January 25th
Sybak is a walled city, and it actually seems to be more of a campus than a city. IT's all sort of tan colored with blue roofing. Presea stops a few steps in.
"I hate... this city..." Presea says. "Hurry... to Ozette..." There's a bit of shock, as Presea spoke on her own.
"I-I'm sorry, Presea." Genis seems to take it as a personal failure.
Daichi shivers. "This seems a little too bookish. I think I'm allergic to too much books." Piers looks at Daichi, head tilting in a 'wait, wat.' moment. Raine looks a little thrilled, a little reserved, and a little nervous. Aurian looks half asleep.
"Wait just a minute, little one." Zelos says to Presea. "We'll be done in a jiffy." He glances over at Lloyd. "Right Lloyd?"
"Yeah..." Lloyd looks at Presea rather than staring at Sybak. "I'm sorry."
"Did you just use the word 'jiffy?'" Piers states, looking insulted at the misuse of language.
"Yeah, so?" Zelos asks, looking back over his shoulder. "We want the research area, so this way." He waves them to follow him.
"The language that spews from your maw is an insult to linguists everywhere."
"That's wonderful, puddle." Zelos waves back at him. Piers looks as though he's about to show Zelos the true meaning of puddle, when Daichi puts a hand on his shoulder. Zelos leads them to the entrance of the largest building, and opens the door.
"... bad proportions." Aurian mumbles, as the rest of the Sylvaranti stare about. The target of her comment was a large dragon skeleton that was wired together before them in the large double story room.
"...This is nice." Piers states.
"It's too university-like..." Daichi grumbles.
Zelos stops someone by shouting at them. "Yo!" The blonde man in a long white coat that almost looks like a robe stops, blinking. "There should be word from Meltokio."
"Ah, Chosen One!" Zelos is very distinctive. "We've been waiting for you. Please come this way." the man opens a door to the hall way and holds it open. Piers looks around, slightly awed. Students in blue hurry about, amid paper carrying adults in the same sort of white coats. A good many are muttering to themselves as they walk. The researcher they've claimed opens another door for them. This room has a desk, a techy looking indent on it, and is mostly covered by books. Piers looks itching to run to the shelves. Daichi is just staring dully ahead, as quiet as Shikka for once.
"Upon receiving the report of Colette's symptoms, we found our attention on research data regarding the Chosen's Cruxis Crystal." The researcher says after Raine shuts the door behind Colette.
"Well now. So my crystal was useful." There's a mix of sarcasm and smugness to Zelos' tone. "When Colette returns to normal, I'll need to make sure she thanks me generously?"
Piers looks slightly horrified at this. "E-Excuse me!" He splutters. Raine steps on Zelos' foot, grinding her staff into the other. The researcher misses this, despite the muffled yelp from Zelos, and activates a hologram. It's a white-blue color, and looks rather like an Exsphere without a base or being attached to anything.
"Cruxis Crystals are thought to be evolved forms of Exspheres. Both Exspheres and Cruxis Crystals are lifeless beings." he explains. Aurian goes paler.
"What did you say?" Raine forgot hurting Zelos in shock.
Daichi growls slightly. "Did you really just say 'Exspheres are lifeless beings?'"
"Life...less?" Lloyd frowns, as if trying to figure it out. "What?"
"Yes, I did." the researcher says.
"Exspheres are souls! They're still living." Daichi replies.
"Says the one who helped make them." Aurian mutters.
"Ignoring them. Lifeless beings. How should I put it?" Raine tapped her chin. "Basically, Exspheres are alive, though not in the same way we are."
"Damn right they're alive..." Daichi mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck where his own was located.
"Yes. Both of these crystals are like parasites fusing with other life forms." The researcher agrees.
"I don't like your choice of adjectives." Piers comments darkly.
"Parasites..." Lloyd makes a face. "hmm...That's not a very pleasant thought."
"The Cruxis Crystals I agree with..." Piers states. "But I wouldn't say that's true for all Exspheres. Especially when the wearer chooses."
the researcher gives him a look that says 'wait until i'm done talking to make judgments' "When this happens, the Mana within the body loses balance and goes out of control without a Key Crest."
"Mana system becomes dependant on Exsphere for help. Remove, and..." Aurian shudders.
"So that's why Exspheres without Key Crests turn people into monsters." Genis mutters. Piers goes silent and contemplative.
"Exactly. In other words, since Cruxis Crystals possess the same qualities as Exspheres, we surmise that Colette is suffering from a parasitical infection by the Cruxis Crystal." The researcher indicates blankly floating Colette.
"I see. In which case, the ritual of releasing the seals may be promoting the fusion with the Cruxis Crystal." Raine mutters. "Fascinating..."
Zelos opens his mouth. "So, in order to reverse it, Colette needs a Key Crest?" Piers comments.
