Y.Z. Act IV [PG-16]

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Pethalamine heaved a contented sigh as she slipped in between the sheets of the hotel bed, savoring their soft cleanliness. In the trash can behind said bed, a thick mane of auburn hair lay abandoned, the scholar absent-mindedly running a hand through the shorter, far more manageable, shoulder-length remnants thereof. It had been an impulse decision, one she was positive Natalija would scold as being even less fashionable than her previous hairstyle, and it felt a bit...lonely to be without the usual covering of auburn trailing behind her, but she had to admit that it felt strangely pleasing too...and certainly a lot less intrusive, though she still made a point of leaving enough for the usual fringe to cover the tattoo. Baby steps; baby steps.

"You think it's that easy, do you?"

The girl cocked a lazy glance in the direction of the nearest mirror, none-too-surprised to find an affronted looking feline shape glaring back at her through the reflection of her own eye. She wasn't sure if it was the change in clothes, or the new haircut, or something completely different, but for the first time since she couldn't recall when...she felt no anxiety meeting that glare.

"Discard, discard, discard." the negafael snarled, "You think you'll find your place in life just by throwing everything that doesn't suit your tastes away? You think those people will accept you if you just change again?"

"You think they will if I don't?" Pethalamine shot back cheekily, "Seems to me they pretty much hate the way I was, but you know what?" she shrugged, "So do I; even if they won't like me better, I will."

"Will you, really?" the cat gave a sceptical snort, "It's your own history that you despise, Pet, and you should know better than anyone...you can't erase history."

"True." the scholar conceded, an impish smile playing around her features, "But after today, you should know..."

"Know what?" the negafael snarled indignantly.

Pethalamine's smile widened a little, "Sometimes it's written down dead wrong."

"Happy illusions."

"It's a step up from unhappy ones." Pethalamine retorted, promptly turning onto her other side and pulling the covers closer around herself, "Good night, you old grouch."

Pethalamine got a little scratch just over her right eye for that one, but she merely grinned into her pillow and bore it.

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Meanwhile, within his quarters at Silth Pharmaceuticals, one Pendragon was having a far harder time getting to sleep, twisting and turning in his bed as a single, obnoxious phrase kept playing back and forth through his head.

"Miss Ayre."

She had called her miss Ayre; there was no mistaking it. And those bright, colorful, mismatched clothes...there could not possibly be that many Ayres who would willingly wear something like that. Yet...that girl had obviously been far too young to be that Ayre. That Ayre would have been a Mrs. Ayre by now, and since there was also a Ms. Ayre, that meant that there would most likely also be a Mr. Ayre.

His stomach knotted itself at the thought, even though he kept telling himself that he should have expected this. No, he should have known this. Of course she would have moved on. Of course she would have found someone, someone who wasn't-

"You will see her."

The assistant snapped to attention, twisting around to see her employer towering above him, an exasperated expression on her face.

"Madame Silth, I don't know who you-"

"That Ayre girl." Argalie replied matter-of-factly.

Pendragon had to double-check to make sure his mouth wasn't gaping while he steadied himself enough to speak, "How...how did you know it's-?"

"Argalie, she has her ways." the woman replied, a hint of a smile playing around her features, "And besides...you have a tendency to think out loud, Mr. Pendragon."

"I see..." the man replied, blushing slightly. He soon regained his composure, though, determinedly looking elsewhere, "You're wrong, though; I don't plan on going to see her."

"That wasn't a question." Argalie replied flatly, tossing a rather heavy tome into Pendragon's lap, "Mahstion; a History," she elaborated, "A book on loan from the Sekt University library. Argalie has been informed that they would very much like it back as all of their copies are currently loaned out. You, as Argalie's assitant, will of course deliver it for her. Argalie would imagine that the Ayre girl has interest in this book also, so it is fair to assume that you will see her there."

"...I see..."

"Indeed you do." Argalie confirmed, "Just as you see the dirt and dust in the corner's of this pharmacy, yet you are all too reluctant to do what needs to be done about it."

"Oh?" Pendragon retorted, "And what might that be?"

"Sweep, Mr.Pendragon." the pharmacist replied, "And not under the carpet this time."

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"Mmm?"

It took a while for Faewyn to register the ex-priest's words, her eyes still shut in concentration as she felt a fresh wave of mahstion residue brush against her, the mingling signals in the air like so many different breezes, each with slightly differing direction, speed, and warmth. She had often made a habit of borrowing Isaire's ability like this just for the joy of it, but this time she actuall had to pay attention to what she was doing. The signature was faint, but there was no way she could be mistaken on the faint scent of the mother tree on it.

"I'm worried about Adela too." she replied in a off-beat kind of way, slowing her pace just enough to slip her arm behind Aertan's back, "Her signature is very weak, but..." she took a pause, focusing on the scent of tree bark, the fain rustle of imaginary leaves, the trail slowly distinguishing itself from the plethora of others in front of her mind's eye, and at the end of that trail...

Her eyes abruptly snapped open, "That house." she declared, index finger pointed at a run-down structure that had most likely been a quaint little countryside retreat once upon a time, "Adela...is definitely in that house."
 
Aertan flushed an embarrassed frown crossing his face. It wasn't because Faewyn had wrapped her arm around his back. He wasn't that immature anymore, as he'd promptly slung his arm around her shoulders without a second thought. But what his face was warming up for was the fact that Faewyn always read him like an open book. He had opened his mouth to say that he has never said he'd been worried about Adela, but he knew that Faewyn probably knew that. He was worried, despite the fact that he wasn't particularly fond of her. It was nice to have someone who understood him inside and out, and he'd always wanted to take a little trip back to Carn just to see the Father and show him the gem of his life. He didn't think that the old man was still there though. If he was, he was an incredibly old man, probably the shriveled Head of Church that Aertan used to always gape freely at. The super ancient guy who was always kindly to everyone, but serious about business and religion. Mentally rolling his eyes at the thought of religion, Aertan redirected his thoughts to Faewyn, who had pointed out the crummy house in the distance. It looked much out of care.

"Jeez, what the heck's she doing in there?" Aertan grumbled, taking Faewyn's hand in his remaining one as he picked up the pace.

Geote stretched out as far as he could go, his single eye bulging out as he stared at the house in the distance. As soon as he'd gotten a good look, he reeled back in, and he made a fist. When his fingers peeled away again, a mouth was in place, his scratchy hoarse voice reporting his findings, "Sealed up from what little I can see. I can actually feel her signature when I'm over there, so either she's sealed herself up in there, or one of her faels has. My bets are on Jeckt. That guy was always a creeper."

"And you're not." Haeon't put in sarcastically.

As soon as they were close enough to the door, Haeon't reached out and started knocking, while Aertan sized up the door and glanced over at Faewyn, "Well, I don't know if-"

Aertan's suggestion, which was to bust down the door, was executed by Geote before he could finish proposing it to Faewyn. He reeled back and flung his fist at the door, busting in while Haeon't rolled her eye at him.
 
Soren said nothing throughout Giles' explanation of his potential future, the only fact that made any real difference to him being that he had a reconnaissance mission later in the day. Would this be his chance to escape? Surely it would be easy enough for him to sneak away the chance he was let free of this building, but there was far too much piled up against him for him to pull it off without having a significant loss. His body was in their custody, first of all, and there was no way he was living like this, in this body for the rest of his life. He could make the intention of getting it back later, but that wasn't to say that if he did pull off an escape, that they wouldn't dispose of the body. The neural implants posed the biggest problem. From RAY's explanation the night before, it sounded like by using it, they could take control of this strange body of his. Although, it also seemed it was that Giles fellow who possessed the power to do such a thing. There was still far too much to consider before he could formulate a plan, really.

RAY, on the other hand, showed some expression, or rather an abundance of it when Giles' partner was mentioned. Her original look of fatigue was replaced by a serious one as she butted in between Soren and his captor. "Giles! You know I don't like him! Why is he coming along!?" The line between human and not was still a very fine one, especially with fully functioning synthetics now in production, although there are few that have been produced. It wasn't uncommon for a synthetic to be looked down upon. And, while Mr. Berkebile may not have been one of the people who did, RAY experiences with humans in the past had surely lead her to distrust most of them. "You shouldn't get Soren mixed up with him either!"

"No, it's okay." Soren defended himself as he walked up behind the girl, hands in his pockets in a manner that exuded defiance. "So what you're saying, Mr. Giles, is that if I'm a good boy I'll get my body back sooner, right? Well then, what's this reconnaissance mission you mentioned?"

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Aya Balthazair glanced sleepily over at the cup of coffee she had placed beside the papers on the desk she was making use of in the hotel. It was a small desk, that had been clean before her arrival, but keeping it clean became more and more of an issue as she realized exactly how many assignments she had due the next day. She had never been much of a procrastinator, but the events that had unfolded during the evening had ruined her day off, and thus she had become responsible for finishing three papers overnight. Just why, exactly, did Sid suggest she pick up Synthetics as one of her elective courses? There was much more work in that course, at least the same amount as the amount she got in all her History courses combined - and she was majoring in History! Sure, it was an up and coming technology, and there was a big promise of money in it in the near future, but it really wasn't something she thought she would be getting into. "Done!" She exclaimed, just in time for her alarm to go off at seven in the morning, and she slumped back in her chair, closing her eyes for just a moment before getting back onto her feet. It wasn't the first time she had been forced awake all night, and she had certainly done it before under more dangerous conditions.

The girl's mind wandered off to think about her guests and their origins. She had been told that she had come from there too, and she certainly had scars on her back where wings should have been, but she couldn't recall anything about it or how she ended up below in the first place. It was something that had been haunting her as far as she could remember, and she intended on finding out someday. Maybe, if she was lucky, she'd be able to return there someday. Maybe then she'd have the answers to her questions.

