A/N: Welcome to 'Senseless fluff, Pt.2'. This time, we get to discover those mysterious bits of Jade's past that have been eluding us and our daring Princess for half of the story. There have been many cameos or references to other series and Tales of games in the past, but I believe this one takes the cake. I'll talk about them at the end of the chapter! For now, read and enjoy, thanks so much for keeping up until now!
Chapter 7: The eye of the storm
Day Eight
Jade had noticed right away that the princess had been following him for quite some time. Natalia wasn't being discreet about it either. On his way there, Jade made sure to walk slower than usual, so that she'd not lose him as she tagged along. He could even hear her rough stepping on the snow and her breath growing heavier from walking out in the cold, apparently she hadn't grown used to it yet, even if a week had already passed. Once he reached the flower shop, just as he intended ever since he left the house, he decided it was time to cut the chase and talk to her already.
"I'm amazed you didn't follow me earlier during the week." He said, as he turned around and offered her a flower from the bouquet. There were white flowers mixed with some blue and purple ones that had yet to blossom.
"You knew…?" She said, surprised he was placing the blue flower on her hair, behind her ear with a large smile on his lips. "I… I didn't want to intrude or anything, but you've been acting strange since the other day… I grew worried."
"Aww, how nice of you." Jade mocked, gesturing her to the exit of the shop. She followed him on his way through, the destination still unknown to her. "I suppose you have no idea what I've been doing, right?"
"No… but if you're carrying flowers, I imagine you're visiting someone?" She said. Jade smile grew wider, as he perceived a small tint of envy on Natalia's words. He was unable to contain a brief, yet loud laughter.
"Yes, you're totally right. You caught me red-handed." He shrugged and stopped for a few seconds, just to look at the startled look on her face. Her defeated expression almost made him feel proud of himself. "I'm visiting a very special lady. We met a long, long time ago, and we have… quite a story together. I think you both would be really good friends with each other. Would you mind coming with me? I'd love you to meet her!"
"...sure", Natalia answered with spite, still unaware of the Necromancer's intentions. Jade smiled, and cheerfully walked her across the city. They passed by the casino and the plaza, they even went further away from the hill they'd seen the dawn days earlier. Natalia started to suspect something was odd.
Her suspicions were proven right when Jade greeted the guard from the graveyard. Without adding another word, he walked her through several rows of headstones and mausoleums, until they reached a small crypt that had the inscription "Balfour" atop of it.
"Here we are. Natalia, I want you to meet this special lady we've been talking about." His voice didn't sound cheerful but it was still filled with his usual sarcasm. Even if she didn't admit it, it hurt her when he spoke like that, even if she understood she had it coming from making the wrong assumption he was seeing someone behind her back.
"I'm sorry…"
"I told you I don't have many friends. I went away from this place when I was fourteen and the town has grown a lot since then, so I don't know many people from here. The ones I did know… well, they're either living in Grand Chokmah or buried around here."
Natalia stared at the tombstones in silence. Orpheus and Andromeda Balfour's names were scripted on the large gravestone, just beneath their feet. There was enough space to carve two more names on the headstone, and Natalia knew immediately which ones were supposed to occupy those places. A shiver ran down her spine, as she realized the implications for that to happen. Worse than that, she realized the Balfours' wishes to be together after death with their children would, most likely, not be granted.
As she stared dumbfounded at the names, she noticed there were already a couple of bouquets placed atop of the crypt. Natalia's eyes darted up to meet with Jade's, but he was looking far off into the distance. Without saying another word, he started to walk into that direction, and she unconsciously followed suit. They moved for some minutes in complete silence. A cold, dead silence surrounded them, it was only filled by the whistle of the wind and the distant sobs of mourning families that also visited the cemetery.
After a while, Jade stopped in front of a large, beautiful sculpture of an angel. It had its wings resting, flexed over its shoulders, as if they were shielding the tired body of the creature. The angel rested on its knees, with its hands facing the sky, as if pledging for a miracle. Natalia gasped when she read the inscription beneath the angel's feet: "Gelda Nebilim", There were no flowers, and the snow covered the ground around the tombstone. In comparison to his parents' grave, he had not visited his mentor's resting place at all during their stay in Keterburg.
Unable to say a word, the Princess watched Jade for a while. He wasn't smiling, but had a blank expression on his face. Natalia assumed that ever since they had defeated the replica four years ago, he'd not visited her memorial even once. He didn't look sad or regretful, but he seemed absent from his own body at that very moment. His eyes didn't focus anywhere in particular, and his hands didn't even seem to grip onto the white bouquet he'd brought to her. She was scared that if the wind blew stronger, he might as well disappear into the snow. After a few minutes, he knelt and placed the flowers, without saying anything else. Just as he did it, he stood up again and walked back to where he came from.