Daichi shivers, looking at Raine. "This is kinda a dark tone you're assuming, Raine."
Zelos shuts his mouth. "Was about to say that." he mutters.
"Professor, don't talk like that after all the bad things that keep happening to Colette..." Lloyd rubs his head.
"Yes, she should be able to freely control the Cruxis Crystal if she had a Key Crest." the researcher agrees with Piers.
Piers looks at Lloyd. "You made a Key Crest for Marble in Iselia, right?"
"Genis is using it." Lloyd says. "If we can find Inhibitor Ore, already processed, I can make another... If we find a Key crest as is, I can make sure it's good before we use it."
"Where do we find Inhibitor Ore?" Daichi asks.
"With dwarves." Lloyd scratches the back of his head. "We'd probably have better luck finding a used Key Crest."
"Right...And we don't know where to find one, unless someone gives us one." Piers comments.
"There's a junk shop in the corner by the library." Zelos shrugs. "There might be something there."
"That's a good idea." Piers says, his voice boarding on astonished.
Zelos pretends to not have heard that tone with which he said that. "Thank you, I know."
Lloyd's expression flat lines and he lightly shoves Zelos' shoulder. "Show me the way."
"Right, right." The rest of the party follow listlessly after Lloyd and Zelos. Raine spots something while Zelos announces that this store's only got junk, which he did say it was a junk shop.
"It's marvelous! This is just marvelous! Ohhh, this is ancient magitechnology carbon!" Raine squees. Aurian stares at her blankly.
"... There she goes again." Genis sighs, then climbs up Daichi with some minor difficulty to his shoulders.
"...What in Niflheim are you doing?" Daichi comments, looking up.
"I'm tired of walking." Genis says.
"Argh, come on, please!" Lloyd rubs at his head furiously, before setting to shifting things in a box. "Look for something that looks like a Key Crest."
"Fine." Daichi grumbles starting to search. "You know the rule. No treating me like a horse."
"I know." Genis says.
"There!" Lloyd pulls out a piece of metal, some other things, broken tools and the like, clinging to his glove. "It's a Key Crest!"
"How coincidental." Piers mutters.
"Coin-send-tail...?" Lloyd frowns, thinking hard.
"Forget it..." Piers says. "...Baka..."
"What?" the man in the little stall blinks at Lloyd, while he frowns at Piers. "You want this piece of junk?"
Lloyd blinks, forgetting Piers. "Yeah! How much?" Piers gets interested in a book.
"Hmm... Let's see." The man tilts his head to the side, watching them. "ten thousand Gald."
"... taking advantage of people in need..." Lloyd grumbles.
"This is a business, after all."
Zelos sighs. "Okay, call the one responsible for this bazaar right now. I'll make sure he can't do business anymore." Piers looks up from the book, interested.
"Wh-who are you?" the man blinks at Zelos.
"You've got some guts to be ignorant of the great Zelos, the Chosen." Zelos says.
The man blinks, and apparently rumor clicks with Zelos' appearance. "Chosen? Please, take this junk...Uh, I mean, I humbly offer this up to you, so please forgive me!" He shoves Lloyd's hand back to his side so that it's clear which 'junk' he'd been talking about.
"Wow. Mr. Flirt-face is useful for something after all." Piers mutters. Zelos pretends not to have heard that.
"Good, good." He's smiling. "I like your attitude. I'll remember you." the stall keeper laughs nervously, and they amoeba back to the center of the circle courtyard.
"Thanks, Zelos." Lloyd says, looking at the Key Crest. Daichi still has Genis on his shoulders.
"It was nothing. It was for my cute Colette." Zelos smiles. Lloyd's too interested in the key crest to flat line out of irritation.
"I need to repair it." Lloyd says, rather like he hadn't heard Zelos talking. "I'll borrow a lab at the Academy and fix it."
Genis blinks from atop Daichi. "I haven't seen Lloyd this excited since the last time we had steak for dinner." He comments. Lloyd doesn't seem to hear this either, already pulling his gloves off and feeling about the crest, walking back for the Imperial Research Academy. Zelos shrugs and follows him. The others follow, zombie-like.
"Hey, sorry to bother you." Lloyd stopped the researcher from before. "Could I borrow a lab?" the man blinks at Lloyd for a moment.
"He wants to make a key crest." Zelos explains for him.
"O-oh, Chosen One! Please, make use of that room you were in earlier." The man says, nodding toward the door.
Lloyd grins. "thanks." and heads over to it. "You guys go ahead and wait at the inn, or something."
Daichi salutes over-enthusiastically and says in the same tone. "Yes, sir. Master Irving." It sounds insulting.
"K, thanks." Lloyd waves at him, sitting on the floor and pulling out tools.
