"Four bathrooms?" I asked weakly.
Sebastian had at last left us to our own devices, trusting that we could puzzle out the arcane mystery of bath and shower on our own. He'd offered to call for maidservants - never mind that we hadn't spied another member of staff in our entire visit so far - but neither Raine nor I wanted to share the room with yet another occupant. Not that it would have mattered.
The bathroom was enormous. It was about as big as my first apartment, and better-appointed. The floor was white marble, shot through with streaks of gold; there were soft, shaggy rugs laid out beside the bay of sinks and the cavernous stone tub, and very fluffy towels of every size available on a little golden service cart. There were soaps in every color and scent, lotions, creams, brushes and combs, scrubbers, tinctures and serums, each in exquisite packaging or placed on silver stands.
All the fixtures were gold or silver, and one wall was almost entirely mirrored; the lighting was soft and bright, emitted from ceiling-mounted magitech fixtures, and the entire place smelled of sandalwood.
There were even decorative ferns.
"I'm not sure you could call this a bathroom," Raine said, after a moment. We'd left our shoes at the door, but the floor was so white and clean that I was hesitant to move beyond the threshold. Raine had no such compunctions, and stalked in, inspecting the bathroom inch by inch with great interest. "Hm. Ah, there's a laundry chute. Edie, come inside and close the door, I really would like a bath."
I started, shuffled inside and did as I was told. My filthy socks left little smears on the pristine flooring, so I peeled them off.
"This is ridiculous," I said, as Raine fiddled with the faucets beside the tub. It'd take a while to fill - the thing was the size of a hot tub and there were only two taps, large though they were. Soon it was pouring off steam, but the room wasn't becoming humid, only warm. If there were ventilators or fans, I couldn't see them.
"Yes," Raine agreed. "You should finish undressing; I think it'd be best to towel down at the sink before we use the bath. It seems... therapeutic, rather than functional."
I made a face at her. "But - my stuff!"
Raine sighed. "You trust Zelos, don't you?" I blinked at her, and nodded. "Then trust we'll be safe here, at least for a time. Obviously, don't put your weapons down the laundry chute."
I resisted a little longer, inspecting the cabinets until I found - as I'd hoped - a pair of terry cloth robes, one in striped blue and the other solid grey. "Where do I put my weapons, though?" I wondered, as Raine wadded up a ball of undergarments and dropped it down the chute. "Oh. My backpack, I guess."
"Did you and Genis ever make progress with that spatial magic?" she asked, while I undressed. It took me a long moment to follow the turn in the conversation.
"Oh. When I made a dagger disappear? No, we never really messed with it," I admitted. "I was afraid of losing stuff."
"Hm. Well, we'll work on that," Raine decided, dampening a wash-towel and scrubbing at the worst of the dirt and blood accumulated over the last week. She'd been more-or-less out of commission while at sea, so she was actually worse off than I was. "You said Origin uses spatial and time magic - it'd do you well to have a better understanding of it. And it might come in useful for storage."
I gave her a narrow look. "You just wanna turn me into a bookmobile."
"I don't know what that is," she said, discarding the used towel. "But I assume you mean I want you to carry books? That would be useful," she mused, smiling.
"Anyway, I don't think I can use the sword, if that's what you're thinking," I cautioned, squirreling away the last piece of body armor and going to the sinks for my own little sponge-bath. Raine cautiously toed at the water, and after a moment's consideration, climbed inside and submerged herself up the waist. She'd put some kind of soap in that was bubbling, and it smelled really, really good. "I think it has to be Lloyd."
"Why?" she asked, easing down and selecting a bottle at random. She opened it, sniffed at the contents, and put it back on the marble shelf, proceeding to the next one and so on until she found a tolerable smell. "It sounds as if it will be much more trouble to get Lloyd outfitted in order to use the sword. You've already gotten used to using a short sword in combat, anyway."
I exhaled. "But if I do - and it works, what happens if I leave?"
Raine processed this. "I suppose you mean leave Sylvarant? Or - this world."
I nodded. "I don't - I don't know for sure, but if anything can send me home, it'd be the Eternal Sword."
Raine examined a tin of something creamy and floral before setting it aside. "And you worry that, should you leave, Origin's influence over the two worlds - or in this case, one world - will be impaired."
I climbed awkwardly into the massive tub, taking up the seat opposite Raine's - there was still at least a person's length between us.
"I don't want anything to happen to you guys. And Lloyd's the one who does it in the story. I think it might have to be him - he has a special Exsphere, and I think it helps him awaken the Seed and stuff." Raine nodded, passing me a bottle of something that smelled of vanilla. "I don't know what my Exsphere even is, and I don't wanna risk getting it wrong just to save some time."
"We know so little about how any of this works," Raine lamented. "It may be that belief is enough - but we can't be sure. We don't even know what it is that makes Sheena eligible to make pacts, and she won't divulge such personal secrets."
"That's another thing that's been bothering me," I said, picking at a bit of particularly matted hair, "If Kratos has a pact with Origin, and Lloyd can make one with him, too... What is it that makes that possible, but none of us could contract a Summon Spirit? 'Cause we know for sure there hasn't been anyone else contracted to them for a long time, so we know it's not some kind of family tradition."
"I think," said Raine, eyebrow raised, "That you may be overthinking it. Sheena did say others in her village make pacts with less powerful entities - elemental spirits or other manifestations. That's what her guardians are."
"...Okay, but what makes that different from making a pact with a monster?"
Raine smiled. "I don't know that there is one." After a moment, she turned off the roaring faucet - there was more than enough hot water between us. "Edie, do you think you can go back?"
I swallowed painfully.
"I... don't know," I admitted, after too long a pause. "But I have to try, right?"
Raine sunk back, eyes closing. "I don't know if you ever told me about your family," she said, leadingly.
I'd promised Raine I'd tell her everything, once. Within reason. But I'd interpreted that as interest in what I knew - what my secrets were. I'd been a chronic oversharer, once, but bartending had beaten that out of me. Still, Raine had told me about herself. Not much - but she'd told me.
"I'm the youngest of three sisters," I said. "By 12 years. We weren't really close, uh. By the time I could walk and talk they'd mostly left home. My parents were older when they had me. So, it's common where I come from for kids to go off to college - higher education - far away from where they grew up, right?"
Raine nodded, if only to show she was listening.
"My oldest sister got a scholarship and went to school overseas, where she met her husband, and my next oldest sister went across the country to study, and she got married...
And then I went maybe two hours away from home," I said, surprised to find my eyes prickling, "And everyone said how - irresponsible I was for leaving my mom all alone. How selfish I was."
"...Your father died when you were Lloyd's age, yes?"
I nodded.
"I've never been as good with people as my sisters," I admitted. "Or as smart. And by then they both had husbands and were starting families, so they'd... made themselves worthwhile, I guess, and I hadn't."
"Hm. Our worlds aren't so different, then," Raine observed. I nodded. "My mother - I don't know if she ever married our father. They fled her home village when I was young, and we traveled together as a family until my father - died? Left? I'm not sure. But when Genis was born, she brought the two of us to... I'm not certain, but I think it was a kind of portal."
"The Otherworldly Gate," I said, without thinking.
Her eyes opened. "It exists?"
"Somewhere in Tethe'alla," I said, reluctant. "I think you two are from the elf village, right? But - yeah. That's all I really know."
Raine deflated. "I - shouldn't be surprised, that you know."
"Sorry."
"You don't need to be sorry," Raine sighed. "It's just - embarrassing, I suppose."
"I feel like a voyeur," I admitted. "I don't know - much, you guys are more like... caricatures, in the story, just a limit of the medium, but I wish I didn't know things. It makes me feel more - fake? I understand if you - if it makes you uncomfortable."
Raine smiled thinly at me. "I think... Ironically, I think had you told me all of this to begin with I would have distrusted you. Knowing now what I do, it almost seems... Like an unfortunate but acceptable character flaw, like... an irritating laugh, or a tendency to breathe with your mouth open. After all, you've never tried to leverage your knowledge against me. Or anyone else I can think of."
"I did against Yuan," I said, flushing. "I - but it was better than fighting."
Raine chuckled. "Yes, it was better than fighting. Would it make you feel better if I pretended you were just clairvoyant?"
"Yes," I said. "Although, 'just clairvoyant'..."
"We live in interesting times," Raine agreed. We soaked for a while in companionable silence, before Raine seemed to remember something. "I think you said at the Tower - the story is in third-person limited, yes, with Lloyd as the focus? Then you would only know things I've said or experienced with him around, yes?"
