Dinner became awkward fast.

There was little Lloyd could do to remedy the moods of the people now sitting around the table. Colette seemed so sullen, her hair heavy and flat from her bath. Seles wasn't much better, confused and frustrated with what little news she'd heard about her brother's antics over the past few days. Zelos was the biggest pain in the ass, though. It was clear that he was not happy to see his sister again. Of course, it didn't help that Tokunaga, Seles' aide, had decided to eat with Sebastian in the servants' quarters. Sheena was still out gathering supplies, her dinner going cold. Regal's meal was untouched. There was nobody to help smooth out their turmoil. The conversation was frigid, open and raw.

"So," Seles began, a snotty ring in her tone. "When were you planning on telling me about this—what kind of monster is it?"

Zelos grumbled, then made an obnoxious slurp. "Made of exspheres and bones. Eats people. Surrounded by a thick coat of goop."

His sister tapped her spoon against her dish. "Right." She looked towards Lloyd and Colette with sharp frustration, "Can either of you elaborate?"

"It's what he says," Lloyd replied. "Just this big, awful man-eater. I've never seen anything like it. Don't even know what to call it."

Colette jumped into the conversation. "I like Blobby. Blobby's a good name for it."

Lloyd's face screwed up in embarrassment. "You wouldn't be calling it that if you saw it face-to-face."

"Okay, getting away from the name game for a moment," Seles cut their conversation short. "From what I've heard, it attacked Meltokio and killed quite a few soldiers. There are also rumors that Princess Hilda disappeared at the same time it attacked. I'm guessing that's related."

Colette stirred her meal, flicking through its contents. Even if there weren't any peppers in it, she had to be wary. "It's also crazy about finding Presea."

Seles pursed her eyebrows. "That little pink-haired girl? Why?"

Zelos shrugged. He was beginning to lose his appetite. "We're not sure. There are a lot of things that just don't add up." What would it do to Presea if it found her? Would it kill her outright? Or, would she be kept alive, preserved like some canned vegetable, her exsphere burning through its body?

"By the way. Don't go into the west bathroom," Zelos added, shaking off his mental images.

Seles gave him another weird glance. "Just can't stay on the subject, can you, brother?"

Colette cleared her throat. "What are you all going to do now?"

"Well, we've still got to patrol tonight," Zelos sighed. "Give me a couple of hours of sleep, and I'll be ready to go."

Lloyd nodded, "Sure thing. I'm up for a little monster hunting."

"Now, that's what I like to hear, buddy," Zelos smiled. Lloyd felt a little panicked. The redhead's devious aura remained even in the face of death.

Seles nodded and crossed her arms. "Fine. I can go with you."

"No, no, no. You're not going with us," Zelos stressed his anxiety to his sister. "If you want to stay here? Fine. It's your home, too. But, there's no way I'm letting you get close to that thing. Got it?"

His sister was prepared to rip him a new one when there was a clatter at the front door. Sheena had returned, greeting the dinner guests with a hearty "I'm back!" She had two paper bags in her arms. The first was overflowing with bottles and small, round gels. The second had a soft bulge towards the bottom, cloth peeking out the top.

Seles raised her head. "Wow. Power shopper."

Sheena dropped the paper sacks next to the table, then sat down to her meal. "There's a lot of nervous people out there tonight. Tried to get what I could, but the stores are picked over."

Reaching towards the first bag, Zelos began checking the items. There certainly were enough bottles and gels. He pulled out a panacea bottle, then dropped it in the second bag. Those little potions were handy for cleaning up anything. Poison, paralysis, petrifaction—even mundane fevers. He pushed the bottle aside, looking at the clothes Sheena had purchased. Hardly fancy, but they would have to do.

"You know taupe's a fall color, right?" Zelos teased Sheena.

Sheena glared back at him. "I really wasn't worried about that, Zelos."

A sad smile escaped Zelos. There certainly were worse things out there. He stared down the hallway, then back into the bag. The dry scent caught him off-guard. It seemed so fresh compared to the stench that he and his friends had wallowed in over the past few days.

