Fairyland Chronicles - Character Side Stories

[Lin Lin]

Reilinn traveled to the Lighthalzen, as a creator of specific compounds such as toxins, poisons, antidotes and the likes, she knew when to appreciate locating her own ingredients. Her main goal of traveling to Lighthalzen via Airship was to do just that, the hunt for Mole Claws and Whiskers began. She sought out the little Gangster Moles (Holden), getting double the Whisker/Claw when she used Steal and making her hunting time literally get cut in half. My, it was quite wonderful being an assassin sometimes, the array of abilities was always useful.

Reilinn spent less than an hour collecting the items she required and safely tucked them into a small bag that was worn at her hip, a black bag, that had a plush interior which would keep what fragile objects she may tote around from clinking, clattering and accidentally breaking, even when she is under attack or pressure. It was also temperature regulating, anything that was cool would remain cool.. Which can be extremely helpful for long trips. Returning to Lighthalzen, her feet led her to the worst part of town you could think possible, the Slums.

Places like the Slums were perfect for so many things, illegal activities like black marketing, catching the latest gossip and sometimes you could just sit down and listen to an elderly travel tell a wonderful story of where they had been and what they had done when they were younger. Inspirational small stories like that were always plentiful when you went to places like this.

Today, was not a day for small stories from the elderly, one of her usual gossip informants sought her out as she strolled through the run-down streets a little frantic. 'Rei, Rei!' the young and dirt-stricken street boy cried out her name and made her turn to look at him "Hey, what's wrong?" The kid was almost out of breath, he must have been running to find her. 'Someone's poking their nose around, they keep asking people about some Purple thing, Old Man Red told her there's a rumor about a Magic Purple Stone in the Rekenbar place! She's wearing a black cloak and heading off toward the big town' Her brows lifted in question, she's heard the same kind of rumors from Red, stories of an old timer that once had lived it up and was now in the slums like so many others. "Interesting.. Thanks, kid" She gave him a light pat on the shoulder and some zeny for giving her the information. It did spark her curiosity a little bit, people that come looking for rare rumored items, normally means if you can find it, they'd pay good money for it.

That's all it took to make up her mind about her next action, patting the pouch on her hip lightly with her right palm "Looks like I'll be concocting a little later than planned.." With that, she began to head toward the 'rich' part of town and slipped into her Shadow Ability (Cloak), to follow the cloaked stranger into the Rekenbar Institute itself. Interesting.. It's almost as if they know where they are heading an internal thought, as she followed the woman in near-silence.

They soon arrived in a large room, the sound of rushing water surrounded them, the soft whoomp whoomp of fans, gears clicking and grinding against each other. There were large tubes with some kind of ominous green liquid inside of them, a bubble every so often from the seemingly empty tube. Three large mechanical orbs in the North, East and West of the room. Quickly, Reilinn stepped back as the woman, who now removed her hood started to frantically search, looking in every one of the tubes and any scraps of paper that were around. 'Damnit! Where is it, where is it?!' the impatient woman flitted around the room, quite literally, with her newly regrown Fairy Wings. It was none other than Lulu (Lucretia).

'They said it was here, it has to be. Where is it!? Where did they hide it?' Moving from tube to tube, looking for the Purple Stone, the Dreamstone is what she sought. Reilinn suddenly spoke out, a bit of a joke "I think you missed one." The Fae was thrown off guard, suddenly spinning around and looking through the room 'Who's there, who said that!? Show yourself!' the Fae demanded and took a step back when Reilinn suddenly appeared, seemingly out of mid air. 'What do you want?' an unfriendly tone, almost accusing and snappy, but beneath it there was a worry through the Fae.

Reilinn's hands lifted upward, showing empty palms toward the Fae "I'm not after you, though I may have followed you.. Frankly, I didn't even know it was you, Lulu. I just heard a rumor about someone looking for a Stone.. I've heard the stories, too about this place." Though, her words didn't seem to put the Fae any less on edge, she glanced at the mechanical machine that was to the side of them "I'd like to help you..But you should stop touching everything, there's booby traps in this facility.. You could set off an alarm, activate a trap.." The Fae seemed a little surprised, traps were not something she apparently thought of '. . .Traps? I see..' immediately after being informed, she took a step back from the tubes. 'Why do you want to help me?' The Fae mused, and without much hesitation she was given a response "I don't see you as Evil..Misguided, yes, but not Evil..I wish to help you, if you will allow it." There was a silent acknowledgement, the Fae accepted the offer to assist her in retrieving the stone after more information was gathered about the facility and it's possible traps, alarms and how to go about deactivating them.

They both parted ways from there, the Fae having said she would contact her at a later date, an exchange of information. The next step is to gather people who are willing to assist the Fairy Lulu (Lucretia) achieve her goal, or those who wish to hinder the operation.

[Aaronock]

OOC: I don't care if I broke my usual text limits placed on myself, this was gunna get done right, or not done at all!

-----
Ezekiel finally had some place of safety that wasn’t just a pretty prison. Cynbel had found Summer and he both, and brought them to a fort in the land of Arunafelz. After being on the run from Amdusias for a week in the independent island nations, the new hidden location gave them far more protection. Despite being wanted criminals here, the very politics of the land would keep them safe. The people there had no time to worry about searching for them. Ezekiel only thought the government did it to save face against the Republic and Rune-Midgard.

The rogue situated himself into the new location quickly. Supplies for the fort quickly stacked with making quick, daily trips to Rachel. His body covered mostly in a grey muffler, only his eyes could be seen. He blended in perfectly here with his tanned skin, dark eyes, and currently black hair. Or at least, nobody questioned his mysterious appearances. Whenever anyone asked questions about the rogue as he made purchases, he said he was hired by Rachel to exterminate some extremists, or thieves. Both not true, but sounded convincing nonetheless. Before leaving daily with the supplies, Ezekiel would sit calmly at the town square, in a favored bench near the fountain. The metal of the chair remained cool, perhaps because of the water behind it spraying gently against it. Familiarity brought with it memories of easier times, with far simpler work. Strangely enough, as he sat on old memories, he just wanted to spit. Something gnawed at him now, he wanted more than whatever he had back then.

What did he have back then? Well, plenty of money, and a good bit of freedom to do as he pleased, and the occasional woman in bed. But realized in all of that saw a shell of a very lonely man. The rogue’s guild had camaraderie, but he didn’t associate with most of them. Most of his fellow rogue guildsmen and women were mid-tier. They were in it only for themselves. And then he himself wasn’t so different for a time. Forgetting why he even left the highest echelons of society, to try bringing change at the bottom. So easy to get caught up in petty drama and sneer at everyone else’s foolishness. For Ezekiel, getting caught up in the moment meant he didn’t have to worry about anything underneath himself. Eventually at the age of 20 or so, Ezekiel only snapped back to reality when he found out his old arranged fiancee now came chasing at his heels. She had a bottomless pile of cash at her disposal to find him. Now the rogue devoted his time to obscure himself further away from her, and actually achieve the goals he meant to when he first ran off from home.

