Tales of Symphonia: Breath of a New Era
Chapter 2: Irving News, Kylie's Capture and Presea's Heart
As Colette and the others were visiting with Emil, Raine wrote some letters, as it was about mid-day and she was waiting to check on him again.
One to Presea, one to Regal, and one to her brother, who was now a student at Palmacosta Academy. Despite the unsubstantiated rumors of its racism, Lloyd and the others had found them to be just that, rumors. Everyone was accepted to Palmacosta Academy if they took the test and passed, regardless of blood. If she had timed the sending of all the letters right, Genis would just be starting his summer break when he received it. After the letters were sent, the eldest Sage sibling made her way back to Emil and Marta, to see how the blonde was doing.
She wasn't one to leave her charges alone for long. She entered the hut to find both Emil and Marta dozing lightly, Marta asleep with her head on Emil's lap. Once she came in, Emil awoke and opened his bright green eyes, looking at her and giving a soft smile. He muttered quietly, so as not to wake up Marta, "Hello, Raine."
Raine nodded to him and just as quietly responded, "Hello, Emil. Are you feeling better?"
Emil told her, "Still a little dizzy, but I think that'll go away once I've completely recovered. By the way, why did Marta come in alone? You know I can handle more than one person at a time."
Raine told him with a soft sigh, "Emil, don't push yourself too hard too fast. I know you want to see everyone, but you shouldn't feel crowded. Since Marta is asleep now, I'll take her to another room and tell Lloyd and Colette that they can come and see you together. But no more than two at a time, okay? I don't want you getting too excited." She gently eased Marta off of Emil and left the room carrying her.
A few minutes later, both Lloyd and Colette came into the room. Colette hugged Emil gently and told him softly, "Thank goodness you're okay! When Lloyd and Zelos were bringing you back, I was afraid you...weren't going to make it. You were so pale and shaky…" She had become more mothering to the group than ever before, which was very different from how she had been during the other two adventures she had with them.
Emil smiled and rubbed her back, replying, "Sorry for scaring you, big sis. Anyway, thank you guys for coming to my rescue. Without you, I might not even exist anymore. My consciousness probably would've been absorbed by Ratatosk. Anyway, what's gotten into you, Colette? You're more clingy than usual."
Lloyd, knowing the exact reason Colette was so emotional, replied, "...You'll find out later, Emil. Right now, we're just glad you're okay. Can you tell us what happened in the forest, or do you still want to wait to talk about it?"
Emil shook his head, "No, waiting means that Kylie might get away with hurting more of our friends, and I won't stand for that." He took a deep breath, then told them, "Marta and I were just talking...about you guys. I don't think anyone overheard us, but...anyway, while we were talking, I started to get the feeling someone was watching us. Marta kept on talking, and I let her go on, but still kept my ears peeled. When she was almost done talking, I noticed some light reflecting off metal and the girl attacking Marta. Before I even thought about it, I jumped into the path to Marta and protected her...which is…" He gently placed a hand on his slightly still-tender stomach, then continued, "How I got the wounds Raine had to heal, but...why did the girl want to hurt Marta?"
Lloyd told him, "We'll find out for you, Emil, but I suspect that it has something to do with Marta's ties to the Vanguard, or possibly...even from the fact that both girls are from Palmacosta."
Colette sighed and hugged Lloyd from behind, knowing of the guilt he still carried with him from not being able to protect the people of Palmacosta from the Vanguard. She told both of them, "Whichever one it is, Emil, I'm just glad everyone's okay. All right? Lloyd, let's let Emil rest a bit before he visits with Zelos and Sheena, okay? Besides, I…" She trailed off, her eyes going slightly big as she started to feel slightly sick to her stomach, "need to go see Raine about something. I'll be right back."
Lloyd nodded and left the room, leading Colette by her hand.
After a few moments respite, Zelos came into the room and patted Emil's shoulder, "You did good, kid." He thought a moment about what to ask about the attack, then said, "Did you catch the girl's name by any chance?"
Emil shook his head, "No...I was too busy protecting Marta and fighting for my life, but...Lloyd seems to think it may have something to do with the time she was in the Vanguard. Could that be true?"
