The saints can't help me now, the ropes have been unbound

I hunt for you with bloody feet across the hallow ground

-Howl, Florence + The Machine

Baam walked, ran, then flew through the city. Wind in his hair, blood pumping in his veins, past the city limits. Cursed the ocean and the pull of the moon. Saw the stars, thought of all the people in this Tower chasing after dreams, and wondered what the hell any of them were even doing here.

He wandered back into the suite, feeling, and looking a mess, judging by Khun and Rak's faces. It was mid-day, but he hadn't trusted himself to come back here any sooner. He hadn't bothered to check his pocket, but now felt a surge of guilt, noting their obvious concern.

"I knew it, I told you something was wrong. Black Turtle, what happened?"

"Everything. Nothing. I don't know." he managed, voice hoarse. He got a glass of water, took a dip swig, and started to pace.

"Baam?" Khun asked, cautiously.

"Is everyone right?" Baam asked, voice distorted with strain. "Am I really a monster?"

"Spit it out, Black Turtle. Tell us what happened. Did you tell Dotted Turtle or not?"

"Yes."

"And what did he do?" Rak asked, Khun observing intently.

"It's not what he did, it's what I did!" Baam stressed.

"What did you do?" Rak persisted.

"I -" Baam started, only to stop, tongue-tied. Khun rose slowly from the table and walked over to him.

"Sorry in advance, Baam." Before he could question why Khun would be apologizing, he slapped him lightly across the face.

There was a moment of stunned silence, as Khun observed him intently, Rak fretted, and Baam registered what had just happened. It had stopped his pacing, he noticed, interrupted the incessant chatter of his mind, forced him to focus on the present.

"Feel any better?" Khun asked.

"Yes, actually."

"Sorry again, it was either that or throw a glass of water at you. This was less of a mess." Khun explained dryly. "How about you tell us what happened now?" he suggested, indicating to the table.

Baam nodded, surprised how suddenly weary he was after taking a seat. He explained that Lero-Ro did indeed know he was Bijou, they had spoken briefly about the details of it, but what he was so upset occurred afterwards, the depletion of his aura.

"It was an accident, Baam. You know that, right?" said Khun.

He knew he had not set out to do it, and nodded, but he still felt terribly guilty. "But was all this a mistake? I made him a selfish promise because I felt guilty, he's had to live with it for all these years, and now look at what I've done."

"It wasn't selfish, Black Turtle, you wanted to comfort someone you cared about, and you followed through on it. So what, you made a mistake."

"A mistake is putting it nicely, Rak. You didn't see, it was… really bad. It was half an hour before he could keep his eyes open. He's a Ranker, and he could barely move."

"You are powerful, Black Turtle." Raak acknowledged, then repeated, "You are powerful, and so will be your mistakes. Nothing is going to change that."

"And the bottom line is, you did stop. He's alright." added Khun.

Baam relaxed. He hadn't been able to see it in this light alone, yet his friends' steadfast belief in him, their certainty that this was indeed an accident, and that this was not the end of the line gave him great peace.

"Thank you."

"Look at the trouble you turtles would get into without me!" cried Raak triumphantly.

"Have something to eat, Baam. We'll figure it out." finished Khun, smiling nonchalantly.

"And maybe take a shower, Black Turtle. Your hair's kind of crazy looking."

Baam followed Rak's advice, and shortly after he emerged from the bathroom, there was a knock at the door.

"Well, it's not Shibisu. His team left on time this morning." Khun said.

"It's not the other Blue Turtle either. He left too." added Rak.

"Yeah. 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder, little brother!' I think something came up."

Baam nodded, then walked over and opened the door. There stood Quant, alone.

"Yo," he greeted simply, and he appeared casual enough, but there was something heavy about his appearance here. His hair was down, though Baam didn't think that was deliberate; Quant more gave the impression that he simply hadn't bothered with it today. They made eye contact briefly, and Baam knew – not to what extent, but he knew Quant knew, and he wordlessly stepped aside to let him in.

