Camilla

Two visits to make, not much time to make them. Camilla would be lying if she said she wasn't annoyed by how strict her timetable had become. She'd need to pick one to prioritize. The first visit was ripe with opportunity, a chance to make everything ahead easier. The second would be significantly harder to achieve any progress with, but it was fertile ground. Best to plant a seed early, so it can bear fruit when one needs it.

She simply couldn't make a decision, and the longer she waited to do so, the more she was wasting away her opportunity. So, as she had come to do in situations like this as of late, she decided to get a second opinion. Gripping Bölverk tightly, she closed her eyes, letting the world around her get drowned out. It didn't speak to her; rather, it showed her things. Images, people, the other Divine Weapons, and so much more. They were always accompanied by an inexplicable understanding of exactly what it wanted to tell her.

A vision of Azura formed in Camilla's mind, as if it were a picture frame rising up from murky water. Now that the reasoning was in her head, she understood fully why this was the better option. Azura was someone who could be convinced, and being convinced was a far better outcome than anything else. Her eyes fluttered open, and she headed for her sister's room.

Camilla didn't bother to knock. She wanted Azura to see her as someone who didn't need to knock, because there was no reason to worry about her. Opening the door and letting light flood in through the crack, she gazed at her younger sister, asleep, but shifting uncomfortably, a grimace on her face. It wasn't hard to deduce that she was having a nightmare. Stepping closer, she gently placed a hand on her sister's arm. "Azura. Azura, wake up."

The girl shot up from her bed, letting out a panicked cry that faded into erratic breathing. Her body seemed to heave up and down with each breath she inhaled and expelled, while her eyes had a look to them that resembled a cornered animal. Most interesting of all, however, was that her pendant had begun to glow again. Even beyond that, it had started to float, gently rising little more than an inch above where it normally rested. What could Azura have been doing to draw that sort of power from it? "Azura, it's alright! It's just me. You were having a nightmare."

Azura didn't even seem to notice what Camilla was saying. "No, she's coming, she's coming right now, oh gods, I don't want to do this! Please don't make me—" Her ranting only stopped once Camilla embraced her, rubbing the back of her head. "I…I thought I was…" As her breathing began to slow, the light of her pendant dimmed and eventually went out, falling back down.

"I'm so sorry you had such an awful dream." Speaking in a comforting tone, Camilla ended the embrace, taking a step back. "Are you alright, now?" After a moment's hesitation, Azura nodded, though it was easy to tell that she was simply trying to put Camilla at ease.

"What are you doing here?" The question came off as wary, but Camilla knew Azura simply was still shaken. "Do you need me for something?" As she asked, she moved her hand to her other shoulder, gently running her fingertips over a fresh burn scar from her encounter with Lilly. Burns never healed very well.

Shaking her head, Camilla gave her sister a smile. "Do I need a reason to check up on you? I was simply already around, so I thought I should see if you were alright." She wasn't fond of lying to Azura like this, but a lie to earn her trust far outweighed the alternative.

"I'm quite alright." Azura was lying as well, so Camilla took comfort in the fact that she wasn't alone.

"Well then, I'll be on my way." Heading to the door, Camilla made sure to move at a slower pace than she normally would. It gave more time for her sister to think.

"Thank you." Azura spoke meekly, just as Camilla was moving to close the door. They looked at eachother, and Camilla offered up an encouraging smile, saying nothing. Closing the door behind her, she took a deep breath, then headed off to her second destination. She was running out of time. The meeting with father was approaching, and if she didn't have her plans ready by then, everything would fall apart.

Bölverk was quick to offer its own thoughts on her interactions with Azura. From its point of view, she was being too soft on her. She was treating her sister with too much care, too much attentiveness. More drastic action needed to be taken. She couldn't afford to get so attached.

Camilla was quick to remind it that Azura was her sister, meaning she certainly wouldn't stop caring about her. It knew the real reason why, however. Before she could protest, it forced the memory she loathed to visit back into her mind. The murkiness faded from it, revealing an older woman, her hair the same violet color that Camilla's was. "Are you paying attention?" She snapped, her gaze terrifying Camilla.

