Sorry for the wait. My creative energy's running low. Let's get this ball rolling again.
Saturn56: Well, if it did, this fanfic would have no point, wouldn't it? :P
Guest: Terribly sorry you feel offended by my decision.
mastermind: It'd be a one-hit kill, pretty much. And those choices aren't much better (well, except for the leash; that has potential).
some guy: That's rather drastic of you but I understand.
SS7x3: I'm glad you liked the chapter. I'm also glad you're surprised as it is my duty to surprise everyone who reads a fanfic that retreads the original almost word for word. And those guesses might be correct (except for 4 because Compa and Nisa collected all the dogs).
Eisenfaust: Indeed it has. No one expected her to appear, eh? If the fight continued, I'm guessing Red would have won, though: Jacob was heavily exhausted by his fight with IF, who wasn't even completely down and out by the time Jacob thought he was done with her.
While I don't particularly like story ideas clogging the review section, I am open to anyone who wishes to send a Private Message to me. All this requires is the making of an account. Have a nice day.
Chapter 29: Subsiding Winds
After a few seconds of flying, Jacob touched down on the ground once again even though his aching body protested against exerting pressure against anything. While he was rather disappointed that Red showed up, he got the poison back and he suffered no injuries that wouldn't heal from a combination of a good night's rest and a large, healthy application of reflex. All he needed to do now was head back to the others at the inn, sleep off his injuries and work his way to finding IF from there. The battle and the subsequent split from IF had soured him a bit but he concentrated on the good side of it all and was in moderate spirits.
Unfortunately, his spirits were troubled when he saw walking across the path ahead of him Compa, Gust and Nisa, the latter of which carrying a rather sickly-looking Neptune on her back. The three walking girls weren't looking so happy, either; Compa and Gust looked rather fidgety even as they moved with a depressing slowness while Nisa slumped forward as if her spirit had been crushed.
"Hey, what's going on?" Jacob asked as he walked towards them to the best of his ability.
The girls turned to the right and their eyes widened in surprise. "Jake? What happened to you?" Compa asked.
"You're a mess..." Nisa noted.
"I followed IF for the day, we got into a fight, she got away, what the hell happened to Neptune?" Jacob asked.
Frowning, Nisa kneeled and took the CPU off her back to lay her against the ground. "Neptune ate poisoned food from room service. Before we even had time to comprehend the situation, the Archbishop and his soldiers stormed into the room and attempted to arrest us all on charges of treason. We..." A sigh of fatigue and hurt escaped the heroine. "We had to fight back. This is where we are now." Nisa growled and punched the road. "I swear, when I find IF, she will regret ever crossing us..."
"Hold on, IF couldn't have poisoned Neptune," Jacob responded quickly before fishing out the glass vial from his disc, holding it up for all to see. "I've got the poison right here."
"What?" Gust shouted, suddenly alert. "Give poison to Gust! Now!"
"Uh... sure." Jacob extended the vial to Gust before she snatched it out of his hand and immediately began studying the contents. She tilted the glass from side to side, observing how the concoction moved with each shift in position. She took the cork off the top and moved the vial underneath her nose before taking a few sniffs. Making a slight 'hm' noise, she dropped a bit of it on the ground and watched it intently. Surprisingly for a slowly-bubbling purple liquid slightly thicker than water, it lost all of its colour as it seeped into the ground without leaving so much as a stain behind.
"Odourless, most likely tasteless, indistinguishable..." Gust muttered. "Possibly same poison."
"What does that mean?" asked Compa.
The alchemist put the cork back in the vial. "If Gust can discover what poison it is, Gust can find cure."
"You mean we can heal Nep-Nep?!" Compa shouted.
"Not so loud...!" Jacob groaned, holding his head like he was trying to prevent it from bursting. "I'm on the verge of a massive headache..."
"Oh, sorry..."
"Anyway, is possible," Gust spoke up. "All Gust need is reference book."
"Where do we find one?"
Gust hesitated. Her gaze fell to the ground. "... Library best choice."
"Not exactly easy for criminals," Nisa spat the word like it was a piece of a sour fruit, "to get inside."
Jacob's eyes turned upwards as he thought. "Could I help?"
"Huh?" Gust lifted her head.
