Chapter 3
By: Yeu
Comment: Thanks again for the reviews everyone, I know people were probably disappointed that the last chapter didn't have that much AlbelxFayt, but I will make it up to you, I promise X3 The story is slowly rolling along, I'm sorry it's taking so long for me to write each chapter, I'm not used to writing comedy (and I don't know if this story classifies as comedy ) Please tell me what I should improve so I can become better!
Again, I do not own the characters of the game of Star Ocean.
The Crimson Blade is used to having last minute changes to plan, she has been in the spy business for years after all. Today was suppose to be the big day, when Fayt either realizes his mistake and vow to never think 'Albel' and 'love' within ten minutes of each other ever again or they declare their hidden feelings for each other and get the whole mess out of Nel's hair. But there is one small problem…
The Great Albel Nox, Albel the Wicked, Albel the Destroyer, Albel the I-Eat-Babies, refuses to leave his room and swear a bloody and painful death upon anyone who dares to break down the locked door (Nel think that threat is to remind Cliff not to do anything rush like yesterday or he'll find a few inches of steel between his breakfast and lunch.)
To start from the beginning, when Mirage went to wake up Cliff that morning, she was very surprised to find the Fayt out cold in Cliff's room for some reason. From there, it didn't take long to notice that Albel the early-riser did not appear to be around. Then Maria found the note impaled on the door to the room that Albel and Fayt used to share declaring anyone who dares to open the door better have a death wish, as they will die in pieces, many of them.
The next logical step was to question Fayt, whom still have yet to snap out of his sleep-induced incoherency. It didn't take long for everyone to realize that the questioning would get nowhere unless the youth regains some form of common logic. But at the rate that the youth is falling back into sleep, it doesn't look like it's going to be anytime soon.
"What were you guys doing last night anyway?" Out of all other options, Nel turns to Maria.
The question put a stop to all small conversations between the other party members as everyone was wondering about the same object since Airglyph's captain's surprise 'invitation' the day before.
"Synthesizing." The young woman shrugs. "Then we made a few other stuff."
"… that's it?" Sophia asks tentatively after a few moment of silence where everyone waits for more explanation. Nel suspects that her curiosity is influenced by another, stronger emotion. The others are probably greatly disappointed at the normal answer, more than likely they were expecting Maria to say that they wipe out a few forest full of monsters or something along those lines.
"That's it." Maria nods surely.
"But wouldn't it made more sense to ask Mirage or Sophia to help with the synthesizing than you?" Cliff asks, oblivious to how rude that might sound.
"He didn't ask for help." Maria shakes her head. "I caught him trying to so the synthesizing alone and he was making quite a mess. So I offered him help and he didn't really have any choice but to accept it." She frowns slightly at the suspicion about her ability, it's true that those in question are better than her, but she can always use her ability to cheat.
"Well, that made sense." Mirage sits back on the couch, laughing a bit from the mental image of the stern Albel messing up. "I can't imagine Albel would do anything with anyone unless it lead to killing in one form or another." She pokes lightly at the sleeping youth next to her, who murmurs for a bit but still refuses to wake up.
"And what happened after that?" Nel continues.
"Fayt and I tried our hand at compounding while Albel did adjustments on his arm. Then we made a few other items together. You can ask Welch, we called her quite late and she was a bit unhappy with us." The leader of Quark sighs. "Then by the time we got back you were all asleep already."
"That explains why Fayt sleeps like he just got ran over by a few battleships, but that really doesn't explain that." The Klausian man points to the locked door with the impaled note.
"I really have no idea what caused such behavior." Maria shakes her head. "I imagine Fayt would know better than me."
"Then there is only one way to find out." Cliff smirks as he picks up the boy dozing off next to Mirage on the sofa easily and slings him over his shoulder.
"What are you going to do to him?" Sophia nearly shrieks. "Put him down!"
"Waking up the sleeping beauty." The tall man smiles. "Trust me!"
The party watch on as Cliff carries Fayt into the kitchen, a moment later a loud scream echoes down the hall way as a drenched blue haired youth come running into the lobby of the hotel, only to be welcome by the giggling and poorly hidden smirks of his fellow teammates. Cliff comes strutting out a few seconds later, a mischievous smile on his face.
"What the hell did you do that for?" Fayt screams at the Quark agent, "I was having a great dream!"
"Well, you refuse to wake up when we tried other gentler methods."
"I would rather you wake me up with a sword in the pillow like Albel than…" Fayt suddenly realizes what he was saying and shushes up.
"Is that how he wakes you up? I will have to try that next time." Cliff winks at the young Earthling.
"Oh, do shut up." Then the rest of reality catches up with Fayt as he looks around. "What is everyone doing out here?"
"We found you in Cliff's room this morning." Nel sighs as she explains. "And then we found a note on your door by Albel saying anyone who enters dies. We are wondering if you know anything about why Albel has locked himself up in your room."
Fayt looks up dumbly at the locked door on the second floor, his blank expression shows that he understands the situation probably less than everyone else.
