Becoming Human

AN: Something of an expansion on the manga. It loosely follows some of its events, starting from around volume two (almost halfway through chapter five), but will branch out into its own thing. It's multi-chaptered Tresther, because I'm a sucker! Hope people like it!

Chapter One

'The first step to becoming a real man is to protect the girl.'

Tres' expression was blank as he processed the child's words. Was there a procedure to attaining that unquantifiable concept 'humanity'?

One potentially fitting definition: The quality of being human; human nature.

He was not human; he was an android. Though he had some organic parts which needed vitamins to avoid requiring maintenance, he was primarily composed of processors and metal shaped into the form of a man. He softly whirred and clicked, and did not secrete any chemicals that would affect his mental status.

As for human nature, the closest he believed he conformed to 'human nature' was his shape. In terms of human conduct, his nature did not greatly resemble humanity. He used numbers and directives to make his decisions, and there was no deviation from those directives. He could not disobey his programming anymore than a human could reject their DNA.

Another definition that could possibly fit: The quality of being humane; kindness; benevolence. Emotions were not fully definable. Their concepts were understood, but he had not experienced such things. When someone tells him they were 'scared', he could process and understand that their behaviour would be affected in such a condition; that the probability of someone in the state of 'scared' running away was greatly increased. Their performance may decline from that emotional state, but could also be increased in parallel with the survival instinct. There were so many calculations that could be made to try and predict human behaviour in various emotional states, but the processing power required was beyond his capabilities. All he could do was react to their behaviour.

Or not, in this current case. Sister Esther Blanchett appeared to be fascinated by his mechanical nature. She had a habit of watching how he reacted to Abel's banter, observing his responses. Tres' reaction to this was to disregard it completely. He recognised it as 'curiosity' and understood his being an android was something strange and rare to come across.

The trials they had undergone to get on this train hadn't been unusual for an AX member, but for their new charge, it had turned her world upside down. Tres knew she was not an effective addition to their team, and would require tracking in order to preserve her life. She was observant, though, picking up that Tres was sent to make sure Abel was kept in line. Despite some of the Vatican's concerns about Abel Nightroad, when the going got tough, Abel got even tougher. Tres had been paired up with Abel enough times over the years to know that although Abel could spout a great deal of gibberish Tres didn't understand, he was one of the best fighters in AX.

Before the conversation with this boy and the idiom he had learnt from his father could continue, they were interrupted and Tres was on high alert.

The news that they could not go back to Rome on the train was taken hard by Abel and Esther. Tres was used to Abel's extreme reactions to information such as this, and disregarded him in favour of observing their new companion's response.

"Damage report, Sister Esther Blanchett," he said, approaching her.

She was on her knees, head bowed, and hands pressed to the ground to hold herself upright.

"I lost my luggage and now I have to walk?!" Esther cried out in despair.

Tres said nothing. Her response was similar to Abel's overdramatic reaction. The two made quite a pair. She had performed quite admirably when confronted with a dangerous opponent in close quarters. She had done what needed to be done, taking initiative and getting the other passengers to a safer location during the fight.

Now the two of them were bemoaning the fact they couldn't get reimbursed since the fight had caused their train car to explode, incinerating their luggage and receipts. Tres simply used his internal navigation system to track a journey to Rome on foot and started walking it. Eventually, Abel and Esther followed, heads low.

This journey was going to be long, arduous and likely involve a great deal of annoyances, though Tres could not put into words what would constitute 'annoyances' for an android. He filed an error report and kept going.

"Are you really a priest? Can an android be one?" Esther innocently questioned him while they walked. It had been almost a day since they had left the wreckage of the train car behind. Despite his usual pace being far greater than Abel or Esther's, ensuring their safety took priority as they travelled. Therefore he kept a pace with Esther, the slowest and most vulnerable walker. Abel wandered ahead slightly, eager to scout out a place for them to stay the night, despite being informed there was nothing ahead but road and forest.