"Y-yes, mother!" The young girl exclaimed, walking behind her mother. The woman moved confidently through Krakenburg's halls, while Camilla couldn't help but be nervous about even looking at someone the wrong way.

"How do you think you're going to grow stronger if you're too busy being afraid of your own shadow?" The question was harsh, but it was the one kind of discomfort that Camilla had grown somewhat used to. "You're the daughter of royalty, not some shriveling mouse. Act like it."

"Yes, mother." Holding her hands together, Camilla straightened her posture, kept her chin up, and put on a brave face. What were they even walking to? She had asked, but her mother had simply berated her for asking questions. Perhaps it was best to not care. Then again, if she didn't care, her mother would chastise her for not putting enough effort into her life.

Passing by one of the gardens, Camilla spotted a girl around her age with blue hair sitting down by the flowers, holding a daisy. She paused for a moment, raising a hand and giving her a hesitant wave. The girl looked up, noticing and nervously waving back. "Camilla!" Her mother had continued on without even looking back. "Stay by me." Giving the girl a regretful look, Camilla quickly ran back to her mother, returning to a pace that matched hers.

After enough walking to make her feet hurt, they finally arrived at their intended destination. Her mother opened a door and stepped into a dining room, another woman and what Camilla assumed was her son, judging by their auburn hair, already seated at the table. The woman smiled. "Ah, it's lovely to see you two!"

Her mother's demeanor had changed completely, now relaxed and friendly, lacking any sort of hostility. "You as well, Elenora. I see Sebastian has been doing his fair share of growing!" The boy beamed at Camilla's mother, then Camilla herself. She felt less worried the second his eyes made contact with her own. It was just dinner, thank the gods.

The two of them were quickly seated across from their hosts, and Camilla's mother began to engage in small talk with Elenora. Sebastian and Camilla would occasionally glance at eachother, each time accompanied by his bright smile and her nervous eyes flickering away. "Yes, well the air in that region grows much less stale during the summertime. You simply must go there someday!" Her mother laughed, then glanced to her. "Oh! I believe my daughter has to use the restroom. Do you know where it is?" She set her hand on Camilla's, gently holding it.

"But mother, I don't—" Camilla stopped, wincing sharply as her mother's grip tightened to the point of hurting her. Her mother didn't need to speak for her to understand the message. Don't argue. Do what I say. "Y-yes, I do need to."

Elenora smiled. "Ah, it's back by the kitchen. Take a left and it'll be across the hall." After thanking her, Camilla's mother got up, still holding her by the hand, escorting her down the hall. Along the way, they passed by one of the butlers, who her mother bumped into. The man apologized, but her mother insisted to him that it was quite alright. Before he walked away, Camilla noticed there was something new in his vest pocket, but she didn't speak up, for fear of angering her mother.

They didn't go to the restroom. Instead, they stepped into the kitchen, currently empty. "Here." Her mother fished two flowers out of her pocket, handing them to her. "You see that teapot over there?" Looking to where her mother was pointing, Camilla saw the teapot she was referring to. "Crush the flowers in your hand and drop them into the pot. Quickly, now."

Camilla almost considered asking why, but she decided against it, not wanting to face any further berating for the time being. Instead, she did as her mother asked before quickly hurrying back. Before she could speak, her mother had taken her hand again, leading her back to the dining table. "Thank you for your help! Camilla appreciates it. Right, dear?" Once again, Camilla could feel her mother's grip tightening around her hand.

"Yes. Thank you, ma'am." It was difficult to not let her pain be shown in her voice, but Camilla seemed to avoid any suspicions. Her acting ability had improved, thankfully. Sitting back down at the table, it wasn't long until their meal was brought out; a vast array of meats and fruits were laid across the table, arranged to look as delicious as possible.

