Hello all! It's another chapter! Excited? You bet your ass you are!
I know I've been gone a while... but hey, I'm doing things.
Writing a softship oneshot, two spiritship oneshots, Destiny Wings, three projects which I can't (won't) speak of, and I discovered a shipper's wet dream in the form of Fire Emblem: Awakening.
Anyway, thanks in advance for reading and hopefully reviewing!
Thanks to anyone who has, and here's our reviewers!
Bonar, Celestia's Paladin, crazy reader, Golden Sun Guy 17,
Noel the mermaid, TrippyToastersAndABagOfChips, and templeofdecay
Thanks guys! You're the best!
Now, to the thrilling next installment!
Piers stared out over the horizon as he raced the ship forward, bringing them ever closer to the end of their quest, to the Northern Wastes, to Mars Lighthouse. He cast a watchful eye around him, his trained sight watching for currents, shallows, and most importantly, the traipsing wraith of grey and black that spat lightning far behind them. The storm was fast approaching, Sheba and Ivan had told him as such not long after they took over Isaac and Garet's shift. He was not keen on trying to sail through a storm, much preferring that his ship be secure and safe until it passed. He noted this was an unlikely hope, seeing as all around the only land he could spy was made of sheer cliff faces.
He turned his head around to survey the deck and find the Jupiter Adepts. To his surprise he came face to face with his fellow Mercury Adept, who was smiling warmly to him. Surprised as he was that Mia had either managed to sneak up on him or had just gone silent since joining the crew on deck, he smiled back fully. He still searched around for Ivan or Sheba through his peripheral vision.
"Vi'na ti'ud'ri, Mia-kan'oi." Piers nodded, as he took yet another cautious glance around him, "You are a most welcome sight to these old eyes. How may I help you?"
"I actually came out here to ask you if I could help in any way. I'm really bored. I can't seem to find anyone else. Felix is… um… he needs rest. Garet and Isaac have gone to talk to Jenna I think, and Mercury only knows where Ivan or Sheba are." Mia stated, not sure exactly how being with any of them would relieve her boredom. She did feel like a third wheel amongst the Valeans and the Jupiter Adepts when they were together.
Piers smirked a little, "So, I was your last resort? Well, if you wish to help, you could find Ivan and Sheba for me. I want their assessment of that storm following us. I'd prefer if we were as prepared as possible when it hits."
"Aye aye, captain!" Mia rhymed back, giggling to herself, before she started marching about the deck calling out the young Adepts' names.
About thirty seconds later Ivan's head appeared from the crow's nest while Sheba appeared from a barrel. Mia and Piers, noting Sheba's placing as the strangest thing they had seen in some time, cast quick questioning glances to each other then to the girl. As Ivan quickly descended the ladder, Sheba made to explain.
"Playing hide-and-seek! We were bored!" She said though the blue-haired occupants of the deck didn't find that to be a reasonable explanation.
"What if Piers had been attacked while you were hiding? Or you got knocked overboard in that little barrel of yours?" Mia asked as the three of them went back to their captain's side.
Ivan waved his finger back and forth, as though to alleviate her worries, "We were quite clear that we would cover the funeral expenses for any party members lost or killed during our game. It's always a prerequisite when playing hiding games. Don't you know!? Why, did you never offer to cover damages when you played in the snow when you were younger!? Ah! To think the gentle healer would never think of other people's needs at such crucial times as playing games is despicable!"
"De-spic-a-ble!" Sheba rhymed back, laughing, "Reporting for duty, Captain Picard!" Sheba straightened up and saluted Piers, as did Ivan.
"I've told you to stop calling me that." Piers answered. He had grown quite tired of the name Sheba had thought up for him while he was piloting the ship. Worse still that Ivan had also adopted it and a ridiculous catchphrase to go with it, and on top of it all he had named the ship the LS Enterprise for whatever ridiculous reason. It was Sheba's punishment for Piers not revealing his age, but if this was the price so be it.
"Pow-pow, captain. Orders?" Ivan smirked as he remained rigid in his formal position.
Piers, or Picard as he was currently known by the two, sighed and shook his head, "Very well. The storm, when might it hit us?"
Ivan quickly glanced behind him, glowing with Psynergy, Sheba did the same, though Ivan was done first, "Well… first off, judging from what I can guesstimate, it won't be a storm when it gets to us. Which would be in a few hours." Piers expression told more explanation was needed, "It's like it is because of the proximity to Jupiter Lighthouse. It should start to dissipate before it gets to us. I'd say worst we get is some wind and rain. Impossible to tell how long it would last, could be a day, could be a week."
"But, just in case you want worst case scenario, as you often do, we might get caught in the tail end of it. The winds could be strong enough to rock the boat just enough to make us uncomfortable. It could mess with the seas, making them a little less agreeable to our fine ship. Rain and cloud regardless will be heavy enough to obscure solid lines of sight, so, take it easy during it, yeah?"
"In short, we should be fine. Worst possible thing could be someone slips on deck because of the rain. You probably won't wanna be flying at that point. Want us to mix up a guard detail?"
Piers nodded his thanks to the two, "Make it so." The two ran off at the order, "Mia, if you could get Isaac, Felix, and Kraden, for me as well, then meet me back here. I'll do what I can to see if I can find a safe place to land before then."
Mia frowned, "But, they said it wouldn't be too much to deal with."
