A Very Riviera Christmas
DISCLAIMER: Don't own nada. Zero. Zip. I'm poor. But I did get Lorelei from Ledah after I fought him, so yay. Happy. Something of his that I can keep...
Author's Note: Joo. Me again. Really bad mood right now, because stupid Malice isn't letting me freaking S-rank her so that I can get Skadi. (growls) Malice is a pain in the butt anyway, and while I generally do feel some pity for her, right now I've been shaking my head at her going "how dumb are you?" over what she supposedly "gave up". While my feelings toward Ledah generally consist of a mixture of "OMG tragic bishie! Needs huggling--(glomp)" and "I want to beat you with a nine-iron", Malice just gets the nine-iron. Or a pat on the head if I'm feeling generous.
Just realized that you can only get the Black Feathers in Chapter 6's secret area... (headslams computer screen... REPEATEDLY) which I missed getting into... at least I have Lorelei though. (siiiigh) And I can try for the Black Feathers again next time, since I'm now on a collecting endings tangent.
Soooo... anyway! Which do you think would be more amusing: Malice in a pink frilly apron or Ledah wearing a "Can't Dance Without Arrows" T-shirt? No, I don't want to know for any specific reason, other than curiosity. And maybe I'll end up drawing one of them. Just thought I'd lighten the mood...
Bleh. So much for that idea... anyway, how are you liking the story so far? I won't know unless you review, so take pity on a poor author and feed the starving button. I've been having fun playing out character relationships, as you may have noticed through certain scenes (i.e. bathtime, naptime, little midnight chats). I wanna be sure to develop Ein and Ledah's kawaii little romance properly before I set certain events in motion. Also, do not despair, Fia lovers--her unrequited feelings for Ein are going to be a big part of the story, and she's probably going to have a large section to herself for learning how to deal.
Here's the promised continuation to the "why I am obsessed with Ledah/Ein" thingie two chapters ago... Hooking Ein up with each of the six supporting characters has its own appeal. Ein/Fia is your stereotypical happy-ending pairing, loved by fluff-shippers everywhere. Ein/Lina is a cute and playful pairing that allows for a lot of humor. Ein/Serene is pretty much the only way to show Serene's softer side, and can develop through serious or comical scenes. Ein/Cierra is also really cute and playful, but allows for more mature undertones that Ein/Lina can't develop. Ein/Rose lets you use henpecking, and henpecking is awesome, not to mention a load of fun.
Aside from being tragic and angsty, which I love, Ledah/Ein has huge developmental value. Not only do you get to show their friendship evolving into something more intimate (come on, all the girls are absolutely mad about Ein, so there's not much work involved there), but you also get to explore the gentler and more vulnerable side to Ledah's character. Although general perception of the pairing views Ledah as dominant because he's older and more experienced than Ein, choosing Ledah as submissive not only accentuates Ein's inner strength but portrays Ledah's feelings towards Ein as "I trust you" rather than "I want you". Which is soooo much cuter. Even if it is an absolute bitch to work out positioning that way, because of Ledah's wings. :) You can attribute most of this pairing analysis to a certain late-night discussion I had with friend and fellow author Thalia the Tiger...
BTW, does anyone have the English incantation for Ledah's Rose Kreuz "Break Out!" skill? I have the ones for Crimson Courreges and Lost Seraph, but I kinda powned him before he had the chance to use that particular skill... heheh. If you know it, just leave it in a review, 'kay?
Here's today's warning: More flashbacks, end-of-game spoilers (duh), love confessions, and implications as to how Ledah's emotions were removed. Too intense for you, then don't read.
---
"Ledah!"
Adrenaline already flooding his bloodstream, Ein dashed to his friend's side, kneeling down next to him and putting supportive hands on the other angel's shoulders. "Ledah, I don't think you should be trying anything like that right now! Are you alright!"
"I told you, I'm fine," the blonde seraph insisted, shaking off Ein's hold and standing slowly. However, as soon as he tried to take two more steps, his legs buckled and rebelled, sending him sprawling back onto the floor again.