Tres considered her question. The clothes he wore meant nothing to him; the religious paraphernalia that came with said clothes was no more than decoration. For what meaning did religion have to an android? 'Uniform' and 'Disguise' was the only adequate explanations Tres had produced. He had never gone through any official rituals to establish himself as a man of the church, as he was not a man, and was impartial on the notion of god. The common address of Father Tres fit in with his explanation of his disguise – it further extended his credibility as a priest of the Church.

He realised he had considered the matter too long, and Esther was looking at him with an expression he approximated at 'concern'.

"I am not," he answered.

Esther appeared to be slightly flustered.

"S-should I call you just Tres, then?" she asked.

"Negative. It could potentially arouse suspicion. It is easier for me to be believed as a human priest, even one in a combat division, than to be known as an android. Moving through countries with as little interference as possible is the optimal condition for the work my masters give me."

Esther thought for a moment.

"Wait a second… if you're meant to blend in as a human, then why don't you talk like a normal human?"

"I talk as I am programmed to talk."

That killed the conversation dead. Esther stopped asking him questions, her pace slowing while she thought.

After some time, as the sun was beginning to set, the trio had reached an impasse; a choice between the main road and a forest shortcut.

"This forest is the quickest route," Tres informed the two of them, and Abel seemed excited.

"I wonder if there are bears…" Abel wondered aloud, and Esther baulked.

"W-what?! We can't go in there! We'll get lost!"

Tres calculated that Esther's consternation did not outweigh their need to return to Rome as quickly as possible.

"This is the quickest route," he reiterated, but Esther shook her head.

"Something's bound to happen, and we'll just end up taking even longer than if we'd stuck to the main roads!" she insisted.

"There is no logical basis for your hypothesis," he pointed out.

Esther frowned, her hands balling into fists.

"Call it a feeling I have. I'm sure one of us is attracting bad luck. We haven't caught a break since we started travelling together."

"Your language does not compute. Define 'a feeling'."

He faced Esther, who became nervous. She twiddled her hair and bit her lip while thinking, Tres' unmoving brown eyes locked on her.

"Well… it's a feeling. I can't explain it properly!" she paused to think, eventually saying, "You know how we've been attacked several times since we've been travelling to Rome?"

Tres nodded

"Affirmative."

"Doesn't it seem more likely we will get attacked and be exposed in the forest, than if we travel on the road?" she concluded.

"Negative," Tres answered, causing Esther to stare in utter disbelief.

"What?! Explain it to me then, Mr. Logical Android."

Tres was impassive to her jibe.

"The forest is a more direct route to Rome compared to the road we have currently been travelling on. The forest is unlikely to be used by many. Attackers will not expect us to go through this forest, nor would it be likely in such a large forest an attacker would be able to locate us. The road is open for ambush. It is easier to observe those who travel by road and plan an attack. This route is less likely to cause trouble," he calmly explained, and Esther sighed, turning to Abel instead.

"I give up. Father Nightroad, you get that we're in a Murphy's Law situation, right?"

Abel heartily nodded.

"Completely, Esther. But he doesn't understand such notions. This route is quicker though, and I'm generally inclined to follow Tres in these situations. At the end of the day, it could be a useful lesson for him. And it's not like we're not capable of protecting ourselves if something crops up."

Esther finally relaxed. Tres did not understand what Abel meant, nor how he managed to calm Esther down, when Tres' own speech did nothing to allay her fears, despite being entirely logical.

"Anyway," Abel continued, "Tres has an impeccable sense of direction."

"I don't know…" Esther worried.

"Then you may take the road," Tres suddenly said, heading into the forest, "Our top priority is to return to Rome as quickly as possible. If you cannot handle such conditions, then we must part ways."

Esther quickly chased after him, grabbing onto his arm with fear in her eyes.

"No! I'm coming!" she blurted, looking around worriedly.

Tres looked down at her, and Esther immediately let go of his arm, blushing.

"Is Tres always like this, Father Nightroad?!" Esther hurriedly called over to Abel, falling back to walk with him.

Abel grinned.

"Pretty much. He does have those moments that make you begin to wonder, though…"

Tres listened without complete comprehension. How were his actions deviant from his usual behaviour? He reviewed their conversations, analysing every detail.

"…Can he be rash like that?" he suddenly heard Esther whispering.

'Rash'? Was he capable of 'rash'?