"Well, I'm assuming they're not looking for IF or I given that it was only you four that escaped the motel room. I might be able to walk in there without a hitch."
Compa looked at Jacob with worry. "Jake, they know we're all part of the same party. It's too risky."
"Not to mention injuries look shady," Gust added.
"I figured as soon as I said it..." Jacob sighed. "Well, this sucks. None of us are good enough at thieving to steal the book. Now what do we do?"
Compa started tapping her index fingers together. "Maybe... we should find IF."
"Oh lords above..." Jacob groaned as he rubbed the back of his head. "That's not gonna be easy. We got into... a hell of a fight. 'Scuse me, forgot to do this..." Jacob took out some more reflex that he consumed quickly. "Sorry. Anyway, I confronted her about the whole poisoning thing — she was undecided, by the way — and she didn't want to give me the poison even though she said she doesn't want to kill Neptune. Yes, I'm just as confused as you are. Anyway, I beat the crap out of her and took the poison but she was rescued by some girl named Red who then decided to try and beat the crap out of me. I fled and now I'm here."
"Some girl named Red?" Gust repeated.
"Yeah. I didn't even know someone like that existed. Do any of you know her?"
Compa and Nisa shared a surprised glance before looking back at Jacob. "You really don't know?" Compa asked. "I thought you knew everything?"
"Well, not everything. I didn't even know what you were all like, just what you looked like. I have never seen anyone like Red before."
"It seems that she is not a silhouette," Nisa surmised. "In that case, she will be very easy to find, especially since she's also travelling with IF."
"I'd fly but I don't want to be caught," noted Jacob.
"That's right, we're wanted..." Compa added, making Nisa bristle. "We can't move around as freely."
Jacob groaned. "We're going to have to try. We need a cure for Neptune's poison and we're not going to do that by standing around. Now let's go. Gust, where's the library?"
"Follow." After Nisa picked up Neptune again, Gust turned around and walked down the path with the rest of the party following after her.
Compa, still rather shaken and nervous, stole a few glances at Jacob. "Jake, what did you learn about IF today?"
Gust and Nisa turned their heads towards Jacob.
"Alright then," said Jacob. "IF actually went to the Basilicom. I followed her there..."
In a manner not unlike a gentleman, Red opened the white wooden door for IF. "After you, Wifey Number One."
"Thanks..." mumbled IF before she stepped inside. The brunette smiled when she saw that the room, with its two plain-looking beds and deep pink walls, looked exactly the same as the one from the previous inn she stayed at. She then grimaced when she remembered her party and the poison that Jacob took from her.
"Aw, you're still so sad," said Red as she wrapped her arms around IF from behind her, making the brunette gasp. "Wanna tell me about it? Talking about your problems makes them better."
"Thanks but I'll be fine," assured IF with a forced smile before she removed herself from Red's embrace. She walked over to the bed closest to the door and sat down on it with a sigh. "I just need a bit of rest..."
"Alrighty. I can wait." With a smile, the cheerful girl was at IF's side, reflex in hand. "Have some more. You need to sleep off those injuries."
IF took the bottle and drank all of the potion within. When she was done, she sighed and looked at the roof. "Thanks a bunch, Red... I really do need this."
"Aw, it's nothing, Iffy!" Red said with a blush before walking over to the other bed and flopping onto it. "Take all the time you need, okay? You've been through a lot."
IF chuckled. Between the soft mattress that her back pressed against and the genuine and caring soul that was Red, it was impossible for her not to.
"Doo d-do do doo..." Red sung for a moment before turning to IF again. "So whatcha gonna do now?"
IF exhaled. "I haven't got a clue... My party probably hates me right now."
"What? You're in a party?" Red asked, surprised.
"I... was in a party," IF corrected. "... I screwed that up. Badly."
"How?"
Quickly, IF looked away from the roof and to the wall. "Over something incredibly stupid. Damn it..." With a sudden growl, she slammed her fists onto her mattress. "Damn it!"
"Whoa there, wifey!" Red shot out of the bed. "What's the dealio?"
"I've been so stupid!" the brunette yelled. "I nearly poisoned my friend and beat up my other friend and probably caused the rest of my friends huge amounts of grief for... just... ugh, what the hell is wrong with me?!"
