a trance. No... it hadn't occured to her until now, but most of the things she'd be doing this coming week would be her last.

---

"Hey, Armon! Can you go see if Sana-chan is up? Dinner is almost ready, and then there's the dance, so..." While Auricia was enthusiastic, she was far from unaware of the girl's condition. "Just tonight... tonight we need to... make everything perfect." Her eyes watered, but the tears that were about to fall were shocked out of her as Ashton placed a hand on her shoulder and brought her in close ot him. For his services, he had been allowed to change back early. "I-I'm sorry..." She quivered, and Ashton lead her away, looking apologetically at Armon. He mentioned something along the lines of 'putting on a brave face' to Auricia before they moved out of anyone's hearing range.

Rod was at the bar in the dining room, taking shots while he chatted with Melody and Tsukasa.

"So you knew what he decided all along?" Melody inquired as she examined Rod's face.

"Yeah, and I can't say I agree with it. Reid is-" Rod was cut off.

"Going to die otherwise. Sometimes sacrifices need to be made to save a life. Unless you want to give up your life for his?" Rod bit his tongue. That stupid Tsukasa boy was too rational for his own good. Did nobody have morals around here?

"It's just not right, y'know. Did anyone ask Reid what he wants?"

Melody replied again. "No, but I think Armon made this decision based on what Reid would want..."

"Yeah." Rod spat. "You think."
 
Armon looked up at Auricia from the clutter of papers in his hands, hastily folding them and stuffing it into his pocket, "Oh, sure. Don't worry about it Auricia, everything will be fine." He said, lying through his teeth without any trouble at all. It wasn't hard to recite something he'd been saying over and over to himself to someone else. He felt like a broken record at this point, but walked back to the room he shared with Sanako nonetheless, reciting 'everything will be fine' in his head, clutching the letter and check in his hands. He really had to hand it to Gil, being able to coax this much money out of her parents even after having completely cut herself off from them. Armon was worried though, because she'd been very vague about the details of exactly what she'd had to do to get the check, had merely said that she had two more months of freedom before she had to go home. And then there was the issue of where to put Sanako after all her memories were gone. Armon paused a few paces away from his destination. It made him uncomfortable to think about it, but if Sanako had none of her memories…

"Sanako." Armon knocked lightly on the door twice before opening it, "Dinner's almost-… Sanako?"

He closed the door behind him and peered into the open door of the bathroom moving over to see whether she was inside, "Hey, Auricia wanted me to tell you that Dinner's almost ready- Are you okay?" Armon looked down at Sanako before sighing and reaching down, "Scared me for a second." Pulling her to her feet, Armon smoothed her hair and turned around to find something to change into, "Don't just sit on the ground like that, I'll think something happened, or whatever." He sifted around the closet and extracted a long-sleeved, black button up polo. Peeling off his T-shirt, he tossed the garment onto the bed and sat down, glancing at the bloodstains for a split second before pulling his shirt on. "Y'think anyone'll care if I wear jeans?" He looked down at his loose dark denim jeans and black work boots, "…Well, they're not too casual."

After buttoning up his shirt and folding the collar down, Armon pushed the sleeves up to his elbow, strapping a leather bracelet around his left wrist before pulling on the ends of his black shirt to try and get rid of the wrinkles on it. After a few useless tugs, he gave up and ran a hand through his hair. Good enough for him.

"You want to go down now or later?" Armon grinned, holding out his hand and shoving his other into his pocket.

---

"Formal clothes-" Dieter barked, his voice strangled as he re-adjusted the belt holding up his slim black pants, and tugged on the collar around his neck, "-Are-the-worst!"

Dieter didn't do formal clothes. What he was wearing wasn't even formal, even though Dieter considered it so. It was obvious by Rasch's disgruntled expression that just getting Dieter to wear a belt had been a feat, and a top that wasn't a T-shirt? A miracle. He'd long gotten a new pair of sunglasses, nearly identical to his old ones except in color, this pair with yellow lenses. One could tell that the olive green sleeveless cargo shirt he wore was not his. Dieter didn't own any clothes that weren't T-shirts, pin-striped vests, or dark denim jeans. By the style of the black tribal designs on the pocket flaps, the article of clothing upon Dieter's torso belonged to either Levi, or Rasch. Though the young skill hadn't been quite as appreciative of the wardrobe change, he'd purposely sought out four black bobby pins, which he used to pin the left portion of his hair away from his face, leaving the bangs on the other side to hide his facial burns.

After marching down the hallway for a second, Dieter suddenly turned around, "I'm going back."

Rasch sweatdropped as Gil suddenly popped up, having gone back to quickly change after finishing up with operation get-Dieter-in-decent-clothes. She'd successfully pinned Dieter as the most interesting and cheerful person out of the entire group who was most inclined on sharing her desire for mischievous fun, and therefore had stuck to him and Rasch like glue. She spun Dieter around, "Now now!" She chided, in high spirits, "Let's not be a party pooper over a set of clothes! It's just one night!"

"Exactly," Dieter reasoned irritably, "So I don't see the harm in wearing a T-shir-"

"You'll feel weird if you're wearing something different from everyone else you know!" Gil lectured, "You look fine, you're not even dressed as formally as Rasch is, look!" She pointed to the suit Rasch was wearing, his cane hooked on his right arm. Rasch who shook his head and kept walking.

"He's wearing what he always wears." Dieter retorted frankly, pushing Gil's arm and hand down and trying to turn back to his room again.

"True." Gil shrugged before continuing to shove Dieter towards the dining room, "But come on, we're halfway there already anyway! Here look, we match! I'm wearing a green dress too!"

Dieter didn't seem quite as excited about the idea of matching as Gil did. Such a trivial thing. He already knew she was wearing a green, linen mini-dress, she'd been going on about it all day. Buttons adorning the collar. A variety of gold charms on chains hanging around her neck. Slouchy brown suede boots that reached her ankles. And a thick brown belt cinching her torso under her bust. (Her non-existent bust, Dieter had noted.) "The inside of this shirt feels funny." Dieter whined, itching the side of his stomach as he was pushed into the dining room, "and these pants feel weird too. My arms feel weird, I don't like this sleeveless thing. These pockets are itchy."

"Hiii guys!" Gil chirped, ignoring Dieter as she burst into the dining room, dragging him behind her, "Sorryyy we're kind of late~!"
 
