To Alvin, Jude's new friend was a sort of a mystery. He didn't talk much, only when asked to and never shown any emotion that Alvin would consider real. Ludgers little companion however, was no mystery at all. At first everyone thought the little girl is cute because she acted all shy, but oh boy were they wrong. Elle was a troublemaker at her finest, always wanting something, never content with the situation. She always found something that dissatisfied her and that high-pitched complaining soon got onto the ex-mercenary's nerves. However, Ludger was the one leading the adventure and since Ludger tolerated the little prick, he just as well might do so too.
Or so he thought. The closer he got to the agent however, the more he noticed that he never really smiled. Sure, he forced up a few smiles when anyone mentioned that he should cook or comb Elle's hair, but Alvin soon noticed how much the situation bothered the young Kresnik. He couldn't blame the man though, he got debts of 20 million Gald, his brother was a wanted criminal, the Spirius Corporation chiefs told him that the entry exam was manipulated so it was impossible for him to get in...and now this girl had shown up demanding from Ludger to take her to Canaan. The whole pressure put onto the younger Kresnik together with that little pest bothering him every spare second led to the lack of emotion that Ludger has shown. Alvin understood the situation and yet, he wanted the agent to smile. At least once, he wanted to make his new friend show his real emotions.
That all were thoughts that Alvin had as he stood on the balcony the night after Julius was arrested. He recently took up the habit of just standing at the balcony and reflecting upon his choices and his actions, but recently his thoughts were all about Ludger. He knew that feeling. He started to feel more than friendship for the lean agent with his turquoise puppy eyes...just like back when he travelled with Jude. It seemed that he had a weakness for do-gooders with cute faces for it took him a year to overcome his feelings for the young doctor and finally be able to speak with him without flirting. And oh, how it hurt that Jude was only speaking of Milla. It was so obvious that Jude loved her and it hurt Alvin that the brunette chose him as his wingman. It was cruel of Jude to ask him for dating tips, but what could the ex-mercenary do? He wanted Jude to be happy.
He wondered if Ludger would be the same..then again, unlike Jude, Ludger was completely hiding his feelings, so maybe it would take longer for him to understand the young agent. There was only one thing he did know about the silverette for sure. That was that his brother Julius meant the world for him if not even more.
Just as he was about to go back into Balan's room where he stayed that night, he noticed Elle sitting on the swing. Just a moment later he saw Ludger running out of the apartment complex next to where he was at. A closer look at the agent's face revealed that he was indeed worried. Alvin decided to eavesdrop on the conversation the two had. He quickly made his way downstairs and hid behind the bush. From there he could hear every single word.
"You know..Without me, your power is pretty worthless.", Elle said with a somewhat bored expression.
It was a shame that Alvin couldn't see Ludger's face because the reply sounded slightly annoyed, which was unusual for the silver-haired male.
"So what?", Ludger replied bluntly, crossing his arms. This action caused the little girl to stand up and become louder.
"I think that makes us partners!", she giggled. "So. Will you accompany me to Canaan?"
A sigh escaped the man and he shook his head. "Do I have any other choice?"
"Don't be such a sore loser!", the little girl huffed and put her hands to her hips.
After that, the girl stole the agent's pocket watch and hung it around her neck. "You don't mind me holding it, right? We're partners now, after all."
The ex-mercenary sighed a tad too loud at that and immediately caught his breath and froze as noticed that the agent was already about to turn into his direction. Elle made him pinky-swear that he would bring her to Canaan, making him forget about checking on the source of the sigh. At least one thing she did right, Alvin thought, letting the door to his apartment complex slam shut audibly as he walked closer to the two.
"Oh? Hey, Ludger. And hello young lady. Are you going for a midnight stroll?", he asked as if he didn't hear or see anything of the previous. Elle nodded, Ludger shook his head. The reaction made the salesman shake his head and snort. "So what now?"
The agent spoke first. "I thought of depositing a payment to Nova and then go to sleep. I need some rest after fighting Rideaux.." With that said, Ludger slightly bowed to indicate that he was leaving. Before Elle could bother him, Alvin looked at her with a stern look.
"What do you say, little lady...care to take a walk with me? Rollo and Ludger need some alone time, you understand?", he asked in a more quiet voice, earning a reluctant nod from the girl and calling out to Ludger. "I'll bring Elle home later on, so don't lock the door, alright?"