Khun and Raak were cautious, looking to Baam for guidance, but he knew they were all on the same page – Baam and Lero-Ro together last night, Lero-Ro's best friend showing up at their suite today. He gestured for Quant to take a seat at the table, taking a seat himself as well.

"It just us in here?" Quant asked, arms crossed over his head.

"Yes." Baam answered.

"No point dragging this out: we all in the know?"

Khun and Raak looked to Baam, who again answered,"Yes."

"Anyone else know?"

"Only Hwaryun, and I suppose Lady Skud." Baam replied.

"She the one who sent you back?"

Baam nodded, then Quant continued, "So, you're Bijou."

"I am." At this, Baam had to fight off the urge to start laughing maniacally.

"And what, you've got some new shinsu drain move?"

"I'm so sorry."

Quant frowned and looked away briefly, before returning his gaze to Baam. "I didn't come here to chew you out, kid."

Khun spoke. "It was an accident, but Baam did hurt Mr. Ro last night. Your anger would not be unjustified."

"Yeah," Raak concurred, "And, you and Crazy Turtle are from the same family. It's weird seeing you calm. I don't trust it."

"Who's Crazy Turtle?" asked Quant, confused.

"Quaetro Blitz." Khun clarified.

"Quaetro?! He's a good kid!"

Then, not for the first time, Khun asked the exact question on Baam's mind: "Does Mr. Ro know you're here?"

Quant paused for a moment. "No. And he's going to be pissed, but he's sleeping it off at the moment. Like I said though, I'm not here to chew you out. Was I surprised? Definitely. Mad? Nah. Believe it or not, I've been in love before. Done my fair share of crazy shit. Hell, you already know what I'm talking about, your teacher's notorious, killed his whole family over a woman. Sometimes, you don't know what you're capable of till it happens to you."

There was a moment of silence as they digested that statement. It felt true, though Baam was not convinced he would be so understanding, if the situation were somehow reversed. Rak was the first to respond: "Well, this is good, Black Turtle. This turtle isn't your rival, and you don't have to kill him!"

This was an instance where Baam was not sure if Rak was joking or not, but to his surprise, Quant grinned. "That's what I'm talking about: crazy shit. Been there, done that. But seriously, kids, what the hell? After I went out of my way to save your sorry asses, too."

They shared a laugh though it probably had more to do with how awkward this conversation was, and the need for some small relief.

"We okay? You convinced I'm not going to blow up? 'Cuz kid, I want you to take a walk with me. There's some more I gotta say to you, and I'd like to say it alone. Besides, what are you worried I'm going to do? You already took Ro out, and he's stronger than me. If anything, I'm the one who should be worried."

"I'll go." Baam replied, then looked to his friends.

"Yes, you've convinced us. It's fine with me." Khun acquiesced.

"Surprisingly." Raak added, nodding as well.

"See you later, but… Mr. Ro, he doesn't need anything?" Khun asked tentatively, unusual for him.

Quant sobered, a hint of sadness appearing, before he answered, "Let him be for now," then turning to Baam, "You ready, kid?"

Baam didn't ask where they were going, only followed Quant's lead as they hopped from building to building, eventually leaving the city limits, following the shoreline until they reached an overlook. Even though he was out here last night, in the state he was in he did not take in his surroundings. It really was quite beautiful here.

"Alright, this place is as good as any. Damn, I thought Bijou was a woman this whole time. Figures, that's just like Ro, keeping things to himself, like he thinks I'm going to blow a gasket." Quant scoffed, scraping the ground with his foot, then saying, mostly to himself, "He could have told me."

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" Baam prompted, when Quant failed to continue.

"A few things. I meant what I said earlier, I'm not mad at you, I know you didn't mean to do it, but… it was rough, this morning, with Ro. I'm telling you because I doubt he will, not if he can avoid it. Hell, I don't know if he would have told me, except I caught him off guard – I mean, my first thought was maybe you two sparred or something – his shinsu was so off.

