(Authors Comments: This was a fairly difficult chapter to write, I think it took me around.. oh, 3 and 4 days. In this chapter I strugged to find the relationship between Toma Levin and Corrine Graie, I also had to impart
other things. I really do like Toma and I realize that I gave him a "rough" deal in this. I make it up to him though in Setzer and Violetta's
story.)

Chapter Five

"Hear the passion in their voices,
See the heaven in their eyes.
The hopes and schemes and fallen dreams,
Of less the paradise."
-Arcadia, "The Promise"

It was only once that Mrs. Graie softly shut the door of her room behind her did the silence finally break and the two was given enough air to speak. After all it as safer without listening ears or the watchful eyes of propriety to shoot them and their naturally affectionate nature toward each other down. Alone they could speak without censure. Corrine moved from her chair to the couch where it was more comfortable and she could curl up with the mass of quilts and pillows, she patted the spot beside her and motioned to Toma with invitation apparent in her beautifully luminous eyes. She had been quick to move and so did Toma follow suit and he was sitting down in a matter of seconds.

With a sideways glance he drank in Corrine's elven face, the idealistic winter queen with those locks like a blanket of snow against her peach tinged skin. He felt that familar clench of longing run through his heart. Could it be fair that she, the woman that he loved, was destined to die before she reached full flower? In his travels he had never sought to forget her, rather he did everything to honor her name. She was figuratively if not literally his muse and he had oh so hoped to have taken her on some of his journeys, shown her things that would of made her eyes light up with child-like wonder and driven her to tears at the sheer beauty. Justify it to himself any way he wanted to, it could never be, it would never be at all. Fate had seen to that.

"I thought she would never leave." Toma joked comically. Despite general manners in this region, he took the uncouth way out and propped his feet up on the dendoro pine coffee table with casual grace.

"Once mother starts talking about Fiona, it is difficult to get her to stop. I was confident in your abilities though. You have a mercurial charm that always seems to work on mother and Fiona. I don't see how you do it." Corrine said in complete admiration of the man who had always been like a brother to her, in fact the closest person to her after her father had died. Honestly she could say that she would trust Toma with anything, anything under the sun.

Toma puffed up like hte proverbial peacock and stretched his arms over the back of the couch. His ego inflated with the compliment and it showed no sign of decreasing in the slightest. "I try, I really do." Your mother is a tough audience to play to because she asks too many questions. Gradually I get caught up in my answer weaving that I fear she will catch me tripping in the threads."

"You all but grew up in this household and she knows you like her own son. In fact if her and Fiona had their way so long ago, Fiona would of been Mrs. Levin." Corrine said quite honestly as she curled up at Toma's side. It was her way of feeding off the virile warmth that he radiated in abundance.

"Hell no, that wouldn't of happened! Fiona is a nice sort but I can picture her growing up to be just like your mother and it would of scared the hell out of me. In a few years Marco can consider himself hen-pecked and thouroughly chained to her apron strings. Not to say that he doesn't deserve it because he does, after all he chose to court Fiona." Toma laughed out softly and let his arm slide down the couch until it was lightly wrapped around her shoulder. As smooth as he could get it though he knew that Corrine would take it as a brotherly gesture. It was better on both parties if she thought that, perhaps it would be better for him if he started believing it himself.

"I am so glad that I don't have to worry about marriage and children. To me it seems like more trouble then it is worth." Corrine stated simply as she rested her head against his shoulder and inhaled the woodsy scent of him.

"Why do you say that, Kitten?" Toma inquired with nonchalance though inwardly he felt his heart -almost- stop. He was graced with the perception that she knew. Where else could a remark of such cloaked bleakness have stemmed. From what Toma had seen of the world, it was every village maiden's dream to get married and have children, wasn't it?

"I am dying. I am not going to see my birthday much less the spring. I overheard the doctor and my mother talking while they thought that I was asleep. Eventually my body will weaken and then just stop like that."

Now what amazed Toma was the fact that Corrine said this with no emotion to her voice. It also gave him a fleeting chill of despair that hope was entirely out of question. Corrine had acccepted the lot that Fate had cast her -that- easily and in turn he should accept it as well. Bowing his head, Toma nodded and let a ragged sign escape from his lips.

"I know. Fiona told me in the last missive that I recieved from her. I came down as soon as my employer would allow. I profess to being more then little concerned about how you were taking the news. Judging from your voice, surprisingly well I would imagine." Toma raked a few fingers through his hair, frustrated at his inability to do anything. A glance at Corrine revealed the perfect picture of haunting complacency. How did she do it?

