The night came fast. Flau left to keep night watch at her usual spot where the infamous Jack Russell had stayed when he arrived in Radiata. The young ex-knight passed her as he walked toward the door to his room. Jack abruptly stopped and turned back to Flau. "What are you doing?"
She sighed, "We've been through this about five times already. It's my night to keep watch."
"Don't you keep watch every night?" he asked with a nervous smile.
Flau smirked. "Since when is it your business to know what I do at night, Jack Russell…?"
Jack shrugged his shoulders and slouched over. "I'm not in the mood to have an argument," he whined.
"Oh, so you're not going to prowl the streets tonight like the stalker you are?" she taunted.
Jack smirked. "Oh, yeah! I have the best time chasing around creepy women like you," he stated cockily.
"I doubt it. A girl like me wouldn't give you a second glance," she retorted slyly.
"Whatever," Jack said stifling a yawn. "Goodnight, I guess."
"Don't let the boogieman get you, little Jack," she taunted. Surprisingly, Jack chuckled, causing Flau to give him a questioning look.
"I'll bet you can fend off any boogieman, right? I mean you ARE here to protect people like me right?"
"In a sense, I guess. Although, I'm not going to protect you from nightmares," she laughed.
Jack chuckled before entering his house. Flau saw the lights go out inside Jack's house and she looked up at the sky. Am I really deserving of this kind of life? Is thievery the only way? she asked the sky above her. "I guess this is it," she said aloud.
"What is it?" she heard a voice behind her say.
Flau turned to see Rynka smiling at her with a hand upon her hip. "Rynka…? What are you doing out here at this time of night? Shouldn't you be home with Cody?"
"Don't worry about him. Ganz is watching him for me. So what's all this talk about some sort of Armageddon?" she asked leaning against the wall.
"Just…my life is so complex is all. It's nothing really. I just sometimes have these crazy thoughts about whether our profession is really justified. Thievery is wrong, but it's supposedly a good thing because we help people. However, those people we steal from, don't they ever become like the people we support?"
"That's not for us to answer, Flau. The important thing is to play our roles in this world. If we do just that, then I'm sure we'll be alright," Rynka said with a reassuring smile.
"It's just that…there's something that's bothering me that's all…" Flau stated going back to gazing up at the sky.
"What is it, Flau? You know that you can tell me anything. If there's something on your mind, then let it out. I don't talk to anyone about anything anyway."
Flau got up from sitting on the stone ledge and looked down. "I'm not ready to say it yet, Rynka. I apologize."
"Hey," Rynka said placing a hand on her shoulder. "There's nothing to apologize for, Flau. I'm not upset. Tell me if you want to. I'm not going to force you," she smiled.
Flau looked up at Rynka and smiled too. Rynka turned and walked onto the bridge over Jack's house. "I'm going back alright, Flau?" Flau smiled and waved. Rynka left out of sight and Flau stretched before walking toward the shrine again. She merely wanted to stare at the shrine. Maybe it would help her to clear her thoughts.
As she entered into the main square, she saw a tomboyish girl petting a small fox surrounded by a few friends. She smiled at the display and waved to Vitas who waved back.
Flau walked up the stairs to the Olacion Order Shrine and reached the large doors that led into the chapel. Caressing the large handles that led inside, she gently pulled upon them and stepped inside.
She paused. It had been a long time since she had been inside the shrine itself. Those days, she had been accompanied by Anastasia who taught her most of the people's beliefs. She felt her heart skip a beat as she saw the high priest sitting on the first pew of the shrine in silent meditation.
Her body fell into involuntary movements as her feet guided her toward the priest. Her unsteady footsteps echoed sharply off the walls. She watched, waiting for Kain to flinch from the noise, but no such movement was made. She stopped walking toward him when she was diagonal from his position. Her instincts told her to sit next to him, but she forced herself to keep standing, waiting for him to acknowledge her.
After a few moments, he had not moved from his meditative state, so Flau, thinking he had actually fallen asleep, began to walk out of the shrine.
"Have you decided to tell me what's wrong, Miss Flau?" came the priest's voice as he continued in his meditative state.
Flau stopped, but did not respond to the question. "What is it that the gods tell you? Why can't anyone else hear their voices?"
"Hmm…such deep questions for a young girl," he said thoughtfully. He got up from the pew and paced up and down the front row.
"By the way, Kain, I'm not as young as you'd like to think. I'm only about 6 to 8 years younger than you are," she argued.
Kain stopped. "The reason I can hear the gods is because it is my role in life. I believe Rynka told you this earlier, did she not?"
"Rynka did tell me that, Kain," she said looking over at him with a bit of shock.
Kain smiled, "There is no need to be surprised, Flau. I say what needs to be said."
"Does your gift reveal everything to you?" she asked nervously.
"No, unfortunately it does not," he stated honestly. Flau felt the air return to her lungs. She sighed audibly which caused Kain to turn. "Is something wrong, Flau?" he asked.
"No…nothing…" Flau said with a smile.
"You always wear that smile when you try to hide something," he said calmly as he approached her.
Flau clenched her fist as he outstretched his hand toward her. He brushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes then removed it. "There is something very important you must do, Flau. It may cost you a very high price right now, but you are a strong person who can handle anything."
She felt her face redden when he brushed the bangs out of her eyes. The doors to the shrine opened and echoed throughout the room. Kain respectively sat back down in his seat at the front as Caesar walked in and sat on the right side near the back of the room in the constant meditation he always was found in.
Flau left the chapel quickly and went to explore the city at night. She decided that she would go back to void and visit Ortoroz. It had been a while since she received a mission anyway. Anything was better than loafing around a shrine to her at this point in time.
Flau walked confidently through the backstreets of Blue Town of Water and Wisdom. As she passed random buildings, she saw a blue lion-like creature pass by her. She stopped, not turning to face him. He stopped too. "You're hiding something, Flau," he said clearly.
"Don't I always hide things? When did it become your business to baby-sit me anyway, Sonata?" she stated defensively.
Sonata closed his eyes which were bright yellow orbs in the night. "It's nothing. Go home, Flau. Get some rest. Make sure that your work is unaffected by the sudden change of your feelings," he said as he continued to walk toward his destination.
Is it really that obvious that something is wrong with me?! she asked herself. As soon as Sonata was gone, she continued back to Void.
She finally reached the meeting room and bowed slightly to Ortoroz. "Well," he chuckled. "It's been a while since I've seen you around here, Flau. What do you need?"
Flau raised her head and asked, "Do you have any jobs that I can do right now?"
Ortoroz raised an eyebrow. "Right now…? It's almost daybreak. Besides, you don't seem to have Rynka with you."
"I want a job that only requires my skills; no one else's, Mr. Ortoroz," she said firmly.
"This is a first…without Rynka, eh? Alright then. Your mission is to steal the Crescent of Olacion," Ortoroz grinned.
"The Crescent of Olacion…? What is it?" she asked raising an eyebrow.
"It is a moon-shaped pendant that is said to possess the powers of one of the gods. The Priestess Enjela passed the pendant down to Priest Kain before her disappearance. It is rumored that it lies somewhere within the shrine. Please retrieve it and bring it back to me, Flau," he concluded.
"Why me…?" she asked.
"You used to be a member of Olacion before you ran away, right? What better person than you, my dear?" he smiled mischievously.
Flau smiled back nervously, hiding it well though. "I'll take it," she said confidently. She bowed before leaving and left back to her post in front of Jack's house. She decided to take a small nap before the morning hit. Closing her eyes, she fell fast asleep.