Visitations

Author's Notes: Please skip to the next line if you are not a returning reader.

I'm back everyone, after almost six months of being missing in action; I've finally managed to get some content ready for the rest of you to look at.

The previous few months have been difficult to say the least. It has been one horrendously taxing scenario after another but I've finally reached a point of some slight stability and freedom with which to work with. I do feel however, that I owe you all, my beloved readers, an explanation.

I am a college student, and as such, must devote a minimum of twelve hours a week solely to attending lecture for my courses, not counting time required outside of class to do homework and to study. On top of that, I was working between 22-27 hours a week third shift. Mathematically that is still only roughly 34 hours minimum. Now let us do some simple mathematics. Six times Seven. Forty-Two. 34 hours of class and work, and 42 hours of sleep in a single week. That leaves Ninety-Two hours left in a single week, based on minimum expenditure of time at class and work. That's ninety-two hours to eat, travel, study, write, game, see friends, or handle the mundane actions that are necessary for living. Such as the acquisition of groceries to feed not only myself but the rest of my family, cooking, and all the while working to recover my save-data from a PS3 that was fried not six months ago.

The straw that broke the camel's back was my grandmother being hospitalized. She's fine and has returned home after four months of extended medical attention, which ate my time to the very limit.

In that time I've been forced to take on the full responsibilities of a household and maintain my own personal problems. Needless to say, I haven't gotten a full night's sleep until quite recently.

Anyways, I've got a special upload for you all. I'm an avid fan of the "Tales of" series and I just recently managed to work my way through Tales of Xillia. Any fans of the game know that it's another entry to the series and is expecting a sequel soon to arrive in the west. I really liked the characters of the game and felt I should write a short-story to bridge some of the gap between the two games. In that vein, I give you "Visitations."

This work is based solely on Tales of Xillia, and features very little regarding the sequel game, as there has not been a western release of said game. I will include some small bits that I know, but most will be completely fabricated. This is based upon my interpretation of the game and if there are any questions regarding my details do leave a question in a PM and I'll happily oblige you with answers. With regards to some things that may seem strange. I own a couple of DLC costumes and utilize them most of the time. Playing as Milla I tend to prefer the Classy Lady set, and the School hairstyle, and sadly Jude features few interesting costume sets, so I tend to just use the Alternate Color Scheme and base hairstyle for him.

As always, this work is completely non-profit and serves only to enrich the fan base for the Tales Of series. As such, this work is protected under the Fair-Use clause of the US Copyright Act. I do not receive any payment or benefit from the creation of this work. All rights belong to Namco Bandai and the Project Xillia staff, should a copyright concern arise, please notify me directly.

"If I run, I won't be able to face her, and then I'd really lose her, so I won't run." Jude Mathis, on Milla Maxwell.

"…I can't let him see me back down, so I will fight." Milla Maxwell, on Jude Mathis.

The first letter had arrived early two months prior, carried on the wings of a dead woman's sylphjay. The bird had seen considerable use over the previous two months, couriering the messages between the members of Maxwell's companions.

After the unification of Rieze Maxia and Elympios, the six comrades and friends that had weathered the worst the world could throw at them were finally sundered by the divergences of lifestyles.

The first letter to arrive for Jude Mathis after the disbanding had been from Alvin vint Svent, who had for the first time in any of the four recipients of the letter's knowledge, claimed his blue-blooded family's name alongside his given name on the outside of the letter.

"So, Yurgen managed to catch up to me with that job offer, and I hate to say it, but he's got a good idea to make some gald. Seems, he's looking to start branching out into the shipping business, namely getting things back and forth between Rieze Maxia and Elympios. Between the two of us, we've a solid grasp on getting things between Rashugal and Auj Oule, but we'll be traveling across Elympios to try and establish some up-to-date trade routes not to mention to establish the proper paperwork, this is a legitimate venture, and I'd rather not taint it by starting out as a smuggler. Until we get back, he's having some of the Kitarl clansmen take care of Isla and keep track of our letters. Keep me posted on what's going on, I'll answer as soon as possible.