"Holy whoa-ly, Iffy! You're going a million miles a micro-minute here!" exclaimed Red. "You gotta take it nice and slow. Breathe in... breathe out—"
"Red," interrupted the Moderatist through gritted teeth, turning back to face her, "I appreciate everything you've done for me, truly, but I do need to vent this out..."
Red's lips tightened at the corners of her mouth. "Well, do you wanna tell me what this stupid thing was? I promise I won't judge you for it."
Finally, IF seemed to calm down. "I'm sorry... that's a secret."
The red-haired girl sighed. "Well, alrighty then."
IF turned her gaze to the roof once more. "Sorry for the trouble."
"Nah, it's okay. It's not often you get girls without some deep issues anyway so I should've been expecting this."
IF turned her head to look at Red. Without saying a word, she just stared at the girl.
Red didn't move. It was as if some ghostly presence was sitting on her shoulders, holding her down. "... Iffy, you're kinda freaking me out there. What's wrong?"
"That dragon... is it real?"
All at once, the ghostly feeling vanished. Red looked to her dragon on her right shoulder. "Oh, this one? Yeah, he's real."
"I haven't seen him move... He's not doing anything."
"Ah, he's lazy like that." Red petted the creature's head with her left hand. It raised its head and smiled, emitting a small satisfied 'grr' that felt like a purr. "Go on, say hi to Iffy."
The dragon let out a small direction-less grunt before slumping on Red's shoulder again.
Red rubbed the back of her head, smiling as she usually did. "Don't worry about him. He doesn't really care about anything."
IF sighed. "This place is full of weirdoes..."
"... and that was how I spent around about an hour on the most pointless espionage mission ever," Jacob finished explaining to the party as they continued walking.
"So that's where all the grass stains came from," said Compa, looking at Jacob's shorts and hoodie.
Gust rubbed the back of her head. "Vert is..." Seconds passed, the silence interrupted only by a slight 'um' s as she tried to find the appropriate thing to say, "... interesting CPU."
Nisa's head remained lowered. If possible, she seemed to be in even lower spirits than before.
Jacob noticed this with concern. "Sensei, what's wrong?"
"What is her motive...?" she murmured. "You said she wanted to be a Leanbox citizen yet she took a poison she never intended to use. What is she thinking?"
"I don't know," Jacob answered solemnly, "but I intend to find out."
Compa walked to Nisa's side. Gently, she poked the cheek of the CPU being carried by the heroine. "It's very weird..."
"What is?" asked Jacob.
"Nep-Nep hasn't gotten any worse. When she fainted, she turned pale very quickly. It's been a while since then and she hasn't changed much at all."
Hearing the explanation, the party stopped walking. Jacob and Gust turned around to look at Compa. "So she's stabilised?" asked the male.
"M-Maybe..." Compa wrung her hands as she looked at the ground.
"Well, she isn't getting better," Nisa snapped, "so we need to find the antidote quickly."
"Calm down," urged Jacob. When Nisa stopped exuding anger like a snarling wolf, he sighed and looked at Gust. "Now, I'm no expert with poison. Do you have any ideas on what we can do now?"
"I beg your pardon but did you say your friend is poisoned?" interrupted the voice of a young man.
Jacob and the girls quickly turned towards the man, surprised by the sudden inquiry. He turned out to be yet another silhouette and he, much like his voice, was somewhat feminine in appearance, with shoulder-length hair consisting of a curl in front of his forehead and one at the back of his neck and he was rather thin. His shirt had ruffled sleeves and, for whatever reason, he carried a wine glass in his left hand.
Jacob hesitated as he saw the man looking at Neptune. "Well, um... yes."
"Forgive me but I could not help overhearing your conversation. If I may ask, why not take her to a hospital? I do not mean to be rude but she really could use the treatment." The silhouette's head turned to Jacob. "And so could you, in all honesty."
"Well... um... uh..." Jacob averted his gaze and his face turned red.
"Jacob too proud to admit it but we low on funds," Gust interjected. "Procedure unaffordable."
"Oh, is that it? I am sorry to hear of your predicament." The NPC turned back to Neptune. "Dear lord, this looks severe... How did this happen?"