Zelos shrugged, "It could, but even if it was true, would it matter? You love Marta, and you've forgiven her. It would be terrible if you were to hold her responsible for her father's actions." He was reminded of the conversation he had with Yuan before going to talk to Lloyd right after the events in Palmacosta. Despite the fact that none of Kratos's actions as a Seraphim of Cruxis had been Lloyd's fault, some people held Lloyd in contempt because he was in his late 20s but appeared to be in his teens still.
Emil nodded, "I know. That's not what I meant! I just...I want Kylie to be captured soon, either by the authorities or by one of us and taken to prison."
Raine walked in then again, to check on Emil's wounds once more. As she was in the corridor outside the room, she spotted a slip of paper that hadn't been there before and picked it up. She read to herself, then told Emil, having heard what he said, "It seems that Sheena agrees with you. However, catching her is not going to be easy. She's made it clear that she wishes to remain in hiding, by the simple fact of her leaving immediately when Lloyd and the others arrived."
Zelos nodded in agreement, then added, "Yeah, but we'll catch her one way or another." He smirked, getting an idea.
Raine immediately smacked Zelos, knowing the grin he wore all too well, "Zelos, no. We aren't going to use anyone as live bait."
Zelos responded, "It worked out last time, didn't it?"
Emil told him, "Only because Lloyd doesn't make all the dumb faces or poses that Decus did. Of course, at that time, I was only guessing that Lloyd didn't act all that foolish. Now, I know for sure what he's like. But...anyway, if we use live bait, how do we know that they won't get hurt or killed? It'd be a huge gamble and I, for one, am NOT going to put you guys at risk like that." He had grown closer to everyone over the past eight years, including Marta, whom he was about to propose to. He just hadn't found a ring or worked up the courage yet. Noticing Emil's silence, Zelos elbowed him gently in the side.
He asked, "So, when are you going to pop the question to her, Emil?"
Raine rolled her eyes, "Zelos, you know that's none of your business."
Emil was shocked that Zelos had guessed that purely based on his body language, but told them, "I….umm...it's going to be a little while, Zelos. I need to buy her the most beautiful diamond ever."
Zelos told him, "Look, the way that Marta fawns over you, she'd take a plastic ring as long as she has you. Just go for it!"
Raine sighed as she shook her head and muttered, "Men…" She then cleared her throat, hoping that Emil and Zelos hadn't heard, and told Zelos, "Zelos, I need you to go now. I need to check on Emil's wounds, then check up on Colette as well."
Zelos frowned, "Something wrong with the little angel?"
Raine shook her head, then whispered into Zelos's ear, since Emil didn't yet know of Colette's pregnancy, and Lloyd and Colette had wanted to tell both Emil and Marta at the same time, "Colette is pregnant with twins. It's too early to tell the genders of course, but still...Lloyd and Colette are going to be parents. Normally it'd be happy news, but...well, with all the tensions in the world right now, is it really the best time for a child?"
Zelos shrugged and whispered right back, "Is it ever?"
Raine gasped, "Wait, Zelos...don't tell me Sheena is-"
Zelos nodded, "Yeah. Why do you think she didn't do much fighting when we went to help Emil?"
Raine immediately backed Zelos into a wall and asked him, "How far along is she?"
Zelos sighed and told her, "Four weeks in, but don't worry. I'm taking good care of her."
Emil, a little confused because his uncle had never really had 'the talk' with him, asked, "What's wrong with Sheena?"
Zelos and Raine both immediately went blood red and walked out of the room, embarrassed.
Tenebrae soon appeared, and seemed perplexed, "All of that time you had Lord Ratatosk inside you, Emil...he never mentioned...certain aspects of human relationships?"
Emil shook his head, "Nuh-uh. He told me he wanted to leave...certain discussions up to either the World Regeneration saviors, Lloyd and Regal in particular, or my human relatives. So….no, I don't know about...certain things."
Tenebrae sighed and muttered to himself, "And they call me the spiteful one…" He then whispered the word sex into Emil's ear and disappeared.
Emil then got very confused by the word and went to see Lloyd. After a brief, but enlightening birds and bees talk, the blonde told him, "That's all it is? How come Raine and Zelos seemed so uncomfortable about it?"
Lloyd laughed and said, "Because they're very private people, Emil. It all depends on who you asked about it, which is why I'm glad you came to see me. In fact, Colette and I have some good news to share with you and Marta, sort of along that same line. Is she here?"
Emil told him, "Actually, Marta's asleep now, and it's getting late. Could you tell us tomorrow?"