P.S. Make sure you keep the new goddess company, spending too much time with the "In-laws" and that sister of hers, and she'll come out crazy too, have fun kid.

AvS"

The young doctor-in-training had to assume the post-script had only been included in the message meant for him, and that the other copies no doubt included some other personal quip specific to the man's on-again-off-again friends. His actions over the course of their adventure had left the companions with a mixed feeling on the man, but during the final stages of their journey, he'd proven himself to be a man looking to atone for a lifetime of betrayal, perhaps in an attempt to make right with Presa if she could still see him from the afterlife, it was clear from the look on his face when he read her final letter that she'd meant a lot to him, even if their relationship was a back-and-forth of mutual betrayals.

This started a chain of correspondence between the companions, all making use of the well trained Sylphjay that Agria had left ownerless after her unfortunate demise with Presa. Alvin's claiming of the bird either resulted from the consistent contact he'd had with the small avian creature or was a true testament to the animal's training and intelligence. True to expectations, the creature seemed to effortlessly find them all despite being spread throughout the known world, even managing to deliver letters to the newly made crossing between the spirit and living world, after the former bridge's destruction at the hands of the previous Maxwell.

The new crossing was a far-cry from the old Temporal Crossroads. While the previous Maxwell maintained his bridge between the worlds as a spectral land dedicated to the passage of time, with the inner workings being comprised of clockwork and perpetual motion in gears, perhaps a true representation to the inevitability of time, the current bridge looked to be nothing more than a simple green hillock. One would find it to be out of place, given the location being extended from the Nia Khera Hallowmont, the expected climate would be one of cold rocky vestiges. However, the constant proximity of the current Four Great Spirits and the tending of both Muzet and Milla's hands and spiritual energies, the land was developing nicely, being a gentle place for spirits to finally enter their world and for the spirits of the dead to peacefully enter the afterlife. The location was still a spectral land, not directly connected to the human world, but neither was it truly disconnected.

Letters flowed back and forth amongst the friends and allies even after Alvin and Yurgen began their expedition into the somewhat unknown territories of Elympios. Leia's letters were the most frequent, always responding immediately to inquiries about how life in Leronde was treating her or about her dreams, whereas from his experience, Jude seemed to find she often asked about life in Fennmont, how his doctorate was coming, if he'd talked to his parents, things of that nature. However, her most recent letter diverged tangentially as she'd gone on, though in hearing her bubbly tone and line of thought, one could hardly complain. The simple fact would be that she was quite friendly, even in the format of written words, albeit scrawled as quickly and illegibly as one could think possible.

"Jude! How've you been? How's Fennmont now that the sun's out and not all dreary dark all the time? I bet it's been nice to actually see the sun on the Lumen trees. Oh, your mom came by! She picked up our special Chicken Leronde for your dad's birthday, it's nice that she remembered, if I know him, he probably doesn't notice the day himself! She did want me to tell you to be sure and write them, and to come by as soon as you have time. I know they're not the most open people, but family is family.

Speaking of family, Elize and Driselle have been doing really well; they seem to really enjoy living together. Driselle said she likes having the company again, and it's a chance for her to be an older sibling. Maybe she feels like she can be to Elly' what Cline was to her. She did say that you should write more, with things as they are, she misses having a chance to have a tea party with a bunch of friendly heroes. Don't be a stranger to them; I'd never forgive you if you made Elize worry just because you're too busy to write, especially since Alvin can't write her while he's away!

Have you talked to Milla lately? I want to write her but it always feels like I'd be interrupting her, I mean she's busy right?! She's THE Maxwell now, not a Maxwell, but the real deal! I don't want to get in the way of more important matters. Still, if you hear anything from her, tell me! Oh, and tell her I miss her! If she ever needs a check up on her legs, she should come by and see me, I know they can still get really sore after the Spyrix surgery, and both of us know she doesn't know the meaning of rest!