Raine shakes her head. "Come on."
"..." Daichi sighs. "Am I losing my touch?"
"Yep." Genis comments.
"Shut up, runt." Genis eyes Daichi's head.
"Let's go." Raine says, leading the way out. Zelos looks pleased to follow Raine back to the inn, which is the first building upon entering Sybak. Daichi lags behind everyone else. Genis sticks a spit-wet finger into Daichi's ear. Daichi acks and starts flailing. Genis manages to jump off Daichi and land on his feet. Laughing, he catches up with the rest of the group. Daichi scrubs at his ear.
"You're dead, shorty!" He yells after.
January 26th
They get rooms, and it's at three or so in the morning that the door opens to the male-over-half of the party's room. Daichi snrks, blinking awake in the light.
"Mm?" Something tells that the half-elf wasn't really asleep. Lloyd shuts the door with his heel and flops onto the nearest bed. Zelos shoves him off in his sleep. Lloyd grunts, and finds the nearest empty bed. Daichi blinks. "Lloyd?"
"Ngg." Lloyd groans, face in pillow.
"..." Daichi flops back. There's twin small thumps, and then a light clatter, as Lloyd shoves his boots off, then takes more care with his swords. a slight rustling, and then silence. Daichi sighs, drifting back into sleep himself.
"There you are, Lloyd." Genis waves at him when he zombies down to breakfast the next morning. Lloyd makes a very articulate noise in reply, almost not getting his chair and then clutching at the cup of coffee. Daichi follows in a likewise zombie state. It looks like he hasn't slept at all. Aurian's zombie state seems to be from too good of sleep she doesn't want to leave. This is added on to the way she falls asleep at the table. Genis sighs. "Jeez, isn't anyone other than me a morning person?"
"I am." Piers and Shikka state in unison. Lloyd mumbles something into his cup. Zelos comes down with wet hair.
"I had a dream your dog tried getting in my bed." Zelos tells Lloyd.
"Ngggggnnn." Lloyd makes the zombie 'do not bother' noise at him. Zelos blinks.
"That was Lloyd." Daichi says, clutching his own coffee mug, yawning, a lot more coherent than Lloyd.
"..." Lloyd and Zelos stare at each other, although Lloyd was only doing so because Zelos was and Zelos was looking some mixed expression.
"Guess I know which bed he usually takes." Zelos helps himself to the breakfast that Genis was still making.
"Only cause its the easiest to roll into." Piers comments. It looks as though he's went back to the junk store and bought that book he was reading.
"Was'at?" Lloyd mumbles coherently.
"Erotica." Piers states simply. Lloyd blinks in incomprehension, while Zelos raises an eyebrow. Daichi perks up, looking at Piers. Piers looks to Lloyd. "I'm not explaining it to you."
"Why not?" Lloyd lets go of his coffee mug for long enough that it gets hijacked by Aurian.
"Because Raine'll hit me."
Daichi looks under at the cover. "Icha Icha?"
"I've heard of that one." Zelos nods. Aurian's now on the other end of the table from Lloyd. Lloyd blinks confusedly, at a loss for the loss of his coffee cup. Piers merely hands him a new one. And that made everything right again in Lloyd's world. In another moment, he has his back. Aurian has decided she didn't like coffee. And Daichi steals the spare. Raine comes down, Presea and Colette following absently. It looks like Colette's hair has been washed, but she's still standing blankly a few inches off the ground. Genis passes out food to those who hadn't raided while he was cooking. Piers puts his book away before Raine can glimpse it, taking his food. Raine waits until Lloyd actually is awake before asking the question that was likely on everyone's minds.
"Did you finish the key crest?"
Lloyd blinks, and chews before answering. "Yeah."
Daichi adjusts his glasses. "I hope it works."
Lloyd nods, nomming. ". . . . I think I left something in the research place."
"...Daaamn!" Daichi whines.
Piers looks at him. "What's the matter with you?"
"Caffeine doesn't work on me anymore!"
"... okay?" Lloyd blinks.
"... Maybe we can get someone to have a look at him." Raine says.
"Hey, stop talking about me as though I'm crazy." Everyone looks at him.
"I think everyone here has an acute percentage of psychosis." Piers points out.
"Psychosis...?" Lloyd frowns.
"Crazyness." Piers corrects automatically.
"... I don't think I'm crazy..." Lloyd mumbles, eating again.
"...Meh." Piers is reading under the table.
"So, after breakfast we can go look, and fix Colette." Genis grins. He's excited.
"And get Daichi looked at." Piers adds.
"Oi! I don't need some quack looking at me!" Theres some thought from the Sylvaranti.
"It might be better to wait until we've cured Colette." Raine says. "We don't know if she can get worse while we wait." Lloyd inhales the last of his food.