The agent turned around and nodded before continuing his walk home. The silverette agreed easier than he thought, but who was he to complain? He needed to make sure Elle stopped being a little prick. And he knew that fear would be the best way to teach her, so he took the girl's hand and made his way to the Torbalan Highroad. Even at night, there would be enough monsters to come and get Elle.
As they arrived, he pushed the girl against the mountain, his facial expression changing. It changed to the expression he had when he was just about to kill Jude a year ago.
"Listen to me before you ask any questions, you annoying thing. I will now give you two options. One of them will get you to the land of Canaan while the other one will get you killed."
He could see that Elle tried to find any hints that he was joking, but his hazel eyes looked dead serious...
While Alvin was busy with making Elle understand that she had the choice of either changing for the good (which meant considering Ludger's feelings some more and not being egoistic) or ending up as a snack for the monsters, Ludger himself had been paid a visit right after he had paid the part of his debt that restricted him from continuing his mission. After the silverette ended the call with Nova, the door of his apartment opened. He got up from the couch to come and greet Elle, but was surprised by his brother standing in the doorway and holding his swords, ready to strike.
All Ludger could do was stare at his brother in shock with his turquoise eyes wide open, so Julius was the one who started the conversation.
"Ludger...", he started off, sounding more desperate than ever. "Ludger...please, forgive me."
The younger Kresnik took a step back and wanted to unsheathe his swords just to find them missing. Of course...he was in his pyjamas already, after all. And his watch was with Elle...he had no means of protecting himself as he was, so he carefully stepped back to make his way into his bedroom. There he could grab his blades and try to defend himself..
"Julius. Brother...why are you here?", he asked to distract the taller male and sneak out unnoticed. "Shouldn't you be..."
"Imprisoned?", the blonde finished and stepped closer to his brother, seeing the usually bright eyes darken with sadness. "It's not your fault. You tried to protect me, but I'm glad you didn't manage to do so, Rideaux would have killed you otherwise.", he paused and quickly approached his brother, standing behind him in a blink of an eye due to the younger Kresnik's mind being hazed by guilt. Before Ludger could even turn around, the cold metal of Julius' blade was already pressed up against his throat, contradicting what the taller of the two said next.
"Now it's my turn to protect you...", he said, after which he struck his younger brother on the back of his head, knocking him out. He threw Ludger's GHS into the dustbin before carrying the silverette out, glad that nobody was on the streets so late in the night but a few merchants. He quickly made his way to the Labari Hollow in Rieze-Maxia to hide with Ludger in one of the former laboratory sectors after defeating all the monsters lurking there. He set Ludger down onto the ground and tore down an old cloth from the wall to cover him with. He thought that he would need to go out and buy some things to eat, but he didn't want Ludger to be alone. Besides, if he left his brother alone, the silver-haired male would panic and run away. So, that was out of question. Just as he was about to give up, he heard a soft mewl.
"You are just what we needed.", he spoke to the cat, checking his collar. His name seemed to be Mao. Just like Rollo, he seemed to understand. "Would you go to Xian Du and see what you can find, Mao?", he asked, earning another mewl before the cat ran off.
Julius would give everything to keep his brother away from Origin's trial, so he didn't regret his actions one bit. He sat beside his brother and pulled him close to prevent him from freezing. "Good thing it's still summer...", he murmured and waited for the cat to return from his dispatch mission. He almost dozed off too, but a soft mewl tore him from his drowsy state and caused a soft smile to appear on the blonde's face.
The cat has brought some veggies and a tuna, which Julius carefully stowed away in the coolest part of their small shelter. He was thankful for the shelves to have remained standing so many years after the lab was shut down since he could put all the things the cat brought onto them after cleaning them from dust.
While all that happened, Alvin and Elle have long returned to Ludger's apartment. Since all the lights were out, Elle just assumed that Ludger went to sleep.
"Alright, young lady. Don't cause Ludger trouble from now on and don't tell anyone about our conversation. You have to promise.", he said with a satisfied grin. He managed to get Elle to understand that he worried about Ludger, so she didn't hate him. But oh boy did it take time. It was way past 4 am when they finally made it to the apartment.
Elle nodded tiredly. "Promise."
Just as Alvin was about to leave, she pulled his sleeve and shook his head. "Hey. A promise isn't a promise if you don't pinky-swear on it. That's what my daddy told me.", she reminded the salesman and he kneed down before her so that they could link their pinkies and Elle could promise again that she would be nicer.