She finally decided that she needed to get ready to accompany those who wanted to explore a bit more during the day, and headed off to the shower. She knew, from her study of history, that piping was one of the few devices that had ceased to evolve over time. It was a practical method of moving water throughout a building, and it was still used for baths and showers. When she was done her shower, she wandered over to her navy blue closet sphere, clad only in a towel as she sifted through the various outfits she had. Since they were nearby mountains, the city was more often than not cooler than your typical city. It was a great distance away from the equator, as well, which didn't really help with the temperature. The falsified sun still worked in the same way as the real one mentioned in the history books from thousands of years in the past, which made absolutely no sense, but was something nobody really wanted to pursue. She eventually decided on something a little warmer than her outfit from the day before. The clothing materialized on her body, and she proceeded to adjust it.

She had chosen a grey-blue skirt that fell part way down her thighs, a small gap lying between it and the thin, black stockings she was wearing. She wore white shoes, with legwarmers that took on a blue and white, traditional appearance as well. Aya also had on a long sleeved, white shirt with the sleeves cuffed at the end, a navy blue jacket over top that went just past her shoulders and ended with rings of faux fur. Her light brown hair was down, a purple hat fitting loosely over top. After adding just a tad of makeup, she exited the room, making sure to lock it behind her, assignments in hand. If she was going to the school district for Pethalamine and Natalija, she might as well drop them off while she was there. Aya continued down to the hotel lobby, where she had the attendant call each of the rooms to gather anyone who was interested down in the lobby.

OOC: Aya's outfit is something like this.
 
Giles put his forehead in his hand as he twisted the silver ring on his index finger around. Honestly, Garret had never done anything to RAY and she freaked out every time she heard his name. He was just a little awkward. "I know you don't like him RAY, but he's not going to eat you or anything. He'll just be helping with the report, you know how some of these things go." Giles would put all his stake in RAY being able to produce a polished and flawless report, but she was a synthetic body. And it wasn't like Soren, she was synthetic from head to toe. Would anyone take the report seriously? They would compare it to a computer from ages past being set in front of a scene of disaster and trying to process the scene into numbers and patterns. Unreliable. Garrett was always better with words, and so it would just be better to have him there, in Giles' honest opinion. Giles turned his attention back to Soren's inquiries and sighed.

"Well," Giles answered, running his left hand through his hair as he thought hard, "I suppose you've got the right idea. The mission is very simple. We return to what is left of Meredy in the above world, and report on its current condition. We will then decide whether there needs to be further action taken. Your role is minimal since I've yet to integrate any outstanding abilities in your body. You only have one ability, and that is to record information you see or hear. You'll be recording the list of the deceased. RAY will teach you how to use this function," Giles looked over pointedly at the girl, "Before she continues her role in collecting damage statistics and residue of whatever it was that Miki's group used to nullify the effect of our machine. If there is any, that is. If not, that's fine, just ignore it." He nodded and finished up, "Garrett and myself will be scoping out the terrain, and if all has gone according to plan, then we'll be finished before the day is over. It's not a particularly taxing mission this time."

He stood up, straightening his jacket and looking at his watch, "We leave in an hour. And my name is Guile above ground. Don't forget. I'm sure any more questions you have can be entertained later. I need to go meet Garrett in the front."

Sweeping out of the room, Giles loosened as soon as the door clicked shut behind him. Miki cared about that kid, but he was so stubborn and shut up that Giles couldn't tell if he really mattered, or if he was just another one of those people that she barely knew and worried about just because she was too good a person to the world. He hated that part of her at times. She made so much trouble for herself when she stuck her neck out for other people. He pulled out a cigarette. Her parents had trusted him enough to send her to his family, and yet here he was. He yanked the fragrant tobacco from his lips in frustration. He didn't like standing on the other side of her at all. Pressing the back of his wrist against his temple, he sighed, strolling briskly through the metal corridors towards the exit. He knew from the start that it would turn out like this. What a sick world. It would've been better to go back to the times when he would have to cut half an hour out of his synthetics research to comfort the crybaby who had suddenly been thrust into his life by his old benefactors- the kind people who had been so generous as to support his studies.

"You look distracted. Missed me by a mile."

Giles looked up and turned around behind him. Garrett Berkebile, dressed in a casual suit with a loose green tie and a pair of square silver rimmed spectacles, leaned against the door of the empty meeting room Giles had used to converse with Miki not long ago.

"S-…." Giles stammered in surprise before quickly recomposing himself and shoving his hands into his pockets, "Sorry."

"Understandable." Garrett answered, holding a hand up to refuse Giles' apology, "You've decided?"

Giles averted his gaze, "Not quite."

"Better think it through." The old man tapped his temple, pointedly looking down the hall from where Giles had come, "You're neck is going to get cut off if you stick it out any more."

Giles extracted his hands, stiffening into straight posture as a stern look crossed his features. A pause, and then, "You don't think it's worth it?"

Garrett laughed, scoffing at Giles' question. Shaking his head he said nothing for a few minutes, still chuckling to himself before tuning it down to a mere smile. He looked down at the tips of his perfectly polished shoes, choosing his words carefully before looking up at the low ceiling, shaking his head again. He looked over at Giles, and shrugged.

"You should ask yourself that."


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"... O-Oh, the paint set." Natalija looked at the device, confused as to how it functioned, "Right I'll... be there."

When nothing happened, it was apparent that she had been talking to herself. Well, whatever. Now she'd have to get dressed. She chose the same attire from the night prior, her long black hair still intact. She'd copped out at the last second, no thanks to Meine and Minke asking her if she was positively one hundred percent sure at least a thousand times. And Natalija didn't like copping out. She was extremely displeased with herself as she pulled her hair into a messy bun, arranging it so that everything looked just right. She recalled Minke and Meine, deciding that going out on the town was a good chance for her to distract herself and recover the mahstion she'd used to send Minke so far off.

A paint set. She knew more about paint than she'd ever wanted to, and she hoped that the shops would know just as much. She wanted Gouaches, her favorite kind of paint, but whether she would be fortunate enough to find an entire set was another question in it's entirety.

After wandering around, she found it was rather easy to get to the lobby. There was always a sign just when she needed it. Maybe that was on purpose? This world was so different, it was hard to wrap her head around it. Clothes that materialized just when you wanted them, and so many other things that were simply impossible to put into words. She recognized things that existed in the above ground as well, and she wondered if they appeared after someone in the above ground from the underground dropped it? Or maybe... She didn't know at all, but it was almost like a game.

"Aya!" Natalija waved to the girl resisting the urge to make a face at her hat. The rest of the outfit was great, and then out of nowhere... well, at least the rest of the outfit was great. "Sorry about that, I wasn't really awake yet..."
 
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Come morning, Pethalamine had a little cut to mind, but it was hardly enough to dampen her mood when she found out - contrary to what she had half-expected - that the room around her had not changed, blown up, or become infested with people who wanted her dead overnight. Savoring this rare occasion, she had taken ample time with her morning preparations, eventually arriving in the lobby and feeling far more relaxed and cheerful than she had in a long time. She wasn't sure what would draw the bigger stare from her far less pleased-looking companions to be, the presence of a contented smile or the absence of about half a back's worth of hair, but even this question was one more of amusement than worry to her right now.

"Good morning." she gave a nod of acknowledgement to both Aya and Natalija, "I'm not terribly late, am I?"

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"During times of great stress," Faewyn replied airily, full aware that Aertan's question had been more rhetorical than anything else, "Dation users tend to gravitate towards the locations they find instinctively 'safe'." a faint smile spread across her features, "Remember when Pethalamine was first learning to teleport? She'd pop up right next to me when she was having her nightmares. This place...must have felt similar to Adela once upon a time, so when her self-preservation instinct kicked in, this is where she appeared. Either that, or it's the reasoning of one of her faels."

The crash of Geote smashing in the door snapped Faewyn back to attention, though her expression was more bemused than anything else as she stepped in over the remains of the entrance.

"Adela?" she called inside, peering into the gloom of the building, "Are you alright?"
 
"Miss Aya, if you intend on taking those people out today, please be cautious." The hotel clerk, Gianno, informed the girl as she waited for the other two to show up. He stroked his black beard with a rough looking left hand as his bored, grey eyes ran over a computer screen, back and forth, taking in the contact. "Exeri apparently has some agents wandering around town today, no doubt investigating. I'd find it likely that a reconnaissance unit stationed in the city caught sight of your little tour yesterday and contacted a higher up. The enemy units are of Ledreique's Reassignment Bureau, so it's likely they just think some stray winged have escaped from one of the camps and are wandering around."

"Ledreique, huh?" Aya replied, not particularly enthused by the name. Exeri was divided into smaller bureaus, each in charge of different aspects of the organization. The Reassignment Bureau, headed by Alphonse Ledreique, was a science based bureau focused on integrating any winged who'd been smuggled underground into the underground society. Any winged below were not permitted back to the surface, as that could lead to awareness of the world below, and that would be disastrous. So, the Reassignment Bureau took custody of those winged and did a variety of things with them. The lucky ones were tortured into giving up on the above, and re-released into the public under new identities, their wings stripped from their bodies, while the unlucky had been placed under intensive experiments on top of the torture. Aya's blood boiled at the thought of Ledreique. That man had taken everything from her, but she had no idea what everything was. Her faels reacted in kind to her own feelings, having a similar distaste for the man. "I'm not particularly worried about the Reassignment Bureau. They're one of Exeri's weakest units physically, and we finally found a way to allow the uppers to use their own abilities down here. But, could you do me a favor? If any of the remaining guests attempt to leave, contact Sid or Kay. We can't leave them unsupervised if Exeri wants to stick their nose in our city." That was one thing they had on their side. The city, Whaile, was under the Upper World Protection Committee's control, and most of the civilians had their support. The UWPC, like Exeri, was a party that lied to the public, seeing as the upper world was, for the most part, a hush-hush fact. So, the the rest of the world, they were known as the United World Peace Corps. Anyways, if any trouble was stirred, they'd be able to handle it.

The two girls finally showed up, and Aya exchanged greetings with them. From what she gathered, Natalija and Pethalamine did not seem to be on very good terms. If, of course, they intended to survive down below without losing their wings, if not their lives, they would all need to learn to co-operate. She glanced over at a clock mounted on the wall, and let out a squeal of discomfort, nearly dropping the papers in her arms in the process. "CRAP! I need to hand in these papers in five minutes! How did I lose track of so much time!? There's no way we can walk that far in such a short time, and my teleportation sphere is still recharging from yesterday!"

