Isobelle jumped up from the bed and slipped on her skirt quickly whereas Blank didn't stir. She shook him frantically and pushed her hair down so her bed-head wasn't so frizzy. Blank looked up at her drowsily, but then was awake immediately when he heard the disturbingly near clashes and bangs. He jumped out of bed, slipping on his shoes and grabbed the door handle, Isobelle running after him. All the people of last night were annoyed and confused, standing in the street in nightclothes. Isobelle and Blank didn't pay them any heed and ran up the stairs to the exit of the town. Pushing though the door into the tunnel and clambering up the stairs, they found themselves outside once more and Isobelle grabbed a Gysahl Green, in a moment she was climbing onto Choco. Blank rushed on behind her and they started Choco to run towards where the sounds were coming from: Lindblum. They saw Atmos rising from where the sea was and the Red Rose hovering little distance away from them, but 100's of metres in the air. They urged Choco on, Blank scarcely believing what was happening and going crazy with worry over his fellow team members. Isobelle didn't let herself think as she pressed Choco up towards Lindblum., up the cliff to where they could walk into the entrance. When they got to the top of the mountain, Choco saw what was going on, 'Kweeh'-ing and scraping, he went to run down the mountain again, Isobelle and Blank flinging themselves off the chocobo's back. They started to run towards the city, and then they saw three familiar figures in front of them. One was kneeling down, crying, the monkey-boy was rubbing her back and the little black mage was looking up at the city in wonder as Black mages were clearly seen to swarm the city and be sucked into Atmos as it destroyed the castle. Isobelle thought about the hideout, about Tantalus and all her friends there; she kept running towards the city.

'ISOBELLE!' Blank shouted at her, grabbing her arm and pulling her back. She struggled away from him, pushing on towards the city. He grabbed her again, but she just pushed him to the ground and carried on

Tantalus, the hideout, everything…ran through her mind as tears scored her cheeks. She stopped running, her eyes so blocked with tears she couldn't see. Then she felt the slight pull of Atmos' power, and then the pull a little harder. She realised she'd run too far, why the others were holding back and she started running frantically away from the pull again. She felt her hair being pulled back, her skirt rigid with the force pulling her back, but she persisted and finally found her running easier and she ran straight into Blank, who hugged her close to him.

'It's…oh god…it's gone!' she managed to stutter out as Blank kept his arms round her like a seatbelt. 'I nearly got pulled in too. Oh God Blank, what's happening?' she looked up at him, but he didn't answer, nor look at her. She twisted round to see Atmos vanishing and his essence flying back to the Red Rose. 'The Red Rose…Queen Brahne…?' it was then Isobelle looked down to Garnet to see her crying in Zidane's arms.

'They were Black Mages…why?' a voice of a child came from behind her and she released herself from Blank's grip to look upon Vivi.

'Maybe they don't realise what they are doing.' Isobelle thought wildly. Trying to calm the kid.

'Blank Mage's are not dumb! Look at me, are you calling ME dumb?' the kid shot at her and she recoiled in realisation

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean…' she put her head in her hands.

'It's been a long night.' Zidane's voice came from nearby and she felt a hand go to her back, one she knew was Blank's. She got up and looked round to Blank.

'Let the morning break, then we'll go see what's happened. It'll be chaos now.' Blank said simply, to the whole group but aiming it directly at Isobelle anyway. Isobelle fell to the floor, twisting her legs to the side of her and looked at the grass.

'At least the grass is still fresh.' She exhaled optimistically and ran her fingers over a few blades, sucking at the dew…

…Her heart was thumping as she took two steps of the entrance to Lindblum at a time. Blank was a few steps behind her, Zidane, Garnet and Vivi to her left.

'Vivi, maybe you should wait here.' was all she heard as she looked down towards the city centre, down past the destroyed buildings, down past the city-people clambering over ruins, looking for their friends, for their family. One pair were stabbing a Black mage and she ran over to them.

'I think its dead.' One of the pair said to the other, who stabbed it extra hard with the stick.

'It may just be pretending.' He growled and stabbed harder. Isobelle pushed them away and bent down next to the oddly dressed mage. She pulled at its arm so it turned over towards her, lying on her knees. Its eye's were closed; she could just see lashes under the darkness covering the mage's face. She didn't try to take its hat off, she laid it down again and looked at the two people standing over it.

'It's dead, don't prod it, and let it alone.' She scolded them, and they scowled at her then walked off. She turned round to see Blank walking up to her along with Zidane and Garnet. She looked away from them again

'Why…?' she whimpered as she looked towards the city centre once more. She started walking dismally towards the fountain along with the other three. There, she sat down on the edge of the fountain, unsure of how steady it was. Garnet and Zidane looked at Isobelle sitting there, playing with her hands and Zidane sat down beside her after briefly looking at Garnet to reassure her he wasn't going to do anything. She turned away anyway and walked a few steps, Blank was talking to Alice, the medicine seller, asking what had happened and haggling a bit.

'Hey.' He said to her, she smiled wearily

'Hey.' She replied, looking toward him

'You're gunna have to do a lot to the hide out now. What did Tantalus say when they found out you were staying there?' he asked and she laughed

'They don't know I lived there, I bumped in Marcus on one of my days out, hung around with him until we super soft-ed Blank and have been with him for all this time.' She smiled as Zidane looked at her as if saying you and Blank? Like, as a couple? 'yeah, me and him…' she faded off and then looked over to Garnet 'How's the princess Dagger?' she asked, meaning more than just her health.

'Give me time, give me time.' Zidane laughed and they both stood up. 'Well, glad to see you're ok.' They smiled to one another

'Same.' Isobelle turned towards Blank, about to walk to him when Zidane grabbed her arm.

'Garnet's found someone. Who is it? I can't remember his name.' Isobelle turned herself round to look upon Garnet and Minister Artania.

'He's Minister Artania.' she replied quietly and Zidane let go of her arm

'Right, thanks.' He laughed and walked over towards Garnet and the Minister. Isobelle turned towards Blank to see him coming over to her

'The whole city has been hit. The industrial district is no more, we need to get to the Theatre District, see what's happened.' He rubbed a hand over his eyes

'It'll be ok.' Isobelle said, turned round and looking over the dismay and carnage 'It'll all be ok…' she turned round the Blank again and put her arms round his torso as he looked at her '…We just have to hope.' She smiled at him and turned to Zidane, who was watching her 'we're gunna check out the Theatre district, see how it is…' she explained, nodded at Garnet and curtsied slightly to the minister.

She slid her arms away from Blank's frame and ran to the air cab to take her to the theatre district, making sure the black mage wasn't being poked on the way: it wasn't, people had listened to her.