Piers nodded, "Yes, I know. However, poor visibility is not something I am particularly fond of dealing with after our adventure in the Sea of Time. Paired with their assumptions of strong winds and waves, I would rather not risk accidentally guiding us into a dangerous situation."
With this explanation, Mia smiled and nodded and quickly made her way back inside. Piers turned his eyes back to his surroundings before deciding to cease the use of the Wings of Anemos. If there was one thing he did not favour it was being blinded mid-flight and crashing into some random part of Weyard. The Wings either side slowly stopped flapping, and a gentle spray of froth and seawater splashed up over the deck as they came back into contact with the seas. The Wings expended too much Psynergy, and everyone would need as much as they could to fight the monsters they would now have to start dealing with.
Gripping the wheel tighter as he started fighting small waves to keep them steady, Piers surveyed the area around him. There didn't seem to be any safe land to dock at, or wait out the storm, everywhere was just too exposed to the elements. Moreover, now that they were in the sea, the threat of monsters returned, and the monsters of the Western Sea were not to be trifled with. He steered the ship away from the land he had been scanning, deciding it better to be out at open sea, rather than to be near the cliffs and land of northern Gondowan.
Not long after, Mia's voice rang across the deck, spurring him to turn around. Kraden and Isaac walked beside her, Felix followed several paces behind. Judging from the facial state of the two Valeans something had occurred, which did not bode well for their attempts against the storm.
"Ivan and Sheba say the storm will have calmed by the time it catches us, which will apparently be here soon. According to them, winds could be strong enough to interfere with our course and visibility will be poor. The others are deciding on guard shifts for the pilot. We should decide on both a course to follow, or find a suitable place to dock and wait for it to calm entirely, and decide piloting shifts." Piers stated in one rather quick order.
"I'll pilot for the rest of the day." Felix said bluntly, disregarding Piers' objections, moving to the wheel immediately. He continued piloting north until an order would tell him otherwise.
Isaac grunted as he Piers and Kraden returned inside to plot out a course a safer course than their current heading. Mia, however, remained on deck eyes, full of care, fixed onto her leader's back. For a moment she contemplated just leaving him be for now, he was clearly in no mood for anything, but she had no way to help the others just yet, and besides, Felix was her biggest concern. Slowly placing one foot in front of the other, she drew closer to him.
Standing beside him, she swallowed unsure of how to approach this situation. It was clearly a very delicate issue, whatever argument had transpired between him and his sister was sensitive enough to be kept secret even by Garet. It was none of her business, she knew, but Felix's well-being was her concern. Taking a deep breath, she started with a basic, and most likely to be deflected question.
"What's wrong, Felix?" She turned her eyes to him. His eyes were narrowed, his jaw completely set firm, as he glared at the horizon.
"Nothing." He responded harshly, his posture remaining entirely rigid.
Mia frowned a bit, "You're a surprisingly bad liar when you're upset, Felix." She tried a bit of humour, realising too late it would be pointless, "Look, I know about the argument you had with Jenna. I know it's none of my business and I don't expect you to tell me anything, but I want to help. You don't have to tell me anything… but I hate seeing you like this."
"Just leave me alone, Mia." Felix stated, his words gaining more finality as he finished.
Mia took a breath, about to try again, but relented. Right now, it would do nothing but aggravate him further, and she didn't want to cause him anymore pain. She nodded to him, turning around to head back inside, "Alright, but… just remember… I'm always here if you want to talk."
She received no response from him, nor had she expected any. She sighed inwardly, casting one last glance at the lonely man she had thought she was getting closer to, as she went back inside.
It seems she was wrong.
Jenna sat and cried in Isaac's arms. How could her brother keep such things to himself? How could he not tell his only sister, who previously thought him to be all she had left in the world? Her parents were alive and she was not crying tears of joy. Everything just came out at that wrong time, absolutely everything. She admitted she overreacted earlier, but that didn't mean she wasn't right, and it certainly didn't justify any of Felix's actions today.
"I just don't know who he is anymore, Isaac." Jenna sobbed into the blonde's chest.
"I don't think anyone does, Jenna." Isaac responded softly, but it carried with it the gruffness of rage that directed itself toward Jenna's brother.
How could anyone know this new Felix? Isaac doubted that even Felix knew who he was anymore. Gods only know what those demons of Prox did to him and the older Valeans when they were their captive there. It had turned him into something, a weapon, not a person. A stronger person did not come from Prox, it was a weapon of flesh and earth forged in the freezing cold by the flames of Prox. And that weapon did not distinguish between friend and foe.
Time went on, with Jenna softly sobbing into Isaac, and Isaac simply holding her. Neither knew what to say, they couldn't find the words the moment so desperately needed, they were so lost with the revelation. No thoughts were spared for the others on board, or for the storm that would be bearing down on them. It was almost as though the elements were reflecting what they all felt in their hearts, but the storm would pass… the pain they felt would not.
Jenna shook her head, sniffled once or twice, and looked up at Isaac. Her tears were spent, as in no more would come. She could keep on crying, but that would accomplish nothing. So, she smiled to him. It was a little smile, slightly sad, tears were caught on the edges of her lips, but it showed the promise that their families were still okay. Isaac returned the smile, but it was just for her that he smiled. There was no other thought on his mind other than ensuring that Jenna was happy.
Slowly, there smiles faded… but not because the smiles should have been done. No, they each saw something, a moment where something happened, indescribable as an event but impossible to ignore as the two saw it in the other's eyes instantaneously.
