- - Carpe Noctem - -

Seize the Night

Lucius stood before the crowd and cleared his throat. "I'm not good at speeches, so I'll make this short." He spread his arms, smiling. "Welcome to Rome, and I hope you all enjoy the party!"

The nobles spread across the ballroom floor applauded politely, clapping their hands without producing any real noise. Their relative quiet made Arjuna's thunderous clapping and whoop of excitement all the more embarrassing. Everyone in the room turned and stared at the Ahriman lord as "aw yeah" echoed off the walls, and Vector shrank away from him, hiding his face in the palm of his hand. "God's blood, Arjuna!" he hissed. "What part of 'just be quiet' did you not understand?!"

Arjuna, for once, actually looked slightly self-conscious under the cold stares of so many people. "Well, I... got excited..." he whimpered.

Suddenly, a loud, boisterous laugh rose up from a few feet away, and Alito pushed through the crowd, grinning broadly. "You're awesome, man," he crowed, slapping Arjuna on the back. The musicians started to play, and the nobles gradually turned back to their own conversations, the two loudmouths having lost their attention.

Arjuna grinned, eyes sparkling with an almost fanboy-ish joy. "No, YOU are awesome!" he gushed. "The way you took out that guy just by punching him... I've never seen anybody fight like that before!"

Alito grinned back, looking just the slightest bit pleased with himself. "Oh, that was nothin'. The guy barely put up a fight." He heaved a melodramatic sigh. "I haven't had a good opponent in months... it's really depressing, you know?"

Arjuna nodded solemnly. "I know exactly what you mean."

"It just isn't right," Alito continued, hands balled into fists. "Nobody in Rome has any fighting spirit anymore!"

Arjuna grinned. "Hē, I'll take you on!" He paused. "Well, not in the arena... I don't really wanna die."

Alito laughed. "Like that'd ever happen... if you're any good, the crowd would want to keep you around. Besides, scheduling matches in that place is my lanista's own personal Hell, so I couldn't get you in there if I got down on my knees and begged." He grinned. "But if you're up for a fight, who am I to refuse?" He turned towards the end of the hall. "Hey, Lucius!" He then turned back to Arjuna. "Oh wow, I forgot to ask you your name! Sorry..."

Arjuna waved dismissively. "No problem, I forget stuff all the time."

Vector held a hand over his mouth, but he couldn't hold back the loud 'snerk' that came out.

Arjuna, for his part, ignored it flawlessly. "I'm Arjuna. It's a pleasure to meetcha!" Vector cleared his throat, and Arjuna blinked. "...Oh, and this is Vecta- ah, I mean, Prince Vecta! Ahm... he has a lot of titles... uh... okay, he's lord of some province or other... slayer of a whole lot of men..."

Vector sighed, shaking his head. "Just stop."

Alito's green eyes lit up with curiosity. "Hey, aren't you the guy that took on the whole Parthian army by himself?"

Vector raised an eyebrow. "It looks like the rumors are starting to get out of control…"

Alito shrugged. "Eh, I figured as much. Still, that one's better that what the noxxi were spouting yesterday." He tilted his head. "You didn't really kill a man by beating him in a card game, did you?"

Vector stared at him. "How would I even do that?"

Alito snickered. "Dunno, magic or something? I swear, every new batch of lion-bait is more ridiculous than the last…" He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Although magic deadly card games would be pretty cool, don'tcha think?"

"That would be wicked awesome," Arjuna chimed in, but Vector hushed him with a scowl before turning back to Alito. "Might I talk to you for a moment? I just have a few questions, that's all."

Alito took on a look of mock fright. "I didn't do anything bad, did I?"

Vector rolled his eyes, smirking. "Actually, I just want to ask if you know anything about Numbers."

Alito looked bemused. "Numbers? Yeah, I can count all the way up to ten."

Vector's smirk faded. "...Are you being serious?" Before Alito could reply, he shook his head and reached into his sash. "Never mind." He pulled out the card that represented his own Number and held it up for Alito to see. "Have you ever seen something like this before?"

Alito's eyes widened slightly. "Hey, that looks kinda like my lucky card!"

"Your lucky card?" Vector echoed.

"Yeah," Alito said, pulling a card from his belt and showing it to Vector. The picture on the card was different from Vector's, but it featured lines of the same strange symbols. "Ever since I found this, I've been winning all my matches," Alito continued, looking on the card with fondness. "I can't really explain why, but I feel stronger when I have it." He laughed, scratching the back of his head. "You probably think I'm crazy, huh?"

Vector smiled wryly. "No, not at all." At least now I know for certain; Alito Leonus is hosting a Mytherian Number, and Don Thousand will be coming after him. The challenge now is to figure out how to keep him out of harm's way...