Nisa lowered her darkened gaze to the ground, her quivering hand clenched into a fist. "The Basilicom..." she whispered.
Every head present snapped towards the heroine, the silhouette's faster than the rest. "What did you say? The Basilicom poisoned her? Why?"
"It's a big misunderstanding," Jacob answered.
The silhouette took a heavy step towards Jacob. "Nevertheless, this is a heinous act of them to commit, the dogs. Why would they even think to poison a little girl?"
Compa blinked. "That's strong language to use against the Basilicom..."
The NPC turned his head to Compa. As if her voice pacified him, he took a step back and placed his right hand in his pocket. "Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Jade, one of the Aristocrats."
"I'm sorry, I've never heard of them," Jacob responded.
"Wait a minute, yes you have!" Compa exclaimed. "The Sanctified told us that story where the Archbishop talked with the Aristocrats when the Parliament got too strong!"
A small snort could be heard from Jade. "That is hardly the full story. Unfortunately, now is hardly the time to explain the rest. Your friend is in critical condition and needs a doctor immediately."
"Money still a problem," Gust responded.
"I will admit that such would be the case... but your finances are not the main barrier here, am I correct?"
Gust's eyes narrowed.
Jacob, frowning, took a step forward. "And why, precisely, would you say that?"
"Do not be alarmed," said Jade as he lifted his hand slowly and gently. "If the Basilicom is indeed targeting you, that gives me all the more reason to lend you a hand."
While the hostility and tension disappeared from the atmosphere, the general awkwardness did not. The silence that surrounded the six remained unbroken while no one had any words to properly dispel it.
"Uh... I beg your pardon?" Jacob finally asked.
"One of the teachings of the Aristocrats is to help those in need. Had you not told me about the cause for your friend's poisoning, I still would have offered my assistance. The Basilicom being the ones to poison this girl just provides greater incentive."
The nurse, with her hands feebly held together in front of her body like she was cradling something fragile, looked away. "Can we really trust you...?"
"He offers cure for Neptune. Only reasonable option," Gust advised.
"But we know nothing about him!" Nisa protested.
"He could say the same thing about us," Jacob brought up, hands in his pockets.
Nisa tightened her lips.
"Alright, we'll take you up on your offer," said Jacob as he turned back to the Aristocrat. "We're a bit desperate."
"I am glad to hear it," Jade answered. "Please, follow me."
Jade had escorted the party to a mansion on the outskirts of the city. The outside was nothing special, with just white walls and a teal-coloured roof and a shape all too similar to that of the rest of the landmass' medieval buildings. The room that Jade had taken the party to was only slightly more extravagant. Striking red curtains with yellow edges partly covered the glass windows. Golden chandeliers holding lit candles hung from the ceiling over a long red rug on which sat a small round table surrounded by three identical chairs, made of wood and cushioned with red velvet. Surprisingly enough, that was all they had in the room.
"Not entirely what I'd expect from an Aristocrat. No offence," Jacob said.
"We try to watch how we spend our wealth but I confess that we lose ourselves from time to time," Jade answered. "For the record, this is one of our modest rooms. It has a... low atmosphere, would you not say? Perfect for meetings and discussions. Now, I believe our first priority will be getting poor little Neptune some treatment."
"Do you know anyone who can help?" asked Compa.
The door behind the party opened abruptly. The party turned around to see that the new arrival was another silhouette, this one a female wearing a small cylindrical hat with a visor. "There you are, Jade. I was informed you would be up here."
"Fantastic timing, doctor," said Jade. "We have a friend who is in dire need of treatment."
"I see." The Doctor walked over to Nisa and looked closely at Neptune, who was still being carried by the heroine. "My word, it's like her soul has been sucked out of her... At the very least, she seems to be breathing. Do you have a room prepared?"
"Certainly. Right through here."
Jade opened the plain white door, allowing the doctor and the party in first before stepping in, shutting the door behind him. It was a rather plain room with just a single double-bed with a red duvet and the same white walls as the previous room. The doctor turned to Nisa. "Could you lay the patient on the bed, please?"
The heroine nodded and gently laid Neptune on the bed. Her back against the bed, everyone could see her fatigued yet pained face and her hauntingly pale skin. "How did this come to pass?" asked the doctor, almost in disbelief as she leaned in and pressed her fingers to the side of Neptune's neck.