With that, he began working with Katarin, and would try to achieve the higher rankings as an informations specialist with her. They had trained already for several years now together, when both found the guild at nearly the same time - though separately. Memories of fondness stitched together loosely as they learned weapons - she the sword, and he the dagger. Then proceeding onward to hiding more deeply in even the shallowest of shadows. To increase their speed and ability to dodge any swing, they would practice for twelve hours or more several times a week. Ezekiel’s favorite part of the training was there, the ability to lose oneself in the moment of combat and in a state in the mode of flight, instead of fight. Rising upward on how best to keep secrets even under the highest duresses of torture. They lived it all together and developed an odd bond between them. It also meant getting a little too close in the other’s boots to put a cherry on the top. This relationship would have worked itself out, but then the fiancee had found him shortly after reaching the some of the highest ranks in the guild with Katarin.

That brought him back full circle to some old business he tried to address in Louyang. Luckily the fort had plenty of paper upon which he could write. In the upper left corners of the fort, a large table with several chairs sat. He spotted his surroundings, and found himself thankfully alone that evening in that section of the place. The place was not damp, as it sat in the deserts of Arunafelz, it had a strong and particularly dry air about it. It clinged occasionally to the skin, but one grew accustomed to it. A few spiders hung their webs upon the walls and ceilings, but other than that, not much life teemed in this section. The emptiness of the place didn’t bother him any. In fact, it was exactly what the rogue needed for the task at hand.

That she-devil of a wife represented so much that he hated, but even he had to somehow admire her guile. To think, she not only found out where he had gone, but discovered the aliases he worked under with the power of her money. Then caught him right in her tracks using one of her servants as a front to a job to offer the papers for marriage - or sink forever in jail. Perhaps that was the second mistake, he should have taken her along with the money. If he had done that, she could have shared freedom with him. Maybe eventually seeing no love between them, and finding her own path in life far sooner.

And now he had to force it. In the deepest parts of the marriage contract lied a way out. He wasn’t sure if she placed it there, or if the lawyers she hired made it for him. It was as if they knew of her strange obsessions, and tried their best to give him a way out. But by the gods, was it ever not easy! The money to buy back his full freedom from her sat in a secret account somewhere, with another alias even on it. With so much zeny in her hands again, he’d tell her his advice to best move forward the rest of her life. A deep breath was taken, Ezekiel had to access the deepest parts of old nobility training, and address her bluntly, honestly, and make it clear this was their ending.

To my wife Conch,

There is little love for you in this heart of mine. But no matter how much I tell you that, you never have listened. Somehow, I cannot blame you attaching yourself to this man, but the one you cling to is not the same as the one you met when we were but little children. That version of me disappeared the moment I ran with your family’s dowry money.

Well, there is no use in pondering what-if’s about what could have been. If I had taken you with me, or if I stayed with you and built the largest stockpile of money and goods in the history of the Alberta’s merchant families. However, the marks we left each other by my choices cannot be denied. We both need freedom from one another. For me, it is because of the fact I cannot tie myself to one place if I want to help others find truth and liberty. For you, it is because your guile and wit should not be stunted by a man who cares so little for you, and yet you want to give him too much.

And also, I must leave you due to the turn of recent events. I can only imagine what you think of me now when you saw my face in the papers. And I’m glad you knew not to take any words about me to Amdusias. For that, you have my thanks, because you not only helped me, you saved yourself in the process too.

This is the end Conch, accept the money placed with this letter. Weep only for a little while, pick yourself, up, and think about what you really want for just yourself. Sadly, freedom isn’t often about happiness, but the way forward. It could eventually lead to bliss if you make the right choices.


For a moment, he pondered how to sign it. With his real name or his current alias? Perhaps that was a question he should ask another. Summerstream owed him a favor, and she seemed better with words than he. With a thumb in front, and fingers behind the thick parchment of paper, the man picked up the paper, and would search for the lady of armor and shield tomorrow. For now, the letter became folded and hidden in one of his jacket pockets. With heavy eyes, the chair leaned back just a little, and Ezekiel slept. Dreaming only of fuzzy old memories that seemed to happen far and long ago. Not pleasant, but not unpleasant, they were simply that of a person who tried to live in the moment.

[Summerstream]

((Was stuck for a bit.

To help understand the tone, please listen to the actual song~ ))

The day was pleasantly cool after a night of poor rest. Summerstream watched the huntress leave the fort that she stayed at with Ezekiel, Cynbel and Lucretia. Her eyes closed as her gaze drifted to the horizon of the valley that she could see from where she stood, her hands on the wall. The wind was strong, blowing her hair out of her face, and behind her, depressing the blue cape that she had on her armour. She strained to listen to the whistling that she had once been able to hear floating on the slightest breeze, and she frowned. Could she still do that trick that she used to be able to do?

Her eyes closed to focus, hearing faint echos as the huntress talked to her falcon. A faint smile spread across Summerstream's face as she stopped, and reopened her eyes. Stand up straight, and a deep breath of air.

“Do..~” she started to sing, testing her voice, “Re..~ Mi...~ Fa...~ Sol...~ La...~ Ti...~ Di...~”

Her voice echoed back at her, and she listened. A small nod. Her voice was fine to sing. Summerstream breathed in again, before she put her hands on the battlement of the wall, and started to sing, while focusing on the sounds to echo them in the wind.

“All your love,
resting now beneath the ice,
fading into waters as black as your eyes...~”

Her voice sounded on the wind, sad in tone. Summerstream pictured her twins in her mind's eye, and focused.

I want this song to reach them.

She sang louder, straightening to make up for the fact she couldn't pull her breath as she did before.

“Winter's breath,
turned your soul so cold
leaving all our hopes, all our stories untold.

Dream now of summer nights
in them, I'll hold you tight
and I...~ Love~”

Her mind drifted again as she sang the same song she used as a lullaby. She had just sung for the priests in the Geffen church, and they had stared at her in surprise. Summerstream understood at the time that few came already knowing how to sing. Many had been tone deaf, in fact. Immediately after, she was brought into the chapel, and was directed to a pool of water. The priests, seven men, were gathered around her. They wanted to baptize her to finish the ceremony, and to grant her the ability to use holy magic.

“Faintly then
voices cry beneath the ice
drowning in the waters as black as your eyes.

Words so soft
weaving into songs like gold
pulling me beneath, oh, your touch is so cold...~”

Summerstream held the note, it floating effortlessly in the wind, hesitating before continuing to the next set of words, and hesitating in her mind with the instructions she had been given. The head priest approached her and repeated the instruction for her to remove her armour. She could feel a cold terror filling her as she looked around in her memories. The faces of the priests were still there, but all she saw was her home village, and the bodies of the boys. A tremble shook her.

