Chapter 5 is here, never fear! As the story progresses I'm hoping to get it to have more of a following. Though it'll take some time, I know that this story will be a good one!
Disclaimer: I do not own Cross Ange, or Gundam.
Zola has finally managed to begin patching things up with Poe, and so begins the turning of a new era for Arzenal. Though no one realized it then, a fateful tragedy would set in motion.
The world was soon to change, and it would never be the same.
"Okaa-Sama!" Angelise cried, shocked over the tragedy that had just happened.
Her mother...Sophia Ikaruga Misurugi, The Queen of the Empire of Misurugi...Despite the shocking twists that had just occurred...Was dying within Angelise's arms.
It wasn't right. It was never right. Even if every human had there time, it still wasn't right, it wasn't fair! So much had happened so quickly...The Baptism Ritual...Julio suddenly calling her a Norma...Claiming that both their mother and father knew all along...
And now mother was dying right in front of her.
"All I wanted..." Whispered Sophia, "Was to protect you...From the truth..."
The truth? Had there really been a devastating secret hid from Angelise for her whole life?
"Live on, Angelise..." Whispered Sophia, "No matter what..."
In those next few seconds, Sophia's face twisted with struggle and pain. Her last act as a sovereign queen had shown she too, was like anyone else: A mere mortal human who, even when dying, struggled to hold onto life until the bitter, painful end.
"Okaa-Sama?" Angelise denied what has unfolding right in front of her, "OKAA-SAMA!"
It seemed so impossible.
Her? Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi, a Norma? It couldn't be right, it just couldn't!
Angelise prayed that she was having a rotten dream...But it felt too real to be fake.
All of her life...There was simply no possible way she could've been a Norma all along! Normas were antisocial, brutal, primitive creatures of arcane vile nature! If she were a Norma, how could she have gone on so long in society like the well-mannered idol that she was!
Why was everything...Suddenly going wrong?
What had she done to deserve this?
It wasn't right! It wasn't fair!
Two officers came in and grabbed Angelise by the arms, forcing her to release her mother's body. Angelise was powerless to stop them, the shock of the ordeal weighing heavily on her psyche.
They held her arms behind her back, forcing her to her knees like she was a monstrous criminal.
A third officer walked up, his eyes looking down upon Angelise with tremendous sadness and shame. He looked shocked, feeling betrayed for having once followed an abominable Norma acting as though she were a natural-born person.
He looked as though he didn't want to detain her, but he kept going.
"Under Article 1, Section 3, of the Norma Management Code," Began the officer, "You are hereby recognized as Norma #1203-77."
The officer sighed.
"Take her away." He concluded, not wanting to be stuck in that situation any longer than necessary.
"Yes sir!"
As they began to drag Angelise off, the poor crown princess listened to the people who once idolized her begin to curse her.
"You tricked us!" Accused a man.
Angelise looked to the crowd...
...Only for her eyes to lay upon her former peers.
They were friends, weren't they? One minute, she was their trusted friend...But now they looked at her like an eyesore.
"What 'bond,' you liar!" Cried Akiho, her once-classmate turned against her, outraged by the horrifying revelation.
Angelise was stung.
And her horrible misfortune was soon to get worse. Sure, having been exposed as the horrible cancer of the Mana society, despite the fact she hadn't even known that herself was horrible enough. She'd been publicly scrutinized, her reputation irreparably and severely tarnished.
All she could do was watch as the world she'd soon leave behind change in the blink of an eye. How was it possible, that an entire populace that worshiped her as royalty all her life, suddenly treat her like a villain being brought to justice?
Even if it was bright and sunny, today was the darkest of days for Angelise.
And it was only going to get worse.
Angelise was dragged to places unknown.
The horrible memories she was left with...Sophia dying right in front of her, her brother causing an uproar that just destroyed Angelise's reputation and career, and everyone believing outright that she was a Norma in mere moments.
It all happened so fast...All she could do was sit and watch as her life, reputation, and legacy were torn to shreds.
This couldn't be happening...This had to be a bad dream!
"This is One-Zero-Seven, with the waste product." Said the pilot.
Angelise was currently aboard an airship. She had no windows to look outside, nor freedom of movement to stretch her legs. To be treated in this manner was nothing short of cruelty! All she had of the outside world was the sound of thunder outside.
The plane landed soon, and Angelise was pushed around, led off the plane, into what appeared to be some kind of processing area.
