9:
Dusk had set in on Crescent Isle and all was quiet save for the hum of the crickets. All her life she had lived secluded from others, but it never used to bother her. Back then there was always Ramirez or at the very least, the elders. Now, there was only the chirping night to accompany her.
She sat at the very edge of the isle and dangled her legs over it. She wiggled her toes as she stared at the expanse of nothingness below her.
Cupil ballooned from her arm and nuzzled into her cheek. She smiled sadly and stroked the creature's head.
"Do you think there's a heaven?" Fina murmured more to herself than to Cupil.
"If only for Aika, there is." Enrique replied. He walked towards the fair haired Silvite and patted her on the shoulder.
Cupil chirped at the Emperor. He scratched the Silvite animal on its head.
"Enrique!" she gasped. "You scared me. Shouldn't you be with Moegi?"
"Moegi is in good hands." He smiled. "But you looked like you needed someone to talk to."
Fina sighed. "Vyse isn't acting like himself ever since he heard…" she trailed off.
"About Aika?" Enrique finished for her. He knelt beside her. "How can you tell? I haven't seen him since I was told about it."
Cupil cooed as he let a draft pull him through the air. With a precise flick of the animal's tail, he squirmed back over to Fina's side. Cupil wrapped himself around Fina's arm and the creature disappeared into a bracelet.
"That's just it." She sighed. "He's locked himself up in the Captain's Quarter's and he won't come out. I knocked on the door to give him Aika's diary, but I got no response at all."
"What did you do with the diary?" Enrique asked.
"I left it by the door for him." Fina said. "I wish I had the old Vyse back."
"He'll come around eventually." he reassured her. "I'm not surprised by his behavior, actually. They were very close. What shocks me is how well you've been able to handle the news."
"I guess it hasn't really hit me yet." she confessed. "I just feel really numb. I think I've been too worried about Vyse. How are you handling things?"
"One step at a time." he replied. "It's strange, really. This is supposed to be the happiest time of my life. The Valuan Empire is nearly rebuilt and we're working to eradicate the poverty from my mother's rule. I'm going to be starting a family. I guess I'm not as confident as I was before."
"I think I understand." Fina gave a slight smile.
"I'm glad." Enrique said. "I was afraid at first that you might be appalled to hear that I was a bit angry with Aika."
"Angry?" She cocked her head to one side.
"Yes, angry." he affirmed. "She's brought so much pain to what was originally a joyous occasion. How dare she make us care for her only to die?"
"I don't think she meant to." Fina mumbled. She pulled her legs from the edge of the isle and pulled them into her chest.
"Of course not." Enrique agreed. "It was an irrational thought. I just had to get it off of my chest so that I could be rid of it."
"So you came to me?" For the first time since the funeral, Fina gave a true smile and not just a polite mockery.
"Yes." Enrique paused. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully. "There's just something about you that made it feel right. I wish you would have been able to meet my Uncle Gregorio. He would have adored you."
Enrique stood up and brushed his slacks off. He gave Fina a courteous bow.
"I should see how Moegi is faring against Kirala." he said. "Your builder seems to feel that it's her obligation to stuff my poor wife to the gills with Yafutoman cuisine."
"Enrique." Fina called out. "Thank you for talking with me."
Enrique nodded. "Anytime."
Fina watched the young Emperor disappear into the shadows. The music that the crickets provided seemed to swell in her ears for a moment as she thought. With a determined nod of her head, she stood up.
She wove herself between the random buildings that made up Crescent Isle. Shadows from the lit lanterns splashed patterns against the door to the pub. Fina side-stepped that building entirely. The last thing she wanted was for some sympathetic person to try to drag her in there to cheer her up.
The koketa in their pens were making a racket. Fina shook her head. She doubted that anyone had remembered to feed the poor birds while they were making preparations for the funeral. She walked over to the grain shed by the pens.
The birds greeted her with "Looks tasty," and she laughed softly. She hauled the feed from the shed and took her time feeding the koketa. The birds rushed the feed dish, climbing over one another to reach the grain. Fina backed away and locked up the grain shed.
She knew she was just delaying the inevitable. Fina made her way to the lookout tower. She climbed the ladder in the dark until she reached the balcony in front of the Captain's Quarters. She knocked on the door.
No answer. Fina sighed. She glanced down at the foot of the door and gasped. Aika's diary was missing. Fina looked at the closed door and smiled.