"Why are we here?" Luke complained. "The next verse hasn't even started yet."

"I imagine the author put us together up here because we're going to be apart for a while once it does start," Tear theorized.

"Well, that's lame."

"Are you saying you'd rather be with that 'Karin'?" Tear asked, tapping her foot.

"No way! That chick is cold! … Kinda like you when we first met…"

Tear shot him an icy glare. "…What was that?"

"Yeah, like that! Exactly!"

Luke ran for his life, though laughing while he did so, while a barrage of throwing knives trailed just behind him.

About the above? What can I say, I felt guilty. So, as we reach double-digits, we've got five separate groups, each doing their own thing. Anise has gone to Daath to check up on Florian; Luke is with a mercenary gunner named Karin, trying to escape Chesedonia unnoticed; Tear is on her way to Chesedonia to find Luke, unaware that he's already been half-rescued; Jade, Natalia and Guy are just a few hours behind Tear, using Commander Briggs' military ship for transportation; and Briggs and Serenæ are waiting in Keterburg for orders from Yulia City. This update goes out to everyone at The Luke fone Fabre x Tear Grants Fanclub. Happy anniversary guys and gals!

Oh, and hey, I don't own Tales of the Abyss or its characters, so if you could just not sue me, that'd be greeeaaat. And I'll go ahead and make sure you get another copy of that memo, m'kay?

Verse 10: Divergence Rhapsody – Desecration

Anise was livid. She didn't even wait for whatever explanation Tritheim could hope to offer before she started yelling.

"What do you mean he's not here? What's the matter with you people?"

"We felt that–"

"What? You felt that a direct order from me wasn't enough to get you people to do one simple task?"

"If the young lady Fon Master would let me finish, I would assure you that Florian is still safe and well-protected. Until things calm down around here, we felt he would be better off in a safe-house in the city proper, rather than here where any potential assassin would expect him to be, so we secreted him away under the cover of darkness."

"How many guards does he have with him?"

"Well…none. To station soldiers around the premises would defeat the purpose of hiding him away so discretely."

"I'm going."

"Then allow me to send you with a contingent of guards."

"No. If we have enemies here, they already know I'm here and they'll probably be looking for me to lead them to Florian. Just tell me where he is and I'll head over there by myself, in disguise."

"I would advise against this, but you will do what you want regardless, correct?"

Anise nodded, smiling.

"Very well. Florian is being kept in the old church on the north end of town. No one goes there anymore, so I doubt our enemies even remember it exists."

"Hmm, that's good thinking. Anyway, I'm going to go upstairs and get changed – all this adventuring gear is a little conspicuous." Anise left down the right corridor and activated the fonic glyph that carried her up to the Fon Master's private quarters.

Though it had changed cosmetically over time, the miniature apartment still carried the aura of the young man who'd held her heart…and in no small way had taken a piece of it in his passing.

She had gotten used to the presence over time, but her prolonged absence made it feel all the stronger upon her return, and the purpose of her visit bore into her many thoughts and emotions that she lacked the wherewithal to sort.

Consequently crushed under their weight, she collapsed backwards onto her bed. Her bed. One of her first orders of business was to have Ion's bed removed and replaced, so horrifying was the thought of sleeping on it. Now here she was using this room to get ready to meet someone who, in his own way, had also taken hold of her heart.

Resisting the urge to spiral into a depression surrounding such thoughts, she got up and sat at her vanity, letting down and then brushing her hair.

They're two different people. It's not like I would think Luke and Asch were the same, even though they look alike, so why…?

She knew they had different personalities – especially having watched Florian "grow up." She recalled the feeling back then. It was strange being given what amounted to a blank canvas. Anise reasoned it was much the same as Guy and Natalia must have felt in retrospect after learning about Luke's origins. In a grand display of maturity for her age, back then, anyway, she'd left painting to her subordinates, knowing full well whose portrait she would paint if the task were hers.

Anise didn't bother making her hair perfect, as her next step, after changing into some "civilian" clothes, was donning a hooded cloak. She then borrowed some reading glasses from one of the clergy and put them on to complete the disguise. It wasn't much, but if she left with a crowd it would be enough.

After walking around town enough to make certain she wasn't being followed, Anise proceeded to the old church and, after waiting for the street to clear of onlookers, slipped past the rusted gate and towards the large, arcing doors.

"Florian, it's Anise. Open up."

She hoped he heard her. It would defeat her purpose if she had to yell or bang on the doors. There was no answer. The building had fallen into a bit of disrepair, so perhaps there would be a broken window or two that she might be able to sneak in via. The door creaked open just as she was about to turn around.

"What are you doing here?"

"Hi." Anise walked into the foyer while he shut the door quietly behind her.

"Hi. What are you doing here?"

"I came here to check up on you. I think the Original Order might make a move to kidnap you sometime soon."

"Maestro Tritheim suggested as much. That's why he hid me here."

"I know…but I had to make sure you were okay."

