Author's Note: There's a flashback in here, but I didn't put the words around it. Instead, I italicized it.
"Pull up to the side of that boat." Sync commanded the captain. The Commandant stared at the little boat heading to Sheridan.
Earlier this morning, he had dragged himself back to the port and took over one of the larger ships there. Then Sync started for the boat that headed to Belkend. After a full- inventory search, he had not found Ivalee. So they left to the boat that was going to Sheridan.
Sync's ship was right next the ferry. The crew lowered a board down to connect the two. Sync smirked. You can't run forever...
Ivalee finished taking a shower and wrapped a towel around herself. She took another towel and covered her hair with it. The window hung widely open, bringing a slight breeze inside.
There was a knock at her door.
"Hold on!" She shouted. Ivalee quickly put on her clothes and brushed out her wet hair. She opened the door to find the one person she didn't want to see.
Sync stood there with his arms crossed, a frown on his face. Ivalee's usual smile turned into a scared expression. She slammed the door and held it shut.
"Open the door!" Sync yelled. Ivalee pressed her back against the door. She looked back and forth through the room. Her sword was on the bed, a few feet away.
Ivalee's feet were sliding forward. She couldn't hold it any longer. The door burst open, sending Ivalee to the ground. Sync walked in with two soldiers tailing him.
Ivalee scrambled up. She ducked under Sync's arm and the soldiers' arms. Sync spun around and saw the end of her hair disappear around the corner. The three of them dashed after her.
She ran into the cockpit and rushed into the connecting room on the other side. There were crates near the door. There was someone asleep on the bed; most likely the captain's son. Ivalee glanced at the crates, then at the bed.
Sync opened the door to the captain's quarters. He approached the bed, where a sleeping boy lay. There was something right next to him under the blankets. His breath got caught in his throat. Sync carefully pulled back to cover.
It was just a pillow. Sync breathed a sigh of relief. The floor creaked near the door. He whipped around and saw Ivalee frozen in place while looking at him. She bolted out the room. Sync followed her down the hallway.
He saw her round the corner. The two other Oracle knights caught up with him again and they all turned down the corridor. It was a dead end, but Ivalee somehow wasn't there.
"Keep your eyes open, I have a feeling that she's still on the ship." Sync said.-
Ivalee panted for breath. She stood up, walked to her bed, and sat down.
She ran into a dead end. The wall was too high to climb, and she'd definitely get caught if she turned back. Ivalee ran to the edge and looked down. Her room was just below there, and her window was wide open. She made a risky move and jumped off.
Her hand caught the edge of the window, but just barely. She glanced down at the ocean. It was a long way down, into a watery death; somewhere Ivalee didn't want to be.
Ivalee heaved herself inside the room. She slumped to the floor and took a deep breath.
Ivalee grabbed her sword and held it tight. For the next hour, she'd have to be on her best lookout.
Once the ship docked, Ivalee put her hair up and covered it with a hat so she wouldn't stick out. It was to her advantage that there was a drizzle in Sheridan at the moment. She could wear a hat and coat just like everyone else.
She grabbed a plain, brown jacket and her item bag, then took off in the crowd of people.
Sync scanned the crowd as he too, descended from the small boat. His larger ship was docked right next to it.
He didn't spot Ivalee, but somehow he knew she was somewhere there. The slight rain drenched his hair and face, but he simply brushed it away. Sync would find her, no matter what.
Ivalee hurried down the street to the town hall. She opened the door and saw Aston standing near the table. He turned to look at her.
"What?" he asked. Ivalee came in and shut the door behind her.
"I need a ship." She told him.
"No." His answer was short and to the point.
"Luke and Asch sent me." Ivalee added, hoping he'd give in.
"You mean, Luke and Asch fon Fabre?'
"Yea." She replied. Aston tapped his chin in thought.
"You're in luck. There's a ship that's been wrecked for some time, and it's almost ready to head out." Ivalee brightened at the news. "Just go to the shop not to far from here and get a few things for me, ok?" She nodded. Aston handed her a small list of parts.
Ivalee exited and walked down the wet road. She came to a building that had a sign on it that said 'Open.'
Ivalee rushed into the store. She quickly showed the man the list and bought the parts. Sync was out there; she knew it. Oracle knights were posted all over the place. Ivalee had to be really careful not to get caught.