She was momentarily blinded with bright lights, chained at the neck and wrists, like some kind of enslaved animal. This was unsightly! She was coated in scrapes and bruises, her hair was messy, she looked a complete opposite to her former appearance that morning.
They took photos, mugshots of her defiled face. All she could do was give a somber, depressed look.
"1203-77." A warden listed off, "Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi. Origin: Misurugi Empire. Age...Sixteen."
The warden looked up at Angelise in disbelief.
"So, you're sixteen?" She cocked an eyebrow.
Angelise was silent. She was still so lost...
"From this day forward," Continued the warden, "You'll be enlisted into Arzenal, and expected to fight as a soldier, understand?"
Angelise finally looked up to face the woman.
"Please, tell me," She requested, "What is this place? Why am I here? I don't understand!"
"-Since you're sixteen, you'll join the curriculum as a special case." The warden ignored her.
"Wait!" Angelise demanded, "What has become of my mother?! Please, let me see her at once!"
The warden was silent, and marched up to Angelise.
The former princess stepped back in fear.
"W-Wait, what're you-?!"
"Confiscating your effects." The warden said simply, removing bits of jewelry Angelise was still wearing, and dropping them into a tray.
"Stop that!" Angelise begged, closing her hand, exposing her mother's ring.
"I'll need that ring too." The warden ordered.
But when she reached for it...
"Stay back!" Angelise pulled her ringed hand away, making the warden flinch in surprise.
"This is the Ikaruga Family ring, from the Misurugi Empire!" Angelise said defiantely, "A low-ranking officer such as you is not even fit to touch it!"
This made the warden take a step back in offense, "You'll pay for that, Norma!"
The warden pulled out a whip, ready to lash away at Angelise for her insolence.
Before any lashes were thrown, the pair heard someone stand up from a chair right next to them.
"Allow me, Inspector Emma Bronson." A woman with a black ponytail spoke up, her voice cool and smooth.
She entered into the dim light within the room, her face had a sick, creepy charm on it, like she knew something nobody else did. Her lips were perched in a wide, sharp, smug grin. Her eyes almost burrowed into Angelise's soul. She wore her coat over her arms, instead of putting them in the sleeves.
"You see," The woman said coolly, "It takes a Norma to handle a Norma."
The woman walked up to Angelise, and...Unlocked her cuffs?
"My name is Jill," The woman greeted, "Commander of Arzenal. Sorry you had to be treated so rough."
Jill set the harness down on the table, next to the tray of Angelise's jewelry.
"As I told you before," Angelise massaged her sore wrists, "I'm not a Norma, this is a dreadful mistake. Please inform the Misurugi Empi-GAAH!"
Jill whipped around on her heel, and promptly delivered a devastating kick to Angelise's gut, knocking the former princess into the bars of a jail cell behind her.
"I'll admit, it's impressive." Jill marched on Angelise, watching the writhing girl sink to her knees, "Never thought a girl could live to sixteen without using Mana."
Jill collared Angelise, and lifted her up with...A prosthetic arm? It had a vice-like grip on Angelise, far more than any limb replacement Angelise had ever known.
"Didn't you think it was odd that you never even used it one time? Not even once?" Jill interrogated, her knowing grin held on.
"What exactly are you trying to say?!" Angelise retorted.
Emma pulled up Mana screens of Angelise's files.
"It says here she did have a maid who used it on her behalf." Emma reported.
"So that's it." Jill sneered, her smugness only deepened, "Well, that's sixteen years of effort down the drain~ Looks like your poor mommy died for nothing~"
"W-What?!" Angelise gasped, "N-No..."
Jill had to be lying! There was no way...Her mother couldn't have lied to her!
Seizing Angelise's guard being dropped, Jill snatched the ring, and slipped it right off the girl's finger.
"Please, give that back!" Angelise snapped back to reality and struggled to take back the ring, only for Jill to keep it out of her reach.
"Hmph." Jill chuckled, pushing Angelise into the jail cell bars again, "Why don't you just use you Mana, and take it back, then?"
Angelise huffed at Jill's dare, and focused her hands and eyes on the ring.
"Light of Mana!" Angelise called.
The air...Hadn't changed in the slightest. Angelise was doing nothing more than waving her hand like an idiot.
"C-Come forth, Light of Mana!" She called again.
Jill's smug grin sharpened.
"N-No..." Angelise sank into total despair.
"You've got nothing left, princess." Jill sneered, drawing a knife, "Not your royal privilege..."