"Then I'll head over now." He puts his dishes away and does so. Everyone follows after helping clear up. Lloyd's bouncing on his heels in one corner of the atrium place. He's got a vaguely familiar necklace in hand.
"I didn't think I'd be giving you your birthday present like this. I've attached a Key Crest to your necklace. It's late, but it's my present for you..." Lloyd puts it on Colette.
"...Colette? Can you hear me?" Lloyd's got that note of hope that he's aware might come to pieces as he steps back after putting the Key Crest Necklace about her neck. Colette stares at him blankly with crimson eyes. Piers stands next to Lloyd, hopeful also. "Colette?" Lloyd asks again. She doesn't respond, staring blankly ahead.
"... How is it?" Genis asks.
"... It doesn't seem to work..." Lloyd says, depressed.
Piers sighs. "Why won't it work...?"
"How about asking Dirk for help?" Raine says, frowning. "Lloyd might not know what to carve for Cruxis Crystals."
".. But Dirk's in Sylvarant." Genis points out. "and the Rheairds are out of fuel..."
"...There's gotta be dwarves in Tethe'Alla, right?" Daichi asks.
"There's only Dirk in Sylvarant..." Raine muses. "Who knows if there are any in Tethe'Alla."
"We know where Dirk is. and it would take a lot of time to search out if there's any in Tethe'Alla." Genis points out.
"Maybe the people here at the Academy know of a way to refuel the Rheairds... which are still on top of that mountain." Lloyd rubs his head.
"We hope..." Piers mumbles.
"Hey, hey, hey! Wait just a moment!" Zelos interrupts their plotting. "Aren't you forgetting something? I'm here to keep tabs on you! I can let you go back to Sylvarant!"
Piers rounds on Zelos. "You gonna stop us?" Zelos opens his mouth to reply to that, but Lloyd grins something that looks rather like one of Zelos's smirks, and slings an arm around Zelos's shoulders.
"Well then, just come along with us, oh compassionate Chosen One." Lloyd says, grinning.
".. What?" Zelos looks at him like he thinks he's crazy. "Are you serious?" he gets Lloyd's arm off him.
"Why are you stalking us, then?" Daichi asks.
"Because the king told me to." Zelos twirls some of his hair about his fingers. "I'm to make sure you don't do anything that endangers Tethe'Alla." he says it quoting like. "and going back to Sylvarant counts as that."
"...How does that count?" Shikka asks.
"Look, furball, if you go back to Sylvarant, you can complete the journey. that'd make Tethe'Alla loose it's prosperity. That's what the King and Pope don't want." Zelos says.
"...Furball that can rip your throat out..." Shikka mutters.
"... You're kind to girls, right?" Raine asks, tilting her head.
"Yeah, it's to save Colette." Genis has caught on, and is smirking. "You'll keep quiet about it for her, right?"
"If you want to see her smile... getting her back to normal would get one." Aurian points out hesitantly. Zelos looks them over, crosses his arms like he's thinking hard, and sighs.
"..Great, how am I supposed to snitch after hearing that?" Zelos mutters.
"You're not supposed to." Piers says, arm around Zelos' shoulders. Zelos mutters something unflattering, getting Piers' arm off.
"Okay, then all we need now is fuel." Lloyd's grinning again. Suddenly, from the entrance and the halls, come green armored Papal Knights. they surround the party, corraling them with halberds.
"Chosen. We heard what you said just now." One Knight, with a little more decoration to his armor, says. "We hereby declare you and your companions to be traitors attempting to destroy Tethe'Alla."
"... humph." Zelos snorts, twirling his hair again. "Well that was perfect timing, Mr. Papal Knight." Zelos doesn't seem to get along with them.
"...We're quite popular." Shikka comments
"By the Pope's orders. We were to watch you for suspicions of plotting against the throne." the knight says.
"..Heh, now that's amusing. I'm the one who's plotting against the throne?" Zelos asks, smirking.
"Restrain them and take a sample." the knight orders, as more knights show up with little machines. "Don't touch the angel. if you approach her carelessly, she'll kill you." Daichi struggles slightly but submits eventually. Piers and Shikka don't react. Lloyd yelps, one Knight jabbing him in the arm with a machine after they cuffed the lot of them.
"Ow! What the hell?"
Zelos only gets cuffs. "Criminals undergo biological tests during arrest." Zelos explains. "It's because of the Caste System here." Everyone's but Colette's getting poked with the machines after being cuffed. Daichi grunts in slight pain. Shikka flinches slighlty and Piers yelps also. the sages are silent, Presea is as much as a zombie Colette for all she reacts, and Aurian's trembling-quiet. The knight who poked Piers looks at the machine.
"Must be broke-" it blows up. "What the hell?"
"What's wrong?"
"He doesn't have Mana."
"I do!" Piers protests.