“Love, my heart it breaks for you,
But the darkness is pushing through and-
Memories of you is all that's left and-
You must fade into the depths....~”

A third time, they repeated the instruction. She could hear the agitation in their voice. Summerstream thought back to how silly she had looked; a swordswoman eager to learn and to share what she knew suddenly getting cold feet. Her terror didn't let her move, merging the present at the time, and her past. The head priest reached to stroke her arm in a gesture of comfort, and she hit his hand and stepped back. The shock on his face registered, but it didn't calm her. He took another step towards her, and she screamed in the memory, and pushed forward. She was brought back into the present with the crashing that resulted. A quick look around the room brought her back to the present. The seven priests were scattered around the room, and three Paladins charged into the room.

“All your love
Resting now beneath the ice
Fading into waters as black as your eyes

Winter's breath
Turned your soul so cold
Leaving all our hopes, all our stories untold”

Summerstream focused on her voice, trying to mask the sorrow that had filled it with the echos from the valley.

In her memory, the last thing she remembered was the shaft of a spear knocking her out. She woke up much later with an empty feeling filling her consciousness, and a pounding head. Summerstream drank some of the water at her bedside, and tried to focus on summoning wind.

She screamed from the sudden pain that gripped her, grimacing as her eyes watered. Her hands clutched her arms, and she breathed several times to clear her mind. A second try yeilded the same result, and a priest walking in with his arm in a sling. He was glaring at her coldly.

“We sealed the... The thing inside you! We are lucky you didn't kill anyone, demon!”

Summerstream widened her eyes, and looked at her hands.

She hadn't heard that name in years.

“Dream now of summer nights
In them, I'll hold you tight
Dream now of summer nights
In them, I'll hold you tight
And I...

Love, my heart it breaks for you,
But the darkness is pushing through and-
Memories of you is all that's left and-
You must fade into the depths.”

Summerstream continued to sing until the wind died down, using the echos to hide the sorrow, but always being unable to hide just how sad her voice was.

[Validon]

(In which I sort of briefly follow up on the above... kinda? Short, but hopefully sweet.)

The wind blew coolly across the desert sands, kicking up a bit of dust in the young huntress's face as she walked back towards the desert city of Rachel. Mae, as always, flew beside her, and out of boredom occasionally flopped on top of Seikakuna's head, which prompted a quick "H-hey!" or "Maaeeeee!" and a few giggles. Despite a misgiving here or there, she was in a decent mood, much better than she had expected after an audience with the dark fey Lucretia. She still wasn't entirely sure what to think of her, or the three fellow fugitives that stood by her, but after having ran across them, they weren't as bad as she thought after their first encounter in Amatsu.

"Say, Mae, you think they'll eventually stop calling me newbie Seika? It's kinda embarrassing..." The falcon almost looked amused at the thought, and pecked her head in response. "O-ow! Maaae, come on, have a little more confidence in me!" Another peck on the head, and as amused an expression as a falcon could express showed Mae's thoughts clearly. "Aww... he was right, even you don't think I'm able to do it." She did a little fake pout, and bopped Mae on the head, causing the falcon to squawk and start pecking Seikakuna silly. "Ow, ow, ow! Okay okay, you win, you win! Help, falcon brutality, falcon brutality!" Despite the pecking, Seikakuna was laughing, knowing that this was the usual with Mae. Before long, the two of them continued back on their way.

She had not walked too much further after that before she heard something on the wind. She stopped for a second, turning back towards the fort. It seemed to be coming from there... from a figure on the rooftops. She squinted her eyes and looked closely, to find that the paladin, Summerstream, was standing there. She was singing, something Seikakuna did not expect, and the words rang with a saddened tone.

"...Is she okay...? I remember, last night..." The memory of the night before came back to her in a flash. She had decided to stay the night at the fort, and had settled down in the corner of the small audience chamber. It was then, from nowhere, she heard screams. She had leaped up off the ground, and ran towards the source. When she had gotten there, however, she saw the figure of Summerstream, sitting with her knees at her chest in the midst of the small garden within the fort. She was crying, panting heavily, and looked to be in a panic. Seikakuna had almost wanted to reach out, ask what's the matter, but she feared if she did, the paladin would have taken rash action. So she sat there, keeping an eye on her, hanging her head in shame over how she wanted to help but could not bring herself to, before she passed out from exhaustion.

The singing on the wind slowly died as the wind began to fade away. The huntress looked up towards the paladin sadly, not sure what to say, or what to even do. It did not feel as if it were her place to ask about personal issues, especially when the two had barely even met. She plucked Mae off of her head, and perched her on her arm, stroking her plumage. "...Hey... what should I do?" Mae looked up at Seikakuna a bit seriously, before glancing up at the rooftops of the fort. "...You want me to talk to her? I dunno, it feels like a bad time..." Mae looked back at Seikakuna one more time, before taking off from her arm. She glided around for a bit, stretching her wings, before flying back towards the fortress. "M-Mae! Wait...!" Before she knew it, Mae had flown up to the figure of the paladin on the roof. She seemed to perch there for a few minutes, with Seikakuna keeping a steady eye on her, not entirely certain what was happening. Then, soon after, Mae flew back, perching back on Seikakuna's arm.

"...Mae..." The falcon looked up at Seikakuna with a serious expression. "...Alright, when I come back tomorrow, I'll talk to her, okay? Don't give me that look, you'll worry me..." The falcon squawked a little at her, then flew back up on top of her head, perching there and letting herself rest. Seikakuna smiled slightly, and rubbed the back of her head. "...You always seem to know best, huh?" A light peck on the head was all Seikakuna needed as response.

"...Right then, let's get back to the inn, quickly. We'll see what happens tomorrow..."

[Aaronock]

The newbie huntress got her meeting with Lucretia. Ezekiel only for a flash wondered if it was really and truly worth it for her. The fae princess stood haughty and noble as she spoke and answered questions to the young adventurer. The winged one stood behind a wooden pew within the Rachel Fortresses’ walls. Summer stood in front of the pew, her armor on, and privately enjoyed watching the young adventurer who stood in audience with them squirm in her boots with her falcon. Lastly, behind Lucretia, stood Ezekiel, treating this situation with his usual business professional demeanor. The part of the interior they stood in was built of raw white stones upon the ground, it’s pillars, and steps too. There was little decoration, but the brightness of the stones provided it’s own personal glow and made the space . It allowed those who commanded power to hold the focus of the space, and Lucretia seemed to know and enjoy wielding the area the way it was built to.

At the end of the affair, the rogue asked Lucretia if she had any questions for him before departing to his usual drab corner in the upper left reaches of their current home. When she answered she had none, Ezekiel turned to walk away, but quickly sensed she crept quietly behind him. No words needed exchanging, nothing could ever find itself assumed when it came to her, and so, just continued walking as if never making note of the fae’s steps. Upon seating himself however, Ezekiel did find himself just slightly surprised that Lucretia now sat directly across from him.

