Okay, Part 3 ended up being delayed a bit, because editing it was a complete nightmare. About 4 pages worth of text were entirely cut, and some parts were changed completely (which resulted in a completely different headache when tying the 3rd scene with the final scene) I'm still not fully satisfied with the end result. I don't normally write stories like this (I think this is more of a character study at this point) so I'm probably never going to be happy with the end result ^^"

I really have to say though, playing through RoF, there is seriously so much fanfic fodder. This game may have its shortcomings, but the way the world of Basel is developed leaves so much to the imagination. NPC lines from Chapter 11 alone gave me at least 3 new ideas. NPCs have the potential to be developed characters! I want to write more stories about Albona and pre-Bedeviled Cranktown. And comedies (since I'd like to think those are my specialty ^^") "This game needs more love" doesn't begin to cover how much more attention it deserves!

Well anyway, Thank you to those who reviewed and added this story to their alerts. ^^ I would love to hear feedback on this chapter.

Part 3: -Cardinals-

After a hard day's work, there was nothing like returning to comfort of one's home for an extravagant meal and a nice shoulder rub from a kind, hardworking maids. Cardinal Pater was one to enjoy the luxuries of his station. However, he wasn't one to sit idly on them. Patertopolis's restoration came first, and if that entailed him going down to Level 6 everyday to both oversee and physically partake in the project, then he was honored to do so. It made every meal that much more filling.

Patertopolis's restoration was finally making progress and he was eager to see the city breath new life. He had only been a boy when the plague wiped it out, but he remembered his father's horror at the news and fervent drive to fix it. The man worked himself to an early grave, but Pater was quick to take the reins. He had his quartz to see that he would live to Patertopolis's reopening, and he would make every day count. It was more than a symbol of hope that Basel would survive. It was his life's purpose.

Still, he thought as he stepped off Core Elevator 1, it's been a while since I saw Zephyr and Miss Leanne. Zephyr was the one friend he had that didn't care about his station. He was a little rude and violent sometimes, but it was a refreshing change from everyone's excessive formality. And Leanne…

Leanne's smile was a shining quartz full of life and fortune. Thoughts of the beautiful young woman often consumed Pater's mind. In the middle of work, he would think of the day he would finally show her his restored city, urging him to work harder. In his art, Leanne played the subject in many of his works, directly or indirectly. In his friendship with Zephyr, she played the role of a uniting force…it had been Pater's failed attempts at talking to her that led Zephyr to one day smack him and tell him to grow a spine starting their rather strange but genuine friendship.

It was funny how every little thing reminded Pater of Leanne sometimes. As he walked along the hexes of Chandelier that led to his manor, he caught sight of a blonde young woman in a blue and white jacket, almost identical to Miss Leanne's, standing near the edge of the Level staring at the dark sky.

…Wait a minute…

"M-Miss Leanne?" Pater stammered causing the woman to turn around confirming that it was, in fact, her. What was she doing in Chandelier alone, so close to his home? Vashyron and Zephyr didn't seem be around, causing Pater's heart to skip a beat. C-could she have come to…

"Cardinal Pater," she replied with a slight nod, sounding tired and hollow, pushing away Pater's previous thoughts. At a second glance, she didn't look so good. Her jacket had been thrown on haphazardly; it was matted and unbuttoned revealing a long white T-shirt with the image of a pig underneath, and her eyes were red and puffy, highlighting the paleness of her face. She had been crying, Pater could tell. And on her temple was a large, black—

"Miss Leanne, you're hurt!" Pater cried out alarmed pointing at the bruise. A puzzled look crossed her features for a moment before she seemed to remember it and reached for the bruise mechanically.

"Oh right," she muttered woodenly more to herself, than Pater, "That must have been from Zephyr—

"Zephyr did that to you?"

"It was an accident!" she snapped defensively then realizing how she spoke took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, but he didn't do it on purpose…he didn't know what was happening at the time. It's my fault for being so careless!" She bit her lip as if debating whether or not she should say anything more. Pater just stared at her mouth wide open. If that didn't sound like a defense against domestic abuse, then he weighed 90 pounds.

Leanne probably realized how it sounded as well. "It really was an accident," she let out a small laugh that was so pained and hollow that tears sprang to her eyes, "I guess its okay to tell you. He got hurt during today's mission and when I ran to check on him he was in shock and lashed out, thinking I was an enemy. See? It really was an accident." Pater wasn't entirely convinced but it was clear to him that there was more to the story.