"Relax." Gianno murmured unenthusiastically as his hand drifted to a switch behind the desk. The sound of the switch being flicked was heard, and a light suddenly began to shine beneath their feet, enveloping them. When the light disappeared, they were gone. "I knew that anti-theft equipment had other uses..." The man mused as he brushed his long black hair out of his eyes.

Moments after, Aya and the two girls appeared in a flash of light in the middle of a cobblestone walkway. There was a large school just in front of them, though it looked more like a Medieval castle tricked out with new technology more than anything. Shops were littered everywhere else, all dealing with books and other scholarly things. "I... can't believe he used the anti-theft trap on us!" The girl exclaimed, a little shocked by the bumpy teleportation ride. "That was only meant to be used to expel unwanted people from the hotel to a far away place. Well... I guess it did the job." She sighed, before the gonging of a bell brought her back to reality. "CRAAAAAAAAP!" She grabbed Natalija and Pethalamine's hands, and began to run off with the girls in tow. "The library is inside, so we'll go there before the art shop, but I REALLY NEED TO HAND THESE PAPERS IN!"

It was a wonder Aya had so much energy after not getting any sleep, but her education really was important, so she couldn't afford to be tired. After dropping her stuff off, which had been ripped and crumpled by trying to drag the girls behind her while still having the papers in her hand, she took them to the school's ridiculously large library. It was the size of at least a small football field, and was packed with wooden shelves upon wooden shelves of books, with small study areas positioned in various places with couches and tables. It was still morning, so there weren't many students around. "So, Pethalamine, were you looking for anything in particular? "

OOC: Soren part coming later...
 
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Natalija stood idly to the side as Aya carried on a conversation with the man behind the desk. For some reason, everything down here seemed huge. Huge, grand, modern. But then again, she might not have seen everything yet. Every city had the grungy side to it, no matter where it was. Or at least, that was what she had always thought. After she realized that she would probably never understand what Aya was talking about, she tuned out entirely, looking up and around the hotel. It was a good feeling, to have people around other than Pethalamine, Dimitri, Alderian, and... well.... Soren, if he'd been here. She liked feeling like she had to look good, keep up an image. It was her whole purpose before she'd been dragged into this crazy business. But, she was beginning to think- just faintly, that she didn't mind all this exploration. Jazz had always preached about getting out and seeing the world, and it certainly wasn't boring, like she'd thought it was. It was much more exciting than watching his stupid art studio's and bargaining with the rare customers that passed through. She peered down at her nails, looking at the last remnants of her nail polish. It was amazing that it was still there, but she still remembered the first time she'd been complaining about not being able to finish the last coats. It had seemed insignificant in the past, but suddenly she felt the urge to fix them. Picking off little chips of color as she waited for Aya, she wasn't nearly as prepared for the anti-theft device as she could've been.

"U-WAH!" She yelped as a bright light practically blinded her and sent her reeling in one direction, and then before she could finish falling, pushed her back the other direction. Stumbling to catch her balance when she hit solid ground again, she decided that even if she liked the conveniences of the technology down here, it was still something that had to do some getting used to. She much preferred airships. Speaking of that… Natalija looked up at the sky, and wondered if there was even enough space up there to fly an airship. It was an artificial sky, wasn't it? Was it like… just blue paint with white clouds on top? Speaking of… Natalija straightened, still looking up. She was dumbfounded for a second, but she hadn't noticed before, since they'd arrived during the night. "The sky is blue!" She pointed up, making a face that was very un-Natalija like in repulsive disgust. Why in sweet jesus was the sky blue?! "Wha-…" She was halfway through beginning a freak-out fest, but realized that down here, it must've been normal to have a blue sky, unlike the above ground's purple one. It was absolutely mindboggling to her, but she zipped her mouth. She was still staring in disbelief when Aya grabbed her hand and dragged her and Pethalamine down the cobblestone paths however.

"HEY! What are you doing?!" Natalija screeched, not particularly fond of strenuous exercise such as running. But she forgot about the impudence that Aya had shown after she stumbled into the library and got another good look.

She then promptly decided that something had to be wrong with this entire world. Who in the world would want this many books?! Natalija corrected herself on that thought, because she could certainly think of someone who could. She glanced over at Pethalamine with a narrowed eye of sheer loathing. Bet the girl would go wild over this nerd-palace. Putting her hands on her hips and jutting her left one out, she wondered if there were any different painting mediums in this world. Now that would be something Jazz would flip over. And maybe there were some fashion magazines? Aya's style seemed a little off compared to what Natalija was used to, so fashion was probably different from the above ground. She had to catch up…

Suddenly, Natalija wasn't too repulsed by the massive amount of books.


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It was an absolute ghost town. It wasn't an old ghost town, but rather one where it was as if everyone simply decided to get up one day and leave. Giles looked around, pressing a black handkerchief to his nose to block out the pungent smell of death and blood. The handkerchief itself was a curious item. Though the one he used was very similar to something he would pick- black silk with red embroidery of the letters "G.O.A." in the corner, in his left breast pocket remained another handkerchief, white and folded with blue thread lining the edges. It was a minor detail, the fact that Giles was carrying two handkerchiefs, but it seemed to have been thus overlooked. "I think we've done this place enough justice." Giles said through the silk cloth, and Garrett, peering into an empty café, hollered back that he couldn't hear a thing Giles was saying. Not bothering to repeat himself, Giles examined his surroundings. It wasn't as if there was much to see. He hated boring missions like this, but even more he hated missions filled with action. His place was with a scalpel and molder- making synthetic humans. And in a way, he sometimes liked to think that this was the main reason why Exeri kept him, despite all the trouble he caused. Giles didn't understand any other reason they were desperate to keep him tied down- it wasn't as if he didn't agree with their policies and actions, but they seemed more keen to him than anyone else. Or maybe that was just an observation Garrett had made that had unknowingly stuck.

"I don't think we need to come back here." Garrett commented, kicking the toe of his polished shoes into the dirt and letting a little cloud of dust waft away, "There's less here than I expected. You'd think some people would be smart and stay. You know what they say; lightning never strikes twice."

"I wouldn't make that bet if it were me." Giles reasoned, looking at his watch and registering the time. Just a few more hours to make his choice. He glanced up and over at the huge mass of land beyond Meredy's limits. Gravestone upon gravestone, all lined up. Big and small, crude and perfect, all jumbled into an ugly mess. "There's no reason to look at the terrain here." Giles commented to Garrett before making his way over to the edge of the tombstones.

Half of them weren't even labeled. The cause of death was the same for each and every one. An unexplainable cause of death. Just mass dying. He considered the fact that he, who killed all these people, shouldn't be walking through here like it was nothing- like taking a stroll through the park. But then, he decided that these people had died for good reason. He stepped into the graveyard, looking around for his newest underling.

"Soren." Giles called out, glancing over his shoulder to see that Garrett was nowhere in sight, "Let me ask you something before you continue recording." He folded the handkerchief and pocketed it, running a hand through his hair as he searched for words. He didn't want to seem too threatening, or demanding. He didn't want to give a question that would leave space for Soren to scurry out of a direct question, like he always did. But it was beyond Giles. "What do you know about Miki?" Hm. Strange question that seemed for too touchy. "I apologize, that doesn't seem quite right. We're on opposite sides after all. Perhaps what I mean is, why do you think Miki is so keen on letting you live?"

That was a little better. He wanted to know for sure. If this kid was worth the trouble he'd make.
 
For most practical purposes, Aya may as well have been addressing a wall as far as Pethalamine was concerned. The moment they stepped onto university grounds, a vaguely dreamy expression overtook the scholar's features. This place was so different from her familiar university back on Beta, yet completely the same in all the ways that mattered, and for Pethalamine, a university as good as a second home. The hectic dashes of students racing against deadlines, the quiet rustling of pages turned and scribbling of pencil against paper, the very presence of volumes upon volumes of assembled knowledge...it was almost enough to make her homesick. The moment they stepped into the actual library, however, any such melancholy thoughts were wiped from her mind, leaving behind a blissful smile.

As far as she was concerned, this place may as well have been heaven.

"So, Pethalamine, were you looking for anything in particular?"

Pethalamine had already snatched the first book that came within her reach and flicked over to the index by the time Aya's question finally reached her ears, the scholar blinking once before the fact that there were other people present caught up with her again.

"Well, I..."

Such a question to ask. She wasn't just looking for something in particular; she was looking for many somethings. In fact, had their practical constraints not been what they were, she would probably have been on the prowl for everything in particular. That wasn't what was being asked here, though, and so she reluctantly made her pick.

"I'd like to have something that explains mahstion? As thoroughly as possible, all the way from the very basics. And...if there is something to that effect about the history of life down here, that would be good too, but mahstion is the number one thing." she turned a hopeful glance to Aya, practically brimming with enthusiasm, "Do you know of anything like that?"
 
OOC: NO SECOND PAGE FOR YOU MR. YZ! Also, this post has been brought to you via a joint effort between Loki and myself.

"There's nobody…" Soren was shocked by the vast expanse of uninhabited space that was spread before his eyes. RAY had been sent off to scout nearby, and Giles had yet to come to him about anything at this point. "Everyone… died?" He collapsed to his knees, the thought that he'd only been there goofing off with everyone a week before stinging painfully. What became of his Uncle? His Aunt? His cousins? His travel companions? Despite Natalija's less than pleasant attitude, he would have killed to hear she wasn't dead. "I… can't even cry…" He came to the realization that synthetics had no tear ducts, so no matter how hard he wanted to cry, he couldn't. So, out of frustration, he punched the ground several times before letting out a scream.

It was around this time that Giles approached him. If he was in any circumstance, he would have assaulted the man and questioned why his organization had done such a thing. So many people had died! It just wasn't right! The upper world wasn't some sort of experiment to be messed with! It was his home – everyone's home! That being said, he was a little shocked when Giles inquired about Miki's motive. He had gotten this vibe a couple of times now, that this man had some sort of connection with her. With his own interests in mind, he answered the question. "When I met Miki, she was the unwillingly brainwashed girl you shoved into our land. It was by pure coincidence we met." He recalled that he had originally been asked to assassinate that girl. It was almost funny how much the situation had changed since then. "She was that way almost the entire time I knew her, but I get the feeling she wouldn't let anyone die if she could help it. I get the feeling she knows the pain of losing someone…" It was the best he could put into words. Ever since the moment he had met her, she had seemed lonely, sad. It was the best he had to go off of.