She pressed the knife right on Angelise's throat, a single swipe would end the girl's life!
"..Not even your human dignity."
Angelise froze, utterly terrified her life would end at that moment.
Unfortunately for her, Jill was going to give her an even worse fate.
"Say hello to a living hell~" Jill turned the knife, and slashed down, cutting right through the fabric of Angelise's dress, exposing her body for Emma and Jill to see, with only her panties remaining. Jill wasn't done, as she tore off the remaining dress fabric and turned Angelise around, pulling her arm behind her back and restraining her like a hostage.
She pushed Angelise to a table, and forcefully bent Angelise hard on the edge.
"Inspector Bronson, could you lend me a hand?" Jill kept Angelise pinned to the table, looking back.
"Do I have to?" Emma looked weary of the question, like a rebellious teenager.
"You don't wanna get this over with? It's not a pretty job." Urged Jill.
Emma sighed, and with a wave of her hand, used her Light of Mana to bind Angelise's wrists to the table with cuffs. Angelise was left only to squirm and struggle like a tied-up animal once more, in a completely undignified position that left her vulnerable.
"Wh-What're you-?!" Angelise cried is dismay, this position, bent at the waist...
Jill grabbed the band of Angelise's panties with her mechanical arm, and effortlessly ripped the garment right off Angelise, leaving her totally naked.
"Relax," Jill said plainly, testing the rotation of her arm's wrist.
It didn't take a genius to know what would happen next.
"S-Stop this, please!" Angelise begged, desperation filled her voice.
Emma put a handkerchief over her mouth, and promptly looked away.
"I-I am the first imperial princess of the Misurugi Empire!" Shouted Angelise, "I am Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi!"
Jill stared into Angelise's eyes, a dead, glossy, dull glare bored into Angelise's soul.
"You were," Corrected Jill, "Starting today, you're Ange!"
Jill wasted no more time, and pulled back her mechanized fist.
Angelise faced forward, shut her eyes, helpless.
All throughout Arzenal, that night, Angelise's screaming outmatched the thunderclaps outside.
That morning...
"Leo!" Tusk called, "Breakfast!"
"I'll be over in a second!" Leo waved from his bed, clearly making no move to get up.
"LEO!" Tusk shouted.
"Ugh...Fine..." Leo whined, lazily rising from his bed.
"Your Para-Mail might be kaput, but you've still gotta be responsible!" Tusk nagged, "Now hurry up! You'll wanna eat before we go check for any damage the storm did last night!"
"Right...Hey...Tusk?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you...Think I'm bad?"
"What d'you mean?"
"I snuck out and got Melody iced up, and...I did that without permission, doesn't that make me a bad person?"
"You're still hung over about that?" Tusk sighed.
"Y-Yeah...I'm a bad person, I knew it..." Leo groaned moodily.
Tusk went over to Leo, and placed an assuring hand on Leo's shoulder. Leo flinched, and looked up to Tusk. Tusk gave Leo a firm, yet worried face.
"You're not." Tusk told Leo, "Sure, you made a big mistake, and it's easy to feel so embarrassed about it. Yeah, there's plenty of reason to feel guilty about it, both emotionally and logically. You can either let this screw-up define you, or you can learn from it. But, there's only one lesson to learn from this mistake..."
"What's that?"
"To grow a spine." Said Tusk, "You're way too sensitive! Jeez...Everybody makes mistakes, and if you don't forgive yourself for screwing up sometime or another, it'll just come back to haunt you."
"I-I...I'm sor-I see." Leo corrected himself.
"There we go! Already on the path to moving on!"
"Y-Yeah..." Leo smiled awkwardly.
"Now c'mon! We've gotta clean up any mess the storm left for us!" Tusk pat Leo's back and walked off.
"Yeah!" Leo put on a set of clothes Tusk gave him, and trotted outside to join Tusk.
"Hoo boy..." Tusk sighed sheepishly.
The storm had ravaged the beach in front of Tusk's hut, tossing over several of the stuff he set around that wasn't tied down, blowing sand everywhere, even collapsing the little shed Tusk and Leo made for Melody.
"Aw man...We might be here all day just fixing everything...Guess we can't do any training today." Tusk groaned, "I'll go check on food storage, you go start cleaning up the scattered garbage, and watch out for snakes!"
"Right!"
Tusk rushed off, and Leo began salvaging odds and ends by hand.
After several minutes of bending over, picking up a random item with a random size, Leo fell on his rear and sighed exasperatedly. This was so much work! Leo did a deal of bodybuilding, but upon thinking...