Natalia didn't know why, but her body reacted before her mind could even fathom what she had done. She stretched her arm just as he walked past her and held into his sleeve, stopping him immediately. Jade froze and did not oppose any resistance, but he didn't turn around to face her. Slowly, she reached out to him and laced her arms around his waist from behind his back. He felt the pressure of the Princess' head against his spine; as she embraced him, he let his own body relax to her touch. Perhaps if it hadn't been for her, he'd not have come to visit the Professor's grave in first place. He had not found the courage to face the facts and head towards the tomb for so many years, and in recent times he'd been avoiding it at all cost. Jade knew Natalia would follow suit that day. Only because she was there had he managed to leave his parents' graves and place some flowers for Professor Nebilim.
He turned around slightly and hugged her back, resting his chin atop of her head. Her hair smelled of a mixture between honey and chamomile, the perfume was really soothing itself, but her touch was what made him feel as calm as he was. Jade had trouble admitting the fact that they'd grown so close because of the similarities they shared. After all, he'd said it before, he wasn't into mutual wound licking. In their case, it was different. Those wounds were not recent, either intentional or self-inflicted. Natalia had suffered her own share of bitterness and she'd not asked for any of it. Even in her sheltered life as a princess, she'd taken so many unnoticeable blows that had hurt her deeply. Eventually. he'd come to feel an incredible empathy towards her. Some might have thought it was pity, but he knew it was something beyond mere sympathy. In some way, she was the only one who had gone through the same tragedy as him, the same traumatic experience of losing the person she loved and admired the most.
Even after all that, she had a kind, loving soul. Spoiled, childish and stubborn as she was, she had a humble and good-willed spirit Jade couldn't help but admire of her. Their situations were so similar, and yet she'd moved on, she'd learned how to be loved instead of feared, in comparison to himself. Were those things he liked so much about her twisting into something else? It was a constant question Jade had been asking himself for the entire week. He held her tightly, waiting for the princess to let go eventually. Just as he held her, he started to ponder if he'd not been using his idealized image of Natalia as a supplement for something else… for someone else…
"I need to talk to you about something." He said, pushing her shoulders slightly for her to move back. He glanced at her pale green eyes, and he saw the light in them penetrate into his own with curiosity and some sort of affection he could not manage to classify. It was one thing that frustrated him so much about her: after almost five years of being his friend, Jade was never able to pinpoint what his feelings for her were. Was she a really close friend and confident? Was she a child who needed guidance? Was she an idealized replacement of something he considered lost? Jade let out a small chuckle. Perhaps what frustrated him the most was just the fact that she made him feel something.
Jade left the graveyard and told the princess to meet him at the house later. He needed some time on his own to think, he said, and Natalia agreed to see him in the evening. However, she made him promise to talk to her about whatever crossed his mind earlier. It was the right time to do it. If she didn't press him enough about it, he'd never say a word. She left the cemetery with a large sigh, with a taste of defeat lingering on her mouth. Sometimes that taste felt bitter, sometimes bland or even tasteless, and at times it was salty as the tears she almost felt forming in her eyes, which she kicked back each time. That evening, it was a strange mix of those three sensations. Something about the image of a broken Jade made her feel weak on the knees… not even when they faced the replica had he looked so vulnerable. However, he shattered right in front of her eyes just some minutes ago. She'd never imagined Jade would ever show himself emotionally open to something, not even Professor Nebilim's death.
After walking for a while beneath the soft snow, she found herself in front of a corner store, with bright, colorful bottles of liquor displayed on its windows. She imagined that the fact that the town was a resort, and that it snowed for twenty hours a day, alcohol was a common product to be bought by the locals. She remembered, on the multiple times she'd gone out for dinner with Jade, he would usually ask for a glass of wine or a strong whisky, instead of a cup of coffee or a cup of tea. She imagined he got his taste from the time he had to live in Keterburg, even if he was very young, or because Grand Chokmah was a cold city as well, especially during the winter as it was surrounded by a waterfall. Baticul, even if cold during the winters, had never seen the snow fall. It was the first time in her life she had spent this much time in the frozen city, and yet, it almost felt like it had been a long time since she arrived. She decided to buy a bottle of wine before heading back to their house. It'd either be a good thing to take with their dinner, or something that the Necromancer would surely appreciate, mostly if he truly wanted to talk at last.
She entered the house after walking back from the store and headed into the kitchen for a pair of glasses. Afterwards, she set on the quest to find her fiancé, but it didn't take long, as Jade was sitting on the balcony on the second floor, glancing away from her direction. As soon as he heard her steps, he spoke but did not turn around.
"You took longer than I expected".
"I stopped at the corner store. I think you'll appreciate a glass of this, the vendor said it was from a really nice harvest." Jade finally turned around and grabbed the bottle, inspecting the label on its side. He admitted the vendor was right, and poured them both a glass of wine. Natalia sat beside him and watched as the sun went down on the horizon. "So… you wanted to talk."
