Author Note: I'm not really sure if I'll have a proper update schedule with this. It's more or less as it comes to me. Anywho, this chapter does hold a post-plot spoiler (although modified), so heads up!

The morning sun shone through the open window of Sonja's room. A gentle sea breeze floated through, both scent and feel stirring her awake. Her eyes slowly flickered open, taking in the sight of the fluttering curtains at the other end of the room before her brain decided to come online and register that it was time to get up.

But her bed was so comfy.

A few more minutes wouldn't hurt. Sonja thought to herself as she closed her eyes. She let out a gentle moan as she rolled over, moving her sheets over her shoulders and nestling her head back against her pillow. She exhaled contently through her nose, ready to drift back off into dreamland.

Something felt…odd.

Sonja opened her eyes back up and her heart suddenly dropped into her stomach as she noticed two sets looking back at her.

The dragon priestess let out a startled scream as she scrambled backwards in her bed, falling out and hitting the floor with a heavy thud. The two children that were nestled beside her began giggling and climbed over to the edge of the bed, their fingers curling around the mattress corner and their eyes and nose poking over the sign to see the young woman slowly putting her weight behind her on her hands, her pink hair dishevelled.

"What are you two doing in my bed?" Sonja asked tiredly, mild irritation pecking at her tone.

"We had nightmares." Quinn moved her mouth over the side of the bed so it wouldn't be muffled by the sheets, her red hair messy from sleep. Kelsey shyly nodded in agreement beside her.

"Both of you?" Sonja sighed as she watched them both nod. She gingerly rubbed at her eyes before picking herself up and dusting off her behind from her fall, "Wake me up next time so I don't get so…surprised."

"You did wake up! Kind of." Quinn said as she sat up on her knees, still looking adorable as ever in her pink pajamas that were dotted with cartoon woollies. "You didn't open your eyes but you went 'yeah ok yeah' and put your head under the blanket."

Kelsey nodded in return as he copied Quinn's sitting position, his own pajamas much like hers, but blue and with buffamoo.

Sonja sighed once again. They tried, at least. She shook her head, "Alright, well, go get dressed. I'm sure Father Gerard is already awake and ready to take you for your baths."

The pair of siblings scurried off of her bed and out of her room, leaving the door opened in their wake.

Sonja moved towards the door, gently closing it as the echo of their feet disappeared down the hall. After it clicked into place, she leaned her forehead against the wood, the events of the day already making her more tired than she would like to admit. Her eyes fluttered shut and she swore she could fall asleep right where she stood.

"That's a good look for you."

Sonja gasped sharply as she spun around, her back pressed against the door and her wide eyes shooting towards the opposite end of the room. A pair of arms rested lazily on her window sill, a head of silver hair ducked in and a grin stretched over his face. "A total mess and taking care of two kids."

"Aden, you creep!" Sonja yelled as she marched over to the window, not caring that her nightgown was wrinkled and one of the straps was hanging off her shoulder. She rested her hands onto the window sill as she glared at the Dragon Knight, "What are you doing looking in my window?!"

"Relax." Aden said carelessly, amused by Sonja's irritation. "I heard a scream and checked to see if everything was okay." He lifted one of his hands and flicked Sonja's nose, which she squinted against, "Should have known it was just you being a scaredy-cat."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Sonja retorted with her own flick of her fingers to Aden's nose, "I remember when you used to get scared by your own shadow!"

Sonja wrinkled her nose in agitation as Aden started laughing. How come he always got such pleasure out of making her mad? Goodness, did she ever hate it. It was only now that she realized the length of time that it had been since she had actually spoken to her friend, and how not only yesterday she was moping because of it.

"Of course you pick the worst time to finally come see me, too!"

"Hey, give me a break. It's hard being married." Aden rubbed the back of his head, a habit Sonja knew he was saying something that was hard for him to admit. "Odette isn't exactly 'low maintenance'. I'm taking on a lot of chores that I don't even know how to do."

"So Mr. Dragon Knight finally realises how much his adorable best friend did for him." Sonja toyed, a smirk appearing over her lips.

"Stop calling yourself adorable."

"You're so mean!" Sonja huffed, but she couldn't help but smile. It felt like the weight of depression the last few weeks have caused her finally lifted off her shoulders just by partaking in familiar conversation. "If you have so many chores to do, why are you hanging around out here?"