"Armon..." Sanako began, having taken a seat on the bed while the boy began to get changed. Her eyes were troubled, and she was surprised at how casual he was acting... as if nothing was going to change. She fiddled with the straps of her dress before looking down at her lap, which she had finally rested her shaking hands. The shaking was another worsening aspect - it had been gradually happening more frequently and in stronger intensity. It was a sign that her mahstion abilities were under fire. Her link with Mistral had weakened significantly because of it. After all, fael and reila were essentially bound by mahstion. "Please! Can you get Xavaie to talk to Mistral! We... don't have much time left, and I fear she... well... she'll die feeling alone... And..." She went to say some more, but she froze. There had been something she had wanted to ask him since they were at the beach three weeks prior. Something about his behaviour, something that she felt he needed to tell her at some point or another. "...I thought you said we shouldn't keep secrets from each other...?" She shook her head afterwards, deciding she shouldn't pry too hard, and got up off her seat. She made her way to the door, every step hurting just as much as the last - though at this point she had become pro at hiding any pain she felt from the sickness - before turning the doorknob. "Okay... let's go." She didn't like the idea of being left in the dark after he had given her hell weeks before for doing it to him. But... what did it matter? It wouldn't in 7 days.

---

Princess Evaline Dian was sprawled across the bed that had once belonged to her older sister, Rosaline Dian. The last three weeks had been an experience she never wanted to repeat again. While the two heirs had been hidden until the actual victory, it was the actual waiting that was the worst. Locked in a dark cave for nearly three weeks. Fun. Now that everything was settled, she had just been tossed aside like excess material that came alongside Piper. Nobody was going to crown a twelve year old girl though, so she expected as much. She didn't like being separated from her brother, however, especially not in such a large, unfamiliar castle. She was afraid, too. Apparently, the council had suggested 'disposing' of her, or at least planting one of those evil tattoos on her hand. Shd really needed a friend. And, as things now stood, she didn't have any.

One thing she had come across in this room that she found of particular interest, however, was the diary of one Rosaline Dian. Evaline was enthralled by the tales told throughout, and the stories of one particular individual that she kept close to her heart. Evaline wanted that. Someone she could keep like that... other than her brother. Whoever this person was, was probably in a lot of pain after Rosaline's passing. She couldn't help but cry reading some parts of the diary, knowing that much. That the sister she never knew was dead.
 
Armon stared at Sanako, his expression generally unreadable as he pulled his hand back into his pocket and stood where he was. It wouldn't matter whether he was keeping secrets in 7 days. He just didn't want to think about it, and he couldn't tell her. It would just cause more problems. He glanced down at his feet before putting his hand on top of hers, pulling the door open. Armon kept his voice light as he shrugged at the subject of her dying, "I'm sure he's just trying to find his courage to face her. After all, he didn't do so well last time he met with her."

Xaviae bit his thumb feeling the cold silver chain of his necklace press up against his upper lip as he pressed his forehead into his knees. Jeckt sat against the tree, chains sitting loosely around his waist as he watched Xaviae with emotionless eyes. After about two weeks, Jeckt had finally emerged from his hiding spot, only to say nothing and be calm enough that Xaviae didn't even concentrate a fourth of his power to keeping him under control. Jeckt sighed and closed his eyes, settling in to take a nap. Watching Xaviae fret over nothing was starting to get boring. In less than a minute though, he opened his eyes again, looking up at the sky with an irritated face. This had to the the thousandth time it started raining out of nowhere! Armon swallowed the lump in his throat, and while he had been planning on mentioning something in his defense about the secret he was keeping, he didn't open his mouth. He didn't dare risk having his voice crack again, especially not in front of Sanako, or in this form.

"Just go Xaviae. You only have seven days." Armon thought, walking towards the dining hall and masking a deep breath as a sigh.

'I guess…' Xaviae mumbled, getting to his feet. He peeled his now damp orange hair away from his face, taking a step forward and finding himself in a familiar setting. It was almost nostalgic. He hadn't been here in so long. Looking around, Xaviae suddenly found that there was nothing to say. He'd been thinking and thinking, but now that he was here, anything he'd thought of just seemed to fly away. Anything he tried to say seemed to refuse to come out. He looked straight at Mistral and immediately lowered his gaze to the ground. Just as he'd thought. 'S-sorry… I…' He managed to choke out, shrinking a little as he tried to find the words he wanted to say, 'um, didn't… come earlier.'

Armon quietly cleared his throat and spoke clearly, to his relief, "I know I said that. I have to accept it myself before I can tell you, so… just… wait a little longer…" Armon rubbed the back of his neck, making a point to keep his face turned away from Sanako, "Okay?"

~

"We cannot simply just change sides!" A man's furious voice came from the number of people sitting on either side of Piper down the rectangular table. It was too dark in here. "Do you intend to ruin Carn's record? We have already aided Gregar and Beta in their cause, it is the winning side! I implore you your Majesty, please do not bring your naïve principles with you when you make decisions that can affect the entire country!"

Piper's jaw was tightly set as he stared at the map spread out across the beautiful oak. The crown on his head was itchy, heavy, uncomfortable. It didn't feel right at all. He was only 16. His birthday wasn't even until next month, and his education hadn't even been completed yet; now they wanted him to decide which country Carn would ally itself with under the new King? He knew what he wanted. He wanted to stay with Tealia, because the people who had saved him and Evaline were on Tealia's side. But for was seemed like the millionth time, Piper was faced with a decision in which he couldn't just consider Evaline. All his decisions would have to be for the people of Carn. Not just his little sister, whom he saw less and less of everyday. At times, he didn't even want to face her. What could he say to someone who had been ushered away from him day after day? He wanted to sigh over all the dilemma's over being such a prominent figure, but the sharp eye of his new teacher, Mr. Hugen, told him not to. Sighing was a sign of weakness, weariness. It would not be a step in the right direction to gain respect.

"Minister of Kellund Church, I implore you to remember your manners-" Mr. Hugen replied in his snippy voice. The minister shut up after that, sinking back into his seat with a look of loathing at Mr. Hugen.

Piper shared the minister's viewpoint on Mr. Hugen. Somebody must've given him a permanent wedgie when he was a child, because the effects were still showing. Piper fought the urge to smile at the thought, and cleared his throat.

"I do not believe that the cause Gregar and Beta are fighting for is something that embodies the things our country represents. The reforms that Princess Rosaline Dian has made on our country no longer make us out to be the tyrannical, merciless country that it was six years ago." Piper began slowly, but sure to keep his voice clear and confident. (Especially since Mr. Hugen looked ready to send Piper to another three hour class on speech.).

A familiar voice interjected, and Piper melted with relief, as he always did when he heard him. He was always on his side, no matter what, even if Piper couldn't really tell at times.

