Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the characters of Tales of Xillia...maybe except for Ami, but that's it! All the other characters belong to their rightful owners and companies and ect.
I OWN NOTHING!
Duty of the heart.
The faint glowing of daylight slowly started breaking through the illuminant veil of the everlasting sparkly greeny blue skies. The contrasting colouration of the sky was glowing bright whilst the faint yet bright beams broke through the distinct aurora to create a gentle difference and contrast to the unique Spirit clime of this city than to the perpetual nighttime atmosphere that the atmosphere normally would assume. The whole city of Fenmont was shockingly more silent and there wasn't a soul in sight in such early hours of the morning.
Time seemed to have slowed to a trickling crawl while the rest of the world started to awaken due to the ominous silence. It was as if the whole world was just beginning to awaken itself as the lights were beginning to glow brighter to signify the fact that nighttime was taking a backseat for daytime.
Even in the building in which Dr. Jude Mathis occupied, things were very subdued and quiet.
Whilst the office he lived in was still a total wreck, with papers and other items laying all over the floor, the main inhabitant of said office was even more so as he just slept whilst sitting in a rocking chair that slowly tipped back and fourth in a steady rocking motion.
Jude softly breathed in and out while swam in black void of sleep. His head was low and his mouth was hanging slightly agape, allowing a small river of drool to dribble down his chin. The scientist fought to open his eyes and awaken even though his whole world was swallowed up in complete blackness. He felt as his back reclined against the chair and his spinal cord was aching so much and he knew his head was hanging down low. His surroundings had become swallowed up in a dark abyss whilst he snoozed lightly.
His exhaustion carried him through the black abyss as though he were aimlessly adrift.
Jude quietly and abruptly snuffled when he managed to pry open his eyes a fraction. He tried to let his eyes properly examine his surroundings but his vision was so blurry from fatigue that it was hard to make out a single shape or blob that was faintly in his sight. He wasn't even able to keep his eyes open for another three seconds, he had no clue as to what was coming over him; he suddenly found that his consciousness was fading fast and his eyes snapped closed.
He supposed that the sunlight was making him feel sleepy, it was nice and peaceful.
Ami seemed to have been getting all the sleep she needed. She had been up for a majority of the night and Jude had eventually managed to settle her down, the infant had curled up in his arms and she popped her tiny thumb in her mouth and started to suck on it.
He smiled down at his daughter and wrapped her up tighter inside the blankets she had been swaddled in so she could be more protected from the slight chills of the breeze that flowed through the air.
Jude really wanted to nod off though he refused to just yet. His baby needed him right now and he wasn't about to go to sleep right while his little one needed him. But staying awake was a futile effort as he started to fall drift off within a short timespan of three seconds, his eyes had become almost impossible to keep open but he watched blearily as little Ami snuggled against his chest and her lips curled slightly up as they remained puckered around her thumb.
Jude couldn't help but grin at the sight.
This sweet little baby girl had captured his heart within mere days and it only took moments like this to remind himself how blessed he was. He was happy that he had a little piece of Milla with him that she was so kind to give him, he wouldn't have traded his baby for all the knowledge in Reize Maxia or even in Elympious.
He would have gone through a hundred sleepless nights to have peaceful moments like this.
His eyes finally closed and he nodded off.
Jude felt that he finally let himself relax, his whole world was quickly darkening and he felt embraced by this warmth that just wrapped itself around him. He let a grin tug at the corners of his lips when a wave of contentment and relief washed over him. He wanted to just stay asleep forever and he subconsciously leaned back in the chair to continue drifting in that peaceful darkness because he was in heaven now and he was going to enjoy this newfound peace and quiet.
Sadly, though, that peace and quiet ended within five more seconds when he felt someone lightly smack his upper arm.
The researcher moaned softly when the stubborn prodding started to interfere with his slumber and he softly shifted so he could further sink into his tranquil state, only for some more rough poking to be applied to his arm. He groaned as he tried to move away from the strange person poking and prodding him and then he heard someone whine softly in his ear as they reached up and softly slapped his face in an attempt to arouse him.
"Nnngh!..."
He knew that cute high pitched whine.
Jude started to stir and become conscious of the annoyed noise that echoed through the black void of his dreamless sleep and he moaned even louder in irritation as he finally peeled his eyelids open so he could get a good look at whomever had awoken him. He was so tired that he could feel the bags beneath his eyes which he could hardly open.