"Try again." He's poked again.
"There's no readings- shit!" it blows up again.
"...Dude, your technology fails." Piers grumbles.
"Then he's not half-elven. Keep him with the humans."
"Fuck!" The man who poked Shikka swears as his machine does absolutely nothing.
"what now...?"
"..." Shikka doesn't respond.
"No Mana signature again."
"Try again." the knight with the fancy armor sounds like he's having a bad day.
"Elf!" the one with the machine to Aurian yelps.
"What?"
"She's an elf! Full blooded Elf!"
"Shit!"
"These guys like swearing, don't they?" Daichi points out. Raine looks pissed.
"For holy knights, yeah.." Lloyds looking amused.
"Shut up!"
"What's she doing out of the Ymir!" Aurian looks confused at the lot of them, her ears trembling as they undid her cuffs.
"Still nothing." the one next to Shikka announces.
"... Keep him with the humans."
"It's because some half elves don't look any different from humans." Zelos continues. "It's necessary to detect them."
Daichi looks slightly nervous. "What do they do with half-elves?" Zelos's answer is cut off by the knights by the Sages and Daichi.
"S...Sir! We've got a match!"
"Same with these two!"
Lloyd looks startled. "Genis! Professor!"
"So you're half-elves?" Fancy Knight asks, as the Sages are herded closer to Daichi.
".. Half-elves?" Zelos looks a little stunned too. "..Is that true?" Raine and Genis were looking down but Raine looks up.
"That's right." she says firmly. Piers looks away, knowing Genis and Raine were half. Daichi obviously knows.
"Raine!" Genis protests, looking worried.
"There's no point trying to hide it now..." Raine shrugs. Aurian just looks like she's scared of everything that's happening, even if the knights were completely ignoring her.
"These pathetic half-elves have engaged in shameless caste deception." the fancy knight says it like it's a death sentence.
"What did you say?" Lloyd's angry at the knight, to Genis's surprise.
Daichi growls. "Pathetic! Unshackle me and say that again!"
"They're much better people than you!" Lloyd's getting himself restrained by a knight now. "Who cares if they're half elves!" Genis looks like he's going to break into tears.
"I don't know what it's like in your world, but over here, Half-elves are at the bottom of the caste system." Zelos says, shrugging.
"Half-elves guilty of crimes are all executed without exception." the knight says.
"...Just because we mentioned a word?" Daichi growls.
"More likely because the pope wants me dead, and you're here with me." Zelos says cheerfully.
"That's insane!" one of the knights bashes Lloyd in the gut, and he stops trying to get his hands about the knight.
"Take them away!" the knight says, indicating the Half-elves.
"No! Don't take them!" Aurian's frantic looking, her ears trembling as she clutches the hem of her shirt, almost crying. Raine blinks, looking startled for a moment, before she gets that 'I've got a plan' look, and cries out.
"Don't take us from mother!" Raine cries, startling the knights into letting her make her way to Aurian. Lloyd has a 'what the fuck' expression on, while Genis takes his sister's initiative and wriggles over to Aurian.
"No! I need to look after my sister!" Daichi motions towards Aurian. Lloyd's sort of staring at the lot of them like he just realized how insane they all are.
"She's sick!" Raine catches on, clinging to the elf.
"She needs us." Genis wails. Zelos looks like someone's smacked him upside the head with a fish. Aurian doesn't get what they're going on about, but she clings to Genis and Raine. the knights are obviously giving each other 'what do we do now' looks.
"Please!" Daichi says, pleading and making it look convincing. the knight holding onto him lets him over to Aurian, who's beginning to spark with distress.
"... We can't send them back to the Ymir." one knight mutters. "They'll just kick the half-breeds back out."
"We don't have the manpower to go with them, either."
"... Lock the Chosen and the others in the basement." one knight says. "we can come back for them." the Sages and Daichi are still cuffed. Daichi runs over to Aurian. Piers is covering his face, and Shikka's smiling a little. the knights are trying to either get the half-elves away from her, but her sparks get more frantic whenever one gets close, so they end up just keeping them in the corner.
"... Right." Lloyd, Piers, Shikka, Presea and Zelos are shoved toward the hall down, while Colette stalks Lloyd unaided.
Piers is shoved down the hall. "Watch it!" they go down a hall, past researchers peeking at them around almost closed doors, down into the basement. Quite literally a basement. with grey stone and large iron door. Lloyd's scowling the entire time as a Papal Knight unlocks the door and herds them in.
"...Who's there?" a green haired woman looks startled as they're herded in.
"Don't speak to us, Half-elf. Be quiet and continue your work." A knight says.
A researcher had come down with them. "They're criminals. Hold them here until we return for them." Lloyd's glaring sullenly at the man and the knights as they shove them all in, and then shut the door.