"You're anything but fine! You need to lie down! FIA! CIERRA! I need some help over here!"
The witch and fencer trotted in from the storeroom, mixed looks of confusion and worry on their faces. Seeing Ledah's condition brought hurry to their movements as they headed over to their friends.
"What happened?" Fia asked breathlessly.
"I think he's getting sick," Ein reported, looking back and forth between Ledah and the girls. "He sneezed a couple times, and he's got what feels like a fever--he's having trouble holding his own weight."
"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," Ledah managed through gritted teeth.
Cierra, removing one of her gloves, gently laid her hand on the angel's forehead; he winced at her touch. "How have you been feeling lately?" she asked calmly.
"I keep telling you, I feel--" Breaking off, he ducked his head to sneeze again, his wings flaring in embarrassment.
"Tell us the truth, Ledah," Ein begged. "I don't want you getting any sicker than you already are... your health depends on the care you'll get, and we won't know what to do unless you tell us!"
"Tired," Ledah admitted, his voice thick. "And a little... disoriented..."
Fia sighed and made a face, looking a little at a loss. "There's been a virus going around lately that seems to have come in from foreign lands, called 'influenza'... this sounds a little like it. Congestion, fatigue, and fever... as it's a virus, there's not much that magic or herbal remedies will be able to do for you... I'm sorry, Ledah, but the only thing I can suggest is that you try to wait it out. We'll move you to one of the beds, of course... with three in a futon in front of the fire, it shouldn't be all that bad."
"But--" the angel tried to protest.
"Please don't object," Cierra said, folding her arms. "Fia and I have some background in this sort of thing--we know what we're talking about. You want to get better, don't you?"
Ledah sighed. "...Yes..."
"Then you're going to need to lie down and stay rested. I'm afraid that things will only get worse before they get better, but that tends to be the way of sicknesses. You've got to give your body time to fight off the disease. Ein will stay with you--so will we, if you ever need us."
"You and Rose won't mind giving up the bedroom on the second floor, will you? It tends to be a little warmer up there, after all..." Fia said slowly, turning to the red-haired witch.
"Not at all. We'll use the futon, and one of you will need to switch off with us every night."
"I'm sorry..." Ledah tried, but was cut off by yet another sneeze.
"Don't apologize," Cierra told him, smiling brightly and ruffling his messy golden hair. "You're sick. You should cut yourself a little slack!"
"Cierra's right. You had your turn taking care of us, so now it's time for us to take care of you," Fia explained.
"...I give up..."
"Do you think you can make the stairs on your own?" Ein asked anxiously. "You still seem kinda dizzy, and I don't know if you can support yourself..."
"Most likely not..." Ducking his head just slightly, Ledah looked up at Ein, seeming almost shy for a moment, that soft flame lighting his pale cheeks. "Could you...?"
"What?" Realizing what Ledah meant, Ein smiled and nodded. "Of course." Veering a little closer to his friend, he firmly cinched his arm around the blonde's waist as Ledah gripped his shoulder. "You can lean harder than that, I don't mind."
Even walking as slowly and carefully as they could (Ein forced the pace, as Ledah seemed more than a little shaky), the two angels only made it halfway to the stairs before Ledah's joints gave way, taking Ein down with him as he collapsed into a kneeling position.
"I'm sorry... it seems that I've grown even weaker than I thought..."
"You don't need to apologize," Ein said gently, shaking his head and smiling. "It's okay to be weak sometimes, Ledah... haven't you learned that yet?"
"... ..." The blonde didn't reply, giving only a sad, self-mocking smile in response.
"Okay, since things won't work that way, then..." Ein sighed. "Ledah, you're gonna need to let go for a minute. I'm sorry, but it looks like I have to do this..."
As the black-winged seraph did as he was told, Ein very gently slipped his left hand and forearm beneath Ledah's legs, and put his right arm around his friend's back, right below his wings. With another sigh, the wingless angel carefully stood, supporting Ledah's full weight in his arms as he did so.