Florian nodded in acknowledgement while staring down at his feet, then looked up quite suddenly. "You weren't followed, were you?"

Anise glared.

"…Right. Well, come inside then. Can I get you something to eat or drink?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine, thanks."

"You sure? I was just about to head down to the kitchen to make some dinner anyway."

"Oh. Well, then sure."

The pair headed down to the basement, where there was a dining hall and kitchen.

"You want any help?" Anise asked she followed him into the kitchen.

"No. I've been working on my cooking a lot lately, so if it's all the same I'd like to make something by myself…see if you like it."

"Sure, umm… I guess I'll sit right outside then, so we can still talk." Anise couldn't help but blush, even though she was certain he hadn't meant anything more than precisely what he'd said. She picked the table nearest the kitchen and sat down.

"So what are you making, anyway?"

"It's a surprise."

"So, umm…"

"Anise? I'm sorry, but I really don't want to screw this up, so I need to concentrate."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize. I just don't trust myself enough to have a conversation and pay attention to what I'm doing at the same time."

While Anise was slightly put off by him basically calling her a nuisance, by the same token she was proud that he'd said anything at all. For the longest time, he was incredibly un-confrontational, exhausting all other resources before he would ever resort to facing another human being about a problem. Though it had been a while since she'd last seen him and she couldn't discount the possibility that he'd changed drastically since then, she would much rather think of his speaking up to her as a mark of the closeness of their friendship.

Florian's meal was nothing spectacular, but she praised it nevertheless. After all, he hadn't had the years of practice and honing that she'd had.

"So, what have you been up to while I've been away? Anything exciting?" she asked.

"I've been asked to take the role of consul of the Republic of Feres, but you already knew that, didn't you?"

"No I didn't know that!" Anise half-shouted in shock. "Really? Wow, that's… that's big!"

"I'm not sure if I'm going to take the position just yet. Still, I'm surprised your friend Luke didn't say anything."

"What?"

"I was told he was to receive a similar request regarding the chancellorship."

"Really? This is the first I'm hearing of any of it. I guess we've been moving around so much lately they couldn't track him down. I'll be sure to tell him the next time I see him," she said, deciding it was best not to fill him in on Luke's capture lest she give him more to worry about.

"Please do. Though I imagine he'll share my hesitation."

"So…" Anise said between bites, "why are you hesitating? I mean, I don't know much about government politics, but aren't you already heavily involved over there?"

"That's not really the point. I mean, I love helping them out, and I would have no problem with representing them at summits and the like, but I'm not… This is something different."

"How so?"

"Even though I know it's not like I would have the job for the rest of my life, I would be a head of state. I would be the symbol of an entire nation of people. More importantly, I, and everyone I'm connected to, would become targets as well."

"But isn't that already the case?"

"Yes, but…" Florian put his fork down. "It's like this: if someone kidnapped my closest friend tomorrow, my decisions in the matter would only affect her and myself. As consul, my decisions would likely affect the entire republic."

"So it's the responsibility," she said, making sure to sound deeply disappointed.

"Don't say it like that. You make it sound like I'm the bad guy for turning them down."

Anise huffed. "If you're not going to do it, then don't do it because you don't want to, not because you're afraid. Someone has to be the consul, so if you turn them down because you're afraid, then all you're doing is pawning it off on someone else."

Whatever response Florian might have mustered fell short against the echoing knock on the church's entrance.

"Stay here."

Florian nodded while Anise left the dining hall and ascended the stairs. From the stairwell she could hear the sound of the door slowly opening. Great, he didn't lock it behind him…

"Anise? Florian?"

She heaved a sigh of relief before walking out into the main hall. "Serenæ, what are you doing here?"

"Commander Briggs sent me in to apprise you of the situation."

"What situation? Where is he?"

"He's setting up soldiers around the perimeter of the building."

"That idiot…he's going to blow our cover."

"It's already blown. One of his sources turned over the name of a double-agent here in Daath. After a brief interrogation, he cracked, and told us the Original Order is going to try to capture both of you here tonight."

"Both of us?"

"You've got me. I guess they figure they might as well since you're here too, not to mention unprotected."

"So Briggs is setting up a perimeter, huh?"

"Yes."

"Follow me," Anise said, walking back towards the stairwell and leading Serenæ downstairs.

After Serenæ exchanged greetings with Florian, Anise said harshly "Florian, you didn't hear what you're about to hear. Got it?"

He nodded.

"How is your investigation coming along?" she asked Serenæ.

"Well enough, I suppose. We haven't had any concrete leads on the organization itself, but little things like this will fit together for a bigger picture…I hope."

Anise rolled her eyes. "And the other investigation?"

"Oh! Well, he's incredibly cautious, so it's been hard to learn anything one way or the other. Of course, caution is part of the job, so that's hardly damning in and of itself. Every once in a while he'll send me off to do something that will require both a lot of time and that I bring something back that will prove where I've been, and I get the feeling he's not just sitting around in his room while I'm gone."

