Big Emblem

by Nilke

[AU fic] The FE7 cast joins the Elibian version of Big Brother, Big Emblem. However, things turn out as planned, after the airing of a rival talkshow... Disclaimer: I don't own FE, nor Big Brother

7. Chapter 6 Part 2

Chapter 6 – Part 2: "Party, Party, Party!!"

Heath parked his van in the exclusive disco's garage, just next to Wallace's old car. From there, they made their way to the heart of the disco.

"Alina!!!", Fiora shouted when she saw the reporter coming. "Long time we no see"

"Yup", Alina nodded, hugging her friend. "At least you could came!"
"I wasn't going to miss this for nothing in the world. I can take advantage and advise Florina today… as well as Farina", the green haired girl said, winking her eye when she stopped talking. "And I know you think like me, because you wouldn't have sent me a free pass to avoid all that queue out there", she added, showing her a yellowish card, which was in fact a certain areas free pass, giving her almost unlimited access to the complex. However, she couldn't get into the gang's dressing rooms. Bad luck, she would have to wait in the disco until her two sisters appear with the rest of the people.

Alina giggled.
"You'll never change, will you?"

Just then, Isadora appeared, dressed smart, yet youthful. Black trousers and a blue blouse were her clothes, graceful and nice.

"So here you are, both of you!", she greeted them, cheerfully and also in a hurry. "You", she said, facing Fiora, "you just vanished. And you", she added, now facing Alina, "you and I have to go to an urgent, last-minute reunion right now"

"Now?", Alina asked, thoughtfully, while she was looking for something in her handbag. "Alright… Wait! I don't have my tissues! Hell, how could I forget to bring them?!?", she asked herself angrily, really pissed off by her stupidity.

"And? Come on Alina, we have work to do", Isadora said, grabbing her hand and trying to make her walk to the room where they would have the brief reunion.

"I can't be without my own tissues!", Alina whined, annoyed and ashamed. "I have a really nasty cold. I'm going to buy some, I'll be here in a moment!", she said, leaving Isadora's hand behind and running to the exit, nervously.

"Man, she should try to get into the Olympics", Fiora joked, staring at her foreigner friend's run.

"Hell, I just hope she'll make it in time", Isadora complained, checking her watch. "I can't go on covering her forever"

"Why am I such an idiot?!?", Alina asked herself while running, searching for a kiosk where she could buy a simple package of tissues. "I should have checked I had everything earlier, not now! And worst, there's no kiosk around here, apparently! How on the entire world can think in placing a top-disco where there are no kiosks!?!?", she went on ranting for herself, running fiercely through the deserted street. She had the happy idea of leaving the disco by the back door, where nobody was, as all the interested ones in entering the complex where at the main entrance.

She had been lucky in her choice of clothes, or she would be forever ashamed of running with a skirt. Instead, she was wearing dark blue jeans, and a light yellow blouse. Luckily she wasn't wearing her favorite blue blouse, as Isadora was wearing one of that color, but it was already done. She would have another choice to wear it, that's for sure.

"Oh, great!", she exclaimed, smiling. "There's one, across the street! Come on, that I can do it!"

Lloyd Reed was walking naturally along the street, in his way to the disco. Linus was parking the car some blocks away, and Ursula was already with the crowd, trying to get some data and interviews for the show. And him… he was walking to the rear part of the disco, just to see if there was something interesting there, or a hidden door, something from where he could take a little look. But first… cigarettes are most important than work. He stopped walking and searched his pockets. Fortunately, he had some, just what he needed for the rest of the night. What a lucky guy.
He picked his lighter and lighted one, then he put them back in his pocket. Just after that, he started walking again, thinking in how boring his job was now, having to sacrifice a Satuday's night just to work. Alright, he was going to a disco, but not for pleasure.

He was now getting to the corner. From there, he just needed to turn left and to walk two blocks…

"I'm almost there!", Alina thought, sprinting in the last meters, a few meters away from the corner. The semaphore was in her side, so she could cross the street running without any fear of being knocked over by a car... but she hadn't thought in something. Walking people.

When she saw a blonde man turning left, it was too late for her to try to stop her speed. And when he saw her, it was too late for him to move. And so, the obvious consequence happened.

"Oh, Hell!", Alina mumbled when she got up from the floor, after hitting against the young man. Her face was read as a tomato and she was eager to disappear, thing that wouldn't happen.

Lloyd also got up, passing his hand on his clothes to be sure that he hadn't lost anything.
"Are you alright?", he asked her, politely.

