A/N: For Wei. Just shut up and read.

Distance

Chapter One : Destination Nowhere

Judith's travels about Terca Lumireis felt a bit empty after her adventures with Brave Vesperia. It wasn't something the Krityan would admit out loud, though. Make no mistake, she was closer to Ba'ul than she was ever with anyone in the Brave Vesperia Guild, and although the conversations and secrets she shared with her partner in the sky were theirs and theirs alone, the interactions she had with her comrades on the battlefield were not ones that could be replaced, either.

Wandering about the crowded streets of Zaphias, one would have never thought that the great tragedy with the Adephagos happened only a short year ago – no more creatures were aersick, and there was no more need for barrier blastia to shelter the casual citizens from the creatures outside. Certainly monsters still existed, but they were far less aggressive than they had been – people were venturing out of their home towns far more than before, and new, smaller settlements were springing up all across Terca Lumireis. It actually bothered Judith a bit, considering that there were many places where she felt freedom and a sense of pride that only she would touch foot on. Not so much anymore, obviously. It was a sobering thought to think that in as little as twenty years into the future, there may no longer be an unexplored region of Terca Lumreis that she could call her own.

Her shapely figure swaying with her gait, Judith made her way through the streets of Zaphias while her mind was keeping in touch with her partner. The special bond that she had with the Entelexeia was something that could not be replicated by anything else – they could speak into each others' minds. To them, they were two bodies, one soul. It wasn't unlike what she had experienced in her short time in the Circle, though she had no regrets leaving that. It was something only the two of them shared – and given that Ba'ul was the last known Entelexeia in the world aside from Krones encasing Myorzo in the sky, she knew that she had to treasure their time together. Her special skills would not allow her to communicate with the Spirits as she could with the Entelexeia she had bonded with during and prior to her journeys with Brave Vesperia, a thought that made her a bit sad.

Shaking out of her reverie was the faint sound she was all too familiar with. Turning her head to get a better sense of where it was coming from, she grew annoyed at the constant street noise hindering her from her goal. Straining her pricked, pointed ears to pinpoint the location of the sound, she fought through the street traffic – it wasn't too far to find that she was at the entrance to the Lower Quarter. She found it ridiculous that after the entire ordeal that humanity had to suffer through the past year, that there was still a distinction between the higher classes and the lower classes. Such is human nature, she supposed. She shouldn't have been surprised at it.

"There you are," Judith allowed a small smile to cross her face as she bent down to her knees, leveling with the child she heard sobbing. "It's a good thing you didn't stop crying - otherwise I wouldn't have been able to find you."

The little boy couldn't have been more than ten. Judith patiently awaited a response as she sized him up. He looked fairly well-taken care of despite his rather ragamuffin appearance – he seemed to exude a sort of pretentious, regal aura which betrayed his tattered clothing and obvious need of a bath. His messy hair shone a brilliant auburn which appeared all the brighter given his deep, brown eyes. Or perhaps it was because of his eyes being swollen from the crying. Either way, after several seconds of being addressed by Judith, he managed to calm down just enough to look her in the eye. "You don't look like you belong here in the Lower Quarter."

Judith chuckled. "That's not the usual reaction I first get," she had to admit out loud. Maybe when you're older you'll have something else to say.

The boy stood up, dusting what he could of himself off. After thinking for a moment, he took in a deep breath before he continued. "My sincerest apologies for the shameful display I subjected you to."

"There's no need to apologize," Judith shook her head, still on her knees to be eye-level with the child. "There's nothing shameful about crying – when you're sad, be sad. When you're angry, be angry. That way, when you're happy, you can give the biggest smile you can manage." Judith softly smiled.

"Is that the way you live?" The child cocked his head to the side, as if attempting to process what the pretty lady had said. "That goes against everything I've been told."

"Well, you've been alone for quite a while now, haven't you?" Judith's eyes softened a bit as she made her observation aloud. It was obvious that this child was not a native to the Lower Quarter, and while the Lower Quarter denizens tended to stick together according to the stories she heard from Yuri she could tell that this boy most likely had too much pride from his upbringing to accept any charity from them. It was almost cute, if it weren't tragic. "There may be times when it's necessary to hold things in, but that means there are also times when it's necessary to not hold things in."

"You preach a lot, lady." The kid beamed, "I don't find myself minding, though."

"I find that most people tend to listen when I talk," Judith chuckled in return. "So, what happened? Would it make you feel better if the pretty lady in front of you beat up whoever made you cry?"

That elicited a laugh. "Unless you're willing to go to arms with all of Zaphias, I don't think that would end favorably."

"Is that so?" Judith stood up, since her legs were beginning to fall asleep. She could empathize on some level with him, since she sort of felt the same way about Mt. Temza. There were too many memories there – there were some good, some bad, but sometimes it was best to leave memories the way they were: memories. They were nothing more than ghosts of the past, theoretically. Perhaps a change in scenery would work? "Well, the barrier blastia may be gone, but it's still dangerous to go outside of the city limits. Luckily, I have a way out."

"I'm not certain if leaving in a crate suits my best interests." The youngster crossed his arms. "I only survived this long by avoiding dangerous strangers."

