A/N: New chapter! Finally! On the bright side...this is the longest one I've written yet. (and I still don't get to Lake Umacy? Wtf? I amaze myself sometimes.) ah, well...character development, sorta. random events, some of 'em good, some of 'em bad. Moar Kratos.
Whoa, it's December already. It's been almost a year since I started writing this. o_o Well, at least I know I've improved...my beginning chapters suck. DX I can't even read them anymore without wanting to bash my head against a wall. Maybe I'll rewrite them...never. XD I barely find time to write new chapters, never mind fix the old ones...argh.
Hey! If the improvement continues, maybe I'll be like a pro by chapter 60! XD probably not, but I can have dreams...ah! and one more thing before I shut up. I drew something just for you guys. ;D
http:// noa748. deviantart. com/ art/ New-Reality-Fun-With-Kratos-143871934
...without the spaces. Muahahahaha!
Disclaimer: I don't own ToS or its characters! And I've run out of jokes to put here! Aw, crud.
----
As usual, we started bright and early the next morning. Our new goal was the House of Salvation near Asgard, where we could stock up on supplies. My bad mood from the night before washed away with a good night's sleep; even though I was hurting in places I didn't know I had nerves, I still found myself in a relatively good mood. After all, we were going downhill now, and the slope this time wasn't bad enough to make my aching legs worse.
Hopefully, we wouldn't have any more unexpected encounters with the Renegades. I'd gotten rid of their tracking device and now I knew better than to fall for anything else Yuan had planned. I would have to talk to Colette later, but she wasn't the most suspicious person around--I could always come up with some bullshit excuse.
I hated to say it, but...Colette's condition was serving to help me out here. With luck, the others wouldn't find out about my prior knowledge until after the Tower, and by then my fate would have been sealed anyway. By then I'd either be dead or stuck up in Welgaia, being experimented on or something weird like that. I'd never have to explain anything to them, and that meant I'd never have to endure being stared at like I'm a lunatic. Everyone wins!
...Well, except for the dying part. I'd worry about that later. After all, miles and miles of land still separated me from Hima and those godforsaken dragons.
With my thoughts all sorted out, I started to work on the explanation I'd have to give to Colette. I'd have to catch her alone at the House of Salvation...yeah, and then I could ask her to come to some secluded place with me, where Kratty wouldn't be able to eavesdrop.
"I'm bored," Lloyd said aloud, and all of my ideas died.
"Dammit, Lloyd," I groaned, "I had such a good train of thought going there."
"You've been all quiet for like an hour," he complained, "and I've run out of things to talk about with everyone else. And Kratos keeps ignoring me when I talk to him."
"That tends to happen," I shrugged.
"But unlike you, I don't see the point of rambling on for twenty minutes until he hits me," Lloyd pointed out, and I grinned.
"...So, you've come to bug me now?"
"Yup."
"Well, okay then."
"How much longer do you think we'll have to walk?" Lloyd asked.
"Beats me. I was wondering the same thing."
"Raine said we'll probably get there before dark," Genis said, falling back with us.
"Genis has joined the conversation!" I declared triumphantly.
"Do you have to do that?" The half elf rolled his eyes.
"Hey, that's great!" Lloyd said happily. "That means we'll have time to do other stuff!"
I snorted. "I dunno about you, but I'm getting extra sleep."
"What kind of other stuff would you do, Lloyd?" Genis asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Probably sneak a peek at one of my dirty books," I said slyly, and Lloyd made a face.
"Ew, no! Don't even start!"
I sighed. "Man, you guys have to hit puberty one of these days. What if we run into another topless summon spirit?"
Lloyd shuddered, and Genis shook his head. "You're never going to let it go, are you?"
"Probably not. But don't worry, I'm sure I'll find something else to amuse myself with later anyway," I said, grinning.
"Let's, uh...talk about something else," Lloyd attempted feebly to change the subject.
"We should do something fun later!" Genis suggested.
"Like?" I asked curiously.
"Hm..." he paused to think.
"Agh," Lloyd sighed, "there's nothing to do at those Houses."
I frowned for a moment, remembering something. "Eh, just come to my room. I'll figure something out."
"What happened to sleeping?" Genis asked, glancing over at me. I shrugged.
"Lloyd would probably wake me up with his whining anyway."
"True."
"I'm right here!" Lloyd grumbled.
After a few more minutes of conversation and occasional bickering, we fell silent again. I frowned inwardly, my thoughts returning to what bullshit story I'd make up and feed to Colette. Jeez, I never lied this much back on Earth...
My brow furrowed. Even though my memory of my last few days at home was pretty vivid (up until my last moments, anyway), I still couldn't help but realize that I'd been here on Sylvarant for quite a while. How long had it been?
"Yo, Lloyd," I said, a thoughtful look on my face. "What's the date?"
"Uh..." The brunette paused for a minute. "August nineteenth, I think. Why?"
I shrugged. "Just wondering." Man...I'd been here for three months? Even though it sounded like a long time, I still felt as if a year had passed.
He tilted his head a bit, staring at me. "Hey, that reminds me. When's your birthday?"
"Huh?" I blinked. Where had that come from? "November twentieth."
"So...three months. Got it," he said, nodding. I rolled my eyes.
"Lloyd, this journey will be over in three months." Translation: I'll be dead before then. I was going to die before my nineteenth birthday...
He grinned. "Well, we've gotta figure out how to get you home, don't we? I'm not just gonna abandon you once the world is regenerated."
"Yeah..." I almost frowned, but managed to keep my face blank. Dammit, Lloyd, why do you have to be such a good friend? It made lying to him a lot harder than it should've been.
Trying to keep the conversation on a lighter note, I attempted a smile. "So, when's your birthday, then?"
Lloyd ran a hand through his messy hair. "...Actually, it's in three days."
My eyes widened, and I punched his shoulder. "What?! You jerk! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I dunno. I guess I sort of forgot," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's okay, you don't have to get me anything."
"Shut up," I said. "You're turning eighteen. You're gonna be a man, Lloydie, and I'd be a jackass if I didn't get you a present on such a big day."
He rolled his eyes. "Seriously, don't worry about it, you dork."
"Too late, I'm worried." I crossed my arms. "Let's see...man, this is gonna be tough. Hmm, hmm...."
I noticed Kratos was frowning a bit--his slightly troubled look hinted at deeper emotions within him. He hadn't shown even any slight surprise at Lloyd's birthday being in three days, which meant that Lloyd had given the correct date. I guess even at three years old, Lloyd had been able to tell Dirk when his birthday was.
Hey...was Kratos going to give Lloyd a gift? Oh man, that'd be so cute. And he'd probably leave it on Lloyd's bed or something and run away so he wouldn't seem soft or anything. Heh...