The broken winged one asked him how he fared in the stone walls around them, which surprised him. Of all the questions to ask, and she asked one that better suited her. The man simply stated he could sleep under almost any condition. A comment from her showed some signs of care, “You could have a bed at Rachel Inn!” With a chuckle, the man made special note that she was the one under the unusual accommodations, not him. Finally, he asked how the fae felt about her current sleeping situation in return. She just waved it off, responding she did well enough, and it was about the same as her stay in Mystra’s Castle.

They talked nonsense then of her stay in the castle, but Ezekiel could read this situation well enough, she had other reasons to sit right across from him this night. After reaching an awkward point in the conversation, he changed the subject and simply stated with a patient gaze, “What did you really wish to ask this man?”

She did not even hesitate to respond, as if awaiting this question from him first, “Why do you help me. Really?”

“That’s a question with a complicated answer,” Ezekiel began, “But I suppose let me start from the top. I prefer not to kill if possible. It’s why I took up a dagger, a weapon for self defense.”

He kept explaining to a patient Lucretia, but realized pretty quickly he did this poorly. Not a surprise coming from someone who rarely expressed personal feelings.

“Humans may not have destroyed your wings the first time, but one of our kind did the second. It is still on our hands to rectify and pacify you on that front.”

She called him immediately on it right after he finished speaking, “I think there’s more to that. But I don’t want to impose…” That momentary pause stuck itself in the very air, changing the tone of the conversation immediately as she finished, “Even though I should...”

He laughed softly in front of her and smiled, “Then what do you think?”

And she responded quickly again to his inquiry, and included a chuckle of her own, “I’m not sure. Humans are odd…”

“If you think it is infatuation, I can tell you that you’re wrong there.” Ezekiel at least, knew what his feelings were not, even if he lacked the ability currently to know where they exactly sat. This much however, had already been worked through. While speaking, he pulled back the bangs that sat over his left eye and continued to speak. He wanted her to know there were no lies spoken, and only gazing with both eyes straight at her could all words ring true with her.

“There is little use in infatuation, it is selfish, and demanding, and manipulative on the soul. It teases you into seeing something in someone that isn’t there.” He’d finish, but Lucretia wasn’t done with him yet.

“If not infatuation, then what?”

She pushed at him, and wanted him to cut to the chase. And that was the end of that little game to explain what his feelings were not. The fae queen did not have the patience, or her curiosity just kept getting the better of her. Ezekiel could not begrudge her desires forever, so finally he told her what he knew at least so far.

He leaned back a little in the chair, trying his best to relax himself. “Very well, I will be somewhat blunt, your story resonated with me. On top of that, I know what it’s like to be abused by those around you, and manipulated into actions and a life you don’t ask for. The job from Odin never was meant to be personal, but it became so the moment I heard your side of things atop Mystra’s Castle. My promise I made there to protect you is no lie. To betray you...that’s similar to betraying myself.”

Finally his stance relaxed, and he closed his eyes. She teased shortly after, “I see. So my story touched your heart somehow~”

“It’s your turn next.” The rogue said somewhat flatly, trying to feign a lack of interest.

Lucretia seemed happy to oblige with her own explanation, “The moment you stopped me at Payon, I thought I’d have to fight you. But you tried to solve the issue with words. I thought it was somewhat intriguing, because there I was, turning the place into a jungle, and you wanted to sit and chat.”

Ezekiel remembered that. Standing there alone in that throne room with her, and trying to ask her why she attacked Fairy Land and now Payon. Trying to offer her solutions of peace, and easily end the task Odin set out for Catherine, Kotori, and him. They were the only three at the time with the request from the god to subdue her and the cloaked schemer.

The thoughts he had didn’t finish, Lucretia spoke at greater length, “On top of that, you and the sylph brought me the sap to repair my wings, and rescued me when the humans gave chase. Now we’re here…” A pause and a deep breath found itself coming from the fae princess, “And I was wondering… What would compel a human to do so much for me?”

That question Ezekiel could not answer quite fully, but at least could provide some insight, “Hm, are fae and human needs so different? Summer is proof that things aren’t.” He said this as he referred to the lady of armor and dagger being a half blooded sylph and human. “We both love good food, wine, conversation, and adventure.”

“I suppose we’re not so different. You and the sylph have been the only humans to help me, so I was just surprised.”

They conversed a bit longer on a few other subjects after that. However, none too important, and eventually, Lucretia excused herself. Ezekiel would only gaze calmly from afar rocking and balancing the chair he sat in with one foot on the edge of the table. Once she could no longer be seen gracely walking down the steps, the rogue turned to his own thoughts again. Lucretia and he held two faces, but then, their conversation tonight proved to him something else.

They just didn’t have the ability to really say what they meant yet. He was glad Lucretia did not notice the sword under the table, or if she did, did not speak of it. That weapon somehow brought out all of his hidden feelings when he swung the blade. It made sense, he picked it up for her after all. Summer knew that already, but didn’t understand completely why, and how could she when he failed to as well?

Normally he ran from himself. But faced with helping Lucretia, his desire to keep his promise, to find the truth, and to stop Amdusias, there was no where to really turn. The sword when he swung knew of the wild torrent of emotions that he hid so deeply, and brought them up with their own chaotic swirl. Without tempering that, the possibility to protect the one he made the promise to seemed impossible.

The blade found itself to his arms moments later. He swung with a downward cut. For a moment, it felt somehow different, as the blade seemed to almost hum. The sword before never had created that sound through his hand. Hard work, determination, and a sense to back words with action filled the man’s sense of self. Another swing was made, this time upward. The hum came with that swing as well, and he nodded. He and this blade could become one.

There was progress at last on his own battle with himself.

[gianluca280395]

Sry for da engrish
Disclaimer: too boring, don’t read. tb/dr.
=======================================

It was a common day at the capital, Prontera. The merchants were selling their wardens and people were talking about politics, when a shout was heard from the tree in the middle of the city.

Teleported, there was a high priest dressed in red. On the next second he felt on knees, as the blood began to drip from his back.

A few meters from there, was Nurelion, a creator, with his amistr, Gobball, negotiating some herbs with the merchants on the street. He didn’t recognize the shout but his sheep was nervous, so he went there, and saw his guild fellow almost dead.

Sacer!! – He said, while taking one bottle of white potion from his cart and throwing on the priest. He took away the blinder from the priest’s eyes to check if he was conscious.

Hey, isn’t Nurelion? What are you doing here? – Signat asked, lying on the street. Don’t talk, we need to take you to the hospital. He left everything with the Kafra and put the priest on his cart, following to the next inn.

A few minutes have passed and he woke up.

Ouch! – Said the priest.

Take it easy, ok? You got a big cut on your back and your ribs were shown. What happened?

The priest whispered a few words in Latin, asking the Lord to relief his pain.

I was at the monastery hunting the undead, when I got surrounded and tried to teleport, but in that moment a knife hit me on the face and I couldn’t cast the spell. Thankfully I always carry a butterfly wing, but looks like they hit me hard before I could use.