"I agree with his Majesty." Solomon spoke up, sitting beside his father, who gave him a stern look for interrupting, "Five years ago, people fled from our borders in fear of being imprisoned. A country cannot possibly survive without commerce, and we cannot have commerce when merchants are afraid to enter upon the fear of being imprisoned for something as petty as selling the wrong products."

"I apologize for my son's rash behavior," Mr. Pace bowed his head, "He has not been properly educated."

Piper resisted the urge to laugh at the face Solomon was making at the back of his father's head, and instead choked out, "I see. Well, moving on, I do not believe that we should change sides." Lies. "I would first like to focus on our own country, and remain neutral in any strifes that include battle. We should strengthen our own country during this time. I understand that loyalty to myself, and the general government runs very low at this point in time, because of the sudden changes in leadership that seem to be occurring so frequently. I believe we should try to regain public trust before campaigning for wars and allies."

"Tealia will not attack us. They are also in a state of frenzy," Another man said, "as their own monarchs have gone missing. And if we remain neutral, then Beta and Gregar cannot possibly have anything to say to us. We can simply lessen our support for them over time until we can safely turn our attention to bringing peace to Carn. In this sense, I also support his Majesty's proposal. Alta is under our jurisdiction, but unless we make amends within our own country, we can't possibly control another."

Piper's last ditch resort. Focusing on the other four countries was too much for him to handle. Controlling Alta was a matter he didn't want to touch upon, though.

"Then we've reached an agreement?" Piper asked, trying to keep the relief out of his voice.

Quiet murmuring broke out into the air as Piper turned to leave, glancing at Solomon who ignored the look and continued to speak with the elderly man beside him. Solomon hadn't told him why he'd returned to the Pace family yet. Piper had even sent a servant to go check on Solomon's shop- it was still there, but he'd been told that it was never open anymore. Returning to the Pace family would make it easier for Solomon to stay by Piper's side though. It would be the easiest way to continue his job. Which, Piper realized with a sweatdrop, Solomon was still getting paid for.
 
"...I wish you wouldn't act like that." Sanako stopped in her tracks to adjust the strap on her dress once more. She didn't look back at him as a single tear rolled down her right cheek. "After this week, it's over. There are so many things I wanted to do, but now I can't. Get married, raise children, grow old with someone. And those are only the most notable things. It's not fair, I didn't deserve to have that taken away from me." She hadn't really vocalized her thoughts on her condition lately. It was obvious it had been eating her up the entire time. Nobody had really comforted her in the past three weeks, but she didn't blame them? What could you say to a person who's going to die? It's not like words will change anything. Before she realized it, tears were running down her face in whordes, leaving a salty taste on her lips. "Dammit, stop crying... I decided I wouldn't... Crying won't fix anything now... DAMMIT!" She turned and embraced Armon suddenly as she screamed. "I'm sorry! I know I'm not the only one upset by this... you are too! But... but..."

"..." Mistral just looked blankly at Xavaie. Bastard just thinks he can come back after being gone all that time and everything could be okay. Day by day, she faded more and more. It was only a matter of days before she was completely gone, and Reid along with her. "I'm not in the mood for forgiving you right now." She stated coldly as she turned her back to him, the sky she stood in growing stormier by the second. "You knew I was going to disappear too, right? So why the hell did it take you THIS long to come see me? I'm not going to last much longer, you idiot!"

OOC: Wow... bad writer's block for the lose.
 
Armon bit down hard on the inside of his cheek. Just this night, everything had to be perfect. Is what Auricia had said. Sanako would be able to do all the things she thought she wouldn't be able to do. Turning around, and putting his hand on top of Sanako's, Armon said quietly, "It's fine. You don't have to shout or apologize for anything. I just thought that… it would be worse, if I treated everything I did with you as the last things I'll be able to do while you're still here. Doesn't that just make everything… sadder than it already is?" Armon pulled his sleeve over his wrist and rubbed the tears off of Sanako's face, "Calm down, alright? We can go back to the room, if you want. I'll tell Auricia and the others that we'll be a little late?"

Xaviae stared at Mistral's back and sat down. 'I couldn't do anything last time I saw you. How am I supposed to face you, when I can't do anything; again?' He looked down and ran his hands through his hair, 'I mean, I'm supposed to be in love with you, aren't I? And I can't even protect you from anything. Every time I see you, it's like something bad is happening. Isn't that because of me? So I… I guess I thought it'd be better if I didn't see you. But since you wanted to see me, I came. I'm stupid, I know, but I didn't want something like… the time you have left to become shorter… somehow.'

Xaviae looked down, 'So I'll just wait here until you forgive me. Now that I really think about it, it was a pretty pointless decision, not to come.' Xaviae sat back making sure that only faels could hear him, 'You know Mistral, just a few months ago, I thought Adela would never even look at Reid again. But she was crying, just a few weeks ago. It seems like Armon doesn't care, but in reality, he care more than everyone else, except maybe Adela, to the point where he can't show it. If he shows it, then he's not supporting Sanako, like he's supposed to be. Because then she'll have to comfort him, won't she? I don't want to be a burden on you right now, and Armon doesn't want to be a burden on Sanako. I'm not saying you shouldn't be mad at us for it, but we're not trying to turn away from you and your reila, either.'
 
OOC: Frigg-ing-writ-ers-block!

"But! For me... I can't keep acting... it hurts too much." She let go of him, and backed off hesitantly. It... wasn't fair. She was going to die, and is it stood she wouldn't even die happy! If tomorrow didn't end up in their success, then she had considered the possibility of just killing herself if she survived. But... that man. He had to answer to Reid first, for all of his sins. Rosaline, Sven, and even himself. There was no way that man was going to get away with it! Sanako suddenly found herself full of a new determination as she clenched her fist together at the thought of what she still had to accomplish. She didn't have time to be sad yet. After tomorrow, sure, but now she still had a goal to accomplish. As Sanako walked past Armon towards the dance hall, wiping tears from her eyes, she muttered one thing to him.

"...I hope you'll forgive me."

"Have you met my reila? Bad things come at him in swarms, even when you aren't around. Don't be so naive." Mistral murmured grumpily, her back turned to Xavaie. "Don't you find it odd? That Sanako hasn't returned to being Reid at all in the past three weeks? It's because she doesn't want REID to die. She wants Sanako to die. Don't you find that wrong?" She had become sidetracked, her line of thought swimming in every which direction as the sky became enveloped by a tornado. "And you know... by not being a burden, she kind of thinks Armon is. She has doubts that he really cares that much at all based on his behaviour."
 