"Your birthday's in three days, Lloyd?" Sheena looked over her shoulder. "Um...maybe I could figure out something to give you, too." She blushed slightly, and then looked away to hide it.
"Guys, don't make a big deal out of it..." Lloyd sighed.
"Eighteen, Lloyd," I reminded him. "You're gonna be all grown up! That's kind of scary, come to think of it..."
"You're eighteen," he grumbled. "Besides, you didn't suddenly start acting all adult the second you turned eighteen, did you?"
"Well, I--" I started out, wanting to tell him of what I'd done on my last birthday, and then cut myself off. "...I don't really remember," I shrugged.
"Oh...yeah." Lloyd frowned, glancing at the others, who were in easy hearing range. I couldn't whisper either, because of Colette and Kratos.
"So!" I said, "When's everyone else's birthdays? I don't want any more surprises."
Sheena looked over at me. "Well, mine's already passed...it was May first."
It was so weird to think that Sheena wasn't that much older than me...jeez, if we'd been born in the same world, we might've gone to school together.
I nodded. "Okay, Genis?"
"January twelfth. Oh, and Colette's was on March thirtieth."
"My birthday is on the fifth of February," Raine said.
Hah, everyone had been listening to our little conversation. I looked over at Kratos, knowing he wouldn't immediately volunteer the information like everyone else. Pulling out a small notebook from my bag, I jotted down everyone's birthdays before glancing at the mercenary again.
"Ohhh, Kratoooos!" I called. He grunted.
"You know, I still don't know when your birthday is," I remarked.
"I do not require a gift and the journey will be--"
"Over by then? Then there's no harm in telling me, right? Pleeeease."
He sighed. "Fine. I was born on December twenty-fifth."
"Seriously?" I asked, my eyes widening. He looked over his shoulder at me, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. Is there something wrong with that date?"
I remembered that Christmas couldn't possibly exist here, and laughed nervously. "Uh, no, nothing at all. I was just...um...it's kinda funny how you were born in a cold month and have a cold personality! Ha...ha..."
He rubbed his forehead and returned his attention to the trees ahead of us, probably dismissing the strange remark as me being stupid again. Lloyd gave me a weird look, and I just shrugged.
Wow...Kratos was born on Christmas day. That was a funny thought. Kratos wearing a Santa hat...
----
"Yes!" I grinned when our destination came within sight.
Over the course of the previous day, I'd begged Raine to let us take the slightly longer route to Asgard so that I could go shopping for a present for Lloyd. I also reasoned that Lloyd deserved to sleep in a real bed on his eighteenth birthday, not on the cold, hard ground. Since I was fighting for Lloyd, Genis and Colette immediately backed me up. Sheena did, too, since she'd also decided to get him a present. Lloyd just sighed heavily in the background during all this, but I had a feeling he was secretly enjoying the attention.
Anyway, it was late evening, and we'd finally reached Asgard. That left us all of the following day to stock up on supplies and grab a gift or two for Lloydie. Kratos insisted that we leave the town on the afternoon of Lloyd's birthday, but at least he and Raine had caved enough to let us do this.
Even though I was really tired from taking the longer route, I was in a pretty good mood by the time we reached the town. Real beds...real food...yay!
Weird...I could remember a time where I'd turn my nose up at the old-fashioned facilities here. Now anything was a step up from sitting around a campfire night after night.
My good mood was also due to the fact that Genis had sort of stopped hating on me, and occasionally we'd been able to have a decent conversation. So, I was pretty sure I'd figured out his secret! Be nice to his best friend, and he'll be nice to you. What a shocker. Hopefully I wouldn't PMS at Lloyd again anytime soon.
"So! Just an idea, I think we should stay at the Cool Breeze again since Lloyd is so awesome," I indicated the most expensive inn, grinning.
"Yeah!" Genis added, and Colette smiled.
"Now I just feel like I'm being used..." Lloyd sighed from the back.
"You said you'd figure out something for us to do, right?" Genis asked, almost snickering at Lloyd's remark.
"Hm?" I thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah, when we were headed to the House of Salvation. Well, I guess we can still follow through with that plan...even though it's not much of a plan. Anyone who's bored later on, come to my room."
Sheena raised an eyebrow. "What exactly are you going to do?"
"Eh, you'll see," I shrugged.
----
Since it was late evening when we arrived, we basically had to go straight to the inn and get our rooms set up. But we were staying at one of the nicer places in town, so each of us actually got our own individual rooms, which was pretty awesome. Not that I minded sharing with Sheena, but still...this meant I could have privacy without leaving the inn.
Aaaand, naturally I'd picked today to invite everyone over to my room. Ah, well, it couldn't be helped.
Around an hour after we'd arrived, I ended up laying sprawled out on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. A few days from now, we'd be heading out to Lake Umacy again...I wondered what the unicorn looked like up close. Would I get to see it? I was a pure maiden (unless I'd totally missed something and pure-ness had nothing to do with virginity), so I should have been able to...unless maybe you had to be pure of heart and mind, too. Sheena and Colette were pretty pure of heart, in my opinion. I wasn't so sure about myself.
Well...I guess I could say I had pretty good intentions, right? But then again, I couldn't really deny that I had countless flaws. I was a coward, and I was pretty selfish to boot. Hell, I was even weak minded; every single time I had a train of thought like this, I found a way to bring myself down. Jeez...no wonder I pissed Lloyd off so much. Maybe one day he'd teach me to stop hating myself.
I yawned, stretching a little. Not that it really mattered...I honestly didn't care if I got to see the unicorn up close or not. Just seeing it from a distance would be cool enough. I just didn't want anyone to think I wasn't...as Sheena put it, "qualified" if I didn't go. That would just make me feel like a total slut, even though I'd never slept with anyone. Crap! I'd already pulled the dirty novel thing on Lloyd. I had to prove my innocence!
Agh. Couldn't anyone crack a dirty joke around here without being glared at? My friends and I had always laughed about stuff like that. Stupid Sylvarant people. Zelos would understand me!
A knock at the door broke my train of thought, and I looked up. "Door's unlocked."
They seemed to understand that that meant "come in," so the next sound I heard was the door opening. Colette took a step in, and I sat up.
"Oh, hey, Colette. You're a little early."
She smiled, and came to sit next to me on the bed, pulling out her notebook.
'Sorry. Is it all right?' She wrote.
"Yeah, I don't have a problem with you being here. As you can see, I wasn't exactly doing anything productive before you came." I shrugged. "Anyway, so what's up?"
'Actually, I wanted to ask you something.'
My smile faltered a little. "Okay, go ahead."