At that moment, Lucius appeared behind Alito's left shoulder, arms folded. "I did tell you to clean up a little... don't you have any clothes besides your armor?"

Alito shrugged. "I do, but I don't like wearing them." He turned and grabbed Arjuna by the shoulders. "Anyway, you got any space for a little sparring match?"

Lucius sighed, smiling slightly. "Can't even go one day without a good fight, huh?" He stroked his chin. "Well, I suppose we could convert the smaller ballroom into an arena of sorts... it would take some time, though."

Alito grimaced. "You're gonna make me enjoy your party, aren't you?"

Lucius smirked. "You know me too well." He turned to Arjuna. "I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into... Alito's not bloodthirsty, but he'll run you ragged if he's enjoying himself."

Arjuna grinned. "Now I'm even more pumped up!"

"That's what I like to hear!" Alito cheered, pulling Arjuna off to the side. "What's your specialty?"

Arjuna turned briefly back to Vector, who waved him away with a slight smirk. Arjuna nodded, then turned back to Alito, following him through the crowd. "I'm a swordsman mostly..."

Lucius turned to Vector, smiling. "Those two certainly seem to be getting along well."

Vector shook his head, sighing. "I'm sorry if Arjuna's causing trouble for you... I'm pretty sure no one's ever told him what manners are."

Lucius chuckled. "No need to apologize; he's a prim and proper gentleman compared to Alito."

Vector raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of, he seems to be on very good terms with you, considering he's not exactly social elite..."

Lucius looked somewhat sheepish. "Well, that's a long story, but it's true that I consider him my friend."

Vector smiled knowingly; he could have guessed as much from the first time Lucius mentioned the gladiator's name. "That can't be good for your reputation..."

Lucius shrugged dismissively. "The mob has never approved of emperors fighting in the arena, but that didn't stop my predecessors from doing so. And honestly, Alito is well worth the disapproval of the nobles. I've never met anyone who can fight the way he does, and he has a noble spirit... almost too much so." He sighed, shaking his head. "He won't let me free him; he says he has to 'prove himself' first. He's been so stubborn about it..."

Vector raised an eyebrow. "He needs to 'prove himself?' What exactly does that mean?" If he's passing up chances to leave the arena, it's going to be really difficult to keep him out of Don Thousand's clutches...

"Actually, I'm not quite sure," Lucius admitted. "But whatever it is, I'm convinced he's done it already." He gave a conspiratorial wink. "I have a plan, you see. On the last day of this gathering, I'm going to fight him in the arena, in front of the kings of the world and all Rome. And if I win, I'll make him go free."

Vector snickered in spite of himself. "Seems a bit like desperate measures..."

"This is what I have to resort to," Lucius sighed, shaking his head. "I wish he'd just be reasonable, but that's never going to happen."

Vector was about to respond when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. Whirling around, he found himself facing a tall, broad-shouldered man dressed in a patterned tunic and chain mail; only the thin gold circlet around his head signaled that he was royalty. He had short jet-black hair peppered with grey, and his face and eyes, though smiling, were hard as flint.

"Ah, forgive the intrusion, Prince Vector," he said, stepping back a bit. He spoke with a slight lilting accent, pronouncing the 'v' in Vector's name almost as a softer 'f.' "I just couldn't wait anymore, I had to meet you!" He held out his hand. "I'm King Frederik Wilhelm of Lower Saxony."

Vector shook his hand, smiling politely but inwardly wary. The man came off as strong-willed; he was also evidently quite powerful in terms of military strength, and his motives were still unclear. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Wilhelm laughed heartily, grabbing Durbe, who stood dutifully at his side, by the shoulders. "Sir Durbe's told me much about you... and I'd imagine he's told you about me, as well. All good things, I hope?"

Vector smirked; Durbe looked extremely uncomfortable. "All good things."

"That's good." Wilhelm sized Vector up with a sharp hazel eye. "...Your hair really is as orange as they say."

"Excuse me?!" Vector reflexively gripped his head with a hand, blushing furiously. "Who's 'they?!'"

Someone giggled from off to his right. "That'd be my brother," Merag admitted, a soft smile on her lips. She had exchanged the white priestess' outfit she'd worn at the Colosseum for a long, deep blue dress that hugged her waist and billowed out around her ankles like a cresting wave. She moved to join the group, Nasch skulking behind her with a simmering scowl. Merag shot him a brief dark look, then the smile returned to her face. "Sorry about that."

Vector somehow doubted she was really sorry, but he was far less angry with her than he was with Nasch. The purple-haired king just rubbed him the wrong way, besides the fact that he'd insulted him both behind his back and to his face for what appeared to be no other reason than his natural temperament.

Lucius suddenly cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, but I have to duck out for a bit; there's a last-minute event that I need to organize." He backed away, dipping his head slightly. "I hope you all enjoy yourselves."

