"Hey, Milla!"

Milla turned from her vigil outside the Kanbalar inn to see Leia, beaming at her and holding a pair of cups of hot tea. She held out one, and Milla accepted it. As she took a sip of the steaming liquid, Leia walked around her and settled in next to her.

"Pretty cold out, huh?" she said.

"Yes, it is," Milla replied, watching the occasional snowflake drift down.

"Still no sign of Yurgen?"

"No. If he's still not here by the time the boys return from their walk around town, I'm considering heading to the palace directly. Jude insists we not make trouble for him, but I can only wait so long."

"Well, while you're waiting... can I say something?"

Milla took another sip as she glanced at her companion. "Sure."

"Well... First I want to thank you for sticking up for me when Teepo, you know... chewed me out," Leia replied, rubbing the back of her head. "It sure stung, but it made me happy when you walked up and said he was out of line." She laughed self-deprecatingly and added, "Even if you were just saying that to make me feel better."

"Not at all. I've never once thought you were holding us back," Milla replied. "On the contrary, you've been a big help so far, Leia."

She blushed. "W-wow, really? Thanks, Milla. That really means a lot to me." She took a slurp of her tea, then winced as it burned her tongue. "Ooh, ouch... Definitely gotta slow that down. But, uh, anyway, I wanted to thank you for that, Milla, but it wasn't actually what I came out here to ask about."

"Is something the matter?"

"Well... Yeah. You know how I apologized to Elize, and she apologized to me, and now we're okay?"

"Yes. Last I heard, the two of you were chatting away inside."

"Heehee, yeah." Leia grinned. It was short-lived. "But, well... Elize has calmed down since then, and she didn't say anything to me about it, and maybe this is just me meddling again, but... you haven't apologized to her yet, have you?"

"Me? What for?"

Leia gaped. "What? What do you mean, what for? Elize lost her best friend and went crying straight to you about it, and you just blew her off! You treated Teepo like he wasn't important at all! That really hurt her feelings, you know?"

Milla blinked. "Ah. You mean when I said there was no point in retrieving whatever Exodus took from him?" She frowned. "It's true, though. Chasing after them at that point would have been a... how do you humans put it?... a wild goose chase. No matter how I'd phrased what I said, that truth wouldn't change."

"But that's not the point!" Leia insisted. "The point is that Elize was hurting and looked to you to help, and you acted like you didn't care and hurt her even more! You know that conversation we had about the Four Great Spirits on the way to Kanbalar? It didn't click for me at the time, but you were saying something about how Elize and Teepo are kind of like you and them. Remember?"

"I do remember. It was only a few hours ago, after all." Milla's brows furrowed. "It's not that you're wrong. Quite the opposite. But Exodus has gone back into hiding. There's nothing I can do for Elize at this point without compromising my mission, and that's the one thing I won't do. In light of that, an apology would ring hollow."

"Are you sure?" Leia pressed, turning to face her. "Are you absolutely sure you can't do anything for her? Even if that's true, don't you feel bad for hurting Elize?" She paused, then gasped, nearly dropping her mug of tea. "Wait, don't tell me - you don't hate Elize, do you?!"

"No, no, not at all," Milla replied, eyes widening. Her frowned deepened. "Hm. Did I really give that impression?"

"You were awfully cold to her."

"I can't afford to coddle anyone on this journey..."

"It's not about coddling! It's about being nice to your friends!"

Milla considered this, then nodded once. "That's true. You're right. I hadn't meant to be cruel, but it doesn't change the fact that I was." She handed her mug to Leia. "I'll go apologize immediately. It may ring hollow, but it's the intent behind the act that's important."

"That's the spirit, Milla!" Leia cheered. "I'll stay right here and make sure the guys keep out of the way if they come back while you're talking. Elize is in the room, so go talk to her and maybe give her a hug, okay? Let her know you care about her!"

She chuckled and rested a hand on one hip. "All right."

Tap, tap. "Elize? I'm coming in."

Elize looked up from the bed where she sat to see Milla enter the room and shut the door behind her. The room hearth kept her body warm, but her heart remained a little chilly, even after she and Leia had worked things out only half an hour before. As the beautiful older woman approached, she hugged Teepo to her chest.

"Elize? May I sit with you?" she said once she was in front of her.

"Who cares?" Teepo blurted out. "You'll just do whatever you want anyway!"

"Teepo! Shh!" Elize cried, shaking what she knew now was a machine. "Y-yes, you can sit with me..."

The bed sank a little as Milla settled in next to her. Elize turned her head away. She and Leia had made up, but Milla was another story. She'd told her back in Fort Gandala that she'd save her if she could but leave her behind if she was in the way, and... she'd left Teepo behind. It wasn't lost on her what that must mean.

"Elize."

"...What?"

"I'm sorry. I was wrong for being so brusque with you in the Labari Hollow. It was very insensitive of me."

"What?" she uttered, lifting her head to stare at Milla.

"You're still a meanie," Teepo butted in.

"I won't deny it," Milla said, unfazed, before Elize could hush him. "I told you before about the importance of my mission."

Elize glanced away. "And because of your mission, you... you abandoned Teepo."

"That's right. I won't make excuses for my decision. They were long gone, so we wouldn't have been able to find them anyway." Milla lifted a hand and rested it on top of Elize's head. "But I shouldn't have been so cold to you. I'd thought of my actions as not coddling you; it didn't occur to me until later that you were coming to me for help."

Elize blushed and ducked her head, letting Milla pat her hair.

"Leia put you up to this, didn't she?" Teepo accused.

"She was the one who pointed that out, yes," Milla replied, again before Elize could shush him. "And I'm glad she did. Had she not, I wouldn't have realized just how cruel I was to Elize. You can hate me if you wish; I won't hold it against you. But I am truly sorry for having caused you extra pain."