Well, I'd better let you go, make sure you write back soon!

Leia Rolando"

Leia's letters rarely included post-scripts, her mind always running so quickly that she could tire her mental processes out in the body of the letter alone, leaving no room for afterthoughts. Not to imply she was of lesser intelligent, but rather that she burned herself out when a topic could be run it's course. Bright and friendly as always, it was in her personality, very much taking after her father on that regard. Her mother was a hard woman, strict, and demanding, but the harshness she exhibited always carried the underlying satisfaction she had in her family, needless to say, earning praise from Master Sonia Rolando was a high thing indeed.

The letters that came from Sharilton were fewer and farther between than the ones that came from Alvin before his trip or from Leia, who wrote often. Driselle had taken to writing for both Elize and herself, and while they both maintained busy schedules, the governor of Sharilton never once let a letter fall behind between her friends. As the sun began to set over the harbor, she'd pull Elize up onto her lap in the study next to a small fire and together they'd pen out letters to their friends. Driselle's calm and collected penmanship and unmistakably educated manner of writing helped to put words to paper for both herself and Elize.

"Good day, Jude; Elize and I have been quite well, it's nice to hear from you. I do hope your schooling is going nicely, if you ever get the chance, do come by. I'm certain Elize would enjoy the chance to see you and Milla, if only for the day. Rowen came by for a couple of days to make sure things are going well for us, and Leia writes often and has offered to come see us if time permits. It would seem she managed to come up with no small amount of gald after your adventure came to a close, Elize says it's Alvin's cut from Yurgen's job offer, his way of trying to make things okay between the two of them, and perhaps his way of letting her get closer to finding her dream, though Leia seems to imply she only accepted the money to help him stop worrying. She really is a kind girl, and I hope she does come around soon, if only to give us all a chance at girl talk and shopping together. It would be nice to have a chance at discussing life and our dreams for the future.

Speaking of dreams, Elly has been having some entertaining ones lately; she said she had one of all of you playing together at the beach. She may think of me as an older sister, but she certainly finds you and Milla to be the parents of her family. In fact, she has done some excellent painting as of late. Rowen told me about Teepo being a booster, and he has theorized that it may have helped her creativity. She has a marvelous grasp of how to handle the brush for having such little experience with art. We'd both love it if any of you could come by to see some of her work, she's quite pleased with the painting she made of that dream, or at the very least just come to see us, you are all always welcome in the Sharil home.

I feel I should also mention she has inquired of me about flower tending. Sadly, my skill at the art is not sufficient to Rowen's, though we have taken to working with the sunlillies that grow off in the garden. She said she'd like to learn how to grow the flowers near her family's old home. If you have any idea how to help, I'd be most appreciative; I unfortunately have little knowledge about maintaining flowers like that in such a warm environment.

I believe I should finish this letter shortly. Elly has been nodding off for the past few minutes and I would rather not wake her to get ready for bed after she's already fallen into another nice dream.

Sincerely,

Driselle Sharil and Elize Lutus"

It was a pleasant feeling to hear that Driselle and Elize were doing well. The impromptu family Elize had been traveling with all cared greatly for the young girl and any good news for them was certainly well received. Perhaps when the holiday came and teaching sessions ended for some time, he'd have to visit them in Sharilton. Accounting for Milla would be unlikely at best, after all, arranging a visit from the current Maxwell would be tantamount to asking the seasons not to change solely on his whims.