He stared drowsily down at little Ami whom grinned happily at him with amusement etched all over her face as she smirked timidly but mischievously. She had apparently woken up and uncurled herself so she could lean up against him and reach up to his face. From what he could see, the baby girl looked to have been quite well-rested as she stared at him with wide and curious eyes that gleamed in the morning light that shone through the window.
"Hmmm? Wha?" Jude mumbled in confusion, his mind clouded with fatigue.
Ami let out another annoyed coo as she stared at him impatiently. It was clear that she wanted something and the fact that she was so persistent in trying to wake him and the way she held her stomach told him exactly what it was she desired, it was just that his mind was hardly working at this point as he sluggishly and tiredly looked down at the child in his arms.
Jude almost fell back on the chair from shock and quickly watched Ami drop into his lap when she managed to break out of Jude's arms, and watched as her father tried to hide the furious blush that was heating up his face. The scientist couldn't help but let out an exhausted moan while he looked the young child in the eye whilst he tried not to let his irritation show; he was normally a relaxed and all around patient soul but it took a lot for him to get cross, he didn't want to let his annoyance out on a young child.
While he felt exhausted to the brink of insanity, he knew that he had to keep his head about him.
He bounced Ami on his knee whilst he closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair in hopes to get more sleep for awhile without Ami interrupting.
"Ok Ami...daddy'll get you some breakfast in a bit," He mumbled.
Later that same day...
"aaaaAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Jude hollered in terror, one hand gripping tight to the beast he was mounted upon while the other hand desperately pressed Ami against his chest. He was trying hard to stay on and not let the beast throw him and his child off of it, the Wyvern was trying each and every conceivable way to get him off and was now resorting to diving and whipping itself about in random directions.
It was a wonder Jude had even managed to fly it towards the proper destination!
He grabbed tight to the reins and gave them a sharp yank to try and reel the creature in and stop it from acting so rough. It was bucking and kicking and flapping like a hot-blooded wild stallion that was strutting about in the meadows and bucking all who dare come near; he knew he had to regain at least some control of it or else endure a rough landing when they arrived.
The researcher of Spyrites was quick to pull the reins again, trying to fight off the wind blasting into his eardrums so he could even hear himself think. He couldn't help but let out a breath of relief when he saw the peaceful city of below Sharilton down below, his exotic amber eyes lit up with enthusiasm whenever he saw it against the puffs of cloud that had surrounded him in a mist.
The skyline was pretty cloudy and the sunlight beamed harshly against his back, letting a special and soothing warmth wash over him. He couldn't help but bask in that beautiful array of sunlight.
Alas then he remembered something that filled his heart and stomach with instant dread:
He still had to land.
Jude was worried but he quickly shoved the concern out of his head and put on a determined expression while he exclaimed "Hang on Ami!" as loud as he could. He didn't know if the girl could hear him over the sounds of wildly rushing winds that howled, but he knew that he had to just concentrate on landing. He could hardly believe that an old friend of his, Yurgen, had loaned him this frisky younger Wyvern and neglected to inform him that it was especially rowdy especially for one so young.
He had to make the supposition that Yurgen had simply forgotten since he wouldn't put a child in danger.
But he had to get off this.
Jude pulled the reins as hard as he could with one hand and it instantly jerked the Wyvern into making a downward dive. While he did hope that the Wyvern would instinctively make its own landing soft to evade injury, he was unfortunately sorely mistaken when the beast begun to lose control of itself and quite literally spin in a mad spiral nosedive.
'No, no, no, no, no, no! Not now!' His mind cried out.
He continued to try and pull the reins upwards to avoid the possibility of a horrific crash landing, gritting his teeth while he yanked as hard as he possibly could while he continued to cradle Ami protectively with his other arm. His heart was pounding hard inside his chest, a rush of adrenaline pumped through his body and his throat felt as though several cotton balls had been stuffed inside it.
The Wyvern continued to spin out of control, screeching as it flapped its wings hard to try and parachute itself.
This is what he got for trying to get to Sharilton the fast way.
He knew that this had to be done as easy and quick as possible for everyone's sake because he didn't want everybody to unnecessarily have to come to him when it would arouse suspicion for the other researchers stationed in Fenmont and it would be inconvenient for everybody. He couldn't come by boat because that would take a day and Ami would probably get frightened and drown everyone with another emotional outburst.
The only choice he saw was to contact Yurgen from Kanbalar and rent a Wyvern.
But he was desperately regretting it now.
Jude knew that they were coming in too hot as the city begun to rush up to them. The concrete pavement was becoming clearer as each instant passed by, each and every second of terror pumped through his system like a lightning strike. His head was ringing and pounding with desperation while images banged through his mind, his life flashing before his very eyes whilst he desperately fought to get the Wyvern to pull up in the last second.