Xaviae bit his tongue, and dragged his eyes back up to Mistral, furrowing his brows while trying to keep the irritation out of his expression. He curled his fists, pressing the heels of his palms into his knees as he resisted the urge to spill everything. Xaviae swallowed the lump in his throat. As frustrated as he was, even if Mistral didn't understand anything, even if Sanako wanted to take a fruitless chance at saving Reid even a little, Xaviae had fully processed that he had seven days left to spend with Mistral. 'I know why you're mad at me, but I don't understand why you think it's going to solve anything.' Xaviae leaned back, 'You're mad at me because I didn't show up until now, but now that I'm here, you're going to be mad at me for seven days? Isn't that the same thing as me not coming here at all? You seem displeased to see me, not displeased that I didn't come earlier.' Xaviae stood up, his white shirt billowing around him, his damp, sheet white hair whipping into his face as he draped his arms around Mistral's shoulders, bringing her into a gentle embrace. 'I'll come back to see you again. I won't take as long as this time.'

Armon shut his mind as needle-like rain poured from the sky, and Xaviae disappeared, standing in the middle of the clearing as he looked over his shoulder at Jeckt with a wry smile. The negafael failed to reciprocate a smile and peeled his soaked black hair out of his eyes. 'I don't know why she likes you.' Jeckt hid inside the dry hollow interior of the mother tree as Xaviae's smile wiped clean off his face.

"I'll be right there," Armon called after Sanako, "I forgot something." Turning to go back to their room, Armon ignored his burning eyes leaned against the wall after he'd safely made it halfway back. He didn't understand himself. The fact that he would never be able to face her again after the operation burned at him. He didn't want to see a Sanako that didn't know who he was. She wouldn't even remember him. And yet he didn't want to see her even now, the Sanako that did know him. It felt like someone was sticking needles in his arms and legs everytime he faced her, wondering if she'd somehow already forgotten him. He brought his hand up to his forehead and slid to the floor. But she was suffering from his façade, which he could barely pin up as it was. Might as well forget it, right? Armon dropped his hand and relaxed his shoulders, turning to sit down properly on the ground as he stared at his fingertips. He needed to go back soon. To some stupid party at the worst time in the entire world.

Auricia was asking a lot. A perfect night for someone who was surrounded by people who were lying to her day after day… The guilt stabbed at Armon over and over again, as he stumbled to his feet, using the wall as support before finally deeming himself fit to go back.

Forget it. Armon commanded himself.

Just forget it.

-------------------


"You forgot it?!" Lazarus peered around the stack of books he was reshelving, dressed in a lavender pinstriped button-up shirt and dark jeans, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, "I can't believe you!!" Lazarus smiled and picked up another book, setting it beside the one he was holding upright with his other hand. "This is the third time!" His father shrieked in dramatic agony, "Listen, this is the last time I'll lend you a crystal. Okay?"

"Kaaay."

Lazarus stepped off of the ladder and shook his head at his father, who was trying to teach a neighborhood boy the art of dowsing. The boy still didn't have a good grip on his mahstion yet though, and thus chaos often ensued whenever he didn't bring his own wire that was completely infused with his eation. Lazarus had spent the last three weeks helping out in his father's library. He'd refused invitations to gatherings where people would share their new findings on history. He'd refused invitations to science conventions, speeches, demonstrations. All which he would've accepted, had they come before he'd been sent off to Tealia and met Reid, Levi, Ellianne, and the others. He picked up a red pen from behind the receptionist's desk and marked a slash through the present date, the young flirty receptionist glancing at the circled date before smiling at Lazarus, "Seven more days, huh? What's the occasion? Your birthday? Or…" She frowned, "Do you have a girlfriend or something?"

Lazarus capped the pen and stuck it back in the wooden cup, "Neither." He said, without the slightest trace of his usual kindness in his voice. He wasn't interested in girls.

Other girls.

"ARGHHHH!" Lazarus' father looked ready to pull out his already thinning white hair when a dowsing crystal flew through the window, shattering it. Lazarus sighed. He was probably the one who'd end up having to clean it up.
 
"...What's there to solve...?" Mistral began, making no attempt to escape from her embrace. "I'm dying, and it can't be undone. But, I appreciate it... Reid, too. He's trying to be strong, but, I think his reaction to everything is natural. Maybe it's because I'm his fael that I think that, but the idea of him smiling about this all would be, well, wrong." She turned around, and locked lips with Xavaie, releasing her grasp on his lips gently as she began to slink away. "...I really don't think there is a right or wrong in this case. Sorry for being so witchy." Another thought occurred to her as Sanako's mind became clearer. "Kayle Spar. Reid really wants him dead... for everyone's sake. Can... we count on you guys tomorrow? To help us see this last battle through to it's climax? And... don't forget us, okay?" With that, she disappeared. She had a lot to reflect on. Sanako did as well, apparently.

"SANAKOOOOOO!" Rod's voice yelled as the doors to the ballroom flew open... in her face... sending her into the wall. "Ah? Sanako? I could have sworn I heard her coming..." He suddenly came to sense the killing intent radiating from behind the large, wooden door, only to realize too late. A short and fast gust of wind flew down the hall, and smacked him clear in the stomach, knocking the air right out of him, which brought him to his knees. The door suddenly swung back closed, revealed a less than pleased looking Sanako behind it, her arms crossed over her chest with her right eye twitching frantically.

She raised her hand as if to attack him again, but dropped it suddenly, following up with a heavy sigh. "...Sorry Rod, I'm just a little tense, that's all." Rod sweatdropped. Yeah, just a little. It wasn't as if she didn't have a good reason, but she had been acting like she had a bug up her butt the past three weeks. She could at least act normal for this one night. When his train of thought had ended, the girl had already wandered inside. Even so... was she in any condition to be moving around so much? Tomorrow especially. She was shaking, her arms and legs, anyways, most likely because she's just 'sucking it up'.

Auricia was the first person to tackle-glomp Sanako after she entered the room. The purple haired Skill was dressed in a cream coloured, strapless dress that somehow supported itself as it hung off her shoulders. Her hair was curled, while usually it was straight, as well. "You're going to eat a lot, right? We're going to have a lot of fun, right? We're going to dance a lot, RIGHT!?" Sanako sweatdropped as she glanced at the girl on top of her. She didn't like the idea of being smothered so thoroughly on a regular basis. But right now, it seemed okay. Sanako managed her first smile in weeks.

"Sure."

---

Ellianne sat alone in her room, not intending on joining in the festivities. First her family was killed, then Sven, then Lazarus left, then Flaire left, and Reid only had a week to live remaining. She didn't have anyone anymore. Her only working eye glared down at her lap as she sat up in the bed. For a girl who grew up in an environment where everyone depended on each other, this was the worst. She... didn't want to be alone. She couldn't be alone! If it came to it, she might have to- no, that'd be wrong. But...
 