She paused thoughtfully, and then scribbled down a question. 'What are the Renegades and who is Yuan?'
I bit my lip hard at that question and looked around us, paranoid that Kratos would be leaning over our shoulders or something. I was pretty sure he was busy elsewhere...pretty sure. But I really couldn't afford to take risks, especially not with my notoriously bad luck.
After a moment or two, I let out a sigh. "Well...it's sort of hard to explain, to tell you the truth..." I really couldn't use the same trick I'd used on Lloyd...if I asked her to wait until after the world regeneration for an explanation, it'd just make us both feel like shit.
I thought for a few seconds, and then gestured for her to give me her notepad and pencil.
'It's probably best for me to write this...I don't want anyone to overhear,' I wrote. Colette frowned.
'Why?'
I hesitated. 'I can't explain. Actually, I'm worried about explaining this, too. You have to promise not to tell anyone, it would put us all in danger.'
She made sure to look me in the eyes before writing down her response. 'Okay. I promise.'
All right. I couldn't explain the real thing...I couldn't risk ruining anything. Theoretically, telling the truth wouldn't hurt since we weren't supposed to encounter the Renegades or Cruxis again until the Tower of Salvation. But a lot of unanticipated stuff had already happened, so...
I thanked Martel...or whoever watched over this world that Colette wasn't the type to be suspicious. She trusted me, so she'd probably believe whatever story I fed her.
...There I went again. I was really becoming a bastard.
'I'm not completely sure of the details,' I lied, 'but I learned a little about the Renegades during my stay in the Asgard Ranch. They're supposed to be this rebel faction of the Desians that lash out against the leader of the Grand Cardinals. The leader of the Renegades, Yuan, is determined to take over their position.'
Man, that was such a load of bull...well, the rebel thing was kind of the truth, but...
'Why are the Renegades after me?' Colette wrote.
I shrugged. 'The same reason the Desians are after you, I guess. If the world's regenerated, then all the Desians will disappear, right?'
'Does Cruxis...really have spies?' Colette's blue eyes were wide. I shook my head, sighing.
'I don't know. A lot of what I said didn't make much sense to me, either. I was just using phrases I heard the Desians saying before...besides, it does make sense that they'd be scared of Cruxis. They're part of the whole regeneration thing.'
She continued to stare at me, troubled. Clearly I'd missed something, and she was still unconvinced...I couldn't for the life of me figure it out.
But just as she picked up the pencil again to write, I heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Reacting instantly, I ripped the pages we'd just written on out of Colette's notebook and shoved them in my pocket. I'd rip them up till they were unreadable later. She gave me a questioning look, probably wondering why the hell I couldn't explain to anyone else, but I only shook my head. Hopefully she'd just trust me and stay quiet about it.
"Hey," Lloyd said, peeking his head in; the door had been cracked open an inch or so. "We're not too late, are we?"
He grinned, walking in with Genis. Sheena followed, too. I vaguely wondered what Raine and Kratos were up to, but shrugged off the thought. They still kind of considered us to be kids, after all. Even though we weren't, really. Except for Genis. Sucks to be him.
"Nah, you're right on time," I replied, stretching. I scooted back towards the pillows, making room for the others to sit on my bed too.
When everyone was situated in what sort of looked like a circle, Sheena gave me a curious look. "So, what was your brilliant plan?"
"Yeah, I wanna know!" Genis added oh so helpfully.
I smirked, pulling a deck of cards out. I'd had a few ideas of possible things to do, but this was one I hadn't expected to work. By some miracle, I'd managed to find a deck by asking around downstairs. Turns out, the innkeeper had the same love as me for a certain game...
"I know one thing I always like to play on rainy days..." I held the cards up and waved them lightly in the air. "Poker, anyone?"
Sheena groaned, facepalming. "Are you determined to be a bad influence?"
Colette tilted her head, oblivious, and Genis voiced the question I was sure she wanted to ask. "Poker? What's that?"
"Oh! I think I've heard of it before. Isn't it some sort of card game?" Lloyd asked.
I snorted. "Brilliant deduction, Lloyd. Precisely why I'm holding cards..."
"Shut up," he grumbled. "I was gonna say more. I remember dad saying I should never play it because I could lose a lot of money..."
"...Because it's gambling," Sheena finished, giving me a look.
"Hey, I never said we had to play for money," I remarked defensively...and after a pause, "This is gonna be strip poker, after all--OW!"
Sheena gave me a Raine-worthy smack, causing me to nearly fall off the bed.
"Was...k-kidding..." I mumbled, rubbing my stinging skin.
"...Strip poker?" Genis inquired, looking like he was unsure if he wanted to know. Lloyd seemed to get it, though, because he made a face.
"It's not important..." Sheena said, rubbing her forehead as if a migraine were coming on. I bet her Zelos senses were tingling. Jeez, the further we got in this journey, the more sure I was that I would definitely get along with him and his pretty red hair. Too bad I'd never get to meet him.
"Seriously, though, I just thought we'd play with really small amounts of Gald, or plastic chips...but I doubt we'll find any of those around here," I shrugged. Ah, if only we had my poker set from back home...
Some of them gave me a strange look at the mention of plastic chips, but I wasn't totally sure why. They were probably a much rarer sight here in Sylvarant, but I was sure Sheena knew what I was talking about. There was a casino in Altamira, anyway.
Sheena frowned. "Well...I guess that's all right."
I looked over at Lloyd. "Plus, at eighteen, you'll be old enough to do all this legally!"
"Ugh! Let's just play the game already!" The ninja glared, and I sighed.
"All right, all right..."
Despite her reaction, I wasn't too surprised to find out that Sheena already knew how to play poker. Zelos had probably forced her to learn at some point, being the charming man he was. We had to teach Lloyd and the others, but it wasn't long before we were immersed in the game and Genis had won most of our smaller Gald coins.
"Hey, this game isn't so bad!" He remarked, grinning.
"You only say that 'cause you're winning," Lloyd grumbled. Sheena and I stared at Genis' pile of coins, mildly embarrassed that we were losing to a twelve-year-old that had just learned how to play.
It was going pretty well, until Raine walked in. Needless to say, the game ended soon after that. She sent all of us to our rooms, sounding like an angry mother, and took some time to lecture me on the morality of teaching minors how to gamble. I felt kind of bad for getting Sheena in trouble when she'd tried to stop me, but oh well. Hey, I used to play poker with my grandma for pennies! What was the difference between doing that and doing this?
I should have yelled at Raine for implying that my grandmother was immoral, but I had a feeling she'd have no clue what I was talking about...plus I was supposed to have amnesia and all that. Yeah.
Well, so much for curing boredom...I'd have to move on to one of my other plans next time...