Giles pocketed his hands, scrutinizing Soren's answer for a few moments. So maybe his own organization had been the one who had put Miki up here in the first place, but he hated how Soren made it out to sound like he'd been the one to suggest the idea, or execute it. He hadn't known, and if he had, it wouldn't have happened. Coincidence? That was definitely just like Miki. Helping out strangers first, asking questions later. He hated that part of her. It made him worry all the time. And yet, it was such an admirable trait. Giles diverted his eyes at the last line that Soren spoke. She certainly knew. She certainly did. He looked out over the makeshift grave markers, wondering why he had been so impacted by the deaths of her parents, while he felt nothing for these hundreds of people, dead. Perhaps he just wasn't like her. He couldn't… relate to people he didn't know. Well, that was probably why he was standing where he was, rather than inside a laboratory researching some insignificant thing that would captivate his attention for hours. The man shook his head and sat down in front of a nameless cross. "A lot of people in organizations like ours know the pain of losing people they care about kid. Happens so much that some of us don't even care to give it the time of day anymore." Giles pulled out a cigarette, bringing the flame of his steel lighter towards the end and then snapping the lid shut to extinguish the flame in the little silver object. After taking a thoughtful puff and blowing the smoke out of his mouth, "I can't protect Miki, because I'm standing on the other side of a line I can't cross. I don't trust you, Soren. But I can't imagine that you trust me either. So I don't think we need to waste our time getting to be friends."

After bowing his head politely to the grave before him, Giles stood up, pocketing his lighter. "So I have a good deal for you. If you can protect Miki, whether it's in my stead or not, I'll give you your body, your friends, and your freedom." Giles' thin lips curled into a smirk, "Not too shabby, eh?"

It was a little shocking. Soren had not considered the possibility that Giles would offer him freedom just like that, with his body as well. And… he mentioned his friends? They were alive? "That's a little bit of a risky move considering your rank, is it not?" He questioned, completely suspicious of the man's motive. "Do you really care that much for Miki to send me back as help, completely endangering yourself, or are you setting me up for something?" There certainly wasn't much to base this offer on in terms of trust, but at any rate, did he really have anything to lose at this point?

"G-Giles! I just made a friend, and you're sending him away?!" RAY's voice, saddened from overhearing the conversation, whined as she appeared from behind a nearby building. She looked as if she was about to cry, but Soren knew she couldn't. "In the end, my feelings don't matter at all, do they? I'm just a replicable tool…"

Giles gave a wry smile, patting RAY on the head, "Do you think Soren will be happy if he stays with us? Maybe eventually, but as a friend, it's not right to keep him here if he doesn't want to be here." Giles straightened, looking off at Garrett, who was peering into an empty window, "I am willing to compromise my position, but if you want to know the story, you'll have to ask Miki when you see her. I believe in what this organization is trying to do- not what they're going to give me on my pay check, or the title I have in front of my name. I'm just an agent, not a big wig, so what happens to me can't be any worse than getting the boot. And there's more ways than one to get what I want done, done." Sighing he let out another breath of smoke, looking down at his little artificial partner, "So RAY. What have I said about jumping to conclusions?" Giles smiled, knocking his knuckle gently against her forehead, "Nobody ever said you couldn't go with him. He'll need a little help to find and get back into his body. I've got some places to go before all hell breaks out when the uppers find out I let their precious core give me the slip. So don't look at me like that."

Soren just listened. Even with what he said, there was still room for doubt. But, if he did get out of this pickle, he would be asking Miki about her relationship with this man. His attention turned to RAY, who seemed rather distracted. "Giles… is that a suggestion or an order?" RAY asked, not exactly sure what was wrong with her. Her feelings were artificial, sure, but this was the first time she had experienced this feeling. She had been with Giles for a rather long time now, and leaving him out of her own volition just didn't feel right. "Won't you be lonely without me?"

Silence for a moment. With one hand up to his cigarette, about to pull it out again, he found himself frozen as he looked down at RAY in surprise. Lonely? He'd never considered that. He frowned, pulling out his smoke and crushing it under his foot, "It's an order RAY. Don't ask questions." He turned and started back into the empty city.


---


"Ah, well, you can probably find the mahstion information in the back left corner with the history books!" Aya exclaimed, a little freaked out my Pethalamine's enthusiasm. She had never, ever seen anyone get that excited at the prospect of learning. But, it seemed like the girl would want to spend more time in the library then she possibly would, so a change in plan for the day would be needed. She reached into her bag, and pulled out a small, green cellphone, before placing it in Pethalamine's hand. "This is a portable phone. I'm going to take Natalija to look at the art store, so if something happens, call me on that, okay?"

With that said and done, she lead the other girl off campus and into a small art store on the side of the street nearby the school grounds. They were greeted by a young man with a very large mustache that gave Aya the willies. The store itself was quaint, with paints, papers, clays, you name it, all lining the small aisles and shelves. "There aren't a lot of artists outside of fashion designers, these days." She commented to Natalija as she waited for her to finish. "Just what do you intend to do with whatever you're looking for anyways?"
 
"Hm?" Natalija looked over at Aya, not really paying attention as she searched through the paint sets, "Oh, well my step-brother is a painter, so I thought I'd get him a gift while I'm here." Reaching out and examining a tube of brick red arcrylic, she fell quiet for a minute or two before putting the paint back on the shelf and moving towards the inside of the store, adding as a tentative afterthought, "I'm not sure if he's still alive or not though…. And I'm not sure if I'll get to see him again either." She pulled down a set of paints. If she bought a set, maybe she'd feel better. The idea of going home and giving them to Jazz, and watching his face contort in confusion. And then have him lecture her on how the paints she picked out were obviously low quality and that he wouldn't use it- but then he'd use them anyway, because he could make them beautiful, no matter what. Natalija took a deep breath, shoving the scenario out of her mind. She hardened her expression again, making a face at herself. Ugh! What a disgusting scene! He was the one who'd made her suffer and into this weird thing that nobody liked, so why should she do anything but throw the paints at him and get his stupid clothes stained for the rest of eternity?!

"This please." Natalija snapped, irritated at herself as she plopped a box of fancy paints on the counter. She'd picked a set that she couldn't pronounce and had never seen in Jazz's own art shop, so that was good enough for her. Oh wait. She flushed and looked over to Aya, "Um…. I… don't know what the currency is down here….?"
 
Aya listened intently to Natalija as she poked around a few paints herself. She didn't really know what to say and all, as the girl clearly expressed that the step-brother could be dead - no doubt because of the stunts Exeri pulled in the upper world. It was sad, but at the same time Natalija's attitude was kind of refreshing. It took a rare type of person to face the type of pain she was in using the method she was attempting.

She sweatdropped at Natalija's money conundrum, and considered the fact that she may have left Pethalamine in a similar situation. Nah, Pethalamine would just sit and read. In the end, Aya ended up paying for the books after explaining how the dollar worked, before leading the above-ground girl outside. "It must be nice, having someone you rely on and love like you do your step-brother..." Aya said suddenly, having had it on her mind since Natalija's explanation in the store. "Like you know, I have no memory of my old life, and all I really have to confide into are my faels. Maybe before I came down here, I had someone like that..."

"What are you implying? That I'm not good to talk to!? You're pretty stupid, Aya!" The girl's plufael spat, not exactly happy with the comment, unhappy to the point of harassing his reila in the back of her mind.

Aya winced, apparently taking some form of punishment for the misunderstanding. "Stop it Wrei! I'm sorry!"

"Shut up for a second, Aya! Don't you notice anything weird?" Wrei froze, taking control of the girl's body for a moment to scan the area. The streets were empty. Why were the streets empty?

"Natalija, let's run. We need to go get Peth!" Aya exclaimed as she grabbed the girl's hand and began to run back in the direction from whence they came.

Inside the paint shop, the owner put down the phone. It had struck him as strange that the one girl didn't understand the money, and Exeri was sure as hell paying a whole lot for Winged these days - way more than Miki's group was paying to keep their mouths shut about the whole upper-land thing.

---

"This city is called Zeta, huh?" Soren inquired as he stepped into the sunlight in a flesh and bone body for the first time in days. Giles had stayed true to his word, Soren's body having been left at a Thedora Mine checkpoint just outside the outskirts of the city. With RAY's help, he had no problems completing the transfer, although it was ridiculously painful. For the time being, he was sewed up while the core stabilized inside his body, but after his experience being cut up in Natalija's body, it wasn't such a problem. Conveniently, a small device had been left in the building as well, providing the boy with a selection of clothes to choose from.

In the end, the flesh and bone boy had decided on a basic, yet practical outfit, hopefully one Natalija wouldn't yell at him for the first time they met again. A pair of black slacks, a long white dress shirt, with a green-blue sweater with a black hood made up the basics of his new attire, while his shoes were fit comfortably with regular, white tennis shoes. A small silver necklace hung loosely around his neck, and he kept in his pocket a tiny black ball that somehow contained his hoop.

For the meantime, however, he had decided to explore. RAY had decided to stay behind for a little while, crushed by being abandoned by Giles. He had said he would come back for her later, and he would, but he felt bad for her. Giles had good intentions in mind, but had he been considering RAY's feelings?

With this on his mind, the boy wandered freely into an area of the city that seemed like it came straight out a storybook, with what seemed to be a small castle nearby and a lovely cobblestone walkway. But, as he went deeper and deeper into the area, there seemed to be less and less people around.

