Draco: This E is still going to be the death of me.
First time I got to wings:3, I forgot about all the blue chests except the ones in places where the asterisk holders were marked. Second time I got to wings:3, I remembered most of them, but I forgot about Grandship until, like, wings:1. This time, I'm basically replaying wings:5 to make sure I don't miss anything.
Bravely Default and all related properties © Square Enix.
Florem Region: Waved Edge
"Let me get this straight; she's with Olivia?"
Despite the lack of shore to the Flor-Cheim Inner Sea, Florem had a different place to rest an airship. There was an expansive lake to the east of Witherwood that could have fit every airship the duchy owned, and like the lake of Yulyana and the inner sea, it was spared the taint of the oceans. Granted, there was no dock that would direct to the city of Florem - a sandy shore nearby led only to an island of no great significance - but it was a simple matter to draw out a boarding plank and set it between the deck and the cliff face nearby.
They had waited a day, to make sure the ship wasn't noticeable; then Tiz, Agnès, and Ringabel had soared to Florem, awaiting the arrival of those Airy was leading. Ringabel had set the Dark Knight into the lake, thinking it would be out-of-the-way enough that Airy would not lead them here, but all they could really do was hope for the best.
At Ringabel's question, Tiz nodded. "The Sage told me she had come to get vestal garb," he replied. "We saw her in the Temple of Wind. I tried to convince her to not awaken the crystal, but..." He shook his head. "She was not so easily dissuaded."
"You didn't simply stop her by force?" Ringabel inquired.
"Setting aside the matter of who she had with her," Agnès insisted, "it's not enough to simply stop them. Whatever it is Airy is doing, she needs a vestal on her side. We need to make it clear that the vestals are not her tools. Olivia needs to refuse, for herself."
"I see..." Ringabel sighed. "Well, first things first. Neither of you have seen Edea?"
Tiz shook his head. "Yulyana Woods, Mount Fragmentum, and Miasma Woods," he summed up. "She wasn't there."
"I spent a fair time in Ancheim, myself," Agnès admitted. "I didn't see her."
"She wasn't in Caldisla," Ringabel added. "I really hope she isn't stuck in Eternia. That could be a serious problem."
Agnès shook her head. "As long as we're in Florem, we might as well look here."
+x+x+x+
"This place is still nothing but leches and model wannabes."
Edea was sitting in the bar of Florem's inn, with a hot coffee made Ancheim-style. She had been here for a few days, looking for any sign of the others, but to no avail; for now, she had opted to sit in a corner in a Thief's hood and keep an eye on anyone who came through the door.
And in the process, she had seen someone who really oughtn't have been here.
The ringing of the door's bell caused her to raise her gaze - and the three people she was looking for walked right in.
Tiz was at the forefront, dressed in a Performer's white suit and sunglasses. Agnès was right behind him, in a Spiritmaster's lab coat and spectacles, and Ringabel closed the door behind them, covered in a Salve-Maker's jacket and vials. He was the first to notice her, getting the others' attention quietly; then they made their way towards her, sitting down at her table.
"Edea?" Ringabel prompted.
The templar's daughter pulled the hood off her head. "Yeah," she prompted. "Nice to see you guys are safe."
Tiz chuckled, drawing off his sunglasses and hooking them on his collar. "This is getting to be a habit," he mused.
"Habit?" Edea inquired.
"Of you worrying for us, while we are all worrying for you," Agnès replied, taking off her own spectacles.
Edea chuckled lightly, taking a sip of her drink. The waitress approached them at this point, prompting the group to turn to her. "What can I get for you all?"
"Any tea will be fine," Agnès requested.
"Coffee, black," Ringabel added.
"Light coffee, milk and two sugars, please," Tiz finished.
The waitress jotted it all down. "Will that be everything?" she inquired.
Edea sighed. "Another Ancheim-style, please," she asked.
"That always gets tacked on at the end," the waitress giggled, noting it down and taking off.
The templar's daughter drained her drink and set it down between them. "Guys, you're not gonna believe this," she whispered. "I saw Olivia come in here the other day."
Agnès nodded. "Yes, we saw her in Ancheim, as well. Are you aware Airy is with her?"