The letter from Rowen that accompanied the rest had been concise and written in a skilled hand. His new occupation had been one that sat right in front of him his entire life, and yet had always been hidden. The throne was always a part of the life for Ilbert the Conductor. He had been a figure of the political scene in Rashugal for many years, and was on hand with King Nachtigal for quite some time before the Battle of Fezebel Marsh had shattered the man's desire to lead. A great defeat that largely could not have been helped, save for intelligence being on hand at the most opportune of times. The apparent death of Nachtigal's sister, who had at the time been set to wed the Conductor, was a tragic event and one that shook the both the kingdom and the man himself with guilt over not only being forced to a stale-mate that was resolved only by natural devastation ruining both armies, but to lose the woman he loved at the same time due to his own lack of proper forethought, it was needless to say that Rowen Ilbert did not consider himself fit to rule. It was however, always the need for the people to be led by thinkers capable of grand planning and excellent charisma, and while the former King of Auj Oule turned King of all Rieze Maxia was known for being a compassionate and exceptionally charismatic man, he was still not capable of ruling an entire nation without some manner of support, let alone two nations that functioned on exceptionally different cultural ideals. It was from this king that Rowen could find his own place, not on the throne, but at its side.

"It is always a pleasure to hear from you, and I hope that all is going well with your life in Fennmont. I assure you, I am quite pleased with the way things are going. King Gaius is ever willing to accommodate the needs of his people and as his prime minister; my opinion carries great weight with the King. I won't bore you with details regarding politics, I shall simply settle to say that I enjoy my position and find this to be my destined place in life. I do miss my place as Lord Cline's butler, but Gaius is correct in his assertion that my skills are largely wasted in such a place, and that is a disservice to all of Rieze Maxia. While I do have my moments of nostalgia, namely serving tea for Lady Driselle and Lady Elize, even whilst visiting, I cannot elaborate further than to say that this is the place where the most good can be done with my knowledge and experience.

Should Lady Milla or yourself come traveling near Kanbalar, I would relish a chance to catch up with my comrades once again, it would certainly be an excellent opportunity to put my years of culinary preparation to the test, don't you think? No need to worry though, I assure you Leia keeps me well informed on what is happening amongst our comrades.

Yours truly,

Rowen J. Ilbert."

Jude Mathis, the recipient of the letters, had stacked them all in a neat pile, all pending response after his important tasks finished for the day. He still had to deliver his doctorate thesis and present it to the appropriate board of review to receive the title he'd worked tirelessly for years to achieve.

The day itself was one of the few recognized as a holiday throughout Rashugal, and signaled the end of the semester of classes for the students of Talim Medical School. Graduate students spent the day performing their last bits of paperwork, and those who had already finished were all making their way home to spend the holiday with their families and friends as they so desired. The educational support staff still remained on campus for the closing of the day, allowing all last-minute necessities be taken care of.

As many students were either clearing the campus or wrapping up the mundane activities before the holiday's festivities began, Jude, was delivering a thesis to a room full of medical experts and scientists, all of which would decide if he was worthy of being able to claim himself a doctor, and a scientist. A formality at this point, given the extensive amount of work and research he'd done to not only validate his opinion as one of the few Rieze Maxians who could speak on the topic, but the extensive amount of study and field experience he had as training medical professional did provide enormous insight into the newly forming area of study.

"Given all the points I've stated, not the least of which being the legitimate effectiveness I've presented of Spyrite treatments based on the Elympian subjects, it is in my belief that Spyrite treatments represent a definite path to treating critical injuries notably those including paralysis, organ failure, and neurological damage that until recently we've had no feasible way of rectifying. Spyrite must be further studied and expanded upon in the hopes that one day we may solve these traumatic handicaps as easily as we handle simple injuries with spirit-artes. "

The small lecture hall was filled with the dignified patter of soft-clapping as the presenter finished speaking, and gave a slight bow to his audience, indicating his speech was concluded.

The chief of the doctors viewing the presentation stood, and addressed the young man for the entirety of the group.

"It is clear that you have compiled extensive data and research logs on this groundbreaking new treatment. I believe I speak for myself and all my colleagues that this is a grand opportunity for science, and one that we would all be remiss to let slip by. I believe through science we may overcome the limitations that one day were so crippling to our humanity. If Spyrite treatment is the next step on the path to scientific and medical advancement, who are we to deny such carefully gathered facts." The man stepped forward, shaking hands with the student who had just presented his final thesis.