So, you went there alone, again. – Said Nurelion, with a face of disapproval. Fool, you will die someday if you keep with this.

Signat stared at the ceil for some seconds. W-What else can I do? The world is a mess but no one seems to care.

You could ask for help. And what were you thinking? Kill all the monsters there is impossible. You said that it would take a decade or more to clean the place.

The priest stayed quiet for some time. I fear the end, Nurelion. But everything an exorcist can do is to hunt the demons. The bell is somewhere and it’s my entire fault.

For what I know, it is well secured. Searching for it around the world is a waste of time and throwing your life away will not solve the problem you created. – Said Nurelion.

But this is the only thing I could do to redeem myself. I’ll be cautious on the next time. – Said Signat. But what brings you to Prontera? The last time we met was in Al de Baran when you did the DNA test on Lucretia Wings.

I was going to the library to make more researches but some merchants were selling herbs at 75% the price.

So, did you found a clue for that phial you were looking after?

Still not, I had to stop this for a while. – Said the creator looking to the sleeping sheep on the floor. Not much time ago someone stole ores from Thor Volcano and for some reason it erupted.

I always thought that you won’t care for those things.

I don’t, but one month before that I checked all the temperatures inside the volcano. Looking at the previous reports it shouldn’t erupt. I want to know if I did the measures wrongly somehow.

Did you consider that the thermometer could be broken?

It was, but if you subtract the error on it still the temperatures were too low. I just don’t want to assume that someone has a power so great that would wake up a volcano.

They keep talking for half an hour, but it was almost night and Nurelion had to go. He said to the priest to drink one white potion each 8 hours and rest for 3 days.

[Validon]

"Urgh..." The huntress awoke in a daze as she clutched her side. Mae, who had been resting on her chest, awoke all aflutter. "Sorry, sorry... ohh… what happened… oh right..." She remembered the previous day, and how she was watching the fight between Cynbel and Ezekiel. Partway through the fight, Cynbel used several explosive spheres in an attempt to bring Ezekiel down, and she and Catherine had gotten caught in the crossfire. The knight took the blows rather well, but she... did not. The last thing she remembered before passing out was dragging herself to a portal Cynbel had opened up back to the fortress.

She slowly got up, looking around. It seemed like she was brought to her little corner in the audience room, but she also seemed to be alone. Ezekiel was probably planning, the two fey were probably off somewhere, and Summerstream was... somewhere else, according to Cynbel. That left Mae and herself. She limped to the entrance of the castle to see what time it was outside. It seemed the sun was rising, which meant she'd slept through the night. "...Well, at least I got some good rest... phew..." She began to walk back inside, before remembering something. "...Wait, Summerstream's peco..."

Before his fight with Ezekiel, Cynbel had approached Seikakuna about Summerstream's peco, Vinda. As she herself was missing for the moment, the huntress was to take care of her until Summerstream's return. She had easily accepted, as she remembered a little advice Summerstream had given her on handling Vinda, but she had wondered something. Was Summerstream okay? Cynbel had told her, Ezekiel, and Catherine not to worry, but the tone of his voice expressed a bit of concern. Did this have something to do with the seal Summerstream had told her of, and about the attempt to remove it she had overheard about a few days prior? With no one to ask, she had to set aside her questions and focus on her morning. Before she could take care of Vinda, she had something else to do first.

As usual with her mornings, she took the time to grab her bow, some arrows (fire-enhanced, though with little fire-based materials on hand it was becoming difficult to continuously make them), and a small knife, and trekked outside, searching for one of the Savages (a type of boar) that tended to roam the wastes between the fort and Rachel. It was a decent walk away, but she was able to find one, a male adult. It huffed and puffed and roamed around, minding its own business and leaving itself wide open. Drawing two arrows from her quiver, she took a breath, concentrating on the Savage, before quickly firing the two arrows one after the other in a miniature salvo. Two direct hits to the side, the Savage fell without even realizing it.

"...Sorry," she muttered to the now dead Savage as she walked over to its corpse. She struggled to push it to its side as she began to carve the corpse, slicing off the edible meat and putting it into a bag she used for holding anything she found while hunting. Once she finished, she quickly ran back to the fort, using the small kitchen to prepare a meal from the boar meat. She may not have been taught how to handle dealing with others and the dangers of the world, but she did learn how to hunt, feed herself, and supply herself for the hunt.

The meal was simple, just roast boar with a few spices Seikakuna had found lying around, but satisfying. Grabbing a couple of oranges from behind the castle’s bar, she went around the castle, looking for Summerstream’s peco. It did not take long for her to find the peco in the small garden, near the castle’s entrance. The peco seemed to be resting near a corner, a small pile of objects behind her. Seikakuna took a brief look at them, noticing weapons and armor of an Amatsuan ninja and the book she had found at Summerstream’s home in Louyang, amongst other things. She left it all alone, instead turning her attention to the resting peco. With orange in hand, she walked up to her, kneeling down in front of her.

“Hey, Vinda~. I’ve got something for ya.” The peco looked up at her, at first not recognizing her and getting up in a huff, before calming down at the sight of the orange, and a recognition of who she was. Vinda guzzled the orange down, while Seikakuna stroked her head. She wasn’t too knowledgeable on how to take care of pecos, but she did know how to take care of falcons, so it couldn’t have been that different, right? “Good girl~. Come here, let’s take a walk.” She led Vinda outside with a second orange, while Mae (who of course was following her master around) perched on Vinda’s head.

“Scree...” Mae cried, almost a little jealous of the attention Seikakuna was giving to Vinda. The huntress merely chuckled, and gave Mae a quick pat on the head. “Hey now, Cynbel said I had to take care of her. I’m not going to forget about you or anything, no worries~.” Mae pecked at her hand in a huff, which only provoked another chuckle from Seikakuna.

Before long, Vinda would come to a stop outside, giving a look back at the huntress. Seikakuna rubbed the back of her head, blinking in confusion. “Eh? What’s the matter, Vinda? You can’t be scared of going forward, are you?” Vinda didn’t seem scared, persay, moreso as if she were waiting. It took Seikakuna a few minutes to realize what the problem was. “…Oh, do you want me to ride you…?” No obvious response from the peco, but no sign of denial, either. “…Well, okay, here goes…?” She breathed out, getting on top of the peco and trying her best to sit properly. She had never ridden a peco or any sort of mount in her life. She could only try her best to remember how Summerstream and Catherine rode. Settling into the saddle, and taking ahold of the reins, she nodded. “Let’s go, Vinda…?”

The peco seemed to comply, and began to run forward in a full gallop. Seikakuna almost lost her grip right off the bat and struggled to hold onto the reins. She didn’t realize how fast pecos could really run. “H-hey, Vinda, s-slow down a bit…!” Unfortunately for her, she was not exactly knowledgeable on how to make a peco slow down, and so she was carried on a wild ride across the wastes surrounding the fort. She tried to hold onto the reins as tight as she could, but eventually she tumbled off, rolling into the dust and dirt as Vinda finally skidded to a halt, her rider having been thrown off. She moaned, brushing herself off as she stood back on her feet, a little unsteady from the rough fall.