Once she had paid for the different parts, Ivalee took off her hat and shook out her hair. It was damp from the rain outside and she didn't want it to slip out accidentally. After readjusting her hair on her head, she hurried back to the town hall where Aston was waiting.
Sync stood on top of the town hall, looking for Ivalee. He finally spotted her exiting a building.It was obvious to him that it was Ivalee. The way she glanced back and forth all the time, as if avoiding someone. And the brown coat was much too large for her. Sync decided to watch her for a bit longer to see what she was up to.
Aston was looking at some blueprints when Ivalee entered the room. His eyes redirected to the girl standing in the doorway.
"Ah, there you are. I was just looking over the overview of the ship you requested." Aston said.
"Here are the parts you needed." Ivalee handed him the box of components.
"Your ship should be ready in a couple of hours," Aston turned around and started shuffling through some tools. Ivalee left him to his work and went to go stock up on supplies.
He saw Ivalee leave the town hall. Once she was out of sight, Sync jumped off of the building. He entered it to find Aston picking up a box, some papers, and a container of tools.
"Hey, what'd Ivalee want?" Sync asked.
"She wants to use a ship." He replied while heading for the door.
"Cancel that." The Commandant declared. Aston looked at him strangely.
"What?"
"She's coming with me instead."
"Well, alright." Aston said. "Just give her this gald and tell her thanks for me, ok?"
"Mmhmm..." Sync muttered, taking the coins. Aston left without another word. He followed suit, except headed to the shops instead of the dock.
Ivalee glanced over the delicious looking food. Her taste buds soared with all of the fancy foods everywhere. She was so used to plain, normal things like eggs and carrots and such. But these were covered with spices from around the world and sauces fit for kings. They were combined to make a yummy treat for anyone, big or small.
"Are you going to buy something?" The man at the stall questioned impatiently.
"Do you have anything cheaper, like plain rappig?" Ivalee asked.
"Sorry, I'm all out."
"Oh," she turned to leave.
"Wait! I think I have a little bit left." He bent down and rummaged through some jars. The man stood back up with a small bag of it.
"Thanks so much!" Ivalee exclaimed. She handed him the coins, and just in case Sync was watching...She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Just for a split second. Ivalee turned and left the guy standing there, shocked.
Anger and jealousy boiled inside of him. What gives her the right to do that?! Sync thought to himself. She can't just go around kissing random men! Especially when we... When I catch her, Oh, she'll be in for it...
Ivalee looked down at her coin purse. It was running really low, like only a few Gald left. Let's see... One, two, thre-
SLAM! She ran right into someone's back. Ivalee caught her balance and didn't fall, but her Gald wasn't so lucky.
She couldn't see his face or his hair, thanks to the hat he was wearing. Only his mouth was in sight. He wore a long, black coat the reached to his feet.
The person whipped around and grabbed her arm when she reached for the coins. Ivalee gasped. He raised his head so that she could she his face.
"You're not the only one who can wear a disguise." Sync smirked. His free hand flew to clamp over her mouth before she could say anything. He pulled her to the side of the street and let her talk.
"Sync! Let go!" she squealed. Ivalee hit his hand that was holding her arm, but he didn't release her. His other hand pulled the hat off her head. Her blood-red hair tumbled down, still damp from the rain. Sync unbuttoned her brown coat, revealing her gray jacket and black skirt.
"We're leaving." He started towards the dock. Ivalee dug her heels into the ground. Sync yanked her forward with a little more force than necessary. She went flying and hit his chest.
"Could you at least be a little nicer?" Ivalee asked, stepping a few inches away and brushing herself off.
"No."
"Oh, I see. You're jealous 'cause I kissed that man over there." Ivalee teased. She saw Sync tense up.
"You'd be a lot easier to get to the dock if you were unconsious," Sync commented.
"Why don't you then, huh?" Ivalee grinned. She was so winning this argument.
"I thought I was being nice," Sync replied.
"That's a twist." Ivalee retorted. They glared at each other for a few seconds. Sync tossed his black coat and hat on the ground and continued to half-drag her to the port.
"Damn bastard..." she muttered. Sync turned around and grabbed her sword. He tried to knock her unconsious, but she ducked. Ivalee grabbed his leg while crouching and pulled it up. He fell backwards and landed on his back. Ivalee tried to run, but she was pulled back by Sync's incredibly strong grip on her arm. She toppled onto of him.
"Don't think you can get away that easily." Sync said in her ear. He dropped her arm and picked himself up, then helped Ivalee up.
"You could at least be a little less strong, ya know?" Ivalee took his outstretched hand and stood up. "Then I'd have a chance to escape."
"What if I don't want you to have that chance?" He questioned.
"Why wouldn't you? Don't you like challenges?" She smiled innocently. Her smile was sickly sweet to Sync. Yet, for some reason, he couldn't tear his eyes away.
"No." He stated. Her cute, little innocent look turned into a straight-out glare.
"So," she started. "I have to go with you?" He nodded. Ivalee sighed. Sync led her towards his ship without much resistance.
Luke yawned and trudged onto the Albiore 2. He sat down in one of the seats and stretched out his arms.
"You're finally up." Guy walked around and sat in the chair next to him.
"Yea! We would have left without you if it wasn't for Tear." Anise said. She jumped into view. Guy shot her a glare.
"She didn't mean it that way. It's just, we thought you were already on board, but Tear went in your room to wake you up, but you weren't there." Guy explained.
"Well, I'm here now. So let's get going." Luke said. Noelle started up the Albiore and took off.
Ivalee leaned against the railing. She stared out towards the port, which was becoming smaller with every second. Once Sync and Ivalee had reached the ship, he left her on the deck while he went to tell the captain where to go. He'd probably have to stay there until they arrived at the Radiation Gate, since the captain had never been there before.
She breathed out a sigh and continued to stare out into space. The deep blue water sloshed against the sides of the vessel. Her hair whipped around, flying every which way.
Dark, grey clouds loomed overhead, just waiting for the right moment to pour down. Thunder crackled, yet Ivalee was unfazed. Lightning flashed, miles away, but she still didn't do anything except stare.
Rain started to fall and the wind became stronger. Lightning appeared at the same time that the thunder sounded. The rain continued to drench everything in its path while still getting harder.
Ivalee heard her name being called. Even with the storm going on, she could identify that voice.
"Ivalee! Get in here!" Sync yelled. She turned around and saw him at the door. He seemed so far away. Ivalee started to run towards him, but lightning struck. She jumped back and landed on her butt. Sync rushed out and kneeled next to her.
"Are you alright?" He asked. She rubbed leg and nodded. Lightning struck the mast and made it fall. It landed a few feet away from them with a loud crash. Startled, Ivalee hugged Sync and buried her face in his wet clothes. Sync noticed Ivalee shiver. He wrapped his arms around her. They needed to get inside before something else happens.
"Aah!" Everyone screamed as the Albiore 2 shifted abruptly to the side. Tear and Jade were standing while the rest were sitting down. Mieu was inside the item bag, which at this point, was sliding back and forth as the Albiore tipped.
"Mieuuu...I'm getting sick." The fuzzy little cheagle stuck his head out of the bag. His head rocked back and forth.
Tear slammed against the wall as the Albiore shifted again. Jade, miraculously, didn't do the same.
"You two need to sit down!" Guy shouted over the storm outside. He gripped the armchairs to keep from flying.
Tear used the wall to help her stand up. She carefully walked towards the chairs, but lost her balance when the floor tilted. Luke reached out and grabbed her hand. He pulled her back to the chairs and helped her sit down. Tear blushed a light pink color.
"Thank you." She told Luke. Jade held onto one of the bars on the wall.
"Look for something to land on before we crash!" Noelle yelled. They all glanced out the windows.
"Hey! I found something!" Natalia pointed out her window. Asch was sitting next to her and looked out.
"It's a ship!" He hollered. It wasn't very far away, so he had a clear shot of it. That's when he noticed two, colorful-haired people on the deck.
"I'll get clearance to land!" Noelle turned on the lights. She directed the Albiore closer to the ship. The light shined on the two people aboard.
A bright light came from the left. Sync looked up at it while shielding his eyes with one hand. His other was still around Ivalee. He couldn't exactly tell what the light was coming from, but he had an idea of who it was.
Author's Note: Ivalee acted a bit dumb there, didn't she? Not going inside when the storm started. All reviews will be replied!