"Yes, thanks", she said, picking her bag from the floor, as she realized that the semaphore had changed its color, and that she would have to wait some more minutes to get her so desired tissues. "And you?", she asked, turning back to him, her voice full of remorse. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want to be so irresponsible…", she started apologizing.

"It's alright", Lloyd replied, smiling. "Just be careful, you aren't in a park", he said.

Alina was now lost, staring her victim. "Man, this boy sure is cute!", she thought, while examining Lloyd's eyes, which happen to be really nice for her.

"Hey, are you alright?", he asked again, passing his hand in front of her eyes, worried that she had lost her talking ability from that little accident, as she was looking at him silently.

Alina blushed.

"Yes, I'm alright. I'll do", she said quickly, as if she could bury her embarrassment that way.

"Well, then bye", he said, leaving her behind and going on with his walk.

Alina stayed there, looking at him with her sight. When he was quite far, she turned back, just to return to the street immediately, as the semaphore had just changed its color again and the cars were now riding again.

"It was time!", Pent cried when a starry-eyed Alina came into the room, with her pack of tissues in her hand. "I should kick you out from here for being such an irresponsible!"

Alina sighed, still thinking in something else.

"I'm sorry", she mumbled at last, trying to look naturally, although her heartbeat was still in the clouds, product of the sprinted run and bumping into "such a cutie".

"You know that you have to be more responsible if you want to progress in this world, little one", Pent nagged her. "Anyway, enough with you. Now, everything's fine?", he asked, turning to the three producers.

"I think that we are fine", Renault replied, normally.

"Have you fully connected the microphones and the cameras? Are the lights working properly? Is everything under control?", Pent asked, without any pause.

Isadora nodded.

"Everything's fine", the blue haired producer replied, satisfied. "I checked all those before, and everything was alright"

"I told her to do so, because if we were to leave that duty to Wallace, we would never start today's transmission", Renault joked, making fun of his friend and fellow producer.

"Very funny", Wallace said, sarcastically. "Is it that I'm that stupid for this things?"

"We have no time to waste", Pent got in between, hurried. "Alina, how's the phone poll?"

No answer could be heard from the starry-eyed girl.

"Alina, I asked you something! You should better reply, you know", the grey-haired man threatened her, softening his voice as he finished speaking. He already knew she wasn't going to pay much attention, as she was far too concentrated in another issue of her own.

"Ah,yes!", the reporter said, returning from her daydreaming state. "Just wait a sec until I find that paper…", she added, while digging in her bag for that paper. "Here it is", she finally said, waving it triumphantly. "Let's see. Erk: 45, Karel: 50, invalid phone calls: 5".

"Mmmh…. Something's wrong here", Pent said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "I'll take care of the phone poll until the end of the program. Well, now everybody returns to their posts. Get out, get out, that there's little time left!", he said, waving at the others to leave the room.

When everyone was out, Louise, who had been listening the reunion silently, got nearer her husband and embraced him, before kissing him on his cheek.

"You aren't going to cheat the poll so Erk stays more, aren't you?", she asked him sweetly.

Pent sighed, tired.

"Don't misjudge me", he said, looking at her. "It's just that I don't know how he will handle the news… maybe it's best to tell him when it's something more obvious", he said, placing his hand in her belly.

Louise giggled.

"Erk has been under your tutelage since he was little, but you have to understand that he's not that little or that stupid anymore", she told him. "I can't see the advantages in making him stay in this show, thing that he really hates"

"Honey, don't make it harder for me. You know it's better to have him in this thing for the time being. You know he would start complaining about everything if we ever ask him for some help"

"Well, you are right in that", the blonde haired woman agreed. "But…"

"Oops!", Pent interrupted her, looking at his watch. "I didn't want to interrupt you, honey, but the show's about to begin and you should go and find the make up girl to check everything's alright"

"Oh, I forgot!", she exclaimed alarmed. "Bye, dear", she greeted him, and left the room.

The show's music curtain started playing, and the show's loge was displayed in the screen, announcing the audience that the show was just beginning. The camera started getting nearer the hosts and the 'trapped' contestants, and just when it got close to the hosts, the music stopped playing, and so, the show began, 'per se'.

"Welcome to a new emission of Big Emblem!", Louise greeted the audience cheerfully. "Good evening to you, Lord Athos!"

"Good evening, Lady Louise, and good evening to you too, children of Roland and the other Legends", Athos greeted the audience, calmly. "Today it's a strange and special day", he introduced, with a small aura of mystery.