After that, both went to sleep, Elle was sleeping on the couch in the living room since Julius' room was locked and she didn't want to wake Ludger up by crawling into his bed. Rollo jumped up and laid down on her belly so she wasn't cold for the night, anyway.
She woke up at 12 pm next day, which wasn't usual for her and there was still no sign of Ludger. She knew that she promised Alvin to be more considerate of Ludger's feelings and his needs, so she waited an hour longer before Rollo started to scratch on the door of Ludger's room. She couldn't just ignore the needs of the little fluffy cat, so she went into the agents room and hummed happily.
"Rise and shine, Ludger~", she called out just to be met with silence. She looked around and saw that the blue shirt that the silver-haired male usually wore was hanging on the chair, just as the rest of his clothing. The dual swords laid on the desk next to his pistols. Her gaze wandered to the bed just to find it empty and untouched too.
Panic rose inside of her and the girl quickly dashed out to seek out any of the other group members, bumping into Jude and Alvin who were talking about their last year at the Trigleph marketplace.
"Good morning, little lady.", Alvin greeted with a smile.
Jude smiled at the girl as well, but before he could greet her or ask her what's wrong, the blonde stared up at him with glassy eyes and it took her everything not to cry. "Has any of you seen Ludger? He's not at home."
"Not at home?", Alvin echoed, staring at the girl in disbelief. But in order of not causing panic, he hummed. "I'll try calling his GHS. Maybe he was called in by Spirius?"
"Without his clothes? Would he go to Spirius in pyjamas and most importantly without me?", the girl was lost. "He didn't even take his weapons with him.."
Jude and Alvin exchanged looks before nodding. Jude then smiled soothingly and patted the girl's head. "We'll get the others and then we'll go look for clues."
"Good plan. I'll fetch Elize, Milla, Rowen and Leia, you two go on ahead to Ludger's apartment." Alvin tried not to sound as worried as he was. Ludger was with them just 12 hours ago. That meant he must have disappeared sometime after he went back to his apartment...He turned around and raised a hand to bid the two goodbye. "See you in around 30 minutes."
The agent woke up to a familiar tune being hummed next to him. The hymn of proof...Julius had always hummed it when he was scared or hurt and it always calmed him down. He wanted to reach out and cling to his brother's shirt, just to find his hands bound. Instantly his eyes shot open and his breath hitched. There was nobody beside them in the cave...that meant... "Julius...", he called out in a desperate tone, interrupting the melodic hum. He watched the blue eyes meet his turquoise ones and he could tell that his brother knew what he was about to ask.
"I'm sorry Ludger. I was afraid you'd run away if I just left you untied. Promise that you'll stay?", he looked at his brother with a sad look and it broke the younger Kresnik's heart, forcing him to nod. "I'm so sorry, Ludger.", Julius repeated and undid the knots just to have his brother clinging to his shirt. The shorter of the two shook his head and let his gaze wander towards the shelves.
"I see you have brought us some food. I'll try to make a fire and cook for us...it will be really hard though..." He could use Julius' sword to pierce the tuna with and roast it on the blade... but what to do with the veggies? He frowned as he was lost in his thought, only looking up again when his brother made a small amused hum.
Julius was smiling again. Ludger's actions were just so irrational. But that was the reason why he loved his baby brother after all. "Seriously, Ludger...you haven't changed one bit ever since we were kids. You don't even want to know why I brought you here? You're such an airhead."
The younger Kresnik smiled back brightly and shook his head. It was nice to have Julius so close after all what happened. "Not until we have eaten something. I'm starving."
Back in Elympios, Alvin has quickly gathered the crew since all except the fractured Milla were more than willing to help. The four of them met up with Jude and Elle at Ludger's apartment and started looking around for any signs of battle, but didn't find anything.
"Will Milla come?", Jude asked as he was checking the desk.
Alvin shook his head. "Negative. She said that it may be for the better that he's gone. But I can't blame her. He destroyed her world, after all."
Jude just nodded and sighed as he found no clues on the desk. Rowen has checked the bedroom and Leia and Elize looked around in the bathroom, just in case. Everyone stopped searching when a way too familiar ringtone resounded through the room. It was muffled, but it was definitely in the living room. Elle pointed to the dustbin. "I think it's coming from there!"
Jude quickly reached into the bin and pulled out Ludger's GHS from under a pile of trash. "Gross...well, here goes nothing." He accepted the call and boosted the volume so everyone in the room could hear that.