Lloyd smiled and nodded, "Sure. Good night, Emil." He took Colette's hand and Emil walked off, going to bed. As the brunette collapsed onto the bed, he turned onto his side and placed a hand gently on Colette's stomach, as if to greet his unborn kids, "Good night, my babies."
Colette giggled and placed her hand on Lloyd's, just as excited as he was, "Yeah, this is going to be fun! I just.." She frowned a bit.
Lloyd sighed and told her, "Just don't worry about anything, Colette. I'll protect you and our children to my last breath. Like you, I'm a little worried about complications during your pregnancy with you having been the Chosen and all….but, let's worry about that later. Right now, I just want to enjoy a moment of peace with you and the kids, okay?"
Colette smiled and nodded in agreement, "Okay. But...Raine's coming to give me a check-up in a few minutes. Is that all right?"
Lloyd nodded, "If it will put your mind at ease, sure."
A few minutes later, Raine came into the room holding her staff and nodded a greeting to the two of them, "Sorry it took so long. I needed to change Emil's bandages."
Colette asked, "How is he doing? Is he fully recovered?"
Raine shook her head, "No, but he's asleep again. By the way, Lloyd, where did you and he go? He said you had a talk…"
Lloyd told her, "We walked by the river so I could explain a few things to him that his family never told him, and that you and Zelos were /too embarrassed/ to talk about."
Raine blushed, "Oh...that topic. Well, I'm glad someone finally brought him up to speed. Thank you, Lloyd."
Lloyd nodded, then added, "You're welcome. Now...do the check on Colette that she asked you to do."
Raine did as Lloyd asked and performed a quick check up on Colette and the twins. She told them, "Everything looks good right now, but make sure Colette gets enough to eat and plenty of rest. She's going to have a difficult pregnancy because of it being a twin one."
Lloyd told her, "Got it. Thank you, Professor Raine."
Raine sighed and told Lloyd, "Lloyd, didn't I tell you to just call me Raine when we're alone? Besides, we're both adults. It's fine."
Lloyd shrugged, "It still feels awkward sometimes. You were my teacher."
Raine smirked and told him, "Not that you ever paid attention in my lessons."
Lloyd laughed, "Touche. Anyway, you should go get some sleep. If we're going to catch Emil's attacker tomorrow, we have to be at full strength."
Raine nodded, "Right. See you in the morning." She left the room, leaving Lloyd and Colette alone.
Lloyd put an arm around Colette and whispered to her, "Good night, Colette."
Colette smiled and kissed his cheek, "Good night, Lloyd."
Lloyd kissed her on the mouth, then touched her stomach and said, "Good night, kids." He dozed off after a few minutes, holding Colette close to him. After about an hour, the Chosen of Regeneration dozed off herself, an excited smile on her face.
The next day, Lloyd was the first one up. He kissed Colette on the mouth, trying to wake her up as well, and told her, once he realized she was awake, "Colette, we should have breakfast with everybody now! So, that way, if anything happens while we're trying to take Kylie in, they all know. What do you think?" Colette nodded. She agreed with Lloyd on this point, as good news could often serve as a source of excitement, "Yes, Lloyd, it sounds great! Do you want me to cook?"
Lloyd thought a moment, then shook his head, "Nah, let's let Genis cook. He's always the best at it, and I don't mind him knowing before anyone else. After all, Raine and he have been our friends for the longest. I'll go wake him if you want to get things set up for him in the community hut."
Colette nodded, then kissed him on the cheek, "I'll see you in a little bit." She walked away and went to get things ready for Genis.
Lloyd went to the hut the Sage siblings were sleeping in and knocked on the sliding door. A moment later, Raine answered the door and smiled slightly at seeing him, "Oh, good morning, Lloyd. You're up early. Any particular reason for that? Is Colette's morning sickness getting worse?"
Lloyd shook his head, "No, she's fine. Have you told Genis our news?"
Raine smiled and responded, "No, I was going to let you tell him."
Lloyd nodded, "That's fine. Do you mind if I come in and wake him up to tell him? Colette and I wanted him to make breakfast for everyone, so we can break the news before we go and catch the girl that hurt Emil." He waited for her answer, as he knew that Raine was somewhat a little more protective of Genis when he was sleeping, and his friend had arrived pretty late in the night, as he had left Palmacosta on his Rheiard the moment he received Raine's letter.