"Well, people certainly tell me that I'm dangerous," Judith pondered aloud. It didn't seem that way to her, considering that she always thought of herself as normal. Clapping her hands together as if heralding an epiphany, she couldn't help but a smile plastered itself over her face. "Well, my name is Judith! Now I'm not a stranger anymore."

"Not at least until I give my name to you, Miss Judith." The kid retorted. After a second of waiting, however, he did just that. "You may call me Tristan."

"I think I shall," Judith responded. Her ears pricked a bit, noticing that her partner had responded to her earlier call and lay in wait, most likely behind the mountains. The Fiertia was still attached to him – it felt a bit unnatural trying to remove it, after using it so much. Besides, with Ba'ul's increased size Judith wasn't used to riding atop of him anymore, not to mention the safety issues involved with possibly rolling off of him when she finally managed to be able to doze off. "How about we try a change in scenery?"

-.-.-

"Wow, I've never seen anything like it!" Tristan held on tightly to the railing of the Fiertia as the Entelexeia above them made its way to the Land of Hope.

"I would have expected something like 'I stand dutifully impressed' or some other wording like that – you came off so composed when we first met," Judith observed, allowing another smile to cross her lips as she could almost absorb the joy showcased in Tristan's eyes from being able to see so much of Terca Lumireis at a single glance. "This is the first time I feel like I'm actually talking to a child."

"Well, unless you challenge people's assumptions, you tend to be on the receiving end of the short end of the stick," Tristan sighed for a moment, before allowing himself to be reabsorbed into the sheer delight of enjoying a vantage point of the world from which only a select few have had the pleasure of viewing up until now.

"I understand what you mean," Judith agreed, recalling her own childhood memories. The Circle was certainly an experience in of itself, and she too was treated differently because of it. Even during her journey with her friends which ultimately vanquished the Adephagos, her friends were quick to point out her differences from those who shared her race. It was the result of a decision she made, a choice that belonged to her and her alone, following in her father's footsteps – one that she did not regret, not for a second, not even when she spent her sleepless nights staring at the stars in the skies. Taking in the view and drawing in a deep breath past her lips, she leaned against the rail of the Fiertia as she lowered herself to be more on eye level with her passenger.

"Yeah, I'm certain that people automatically make several assumptions regarding a beautiful lady," Tristan continued. "How long have you and Ba'ul been friends?"

"I met him over ten years ago, now that I think about it." She would never allow that precious memory to fade in her mind, when she stumbled upon the injured young Entelexeia alongside with her father. "It was a time probably before you were born, Tristan."

"The Great War, huh?" Tristan's face once again became solemn, a fact that was apparent even from the profile view Judith had of his expression. She could immediately tell that it was a touchy subject – this wasn't a surprise given the fact that even she unresolved issues about the war itself well into its aftermath, the effects of which could still be felt around the world to this day. In fact, she took it upon herself to fix a mistake that someone very dear to her made that directly affected the events of that which could only be described as a catastrophe.

Returning to a previous comment, Judith attempted steer the topic away from what would only be an inevitable dour endeavor to reminisce about something neither of them would have been interested in discussing at this point in time. "Yes, as a woman people tend to treat me a certain way," she said, "I tend to try to have fun with it. I'm told that I'm rather straightforward individual, so when people want to underestimate me I have no qualms letting them become surprised with the truth. Obviously it's more pleasant for me than it is for them." She gave a wink, and Tristan could swear that he could see a heart manifest itself, dancing about her head as she finished her sentence.

"There's land! And I see a town!" Tristan noticed. It has been a while that they saw nothing but ocean and the occasional rock jut out of the ocean. The sight was amazing, yes, but it was amazing seeing an actual settlement in the middle of seemingly nowhere – Tristan recalled a similar feeling as they left Zaphias, as the grand capital of the Empire was surrounded by nothing but nature, growing ever smaller over the horizon as they made their way away from it.

"The Land of Hope, Aurnion." Judith answered the question that wasn't given, proud to have been part of its christening all that time ago when all those people were isolated in this uncharted land all that time ago. The wind in her hair, the air smelled familiar as their advent toward the settlement neared ever closer. By now the people of Aurnion were used to the sight of the giant Entelexeia enough to not be alarmed – it was something that was difficult, to say the least. On one hand, Judith wanted to keep a sort of bond with Ba'ul as a secret that only they shared. On the other hand, it was beneficial to not have every town they approach think that a monster was encroaching upon their right to live, and thus counter in a hostile fashion. Clearly it was a case where it was in her comrade's best interest to not be selfish.

As Ba'ul lowered himself, Judith kneeled next to Tristan. "Go ahead, I promise that everyone here is friendly. I'll be over in a minute, all right?" The young boy nodded enthusiastically before running off like the kid he tried to not act like during their short time together. Judith then turned her attention, looking up at Ba'ul. Worry tinted her crimson eyes as something seemed off – she noticed it shortly after the ordeal with the Adephagos, but…

Shaking her head, she heard Ba'ul ensuring her that everything was all right. Her hips swaying the way they always did as if without interruption, she made her way into Aurnion as Ba'ul returned to the skies.