"DODA, Vera here. We need to inform you that former director Kresnik has escaped with the waymarker. Your priority should be to assist us in the capture of the fugitive and to retrieve the stolen waymarker.", the woman explained.
Alvin reacted quickly and did his best imitation of Ludger's soft voice, since nobody except him had the appropriate pitch of the voice. "Understood. Where can I find him?"
The Spirius employee seemed to buy that imitation or at least not care about it sounding slightly off. "His location is currently unknown, but he was last spotted in Aladhi sea haven, carrying some person towards the Aladhi Trail. Confirm the person's identity upon finding Julius Kresnik and try to prevent that person's death. Yet, I remind you, your priority is retrieving the waymarker. Good luck, agent.", Vera said before hanging up.
Elle gasped. "Glasses guy is back?"
Jude nodded. "And it seems we have found out where Ludger is. Good job, Alvin.", the brunette smiled and looked at the group "I would say we know where to head next. However, we'll need to be careful not to be spotted by the Spirius corporation. After all, Ludger wouldn't want us to lead the enemy straight to his brother, right?"
Everyone seemed to agree, so after restocking on apple and orange gels they all went to Marksburg to take a ship to Rieze-Maxia. At least they had something to go on with...
The two Kresniks have managed to find a stone plate and made a makeshift oven after which Ludger proceeded to roast the meal. "Hmm... This will probably be the blandest meal I ever cooked...", he chuckled and used Julius' blade to cut the vegetables and the fish, glad that the onions would at least give the fish a bit of taste. As he cut the onion though, he started crying from the way it stung in his eyes. "I hate onions.."
The taller one chuckled and hugged his brother. "It's been a while since I've seen you cry, Ludger."
Last time the silverette cried was the time they walked in the woods and the younger had hurt his ankle. Wondering if the hymn of proof also worked against onions, Julius leaned in and softly hummed the melody into Ludger's ear, chasing a small shiver down the shorter male's spine.
"You're so sensitive, Ludger.", Julius teased, earning an elbow strike to his stomach. It wasn't strong enough to hurt him, but made him shut up about his sensitivity. Brothers shouldn't talk about such stuff anyway. Not in such a husky voice like Julius'.
Despite everything, Ludger stopped crying and even grinned a little. The older Kresnik wondered if he would always be able to calm his younger brother down with his melodic hum and a hug. He was watching as the silverette distributed the onions onto the fish so that it could soak up some flavour. He also picked some herbs that he put onto the fish as well, making it smell pretty good despite how bland it would be without spices such as salt, pepper and oregano, which Ludger usually used for fish. He then roasted the potatoes carefully and cut the carrots into thin slices.
"You really should've opened a restaurant, Ludger.", Julius seemed impressed by his younger brother's skills to cook meals that smelled that great with this little ingredients. The younger one took the hint and lowered his eyes. He thought his brother would be proud of him for following in his footsteps, but right then he wasn't aware of the dangers of Origin's trial, of course.
"The meal is ready, but it will need to cool down before we eat..", he tried to change the topic as he cleaned his brother's sword from the dirt and vegetable juice that stuck to it. "Why did you bring me here, Julius? There is a reason you kidnapped me like this, isn't there?"
The blond was silent for a moment before sighing. "I need you to forget everything about Origin's trial. And I will also ask you to hand Elle over to me. You know that she's the true Key of Kresnik, don't you?"
Just as Ludger was about to protest, Julius put his index finger to his brother's lips and turned his head, looking over his shoulder cautiously, like a wild animal ready to pounce. "Someone's here. I feel eyes watching us. You should head back inside. Hurry.", he said and his brother complied. He wasn't done talking to Julius yet, but due to whoever was pursuing them it had to wait. The older Kresnik still stood outside and took in his surroundings, trying to find the person watching them only to find a Spirius agent, whom he easily took down with his swords before he headed back to Ludger. He made sure to clean the blood off of the blades beforehand, since he didn't want to scare his precious brother.
"Ludger? You can come out now. It was just a monster I sensed. We should eat now." Julius was very much used to lying from all the years he spent with Spirius corporation. He silently returned to their little stove, holding his biceps area. It hurt a lot for a while now due to his body slowly becoming a catalyst. Noticing that, Ludger hurried after his brother and held his left hand with his own, looking up at him with big, turquoise eyes like a begging puppy. The taller one was sure he was close to whimpering like one too.