"Criminals..." the woman says, looking at them. "If you had the good fortune of being born human, don't throw it away like that." There's about half a dozen people in the dank room.
"We're not criminals." Piers points out.
"We haven't done anything." Lloyd mutters, clearing a bench with his knee and sits, pulling out little strips of wire from his gloves.
"Well, you did try to go back to Sylvarant." Zelos is just sort of standing there like he was perfectly at home. Piers struggles to free himself by trying to cast something akin to a mini explosion. There are clanking footsteps from outside, and Lloyd hides his lock picks as a knight puts Aurian down inside.
"What did you do?" Lloyd demands, getting to his feet angrily.
"the half-elves hit her over the head and fled." the knight says.
"Liar!" Lloyd shouts. Piers hands crackle with raw alchemy.
"They would never...!" He attempts to jump the Papal Knight, but someone grabs him from behind.
"Don't be stupid." it's one of the researchers, a man with messy dark red hair that goes down to his mid back. the knight sniffs, and leaves, shutting the door and locking it again. Lloyd darts over to Aurian. She's out of it, due to a bloody spot in her hair likely.
"L-Let me go! I need to check my friend!" Piers struggles. the researcher lets him go, and backs off. a blond boy not much younger than Lloyd sort of ... bounces over cheerily to Lloyd.
"You're from Sylvarant?" Piers runs over to Aurian, starting to check. She's more or less out of it, less by the way she's twitching.
"Yeah." Lloyd says, blinking at the boy in the white coat.
"You have the summon spirits of water, wind, light and fire there. Have you seen them?" the boy says eagerly while Lloyd pulls out his picks again, working on the handcuffs. Piers concentrates, casting Ply. Shikka merely snaps the handcuffs.
"Human craftsmanship. Same on any world." He comments. Lloyd gets his hands free, then goes and helps Zelos.
"I've seen Undine." Lloyd admits.
"What's it like?" the boy follows him.
"... Why?"
"It's for my research." the boy says.
"... Aster, he's busy." the man who had stopped Piers tells the boy. Piers does what he can, sighing. He then looks to Aster.
"Aren't you human?" He asks.
"Yes. Is that a problem?" Aster asks, tilting his head to one side.
"He's my research partner." the man says, looking a bit fondly at the boy as he shifts his battered glasses. Aurian mutters, holding her head.
Piers kneels by her. "You okay?"
"My head hurts." she mumbles.
"With a bruise like that one, you'd have to have a head harder than Lloyd here to not be hurting." Zelos points out, then smirks. "I didn't know you had it in you, Ms Elf."
"They're not really related." Shikka says, before pausing. He then looks to Aurian. "Are they?"
"No. They can't be." Aurian mumbles a little depressed like. Lloyd removes Presea's cuffs, before telling Aster about the summon of water.
"What about me?" Piers asks, shaking his manacled arms. Lloyd blinks and fixes that problem.
"Oh?" Zelos asks.
"Can't be." Aurian repeats. "Can't." Zelos makes a comment involving that it's because of the males she's slept with, and she gives him this really bland look, before pulling up her shirt a bit. There's a nasty scar all the way across her waist. Zelos pales. "Can't." she repeats, dropping her shirt. Piers and Shikka both wince. Aurian moves back, looking gloomy.
"Great. now you've made her sad." Lloyd punches Zelos on the shoulder.
"Get... away.." Presea says suddenly.
"... Presea?" the green haired woman had gone up to the red haired man and Aster, and Presea had turned around. Piers gets to his feet. "You're Presea!" the green haired woman is startled. "Why are you here?"
"... You know Presea?" Lloyd asks while fishing in his pockets to see if he had any sweets on him to try to cheer Aurian back up.
"Ah...I.." the woman withdraws again. "she's..."
"A half-elf in the Imperial Research Academy is acquainted with a human child?" Zelos butts in. "That's strange." Piers hands Aurian some chocolate he has. It does cheer her up.
"Why." Lloyd asks of Zelos.
"I told you, half-elves are treated like garbage in this world. The half-elves that work at the Imperial Research Academy never leave their labs…ever." Zelos says, shrugging.
"That's horrible." Piers says.
"That's humans." Shikka says.
"That's insane." Lloyd says.
"Let's put that aside for now." Zelos waves a hand. "How does a half-elf that can never leave here know Presea?"
"... this child is my team's research sample." the woman says softly.
"...Research sample?" Piers asks.
"What kind of research." Lloyd's frowning.
"Research to manufacture Cruxis Crystals inside the human body." she's staring at the ground.
"... You can make Cruxis Crystals?" Lloyd's shocked.
"Yes. theoretically, they are no different than Exspheres. By allowing them to slowly feed on a human body-"
"wh..what?" Lloyd stares at her.