“Oof… that’s pretty rough…” She took a moment to regain her balance before walking back to Vinda, who had sat down patiently. “S-sorry, I’ve never ridden a peco before…” she muttered, almost as if to Vinda. Mae, who had perched on Vinda’s head, simply flew back to her usual resting place on Seikakuna’s head, giving a loving pecking while she was at it.

“Eheh, at least you won’t throw me around violently,” the huntress exclaimed to the falcon, who “scree~”-d in delight. At point, she decided she wouldn’t be taking any more peco rides any time soon, at least not without any kind of training or help. She’d ask Catherine about that, but given her peco, Cookie, seemed… a little strange, she figured it would have been best to keep away and figure it out on her own. With that thought in mind, she led Vinda back to the fort as best she could, wondering how the next few days with the paladin’s peco would go.

[Poring Slayer]

(OOC: Cuprum, Bujana, and Arini is just a name and character I made up for the convenience of the story, thank you. Now carry on, young grasshoppers!)

=========================

On a bright sunny day, a particular minstrel with a witch hat sitting on top of his head is sitting alone a park bench just not far from Prontera Southern Wall. The yellow drops-like backpack which he
always carries around on his back is now put neatly beside of him. The harp he always plays on every journey is also lied down on the bench, next to the backpack. The harp has some few scratches, but it
looks like it received some good maintenance by its owner. The minstrel appears to be reading a newspaper which he recently bought.
"Still nothing big happened after the helped Ciar back to his sense huh?", he mumbled in a low tone
"Hmm, there's no important news as well"
Slightly dejected, he flipped through the newspaper and stop at the advertisement page. There is a list of advertisement posted by adventurer and also non-adventurer alike. He skimmed through the list and stopped on an advertisement which piqued his interest.

Quote:Need People to form a Bloop search party! Reward 3000 zeny/person. More info, meet me at Prontera Tool Shop, 3PM-6PM.
Cuprum the Alchemist

(Some people still having problem on finding Bloop the Poring, I see.)
He once again skimmed through the advertisement list, and then stopped on another interesting advertisement.

Quote:Wine Brewing Society Guild is recruiting. We're a social guild recruiting adventurers who want to have fun and enjoy wine brewing and tasting. For more info, just look for me around the middle of Prontera.
Suger Rush

(Huh? They made a society of wine brewing? I wonder if they have their own orchard and winery. Heh, they might be kill poporing for wine materials instead of having an orchard. But the guild concept is pretty interesting.)
(Wait a minute.. Brewing.. Brew wing.. Blue wing.. They rhyme! Ok, I'll write this for my next stand up comedy performance.)
The minstrel rummages his backpack and pull out a small journal-like book and a pencil out and starts writing down the random joke he thought earlier. Not taking very long, he finished it and now he's back to the advertisement page in the newspaper. And so, another advertisement piqued his interest.

Quote:Selling Pandora figurines! The Pandora figurines come in different poses and costumes!! Collect them all!!! Just ask around and look for The "Story Teller"!!!!"

(Ugh, so many exclamation marks! But wow, it might be very very stro--- I meant very very expensive considering Pandora is a famous and beloved public figure. She's loved by many people, even across the nations.)

"Ahem, left doesn't sounds right", a male voice. It sounded a bit husky.
The minstrel looks at the source of the voice. It appears to be coming from another minstrel whose hair is blue. Unlike him, this minstrel is wearing a proper Wandering Minstrel Hat. Although his uniform is tinted in a mix of white, grey, and blue colors. He carries around a seemingly old guitar, but it still looks in a good condition because it probably received proper maintenance from its owner.
"Indeed, it sounds really wrong", the minstrel who sat on the park bench replied and end it with a smirk.
"How cold, Balawan the so-called spoony bard~"
"Yes, I'm sunbathing to melts the ice, Bujana the Wagon Breaker"
"Ugh, I don't have any word to counter it. You got me there buddy"
"I wonder what in the world did both of you do to break that wagon.. not to mention it happened pretty often",
Balawan sigh from his own statement but Bujana just laugh at it.

This man called Bujana is a friend of Balawan, and both of them is part of Wandering Minstrels & Gypsies Circle. A circle of free spirited traveling musicians and dancers. But of course, both are using stage name instead of their real name, just like every other minstrels and gypsies. They've known each other for a pretty long time and often perform together along with another gypsy called Arini. Yes, another stage name.
So, the so-called spoony bard put down his newspaper and fold it neatly.
"Hmm so, I don't see any Arini around.. Do you leashed her or something?"
"How rude, she's resting in the inn. We've just come back from Payon after several days being on the road"
"Hmm, I see. Anyway, you still love to stand up like a Greatest General aren't you? Come sit! There are some spaces left"
Just like that, Balawan offered Bujana to sit and he take the offer.

"Actually, I'm here to ask you to join us to do a performance this evening at the tavern."
Balawan just stares blankly at him for a few second before he make a reply.
"I haven't asked about it though.. Have you turned into a mind reader or something? Maybe this is because Arini and her love for tarot has influenced you.."
"Err no, we've hanging out for a pretty long time. So I kinda know what is in your mind, well not that often though"
Bujana averts his eyes
"Lame", Balawan only let a one word reply to it.

"So, what's your answer?
"Alright, but you must let me perform a stand up comedy in the end of the performance for sure"
"Deal!"
"Now you may kiss the bride"
"Ew, I have Arini already!", Bujana backed off for a bit.
"I know right", Balawan chuckles at Bujana's reaction.
"But really, you should perform with us more often, like in the old days. You know, you should just remain neutral like us"
"Meh, I have my own reason and you know what it is."
Balawan suddenly has a distant look. Not long, he looks back to Bujana.
"Oh well, that's why I love Wandering Minstrels & Gypsies Circle. They maintain their neutrality. Everyone is a family member", the spoony bard has a very warm smile on his face, unlike his usual smile.
"If you said so.. I won't pry any deeper"

"Oh right Bujana, I made a child!"
"Made.. a child..?", confusion spreads on Bujana's face.
In his confusion Bujana tried to ask another question to Balawan
"Who.. who is the mother?"
"Hmm... me?", Balawan replied innocently. However, Bujana shivers at that response.
"You know, I made this song and it's actually pretty fun composing a song"
"Ah, a song.."
"Somehow you sounds pretty relieved Bujana"
"Ah no no, not at all"
"Right, lend me your guitar"
"Here, but please take it easy on it"
"Don't worry, I will be gentle"

Balawan took the guitar, played some chord, and now he clears his throat.
"Ok, here it goes~"