"... yes. I think it's time I tell you", the Necromancer admitted. He sipped from the glass and placed it down, his fingers fidgeted with the top for a while before he proceeded. "I'll start after the facts you know from the story. Do you remember I mentioned something about the Score some days ago?" Natalia nodded, but she did not understand what did it have to do with anything. "When I turned seventeen, almost three years after the incident with the Professor happened, I had my birthday Score told to me. These are not the exact words… mind that it has been almost twenty years from that and that the phrase was in Ancient Hispanian…" He fixed his lenses and shifted his position slightly. "For the one who shall be known as the master of the undead, those with the blessing of Yulia shall never become one with fulfillment. It is his fate, as a harbinger of death itself, that those who breach into his soul shall see their own torch in the flames of destiny."
"That's… that's terrible!" Natalia said, understanding the implicit message his Score read. "W-what did it mean with… blessing of Yulia?"
"It is a common expression in Ancient Hispanian to refer to women, in reference to beauty and fertility. Yet I believe it also meant anyone who might have been blessed with happiness." Jade sighed, closing his eyes. "Of course, it didn't predict death. When the first verses were read on the closed Score, it had predicted the Professor's death. When this was read to me, several years later, it predicted a series of tragedies that would come… because people became close to me."
Natalia began to understand many things about Jade that she had never seen before. For instance, his stubbornness during his youth to bring Professor Nebilim back, and later, his harsh attempts to save Luke and find out what happened to him after he returned years later. He kept fighting his own destiny, opposing to the constant, looming idea that all of the tragedies that happened to people close to him were actually his fault.
"As you may know, I resented the Score since then, and I tried to go against it. I even tried to deny it ever existed. Nothing would happen, people would not get hurt because of me anymore. If I managed to bring her back, nothing would go as the Score had said… back then, I sounded an awful lot like Dist." He shivered, but after blinking several times he pulled himself back into reality and he continued. "Two things showed me I was unable to break from this unfortunate chain of tragedies. The first ones were my parents, their illnesses and subsequent deaths. Even if it wasn't directly my fault, I assumed it had something to do with the Score. If it hadn't been for me… perhaps it wouldn't have happened. The second one was Nephry's engagement."
"Don't tell me you blame yourself for that… it wasn't you fault."
"It's all connected, Natalia. The Score said that those close to me couldn't achieve happiness and fulfillment. Nephry's Score read she had to marry a man she loathed and let go of her childhood sweetheart… who also happened to be my best friend." Jade sighed deeply and sipped from the wine again. "Peony lost the love of his life… I kept telling myself those were just coincidences, but as time passed, I noticed they weren't. Sometime later, my adoptive sister from the Curtiss family lost two of her children… the older one in an accident, and the younger one was stillborn. I couldn't look away from fate anymore, but I still tried. I started to cut my bonds with people by that time, believing it would be better for everyone. However, I…" he remained silent for a long time, unable to continue.
Natalia grabbed his hand, trying to push him into speaking. Her eyes were those of patience and compassion, nevertheless, as if she was telling him to stop if he didn't want to keep on with the story. "... there was someone I couldn't let go so easily. I don't know if it was because of my research or if I actually had feelings for her, I… I still don't know for sure. By that time, I was obsessed with bringing the Professor back and perfecting fomicry, I didn't care for anything else. Sapphir kept pushing me into doing it, saying we were closer each time. We had an assistant, that I'd gladly call a friend and a colleague. I can't tell if it was love or not, but we were together for a couple of years... Her name was Emeraude."
"...was?" Natalia asked, noticing the grim undertone on his voice as he finally spoke of her.
"It is the first time I've talked about her in such a long time. Even Peony doesn't know much about her... I guess Sapphir never noticed what was going on between us, he didn't actually care." He laughed briefly. "During my accident, when we believed we had finally perfected the technique to create replicas, the machine got out of control and the spell itself backfired. I was caught on it, but came out with minor injuries, even if they were terrible at the moment, they held no life-long consequences. Em… wasn't so lucky. She got hit by the machinery and got paralyzed from the waist down, tied to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. I understood by then that she'd be better as far away from us and from my research as possible, so I took her out of the project and broke off our relationship. I don't think she ever forgave me for it. She joined another research team in Sheridan later on but… I believe she passed away some years ago due to complications from the accident, at least that's what a common friend told me."
"Jade, that's horrible…"
"It doesn't end there, unfortunately." He frowned. Natalia was afraid he might crush the glass if he kept pressing his fingers against it like that. "I cut bonds with her, with everyone at the research lab, even Sapphir. Peony and my sister were the only ones close to me, but I still kept my distance for their own sake. Years had gone on without minor incidents… until I met a whole bunch of troublesome kids."
"None of it was your fault-!"