"Isaac…?" Jenna whispered quietly, her eyes still alight with the gentle moisture of her tears.
Isaac swallowed, feeling his throat slide away with the motion. He knew he had to answer her, and yet something just constricted everything within him preventing just that. He stared into Jenna's gloriously beautiful wine-red eyes, doing his absolute best to try and say something in return to her. Why couldn't he speak, now of all times?
Jenna tilted her head a little, Isaac saw her swallow as well. He could feel sweat starting to roll along his forehead and he swallowed again. Was this really happening? Was this the moment? It wouldn't be right would it? Not after everything that had happened. But she had… attacked him last night, and fought with Felix defending just that. Maybe this…
He made to move in, slowly, swallowing for a third time. Jenna mirrored him. Then three loud knocks pounded into the room's door. Isaac immediately jumped a mile back moving to the bed over the opposite side of the room. Jenna similarly backed away, her cheeks flaring a bright red and she began to fiddle with the ends of her blanket, doing everything but looking over to Isaac.
"Hey, guys?" Garet's voice came, "Umm, this isn't the best time, but Ivan and Sheba said that we need to work out guard shifts on deck. If you want we can leave y-"
"N-no, it's o-okay! We're coming!" Jenna answered shakily, still as red as a cherry. Isaac was already at the door, smiling one last time to Jenna before he left to join the others.
Jenna took a very deep breath to calm herself down, to be rid of the heat she felt throughout her body. It was probably for the best that nothing had happened. It wasn't the time for it, and with the storm coming it would have just been bad. At least… that's what Jenna tried to make herself believe. After all the emotion today, she would have like if love and happiness had been amongst them.
She went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face and clean herself up before she went to join the others to tidy everything up.
In the common room Garet, Ivan, and Sheba were busy scrawling hastily on a piece of parchment. A scribbled down table with their names, and Isaac's, Mia's, and Piers', it seemed the slots beneath were to assign an hour shift to each. Garet had already signed up for the two straight shifts, with Sheba with him first, then Ivan. Apparently he had told the others that she wasn't feeling up to it just yet, so they gave her time to recover.
She smiled to them a little, to reassure them, "I'm okay. I'll take over for Garet when he's done."
Ivan and Sheba nodded, scribbling an 'x' in the third slot beneath her name and began discussing further shifts amongst themselves, questioning Piers and Isaac's shifts.
As they did, Garet leaned closer to the redhead, "You sure you're okay?" He whispered, so as to escape the Wind Adepts hearing, and producing a single tissue from one of his pockets.
Jenna smiled to her friend and nodded, "A little. I'm real lucky I have you two." She replied, using the tissue Garet had given her to dab at fresh tears in the corners of her eyes.
Garet smirked in return, "We're always here for you, you know that, but I'd say we're lucky we haven't been killed for stuff we've done before."
Jenna made a small noise like a laugh, "Who would I have to beat up if I killed you two?"
Garet laughed and put his arm over the girl's shoulder, "Well, our corpses, but I don't think that'd be as fun."
Jenna snuggled up against Garet's body as they continued to secure everything.
Before long Isaac, Piers, and Kraden, came in from the deck, rolling out a map. Instantly, Isaac caught the eyes of his two friends and excused himself, saying something about Kraden and Piers being more competent at deciding courses than he. Jenna tried to smile to him, and he seemed like he tried to smile back. It could have been everything that had happened, or it could be the interruption they suffered earlier, but they both knew something was amiss. Thankfully, so did Garet, and always true to being their best friend, he did what he could to help.
"Guys, we've pretty much got everything sorted out. If you two want to go and talk about things I'm sure no one would mind." The man smiled wide to his friends as Isaac volunteered himself for a shift alongside Jenna, "I'll say you're doing something, watching for the tricky monsters who manage to sneak on-board from below. Don't worry I'll come up with something good… hopefully. Now, go on, get out of here before you're roped into something else."
Jenna wasn't exactly sure about this. After everything, she wasn't sure time alone with Isaac so soon was necessarily the best idea, and she assumed he felt the same. But, she knew he was right in some way, they should talk, remember their parents, sort things out.
Felix breathed vehemently at the wheel as he guided the ship along. Kraden had just informed him that there was no safe landing for them to reach before the tail of the storm hit them, as everyone fully expected, meaning he would have to fight the difficulty of harsh weather. This he actually wanted though, anything to relieve all the frustration and emotion. Fighting against nature itself was no doubt the best way to vent everything.
Why in the hell did all that have to happen? Why the hell couldn't he just have left Jenna alone this morning, left her alone instead of attempting apology a few hours later? Had that been the case, Jenna wouldn't have had to remember her suicide attempt, he wouldn't have had to know, their bonds would still be strong, Isaac and Garet wouldn't be forced to remember and no one would have found out about their parents!
Gods, everything was just trying to hurt him and those he cared about! He reasoned he should have stayed and explained to Isaac and Jenna about their parents rather than storming out, but dismissed that as foolish given his sister's emotional level at that point. It started to rain down on the ship, and Felix was glad for it as it hid his tears amongst the drops from the heavens. No one could see him cry, and he did not have time to lift his hand away from the wheel to wipe them away.