"Is Zephyr okay?" Innocent as he intended his words to be, it was clear that they triggered a flood of bad memories for Leanne as her tears started falling and she covered her face in a vain attempt not to cry. "M-miss Leanne?" Pater's paled as he thought of his friend injured in a clearly serious way.

"I'm sorry," she breathed out shakily, "I just cant… I don't know. Vashyron said it might be temporary but he's not sure and…ugh…"

"What's temporary?"

"Oh right…there was this crate that exploded in front of him, and he can't see anything. He's blind, Pater!" Oh. A mental image of Zephyr lying on his side covering his eyes in pain flashed in Pater's head. "And now he and Vashyron are blaming each other even though I'm the one who…" she didn't finish the sentence. Whatever it was, it did help her to compose herself. She crossed her arms in an attempt to warm herself up.

"I'm really sorry Cardinal Pater," she said slowly, "I didn't mean to burden you with this. I came up here to get away from their fighting and clear my head. As Zephyr's friend I just thought you should know what happened." Pater shook his head.

"No, it's no burden!" He was always willing to be included in the hunters' lives. More importantly, he did care about Zephyr, and was already thinking up ways to help. He took in her disheveled appearance one last time.

"Miss Leanne, you're not planning to go back yet are you?" It wasn't a question.

"No." She lowered her gaze. "I thought about going to the arena, but I figured Vashyron would want to go there and I didn't want to run into him."

In another setting, he would have been a nervous wreck for daring to be so bold, but now he needed to be an unwavering pillar of strength for her. So there was no hitch in his voice when he said, "Would you like to join me in my mansion?" She looked as surprised as Pater felt at his boldness, but he found himself unable to stop his mouth. "I'd like to hear about what happened. I'm a good listener, and I'll help however I can and…" he finally trailed off when her face warmed into a smile. It wasn't her shining quartz smile, but it was still dazzling.

"Yes, thank you."

"It sounds to me like you really messed up this time," Cardinal Theresa was a kind, patient woman but she was not one to mince words or lie to make someone feel better. When Vashyron had called her in obvious distress, she was more than willing to let him into the comfort of her mansion to hear him out. When he showed up, she met him in her study where tea has been set out for them and listened carefully to all that had happened. She cared about Vashyron, her late husband's closest friend, and the two children in his care and would do anything within her power for him. She would not comfort him though.

"Blunt, but I needed to hear that," Vashyron agreed with a sigh, "Any other words of wisdom you'd care to impart?" He said it sarcastically but Theresa knew that this was his way of hiding his insecurity. He did place high value in her words and even if he argued with her, she knew he would follow her words to the letter later.

"You will need to apologize obviously," she pointed out, "to both of them. But…" Vashyron wasn't at fault for this situation. Surely he knew that!

"If you're going to say that it could have happened anyway—

"I am not." She cut him off gently, "Maybe it might have. Maybe it would have been you instead. That is not important right now. I have a question for you, Vashyron. Are you alright?"

"What?"

"You haven't come to me for help in years."

"Yeah, well, I would have gone to the arena, but I figured Leanne went there, and I don't want to face her right now."

"My…" Theresa shook her head, "how childish." Vashyron just shrugged.

"Yeah, probably. But somehow, I don't think riddling a target full of holes is what I need right now."

"The gunshots would agitate your headache."

"That too." As if mentioning it was a stimulus, Vashyron started rubbing his temples. "I've really done it this time."

"Vashyron?"

"I was drinking last night," he scowled, "I don't think I had a lot, but that's just my memory. Zephyr's the one convinced I had too much and the more he says it, the more I start believing him."

"Does it really matter whether your headache was a genuine migraine or induced from your drinking?" Theresa sighed and braced herself for another bout of self-pity. For all of his professionalism on the job, Vashyron was an absolute wreck outside of it. He just didn't handle things taking a bad turn

"Of course it does! If I was sick than there was nothing that could have been done, but if I was hungover—

"It's my fault Zephyr is blind because I should have been there, right?" Vashyron's just nodded shamefully. "Really, Vashyron, you are just making excuses now." He looked at her. My, Theresa thought with a hint of partiality, for such a hardened soldier, you really are so childish sometimes. Her face softened.

"I am sorry that the bo—Zephyr was hurt while you were incapacitated, but really now! It's your fault because you let yourself get a little carried away one night? I know you, Vashyron. You don't just start drinking in the middle of the night, however little, because you can. It's how you cope, right?" He looked embarrassed by the thought, but didn't deny it.