'She doesn't think you care'

"Well, I do." Armon retorted, sifting through the bathroom drawers. He'd returned to the room, like he said he'd be doing, as he'd thought of something he had left behind.

'It doesn't matter whether you do or not.' Jeckt replied in an uninterested tone, 'What matters is that she knows.'

Armon bit the inside of his lower lip in irritation. Everyone just couldn't shut up for once, could they? He found what he was looking for and extracted the leather holster, his gun falling out and spinning across the tile. Ignoring it, Armon turned the leather over and unzipped the back pocket, pulling out a butterfly necklace, and Jeckt took a sharp breath, 'You're a genius.'

"I've never worn it before." Armon said, examining the clasp while turning it over between his fingers, "And it didn't seem like it made much difference whether Adela wore it when she showed it to Reid last. You think Sanako will notice?"

'No.' Jeckt's blunt reply came, 'That girl doesn't notice anything but herself.'

Armon looked up at his own reflection, his eyes questioning himself as to why he was having this conversation with Jeckt of all people. Of course all his answers would be negative, pessimistic, and far from what Armon wanted to hear. "Well whatever." He countered, looping the necklace around his wrist twice before fastening it, the way Xaviae wore it, "I'll tell her eventually. I just need to know if Stahn is okay with it." Jeckt was silent as Armon dropped the holster back into the drawer, picking up the gun from off the floor and looking at the other side. It was weird, that this gun's original owner was so close. Armon dropped the gun on top of the holster, shoving the drawer shut as he readjusted the collar of his shirt. As he left the bathroom, Armon glanced at the blood spattered across the bed sheets, pausing in his trek back to the hallway.

Jeckt spoke up, snapping Armon out of his thought process, 'Necklaces are supposed to go on your neck.'

"Yeah well, it's kind of girly." Armon replied with a shrug, "I don't think it'd fit my neck as well as it fits Adela's anyway. How's Xaviae?"

'Somewhere between happy and depressed.' Jeckt sounded extremely disdainful, 'Happy for getting a kiss, depressed for the fact that Mistral wants a useless loser like him's help again. I told him I'd gladly do his part for him, but the dolt wants to screw everyone over by doing it himse-'

'I can hear you, you know.' Xaviae interrupted as-a-matter-of-factly, 'Mistral doesn't want us to forget them. Or, that's what she said before you dragged me back here.'

Armon laughed quietly, tearing his eyes away from the blood and hurrying back into the dining hall, "How could we forget? The only person who's going to be doing any forgetting is…"

'Isn't Sanako going to wonder why her faels are female, while she's a female too? It doesn't work that way, you know. Although if we stick her somewhere far away from other people with faels, I don't think she'll notice.'

'And where is that? On the moon?' Xaviae snapped sarcastically.

'Like it matters, cause that's where her memory is goin-'

"Enough." Armon interrupted, and the conversation ceased entirely. He felt considerably better after having time to recover from his conversation with Sanako earlier, and Jeckt was taking the conversation in a direction that would not be helpful to his mood. When Armon finally found himself in front of the dining room door, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Wrenching the door open, he scanned the attendance. Everyone, except Ellianne. Armon looked out the window almost expecting to see Lazarus sitting on the window sill reading something or playing with some seeds. Of course Ellianne wasn't coming. She was even more depressed than Sanako was, these past few weeks, and if she wasn't, Sanako was doing much better than her in terms of hiding it. A sweet pea flower. What the heck was Lazarus thinking? He was probably sick of being transformed into a girl, knowing that that was what he'd dreaded the most.

"Hey." Armon said mustering a smile, "Did I miss anything?"


-----
 
"SANAKOOOOO!" Sanako sweatdropped. Did that guy ever run out of energy? Rod's flying glomp assault was swiftly interrupted by Tsukasa, who made little effort at all to knock the larger skill off his directed route with a kick to the head. Sanako sweatdropped again as Rod flew face first into the wall just left of her. When that was done, and Sanako had finally broken free of Auricia's death grip, the skill girl asked her if she wanted to go eat. Sanako shook her head. She hadn't been feeling hungry at all lately - perhaps it was because she swallowed so much of her blood, she wondered - so she declined, while moving over to Armon. She knew that Auricia wouldn't try to get her to eat anyways if she was with Armon. But... he'd probably force her to eat.

"You didn't miss anything~" She was trying to sound enthusiastic, but her voice couldn't completely hide how crappy she felt. It was the same with her habits. To stop the shaking in her arms, she had to grab the left one with the right one, and her face still had a sickly, dim, weak glow to it. Bags were under her eyes as well. Her eyes eventually fell on his wrist, where that necklace was. She got in closer to Armon, and took that hand with both of hers. "Y-you wore it... I-... I'm so happy..." She smiled genuinely - probably the first one in weeks, a single tear rolling down her left cheek. He did care, then? Or was this just an act of charity on his part since she'd be dying soon. "Listen... you know my cloak, the one Reid usually wears? When I die, can you make sure Ailia gets it? When I go... she'll have nobody left... my little sister..." It was the other way around right now, since Sanako was younger than Ailia, but the thought was still so sad for her. It actually hadn't even occurred to her until now. The fact that Ailia would be all alone.

"Okay, listen up!" Melody's voice boomed over a speaker as she took center stage, her voice ringing with enthusiasm. "Before we get tonight started, we need to discuss tomorrow's operation! Basically, we'll be split into two teams. Team A, which consists of the skills, and Team B, which consists of the rest of us. Team A will be going down to Flazure to free the people stuck in the catacombs, while Team B will be infiltrating the HQ of one Kayle Spar, located in Azern." Sanako's eyes went wide. Azern? Her home town? Why the HELL was his headquarters THERE? She felt a little dizzy from a mixture of her sickness and the shock of the sudden revealation, and fell into Armon. "As for the detailed plan, we'll go over that in the morning. For tonight though, just have fun~"

"..." Sanako remained quiet for a minute. "Could you... take me to get a drink?" She asked Armon as she wiped sweat from her forehead. I need to sit down for a minute, I think... Why Azern? Where the hell was there to put a base in Azern without being noticed? It didn't make sense!
 