"Ein...!" The soft, pink rosebud glow that had covered the blonde's face burst into sudden, lurid bloom, casting his cheeks the same rosy red as his cloak. "What... why are you...?"
"You don't have to say anything," Ein murmured, blushing a little himself. "You can't walk, so I'll carry you. It's that simple. Friends do that for each other, Ledah."
Sighing, Ledah gave in, leaning his head against Ein's shoulder and tucking his cheek against the other angel's collar. "... ..." Silent, he half-closed his eyes, giving in to the tender awkwardness of such vulnerability.
Ein didn't say anything either, but he had two good reasons for that--first, though he didn't want to admit it, Ledah was heavy. Carrying a full-grown, winged man across two rooms and up a flight of stairs was harder than he'd thought, but he wanted to seem strong for his friend's sake.
Secondly, Ein was forced to admit to himself that having Ledah lean against him this way, with those soft, silky, unevenly cut tufts of blonde hair brushing his throat, felt kind of nice. It was as weird as his thoughts for the past few days--the realization that Ledah was actually quite attractive, his reluctance to spy on his friend taking a bath, the decision to allow the blonde to sleep on him rather than waking him up--and Ein was starting to wonder what was making him act that way. It couldn't be... but could it? He'd have to think about it once Ledah was safely tucked into bed, asleep... he didn't really want his friend to ask what he was pondering, not about this.
"Okay... here we are," Ein announced, carefully shifting Ledah's body in his arms so that he could turn down the bedsheets, then gently deposited the blonde on the mattress, lying on his side to give his wings enough room without crushing them against the bed or the wall. Noting that Ledah seemed barely conscious by this point, Ein sighed and reluctantly undid the ties to the seraph's brilliant red cape and slipped off his well-worn black leather shoes, placing both articles of clothing on the desk that lay near the bed. "Ledah...? Would you mind giving me a hand here?"
No response. Was the other angel asleep already? Ein's face flushed further, but he knew that someone had to do it, and none of the girls would volunteer for such a task. Thinking This is SO bad to himself, the wingless angel softly undid Ledah's vest, careful not to jostle his wings too roughly as he removed it, then did the same with the seraph's dark red temple clothes, first arranging Ledah's body in a sitting positon against his own so that he'd be able to pull the thin robe over his friend's head and wings.
Muttering "Ireallyshouldn'tbedoingthis" under his breath and blushing madly, Ein slowly unbuttoned the snap at the waistband of the cloth pants Ledah wore beneath his priest's robes and pulled them a little further open before gently (albeit rather quickly) tugging them over the other angel's hips and legs.
Pausing for a moment, Ein looked over the length of Ledah's body. He was loosely curled on the now somewhat rumpled sheets, eyes closed, wings flopped behind him uncaringly, the cross on his rosary lying in the palm of his open right hand, glittering in the low candlelight. His hair was tousled from everything Ein had been doing; the wingless angel refused to let himself give in to the urge to straighten it. Ledah would just get it mussed up in a few minutes again, anyway.
Eyes lingering on his friend's white loincloth, Ein groaned inwardly. Don't tell me I have to take that off, too...? Stripping off Ledah's other clothes had been intimate enough... but this? The thought made him shiver. No way. It was too personal. But surely, sweat would eventually dirty it too, once the worst of the fever set in? Wasn't it always best to strip a fever victim completely in their bed?
Argh! I just CAN'T do that! Ein shook his head firmly, even as he helplessly sat at Ledah's side. No way! It'd be taking advantage of how helpless he is right now... even though I really do want to take the best care of him I can...
"You can stop there, thanks," came Ledah's hoarse and breathy whisper.
"You're still awake?" Ein stared. Just barely--Ledah hadn't even moved, other than to open his eyes the tiniest slit. "Good... I was trying to avoid it anyway... but how are you feeling?"
"Bad..." was the other angel's answer.
"Then get some sleep, okay?" Ein said worriedly, forgetting his earlier resolution and smoothing Ledah's hair. "Just a minute... I'll pull up the comforter for you. You probably shouldn't be moving."
"Mm..."