"It's a joke, obviously, me telling you what you can and can't do. I used to envy you for that, to be that powerful, but looking back on it, there's things I'm glad I didn't do, but the only reason I didn't do them was because I couldn't. But I would've, if I could've.

"You'll never have that, that limit. You can basically do whatever you want. Despite that, I think you're a good guy, which is why I'm even bothering to say this: I'm not sure this is a good idea, you and Ro.

"It's not that you don't care about him, or he doesn't care about you, but, well, you know who you are, you have to live with it everyday: one of the most well known people in the Tower, one of the most powerful too. I thought this the first time I met you: a tiger can't run with house cats, and Ro, he's not at your level, and he's never going to be.

"You already know what happened with Princess Yuri. You're the same thing. Maybe not right away, but eventually, you're gonna leave. Maybe not because you want to, but this is your lot in life, like it was the princess'. It's just who you are.

"I know it's tempting, to want to fix something, I've done it, and I'll do it again, but sometimes, there's just too much going against you. I'm not sure that all this, is something you can fix."

Baam sighed, and looked out over the water, the whitecaps, the gulls swooping low, heard their cries and the howl of the wind. This wasn't entirely unexpected; it had not gone unnoticed that though Quant wasn't angry, he was scouting out the situation, getting his own take on it, going as far as to admittedly go against Lero-Ro's wishes to do so.

Back at the suite, he had been willing to joke around, but now Baam was reminded of the Quant he encountered during the Hide and Seek Test, flame red eyes glowing in the dark, a certain aura of not menace, but power. He understood Quant was serious here.

Embarrassingly, considering what he wanted to be with him, Baam didn't know much of Lero-Ro's friendship with Quant, yet Baam could relate, as he himself was fiercely protective of his friends, just as he could feel Khun and Raak's protection of him, even in this situation where he was the one in the wrong.

Baam didn't have an answer, to all these concerns, but he knew he was not ready to give up, and he knew his chances would be significantly greater if Quant had some faith in him, difficult as that may be considering the blunders he had already made. He settled on something that he hoped would be comforting, but at the very least would get Quant's attention. Let him know that he was serious too.

"I'm glad you told me what you honestly thought. I can't say what the future holds, but if things go my way, you'll be seeing a lot more of me."

Quant raised his eyebrows and leveled Baam with a look that didn't communicate trust so much as begrudging respect. "Gotta lot of nerve, I'll give you that. It wasn't bad, hanging out with you all this week."

"Thanks." Baam was content with that, for now. Next, he wanted to make it clear he wanted to speak with Lero-Ro again.

"Do you think today is too soon?"

"Give me your pocket info. I'll go back and talk to him after this, let you know."

"Alright. If you don't mind, I'd like to stay here awhile."

"Fine by me. I said what I wanted to say."

Quant was gone, quick as a flash, and Baam walked out to the cliff edge, to be with his thoughts, the sky, and the waves.

Baam greeted Khun and Raak as he returned to their suite. He'd thought of them at the cliff edge as well. He was immensely grateful for their help and support, and for giving him this time, but he knew they needed to leave, return to their journey of climbing the Tower. He could almost laugh. It was the same situation as before. In his haste to see Lero-Ro again, he hadn't bothered to imagine how he would go about departing from this place.

He brought it up with them now, but he knew they felt it too. They couldn't stay here forever, and under the circumstances, he didn't feel it appropriate to linger. It was time to go. They would leave tomorrow. He messaged Quant updating him to their plans.

At the very least, he could avoid coming to this final meeting empty handed, and he made his way back to the city to do some shopping, though in some ways it felt like fighting the ocean waves he'd just been watching. What could he possibly bring with him that would make any difference? A piece of jewelry? Baam had never seen Lero-Ro wearing any. Flowers? Too temporary for what he needed this to be.