A sudden explosion right beside Soren knocked him to the ground as a cackling erupted behind him. "You're a stupid boy, aren't you? Walking around with your wings out like that in public~" A skinny, old looking man, clad in what appeared to be a cloak that was split right down the center, white on one side and black on the other approached him, tossing a small red orb up and down in his hands. Soren got back onto his feet, before taking out the weapon orb that he had been provided with and crushing it with his hand. The orb erupted in a burst of white light that took the form of his hoop only moments later. "Black, feathery wings, too~ Mr. Ledrique will be pleased with me, we've only examined one other specimen like you before~"

Soren sighed, not particularly in the mood. "You're a creepy old man, you know that? I don't know what you're talking about, or who this Mr. Ledrique is, but if you want to fight me I won't run away. In fact, I'm out of practice, I could use a warm up..." He went to throw his hoop, powered by the channeling of dation to his hands, but as he went to let go, no dation came and the ridiculously heavy hoop landed on his toe, causing a loud whelp. "Ah... crap." Come to think of it, he hadn't heard a word from his faels since getting his old body back...

"It seems you made a little miscalculation, Winged. Now, it's my turn to show off a little!" The old man crushed the orb in his hand, and the light materialized into a ridiculously large scythe for a man that size.


In the meantime, Aya had dragged Natalija almost all the way back to the school, before stumbling onto the fight. "Dammit... The Reassignment Bureau..." She muttered, referencing the old man. Someone had tipped them off, and somehow this boy with black wings had ended up targeted.
 
Natalija snorted at the notion that Jazz was someone she relied on and loved, "Are you kidding me?! I hate my brother so much! He's so perfect that it makes my life miserable!" She laced her fingers behind her back, the paint set slung across her torso by the means of a black strap. She'd wanted a portable one like this so she could always keep it with her, and it… actually was pretty fashionable, in a way. It was kind of cute- maybe that was a better way of saying it. "He's fun when he's not off doing everything better than I can, but almost right after someone tells me that he's a thousand times bett-" She was interrupted by Aya's fael, but found that… since it was Aya, who was actually really nice to her compared to most people she'd met, she didn't mind getting cut off. Besides, she was delving too far into herself. She didn't want to tell some stranger like Aya everything about herself. It was such a pathetic story, after all. "What's going- Ooon?!" She dragged out the last word as Aya pulled her back to the library. Natalija had felt like today was such a busy day, rushing here and there, but everything before now had been good and positive. But now… why was it so eerily quiet when just minutes ago it had been bustling with students?

As she ran she wondered why in the good heck they were running for Pethalamine. That girl could take care of herself just fine. She had time to bribe her own allies during battle, she had enough skill to spare to get rid of anyone on her tail! A little irritated at the thought of Pethalamine's earlier outburst, and still seething over it, she wrenched her wrist out of Aya's grip and muttered, "I'm not going to help that gir-"

Eh? Aya was apparently too distracted to notice, and Natalija could tell why. Grody old man. 1 O'clock. Natalija scrunched up her nose in disgust, her head reeling back as she scrutinized the man's utter lack of anything attractive. But that wasn't nearly as important to her when she noticed the other guy. And boy was she glad to see him!

"Soren!" She shrieked, pointing at him with wide shocked eyes, "WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?!?!"

The sound of metal crashing against stone was heard as Natalija clumsily stumbled away just in time to dodge the old man. "We're a little busy- lady."

Natalija blinked, taking a moment to register what had just happened. She was sure she saw two or three strands of sliced black hair floating down to the ground. And she was damned if she saw what she saw. "You….." Her expression darkened as she looked at the man with easily the most conceited, irritated face she'd ever made in front of anyone in the entire world, "Do you realize what you've done…?" She asked, her voice dripping with poison as she got to her feet, dation streaking out from all directions, a shrill shriek echoing through the air, "YOU RUINED MY BEAUTIFUL HAIR!!!!"

An unearthly scream every higher pitched than Natalija's ripped through the air as a black beast emerged from the dation, leaping out and staring the old man down with six menacing red eyes lined up beside each other, long and slender teeth like needles protruding from it's mouth. Each pointed tooth was easily at least six inches in length, angled randomly so that every bite would be absolute hell. The rest of Meine's beast form was generally that of a big cat's, except his front paws were in the shape of huge clawed hands, and his tail was immeasurably long as it twisted through the air. At the current moment, an axe ended the tail, and a forked tongue twitched in and out between the repulsive muzzle. "Meine!" Natalija snarled, "I NEVER want to see that man in front of me again!"

Another scream that seemed to echo through the air and Meine disappeared, dropping out of a mahstion portal behind the man in the blink of an eye. He dodged Meine's attack- one that would've left him headless, but the dation spread across the floor made the entire area Meine's territory. Dropping to the ground again, Meine melted into the black puddles across the ground, appearing right beside the old man one last time. "I said," Natalija barked at her negafael viciously, "GET RID OF HIM." Huge, teeth appeared- at least quadruple the size that they were in Meine's jaws. They rose up, surrounding the old man as the normally adorable fael swallowed him whole, dragging him into the depths of his dation portals to deal with him elsewhere. The black puddles slithered back towards Natalija, disappearing into her black wings. "Tch." She flipped her hair behind her shoulder, "Can't do anything right the first time around. Disgusting man had it coming." She ran a hand through her black tresses before stopping, grabbing a handful and examining it. "THAT- THAT JERK GOT A WHOLE CHUNK OF MY HAIR!" A whole chunk ended up behind three inches off of perhaps thirty strands. It was a big deal.

"Ugh!" At least, it was to Natalija.

After fuming over the fact that her hair was uneven now, she turned a glare on Soren, barking, "And you! Where have you been?! I've been stuck with Pethalamine, Dimitri, and creepy McPriestPriest, without any semblance of normality in sight! Well!" She huffed, "It's about time you showed up! I was this close to missing you!!" She snapped, putting her hands on her hips, "So you better have a good explanation for making me get so close to worrying about you!"
 
"Argh! You mean this outfit isn't any good either!?" Soren shouted, at first more annoyed at Natalija's comment than relieved that he had found one of his friends. "I even dressed with you in mind!" He considered the fact that the way he had worded that sounded wrong, but only after he said it. By that time, however, Natalija's hair had already been cut, and it was already far too late to consider rewording his sentence.

Around the time that Meine materialized in his grotesque form, a girl unfamiliar to Soren dragged him off to the side, out of harm's way. She identified herself as Aya, one of Miki's subordinates, before snapping a necklace around his wrist. The moment this occurred, contact was regained with his faels, the first thing occurring being a simple "Master?" from Tia.

"So this is how Natalija is using her dation, huh?" Soren asked as his attention was drawn back to the fight. How Natalija could lose it so much over a bit of hair was a mystery to him, and this whole display seemed kind of overboard. As the man was pulled into the dark abyss of dation, he felt a little sorry for him, and a little scared of Natalija. But, at the same time, he was overjoyed to find her again, and even after being irrationally scolded - which was, as usual, in her character - he hugged her for a moment before thinking about the implications of what he had just done. He let go quickly, backing off to try and dodge anything she might try throwing at him. "Ah, s-sorry! I was just afraid everyone had died, as all, I got a little excited..." He was reminded of when he had been in Meredy. Nothing was living there anymore. His friends could have been some of the many that died, and the condition of his family was unknown. "Sorry for not finding you guys sooner, but I had an encounter with the people who destroyed both Alta and Meredy..."
 
Flushing Natalija was halfway through punching Soren to effectively get him off of her- but he was smart enough to back away first, and that was just a tad bit frustrating. "This," She motioned to herself, snapping bitterly, "is no touch merchandise! I didn't miss you THAT much!" Folding her arms tightly, she diverted her gaze and fixed it on a nearby building, "And I wouldn't have died that easily, so don't you worry about me. I'm insulted- I was even about to compliment you on your out-…." Her face loosened in realization at the last thing Soren had said. The people who… who what? Her head snapped back and she opened her mouth to say something, but…. She decided against it, and continued her sentence, a little less riled up now that she was a little preoccupied, "I was even about to compliment you on your outfit..." Drumming her fingers against her lips, she thought for a moment or two before pulling back up a look of annoyance and superiority. It was one thing to talk about Jazz to Aya. Another to talk about him with Soren. "But the only reason why I don't have anything to point out is because it's simple, so don't go off getting any of your weird clothes again just because I said one outfit looked nice!" She tightened her arms again, spinning around on her heel as she stalked away towards where she thought the library might be.

"Come on!" She barked at him, "You'll see none of us are dead. Pethalamine's in the library, alive and being a nerd as usual. Dimitri and Alderian are back at the hotel, but I don't know what they're doing. I'm sure Pethalamine will be ecstatic to see you. Maybe she'll yell at you for once! Cranky… stubborn….." Natalija stormed away, holding her head high and dignified as a black puddle formed behind her and materialized into a little black rabbit-like creature. "Hmph!" She huffed, sticking her nose in the air. Trotting behind her for a few paces, Meine then paused and glanced over his shoulder at Soren and Aya. A second or two later, his back arched and he evaporated into thin air.

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

Life. Gosh why did everything just suck so much? Serge wiped his eyes off on his sleeve as a reflex, but there were really no tears left. He'd lost all his friends. Levi had gone god knows where. And his mom and dad were good as gone. He splashed his face with cold water- ice cold water that had little crystals in it. Pulling a tendril of water out of the sink with his mahstion, he pressed the sphere against his forehead, letting it spread into an oval. He'd felt like he'd been living a dream for the past few days. An unamusing, stupid dream where he was…. Alone. Rosalynne had been hit hard- probably harder than himself, since she had been so much more sheltered than he. But honestly, he couldn't find it in him to give up his own woes to help her. Serge just felt so… worthless. As if living was completely pointless now that an apparent apocalypse was headed their way. He hung his head, staring at the ripples that the drops of water from his bangs made as they fell back into the sink. He didn't like it here at all. Flazure. Phoenix's and Wyverns left and right, all staring at him because he wasn't one. It was… worse than school, in all honesty.

"I want to go home…" He mumbled to himself, letting the water on his forehead splash back to its rightful place. A moment's silence, and then laughter rang through his ears. It was the first time he'd heard laughing in awhile, and it sounded… so foreign. Before he had time to turn around however, a towel flew into his face, barreling at him at speeds obviously only possible when propelled by wionus, or some kind of machine.