"I don't think that they wanted to tell me because they thought I would pull out the tears and demand attention from them. It is much easier to feign ignorance so that they don't have to pay too much attention to me." Corrine rationalized and tilted her head slightly on his shoulder. A few tears ran down her cheeks unbidden and she felt drawn to stifling them against the soft linen of Toma's shirt that lay just underneath her cheek.

"Go ahead. Cry. This shirt is very old and won't balk at a good watering." Toma offered in his charmingly indulgent way. He was a master of hidden feelings, almost as adept as Magus but in a different way. While Magus used mystery to cloak them, Toma used the realm of humor and entertainment to throw people off his trail. Corrine half laughed, half sobbed as she buried her face against the shirt. In the space of a few minutes she quieted down but regardless she shivered like a newborn kitten made vulnerable without a mother. Such a gesture only drew out Toma's protective instincts in greater force and he wrapped both arms around Corrine to draw her closer. "You shouldn't have to bear this alone, Cori. If you had only written me, I would of stopped whatever it is that I was doing and come home to see you. Nothing could of stopped me, not even Magus."

"I didn't want to worry you." Corrine hiccuped and felt somewhat sheepish for this display of emotions. "You have so much fun and adventures that I would of felt bad had I taken that away from you."

"Screw that! It is easy to wander and I can do that any day I damn well please. However you are important to me and had I not found out from Fiona and you had died, I would of felt guilty for not making time to see you. In every sense of the word I would of felt guiltier." Toma whispered into Corrine's elven tipped ear, his breath warm and comforting.

"Please don't tell them that I know. I do not want to cause trouble because they are so busy concentrating on the birth of Fiona's children and I certainly don't want to throw a wrench in that pleasure." Corrine pleaded.

One thing Toma had learned in this life was that he could never resist those amethyst eyes.. especially when she was asking for something that she wished for at the very bottom of her soul. Oh, this was the exact way that she had gotten candy and treats out of him during church. If she only knew the power she so easily wielded.

"Your secret is safe with me, Kitten. Which reminds me that I have a proposition for you, it is something that you don't have any obligation to accept. Unfortunately I am honor bound by Magus to ask." Toma said as he brushed his fingers against Corrine's hair. These were the times when he felt the inexplicable urge to settle down but knowing his luck, he would remain a wanderer until the day he died.

"What is it?" It felt right to be in arms that were so full of masculine protection. In the reality of this moment, death was nonexistant.

"Magus needs a virgin." Toma said, cautiously foraying into the subject. Evidentally it wasn't cautious enough because Corrine's eyes widened in shock as she reached for heavy tasseled pillow and started flailing it around in the general vicinity of Toma.

"Excuse me?!?" Corrine said with a great deal of indignant female rage. The force of her blows sent him scampering off the couch and onto the floor. He hit the ground with a thud and groaned from the sharp pain in his ass where the exact contact point betwixt him and the ground was.

"Wait! Here me out! I didn't mean it in the way that you took it! Magus does not need a virgin like -that-." Toma protested as Corrine waved the pillow threateningly. "Don't hit me!" Sometimes it was so hard to avoid violence and pain.

"How does he need one? Last time I checked, there was only one way I can think of, Toma Levin." Corrine said as she lunged off the couch trying to hit Toma across the head once again. She lost balance and hurtled to the floor with a tiny squeak of surprise.

Easy it was for Toma to anticipate what would happen and so he held out his arms and caught her conveniently, those toned muscles were good for something evidentally.

"Be careful! I don't want you to hurt yourself." He chastised as he tapped the tip of her pert nose with his forefinger. "You desire an explanation and an explanation you shall get. Yes, Magus needs a virgin but he needs her for a magic ritual that he is conducting."

"Please tell me more, Toma." Corrine's attention had been caught clearly.

"He needs the souls of a hero, a wiseman and a virgin in order to summon Lavos.. Such a being destroyed Magus's family when he was young and then burrowed himself under the earth to start feeding on the energy of the world and its people. Magus is partially driven by wanting to save the world such a fate as to be Lavos breakfast but then of course he is driven by revenge. He was close to his sister, Schala." Toma related the story and Corrine listened. The story continued when Corrine nodded her head for Toma to go on. "The souls will create a dimension that will summon Lavos but nevertheless Magus must have them. Magus requested that I find him a sickly village maiden that wouldn't live for very long and very foolishly I thought about you. I should of figured that he would read my mind but at the time I wasn't thinking. He coerced me into putting a request to you and I told him that I would mention it but I couldn't guarentee anything."