"Just went out for a walk." Aden said as he shrugged his shoulders, shifting his weight more against the window sill than his feet, "Have stuff to do soon as I get back so I'm taking my time."

"Is Odette finally making you cook?" Sonja smirked, "Since that's the only thing I could never make you do."

"No way, she has too much pride for that." A broad grin stretched across his face, "So you can stop trying. It's a lost cause."

"You're a lost cause."

"Ha, ha, ha." Aden mock laughed. He pushed himself from the window sill, his hands following to his sides as soon as he stood up straight, "I guess I'd better start heading back. Don't want to hear any lectures about time management and duties."

"Have fun with that."

"Oh, I will." Aden said as he returned Sonja's sarcasm. He gave a wave as he began to walk off, "See you later."

"It better not be three weeks later!" Sonja shouted out the window to Aden's back. Smiling to herself, she ducked herself back in and pulled the window shut, drawing the curtains over. While it was unexpected, the visit definitely put her into higher spirits. It renewed what little hope she had before that Aden hadn't completely forgotten about her. She wished he had some time to actually spend, perhaps to go to the beach or fishing from the seaside cavern, but perhaps that could be scheduled at another time.

She would let herself have that hope, anyway.

Realizing that she was still messy from sleep, Sonja moved herself to her dresser to get prepared for the day. Her clothing from yesterday was much too dirt-stained to be worn from her battling. Sliding open the drawers, she fetched herself a few standard articles and tossed them onto her bed before shutting the drawer. She stripped herself off her night gown and tucked it under her pillow before putting on clean undergarments. She pulled on her black, cotton pants that cut off halfway over her calves and threw a white tunic over her head. She plunked down onto her bed to fetch a few of her usual accessories from her bedside drawer and, when she opened it up, she froze at the sight of the dirtied mask she had placed in there the night before.

I had completely forgotten about that… Sonja thought as she swallowed dryly. She reached around the mask, pulling out her copper braces and a chain link belt before slamming the drawer shut. She didn't want to think about that wretched find, but she couldn't help it. It occupied her thoughts as she snapped her braces over the sleeves of her shirt at her wrists and pulled the belt around her hips, over her shirt and clipped it together. She picked up a brush that had been set by her bed and began untangling her pink hair.

Suddenly, an answer.

"Pandora!" Sonja gasped to herself. She tossed her brush aside and hastily shoved her feet into her beige boots, lacing them up quickly before darting out the door and out of the church, dashing towards the eastern side of the island where Pandora was sure to be.

"Ah! My faithful minion." Pandora smiled as she watched Sonja approach her sitting on the edge of the fountain behind the inn. Her purple scarf danced around her calmly and she gracefully pushed some of her silver locks of hair behind her shoulder, her pink eyes always seeming to stare right through someone. "Your visage does not displease me."

"Nice to see you too, Pandora." Sonja smiled. She had always liked the arch-sorcerous, even if her motives were rather skewed. She seemed to hell-bent on world domination, yet her other actions prove her to be too kind and docile to ever do such a thing. Not only was her grace and fluid movements something to be envious of, but Pandora was a fountain of knowledge – something Sonja was hoping could be to her benefit.

"I have some questions I wanted to ask you, but I want them to stay…between us."

"How could a ruler be trusted by the masses if she could not hold the secrets her minions bestow upon her?" Pandora gestured her hands out, making her single sentence to appear more dramatic than it was. "What is it you would like to know, minion?"

Sonja looked over her shoulders, checking to see if anyone had been in a listening proximity, but no one was to be seen. She turned her attention back towards the arch-sorcerous. "Do you know anything about the Masked Man?"

"My mind is a library of many truths and tales. The Masked Man is one of them."

Sonja's chest tensed as her next question spilled out, "Do you know if he has a real form?"

"A 'real' form can be argued." Pandora leaned forward, crossing her legs and letting her elbow rest against her knee, her chin in her palm. "Body, soul, spirit, artifact, totem…all of which can be very real, but some more than others."

"Body, then. Do you know if he has a body?"

Pandora's delicate fingers strummed against her chin. Her pink eyes looked upwards in thought as a gentle hum came from between her closed lips. "It is believed that at one point in time, he did. He was a mere common man, no more acknowledgeable than the individuals we pass on a daily basis."

"What about now?"