…Jenna tried to kill herself…
The thought finally hit him. He had tried to ignore it and not dwell on it since this morning, but it finally dawned on him as the winds began to pick up into a gale. He would have lost his sister had it not been for Isaac. Isaac had always been there for his sister… he remembered that much from Vale. As much as he detested the amount of time the two had spent together, he was actually one of the two people back then, the other being Garet, that he would have allowed be with her. Why did he still have to try and push the two apart?
He had said the two could be together if that's what they wanted once they were back in Vale. He tried to think about his reasoning for pushing them apart: so that there was no relationship distracting them during times of crisis. And yet, he had created a crisis. What if them being together actually wouldn't have caused a problem? What if it was all just on him again? What if… he was just trying to justify his reasons for keeping Mia at bay?
No.
Mia had to be kept back, Jenna and Isaac were a different situation altogether. He would apologise to them and tell them about their parents and stay out of their way. He owed his sister and the man who saved her that much. Yet, there was still that voice in the back of his head that told him to keep the two apart until it was done, some feeling that told him it was for the best.
"Felix!" A voice yelled over the gale.
Felix turned just in time to see a beast be struck down by searing bolts of plasma behind him. Sheba rushed over to his side, her Psynergy active to slow the wind down. Felix didn't realise the wind had become quite so strong, his hair consistently whipped his face.
"Are you okay!?" Sheba asked over the noise of the winds, "You gotta be careful!"
Felix nodded, turning back to find that Garet had just felled two others behind him. The Mars Adept gave Felix a cold stare but nodded to him regardless, Felix couldn't blame him. Shifting his focus back to piloting the ship, Felix now realised the storm was bearing down on top of them, but as Ivan and Sheba had said what they were in now would be the worst of it. The seas, which had been relatively calm when last he remembered, were now unsettled by the winds, crashing into the ship with enough force to unsteady any on board.
Felix began fighting against the elements with as much of his strength as he could, spinning the wheel in argument to whatever wave he was fighting. He focused his Psynergy into the delicately crafted wood beneath him, physically planting himself to it to ensure he didn't lose his balance. Casting his eyes upwards he found that the peaceful blue skies he remembered when he had first come on deck had now been replaced by swirling clouds of blacks and greys. The occasional jolt of fading, weak, lightning sparked within, electricity that fuelled the Venus Psynergy within him to fight in response.
Spurred on by the strength his element gave him to fight his opposing force, Felix discarded all other thoughts and committed himself fully to keeping everyone on board safe.
Mia sighed as she sat on the couch in the common room, staring at her lap. She just couldn't get her mind off of Felix and whatever had happened. Everything seemed to be going so well recently, he seemed to be cheering up, growing more accepting of her. Maybe she had just let herself believe that because he had danced with her, maybe it was just a one-time thing. She didn't know, she wanted to believe that he had been coming out of it, but maybe he hadn't and now he was even worse.
Glancing around the common room, she found Ivan reclining in one of the chairs by the table that piers and Kraden were still studying a map at. He was offering some advice every now and then regarding the current status of the storm.
"Hey, Ivan?" She called over to him, drawing his attention. She beckoned him over with her hand. Smiling, he moved over to her quickly, plopping down onto the couch beside her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"So, what do you need, pretty healer girl?" He asked brightly.
"Company." She answered bashfully. It was true after all. She felt rather lonely with her thoughts annoying her as it was. It wasn't her shift for guard duty and Isaac and Jenna were nowhere to be found. She didn't much like the idea of sitting alone just thinking about everything that was going wrong behind the scenes on the ship.
"Ah, well, you have chosen a gentleman suited to just that. I believe you shall find my presence quite entertaining and should eliminate any feelings of loneliness you may have." He smirked to her, taking his arm from her shoulder, "So, what's up?"
Mia shrugged, now feeling rather ridiculous for not thinking of a topic to discuss before she had called him over. Ivan sensed this and started up by himself.
"How about we talk about that dance of yours last night?" He started, nudging the Imilian in the side with his elbow, "Don't know if you noticed, but everyone was watching you. Your face was so red it was funny. So, did you get any last night after everyone else passed out?"
"Ivan!" She protested, giving him a light punch in the arm, "I wouldn't do that! Even if you would!"
"Felix isn't my type." Ivan countered, though he wasn't prepared for Mia's response.
"I was talking about Sheba, wind-boy." She played, crossing her arms as she sat back into the couch confidently.
Despite Ivan's training at deflecting embarrassment, he couldn't help himself when Mia turned his joke on him with Sheba. Mia smirked even wider as the tiniest shade of red crept onto him, "W-what are you talking about!? C'mon now. We all know I'm after Jenna. Isaac can't handle her."
Mia didn't let up, "Oh, really? Then what's this?" She poked his cheek, making it even redder, "Why, that looks like a blush! But, if you didn't like Sheba you wouldn't be embarrassed at all. Buuut, maybe you're right. Maybe you don't like Sheba. I'll tell her you want Jenna, okay?"
"No!" Ivan argued immediately, uncaring of his folly, "She doesn't need to know about my love life. Besides, this was about you and Felix. Don't try and take the pressure off yourself. I wanna know why you didn't kiss him when the dance was over. You were like a second away and then you had to go dancing again. You realise I lost twenty coins 'cause of you?"
"Not my fault. You should have known better to bet with Sheba, she always wins." Mia countered, though she was slowly turning the same colour as Ivan was.
Ivan smirked a bit in spite of himself, that was true, "Yeah… I guess she does. Wait, how'd you know that?"