"Have fun organizing," Merag called after him before turning back to the group with a mischievous smile. "So, any guesses as to what this mystery event is?"

"Maybe it's a pasta-eating contest," Nasch quipped, arms folded. "Or a poetry recitation."

Wilhelm winced visibly. "Boy, don't invite such things down upon us; if I have to listen to The Aeneid one more time I'll fall on my sword." He turned to the knight next to him. "Na, Durbe?"

Durbe fidgeted slightly. "I rather enjoyed The Aeneid, Sire..."

Vector snickered. "Don't worry, it's nothing stuffy like that. Alito Leonus and one of the lords of my country are going to test each other's skill in a sparring match."

Durbe sighed. "Arjuna..."

Vector smiled wryly. "Yeah."

"Oh, that sounds exciting!" Merag exclaimed, a tiny spark of excitement in her ruby eyes. "They're not going to kill each other, I hope?"

"Probably not," Vector affirmed. "He may not act like nobility, but Arjuna's not just some slave. Lucius would be in trouble if he died."

Nasch raised an eyebrow. "You don't sound concerned..."

Vector sighed. "If he willingly participated in a death match for no good reason and lost, I'd say he had it coming. He's kind of an idiot."

Merag stifled a laugh. "That's a bit harsh, don't you think?"

Vector shook his head. "No, it's not. Really." He turned to Durbe with a smirk. "You know what I'm talking about, right, Durbe?"

Durbe held up his hands. "Please don't bring me into this..."

Suddenly, the musicians started to play a rousing dance, and the crowd gradually pushed to the sides of the room to clear the ballroom floor. Merag's eyes traveled back and forth between the other members of the group, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "Oh, there's just too many handsome gentlemen here," she complained, stroking her chin in mock seriousness. "How do I decide which one to dance with first?"

Wilhelm chuckled and backed away, his hands in the air. "Sorry, but I've got a bad hip."

Merag huffed. "I suppose that's an acceptable excuse." She glanced back and forth between Durbe and Vector, smirking. "Looks like it's down to you two..."

Durbe blushed furiously, taking a step back. "I'm sorry, I, ah, need to... ah... get a drink..." He then beat a hasty retreat towards the refreshment table, thoroughly flustered.

Wilhelm laughed. "Oh, don't mind him; he gets really shy around beautiful ladies. Takes his code of chivalry a little too seriously, if you know what I mean."

"Is that so?" Merag turned to Vector and smiled sweetly. "Well then, would you like to dance?"

Vector clutched the armor on his left arm self-consciously; he suddenly felt slightly angry with Durbe for abandoning him. "Oh, well, I don't know..."

"Oh, come on!" Merag suddenly snapped, hands on her hips. "What, am I that ugly?! Do I have something on my face?!"

Vector reflexively took a small step back. "N- No, that's not what I-"

"Then dance with me!" Merag commanded, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him out onto the floor before he had a chance to protest. She had a surprisingly strong grip despite her thin frame, and if she'd grabbed his right arm instead of his supernaturally-strong left, he was sure that he would have dislocated something.

Merag whirled him across the room, weaving in and out between other couples until they were somewhere in the middle of the floor. Vector barely managed to keep his footing, and as Merag started to pull him towards the far side of the hall, he grimaced slightly. "I'm sorry," he muttered, "but I'm really not very good at dancing..."

Merag laughed brightly and spun around, twisting his arm. "Neither am I! I just needed to get away from my brother." She pulled him towards a thick group of people, smiling mischievously. "You can either go back there and tell him you lost sight of me, or help me escape."

"Oh?" Vector smiled in amusement. "Well, well, you're certainly full of surprises." He briefly considered letting her go on her merry way, but he had a feeling that his relationship with Nasch would only get worse if he "lost" his sister. "I suppose I'll just have to go along with you, then."

Merag grinned. "Great! Now come on." She tugged him, less violently this time, towards the clump of people, and he followed her willingly, curious and slightly awed by her audacity.

Glancing around briefly, Merag darted into the crowd, her thin frame disappearing almost immediately. Vector hastily followed her, stumbling and pushing through people, and suddenly, the both of them were gone.

Durbe leaned back against the wall, absent-mindedly scanning the dance floor while sipping a goblet of sweet cider. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily, wishing he could crawl away or melt into the floor. I should never have allowed His Majesty to drag me to this party... once again, I've made a complete fool of myself. He usually didn't allow himself to wallow in shame and self-pity, but there was something about Merag particularly that made him feel he could do so just this once. He wasn't quite sure why he'd gotten so flustered; his "shyness" hadn't been a problem in years. Then again, he hadn't seen many women in years, either... perhaps that was it. Still, the blue-haired princess was especially striking... His cheeks reddened at the thought, and he took a swig of cider.