Camilla was quick to dig in, having not been used to enjoying meals of this quality. Her mother was more reserved, cutting small bites of her meat before chewing them slowly. The rapid pace at which Camilla was eating made her grow thirsty rather quickly, and so she reached for her cup of tea. Her mother's hand was quick, slapping her hand away before anyone else could notice.

It was only a few minutes later when Elenora began to cough. She covered her mouth with a napkin, but the coughing refused to die down. Eventually, she pulled it away, allowing Camilla to see the splotches of red scattered across it. The woman's panicked eyes looked at her mother's and widened in shock. "N-no, you—" She was interrupted by another forceful cough, one that made Sebastian get up from his chair, rushing over to her.

"Mother!? Mother, are you—" Sebastian didn't finish, letting out a rough, choked cough of his own. Elenora tried to say something to him, but her coughing fit sent her buckling over the table, blood splotching onto the food in front of her. Sebastian soon collapsed to the ground, sparing Camilla the sight of whatever was happening to him.

Looking to her mother, Camilla saw a terrifying grin upon her face, one that was soon replaced by faux mortification. "Oh, gods! Help, someone help! Lady Elenora and her son have been poisoned!" By the time the servants arrived, Sebastian had already gone silent, while his mother was pale, tears streaming down her face as she tried not to fall off her chair.

One of the maids escorted Camilla and her mother out of the dining hall, asking them to return to their own rooms for their safety. Her mother protested, but was remarkably quick to relent, grabbing her hand once more and leading her away. Once they had walked for long enough, her mother spoke. "Excellent work, Camilla. Perhaps there's hope for you yet."

"Mother, what was that?" Camilla may have been young, but she was far from naïve. They were dead. "What…what did you do?"

"Me? I didn't do anything. You're the one who poisoned their tea. Oh, don't worry about being caught. I planted another one of those flowers in a butler's vest pocket. He's likely already been found out." The words came out like they meant nothing at all. Camilla stopped walking, her breath going unsteady. Her mother kept on, uncaring. "What did I tell you about looking like you aren't terrified of a gust of wind? Hurry up!" Flinching, Camilla hurried after her mother, trying to push the truth out of her mind. It didn't work.

The vision faded, and Camilla was left in the present, now a grown woman. Don't show me that again. She stopped to collect herself before continuing onward. She knew full well why Bölverk had shown her the memory of her mother. It was to show why Camilla truly wanted to keep Azura safe. She wanted Azura to have someone who could comfort her, keep her safe from the world; someone that Camilla never had.

Finally, she arrived at the last place she needed to be. She unlocked the door and stepped inside of the well-furnished room, alerting the man inside. He scrambled out of his bed, getting into a defensive stance in spite of his lack of any weapons. "Peace, Prince Takumi. As I've told you since the beginning, we mean you no harm."

"Like I'm supposed to believe that." Takumi growled, staring daggers at her. She paid him no mind, reaching into her satchel.

"Father has given you a gift, to show his well-meaning intentions. I believe you'll enjoy it." Giving Takumi a wink to throw him off-edge, Camilla removed the black eyepatch from her bag, setting it down on a small table. "When he learnt of your injury, he requested you receive something to properly cover that garish wound."

"I don't want your damn pity presents."

"What you want doesn't matter. I thought you'd have realized that by now." She flashed a patronizing smile. "Though, I'm not opposed to your behavior. I find that kind of anger to be incredibly adorable."

That tripped him up for a moment, leaving him silent. "You said your father is doing this to try and get me to cooperate with him. Why should I believe he means well when you've told me that?"

Shrugging, Camilla headed for the door. "Why should you, indeed? Frankly, I see no reason myself. Then again, you could trust him just to spite me. That sounds very much like something you would do." Before Takumi could snip back, she stepped out of the room, promptly shutting and locking the door. She'd leave him to stew on that for a while; men like him were always more willing to comply when they thought the orders of others were their own idea.

Odin

"That will be all for today." Nyx abruptly snatched the tome from Odin's hand, her strength surprising given her surprise. "Lesson over. Go do whatever it is you do when you aren't here." Tossing the tome back into her stack of books, she climbed partially up until she found the book she was looking for.