There was no point in denying it to her. She knew him beyond the jovial carefree front he showed everyone, including his own teammates. He was a troubled man who still didn't know how or why he survived the Lucia excavation, and spent every moment distracting himself with work and pleasure to avoid thinking about it. How often had she seen him with the same lonely expression in the past? That expression that had him convinced he was crazy for remembering something that couldn't have happened (at least not to him, were the doctor's exact words) and drove him away from a promising military career or a decent retirement in Chandelier for the thankless, shady job of a Hunter.

Theresa had familiarized herself with that lonely look during the aftermath of Lucia, and how it had only grown worse the more he tried to talk to people, and had them convince him that he was wrong. Victor had told her long ago that there were some things that could be shared. She hadn't understood then, but as Vashyron retreated further and further away from other people, it began to make sense. He probably only let her see his true self because she had already seen him at his worst and didn't laugh. He wouldn't take that chance with anyone else, Theresa knew that.

"There's no shame in it," She told him softly after a lengthy pause.

"A hunter always has to be prepared," Vashyron countered bitterly. Yes, yes, that.

"A hunter has to remember that he is human too." Vashyron gave her a strange look, before suddenly bursting out laughing. It wasn't a bad hollow laugh suggesting some sort of pain. It was a genuine loud chortle that one would normally let out after hearing the punch line to a truly good joke. Whether he had found her words that funny or had simply gone insane, Theresa did not know. He didn't explain himself after calming down, but there was a clear transformation of the self-pitying weary hunter. It was subtle, but there was a shift in his slouching posture from defeat to comfort.

"I'll have to remember that one," Vashyron mused.

"Be sure that you do," Theresa replied sagely.

"Does…does this kind of thing happen often?" was the only thing Pater could think to say when Leanne finished her story. When he brought her to his parlor, she had curled up on one of the armchairs, reluctant to talk. At first, she only glossed over the events, but when she had reached the part about coming home with Zephyr in tow, she had paused and then ran her mouth, animatedly describing the chaotic scene in such detail that Pater could visualize it clearly. It definitely brought a new perspective to Zephyr and Vashyron, one he wasn't sure he really liked. The two hunters in Leanne's story bore little resemblance to the ones he knew. "Them fighting, I mean."

"In a way," she sighed, "Zephyr likes to do things his way, with little regard to his surroundings, so Vashyron often had to keep him in line which irritates them both to no end, so they're always arguing. But it's usually…" she searched for a word, "playful. Kinda like they're brothers just having a light squabble. Last time they argued over how to properly wash the dishes, for crying out loud." It didn't really sound like something worth arguing over to Pater, who admittedly never washed a dish in his life, but he kept mum.

"This time though…Vashyron has his point, but he's never been so angry before. And Zephyr…I don't even know what to think about him." Pater had seen this kind of scenario in books and movies before, but he never thought such a thing could happen in real life. He always had a warm relationship with his family, short-lived as it was, and everyone he knew always seemed to be on good terms with their relatives. He didn't know about the hurtful things that went on behind closed doors.

"I'm really worried about the two of them," Leanne confessed, "They just saw each other as a convenient outlet for their frustrations, but once they cool off, they're not going to know how to deal with it."

"Don't say that," Pater tried to be reassuring, "I'm sure they'll work it out soon."

"You don't have to live with them until they do," Leanne grumbled under her breath probably unaware that Pater could hear her. Out loud she said, "Zephyr holds grudges and Vashyron's too proud to make the first move. I can usually get them to make up over small things, but this is…"

"Too big for you to handle?" Pater suggested calmly. She nodded miserably. He could see that she wanted to mediate between them so that things could be resolved faster, but didn't know how. It didn't seem possible without intruding on the bond that the two had built and maintained on their own.

"I don't want to meddle in their affairs," Leanne's voice was wistful, "I was…alone before I met Zephyr, and when I moved in, it was clear that he and Vashyron already had something…something, I could never understand, or be a part of. None of us talk about the past, but it's clear that there was something in that year before I joined them that connects them." Pater wasn't sure he followed. Leanne just kept talking.

"Last year, there was this day. Zephyr refused to talk to anyone or even leave his room. I wanted to help, but Vashyron told me to leave him alone, that prodding him was like playing with fire, but then he spent the whole day fanning the flames. I asked him if he knew why Zephyr was so upset and he nodded. He said that Zephyr would have to tell me himself when he's ready and refused to say anymore."