----
"Hey, Sheena!"
The ninja looked up, the morning light casting a violet sheen on her dark hair. She was standing near a few stalls, presumably looking for a gift for Lloyd. I'd been hoping to go shopping with her so we could try helping each other out.
"Um..." I paused when I finally reached her. "...Sorry about last night. I don't think the Professor believes me after that whole dirty novel incident, but I really intended for it to be an innocent card game. We could've played anything else, I just happen to like poker the most..." I shrugged.
"It's okay," she said, sighing. "I know you're not really serious about that stuff, usually. That's the thing that makes you different from that idiot..." Sheena added the last sentence in a mutter, and I had to hide a grin.
"Well, anyway...did you come up with any ideas yet?"
The ninja frowned, glancing over to the nearest stall. "Not really...none of these things scream 'Lloyd' at me."
I bit my lip, suddenly having a thought. "You know what? I forgot to ask the others what they got for him. Why don't we go find out, and meet up here later? At least then we'll know what not to get, and we might come up with some better ideas."
Sheena nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good idea."
"Okay. I think Raine's at Linar's place...you'd better ask her, because I think she might still be a little ticked at me," I said.
"I'll ask Colette, too, then," she said, "since I think I saw her going to that side of town."
"Then that leaves me with Genis, and...well, I might prod Kratos into getting a gift while I'm at it." I grinned, and Sheena rolled her eyes.
"Good luck with that." She turned away, her ribbons fluttering in the wind. "Anyway, see you in...twenty minutes?"
"All right. See you then." I waved, and then turned around to glance around the town for a moment.
Genis...where would Genis be hanging out? He liked cooking, but not the food shop...the one here had a racist owner, if I remembered correctly. Even if Genis wasn't a half-elf out in the open, he probably would avoid that shop out of dislike.
Crap, hopefully Genis wasn't hanging out with Lloyd....that was more than likely. Dammit.
I walked around the streets of the town, checking at various ruin sites. If only I hadn't gotten Raine mad at me...I could've just made Sheena find Genis, and I could've gone after the Professor. Genis wasn't bored by ruins like Lloyd, but he wasn't exactly excited by them, either. I doubted I'd find him in the more historical parts of Asgard, especially if he was with Lloyd...
All right...maybe figuring out where Lloyd was would be easier. I frowned, thinking to myself. Maybe the weapons shop? He usually liked to drool at all the shiny, expensive swords that were way out of our group's price range.
Remembering where the shop was from our last visit here, I quickly jogged over in that direction and took a quick peek in the window. Just as I'd thought, Lloyd was standing near the counter, asking the owner all sorts of things about a specific pair of blades. To be fair, they did look pretty cool. Just watching Lloyd sort of made me want a new blade of my own.
Augh, I was here for Lloyd, not me! Right, so Genis wasn't in there, so--
"What are you doing?" Oh, speak of the prepubescent devil.
I turned around, and the half elf was regarding me with a strange look. "Um...just spying on Lloyd, that's all." I grinned.
"Right..." The look got worse.
"I'm kidding! I was actually looking for you. I need to ask you a question."
"A question?" Genis frowned curiously. "What is it?"
"Let's get away from the window first," I said, glancing over to make sure Lloyd hadn't noticed us. We walked away from the weapon shop a bit, out of hearing range if Lloyd happened to leave.
"So, um...Sheena and I thought it'd be a good idea to figure out what everyone else got him before we went out and bought something," I said.
"You want to know what I got Lloyd?" Genis asked. "Okay, but you can't copy me."
I rolled my eyes. "That'd kind of defeat the purpose if I did, you know."
He ignored my remark. "Well, his carving knives were getting pretty old, so I got him a new set."
"Carving knives?" I tilted my head in inquiry. "Are those the tools he used on my Key Crest?"
Genis nodded. "Yeah. The last set he had was given to him by Dirk five years ago. He meant to get new ones a while ago, but he kept putting it off."
"Okay...so carving knives, got it." I put a finger to my lip, thinking.
"Do you have any idea of what to get him?" Genis asked curiously. I shook my head.
"Not quite yet...Sheena's out asking Colette and the Professor. Maybe once I hear their answers, I'll get more of an idea." I crossed my arms. "In any case, it's gonna be another fifteen minutes or so before I have to meet up with her again...maybe I'll pester Kratos."
Genis groaned. "I don't get what's so fun about that...it's like poking a rabid dog. You just don't do it!"
"Poking a rabid dog? I might have to tell him about that little analogy," I said, laughing. "See you later, Genis!"
I left the bemused mage behind, continuing down the dusty road I was on. I really wasn't sure whether I intended to actually bug Kratos or not, but as I walked down the path I decided that I'd at least see what he was up to. A small part of me hoped I'd catch him in the act of buying Lloyd a birthday present, but I knew that was highly unlikely. What did Kratos do in his free time, anyway? He couldn't brood all the time, right? I didn't have to pester him, maybe I'd just watch him for a second or two to satisfy my curiosity...
Man, I was becoming a stalker. Somewhere back on Earth right now, rabid Kratos fangirls were twitching angrily in their sleep.
I quickly realized that annoying Kratos had quickly become one of my free-time hobbies. How pathetic (yet oddly amusing) was that? Ah, well. I was gonna be impaled on his sword in the end anyway, so why not have some fun beforehand? Ha, that's what she said.
I stopped, frowning thoughtfully. Kratos...he'd probably be in the most secluded place he could find. My frown fell as an answer came to me instantly. The dais, of course! He'd be standing all mysterious-like up there, staring out over the mountains.
By the time I made it to the top of that ungodly staircase, I was nearly panting, even though I'd walked extra slow for my own sake. I had...eh, probably ten minutes left before I had to go down and meet Sheena. She might let it slide if I was a minute or two late, if I could make up a good reason.
A quick scan of the area did not reveal any purple mercenaries. Aww. Oh well...bugging him was a bad habit to begin with. Seeking him out for the sole purpose of bugging him...yeah, maybe that was crossing the line.
I let out a quiet sigh. Maybe what I needed was a change in targets. Bug Lloyd, then? No...it was almost his birthday. Sheena? No, I'd get smacked. Colette? She wouldn't be any fun and it'd just make me feel bad.
My eyes widened slightly at a new realization. Out of all the people here...could it be that Kratos was the most tolerant of my annoying-ness?! Whoa. Come to think of it, he was the only one besides Lloyd and Colette that wouldn't usually act pissy at me for a day or two following my stupid remarks. Except for that one time, but...yeah, I really had deserved that.
Running a hand through my hair, I walked closer to the dais. That decided it--I was gonna give Kratos a break since he was actually pretty awesome to me despite all the abuse. And unlike that day in Hima, I was actually gonna follow through with the plan. Hopefully.