"Like you wouldn't believe," Abel replied in a low voice, "I hope to one day get to the route of Tres' creation, and see what really went on. I know he has organic components, which makes me even more suspicious…"

Abel had questioned his origins based solely on behaviour he had exhibited? Tres did not know what to make of Abel's words.

"B-but that would be… horrible!" Esther exclaimed, and Tres turned around. She immediately covered her mouth, her eyes wide, while Abel looked at Tres with an expression he could not immediately identify.

"Why are you talking about my behaviour? Was I inappropriate?" Tres questioned. He did not understand their reactions; scanning their expressions presented the words 'pity', 'fear' 'guilt' and 'concern' from his database. Why would talking about him cause such emotions to appear on their faces?

Abel's expression of pity melted into his cheery persona. He approached Tres and gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder.

"You weren't inappropriate, Tres! We're just curious about you, is all."

His friendly demeanour did not satisfy Tres' analysis of the overall situation.

"I have questions on your behaviours, Father Abel Nightroad and Sister Esther Blanchett."

Esther seemed to have recovered her composure, but did not look at Tres, though shuffled closer to stand beside Abel.

"I'm sorry, Father Tres," said Esther, bowing her head.

"I do not comprehend your actions. Was there a cause for apology?"

Tres could feel his processors beginning to overheat from the amount of calculations it was performing to try and understand the situation he was in. The whirring was becoming audible from his body.

Esther looked at Abel, and Abel nodded.

"Honesty is the best policy. I think it's important for Tres to understand interactions like this thoroughly. He may be a state-of-the-art android, but I've learnt in my time with him that social interaction is a territory that easily confuses him."

"I cannot be confused," Tres interjected, and Abel raised an eyebrow.

"How would you classify how you are feeling in this situation? You don't understand what Esther and I have been talking about. That is confusion, isn't it?"

"Confusion is an emotion. I do not comprehend your speech in reference to me."

Abel laughed and shook his head.

"That is confusion, Tres. And our explanations should hopefully clear up said confusion for you. I suppose you would say that our definitions and input will allow your processor capacity to add new data for those situations, thereby allowing your processor to return to normal levels of function?"

"Affirmative," Tres replied, and Abel sighed.

"Yes, I thought as much. Esther, do you care to help clear this situation up? We don't want him overheating or something."

Tres went to calmly explain that the likelihood of this lack of comprehension causing severe enough overheating to affect his performance was one percent at most, but Abel pressed a finger to his lips Tres recognised as the command 'silence' and obeyed. He turned his gaze onto Esther, who had gained the courage to finally look at Tres again.

"It's considered rude to talk about someone else – especially behind their back," Esther began to explain, "It's even worse if the person you're talking about hears you and begins to ask about what you meant. So, I'm sorry for talking about you like that."

She bowed her head again.

"Your words do not hurt me. I have no feelings with which to hurt. I simply wanted a definition to your words. I am an android. I cannot be 'rash'. How does having organic components make me 'suspicious'? And how would such a thing be 'horrible'? These questions are why I turned around to talk to you."

Esther bit her lip, and looked to Abel, who put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's only fair I have a share in this talk. You did well to illustrate why we might be a tad embarrassed about being caught talking about Tres. I'll handle the rest," he said, looking at Esther with a smile.

"We should keep walking if we are to make this short cut viable," Tres interjected, and Abel nodded.

"Of course. Well, let's get going."

They walking together, Abel and Esther either side of Tres.

"Tres… we were wondering about your origins. Do you know much?"

Tres shook his head.

"I am maintained and follow commands. That is all that matters. Compared to human life, I have not been in operation for very long. Data was lost from my initial start up."

He observed Esther's look of sympathy without understanding.

"Well, Tres, we were just considering the notion that perhaps you weren't a true android – that perhaps you were a cyborg and were unaware of your status of possessing more human components than you would as an android. From a human perspective, you see, this would be considered horrific, as for a human to not know their true nature… it would be seen as terrible. A lie," Abel tried to explain, unsure how to word it all.

Tres nodded.