"It is with great pride that I accept your thesis and congratulate you on behalf of this board of review. Congratulations, Doctor Mathis. If Doctor Haus were still with us, I should think he'd be very proud of the dedication you've shown."

The young man tentatively shook hands with his new peers, before they all began to file out of the room, leaving the man standing at the podium alone in the emptied room, gathering his cue cards together. It was as he finished collecting his materials that he saw a shadow step through the doorway, just barely in the periphery of his vision. He didn't look to the person before he spoke, instead focusing on keeping the stacks of papers orderly. Years of stress fell from his shoulders, four spent as an upstart physician under the instruction of Doctor Haus, and the remainder of his post-adventure education spent exploring the concepts of Spyrite research, Alvin's cousin Balan, being a great help in grasping the more experimental concepts. Thinking on all the time he'd spent to finally succeed at his goal, his mind was too wrapped up in thoughts to think about his immediate surroundings.

"I'll be right out, don't worry." He said, taking a moment to smooth out the wrinkles in his scrubs before wrapping the bundles of cards and files in his arms.

"Oh it's not a problem. I'm waiting for someone anyway."

He dropped the mass of paperwork he'd so carefully gathered the instant he registered the voice he'd heard. He hadn't heard her speak in three months at least, but he knew there was next to zero chance he'd ever forget that voice.

"Milla!" He exclaimed, turning to take a look at the one he cared most for. Three months as the Lord of Spirits had done little to change her, though her manner of dress was far from the frilled boots, gloves, and skirt her remembered.

"You changed clothes? Is this a new trend in spirit fashion?" He asked first, eying the new style she'd chosen, chuckling to himself as he embraced her in a tight hug.

Whereas her previous attire had been primarily in shades of cream white and deep pinks that matched the fuchsia rose tones of her eyes, yet seemed out of place given the trend of humans wearing clothing both in terms of modesty and utility, Milla had always been one to focus on utility, forgoing modesty in preference for a full range of movement. Her current attire was in a far different spectrum than her previous choice of clothing.

She had replaced her simple top for a white blouse, largely hidden under a dark navy blue buttoned jacket, hiding most of her upper body, which had earned a number of stares on their journey, and still drew the attention of the male populace. She still retained her use of a skirt, though the current one seemed to be more traditional in design, being a light gray and only in appropriate length to conserve some modesty, in truth, it seemed to be very similar in length to her old skirt, begging the question as to whether she understood the oddity in her clothing choice, or if it was something she liked and chose to maintain.

Her legs were covered in black stockings and thigh-length black socks and boots, tied with red string. A matching bow hang loosely around her neck, dangling just above the gap in her jacket's collar. At her hip, he could see the hilt from the master-forged sword she'd acquired on their journey, he could see from the design that it was meant to be perfectly balanced in her hand.

Her crowning glory however, stood different than he'd ever seen it. Whereas before her hair cascaded down her back in a manner that must have been simply ridiculous for the random bystander to understand, now it hang in a massive ponytail, nearly as wide in diameter as she was, the bundled strands of hair still dangled down to the tops of her knees, while at its top, the hair escaped in short spikes, unable to be contained by the multitude of bands containing the majority of her hair. The only familiar sight in her appearance remained the small strand of aqua tinged hair that stuck out as if she'd slept on it and forced the hair to stand out in such a manner.

"No, no, Leia, Elize, and Driselle thought this would be a more appropriate manner of dress to come visit in. They were concerned that dressing as I had previously would be considered indecent and raise many questions given my age and proximity to your school. They were under the impression it would be better if I dressed more commonly." She responded, returning the hug and stepping apart.

"Well, I don't think this is much more common than your old clothes, rather it's just as conspicuous but going in the opposite direction." He responded lightly before stooping to pick up his dropped materials.

"Interesting, I must explore this concept next time I get the chance. It would be nice to find new areas of literature to examine." She continued, stopping to help him.