"Airy?" Edea was shocked. "Just what is that little whore doing?"
"Edea!" Tiz reprimanded.
"You're gonna act like she doesn't deserve that?" Edea inquired.
Ringabel shook his head. "She does not service," he insisted, "and she does not advertise. 'Whore' is entirely the wrong word to describe her.
Edea rolled her eyes at him. "You know what I mean," she snapped. "Is she still talking like 'wake the crystals, save the world'?"
"From the looks of it," Tiz explained. "They've already awakened the Wind Crystal."
"You didn't stop her?" Edea demanded. Then, before they could react; "No, you shouldn't stop her. We need to get Olivia to do that."
Tiz held his hand towards her, turning to Ringabel. "See? She gets it."
"Your orders, sirs and madams." The waitress' voice caused the group to turn. "One herbal tea, one black coffee, one Ancheim-style coffee, one order of milk-and-two-sugars."
Everyone accepted their drinks and waited for the waitress to leave before speaking again.
"Did you get a chance to talk to her in Ancheim?" Edea asked.
Agnès shook her head. "We cannot afford to speak with her properly, or Airy will see what we are trying to do. We tried to dissuade her, but... to no avail."
Edea blinked twice before raising her gaze. "How'd you pull that off?"
Tiz shifted in his seat so he could reach into the pocket of his Performer suit before setting his hourglass on the table.
"Take a wild guess."
Edea whistled low. "That bad, huh?"
Ringabel sighed. "You have no idea..."
"What'd you say, trying to stop her?" Edea asked.
"I asked her if she'd turn away from the crystals to protect a friend," Tiz replied. "But... the only friend she's got... wouldn't let her do that."
Ringabel turned to him. "You didn't explain this on the way here," he mused. "Who does she have with her?"
Agnès spoke up. "It is Til Arrior," she explained.
"Damn," Edea muttered.
A moment's quiet, then Ringabel turned to the hourglass. "Would... would you be willing to let me try?" he asked Tiz.
The Norende boy raised his gaze. "You want to give it a try?"
"I think I have an idea that might convince her," he admitted. "We need a room."
"I got a room," Edea assured him. "Come with me."
+x+x+x+
"How long have you been hiding that thing?"
Edea had more or less expected this reaction. As soon as Lord DeRosso had revealed they could keep gear on their asterisks, she had hidden with her Knight gear the electrified Raikiri katana they had found in Grandship's engine room. At Tiz's reaction, Edea only chuckled. "Uh... Castle Frostcoffin round two," she replied. "This thing is a lightning rod, it'd be stupid to get rid of it."
Ringabel sighed. "Alright, asterisks. What have we all got?"
Everyone drew their asterisks before them. "Monk, Time Mage, Valkyrie, Performer, Dark Knight, Vampire," Tiz replied.
"White Mage, Spell Fencer, Summoner, Swordmaster, Spiritmaster," Agnès mused.
"Knight, Thief, Merchant, Red Mage, Pirate, Templar," Edea added.
"And I've got Black Mage, Ranger, Salve-Maker, Ninja, and Arcanist," Ringabel finished. "Doesn't look like we're missing any... do these things come out of here?"
Tiz grabbed the side of his Valkyrie asterisk and pulled it out of the alignment. He felt no resistance, and the rest of the setup even re-spaced itself to compensate. "Looks like it," he mused. "Just don't hit the shield, or the point of the sword."
Edea turned to Ringabel. "So, what'd you have in mind about Olivia?" she asked.
"I don't suppose you saw anything concerning the Sacred Flower Festival?" he inquired.
"It hasn't happened yet," Edea explained. "Looks like it's going on tomorrow."
Ringabel nodded. "Alright... Agnès, I'll need the Swordmaster's asterisk. And Edea, I'll need Raikiri."
Agnès pulled the request stone out of the setup and tossed it to Ringabel. Experimentally, he raised it to the line, and was pleased when it slipped itself into place. Once Edea was certain it wasn't going to slam into his face, she tossed him the katana.
"Alright, here's my plan..."