"Anise lost Ion and almost lost her parents to Mohs. Tear lost her brother and her mentor, she saw them die twice in front of her eyes, and her beloved disappeared for two years when everything was over. Guy remembered his past and saw his sister die several times in front of his eyes, not to mention what happened to his cousin Cecille. Luke suffered through everything from Akzeriuth and beyond, we don't even know what happened to him in the end… and don't even let me get started with you. From all of them, you were the one who had it worse after Luke. From all of them… I believe you're the only one who's not found her way back into happiness."
"Jade, the Score is not working anymore…" Jade interrupted her once again placing a hand on her cheek, which startled her. He did that so that she'd look at him straight in the eyes, unable to turn away, but she felt as if he was about to pull her closer to him.
"Wouldn't you be scared of it either way? Wouldn't you feel the crippling sensation of having the people you love getting hurt in front of your eyes, and you're to blame for it? Even die right in front you?" He sighed, as he noticed he was being too honest and he was opening himself far too much with her. "My parents died, with a broken family and from terrible illnesses. I killed my mentor and my lover because of my naivety. My obsessions practically turned Sapphir mad. My best friend and Nephry had lived a bitter life away from each other… Izumi lost her children… you kids are each a walking tragedy… if you were in my shoes, wouldn't you be reluctant to show yourself to others? To bring yourself closer to people?" He breathed harshly, knowing he was stepping into dangerous territory. "If you knew loving him would have killed Asch, would you have done it?"
"..."
"It's not easy. I don't like marriages or bonds with people for many reasons… but I believe you get the bigger picture when I tell you I'm better off alone. Don't you think it is hard for me growing this close to you, knowing it could even kill you?"
"Jade…" Natalia placed her fingers atop of his hand, and brought the other up to her face as well. It was a very intimate gesture, but she didn't mind. She needed to feel him close, after seeing him slip away in his rampage of despair. "... I honestly don't care of what your Score might have said. It doesn't work anymore. Besides… I never believed I'd ever tell you this, actually… it is better to live a minute being this close to you, rather than a life without you here. Don't ever think of pushing me away, or anyone else for that matter. No one blamed you for their own tragedies, but they're sure right to not forgive you for letting them go. You were the one blaming himself the whole time."
"You didn't answer the question." He mocked, pushing his forehead into hers.
"Of course I'd be scared. But I'd do it anyway. You asked about Asch… I'd love him again and again if I had the chance. Even if it killed him, I'd die as well just to love him, living, once more. Just as much as I'm willing to…" She interrupted herself, closing her eyes briefly and shaking her head. "No, never mind. that's not the point. I… I'm going to make you an offer, take it or leave it." Jade glared at her in confusion, but Natalia giggled to shake off her nervousness. "Do it. Let's get closer, let's become friends, best friends, spouses, even! I want you to show yourself that your Score is wrong. What's the worst that could happen? If you get me killed you'd… I don't want to call it that, but you'd be doing me a favor. I'd not get to marry you and I'd get to be with Asch again. Let me be selfish for once in a lifetime… and let yourself become closer to another human being for the first time in ages."
She was wise beyond her years. She was no genius in any sort of academic topic, she wasn't even the best in combat or in healing artes… yet, the woman before him had a strong sensibility for others. No wonder the people in her kingdom loved her so much. The words she just spoke were those of a queen, showing a peasant how to love himself. Jade smiled, without that harsh facade of sarcasm he had built over the years, a genuine smile of a child who had lost his way back home. She was as warm as a guiding light in a cold winter night, a fitting analogy to be said in Keterburg. He even felt her burning brightness might scorch him if he got too close to her. He hugged her tightly, with shaky hands that believed he'd crush her if he pressed just a bit more. Yet, she promised to be eternal. It was something he was willing to believe.
Day Nine
When Natalia woke up in the morning, she found a tray with breakfast and a cup of tea besides her. Unexpectedly, there was also an envelope on the table, signed by Nephry. One of the maids who'd been serving her during the week wasn't present, and she found out about her absence inside of Nephry's letter. Apparently, a snow storm had suddenly hit the city last night. An avalanche happened on the skirts of Mt. Roneal and the strong wind currents carried the snow over to Keterburg, making it hazardous to even go out of the house. It didn't say how long the weather would remain like that.
Nephry's letter had been sent late at night but it had just arrived some hours before Natalia woke up. The weather was so bad not even the mailmen could manage to deliver the letters from within the city. The governor recommended not going out of the mansion until the snow storm had subsided and she informed them that all activities would be currently suspended. One of the servants explained to her that the absent maid apparently was caught in the middle of the storm late at night and she woke incredibly sick that morning. Seeing the facts as they were, Natalia decided to follow her future sister-in-law's advice and stay indoors until the storm subsided.
Natalia noticed Jade wasn't in his room when she went out of hers once she was done with breakfast. Albeit she was sure he'd not go out with that weather, she got slightly worried for him. He wasn't in the best mood since the past evening, and getting out in the cold would not make him any better. The princess knew it was best to leave him alone, for it was Jade after all. Even if he had told her several things that were certainly intimate and quite unexpected coming from him, she didn't hope for any change in his usual behavior. He'd still be a lone wolf, no matter what.