By the time Ein had unfolded the sheets and comforter and managed to very carefully arrange them around Ledah's body, the seraph's eyes had closed again.
"Gods bless thy dreams," Ein whispered automatically. He paused, then almost timidly kissed two fingers and pressed them to Ledah's cheek.
There was no response.
Sighing deeply in relief, Ein sat at Ledah's bedside, resting his head against the edge of the mattress. If his friend slept restlessly, he'd know. Assuring himself with that thought, he closed his own eyes and drifted into Sleep's realm.
---
"Damnit, Hector! Get back here!"
It was too late--the traitorious magus had already disappeared completely within the magic circle, retreating to some other part of the Maze of Shadows.
Ein let out a muted sound of frustration, slashing Einherjar through the air, then turned to his friends. All of them had given everything they had in their battle against Hector--Lina had flopped exhaustedly onto the ground, her still-strung bow and an arrow in either hand, Cierra was mopping sweat off her brow, tilting her hat back as she did so, and Fia was tending one of Serene's wounds, her face pallid and her hands clammy. The last Arc herself was out of breath, not even objecting to the fencer's ministrations, when usually she'd be raising bloody hell about the sting of Fia's raw healing magic. Rose had perched on the head of Cierra's staff, not even caring about the few bloodspatters on her fur when usually she'd be washing them away obsessively.
Ledah, beside him, sighed and shifted his weight to lean on Lorelei as he stood staring apathically at Hector's magic circle. Sweat dampened his golden hair, and his breathing rasped in his chest, making his wings shudder as his ribcage moved. Now, as in Yggdrasil, his carmine eyes were listless and lackluster, his gaze blank with exhaustion.
"You guys think you'll be okay?" Ein asked, looking back and forth from one tired face to the next as he tried to assess their situation.
"Yeah, in a couple minutes," Serene reported.
"Owwwww," Lina whined.
"We'll only need a short rest before we pursue Hector further," Cierra ensured him.
"I just need to sit down for a moment... that's all," Fia murmured, spreading out her skirts around her as she did so.
"(Don't you need a break too, Ein?)" Rose yowled, her jade eyes anxious.
"I'll be okay," the wingless angel assured his familiar. "I didn't get hit as badly as some of you guys did..."
"Time is of the essence," Ledah reminded him, but even his usually strong and duty-minded remarks seemed half-hearted.
"But if we go pick a fight with Hector and Malice now, who knows what they could pull on us? This is their territory, not ours. And you need a breather too, Ledah. Remember what you told me, back in Heaven's Gate? We can't carry out our mission and save Riviera dead." With a short burst of breath, Ein himself flopped down into a sitting position. "Come on, rest. You're absolutely drenched in sweat."
"... ..." Though Ledah didn't respond, his eyes softened as he slowly lowered himself to the ground, shifting Lorelei so that its deadly prongs were balanced on his shoulder.
"Just one more battle," Fia mused. "One battle, and then it'll all be over at long last."
"Lina feels like this has lasted forever," the little carrot-top remarked.
"Yeah. Now that I think of it... I can't really imagine going on the rest of my life without you guys," Serene said slowly. "Even over so short a time... we've all gotten so close."
"I'm glad I have the excuse of the Magic Guild to stay in Elendia," Cierra told the others with a giggle and a smile.
Ein, sighing, turned to Ledah. "What about you? I know Serene and Cierra're probably gonna stay with us, but what are you going to do after this fight is over?"
Ledah was silent for a while, then looked back at the younger angel and shook his head. "I'm... not all that sure. I cannot return to Asgard like this. For disobeying orders, even Hector's orders, the two of us will probably be sentenced to banishment. And... I don't know where I would go, be that the case."
"Then stay with us," Fia suggested warmly. "Any friend of Ein is a friend to Elendia."
"I hope you do," Ein murmured, drawing close to the seraph. "But... no matter what happens after this coming fight, I promise... I will find a way to help you. No one should have to go through life the way you are, unable to feel joy or sadness. We're going to find a way to fix this... together..."