"Poison," answered Jacob.
"Ah, one of those poisonous monster attacks required by the story? Do not worry. There has not been a single one of those that wasn't able to be cured. Unless it happened to an NPC, of course." The doctor chuckled but no one shared her sense of humour at the moment.
"I am afraid the truth is much more than that, doctor," said Jade. "We believe this to be the fault of the Sanctuary."
"What?" The doctor quickly span around. "Why on Gamindustri would the Sanctuary see fit to poison a little girl?"
"I believe the why is rather unimportant as of now. Can she be cured?"
With a sigh, the doctor turned back to Neptune. "I mean no disrespect but the enemy of your enemy is not always your friend. People have their own reasons to fight. But anyway, every poison can be cured. It's all a matter of finding the antidote. Unfortunately, that is always the most tricky part."
"Excuse me," Jacob spoke up before pulling the poison-filled vial from his disc. "There was another... assailant going for Neptune at the time and I took this poison from her. I think it may be the same one."
"A pincer attack?" The doctor asked as she took the vial from Jacob. "Such great lengths... Regardless, thank you for this. If it is indeed the same poison, that will make finding the cure so much easier. Now, I would like some time alone so I can study the symptoms of the patient."
"Very well, doctor," replied Jade before turning to the party. "Come now, we must leave the doctor to do her work."
"N-No, thank you..." Compa walked around to the side of the bed opposite the doctor. "I may just be in training but I am a nurse with slight medical knowledge. Please, doctor..." Compa's shaking hands overlapped Neptune's left hand, cold and white as snow, "... let me help Nep-Nep. She's my best... f-friend..."
One tear rolled down Compa's cheek and was quickly followed by more, falling slowly in tandem with her sobs. Jacob closed his eyes and turned away. Jade sighed. "Compa," began the Aristocrat, "I understand your feelings but you have had a very rough day, much like your comrades. You should rest for the night."
"He is right," said the doctor, standing next to Compa. "Also, and it is just as hard for me to say it as it was to hear it when I was younger but it still needs to be said, the shaking hands of a doctor are not much help at all." Like a mother, the silhouette placed her hand on Compa's shoulder and bent down to her eye level. "A good night of sleep will do you good. Perhaps you can help me in the morning if more progress needs to be made."
Compa closed her eyes, forcing herself to not cry any further. She lifted her arm and wiped away the lingering tears with her sleeve. "I-I understand... Please look after her..."
"Mark my words, she is in good hands." After giving the nurse's shoulder a gentle pat, the doctor's head turned towards the Aristocrat. "If you do not mind, I would like to use your library for the purpose of studying this poison."
"By all means, use whatever means you see fit to heal this girl," answered Jade. "Sir Turquoise is out right now but the servants will be able to assist you with any problems you have."
"Thank you. I will see you all tomorrow."
Jade nodded and opened the door. Jacob, Gust, Nisa and Compa trudged out of the room, remaining quiet. Jade shut the door behind him as he left the room last. "Trust me, she is a very good doctor. Neptune will be perfectly fine."
Nisa crossed her arms. "Why did you help us?"
"Hm?" Jade might have raised an eyebrow. "Why, I explained this already. I simply wished to help you out of altruism."
"... Are you sure that's it?" asked Compa.
"My word, I would be drowning this instant if suspicion was water..." remarked Jade. "The only benefit I get from this is that this incident was caused by the Basilicom. Even so, that is merely icing on the cake that is being able to assist the inconvenienced. I have nothing to hide."
"So much has happened today. People we trusted... t-turned against us. We were almost captured. How can we be sure you won't harm us in the same way?"
"Compa is correct," Gust remarked. "How are you trustworthy?"
The noble NPC sighed. "A fair question. I confess that I have no ability to cause you to trust me. All I can say is that us Aristocrats and the Basilicom — more specifically, the Sanctuary — do not get along, as our honouring of their pride conflicts with their honouring of their beliefs." Jade walked over to the window and looked out onto the landmass. "You might be interested in this. As of current, we are plotting a coup d'état against the Sanctuary."
"What?!" Nisa cried out suddenly, causing Jade to flinch and quickly turn around to face the party.