After taking a quick shower, Natalia decided she'd take the opportunity to investigate around the mansion, as she'd not given herself the time to stay inside the house during the mornings. The only room she'd actually roamed around was the master bedroom and the kitchen, but she'd not visited the living room and the studio. The princess did take notice that most of the things from the room she had been sleeping the past nights were empty: the bookcases, the drawers, the closets, even the bathroom had no signs of use in several years. However, when Jade showed her around the house the first time, she noticed that the library and the office were filled with books and scrapped pieces of paper. Most likely, it had remained intact from the last time his parents used it.
Natalia was a curious person. She knew it was one of her biggest virtues and one of her worst flaws. It had gotten her into constant trouble and at times it had also put her in considerable danger. She wasn't sloppy or careless, but problems usually triggered because of her constant snooping. She had considered the fact that Jade might get bothered if she stuck her nose in his family's belongings, but as far as she knew, he might even join the quest. He was just as unpredictable and as curious as she was. Perhaps the fact that he was a scientist helped on that for all she cared, it'd be better to say sorry than to ask him first to do it.
On her way to the studio, Natalia heard his voice at the distance humming a cheerful melody, almost by chance did she manage to listen with the strong wind blowing behind the windows. She turned her feet around as quickly as possible and ran down the hall to meet him. Jade was making his way down to the living room with a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in the other. He wasn't wearing a coat, and he had his hair tied up in a messy bun just as if he was enjoying a day off on a Sunday morning.
"Oh, I didn't expect you to be up until past twelve." He said with a cheerful voice. "Did you enjoy breakfast?"
"Good morning. Yes, it was delicious… wait… was it you?" She stared at him in disbelief.
"I had a bit of insomnia after our conversation last night. I had to keep myself entertained so I decided to make you breakfast. Take it as a sign of gratitude for your attention on yesterday's evening. And please… don't try to make me feel better ever again, I beg you." He smiled and cocked his head to the side, trying to reinforce the sarcasm in his words. Natalia knew better, as she believed he was truly grateful for her patience and her words of support, though she was also sure he'd not need any more of them for a very, very long time.
"Yes, it was great. Thank you so much."
"Just don't get used to it." He winked at her as he spoke, then he noticed she had appeared out of the blue, running from around the corner of the hall. "Were you heading somewhere in particular? You're not thinking of going outside, are you?"
"Heavens, no!" She answered, as another gust of wind roared and hit the windows fiercely. "That'd be suicide right now. I was planning on visiting the studio…" She admitted, waiting for an advice to avoid said place, but Jade's smile perked up immediately.
"Curious, aren't you?" He said, drinking his coffee in just one sitting and placing the book on a side table on the hall. "I was planning to go reading in front of the chimney for a while, but I think I'll join you in your epic quest of unraveling my family's secrets."
"You don't mind if I do?" The princess asked, surprised he was the one proposing to snoop around the office.
"No, actually I've been curious about something myself." Jade admitted, walking towards the other side of the mansion at quick pace. Whatever was it, Natalia noticed a certain excitement in his actions. "Many, many years ago we had a long piano in the living room, right in front of the fireplace." Natalia didn't recall seeing the piano when she walked into the living room two days ago. In fact, she had not seen any musical instrument or sound-playing device inside the house. "I know for a fact they didn't sell the piano, my mother was quite attached to it as it belonged to my grandparents, before they passed it down to our family. But, after the incident with Professor Nebilim, my father removed the piano from there."
"How curious… but why?" The Necromancer shrugged, and he explained he wasn't certain about it. He assumed his parents related the accident with music. It happened because of Jade's foolish attempts to control the seventh fonon, which represent sound and energy itself. Perhaps the idea of having the piano right in the middle of the house would bring harsh images to a young Jade who've just seen his mentor and guiding example die right in front of his eyes. He admitted he wasn't sure, but it was his closest assumption.
As they reached the studio, Natalia noticed right away there was a family picture behind the desk. If it was as realistic as it seemed, the two siblings were actually a living copy of their mother. Mrs. Balfour was a tall, slim woman with long golden hair and a beautiful face, framed with a thin pair of glasses. Her husband, on the other hand, was slightly shorter than her and had dark hair and a well-trimmed beard. Mr. Balfour wore no glasses, and was more muscular than Jade in his current age. Natalia assumed both of his parents must have been around his age by the time the painting was done. Jade and Nephry appeared on the picture as well, the former looked no older than ten, while the young girl was around four. She clung into her mother's dress, while the younger version of the Necromancer had a distant look on his eyes. Natalia couldn't help but notice he wasn't wearing glasses around that age, and that his irises weren't tinted in red because of the fonic artes he had cast on them later on.
"I've always hated that painting." He complained when he noticed the princess had been staring at it.