---
Within two days, Ledah's fever had soared to outrageous heights. Ein was glad that his friend remained mostly unconscious; seeing him shivering while flame-cheeked and soaked in sweat was bad enough, but seeing him delirious, unsure of where he was or if he was even safe, was infinitely worse. The number of short jolts in which Ledah woke abruptly with a hoarse plea to the long-dead Hector to leave Ein be--"I'll do it, I'll do it, just don't...!"--were starting to be downright creepy. Each time, whoever was on bedside duty had to run and get Ein in order to convince Ledah that everything was alright, and the ordeal with Hector well over.
"He really isn't used to being sick, is he?" Fia asked once, shaking her head.
"N..no. I've never known him to get this badly ill in my life," Ein replied.
"You can tell... I would've expected him to have a higher resistance to this virus, otherwise." Catching the look on Ein's face, she waved her hands anxiously. "No, no, it's not like that, not life-threatening, but... he'll just have a rough time of it until he gets better."
Ein personally thought that "rough time" was a bit of an understatement. Three days bedridden with no glimpse of a light at the end of the tunnel was quite obviously playing hell with Ledah. During his lucid moments--of which there were very few--the blonde angel was depressed and withdrawn, unwilling to share conversation unless prodded into it by Ein or Lina.
It wasn't as if anyone didn't do their best, either. Unless he absolutely had to be somewhere else, Ein remained steadfastly at his old friend's side, whether he was awake or asleep. Fia came at least once or twice a day to check on Ledah's condition; Cierra dipped into the house's herbal stores to make sweet-smelling soothing teas; Lina shyly slipped a plush kitten under the seraph's arm when no one was looking (though he didn't comment on its appearance, Ein caught Ledah absently running a hand over the stuffed animal's flank a few times); Serene kept Ein company with card games during his long vigils. And Rose, banishing everyone else from the room whenever she arrived, read snippets of her book about their journey to save Riviera aloud for Ledah's benefit.
Ein had been sitting up for about two hours when Ledah sat bolt upright with a wild cry, clutching at his chest and breathing heavily, scattering black feathers all over the room with a spasmodic twitch of his wings.
"What's wrong?" Ein demanded, placing his hands on Ledah's shoulders and rubbing them supportingly, his gaze flicking over the other angel's form.
"Dream," Ledah managed, a violent tremor running up his spine.
"Must have been one hell of a dream," Ein murmured, giving his friend a loose hug. "But it's okay now... you're awake, here, with all of us. Okay?"
"I... I know it was a dream but... I could feel it," Ledah whispered, his eyes horribly clear. "The memory... those cold hands reaching into my chest, and the sound of something tearing... and then... pain... pain you wouldn't believe, could never understand until you felt it yourself... oh, gods..." He shuddered again. "I was terrified... then all of a sudden, that terror vanished, replaced by this emptiness, this... this feeling of loss, that something important was just gone... I wanted to collapse, to cry, but no matter how hard I tried, the tears just wouldn't come... they just wouldn't come...
"Lorelei... Lorelei was all that kept me alive those days afterwards... and you... the tears you cried for me, when you'd heard I was 'hurt'..." Ledah shuddered. "The first time you ever wept when I could not... Everything felt so wrong, and the orders I was given confused me at first until I just learned to accept whatever I was told, become a weapon in the hands of whoever wielded me...
"But I never wanted it to be like this... I didn't think it was going to be like this... if I'd known, if I'd only realized, I would never have agreed to accept that trial. I would never have decided to become a Grim Angel, even for all of Asgard..."
"Oh, gods, Ledah," Ein whispered, and clutched the other angel's body close to his, wrapping his arms as tightly around the blonde as he could manage. "I'm so sorry... you should never've had to go through that, ever! Ledah... my Ledah... that was... that was just as bad for you as it was for me...! Worse! Ledah, I'm so sorry, I wish there was something I could've done, I wish..."
"Ein... Ecthel... there's... something I've wanted to tell you for a long time..." As Ein helped him resettle into the disheveled bedclothes, Ledah looked up, face flushed with fever, carmine eyes vulnerable and unguarded. "Will... you listen to me?"