"Sneaky sneaky sneaky~ Sneaky little kittens~
Set on a journey~ Looking for another kitty~
Here comes the doggy~ Screwing little kittens~
Chased down~ They become witty~
Mew mew mew mew mew mew~

Ditsy ditsy ditsy~ Ditsy little kittens~
There was no kitty~ It's actually pointy~
The doggy become edgy~ Chasing litte kittens~
Pursued down~ They become scurry~
Mew mew mew mew mew mew~

Tricky tricky tricky~ Tricky little kittens~
Reckless and silly~ But are pretty lucky~
Evade the doggy~ Running little kittens~
Sprinting down~ Fled from the doggy~
Mew mew mew mew mew mew~"

Balawan ends his song, he looks pretty pleased. Bujana immediately respond to Balawan's song.
"It's pretty good, but why a children song?"
"Why not? It's pretty catchy~"
"Is that so?"
"Mhm, I've made a promise to make a song out of my mischief with this certain woman"
Bujana blinked, surprised by Balawan's statement.
"So you're going to flirt a woman using a children song? Geez"
"My my, there's nothing wrong with it~", Balawan just replied it lightly.
"So, tell me about this woman then"
"Hmm, let's see.." Balawan put his right hand to his chin and he looks like trying his best to remember this particular woman.
(Even though she always says harsh words and do as she pleases, she actually helped Ciar with the bell's curse and on top of it, she risk herself and went out just to pay me for helping her.)
"She.. she's pretty attractive actually, but has some badly choosen words, a bit rash in taking decision, and a bit airheaded, but she has some sort of twisted kind heart"
"Wow, good luck man", Bujana just replied him with a flat tone.
"Oh wow, I feel so loved~"
"Cut that out already. Anyway, don't forget to come to the tavern at 5PM and bring your own guitar"
"Aye aye cap'n!"

And so, it's another peaceful day off for the minstrel who called spoony bard by many people. He's aware that it's just a calm before a storm because Lucretia's side and Amdusias' side will crash anytime soon. But for now, he'll just enjoy his time with his old friends.

[Summerstream]

((Slightly late!))

“Ngh...”

The first words Summerstream murmured as she came to were in response to the pain in her body. She held her side and bit her lip as she slowly sat up and looked around the room she was in. The acrid smell of the nearby town filled the air, leaving much of the area covered in soot. Confused, Summerstream slowly got to her feet after putting her glasses on, gritting her teeth, and walked to the nearest window. Cranes dotted the skyline, and to the distant northwest, she could spot the smog cloud that could only belong to one city

“...This... Isn't the fort.” Summerstream shook her head, and returned to sitting on the edge of the bed, drawing in and out shaky breaths as she tried to control her trembling. “..Shit... The... last thing that I really remember is Cynbel... Doing something...”

What had he done though? She scrunched her face with concentration, recalling faintly that she had been in and out of awareness for the past few days. Sometimes there was someone standing over her, and at other times she had been alone. A new wave of pain came, and she hugged herself, gritting her teeth once more as she tried to take deep breaths to relax.

“....Right... The seal...” Summerstream looked around the room for an object, anything really. She found a rock near her and tested its weight in her hand, continuing to breathe deeply to help with the pain she was in. She tossed the rock lazily into the air and tried to push it with a small gust. It propelled towards the door, which had the unfortunate timing of opening just then. Summerstream gasped a little and clenched her teeth.

“Oof!” The voice sounded, male, “Finally awake, I see?” The fairy walked into the room, rubbing his stomach, speaking with an aggravated voice.

“Oh. Er... Sorry, Cynbel.” Summerstream said as she unclenched her teeth. She shook her head to clear her vision a little. She breathed in deeply, and slowly blew out the resulting air to calm down again. “I, um... was testing something.” She pushed her tangled bangs out of her face, revealing the lotus-shaped mark just a finger width above her eyebrows. She blinked at Cynbel. He looked relieved at her sitting up.

“So the seal really is gone, good.” Cynbel stated, walking in and sitting on an old table. “How are you feeling?”

Summerstream hesitated to control her breathing for a moment before she replied to what Cynbel asked her. “I'm... In pain, but I'm okay.” She spoke through clenched teeth, and breathed out through her nose. “I'm... whole again... and I'm alive. Thank you for this, really. I'm... Glad that the automation didn't take your life.” She got to her feet and started to walk towards the door, limping. Summerstream had her eyes closed when Cynbel took her arm to steady her. She heard Cynbel chuckle as he took a bit of her weight until she got her mind off of the pain.

“No problem. Let's just get you back to the fort.” Cynbel responded, summoning a portal nearby. He helped her inside it before following after. Desert sand buffeted them for a short distance before they entered the protected garden of the fort.

“It's okay to leave me here. Vinda should be nearby.” Summerstream said, holding onto a tree for support. Cynbel shrugged at her, then left after.

Summerstream sighed, blowing out the air she continued to draw in deeply to help her bear the pain. “...I feel whole again at least.” Summerstream murmured, before she walked towars the center of the southern garden. She heard a small kree and shuffling of feathers before she made it all the way, and her grand peco, Vinda, stepped out from under the foliage, her eyes bright, and her feathers ruffled only slightly. Summerstream chuckled weakly.

“I'm sorry girl, I don't have any oranges.” She spoke as she walked over to the paitently waiting grand peco, and patted her on the head, “I'll give you a bunch tomorrow.”

“Kree!~” Vinda flapped her wings at her rider and headbutted her. “Honk!~”

“Silly peco. You look so much healthier now... I'm glad.” Summerstream combed her fingers through the war bird's feathers. She started to remove the broken and mangled feathers, depositing them to the side.

“Hey, you're alright! I was uh... A little worried when Cynbel said you were gone.” Summerstream looked over her shoulder at the voice, her eyes narrowed. It was the newbie, Seikakuna. Summerstream gritted her teeth, then looked back to the peco she was grooming.

“Oh. Hi, Greenie.” She responded dully, occupying herself with the task of removing the feathers. There wasn't much to remove, but the motion of combing the feathers with her fingers was therapeutic for her. She let herself space out as the huntress talked, only responding when she needed to. Summerstream was thankful when the huntress left her alone with her bird. With a pat on the bird's flank, she smiled to herself.

“Its almost time for the raid, Vinda. Are you ready to run freely like the wind?” Summerstream asked the grand peco, moving to stand in front of the bird, gritting her teeth, and forcing a smile. She would see, tomorrow, if Ezekiel would spar with her. Then, she would know where she needed to be at for the raid in two days time. Her grin became a smirk as she watched her grand peco.

“Honk!” Vinda replied, flapping her wings at her rider.

“Let me get you some oranges then. Let's go for a ride tomorrow so we are fresh in our tactics for the biolabs raid. We'll have to be ready to defend Lucretia.” Summerstream patted the bird on the beak before she turned to go to the bar and get some oranges for the peco.

[Aaronock]

OOC: Guys, this is really stupid long, so I'm splitting it into two parts. This is part one of this story, and I will post part 2 a few days from now. Enjoy!