"Everyone has their secrets," Pater offered. He had a couple of his own that he didn't particularly care to share. And he was sure Leanne had hers, what with her, a young beautiful woman, earning her keep as a hunter. Even with all of his sources, there was very little Pater actually knew about her.

"I know. I'm not usually like this," Leanne sighed and curled her knees to her chest, "I must sound so pathetic. They took me in when I had nowhere to go, taught me how to fight, and here I am, unsatisfied with it all."

"You're not pathetic, Miss Leanne," Pater quickly blurted out. If she was pathetic, what did that make him?

"Thank you," she whispered, "You're a really good person, Cardinal. I don't think I've ever felt so comfortable talking to someone like this. Can I confess something to you?" Pater gave her an odd look. He hoped his face didn't reveal the excitement bursting within him. Despite the seriousness of the situation, this was like something out of a dream for him. She was comfortable talking to him. How did this work in books and movies? He had to be cool about it. She was very likely to fold if he jumped the gun on this development.

"Of course!" He could only hope he didn't sound as eager as he felt.

"Okay…the thing is…I'm an ignorant person."

"Um…I don't think that's really your fault though." He didn't mean to say that. It took Leanne a lot of courage to talk to him in the first place, but that wasn't really what he expected, especially after her lament on Vashyron and Zephyr locking her out of a loop. But that wasn't really his business.

"It is," she retorted softly, "I've told you about trying to help Zephyr when he was upset, and trying to wedge between him and Vashyron but…I've been a terrible friend to Vashyron.

"The truth is I know he was drinking last night too. And not just last night. He thinks he's really quiet but the walls in Sweet Home are pretty thin so I can sometimes hear him wake up and fumble with the lock on his closet. We all have our share of rough nights, but it sometimes seems that Vashyron has it the worst. He used to be a soldier and I heard that soldiers sometimes have that past tragic stress—

"Post traumatic stress."

"Yes, that. But he's always so cheerful that I never brought it up. I don't think he knows that I know and just pretends it doesn't exist. And I guess I've been pretending it doesn't exist either." A heavy silence settled in the parlor.

"I don't think he wants to worry you."

"I know that."

"Men don't like to appear weak if front of others, especially those they care about."

"I know that too."

"I think he would have just ducked out of the conversation if you said something."

"Well he shouldn't! He acts like he's always on top of things, like he always has the answer, and is this perfect adult when in reality—

"No one's perfect."

"Exactly!" Leanne sat up, a spark lit in her eyes about to turn into a flame of life. "And the worst part is when I saw him so miserable this morning, a part of me was angry at him that he would let himself fall so low. That he wasn't Mr. Perfect-One-Man-Show. And when he was yelling at Zephyr, I wanted to blame him too. If Zephyr hadn't started fighting back, I would have." There it was, Pater guessed, the real source of Leanne's source of melancholy. It wasn't that their mission took a bad turn or that Zephyr got hurt on her watch. It was that Vashyron wasn't there because of his own doing and Leanne couldn't reconcile the part of her that admired him as an infallible hunter with the part that cared about him as a person and was aware of his faults. She didn't need Pater pointing it out. She already realized that and couldn't forgive herself for it. She blamed herself for what happened to avoid blaming someone else.

"I just don't know what to do," Leanne finished quietly, "Vashyron does so much for us. I never realized how much I took him for granted."

"I don't think there's anything you can do," Pater said simply, causing her to look up at him in alarm. "Ah that didn't come out right, but I think your already doing the best thing you can for him."

"I am?"

"Not everyone can just talk about their troubles. You're not judging him. You just being there and accepting him as he is should be enough."

"But doesn't he trust m—us?" Leanne was quick to amend her words.

"He trusts you to watch his back. What more can you want?" Leanne considered this seriously. After a moment, she sighed happily.

"Yeah, you're right." Pater wanted to say more. He wanted to tell her that her smile could make anyone forget their troubles, but that sounded too embarrassing in his head to even warrant speech. But he still felt he had to say something more. Anything

However, while Pater struggled to keep their conversation going, Leanne reached for her jacket, sliding it on in one swift motion, and carefully buttoning it up. "I should head back," she said, "It's getting late, and I'm worried about Zephyr being home alone." Her voice was laced with guilt. As she walked to the front door to retrieve her boots, she suddenly froze and pulled out a small device from her pocket.

"What's that?" Pater asked.

"Oh! The camera," she exclaimed, "Oh no! I completely forgot to report to Cardinal Barbarella." She panicked for a second but recomposed herself almost as quickly, "The level 2 elevator isn't that far, I may as well head on up and deliver the evidence."

