As usual, I don't own anything, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

5- Ordovician

Flynn glanced down at his pocket watch in one hand as he gathered Yuri's belongings from his floor with the other. "Six minutes to spare," he murmured. "Not bad."

"I told you, you work well under pressure," Yuri replied from his spot on the bed. He finished buttoning up his pants and held up one hand. "Toss me my boots, will you?"

Flynn threw them over one at a time, and Yuri began lacing them up as Flynn picked up his coat. Curious, he dug into the buttoned pocket along the inside and pulled out the ring that Yuri kept hidden. "Still thinking it over, huh?" he murmured.

Yuri had finished tying his boots and walked over to where Flynn was standing. "Still thinking it over," he answered, taking the coat off Flynn's arm. "But you'll be pleased to know that I got the okay from my guild boss. Brave Vesperia is officially pro-marriage."

"So now the decision is totally yours."

The statement gave Yuri pause for a moment. "...yeah," he murmured, "I guess it is."

Flynn was still holding the ring as he opened the door and ushered Yuri out into the hallway. Yuri grabbed his sword and ran after him, letting the door close behind them. He was quiet while they walked before finally speaking up again once they reached the end of the hallway.

"I'm sorry. I just can't give you an answer yet."

Flynn shook his head. "I already told you, this is a big decision and not one that I'd ever ask you to make quickly or lightly. Take all the time that you need and find the answer that's right for you."

"Not the answer that's right for both of us?"

Flynn didn't say anything right away. He glanced down at the ring and sighed. "I think I have sufficiently stated my own feelings about the matter. The rest is for you to determine. But if you're having trouble, then I'll hold onto the ring for now-"

"No way! That's mine." Yuri snatched it and put it back in his pocket. He noticed the satisfied smile on Flynn's face and frowned back at him. "But just so we're clear, if you think you've said everything you need to say, you're not going to get an answer anytime soon."

Flynn's smile faded. "What?"

"You heard me."

"No, I mean, what do you-"

They were approaching the corner of the hall, and the sound of footsteps from around the bend cut them off. A familiar face appeared, her expression lighting up as she saw Flynn.

"Commandant! I just came to check on you-" Her eyes panned over and her expression fell. "Yuri Lowell," she murmured.

Yuri waved. "Sodia," he chirped in reply. "It would seem I've taken enough of your commandant's time. I'll get out of your hair."

"Yuri-" Flynn began, but Yuri cut him off with a slow, deep kiss, the kind that lingered on his lips even after Yuri had pulled away. It took Flynn a moment to recover, and by that point, Yuri was already out the door.

"I'll tell Repede you said 'bye!" he called with a wave and then disappeared out onto the street. Flynn stared with a half-hearted wave and then let out a sigh.

"...and with my luck, he's going to disappear for another two weeks."

"Commandant?" Sodia asked, and Flynn smiled over at her. "Is he still being difficult about your proposal?"

"I'm really not sure. He's still considering it, yes, but…" Flynn followed her out the door and glanced across the city where Yuri had gone. "...there's something more he wants from me, and I don't know what it is."

"He won't tell you?"

"Well, he wasn't exactly forthcoming with it…" Flynn sighed, and Sodia let out a 'tsk' sound.

"Real relationships aren't like fairy tale tests of love. Communication is important." She paused and gave it some thought. "You said he's more sentimental than he lets on. Have you told him you loved him recently?"

"Exactly eight times in the last twenty minutes."

"Ah. You clearly have a different problem, then."

The two went quiet for a moment, and Sodia glanced up at the clock tower to make sure that she had a minute or two before the patrol officially began.

"Flynn, you're too accommodating. If he's not being honest with you, you can't stand for that." She crossed her arms. "In my opinion, you should stop sleeping with him until he tells you what's wrong."

Flynn shook his head. "I can't do that."

"Sure you can! It's a good rule to follow in general. Angelina and I never go to bed in the middle of a fight."

"That's good for you," Flynn answered with a laugh. "I admire your self-control in matters where I have none."

"C-Commandant!"

Flynn nudged her and pointed up to the clock tower. "I'm technically not on duty as your commandant for another thirty seconds. So speaking as your friend- thanks. I appreciate the concern."

"I just don't like to see him making you miserable."

"The only way he could make me miserable is saying no," Flynn assured her, "and the way he was holding onto that ring, I don't think that's his plan. I just… wish I knew what his plan was."

"What… what are you talking about…?"

Raven frowned. "Don't tell me that ya don't know. Haven'tcha been spyin' on us?"

Kida blushed and looked away. "I've just been following you. I haven't actually been close enough to hear all your conversations. I had no idea that she had a… what was it called?"