...Did he really never do any physical labor in his entire lifetime?
When Leo really took a moment to think about his life, he'd never thrown a punch, held a weapon, or anything like that of Salamandinay and the ones lost to the false world had to do...He didn't know where he was, come to think of it.
Where was Tusk's island? Could he fly back home to the people of Aura?
If Tusk was here...And those strange Para-Mails were here...It made no sense! Leo was raised that nobody else but the people of Aura were on Earth, so how did Tusk, let alone those Para-Mails, get here?!
Unless...They were here all along.
Sala told Leo stories, chronicles of the false World of Mana, where humans were completely fake, who hunted the people of Aura through windows between worlds. Tusk was the only other person Leo had ever seen who didn't have wings and a tail...
Was Leo in the World of Mana?!
Leo shook his head, that couldn't be right! He'd become the rightful pilot of Melody and come home a real man!
Leo pumped himself up, reinvigorated, and trotted over to Melody's wrecked shed.
"Let's get you out of this mess." Leo pulled off the crossbeams and cloth that served as Melody's cover.
Fortunately, Melody was untouched by the inclement weather. Its shine had lost not sparkle, the ice even seemed to be melting...Maybe, Leo could only see the sharpened edges dull a little...Kinda.
Whatever this '"ice" was made of, it was pretty decent at staying frozen.
"I'm sorry for getting you iced over..." Leo felt it was only fair to apologize to Melody.
"...Are you talking to it?" Tusk spoke up from behind.
"BWA!" Leo turned and fell on his butt once again.
"Oh! Sorry about that...Were you talking to your Melody?" Tusk held out a hand for Leo.
"Uh...Y-Yeah...I dunno why, it just feels like Melody can listen to me..." Leo took Tusk's hand.
"Well, there's certainly stranger things in the world, so you're fine!"
"So it is strange..."
"I mean...Kinda?"
"So, what's the food storage like?"
"Oh it's gone."
"...Huh?"
"Yeah, no," Tusk explained, "The entire thing was blown away."
"What?!"
"Yeah...So, we're gonna need to go look for it, it appears that the entire container I stored food in was ripped off the wall and sent flying by the storm...If it wasn't struck by lightning and set on fire."
"Wai-wai-wait...Why would it be on fire?"
"I found scorch marks where the container was."
"Oh no..."
"N-Not to worry! We can just replace everything!" Tusk assured.
"I hope you're right..."
"Pfft, please! This happens all the time!"
"What?!"
Earth...
"High Priestess," Salamandinay bowed humbly before the High Priestess, "Has there been any word on Leo's whereabouts?"
"Princess," Sighed the Priestess, "As I told you yesterday, and the day before, and the day even before that...We have found little, if nothing, to discern Leo's location but little blips, but they're gone before we can track them down."
"I see..." Salamandinay looked worried.
"Rest assured," Continued the Priestess, "We're working ever vigilantly to find the missing boy. I understand how much he means to you, and I can tell you have things you still wish to speak to him about...But you're too wound up. If you continue to stress out over this, there's a chance you may find yourself burnt out."
"I understand that, but-"
"No excuses," The Priestess confirmed, "I'm no fool, I anticipate you to act as reckless as Leo and attempt to cross over into the false world on your own when all eyes are off you."
Salamandinay flinched, how did the Priestess know...?
"I'm not that easy to fool, Princess Salamandinay, I can tell when someone is plotting something."
"Forgive me, High Priestess..." Salamandinay apologized.
"Given how you haven't done anything drastic yet, I find no reason to penalize you." Nodded the Priestess, "I am simply concerned for you, Princess."
"I'm just worried...He's alone, and he must be in total fear..."
"Fret not, if there hasn't been any reports of his presence in the World of Mana, he may yet be safe. Our spies have high positions of power, and therefore our eyes and ears have access to even the most hidden secrets."
"But even so-"
"We'll do what we can, for now, we must be patient."
"...I understand." Salamandinay sighed.
"Our dear Anita-bless her soul-has been devastated by this revelation, you're not alone in this feeling." Said the Priestess, "Never forget that. To simply place all this anguish on yourself is nothing short of selfishness."
"You're...Right." Salamandinay realized.
"Very well, dismissed."
Salamandinay bowed, and exited the room.
The High Priestess was right...Salamandinay had gotten so wrapped up in her own distraught, she'd forgotten about anyone else affected by Leo's disappearance. She never took into account of Leo's mother, the doctors, and the general public...