"I believe your explanation is sufficient. Lying is considered a sin by the Church, therefore for a being to unknowingly be forced to live a lie would be an even greater sin for the individual or individuals who lied. The person who lived the lie would be designated 'victim'. I would be a 'victim' in your and Sister Esther Blanchett's eyes if I were not an android, but something closer to human. The notion of me being a victim would allow for the expression of 'pity' displayed by you two to correlate."

Esther's mouth fell open.

"You really do understand!"

Tres nodded.

"Of course; if the explanation is coherent and reasonable, then I can comprehend and incorporate it into my programming. However, it was a waste of discussion; I am an android and nothing more."

"What makes you so sure?" Esther blurted, and Tres turned to face her.

"I can be programmed, overwritten, and I do not have emotions. I fit the definition of 'android' and not 'cyborg'."

Esther frowned.

"Then what about your rash behaviour earlier? You just stomped off into the forest without waiting for me or Abel. It was like… you were sick of arguing with me."

Tres shook his head.

"Negative. I simply decided that if we were to capitalise on using the forest as a shortcut, we needed to move as soon as possible. I analysed the situation and deduced that the probability was high you would follow if I were to leave you," he calmly reasoned, and Esther looked upset.

"So you played upon my feelings."

"I observed your behaviour patterns and made a reasonable calculation that would proceed the mission with your co-operation."

Esther didn't reply and moved so she walked by Abel's side. Abel gave her a sympathetic smile and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Esther; he means no harm. You're thinking of Tres in human terms, when he insists he has no human feelings. He's not trying to hurt your feelings – he really is trying to get us back to Rome as quickly as he can."

"It is not an insistence; it is fact," Tres corrected, and Abel nodded.

"Of course, of course," he placated, and Tres missed the lack of sincerity.

They walked on in silence for almost an hour, when Tres abruptly stopped.

"Error. A magnetic field is interrupting my navigational abilities."

Esther looked around, and her eyes widened.

"What?! W-wait a minute… I knew it! We've been here before!" Esther cried.

Abel looked panicked and grabbed Tres' shoulders, lightly shaking them.

"You were supposed to direct us through the forest! This was supposed to be a shortcut!"

"A machine is not infallible."

Abel sighed and let Tres go in favour of collapsing on the mossy forest floor.

"I'm so hungry…" he mumbled, curling up.

Esther fell to her knees.

"I told you I had a feeling this would go wrong, but nooo… that's not logical." Tears welled in her eyes.

"I don't want to die in a horrible scary forest like this!" she wailed, and Tres could detect the stress in her voice levels.

The words of the boy on the train suddenly came to the forefront of Tres' mind. From where he stood, Esther looked so small and vulnerable on her knees in the forest.

He approached her and squatted so he was level with her.

"It will be fine, Sister Esther Blanchett. I will protect you," he told her, and Esther wiped her eyes.

"W-what?" she mumbled, blinking at him.

"I will protect you, Sister Esther Blanchett. You will not die in this forest."

Tres could not describe Esther's gaze on him. The closest he could approximate was 'considering'. What she was considering, Tres did not know.

"Tres is right; of course we won't die in this forest! All we have to do is wait until the sun comes up. Then we should be able to see better and find a way out. It'll be just fine!" Abel said, brightening. He sat up and began gathering firewood. Tres assisted and eventually they had a decent fire going. Abel and Esther sat around it while Tres stood.

"How can you be so calm?!" said Esther, staring at Abel. He merely shrugged.

"This kind of thing is rather common for me. When you mentioned someone with bad luck, I'm afraid I must say I thought of myself. Not so long ago I got myself almost frozen alive in some snowy mountains!"

Esther blinked.

"Are you serious?"

Abel gave her a helpless smile.

"Like I said, bad luck. I'm a magnet for trouble. I'm sorry I dragged you into it."

Esther shook her head, raising her hands.

"No, no – it wasn't like I was dragged in here. I came of my own free will."

Esther suddenly looked around.

"Where did Tres go?"

Abel smiled.

"Patrol, of course! He won't rest until the place is secure to his standards, which, given our current situation, isn't likely."

Esther was just about to ask if Tres needed to rest, being inhuman and all, when she felt something curl around her ankle.