"More or less," I agreed, bemused. "Actually, yeah, that's accurate."
Raine's smile was unusually mischievous. "Then I can have some idea of what you do and don't know. That's comforting, in its way."
She was teasing, but it was comforting. "You probably know as much about me as I do about you," I said. "You know, way back when we started, I had this grand idea where I'd write down a bunch of stories from my world? I even started it in a notebook."
"Oh?"
"It got completely ruined when we fought Undine," I sighed. "That's just an excuse, though. I never actually made much progress."
"You can always start again," Raine pointed out. "I'd be interested to read it. Sylvarant has one or two good compilations of folk stories I could recommend, if you wanted to study ours in kind. Although - a great number of them have been rewritten, I think, to better adhere to Martellian canon."
"Same in my world, though," I said. "Modern versions of our fairytales have the edges filed off, although - I don't think that's a bad thing. People should be learning to be kind and not... you know, indiscriminately maim people."
"I'm sure the utility of such stories was different in the past," Raine said, amused. "Having said that, it's entirely possible that such gruesome aspects - at least in our stories - are campfire embellishments, meant to titillate rather than - what?"
"Nothing," I giggled, "I've just never heard anyone actually say 'titillate'."
"You're ridiculous. Hm."
"What?"
"It's frustrating," she said, after a moment, "that we traveled with Kratos all that time, and I never had the opportunity or reason to ask him about prewar society! It's so - well, irresponsible, to think that he and the others have allowed - or facilitated - the destruction of what must be thousands of years of fascinating history. Just imagine - how long must Sylvarant and Tethe'alla have been developing to reach such levels of magitechnology?"
"...A long time?" I suggested, charmed by her sudden burst of righteous indignation.
"Yes! There must be some store of records, somewhere, no one in their right mind would dare destroy such a wealth of written materials-" I raised my eyebrows at her, but she wasn't paying attention to me. "It must exist," she insisted. "Even if it's only preserved in a digital medium. I refuse to believe the record of that past is reduced to oral history and a few dozen tomes."
"I'm sure there is," I agreed placidly.
She made a face at me. "Don't pretend as if you wouldn't be interested."
I grinned. "I wouldn't dare."
"You mentioned before that you pursued higher education," she said, combing back damp silver strands - we were both very clean by now, but reluctant to get out of the bath, "Was there any specific subject?"
"...Anthropology and philosophy," I said, embarrassed. "Also some study of literature and language. But I never graduated."
"You say that like it invalidates the learning you did do."
I laughed. "Well, it's not like a degree would have helped me get a job, anyway."
"Some things, at least," Raine observed, "are universal."
"You took long enough," complained Lloyd.
Sebastian ushered us into the airy tearoom. It was dominated by a long table, draped in white and heaving with trays and towers of food and drink. Zelos and Lloyd, each as grimy as when we arrived, look rough and out of place on the plush, elegant chairs, but appearances hadn't kept them from eating well. Colette and Presea, already bathed and enrobed, were enjoying pastries and teas.
"Well, you'll have to wait a little longer," said Zelos, standing and stretching. "That's my bathroom you two colonized, y'know."
"So I shouldn't have stolen all the soap?" I asked, examining the spread with great interest. "Too bad."
"I'm sure we left it in usable condition," Raine said, amused.
Zelos grinned. "I guess I'll have to see. I'm sorry to leave so soon - I thought I'd have more time to enjoy the view." He waggled his eyebrows, obviously indicating our robes. They were quite large and concealing, so the joke felt a little forced.
"It's okay," I said, giving him a thumbs up, "I only left behind hand towels, so at least you'll get to show off."
Raine smacked my forearm, but Zelos laughed. "It's what I do best," he agreed.
"Show off?" Lloyd wondered, when Zelos had made his exit.
"Be more naked than usual," I clarified. Raine sighed. "Wh - Lloyd's eighteen! That's barely even inappropriate."
"You overestimate his maturity," grumbled Raine.
"Oh," Lloyd blinked, "Oh, so he was saying it was too bad he had to go without getting to look at you and the Professor?"
"Exactly," I agreed seriously.
"Then why didn't he let me go?" Lloyd demanded, frowning. "He could have stayed here!"
"Let's eat something, shall we?" Raine suggested, because I was in danger of actually crying.
"Isn't this place amazing?" Colette asked, bright-eyed. I noted that her robe, already oversized, had been secured high to obscure her neck, and that she was half-holding the sleeves as she ate to keep them from slipping down. "There were so many kinds of soap, and there were flowers and blue and pink bubbles! I didn't know taking a bath could be so much fun."
"It is... too large," critiqued Presea. "But it is pretty."
"It's kind of... lonely," Lloyd said, voice quieting a little as he said it. "There were some people in suits and stuff setting out the food, but then they all went away again, and they didn't talk to Zelos at all. Sebastian seems cool, though."
"So there are actually other servants," Raine noted. "I was beginning to suspect Sebastian was a Summon Spirit."
Colette and Lloyd looked around, wide-eyed.
"I was joking," Raine clarified.
"It must be nice to have a Summon Spirit around all the time," sighed Colette, taking the disappointment well. "I wish I had someone like Corrine! It seems so nice to have company. And he's so cute!"
"Corrine or Sebastian?" I asked, grinning.
"It's good... to be alone sometimes," observed Presea, solemnly. "But being around people you trust is also good."
"I'll toast to that," I agreed.
Sheena joined us soon after Zelos left, squeaky clean and red-cheeked, Corrine semi-corporeal but adorned with a hand towel for appearances. A more traditional Mizuhoan tea had already been laid out for her - which seemed in equal parts to annoy and endear her.
"I'm starving," she said, dropping into her seat and reaching for a carafe of ice water. "Why does a hot bath make you so hungry?"
After Lloyd left, Sebastian re-entered, and began the process of discreetly cleaning up after our filthier friends. He was unsettlingly easy to ignore, and I found myself entirely forgetting he was there until he popped up at the corner of my vision, wiping at this or dusting that. He was an unobtrusive presence, inspiring comfort rather than awareness. I was almost always uneasy around new people, and so the effect came as a surprise.
Maybe he really was a Summon Spirit.
"This place is enormous," Sheena said, once she'd had a few long sips of cold water. "I almost got lost."
"You haven't been here before?" Colette asked, curious.
Sheena squinted. "The main hall, maybe? When I was younger, I think. But that might have been somewhere else - all these places look the same to me. I know the fu-" she cut herself off, and shook her head. "We visited Meltokio sometimes when I was training, but never very long."
"Zelos must have a lot of money," mused Colette.
"A lot is understating it," Sheena snorted. "The Chosen's family is probably as rich as the royal family. Probably richer, if you don't count land and stuff."
"It's just like in Sylvarant," said Colette. "We always had more than the other people in Iselia. And people would bring us gifts, and things, even when we didn't need them."
"I wouldn't say it's the same," Raine said, "But, yes, the Chosen's house - your grandmother's house, I suppose - was quite large, by our standards. About as large as the schoolhouse, I think."
"They built it when grandmother moved there," Colette explained, "That's why it's - it was sort of new."
"We'll see Phaidra and Frank soon enough," Raine promised, reaching across the table to squeeze Colette's hand. "I'm sure they're fine."
Colette looked down at her lap. "I'm not sure they - I'm not sure they'd be happy to see me."
Sheena, even lacking context, was immediately indignant. "Of course they would! Who wouldn't be happy to see you're alive and well?"
"But - it means I failed Sylvarant," Colette said, voice quiet.
"Sylvarant failed you," Sheena insisted, taking Colette's other hand. "This is Cruxis' fault, not yours."
Colette flushed. "I know. I'm sorry."
"Hi, sorry, I'm-"
"You used that one already," Sheena scolded. "And it wasn't funny then, either."
I gave her my best pout. "You're mean!"
"Sheena," Presea said, gently but somberly, "You shouldn't be mean."
"Children," Raine sighed, "Please." Her tone was teacherly, but she couldn't hide her smile.
After our little meal - but before the boys returned - the five of us were shown to our individual rooms. Never before on the journey had we enjoyed such a luxury, and yet here we were, each with our own lovely space and plush bed and wardrobe, chair and table. I sat down in the chair at once, admiring the broad mullioned window with its view of the garden, and for a moment I wished we could stay here forever.
Then the moment passed, and I noticed the smell.