"Aer tag." Raven slid his chair back a little so that he could sit up straight. "Supposedly it's some special new Empire tech that no ordinary citizen could get their hands on. So if Bell has been passed around in this cult of yours her whole life, how did she get this fancy tag?"

"...Enki…" Kida murmured, "...it must have been Enki. Bell's mother brought her to Enki to be 'sanctified,' whatever that means. He demanded it, saying that it involved a vigil during which she would be presented to Utnapishtim and receive his blessing. But it's possible that Enki implanted the tag during that night." She closed her eyes tightly, shaking her head. "I should've known Axis Mundi would be too controlling to let her find her destiny on her own. Bell doesn't deserve this. No one deserves this. But there's nothing we can do-"

"Don't say that yet," Raven warned. "First things first, how would our buddy Enki have gotten his hands on an aer tag ta begin with?"

The question forced Kida to stop and think. "I don't really know. Enki claims to have mystical powers, but I've never seen them in action. What does this aer tag do, exactly?"

Raven had to think for a moment too, scratching his chin as he recalled what Rita had said earlier. "It tracks her location. Our genius mage could tell ya more, but as far as I understand, the tag gives off signals in the aer that can be picked up by specialized machines."

"Aer signals, hm? I should ask Anzu about it."

"Anzu? That one'a yer cult buddies?"

Kida shook her head. "No, he's-"

As she said this, the door to the apartment opened and a pair walked in, a young woman laughing and dragging a man by the arm. She stopped in the entry hall and looked over into the kitchen, freezing in place as she made eye contact with Raven. He grinned and waved one hand.

"Molly! How ya doin' kid? Long time no see!"

"R-R-Raven!" Molly blushed stepped in front of her companion as though trying to hide a man who was far taller than she was. "What are you doing here?"

"Met yer roommate at the tavern tonight," Raven answered, leaning back in the chair. "We were just chattin' bout Brave Vesperia's latest job."

"I-if you'd told me you were coming, I'd have made dinner for you! I still can! Why don't we call Harry-?"

"Nah, I'm not gonna stay long." Raven interrupted, waving one hand and placing the other against the table to steady himself as he stood up. "Who's this fine fella ya brought home?"

"Oh! Um, this is Robert." Molly motioned behind her, and the young man offered a sheepish wave. "He's one of the latest class of Altosk recruits. I was just, uh, going over some guild policies with him."

Raven approached the man and patted him on the shoulder. "Aw yeah, I remember you! Good ta see that'cha finally made it inta Altosk. You're lucky too- there's no finer member to show ya the ropes than our lovely future Donna."

Raven winked as he said the last two words, and Molly's blush intensified. "W-we, uh, only came by to… g-grab some books from my library. Once we have those, we'll head back to headquarters."

"Too bad. I'd love ta get ta know him better. Maybe sometime soon."

"Of course."

Molly ducked back into her room, leaving Raven and her companion in the entry hall. Kida was still sitting in the kitchen but had hunched over the table as though trying to hide from the situation. Raven turned to look at the man, staring him in the eyes and pointing a finger at his chest.

"Molly's a sweet girl. Just 'cause things ain't solid between her and Harry doesn't mean you can take advantage of her. You treat her right, ya hear?"

The man stiffened and nodded. "Y-yes sir."

"Good."

Raven returned to the table and waved again as Molly returned with an arm full of books and ushered her companion out. Once they closed the door, Raven walked over to the window and watched as the two disappeared into the crowd. Sighing and shaking his head, he sauntered back over to the kitchen table and leaned against the back of the chair.

"You know that boy?"

Kida shook her head. "He's new. The fourth one this month."

"Guess that's what happens when Harry leaves for half'a year," Raven commented with a dramatic shrug. "A girl gets lonely, huh?"

"It… it isn't that. Molly has been bringing men home as long as I've lived here. She just can't ever get one to stick."

Raven took the chair and turned it around backward, sitting so that he could lean his arms against the back while still facing the table. "I'm not surprised. No one wants ta commit to a gal who's already promised to some other man."

Kida fidgeted with her gloves, a sad expression on her face. "Molly deserves to be happy," she murmured. "Marrying Harry is just another guild duty she's expected to perform. Why can't they see that?"

Raven shrugged. "Probably 'cause all they can see is the stupidity of the whole thing. It ain't a secret that she and Harry don't see eye-to-eye. They might'a been buddy-buddy as kids, but if the Don and old man Cooper were still here, they'd'a called off the whole thing ages ago."

"You think?"