The intense moments passed and then...
SWOOOOOP!
The Wyvern pulled up just before it could make contact with the ground. The wings had managed to slice through the air as they retracted and tilted into a shovelled upwards position...yet it didn't save it soon enough and disabled the ability to pull up quick enough to be able to land without crashing to the ground. The winged beast skidded and shot forwards whilst it slid and frantically tried to cease darting forwards like some kind of airborne projectile. The creature cried out in pain when it finally made contact with the concrete and it laid on the ground silently and painfully.
The crazy ride had come to a stop.
Jude sat on the Wyvern with wide eyes filled with horror.
He almost died!
Ami fidgeted and squirmed to get away as the researcher carried her in his arms whilst the researcher cradled her against his chest, fastening her close to him, as he shakily started to move. His ebony black hair was very messed up and stuck out in odd places and angles, looking as though he had been through a cyclone. His complexion was as pale as snow and his jaw had been wrenched tightly, he couldn't stop shaking.
That was just horrifying.
Jude looked down at his daughter whom tried to get away from him with eyes as wide as his own. Ami shuddered as she took one horrified glance to the resting Wyvern, her tiny body was shaking all over and she looked almost as scared witless as her father. Even her short silky black/light blonde hair was out of place and messy from being tossed around so much.
Jude disembarked off of the back of a Wyvern. It took a minute or so for the winged beast to have been tied to a pole and, little was Jude aware, it shot dirty looks over to the two whom had initially rode on it.
Ami hid her face into her father's chest fearfully.
The two of them had just flown out to the city of Sharilton as her father had arranged a little play date for her, but she didn't seem happy about the arrangement though.
Jude had spent his time gradually getting to know properly know Ami and building up her body fat since she was quite scrawny-looking. Her skinny form had managed to inflate a bit and Ami had even become a bright and alert little girl as she had come to completely trust her apparent father to the point where she was dependant on him for almost everything.
Her personality was beginning to shine through, too!
She was still shy and rather cautious but she was starting to become more outgoing and mischievous of everything. She would get into objects and even mess around with anything she could get her chubby little hands on, even though there was hell to pay when she threw her tantrums. Unfortunately it appeared that her heritage came with a price where something strange happened depending on her emotions.
She would cause cyclones and earthquakes if she was frightened, she would create rainstorms if she was sad or upset, it would be quite sunny and cheery if she were in a good mood and if she were angry there would be objects flying out from nowhere that would try and harm the nearest person.
Jude was rather fearful of his daughter's emotional outbursts but he couldn't keep her locked away forever and he had managed (with great difficulty) to hide the small girl and keep her mere existence a secret to everyone he knew.
That was going to change.
Jude had been so occupied with taking care of Ami that he had fallen behind on his work and developmental research for Spyrites. He had to catch up if he was going to keep his promise to Milla whilst the Schisim was still dispelled and he couldn't bare the thought of neglecting his own daughter and make her feel like he did during his own childhood either.
So he came up with an alternative:
He had asked his friends if they could look after his new precious bundle. Of course he hadn't told them about her yet but he thought that they should actually meet her before they made their judgements and besides, he knew he couldn't do this on his own and the secret about her had to come out eventually.
He was confident that Elle and Elize would take to Ami nicely, although he wasn't entirely certain whether how the others would react. Rowen probably would like her and Driselle would more than likely want to dress her up in dresses and stuff, he had no clue how King Gaius would react to Ami as he was built up like a brick wall and he could be a bit intimidating and then there was Alvin and Leia. Leia would probably be in the same boat as Driselle and Alvin might be either uncomfortable to be around Ami or he might take to her but keep his distance.
Anyways Jude had no idea how this could go but he knew that this had to be done eventually...but he was worried about how Ami, herself, would take to all this. The tiny girl was still very timid at first impression —just like he used to be— and he guessed that she would just hide away somewhere and cling to him. This is what Ami normally did.
But he prayed that his daughter wouldn't have an outburst.
The Spyrite researcher carried his daughter through the town, being careful to weave through several of the people whom just walked about and resumed with their lives. They were oblivious to the fact that one of the heroes who rescued them was carrying a very precious infant who could manipulate or alter their perfect lifestyles with a simple flick of the pinkie finger.
Thankfully, though, Jude had made it to the mansion without a problem.
He had called ahead and requested that all of the gang gather in Driselle's mansion where they would have to hear about the news. Jude still worried of how they would react to little Ami as he had a special bag slung over his shoulder, it was not only filled with his special research papers but it also was filled with stuff needed for his daughter's care.