"But I was starting to understand! Just give me more shot, I know I can pull it off!" Odin followed after her, but she quickly shot him a menacing glare, making him stop. "Please, just once more. I can get the spell right."

"Whether you can or cannot is not the issue here." Sliding down the stack of books and approaching her desk, Nyx sat down and opened the book up. "The issue is time; yours being up, more specifically. I have other matters to attend to."

"You mean reading." Odin grumbled, finding the whole situation to be rather unfair. He had truly learned quite a lot from Nyx, but she seemed to treat him as if he was nothing more than a distraction from her real desire, which seemed to be reading every book she could find.

"I mean studying. I, too, still have things to learn." Already, she was a few pages in. "And I'd like to have the time to learn them." She sat up straight, huffing. "Besides, this is your last lesson."

The last one? That couldn't have been right. "You mean the last lesson for a while, right? You need a couple weeks' break, and then you'll resume lessons. Right?"

"Wrong. This is the final lesson. I will not teach you anymore." Everything about Nyx's behavior suggested she was hesitant. "It's not for any fault of your own. You were…a decent pupil; decent enough to make some sort of progress, anyway. You won't change my mind. I don't care if you complain to Iago. I don't care if he throws me back in the dungeon. Lessons are over."

It was difficult for Odin to even find a way to respond. So much confused him, but most surprising of all was the hint of genuine kindness Nyx had displayed when she had referred to him as "decent". "At least tell me why."

Nyx closed her book before turning in her chair to look at Odin. "I won't. However…" The hesitation she was displaying only became more prominent. "I suppose I could impart final words of advice. Consider this the most important lesson I'll ever teach you." With rapt attention, he listened carefully. "I've already explained to you that dark magic is the manipulation of death and decay. At the same time, it can be used to restore life, to a certain degree. A nosferatu spell is the only way this has been achieved, however. You bothered to remember this, correct?" He nodded. "And what do you suppose happened to the other attempts?"

Odin thought on that for a while before giving a nervous answer. "They…perished? I'd assume painfully and horrifically, as well. That's the lesson you want to teach me, right? To not meddle with the power to restore life."

"You are half-correct. That most certainly is my lesson, but the fates of those who tried to defy death and exploit the powers of life that dark magic could grant were far worse than simply perishing. The kinds of torture they endured went beyond mere death."

Odin had suspected for a while, but what Nyx was saying now only confirmed his suspicions. "You tried it, didn't you? You attempted to exploit death?" There was a moment where it seemed like she was about to grab the nearest tome and use it to blast him into oblivion, but the anger cooled.

"…Yes. I was one of those fools. I attempted to use the powers of death and decay to grant myself power. And just like all of the other fools, there was a price to be paid. Though…" Nyx's voice drifted off, as if she were recalling the memory of whatever happened to her. "I wasn't the one to pay it."

"It worked, then? That's how you've lived so long."

"Indeed. However, you misunderstand my point. Odin," She took a step closer, and he noticed the look in her eyes. They were tired and weary, as if she had been carrying far too heavy of a burden for far too long. "this is my punishment. This is the torture I deserve for what I did."

"I'm…sorry." Nyx's gaze forced Odin to look away, finding it too much to look at for so long. "I've only dredged up terrible memories, haven't I?"

"You have. However, if it has helped you, I am fine with it. This is my lesson, Odin. This is what I've been teaching you all this time. Do not meddle with powers beyond yourself. Do not believe you are beyond others out of sheer hubris alone. Do not let your ambition keep you from seeing the path you are going down."

Opening his mouth to say something, Odin was interrupted by someone knocking on the door to Nyx's study. "Odin? Are you in there?" Siegbert said from the other side. What could he have been doing here?

Nyx closed her eyes. "Go. You seem to have other matters to attend to." She headed back to her desk, taking a seat and resuming her reading. Odin wasn't quite ready to leave, but he knew that even if he did, she would have nothing else to say to him. He looked at her one last time, and in that moment, her hostility was gone. She simply looked…sad.