He plopped the sack into Lloyd's lap. "Hey, bud. Can you take care of this?"

"Yeah. Sure," Lloyd agreed. His chair squeaked as he got up.

Zelos smirked. He could always trust Lloyd to take care of the more difficult tasks. He leaned forward, then addressed Colette and Sheena. "So, ladies. What are you thinking? Want to go on a romantic stroll around Meltokio tonight?"

The two young women replied with a drawn out, "Actually…" Both laughed at the other, surprised that they synced up.

"Do you think you need someone to watch your sister tonight?" Sheena asked first.

Seles was offended. "I'm not a child!"

Zelos winced at Sheena's suggestion. "Ah, hunny. Your heart's definitely in the right place." He shrunk down as Seles swatted at him. "What? If you're serious about staying here, then I would feel better if one of my hunnies was protecting you."

Seles objected. "There's no way I'm letting that bimbo watch over me!"

"Bimbo?" Sheena growled.

Zelos whistled at both of them. That cut their argument short. "Hey, now. Let's play nice."

A question startled the group. "What if Colette stayed here instead?"

Zelos leaned his head back. Lloyd had returned from the bathroom. He plopped into his seat, then stirred his risotto. A tiny bit of film started to build on his spoon. Everyone waited for him to clarify his thoughts. "Well, if Seles doesn't like Sheena, then Colette would be a better person to watch over her, right?"

"Yeah," Colette laughed. It was an awkward, nervous chuckle. "About that…"

The entire table went on edge. There was nothing more concerning than when Colette was trying to make a plan. If it wasn't outright crazy, it was suicidal. Zelos surrendered the table to her. "It's a bit much to ask, isn't it? My sister can be a bit of a pill, and—"

"It's about Presea," Colette cut Zelos short.

A reasonable worry. She was in more danger than the rest of them. Zelos leaned forward, then put a hand on his head. She had to be warned. If she knew about how awful this monster was—if she knew what it had done to her friends—she would be livid and out for blood. He still couldn't resolve the sinking feeling in his stomach. How could he keep her safe from something like that?

"Someone's got to get a hold of her," Zelos agreed. "But, after today…"

Sheena was livid. She slammed her fist on the table. "Hey! Don't be getting cold feet. Not after what we had to pull to go look for her!"

Her fire fueled his frustration. "Oh, and what? Am I supposed to forget the afternoon I spent watching the strongest guy I know puke his guts out after I cut him out of rancid entrails? Should I pretend that didn't happen?"

Sheena stopped mid-thought. She knew that the Chosen was cowardly when it came to his former duties as a church icon, and she knew of times where he confessed to pledging loyalty only to the strongest in a fight, but this kind of fear from him was rare. It was a worry over someone else's loss. He could stand his own sacrifice and worthlessness, but not that of his family. Not of Seles. Not of his friends.

"I didn't know it messed you up like that," Sheena apologized.

He pressed his fingertips on the center of his brow. "I can't get the smell out of my head." He cringed behind his palms. "It's not even about Presea. She's a strong girl. I know she can fight. But, if that thing found Seles…and there's no way Hilda can still be alive. Even her father's given up."

Small hands took his fingers. Zelos looked up, surprised to find Colette's eyes behind his hands. "That doesn't mean you have to give up. Please, Zelos. You've done amazing things! I know you can fight this!"

"Ah, hunny. You put way too much faith in me," Zelos chuckled.

Lloyd shrugged. "You might be a two-timing pervert, but you can save pretty much any girl out there. If Presea did want to fight with us, I know you'd keep her safe."

"It's better to have that bumpkin with you than pretending she's safer on her own," Seles agreed. She pulled a face when all of Zelos' friend stared at her. "What? It's the truth!"

Sheena crossed her arms, then smirked. "You know we've got your back. Don't go around thinking this is just your fight. We're here for a reason, you idiot. We'll all protect her—and you."

"I really do feel loved," Zelos said. He chuckled, then made a face at Lloyd. "Not that I'm implying anything about you, dude."

Lloyd didn't seem offended. "I wasn't the one that was about to cry over another man."