"Is it not flattering to your natural charms?" She smirked, careful to use words he'd actually say. Jade chuckled and ruffled her hair, moving away from the desk into the bookcase. "You think we're going to find the whereabouts of the piano in here?"
"I know for a fact where it is." He said with assurance. "As every old, bourgeois mansion, there has to be a secret door behind one of the bookshelves." The Necromancer walked towards the wall on the right, where the largest bookshelf was and climbed up the staircase to the third register. Natalia noticed there was a small statue holding some books on it, and Jade pulled from it as if it were a lever. He walked down from the stairs and headed to the wall on the front, where he unlocked a mechanism behind the other shelf and pulled it towards him. A very large wooden door, carved with floral decorations appeared before them. It was large enough to let a piano go through...
"I knew this door was here for quite a long time. Father didn't like us going into his studio, but we did anyway. I discovered it was here when I came back home for the holidays, some years ago. But…" he paused himself, letting out a large sigh. "... I never found the key and I never liked the idea of blowing it up with a spell."
"We have some time to kill, I hope it'll be in this room."
Jade was almost sure it was there, but he knew it was very well hidden. She insisted his parents would have another secret trinket to keep the key away from peeping toms, as if the hidden door behind the bookshelf wasn't enough. The older man pretended to be incredibly tired by his age and insisted she'd have to roam around everywhere by herself to find the key, possibly even the ceiling at this rate. Natalia shook her head with a hushed laughter and sat on the large chair behind the desk, as she started to roam around the letters, most of them signed by Jade's father and dated to several years prior to the current decade. He checked on the books in the shelves expecting to find something within their pages.
After they spent around an hour in silence, Natalia had already crossed her eyes across too many letters that she was no longer reading them. She'd found a lot of correspondence between Mr. Balfour and the commandant from the Curtiss family that had adopted Jade into their ranks at the Capital. She found them amusing at first, but they became monotone later on. She noticed they were more like a formality than anything else. The princess noticed she'd not find anything in there, so she moved towards a bookcase Jade hadn't inspected yet.
He broke the silence after a long time and told her those were his mother's shelves and that there were some old novels that Nephry liked to read. Most of them were romance novels and love stories, which made Natalia smile widely. Of course she imagined Nephry would read those kind of stories, but she never thought Mrs. Balfour would do the same. She'd never actually though on how she'd have been back when she was alive… ever since she had to investigate on Jade's past, Mrs. Balfour appeared but as a phantom of a past that never was.
It was hard to imagine her as a normal human being, made of flesh and blood. But it was between the books she read, on the ink and paper, that she became real before her eyes. It wasn't only the novels, Natalia noticed. For each book she opened, she found her perfect calligraphy on the bottom of the first page, a written reminder of the date and the weather of the day she started the book. At the end of each one, on the last page, there was a brief, but beautiful verse in relation to the tale she had just finished reading. Natalia didn't know if Jade had any idea of his late mother's little habit. Perhaps he'd have thought it was too cheesy, but Natalia believed it was wonderful.
Day Eleven
They had decided to call it a day after five hours of searching to no avail. In all honesty, Natalia had stopped searching many hours ago, but she kept on reading the brief poems on the back of each novel she grabbed. She also spent time reading some of the stories of those books who seemed to have been taken out of the shelves many times, to the point they'd been broken on the edges. A singular story stuck with her deeply, and Natalia couldn't say what was about it that caught so much her attention. It spoke about two elemental spirits, one of those stories that were told from generation to generation when the cult to spirits was still held in many towns and villages before the Score and the teachings of Yulia came to being. Natalia had heard of some of them in Baticul, but she was aware those traditions were most common in Malkuth than in Kimlasca.
Natalia picked the story book where she read that legend and ran her fingers through it once again the next morning, In the meanwhile, Jade had been just as distracted as her in their search for the key, as he kept walking in front of the same bookshelf time and time again. The princess didn't dare to ask if he'd found some sort of trick to open the door without the key, or if he'd already given up on finding it. She had her eyes set on him as her hands held one page open, and in her distraction, her fingers bumped against something peculiar: she hadn't noticed some of the letters had texture on them. She imagined it'd have been the beginning of the text, but she noticed it was a series of numbers on the right corner of the book. B3-r5-"TTotUL"-p40.
"Jade…?"
"What is it?"
"I think I know where the key is…"
She stood up from her stool and looked around. All of the shelves had a large, golden number on top of it. The one that Jade had been walking around was numbered as the third one. Natalia walked besides him and climbed up to the fifth row. She smiled with pride as she noticed all the books from that row began with the letter T, so she began to roam around the ones that she managed to grab from the staircase. The last one her hands reached towards was named The Tragic Tale of the Undead Lord, just as the message on the bottom of the storybook said, all the letters coincided. Natalia opened the book, and found immediately that there was a large gap with a key inside of it. She showed it to Jade with a triumphant look in her face and she smiled as she jumped down with the book still in her other hand. She wondered what other secrets were held inside those books, which other clues were the novels themselves would be able to tell her if they kept roaming inside the studio.