"It's nice to see you, but why are you here? Aren't you busy maintaining the spirit world?" Jude asked, finally gathering his materials under his arm and standing with her following suit close behind.

"I have been. However, the Four and Muzet thought it best that I spend some time for my own benefit, they thought if I spent too much time amongst the spirits, I'd lose track of my commitments among humanity. The others suggested I visit you today, Rowen did tell me you would certainly be free of educational commitments tonight."

"He was right. Ignis is the holiday that marks the end of the semester here." Jude stated, leading the way out of the lecture hall and out into the Talim Medical School courtyard. "Humans have special days we celebrate every year, there's nothing really special about the day really, aside from what we do on them. Do spirits do things like that?"

"Occasionally, though for spirits, there's little urgency in life. There's less need to savor time than there is among humans. Death isn't a common concept among us, given spirits are just reincarnated anew when they've been expended." She responded, turning her eyes skyward to finally examine the sun in Fennmont. It was nearing the late-afternoon and the sun was beginning to tint the sky an orange hue as it neared ever closer to the distant horizon.

"Well, Ignis is a day dedicated to the spirit Efreet actually. There's usually fireworks and a festival in the central plaza of Fennmont, even Auj Oule celebrates it, though I'll be honest, I'm not sure they treat it as we do." He responded, scratching the back of his neck as he carried the papers in his other hand.

"So that's why they were so adamant I come and surprise you today, it's a special human experience."

"Yeah, I guess so. Let's drop these things off at my room and we can go check out the celebrations." He stated, leading the way into the Student Services building and into an extending hallway. As they walked, the duo raised a few eyebrow as they passed, eliciting small whispers among the few remaining students along the lines of "Man, Jude is some kind of babe magnet." Or "Check out the girlfriend, who'd have thought he'd get a catch like that."

If Milla heard the whispers, she did little to indicate it, simply following close behind him and chatting casually as they went to his room.

He opened the door with a slight rustle of keys, and turned on the lamp nearest the door, illuminating the darkened living space. The room itself was kept in immaculate condition, the only noticeable piece of clutter being a small stack of letters sitting on his bed, all open and unanswered as far as she could tell. The room featured only a small bed, lamp, storage shelves and writing space.

"Have the others been writing you too?" She asked, setting down the materials she'd carried and examining one of the opened letters.

"Yeah, they write quite often actually. Leia always seems to have a letter on the way, and I try to keep in touch with Elize and Driselle. Rowen and Alvin write when they can, though I think they've their own business to attend to and can't always respond immediately. They've been writing you as well, I take it?"

"They have, I greatly enjoy the letters I receive from Leia, she always seems so happy to inform me about life in Leronde. It has been quite enlightening to see human emotion in such a concentrated form of writing. Rowen and Alvin have been trying to keep me informed on the events in Elympios and Rieze Maxia, just in case I need to be aware. Elize and Driselle have written as well, and they have asked I come visit them more often as time permits, though I have seen all of them recently, as evidenced by my clothing."

"I see, well, if you just give me a moment, I'll get changed and we can go and enjoy the festival." He answered, pulling open a shelf and withdrawing a set of clothes before turning to step into the washroom connected to his sleeping quarters.

"Of course, I will wait right here." She responded, taking a seat on the side of the bed as he closed the door and began removing his lab coat and scrubs.

As he changed clothing, she began to examine the room, taking note of the few idiosyncrasies that marked it as belonging to Jude as opposed to another individual.

The cleanliness was a clear sign, though it did raise the question if everyone always maintained such cleanliness or if it was specific to just herself, Jude, Leia, and Driselle. Though, the latter's level of order was likely a result of the upkeep Rowen had done to maintain things, and Leia's room likely was kept in order because of the expectations Master Sonia placed on her daughter.

Efreet would have enjoyed seeing them more, regardless of their personal beliefs, the commitment to maintaining a systematic order was something the Great Spirit of Fire openly shared.