"I see." Corrine was full of mixed feelings. First side of her wanted to do it, wanted to help Magus in any small way that she could. Life was useless to her now, it served no more purpose but to eventually kill her. Wasn't it better at any rate that she be chosen then some healthy village girl that had her whole life in front of her? Nevertheless there was a strong part of her that didn't want to die sooner then fate intended her to. She wanted to cherish every sunrise, every moment til her last breath. Life was a gift no matter how short it was wrapped. She had been lucky enough to realize that she could make every moment count until her last leaf fell from the tree.

"Your hesitation cannot be blamed and if I were in the same situation I would feel equal reservations. However I had to ask before we jumped to subjects of a more pleasant nature." Toma said as he picked her up off the floor and sat down on the couch, holding her in the circle of his arms.

"I.." Corrine began to say softly. Thinking of what she wanted to say, she twirled a lock of hair around her fingers. "I've always wanted to meet Magus. That has been a dream that I thought would never come true. If I refuse this opportunity then I will be kicking myself until the day that I die."

"Does it even matter that you will be a victim of his cause? What if you will have died in vain for absolutely nothing?" Toma questioned. A deep lingering part of him didn't want Corrine to go through with it, arguing there was still a shred of hope that lingered however faint it might be right now.

"I will be the judge of that when I meet him." Corrine replied quietly. It wasn't a tone of voice that Toma could cast arguments against. That voice soothed the savage beast of his sorrow and made him believe that no matter what the outcome; everything was going to be okay.

"It is decided then, just like that?"

"I don't want to be here when I die. I don't want Fiona and mother to look down at me with mock pity in their eyes and say things that they do not mean, Tis better to go with you and accomplish something that perhaps will make me feel like my life has not been lived in vain, that I did something worthy with my last moments on this earth."

"You did something worthy, Corrine. You were born." Toma once again argued. His tone of voice sending Corrine out of his arms. Lack of understanding driving the rift where nothing else could dare travel.

"That is not enough for me. Have I really lived? No, I have only felt like a visitor on this planet. Life is supposed to be a spectator sport, something to participate in but I have been nothing if not the audience. A few nights ago I sat at my window and watched children play. I was removed from it, and not even familar with the games that they were playing. I exist like the violets outside in the garden, no purpose but to watch and then eventually wither." Corrine walked over to the window to look out at the night. Crystal snowflakes were flurrying through the air and covering everything it chanced upon with immaculate whiteness. When she woke up in the morning she would likely be blinded by the light playing upon the snow but her melancholy stifled all the joy she could take in the snowing.

"For some people, being born is enough. You have influenced my life in ways that I can't even fathom, you have left your imprint in my heart and nothing, not even your death, can alter that." Toma defended heatedly. Secretly in his heart he hoped that those words would send her back to his arms and all the confessions from his soul would come pouring out. Had she turned around and ran to embrace him, he would of told her that he loved her and it would of been very easy to say those words in the thick of tension and anxieties that surrounded them. However Corrine stayed there and wrapped her arms around herself to keep the cold from spilling in. Her back was turned to Toma and she saw nothing save what was hiding in her soul, the reflection of the snow saw to that. The moment had disappeared and the door closed softly against the moment. Needless to say Toma mentally kicked himself and his so called 'bravery'.

"You don't need me, Toma. You have lived your majority roaming the earth, exploring uncharted territory, and living your life. Coincidentally you make time to come visit me and for that I am thankful but when I die you will mourn.. and then you will move on with fond memories of me. You and sadness have never been at war with each other." Corrine smiled just a bit and turned around to fixate Toma with a fairly brave smile. Her eyes sparkled as much as they could under the innate sadness that she was expiriencing.

"I don't need you... but I will miss you." Toma nodded solemnly and gave her the quinessential puppy eyes and small pout. It was a ploy to bring reality to that smile and it worked.

"You don't need me but I feel that Magus does." Corrine nodded and walked over to the couch to perch at the edge. She made no move to scoot toward Toma as if somehow she knew that it wouldn't make things easier in the long run. "It is hard to lose family that you care about and nothing can justify that loss. If I can help him with destroying the parasite that took his family away from him then so be it, I will. At least I want him to know that I sympathize with him. Perhaps he will also learn that they will always be there, deep in your heart, living every breath that you breathe. Just like my father has been there for me."

"I support you Corrine and I will take you to Raven Wing's Fortress. No questions asked and no more pleading with you." Toma chuckled though inwardly he was crying. Easy enough to mask the tears underneath a smile, it was all apart of being the eternal 'nice guy'.

