icedragon54: *poke* Your wrong. First of all, that page is one of the most mistranslated I've ever seen (for the longest time I though Jasdebi was Mercym, 7th Noah, and the big black guy was Bondomu was the 10th and 11th; that's switched). SO, I took the time to glance at the raws. Rhode is with no doubt 9th, Jasdebi 10th and 11th, and Mercym the 7th (Skin/Wrathra the 8th). :D
Angel Fantasy: Just so we're clear, I want you to know I wasn't actually insulted. That was one of those 'mock insulted', bravado things. :D Sorry, my mix of internet sarcasm and blunt speaking often makes me seem harsher than I mean to be, but really I mean it all in good humor.
Regarding the Poll: to start with, for those who asked, Citrus Content is simply sex scenes. 'Lime' is soft, 'lemon' is explicit. Sorry, I've been involved in fanfiction for so long those words have been ingrained in me; I forget that they aren't casual knowledge. Also, to answer another batch of questions, the 'who' would be only those involved in the main pairing (Rhobellen: Allen/Rhode/Lulubell), starting with an Allen/Rhode next chapter. More info at bottom.
Requiem of Time: Chapter Thirty-Two - Lenalee
Cross Marian. The man could find a way out of anything, given time. And after one of his grand escapes, finding him was like finding the wind. Yet, for those who tried, they miraculously ended up with a rather burdensome debt. A bother was the only way to describe him. Lenalee knew exactly how bothersome.
So she stood there, arms folded under her breasts, watching as the Marshal swept down the streets of the Ark. The man rattled the doors he passed by, finding them all locked. She herself stood by the only one still open to the outside world. The back entrance to the Ark, really, the same door he had used to get in.
Her body still tingled from being used an an anchor for the spell slowing the download, though Cross had assured her that wouldn't last must longer.
Finally, the man safely assumed that all the doors were locked, and he discretely began making his way towards her, not that he knew she was there. She took a steadying breath, preparing herself to do her part. And what a part it would have to be!
Alluring and beautiful, with a wide smile stretching her face, Lenalee stepped from the side of the building just as Cross came close. The man paused, his one visible eye widening, but then Lenalee was there.
She hugged him, tightly, burying her head into the deep fabrics of his heavy coat. Thought he could run away, did he? Well, think again! Lenalee looked up at him with wide, sparkling eyes, her lower lip sticking out further than normal. "Oh Cross-sama, you weren't thinking of leaving were you?"
The man stared down at her, eye still wide with surprise. S-So cute... Can't... Resist... Smooth as silk, Cross masked his surprise by coughing into a hand. "Leaving? Of course not, I was merely taking a walk while waiting for Allen."
Caught you. Lenalee's smile was sickly sweet. "Oh, why that's wonderful. Come, let's go to the dining room, where we can be comfortable while we wait." In other words, she wouldn't be leaving him alone for a second.
Cross considered to himself as she guided him forward, away from the door to freedom. Getting away was good and all... but enjoying himself with a beautiful woman was by far the better option. His face settled into a familiar grin, and he linked his arm through hers, like a proper gentleman. Lenalee turned to look at for a moment – he really did like her hair long like this - then turned away quickly, fighting a blush.
Lenalee knew she played a dangerous game, trying to distract the Marshal. If she wasn't careful, it was she who'd be distracted!
They reached the dining room, and soon both were seated across from each other. Cross, instead of kicking back like he usually did, leaned forward on the table, fingers laced before him, staring at her intently. Lenalee had to fight back a blush and the urge to fidget under that gaze. She decided a topic to talk about was in order, something to divert his full attention from her.
"So Allen..." she started, pausing to see his reaction. "How do you think he's coming along?"
Cross remained intent, not betraying any emotion. "He was better when he woke up, though there are still signs that its just waiting under the surface."
Lenalee sighed, her eyes falling to the table. "It comes and goes like that. He can switch between the two in a heartbeat and not notice a thing." She blinked when there was suddenly a wine glass in her vision, and she looked up to see Cross had produced a bottle and two glasses. She accepted gladly.
"He has been through too much," Cross commented over his glass - already filled. He was staring past her now, into the far wall. "Far too much. It was harsh enough even before Central did what they did. Allen has pulled through things even I know I couldn't, but the scraps of his sanity that he's so desperately held onto aren't enough, as we saw earlier."
Lenalee was silent, letting the man speak. Unlike Miranda, the man did not deny the obvious; however, unlike herself, he looked only at the problem and its solution, and not everything else that came with it.
"He's a strong boy, stronger than I could ever have imagined, given that he managed to resist the merge between him and the Fourteenth for so long. However, lately it appears he has been hardening himself."
"He needs to be hard," Lenalee commented suddenly. "He was the leader of the Third Faction. All the decisions were left to him, decisions that would destroy someone softer. Innocence was something we had to leave behind once we understood what it meant to go to war with the Earl, and no one was hit harder than Allen. He needed to steel himself, and if he hadn't, we would have been worse off than we already were."
"Needs to be hard, you say?" Cross glanced at her, suddenly, and Lenalee almost leapt back at the look. She had never seen the man with such an intense gaze before. "A girl like you wouldn't know the difference." Quick as it came, however, Cross's look softened significantly, and he was again the charming, laid back Marshal. He poured both of them more wine.
Lenalee was quick to take several gulps, and after, she asked, "So what do you think we could do to help him?"
Cross laughed, rich and deep. Lenalee blinked at him in surprise. "What could we do?" He laughed again, ending with a wry grin. "Absolutely nothing, and trying would only make it worse." He himself downed the rest of his glass, and already was refilling both.
"What do you- What do you mean?" Lenalee asked, startled. "There has to be something we can do!"