The blanketing was a simple brown, matching the color scheme of room itself, and much of Fennmont for that matter. On the shelf she could see numerous books stacked neatly side-by-side, some of which were clearly from Elympios. Titles such as "Basic Tenets of Spyrite science", "Spirits and Medicine", "The Five Signs of Death", and the like, as well as more obscure subjects such as "A Brief History of Auj Oule" and a few books that sported far less formal trappings, a few volumes of books titled "Spirit Culture" written by a series of people all using the title "Elder" before their names, and a few books appearing to be hand-written notebooks one of which being titled "Experiment Logs: Spyrite Project by Balan dros Svent"

Pulling "A Brief History of Auj Oule", she began to read the first few paragraphs of the foreword, an introduction by the writer explaining some of the compilation details and thanks to the editing staff, when she could hear the latch on the door to the washroom give way with a slight click, allowing Jude to step out.

He'd changed into a more comfortable set of clothes, electing to wear a reddish-brown jacket open over a black shirt, and a pair of brown trousers, his traditional shoes tucking out just under the leg of the pants. Around his neck, she could see he was still wearing the glass bead she'd given him.

It was clear examining him in the current light that he'd grown a bit since they'd parted ways, perhaps a growth spurt over their time of separation. She'd experienced the rapid height change during her time as a human, and found the rapid changes to be somewhat problematic to keep track of, especially given her choice in clothing. Though, perhaps in theory the meta-physical growth had more to do with the situation. In Jude's case, the culmination in the last years events and the subsequent removal of those stresses may have spurred him to stand taller than he had ever before.

"Thanks for waiting, Ready to go see the festival?"

"Certainly." She stated, standing and closing the book before replacing it on the shelf and leading the way out of the room, Jude right behind her, stopping only to extinguish the lamp.

As they returned from the room, the whispers that followed their entry followed their exit. "Oooohh, looks like Jude's got a thing for the dignified blonde look" Or "Somebody was getting frisky with the girlfriend."

As the pair were walking through the hallway to the exit, Milla chose to sate her curiosity.

"Jude, what do they mean when they are referring to me as your girlfriend? Is it strange for you to be associating with female friends?"

As Jude's face began to turn a beet red color, she waited patiently, allowing him to stammer a little bit for an appropriate way to answer.

After taking a moment to regain his composure, he responded. "Do you remember when we met Yurgen and he called Isla his fiancé?"

"Yes, I assumed it was a specific title, does it mean something?" She answered, turning her head slightly with confusion and curiosity.

"Well, a fiancé is someone who has agreed to marry someone else, but hasn't actually had the wedding yet." He explained, trying to avoid using more confusing terminology, and failing miserably.

"You humans are quite strange. What is a marriage, and this wedding, and how does a girl friend come into play?" She asked next, furrowing her brow slightly.

"Well, a girlfriend is what male humans call someone before they're fiancés. They share a mutual love for one another and are dating, but haven't agreed to become officially married yet. Females call their counterpart a boyfriend. A marriage is a special event that formally declares two people to be mutually bound together for the rest of their life."

"Ahhh, so this is the bondage my books mentioned. This is how humans achieve intimacy? But is it not somewhat confusing to refer to someone specific like that by just their gender and their being your friend though? It is a confusing way to label things, how does one know if they are dating then if everything is so generalized?"

"I think we're talking about two very different things, Milla. How do spirits act to show they are emotionally connected?" He asked back, looking for a way to put things into Milla's perspective.

"The most accurate way to answer would be to say that between spirits and humans, Direct-tethering is considered one of the most intimate things a human and spirit may do. Similar to the human act of reproduction, if Men and Women: Beneath the Sheets is correct."

"Wait, you're saying when I direct-tethered with Muzet, that was some kind of spiritual equivalent to sex!" The thought had entered his head too quickly for him to control his tongue, and he had said the words far louder than he had intended. Rather similar to the event at the palace in Kanbalar involving the "secret of bazongas" that Alvin and Rowen had tricked him into.