"You're harvesting Exspheres? Like the Desians?" Piers says, incrediously.
"No. Presea was the only one compatible for the project. We've made no more than what Presea is .. growing."
"that's what the Desians do to make Exspheres!" Lloyd's getting angry.
"What? what are you talking about?"
"we haven't had Desians in 800 years, kid." Zelos points out.
"This group of evil people grow Exspheres out of humans. The process kills them or turns them to a monster." Piers explains.
"Usually in conditions that make you retch." Aurian mumbles.
"I'm saying, how can you treat people that way?" Lloyd shouts.
"...I could ask you the exact same thing." the researcher says. "How can you humans treat half-elves the way you do?"
"I treat them the same as everyone else!" Lloyd snaps. "There's no difference between the lives of humans and half-elves!"
"We're one of the examples of humans that don't discriminate." Piers says.
"and an elf." Zelos points out Aurian.
".. they aren't from Tethe'Alla." Sheena says. Corrine suddenly appears, and runs up to try to get Aurian out of her returning bad mood, while Sheena appears in a cloud of smoke. "He's a strange one, raised in Sylvarant with half-elves and a dwarf." Sheena indicates Lloyd.
"Sheena!" Lloyd grins.
"Sheena!" Piers seems just as happy to see the ninja.
"How did you know we.."
Sheena cuts Lloyd off. "I'll explain later. Genis, Raine and Daichi are being taken to Meltokio. If we go after them now, we should be able to save them!"
"Daichi's probably making things worse by insulting the guards continually." Piers says, nodding.
"Are you planning to run away?" the green haired researcher asks.
"Are you going to try to stop us?" Sheena asks, putting her hand on her hip.
"he's going to save his half-elf best friend." Zelos points out. "What are you going to do, Miss Half-Elf?"
"He's probably sapping their morale away second by second." Piers continues, causing Lloyd to smirk.
"I.. I won't let you trick me. There's no way a human would save a half-elf." the researcher stares at the ground.
"... But Kate, I did hear they arrested three half-elves up above." one of the other half-elves says.
"..." Kate stares at the ground.
"There's no time. If you're going to get in our way, we'll just have to.. tie you up or something." Lloyd says, frowning at her.
"Or I could put them to sleep." Piers offers.
"Tying them up makes it look like they resisted rather than took a nap on the job." Zelos points out. "It'd be better for them."
"... Fine." Kate sighs. "I'll let you go if you promise that once you've saved your half-elf friends, you will come back here. If what you've said is true... I'll release Presea from her experiment."
".. You promise?" Lloyd looks excited at the prospect.
"I swear upon the name of the Goddess Martel." Kate says.
"Okay." Lloyd hides a twitch.
"Then.. Come over here. There's a hidden passage." Kate messes with the bookshelf, and one moves aside, showing stairs. "You can escape to the surface through the door."
"thanks!" Lloyd hurries in, Aurian following with Presea and Colette. Piers and Shikka follow.
"By whose order was Presea's experiment being carried out?" Zelos asks.
"I.. can't say." Kate mutters.
"The Pope, then." Zelos says cheerily.
"..." Kate doesn't say anything.
"Zelos! Come on!" Lloyd shouts back.
"I know, I know!" Zelos shouts, catching up. "Sheesh..." their escape route connects to the sewers, and they pop out of a manhole near the entrance to the Academy.
"I hate sewers." Piers grumbles.
January 28th
It takes them a full day, involving an awful lot of running to make it to the bridge, and the noon of the next day to actually see the Papal Knights and the half-elves. They can hear a steady stream of insults come from Daichi.
"Knew it."
"Damn!" the drawbridge is rising. "They're trying to cut us off!" Lloyd's barely out of breath. "Come on, we'll have to jump it!"
"What!" Zelos gets closer. "Wait! Time out! Are you nuts? We'll die if we fall from here!"
"Lloyd is insane. Please tell me you aren't this slow." Piers says.
"And if we abandon them, they'll die!" Lloyd snaps, putting on a new burst of speed.
"... Let us continue our pursuit." Presea says, following Lloyd.
"Man..." Zelos groans, but speeds up. They make it to their side of the drawbridge, and jump. Lloyd, Presea, Zelos and Sheena flail and jump short. Colette is flying, and so she arcs neatly over the gap. Aurian must have done something with Magic, because she shoots forward and grabs onto the edge, scrambling to get over the edge. The rest plummet, screaming.
"Undine! HELP!" Sheena screams. Undine appears and makes a geyser catch them and not kill them. Aurian's rolling down the other side of the draw bridge while Undine lowers them. Colette lands neatly.
"... Safe landing due to an unknown force." Presea announces. "No damage detected."
"..Phew... I thought I was going to die." Zelos says.
"Thanks, Sheena!" Lloyd grins.