"What?" she said, looking down, but her head was pulled back by something that felt like smooth rope. She choked, but pushed against whatever was restraining her and managed to see vines curled around her body.

She would have screamed, if she wasn't being strangled.

"Esther!" Abel shouted, leaping to his feet. Before he could take a step towards her, Esther heard the eerily calm voice of Tres say, "Don't move, Sister Esther Blanchett," before a volley of bullets broke her free. What she didn't realise was that she was a good twenty feet in the air and shrieked as she fell, then cried out when she hit something hard covered in metal and cloth.

She winced, and then began to panic when she felt a hand grip her waist to stop her sliding anywhere. Her hand grabbed the nearest thing for purchase, which turned out to be Tres' mop of hair.

"Tres!" she exclaimed.

He held her securely, his gun still smoking.

"Damage report, Sister Esther Blanchett."

She said nothing, but her wobbling precariously on him without screaming in pain appeared to satisfy Tres' inquiry, and he turned to Abel instead.

"A Methuselah with the ability to control plants – a category F target: a 'dryad'," Tres said, carefully putting Esther down. Esther let her hand slide through his hair; it felt slightly rough to the touch – not like human hair at all.

"I detected another presence besides us one hundred and seventy two seconds ago," Tres continued, holding on to Esther's waist while lowering her. Esther could feel her face growing hot, but remained silent.

"A Methuselah, hmm…" said Abel, looking around.

"Affirmative. But I cannot detect a body."

Abel frowned and Esther looked confused.

"What? That can't be right…" Abel muttered.

Esther shifted nervously from foot to foot; unsure what to do or where to stand.

"Did you just hear that?" Abel suddenly said, spinning around.

Esther bit her lip and followed Abel's gaze.

"You heard something? I can't hear anything, Father Nightroad," she said, getting worried. This was becoming too strange for her. Tres seemed to be scanning his surroundings.

"It was the sound of a bell…" Abel faintly answered Esther.

"My auditory sensors do not detect anything," Tres confirmed, and Esther could feel the trickle of fear at Tres' words seep down her spine.

It grew worse when both she and Tres picked up on the fact Abel was looking at something they couldn't see, and listening to something they could not hear. It made Esther shuffle over to Tres.

Vines shifted, then attacked, and Esther suddenly found herself in the air again, yanked by the back of her clothes by Tres. They landed roughly; Tres on his feet, and Esther in a heap. Esther's legs trembled, and she felt partly strangled by Tres' iron grip on her.

"Father Nightroad, what are you communicating with?" Tres demanded, readying his gun. Abel was at Tres' back, the two of them ready for action.

'And what can I do? Nothing? Be dragged around by the scruff of the neck by some robot who sometimes get rash,' Esther thought morosely to herself.

"I don't know, but I don't think she's human… or a Methuselah," said Abel, trying to peer into the gloom of the forest.

Tres' grip tightened on Esther's clothes, as if readying to drag her again.

"What?"

Abel shrugged and gave a wan smile.

"Perhaps she's from a fairytale?"

Esther struggled to gain a purchase with her unsteady legs.

"I do not understand," Tres replied.

"W-what do you mean, F-father Nightroad?" Esther asked, half strangled.

"I don't know how to explain it…" Abel said with a shrug.

"I do not understand," Tres repeated, and readied his gun, "but if it is an enemy, I will destroy it."

Esther could feel the vibration of Tres' body whirring from some inner process through the leg she was leaning against, but it was quickly masked by the violent juddering of Tres firing. He let her go and she slumped, unsure what to do.

"Lord have mercy," Abel murmured before shooting, "Amen!"

The vines came back to life and Abel grimaced.

"No!" Abel cried, "She isn't dead!"

The vines twisted and aimed, shooting towards Esther. All she could do was gape; her thoughts and body were frozen.

In a flash, they had stopped moving, and Esther could feel a warm fluid splattered across her face. She blinked and realised Tres was in front of her, his arm outstretched to stop the vines. The one that would have killed her had gone clear through his arm. He didn't seemed particularly affected by this.

"F-Father Tres…" she whispered, staring.