"Mind Read." She giggled in response.
Ivan did not seem overly amused, which was a change for the boy, "Ha-ha. Genius." He replied flatly.
Mia smiled a little bit, tapping his shoulder twice, "Ah, cheer up. C'mon, tell me, how do you actually feel about her? I bet even Garet can tell you like her."
Ivan chuckled a little at this. Garet was never one to pick up on things really, to say that he had was a real shot. He scratched the back of his head absently, turning to face Mia. The healer was smiling peacefully at him and, despite the slightly tumultuous weather that was exciting the Psynergy in his blood, Ivan felt calmed and reassured. No matter what Mia may say to him, or how she may tease him, he could always trust her with the sensitive issues of his life.
"She's fun to be around." He paused for a moment thinking how to further word his answer, "And we kissed once or twice."
Ivan was rather surprised that Mia's jaw didn't hit the floor with the speed it had fallen open. She stared at him for a moment, Ivan shrugging in admission to the unspoken question, "You and Sheba… when?"
"Contigo. I kind of broke down when you were out… Sheba took care of me. After that, I gave her a little kiss on the cheek." Ivan explained, though the word cheek seemed to make Mia's face drop a little, "Then we kissed for real when we were out on that walk together when you woke up… a few times…"
Mia smile grew as Ivan finished, breathing out and reclining into the sofa. It felt good to get that out… he didn't much like dwelling on whatever he was feeling for Sheba. It was somewhat obvious that she was infatuated with him, he had seen as much when he was curing her of her headache. He was still undecided on what it was he felt… in truth, he admitted he was probably just scared.
"So… what is it between the two of you then?"
Ivan shrugged, but then a smirk grew as an idea for fun emerged, "Tell you what, I'll tell you about it if you tell me what the deal is with you and Felix. Not to say it's obvious, but you're definitely different around him."
The blue-haired healer shrunk away a bit, not really wanting to say anything on the matter, but even Ivan could take things seriously. In fact, he had probably already read her mind, knew everything, and was just doing this to get to her. Besides, he could keep secrets too, Jupiter Adepts seemed to be good liars… if they didn't choose to expose it for hilarity.
"Deal." She confirmed, shaking his hand firmly.
"Alright, so," Ivan started, sitting forward and becoming more serious and playful simultaneously somehow, "Thing is… I like her, but I don't know what it is. I know she wants me, who wouldn't after all?" He chuckled at himself, "Seriously though, she seems to genuinely want a relationship with me, but I don't know if I do. I really like her, but I don't want to risk our friendship if it doesn't work out because this whole thing is new to us and we're just young and excited."
Mia seemed primed to laugh at him her smile had spread so wide, he didn't take this as a good sign initially, "That's so cute!" She exclaimed, though quiet enough to not be heard by the others in the room, "Aww, my wittle Ivan is growing up!"
"You know you're gonna pay for this." He replied as he batted away Mia's hand, which had just managed to pinch his cheek.
"Worth it." Mia smirked, "But… anyway…what are you afraid of here? You both like each other, and, as you said, you're young."
Ivan rubbed his forehead a little, "I've read more minds than I should have in my time. I've seen memories of couples who start off entirely in love and it all falls apart for some stupid reason that makes no sense. I don't want to risk that."
Mia smile was gentler as she took his hand in her own, "Ivan… that's kind of the point. It's a leap of faith. You don't know what the future's gonna be for the two of you, you don't know if or what problems will come along, you just have to believe you can get past them, stick it out. I'm sure whatever memories you saw, you saw some that had similar events, but turned out happier. Thing is, if it's meant to be, one of you will always push to make it work." Mia paused for a moment to reflect on the sadder case, "And if it doesn't work out… it could hurt for a while, but you two are great at making friends and resolving problems. I'm sure you'll always be friends… besides, we couldn't have you being all sour whenever we got together when this quest is over."
Ivan smiled, taking in all of Mia's words. Despite the fact that she had never been in a relationship herself, she did seem quite wise on the subject. Granted, she seemed to be able to calm anyone's problems down and make them seem easier. Maybe it was just the way she said them, maybe it was her voice or the air around her, but there was something definitely helpful about Mia's words in any situation, "Thanks… that… that gives me more to think about." He laughed at himself a little, "Maybe I was just being stupid… still… I might not try anything just yet…" He shrugged at these words before turning back to Mia, "So… time for your part of the deal."
Mia sighed a little, falling back into the couches cushions as she exhaled. What was the situation with her and Felix? There was none really, yet there was. It was strange.
"Felix… Felix is… he's hard to get close to. You've seen how he is… he can be distant at his best, sometimes it's hard to get him to speak. I'm kind of just trying to be friends with him, you know, proper friends like you and I. I mean, he's even closed off to Isaac, Garet, and Jenna. I want to help him… get him past whatever happened to him."
"Noble… not easy, but noble. Not sure if you can, but if the dance was anything to go by, you're breaking him down. Though… I am still curious as to how you feel about him. Not what's up with him or what you're trying to do. It's no secret that rumours are floating around after your moment together after the dance."
Mia felt the heat in her cheeks, and there was no real point in lying to Ivan. At the slightest suspicion he would dig out the real answer from her mind without her even knowing, "I guess… he's kind of handsome. So, I suppose I sort of like him…"
Ivan smirked wide, and would have said something had the door not been kicked in.