Edit: Read Part 2 Here
-----
It was a day before the mission in which The Wingless would make their way on their into the Bio Labs to steal a magical purple stone known as the ‘Dreamstone.’The master rogue, Ezekiel Stalker, had quite a week leading up to this day. First, a few days earlier the previous War Chief, Cynbel, saw fit to treat the man with more than a friendly spar. The fae man turned vicious as he flung magic across the fields outside their fort in Rachel. He followed up with various summons of plants and explosions. He called up strange portals that teleported those who stepped upon them into another spot, a very disorienting experience for Ezekiel when he accidently made his way upon them a few times. Cynbel gave a taunt each time this occurred, as if the fae truly believed the rogue should be able to handle such a barrage alone from all angles.

Those who spectated were not even spared Cynbel’s ire. They found their pants chomped on by plants, and the explosions just as painful when they hit their faces. Eventually, the audience of Seika, Cat, and Reilinn calmed the fae’s rage down, and the whole team returned to the fort with their own injuries. The two sparrers at least came to the conclusion they were on the same team and wanted only to protect Lucretia. Upon return, the War Chief healed them all but Ezekiel himself, for he decided to run off and take care of his wounds alone.

The second event was heralded by Summerstream’s return. A late afternoon where they discussed Vinda’s condition, and managed to catch up on one another’s lives. They sparred for a short while, with Summerstream fighting with a floating blade, and he fighting back with a flurry of slashes, parries, and strikes. At the end, they each commented on the new inner peace each had found this month as ‘outlaws.’ The lady of armor, dagger, and air (Ezekiel adding this descriptor after the end of their fight) at the end asked him if he found his words with Lucretia, and he replied, “Yes, I think so.”

Which finally led up to Ezekiel asking Lucretia for a chance to talk. She seemed excited about this, and she led him outside the the fort’s interior, away from the exterior territories, and they went further still to Rachel’s arid and light grassy fields. Eventually they’d reach far up the hills and into a hidden space with clean, dark wooden benches and a tree for shade. An enclosure formed around the area with some of Rachel’s famous cream-colored stone architecture followed by a blue tipped roof. Behind them the enclosure closed off with the beginnings of a rock plateau.

The man would speak first when they each took a place upon one of the benches. “You would think, after traveling back and forth from here all this month, I’d know about this little corner of the world.”

“It’s my secret place. I come here to think, or whenever I need some peace and quiet~” The fae princess would say as a follow-up.

Ezekiel would mention then he felt honored to have Lucretia share this place with him as he dug around in a small bag for some boxes. “Are you really allergic to peaches?”

Her eyes would roll and a short sigh come out, “No, I’m not allergic to peaches. I ate the big pie Cynbel prepared because I love them so much.”

Ezekiel made a small smile as she said that, and handed her a small box, “Well, I did have time to pick up a few sweets for everyone. You may have the peach cake then.” His statement actually was not completely true. He only bought enough for the two of them. He only said otherwise to not have her think he showed her too much favoritism.

Next the rogue placed a box in front of himself, opened it, and took the small fork inside “As for me, I don’t eat sweets too often, but will enjoy myself some chocolate mousse today.”

They ate, and the fae found her peach cake swiftly and daintily eaten. She cleaned herself and then asked while Ezekiel was in between bites, “So, what happened with you and Cynbel the other day?”

He almost choked on the fork, “...Ahem...Ugh...It would probably be better for both of our reputations if I didn’t explain that one…”

She blinked, and tried to hide her worry, “Well… I’ll ask someone else later. Are you alright though?”

The look didn’t escape the man. How could he hide this from her when he currently vied for her trust? “...I’d rather you not ask the others. Cynbel saw fit to talk down about my skills with weaponry.” His hand would wave as he continued, “However, I don’t think that was really it. He seemed to think I gave you inappropriate looks, and you...returned them.”

“Ah…” She simply said as she most undoubtedly noticed Ezekiel shift uncomfortably in the bench. “He can be quite the mean one when training others, and even meaner when he thinks someone is out to ‘conquer my heart.’”

The rogue then noted that they hadn’t really even spoken, much less have the chance to stare at one another from afar. Lucretia would chuckle lightly and murmur, “He’s a jealous fool sometimes.” A devilish smile would then creep upon her lips. “...I do hope you gave him a good beating or two?”

“You tell me, I haven’t seen him since then.” Ezekiel would follow up with his own gesture as if to say ‘I hope he got what he deserved too.’

“Wellllll,” She teased out, “He did need a lot of rest and some healing~”

Considering her attitude towards it all, Ezekiel relaxed as well and told her that Summer patched him up and that, “I’ve suffered worse and still stood up to work the next day.”

They spoke of other subjects, mostly in regards to the raid for the Dreamstone. As they talked, Ezekiel’s sword laid at his side as a constant, physical reminder that he should not dodge or avoid what he meant to talk with her about today. Various glances were made at it as the fae and he talked.

“So, how’s the sword training coming along?”

Ezekiel laughed, it couldn’t be helped. It seemed nothing slipped by her when it came to him, “...Ah, Lucretia, did you watch me then as I learned and swung this blade over the month?” The training has gone well…” His voice trailed, because to continue speaking now would mean the beginning of what he really wished to discuss with her today.

Instead, to buy time, he unhinged the sheathed weapon from his belt and placed it on his lap. His face turned downward as he gazed at the weapon and began to tap it lightly with his pointer finger to calm his nerves, “...After all, I learned this blade for you. I cannot protect you from the forces of this world that want your death with the dagger alone. For that weapon is for self-defence, but this sword is for others.”

Lucretia would only blink, the time that passed between them felt longer than a few seconds to Ezekiel, but when she spoke, the answer from the fae was that of surprise, “Your efforts to protect me are astounding… And I have to thank you again for it. I do not really deserve it after what I’ve done to the humans.”

“Really?” He said this as he drew in a long breath, “You think all of our kind as gracious as I? No Lucretia, that is not true at all. The forces at the top of our world dominate and try to decide our fates like they are gods themselves.”

"I certainly don't think of all humans in a good way,” she chirped. When she continued, her tone became more serious, “I meant to say that, after all, it seems Jin was not the one who broke my wings. So the Payon attack that crippled the huntress' uncle, as well as the trick in my old castle, was an act of unfounded revenge. In the end, I was just as bad as the humans I criticized."

Ezekiel nodded, and appreciated her own newfound insight over the month they had spent at the fort in Rachel. “Mm, it is good to come to this conclusion on your own. It means you can rectify these mistakes once you know the truth in regards to your past.” His finger continued to tap the blade gently as he spoke, a way for him to quickly gather his thoughts, “Truly, none of this would have happened had you not been manipulated…”

Nothing else again was said for many minutes. They each stared outward from the bench they sat on, but finally Ezekiel found courage to ask, “Would you like to hear a story from me?”

He noted her pleasure as she told him yes.