"So what do we do? Do we just leave him here and move on?" Cliff suggests.
"Then we would have probably left you hundreds of times for over-sleeping." Mirage comments as she waves Fayt over and starts helping him get dry with the help of Sophia.
"Then any bright ideas about getting Mr. Lunatic out without losing any limbs?" The Klausian man crosses his arms in front of his chest.
No one said anything, no one knows the answer.
"I thought so." Cliff murmurs, feeling superior.
"If we leave him, are you going to volunteer to be the one who we send down unknown hallways to test for traps?" Nel says. "Or do we have to induce insanity in you first to do that?"
This time, Cliff is the one who doesn't say anything.
"Then shut up and help us think." The Crimson Blade lays the smack down.
"Sca-ree." The blond man murmurs.
Silence again falls on the tiny lobby where the party is gathered. Maria leans against the wall with her hands on her chin, the young woman's typical posture for when she's deep in thought. Mirage and Sophia continues to dry Fayt with some towels they got from the innkeeper, but since Fayt currently can't get into his room, he does not have anything dry to change into and Cliff is not hearing the end of his complaints. Nel sighs again, there goes her big plan for the day, and she put so much time and effort into it too.
"Anyway, Fayt, you said you had a great dream, what was it about?" Sophia asks in order to lighten up the mood.
"My dream?" Fayt blinks. "Oh, it was about…"
"Have you waited long?" Fayt's friend asked him.
"Hmm." Fayt nodded, opened one eye and found himself staring at a pair of long, slender legs curtained by the skirt that is a part of his school's girls uniform. Not that he's looking on purpose mind you, it's just that from his position on the bench, that's the logical view.
"I'm sorry." His friend continued. "The professor wanted to speak to me about my paper."
"You could've told me not to come so early then." The blue-haired Earthling complained. Do I know this person? I don't think I know any girl in my school with such nice legs.
"I'm sorry. I didn't think he would talk for so long." His friend sighed and shifted her weight onto the other leg. "So are we still on?"
"Maybe, but you owe me lunch." Fayt teased. Who is this? She seems familiar. Where have I seen those legs and braids before?
"Hey!" She exclaimed. "I said I was sorry. What kind of a guy are you? Making a girl pay for lunch?" Fayt felt a little smack on the back of his head.
"I'm just joking!" He laughed, although it doesn't really hurt, he still rubbed at the impact point. "Sophia said she also wants to come to the beach with us." So this is not Sophia? That's right. I'm remember her legs, they aren't as nice…
"Really?" His friend chuckled a little. "She's worried about someone stealing you while she's not there? Maybe I need to bring out my new bikini so you won't ignore me then."
"Hey, Sophia and I are just friends!" Fayt replied defensively. Whoever you are, unless you look like Cliff, I don't think I'll mind you in a bikini.
"So it's set? We are meeting over the vacation then?" She laughed and clapped her hands in joyful anticipation.
"You bet." Fayt nods and looks up. "Albel."
"I forgot." Fayt lies quickly, lowering his head so no one sees the sudden blushing. If Albel knew I had a dream like that, I would be so dead. A shiver runs through Fayt's body as various forms of ancient torture marches through his head uninvited.
"We need to get him into something dry soon." Mirage said, mistaking the shivering for chills. "This is getting ridiculous, I'm not going to let Fayt get a cold just because Albel is feeling anti-social." She said as she drops the towels and stands up.
Cliff and Maria identifies the determined look in the woman's eyes immediately, but as much as they like to protest, both know once the Klausian woman makes up her mind, nothing short of the sky crashing is going to change it.
"Cliff, come with me." She orders, the rest of the party follows obediently behind the pair. Eager to see what Mirage is planning.
Cliff stands meekly at where his partner instructs, looking confusingly at her. The woman then gives him one of her sweetest, most innocent smile before she punches him squarely in the chest. The man, unable to defend himself from the surprise attack, falls backwards and crashes through the formerly locked door to the astonishment of his friends.
"Owww…" The Kalusian man murmurs as he lies among the remains of the door. But before he can get up and yell at Mirage, a shadow befalls on him.
Cliff looks up to see a pair of eyes burning with rage, but before he can pay attention to anything else, he has to quickly rolls away to avoid a strike that might have severed his neck.
Those standing at the door, however, aren't so occupied with saving their own life so they get a good look at the strange occupant. It is a tall, slim man with light colored hair whose tips end in a light blue shade. His skin is a deep shade of brown and seems even darker when compared to his hair. The man, who's bare chest (but much to the ladies' disappointment, he is dressed on the lower half of his body) and soft strands of hair with slight moisture suggests that he'd been in the shower shortly before the breaking and entering. He does however; sport some familiar characteristics, like the blackened stump of what was formerly an arm attached to his left shoulder. Then there are the eyes, curtained by triangular bluish marks on the man's face, are a ferocious red.
"Albel?" Fayt gasps.
TBC…