"Thank you." Corrine bestowed upon him a radient smile and reached over to clasp her hand with his. "Your support means the world to me. Sometimes I almost imagine that I am as brave as you through you."

~* "You are braver than I. It is you that do not need me."*~ Toma thought despondantly. His eyes caressed all her fragile features and etched them onto a little piece of his soul. It somewhat made him feel better to realize that he had a good two more weeks to do it but he wasn't going to wait til the last minute. Every moment would be cherished. "Enough of this sappy stuff. The real matter at hand is how to get you out of this house with mininum questions asked." Toma reverted to seriousness or at least another less depressing form of it. "You will be staying at Raven Wing's Fortress until a few days before the Zeal moon and I have been tasked with bringing you there should you choose to go through with the ritual. I have Magus's horse and carriage lodged at the posting house for right now and then we cross the channel in his ship. Estimated time of arrival is 2 days due to the weather acting against the waters, it is just an inconvenience that we must get through. Magus was sure to make all the plans for me -except- sneaking you out. That lies fully on my shoulders though."

"Mother will be the difficult one to pull the covers over. Too many questions and zero approval, I can see it now." Corrine bit her lower lip nervously and folded her hands in her lap.

"Screw her approval because I am not gonna get it. All she will do is harp on me about the impropriety of the situation. Tell me, how fast can you get your bags packed? That is without drawing undue attention." Toma leaned forward on the couch and thought out a simple plan in his mind, it wasn't really all that daring and expeditious. Just a matter of sneaking out without notice.

"A few clothes, a few childhood trinkets and my doll. It won't fill up but one suitcase however it will be tough to sneak out of the house without waking my mother up." Corrine's voice lowered to a whisper in response to the intrigue of it all. For the longest time she had wanted an adventure like this and she was going to soak it up for all it was worth.

"Two hours should do it. It will give you time to pack and wait until your mother falls back asleep. At 4 am drag your bags outside to the gate and I will be around shortly with the carriage to pick you up. We should reach Truce Cove by noon which is a few hours from scheduled departure time."

"Why Truce and not Domino?"

"His ship is distinctive and it does not help whatsoever that he is a wanted man on the continent. He thought that it would be better to avoid attention and I can't say that I disagree. I think he has a good point." Toma nodded and then glanced over toward Mrs. Graie's shut door apprehensively. "We should say our goodbyes now because I want to leave before she emmerges." Toma downed the rest of his cider hurridly and then set it down on the tray beside Corrine's untouched cup.

Corrine had gotten up from the couch and picked up the tray in order to take it out to the kitchen. "I promise that I will be outside at four." She looked the picture of domesticity and it was such a picture that Toma had kept locked up in his heart where the treasure therein dwelled. Grabbing his cloak, he wrapped it around his shoulders and then reached for his hat to set it on his head. Before Corrine could protest, he walked to her side and placed the lightest kiss against her cheek. It was all he feared he could get away with without Corrine questioning his motives.

~* "I am like a brother. Good reliable Toma Levin." *~ He sighed inwardly but smiled outwardly.

"I will be anxiously awaiting your presence, M'lady." He murmured with a swaggering bow that was meant to look funny and the floppy hat that he wore increased the effect twofold.

Corrine laughed and then shoo'ed him toward the door with a slender hand. Her eyes danced of their own free will and continued to dance even when he slipped out the of the house stealthily. With her company gone she took the tray out to the kitchen, intent on getting the dishes done before she went to her room to pack up her few belongings.

The kitchen light flooded the small cottage and spread a comforting homey warmth that Corrine preffered. She was going to miss this cottage where she spent all of her childhood. There were so many memories contained within the walls. Memories that were both filled with happiness and laced with sorrow. Soon she would be building new and different memories of a place that wasn't so familiar. Most importantly she was going to meet Magus, that thought thrilled her even though she tried to suppress the shiver overtaking her at the realization of what she had to do to meet him.

Through the years she had heard stories of the fabled 'Lord of Monsters' who lived on the Medina Continent. They were stories filled with dark deeds and arcane magic. Exactly the type of man that could not be redeemed by anything, a lone rebel against the world.

Corrine's belief however was that he wasn't as black as the general population painted him. The fact that he was doing this whole ritual to avenge his family reinforced Corrine's belief. One that cared for his family could be justified in such woeful violence. Certainly it wasn't acceptable behavior but sadness could drive the weary to doing things that weren't often right. It didn't mirror the man but rather the tortured soul within.

She ran the cup underneath the water and scrubbed it out with a soap- lathed sponge, pretending not to notice with the door to her mother's room opened up and she emmerged.