A set of my own clothes, washed and presumably dried, had been laid out on the bed, but there was a musty smell in the air that I couldn't quite identify. I peeled back the comforter, only to find the sheets underneath were damp and sour-smelling. My own clothes, though laid out nicely, were still wet, and had the same stink to them.
On any other day, it wouldn't have stood out to me - I was used to bad odors and damp clothes on the road. But everything else had been so pristine, so perfect.
I didn't want to think anything of it - but the longer I stood there, the more I could see the signs of neglect. There was a thin, greasy layer of dust on the bedside table, a sticky stiffness to the carpet, and the water in the washbowl was oily and cold. I was being ridiculous, of course - Zelos hadn't been home in over a month, and it made no sense for him to have his guest rooms always prepared, and yet...
I inspected my backpack for signs of tampering, but it was untouched - maybe because of all the sharpened metal and poison - and hitched it over one shoulder.
I went to inspect Raine's room first.
I knew at once that I'd been right. It wasn't at all a triumphant feeling - I didn't feel vindicated, only slightly nauseous. Raine's room, identically appointed, was pristine. She was already dressed in warm, dry clothes, and the air was floral and breezy. There wasn't a speck of dust or grime in the place, and she gave me an odd look. "Comfortable?"
I swallowed. What if I was seeing things? Overreacting?
"Just a second," I said, padding out and knocking on Presea's door, next.
She was only half-dressed, her hair combed out straight on her shoulders, but she welcomed me in like we'd planned a visit. "What is the matter?" she asked, as I surveyed the room.
"Ah, nothing," I said, waving a hand.
Sheena's room was perfect - so was Colette's.
I was surprised at how bad it all felt. I'd thought - I'd hoped that Zelos and I had been getting along. He'd seemed so comfortable with me; he'd even let me use his bathroom! But, now I recalled it, Raine had volunteered the two of us to go together.
My hands felt very cold, and my heart was thumping - over what, a damp sheet? A bit of mildew?
I felt sick. But - what could I say? Zelos was giving me food and board - I could hardly complain about the quality. That was what I'd decided - to just deal with it - right up until I opened the wardrobe and found the dead rat.
I liked rats. It was impossible not to feel sorry for it - as it hadn't gotten into the wardrobe on its own, which was in pristine condition. Someone had chucked it in there on purpose, dead or alive, and now it was just there, small and grey and sad. I dropped my backpack on the ground, fished around for a rag, and scooped up the little body, wondering idly if I was going to cry. I probably would, but it was too demoralizing to start now, and so I hung on to that feeling of freezing cold.
The bathroom Raine and I had used was on the same floor. I didn't encounter anyone in the hall to stop me. I knocked.
"-Hmm? S'open!"
I opened the door; a wave of humid air washed over me.
Zelos was lounging in the bath, dark hair gathered over one shoulder. It took him a moment to realize I wasn't Sebastian or a maid, and he flailed for a moment, apparently torn between standing up in alarm and dunking himself in an attempt to hide. It would have been funny, if I'd been in any other mood - especially when he slipped and fell slightly sideways, displacing a small waterfall out over the edge and unmooring several bottles of liquid soap.
"Geez, you scared the crap - whoa, you okay?"
My eyes were itchy - but I really, really didn't want to cry.
"If you have a problem with me," I said, voice frustratingly strained, "Then tell me to my fucking face. Here's your - whatever." I'd had a vague notion of chucking the rat into the bath, but I couldn't bear it, and so I just set it on the counter near the door and made my escape, eyes stinging.
All I could remember, now, was how instinctively disgusted Zelos had been, on finding out I was a half-elf.
I'd hit the odd snag in school, or at camp - I had a vivid memory of sitting outside a door at my own slumber party while my guests chatted about how annoying and ugly I was, another of finding the contents of my desk in the classroom bin, hair lopped off from behind on the bus ride - but I'd been young, then, and gullible, and crying my eyes out had been an acceptable response. I'd never experienced anything like it as an adult - never from someone I trusted, and never someone I couldn't return fire on.
It was so easy for me to forget I was a half-elf, because I wasn't really a half-elf.
This never happened to Raine or Genis, said a little voice at the back of my head, so maybe it's not that after all.
I returned to the room, changed into an old, filthy pair of trousers and a tunic, and stalked downstairs to search for my shoes. The little voice kept going - telling me that I was overreacting, that maybe Sebastian had gotten the room wrong - but none of the other rooms had been made up at all, which meant mine had to have been done up that way on purpose. A third voice, more rational, was yelling at me to calm down and speak reasonably with someone about it.
"Miss Edie?"
I half-turned. Sebastian had appeared in the foyer from a door off to the left. He had no discernable expression, although he seemed slightly confused.
"Where are my shoes?" I asked, as politely as I could manage.
"I can retrieve them," he offered. "But it may be wise to remain indoors for now. Is there some matter I can resolve for you?"
I scrubbed a hand across my scalp, trying to restrain my temper. "It's - fine. I can be invisible. I'm going to - find a room in the Gate district, or something," I decided, although I wasn't actually sure I could afford to. I just - maybe this had been a mistake. Maybe Regal's appearance had been a sign. Maybe - "Can you let Lloyd and the others know?"
"Of course," Sebastian agreed smoothly. "Are the accommodations not to your liking?"
It was impossible to tell if he was being genuine.
"I'm - it's fine. Uh. Shit," I sighed, pinching my nose. "Can you ask - can you ask Raine or someone to get my clothes? I'll - wash them myself."
"I'm sure that-"
"Hey, where are you going?"
Zelos, to my faint surprise, was at the top of the staircase, dripping wet. He had a towel around his waist and shoulders and looked harried, although maybe he was just angry with me for leaving a dead rat in his bathroom. In different circumstances - as before - I'd taken a moment to admire what was on display. Instead I just felt sick again - it was easy to imagine Zelos hating me when he was out of sight, but not so much in person.
"I'm obviously not-" I swallowed, embarrassed at having to say it aloud. "I'm not welcome here, so-"
"Yeah, what are you talking about?" Zelos demanded, descending the stairs. It was awkward to watch - he couldn't let go of the railing, or risk slipping, but he'd also done a bad job of securing the towel and so he had to kind of waddle downwards. "Well, don't come over all shy," he said, clearly frustrated. "The hell's with the dead rat?"
I raised my eyebrows at him. "It was in my wardrobe."
Zelos' expression was cloudy. "In your room?"
"And the sheets were mildewed," I went on, increasingly humiliated at how petty it sounded. "But - everyone else's rooms were..." I trailed off. I sounded like a child, and a brat. I wondered how awkward this must be for Zelos, two years my junior - or Sebastian, who was just trying to do his job. "It's - nevermind."
"Sebastian, you know about this?"
Sebastian shook his head. "The room should have been aired to your standards, young master."
"Yeah, well, sounds like it wasn't," Zelos snapped. "Find out who made up the room, and get them out of here. I don't need staff like that."
I blanched. "Hold - fuck, don't do that, I'm sure I'm overreacting, I- shouldn't have said..." It was slowly sinking in that Zelos really wasn't responsible - or he was a much, much better actor than I gave him credit for. I didn't see Zelos as the type to shove blame off onto a servant, but if it had been a mistake, if I was remembering wrong - I knew what it was like to get fired unexpectedly, and I wouldn't have wished it on my worst enemy.
"You-" Zelos shook his head. "Dumbass," he said, surprising me. "If someone is willing to do that, they're probably willing to do worse. I have enough shit to worry about without wondering whether or not there's a rat - metaphorical - in my house. I swear, you guys all have zero self-preservation."
"I'll have it dealt with," promised Sebastian. "And perhaps have another bath drawn for Miss Edie." He gave my grimy clothes a faintly disapproving look and then he was gone.
"Okay, is he magic?" I demanded.
Zelos didn't take the bait. "What exactly was your plan after running off? It's not like you guys have money to burn, no offense."
"I'd find somewhere," I said, offended regardless.
"The whole point of coming here was for us to regroup," he continued, annoyed. "It's barely been three hours."
I exhaled. "I'm sorry, I overreacted."
"That wasn't what I meant," said Zelos, frowning. The sound of dripping water was much too loud in the tiled foyer. "Just 'cause you see the future doesn't make you invincible, y'know."
I sighed. "I'm sorry. Not - for running off," I clarified, because I could do what I liked and he could go kick rocks, "but for assuming you had something to do with it. That was - unfair."
Zelos stared at me, and then shook his head. "Yeah, it's not like I've told you that I don't like half-elves, or anything. I can't possibly see how you'd think I might be a little - a lot a bit of an asshole." His smile was terrible to look at.