"Sister Esther Blanchett," he responded, twisting his arm so the vine snapped off. He pulled the remains out, "We should retreat and get you to safety. I will join you shortly, Father Nightroad, though my optical output cannot detect the target."

Abel nodded.

"It's starting to move, so I'll follow it," he said, and left.

Tres quickly scooped Esther up and began to move disturbingly fast. Esther put her arms around his neck and gripped tight.

"Tres… shouldn't we just follow him?"

"Father Tres," Tres corrected, and Esther pulled a face.

"Can't I just shorten it to Tres when there's no-one around who we're trying to fool into thinking you're a priest? Abel calls you Tres all the time."

"Very well, Sister Esther Blanchett."

Esther pulled another face.

"And can you stop calling me Sister Esther Blanchett all the time? Just call me Esther, okay?"

"Affirmative, Esther. And if I were to follow him, you would be in potential danger from the target."

"But if you put me somewhere too far away, what if something else gets me?" she countered, and looked pleadingly into his eyes, despite knowing emotions had no effect on him, "Please don't leave me by myself. Can't you just put me somewhere nearby, so I can at least still see the two of you?"

Tres looked at her for a moment and came to a halt.

"If you believe your safety is greatest with Father Nightroad and myself, then I will acquiesce to your wishes," he eventually decided and Esther sighed in relief and hugged him as best as she could in his arms.

"Thank you, Tres," she mumbled into his neck, and Tres turned around and began tracking down Abel.

He quickly arrived at a large tree that appeared to be the source of the vines, found a nearby bush and put Esther down.

"I said I will protect you. If something happens, alert either myself or Father Nightroad," he told her. Before he could stand, Esther opened her mouth.

"I-is that blood, Tres?" She delicately touching his pierced arm. It had been bothering her ever since it had splattered on her face.

"Negative, Esther. It is a synthetic fluid designed to keep my joints moving smoothly," he told her and stood.

"I must go and assist Father Nightroad."

Esther faintly nodded. As he walked away, she nervously wiped some of the 'synthetic fluid' off her face and carefully tasted some.

It tasted disturbingly like a mixture of oil and blood. She pulled a face and spat it out.

'What are you, Tres?'

She peered out of her bush to see the large tree with vines entangling themselves around Abel. He was whipped out of sight. Esther gasped, squeezing her eyes shut, but the booming noise of gunfire quickly made her open them again.

Tres stood, guns smoking.

"Zero point five eight seconds too slow," he stated.

In combat, he resembled a killing machine. A mindless doll following orders. Esther didn't know what to think about Tres Iqus at all. Was he helping a friend? Following directives? Or both? Wasn't their marching orders to get back to Rome as quick as humanly possible – something Tres had been adamant they would do? Yet here they were, fighting something they didn't even know what it was. Logic would dictate they run. But here they were.

And Esther felt useless sitting there while this man and machine fought; Tres spinning and shooting so agilely, you'd never guess he weighed over four hundred pounds and had a damaged arm.

'I wonder if he's all right…? But what could I do if he wasn't?'

Her eyes widened. The vines wound around one gun and jerked it out of his hand. Esther didn't know what to do. Her legs shifted as if to get up, but her body didn't follow the same idea and remained motionless. The vines wound around Tres' body, tightening on him and winding into the barrel of his other gun.

'I have to do something – anything!' she decided, and leapt up.

Shakily, she reached for her own gun. She had hoped she'd never have to use it, since she'd had no practice, but she had to try and save him.

She fired off the entire round; trying her best to hit the vines. Once she'd run out of bullets, she dropped the gun.

"Are you okay, Tres?!" she called, shivering.

He was free of vines, and was back on his feet.

"You hit me," he stated, pointing to his smoking side.

She bit her lip, taking a few steps towards him.

"A-are you hurt, Tres?" she exclaimed, and Tres approached her, his face expressionless.

"Negative," he said, his hand stretching out. For a heartbeat, Esther thought he was going to brush her cheek. To her horror, his hand fell on a hinge to reveal some sort of gun barrel in his arm.

"I am not human," he told her, and gripped her waist and pulled her behind him to shield her from the blast he fired off; "I am a machine."

He let her go and moved forward, while Esther stood in shock.