Raine told him, "Yes, that's fine, Lloyd. Do you want me to help at all?"
Lloyd responded, "How about you set the table, Raine?" He then walked over to Genis' bed, knelt down and gently shook his shoulder, to wake him. "Hey, Genis! Time to get up!"
Genis groaned and opened his eyes. Startled to see Lloyd so close, and a little intimidated by that for some reason, he scooted back a bit. He then sighed and said, "Good morning, Lloyd." He yawned and rubbed his eyes, then asked, "What's going on that you had to wake me up?"
Lloyd told him quietly, "Well...Colette and I are going to be parents, and we were going to have breakfast with everyone to-oof!" He chuckled and patted Genis' back, glad that his friend was so excited for them. He continued what he had been saying, "To eat breakfast with us to break the news, before we part ways with Colette and Raine. I think those two should head to Asgard, where they'll have some protection from the Vanguard, and more in particular, Kylie."
Raine added, "Actually, I need to make a stop at the World Tree first, to tell Yuan. After all, your other father deserves to know as well, Lloyd."
Lloyd sighed and said, "Kratos and I parted ways long ago, Raine...but do you what you want." The guilt from Emil getting nearly killed by Kylie was starting to rear its ugly head again.
Seeing the small amount of guilt in his expression, Raine walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, "Lloyd, listen to me. I know you feel bad that Emil got hurt...but you can't protect all of us all the time. It's like asking you to be everywhere in the world at one time, and you can't do that. Even if you were a full angel like Kratos, you still couldn't stop all the bad in the world." She looked to Genis, who looked a little bummed out now that 'all the bad in the world' had been mentioned. She walked over to her brother and hugged him.
Lloyd asked, "Professor…? Is there something going on at Genis' school?"
Raine sighed and told him, "It's nothing that you need concern yourself with. Regal is there handling it right now. As President of Lezareno, he now has a lot of influence in Palmacosta as well. He'll be here later with Presea after they ask for Genis to get a new roommate."
Lloyd looked confused, "Why would…? Wait, was Genis' roommate bullying him because he's a half-elf?"
Genis nodded and rolled up the sleeve on his right arm, showing a small string of bruises on it. He then put the sleeve back down and rolled up his shirt, showing bruises on his stomach as well, "Yeah, he was getting kind of abusive...but like Raine said, Regal's dealing with it. You don't need to get involved. You need to focus on finding Emil's attacker so that she doesn't hurt anyone else in our group. Okay, Lloyd?"
Lloyd nodded, "I will. But...where do you think I should start looking for her?"
Raine thought a moment, "I'd start with Ozette. If Emil was gripping her ankle hard enough, he may have injured her, and that's the closest town, other than here. I doubt she'd want to draw attention from Mizuho, so that's more than likely where she headed." Knowing about Colette's pregnancy though, and not wanting her left alone to raise twins, she warned Lloyd, "But be wary, Lloyd. She did a number on Emil, and I don't want your children to be fatherless. I'd let Zelos be the one to go after her."
Lloyd folded his arms, "Emil's my friend too!"
Raine sighed, "I know, Lloyd, but do you really want to leave Colette alone with Kylie roaming around?"
Lloyd's eyes went wide as he realized what she was saying, "Oh...good point."
Genis nodded, "Right...sorry, I forgot that Colette could be a potential target too. So, you want me to keep it secret from Presea and the others until you can tell them?"
Lloyd responded, "Yeah."
Genis gave a smile and nodded, "Can do. When is everyone getting here?"
Raine told him, "Well, Regal and Presea are coming by Rheiard from Palmacosta. So..you have about an hour, since they're dealing with your roommate situation. Zelos and Sheena are apparently expecting too."
Lloyd widened his eyes, "What? How come they didn't say anything about it earlier?"
Genis replied, "Because they knew you'd make a big deal out of it and try to keep them from helping Emil, and they didn't want that to happen. Duh."
Raine told him, "Lloyd, stay calm. Sheena's still early in her pregnancy, four weeks and three days in. In four days, she and Zelos should be able to find out if the child will be a boy or girl. Anyway, you should go round them up, Lloyd. I'll help Genis get to the community hut. He shouldn't try to walk on his own so banged up. I'll let him borrow a staff of mine while he's cooking breakfast."
Lloyd nodded and gently hugged Genis, being careful not to aggravate his bruises, "I'm sorry you went through all that, Genis."