Something else, and fortunately, this city provided him with many places to search for it. He tried the gift shops, and when he failed to find anything suitable there, he continued on, becoming increasingly restless: weapons stores with needles, light boxes, spears; clothing boutiques, art galleries, book sellers. No, shaking his head to himself, until finally he saw it. A music shop. Inside, there were instruments, music books, records, not his area of expertise, then, he saw a small display of boxes, music boxes.

Ballerinas spinning in slow motion, pianos, horns. Inlaid wood, painted ceramics. Still not it. There had to be something here, he was sure of it, he'd been looking for hours, and then, as if a light were shining on it, there it was: silver, decorated on all sides with leaf scrolls and flower heads, peacocks and cherubs. When the song began, an oval lid opened and a bird rose up, flapping its wings and moving from side to side. The price tag was large, but Baam had the funds and quickly purchased it, asking them to gift-wrap it and then made his way back to the hotel.

It was only after he'd returned that he received a message from Quant to come on by later tonight. He replied he would be there, then stepped out onto the balcony to watch the setting sun, to hope this gesture would be enough.

When Baam rounded the corner to get to Lero-Ro's rooms, he was surprised to find he and Quant already out in the hallway, Quant in the center and Lero-Ro standing within the door frame, propping the door open. They appeared to be having a last word with each other, and Baam wondered if he should turn around, but it was too late. They had already seen him.

There was a hardness in Quant's eyes that had not been there earlier. Baam wondered what had changed for him in the hours since they had seen each other, but upon closer inspection of Lero-Ro, he could hazard a guess.

Dressed well, - a white button down, black pants – yet his coloring was grey, eyes dull, hair lackluster. Overall dampened. Nevertheless, Quant still showing a rare restraint, nodded to Baam in both greeting and goodbye and with quick wave of his hand to Lero-Ro was walking away.

Then Lero-Ro smiled at him, weary as he was, in spite of everything, and for a moment Baam's thoughts went blissfully blank.

Baam leaned back in his seat, looking down at the city one last time as their airship rose into the clouds. Rak to his right, sitting with his eyes closed, and Khun on the aisle busy with his light house. They would meet up with Hwaryun after returning to the Inner Tower.

He was calmer than he imagined he would be, watching the city grow smaller and smaller, reminiscing about the night before.

They had sat facing each other, Lero-Ro asking if Quant had said anything harsh, Baam replying that he was more courteous than he would have been in his place. Making sure that Lero-Ro was indeed alright, hearing the echo of Quant's earlier words - "It was rough this morning, with Ro. I'm telling you this because I doubt he will."

Lero-Ro's fragile reaction to the music box, the silver glinting in the light of the room as the melody began, not cheerful nor light, no dazzlingly intricate passages, not mournful or even expressly sad. Haunting in its simplicity, in its promise that though life may not have gone the way one imagined or hoped it would, it went on nonetheless – as the bird slowly flapped its wings – and there was beauty and stability in that continuum.

He began to cry, became flustered because of it, started to apologize for it, and Baam interrupted him, telling him there was no need, really not being able to stomach it, he was the only one needing to apologize tonight, as he wished, prayed for the right words to say – because he wanted to reach out to him, but he knew he could not, not yet. Then, like a bolt from the blue, it had come to him, a reverberation from the past.

"Tell me about yourself: where you grew up, your climb up the Tower, working on the Floor of Test. Whatever you want to tell me, I'd be glad to hear it."

Lero-Ro told him of a mist filled city of stone; of swamps where people reported will-o-wisps, orbs in the distance that could never be reached; his work as a manservant until Headon appeared before him, of teammates come and gone, of Yuri's passion; Quant's fire; Evankhell's long absence from the Floor of Test, and a certain group of Regulars who set him down another path. He listened well into the following morning.

After that, he recalled, as he lost sight of the city below him entirely, he asked the question most precious to him: "Would you consider waiting for me?" and received the answer he most longed for, the answer that would make it bearable to leave, the answer that would once again hold across time and space.

"Yes."

And Baam smiled to himself, looking over to his friends, who had begun to discuss the merits of the in-flight meal.

It was all like something out of a fairy tale.

Finito