"You're an asshole," I agreed, "But you're not a dick. You wouldn't have done something like that." I exhaled. "God, I am so tired."
"Wonder why," Zelos grumbled - and at last seemed to realize he was mostly naked. "Y'know, usually girls give me a better reaction than this."
I gave him a once-over. "Sorry, I can't wolf-whistle. I'll practice for next time."
He shook his head. "Come on. I'll show you where the other bathrooms are. Regal and the brat are probably done by now."
They must have been, because Sebastian met us in the hall to escort me the rest of the way. Zelos returned to his ensuite - no doubt already de-ratted by Sebastian - and I was ushered into a smaller but equally ostentatious room. The tub, claw-footed and porcelain, was full of steaming hot water and a trolley of soaps and snacks had been set out alongside a carafe of something fizzing and cold. The only sign that it'd been used in the last hour was a set of damp footprints in the rug by the sink.
"Please relax," Sebastian told me, "And rest assured all will be taken care of."
"Uh, yeah," I agreed, feeling very tired again. "Thank you for going through so much trouble. Sorry - about the hassle, I mean."
Sebastian paused with a hand on the doorknob.
"I cannot offer apology enough, miss," he said, apparently sincerely. "But I hope you believe that the young master would never disrespect a guest in such a cruel - and oblique - manner."
I blinked at him. "Oh. Yeah."
Sebastian smiled - the first real expression I'd seen from him all day.
The staff had maybe - just slightly - over-corrected.
"Please, don't hesitate to call if you have any problems," said Sebastian, gesturing to a tasseled bell freshly placed by the door. "I will personally handle any complaints with the same care and attention afforded to the young master. May I offer any assistance at this moment?"
I shook my head, too stunned to speak.
"Dinner will be served at 6 in the blue room," Sebastian went on, "and Miss Raine has requested your presence once you've settled in."
I nodded. Sebastian bowed, and left, door clicking closed behind him.
I shouldn't have expected restraint, but I hadn't expected this.
The bedclothes had been switched out for an even more sumptuous set, now in forest green, and the pillow had been bedecked with sweets and flowers and, to my horror, a handwritten apology on behalf of the household staff for the previous state of the room. The carpet was warm and dry, and every wooden surface shone. The washbasin was filled with steaming water and outfitted with ornamental soaps and an exquisite vanity mirror, and the wardrobe, thrown open, had been hung with soft nightclothes.
My own clothes - very ragged beside the silks and linens - were clean, dry, and smelled faintly of lavender.
It was even clean under the bed.
I looked for a long time for any sign of a trick - but all I found was treats, literal and figurative. How any of this had been done in the hour or so I'd spent sulking in the bath was beyond me. That said, my sense of direction was notoriously poor - I might have been led to a different room entirely and simply failed to notice. Either way, room was perfect, and all previous wrongs had been righted.
I was at once touched and horribly embarrassed.
I dressed, combed out my hair, and ventured out to find Raine.
Her door was open, and she was seated at a little writing desk, working diligently. She looked up, and smiled thinly. "Zelos told me what happened. Has everything been taken care of?"
I flushed. "I - yeah. Does... everyone know?" That would be... humiliating.
"Only me," Raine reassured me. "I was trying to find you. Zelos was..." she paused. "You know, he knows that Genis and I are half-elves?"
I blinked. "He does?"
She nodded. "He was furious. Not with us, obviously. With the staff. I'd prefer Genis remain ignorant of this, at least."
I nodded. "Yeah, I'd prefer if no one else knew. I - reacted really badly. I feel like an asshole."
"Language," she chastised, but without passion. "You can hardly be blamed. I'm sure in your place I would have been less - delicate, especially if Genis was also put through something like that."
"Yeah, well, better violence than running away like a little kid. I didn't cry, though," I said, sighing and dropping down, cross-legged, beside her chair. "If you ever see me crying over something so stupid, hit me."
"I won't," Raine said, dismissively, putting down her pen. "Hm. You need a trim, too," she observed, as if this was related to anything we'd been discussing. "Colette and Sheena have been taking care of it on their own, but you and the boys..." She clicked her tongue, standing and gripping my upper arm so that she could steer me into her vacated seat. "Your hair texture may be a bit of a challenge, but a cut is badly needed."
"Yeah, sure," I sighed, "Why not."
"I could do it tomorrow, if you like," Raine offered - implying that, while it could be delayed, the actual execution was inevitable.
"Nah, go for it. I normally just put it in a ponytail and kind of," I mimed a pair of scissors. "You don't need to be that precise with wavy hair."
Raine sighed. "You should take more pride in your appearance, Edie."
I craned my head to stare at her. "We're trying to save the world. I don't think anyone cares what I look like."
"Hush," Raine said, tone more or less admitting that she was scolding me for the fun of it, rather than out of conviction. "Now sit up straight."
Dinner was a surprisingly casual affair. The 'Blue Room' turned out to be more of a lounge than a dining room, although the room was certainly blue. The walls were papered in royal blue brocade, the chairs were blue, and the lamps were decorated with sapphire glass. The blue was broken up here and there by white or gold to prevent the room taking on a gloomy atmosphere, and it was overall a very pretty room - although not very homey.
"Your home is so pretty, Zelos!" praised Colette.
We were not all seated at one table, instead distributed on couches and cushions as if at a house party. It was certainly easier to eat at a proper dining table, but none of us were in a state or mood to pretend to be civilized. The meal was steak, potatoes and greens, and all of it was delicious.
"Thank you, my darling angel," said Zelos, absentmindedly. "Hey, Sebastian, what day is it?"
"August 25th, sir."
"Your birthday's coming up," Lloyd exclaimed, referring to Colette. "We're gonna have a party, right?"
"Yeah, of course," Zelos said, grinning. "I promised, didn't I?"
"I think we can afford to spend a week here," Raine agreed. "That's plenty of time to go over our research."
"I can be of assistance on that front," Regal volunteered. "I'm quite proficient at compiling or condensing information."
"Ew," said Lloyd, on principle.
"Well, anyway," said Zelos, "We should be able to get into the archives tomorrow. Well, maybe. I've got a plan, is all I'm saying."
"Oh? And do you plan on sharing with the class?" asked Raine, unamused.
"Nah, I'd rather wait until it works, then everyone can praise me," Zelos explained. "And if it doesn't, no one has to know."
"Worst come to worst, I can probably get in and secret out a couple books at a time," I pointed out. "It'd be a lot slower than having everyone work on it, but if we can't get stuff ironed out with the King..." I shrugged.
"What's that guy's problem, anyway?" Genis complained. "They treated us like criminals right from the start."
"Ehh, the King's not all that bad," Zelos waved a hand, "It's the Pope that's the real problem. He's always been pushing his crap, and usually the Crown stays pretty neutral, but once the King got sick - well, you know the arena in the west part of the city? Big, round? Waaay back when they used to send prisoners to fight to the death in there, and lately the Pope's been pushing to start that up again. He's a piece of work."
"What?" demanded Sheena. "But that's - barbaric!"
Zelos shrugged. "His camp really goes for stuff like that. And he pushed through most of the anti-half-elf laws in the last twenty years, as far as I can tell. Really wrath-of-heaven type stuff."
"That's - really scary," Lloyd grimaced.
"No wonder he wants you out of the way," remarked Raine. "It must be hard to command the full loyalty of the Church with the Chosen walking around."
"Yeah, pretty much," agreed Zelos. "But what can ya do?"
"He could be killed," suggested Presea. "I have often been to the Cathedral."
"Uh - maybe cool it on the murder thing for now," Zelos suggested.
"It's better to seek out a peaceful solution," Regal said, more reasonably. "Doing something like that would meaninglessly endanger your life, Presea."
"I'd prefer we not blithely consider assassination as a problem-solving strategy," said Raine.
"Why not?" I said, if only to point out the dissonance. "It's worked so far. Magnus, Kvar..."
"That's different, and you know it," she scolded.
"I know," I agreed, wearily.
"So," said Genis, sweeping aside the question of morality in favor of something easier, "Where do we go next? After Meltokio, I mean?"
"Depends on Sheena, right?" Lloyd pointed out. "'Cause we have to choose one Summon Spirit to wait for last."
"Gnome," Sheena volunteered. "The Summon Spirit of Earth. I think... If we can get Aska to meet Luna, up on the Tower of Mana, that would be a good place to make the last pact, because if something goes wrong we can board the Rheairds right away. And we know Edie can get us through the place pretty quickly."