Genis trembled and patted Lloyd's shoulder, tentatively returning the hug, "It's okay, Lloyd. Like Raine said, you can't be everywhere at once. Just do me a favor and stay my friend for the rest of our lives, all right?"
Lloyd smiled and chuckled, "Of course I will, you dork!" He released Genis from the hug and ruffled his hair, like he had done when they were kids. He then stood up and went to join Colette in the community hut. A few minutes later, Genis and Raine walked in as well.
Genis walked over to Colette and gave her a hug, "Congratulations, Colette! Lloyd told me your good news. So, is it a boy or girl?"
Colette giggled and told him, "Professor Sage said it's too early to tell that yet, but I'm sure once we /can/ find out, she'll let us know. Are you up to cooking breakfast?"
Genis nodded, "Sure, I can cook for everyone." He took Raine's staff from her and asked, "What did you guys have in mind?"
Lloyd thought a moment, then answered, "Maybe some pancakes, sausage and eggs?"
Genis smiled and responded, "Okay, I can do that." He then made his way to the cabinets and took out some pans, bending over carefully using Raine's staff so that he didn't aggravate the bruises on his stomach too much. He then began got out the ingredients needed from the cold storage bin against the wall. After he had finished that, he started making breakfast and asked Raine to go ahead and set the table.
Raine nodded and did as Genis asked her to, not really in the mood to argue.
Lloyd went to the hut where Zelos and Sheena were staying, waking them up so that they could eat breakfast and find out about the pregnancy. He knocked on the door three times and then waited for someone to come to it. A few moments later, Zelos woke up and went to the door, opening it. When he saw that it was Lloyd, he smiled and nodded, "Good morning, Lloyd. What's up, bud?"
Lloyd told him, "Genis is making breakfast for everybody. Colette and I have some good news to share with everyone, so...could you get Sheena up and meet us at the community hut?"
Zelos nodded his head, "Of course. I'll see you in a few minutes." He closed the door and went over to Sheena. He kissed her on the forehead and muttered, "Hey, little Banshee, time to get up. Lloyd has some good news, and wants us to have breakfast with everyone."
Sheena groaned and nodded, "Okay. I'll be there in a little bit. You go on ahead. This morning sickness stuff isn't easy."
Zelos told her, "Actually, I'm gonna go and get Emil and Marta. They should find this out too." He walked to the hut the two were staying in and knocked on the door. A few minutes later, Emil walked up, half-dressed. He asked, "What's up?" Zelos explained, then told him he'd see him in a few minutes. He shut the door and headed to the community hut. After everyone was in the community hut, Lloyd smiled and chuckled excitedly.
Picking up on Lloyd's excitement, Zelos asked, "What's got you so keyed up, bud?"
Lloyd responded, wanting to wait for Presea and Regal, "Presea and Regal should be here in a few minutes. I'll tell everyone everything then and not before, okay?"
Zelos groaned and nodded, "Fine."
Presea and Regal soon touched down and walked to the community hut.
Presea asked, "Is Emil all right?"
Raine nodded, "He'll be fine. He'll be here in a few minutes with Marta. Lloyd has some news to share with everyone while we're all here."
Regal smiled, kind of guessing what the news was.
Lloyd nodded, "Once Emil and Marta get here, I'll tell you guys." After what seemed like an eternity for the others, Emil and Marta walked into the room hand-in-hand, and barefoot. After they sat down, the young swordsman announced, "I'm going to be a father."
Regal gasped and smiled, nodding, "Congratulations, Lloyd."
Zelos smiled and nodded his head, "I guess it was good."
Lloyd blushed and chuckled, a little put off, but also amused by what Zelos implied, "Not that it's YOUR business. But yeah, we're having twins."
Marta gasped and asked Raine, "But...Professor Sage, isn't a twin pregnancy supposed to be more difficult than a regular one?"
Raine looked confused, but nodded, "Yes, Marta, it is….but, how do you know that?"
Marta replied, looking a little sad, "...I was born a twin...but, apparently my twin brother was stillborn. My mother blamed herself for that, and that's part of the reason my parents moved to Palmacosta when I was still little. They didn't want the awful memory of losing my brother hanging over their heads. I found this out during one of my talks with my dad while he was serving his sentence for forming the Vanguard." Before she could even say another word, Emil wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.