"I know," Raven corrected. "Molly's dad and the Don ain't around to ask fer permission ta annul the engagement they set up, but it's not like they're around ta care either. The kids could easily break it off if they wanted to, but they're both too stubborn. I guess these men that Molly's hangin' around ain't fond of a stubborn woman."

Kida shook her head. "I don't think they're stubborn. This engagement was important to Molly's father and the Don. It's important to Molly and Harry too. And anyone who claims to care for them should be willing to accept that."

The kitchen went quiet for a moment. Raven closed his eyes and sighed.

"Put yerself in that situation. If you loved somebody who was s'posed ta marry somebody else, would'ya really be satisfied knowin' you'd always be 'the other woman?"

Kida's expression took on a look of firm resolve. "If he truly loved me, then yes."

"Really? Even if that meant the two of ya could never really be together?" Raven leaned forward, the back of the chair hitting the side of the table. "Even if it meant that, no matter how much of yer life that ya dedicated ta him, he could never really dedicate himself back? Wouldn't that just eat ya up inside? Wouldn't it just kill ya-?"

Kida slammed a fist on the table. "I respect his dedication to performing his guild duty!"

"You would," Raven corrected, "hypothetically."

"Y-yes."

Once again, the kitchen fell quiet. Somewhere on another floor, there was the faint sound of a dog barking, and the noise of a child laughing echoed from the window. Raven took a long, deep breath and stood up again, turning the chair around and pushing it back under the table.

"You keep glancin' at that clock over there. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I can take a hint."

Whether it was the idiom he'd used or his general implication, Kida looked confused. "What do you-?"

Raven cut her off, pulling a card from his coat pocket. "I'll pretend ya haven't been trailin' us this whole time and give ya the address to our guild office. If ya really wanna get out of this cult and help Bell, come by tomorrow mornin' and we'll chat fer real. Okay?"

Kida reached up and placed her fingers around the card, though she didn't take it until Raven had let go. He stopped by the door and turned back, watching the way she was turning the card over and over in her hands. Suppressing an amused laugh, he spoke up once more.

"And thanks, by the way- fer not lyin' to me."

Kida looked up. "What?"

"Lying. You've been cryptic, sure, but true liars don't give ambiguous, roundabout answers ta anything. Only people tryin' hard not ta lie do that. So thanks."

Kida held the card against her chest. "I… look forward to meeting your guild properly this time."

"I'm lookin' forward to it too."

It was already dark by the time Raven left the apartment and made it back to the street, but he didn't head home immediately. Instead, he crossed the street and waited for a while, leaning against the corner of the building and scanning the street for anyone he recognized. It took a while, but eventually, he caught sight of a familiar face moving subtly along the edge of the buildings. Raven waited for the man to pass by and then jumped into the crowd, blending in to look like he'd just been passing through himself.

"Oh, hey!" Raven waved, pushing through the crowd to catch up. "Fancy meetin' you here! What brings ya ta this side of town?"

Harry was walking along the edge of the street, so he could stop and turn around without blocking anyone else's way. He was holding a package of some kind in his arms, and his eyes went wide as he caught sight of Raven.

"Raven? What are you-?" He paused, remembering that Raven had technically asked first. "I had something I needed to deliver to Molly. I was going to drop by and see her, y'know, catch up a bit."

Raven caught up and leaned against Harry's shoulder. "More paperwork, huh? I hate ta tell ya this, but Molly's out tonight. She's trainin' a new Altosk recruit."

Harry glanced down at the package. "Oh, I see. That's good for her. I suppose I'll just leave this with her roommate, then."

"Look on the bright side, kid!" Raven stood up straighter and threw his arm around Harry's shoulders. "We could use this chance ta catch up, just you'n me. Whaddya say you drop that package off in Molly's mailbox and the two'a us head back over to the Sagittarius? We could hang out in your grandpa's old room and you could tell me all about yer latest adventures! I'll bet the bartender will even give ya a taste of somethin' good, what with yer birthday bein' only two days away and all."

Harry was frozen in place, his posture stiff against Raven's relaxed hold. The look in his eyes was one of hurried thinking, and Raven waited patiently for him to decide.

"Th-that sounds nice, but I really need to deliver the package to Molly's roommate in-person. There are some sensitive documents in here that I can't just leave in the mailbox."

"Why don't ya just hold on to 'em?" Raven suggested. "Ya might see Molly out and about, and if not, you can deliver 'em later when she's home. It ain't like there'll be much difference between now and later tonight since she's away." He took a step back and pointed in the opposite direction. "Let's go before the place gets too crowded- don't want the other patrons drinkin' all the good stuff, right?"

Harry frowned, looking back and forth between the package and Raven.

"...I… I can't. I'm sorry."