Okay...around eight minutes till I had to meet up with Sheena again. It'd only take around two or three to get back to our meeting place, so maybe I could just kill some time up here. Yes! Commence Operation: Not Annoy Kratos!
I walked around the edge of the dais, intending to make it to the other end and do that whole mysterious thing for a bit, staring wistfully over the mountains while the wind ruffled my hair. When I reached the final corner and heard quiet voices, I suddenly paused. Jeez, was Harley gonna try blowing up the dais again for shits and giggles?
Then, I listened more carefully. No...that deep voice was definitely not Harley.
Well, Operation: Not Annoy Kratos had a good run. It looked like Operation: Get Brutally Murdered by Kratos was going to begin a few weeks early...
...Because a very quick peek around the corner told me that he was conversing with a Cruxis angel. If the wind hadn't been blowing so hard up here, he would've heard my approach and probably sent the angel away. But noooo, naturally I had to catch him in the act so he'd have to kill me to keep me quiet. I couldn't exactly tell him "no it's cool, I knew all along" and expect him to believe me.
The wind was still blowing hard enough that I couldn't make out what they were saying. Curious as I was, I wasn't about to creep closer so I could hear.
Focusing hard on the sound of Kratos' voice, I started slowly backing away from the scene. If I heard him pause or falter, I would at least have some warning that he was about to silence me for good. Not that I thought fighting back would do any good, but it'd make feel a little better if I at least saw it coming. Wait...no, maybe he wouldn't kill me. Shit, what if he just turned me over to Cruxis instead?
I had to get out of here. Hardly breathing, I continued to back away, hugging the edge of the dais.
Kratos' voice stopped, and I froze. I looked up in time to see the flutter of wings, and then an angel warping away in much the same manner as Remiel.
Oh, no. If their meeting was over, that meant Kratos would be coming around the edge of the dais any second now. Please, please go around the other way...
I saw a spike of auburn hair appear from around the corner, and knew I had to act. Moving as fast as I possibly could, I dove over to the side, where the ground slanted downward towards the mountains. I moved behind a large boulder, digging my heels into the ground so I wouldn't slide downwards. There was a sheer drop at the end of this slant--if I slid too far, I'd fall off and die. Yeah, my fear of heights wasn't exactly helping me stay calm right now.
My movement shifted a bunch of rocks and pebbles out of place and caused them to tumble down the cliff, kicking up a cloud of dust. My whole body tensed. I was dead. There was no way Kratos hadn't seen or heard that, especially with his heightened senses.
The wind died down a bit, enough that I could hear his oncoming footsteps. When he was about to pass the boulder I hid behind, he paused. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears; I squeezed my eyes shut as I had the irrational thought that Kratos could probably hear it, too.
Several very long seconds passed. I was sure he stood there for at least ten, but it felt like an eternity. And then, I heard his footsteps continue until there was the telltale sound of him descending the staircase.
When I could no longer hear him, I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding. My tense muscles relaxed, and I almost slid off the cliff because of it.
"Shit," I grunted quietly. I managed to pull myself back up on to the grass, and just lay there for a moment.
That...had been one seriously close call. I still couldn't believe he hadn't realized I was there.
He hadn't...right? But still...how could he not have noticed my presence with his angelic hearing? It just seemed impossible. Maybe he thought the sounds he heard were caused by an animal? That didn't sound right...he never dismissed things so quickly.
Augh, I was just overthinking it. I was just happy that I got to live for a little while longer. But I had a feeling I would be avoiding Kratos for a little while...
My hair blew into my eyes as the wind picked up again. I pushed myself up on to my feet, brushing myself off, and looked over to the stairs. I couldn't have had more than four minutes left...Sheena would be waiting for me pretty soon. I attempted to push my bangs behind my ears, and was annoyed when some stray locks were just long enough to fall in front of my eyes again.
Well, it was about time I headed back. I started down the long staircase, and suddenly got a sense of vertigo. Oh, yeah...no safe railing to hold on to. How the hell had I done this last time I was here? I remembered having a few people in front of me, so that had sort of blocked the view of all the stairs ahead...but now I was totally alone, and the wind was blowing. My confidence plummeted with every step as I thought of all the injuries I could get from falling down these stone stairs.
I gulped, and tried to place each foot carefully. If I thought this was daunting, I couldn't imagine what it'd be like flying to the Tower of Salvation.
After another couple of minutes, I finally reached the bottom and let out a sigh of relief. Sweet, level ground...
All right, I had wasted enough time. Hell, I was probably already late, with how long I'd taken to get down those stairs. Me and my brilliant ideas... I shook my head at my own stupidity and looked up, ready to head back down to the stalls.
My eyes caught a glimpse of purple, and suddenly I had locked eyes with Kratos.
He was standing a bit of a distance away, near one of the cheaper inns. I quickly looked away, feebly trying to pretend that I hadn't seen him in the first place. Walking a little faster, I headed down to the shop stalls where I saw Sheena standing.
That look in Kratos' eyes...did he...?
"What took you so long?" Sheena asked as I approached. She didn't look upset, though.
I shrugged. "Genis is an elusive little guy."
The ninja cocked an eyebrow at that, but didn't press any further. "Well, what'd you come up with?"
"Carving knives. Like, for all that craftsman stuff Lloyd does. That's what Genis got him," I answered. "What about you?"
Sheena crossed her arms, a thoughtful look on her face. "Well, Colette said she got him a Talisman."
"Uh...what do those do again?" I thought for a moment. "Something with defense..."
"They raise defense a little bit," Sheena replied, smiling with amusement. "With how much trouble Lloyd gets into, I think he'll need it."
I grinned a bit. "What about Raine?"
"She turned it into a learning experience, naturally."
"Books?" I asked skeptically. Sheena shook her head.
"She got him a bunch of potions. You know...Flare bottles, Guard bottles, Acuity bottles..."
I laughed. "Now he'll have to learn what all of them do in order to use them. Pretty sneaky, Professor."
"No kidding," Sheena said. "So, I think we've got everyone accounted for. Unless you actually did go after Kratos...?"
"Well..." I paused, looking past her and over her shoulder. Kratos was nowhere in sight. "...No, not really."
He'd been standing near that inn...had he been watching me as I walked down the--
Oh.
There was only one stairway to get to the dais and back. Even if he hadn't seen me up there...he'd seen me walk down those stairs. He had to know now; he knew that I had seen him.
Shit. What was I going to do?
Now that he was no longer in my sights, I felt as if he'd pop up and stab me from behind any minute now. Even though he'd never do that in front of people, I just couldn't get the irrational fear out of my system.