She smiled and settled into his embrace, feeling comforted. She told Emil, "Thank you, Emil. I was too little to remember him, but...my mom told my dad that he was a very beautiful boy when he came out right after I did. He told me the same thing, so….I can only imagine the grief my parents must have felt at losing a child like that." Regal and the others nodded in agreement. Sheena spoke up a few moments later, her hand on her baby belly, "It must've been painful for her...to go through all that pain...and then only have one breathing baby when you were expecting to have two." After that, there wasn't much said.
Raine, remembering an incident from when she was in her late teens, stood up and walked out of the room. Genis, somewhat remembering the same incident, told Lloyd and the others he'd be right back, and also asked Regal to accompany him. When the two guys reached Raine, who was sitting on the back porch, Genis asked, "Sis...you're remembering something from before we met Lloyd...aren't you?"
Raine nodded her head numbly and began to tear up, "Yes...when I was 18, I courted a human from Izoold who seemed genuinely interested...well, during one of our dates...one thing lead to another, and...we did a few things. A few days later, I found out I was going to have a child. Of course…" She frowned and trembled,having never spoken of what she was about to share with Regal and Genis to anyone, "that didn't last. I miscarried a short time later."
Genis thought a moment, then remembered a time when he was about 7, and Raine had claimed to just be sick. He told her, "...Wait, I remember. It was a few years before we met Lloyd and were still traveling! But...you told me then that you were just sick and very tired."
Regal, before Genis could 'discipline' his sister, spoke up and said, "You were also still a child, Genis. Raine likely told you that so you wouldn't bother her about it and wouldn't have understood even if she had told you what really happened. She was looking out for your best interests at the time." He went over and hugged Raine, impressed that she had kept this whole thing a secret the entire time, "I had a feeling there was a reason the unicorn wouldn't approach you. But...my guess is that the contact wasn't entirely consensual?"
Raine nodded and began crying softly. Regal held her, and after a few minutes, Lloyd, Marta and Emil came over to make sure Raine was all right.
Regal spoke for Raine as she tried to pull herself together, "Raine is going to be all right. She was just reminded of a particularly...painful experience from her younger days when hearing about Marta losing her brother and Lloyd's news. I'm not entirely sure how since those two aren't necessarily doomed to have that same fate, but….I suppose we'll see what happens."
Lloyd, now kind of curious, asked, "...Raine, would you starmind telling us what it reminded you of? Or is it too painful to talk about?"
Raine managed to speak again and told him, "It was a few years before we moved to Iselia….Genis and I were wandering Sylvarant. We were near the fishing village of Izoold when I caught sight of a particularly attractive human boy. We started writing letters to each other and even began courting. Things got very serious….but then, after he found out I was half-elven….he left me. After one night of….very intimate contact." She trembled and sighed.
Lloyd frowned, "That's awful. I'm sorry that happened to you, Raine. But...you have Regal, Genis...and all of us now. We'll make sure nothing like that happens again." He gently hugged her, then looked at Zelos and Sheena, telling them, "And good luck to you two with your baby."
Zelos smiled and nodded, "Thank you. Now, with that out of the way, shall we go and see if we can catch that girl, so no one else gets hurt?"
Regal nodded in agreement, "That sounds good, but where shall we go?"
Raine made a suggestion, "Let's start with Ozette. As I said before, she's probably not gotten very far if Emil managed to hurt her ankle in the struggle to keep her away from Marta. I just hope that she hasn't harmed anyone in Ozette, since Presea used to live there."
Presea spoke up and said, "If she did hurt anyone there, she'd better be ready to pay the price. I have a soft spot for the town, even if they don't like me that much because of the not-aging thing caused by my Exsphere before it was controlled. Anyway, we should get moving if we're going to catch her before it gets dark."
Lloyd nodded in agreement, but then turned to Colette and asked her, "Would you stay behind with Raine and Emil? I don't want our unborn kids hurt."
Colette smiled and nodded, then hugged Lloyd tightly, suddenly getting a very bad feeling, "Okay, Lloyd...but please, be careful."
Zelos asked Sheena to stay behind as well, for the same reason Lloyd asked Colette. She agreed, albeit begrudgingly, and Lloyd, Zelos, Genis, Regal and Presea all made their way to Ozette. They found the girl in Presea's house, where the pink-haired axwoman cornered her and told her, "It was not right of you to attack Emil and Marta. They had justification for their actions against Alice and Decus."