Raven clasped his chest with a dramatic gasp. "Yer blowin' off ol' Raven? After everything he's done fer ya?"

"I'm sorry, Raven. I want to catch up sometime soon. But not tonight."

There was a pause. Finally, Raven laughed and gave Harry an affectionate punch against the arm.

"I had a feelin' I wouldn't be able ta break ya. You're a good man, honorin' a commitment ta your gal. I can see what makes Kida so confident in ya."

Hearing Kida's name, Harry flinched and almost dropped the package. "H-how did you-?"

"How did I know? Yer grandpa didn't keep me around just fer my dashing good looks, remember?"

Harry didn't answer right away. He shuffled his feet against the pavement as he shifted his weight back and forth. "Raven, I'm sorry I didn't…"

"It's okay. Like I said before, you don't gotta tell me everything about yer love life. But I wish you'd said somethin' sooner 'bout all that awful-soundin' stuff in the empire. I don't want you gettin' inta that mess. Not right now."

"But-"

"I'm not tellin' ya to stay away from Kida. But when it comes ta this cult stuff, don'tcha get any ideas about gettin' involved. You need ta help Altosk and the Union. Brave Vesperia will take care'a Axis Mundi."

Harry was silent. He kept his eyes away from Raven's. When he finally spoke up, his voice was quiet, almost imperceptible against the background noise of the street.

"...thank you, Raven."

"Guilds don't accept their rewards until the job is done. So yer thanks'll hafta wait until we get ta the bottom of this, 'kay?"

"Yes. Okay."

Yuri had hoped to make it back before dark, but he'd had a difficult time pulling Repede away from his buddies at the pastures, and the shepherds had to take him aside and give him a lecture about not letting his dog loose in a place where he could "distract the working dogs." Yuri relayed a condensed version of the scolding to Repede, but he was in too good a mood to actually be mad.

Because of that, it was already dark by the time that Yuri made it back to the guild office, and he entered to find Estelle and Rita in the reception room huddled around the fireplace as Estelle read Bell a bedtime story from a beautifully illustrated book.

"But what can I do?' asked the monster. 'I am only a small creature who burrows in the ground. I have no great powers or skills." Estelle read, her voice low and gravelly as she played the monster. Her voice then changed to one deep and booming as she continued. "Do not worry,' said the gods, 'for your life in the dirt is a blessing, not a curse. Dig down deep, deeper than you ever have before, and you will find a cave-"

Rita had looked up to see Yuri and Repede enter, and Estelle noticed too.

"Oh, Yuri!" Estelle exclaimed and waved. "Welcome home!"

"Sorry to interrupt your story," Yuri replied, walking over and sitting down next to Bell's bassinet. "What are you reading?"

Estelle marked her place and closed the book, showing off a worn cover with the title A Krityan Anthology. "Last night I checked out a book of Krityan myths from the palace library. They're wonderful stories, and I thought they would be perfect to help Bell learn about her heritage. This one is the myth of how the very first Entelexia came to be."

While Repede curled up around the bassinet, Yuri leaned over the book and examined the illustrations on the front cover. "Pretty fancy. It sounded like there were a lot of big words too- is Bell really getting any of this?"

Rita shook her head. "It doesn't matter whether she understands it or not. Talking to babies is an important part of their development. It gets them used to their caretaker's voice and primes them for the acquisition of language skills in the future."

"I see," Yuri murmured. "I appreciate the lesson from our resident baby expert."

"Wha- no- that's-" Rita began to stammer, her face turning red. "I-it's not like I'm an expert about that or anything! It's just something I've read before! Besides, you have a report to give, don't you? How was Flynn? -And please, please don't tell me that you two broke up. I just couldn't bear it."

Yuri turned back to Rita with a look of confusion. "What the hell? Of course not. We chatted about the aer tag, got the model information, and then spent some quality time together before I had to head back. Why are you suddenly interested in our relationship anyway? I thought you said you didn't care."

"I don't," Rita huffed, crossing her arms, "but I swear, if we get one more case of heartbreak in this house, I'm gonna explode."

"One more case…?" Yuri asked, and Estelle was quick to explain.

"Karol and Judith are both very upset. We thought we'd spend our time down here to give them some space."

"More like we're hiding from Judith and her fillet knife," Rita added. "I would not want to be the old man when he gets back here."

Yuri groaned. "What'd the old man do this time?"

"Apparently Karol and Judith saw him going home with a young Krityan woman," Estelle explained.

"And Judith is mad about this because…?" Yuri prompted.

Rita shrugged. "The old man actually scored a date and Judith's pissed about it. You do the math."

"Didn't think she felt that way about him."

"No accounting for taste, I guess."