As Odin stepped outside of the study, shutting the door behind him, Siegbert looked at him with caution. "We think we've figured out where Soleil is. Come on, everyone's already gathered together." Odin could only stammer in confusion as he followed his fellow retainer through the castle until they reached one of the storage rooms. Inside were Laslow and Velouria, both looking at him as he entered. "Show him what you found, Velouria."

Nodding, the wolfskin girl gave Odin a piece of parchment that contained a list of each prisoner in Krakenburg's dungeon, along with their respective cell numbers. He scanned the list, but Soleil's name was nowhere to be found. "I don't understand. What's there to see?" He asked.

Velouria pointed at a part of the list. "Look. Two prisoners organized next to eachother on the list. One is in cell twenty-six, while the other is in cell twenty-eight. Where's cell twenty-seven? Not just that; look at the date." The list had been organized after the day Soleil vanished. "I stole it yesterday from one of the prison guards. It's definitely recent."

"You think she's in cell twenty-seven, then?" Odin asked, getting a nod from Velouria. He looked up at the others, as if asking the same question. They both nodded as well. "Then let's go down there and see!" He could already feel an excited fire beginning to spring to life inside of him.

Laslow held his hands up. "Woah, easy there Odin. It's still broad daylight. Best to do this under the cover of night, so we don't have to deal with as many people. The dungeons will likely be just as populated, but everywhere else should be a tad bit sparser, and certainly easier to go through without being seen."

Clearing his throat, Siegbert got the group's attention. "I should remind you all that what we're planning to do could and will be described by some as treason. If Soleil is down there, and we break her out, we'll be harboring a fugitive. If she isn't, and we get caught, we'll likely lose our jobs at best and be jailed ourselves at worst. Then again, if she is, whoever is behind this could have us executed so we don't spill any secrets." The reminder wasn't a pleasant one, making even Odin a bit more apprehensive about it. "If you don't want to take this risk, I understand. However, you have to make the decision now."

Everyone took a moment to consider their answer. The first to answer was Velouria. "I'll go where you go. I always will." Walking up to him, she planted a brief kiss on his cheek. Laslow grumbled something about getting a room, before speaking up himself.

"Well, she's my daughter, so I've an obligation, don't I?" Despite the uncaring nature of his question, it was easy to tell he was simply worried for her. Laslow was quite the empathetic person, even if he tried to hide that whenever he wasn't flirting with someone.

Odin stood up straight, flashing a heroic smile. "It would be unbefitting for the great Odin Dark to simply stand by and let injustice occur! Of course I'll assist!" The air in the room became considerably more relaxed now that everybody was in agreement. However, a knock on the door created a renewed sense of tension amongst them.

The doorknob turned, and in stepped Jakob, giving them all a glare that somehow was both neutral and accusatory. "Well now, I never assumed you all would be so quick to commit treason. I suppose my assumptions of your characters were incorrect."

Siegbert was the first to speak up. "…You were listening?" Jakob nodded. "And…what exactly are you going to do about this?" At first, Jakob didn't say anything, leaving the four of them to stew in unease and worry. What was going to happen? Would they have to tie him up, leave him gagged in some closet? Would they have to fight him? Would they have to do something drastic?

"I am going to do the only thing I would naturally do. I will assist you in your endeavor." The shocked silence of Odin and the others induced a frown on Jakob's face. "What? If Soleil is truly imprisoned without proper cause as you believe, then exposing whoever committed the deed is of utmost importance. Corruption of that sort cannot be allowed to flourish."

Laslow sighed. "So what you're saying is you want an excuse to gain more favor with the higher-ups." Jakob cleared his throat, growing a tad bit nervous himself as he adjusted his collar. Of course he couldn't have just wanted to help out of the kindness of his heart.

"Yes, that as well. Not to mention that if this does turn out to be a false assumption, you'll need help to make sure you don't get found out. Consider it a favor from me." Odin didn't exactly trust Jakob as far as he could throw him, and he had the feeling the others had the same opinion. However, he knew their secret, and excluding him would give him a good reason to voice their plans to Prince Leo.