---
"Ein! I win!"
The voice came from somewhere behind him; the wingless angel whirled to see that Malice had appeared within the circle of his comrades via some sort of magic device. There was a sharp, metallic clatter that made Ein wince; he couldn't see with the girls in panic, but someone had dropped their weapon. Ein caught only a flash of the devilish Grim Angel's face, but he saw the desperation and intensity of her black eyes and knew that whatever she was up to, he and his friends would be in for it now.
"Malice!"
Her form evaporated and reappeared in the middle of the huge emblem that lay in the center of the floor. Ein let out an involuntary cry as he realized that she'd taken Ledah with her--with her left arm, she'd trapped his arms behind his back, against her own body; with her right, she held the haft of her Diviner axe Skadi against his bared throat, with the wicked spike at the back of the blade just brushing the vulnerable flash of white skin where Ledah's vital artery lay.
"... ...!" Though Ledah said nothing, his attention was focused warily on the Grim Angel behind him, his head thrown back in an attempt to avoid injury.
"Master Hector!" Malice cried, her voice uneven and ragged as her breathing--she hadn't recovered from her defeat at Ein and Ledah's hands. "Use this traitor's soul to revive Seth...!"
Hector smirked from under the hood of his magus' robes. "Well done, Malice."
Ein lurched forward a step, his eyes going huge. "Ledah!"
"Complete the ritual!" Malice yelled feverishly, her voice breaking as she struggled to keep her hold on Ledah. "For the sake of Asgard! Take what is rightfully yours!"
Hector's smirk grew. "Alright. This will be the dawn of a new era!" He gathered black-violet energy in one pallid hand, then sent it hurtling through the air.
Ein cried out as the blast enveloped both Grim Angels, his short yell drowned out by their intertwining screams of pain. When the light cleared, the magic insignia was glowing, and both Malice and Ledah were staggering, breathing heavily.
"Nnh...!" Letting out a second, barely audible cry, Ledah collapsed to his knees, his ribcage heaving with the effort of breathing.
"LEDAH!"
Clinging to Skadi's haft in a manner that seemed all too similar to Ledah's back in Yggdrasil, trembling badly, an inch-wide ribbon of blood slipping steadily from the corner of her mouth, Malice spoke, her voice a broken, shaky whisper: "Fina...lly, my fu...ture... has... be...en re...deem...ed..." With that, she slumped to her knees, her grip on her weapon loosening, her forehead leaning against its silvery haft, her black eyes nearly closed, lusterless.
Ein stared, horrified. Hector had just sacrificed the soul of his own loyal subject...!
And if Malice had... then what about Ledah!
---
"Something to tell me...?" Ein repeated, curious. "Sure. What is it?"
"I should've told you this... long ago," Ledah whispered, his carmine eyes searching Ein's face. "But I ran out of time... and since then... I've been losing the courage..."
Confused, Ein listened carefully, feeling a cord of trepidation beginning to thread through his veins. Whatever Ledah had to say, it was probably extremely important, if he was taking this long with it...
"But I can't deny it any longer... and it'll kill me if I just keep waiting for some miracle to happen, for you to magically understand..."
"Ledah...?"
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry for my weakness, for these thoughts that have rested within me for longer than I believed possible..."
"Ledah... Ledah, what is it? You're starting to scare me, Ledah... what?"
The seraph's eyelids were drifting lower and lower as he spoke, his voice starting to haze. "But I can't hold this silence anymore... so Ein... please just listen... because I..."
Ein waited with bated breath, his heartbeat starting to quicken.
"I... I think I..."
---
"Ledah..." Ein cried helplessly, dashing to the edge of the insignia. He would've stepped onto it, but Cierra was suddenly there, holding him back with a fierce shake of the head. He knew what she feared--that if he set foot there, he too would lose his soul--but he didn't care anymore, not when Malice's sad corpse spelled out a reality that he wouldn't be able to fight...