Armon blushed when Sanako took his hand, the notion being somehow more embarrassing than he'd envisioned. But the red in his cheeks quickly drained away at the mention of Ailia and death. Again. He frowned and ran his free hand through Sanako's hair, "I've already arranged for Ailia and Ellianne, remember? I'll bring her your cloak myself, don't worry. And should Ailia want to, Shiraume has already said that she's welcome to stay at her place, if she ever needs someone waiting at home." Armon felt somewhat guilty that he couldn't tell Sanako that Ailia could come to wherever Adela would be by the end of all this, but he didn't know for sure where she'd be, and Ailia... would defeat the purpose of avoiding Sanako, if she showed up anywhere near him and Adela. Still fiddling with a lock of Sanako's hair as Armon looked up to listen to Melody, he dropped his hand as soon as she mentioned 'Azern'. Stahn that bastard. Neither he nor Melody could catch a hint, could they? He… She should've shut her trap until tomorrow morning, damn it.

Dieter curled his lip and folded his arms, "Tch." He said, glaring at Ashton through his sunglasses, "What a stupid mission. What a stupid set-up, more like it. We, skills, are more powerful than any of those stupid humans combined, so why the heck are you sending us on an easy-as-cake mission while you're sending them into a death trap?" Dieter leaned back in his seat, a glass of orange soda in his hands as he shook the ice around, "I still hate those trash who can't even pull their own weight around and hide behind other countries, so there's no way in heck I'm goin' to save their butts. I'm either staying here, or going home. Screw you guys and your stupid collar- I'm not your freaking pet." Dieter tugged on his choker, and Gil leaned over to look at the raw skin and flesh around the back of his neck from him trying to pull it off. "I've been bored out of my freaking mind here, and now you want me to go save people? Don't push your luck, you fuc-"

"Eek!" Gil slapped a hand over Dieter's mouth.

Rasch furrowed his brow, staring at Dieter with disdainful eyes. Nice timing to back out, but it wasn't as if losing a single skill would affect the mission much.

"You'll come with me, won't you Rasch? You don't like the Wyvern-Phoenix people either, right?" Dieter fished for a companion, and Rasch shrugged. It was true he didn't like them, but it was also true that he'd had much less killing to do during these last few weeks, which suited him perfectly. Rasch closed his eyes to think, drumming his fingers on his book.

'I might accompany you, if you choose to stay here.' Lionus scrawled across the leather cover of his book. It was Rasch's ideal choice, because that would mean he wouldn't have to face the species that was running away from people like him, and it would also mean that he wouldn't have to return to Gregar. Rasch wiped the Lionus off the book and wrote across the air that he would make a decision tomorrow.

"Well anyway," Dieter said stubbornly, "I don't want to go, because there's nothing in it for me if I help you guys, and you," Dieter jabbed a finger at Ashton, "Haven't let me into town even once since last time, therefore, I am not on your side. And besides, I don't get you crazy people; if you're trying to save a race that's been imprisoned and treated like dirt for all this time, then you're all hypocrites, y'know that?" Dieter's hand that was fiddling with the collar on his neck pulled on the accessory, hard. The blue bruise around his neck started to turn purple in the middle again.

Armon helped Sanako to where empty cups were lined up, picking up one absentmindedly and wondering why Dieter had to have this discussion now of all times. He handed Sanako a glass of water, "Anything else would hurt your throat, right?" Armon smiled, before turning away to fix himself a glass of water too, "Just ignore Dieter, he's probably in a bad mood from being forced to wear something different from his usual. He'll get over it.
 
"Fine then, that just means more soldiers to kill for us." Tsukasa spat, referencing Rod, Auricia, and himself. "We don't need you Dieter, so you can stay here. You won't hear us complaining. It'd be better, actually, without you." He began to walk away, waving his hand in the air. "Less hassle, y'know?"

"It seems like that would be true..." Rod added, looking Dieter up and down curiously.

"I... think he's right. Sorry Die-chi, but we'll be okay without you!" Auricia said in a bubbly manner, realizing there was some truth to Tsukasa's claim. Well... there was no point in lying if he was going to leave anyways, right? Okay, so she was a little naive. That aside, she rested on her opinion that Dieter was unecessary, as cruel as it was to say.

Ashton let out a heavy sigh and dropped his head, shaking it from side to side. What kind of excuse was 'you haven't let me go into town'? He never asked! But wow, what a time to choose to act up about this. That Davies kid was already in horrible shape. She didn't need the added stress of Dieter's idiocy on top of that. Even watching her now with his free eye, he could see her glaring with a sad sort of frustration at Dieter, as if she was completely shocked and placed in disarray by his rebellion.

It was true, Sanako couldn't process why he wouldn't help. She only wanted to accomplish two things before dying. Defeating Kayle was one, saving those people was the other. If he wasn't going to help her reach that goal, then... "Ashton, press the button!" She was of course, talking about the one that would leave the skill decapitated - the collar. Ashton, personally, had no clue what the hell she was going on about, until it clicked. "If he's not going to help, if he can't have compassion for another living person, then... then..." Ah, she had gone off the deep end, perhaps? Ashton had never really considered using the button. But now...

"Er... I suppose I could, but..."

"DO IT!"

He sighed, and took out the button
 
"I wouldn't touch that button, Lieutenant." Rasch spoke coldly and clearly, huge blades sprouting out of the right side of his face, each stretched to position themselves centimeters away from Ashton, "I wouldn't kill you if only for the fact that Auricia and Tsukasa like you. I don't mind a collar on Dieter, as I also find it necessary. But if you kill one of our species, I will not hesitate to shred your organs before Auricia or Tsukasa can even begin to try and harm me. Of course, I wholly expect Auricia to quickly heal them, but I expect they would not function as efficiently afterwards." Rasch's voice was calm as he folded his hands in his lap, crossing one leg over the other as he smiled serenely at Sanako, "Miss, I believe you have been mislead, or perhaps, are considering too much of us. While I will not deny that the other skill in this room that have devoted themselves to the Lieutenant are wholeheartedly supporting you, neither I nor Dieter are here to help your purpose without being ordered to. Neither I nor Dieter care much for the fact that you are soon to pass away, and I'm sorry to say that we do not harbor sympathies for the two tribes that make up Flazure. But this, of course, does not mean that we do not have compassion for other living beings. I personally have quite a large compassion for others of my kind, as Tsukasa, Auricia, and Dieter are all very important to me, and Dieter himself has a strange compassion for animals other than humans. Please realize that Dieter's choice to not assist in your mission does nothing to aid it, but also does nothing to hinder it at the same time, therefore there should be no problem with his choice to refuse you his aid in a mission that can easily be accomplished with even one skill alone."