"Fine." Siegbert agreed through gritted teeth. "You can help us. But know that if you try anything, I will-"

"You won't need to do anything, Siegbert, because I won't be trying anything." That was hard to believe, but Odin tried to give his fellow retainer the benefit of the doubt. He had saved Selena back at the canyon, after all. Even if it was out of duty alone, that had to count for something, right?

Corrin

The ride to Windmire was quite possibly the most agonizing thing Corrin had ever endured in her life. That included the time when she was tortured for a week until Niles and Rinkah broke her out. At least her torturer didn't have any pet cats wandering around. And at least those cats weren't gigantic and terrifying and evil and demonic and oh gods she just wanted it to stop.

It felt almost like a dream; that made sense, since Mozu told her she had passed out from fright around two dozen times over the course of the trip. She had vomited a few times, too, but Mozu always made sure her head was leaning out of the back of the wagon before it happened. She had heard stories of people conquering their fears by indulging in them, but she knew she was not one of them.

What was most embarrassing of all was that the bobcat didn't even seem all that aggressive. It yawned a lot, sure, and its eyes were seemingly locked onto Corrin whenever it was awake, but it never once growled or roared. It still terrified her regardless, and that made her feel like a total wimp. When they had first gotten out of the carts, Kana thought she had been injured, judging by her pale face, empty eyes, and shivering body.

At least Corrin was finally somewhere she could feel comfortable; that is, surrounded by ruffians and vagrants, just how she liked it. Finally coming back to Windmire's underground after so much time away was like stepping back into a pair of old boots. Sure, they stank like shit and were close to breaking, but man were they comfy.

She quickly found the old base she had grown up in. It stunk of mildew and rot, all of the furnishings were deteriorating, and the ceilings still occasionally dripped sewer water down on her head. Still, she couldn't help but wallow in nostalgia for her home. The sight of it made her want to go back to better times when it was just her, Niles, and Rinkah, robbing people blind and getting through life by the skin of their teeth.

It took expending every single favor Corrin had, but she managed to secure an entrance into Krakenburg, and a floor plan with areas of interest marked. From there, the infiltration and rescue plan was conceived, all in the span of a couple of hours. She had never worked that fast or hard on a plan in her life, but she knew that the longer she waited, the more danger their friends were in. She had already heard whisperings of Azura's return to the Nohrian Court, and a subsequent assassination attempt. Gods, the nobility really were animals.

At least she had some entertainment in the form of Nina and Forrest to keep her from losing her mind. Something had clearly happened on the ride to Windmire, because suddenly they were sitting a lot closer to eachother, blushing when their eyes made contact, and whispering to one another. If she had to wager a guess, they probably became a couple.

Mozu, meanwhile, looked as nervous as she was when they first met. She kept running her finger over the floor plan, tracing the route she was supposed to take as she mouthed the instructions she had been given over and over again. Corrin thought to ask her how she was holding up but decided not to interrupt.

Kana, meanwhile, looked rather calm. He had covered up his face once again, reminding Corrin that he was the same ninja who had so viciously killed Kotaro back in Hoshido. She had to remind herself that he was her son and that she needed to talk to him a bit more often. "Hey. How're you holding up?" Not a bad conversation starter, but not a very good one either.

"Fine." Kana slightly tilted his head to the side to get a better look at her, leaning against a wall. "Just biding time until the plan commences." He paused, closing his eyes for a few seconds. "You should know that a friend of mine is already here. His name is Shigure; we traveled together for a while, but once you and Azura separated, we did the same. He's her son, in case you hadn't gathered that." She was pleased to see he had inherited some of her classic sarcasm. "Wherever Azura is, he won't be far. If push comes to shove, he'll make his presence known."

"Good to know. Could've told me that days ago, but good to know nonetheless." Corrin chastised herself, realizing that she probably shouldn't have been that rude to her kid. "Really, thank you. I'm glad you stuck around even after the cat was let out of the bag." Saying the word "cat" made her shudder instinctually, her mind flashing back to the bobcat she had to sit by.