"Yes, it is a very special bonding, sharing access to one another's purest essence; I always found it quite strange that you had managed to establish such a close relationship with her so quickly…"

"I didn't know that! I just thought it was the most efficient way to help her regain some mana! Is this why you got upset at the temple in Kanbalar? I'd never have done it if I knew it was such a personal thing." He responded quickly, interrupting the end of her sentence as he figured out just what it implied when Muzet had told her about the direct-tethering.

"Well, she is correct, it is an exceptional way to share mana between a human and spirit, but usually one only does it with one's closest mate, and that is rare at best."

"Well, I certainly didn't mean that back then." He answered; chuckling as he entwined his fingers on the back on his head, leaning back and continuing onward, having not realized they had stopped during the conversation. "I was certainly a lot closer with you than I was with Muzet, you know that."

"That is good to hear, though I had no trouble with your relationship with my sister, humans being drawn to different things after all, but tell me, how do humans know that they are in a relationship then?"

"Really Milla, there was no relationship. Humans, well we often spend greater time together when we start dating, begin spending time alone as opposed to with others, there's usually more physical contact and displays of affection like holding hands, not to mention a lot of people also think it's important to have their partner meet their parents." He answered, trying to explain things as objectively as he knew how, given his lack of experience with the subject and the cuturally uninitiated nature of his audience. Using a specific term and expecting her to know the meaning would only end in confusion for both parties.

"Ahh,this is all so fascinating, so we are already well into the boyfriends and girlfriends stage. When does the fiancés stage begin? . "She responded, arriving at the doors to the services building, and pulling it open before stepping through with Jude right on her heels.

"We are?!" He asked, shocked at the way she attributed them to be dating.

"Are we not? I can say with certainty that you are the only human I am comfortable direct-tethering with, and we seem to have fulfilled the description you delivered while on our adventure together, and I see no reason to deny that I am enjoying experiencing such things with you. Now tell me, how does one know if we are in the dating stage or in the fiancés stage?" She stated her position openly; perhaps a relief to Jude, of course Milla wouldn't beat around the bush. The entire scenario was new to her and she certainly did not qualify as being shy or in fear of rejection, and it was not entirely a surprise to him that they had some form of connection beyond mutual gain and friendship.

For a few moments he was speechless still. He didn't expect the gossip of a few students to send Milla down this tangent, and he most certainly didn't expect her to bridge the subject of a relationship between them, let alone jump so willing into the belief that not only were they in a relationship, but well on their way to being married.

Not that the subject wasn't appealing. He could only surmise that he was foolish for expecting any other kind of reaction from the Lord of Spirits, especially after the tearful departure they'd shared when they at last parted ways, well after the others had all left on their way. He only responded a few moments later, letting his arms fall to his side as he just stared dumbfounded at her fuchsia colored eyes. Finally, popping a grin and chuckling to himself over expecting any other result to the situation.

"Come on, we can work on that later, right now let's just go enjoy the festival."

"I would like that." She responded, taking his hand into her own, entwining their fingers and pulling him along with her to the central plaza of the city of Fennmont.

Post Story Notes: First and foremost, this story is based on the English translation of Tales of Xillia, as such, Il Fan is called Fennmont, and there are other dialectical differences. If you notice anything strange, feel free to ask and I will explain.

This is a rough cut and has not been overly edited yet, I'll be coming back to work on that in the near future. Thankfully, this is only the first chapter in what I plan to be a 2-3 chapter story. Leave me a critical review and I'll be sure to address any thoughts you all may have.

And yes, the outfits are in game. I don't like using OC details and everything in this is at the least based heavily on details established in game. Milla's outfit is a combination of the School DLC and the Classy Lady set, and Jude is using his clothing from the ToX2 image of him. There's not much else I know about the next game so I can't say anything about that.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed.