Ugh...I'm sorry this chapter is so boring and took so long...
Kieran hadn't realized he had begun to doze off until Cuore shifted at his side.
It must have been a combination of the cold air and the hum of the now alive machines around them that lulled him enough to succumb to his exhaustion. It was the only explanation he could think of, considering how eerie and disturbing this place was.
Realizing Cuore was stirring, he shifted and pulled away from her, making sure she was leaned back against a nearby console.
Kieran moved to his knees in front of her, eyeing her worriedly as she slowly awakened. It appeared to be taking great effort; her fingers moved slowly to curl into themselves and clutching at the fabric of her tattered sash. Her eyes fluttered and she moaned before actually opening them, blinking a few times as if the dim lighting was hurting her.
"Cuore?" he prompted, hoping for a normal reaction from the young woman.
She groaned in response and raised a shaky hand to her face, wincing.
Kieran hesitantly rested a hand on her shoulder, leaning forward; "Cuore?" he tried again.
She swallowed and licked her chapped lips, muttering something he didn't catch before she opened her eyes, peeking through her fingers.
"Kastra," she swore, voice rough and distracted. "DuRa Ro'v*,"
Kieran made a face, unfamiliar with those words though they rang of Lunarian. Cuore exhaled and finally dropped her hand, eyes fully opened. Cuore looked around in confusion for a moment and he tilted his head to try and gain her attention.
"Cuore?"
She riveted her gaze back to him, blinked and then winced. "Vam'Ose*?"
Cuore shook her head, "Sorry, I meant to ask what happened…"
Kieran wasn't sure how to answer her question, considering he wasn't sure what state of mind she was in at the moment. "You…you've been out for a while. Do you remember the dreams?"
"The Za'el*?" Cuore asked, only to sigh. "Dreams. I meant dreams. Yes, I remember, but those weren't Za'el."
"Dreams?" he asked to clarify.
Cuore nodded, though she looked bothered by the movement. "They were nightmares, illusions…"
She trailed off and her expression altered to one of worry, as if she had just realized something horrific.
She opened her mouth to say something, stopped, and then looked around, the confused look returning. "Where are we? And why is the power on? And where are Ceodore and Ursula?"
He sighed and stood, glancing off to where the prince and princess had disappeared too. "I don't know where we are exactly, but out of the room where those nightmares happened. We turned the power back on using the words you did before. As for the other two, they are scouting ahead."
He glanced down at her, "Like I said, you've been…not present for a while."
Cuore ran a hand tiredly over her face, "I'm not surprised. My head still feels like a jumbled mess, the Eidolons-"
She abruptly cut herself off and stared at a point in front of her, completely transfixed and stock still.
Kieran raised an eyebrow, wondering what was going on with her now.
After a heartbeat or two of no movement, he spoke up. "Cuore?"
She jumped, as if startled by his voice, and darted a look up at him before averting her gaze.
Kieran frowned, more worried than mad, and spoke up again, quieter this time. "Are you alright?"
Cuore shook her head, looking distracted; "The Eidolons…I can't…"
Without warning she jumped to her feet, but the sharp movement was obviously too much for her and she swayed with a pained groan before crumpling towards the ground. Kieran barely caught her before she hit the floor, and not gracefully.
He sighed, annoyed, and forced her to sit. "Sit down, you're obviously not well. What is wrong with you?"
He realized it might have sounded more angry than worried, and Cuore seemed to confirm this when she shoved him away with both hands, eyes averted to the side. "Don't touch me,"
Kieran flinched.
Naturally she wouldn't want him to be anywhere near her, he should have guessed, but it still hurt to have her so noticeably push him away.
"It's distracting," she finished, tone less incensed.
He hesitated, but finally opted to stand, keeping a space between them and watched as Cuore pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead on them.
She took a deep breath before speaking, but it sounded more like she was talking to calm herself down than share anything with him.
"The Eidolons, I can't hear them. I feel…I know I still have a connection with them, but it feels so weak, so…far away, somehow. They aren't near me, they aren't whispering to me. Something is wrong…"
She raised her head and held out a hand, narrowed eyes staring at it for a moment before she whispered; "Inferno."
Nothing happened.
Cuore bit her lip, "My magic…"
She sounded so drained at that moment that Kieran had to fight the compulsion to kneel down again and do something, anything, to comfort her. She had made it clear she didn't want that from him.
The teal haired woman slumped, hands moving to cover her face, fingers shaking. Her voice sounded tearful as she began to mumble. "What is wrong with me? I don't understand, I've never felt this way, this…nonentity. My magic is as much a part of me as my Maenad knowledge, my Eidolons are part of my soul, how could I just…lose them?"
Her shoulders shook, "I've had my mind shattered before, why this time…?"
Kieran wanted to do something, but instead he awkwardly stood in front of her, watching this depressing episode of confusion and fear and isolation. Surely her magic wasn't gone forever. That sounded impossible.
Cuore glanced up, catching his eye and swallowing thickly. The artificial lighting in the room made the tears on her cheeks stand out.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered.
It him a minute to realize she was actually addressing him. He frowned. "What?"
She squeezed her eyes such, fresh tears spilling from her lashes. "I'm so, so sorry, Kieran."
"For what?" he asked, trying not to sound demanding.
She choked on a sob and buried her head again into her knees. Her voice was so unsteady and muffled that he had to strain to hear her.
"I'm sorry for…for treading in your mind, I know how you feel about telepathy. I'm so sorry, I-I wouldn't have if there had been any other way…I never meant to hurt you again, to steal your family from you again. I'm so sorry…"
Her heartfelt, sorrowful confession and apology shocked him. Kieran sighed, feeling a strange mixture of relief and guilt. He carefully knelt down again, feeling safe enough to do so after her words and reached out to gently take her shoulders.
"Cuore,"
She looked up, expression fearful.
"I'm not mad," Kieran whispered.
It was simple and not everything he wanted to say, but he thought that maybe it was what she needed to hear.
"Y-you're not?" Cuore said. "Even though I read your mind?"
Her worry over something so insignificant after everything that had happened made him smile. He shook his head, "No,"
She sighed, exhaling in what sounded like relief, though her tears were still present. "I-I thought you'd hate me, that you'd never trust me again."
He felt guilty she thought he was so petty and bitter that something like this would change how he felt about her.
"Cuore…" he said softly. Despite her earlier demand to not touch her, he carefully swiped his thumb under one eye to clear her tears. "There is no one I trust more than you, blade dancer. I could never hate you."
Cuore offered him a slight smile, but tears still fell from her eyes.
"Hey," Kieran said, frowning. "Don't cry,"
She swallowed and closed her eyes, "I'm sorry,"
"You don't have anything to be sorry for," he assured her. "You saved my life, you came and got me out of that living hell. I should be thanking you."
He hesitated, "I…should be the one apologizing to you,"
"Why?" Cuore asked, blinking at him, head tilted to the side. She always did that when she was being inquisitive.
He was surprised by the question, and averted his gaze, releasing his gentle hold on her shoulders. It should have been obvious what he was apologizing for, but apparently she wanted to hear him say it.
"I…in that dream, that…illusion…I…" Kieran paused, trying to phrase his thoughts. "I didn't recognize you, and I want you to know that, because if I had known it was you, I never would have hurt you, I wouldn't have…"
Cuore blinked and then shook her head slightly, "Kieran, it's alright. I already told you that. The brain is just like any other part of the body. It attempts to expel foreign objects or influence. Your mind was only trying to protect you from my intrusion, liked antibodies guarding against infections."
Kieran studied her expression, paid attention to her tone of voice. She didn't seem angry, or even upset, but he had seen the look on her face when he'd called her a Maenad, he knew how much his mistake had hurt her, regardless of what she might say.
"I called you Maenad."
She bit her lip, "You said it yourself; you didn't know it was me."
"That's not an excuse," he countered, annoyed with himself and with her. He wished she would just be angry with him.
Cuore sighed and tiredly rubbed her eyes, "It's fine."
"No, it isn't." Kieran insisted, standing up again. He needed to pace, or move, or something. This place was making him claustrophobic. "I hurt you, despite what you might say, I now that. I wouldn't blame you if you were angry, if you hated me, if you never trusted me again. I just…I just want you to know that the nightmare, that place…I…"
He wanted her to know what? That he was terrified their friendship was gone? That they would never be the same after this? That he never wanted to lose her?
Cuore's expression softened and she shifted, standing up and reaching out to cautiously clasp his forearm. "Kieran,"
He glanced at where she was touching him, and she must have misunderstood his look because she released him. Her voice, however, never wavered as she spoke.
"I don't hate you. Your one of my closest and dearest friends."
Kieran looked back up at her and swallowed, murmuring; "I don't see you as a Maenad, I hope you know that."
She smiled slightly, nodding, and shyly clasped her hands in front of herself. "I was afraid that we could no longer be friends, but that was because of my part in that nightmare."
They were both concerned over the other, and for apparently unjustified reasons. If the last few hours hadn't of been so bleak, he would have laughed.
Her confession of worry over the same thing he was concerned about made him want to say or do something to express all the conflicting and confusing emotions he was feeling. Tell her something, touch her, hold her, anything.
Cuore brushed aside some of her hair and used her other hand to brace herself against the wall. Obviously she was still uneasy on her feet.
Kieran frowned at her, "You should sit,"
"I'm alright." she muttered.
They lapsed into a silence, but Kieran had to trust her that nothing had changed between them. Clearly, however, things were far from normal. He was still reeling from that delusion, and she was too.
Her magic wasn't working, and that was more important to get to the bottom of than his internal conflicts and issues.
"You said you can still feel your Eidolons?" Kieran asked, trying to sound gentle for bringing it up.
Cuore nodded, taking his earlier advice and sliding down the pillar to sit again, this time on the rim of the dais holding all the consoles. She pulled her knees up again and rested her arms on top. "It's strange…it's not like I've lost their names; I know I still have them within my keeping, but…they feel far away, they feel…distant, closed off to me somehow. I've never felt this before."
"And your magic?" Kieran asked, leaning back against one of the pillars.
She shrugged weakly, "I don't know. I feel like all the magic in my blood is…locked away. It's there, I just can't access it, like I've forgotten how too."
Kieran hesitated, crossing his arms and wishing it wasn't so cold in the room. "Do you think…could those delusions have somehow taken it from you?"
Cuore sighed, eyes dropping to the floor. "I don't know."
He could tell she was fighting panic, but before he could even try to make her feel better, footsteps echoed from across the room, making them both look up and track their source.
Ceodore and Ursula had returned, and it was the blonde princess who spotted Cuore first and broke into a run.
She dropped down and embraced her friend as soon as she was close enough to do so, exclaiming; "Cuore!"
The teal haired young woman gave a feeble chuckle, "Hi, Ursula,"
"Oh, you had us so worried, I'm glad to see you awake." the princess whispered, squeezing her tightly in a hug.
Ceodore had finally caught up and looked likewise relieved, casting a happy glance at Kieran.
Ursula suddenly released Cuore and sat back on her heels, "I'm sorry! You must be fragile, still. We should have Ceodore look you over."
Cuore waved a hand, "What's wrong with me isn't physical, but thank you for the concern."
"But you are alright…?" Ursula prompted, looking at her carefully.
Cuore hesitated and cast a look at the prince still standing nearby. "Ceodore, is your magic…okay?"
His expression turned to confusion, "My magic?"
"Yes, is it working?" she asked.
He paused, looking between his companions, "Er, I don't know. I feel fine, but white magic is pretty dormant most of the time."
Without their prompting, he clasped his hands and chanted, obviously testing their question. After a moment, nothing happened.
Ceodore frowned, "Alright, so no, my magic isn't working…"
Ursula stood and moved to his side, giving him a once over, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," he assured her, still frowning. "I mean, I think so. I feel fine, anyway."
Cuore frowned and looked around the room, "My magic is likewise…absent. My connection to the Eidolons is weakened, almost gone, in fact. I won't be able to contact them, I don't think."
"Are we too far underground?" Ursula asked.
Cuore shook her head, "The Feymarch is a trans-dimensional plane of intersecting magical wavelengths. Actual distance has no bearing; it's not an actual place in the normal sense of the word, you see."
Ursula blinked, "Sure."
Ceodore grinned briefly but his expression quickly slipped to a frown, "So…no magic. This place is getting better and better."
Cuore sighed and massaged her forehead, "It might very well be that something here is causing our magic to fade, I'm just not sure, nor have I any idea how to counteract the effects."
"It's not permanent, is it?" Ceodore asked seemingly no one in particular.
She frowned, "I don't know."
"I hate to draw us all back to the gloomy reality of the situation," Kieran started, earning him a series of looks from his friends. "But we are still trapped, and we know for a fact that something in here means to do us harm. The plan is what, exactly?"
Ursula gestured back the way she and Ceodore had come. "We did find a possible pathway, if we still want to head that way."
"I still think moving forward is our best option," Ceodore commented, crossing his arms and looking thoughtful. "We have no way to go back, anyway, with the damage."
Agreed, they all nodded and dallied only a moment before heading for the entry way previously discovered.
Kieran purposely hung back for a moment to make sure Cuore was steady on her feet when she stood. Despite a shaky first step, she seemed alright and brushed her hair away from her face as they moved.
Even though they had cleared the air between the two of them, Kieran still felt conflicted and unsure. Cuore wasn't back to her usual charming self, and that might have part of his uneasy, or maybe it was just this place they had ended up.
Whatever it was, he didn't feel right.
Cuore felt jumpy.
She had become so used to her Eidolons being a consent presence, hovering in the back of her mind, echoed in her soul, that now the silence was unbearable.
She felt isolated and alone without their calming, dependable company.
But she had to focus on getting out of this ruin, first and foremost. They were in danger here, she knew that and she suspected the others did as well. No one specifically said anything, but it was in the back of their mind that something was amiss.
Cuore wondered when they would run into that strange, dangerous humanoid creature she had glimpsed earlier. She had no doubt they would see it again. It was only a matter of time.
Cuore decided to distract herself by observing her companions; always a fascinating experience.
Ceodore and Ursula had made up somewhere between the dreams and now. They were talking again, smoothly, without any attitude slipping into their tones. And they were walking side by side.
At least these ruins had served to sort out their problems.
Kieran was being more gloomy than usual. Cuore couldn't tell if it had something to do with their troubles, despite their talk, or something more.
She hoped dearly that they had worked out their problems. She still felt guilty, but his assurance that he wasn't mad was helpful to her frazzled nerves.
Still, something was different between them, and she didn't like the change.
The tunnel the two royalty had discovered had led them into another larger room, and as they stepped inside, they heard a shuffling sound.
Ursula sighed, "I just know whatever that turns out to be, I'm not going to like it."
Ceodore frowned, "Maybe it's just…I don't know, debris settling?"
"Coming towards us?" Kieran commented pointedly, gesturing with the tip of his swallow to one corner in the room where the sound was coming from.
"I can hope," the prince retorted, drawing his own weapon.
Cuore paused, peering around some pillars to try and see what was causing the odd racket. She blinked upon seeing a shadow moving back and forth across the floor. Confused and curious, she slipped around the pillars and crept around the corner, resting her hands on the cool metal wall and peeking around it.
There was a white plated robotic drone of some sort poking and prodding at a pile of ruined machinery. Wires were spilling from the pieces, coiling around the floor and the drone's ball shaped base. It looked stuck, but it wasn't trying to free itself and instead was using crude looking arms to fuss with the pile.
Cuore frowned and pulled back around the corner to glance at the others. "It's just a drone,"
"A drone?" Ceodore queried, holding up his hands in surrender.
She nodded, "A robot? Bab-Il has them. This is…something similar, but the design is something I haven't ever seen before."
"What's it doing?" Ursula whispered. She was still poised for a fight by the looks of it.
Cuore's frown deepened and she poked her head around the wall again. "Um. It looks like it's trying to clean the place up, actually."
Kieran snorted, "Well, good luck with that,"
Ceodore came to her side, quietly looking out at the robot as well. They watched it for a second and he frowned. "I don't get it. What's it doing here?"
"It's not surprising, considering. The Lunarians built constructs of metal to guard and repair the Tower of Bab-Il. Why should this place be any different?"
Honestly, she hadn't even thought they would discover working machines here, but now that they had, she felt silly for not considering that possibility already.
Ursula and Kieran had finally joined them in observing the weird robot and Ursula hummed thoughtfully. "So, why isn't this place spotless then if this guy is cleaning it up?"
"It's likely it wasn't active until recently," Cuore replied, glancing at her. "We turned the power back on after years of sitting derelict. This robot was probably dormant until now."
"Great," Kieran commented dryly. "Next question; is it dangerous?"
Cuore watched it for a moment, tipping her head to one side.
"I don't know." she answered. "This…construction is unfamiliar to me. The design isn't like the drones I've encountered before, nor does it match designs I have in my memories. However, usually the Lunarian robots were designed to protect and deter unwanted visitors, so I must assume it would do the same to us."
"Can we just…go around it?" Ceodore asked.
She shrugged, "It might ignore us if we don't appear to be a threat."
Ursula scowled, "Not a fan of those odds,"
"Then we smash it," Kieran offered.
Ceodore frowned at him, "That's not very nice! I mean, he's just doing his job…"
Ursula stared flatly at the prince. "Ceodore, it's a robot."
"So?" he muttered.
Cuore rolled her eyes.
Kieran crossed his arms, "You had no problem destroying them in Babil,"
"That was different. They were trying to kill us." he argued. "This one is just…cleaning up. What's the harm in that?"
Ursula groaned, "I cannot believe we're having this discussion."
Annoyed by their lack of movement, Cuore sighed loudly enough to capture their attention. "Perhaps we should just move on?"
They all mumbled their agreement and she rolled her eyes again before walking out from their hiding spot and into the room. They had to cross the main section to make it to a door at the far end, but none of them even knew if the door would open for them.
They moved carefully and quietly, at a slow pace, around the columns and into the more open section of the room. Cuore wasn't sure if the robot would move to attack them or not, but she was sure that this place was messing with all of them.
They were tired, and distracted, and Cuore wanted nothing more than to get out.
Ceodore took the lead, heading towards the door on the other side of the room. They made it past the drone without incident.
However, the large, double doors didn't open even when the prince pressed his hand to the symbol beside it.
Cuore frowned and slipped past Ursula to peer at the controls. "That's odd…"
She tried to find the notch on the side of the box so she could look at the internal workings, but it was a different design then those in Bab-Il.
"The power's on," Ursula complained, crossing her arms and peering over Cuore's shoulder. "So why isn't it open?"
Cuore shook her head and snapped the casing off. "I don't know…the readout doesn't seem to be working properly...I just don't understand-"
She was cut off as the cover came off in her hands and a loud, siren call suddenly sounded from behind them.
They all jumped, startled by the sharp sound so contrastingly different from the silence previously hovering around of them.
They turned and saw the drone from before rolling towards them, light in its chest now glowing red. It was the source of the alarm; along with the siren, a robotic voice echoed through the room.
"Re'Tu! Re'Tu!*"
Ceodore winced, "Uh oh,"
They backed up as the robot continued to roll towards them, alarm and voice continuing to sound. Cuore frowned, not sure if this style of drone was heavily armed or not.
"Ken-Di, Ken-Di*," the voice continued, pincher style arms waving about.
Cuore reached to her back to draw her weapons but Kieran beat her too it and impaled the drone through the joint that connected the upper body to the roller base.
Kieran yanked his swallow free from the dented pile of scrap metal. He tossed a look in Ceodore's direction, "Sorry I murdered your new friend, but that alarm was making my headache worse."
Ceodore sighed, "He wasn't my friend,"
"Because he tried to kill us?" Ursula teased, brushing down her clothing.
The prince sighed again and didn't bother defending himself further.
Cuore wandered over to what was left of the drone, kneeling down and setting aside the cover of the door controls. She sorted through the pieces, trying to figure out why some of the components weren't familiar.
She frowned, holding up a few of the crystal cores from the inside. They looked unfinished almost.
Someone settled a hand on her shoulder and she jumped, startled. Cuore looked up and Ceodore gave her a worried look, squeezing her shoulder.
"Are you alright?"
Cuore nodded, swallowing and offering a tight smile. "Yes, I'm just…tired."
The prince smiled sympathetically. "Yeah, me too…"
She glanced back at the robot's remains. "This is a strange design. I'm also concerned that we have not seen the last of the security drones."
"I know. But for now, let's try and get this door open." Ceodore mentioned. "One step at a time, right?"
Cuore nodded and stood up, gesturing back to the door in question. "I think something is damaged within the actual mechanism to work the door."
"I agree," Kieran called to them, kneeling down and fussing with the wires instead. "Looks like there's a burned out receptor of some sort…"
Ceodore grinned at her, "I'm so glad you both are here,"
"Yeah, you'd be dead without us," Ursula remarked, chuckling and shooting him a smile.
The prince smiled back at her.
Cuore was glad they were getting along, but she couldn't help but roll her eyes at the looks they exchanged. Sometimes human reactions were sickeningly sweet.
"Cuore," Kieran said suddenly, staring at the door panel. "Do you happen to have your anti-silencing bracelet I gave you?"
She nodded, "Of course, I wear it all the time."
He glanced over his shoulder at her, looking surprised. "I need it,"
Looking confused, Cuore wandered up and fussed with the clasp while Ceodore pestered him for an answer. "What did you have in mind, Kieran?"
"Well," he explained, turning as Cuore knelt down, still trying to unfasten the clasp, "I bought that in Mysidia, so the content is pure silver. It should be enough to conduct the electricity in place of this burned out led."
Kieran looked up at them, "I hope, anyway. We'll see if it works."
"The principals are sound," Cuore said distractedly.
Kieran frowned and reached out to take her arm, unhooking the clasp for her and sliding the bracelet from her wrist. He grinned, "I know it's tacky to ask for a gift back,"
"If it means getting out of here," she replied, smiling. "I'll forgive you."
"I'll buy you another one," he promised, turning back to the panel.
Cuore watched him work, making note that he had removed his gloves and was wearing the fingerless ones she had given him before setting out. At least he was getting use out of them.
The wires were all in place, but Cuore sighed and slid between him and the wall. "No, no, that tube needs to be locked into that port,"
Kieran didn't look at her and rolled his eyes, refusing to move to give her more space. She nudged him.
"No, it doesn't go there, it needs to channel the energy between these two sections!" he replied, pointing to another port.
Cuore sent him a scathing look, "I didn't realize you were suddenly an expert on crystalline electronics,"
Kieran glared at her, "Fine, you do it, then."
"Fine," she snapped, shoving him again.
She could hear Ursula snickering behind them, though she didn't know what was so amusing about the situation. Kieran was being more petulant then normal but Cuore had no patience to deal with him.
She tried to fit the bracelet into the section but was having trouble focusing on the task at hand, and realized it would take more than two hands to finish the repair.
"I need your help," she said, not bothering to glance at Kieran. She didn't want to see his smug expression. In fact, she expected him to make some snide remark, but instead he was quiet and just shifted closer again to listen as she instructed what part she needed him to tweak.
"There, and make sure that tube doesn't become displaced. I don't want this to literally blow up in our faces." Cuore said dryly, wincing as a slight shock zapped her fingers.
Kieran did as she asked, and although the tube she was worried about stayed put, the coils on the other end slipped out of alignment.
She winced, knowing if they fell out of the panel and hit the ground, the fragile crystals would shatter and they'd never get the door open.
Kieran caught it, arm wrapped around her back, and sighed. "That was close,"
"Can you replace it?" she whispered, holding perfectly still. "If I move my hands, we will have to start over and I may not be able to rig this back into place."
He nodded, "Yeah, I've got it. Hold still."
Cuore bit her lip and tensed as Kieran moved, leaning into her as he reached around her to snap the coils back into place.
The panel sparked and the doors zipped open with a few noisy protests, finally coming to almost a full, open position.
"Well done!" Ceodore congratulated, peering into the room beyond curiously.
Cuore glanced over and smiled at him, but was distracted when she caught Kieran's eye. It was easy to do with how close they were, so close she could see the healing blemish on his cheek from their injuries, even if it had faded to nothing more than a thin white line.
Cuore swallowed, feeling guilty for being so irritable with him a moment ago. She didn't want to lose their friendship, but she certainly wasn't making it any better.
"I'm sorry for snapping at you," she whispered, hands dropping from the controls to her lap. "I'm…preoccupied, but I still shouldn't have taken that out on you."
He nodded slightly, not having much room to complete the gesture with how close they were. His expression softened, "Yeah, me too."
Cuore smiled, eyeing him as he moved to stand, arm grazing her side and shoulder. Kieran offered a hand to her once he was standing and she accepted before she could think too much about not wanting to move.
She was drained in every sense of the word and sitting briefly, even on the hard, cold floor, felt nice.
Once she was standing, the teal haired woman glanced once more at the destroyed drone before following the others into the hallway beyond.
The power had remained on, thankfully, and they had moved into a short corridor with rounded doorways that broke off into small rooms, nothing more than alcoves, really, that contained wall units of crystals. Almost all were shattered or dented, damaged in some way of another, and Cuore wandered past, frowning and hoping none of these consoles were important to basic functions of the ship.
"What are these?" Ursula asked, leaning into an alcove and poking at some of the scratched crystals.
Cuore pointed to each in turn; "Tactical systems, engineering monitoring, navigation readouts, sensor analysis…"
"All in one place?" Ceodore asked, gesturing to the rest of the rows of tech that Cuore hadn't bothered to name.
She nodded, "There's usually a few of these located throughout constructs, though the functions vary depending on the purpose of the construct. It makes for easy access to any and all vital systems from multiple locations."
She frowned and studied the floor tiles that were starting to peel up. "Not that it will do any good with how damaged these are…"
Ursula waved from the far end of the hall, "Hey! Check this out,"
They all walked over to join her at a rounded set of doors. She nodded to it, hands on her hips, "Isn't this one of those elevators?"
Ceodore nodded, pressing his hand flat against the outside surface. "Looks like it."
"I would not recommend using this," Cuore remarked, eyeing it. "With how much damage this vessel has sustained, I would not trust that the lift won't plunge us to our deaths."
Kieran made a face and Ursula sighed, "Too easy, huh?"
Ceodore chuckled weakly, "That's a good point…but I don't see any other exits…"
Ursula groaned, "It's always something, isn't it?"
Ceodore shrugged helplessly, "I know, but…let's take our time looking. The power's on, there aren't any more drones in sight and we're all tired. I say we rest here a little bit and then work on finding another exit."
Cuore was glad for the reprieve and nodded along with all the others. She needed to clear her head and rest. The loss of her Eidolons was making her uneasy, but there was also the nagging feeling of danger lurking nearby. Not only that, but her body was starting to react to what she hoped was merely a lack of rest.
Rapid and uneven heartbeat and fluctuations in internal temperature were just the beginning of the distractions. No doubt a brief break would do all of them good.
Ursula knew she should have been looking for doorways or possible exits, but instead she had taken to sitting inside one of the alcoves, hugging her knees to her chest and trying not to drift off into sleep.
The space was barely large enough to hold her, but she needed somewhere to sit, and this was as good as any.
Her body was protesting their continued and constant movement, and she couldn't explain the sharp pains she was having in her back. If Ceodore didn't look so pale and exhausted himself, she would have asked him about it.
Then again, she wondered if the lingering ache was due to whatever injuries she sustained during the explosion. Ceodore had managed to avoid her questions surprisingly well.
Ursula leaned her head back against some of the shattered crystals affixed to the wall. This was not how she expected this trip to work out. Granted, she hadn't been interested in coming to look at the ruins at all.
It was an escape, a chance to do something fun and possibly dangerous without any worry of expectations or the future. It was supposed to be a diversion.
But things rarely went the way she planned.
Still, if she had to be stuck in such a dangerous situation, she was glad her best friends and most trusted allies were with her. Ceodore, Kieran and Cuore were her favorite comrades and partners in crime, and she wouldn't want anyone else to be with her.
She heard footsteps before she saw anyone walking by, and she watched Kieran wander by, looking lost in thought.
Ursula smirked, sitting up straight again.
Watching the dragoon awkwardly flirt with Cuore was becoming hilarious, especially since she was starting to notice that the teal haired young woman was inadvertently flirting back.
They were such an amusing and awkward couple.
"Hey,"
Ursula looked up, noticing how Kieran had paused a few steps away and was turned partway back towards her. "Are we okay?"
She gave a lopsided smile, "Yeah."
He nodded. "Good."
He moved to leave and she sighed, calling him back, "Kieran,"
He glanced over his shoulder, expression unreadable.
Ursula shrugged one shoulder, "You're a good friend,"
Kieran smiled slowly, lips twitching ever so slightly, before he continued his movement and left.
She hadn't bothered to ask what he was referring too, she knew. Their argument in the camp days ago before they had even made it to the ruins. Ursula still wasn't thrilled with the conversation, but she didn't feel like holding the grudge anymore.
Kieran had thought he was doing the right thing, and even if his words were harsh, she understood what he was doing. In the end, anyway, everything had worked on in the end.
Ursula paused, wondering if she should get up and finally help the others.
Abruptly the lights went out.
She froze, trying not to panic and letting her eyes adjust to the sudden darkness. Luckily, the blackness wasn't complete and a set of thread like wires spreading through the walls between the alcoves were still lit with dim, blue light.
Ursula got to her feet carefully, squinting despite the faint blue glow, and made her way towards where she could see the others.
"What happened?" she asked, realizing how shaky her voice sounded. She wanted to smack herself for the weakness.
Cuore was hugging herself, "I don't know. Everything was in working order."
"I heard the doors close, the ones we came through," Kieran pointed out, gesturing back over his shoulders.
Ceodore was frowning, "I don't like where this is going…"
"The plan?" Ursula asked.
Cuore chewed on her bottom lip and looked uncertain, glancing at Ceodore first before she spoke. "While I believe the elevator is a bad idea to use, we may want to climb up the shaft to a different location."
"I'm all for that," Ursula muttered, looking back down the hallway. "I don't like the idea of staying here."
Ceodore nodded, "Alright, then let's do it."
Ursula watched them pry the doors open and glanced back over her shoulder again, hoping the shadows she thought she saw move were nothing more than her imagination.
Author's Note:
Bah. This chapter is not my friend. It took way too long to write, is boring, and I'm just not feeling it...
Also, I may not be updating Shards of History until AFTER Christmas time, as I will be busy and such. I had hoped to be further along into the story than this, so I apologize for that. However, I won't be absent; I will be working on smaller stories, updating my humor stories, adding another fandom to the list and so on. I'll be around, but SoH's next update may be a ways off.
I'm sorry to leave you with such a bland chapter, but that is the way it went...
Now, onto the chapter!
Ah, Kiere...you two are such angsty characters this chapter!
Hmm...why is no one's magic working? Any thoughts?
I realized that neither Kieran or Ursula would be the first to apologize, as they are stubborn. So, their little apology scene was a blast to throw in there. I whole heartedly believe that's exactly how it would go.
So, to recap; No magic, unexplained Lunarian ruins/ship, Mr. Strange Danger lurking in the shadows AND killer robots? Bummer...
Your Lunarian lesson:
DuRa – More, an overabundance of one thing
Ro'V – Pain
Vam'Ose – An expression of confusion or bafflement
Za'el – "Dream"
Re'Tu – "Alert"
Ken-Di – "Intruders" or "Trespassers"
As I've said, maybe no Shards of History update for awhile, but I will be around, so keep an eye out for other stories and updates!
And if anyone wants to write ME a story, I wouldn't hate that...