"N-Now now! Perhaps it was not the best time to unveil such information... I apologise. We have a guest room ready if you'd like to see it. Afterwards, we shall have some dinner."
Jacob shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
Suddenly, Compa stepped forward. "U-Um, Mister Jade? Do you mind if we let our dogs out? We carry them in our discs."
"Dogs?" Jade repeated, caught off guard. "Well, I prefer not to have pets running around inside but, if yours are trained, I will make an exception."
"Oh, it's okay. They're robot dogs." One by one, a dog was released into the room by Compa and Nisa. Each of them immediately ran around the room with no direction, having no regard to the other fourteen dogs amongst them.
"Well, they are an energetic bunch," Jade commented right before one of the dogs sped right in front of his feet.
"Maybe searching for Neptune," said Gust.
Jacob looked at Compa. "There's only fifteen."
The dogs stopped moving. Each of them and Jade turned towards Jacob and Compa, the latter of which seemed to have been surprised into silence as she looked back at the male. "Where's ArfArf?" he asked.
Compa looked away. "He..."
"He's right here..." answered Nisa with all the quietness and hurt when Jacob found her carrying Neptune. With great hesitation, she pulled out a robotic object from her hammerspace.
"Oh my word..." remarked Jade as one of his hands moved up to cover his mouth.
The dogs were immediately frenzied. As one, they dashed to the heroine's legs and barked loudly and desperately, concerned for the broken toy that Nisa carried gently like a glass box.
Jacob couldn't tear his eyes away from the battered ArfArf. "How did that happen?"
"When Yvoire stormed our quarters, he kicked ArfArf into the wall," answered Nisa.
ArfArf still had some life left. Its eyes flickered on and glowed faintly, dimming when they nearly reached their full brightness but shining again before they vanished completely. Straining its damaged mechanical neck, it looked up at Jacob with its transitioning eyes. "Oooh..." it whined quietly before its head sank once more.
Jacob breathed out like a gently deflating balloon and rubbed his right fist's knuckles into the palm of his left hand. "Jade, I don't suppose you know any good engineers?"
The silhouette turned his head from side to side. "I am afraid I do not."
Gust placed her oversized gloved hand on Nisa's arm. "Put ArfArf away. Conserve his energy for when Neptune wakes."
Nisa nodded. "You hear that, boy? Neptune's asleep right now. You should sleep as well so you have your energy when she wakes up. She'll be happy to see you."
It took a second for the dog to lower and raise its head. With a weak smile, Nisa put the dog away in her hammerspace again. The other dogs at her feet hung their heads and whined softly.
The aristocrat walked to Nisa's side. "I am terribly sorry for your circumstances."
"So, um..." Jacob started while circling his hands like bicycle pedals, "what's for dinner?"
A short while after the evening meal, the party decided to retire for the night. The guest room, with the same white walls as the other rooms the party had been in, contained three single beds with a wooden frame, yellow doona, white sheet and white pillow each. Jade had apologised for what he called his "lacking foresight" but Nisa told him not to worry before taking out her red sleeping bag and saying she'll sleep on the floor. The room had only one wardrobe and a set of drawers and felt rather quaint but the party was too fatigued to care. Despite this, the party had difficulty sleeping.
The darkness of the room made distinguishing the colours within it impossible. Occasional sudden breaths and small sounds kept each member of the party awake yet the exact opposite of alert. Jacob kept his eyes closed in an attempt to catch forty winks but the anxiety surrounding him denied him sleep. The dogs were also in the room (except for three that were outside the door) but they didn't help ease his mind at all.
He heard a low hum from the bed on the opposite side of the room where Compa rested. Five seconds passed and nothing was spoken.
Jacob sighed. "It's too hard to sleep..."
"I know," Compa whispered. "I'm thinking too much. What about you?"
Jacob opened his eyes and looked to his right. "Just a bit nervous is all. Gust, Nisa, what about you?"
Against the wall opposite the door, he heard the grumbling of the alchemist. "Gust was fine before you brought it up..."
"Sorry."
Compa turned onto her left side and looked between Gust and Jacob. "Dinner was good, huh? I'm still so full."