"You guys…" Estelle murmured, glancing back and forth at them. "...obviously Judith feels strongly about this. You shouldn't make fun of her for that."

Yuri scoffed. "Yeah, like you guys never make fun of Flynn and me for being lovey-dovey."

"That's different," Rita replied. "At least you guys are honest about it all. Judith and Karol's problem is that they refuse to admit how they feel. Karol waited too long to make a move on his Hunting Blades buddy and she's found somebody else. So now we've got two mopey idiots upstairs, one of whom is wielding a very sharp knife."

Yuri just shrugged. "Hey, it's a natural part of being in love. Relationships go through this sort of thing all the time."

"But Yuri," Estelle protested, "wasn't Flynn your first boyfriend?"

"Why do you guys keep pointing that out?"

Rita tipped her head back and groaned. "I haaate this. It's just another reason why I don't want anything to do with romance, ever."

The room went quiet.

Repede whined and leaned over the side of the bassinet to give Bell an affectionate lick on the cheek. She squealed in delight and flailed her arms toward him, her fingers brushing against his muzzle, and he drew back in surprise. The group watched, Estelle leaning closer and glancing back and forth between Bell and Rita. She seemed about to say something, but she never worked up the nerve to do so and eventually looked away. Sensing the tension, Yuri cleared his throat to interrupt. But before he could figure out exactly what to say, the door opened.

"Well! Ain't this a heartwarming scene ta come home to? A fire in the hearth and the whole family gathered 'round. It brings a tear ta this old man's eye."

Estelle perked up, her nervousness disappearing. "Raven! You're back!"

Yuri stood up and approached him, looking him over. "Huh. You don't look like a guy who just got laid."

"What?" Raven gave him a weird look. "Oh, don't act so smug! While you were gettin' lucky with the handsome commandant, I got a pretty damn good lead on where Bell's aer tag came from."

"You what?!" Rita scrambled to her feet and ran over to where Yuri and Raven were standing. "Both of you need to tell me exactly what you found out right now!"

"Hold yer horses there, Rita darlin'. Shouldn't we wait until everybody's home ta start goin' over the details? Where's our Boss? And Judith?"

"They're actually upstairs," Estelle replied, pointing to the ceiling. "Judith is cooking dinner."

"But you might not want to go up there right away," Rita added. "Judith is pretty pissed after she saw you leave the tavern with that Krityan girl."

Raven stiffened. "What? Ya mean Kida? Don't tell me that'cha think I was takin' advantage of her!"

"Not necessarily," Estelle answered. "According to Judith and Karol, it sounded perfectly consensual."

Raven groaned and walked over to the fireplace, collapsing onto the floor next to it. "You've gotta be kiddin' me. With Kida? Trust me, even if I wanted to- which I don't- that's a bad idea. I know her boyfriend and I ain't planning on fightin' him anytime soon. The man could fold me up like a little paper crane and toss me straight into the garbage."

"Good," Rita muttered.

Yuri wandered back over to sit next to Repede. "So if you weren't trying to get in her pants, what were you after?"

"Information, Yuri! She's been followin' us around since yesterday and I needed ta figure out why." Raven sat up, steadying himself against the wall. "Apparently there's some Krityan cult in the Capital that's callin' itself Axis Mundi-"

"I've heard of that," Estelle broke in, raising her hand. "It's not a cult, it's a civic club."

Raven shook his head. "Oh, darlin', if you heard some of the things Kida told me 'bout it, I think you'd agree with me. It's a cult. And on top of everything, it's a cult that has decided that baby-" He pointed over to Bell. "-is some kinda herald of their new world order. Can you believe that? Kida actually used those words- new world order. It don't get much more cult-ish than that."

As he spoke, Rita leaned over Bell's bassinet protectively. "They think she's…? But why?"

Raven shrugged. "Their leader says so, apparently. He's the one who put the tag on her."

"That doesn't make sense, though," Yuri broke in. "Flynn and I talked to Witcher, and he identified the tag as a Y675 model that they're still working on in Heliord. How did it get to the Capital and into the hands of a Krityan cult leader?"

"Dunno. Neither did Kida. All she said was that he had some kinda mystical powers and was connected ta an Entelexia named Utnapishtim. That name ring a bell ta anybody here?"

Estelle gasped. "You mean the original Entelexia from the story of the Great Flood?"

"You've heard of him?" Raven asked. "Like, he really exists?"

"Well, he at least exists in mythology," Estelle answered, picking up her book again. "I was actually just reading that very story to Bell. Would you like to hear it from the beginning?"

Raven glanced over at Yuri, who nodded in reply and voiced their silent agreement.

"Yes, please."