Cross leaned forward, wine glass in one hand, and his grin was almost as crazy as... as Allen's! "Do you even know what the problem is? Can you honestly tell me what made him like this?"
Lenalee frowned, unsure as to why he was asking that. "Of course... It's the stress... He's taking on everything by himself, not letting anyone else get close, and it's all built up. The stress is getting to him. That's the problem. He takes on the burden of his Noah, of the war, of every fight, of every loss, he takes it all on himself, and it has just become too much."
Cross chuckled again, the sound warm and inviting, yet it only irritated Lenalee. "Exactly. You don't understand. You kids are too young to know about these kinds of things." Lenalee opened her mouth, angry, but suddenly Cross stopped laughing and turned serious so fast she was left gaping. "You see things only from your perspective, girl. He refuses your help, and so you think that he is refusing all help, taking everything on by himself. You want to be of more help, so the first idea of a cure in your mind is getting him to let you go out on your own, fighting on your own. Like a kid wanting to be away from their overprotective parents. You are nothing but a rebellious teenager."
Cross then winced and cleared away another glass. He didn't want to be rude or unpleasant when in the company of a beautiful girl, in fact he was appalled by the very idea, but when it came to serious problems, he would not stand for childish ignorance. Especially about things concerning Allen.
Lenalee looked hurt by his words, and lines of worry creased her forehead. A bit more meekly, she asked, "Then can you explain it?"
Cross shook his head, standing from the table. He had to get out of here. "A cute girl like you shouldn't have to be burdened by things she can't help."
In a burst of anger, Lenalee slapped the table, also rising to her feet to glare at the man. "You're wrong! I'm... I'm Allen's friend, one of the few he still has, and I am not just going to leave him to go mad! There has to be some way I can help him – some way! - even if you don't see it! I- I..." Lenalee's voice hitched, choking back a sob, but then her eyes flashed, and she was glaring even harder at the Marshal. "Even if you think I'm wrong, even if you don't explain it, I'm going to find some way to help him, and damn you and your cowardly ways of running away from all your problems! Sit down!" He sat.
Lenalee glared down at him, suspicious of deceit, before nodding once and resumed sitting herself.
Cross kept emotion off his face as he sat there, though he wished that the bottle he had brought with him was not yet empty. She's the same as him... stubborn and reckless, more heart than brains... Damn, but I like my women fiery. He smiled at her now, an easy smile that would send a woman's heart running if the topic wasn't so serious. "Loyalty is hard to come by, as you saw after joining the Third Faction. Loyalty to that extent... Don't change, Lenalee Lee, in heart or beauty."
Lenalee's heated look had melted away after that, though not to the point where she blushed at his words and smile. Well, let's see if I can change that... "So in more favorable topics, how have you been, Lenalee?"
Lenalee had a sudden fear as to where this would be headed.
****
After an hour or so of speaking, Lenalee decided it was time to check in on Allen. Really, she just wanted to get out of there before something happened. The man was a womanizer... but even knowing that, she could not deny that he was very good at it. A light blush still tinged her cheeks as she moved down the hallways, Cross barely keeping up with his confident strides.
They reached a door that would lead into the Fourteenth's room, and Lenalee opened it. Her face was masked into a smile as she peered in, a foot already out as she prepared to walk in, and her mouth opened to greet him. That was about as far as she got.
Cross watched, intrigued, as Lenalee's cheerful face transformed. It first paled, slightly, and the muscles holding her smile slowly laxed, and the smile was wiped away. Then came the widening of her usually sparkling eyes, and her open mouth twisted in a surprised 'o'. Finally, she ended with a look of total mortification on her face.
Not the prettiest of looks on a woman, but the source of it certainly sparked Cross's interest. So stepping forward, he stepped around her and had his own look into the room...
Allen was lip-locked with Lulubell, the woman Cross himself had been burned by in his attempt of wooing her. A rather heated kiss, reciprocated by both sides. With his wife next to him, no less, and not at all looking with disapproval!
Cross slowly closed the door – not that the room's occupants would notice anything amiss. Lenalee turned to him then, still completely shell-shocked by what she had seen.
Cross then sighed, a note of contentment and jealousy in it, and had a fond smile on his face. "That boy has learned well; a fine apprentice," he nodded to himself. Approval and envy could be traced in his voice as well. If anything, Lenalee's jaw dropped even further.
Furiously and incredulously, she thought, They are both the same! Allen has become as bad as Marshal Cross!
AN: A small chapter, hopefully with a bit of humor in the misunderstandings... It's sad. None of you are taking the time to enjoy the calm before the Storm.
Poll: Should the story be promoted to M and have lemons?
1. Yes (7)
2. No (5)
3. You (author) decide (2)
First of all, it's not too late to get in your vote or change it! Now, I want to talk to you who voted '3'. I get it, your nice people, and truly, I appreciate your decision. However, it was my decision to host the poll, to get an honest opinion from my audience. Please, do not hesitate to choose I side; I'd prefer if you did. If you don't, well, I'll just put you in the 'either way is fine' category. Thanks, though.
Also! as a final comment, I want you all to know the lemon changes nothing. At. All. Next chapter is just over 1.2k words, ending with an implied 'Allen and Rhode have sex' feel. That was outlined back with all the other chapters, back during the first two weeks after the first chapter was posted. By adding a lemon (could be a lime, haven't actually written anything yet), that would add however many words and simply show what would have been cut off between chapters.
PS: anyone know a site that hosts word documents, capable of being linked? FF(dot)net has the rule "anything more than a lime gets the story deleted", so I'd rather not risk it. And I really rather not make an account on adultfanfiction(dot)net, for the sake of personal innocence. Besides, I think I might manage to hit a 'now everyone is happy' button by simply leaving the story as is, marking where the lemon would be, and having whoever wants to read it click the link from my profile.