"OOF!" He grunted, nearly tripping back over a toilet. Another gust of wionus, perfectly calculated to counteract his falling motion back to where he was simply standing saved him from cracking his head open against the porcelain however, and the towel fell off of his face to reveal a wonderfully familiar man with rosy hair. He was dressed in a pair of black slacks, shoved into his shin-high boots, along with a teal long-sleeved mechanic's shirt. The sleeves were rolled up, probably to keep them out of his way, and on his hands, a pair of simple brown leather gloves. What was strange about his attire wasn't the actual clothing however. It was the fact that the sunglasses that were usually perched before his olive green eyes had been replaced by a pair of teal goggles with yellow lenses, sitting across his head just above his forehead. "Levi!" Serge cried, rushing over and flinging his arms around the man's torso.

"Hey kid!" The man laughed, ruffling the boys hair and holding him at arms length, "You look like crap!"

"Sh-Shut up!" Serge stammered as his eyes began tearing up, "Y-You d-do too!"

"Hey!" Levi took a step back, putting his hands on his hips, "This was totally my look when I was travelling with your old man. I think it's a pretty cool look, don't you? Oh yeah, 'nd I usedta talk laik this ya?"

Serge nodded, taking some time to register the fact that just a semblance of his old life was still alive- and still cracking jokes. "Lizzy gave me these goggles," He was saying, adjusting them so that they were situated further back, "But both her and her man…. Well they didn't really manage as well as I did." He paused for a moment before looking down at Serge, "So I hear you been depressed."

"Anyone would be…" He mumbled, hanging his head, "Anyone but you anyway."

"Hey, all I need to know is that Lizzy would be mad at me if I gave her anything more than a second thought. All she'd want is for me to keep her with me always, so you need to liven up too. Y'think Asher and Milly want you staring at yourself in the mirror all day? Come on, you know Asher'd want you to go scope out some ladies, and Milly would want you to be doing something good for once." Levi grabbed the scruff of Serge's shirt, pulling him out of the bathroom and out the door of the room that Levi had stumbled into without knocking. "Now you go find your sister this minute and give her a smile and a hug or something. The poor lady is as wilted as a flower, and as an older brother, you gotta grow some balls and buck up."

"What do I say to her?" Serge asked, a little irritated now at Levi's carefree attitude in such a serious situation, "Mom is gone and Dad is half dead?"

Levi clicked his tongue, folding his arms, "Man you're as dull as your dad now aren't you?" He grinned and slung an arm around the teen's shoulders, saying a little more gently, "Naw kid, what you tell your sister is that your mom's coming down here to see you guys soon. She stopped by the house to pick up some things first though, so you two need to… Be happy! Or something. Cause she's been locked up all this time by her stupid negafael, so you don't give her any trouble yeah?"

Serge stared at Levi in disbelief for a moment before looking away, "Rosalynne's not-"

"You never know till you try, and it's always better to regret doing something than to regret not doing it. So go. Get your butt out there and look for her." Levi pointed at Serge, "Are you a man??"

Silence, hesitation, and then a confident, "Damn right I am!"

"That's what I thought!" Levi laughed, "Now don't tell your mom I taught you that word and go!"
 
"So, Princess, I trust you're doing alright?" The brown haired man clad in a black suit asked the woman beside him seriously. Somehow, Sid had been suckered into escorting Carn's Princess to the capital city. The whole fiasco from a week before had left her aware of the existence of the world below, and it had taken a large toll on her overall. She was being escorted here alongside Sid in this castle towards the King's chamber in the rattiest of outfits. Her shoulder-length, blue hair was in a dirty mess, and she wore a torn up, white blouse and a seemingly over worn pair of jeans. She seemed filthy, and that filth made the thirty-two year old woman seem even older than she was. Just how had this woman been living for the past week? If he had known she looked like that, he would have dressed down, not up!

No answer. Well, that was understandable. She was one of the few survivors of an absurd disaster - one that shouldn't have come about in the first place. An entire city, the one she lived in and was charged with protecting, had been killed off in the blink of an eye along with most of the family and friends she kept nearby. Thanks to some foresight by Kay due to reconnaissance work, however, they had managed to protect the Princess and a few other groups of individuals, including the Davies family and the Princess' only daughter, who was, as they spoke, being transferred under Kay's surveillance.

The two just kept walking, escorted by a butler, before they arrived before a pair of large doors leading to the throne room. Princess Evaline Ria Dian, over the years, had been putting up with her brother's absurdities. She said not a word when the King scooped up a leaderless Tealia, nor did she mention anything to the public when the soldiers began to disrespect Tealia's citizens. She didn't even say anything against him - or rather some other higher power, she could not confirm her brother's role in this - when she was forced to bear the child of a noble to act as a possible heir to the throne. But the events that transpired at Alta, and the new realization that what her brother had been doing had triggered the annihilation of their world had finally set her in a different direction. Even if he was her dear brother, he needed to own up to what he was doing.

"Please wait inside until the King arrives. He will be with you shortly." The butler announced as he opened the doors, which creaked loudly. Sid and the woman stepped inside, Sid bowing in thanks to the butler before the door shut behind him. As a precaution, Sid had brought along some technology from the underground. From what he had heard about this King, it was best that he be ready for any kind of situation.


---


Rosalynne Davies had said not a word, not a word since arriving in Flazure. She sat on the shore of a small underground lake nearby a church, her face buried in her knees as she listened to the water splash and voices in the town behind her chatter. Ellianne had lead her there, thinking she'd like the quiet. With her father was being hospitalized nearby, her mother missing, and her brother off somewhere, she felt ridiculously alone, to the point where the moment she had been entirely alone she had broken out in tears. Auricia had been watching her in secret from inside the church, but there was nothing she could do, even in the child-like Phoenix form she now had. Lyrum had run off to get supplies, as the church Ellianne was a priestess at and Auricia volunteered at was housing quite a number of refugees from both Alta and Meredy, while everyone else was in location unknown.

"Um... excuse me? Have you seen a young, wingless, brown-haired woman around here?" A soft voice inquired from behind Rosalynne, the crying girl suddenly started into turning around and looking. The origin of the voice was a young girl, most likely around Rosalynne's own age - maybe a bit younger. Her short, straight hair was coloured like the rocks in the cavern, a chalky gray, while a lacy hairband sat atop her head. A lacey black dress sat rather nicely on the petite girl's body, although it seemed slightly dirty from what was probably a long trip, judging by her worn down brown sandals. Her right forearm was bandaged, and her hands rested together on her lap as she stood, her amber eyes dimly reflecting the little natural light this city received. Her pure white wings seemed badly damaged, with feathers missing here and there and even some splotches stained with blood. What exactly had this girl gone through? "I seemed to have separated from her when she went off to examine someone's hair... or something. Uh... are you okay?" The girl asked, noticing a dampness under Rosalynne's eyes that she quickly rubbed away to hide the fact that she had been crying.

Ms. Davies said not a word as she took the girl's hand and lead her into the streets. She'd help this girl find who she was looking for, considering the condition she was in, but after that she intended on going back to being alone. Since, while this girl looked like she hurt on the outside, Rosalynne herself hurt too much on the inside to bear it.


---


"I'm not going to lie, it was even a little relieving to see her act that way!" Soren exclaimed, not really phased by Natalija's outburst. He was just happy to see that she was alive. And everyone was? Perhaps his luck was getting better after all? The boy glanced at Aya, before moving forward. "We better get going. Don't want to make the princess wait, after all!" He was clearly referring to Natalija. Though, the prospect of being yelled at by Pethalamine had never occurred to him. Would everyone be mad at him for being gone so long?

Moments later, they arrived in the library, Soren poking around at various things like a child, clearly lacking the ability to hold himself back like the others were, and as a result often got scolded by Aya who had the intention of maintaining her student status on the campus. As Exeri's little stunt earlier had put most of the student populace into hiding, it wasn't that much of a problem that Soren was waltzing around with black wings in tow, but Exeri knew they were there anyways so it wasn't such a big deal. They just needed to get Peth and get out. "Did you find what you were looking for, Pethalamine?" Aya asked politely, not mentioning Soren in the least.

The boy, on the other hand, made his existence more than known. "I think 'yes' is the right answer here, considering two more of those strangely cloaked people from Exeri just seemed to appear outside..."

OOC: The girl.
 
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There was no King.

Instead, his disillusioned, most trusted advisor stood one step below the throne, staring down at Evaline and her company. His blonde hair was, as usual, impeccably brushed aside, while his signature pinstriped suit remained ironed and flawless. His normally sharp and icy eyes showed little more than guilt and shame at the condition Evaline had chosen to arrive in. Partially because he thought of the hardship she must have suffered in order to reach this status. Partially because he knew that Piper would make no obvious note of it, though the King would certainly send a good punch and degrading line his direction in retaliation for not keeping a closer eye on her. But what could he have done? His business was overflowing with horrible profits due to the demand for transportation. Any personnel he'd had in Meredy, the only extension of his Carn based business, had been utterly annihilated. And how could you convince people to go, in order to help organize the transportation of hundreds of dead bodies to their families? Solomon pushed the thought from his head, stepping down the remaining two steps and kneeling respectfully. "Princess Evaline," His voice shook in fear of her late retaliation. Would she think that he, the man who had constantly been at Piper's heels advising against his actions, had had his hand in the terrible events that Carn rippled across the world? Would she think that he, who had enjoyed teasing her as a child and acted as her protector in place of the fact that she had no personal guard, would have anything but her well-being in his mind? Of course she would. He had done nothing, for nearly twenty years. Had not spoken out for her. Had not objected to her relocation. Had not crushed the arrogant fools who used her as their puppets. He had not even rejected the idea of her bearing a child, despite the fact that his suppressed feelings had crushed before they had even the chance to show. He felt a pang, and bowed his head lower. "My apologies," Steadying his voice but speaking quietly, Solomon stared hard at the lush fibers of the red rug, "His Majesty is-"

"No need for formalities, Solomon." King Dian's voice cut through as he strode in behind Evaline and Sid. It was rare, that he was caught without an escort of some sort. But, it could be said that his escort had preceded his entrance, and was already kneeling at the foot of the throne. "Pick your head up, we all know each other." He brushed right past his younger sister without even a glance. His careless tone implied a smile on his face, but it was quite the contrary. He looked indifferent, almost displeased, and Solomon got to his feet, moving out of the younger man's way. The King spun around, sitting stiffly into his red velvet seat. He crossed one leg over the other, leaning his head into his fist as he examined his sister. "I'm sure you arrived here in that state hoping that I would inquire after your past escapades, and the reason as to why you have chosen to appear before me as such. However, Solomon, I hope you remember, has already informed me of the happenings in Meredy and Tealia. I am appalled that they even allowed you in here, looking like that." He glanced meaningfully at a maid who stood at the ready. She tensed, but his tone was amused and light when he spoke again. "Maid, you are lucky that my beloved sister is here. For that, you live to see another day of your life within this castle. That man, there." King Dian leaned back in his seat, examining Sid from top to bottom with dislike, "I don't recognize him."

