WARNING: Slightly graphic descriptions


"[ Untitled ]"

Dreyza

Residential District (North), Fort Devas, Astral Plane


I sat back, wiped my forehead off with the back of my hand. "There, that oughta do it," I said to nobody in particular as I started cleaning up the medical supplies.

Yeah, I've said this before, but: thank goodness there's a large space behind the stables, and one with decent cover from the rain. Sure, the horses would be a little nervous, but GreyScale wasn't interested in horses.

Considering how badly he'd been injured, the poor guy wouldn't be moving too much to bother them, anyway.

GreyScale's new bandages were already darkening again. The thorn wounds in the base of his neck were still healing, but slowly. His wings and forelegs were still sporting the scars of a hundred cuts. His tail, normally a lazily swinging metronome, was just limp to the side. His mouth was slightly ajar, a pained breath rasping from behind his fangs.

He couldn't even muster a line of smoke. His eyelids squinted, then relaxed, as he tried to rest.

I hesitantly reached out to Grey's snout, laden with more bandages, before pulling back. Now's not a good time for that, idiot, I chastised myself.

"Oh my gods… What happened to him?"

The voice behind me caused me to turn like a gunshot. "Oh, Princess Camilla…"

Sure enough, the eldest princess of Nohr was standing behind me, under the canopy. Her hand fell from the post it was pressed against as she stepped forward, towards GreyScale. Three words could describe that expression on her face: shock, and empathy.

Having a wyvern as her loyal steed probably helped.

The dragon cracked one eye open, not making a move at the new presence. With a flameless sigh, he went back to sleep.

"I've just finished with GreyScale's bandages," I said quietly, straightening up, medbag in hand. "That damn Umbral…really did a number on him."

"So this poor thing…he's your friend?" I could practically hear her wincing at the sight.

I nodded.

"I see… I was wondering why you were behind the stables for hours at a time." She gazed over GreyScale's beaten form, wincing. Camilla, wincing. "You poor thing… You attacked that giant monster that day, didn't you…?"

His head shifted. Perhaps he wasn't all that asleep.

"Kyoku and I, we've…been taking turns," I managed. "Poison's already flushed out. Now, it's mostly a matter of letting him rest, recover, regrow. GreyScale's more than earned it, anyway."

"Is this all you've done, though? Bandages, leeching out poison, keeping him warm with that…strange metal box?" (She probably meant the heating unit, which was pulling double duty in and behind the stables.)

"It's all we can do, Princess," I sighed. "Any more than this, his recovery will slow down. He needs time to himself." I looked over at her. "Besides, hugging an injured beast is a terrible idea, friend or not."

Camilla sighed. "Well…when you put it like that, I suppose I can't argue with you." She turned to me. "So, what were you planning on doing after this, Dreyza?"

"Ah, getting this"—I patted the medbag—"back to our ship. I should be free after that. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking… Since we're going to be working together from here on out, we should probably get to know each other off the battlefield." Camilla tilted her head to the side, her friendlier smile breaking the discomfort of the sitch, if barely. "So why not talk over a cup of tea?"

Tea with Princess Camilla?

…well, it has been a while. Not that she'd know that. "Sure, I'd be honored."

Rrrrrrr… Like an ocean wave, GreyScale let out a low growl, his mouth slid closed. One eye sluggishly glanced between Camilla and myself.

"It's all right, Grey," I said reassuringly, so as not to hurt his eardrums. "I'll be okay."

To my surprise, Camilla joined in. "Don't worry, sweetie. Auntie Camilla won't hurt a hair on Dreyza's head. I promise."

The dragon stared up at me for a few solid seconds. Then at Camilla. Then at me. Then he nodded, closed his eyes, slowed his breathing.

I straightened up again. "Well, whaddaya know, Princess: he trusts you. At least a little bit."

"Then we should give him the space he needs. Shall we?"


"That damn Umbral" - Is this the same Umbral that disrupted the battle in the Fields of Hoshido? —[ REDACTED ]

* Not just that. It's the same type of Umbral that we encountered during Byakuya and Anya. —Burna

* But the one that destroyed that field and injured that dragon… If that thing erupts into the astral plane, we're as good as dead. —[ REDACTED ]

* I know, even with the repeller. That's where the Zeros come in. —Burna

* The Zeros? What could they… Ah, right, their isolation. —[ REDACTED ]

* Yeah, that forgetting gets annoying, doesn't it? Believe me, I'm right there with you. —Burna

"Poison's already flushed out." - Here's what we know so far about the Umbral Form that Misfit Squad has encountered: it's a plantlike creature, consisting of one massive central body with several thinner vine-like appendages. Primarily erupts from the ground, gobbling up anything (or anyOne) unfortunate to be standing above it. There's a massive flower-like formation in the central body, with similar (but much smaller) formations growing along the thorny vines; presumably this creature's mouth(s). Arsenal includes "flower heads", vines, natural poison (further analysis necessary). Behavior is childlike, comparable to a kindergartener faced with a choose-one scenario they do not like at all. Name pending. —ARTY