"A-Almost there..." He muttered beneath his breath, trying to keep a hold on Ami whom continued to struggle in his arms; Ami's eyes swelled with tears as she seemed to begin to slowly realise that something frightening was about to happen.
The Spyrite researcher cradled the little girl in his arms, swaddling her in his lab coat a bit to try and calm her down. She fought much harder with each step that was taken closer to their destination. The Wyvern ride scared her but she knew that something even more scary was about to happen, her father's soothing words of how this enactment would go alright seemed empty to her and failed to calm her even a bit.
It felt like an eternity before Jude stood before the huge doors of the mansion.
He didn't know why but he felt so tiny in the face of those huge double doors, his spine trembled just a bit when he stood before it. But he couldn't back away now because he had to do this now! He didn't have a choice but to do this right now, there wasn't any other options.
So, raising his fist, he rapped against the huge doors and announced his arrival.
It didn't take too long before the door opened up and it seemed to have been Elle whom answered the knocks; a somewhat unexpected person to answer the young girl but welcomed all the same.
Elle Mel Marta was the youngest in the group before Ami had come into existence but the plucky little girl was as bright as a spark and had become a constant devourer of tomatoes, as she had promised her father, Ludger Kresnik, that she would follow in his footsteps to try and become almost as good a person as he was. It had only been a year but she was strong, just like the others.
Elle's eyes lit up like gems upon seeing Jude, a smirk widened on her lips.
"Hey, Jude! You comin' in?" She asked brightly, sounding quite cheery.
Jude nodded, ignoring the fact that he was feeling just about ready to drop dead on the ground from pure exhaustion. He managed a smile but he was failing to keep his eyes open due to the fact that his energy was depleted.
Elle seemed to have noticed this as she furrowed a brow "Woah...you look like a zombie!"
Jude couldn't hold back a slight glare as he grumbled, his tone dripping with sarcasm. His shoulders slumped down and his frown became sluggish and moody, he was looking as if he wanted to kill someone to try and relieve his exhaustion. "Thanks for telling me something I don't already know..."
The spunky little nine-year-old harrumphed moodily as she rolled her eyes at the scientist. "Sheesh! I was just kidding..."
Jude relaxed himself. He didn't mean to come off as rude or anything, especially to Elle, he was just exhausted beyond belief. He thought it a miracle that he was still on his own two feet, he managed to conceal Ami by swaddling her in his coat as he wanted to reveal her existence inside the mansion and not straight away so they wouldn't bombard him with questions. He held a hand to his head, shook it from side-to-side and sighed apologetically.
"...S-Sorry, Elle. I didn't mean to snap..."
Elle seemed shocked at the researcher's odd behaviour but brushed it off with a dismissive wave of her hand as she opened the door further to invite him into the building. "Nah, it's okay. Just come in,"
Jude found his legs moving involuntarily before he could feel himself walking, his grip on his teeny little girl tightened considerably as a sudden protective urge overrode his better senses. He forced his exhausted eyelids wide open so his poor eyeballs wouldn't feel compelled to sting due to the fact that he was practically forcing himself to stay awake. His heart began to race, sweat started to cover his face in a thick layer.
The scientist fought back against the sudden instinct that told him to run away and abandon this whole plan out of fear of how his friend's would react, he had to constantly remind himself that he was doing this for both Ami and himself.
But he was surprised (not really) when he was enveloped by a sudden pink and plum blur rushing up to him before he was sucked into a familiar darkness. He also felt some not-so-sharp fangs dig into his chin and the top of his head while he heard a happy-go-lucky voice through the blackened atmosphere.
"JUDE! We missed you!" The voice exclaimed.
Jude recognised this all too well as he was left disgruntled and he tried to pry the familiar thing away from his face. He still used one hand to do this while he yanked and pulled hard, much like he did with the reins of that Wyvern but less frantically. It didn't take him too long before he pulled the floating stuffed animal away from his face and he looked at him with mild annoyance written all over his face.
Teepo grinned happily as he circled around the unknowing new father gleefully.
Jude sighed tiredly as he observed the plushie.
"Did you have to do that, Teepo?"
Teepo nodded "Yep! It's been too long, Jude, didja forget your friends?"
Jude entered the mansion and felt a measure of relief when he saw everybody there: the people present were Elle, Rowan, Elize and Teepo, Alvin, Leia and even Driselle. Gaius was probably far too busy to attend what with his royal duties and all. Nevertheless the group were all seated on a singular sofa with a coffee table in front of them. Little teacups and several saucers that carried some piping hot bland-looking muffins were perched on the mahogany surface of the table.