Seles grumbled, then got Zelos and his stupid friends back on track. "Look, Colette. You wanted to go find Presea, right? I'm sure Zelos is willing to lend you that dumb Elemental Cargo. Will that be big enough for four people?"

"Four?" Colette echoed.

"Well, yeah. You, Presea, Raine, and Genis. If you're going to go find one of them, you might as well get all three," Seles stated. "I can hold down the fort here, in the meantime. I'm sure you haven't been taking care of anything around here, Zelos. Someone's got to make sure you've got a place to crash."

Zelos rubbed his right temple. "Right. But, who's going to watch over you? Unless you think a couple of butlers stand a chance against this monster."

Seles deflected his question with an inquiry to Lloyd. "Well? How's the west bathroom situation?"

Lloyd winced, then dropped his head. "I don't think Regal's going to be a lot of help tonight. He fell asleep in tub."

Zelos laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Long as his head's above water."

"Guess that means I've got no choice about who watches over me." Seles crossed her arms, then glared at Sheena. "You're just about as experienced as my brother is about fighting this monster. So, I guess you'll have to do."

"You really know how to make a person feel special," Sheena lied.

Convinced that she had solved the issue, Seles went back to her meal. "See? All sorted out. Go team."

At least someone was finally taking charge of the situation.

/***/

It was nearly ten before Zelos and Lloyd left the upper quarters. The elder of the two managed to sneak in a couple of hours of sleep before they had to go. To be honest, he could have used a few more, but he didn't dare risk any more time. The summer heat was sweeping upwards into the sky. There was a strange, empty feeling that weaved its way through his skin. The ocean smelt saltier that night, the air heavy. It felt like a storm was approaching.

"So, do you feel like sharing your master plan yet?" Lloyd asked.

Zelos smiled. "I bet you can already figure it out."

A cold wave of fear washed over Lloyd. "Oh boy."

"What we've got on our hands is a monster that can't come out when it's too hot and travels by water masses." Zelos started making his observations, ticking his fingers off as he made his points. "It's big. Very big. This isn't just something that can hide in an alleyway. It needs a big home, and it's got to be either in or around Meltokio."

Lloyd shook his head and sighed. "The sewers."

"Bingo. You're getting smarter, you know that?" Zelos tousled Lloyd's hair in approval.

The duo meandered through the traffic in the main square. It was much less crowded than the last few nights. People were starting to get the picture. A few bands of younger punks gave the two of them mean glances, but sulked off like wolves. Some were unwilling to just sit and be devoured—vigilante justice was their course. Zelos found their presence comforting, in an odd way. Maybe the town was better defended than he thought.

Lloyd glanced back towards the Martel cathedral. "How long are we going to search?"

"Until daybreak. We're going to cover the main passages. You know, the area I took you guys through," Zelos explained. He flipped his hair out of his face. "It may not show up there, so we might have to go to the king later and get a map of the entire system. It's most likely hiding in one of the older, abandoned parts."

Lloyd nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Right. The professor was telling me about them, once. She said that during some of the older wars people used to hide in there. She also said they used to bury bodies down there."

Zelos made a face of disgust. "Our lovely, beguiling Raine does have a strange fascination with dead things. Kind of unladylike, but that's what I like about her."

They passed by the closed item shop, rounding the corner to a manhole. Without pause, they went up to it and took a look. The cover was gone, and the metallic rim around it was smashed downwards. Parts of the pavement were blasted aside as well, all sunken in. Lloyd pressed a hand against the outer edge, dismayed to feel the brick beneath his hand give way and collapse into the damaged ladder below. That had to be some tremendous force.

Screwing up his courage, Lloyd leapt into the hole. He caught onto the ladder and climbed a few feet down until the entire thing gave way under his bodyweight. He landed onto the paved walkway below, sprawled out on his chest. He coughed, his breathing out of whack, but he'd managed not to break anything. A flash of orange mana appeared by his side. Zelos's rarely used wings disappeared into the darkness.

"We probably should have gone in through the front door, huh?" Zelos chuckled.

After catching his breath, Lloyd coughed. "Sure. Laugh it up."