Hearing footsteps nearby, he turned to find Nasch standing next to him, angrily gulping down a pint of mead. The young king leaned back against the wall next to Durbe and scowled at some invisible point on the ballroom floor. After a few minutes, he seemed to notice Durbe's presence for the first time, and he blinked. "...Hey," he said in greeting, nodding briefly at the knight.

Durbe hastily straightened and dipped his head. "Your Majesty..."

Nasch turned his gaze back to the dance floor, fingers clenched around the drink in his hand. "You haven't seen Merag, have you?" he asked suddenly, turning to Durbe with piercing deep-blue eyes.

The knight slowly shook his head. "I have not, Sire."

"Dammit," Nasch muttered under his breath, scowling at the dancers on the floor like they'd done something to insult him personally. "She always does this...!" He leaned back his head and downed the rest of the mead in one gulp, then slammed the pint down on a nearby table and picked up another. After taking a swig, he turned back to Durbe, his gaze just the slightest bit softer. "Sorry. I just hate it when she disappears like this. It happens way too often."

Durbe blinked. "Is Her Highness... missing?"

Nasch sighed. "It's probably not worth worrying about. She does this at every party we go to." Still, he looked slightly uncomfortable, if not concerned. Durbe knew that expression well; he'd seen it on his own face more times than he could count, staring into the river back home waiting for his unruly younger brothers to return from only God knows where. He felt a deep pang of sympathy for the purple-haired king, and he very nearly placed a comforting hand on his shoulder before remembering his place and drawing back. "Well," he began, trying to keep his tone politely neutral, "wherever Lady Merag is, I'm sure she will reappear before the party is over."

Nasch glanced at him, expression unreadable. "Right." After a long pause, he raised his drink, a slight smirk on his face. "'Til then, how about having a pint or two with me?"

Durbe blinked, surprised by the offer, but after a moment of thought, he smiled and held up his cider. "I would be happy to."

Merag leaned forward against the marble rail of the balcony, gazing out over the gardens surrounding the palace. The sky was beginning to darken, and a cool breeze rustled through the treetops and played with her blue hair. "Everything's really beautiful here, don't you think?" she asked, not bothering to turn around.

Vector carefully made his way to her side, silently placing his hands on the rail to avoid disturbing the quiet atmosphere. "It's alright," he replied, idly surveying the palace grounds. "I don't think it's really better than anywhere else, though... they use white stone too much, it makes all the buildings look so bland."

Merag pouted. "You take the magic out of everything, don't you?"

Vector smirked. "No, that's Durbe's job. He's very good, you should see him at work sometime." He leaned over the rail, glancing at Merag with a bemused smile. "So, why exactly are we standing here watching the sunset?"

"I already told you, didn't I?" Merag huffed. "I needed to get away from my brother." She sighed heavily, shaking her head. "He's fine at home, but whenever we travel, he becomes so overprotective it's positively stifling. I can't do anything without him hovering over me like a mother hen."

Vector had to hold back a snicker. "Sounds awful. So, do you do… this… often?"

Merag giggled. "Oh, all the time. It drives him insane!" She turned her head to face Vector, something like awe or amusement in her eyes. "You're the first one to actually follow me this far, though. Most people don't want to leave the party."

"Well, to be perfectly honest, this whole 'escaping' thing makes you seem a little bit crazy," Vector informed her with a smirk.

Merag simply smirked back. "Well then, I guess that means you're a little bit crazy, too."

Vector laughed. "I guess so." He paused for a moment, then grinned impishly as an idea came to him. "You know, since we're both crazy, we might as well do some crazy things while we're here."

Merag raised an eyebrow, smiling mischievously. "Consider my interest piqued." The breeze strengthened for a moment, and the skirt of her dress floated in the breeze like rolling waves around her ankles. Her blue hair whipped around her face before her thin fingers brushed it away, revealing ruby eyes that glowed with excitement. "What did you have in mind?"

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, guys. It's finals week, so I've been writing papers and all that. Honestly, I'd MUCH rather write about Veccy than Sir Thomas More, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Now then… some of you may know this already, but my Zexal OTP is Gorgonicshipping. So don't be surprised when this story goes where you probably think it's going. That being said, ridiculous OOC sappy pairings happen to be my number-one fanfiction pet peeve, so this pairing is probably going to be more of a subtle undertone than anything obvious for quite a while, at least (we're starting out deep in The Friend Zone, so you know how that goes). And when it does become obvious, I will try my darndest to make it IC and sapless. I know a lot of people around here don't like this pairing, so it'll be subtle enough that you can ignore it for now, if you want.

I'm actually already anticipating writing the next chapter… it's going to be filled with shenanigans and general silliness, so I'm really looking forward to it. :)