Sheba took a deep breath of the Jupiter-filled air, the electricity, the force, the smog, the cloud, all of it. It was great. It was cold in the thick of it, yes, not as bitter as that gods-damned tower in Tundaria, but she didn't mind. Jupiter entirely surrounded her, finding its way into every part of her form, strengthening her Psynergy even more. She didn't even have to move, all she needed to do was direct her Psynergy at whatever foolish creature was stupid enough to climb onto this ship, though as time passed the storm continued to fade and she had to rely more on her own power. She beamed wide as another beast clambered over the rails to her left.
"Want a meal, huh? Well, how about a fresh bolt of lightning to that ugly face of yours!?" She squealed ecstatically as the clouds around her directed multiple threads of blue-white energy right into the beast. She giggled joyfully as its charred and sparking carcass was tossed back overboard quicker than it had appeared there.
Garet smirked to the girl, giving her a thumbs up as he ripped his axe from the body of a giant turtle that promptly slid away and bounced over deck. He hoisted his weapon over his shoulder as he hunkered down, trying to stay stable amongst the thrashing the ship was taking. Sheba mimicked him, crouching down and casting a watchful glance around, her arms sparking with the surrounding electricity.
"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Garet asked loudly, his voice just audible over the whistling hiss of the winds surrounding them, "Never thought I'd see you so ferocious, princess."
Sheba laughed, answering him by shooting a bolt from her hands into the sky, breaking through the clouds for a moment, "I'm just getting started!"
"That's the spirit! Heads up! On your left!" Garet exclaimed as he straightened up, shooting flame past Sheba.
She turned in time to see a fish-man, she didn't care what it was called, Kraden had some scientific name for it, as it tumbled back over into the sea, his blade following quickly behind him. Three more fowl of the seas were closing in on them along with two of those jelly monsters she so detested. They would never just die. She corrected herself there, they would this time. Garet quickly rolled around, dodging the barbed tentacles of the jellyfish. Sheba smirked at her chance and fired a bolt right through the appendage, severing it. She didn't let it end there though, she brought all the energy around it in and the beast imploded, its innards spraying in every direction.
In her joy to finally kill one of those beast without the risk of another sprouting from it, she had forgotten about the other monsters. She dove to the side quickly as one of the birds had taken a deadly swoop at her, followed quickly by a tentacle. She began to slide along the deck, unable to regain herself after dodging, Sheba rolled around trying not to get hit. Garet's hand quickly hoisted her back up and he had darted away, planting a Djinn fused axe into an incoming bird, cutting it in two.
Angry now, but playing it safer, Sheba brought the voltages in the clouds into a deadly stream of crackling bolts. The remaining birds dropped to the deck or the sea, fried entirely. Garet had dispatched the remaining jelly monsters and Sheba breathed a sigh of relief. She was getting too caught up in this and it had almost cost her dearly.
"Thanks, Garet." She spoke softly, bracing herself against a railing.
"Anytime. You okay?" The man asked as he moved to a safer position on the boat, something Sheba was currently neglecting to do.
"Yeah… ugh, here we go again." She sighed as more webbed-hands and tentacles gripped the railings of the ship, followed quickly by the rest of the monster.
The two of them separated quickly, dealing with the intruders upon both sides of the ship, if they could dispatch them before they got on board it would be far easier. Sheba was quick to act on her side, mixing a strong electrical current into the water flowing off the deck and over the monsters while she assaulted them with the gale. She smirked as she watched the beasts tumble from the edge.
She turned around to examine Garet's situation, only to find a fish-man bearing down upon her as Garet struggled with numerous others on his side. Too late to stop the weapon being swung down on her or to dodge it, Sheba instinctively brought her arm up to defend herself. A moment later she was floored, a sickening crunch echoing in her ears. Moments later, her eyes registered what had happened and pain coursed through her.
A blunt portion of the weapon had collided with her left arm, breaking it and forcing the bone through flesh and skin to jut out repulsively from her. Only now did she realise she was wailing in agony, trying to focus enough to defend herself or ward off the beast bearing down on her.
Isaac felt rather sick with the tossing and swaying of the boat in this storm of opposing elements. He had been down in his room with Jenna for half an hour, and he could still not get over this nausea. They hadn't even been able to talk about anything because of his problem… maybe he was making it worse for himself so he didn't have to do just that. He braced himself against the wall, feeling the Venus energy within the wood run through his fingers. It had been a proud day for him when he had first overcome his sea-sickness. He remembered with a grimace the journey through the Karagol Sea, he had been in a horrible state, even Garet had been better than him though not by much, and they had to fight that huge Kraken. That was just what he needed that day.
This day though, this wasn't exactly seasickness as such. It was more Element Separation Syndrome as Kraden called it in Magma Rock when Mia and Piers were acting rather oddly. He had experienced it before, in places like Jupiter Lighthouse. There he had been prepared for it, knowing that his element would be opposed and non-existent, but here it just happened and all the constant rocking didn't help his state.
He opened his eyes as he felt a tingle in his hand. Jenna was holding it, looking right at him. He tried to smile, keep her happy in the knowledge that he could handle it. Jenna was not someone Isaac could ever fool so easily.