"Brittany?" Sheena's voice cut through my thoughts. "You don't look so good all of a sudden. What's wrong?"
I quickly shook my head. "I...I'm okay. I just felt a little dizzy for a second there. Maybe it's because I haven't eaten breakfast yet."
She stared at me, concerned. "You're really pale. Let's talk about this over some food, then. Come on, I don't want you passing out on me."
I cracked a weak smile, following Sheena up to the doors of the Cool Breeze. I had a feeling food wouldn't help me very much, but maybe it'd at least distract me from the issue at hand...
----
"Haaaappy biiirthday dear Lloydoooo...."
Colette and Genis grinned as I serenaded a bleary-eyed Lloyd with everyone's favorite birthday song. We were standing around his bed, holding a plate of Genis' delicious pancakes. Waving said pancakes under the teenager's nose for a second or two had woken him up a little more.
Now he sat up in bed, his messy hair flopping down over his eyes, and stared up at me.
"Haaaapy birthday to youuu--"
"Ugh..."
"Lloyd! You ruined it!" I scolded him, but couldn't hide my own grin. He rubbed his eyes sleepily.
"How early is it?"
"Actually, it's already ten. Raine said we couldn't let you sleep any longer," Genis said.
Lloyd yawned. "All right, I'm getting--hey, are those pancakes?"
"For a growing boy," I said in a motherly tone.
"I'm a man now," Lloyd pointed out in a bold voice, a goofy smile on his face.
"You're right!" I said, dismayed. "Lloydie's all grown up...I'm gonna cry!"
"Cut it out, dork," Lloyd laughed, taking the plate of pancakes from my hands. "Genis, did you make these?"
"Of course!" Genis said proudly. "You didn't think I'd let Raine near the kitchen on your birthday, did you?"
"What was that?" Raine's voice came from behind us, and Genis flinched.
"Uh, hey sis..."
She gave him a look, but thankfully let it slide this time. She turned her attention to Lloyd, who was quietly inhaling his breakfast. "I don't want to rush you, but get dressed and meet us downstairs when you're done. We're leaving around noon."
"Mmhmm," Lloyd said, his mouth full of pancake.
"That goes for you three as well," she said to us. "I'll see you in a little bit." Raine smiled at Lloyd, and then exited the room.
"Well, at the rate you're eating, we'd better start getting dressed," I said to Lloyd, shaking my head. "Anyway, I'm probably gonna be slow, so...see you guys downstairs."
Waving, I followed out after the Professor, and headed for my own room.
I was still wearing pajama pants and a tank top, things I'd bought in Luin back when it was still standing. Shutting the door behind me, I prepared to get into my usual gear. Putting all that crap on was a bit of a process every morning. I still felt kind of weird putting on the same outfit every day...but to be fair, I had a couple pairs of underclothes that I switched up. That was sorta sanitary, right?
Ugh, Sylvarant.
After I was finished getting dressed, I went downstairs into the inn's roomy lobby. Raine, Sheena and Kratos were sitting on some sofas that surrounded a small coffee table. Everyone had placed their presents on to the table, and the wrapped gifts seemed to brighten the already cheery room. I took the seat next to Sheena, since it was farthest from the grumpy mercenary.
"Is everyone else almost ready?" Sheena asked, looking over at me.
"I think so. Lloyd practically vacc--uh, inhaled his breakfast, so he's probably getting dressed right about now." Did vaccums exist in Sylvarant? Probably shouldn't risk it.
Right on cue, I heard the pounding of feet coming down the stairs as Lloyd and Genis entered the lobby. There was another set of softer footsteps, and I knew that would be Colette. Everyone took a seat around the table, Lloyd eyeing the presents with curiosity. It was too bad we didn't have any cake, but...yeah, it wasn't really a breakfast food.
"Lloyd! Um...happy birthday," Sheena said. He grinned.
"Thanks. Man, I can't believe you guys did all this for me..."
Admittedly, it wasn't much. But after all the crap we'd put up with, a little party like this was pretty damn good and it was the best we could do.
I was highly tempted to ask Kratos to sing a "Happy Birthday" duet with me, but after yesterday I was feeling a little nervous around the guy. I was waiting for him to just get up and stab me sometime soon. Agh, focus on Lloyd, pretend nothing's wrong...
"Open mine first!" Genis insisted, and I managed to turn my thoughts away from the problem at hand. If I kept thinking about yesterday, sooner or later I'd glance up at Kratos; then I'd probably make eye-contact unintentionally and get scared and want to pass out.
"All right, all right..." Lloyd laughed, and one by one he opened our gifts. He loved Genis' present, as I expected him to.
"Huh? What's this do?" He asked curiously when he made it to Colette's gift. She smiled.
"A Talisman," Kratos offered, looking mildly amused. "It is an accessory that raises the defense of those who use it."
Colette pointed to it, holding up a note she'd written. 'I put a red string on it so it matches your coat!'
I almost laughed when I leaned over to read it, glancing at the Talisman to see that the thick string Lloyd could use to tie it around his neck was indeed a shade of crimson.
After he was done thanking Colette for her present, he opened Raine's...and immediately looked confused, and a little scared of the evil smile on the Professor's face. She began to lecture him on the uses of each bottle.
"H-How am I gonna remember all that?" He whimpered. "Maybe I should label them..."
"Uh, Lloyd, you're not gonna have time to read the labels in the middle of a battle," Genis pointed out.
"Oh, right..." his face fell. "Professor, could you explain them again? You kind of lost me..." She'd made the mistake of explaining in too much detail, successfully boring me as well.
She twitched, probably ready to scold him, but I sighed and held out a hand, scooting closer to Lloyd. I placed a finger on a red bottle, and was a bit surprised that it felt warm to the touch.
"That's a Flare bottle. It temporarily raises your attack power," I said simply.
"So I could beat enemies faster with this?" Lloyd asked, already excited at the idea of it.
"You probably shouldn't waste it on regular monsters," Genis commented.
"I won't!" Lloyd said, but the grin on his face didn't falter. "What's this one do?"
"Guard bottle," I said. "Temporarily raises defense."
"And this one?"
I continued to name off each of the bottles he had been given, and I had a feeling I was just feeding him the game's description of the items word for word. Man, I played video games too much back home...
"I'm impressed," Raine said when I was done, though there was a questioning tone to her voice. "You seem to know a lot about these potions, Brittany."
I shrugged, rubbing the back of my neck. "Well...I used to run a lot of errands for the item shop owner back when I was staying in Luin. I guess I picked up on the names and uses of everything while I was at it." Well, it was half true. I probably would've learned all that if I hadn't already known it.