Kylie, not liking that she was cornered, shoved the girl back, telling her, "Maybe they did, but it's still robbing me of my family!" She then darted over to Lloyd, and told him, challengingly, "So, are you gonna be true to your word and kill me for not going to jail? Or were those just empty words so you could save the boy?"
Lloyd glared and drew his blades, responding to her challenge in the only way he knew how, "Oh no, I'm doing it. You're going down." He bore down hard on Kylie, the battle lasting a good long time, with him getting badly wounded during the course of the fight. After the two and a half hour struggle, Lloyd began to really feel the effects of his injuries and dropped one of his swords. Despite not wanting to stop, his body was beginning to work against him, it seemed.
Kylie took advantage of this and ran over to Lloyd, slashing him from his right armpit down to his hip and then stopping. However, despite her bad wounding of him, the redclad swordsman didn't immediately fall.
Because of the bad wound on Lloyd, his friends took immediate action and Zelos put a sword to her throat, "You're coming with us to prison in Meltokio, little lady. You're gonna answer for what you did to Emil, to me, and to Lloyd. You'd also better hope he survives that wound...otherwise, I might have to contact a certain Seraphim.
Regal, holding Lloyd up, told her, "Yes...Kratos wouldn't be very happy with you if he found out you harmed his son."
After the girl was tied up using some spare utility rope they found in a cabinet in Presea's home, Kylie was led out to the Rheiards, then the group flew her to Meltokio, explained what was going on to the prison guards and then left her in prison. After Kylie was in there, Lloyd nearly collapsed from his wound, but Regal caught him from behind and told everyone, "Let's go to Zelos's house and get Lloyd fixed up."
Zelos nodded his head in agreement and led the group to his house, "I'm not the best at healing magic, but we could always send Genis to Mizuho to tell Raine what's going on and have her let Marta handle the rest of Emil's care. He was already doing a lot better when we left, so it shouldn't be much longer until he's completely recovered, I wouldn't think." When they finally got to his place, Regal carried Lloyd up the stairs, to keep from tearing the wound on his side even more, and placed him on the bed in Zelos's room. Zelos then used Healing Stream on Lloyd and took the redclad swordsman's shirt off to use an herbal remedy Raine had shown him on it. After he had done everything he could, the redhead told him, "It's probably best that you rest and and take it easy until Raine gets here, Lloyd. We don't wanna risk re-opening it."
Lloyd sighed and nodded his head. He then lay back in the bed and dozed off.
Raine arrived with Genis a few hours later, while most of the group, except for Zelos, was asleep. She went to the room where Lloyd was asleep and quietly removed the bandages the red-haired Chosen had put on him. She healed up his wounds even more, then went to bed, having depleted a good portion of her mana to make sure her precious student was okay.
A few weeks later, while the group was vacationing in Altamira, a tall man of about 30 with dark hair and delicate features stood in the wedding chapel inside the hotel. Though he was just going about his job as usual, for some reason, he was really catching Presea's attention, and he noticed her too. She spoke up first and said, "He-hello...my name is Presea. WHat's your name?"
The man answered, "My name's Cedric. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintence, Miss Presea. Tell me, who's the lucky fellow?"
Presea told him "No one. I'm single at the moment. I was just walking by, but...uhmmm...pardon me if this is a little blunt. You don't seem the type for talking to random girls, if that makes sense."
The man chuckled and nodded, "It's understandable. After all, I am a priest for a hotel chapel. You're rather attractive, Presea. Would you….like to start dating?"
Presea smiled and nodded, though she had her doubts, "Sure, okay. But...wait, don't priests have to take a vow of chastity or something?"
Cedric laughed and shook his head, "Not the hotel clerics. It's just the ones joining the Abbey. But, anyway….do you wanna talk right now or save all the talking for our date later?"
Presea giggled and told him, "We'll talk some now, and some more late. Does that sound good?"
Cedric nodded and the two talked for hours, at least until sunset. Once the man noticed how late it was getting, he told Presea, "Well, I'm sure you have somewhere you need to be. But, I work here just about everyday, so….you can come look me up anytime. So...will you go out with me or not?"
Presea thought about it a moment and nodded, "All right. I'll see you...when do you want to go on this date?"
Cedric replied, "How about the day after tomorrow?"
Presea smiled and nodded, getting excited about finally having her first boyfriend. She just hoped she didn't mess it up.