"Relax." She ordered firmly, "You'll be fine… just… just relax…"
Isaac nodded, fully agreeing with the idea of being motionless and resting. Jenna rubbed his back he buried his face in his hands, not wanting to watch the world sway around him. He was a Venus Adept, he was more used to everything being solid, unmoving, firm. Right now, the ship counteracted all of that, even though it was still held together perfectly. He could hear Jenna walk off, saying something about getting him some water, as he continued to try and overcome his weakness.
He sat back, his eyes still closed as he moved his mind away from the constant movement. Naturally the first thing his thoughts fell upon was the scarlet haired girl he loved. Had they actually almost kissed earlier? Yes, they had kissed last night, but did that really mean anything? Not to say Isaac didn't enjoy it, his first kiss with Jenna. It was just that, Isaac had always imagined his first kiss with her as this perfect moment, not something completely unexpected where he was tackled to the floor and pretty much had no choice.
The moment earlier would have been that moment if not for everything that had transpired before it. They hadn't really talked at all as they worked during this storm. How could they after all? The dynamic had been rocked by that ruined moment, had they just been given a few seconds longer it would have been fine, but neither of them wanted to bring it up now? What was he supposed to say exactly? 'Did we nearly kiss earlier?' or 'Want to try that kiss again?' That was just stupid. There was no way to talk about a moment like that, not without being horribly stupid and awkward. All they could hope for was that another moment would present itself and it would not be ruined.
He turned his mind away from the thought, coming back into the shaking world for a second, and went to thoughts of his father. His father was actually alive. How was he even to begin properly processing that information? There were just too many questions, so many that would probably never have a good enough, or even an, answer. The chances that Felix had survived the storm all those years ago was a miracle to all of them. The chances of all of them surviving was just a foolish dream, some stupid hope, and yet it was true. How?
What would his father think of him now? Before he was gone Isaac wasn't exactly a model son. He was disobedient, uncaring, and uninterested towards his parents. Then he was forced to grow up, so… now he was a completely different man, a strong, dependable, caring man. Granted, he always had those characteristics… were they just stronger now? And if that was the case, would his father even realise the difference outside his physical difference now? Maybe he would have to prove himself, show his father how much he had changed, that he wasn't a boy anymore, that he was a man now.
A man… a man wouldn't be wallowing in his current weakness, he would overcome it and prove himself. A man wouldn't just let news like that reduce him to what he was now. So, Isaac stood up, drawing power from the strong wooden constructs around him, and began moving forward. He was better than this, and he knew it. Jenna was somewhere nearby, he could feel her life-energy pulsing through the Venus related forms around him. He trudged forward, searching her out.
Garet desperately hacked at all of the monsters clawing their way overboard. He was sure he was keeping them all at bay, slowly reducing their ranks, his axe and his flames did seem enough to deter any from making the daring attempt. It was only when he heard an ear-splitting scream that he realised he was wrong. Whipping around, he saw Sheba fallen to the deck, her arm broken at an ungodly angle as blood spattered across her face. Taking a deep breath, not fully trusting himself, he hurled his axe at the creature readying another swing, charging after it. He couldn't lose Sheba, the others would never forgive him, Ivan would never forgive him.
He breathed joyously as he saw his axe wedge itself into the side of the beast, and within a moment Garet had wrenched it out and then slammed it back into the monster, knocking the beast up and off of the ship.
Crouching down, shielding Sheba from more advancing monsters Garet released the rest of his Djinni to allow them to fight off the attackers. He felt his own power become severely drained as the raw energy left him to materialise into his companions He didn't realise how exhausted he was, how much energy his Djinn gave him. He almost collapsed from the force of them leaving him. Shaking his head to keep himself present he glanced down at Sheba, her arm was twisted at a horrible angle thanks to the attack. Tears were pouring from her eyes as she tried to stifle her cries of pain. Garet promptly knocked her out, saying she could electrocute him later.
Hooking his arm around her waist, he made his way toward the cabin door, staying low as his Djinn waged war on the monsters. It was a good thing they were as angry as he was that Sheba had been hurt, these monsters had no chance until the Djinn needed to rest. After crawling through froth, waves, and charred bodies as they slid past, he pulled himself up and kicked in the door. Falling through the door, he took a breath, mentally telling his Djinn to return to him. Some had already exhausted themselves.
"I need you out here! Mia, help her out!" He announced, not even bothering to explain, or check the room, Felix was in danger if he was left out there alone. As much as he did not care for Felix at the minute, losing the pilot in this storm would be the death of them all.
"What happened!?" Ivan yelled, grabbing his staff as he rushed outside quickly followed by Piers, only for the storm to become even more enraged without him holding it back.
Garet didn't answer, as he had gone about swinging his axe into the chest of a monster and firing flames around him. Ivan growled, the storm adding more fuel to his anger as he began to dispatch the beasts that had hurt Sheba.
Mia and Kraden had cleared off the table quickly and placed the young girl down on it. It was rather difficult to study the injuries during the thrashing of the seas, but Mia was an expert and determined to help. Running her Psynergy through the girl's body, she searched out each wound. Kraden was beside her, setting out any healing supplies they would need if Mia was called to help outside.
"Okay, her arm and wrist are broken, she has some bruises and a few cuts around her ankles, it's nothing serious. Can you help me reset the bones?" Mia said quickly, moving to the arm in question.