"Forget it Rasch." Dieter scowled, "That girl's a hypocrite too. I couldn't give a damn about what that melodramatic purple-haired drama-king over there thinks, and while I'm glad you've figured out I value your opinion Auricia, I can't give it consideration if it's got anything to do with that trash." Dieter spat out his cigarette, turning his words back to Sanako, the temperature slowly rising as Dieter became more and more infuriated, "I don't know what the heck is wrong with you lady, other than the fact that you suck the life right out of your boyfriend day and night and don't even give a second thought to it. Compassion for other people? But your compassion for other living beings seems to be kind of limited too. Don't think you're some kind of saint because everyone around you treats you like one- I'm a living being, this guy your out to kill is a living being, if you wanna kill us, that makes you no different from me. Your reasons for killing us just suck compared to my reasons for killing people left and right. Get off your high steed, *****, who died and made you Queen? Go ahead and push the god damned button, I'm sick and tired of your stupid threats. I'd rather die before you than shine your shoes until you drop dead."

"Dieter-" Armon began threateningly, pushing Sanako behind him as he stepped forward, but a sharp slap stopped him in his tracks. Déjà vu, Armon thought bitterly, waiting for Gil's follow up as she waved her hand around to help bring feeling back into her limb.

Dieter glared at her, looking as if he was ready to attack her, but Gil used his most deadly weakness to stall, as Dieter loved chit-chat before a battle, "Yeah, who died and made Sanako queen, I agree sometimes. I don't see how she or Ashton have the right to decide that you're going to die just because you don't want to help us, since you didn't want to help us since the very beginning. But that doesn't mean you can mouth off to Sanako like you just did. Well? Who died and made you King, Dieter? Shut up and sit down like a good boy if you're not going to help us." Gil whirled about to look at Sanako, "I'm not going to tell you I'm not going to help, because I am Sanako. I care about you, and I care about what happens to you, but you can't just have Ashton kill Dieter because his ideals don't match up with yours. Even if the rest of the people who showed up could've handled it, he's still the one that saved you when you got kidnapped, right? If he can't live because he has no compassion for Flazure, then you have to kill me and Armon too."

Armon furrowed his brow at Gil for dragging him into this, "Gil, you better shut up right now-" But she kept going.

"He doesn't give a damn about Phoenix or Wyvern people, he cares about you. I don't give a damn about Phoenix or Wyvern people, I care about you."

Armon calmly covered Sanako's ears with his hands, lightly enough so that she could still hear. The notion was just to tell her to calm down a little. Armon looked up and said, "Rasch, please put your weapons away, nobody is going to be killed. Ashton, don't bring that button back out, it's not going to help anyone, most certainly not Sanako, who, by the way, needs to calm down and think more rationally." Armon sighed, exhausted as he finally addressed the source of most of tonight's trouble, "Dieter, why don't you go back to your room and change? You don't need to come back to the party if you don't want to, but at least stay in the mansion until the mission tomorrow is over and we can properly sort things out. Rasch, would you stay here tomorrow to make sure he doesn't run off and cause trouble?"

"So who made him God, Gil?" Dieter demanded rubbing his red cheek, "I'm not going to cause trouble if I stay here, you dipwad."

Rasch eyed Armon, before the blades surrounding Ashton slowly moved back to their owner, turning back into what they originally were. This notion was Rasch's signal of compliance with Armon's requests.

Dieter swallowed the lump of stubbornness that had risen in his throat after seeing Rasch pull back, albeit reluctantly. Dieter's newly rediscovered admiration for Rasch when the older male defended him dictated that Dieter also did as he was told. Dieter stamped out the cigarette he'd spit out earlier, dumping his soda down the sink and setting the glass down with a jolting 'bang'. He pulled a pack of smokes out of his pocket and slid one out, pointing it at Armon as he deadpanned, "I don't get what you see in your girl." He clamped his teeth down on the end of his cigarette and flicking the end, gray second-hand beginning to curl out of the end as Dieter strode out of the room, already looking considerably calmer with fresh nicotine in his system and the prospect of getting out of these unfamiliar clothes as he hummed lightly to himself.

Armon lifted his hands off of Sanako's ears and put them on her shoulders, trying desperately to keep his own hands from shaking. Too much stress was starting to pile up on him, and he wasn't sure how to deal with it all at once. Sanako surely knew that since the beginning, he had never really been an advocate for Flazure, right? Ever since they first met again after the five years, ever since he'd first promised her that he'd stay by her side? They'd never touched on the subject though, so anxiety filled Armon as he took his hands away from Sanako entirely, failing to conjure up words.

Gil rubbed her hand and pouted. She sorely regretting telling Sanako that Armon didn't care for Flazure's inhabitants either. After all, Armon was… well… Armon. "Yeah well," Gil began awkwardly, "I don't know if a party if really going to work out now, so, should we just eat dinner... or something...?"

Rasch pushed his index and middle finger into the base of his neck. It had been a long time since he'd spoken so much so loudly all at once, and his throat felt weird. He looked up, glancing between Tsukasa and Auricia. He felt embarrassed, sinking into his seat in a defeated way, unlike his usual proud and stiff posture. Rasch had lost his composure, and he sorely regretted his reaction that had betrayed his mask that had veiled his opinions. His doubts for Ashton that had been harbored silently had been so easily set off, and his façade of faith in their Lieutenant was shattered. He wanted to apologize to Auricia for threatening Ashton, but words and sounds did not come to him. It was like he'd forgotten how to speak, and so he could only mouth the words as he gripped his cane, zipping his mouth shut after his voice failed him a second time.
 
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"You're sure you're okay to be doing this?" A concerned Ashton questioned a wary Reid the next morning as the two loaded the blimp that had been used weeks prior for the rescue operation. The night prior had ended in a situation that could have been avoided, had Sanako not finally snapped under the pressure of her situation, and Dieter along with her. While he had taken the trigger out, he had intended on breaking it, not actually using it, but oh well. Looking at Reid, it was obvious that he wasn't in any greater shape than Sanako had been the night before. The boy seemed to have a better grasp on his shaking than the girl did, and he wasn't giving off the completely weak vibe Sanako had given off the night before. The response Ashton recieved was not given in words, but rather in the form of a smile as Reid passed the next crate to the Lieutenant. To most people, such a gesture would probably be enough, but... "Yeah, you're not sure. So don't pretend, okay? Don't push yourself. If you fall dead today, I'd rather it be from a fatal wound than your disease.

Reid sweatdropped. "Gee, thanks, glad you care so much..." He murmured humorously as the next crate was passed along. Reid himself felt horrible the night prior. After everything had calmed down, he- Sanako had mentioned something to Armon about leaving her room as being the biggest mistake of her life, before wandering outside to sleep by herself. Reid had woken up earlier in the morning as himself, and had spent a good few hours having what he assumed would be his last real conversation with Mistral.