This was making the princess question herself, was she really fit to be a princess if she was only thinking of herself?
She'd become so smitten with Leo...So focused on pursuing a romance with him...She'd become slothful and ignorant of her responsibilities. So greater the fool was she, the one who'd stood idly by, not taking care to prevent this from happening!
Had it not been for her giving Leo a taste of freedom...
At the time, she'd felt he was being squandered, his talents and potential wasted. He'd shown willpower, given proper forging, he'd make a fine soldier to help save the people of Aura, even Aura herself.
Is that why she pushed Leo to interact with Enryugo?
She was finally starting to connect the dots...She was upset, jealous of all the women surrounding Leo on a daily basis. Sure, it was for professional purposes, but that didn't stop Salamandinay's feelings in the slightest.
Salamandinay lay against a wall outside, finally coming to understand herself.
Ever since they were children, she'd developed feelings for Leo, a desire to be with him. How could she not be envious of the doctors who fawned over Leo day after day? She'd finally come to terms with her heart.
However...Now armed with this knowledge, Salamandinay had to learn to keep her priorities on her duties.
Leo was still out there, and as much as she'd longed to just leave everything behind and crusade until she found him, she couldn't do it on her own, no matter how she stretched the facts to suit her whims.
Salamandinay smiled, almost laughing at how foolish she'd been acting.
She'd finally come to terms with herself, and now, she could grow up.
Several days later, Arzenal...
For the past few days, Poe had only heard about how this new Norma girl was being an upstart.
"So," Poe willingly sat at a table with another person for once, "This...'Ange,' she's some sorta princess?"
"She acts more like a spoiled child," Commented Salia, "She's really not someone I'd trust on the field..."
"How badly?"
"D'you even want to know?"
"...Ouch, glad thing I don't have to listen to her."
"She keeps rambling on about some empire sending a petition for her release soo-"
"HAH!" Poe almost choked on his curry, "PAHAHAHAHAHAH! Oh-Oh my...I'm sorry, but that's PRICELESS!"
Poe split his sides with laughter, causing all the mess hall to have their eyes on him.
"O-Okay..." Poe wiped a tear from his eye, "C-Continue, I just had to get it out."
Salia sighed, almost chuckling herself.
"As I was saying," Said Salia, "She's been a real noisy brat since she's been dumped here, acting like she's better than everyone else, waltzing around with this holier-than-thou attitude. Ugh, I can still hear her mouthing off like she's here!"
"Yeesh, she try escaping yet?"
"You make it sound like that's possible..." Groaned Salia.
"Yeah, but it'd be funny to watch." Shrugged Poe, "Haven't had much in the way of entertainment I could just sit back and look at."
"...You're a sadist." Salia looked a little appalled.
"What? Oh c'mon, you're the one who keeps telling me all about how much of a skanky bitch she is, you have to feel that way too!"
"...Maybe just a little..."
"Exactly." Shrugged Poe, "She's an irritating bitch, so why not try making the most of it?"
"Perhaps...Say, anything special going on in your workshop?" Salia changed topics.
"Depends, didn't think a pilot would be interested in the details." Poe took a bite of his meal.
"W-Well...I just noticed you've been buying some of the exotic gear from the Jasmine Mall."
"Riiight..." Poe cocked an eyebrow, "I mean, I got my mom's old rig, might as well update it a little."
"Yeah, but Jasmine's told me you've bought the resources to build a completely new Para-Mail."
Poe grumbled.
"You know Jill-or even Warden Bronson-will overlook this for very long, someone's gonna start asking que-"
"Knock knock." Said Poe.
"...Excuse me?" Salia was dumbfounded.
"Knock knock." Poe repeated, clearly baiting a 'Knock knock' joke.
"...Who's there?"
"My back."
"Huh-?"
"It wants you to get off of it." Poe deadpanned.
"H-Hey!" Salia wanted to retort.
"I'll deal with that when I deal with that," Said Poe, "It's private, and it's better if you stop asking questions, it makes you suspicious as hell. It's my money, my loot, my business, and I don't need any help or want any, got it?"
Salia could only flinch, Poe had gotten so defensive so quickly...
"Hmph." Poe cleaned his tray, and stomped off after dumping it in the trash.
"Hey wait-" Salia stopped herself, she'd put Poe on edge, there was little chance of getting any info from him now.
But just as Poe rounded the corner to leave the mess hall...