+x+x+x+
The Sacred Flower Festival was as insane as usual. Edea had spent the entire time since the planning session keeping an eye and an ear on Olivia and Til, all acting on Ringabel's 'gut hunch' that they would end up at the Sacred Flower Festival in some capacity or another. Apparently, they had spoken with Einheria Venus before, and they had some sort of plan concerning dealing with Fiore DeRosa. Now, she was in the crowd before the stage, in Black Mage robes to hide her presence, listening to platitudes from the Flower Maiden wannabes.
Soon enough, Ringabel's hunch was proven right; she caught sight of Olivia Oblige's distinct blue hair rushing past the crowd to speak with the guy guarding the performers. That was all she needed; she quickly took off from the back of the crowd, making her way back to the market area. Ringabel was hiding behind the huge silhouette of what was effectively a female Performer without a skirt; Edea changed to the Ninja asterisk Ringabel had given her and leapt up to meet with him. The airship pilot was in Ninja garb, himself, and was leaning against the supports for the silhouette, looking absolutely content.
Edea managed to grab where the supports joined to the building. "You're not seriously going to tell me you've been up here since yesterday, are you?"
Ringabel didn't respond. After a moment, Edea realized his eyes were closed.
"What the-? Ringabel!" She gave him a light punch in the shoulder, causing him to grunt lightly as he opened his eyes. "Were you sleeping?"
"Looks like it," he admitted, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "Well?"
"You were right," Edea insisted. "She's in line for the competition. You wanna do this, do it now."
Ringabel nodded. "Alright. Head to Dark Knight, it's in the lake by Witherwood. I'll meet you there."
He quickly leapt down, making his way to the festival. He quickly found a large set of boxes between the crowd and the contestants; he managed to slip himself between a couple so he wouldn't draw attention, though he did end up lying down to do so as he summoned his asterisks. Swordmaster's garb, and a Black Magic; then his hand went to Raikiri on his hip as he drew himself upright.
He found himself looking at what appeared to be a power cord for the lights behind the stage.
Well, that makes things easier.
He waited until Olivia was the last one still behind the stage; then he cast the lightest Blizzard spell towards her, used the jagged (and non-electrified) inside edge of the katana to cut the cord, and then leapt over the boxes, landing with his back to Olivia. The lights went out, though the stage itself remained lit; as he heard her turn, he held the blade out at his side, waiting for her reaction.
"Oh, mizu."
Wait for her to speak before you do so. Tiz's warning was still fresh in his mind. He turned towards her over his shoulder, peering at her out of the corner of his eye - this was definitely Olivia Oblige.
"You are a vestal of the crystals?"
She had her hand at a sword on her hip, a katana that he recognized as Ise-no-Kami, and he fought to keep his face straight as she responded; "I... yes," she replied.
Ringabel's gaze flit away as he thought for a moment about how to put this; then he focused on Olivia again.
"Tell me. Would you defy the crystals, if it meant protecting your beloved?"
Olivia sounded like she was trying not to snicker at him. "If a man can claim my heart while I still hold my station, Promethean Fire will be imprisoned in ice."
"Love extends beyond romance."
He saw her reach for her neck, and he realized that the water vestal was wearing a Rebuff Locket. "You... you speak of family?"
"Those whose blood you share. Those who care for you, as you care for them. Family has many forms."
A smirk rose on Olivia's face. "There is truth to that," she admitted, flicking the locket open. "Alas... those I have the privilege of calling family... I have already failed to protect."
Those words stung, and Ringabel quickly turned away, fighting to keep his voice firm. "Then you have my sympathies."
He heard the announcer call for Olivia's name, and the moment he heard her footstep mark her turning, he reached for the air next to him.
Bravely Second.
A high-pitched bell rang in his ears, though there was no source for it. Each of them had used Tiz's hourglass once during their first world, but it was still quite unfamiliar when Ringabel opened his eyes and found everything in blinding shades of white and grey. He made his way to the power cord and managed to tie the wire together so it would keep a charge; then he quickly made his way past the crowd, only then snapping his fingers to release the pause.
"Damn," he muttered. "So much for that approach."
Draco: Yeah, this little jump-back in perspective is not going to take very long.