...That weird feeling...someone's intense stare was burning into the side of my head. Don't turn and look, Brittany. Kratos can see into your soul. He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good--
Oh God, I was never going to get over that Christmas thing, was I...
"This stuff is great! Thanks Professor!" Lloyd piped up, and Raine's attention was diverted.
I gave him a grateful look, having a feeling that he'd noticed the puzzled tone to her voice. I should've just kept quiet, but ever since that epic failure on the quiz Raine gave me, I often felt the need to prove that I wasn't a complete idiot. Still...I could understand where she was coming from. It made no sense that I was clueless about much of Sylvarant, and yet suddenly I have a bunch of knowledge on potions.
Raine smiled, pleased that Lloyd liked her gift, and didn't press the topic of my knowledge. Lloyd moved on to the last gift-- the one Sheena and I had bought the previous day. It was a long, rectangular box, the largest in size out of the presents.
"That one's from us," Sheena said.
The brunette curiously ripped away the wrapping paper, revealing a wooden case. He opened it up to see a pair of bright silver swords.
"I saw you looking at some yesterday, but we couldn't afford them," I explained.
"So we pooled our money and got you the next best thing," Sheena finished.
I smiled sheepishly. "Hope that's all right."
"These are..." Lloyd stared at them, wide-eyed. "...so cool!"
He stood up, pulling them out of the case to examine them, turning them over so the light hit the blades at different angles. They were shiny enough that I could clearly see my own reflection in them.
"Kratos! Let's train!" Lloyd said suddenly, looking excited. "I'll beat you now that I have these!"
The mercenary cocked an eyebrow, amused. At the look he received from Lloyd, he let out a sigh. "...I suppose I could spare a few minutes," he said; the way he said it reminded me of how my own dad would talk to me when we decided to do anything together. He always spoke with mock reluctance, pretending he was doing me a great favor even though he wasn't opposed to the idea either.
Even though Kratos was a dad, it was weird comparing him to mine. They were polar opposites. My father was a people- person, the friendly type of guy that everyone generally liked. Whenever I had a problem or I was stressed out, just talking to my dad was enough to calm me down. He was a complete dork, but calm and rational whenever I needed him to be. Although he seemed to know everything about everything, he wasn't arrogant about it, and always used his knowledge to help me out when I needed it.
"We'll see how long your enthusiasm lasts," Kratos' voice cut through my thoughts, as an eager Lloyd followed him out the door.
"Oh, and thanks again, guys!" Lloyd waved hurriedly, clutching his swords under one arm.
A frown tugged at my lips. I missed my dad...I was so used to him being the safety net I could fall back on whenever I really screwed up. There was nothing he could do to help me now...
"Well, that was quick," Sheena said, grinning. "I could be wrong, but I think he might have liked our gift..." She suddenly paused. "Brit? Is something wrong?"
I blinked, remembering myself, and immediately shook my head. "Huh? No, I just zoned out for a minute there. But yeah, I'm glad we didn't blow it." I offered a fake smile.
"You can't really mess up when getting Lloyd swords," Genis remarked, laughing.
Raine and Sheena frowned at me for a moment, and I had a feeling both could see through the smile on my face. I stood up, suddenly feeling exposed and uncomfortable.
"Anyway, I think I'm gonna go for a walk around town while we wait for them," I said, approaching the door. "Meet you guys back here later, okay?"
The troubled look left Raine's face a little too quickly, and she smiled. "Don't be too late."
I nodded, waving, and left the inn.
----
"Man..." I sighed, walking alone through the dusty streets of the town. Ever since yesterday, I'd felt completely off-balance, like everyone was going to figure out my secrets just by looking at me.
What was wrong with me? Almost everyone here gave me the occasional troubled or suspicious look--I did a lot of strange things. I wasn't suspicious enough for them to act on it, though...besides, I liked to think that some of them were sorta my friends by now. But still...that thing with Kratos was really bothering me. I was just waiting for him to confront me.
What was I going to do when that happened? He was going to kill me. There'd be no point in begging for my life, if I knew I was going to be killed at the Tower of Salvation...and by the same person, no less. Maybe I could strike some sort of deal with him? Or...I could blackmail him into helping me survive!
Christ, the very thought of it made me feel dirty. Would I really have the guts to do something as cruel as that? No...ugh, I was so stupid. Despite the fact that he was the guy who would probably kill me, I still had too much respect for Kratos to be running around stabbing him in the back like that. Even though he was about to screw us all over...
"Oof!"
Suddenly I bumped into someone, stumbling backwards.
"O-Oh, I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attent--" I suddenly stopped, seeing the woman standing before me. She had short blonde hair and bright, expressive blue eyes. "Elena?!"
The woman stared at me in shock, and my face fell when I examined her closer. This clearly wasn't a teenager...and although there was a striking resemblance, it wasn't the girl I used to know.
I averted my gaze. "Sorry," I said again, backing away a little. "I mistook you for someone else."
As I turned to leave, feeling awkward, the woman called out to me. "Wait!"
I paused, turning to face her again. "Wh-What is it?"
Her face was strained, and she came closer to me, gripping my shoulders. "I have a daughter named Elena. She was taken to a Desian ranch several months ago. You've seen her? Do you know where she is? Please, tell me!"
My eyes widened with disbelief. This...this was Elena's mother?! What...what was I supposed to say?! No, I couldn't...! She looked so hopeful, so desperate...
"I...I have to go," I said quickly, lowering my gaze and pulling away from her.
"Please! Wait!" She called, distraught, but I bolted, dodging through a crowd of people.
I knew she didn't chase after me, and yet I kept on running, having a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I ran to the only secluded place I knew of in town--the stone dais.
After bolting up the stairs and running around to the other end of the stone platform, I sank to the ground. My body shook as I panted heavily, finding it difficult to breathe because of the lump that had developed in my throat.
I had forgotten...Elena had told me that she was from Asgard. I hadn't expected to run into her family here...oh, what was I going to do? If I told her mother what had happened, it would break her heart. But if I didn't say anything, her family would go on worrying about her...
Clenching my teeth, I tried to force back the tears that wanted to form. I didn't want to think about Elena and how she had died...I still couldn't forgive myself for my total helplessness at the time. I couldn't forgive myself...because only a few weeks later, we had gone back and rescued the rest of the prisoners.
Why? Why had I just stood there and watched? I should have done something...anything! But...I had been too scared...and by the time I had realized what needed to be done, it had been too late. I was so...powerless.
"If you have time to be sitting up here, you should be getting your things together at the inn," Kratos' voice came from behind me, and I tensed, before clenching my fists. Apparently his training session with Lloyd was over.