"What are you doing, Esther?" he asked, turning to look at her. She gaped.

"I-I… what?" she mumbled.

"Resume your attack and cover me," he instructed.

"Uh… oh, yes! Y-yes, Sir!" she babbled and found where she'd dropped her gun. She reloaded as quickly as an amateur could and followed Tres.

'I'm following some battle machine without question. Something that insists it isn't human, but yet… I can't help but think and treat him like a 'him'. I don't understand, but… I want to protect him, as he has me.'

Esther fumbled with her gun, and felt a stab of memory. Dietrich, standing, smiling, even as he whispered betrayals and twisted sweet nothings in her ear.

'Dietrich… I'm going to Rome. I don't know what to think of you… did you really betray me?' she set her jaw, 'I will fight to find out about everything.'

Esther caught up to Tres, and began to do her best to protect him. The vines came thick and fast, and she kept up as best she could, but her hands quivered, and Tres managed to get most of the vines gunning for them. But there came a point where the fear and adrenalin got the best of her and she fell to her knees, panting.

"I can't… go on anymore…" she said, struggling for breath. Her hands felt too hot from the gun.

It was only then she noticed how quiet it had become.

"That won't be necessary, Esther. The target is silent."

Esther could hear his machinery groaning from under his clothes. It sounded completely bizarre, like the worst stomach grumble ever.

"Really?" Esther blinked, looking around. The vines were still. It didn't mean she wanted to go anywhere near them, no matter what Tres said.

"However, I suggest you go to target practice when we reach Rome. You are a liability with eight to fifteen percent accuracy. You could accidentally injure allies."

Her face fell. She watched him stomp over to a bush and begin rummaging in it, to her confusion.

"However," he straightened and threw something at her. She raised her hands to protect her face, but the thing he threw landed neatly in her lap. Esther looked down to find her hood.

"That doesn't compromise the value of your initial attack. You helped change the outcome of the battle to one favourable to us."

Esther smiled.

'He praised me…'

"Thank you, Tres. Do… do you think you might be able to help me with my shooting sometimes?" she nervously asked, and Tres focused on her.

"If there are no other duties for me to perform, I may allot some time to improving your fighting abilities."

She beamed and stood up.

"Thanks!"

Before anything more could be said, a voice called out, "There's still much to be done, Esther!"

"Father Nightroad!" she cried, spinning around. He emerged from the forest, his clothes torn to reveal part of his torso. She drew closer to get a better look at him. There seemed to barely be a scratch she could see, which made her wonder how he pulled off avoiding any damage from the vines.

"Sewing!" Abel announced, distracting Esther's thoughts, and grinned, "Also, I found a way out of the forest. Pretty neat, huh?"

He was in his cheery mode again. Esther still speculated which Abel was the genuine article, or whether perhaps both could co-exist within him. She really did have two mystery men on her hands… well, one mystery man and a mystery machine.

Tres drew up behind Esther.

"What is the status of the target?"

Abel's smile faltered.

"Vanished… just like a fairytale…" he murmured, "Just like snow."

His legs buckled and he fell. Esther dashed towards him, only just managing to stop his face smacking to the ground. She gripped his shoulders tight to support him. He weighed more than she expected. It didn't help he'd gone limp from exhaustion.

"Father!"

"Where is your injury?" Tres enquired, leaning in to get better look at Abel.

Esther shuddered suddenly. She felt like cold hands had touched her all over. She pushed it aside and lightly patted Abel.

"It's okay," she said soothingly, "You can stay like this until you recover."

"Esther?" Abel asked, and Esther was surprised he was even awake.

"Yes?"

He leaned back and grinned widely.

"You're like my manager!"

Esther rolled her eyes and stood up, letting Abel go. Abel was either strangely morose or extremely jovial. It made her uneasy. Right then, she had little tolerance for his antics. Tres also appeared to not wish to stand Abel's behaviour and turned around, beginning to head into the forest again.

"I'm going on ahead," Tres monotonously said, stomping off.

Esther quickly threw a small package and chased after Tres.

"There's a needle and thread for you, Father!" she called back.

She didn't hear Abel's panicked reply.