The two continued to load the blimp together without interruption for a short while longer - which as Reid knew, was strange, considering Auricia was usually bound to Ashton's hip - they finally found an interruption. As Reid reached for the next crate, he found it hoisted slightly higher than usual by a pair of slender arms. The arms were light from a lack of sunlight, and he found them attached to Ellianne, who seemed to have tidied herself up since he last saw her buried in her sheets. "Ah... Ellianne-"

"I'm coming." She said firmly, before Reid could even finish his sentence.

"...What?"

"I'm coming. You're going to avenge them, right...?" She dropped the crate suddenly, and embraced Reid in a tight hug. "Besides... you don't have long left, do you? I'm going to help you see things through as well!"

"...Yeah..."

---

"Today, huh?" Saral murmured to nobody in particular as she threw her knife into the air, before catching it in between the toes of her bare feet. The last few weeks had been... annoying, to say the least. It was training day in and day out. If they dared to show any weakness, it was nothing but heavy beatings as punishment. Tilde had recieved the most, but Saral wasn't trailing far behind. That man... that man who had taken them in when nobody else wanted them... why all of a sudden be such a bastard to them? More and more of those goddamn skill things were appearing around the base, and his focus had suddenly gone from 'his' children to those freaks of nature. It was infuriating. She felt like a tool! A tool that had been used! How long until they were to be discarded away like the garbage they were being treated as?

"Affirmative. Today... is the last." Tilde replied quietly.

---

"This may be the last time I address you all like this." Melody began, taking center stage as always. They had boarded the blimp - at least, those who were coming. "As you all know, our destination is Azern. More specifically-"

"A system of caverns just below the hot spring on the outskirts of town, right?" Reid interjected. Melody nodded, somewhat shocked that had he knew of it. The pieces were all starting to come together for Reid. The first was that when he had first met Kayle, he had remembered seeing him before. It was at the entrance to those caverns... The night he had his wings taken. Not just then. Other times, too. There were a ton of things he needed clarified before he finally killed that bastard.

Rod seemed alarmed by the location too, and recalled the time their group had visited that spring 5 years ago, when Rosaline was still alive. "Anyways, yeah, that's the place. We have at least an hour before we arrive, so if you all have any loose ends to tie with each other, I'd suggest doing it now."

Reid sweatdropped after noticing Auricia and Tsukasa in the blimp. Why weren't they on the other mission. "I'm sure you're wondering about the three skills with us, yes? I decided to change up the plan since Dieter and Rasch backed out. They'll give you guys support first, and then head to their task." Reid sweatdropped. Man, Dieter would be super pissed when he hears about that.
 
"Aww, don't look so down guys!" Audi giggled, grinning wildly as she looked at her reflection in satisfaction. Her last body had been discarded, after the girl's arms and legs had been broken for failing to meet standards during training. But that was just as well with the female necromancer. She'd been dying to try on this body, and it fit like a glove. Or maybe it was the look on those weakling's faces that made Audi so happy. "Doesn't this girl have the most beautiful pale skin you've ever seen?" Audi spun around flipping her long chocolate brown hair over her shoulder. She was dressed in a sleeveless mandarin collared shirt, white lace peeking out from the collar and hem. Had Audi pulled the collar aside, purple bruises following the grooves of a human hand would've been visible, the very simple fate of the current body Audi was in, a pair of bright blue shorts and black pumps on her lower half. She frowned and turned back to the mirror again, "Ahh, but her face is kind of messed up." Indeed, Audi had changed the part of her body's hair to cover half of her entire face, peeling it back to cringe at the sight, "Well, I guess it was just a backfire of getting split apart. That healer girl who's supposed to be her other half has a hideous face like this too. It's nice to know you're not alone."

Kirden's face broke into another smile, "Since today's the last, let's make it the best, don'tcha think?"

--------------------------------------------------

"This may be the last time I address you all like this."

"Thank god." Levi mumbled to himself, his left sleeve rolled up to his shoulder as he bandaged his arm from the elbow down, a strip of bandage hanging from between his teeth as he tightened the knot. He was paying about as much attention as Adela, who had pushed herself up against the wall of the blimp, her legs curled up to her chest loosely as she bit the tip of her index finger, looking far away from anything Melody was saying. It was unlike her, to not pay attention during a debriefing, but what was there to say? Go in, bust up a few baddies, get out. Fiddling with the zipper on her boots, she silently moved her fingers, counting the amount of time she had left. She frowned, because she caught the last sentence Melody said. Implications, beating around the bush, Adela pressed the zipper into her shin and determinedly stared at her kneecaps. She wanted to see him, but if she looked, then she definitely wouldn't be able to dam it all in. And there was no way she'd break down in front of everyone. She closed her eyes and wondered if she should take a nap. Then her eyes wouldn't be able to wander freely.

"Yo, Lieutenant," Levi chirped leaning over, "Y'feelin' alright?"

Adela's head snapped up at the inquiry, but upon realizing who had asked, her expression became irritated as she put her head back onto her knees, "Just tired."

Levi raised an eyebrow. He was a fool, but certainly not fool enough to buy such a pathetic excuse from such a stick-in-the-mud. "O-kay then." He wasn't interested in pursuing the subject though. If Sanako was high-maintenance, man. A Lieutenant with something shoved up her butt would be like, royal-maintenance. Levi smiled to himself, glad that he'd failed in wooing any of the girls before getting thrown into all this business. Man they were so troublesome. Then again, Dieter wasn't much better either. Levi had awoken to the sound of scratching, finding that Dieter was shredding the desk in his room with his fingers, or well. Knives, as they were. He'd obviously become accustomed to busting into Gil's room unannounced, and Levi's memory reminded him that Gil wasn't exactly too courteous about imposing her company on Tsukasa and Dieter at the same time. He'd dumped an emotional bucket on Levi's morning, while the physical stress was vented on the desk or the book that had been sitting on the table.

Levi looked around, noticing his posture for the first time in what seemed like decades, though it probably would've only been a few years by now. A female can't inherit a business in the higher world, it's tradition. So no matter how un-handicapped Lisa was, Levi's parents had still bought him back. Levi banged his head into the back of his seat, a look of dread on his face. He wouldn't even get to spend a penny of the money, either, since it was mostly going to Reid's operation fund. Not that he minded, since he didn't have anything better to spend his money on after getting dragged back home, just… would've been nicer if Reid would actually remember everyone after it was all over.

Oh. Levi needed to kill some time. Why not?

He looked around. The person whom Levi would pin as knowing a little of the flower language was Rasch. Well he wasn't around. "Ay, anybody know what a sweet pea flower means?"
 
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