"In this present time, I am unsure. My knowledge extends more towards the past." Pandora eyed Sonja curiously, "What brings about these peculiar questions, minion?"

Sonja bit her lower lip, hesitant to answer, but Pandora's stare had a way of dipping into your soul. She couldn't back away without supplying it. "There are just some thoughts I've been having since he has been defeated. I know he had my body because taking one of the Dragon Priestesses would keep their power from inflicting him." Sonja placed her hands onto her hips, her eyes cast towards her feet in thought, "But he didn't leave with my body. Where did he go?"

"The magnificent thing about magic and the dark arts is that the soul can be extracted from the body and may also return to it." Pandora explained, "Or it may return to whatever has been housing the soul. Or—"

"Or?"

"Or if the soul held enough power and resilience, it could simply live without a host."

Sonja gently dug at the ground with the toe of her boot, "Oh."

"Do you not believe his soul was destroyed?"

"Can it be?"

"It is possible, yes." Pandora nodded with a knowing smile, "Considerably more difficult than destroying the host, but very possible. Destroying the host is about ruining its make-up, whether it be striking a body's vital points or shattering an amulet. Destroying a soul is about destroying its power."

"It's power?"

"A concoction of hope, strength, knowledge, and resolve."

"I see…" Sonja said quietly as she stared down at her feet, her toe still kicking against the white stone that paved the ground, "So if those four things were broken down, then his soul would be gone?"

"Precisely." Pandora nodded, her silver hair falling back in front of her shoulders. "I believe I understand your concern, as it is hard to deem an enemy as defeated when you cannot see their form fallen before you, but-" Pandora unfolded her legs and scooted herself off of the fountain and onto her feet, "Look around you, minion. The island is at peace. The very waters around it dare not to do more than to gently lap at its cliffs. The very state of our home should be enough proof of his demise."

After a moment of hesitation, Sonja gently nodded her head before a small smile appeared on her features. "Thank you, Pandora. You really are a great sorcerous."

"A great arch-sorcerous." Pandora corrected, her tone turning commanding like it normally was. "Besides, no one would dare launch an attack on such a place where I reside. They would be the fool of a fly to my grand venus fly trap!"

Sonja giggled as she watched Pandora confidently stride down the path towards the beach, taking her leave. Perhaps she was right. Sonja had been there during the final battle – she saw how the Masked Man fell. His exhaustion, his tired gaze, the defeated slump in his shoulders – well, technically her shoulders – but it was all there. How much more could a soul be destroyed than that moment? That moment where everything he had meticulously planned had failed?

Yes, it was foolish to have doubt. Sonja couldn't help but start laughing away her nerves as she stood alone by the fountain.

"What are you laughing about?"

For once, Sonja wasn't scared out of her wits by someone coming up from behind her. She looked over her shoulder and turned around as her laughs died down, seeing Joe approach her with his signature grin. "Nothing important."

"Someone's going to think you're crazy if you're caught laughing alone like that." Joe smiled as he closed the distance between the two.

Sonja simply shook her head, dismissing the notion of her being crazy. Had he seen the earlier events of the day, she would be sure he would really think she was on her way to the loony-bin. "What's up?"

"I was heading down to the beach. Figured I'd catch some sun. Summer is coming pretty fast." Joe said as he motioned his hand towards the slope towards the beach. "Glad I ran into you, though. I had something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Sonja tilted her head to the side, her curiosity peaked. "What is it?"

"Uh, ca-can we walk for a bit first?" Joe cleared his throat, "Kinda helps to walk and talk, y'know?"

"Sure." Sonja said with a smile, "Lead the way."

The pair walked down the path toward the beach and across the beach in silence. Sonja occasionally looked over at Joe to see if he was ready to start talking, but when he said nothing, she remained silent so that she wouldn't upset his train of thought. He did seem rather nervous, but seemed to calm a little with the walk that brought them eventually to the seaside cavern.

Joe eventually stopped walking, and Sonja came to a stop just a few steps before him, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I think here is far enough." Joe said, "Sorry to drag you away."

"No, it's fine." Sonja said as she shook her head, "So, what's up?"

"You know the girl I've been talking to you and Aden about?"

Sonja's eyes lit up with memory. More than once had Joe badgered her and Aden about whom this mystery girl was, and they were as in the dark as Joe was. She hadn't thought much about it, figuring Joe was seeing things. He was rather eccentric as it was. "Yeah, the girl you said you were in love with, right? That was going into our house?"