"If you're really sorry, why'd you say it in the first place?" Teepo snarked. "You just keep saying whatever you want!"

"Teepo, stop it!" Elize cried, shoving him off her lap. He spun and bounced and floated up into the air. "I don't want to hate Milla. I want to be friends again!"

She threw her arms around Milla's waist, and Milla caught her and stroked her hair as she wept. Even Teepo fell silent for that, and slowly sank until he had plopped onto the bed next to them.

"It's fine," Milla reassured her. "Teepo isn't wrong. So the two of you can say whatever you like back."

"No, I don't want that," Elize sobbed. "I-I was angry b-because it felt like you didn't care about me at all..."

"Elize wanted to be mean to you, but she likes you too much," Teepo offered. "So she was mean to Leia instead!"

"Really?" Milla uttered, eyes going wide. "I had no idea!"

"Do you..." Elize sniffed and pulled back a little. "D-do you hate me, Milla? Am I just some... annoying little kid to you?"

"No, not at all."

"B-but you were so mean to me..."

Milla's eyes softened as her eyebrows turned up and her lips turned down. "I said before I won't hold it against you if you hate me. I stand by that. But know this: my willingness to do what I must has nothing to do with my personal feelings." When Elize looked up at her, tears streaking her cheeks, she stroked her hair and continued, "It's not just you and Teepo. I've already decided that if I must, I'll destroy the Lance of Kresnik even if the Four are still inside."

"B-but they're your friends!" Elize blurted out, eyes going wide.

"But if the Lance of Kresnik is not destroyed, the entire world will die," Milla countered calmly, even as her lashes fluttered downward. "The Four Great Spirits will always exist, even if it's in another form with another personality, just like how Teepo is still here, if different from before. But that's only as long as Rieze Maxia itself continues to exist. Even if they hate me, I know what I must do, so that the world we've protect together can stay safe."

"That... must be so hard on you," Elize murmured, leaning her head on Milla's chest. "It must be so lonely..."

"Lonely... Yes, I suppose it is," Milla murmured, resting her arms around her. "They were always with me, and all of a sudden, they were gone. I couldn't afford to stop moving forward and so I didn't, but that's me. I forgot you're only human."

"Milla... I..."

When Elize didn't go on, Milla straightened, prompting the young girl to do the same. Teepo floated up over their heads, but Milla kept her eyes locked on Elize's as she said, "I don't hate you. I have never hated you. No matter what's happened and what will happen, that is the truth."

"You just say whatever you want!" Teepo repeated. He swerved down to come to a rest between them and added cheerfully, "And that's why Elize can trust you. Milla never says anything she doesn't mean!"

Milla chuckled and raised a hand to pat Teepo on the head. Her other arm wrapped around Elize when Elize grabbed her for another hug. Even Teepo floated in to join, hovering close to Elize's head and Milla's chest.

"I'm sorry I said I hated you, Milla!" Elize cried. "It wasn't true. I like you. I like you so much!"

"I like you, too," Milla replied with a fond smile.

"Yay! We're pals again!" Teepo cheered, slightly muffled.

Milla chuckled again as she regarded the floating toy. "You know, it's only been a few days and already Teepo's starting to sound like his old self again."

Elize tilted her head up. "Y-you think so?"

She nodded. "If Teepo was always a device that verbalizes your inner thoughts, that means as long as he's with you, eventually he'll go back to who he used to be. That means Teepo is always with you, Elize. You'll never be alone, because he's a part of you."

"WOAH!" Elize and Teepo gasped in unison, eyes boggling saucer-wide.

"So no more tears," Milla added sternly. "You're stronger than this. I know you are."

"Y-yes, ma'am!" she stammered. A smile broke across her face, and when the two of them stood up together, she held her head high. "I'll be stronger, I promise. That way, I can help you and make sure you're not alone, either!"

Milla laughed a little and smiled back at her. "You already are. Not many humans could manage to comfort the Lord of Spirits."

Elize giggled, and Teepo floated jubilantly next to her. Milla's smile warmed; then it faded as she glanced up and over at the door, which was open a crack.

"And Leia," she called, "you can stop eavesdropping now."

There was a loud thud, which made Elize jump, and the door creaked open to reveal a sheepish Leia. "You got me," she admitted, crooking an embarrassed smile as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Leia! You were listening in the whole time?" Elize gasped.

"Not the whole time!" she said in a hurry, waving her hands. "I just... wanted to make sure everything was going okay!"

"You really are a meddler," Milla remarked with a wry smile, leaning a hand on her hip.

Elize settled and smiled too, tilting her head to one said. "It's okay," she said. "I'm glad she meddled."

Leia's smile cracked apart further into a grin, and she pumped a hand into the air. "Well, hey! Now that we've all made up, why don't we go grab a bite to eat downstairs? Yurgen's still not back yet and neither are the guys, so we've got some time!"

"Good idea," Milla agreed. "Elize, Teepo, let's go."

"Okay!"

"You betcha!"

The three of them headed downstairs for the food vendor. As they descended, Elize timidly reached her hand out for Milla's. At her gentle touch, the older woman glanced down with eyebrows high at the young girl. Then she nodded to her, smile faint but genuine, and clasped her hand around Elize's with a gentle squeeze.

"I'm so happy," Teepo blurted out, "I could just die."

"Don't actually die on me," Milla replied, faint alarm tinging her face.

"I won't," Elize swore. "I promise."

She couldn't die - not when she had friends who cared so much about her and who she cared so much about in return. She squeezed Milla's hand back and took the last step down to the winter-cold ground floor with a rejuvenated spring.