"Yeah, same here," Jacob answered with a smile. "Nice of them to do that for us, eh? I'm surprised you were just okay with carrots though, Gust. I don't think they would've minded making something for you."
"All okay," responded Gust. "Only crunchy nutrition needed for me."
"I'm just thankful it wasn't poisoned..." murmured Nisa from her sleeping bag in the middle of the room.
"Yeah... that's a good thing, too..." Compa replied, more quietly than before.
Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Jacob shuffled in his bed slightly. "So, um... what are you all thinking?"
The sound of shifting sheets from the other beds ceased. "... Nep-Nep's going to get better, right...?" asked Compa.
Nisa rolled over onto her side to look at the male. "Jacob... can we really trust the Aristocrats?"
Jacob sighed. "I don't know but we really don't have a choice right now. Neptune's hanging on by a thread and they offered a helping hand. What other options do we have?"
"Jacob, they're conspiring to take down the Basilicom," whispered Nisa harshly. "How can such radicals be trusted?"
"Probably the same way we can assume a governing body might not be as good natured as we thought," snapped Jacob, perhaps a bit too quickly as he thought immediately afterwards.
He heard a small breath escape the heroine as she lied back in her sleeping bag. Whining slightly, one of the dogs walked up to her and nudged her cheek with their nose. With a small smile, Nisa patted the dog.
"God damn it... I'm going out tomorrow," Jacob stated.
"What? What for?" Compa asked, confused.
"To find IF. She didn't poison Neptune so that'll help a bit. Hopefully, things will be a bit softer after I tell her Neptune was poisoned."
"'Hopefully'?" Nisa repeated the word incredulously, as if she and the word were magnets that repelled one another. "You're going to try and play the diplomat with a traitor who was entertaining the thought of poisoning her own friend? Before she beat you bloody like a raw steak?"
"I returned the favour," Jacob responded defensively. "Yes, I know it's a long shot but... this needs to work."
"And if it doesn't?" Nisa propped herself up as her voice increased in volume. "Lady Noire nearly killed you. Blanc treated you no differently. You've tried time and time again to take a peaceful approach but you succumbed to your anger and all of your efforts were wasted. How will this be any different?"
Jacob didn't respond. He turned his head away from Nisa and towards the wall.
"N-Nisa..." Compa stammered in concern.
"It's okay, Compa," Jacob interjected with a tired voice. "She's right..."
As her passion seeped out of her, Nisa mentally caught up with the words she had spoken. Her furious eyes softened as she rested in her sleeping bag again. "J-Jacob... I'm sorry... Do it if you want."
"I intend to." He sighed again. "She's not angry, she's... confused. She wants something but I don't think she knows what yet. Maybe she doesn't know how to get it."
Nisa blinked several times in his direction. "What's that?"
Jacob looked back at her, wearing a small grin. "That's how it'll be any different."
Compa smiled gently. "You're passionate about this."
"IF's a dear friend of mine. I can't afford to get impatient again. I can't let her think we hate her..." A gulp rippled down Jacob's throat. "I-I can't fail again..."
"Do you remember when we took Noire back to the motel?" asked the medic. "Just remember how you felt there. Remember what you said? 'Don't be a tough leader. You're strong enough to be gentle'."
Jacob sniggered slightly. At the same time, a tear crept out from the corner of his eye and descended to the bed beneath him. "I... actually forgot about that advice. Thanks."
"Gust feels left out," complained the alchemist.
"You'll have your emotional moments soon, Gust," assured Compa.
Nisa, unable to contain herself, stretched her arms out and released a long-lasting yawn. The dogs stayed clear of her extended limbs. "I'm feeling a bit drowzy now..."
The contagious yawn found its way to Jacob, who repeated the gesture but with a rolling of his shoulders. "Same here... that talk helped a lot..."
"Good night, Jake..." Compa yawned. "Good night, Nisa... Good night, Gust..."
"Good night..." answered the heroine.
"Night... night..." responded the alchemist before drifting off.
Hearing the content breathing of sleep, the dogs crouched down and silenced themselves.
Yeah, not much happened. What did you expect? We're still recovering from Call Me and Identity Fractured. Let's just slow down a bit... and I never thought I'd say that.
Anyway, uni's back so the updates are going to be slower. Sorry.