"...Go away," I said. "I just want to be left alone for a minute. I'll be down in a bit."
There was a short silence, and I could tell Kratos was watching me with a frown. "Hmph...very well. You have five minutes." He turned to leave, and I bit my lip.
"Actually...n-no, wait," I said hurriedly. He paused, not looking at me.
"I...can I ask you a hypothetical question?"
Kratos didn't move, and I took that to mean that he was waiting for the question. I sighed, staring down into my lap. I couldn't believe that even after what happened yesterday, I still felt compelled to ask him this...
"What if...someone died, and you were the only one that could break the news to their family? How would you do it? Wouldn't it be terrible...to break their hearts like that?" I winced; I knew what the morally correct thing to do was, but...but...
I heard the sounds of footsteps on the grass, and suddenly Kratos had taken a seat next to me with a solemn look on his face.
"That is not a hypothetical question."
I flinched. "...You're right. It's not..."
"Explain."
Hesitating, I bit my lip. "...When I was imprisoned in the Asgard Ranch, I became friends with one of my cellmates, Elena...she was one of the only people they hadn't...well, broken yet. We planned to escape with Pietro. But then, when the day came, she vanished from her cell. When we finally managed to find her...she was on that damned conveyer belt." I knew he would know which one I was talking about. "I couldn't do anything to save her."
"And you met a member of her family today," Kratos finished for me, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Her mother," I said quietly, and then put my face in my hands. "I don't know what to do. Those two had such a resemblance that I blurted out Elena's name...her mom started asking me about her, but I just couldn't say it! So I ran away...like a coward."
"You would be a weakhearted fool if you chose not to tell her," the mercenary said firmly.
"I..."
"It isn't your choice to make. If you withhold this information, her family will continue to suffer for the rest of their lives. Although inevitably they will come to the same conclusion, they will never find closure, always wondering if she died in peace or if she suffered till her last breath." Kratos' eyes were hard, and I couldn't meet his gaze. I knew he was thinking about how he had felt when he thought he'd lost Lloyd.
I thought about my own family...and I knew he was right. I would have given anything to tell them I was all right. They probably thought I was dead...and when people disappeared on Earth, it was usually because they were murdered in cold blood. There were hundreds of sick, brutal ways in which I could have died...and I was sure my family thought about each and every one of them. My mother would be all alone, hundreds of miles from where the rest of our family lived...and I was sure she would cry each and every night.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "It was a stupid question..."
Kratos closed his eyes. "You have been on this journey long enough to understand adult responsibility. If you truly cared about this person, then you will find the strength to tell them."
"Yeah..." I got to my feet. "You're right. I'll go tell them now.
I turned, walking around the edge of the dais, and heard the sound of Kratos getting to his feet as well.
"Brittany."
I paused, looking over my shoulder. "What?"
His stare was penetrating and scrutinizing. "...Don't worry about it. Go."
Frowning deeply, I nodded and began to descend the staircase.
----
I knocked on the wooden door, standing in front of the house I'd seen Elena's mother enter while walking around town. The lump in my throat came back, but I forced it down, and took a deep breath.
The door opened, and the blonde woman froze at the sight of me.
"...It's you," she said hesitantly.
"I'm sorry about earlier," I said quietly. "I just..."
Faltering, I clenched my fists and forced myself to look Elena's mother in the eyes.
"It's about Elena. Back in the Desian ranch, she...she's--"
Her mother saw the look in my eyes, going white. She collapsed before I could even get the word out.
----
"I'm really sorry," I said miserably, sitting at the kitchen table in Elena's home.
Elena's father, a brown haired man with the arms of a blacksmith, sat across from me. He held his wife in his arms; she was weeping silently as we spoke.
Elena's older sister had shut herself in her room upon hearing the news; we could hear the occasional crash as the twenty- year-old threw things at her walls, crying with frustration and helplessness. It hurt just to be in this house.
I had explained the details about her death...the complete truth. The only thing I could say to console them was that she undoubtedly died quickly...but that couldn't mask the constant suffering and torture she had gone through in the weeks before.
"Thank you for telling us," her father said quietly. In contrast to the others, his face was grave. He would undoubtedly shed tears later--I could see it in his eyes. But for now...he was being strong for his wife and remaining daughter.
"We heard the ranch was infiltrated and its prisoners rescued," he said. "Please excuse my daughter...she went to Luin to look for her sister, and came back devastated. We knew something had happened to Elena...but we did not want to accept it."
"The Desians have made a lot of people suffer..." I whispered, and then somehow managed to meet his gaze. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm traveling with the Chosen's group. Someday...things won't be like this. We're going to save Sylvarant from the Desians. I promise."
He smiled weakly. "Thank you...I'm sure Elena would have liked to hear that."
There was the sound of smashing glass coming from upstairs, and Elena's father let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry...but I think now we may need time to grieve on our own."
I nodded, standing up. "I...I understand."
Stepping outside, I shut the door behind me, and wanted to scream.
----
It only took me a few minutes to make it to the Cool Breeze; I went straight to my room, avoiding everyone. Once there, I laid on my bed and stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours.
There was a knock on my door, and I didn't answer. Lloyd let himself in.
"Hey, are you sleeping or something?" He stood over me, curious, and saw that my eyes were open.
"Come on," he grinned. "We're leaving now. Think about it--in a few days we're gonna see a unicorn!"
"Be out in a sec," I mumbled. That was when he seemed to notice the blank look on my face.
"What's wrong?" His grin fell, and I shook my head.
"Nothing, just tired," I replied, and smiled. It felt forced. "Did you have fun training with Kratos?"
Lloyd's face brightened at that. "I couldn't beat him, but he taught me all sorts of new stuff! I'll show you during training tomorro--"
"Lloyd, Brittany, we're leaving!" Sheena called up the stairs, and we both looked over towards the door.
"Guess it's time to go," I shrugged, trying to act normal.
He nodded, heading for the door. Just before leaving, he looked over his shoulder at me. "...You sure nothing's wrong?"
I feigned amusement. "Lloyd, it's your birthday. Worry about yourself for a change, will ya?" I thumped him on the shoulder, and pushed him out into the hall. "Let's go see that unicorn."
He looked troubled for a second, but then seemed to shrug it off. "Yeah."
And so, our long days of travelling began once more...
----
A/N: yeah, I really was thinking I'd get to Lake Umacy. Oh well...no more distractions next chapter! Getting Umacy out of the way, and then it's straight to Hima. :D I'm pumped, but OC Brit isn't.
Yes, Kratos' birthday is on Christmas. He is the spawn of Santa Claus and Chuck Norris...
Review, and I'll give you some of Genis' pancakes!
He makes them with Stalagmite...-shifty eyes-