Jade was surprised she'd found the key in just three days, when it had taken him several years to find the mechanism for the door. He guessed he'd underestimated his mother, as he had never believed she would write some other thing besides poems on her storybooks. They opened the door together, helping each other to push it as it was incredibly heavy. Before them was a large hall that led towards a wide room, where a white piano covered in dust was resting. Jade rushed towards it without saying a word, but Natalia believed she'd managed to listen a small gasp escaping from his lips when he caught a glimpse of it.
The princess looked around, finding old pieces of armor, more books and some paintings hanging on the walls. The books were mostly novels once again, but their topics were a lot more adult-oriented than the ones outside, on the studio. Natalia laughed, as she imagined that Mrs. Balfour decided to keep them away from Nephry once she hit puberty. She turned her sight towards Jade once again, who was removing some of the dust from the piano as he creaked open the case. He was speechless, but he had a short smile on his face. His expression showed a lot of nostalgia and a tint of remorse or sadness, but she believed he was happy they'd found the piano after all those years.
"Do you know how to play it?" Natalia asked, leaning closed after a few minutes in which she just contemplated him for a while.
"No. In comparison to my mother and Nephry, I had no musical talent. I tried, but it never worked for me" His smile turned bitter. "One could say it was part of the irony of being unable to control the seventh fonon."
"It has nothing to do with it." the princess laughed, sitting on the piano's stool besides him. "If you just practiced…" She gestured the piano, asking for permission to play it, and Jade complied with a single nod. She'd taken some music classes during her youth, even if it had been several years from that, she still remembered the basics of the harmony. After some time, Natalia stopped playing the song and started again, but this time she paused herself almost as soon as she began.
"It's really simple, just follow my lead… come on…" Jade sighed and rolled his eyes, but he decided it was better to do as she said if he didn't wish to be reminded how he had given up so easily on something so banal. He imitated her, and just as she said, it was incredibly simple. The problem was doing it on his own, or worst of all, improvisation was his biggest issue. She didn't seem to mind, Natalia kept playing slowly for him to follow up. The princess knew he'd not learn how to play on his own, but she enjoyed having Jade's company on something she really liked and was good at doing so.
They'd just been a little over a week together, and she'd gotten to know more of him that she'd ever bargained for. During the first days of their stay, she'd been thinking on how much she wanted to go back and fix things on her own. Even Jade insisted she looked desperate to return to Kimlasca, but his comments on that matter decreased as the days went by. Perhaps Natalia had come to accept the fact that she had to stay put until news came from the outside, or perhaps she was coming to accept the fact that she was enjoying herself as she took a rest from all the stress her position brought.
Even so, she wished to go back. With the storm as it was at the moment, any news from their friends or her father would arrive with several days of delay. She was desperate. On the other hand, she couldn't deny she'd been having a good time in Keterburg. To her demise, the fact that Jade was with her made it all better. Never, not even in a thousand years would she believed that would turn out to be true.
"May I ask you something, Princess?" He pondered when Natalia finished the song.
"Go for it."
"I didn't believe you'd pay this much attention to me during the trip and I keep wondering why. I had hoped you'd go around on your own or lock yourself in your room, pouting on how much you wish to go back to Baticul…"
"I guess it is because I do not enjoy being alone, like I know you do. I-if it bothers you I can ask Nephry to…"
"No, don't get it wrong. I've… been enjoying it myself too." He glanced away from her as he admitted it. "It just makes me wonder what has pushed you to go this far."
Natalia turned around slightly, she was able to see the sharp features of his face and even the few wrinkles that had formed around his eyes. She smiled, leaning a bit closer.
"I believed it was obvious. It's because I like you." She understood it might have sounded slightly different to him, at least with some other connotations behind her words, but she meant it in the most innocent way possible. "You're my friend… and I'm going to marry you after all. Even if I had to pick you because I had no other choice… I believe I'd not have it any other way."
"Huh… so that's how it is." Jade turned around to face her, his eyes were slightly open with surprise. Natalia imitated his expression, noticing he'd gotten quite close to her when he fixed his position. "I never imagined you'd have answered that. I thought you were going to say because you'd have gotten bored quite quickly."
"Perhaps." She admitted. "But it's been pleasant to be around you. You have been very kind, you're amusing, smart and fun… I don't know. You might have wanted to hear something else, but I really like you. That's it."
"Unexpected as it is, I'm glad to hear it." He admitted as well, closing his eyes in a mixture of disbelief and a slight surge of shame. Was he really spiraling down into this madness, with a woman half his age? He hated to admit it. He felt the same as her. "I like it too."