"Yes, well…" Kana stopped, shifting slightly. "I suppose my identity had to be known, sooner or later. I had just hoped it could be later; not because of anything you've done, mind you. I simply didn't wish to burden you with the knowledge, nor myself with getting too attached to anyone."

"You're saying you didn't wanna like your mom? Jeez, am I really that much of a bad parent in the future?" Corrin rubbed the back of her head, smiling weakly. "What, did I show all your friends your embarrassing childhood drawings or something?"

"That's not what I—" Kana paused, blinking. "O-oh. You were making a joke." Corrin wasn't sure, but she could've sworn he was cracking a smile. "Right. Of course." She couldn't help herself, bursting into laughter at his embarrassment. At first, he only seemed more awkward, but eventually, he let out a chuckle himself. For a while, they both just laughed, and she felt like she was finally getting to know him a little better. From what she had seen, it sounded like she did a damn good job raising him.

After talking to Kana, everything that Corrin needed to do had been done. All that she had left to do was wait. It wouldn't be long now; just a few more hours until it would be time to get started. They'd find Nyx, they'd find Niles, they'd find Azura, and they'd get them out no matter what. Come hell or high water, she was bringing them home.

Severa

The second Beruka woke up, Severa was kneeling next to her, trying to calm her down, even as she struggled in the rope that bound her legs together and her arms to her body. The others glanced occasionally, but death stares from Severa made them mind their own business very quickly.

Beruka, despite her monotone voice, sounded angrier than Severa had ever seen. "You traitor! Liar! You're siding with the Hoshidans so you can—"

Severa was quick to interrupt. "So I can what, Beruka? Do you even know why I did it?" With an annoyed look, Beruka's eyes dodged Severa's. "Maybe if you shut up and let me explain, you'll get to find out." As she began to fill Beruka in, she couldn't help but notice that Kiragi was watching intently from a distance, his hand clutching the purple bandanna wrapped around his neck. She couldn't help but feel bad for the kid, considering his mom had intended on killing him. She could sympathize with his complicated relationship with his mother.

Beruka processed the information. She took her sweet time doing it, too. Then, she finally spoke. "You're…more complicated than I thought you were. I don't like complicated."

Severa frowned. "You work for Camilla. How on earth do you not like complicated?" Groaning, she massaged her temples, already feeling a headache come on. "Listen, if I was really some evil, coldhearted traitor, then why didn't I kill you in Izumo? Why didn't I kill you here? Why are you still alive?"

"Because you're soft."

Severa scowled at that answer. "Because you're my friend, dumbass. Friends don't kill eachother just because one of them did something the other one didn't like. You were about to kill half a dozen people, but I didn't kill you, because you're still my friend."

Beruka's face was unreadable. "You aren't the kind of person that has friends."

Scoffing, Severa folded her arms. "You also thought I wasn't the kind of person to go turncoat. You also thought I wasn't from a different dimension. You also thought I'm soft, and let me remind you, Beruka, that I am not soft." Leaning towards Beruka until their faces were inches away, her voice turned into a low growl. "I have gone through shit that would make Nohr's current situation seem peachy in comparison. You think it's bad here, now? I lost everything, Beruka. Everything." She leaned back a bit.

"I remember getting in a big fight with my mom. I said she cared more about the man leading her than she did me. I screamed at her and shouted at her and called her every horrible thing I could think of. She left to go fight, and she never came back. Do you know how much I—" Severa stopped, realizing that her eyes were starting to water. She breathed out sharply, wiping the moisture from her eyes. "Do you know how much I want to take it back? How much I wanna turn back time and tell her I'm sorry? I can't, though. I screwed up, and now she's gone, and I can't change that. I am not going to let that happen again."