"I hired him." Solomon interjected, bowing in apology, "Forgive my rash actions. I did not consult you, as it was around the time that Alta was rendered obsolete."

"… Fine then." Piper looked back over at Evaline, "Then, my dearest sister. I haven't seen you for many years, and I have yet to catch wind that you've made any progress on your promise to our mother. Have the governors been blocking the truth from me?" His interest in Evaline's prescence was dissolving fast. He didn't know how to speak to her anymore. He could hardly remember the time when they were practically inseparable. But those were the exact memories that kept him from summoning her to the castle. Why would she want to see what he had become? She had always thought of him as the best. What was he now? Piper's smile grew faker, more dangerous as his insides collapsed at the reason why she was here. He knew, that he had done many unforgivable things. Unforgivable to her, at the very least. Just steps. Just babysteps to make Carn the greatest nation in history. Biding his time, he had thought in the beginning that he might be the one to bring change to Carn's reputation. He had been unable to do so, but knew what he would do in place of it.

"Or would you rather tell me the concerns you have that have brought you back to this place after so long?"

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

Serge hadn't really spent much time wandering the streets recently, so it was hard for him to get around. By the time he noticed, he was already thouroughly lost, with absolutely no idea where he was. He couldn't see the church anywhere, and he wasn't exactly sure he liked seeing all of the same wings everywhere. It was creeping him out. He hurried along, looking up and down the alleyways and glancing meekly into the faces of passing people- mostly the people shorter than him. There weren't many, and so he quickly deducted that he was looking in the wrong place. Serge didn't think Rosalynne would enjoy a crowded place like this anyway. But now the problem of getting out was fresh before him, and he had no idea as to a solution. Giving up on his futile fight against the current of the crowd, he tried his best to look around, thinking every now and then that he might ask for directions. Shyness and anxiety at his new surroundings silenced him however, and he continued to get more and more lost until he finally ended up in a place where the masses thinned out. Where…? Serge brushed his clothes off, hesitating when he noticed how wrinkled and old they looked. He was still wearing the green and yellow polo, and the black slacks that he'd changed into before leaving that day. Well… he'd change after he found Rosalynne. He wanted to try calling out for her, but he didn't want to attract attention. So what was he even doing out here? He was just… taking up space.

"Man you're a hard kid to tail." Levi laughed as Serge felt himself get picked up and thrown over the man's shoulder. Whenever they would spar, Serge had never won, but he'd never really known that Levi was strong enough to pick up a fifteen-year-old boy, even if he was a little on the smaller side, "I almost lost you in the crowd back there! Kinda figured y'wouldn't know your way around here."

"Have you been here before?" Serge asked, not really protesting to being lifted up. He was glad that someone else he knew was here now.

"Nope!" Levi replied without much thought. Well, someone else to be lost with. "But what do I need with being here prior? Tell me, where do you think your little sister is? Y'think she's in town?" He gestured behind him with his free hand and Serge looked up at the bustling streets.

"She's probably somewhere quiet, where she can be alone." He pointed out, realizing that in his excitement, he hadn't paused to think things through, "Maybe the lake? Miss Ducharme has asked me if I wanted to go before, but I always declined."

"Well see I knew it." Levi notioned, "Her signature reminds me of your daddy's."

---- >

"Now see here," Levi spoke again when he landed, the huge wings on his feet shrinking back to their original size as he landed with a heavy thud, "She's made a friend!"

Dumping his load off his shoulder, Serge gave an 'oof' as he landed face first into the ground. His head ringing from the impact, it took him a few moments to gather himself, letting his mentor introduce himself while he sat up and found his bearings again. "Nice to meet'cha young lady Rosalynne, I don't believe we've ever had a formal introduction, but I hope you recognize me as the guy your charming ma's always slammin' the door on the minute she opens it! I'm Levi Jaquez," He bowed, excessively showing off before straightening again, "But I'm just sendin' this cute kid over here cause he can't find you himself!"

Serge pushed Levi aside, getting to his feet, "Rosalynne, they found Mom!"

"A man and woman- Aertan and Faewyn." Levi interjected from behind, "I thought you guys might know them but I don't know anything about them at all so-"

"And she's coming tomorrow! She's gonna bring some stuff from home, so…." Serge trailed off, lost for words after reporting his news, "So I'm sure Dad'll be better soon and… stuff."

Silence for a moment before Levi kicked a clump of dirt on the ground, "Well I got some business with an old pal so I better split." He'd obviously made the silence awkward for himself, but Serge had felt that the silence had been somewhat comfortable. Rosalynne was no where near okay, but he was glad she was still in one piece. Just an hour ago, he wouldn't have been able to confirm even that- he was just so wrapped up in his own affairs. "See ya!" And Levi was gone as fast as he'd come. He had a large agenda. And giving Reid's little punk a pick me up was no where near as massive as Levi's next move. His next move was one that he was now willing to make only because most of his business had collapsed. The losses sustained were bearable though, and Levi wasn't exactly alien to the idea of going back to a more exciting lifestyle. Even if he was a few years past that prime, he was closer than anyone else he used to know.

"… So, um…" Serge looked over at the unfamiliar girl. Was she a friend, like Levi had said? "… Who's that?"
 
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"My apologies, your highness, I should have met with you sooner but had not the chance." Sid bowed apologetically when the formidable man had finished talking. The young man was a little more than irritated with the progress that had been made since their entrance into the room. That man seemed to speak down to everyone, included his own sister. The tone of voice and comments directed at his sister were filled with a twisted disappointment, despite all she had endured over the past little while. He glanced over at the woman he had accompanied, and noted the fire in her eyes. They had originally agreed upon Sid speaking for her since she didn't want unnecessary conflict between siblings, but clearly it was too late to be worrying about that. Still, when she had spoken of her childhood, this tyrant of a man had been described as sweet and loving. How did things change so much over the years?

Her brother's words hurt, they hurt a lot. Not just the content, but the way they were spoken as well. Evaline almost broke down at first, but as the words kept coming, she adjusted her state of mind to accept what her dearest brother had become. "Brother, stop it with the promise garbage! How do you expect me to paint beautiful pictures of a bloody world? You know what happened in Alta, in Meredy, so why are you standing up there like nothing is wrong? Something IS wrong, Piper. You ask why I came here dressed like this? It's because that's all I am to you, isn't it? A dirty, throwaway puppet." Her eyes shot a sympathetic glance at Solomon, whom she assumed was in no better a situation. "You used me as a figurehead in Tealia while your council did what they willed, making the people suffer. I was forced to enlist the help of an old friend to investigate these disturbances, and I trust his reports. Maybe you remember Reid, brother?" The princess had no intention of letting up. Not yet, she still had bases to cover. "And then, out of nowhere, you forced me to conceive a child with a stranger, all in the name of making an heir, am I right? Do you know what kind of hell that was? Why the hell couldn't you have produced a child on your own!? I've never even seen that man again, and my poor daughter is going to grow up not knowing who her father is! What happened to you? What happened to your kindness...?"

Sid took the moment to press a small button on the inside of the sleeve of his suit. Thankfully he had decided to bring the voice recorder after all. What the mighty King chose to say may be of use later, after all.

---

Rosalynne gave a sigh of relief at the announcement about her mother, but she was nowhere near any possible state of recovery yet. She, for the most part, ignored Levi's introduction, only focusing on what her older brother told her. Even if their mom came back, so what? Their dad was still unconscious, and everyone she knew in Meredy was dead, even her cousin Soren.

"Ah, I apologize for not introducing myself." The young girl held her free, bandaged hand to her chest as she bowed politely. "My name is Hailey. I got separated from my escort, and came across your sister - you are siblings, yes? - by mistake. I explained my situation to her, and she seems to want to help me. I'm unfamiliar with Flazure, you see, having grown up in Tealia with my mother, so I'm afraid I haven't any idea where to look..."

---

Hours. It had been hours since they had gone to the library and found no trace of Pethalamine. They searched, and searched, and ultimately found nothing. It wasn't until Aya received an order from their headquarters that she had no choice but to drag Soren and Natalija back to HQ, where those who had stayed at the hotel had been taken as well. Soren messaged RAY to meet him there eventually as well, and thus the depressing walk back to the HQ commenced, and eventually concluded as they were lead into a room with the others as Miki met with other members of her organization to determine a next move, although she was unaware of Soren's presence.
 
You wouldn't have ever guessed it. But amusing! Oh this girl was so very amusing.

King Dian laughed. That's all. He just laughed at the end of Evaline's little tirade of all her little troubles. Oh what a funny little girl she was. She'd always been funny, and that's what he liked best about her. Even if the circumstances were this terrible, when was the last time King Dian had laughed? The Piper inside him no longer writhed in protest- he'd been silenced long ago. And with his murder, the kindness had fled as well. "Garbage! Solomon," The man in question turned his head down in acknowledgment of the King's address, "Do you remember when Evaline would speak of nothing but her promise to our mother? That wonderful woman?"

Solomon did not hesitate, knowing that when they spoke of the past, he could raise his head. And he did, facing King Dian with no smile to mask his distance from the man on the throne. "I remember quite clearly."