"Hang on," I said, "By that logic, can't we just land on the roof?"
"...Oh, yeah," Sheena frowned. "I guess so. But... that leaves us with the Temple of Darkness," she gestured, drawing on an imaginary map of Tethe'alla the likely location, "And the Temple of Ice. Huh. Where's Origin's seal?" She asked me, tapping her fingers thoughtfully.
"Uh, a forest that's... in Heimdall?" I tried to remember. "...Tor... Torn?"
"Torent Forest," Raine supplied. No, that's my pirating site, I thought, but didn't say. "The entirety of Heimdall forest and its surroundings are magically protected - we won't be able to just fly in. And..." She shook her head. "That's something we can worry about later. I'm more concerned with what you mentioned to me at Altessa's."
"...Oh!" I nodded. "Yeah, uh, you tell everyone?" Things always sounded more reasonable when Raine said them.
Raine relayed what I knew about Yggdrasill - and his penchant for pretending to be a helpless little kid.
"He may not approach us at all," Raine noted, "But in the event he does, we should be careful about what we say and do."
"But... Cruxis can't find us now, right?" asked Lloyd. "'Cause we have the shield charm things?"
"They can still track us by conventional means," Raine said, amused. "I'm sure they have informants everywhere. What's important is that we don't reveal what we know; we may have defeated Remiel, but we only survived at the Tower thanks to the Renegades. We can't be overconfident about facing Yggdrasill openly."
Lloyd's face darkened. Genis looked a little pale - it had been a very, very rough day.
"He won't be suspicious?" Zelos asked. "If we pretend not to know, I mean."
Raine directed this question at me.
"I don't think so. I think - Mithos believes he's smarter than everyone else. He doesn't think of other people as... as people, not really. I don't think he'd suspect us of knowing more than we let on. I think he probably suspects Kratos and Yuan, but only because he sees them as near-equals."
"Huh," Zelos replied. "Psychology."
"I also think - this isn't strictly related," I admitted, "but we all need to start training regularly again. We've fought a lot of monsters, recently, but I think training aggressively - the way we did before," I said, glancing meaningfully at Lloyd, "Is necessary if we're ever gonna be strong enough to take down Cruxis."
"Yeah," he agreed, nodding. "I was thinking that, too. It'll be easier now that we don't have to worry about saving energy for travel."
"I think," said Regal, looking serious, "That Sheena, Edie and I would benefit from training together. Our techniques are all very different, but we all rely on close quarters."
I sighed. "Yeah, I really need to brush up. Kuchinawa said I was awful."
Sheena blinked. "Really? I don't think you're that bad."
"I have literally no technique," I disagreed. "I just hit stuff with a knife and sometimes it dies."
Genis snorted. "That sounds like you, yeah."
"Oh! We can all practice our magic together," suggested Colette. "One of the books I read on the boat said that a really skilled caster can work even while jumping rope!"
"That sounds... made up," Genis said.
"Or while juggling," Colette added brightly.
"That could certainly be useful," Raine agreed, humoring her. "Zelos, do you have any space suitable for training?"
"Do I," Zelos said, spreading his hands. "I sure do. There's an open-air yard and sand pit out back. You could also - well, if you wanted, you could enter in the Colosseum under a fake name. They don't really check that kinda stuff, anyway. Entering can be a bit pricey, but the payout is good."
"Are you speaking from experience?" asked Regal, radiating disapproval.
"Payout?" asked Lloyd, excited. "There's a prize?"
"Yep, ten times the entry fee," Zelos said, waggling his eyebrows.
"I don't think it's a bad idea," Sheena admitted, "But you'd have to wear a different color, Lloyd."
"...Huh? Why?"
"Actually," said Raine, ignoring this, "Edie, fighting with the limitation of little to no teleportation might prove helpful to you."
I nodded tiredly. "Yeah, it would. And I do love money."
"Oh, speaking of money," said Zelos, "I'm sending Sebastian tomorrow to pick up clothes and armor and stuff, so let him know if there's anything you wanna add, rather than replace. Don't worry about cost - I can get things through my connections a lot cheaper than you can at storefronts."
"Oh, man!" Lloyd bounced a little in his seat. "Thanks, Zelos!"
"Yeah, well," Zelos shrugged, "I can't be seen walking around with rabble like you guys."
"Ugh, can't you just accept a thank you from time to time?" Sheena said crossly. "You don't have to act like it's nothing."
"Well, then," Zelos said, "Can I have a kiss as a thank-you - don't throw food, geez!"
"Food fight?" I suggested.
"No," Raine said, at once. "Lloyd, no-"
The memory came to me in the middle of the night, unprompted, as things sometimes do. Bleary - but knowing I would forget it otherwise - I scribbled it out on the first piece of paper I could find, looked over my work, and went right back to bed.
"Your handwriting is atrocious," Raine said, squinting. "What is it supposed to say?"
I groaned, dropping my arms on the breakfast table and my head on my arms. I'd had a nightmare - nothing specific, but disturbing enough to mess with my sleep - and I was starting to get a migraine. "The Pope is poisoning the King," I mumbled. "I think Vharley's helping him. Damn it, you even said we should interrogate him, and I forgot. We coulda worked all this out already. Urgh."
"I also prevented you from taking other courses of action," Regal said, frowning. "I am also at fault."
"We were all eager to leave," Raine reminded us. "We'll look into what's become of him, but even if the Bishop did as he was asked, there's still a vast geographical distance between here and Toize. It may be some time before we hear anything."
"I knew the Pope was shady," remarked Zelos, "But I didn't expect poison. That's pretty straightforward of him."
"So," I recapped, "Vharley is working with the Pope, and he's also working with Rodyle."
"He's working with Rodyle?" asked Lloyd, previously not paying us any attention. "I thought he made Edie?"
I sighed. "He did that, yeah," I propped my chin on my hands, looking glumly at my untouched cup of tea. "But he was also doing... Cruxis crystal stuff. Vharley was supplying Rodyle with Exspheres, or something...?"
"It's all rather incestuous," Raine explained, "He and Altessa first worked together on the creation of new vessels. When that failed, they moved on to experimentation with Exspheres. Presea said that Vharley was the one to put her into contact with Sybak. So, is Varley an enforcer, or a middleman? I'm interested to know how he would come into contact with the Pope, of all people."
"An enterprise touching every major city in Tethe'alla," mused Regal. "It may be that Varley's initial contact was with the Church, rather than Rodyle. But of course," he allowed, "Rodyle is also nominally connected with the Church. Either way, it's not something that could be maintained by one man."
In the game, I'd considered Vharley a kind of nothing villain - a character who was there to tie loose ends and cement connections. He'd died in a cutscene, hadn't he? I remembered because it was in that damned sewer, of all places.
In reality, if reality reflected the story, Vharley was one of the best-connected people in Tethe'alla. He hadn't seemed clever in our brief encounter, but neither had he been physically overwhelming. If he wasn't smart, and he wasn't strong, then what was there left? A man like that didn't get so influential on accident - unless he did, and I was overthinking things. It seemed most likely that Vharley was a puppet, but whose?
"Rodyle thinks that Cruxis doesn't know what he's doing," I recalled. "But Pronyma 'tricked him'." It was the only one of his voice lines that I remembered. I hated that level - Botta's death had been so stupid and preventable. "So that means Yggdrasill... what, knows and doesn't care? Or is he manipulating Rodyle for some end we can't see?"
"Who's Pronyma?" asked Lloyd.
"The leader of the Five Grand Cardinals," Raine supplied. "She was also in charge of Asgard before being 'promoted' to the position. Which does imply the position was left vacant, but we don't know by whom."
"So... Since Kvar and Magnus are dead, that just leaves Forcystus, Pronyma and Rodyle, right? Forcystus runs the Iselia ranch, and Pronyma's in charge... What about Rodyle? He must have one, right?"
"It's on an island or something," I said. The thought of it made my head ache. "I can't remember where it is, but it's definitely in Sylvarant."
Everything got so complicated after the Tower. I knew there was stuff I wasn't remembering, but what use was that? If I'd known this was where I'd end up, I'd have studied! I knew things were going off the rails, too, but how far and how fast?
"Well, wherever it is, we'll take care of it," Lloyd said, more for my benefit than his.
"We're going to try to get into the archives today, right?" Sheena asked, steering the conversation back on track. "If we all go, there's more chance of us getting caught."