It wasn't the first time they'd been this close, after having a serious conversation minutes prior to the instant they noticed they were inches apart from each other. The difference was past time Peony walked into their room. That evening they were locked inside the mansion because of the storm and they were actually inside one of the hidden rooms of the house. Not even the servants would be able to interrupt. The wind roared outside, but none of them were paying attention to their surroundings anymore.
Once again, that creeping curiosity of touching her invaded the Necromancer's mind… how soft would her lips be, or how firm would her hands feel against his skin? He knew he wasn't the only one having those craving feelings, as Natalia's hands hanged idle between the piano and the empty space between their bodies. Her fingers were curled into a fist, and they clenched and unclenched almost unconsciously every once in a while. She was filled with doubt, and he waited patiently, curiously, for her next movement. If it weren't for the fact he was just as anxious as her for their next action, he'd have been able to do as per usual.
But he hated it. Jade loathed that feeling of non-satiated doubt, of uncertainty and fear of the upcoming future. He'd always been patient, but he had one visible and easily recognizable weakness: he hated delay with a burning passion. Being a man of science, he knew he'd got to get things done if he wanted anything to go his way. His blood boiled with anger when fate decided to take things away, getting them postponed for another undefined time. It usually bothered him when it came to an experiment or a simple task, rarely when it came to people. But that wasn't the first time he'd craved to have Natalia for himself and his desires had been delayed. Jade wasn't a sensitive man, he rarely felt any sort of passion if he didn't process it through logic and reason first. That evening wasn't the case: he kissed her.
Unable to hold her doubting any longer, he reached out for her unsteady hands and pulled her closer to him, placing his lips atop of hers. Natalia's reaction was that of surprise, but she didn't push him or fight back. She kissed him back, her longing for affection was finally responded. In the back of her mind, she knew they both were probably compensating for a long-held loneliness, which they were filling with each other. It didn't matter anymore: she had him, and she was all his, for no one had ever held her with such tenderness, no one had ever kissed her so eagerly.
Natalia's lips were soft, but she kissed rougher than he had imagined, though Jade admitted he had to expect that coming from her. Her mouth was voracious, even violent at times when she unexpectedly bit his lower lip and pulled him closer with her kiss. He had to respond in the same fashion, rough but kind with his caresses, aggressive but loving when he briefly stopped to stare at her, hug her tightly, and then proceed with the kiss.
Suddenly, neither of them were able to keep balance between thought and passion, between roughness and gentleness. Jade's hands drifted from her back to her hips, as he kept pulling the princess' body closer and closer. Natalia responded, fixing her legs around his waist, kneeling over his tights with her hands grabbing firmly into his jawline and pulling slightly from his hair when she deemed necessary. She'd heard several moans coming out from both of their mouths, but it wasn't until the Princess felt Jade's lips on her jawline and her neck, along with a large groan escaping from her throat, that her consciousness kicked Natalia back into her senses.
"S-stop…" she muttered pushing him away for the first time. "N-not now, Jade, please…"
He didn't respond, but in his eyes she noticed he had realized how far he had taken things. There was no regret, but a strange mixture of fulfillment and embarrassment. She didn't felt wronged, but it had gone any longer, both of them would have regretted it. Natalia stood up from the stool and backed off a few steps, staring at him with awe. His breathing was unsteady, and his cheeks were slightly flustered, but his eyes kept a firm and decided look on them. She knew Jade wanted this… he wanted her. The thought of it made a shiver run down her spine, both in excitement and fear. The Princess turned around and exited the room. She headed upstairs towards her room and locked herself inside. She needed a break and a breather, and she wished with all her heart the storm would be over soon.
A/N: It's getting hot in here ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). We all know what's going to happen, soon... fufufufu. I'm sorry, I'm an awful person. Now, about those cameos! First, Victor! Nephry's husband, who was mentioned in the past chapter, takes his name from Tales of Xillia's 2 Victor, Elle's father. He's got an antagonistic role later in the game (I'm trying not to spoil you here in case you've not played ToX2), which is why I took his name for Count Osborne. Second, Emeraude! She's a character from Tales of Graces, a green-haired woman with questionable intentions. She was once a scientist and because of her ambitions, she suffered from an accident that left her tied to a wheelchair, she later constructs an artificial body to walk arround. I felt she tied in with the gemstone-naming the scientists from Jade's past had (Sapphir, Jasper Cadogan from the manga, Jade himself...), and she fit the type of women Jade would like, being Nebilim and Natalia the other two in the list. And at last, Izumi Curtiss, Jade's sister from her adoptive family in this story. It's never outspoken in the game anything about the Curtiss family, rather than they are a renowed branch of soldiers form the empire. Yet, I knew of another strong, powerful and constantly snarky character from a very famous anime who shares his last name, and I couldn't help myself. It also fits the story that Izumi Curtis from Full Metal Alchemist had lost a child and tried to bring him back with alchemy. Much like Jade did with fomicry. Oh, well. Hope you enjoyed, I'll try to update the next chapter today as well!