"That's not really evidence of anything."

"I know. He has had the occasional meeting without telling me. It's with the same person every time, but I have no idea what they talk about."

"You couldn't eavesdrop?"

"Well, suppose it's a legitimate contact and I spook him."

"…Right."

"In spite of everything I've just said, though, I don't think he's the insider. I mean, he's mysterious and he's got a really bad attitude, but underneath it all he seems genuinely nice. He's not just "loyal" to the Reformed Order – he honestly believes in what he's doing."

"Then perhaps it's time to put you with another suspect…"

"Ma'am! Umm, I'd like to stay with him if I could. He may not be a suspect, but we work well together and I…think I would be of better use aiding his investigation rather than carrying out one of my own."

Anise saw through her act, but agreed nevertheless. Well, 'if we could choose who we love' and all that… she thought, more than aware of the relevance the old adage had to her own situation as well.

The sounds of battle practically erupted overhead, interrupting their discussion.

"Stay here," Serenæ practically ordered while unsheathing her seldom-used sword.

"I can fight," Anise spat, upset at having her combat abilities dismissed so offhandedly.

"Anise," she responded, placing a firm hand on the Fon Master's shoulder, though her pleading eyes betrayed her aggressive stance, "you were once a Guardian yourself, so you of all people should know why I can't let you."

Anise acknowledged her loss to Serenæ's logic with silence.

"Besides, someone has to stay behind with Florian," she added before heading up the stairs.

"Will she be okay?" Florian asked, speaking up for the first time since Serenæ had joined them.

"If I didn't trust her with my life, she wouldn't have gotten the job."

The fighting raged on for nearly an hour, and, as Anise would later learn, had only ended not in the Original Order's defeat but instead their withdrawal from the battle.

"It's odd… As fanatics who believe so fervently in their cause, why would they just abruptly run away in the middle of a fight?"

"I'm afraid the answer is quite simple," Briggs announced his arrival in responding to Serenæ's rhetorical question.

Anise one-upped the spymaster by finishing his answer before he could. "This whole thing was a decoy. We pulled half the guard to defend this church, so if I had to guess, this was planned from the beginning so they'd be able to sneak in and out of the Cathedral unnoticed."

Visibly shaken, Briggs tried to shake it off. "Uh, right. That's very astute of you. There were traces of a break-in, so they're running an inventory to see what, if anything, was stolen."

"Idiots," Anise lamented. "There's no Dawn Age fontech, so the only thing here of any value to the Original Order is the Sword of Lorelei."

Briggs shook his head. "That was the first thing I checked. It's still there."

"That doesn't make sense – even if they didn't go there to steal it, why wouldn't they take it if they had the opportunity?"

"I suppose we'll have to ask themthat ourselves." He turned his attention to his subordinate. "Serenæ – help the Fon Master prepare for travel. We're headed for Chesedonia at first light." Finally, he turned to the young gentleman standing in the corner of the room. "Florian, go back to the Cathedral. It's clear now that hiding you was an abysmal idea after all."

"Excuse me, but do I get a say in the matter?" Anise complained.

"Oh, my apologies. I simply assumed you'd want to return to assist your companions as soon as possible. Regardless, if you'd rather argue with me for the sole sake of arguing, then I would at least suggest you wait until they are out of life-threatening danger," Briggs responded curtly. "Of course, given their proclivity for sticking their noses where they don't belong, I can't imagine such a time coming in the near future, if ever," he deadpanned.

She knew getting a reaction from her was exactly what he wanted, but she didn't care. "I'm getting fed up with your attitude – it's starting to look more and more like outright insubordination."

"Please," he sighed, "save your baseless threats. Working for you, I might be a relentless pain in your ass, but out there…as a free agent… Well, let's just say I'm the only one with a threat of any real value."

"Who ever said anything about letting you go?" Anise replied, a well-honed evil glint in her eyes.

He seemed to ponder a moment whether or not to take her seriously. "Very well," he relented. "I'll try to lay off your friends, at least until you manage to develop a proper sense of humor."

They returned to the Cathedral together to rest briefly before heading out. True to his word, Briggs traveled ahead of the group to Daath Bay in the early morning to procure a ship, and by dawn the three were bound for Chesedonia.

A tug in the opposite direction to maintain Brigg's moral ambiguity! Oh, for want of a laughing Kefka emoticon. So, what did everyone think of the AnisexFlorian stuff? It kinda snuck up on me, but once I got started I didn't really feel like pulling it. So it stayed…and the verse became considerably longer, lol. I hope I was able to write a convincing Anise, as I don't want to disappoint any of you (unintentionally). If I wasn't, though, please forgive me. I'm a guy. Cross-gender writing is a lot harder in that direction – as a female friend of mine once said of Ar Tonelico: "Yeah right, like any girl would have only nine layers." Of course, for my part, I promptly fell out of my chair laughing in self-pity, realizing how right she was. Anyway, expect more fun, more questions, and even fewer answers in the next verse.