"Can't we tell the King that he's being poisoned?" suggested Colette. "I'm sure he'd be happy if Zelos and the rest of us were able to help him. Raine's the best healer in the world, so I'm sure she'd be able to do something."
"Unfortunately," Raine said, demurring, "It's difficult to bring something like that forward without proof. If we..." She paused, glancing at me. "Edie may be able to recover information, if she can access the Cathedral. That may be a more efficient use of our time than sending her in to retrieve individual books. Does the Pope have a private residence?"
"He's got a villa, I know that," Zelos recalled, "He does all his business outta the Cathedral, but if he's smart he won't keep his dirty records with his clean ones. Or he has the expenses down as something else. Or he doesn't keep written records, although in my experience it's the really greedy guys who like to have the numbers down on paper."
"What about Zelos' plan?" asked Lloyd.
"What about Zelos' plan?" asked Sheena, giving Zelos himself a narrow look.
"Well, since you've put me on the spot," Zelos said, smiling lopsidedly at her, "I was gonna have Miss Angel over there put the fear of Martel into some folks. I dunno about the Pope himself, but the Papal Knights are pretty pious, and if the Chosen himself turns up with a real-life angel, threatening the wrath of heaven... Well, I think it'd cause enough of a stir to buy us some time. We could say it's the second coming of Spiritua."
"Spiritua?" repeated Genis, "Like the Chosen Spiritua?"
Zelos raised an eyebrow at him. "Chosen? Nah, the avenging angel Spiritua. She supposedly saved a Chosen by killing the Tethe'allan king - who was trying to have the Chosen killed, obviously."
"But - I won't have to kill anyone, will I?" asked Colette, deeply concerned.
"Nah, you just gotta fly a bit and look scary."
Colette frowned. "I don't know how to look scary."
"Perhaps like this?" suggested Presea, face unchanging except for a slight furrowing of the eyebrows. "I think that would strike fear."
"Look, the wings are enough," Zelos sighed. "And my expert commentary, of course."
"But if it fails," Regal pointed out, "There will be no chance of disguising our presence in the city. Even if you inspire a supporting faction, will they disobey the word of their King and Pope?"
"It's a... decent back-up plan," Raine permitted. "But Regal's right. I'd prefer to start with a subtle approach, as long as we have the option."
I propped my chin on my hand. "So, breaking and entering?"
"I'd prefer if you didn't break anything," Raine said, but she was smiling.
"What about the rest of us?" asked Genis. "Even if we're just walking around the city, Lloyd's pretty eye-catching. Zelos, too."
"I had Sebastian find us some more civilian clothing," Zelos assured him. "There's nothing I can do to disguise my radiant beauty, but I am capable of going incognito. I wouldn't have survived in this city, otherwise."
"We could break your nose," Sheena muttered.
"Agh, so violent," Zelos tutted, "Very unladylike."
"There are several other institutions of learning in the city, as well as repositories of knowledge," Regal said, "We may be able to discreetly gather information elsewhere while Edie... works."
"I didn't get that first part," Lloyd admitted, "But you mean that the rest of us could go around and ask people stuff, right?" He grinned. "Yeah, that sounds like fun! We barely got to see any of the city last time."
"'Discreetly'," Raine echoed, sighing. "Well, we can at least go in pairs."
"Hey, wait," I protested, "You guys get to go goof off and leave me alone? That's so unfair."
"Corrine can go with you," Sheena offered. "He can come and get me if something goes wrong."
"What would we be able to do, anyway?" Genis asked, rhetorically. "Besides, it can't be more dangerous than infiltrating the Asgard Ranch."
Raine gave a sudden laugh, and then coughed, embarrassed, as everyone looked over to her.
"It's just unusual," she explained, a tad defensively, "for us to have time to plan. In a situation like this, I feel that we'd usually just through Lloyd or Edie at it and hope for the best."
"How's that different from what's happening now?" I asked, snorting. "Let's forget it and just send Lloyd in! That almost always works."
Lloyd blinked between us. "I mean, if you think that's a good idea."
Genis sighed. "Lloyd, I swear you're doing that on purpose."
I'd more-or-less shoehorned myself into the position of party rogue, but that didn't mean I didn't get lonely!
"It's too hot," Corrine complained, "Can't I ride on your shoulder or something?"
I side-stepped a pedestrian, narrowly avoided an oncoming cart, and weaved around a crowd of chattering ladies; although it was early morning, the plaza, all white marble and orange trees, was thronged with people. Being invisible didn't stop me from running into people, and navigating such a densely crowded space was irritating, especially in the heat. Corrine, spectral though he may be, was radiating warmth, and I wasn't much happier than he was.
"It's too hard to maintain like that," I said, dancing around a procession of worshippers and taking refuge on a high brick wall. A lot of the fancier construction in Meltokio had some elements of antisocial architecture - spurs, spikes, oddly slanted surfaces - that made it unusually difficult for me to navigate. Martel's infinite love was not extended gladly to the homeless, at least not where it might unnerve the wealthy.
Now, where to start?
The Cathedral, as seen from the outside, was split into four parts.
The massive domed nave, the area we'd visited before, was the only part accessible to the general public, and was by far the most visually impactful. From that central mass grew two rectangular buildings, one extending west and one north - huge, but slightly less ornamented. The last part easily seen from the street was the bell tower with its rose window, positioned at the far end of the northern section, and easily double the height of the already enormous dome.
I was bad with estimating crowds, but I figured that, between the square and the basilica, you could probably fit the entire population of Meltokio into this one building.
"It's too big," Corrine argued. "How are we supposed to find anything?"
I shrugged. "I dunno. But we have to try."
My suite of abilities did not automatically make me a good cat burglar, but the strength and dexterity afforded by my Exsphere went a long way towards bridging the gap.
Our mission began.
Asgard Ranch had been a fortress, but it'd been minimally and efficiently maintained. The Cathedral was by comparison formidable, every inch covered in deterrents, simple and mechanical. Some were even magical, although my rudimentary grasp of enchantment revealed many of them to be there for show, rather than functional; kind of like getting a security company sticker for your window but not bothering with the system itself.
"I think you should go to the left building first," Corrine advised, when we had done two full circuits. There were no obvious outside markers to indicate where the administrative section was - we'd just have to go inside and look, which was a lot harder.
"Why?" I asked, although I took off west down the roofline to do just that. Corrine wasn't the type to say things just to fill the silence.
"Well, the north part leads to the bell tower, so people are going to be walking up and down it, right? The west part's bound to be more private," Corrine argued. "Anyway, you should always start on the left in a maze."
I lowered myself down onto a shallow window ledge, double-checked the frame for obvious deterrents, and stepped into a plain little room, unfurnished except for several stacks of wooden chairs. It smelled like old paper, but there were no bookshelves or desks. Still, the smell was probably a good sign.
"Well, dammit," I grumbled, jostling the door. "All doors should have windows. This is dumb."
"Don't you know how to pick a lock?" asked Corrine, incredulous.
"I don't know how many times I have to say it," I mumbled, pressing my eye against the keyhole and trying to get a look into the hallway beyond. "I'm not actually a thief. Anyway, that's kind of Lloyd's area of expertise."
"It's still a useful skill," Corrine said. "I can teach you how, if you've got a hairpin or some metal."
I squinted, ocular bone pressing painfully against the wood. "I think I can get through this one without it, but if it comes up... Hold on."
In the hallway, Corrine groaned loudly.
"Quiet," I whispered, although I was feeling a bit nauseous myself. "Ugh."
"That was awful," Corrine hissed, "I felt like I was being crushed to death!"
"Well, it was just a keyhole," I said, steadying myself and taking a look around. "It's bound to be a weird trip."
"But you can go through windows no problem," Corrine replied. The hall was deserted, and so I made my way west, as Corrine had suggested. If I had to brute-force this and examine every room in the Cathedral one by one, then I would. "And that doesn't feel nearly as bad."
"I think it's a visualization thing," I guessed, trying the next door and finding it mercifully unlocked. It was clearly an office of some sort - so we were on the right path - but not nearly ostentatious enough to be the Pope's. "I have to be able to see where I'm going, and since a keyhole is so small... Ah, okay," I said, riffling through a folder on the desk. "Sheet music. Do you think the Pope's door will look different?"
"Probably," Corrine agreed. "But if it's just visualizing, couldn't you just... imagine a place, and go there?"
We checked the next room, and the next, both unlocked.
"Maybe?" I hedged. That really would be like Nightcrawler - but it also sounded really dangerous. "But it's like... you wouldn't want to walk around with your eyes closed, right? You'd run into something."