"Don't worry, Ludger, I'm fine.", he reassured and quickly withdrew his hand, doing his best to hide the pain. He knew he shouldn't be so kind to his brother since it would hurt to part from him even more when his time to become a catalyst would come. He frowned at this thought and sat down. "You should really stop worrying so much about me. Worry more about yourself instead and leave Origin to your big brother."
"Please don't treat me like a child. I want to help you, you shouldn't take that burden on yourself alone.." Julius' left hand was cold, but Ludger wasn't sure if it was just the leather glove that gave off the cold or if it was really different from his right hand which wasn't covered by a glove. He sat down beside Julius and took his right hand into his hands then. "Warm..."
A sigh left the blond's lips and his eyes turned colder than he would liked to. "You're really touchy today, aren't you..?" he didn't want Ludger to find out his secret just yet. His left arm was almost completely black by then. He needed to hurry if he wanted to create a world where Ludger could live safely. "After we have eaten, we should head to the Xian Du so you'll be safe. I'll wait for Elle with you."
The silver-haired male didn't answer. He simply started eating the bland meal he had cooked. Thanks to the stone being hot, the food was still warm even after all the events. He was slightly hurt by the way his brother was talking to him, but he didn't let it show. It wasn't like he wasn't used to Julius being like that. He didn't eat much since the things Julius said about handing Elle and his watch over were still nagging at him. He waited until Julius would eat the rest, looking up to the sky as he did. Even at times like this, when brother went against brother and the whole world was close to it's destruction, the sky was blue and the clouds continued roaming that vast blue space without any worries.
As he looked up he saw Alvin and Jude standing at the entrance of the hollow, pointing down at the small campfire. Both, Julius and himself have remained hidden since they sat close to the wall, but nonetheless, Ludger was now even more worried. He was so caught up in his worries that he didn't notice Julius standing behind him until it was too late and his mouth and nose were covered by a leather clad hand. The older Kresnik was a professional assassin, so he knew exactly how to make Ludger pass out without having to hit him again. He watched the turquoise eyes widen in disbelief and felt his younger brother struggle to get free, but in pure physical strength, Julius was more superior to him. The struggle attempts got weaker and weaker until with a muffled cry, the slender body fell limp, Ludger falling unconscious.
"Forgive me, Ludger. But it's just to protect you..", the taller one whispered before carrying Ludger up and towards the only exit. The run-in with his friends was unavoidable at this point, so he'd just have to either outrun or outsmart them. He quickly made his way back up which proved to be quite the task with an unconscious Ludger on his shoulder. It didn't take long until Alvin saw the two and rushed over to block Julius' way together with Jude.
Alvin frowned as he saw Ludger's limp form hanging over his brother's shoulder. He had already taken out his gun, but Jude stopped him.
"We shouldn't fight. Ludger wouldn't want us to.", he reminded the ex-mercenary. "Julius. Why did you do this? I am sure Ludger wouldn't rat you out to Spirius anyway."
Alvin nodded. "Besides, was it really necessary to have him unconscious? He's your little brother for crying out loud!"
"I want Ludger to forget Origin's trial, Chronos and the fractured dimensions. If he will continue down that path, he will break. He set the limp body down on the ground gently and pulled up his left sleeve, showing the black skin, the catalyst transformation eating away at his skin and flesh. "That happens to all Chromatus users. If Ludger will continue working for Bisley, he will die.", the blond explained with a frown and took Ludger back up. "Yet, to complete the trial myself, I will need Elle."
"Elle?", Jude and Alvin asked in unison. They couldn't muster to say anything else since the shock of seeing the catalyst transformation still was big.
Julius just shook his head. "I don't want to reveal all the details right now. Spirius might still be spying on us." He noticed the world map sticking out of his brother's pyjama pants pocket. "Well then. I want you to bring Elle to me. I don't want to blackmail you, but I need to see my brother's resolve. If he really can continue walking on after seeing gruesome things and probably even get hurt in the progress, I shall leave him be. I have told Ludger what I want, it is up to him now if he wants to have a peaceful life with you or probably die while completing Origin's trial." He distracted the two by talking while he quickly moved his hand to take out the map and used it to get to Kijara Sea Falls. Ludger fell down onto the ground unceremoniously as his brother disappeared.