"Would you like me to call and tell her you're on your way?"

"No, its better that you don't. Old trade secret: clients are less likely to send you away when you show up unexpected." Pater didn't say anything more, though he did allow himself to wonder. He supposed it did hold a ring of truth to it. He certainly wouldn't send away someone who had gone through the trouble of coming to him.

"Would you like me to go with you? Or at least walk you to the e-elevator?" Ah, he was starting to stammer again. If the two of them were alone together for that, would it count as something? Did this count as something?

"No that's alright. I've intruded upon enough of your evening," with her boots securely fastened, and the camera stowed away in her coat again, Leanne turned to him, a beautiful smile on her face. Her eyes were still a little red, but there was definitely a new glow to her, as if the weight of the world was lifted from her shoulders. "Thank you so much for everything, Cardinal." She bowed before him, not unlike no many others on a daily basis. Yet this upset him a bit. It was as if they had just made some progress in their friendship, only for the distance to resurface.

"Anytime, Miss Leanne," Pater didn't let that bother him though, "Would…would it be alright for me to stop by tomorrow? To see Zephyr, I mean."

"I don't think it would be a problem," she replied, "I'm sure he'd like that."

"See you tomorrow then, Miss Leanne."

"Yes, good night Car—Pater." Pater blinked. Or maybe the distance really was closing.

"You will remember what I said?" Theresa called as Vashyron walked down the stairs of her front entrance, back turned.

"Yes, of course. Thank you for hearing this fool out, Theresa," he joked. Theresa just shook her head at him.

"Don't thank me yet, I expect a nice discount the next time I hire you."

"You wound me." Vashyron replied dramatically, moving his hand over his heart as he turned, putting on the best hurt face he could. It was the game they played. Theresa had racked up quite a few discounts from him, but she had yet to actually use them. In time though…

"You'll survive. Good night Vashyron. Send my greetings to your employees as well."

"Good night, my lady," Vashyron stopped to bow deeply, a courtesy he rarely extended to the other Cardinals unless the fate of a job called for it. How ironic it was that the one person he respected enough to lower his head to was the one person who did not want such formalities from him. Theresa just shook her head at him again and turned around, retreating into her mansion. The doorman closed the door behind her and took his post in front of it. Vashyron continued on his way.

He knew he had to return to Sweet Home, but there was one other place he had to stop at first. With the evening's excitement (for lack of a better word), he let himself forget that their job was still unfinished. Since she was only an elevator ride away, he figured he could make the report himself. It wasn't like anyone was waiting for him to come home.

Vashyron didn't really know how to explain the incident. He would have to omit Zephyr's blindness since that didn't matter to her but he would have to reveal the damage to the Chemist's closet and the destruction of the evidence. That would come out of their pay for sure. I'll have to double up to make up the difference, Vashyron thought in frustration, while Zephyr's out, I should stick to deliveries mostly, though if Barbarella needs a handyman to repair that cave, I could probably do that. He would have to conserve ammo too. And sell off the better meats. Maybe I could get a job as that woman's meat supplier. Now there would be a job to pay the bills.

Vashyron let himself quietly fantasize the job offer. Barbarella's meat supplier...that job had shown up at the guild before, and it had paid pretty well. As long as he wasn't going to think about the fact that he stole Barbarella's vintage wine, destroyed the evidence of rebel activity in her Canyon and wrecked the entrance to its pharmacy, he could think of the rubies he would make by feeding her endless meat craving. It was a nice dream.

It was so nice that, when he reached the gate to Barbarella's manor, he almost didn't recognize the figure coming towards him, away from the house. She caught sight of him first. "Vashyron?" Leanne frowned when she saw him, effectively killing Vashyron's mood. "What are you doing here?" There was no anger in her voice. She sounded uneasy, but that was not too different from how she normally talked.

"I was going to report to Barbarella," he explained, sure to keep his voice calm, unwilling to upset Leanne again. "I see we had the same idea."

"Yeah, I guess so." Her reply was tense.

"How did it go?"

"I explained the situation to her doorman and gave him the film from the camera. He promised that someone would call Sweet Home in the morning, to discuss the payment, since he wasn't sure if he could give the full pay under the circumstances. I'm sorry; I don't really know how to negotiate payments."

"Its fine," Vashyron was grateful for that. Leanne didn't have the businessman's drive and could easily settle for less than they deserved. He didn't say that though. "Good work."