"Sheena can fight in the dark," chastised Corrine. "Well, mostly. She had to train with a blindfold on and everything!"
"Well, I'm not Sheena," I said. "I don't want to end up... stuck in a wall, or in a person, or something."
"That does sound messy," Corrine agreed. We circled the end of the corridor and started making our way back up the other side. We were on the third or fourth floor - I'd neglected to count - so it'd probably be a while.
We did eventually open up onto an occupied room. It was a small library - full of prayer books and hymnals, at a glance - with two young men re-shelving a cart of thin booklets. They startled, but we were invisible, and people were good at rationalizing things like doors opening on their own. Old buildings are strange, after all.
"Ah," said one, "must have been a draft."
We left before they could close the door again, and continued our search.
"How are people so stupid?" Corrine wondered. "You'd think they'd notice. Or hear your footsteps. You're pretty loud, you know."
"I'm quiet for someone who's not a ninja," I replied. "And why would they? It's not like invisible people are a big part of everyday life."
"Yes, well - shhh," Corrine interrupted himself. I felt it, rather than heard it - the scrape of stone on the floor below this one, heavy and muted. "That sure didn't sound like a wooden door," he hissed, a few moments after the faint vibrations ceased. A moment later, we were both startled by the cacophony of church bells, and the sound of many people moving in our direction.
"Guess class is over," I mumbled, as the first figure rounded the staircase up ahead. There was a veritable crowd of men and women, all in simple vestments, and they were clearly transitioning from one activity to another - there had been a service going on in the nave, but I'd assumed that kind of thing went on all day! There were a lot of them, and this wasn't a huge hallway. I had a sudden wild image of myself suspended on the ceiling, secret agent-style, but I'd never tried and now seemed like a bad time to experiment. "Screw it."
I hooked right through an unlocked door - one we'd already inspected and found empty - and paused to consider my options.
"We can go down one floor, and see what that noise was," Corrine suggested.
I nodded, clambering indelicately back out onto the building exterior and lowering us (going up was easier and faster than going down, for some reason) to the floor below.
The windows on this floor were barred - but that wasn't really a problem. Unfortunately, in my dash to avoid the crowd, I'd went out a window on the wrong side of the building from the mysterious stone scraping, and so we'd have to make it back through to the other side. I wasn't willing to climb all the way up and over again - I had some limitations.
"...The rooms on this floor do seem fancier," Corrine admitted. "Maybe we should have started at the bottom."
"Isn't being high up more... prestigious?" I asked. That's what I'd assumed - penthouses were more exclusive, weren't they?
"No, it just means you have to climb more stairs," said Corrine, wisely.
We waited for the hubbub to die down - for whatever transitional period the building had entered to end - before venturing back out into the corridor. It was a much fancier hallway than the one above, which had been simple wood and plaster - this one had tiling and decorative woodwork. Some of the doors even had windows, although they were dinky little half-moon ones well above eye height, and hard for me to use.
"I think it was around here," Corrine whispered. I pressed myself to the wall to let a small gaggle of older men pass - and then resumed the investigation.
"Even the Desians had a room directory," I complained. "This is barbaric."
"You're probably supposed to just know it," Corrine said, and then hissed, "Shh, look!"
I hushed, although speaking didn't usually impede my ability to see.
The door in question was visibly sturdier and more ornate than those on either side. There was a tiny golden sigil of Martel inlaid where another door might have a peephole, and the doorknob, on closer inspection, was crystal. The patterns in the woodwork might have been ornamental, but they also looked vaguely magical, and there was no keyhole. I looked up and down the hall, sighed, and dropped down, flattening myself against the tile in an attempt to see under the door.
"What can you see?" asked Corrine.
"Carpet," I mumbled. "I don't see much, but..."
"At least try the handle," chastised Corrine.
I did - with a gloved hand - but it didn't even jostle.
"I think I'm gonna have to try," I said, apologetically.
"Well, fine, but be careful."
I pressed my face harder still against the floor, neck aching with the effort, until I could see a likely slice of space - just the barest hint of unoccupied air above the plush red carpet. It would have to do.
We landed with a very loud clonk, the sound of breaking china, and several disparate thumps.
I'd materialized under a little tea table - or perhaps clipped through, it was hard to tell - and the interaction had thrown the table and its contents in just about every direction. The table itself had been launched hard against a wall - thankfully one quilted with silk or satin - and the sugar bowl, teapot and other paraphernalia had been pitched upwards, seemingly at random. Sugar had gone everywhere - a silver spoon was still rattling on a patch of bare floor.
"It's okay," said Corrine, after a long, horrific moment. "No one's here."
"That was loud," I hissed, rubbing the top of my head. I hadn't felt any kind of collision at all, but it seemed like the kind of thing you were supposed to do. I felt a little dizzy.
"Well, no one's come running," Corrine observed. "Huh. This place is fancy."
That was understating it.
The office - and it had to be, with the desk and big chair and papers - made Zelos' mansion look positively restrained. Every inch of it seemed to be jeweled or carved or gilded; the ceiling was painted with a fresco of angels and lined with gold wainscoting, like an enormous picture frame, and all the furniture had curlicued or footed ornamentation. There were no windows, but the two chandeliers were aglow with something other than candles that cast the room in daylight.
There were bookshelves, a few less elaborate chairs for visitors, a buffet, shelves of glass trinkets and ornate urns, a wardrobe - every inch of it reeking in expense.
"If this isn't the Pope's office," I said, "then I'd hate to see what his is like."
"Wedge a door under the handle," Corrine advised, wriggling out of my shirtfront and hopping down onto the desk, suddenly visible. "This paperweight has gems on it!"
I did as he told me. "There's not a lot of stone in here," I observed. "Maybe it was the next room down?"
"Maybe," Corrine allowed. "This room is kind of... Long, but narrow, right?"
"I think that's all the bookshelves," I said, bending to pick up a silver censer that had been a casualty of our arrival. "Geez. This place is..."
"It smells a little funny in here," Corrine said, nose quivering. "Like wet rock."
I sniffed. "I can't smell it, but you're probably right. Hm." I tried one of the desk drawers. "I guess it's not surprising that they're locked."
"I can show you how to pick them, if you want," Corrine said, brightly. He sounded excited about the idea.
"Yeah, okay," I allowed, digging around in my pockets. I had to become visible in order to sort out the contents - they were invisible to me, too. "Uhh." I held up a length of thin steel. I didn't remember where I'd gotten it, but it vaguely reminded me of something Desian - maybe a a piece of robot? I had some other promising bits of metal, filched from who knows where, and presented each in turn to Corrine until he decided on a pair. "So these'll do?"
"Yep!" Corrine agreed. "Okay, it has a lot to do with feel, so you'll have to be patient."
My experience with lockpicking was limited to Bethesda games - and those pinhole locks you could undo by sticking in the interior of a pen - but Corrine was a patient teacher, and after one or two drawers I started to get the hang of it.
"See? You're a natural thief after all," Corrine said, smug.
"You shush," I mumbled, too pleased with myself to really be annoyed.
We combed over first the contents of the desk, then of the fancy filing cabinet. I wasted no energy on invisibility - if someone tried to get in, we'd know with plenty of time. It was just a matter of being thorough.
There was no doubt now that this was the Pope's office - but it was unfortunately low on manila envelopes labeled TOP SECRET in big red letters.
At last, I turned to the bookshelf.
"Oh, surely not," I grumbled, eyes scanning the shelves. "Corrine, do you smell the wet stone strongly over here?"
He sniffed the air. "Hm. Yep, definitely."
I came around the side of the leftmost shelf, and groaned. How dumb was I? I should have recognized the odd gap in ornamentation - and, now that I was up close, the scuffs on the tile floor. The bookshelf was about the right height and width for a door, with enough clearance behind the desk to permit someone to slide it sideways. An inspection of the base revealed a set of well-hidden tracks - of course it was a stupid bookshelf.
"This is so cliche," I complained, running my hand along each row of books and dislodging each in turn. The culprit turned out to be Historia Regia Tethe'alla, a sturdy tome with a green fabric cover. I pulled it, the spine tilting outwards, and there was a heavy click.
"It was behind a bookshelf?" mused Corrine. "That's unexpected."
The shallow stone room beyond the door was a mess of cabinets and shelving above a small desk. To the right, there was a stone staircase, drafty and plain, magitech lamps hung haphazardly on the skeletons of old braziers. Anyone below on the staircase would easily overhear us, but the same was true in reverse.