"See now Evaline. It's not garbage. Even Sol remembers." It was King Dian who stood, pushing his cloak out behind him and pacing the area around his throne, "But I remember even more clearly than you. I'm well on my way to keeping my promise to our mother. Course, I never told you what that was, did I? No matter, it's not important to you anyway." He eyed Solomon after seeing his sister throw a sympathetic look to him, "It is your opinion," He wrenched his gaze back to the abominable spectacle before him, "that I think of you as a 'dirty, throw away puppet'. But what is my opinion, of what you think of me?" He shook his head, and pulled his crown off, watching the gems catch the light. "What am I to you? A tyrant? A disappointment?" He let his crown clatter to the floor, "A failure?" Laughing, he scooped up accessory and twirled it around his index finger, staring down at his sister with his head held high, "I find no reason for me to start sharing my reasons for doing the things I do. Never have I told you before- and while there's a first for everything, this is not the time for that first." King Dian plopped the crown back on his head, crooked. But he could care less. Such a superficial thing held no value to him. He remembered the mention of Reid, and sat back down in his chair, laughing harder than even before, "Reid? I do remember that man. Levi was there as well, Solomon- that arrogant man who tromps into my hall as if it were his own home! Ahhh, so the good for nothing knight has finally proved some use to you. I see…. Is this why Solomon has neglected to visit Tealia for the past year or so?"

The man in question turned his head down again, flushing out of growing frustration and embarrassment. He was making a victim out of Solomon. A casualty of this personal battle between the King and a sister he'd never really known! It was at this time that Solomon really doubted whether the Piper in the King was anywhere to be found. That last shred of sanity that kept Piper alive. It must've been forgotten already. The King was normally so civil, so honest, and so kind. At least, towards Solomon. It was… degrading, to be treated like all the other advisers. And the subject of Evaline's daughter made him burn with resentment. He was almost waiting for King Dian to blame him for the stranger. For having turned down the offer that had originally been directed at him. He couldn't do something like that, and how anyone with a trace of Piper in them could even imagine that had been beyond him. But it was apparent now that Piper had been gone for a long, long time. And it was growing more and more apparent as the conversation dragged on.

"Evaline, if you do not enjoy the company of your daughter, I'm not forcing you to keep her." King Dian pointed out bluntly, "And if she needs a father, than all she need do is look for wherever a certain advisor in this room has chosen to exile him."

Solomon's knee's buckled, but he regained his balance, his face burning now. "I-It was not I who drove him out of Tealia..." He swallowed a lump in his throat, "Your Highness."

"Solomon, I'm in no mood to uproot your feeble defense. Do not speak until I ask you to. Evaline, have you quite finished with your grievances? I'm quite sure that neither of us can stand each other's company for much longer. At least, I certainly can't. The good and justice that you demand from me is something I cannot give to you. Anything else you ask of me, I will consider. Otherwise, you have no purpose here."
 
So the man resorted to answering her questions obscurely, huh? That was all that was on Sid's mind as he continued to stand by and watch everything unfold. If he didn't dodge the question entirely, he answered her question with a question. Despite how out of touch he seemed to be, he must have lied a lot in the past to acquire such a talent in regards to wording. However, Sid couldn't forget why he was present. Aside from doubling as Evaline's security, he had also come to raise the King's awareness in regards to any attacks by Exeri in the future. It went without saying that Carn would be the next, most obvious target. Though, judging by the atmosphere, it would be difficult to convince the King of anything at any point. He seemed too distant from reality, that was for sure.

"Piper, how much do you really remember about mother? About your promise?" Evaline inquired seriously. It had been a ridiculously long time since their childhood, so there was a high probability that her brother's memory of those times had become corrupt along the way. The man continued to ask her questions about what she thought of him, and she could really tell there was nothing left as he seemed to become more and inhuman. "Yes, you are inhumane, and you are a tyrant, but you're also my brother, which is why I want to try and forgive you for what you've done!" But, she knew at this point there probably wouldn't be a chance for her to forgive him. He didn't seem to have any intention of feeling sorry, at least, especially not when he commented on the daughter ordeal. "I love my daughter very much, not that you'd understand what that is anymore, brother. I have no intention of getting rid of her. But keep in mind I have no intention of handing her over to you at any point, either. She will not succeed you as the ruler of Carn, so I suggest you go and look for an alternative way to name an heir!"

Sid spoke up. This was getting too rough, so it was time for him to stick his neck in. "Your highness, if you could just please listen to me for a moment. You need to forget your current affairs and place focus on protecting your country for the next little while. It is very possibly that what befell Alta and Tealia could occur here as well..."
 
All the amusement had long drained from Piper's face, and in it's place, his face had contorted into a look of disbelief. Fury and disappointment. "What do I remember about our mother?" He began, venom dripping from his voice as he violently stood from his chair, storming down the stairs with fists clenched and eyes wide with anger. "I remember everything!" His voice began to escalate in volume and Solomon rushed over, grabbing the man's cloak without much grace and pulling him back, blocking him from reaching the duo in the middle of the hall. "I've never asked for your forgiveness Evaline! You're the one who expected me to keep my promise to that woman, and you abandoned yours- who wants your forgiveness?!" He roared, trying to push Solomon out of the way. But not even twenty years had changed his physical build. He was still as scrawny as ever, and Solomon had no trouble in holding him back, "I don't understand anymore." His voice halved in volume, but it still rang clear in the hall. The Piper of the past would be in tears by now, but not a single look of sadness could be found on his face. All that was left was resentment as he tried to reason with himself, "We're not family anymore. You call me brother- I call you sister, but everything is fake. What is love? Is it like when I would dote on you- spend every living minute of my life thinking of you and your well-being?"

"Piper, calm down!" Solomon snapped, but the King paid him no mind.

"You want to forgive me for the things I've done? Then find it in yourself to do so! Nothing changes until the wheels are turned, and nothing ends if it doesn't start!" Shoulder's heaving as he fought for his breath, he glared into the face of his younger sister. How she'd aged. He wondered what he would see if he looked into the mirror after seeing her. A hardened, old man who had no compassion left for an empty world? Or would his outsides be as youthful as he'd always thought they were? Simply young on the outside, withered and dead on the inside? "I have no need for your daughter. An heir is never what she was destined to be. At least, not my heir. My intentions are not fit for your ears, nor your guard. Get out of my sight. You will not forgive me, nor will you ever lay your eyes on me again. I will do the same to you." He slumped away from Solomon and turned his back on his sister. His face was not hardened with the years. It was hardened with resolve to escape this unsettling meeting. He didn't need to face their accusations, nor did he want to. As he took a deep breath and took a few brisk steps into the door off the hallway, he paused once more. "You came to me, hoping that I would save you and my land. But your pleas are empty to me. I will not extend my power to a purpose that has no room for compassion for me. I will not dance in the palm of your hand as I have in the council's. You're all the same."

Solomon flinched when the door clicked shut behind King Dian, and he turned to look over at the two in the hall with a tired face and wary eyes that no longer had the energy to stand in the middle.

"Kid," He addressed Sid, "there's nothing we can do against something that can kill an entire city with one flash of light." Rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, Solomon sat down on the steps leading to the throne, "If you have a suggestion, I'm open to hear it- and the same with your reasoning as to why Carn would be chosen before a smaller continent, such as Gregar or Beta. After all, that was the original pattern, with a smaller country; Alta, then Tealia. I'm sure I can do something as the head advisor and knight of the King. Piper was the wrong person to seek. He's never worried himself with anyone outside of me or Evaline, and now he hardly worries himself with anything at all."

Solomon paused dropping his hands from his face and lacing them together as he regarded the two stoically.

"He won't help you in protecting this country and its people."

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

If one could get dressed in the blink of an eye, Dimitri had managed to do it. As soon as he heard the news that Pethalamine was gone, he'd bolted right out of bed and demanded details. As soon as he heard that there were no details, he was determined to find them himself. Sure he'd been angry at Pethalamine only minutes earlier, but for goodness sakes, he would keep this damned promise of his to protect her even if it killed him! He wouldn't be a liar this time. Dimitri paused when he passed the mirror on his way out the hotel room, thinking that he looked strange. Not just his clothes, but the bags he usually had under his eyes were gone. He felt healthier, almost, from not straining himself over much of anything for nearly a week. Like half the load he was bearing had been lifted. Tearing his gaze away from his reflection, Dimitri shoved the observations from his mind and furrowed his brow together. Pethalamine's disappearance was opening his eyes as to just how much danger they were in. They were like a handful of black sheep in a world full of white ones. But he'd felt almost… comfortable, in a way. He and Pethalamine had no wings to begin with- they didn't stand out quite as much as Soren and Natalija did. Even then, Natalija's wings were 2D, and could fold in. Soren wasn't even with them anymore, and Alderian didn't have wings either…. Dimitri stopped barreling down the stairs. That really was a strange coincidence. But perhaps… it wasn't a coincidence? Stop!

Dimitri shook his head violently, storming down towards the lobby. He was getting so sidetracked! His mind was pulling itself left and right as it finally registered the real depth of the situation it was in. Calm and cool was essential in a situation like this… but that just wasn't something that Dimitri was capable of. As soon as he caught sight of the familiar long black tresses in the lobby, he rushed towards the girl, running right past the man that was supposed to escort him to the room they'd be waiting inside.

"Natalija!" He called, "What happened? What happened to Pethalamine?" So many questions running through his mind. Had she even tried to save Peth? Had she seen her captor? Was Peth even captured? Had she left on her own accord, feeling unwelcome as both he and Natalija shunned her for her outburst? What if all this was his fault, after he'd promised to protect her? He grabbed Natalija's arm as the girl held her nose in the air, ignoring him, "What's going on?!"

Natalija's eyes flashed and she glared at the blonde. "Hell if I know!" She snapped, pulling her arm out of his grasp, "I'm not her babysitter, you are." Flipping her hair over her shoulder she continued towards the room as if she had never been interrupted. At a loss as to whether he disliked Natalija or Pethalamine more, Dimitri almost missed the extra party member that had returned. But alas, he didn't.

"Soren!" He exclaimed, looking the once MIA dation user over. Other than being dressed differently, he looked… totally fine! And different clothes weren't exactly reserved just for him, considering that Dimitri and everyone else had chosen new ensembles as well. "Where have you been?"
 
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