"Uh, yeah." Joe cleared his throat nervously into his fist as he darted his eyes away. "Yeah, I, uh, I found out who she is."

"Really?" Sonja clasped her hands behind her back, the weight on her feet shifting slightly as she prepared to hear Joe go on about this mystery girl. "Who is she? Do I know her?"

"Y-yeah…yeah you definitely know her." Joe slowly exhaled through his mouth, seeming to grow more nervous with each second. He started to feel his hands get sweaty and wiped them against the sides of his pants, "See, uh, that girl…was you."

Sonja's curious smile dropped from her face. "…What?"

"It was you, Sonja." Joe summoned up the courage to turn his eyes back towards Sonja and he licked his drying lips.

"But," Sonja stared blankly at Joe. What in the world was he talking about? The girl was her? It was impossible. "But I didn't have my body back."

"Yeah, I know. I know it sounds crazy but I know the girl I saw was you!" Joe dryly swallowed as he tried to rebuild his usual confidence. He tried placing his hands on his hips to help. "I know exactly what I saw. It was you – the same face, the same hair, the same eyes – the same everything! I don't know how I saw you, Sonja, I really don't. But I did."

"…I—"

"Look, if you need proof," Joe locked his honey brown eyes onto Sonja's green ones and felt a nervous pit grow in his stomach. There was a new element to his stare –desire that was desperately trying to make itself known. "My heart feels like it's going to burst right now."

Sonja's hands fidgeted behind her back and she felt her palms become clammy. Her lips parted to say something, but she felt her mouth become dry and the words get stuck in her throat.

"So, uh," Joe started up again, seeing Sonja rather lost for words, "That girl I said I loved…that was you. I don't know how you feel about me but I know that I really, really want to date you." Joe seemed to weaken with the latter part of his sentence, his nervousness getting the better of him, and he took a deep breath to keep his knees from shaking. "So…would you please go out with me?"

What.

Sonja felt an uneasiness stirring in her stomach. The things Joe had said about this mystery woman, how she was perfect, delicate, how he wanted to protect her – that was all about her. She almost felt embarrassed by his confession. That amount of attention had never been given to her before, partially because her and Aden had been so close that it was often assumed they would become an item, and partially because she just assumed she wasn't dating material. Being told the exact opposite was overwhelming.

"I-I'm sorry, Joe." Sonja eventually managed to croak out after a deep breath, "I just…I can't think of dating anyone right now."

The look of hurt crossing Joe's face made Sonja's heart feel heavy with guilt. His brows dropped and she could see his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed down the rejection. He tried to grin, but it looked forced and awkward, "I-its okay. Really! It's too soon…"

A sudden spark twinkled in Joe's eye as his grin disappeared from his face, "Wait."

"Hm?" Sonja's brows knitted together in confusion, "Wait what?"

"You said you can't date me now…" The cogs turned in Joe's head, and his regular smile began to stretch across his face, "But that doesn't mean you can't date me later, right?"

"Uh-"

"Oh man!" A fit of excited laughter escaped Joe as he enthusiastically punched the air. "I am so pumped! I am going to woo you like crazy!"

Sonja began to shake her head, her hands following suit in front of her, "Oh, Joe, I don't think that's a good idea—"

"I'll see you later, Sonja!" Joe interrupted, not hearing Sonja's words over his own excitement, "I've got to hit the drawing board!"

As quick as his epiphany came on, he darted away, laughing as a new spring entered his step.

"…Oh…kay?" Sonja blinked as she stared at where Joe once stood. At least she had a moment to be alone to digest all of what just happened. Her stomach was still turning with nervousness. Butterflies were wildly flapping around and she placed a hand to her middle to try and calm them. Joe was handsome – there was no denying it. His face was rather manly with a strong jaw line and cheekbones and his chin garnished with red fuzz, and his smile had its own unique charm. His confidence and extraversion was rather attractive as well, but Sonja had never seen him in a light other than a friendly one. She didn't know how she felt about him at all. Heck, she never even thought about dating in general. Her life was always so consumed with other things that it never crossed her mind.

Sonja let out a tired sigh as she ran her fingers back through her hair, "Guess I'm going to learn what 'wooing' involves, huh?"