Now that we were actually here - and so much of what I saw at first glance was obviously incriminating - we felt the urge to rush.
Anyone entering this room after us would know beyond a doubt that the place had been tampered with. Anyone with brains would respond by increasing security to the room - possibly via methods I couldn't circumvent. If we were going to find anything, it'd have to be now.
Corrine was somewhat limited in utility here by his lack of opposable thumbs, but he more than made up for it with his nose. While I sorted through the loose papers, journals, logs and folders, Corrine unearthed a long wooden box, bound in metal and locked tight. "Smells like medicine," he said, nose crinkling in distaste. "It might be something else, but..."
I took the box, put it on the edge of the desk, and aligned one of my less-beloved daggers with the lock. I put one of my feet up on the box to keep it steady, balanced a book on the back of the dagger handle, and slammed down my free hand. The plate sheared from the wood, the body of the lock now easily worked free. Delicate lock-picking was hard, but destructive lock-picking was dead easy.
The box contained two crystal phials, one of dull, grey-white powder, and the other a few dozen pressed tablets, each a deep blue.
"Well. Looks suspicious?" I shrugged.
"Sure smells funny."
"One minute," I muttered. "Who's Guillaume?"
"...The King?" replied Corrine. "He has got a name, you know."
I showed him the paper that had been wedged in the lining of the box. "Dosages. And dates. But - that doesn't prove anything." I looked down at the desk, gnawing at my lip. I didn't want to go through all this hassle just to bring back something circumstantial - and I wasn't smart enough to suss out the important documents from the mess of numbers. If there was any one perfect piece of evidence, I wasn't going to find it. "Ah, fuck it," I said, sighing, "Let's just take everything."
Corrine paced as I finished shoving all I could carry into my bursting backpack, nibbling on sugar cubes. Then the church bells rang.
I wasn't concerned right up until the doorknob rattled.
"Well, crud."
Corrine leapt after me, winding around my neck as I clawed for the interior lever of the hidden room - it was just near the sliding door. The person at the other door moved to thumping - probably not a guest, if they hadn't bothered knocking. The bookshelf door was still grinding into place when I heard the wooden chair begin to splinter.
We hurried down the staircase, invisible. I absently counted the flights - one, two, three - until we were almost certainly below ground level. We found another switch, emerged into a featureless stone room and then a featureless stone tunnel. It wasn't a natural tunnel - the floor and ceiling were perfectly level. It was completely unlit, but I'd learned Raine's light trick ages ago.
"...Well," I said, after a good half-hour of following the left-most tunnel, "I'm lost."
"We'll get out," Corrine assured me. "The left-hand trick always works."
The left-hand trick ended up sending us another fifteen minutes in the direction of a collapsed tunnel, meaning we had to spend another forty-five just to make it back the way we came. I was awful at orienting myself by direction - if the door had been on the northernmost wall, then - yes, we had been heading west, to the outskirts of the city. Now we were heading back inwards. But where?
'Where' turned out to be a galling ten minutes from the staircase, just in the other direction.
"I really hate this guy," I sighed, wrestling with the latch of a heavy iron door. "Why are there even tunnels under the city? That aren't for sewage," I revised.
The door looked like the kind to creak ominously, but it was deceptively well-oiled. It let out into a little closet, and from there into a cramped, long gallery of shelves and shelves of armor, weapons, and associated equipment. It was plain to see that it was an armory, and almost certainly meant for the Papal Knights - most of the helmets had plumes or stupid ornaments. The far door was locked, as I should have expected.
"...The lock's a different kind," I mumbled, squinting. "There's not a keyhole." I examined the edges of the doors, but that was no good, either. "I can't see under the door, either. There aren't any cracks."
"Oh, no," Corrine muttered, "There must be a padlock on the other side. You can't see through at all?"
I made a minute sound of distress. "It's an armory door. I shouldn't be surprised."
"Maybe you could go back up through the office?" suggested Corrine.
"Maybe," I hesitated, gnawing on the first knuckle of my hand. "I have an idea, but you should probably go back first in case... it doesn't work?"
"You could just make a lot of noise until someone opens the door," Corrine pointed out.
That was the sensible option - but it seemed more likely we'd be boxed in on both sides. The Knights might hesitate to kill Zelos' companions, but some half-elf skulking about in their armory? I could win, in the right circumstances, but these weren't the right circumstances. I shook my head. "You head back, and let the others know where I am if I'm not back in an hour, okay?"
"Nuh-uh," Corrine refused. "You're gonna do something stupid."
"Yeah," I agreed. "Remember what you said about visualization? If I can picture the place I want to come out, then maybe..."
"You said that was a stupid idea," Corrine reminded me. "It's a bad idea! I'll get the others, and you hide here."
"I think it might work, though," I said, heart racing. "I've seen other people do it. If I can..."
"You're not even listening to me," Corrine sighed. "Well, take me with you."
"I - no," I said, snapping out of the fugue for a moment. "If I mess up, you'll definitely get hurt."
"Well, you won't mess up," said Corrine, with surprising confidence. "I'll be here to help, right?"
"How are you going to help?" I asked, laughing breathlessly at the ridiculousness of all this.
"Moral support," Corrine said. "Now come on. Either we both go or we both stay."
I exhaled. "Well, if we both die, then Sheena can't kill me. Make sure you're holding on tight."
"Rodger!"
I closed my eyes.
If we were in the castle - and I was pretty sure we were - then the nearest thing I could picture was the servant's entrance. That was still pretty far - I wasn't sure where in the castle we were, and it wasn't like it was a little cottage. But Yuan had managed to get far enough from me in that clearing, once upon a time, that even Kratos hadn't been able to track him, so it had to be possible. It was just magic, after all.
I lurched forward, and then I opened my eyes.
"Hm. Well, shit," I said.
The world below was a mass of writhing clouds, the color indeterminate. The world above was much the same. These two planes stretched away from us in every direction, fuzzing after some distance into indistinct haze with no up or down nor form at all. I had the overwhelming sense of being watched, although we were alone. I felt as if I was standing on fine sand - and that I was sinking.
"This is unusual."
The thing around my neck was not Corrine - it was too big, too wild, although it felt the same. I could still feel the cold of Corrine's bell where he was pressed against me - but the creature on my shoulders was made from something other than fur. His voice was richer than Corrine's, a spectrum of tones that nonetheless contained Corrine's familiar alto - but it wasn't Corrine.
"Uh. Who are you?" I asked, feeling very vulnerable.
"I don't know yet," not-Corrine said. "But I'm growing. Part of me is Corrine, if that's what you're asking."
"...Sure," I agreed. "Do you know where we are?"
"Yes," he said at once, "the Spirit world. The world of monsters, too."
"Okay," I said. "Uh. How do I leave?"
"I'm not sure," he admitted. "I don't think you're supposed to be here."
"Yeah, I'm getting that," I mumbled. I felt oddly boneless - a whole-body lightness that presaged something very unhealthy. I lifted a hand to my face - it was translucent, and seemed to leave after-images behind it as it moved. I could see my bones! That probably wasn't good. "Sheena's gonna be so mad."
"I'm not sure that should be your primary concern," said not-Corrine. "Maybe try to depart as you arrived? Imagine your destination and... go."
I craned my head. "Do you see that?"
There was a figure, tall, indistinct, just visible in the distance.
"Yes."
"I think it's walking towards me."
"Yes, I think so, too. You should go."
"Oh. Right. Where, again?"
Not-Corrine sighed. It was a very strange sound.
"How about the foyer?"
The foyer. I nodded. I closed my eyes - which did nothing to obscure my surroundings, but did help me concentrate - and lifted a foot. It felt very, very heavy, like I was dragging a weight - and then I put it down again on marble tile.
The world became real; the foyer of Zelos' palatial home appeared around me, or rather, I appeared within it.
For a moment I wobbled - my back foot was still uncertain about the idea of solid floors, and the heel of my boot phased momentarily through the marble - but then I righted myself, both feet on solid ground, the air snapping back with the force of my sudden interjection into its space. I held both arms out, and found them corporeal.
I'd done it. I'd done it, and I wasn't dead!
The thing that had been Corrine leapt down from my shoulders, light as a housecat and larger than a brown bear. Corrine's bell still hung around its neck, alongside the amethyst lightning charm - but there were twice as many spectral tails waving from its hindquarters. It examined itself - the long legs, the motes of fox-fire that drifted from its fur with every moment - and then it looked at me, black eyes blinking.
"...Well," it said, "That was unexpected."