"Ein..." Ledah said softly, supporting himself with his left hand as his right clutched desperately at his chest. His usually pale face was now ashen, his eyes hooded and sad as they looked up through his bangs into Ein's, even now beginning to dull, to glaze. "Thank you... for... trusting me... I... I owe you... so much... Please... save Riviera... Show Hector... the true will of the gods..." Closing his eyes, he smiled painfully. "H...heh... Why is it... that I... don't want... to leave you...?" Looking back up at his friend, Ledah's gaze suddenly became soulful, pained in ways that spoke to the wingless angel's heart. "Ein... just maybe... about you, I..." Whatever he was about to say was lost in a spasm of coughing, blood now flecking the ground around him and leaving tiny stains on his lips. "Fare...well..."
His eyes closed; he slumped sideways, his body sprawling across the cold crystal floor, the cross hanging from his rosary hitting its surface with one cold, clear, final jingle.
Something broke within Ein, shattering into a thousand irretrievable pieces, as his eyes filled with tears and he struggled against Cierra's hold with renewed vigor. "Ledah! No... NO! Ledaaaaaah!"
---
"I... I think I love you..."
Ein drew in a swift gasp, blood draining from his face. He tried to think of something to say--anything--but his mind was just drawing an absolute blank. He had no idea how to reply to something like that, something so grave and personal, something so completely unexpected.
Luckily for him, it seemed that those last words had cost an effort that Ledah didn't have to expend--he was soundly asleep once again, his expression peaceful and untroubled.
But as for Ein...
What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do? He had no idea...
He had to have someone he could talk to about all this...!
---
Closing her book with a snap, Rose looked sympathetically at Ein out of deep emerald eyes. "Really? So... Ein, be honest with me. How do you feel about him?"
"I... I just don't know anymore," Ein cried, hanging his head. "I... I just feel so confused! This changes everything! We were always so close, and yet... it just never really occurred to me that he might... might think of me that way... oh, gods, Rose, I don't know what the hell I'm going to say to him the next time I'm up there with him! How am I supposed to act normally, when he just went and dropped that in my lap?"
"That was a really brave thing Ledah did," Rose scolded. "If it'd been the other way around, do you think you could've said as much, even after two long years? It's so hard to truly bare yourself to even the person you trust the most. What if that trust is betrayed? He must've been so scared, trying to say something like that for so long. And it's hard, trying to respond to a completely selfless love like his. But, Ein... I think you know how you feel about Ledah. I think you've known for a long time too, but been unwilling to admit it even to yourself. And I know that you have to tell him the truth, and fast. You've got some time because he's still not over that fever and he was probably half-delirious when he gave you the gift of those three little words, but if you don't say something soon, Ledah will take it as a rejection. And trust me--that will absolutely devastate him, not to mention the fact that it'll kill everything that's ever happened between you two. He may blame himself--in fact, he most likely will--but he'll still feel betrayed and ruined, and I don't even want to think about what he might try then.
"I've been watching you two all this time, as a friend to you both. I've seen the way you talk to him, look at him, touch him. And there's more than just friendship going on there. Ask yourself frankly... how would you feel if Ledah would allow you more than just that tentative hand on his shoulder?"
Ein's face flushed immediately, which seemed to be answer enough for Rose.
"Tell him the truth, Ein. Tell him, or lose him forever. It's that simple. And with the risk Ledah took in confessing his feelings to you tonight, that's a very small thing to ask."
Silence. Ein stared pointedly at the floor, face redder than Helfire. That was one hell of an ultimatum, after all... how could she expect him to...?
But she was also right. It frightened him, but she was right.
The faint, crackling sound of a voice made both of them look up.
"Ei... c... ...ou hea... m...? T...s is... ...ala... Cierra... get... ...alk to Cierra...!"
It was coming from the glass globe that Cierra had placed on the corner desk mere days ago...
---
NEXT TIME: Rescued! And just in time, too... with Christmas a week away, Elendia turns out for a little double celebration in the town hall. Meanwhile, Ein tries to figure out his feelings, but a little mistletoe just might force his hand a little early...