"Yeah, and thanks Undine." Piers says. Undine nods, and vanishes.
"I'm sure glad I was able to summon her..." Sheena says.
"Excuse me, but Professor Sage, Genis and Daichi are..." Presea stands and moves forward. They can still hear Daichi's vehement insulting.
"That's right, we have to save them!" Lloyd blinks. Sheena's helping Aurian up, who's dizzy and unsteady.
"Save who from whom?" Piers asks.
"... Good question." They've caught up to the Papal knights, who looked really, really harassed despite being in helms and what not. Raine and Genis look like they're trying not to laugh.
Daichi finishes. "...And you should be boiled alive! Hey Lloyd."
"Hi Daichi!" Lloyd says.
"Take them!" the papal knights groan.
"Just take them and leave us alone to DIE D:" Daichi smirks.
"You've been busy." Sheena says. the papal knights sort of runoff.
"It just came naturally." He shrugs.
"Lloyd! Everyone!" Genis still looks surprised.
"...You came to rescue us." Raine also sounds a bit surprised.
"Of course!" Lloyd's ecstatic. "You're our friends!"
"But... We're half-elves." Genis says, looking at his feet.
"Soooo... what's your point?" Lloyd scratches behind an ear.
"Lloyd!" Genis is happily surprised. He glomps him.
"... What about the Tethe'Alla part of our group? Do you mind if we join up with you?" Raine asks.
"I'm from Mizuho... We're not exactly mainstream either. We're not that different." Sheena says. A random beam of light shows up, and strange heavenly music starts up. Kratos appears before them.
"I don't care either." Due to the strange manner of his appearance, no one commented. the music starts back up and Kratos ascends.
"... what the hell." Piers says.
"Okay... Were we drugged in Sybak?" Daichi mutters.
"That makes more sense than he actually being here." Sheena mutters.
"To tell you the truth, I can't say I'm really kosher with this." Zelos shrugs. "Then again, people have always treated me differently, saying that I'm the Descendent of Angels. So in a way, we're a lot alike."
"I... just want to go home." Presea drones.
"Aurian?" Raine asks.
"... I still don't get what happened in Sybak." the elf mutters.
"..."
"By the way, why is Sheena here?" Genis asks.
"...I have orders from my chief. I'm supposed to 'observe your activities'." Sheena says, shrugging.
"That's typical of Mizuho. They're trying to decide if they should side with the King or you guys." Zelos explains. Daichi looks very smug with himself.
"So now we have two people keeping tabs on us." Genis grumbles.
"But I'm not trying to do anything or get in your way or anything!" The unspoken words are 'and Zelos might'. "So...so..." Sheena looks flustered.
"We know that already. You're an honest person...perhaps to a fault." Raine soothes her.
"Sheena is one person I don't mind spying on us." Shikka says solemnly.
Lloyd scratches the back of his head. "At this point, I'm okay with anything. Now we just need Sheena to form a pact with Volt and we can get those Rheairds working!"
"Volt?" Sheena recoils.
"Well, you can't expect me to do it. I conduct electricity much better than you." Piers comments.
"...Sheena?" Presea asks. Sheena blinks at them as they sort of stare curiously worried at her, although Zelos doesn't so much after a second.
"Ah... nothing..." She either calms quickly or hides what could be panic. Daichi stares at Sheena, as though he can sense something. Sheena takes a moment then stares at him back, the sort of stare that says 'say anything, and you won't be able to have children'. Those sort of looks remind people that she is a ninja.
"Then shouldn't we go get the Rheairds first? Either way, Volt's temple is on the other side of the Grand Tethe'Alla Bridge. It'll be faster if we pick up the Rheairds, since the bridge is closed off right now." Zelos says, smirking.
"So it's quicker to go in the opposite direction?" Piers states, a bit confused.
"Of course!" Zelos cheers.
"Pick up?" Lloyd finds another problem with Zelos' suggestion. "How are you planning on moving those things?"
Piers gives Zelos a look. "You worry me."
"I don't care if dude's worry about me." Zelos waves him off, before glancing at Lloyd. "Just leave that to me! I prepared a secret weapon just in case something like this happened."
"No. I don't worry ABOUT you. I worry about my sanity when about you."
"Again, I could care less." Zelos says.
"... What secret weapon?" Genis asks warily.
"It wouldn't be any fun if I spoiled the surprise! Now let's get going!" Zelos cheers. "To the Fooji Mountains!"
Daichi stares at Zelos. "Can I kill him now?" He looks kinda like a cat. And Zelos is the mouse.
"No." Raine rubs her temples. Zelos starts walking toward the mountain range.
"I can't believe we're going to have to climb that mountain again..." Lloyd grumbles. Daichi looks disappointed. Piers agrees with Lloyd.