"Ludger!", Jude called out and hurried to the silverette's side, checking all his vital signs and using some healing artes to help the agent regain consciousness. Alvin was also worried, but since he couldn't help his friend and secret crush as much as Jude did, he decided to at least help by thinking about what the older Kresnik had said.
"So if Ludger keeps using the Chromatus, he will die?", he dwelled on that one thought. He didn't like that outcome one bit, he wanted Ludger to live and maybe one day even return his feelings. He didn't put too much hope in the latter since his first love died by falling off a cliff, his second love was oblivious to how he felt since he only had eyes for Milla at that moment...and Ludger..well, Ludger never talked much to him, so it was hard to tell what he thought of their relationship.
A weak groan interrupted his thoughts and he looked down at the agent with both, worry and happiness in his eyes. "Ludger, are you-"
Just as he wanted to ask Ludger about his well-being, the familiar ringtone sounded, indicating that Ludger's GHS had rang.
The agent smiled slightly and reached his hand out to Alvin. "I believe I should get that one. It would be suspicious if I didn't answer Vera."
The merchant handed the phone back to its rightful owner and shook his head in disapproval. Spirius would run Ludger ragged one day, he was sure of it.
"DODA Vera here. Vice-President Rideaux has arrived at Aladhi Seahaven, please meet up with him and follow his instructions regarding former director Kresnik's pursuit."
Without waiting for Ludger's reply, the woman hung up and the agent allowed himself to let out a heartily sigh. "Thank you two for worrying about me.", he said and stood up. Alvin just nodded in acknowledgement and took out his own GHS to text the other party members that they should meet up at Aladhi asap. "Well then. We should probably go to Trigleph first. Your weapons are still there, right?"
Jude shook his head. "Milla has Ludger's clothes and weapons. She's waiting for us at Aladhi Sea haven already."
The ex-mercenary whistled playfully. "So, you managed to convince her to cooperate? Is there something going on between the two of you?" He just wanted to brighten up the mood with that teasing and seemingly it worked since Ludger's face softened and a small breathed chuckle tore from his lips.
Ashamed for laughing at that, he looked up at Jude and instantly turned red. The young scientist was blushing too but shook his head. "Hey, that might be Milla, but it's not our Milla. Don't forget that."
Ludger hummed curiously. He meant no harm, but he was curious about Jude's relationship to the 'real Milla'. "Is it different for you and 'your' Milla?"
The question was completely innocent, a pure act of curiosity, but Alvin took it the wrong way and grinned. "See, even he knows that you and the prime Milla are an item..."
Jude blushed even redder and shook his head. "It'll never work out, anyway." Realizing he said that aloud, he started flailing his hands around and stuttered "It-it's not l-like I want that to h-happen or anything! Milla is the Lord of Spirits, after all!"
Ludger put his hand on Jude's arm and looked up at him apologetically. "Sorry Jude.", he said sincerely, earning a small smile from the younger one. The young scientist changed the topic rather quickly and handed Ludger a small flask. "You should drink this potion. It will keep the monsters away from you until we reach Xian Du and meet up with Rowen And Gaius."
"Right. I'm pretty defenceless without the armor and my weapons.", he rubbed the back of his head shyly and took the small flask from Jude, quickly drinking all of its contents.
Alvin smirked and decided it was time to tease the agent for a change. "Don't worry, I'd protect you if you'd get in trouble. A good gentleman saves the damsel in distress, doesn't he?"
The silverette almost choked on his drink, only being saved by the fact his choking reflex kicked in after he finished drinking. He coughed a few times before looking up at the merchant with big eyes. "D-Damsel?" Despite his protesting tone, his pale cheeks took on a rosy color and he quickly looked away to hide his blush.
Jude cleared his throat in a manner that caught the older male's attention and proceeded right after he put his gauntlets back onto his fists. "We should make haste. Rideaux is waiting for us."
Immediately snapping out of his thoughts, Ludger nodded eagerly and straightened up. "Yeah. We gotta search for Julius quickly!" He was really eager to find his brother again. His usually calm eyes were full of longing and of course the ex-mercenary noticed that. He was slightly hurt that Ludger never shown anything of that sort to him despite the fact that they always linked up during battles and spent a lot of time together overall...then again, he remembered that he never approached the agent on his own accord. Ludger was mostly the one helping him, not the other way around.
He quickly turned around and sighed dramatically. "I was just waiting for you both. But alright then. Let's go. Don't fall behind." He turned his head slightly to give his signature wink before slowly walking towards the Royal Hunting Grounds.