There was a subtle shift in Beruka's expression. She seemed more confused; surprised, even. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"What I'm trying to tell you is that I…" Another sharp breath. Severa was never good as getting all emotional like this. "I care about you, Beruka. I care about you in the same way that I care about Inigo, and Owain, and Anna. I care about you infinitely more than I care about Camilla. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna just let you hate me like this, because I know that if you keep hating me, nothing's gonna end well. Nothing ever does. And it's not just for my sake." With a quick jerk of her head, she motioned to Kiragi, who winced upon being called out.

Beruka looked over at him with a calculating, observant gaze. "What about him?"

Sometimes, this girl could really piss Severa off. "He's your kid. No doubt about it. He's got your bandana, he knows things about you not even I knew, and from what these guys have been telling me about him, he's really damn good at killing stuff. He is your kid and you tried to kill him. So you're going to apologize, right now." She only got silence in response, making her sigh and soften her tone. "Please Beruka, now is not the time to act like a bitch."

"You're acting like a bitch, too." Beruka's response caught Severa off guard, leaving her stunned into silence. Then, she laughed. It wasn't a morbid laugh, or a sarcastic chuckle, or anything like that; it was a genuine, heartfelt laugh.

"Yeah, I guess I am being a bit of a bitch right now. But you forced my hand, alright? Don't act like you're innocent in all this." For the briefest of moments, Severa could've sworn she saw Beruka crack a hint of a smile. "I want you to apologize to your kid, got it? If you do, maybe I'll consider untying you." Getting up onto her feet, she headed over to Hinoka and Asugi, who were currently standing nearby Mitama as she checked up on Midori, whose cold had only gotten worse. She had her new blanket wrapped tightly around herself, its rather large size practically burying her inside of it.

As Severa opened her mouth to speak, Midori let out a loud sneeze, prompting the redhead to quickly shut her mouth. Gawds, she couldn't even begin to imagine how gross the air around that bean sprout must've been. "So, has Dwyer shown up yet?" All she got were shaking heads. "Great. Just how long are we supposed to wait for this guy?" She held her head in her hands for a second, rubbing her face. When she looked up, she saw wide eyes staring at her. "What? Something on my face?"

A voice from right behind her sent her practically leaping away, screaming. "Hello." When she got back to her proper senses, she saw a white-haired young man who looked like he was in desperate need of some sleep. "Oh, hey you guys. I didn't see you behind that loud girl."

Midori was the first to speak. "Dwy—ah…ah-CHOO!" Instead of continuing her sentence, she simply let out a low groan.

"The one and only. You wouldn't believe what's been happening to me lately. I've been hopping across time and space against my will, and it's really bizarre. I've already seen lots of stuff that I can't make heads or tails of. Like, for example, I met this guy around my age, and then when I hopped again, I met his father; both really cool people, by the way, but man were they ideologues. All they talked about was trying to achieve peace and boring stuff like that, so I just started tuning out and looking at their blue hair. Funny, I met a girl with blue hair too, but she was way less talkative…"

Asugi sighed. "Dwyer, focus. There are some things we need to tell you so that you can tell us. It's…complicated." He began telling Dwyer all of the information he had told them as quickly as possible, with occasional corrections from Midori in-between her sneezing.

Shrugging his shoulders, Dwyer gave a complacent look. "Not really as complicated as you made it sound. Typical paradox. It's better to not think about it since it's one of those things that should definitely be impossible, yet happens anyways. Speaking of time travel, that blue-haired girl actually mentioned she was one. I started asking her about the logistics and mathematics behind it, but she just got all embarrassed and said she didn't know; said it was the power of something or another. Nag..oo, I think? Started with a 'Nag', I'm pretty sure. I wish I could've learned more about it before I hopped again…"

Severa felt her heart skip a beat. All of that sounded so dreadfully, excitingly familiar. It sounded like a friend she hadn't seen in a long time. "Wait, that girl, what was her—" Before she could finish her question, Dwyer was gone, leaving everyone startled into silence. It really was pretty weird to see him just disappear like that. She took a moment to breathe, to collect her thoughts, and to calm her nerves. Then, she turned to face the others again. "Alright, what the hell do we have to do to get him back?"