"Oof!" A girl bumped into him.
"Watch where you're going-" Poe sighed as he stumbled back a little.
"You watch where you're walking, you oaf-?!" The girl snapped back, having fallen on her rear.
"...Who the heck are you?"
Poe was now staring over a brand-new Norma girl...She had long, blonde hair, a dainty, almost meek appearance. He'd never seen such a face before, and he'd memorized every single mug in this prison. She was in a recruit uniform...She was definitely new.
"Hey wait...You're that brat that just got dumped here!" Poe pointed insensitively.
"What?! How dare you talk to me that way?!" The girl stood up, "You've got some nerve, you-!"
The girl paused.
"...You're a boy?"
"No, I'm a bigendered girl with manly tendencies-What the fuck does it look like?" Poe snapped back, already annoyed by Salia.
"Ugh! You impudent brute!" Sneered the girl, "For your information, I am Princess Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi!"
"Oh, yeah, you're the new brat, all right." Poe said, completely unaffected by Angelise's insults.
"Stop calling me that!" Angelise snarled, "I am not a brat, I am crown princess of the Misurugi Empire!"
"Oh sure you are," Poe chuckled, "And I'm the queen of Rosenbloom!"
"How offensive! And to think someone who isn't a Norma is so utterly despicable!"
"...But I'm a Norma."
Angelise stopped. Her eyes were blank, her face was blank with the inability to process such a statement. It was as though Poe had just flipped her entire world completely on its head, flipped it right-side-up, and then flipped it upside-down again.
"...That's impossible." Angelise stuttered, "A-A...A boy can't be a Norma...There have only ever been girl Normas!"
"Oy vey..." Poe grumbled under his breath, "Well guess what? I'm a boy Norma, apparently I'm the only one, and it doesn't change shit that I'm a Norma."
"B-But..." Angelise was utterly confused, "That makes no sense...I-If such a thing is true, then...No-one is safe from becoming a vile Norma!"
"I mean...I guess it's the point-one-percentile rare?" Poe shrugged, "I ain't seen another dude around here, so...I guess I'm just a 'special' case."
Poe put air quotations on 'special,' to emphasize to Angelise the negativity that came with the title. A stupid human probably wouldn't understand Norma sarcasm, so he'd decided to be extra expressive.
"I-If you really are a Norma...Ugh, and to think the moment I first saw you, I was hopeful for finding a civilized human in this hell!"
Angelise snarled, and marched past Poe, angered.
"Tah-tah, the food here eats back!" Poe mockingly waved to Angelise.
"I'm not listening!" Angelise shouted back.
Poe sighed and shrugged, turning back and marching on his way. He'd dealt with one stuck-up Norma girl after another. Any insults this new girl could dish out, Poe had most likely gotten before every other day. He'd become so desensitized to it all by now.
"Poe." Jill spoke up behind Poe, "We need to talk, privately."
"...What'd I do this time?" Poe groaned.
"Nothing...Yet." Jill said ominously before ushering Poe to a private room.
"You're lucky I got to you when I did," Said Jill, "Don't think your shopping spree's slipped past me. It may have been incremental, slow, but I've noticed you've stocked up quite the pile of materials...Almost so much, you could build an entire Para-Mail with. And yet...You've not bought anything involving a Para-Mail frame."
"And what of it?"
"Nothing really, just rather curious..." Jill clearly knew more than she let on, but she had to keep things confidential for the time being.
"...I'm retrofitting my mom's Arquebus." Poe admitted reluctantly, "I prefer to keep to myself, and it's really annoying when people are eyeing me and scrutinizing literally everything I do. I shouldn't have to answer for doing something totally normal."
"...Understandable." Jill said reluctantly, "You're dismissed, try not to attract Inspector Bronson's attention."
"Yes ma'am." Poe left the room.
He had to be extra careful now...If anyone learned about his secret, it'd be over before it even started.
A/N: The end, for now!
This chapter has been a long time coming, over a year, in fact! I apologize for the lapse in time. I've gotten reviews that Poe's a flat note, a problem I'll try to rectify in the future.
Will Leo and Tusk ever discover the secrets of the Melody? What's Poe hiding, and why? What will become of Angelise, will she die on her first mission this time? A few questions will be answered next chapter!
Some updates: This story was formerly "Mobile Suit Gundam: Symphony of the Dragon." However, this has been recently edited as "Ragna-Mail Gundam: Symphony of the Dragon."
Next Time: Dead on Arrival
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