This seemed more like a tea party then an actual gathering...
Jude swallowed back some bile building up in his throat and tried again to ignore the increasing panic that was gripping his mind and heart. He shook his head wildly and replied anxiously. "Of course not! I've just been...busy."
He watched as the plushie returned to his owner and he walked towards the group seated on one of the luxury sofas and they all looked up at him curiously as they seemed to have noticed his strange behaviour.
"U-Um, h-h-hey guys..." The researcher muttered.
Alvin cracked a wry smirk in that mischievous way he'd normally do "Hey, kid! What's up?"
Jude didn't respond right away. He was still rather shaken up from the Wyvern journey into the Market city to begin with, it wasn't a pleasant experience. His hands shook like maracas and his knees trembled like jelly. His face was covered in a thin cold sweat and he had no idea how he was going to break the news of the fact that he had been saddled with a daughter of himself and Milla Maxwell.
Jude bit his lip in anxiety whenever he heard Ami start to whimper and he decided to bounce her in a free arm to calm her down, he was doing it as discreetly as he could to try and conceal her until he decided to reveal her to everybody.
He had managed to wield great spirit Spyrites, he had fought monsters and enemies, he had journeyed alongside ancient deities and gotten to know them, he had seen things and been to places others could only dream of.
And the one thing that made him nervous was showing his friends his daughter.
Jude managed to wear a grin when he finally found his voice "I'm, er, g-good."
Rowan furrowed a suspicious brow at the younger man's direction, clearly sensitive to the fact that one of his friends was uncomfortable. As a former military tactician and current prime minister, coupled with the fact that he was exceedingly wise, he had managed to see the minor signals of when anyone was hiding something.
"Are you certain? You don't sound it." He said knowingly.
Elize mimicked Rowan and quirked her own brow and she plucked Teepo from the air and held him nice and tight as she seated him on her lap although the talking plushie also looked quite suspicious of him too.
"Yeah!" Teepo exclaimed "you're actin' all jumpy!"
The group all stared at the scientist. It seems that they were all very cautiously distrustful of him now while they sat there silently and each individual awaited either an answer from the man himself or were trying to discern the cause of the man's odd behaviour for themselves.
All this was sending horrendous tremors down Jude's spine.
The unease started to set in and it felt so heavy. The atmosphere was so intense that one could cut it with a knife, it was that bad.
Jude let out a sigh as he tried to ready himself. This was the moment where he'd have to let little Ami out and show her to the group and he could tell that everyone was also beginning to sense his great unease of having to even be present here, no one could sense that more then Leia.
Leia looked at her childhood friend from the sofa she sat on and spoke up "What's with the depressingly suspenseful gloominess? Are you hiding something?"
Jude ignored that question since he knew that he had to get it over with. Multiple thoughts rushed through his mind and filled his head with disorganised chaos, so unlike what his normal state of mind would be in frantic situations. His head felt like it could burst and thoughts whizzed around in all directions like angered bees in a hive.
This was it.
No turning back now.
"G-Guys...I've got s-someone I'd like you...to m-meet." He stuttered out.
He took in a deep breath to calm himself and he reluctantly unwrapped Ami from his coat so he could reveal her to the group. The small child had been shivering the whole time while she looked around with eyes wider than dinner plates and her eyes were dilated due to the fright she probably felt of this whole outing. She flung her pudgy arms around and grabbed tight to her father's arm and buried her face into it.
Regardless her introduction was met with a very long silence.
Jude spoke again while he looked down at Ami "Um...this is Ami, she's my daughter."
Everyone other than himself and Ami and even Rollo had slack jaws and wide eyes as they seemed to have been in pure disbelief of what they were seeing. They didn't even appear to have remembered to breathe that they were stunned at seeing a very young child like this with the scientist stood before them. Rowan, Alvin, Teepo and Elize, Elle, Drizelle and Leia each didn't utter a word for several long moments since they were still trying to take it all in whilst they sat there and absorbed the words into their heads.
When they finally did speak, everybody simultaneously voiced their stunned disbelief.
"WHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"
A/N: Well, this is it! This is the chapter where the rest of the group become acquainted with little Ami but it would seem that they were extremely stunned. Can Jude cope with a bunch of freak outs on top of everything? Btw, it would seem that Jude is finding night times mayhem and he has to now explain how Ami came to be...if it's even possible.
I worked hard on this chapter, I hope you guys like it.
-Chloemcg