Corrine's mother too one glance at the empty living room and then huffed in affronted irritation.

"Where did Toma go?" Surely he couldn't of left without saying goodbye, that was very rude of him." She bustled around the kitchen, ignoring the work that Corrine was doing there.

"Toma was tired and so he hastened back to the Inn. It is late after all." Corrine murmured nonchalantly as she stored the wooden cups away on the top shelf with all the other glasses. Closing the door, she then walked to the pantry and peeked inside. Briefly she pondered the notion of packing a basket of food so that they did not have to stop for breakfast. Knowing Toma, he would want to make sure that she had food in her stomach before they left out.

"Is he coming back tomorrow? I have to contact Fiona so that they can have a nice chat whenrever they can get a chance." Mrs. Graie said with the pre-requisite pushiness.

Only then did Corrine truly realize that what Toma and Magus offered her would be like manna from heaven.

"He didn't mention anything to that extent but you know how he is, very unpredictable." Corrine smiled as she reached in the cupboard to grab the jar of strawberry jam, shutting the door behind her and then carrying them into her room to store them on the dresser for later. She didn't bother to cloak her actions because no one in her household ever questioned what she did.

"That is why I am glad Fiona didn't marry him. He would of left her for all manner of hare-brained adventures. My opinion is that once a man is married he should stay home with his family."

"Basically he should not be like father."

"Your father was inconsiderate to a fault. Always traveling off to god knows where. Home for a few days and then gone like the inconsistant wind."

"Father brought us home many different things. Material for dresses, books, gardening supplies, food staples. How can you say that he did -nothing- and his traveling was for his own pleasure?" Corrine turned around to look at her mother with flashing eyes that radiated both hurt and anger.

"He brought all the best things for you and excluded Fiona most of the time. A shame that he couldn't treat both of you equally, it was no secret that he loved you better."

"I suppose that is the reason that you love Fiona better then me." Corrine brought up that subject conversationally. Reaching for a loaf of bread, she tucked it underneath her arm to take it back to her room. Bit by bit adding to the stash.

"You know that is not the truth." Mrs. Graie said gruffily however she was hesitant to meet Corrine's gaze, that is if Corrine had been actually looking at her.

"And you lie just to make me feel better." Corrine hit her mark with cold precision for Mrs. Graie noticibly winced.

"If you had been more careful with you health, you wouldn't be so sick that you couldn't marry or have children."

"Is that all that is important to you?" Corrine inquired incredulously. However looking back she should of expected a comment like that and she was a fool not to have. "You don't care about your daughters for anything more then the fact that they can serve as breeding farm animals. That makes me glad that I was always sick so I don't have to please you." Corrine's little outburst was unexpected, both to herself as well as to her mother. Mrs. Graie's jaw dropped what seemed a few feet as opposed to a few inches.

"You were foolish and deserve what you get."

"I would of been better had you treated me like a daughter rather then an unwelcome houseguest all my life. Father was the -only- one that treated me with love and once he died, what else was there to live for? I -threw- myself over his grave to get sick, to die however you summoned doctors to do what you could to keep me from dying. I was deprived of life, and you deprived me of death."

Tension could be cut with a finely sharpened kitchen knife. Shock was evident on Mrs. Graie's face and quiet rebellion etched itself on Corrine's otherwise frail visage. The kitchen had suddenly become a battleground for the pent up emotions of yesterday.

"What are you doing with all that." Mrs. Graie just noticed that Corrine had been carrying an abundance of food into her room and for lack of an outlet for her anger, she thought to heckle on yet another subject.

"Toma and I are going on a picnic. I am just preparing it now so that I am not underfoot tomorrow morning. Far be it for me to bother you." Corrine said offhandedly though inwardly she was shaken. This talk had brought up so many issues that were unresolved, they skimmed over the opened wound like newly drawn blood.

"I thought you said he wasn't coming back tomorrow." Corrine's mother immediately took the offensive.

"He isn't coming here, I am meeting him there."

"Fiona is going to be disappointed."

"It is going to be her disappointment, no?" Corrine slammed the cupboard door shut abruptly.

"Always your father's daughter, eh?"

If there was a doubt in Corrine's mind about stealing away with Toma, this wiped it away instantly. Crystal tears slid down her cheek but she turned around so that her mother couldn't see her vulnerability. The silence continued all through the evening at least until Mrs. Graie disappeared into her room. Corrine only then allowed herself to go and pack her meager belongings in preparation for the trip. Her 'grand adventure'.