"Thanks." They began to walk to the elevator in silence; Leanne fumbled with her gloves, while Vashyron just stared straight ahead. It was easy to discuss his plans with Theresa, but it wasn't easy to execute them. Did he just come out and apologize or bring up the topic first? Did Leanne even want to hear it?

Unknown to him, Leanne struggled with the same dilemma. She knew she needed to apologize, but how did one do that in this situation? Vashyron wasn't even looking at her. They were two people, walking through Chandelier at night beside each other, yet miles apart. It was maddening.

The silence persisted up until they boarded the Core Lift. It wasn't until the elevator began its descent that Leanne finally spoke,

"Vashyron."

"Hm?"

"I…um…you see…the thing is…" her face heated up as she struggled with the words. Vashyron just looked in some direction. He didn't say anything. Leanne sighed and took a deep breath. "I know you were drinking last night." There she said it. She probably shouldn't have, but she didn't know how else to get his attention. It worked. He turned to her, with a rueful smile.

"So…wanna yell at me too?"

"What? No!" She wasn't going to back down. At her sides, her hands clenched into fists. "It's not just last night. I know that you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and reach for the liquor. You try to be quiet, but the walls are really thin!"

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you with that." There was a sharp defensiveness in his voice. Leanne had to make her point quicker.

"No! You should wake me up. You should come straight into my room and bang pots and pans if neces—okay don't do that, we might scare the neighbors, but you shouldn't suffer through your most dramatic stress—

"Post traumatic stress?"

"Again?" Vashyron raised a brow in confusion. "Sorry, forget it. But you shouldn't suffer through it alone. I…" she looked Vashyron directly in the eye. "I am only one door away. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but you don't have to pretend that nothing bothers you. You don't have to be perfect all the time." There she said it. She broke her gaze as she felt her face heat up in embarrassment. I wonder, am I saying that to him or myself?

Moments passed. Vashyron didn't say anything. The only sound between them was the gears squeaking as the elevator descended. Finally Vashyron sighed, suppressing a chuckle.

"I'm just such an idiot." He reached out to ruffle her hair. She swerved around, red as a tomato. "If both of you are telling me the same thing, it must be true."

"Both?"

"Don't worry about it." He stood up straight, taking on a serious expression again, "Thanks Leanne. I needed to hear that. Really."

"Then—

"I'm probably not going to wake you up by banging pots and pans together. That's your forte," she stuck her tongue out in protest, "But I'll definitely keep your words in mind."

Some more silence passed between them before Vashyron added, "I know that you have your share of rough nights too. I don't appreciate loud banging noises, but if you want to wake me up quietly…" He gestured a "go-ahead" with his hand. Leanne frowned.

"You…know about those?"

"The walls are thin." She considered it.

"You don't have to be perfect all the time either," he added softly.

"When am I ever perfect?"

"I mean that you don't have to act like everything's okay either. Follow Zephyr's example. If you're happy, laugh. It you're sad, cry. If you're mad, go beat the stuffing out of the dolls at the arena." Leanne laughed at this.

"My, I never thought I'd actually hear you use Zephyr as a good example." She joked, feeling that old sense of familiarity returning.

"What can I say? Kid has his charm. That's why I keep him."

They were okay.

When the Core Lift reached Level 4, the two were laughing like old friends who hadn't had such a stressful evening between them. As they approached Sweet Home though, the mood faded. "Leanne," Vashyron called to her before she could open the door. "I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"About earlier. I shouldn't have blown up at you two the way I did. Your performance today may have been below our usual standard but you completed the most important part without fail."

"We did?"

"You came back alive. At the end of the day, that's all that matters."

"Vashyron," she smiled softly.

"Hey, I'm not done. Let me have my sappy moment now," he cleared his throat, "To be honest, I don't know if I drank too much last night. It doesn't really matter at this point. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you guys needed me, but you survived and came home to tell the tale. I do care about you both. Don't forget that."

"I never doubted it," Leanne looked upwards, "I'm sorry too."

"Apologies accepted., deal?"

"Deal," she placed a hand on the door, "You and Zephyr will be okay, right?"

"Of course," Vashyron replied, "Don't worry Leanne. His bark is really nothing compared to his bite." Leanne smiled. The door to Sweet Home opened with a welcoming creak.

(I hope my comma use improved!)

Part 4 will be uploaded sometime after August 10th. However, I warn in advance that there may be a delay because it probably needs to be rewritten from scratch to fit in with this chapter...*Sigh*