The redhead offered the swordsman a hand. Lloyd took it, getting back up onto his feet once more. It was darker than he had anticipated. There were faint lights around the walkway. It reminded Lloyd of Mizuho at night, with faint stars lighting the town. He never remembered Iselia or even his father's house being dark as this, even out in the countryside. It was chilling.

Even in the dark, it was obvious where the monster had been. Red ooze stained and dried the walls and walkways, leaving a clear-cut trail. Parts of it disappeared where it hit the running river of sewage, but it popped up again on the opposite bank a few meters down. Zelos smiled to himself. This was too easy. It felt like a trap. And yet, how could he ignore it?

"That's it, isn't it?" Lloyd stated the obvious, a cold overtone cooling his words.

Zelos agreed. "Yep." He drew his sword. "Get ready."

They made their way down the path, careful not to attract too much attention to themselves. Rats noticed them along the way, but they scurried off soon afterwards. The water wasn't at full force, so it was simple enough to cross in parts. Thankfully, most of the paths here remained undamaged, so they could cross without having to get into the sewage too often.

Lloyd rubbed his left hand, massaging his exsphere. "It's burning a little bit again."

"Mine too." Zelos nodded. "Wonder why it does that?"

"Maybe it's a kind of warning?" Lloyd pondered. He scratched the back of his head. "Sorry. I like to think my mom's still watching out for me."

"Hey, nothing wrong with that. Wish I had a good mom like that." There was an empty look of pain in Zelos's face, but Lloyd said nothing about it. It was better to let that subject go.

The swordsman changed the topic. "I can't believe something that big could be down here. Wish there was more lights."

"Yeah, it's a bit spooky. Perfect place to have some—" The redhead started, but stopped as soon as his idea had formed. He shut his jaw, lips coming to a slow stop against each other. Lloyd was going to ask why he'd stopped talking, but he saw it too.

It looked pale, ghastly even in the faint light. Whites, blues, and golden hues glowed in comparison with the dark walls. Beyond the vesper-like figure, the passages wavered and undulated like red gelatin. It sparkled with faint scarlet lights, their power hissing around its moving flesh. Faint skeletal outlines jutted out from it, a dull taupe against the dark environment.

Zelos addressed the girl in a soft tone, confused about what he was witnessing. "Hilda?"

"No way," Lloyd gasped, awestruck.

There was the slightest nod of respect, but there was nothing more personal than this. "Go back." She seemed to be in a state of shock, responding in a low, almost mechanical voice.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Lloyd asked, hoping to snap her out of it. "C'mon! Everyone's worried sick about you!"

She remained stationary. "Do not fight. You will not win."

Zelos hissed through his teeth, but it did little to intimidate the oddly silent monstrosity behind her. He couldn't believe how dull and empty her gaze looked. She knew who he was, but she didn't seem to care. It was so off, considering how she wanted to jam her tongue into his mouth just a few days ago. He didn't want that, either, but he didn't want to be looking at what could be little better than a callous, hollow echo of his princess.

"We're here to save you. Please, get away from that thing," Zelos kept his cool, but tried to plead to the girl.

The fleshy substance splashed out around her, broken bones reaching out for the two swordsmen. Two slashes were the only moves the duo could do before the cascade of gore struck them. It swept them off their feet, rolling them into its flesh. Zelos panicked, lightning and fire flashing in his head. Neither element came to his call. His brain was overcome with a sickly chill, fresh horror slapping him with an open hand. All of those times he had escaped—all those instances where the monster had run away—he had been little more than a biting fly against its hide.

Lloyd fought longer than Zelos could stand. His exsphere's crest was pierced with dozens of nerves, skeletal hands holding him still. He could feel Lloyd's thrashing as if it came from his own arms and legs. Even the defiant boy stilled, his mighty exsphere unable to resist the same power that dominated thousands of other exspheres. In the raging static of the monster's hive mind, the duo lost their senses.

Princess Hilda apologized to their limp forms, her voice cracking but cold. "I am sorry."

/***/

Author's Note:

This chapter's key word is "taupe", apparently…