Kraden nodded hastily, bringing bandages and splints with him as he did. Mia smiled a little, hopefully they wouldn't need to wrap up her arm if she was allowed to use her Psynergy sufficiently to heal. Together they delicately held the arm, before fitting the bones back together amidst the flesh and tendons that had been torn by them. Mia was rather glad Sheba was out cold, she had a tendency to spew a curse or two she had picked up from the more vocal of the group, namely Jenna. The girl's face twitched a little as they reset her wrist as well.
"I'll work on healing the arm, Kraden, you do what you can with the cuts. If I'm called away support the arm properly, okay?" The scholar nodded as Mia began to focus on the broken bones.
Mia closed her eyes as the Psynergetic rings enveloped her, taking a deep breath she found her way inside Sheba's arm. Slowly but surely, she searched out each crack the bones may have suffered. She had healed broken bones countless times before, well, since joining Isaac and Garet anyway. Garet had a tendency to get hurt more than the others. Smiling as she reminisced about the time he had dislocated his arm trying to save her in Jupiter Lighthouse, Mia had finished repairing Sheba's arm, and moved to her wrist.
"Mia?"
Mia blinked twice, bringing her back to the real world. Kraden was gesturing at the wrist, noting a tiny piece of metal jutting from it. Nodding, Mia carefully removed the foreign object, with Kraden's expertly steady hands helping, and worked her Psynergies through the wound. Once done, she reset the bones, healing them as best she could, but instructed Kraden to set some splints just in case.
"Will she be okay?" Kraden asked as Mia opened her eyes and placed her hands back on the table.
Mia nodded, rather satisfied with the work, "She should be… as long as she doesn't do anything too Sheba before she's fully healed. Injuries like that take some time, or a lot of Psynergy, to heal. Right now, I can't risk it, so she'll just have to take it easy."
"We'll need to find a way to secure her." Kraden stated, though the words completely baffled Mia, "All of this rocking, we can't have her tumbling and undoing your work. We'll need to find a way to keep her steady until she wakes up or when the storm has passed."
Mia nodded, wondering how she had not registered this at first. She stayed by Sheba's side as Kraden disappeared downstairs to find anything they could use to secure the poor girl. As he did, Mia wrapped up Sheba's arm in a sling, there was no point securing her if the injury itself was not steady. Kraden returned not a minute later with several length of rope. Not particularly favouring having to do this to the girl, Mia lifted her to the couch where she was tied down for her own safety.
Mia smiled and thanked Kraden as he finished tying up the ropes and ran more of her Psynergy through Sheba's body. Sitting beside her, Mia couldn't help but think of the conversation she had just had with Ivan. Smiling wider as she turned to face the girl's somewhat pained expression, she began telling stories of Ivan to her, some were true, some were fantasies involving Sheba and Ivan together.
Jenna rubbed the back of her hand underneath her eyes. Why was she still crying!? She had no reason to. This was good news, great news, fantastic! Her parents were alive, so was Isaac's dad, they both still had their entire family. They weren't as alone in the world as they had thought yesterday… so why wouldn't these damn tears stop!? It was just because Felix had been such a bastard, that was it. He had betrayed her, didn't care, he dug up old weaknesses, he had just hurt her, that was all.
She scanned the walls and panels around her. The lower decks were so depressing and cold, she hated it down here, but chances were if there was going to be anywhere she could get away from others it was here. She knew she could be around Isaac, that she should be around him, she couldn't quite face him. Neither of them could even talk to each other this whole time, not properly. They were too hurt, too unwilling to bring back everything Felix had caused in them.
She wished to be on deck fighting, killing all those monsters that dared attack them. She should be allowed get angry at all them, let out all her rage and teach them a lesson. Yeah, they'd all have Felix's face, and she'd burn them down. Of course she'd never do it to Felix himself, as much as she hated him, she did really love him. He had always been one of her closest friends, and he always did do his best to keep her safe. Still, she had a right to be pissed at him, to pretend she was hurting him every time she burnt the shell off a giant turtle.
What right did he have to keep such precious information to himself? After all the times she had talked about him being her only family he knew that to not be true. He made a fool out of her. How could he do that to her, his only sister? He had lived it up in Prox with her parents while she was left to slowly be driven to desperation in Vale. She could feel her own rage boiling within her, as strong as the tempering forges of Mars, ready to reduce her brother to ashes.
"Jenna?"
She took a deep breath and turned around to find Isaac walking toward her, only then realising that her flame-cloaked fists were clenched so tight they were ready to draw blood. She shook her hands, extinguishing the flames as he did, and smiled to Isaac. She could still feel some tears on her cheeks, but she didn't bother to wipe them away. They wouldn't stop if she did, besides she didn't mind crying around Isaac. She trusted him more than anyone else.
"Hey, you feelin' better?" She smiled as best she could.
Isaac stood still in front of her, his eyes on the floor. Jenna looked down, expecting to see something. There was water on the floor, but it wasn't from the sea, as more splashed as it dripped from Isaac's eyes. Jenna walked to him and wrapped her arms around his strong frame, he really had grown a lot since Vale. She could easily kick his ass before, at least now he'd take a little more before he lost. His arms remained at his sides though.
She was a little shorter than Isaac so, even with his head turned to the floor, she could look him in the eyes, though with some straining of her neck, "It'll be okay." She said softly, trying to believe herself, brushing a finger against his cheek, being rid of some tears.
He smiled and nodded, before pressing his lips firmly against hers.
And that's that!
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P.S.
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Heh,
Alright, see you around guys,
Your friend and writer,
Droory