"Indeed", Louise said, smiling. "We are supposed to be in a crowded disco, and there's no one yet, with the exception of our brave contestants", she said, as the camera made a travelling shot of the group. "We haven't tricked you, dear audience. We just wanted to chat with them before allowing you to get into here", she explained, proudly.

"As my fellow host says, we'll have a little interview with these brave children of Roland and company here", Athos said, as if he was talking about unknown people when he said 'company', when he would be one of those.

"Well, guys, what can you tell us about your plans for tonight?", Louise asked, turning back to face them. "Who would like to start?"

"I would, Lady Louise", Farina asked, with her hand raised to pick the microphone. When she got it, she made herself more comfortable in her seat, then, she started.

"Well, we have arranged many things for tonight", the blue haired pegasus sister started, with clear voice. "Our barmen have some nifty FX, our bouncers will be the best all around this world, not just Elibe… we even have made some special musical numbers with some of the girls here"

"Oh, that seems interesting", Louise approved, enthusiastically. "To cut it short, because we are running out of time…"

"Time is tyrant in TV", Athos interrupted her, chuckling.

"Indeed", the blonde woman replied, not annoyed by that interruption. "Which role do you have this night, guys?"

"Well, our list goes on like this", Farina said, standing up and walking to where the hosts were. "The magic users, Lucius, Canas and Erk, we'll be the barmen. Then, Raven, Dorcas, Bartre, Karel and Guy will be the bouncers. Sain is our DJ, Matthew will stay at our wardrobe, and Kent and Hector will do an 'internal patrol', helping our bouncers. Then, we, the girls, we'll have some lighter jobs. Serra and Priscilla will help the barmen, and will attend injured or drunk people. Florina, Lyn, and Ninian, with her brother Nils, will do random jobs, from helping our cook Lowen back at the kitchen to helping Matthew in the wardrobe. Will and Rebecca, our archers, will do some 'delivery thing' inside the disco, or they would just add some adrenaline to this. To end with, Eliwood would be the 'ticket boy', selling the entrances at the door, while I'll check the financial area. Anyway, this is like a patrol, so we'll alternate our jobs. Don't worry if Serra is out in the street trying to drag you in here, while Sain prepares some cocktail", the girl said, ending her speech.

"Impressive", Athos said, awestruck.

"Really. I really look forward to experience this", Louise said, amazed. "You also know that today one of you has to leave, don't you?"

At that question, everyone looked at Erk and Karel.

"Lady Louise, for the Light's sake, get me out from here", the purplish haired boy asked, with that amount of pity in his voice, that even Nergal would have felt badly at his sight. Well, if they knew who Nergal was and if he was a malefic person, that is.

"Erk, I can't do anything about it. The audience chooses who has to leave and who doesn't", Louise told him, as motherly as she could be in front of the cameras and talking to her foster son.

"In that case, whoever you are seeing this thing, vote for me", he asked, resigned.

"Well, people, all for now", Athos said, breaking that tear-jerker atmosphere. "Return to your dressing rooms, and get ready, that we are about to open the gates"

"Good luck, children of Rol… wait, that's not my line!", Louise said, horrified. "Good luck, guys!", she corrected herself quickly. "Now, let's go with our street reporter, Alina!"

The camera now switched to the outside, where the brownish-reddish haired reporter was, standing next to an enormous crowd.

"Hi, Lady Louise! Hi, Lord Athos!", the light yellow blouse girl greeted back, making her best to avoid the pushes from the crowd. "As you can see, this is about to explode, and we aren't even at the disco's hallway", she described, as the camera showed the long queue from above.

"Really impressive", Louise said, looking at the giant disco's screen, where the show was being displayed. "Can you talk with some of the people in the queue, Alina? We want to know their opinion about the show and things like that"

"No problem, Lady Louise", Alina replied, turning back and facing a group of three girls which were waiting at her left. "Excuse me, girls", she introduced herself, patting one of the girls in the shoulder.

"Yes?", a light blue haired girl with a rather lost expression asked, softly. With her, a brown haired girl, younger than the first one, and a thin, taller girl, with black hair and a jogging vest over her t-shirt turned back and faced Alina.

"For Big Emblem, live, what do you expect of this night's activity?", Alina asked awkwardly, trying to speak fluidly, but she was too nervous.

"We want fun!", the dark haired girl exclaimed, cheerfully. "You know, after a tough week, we need some good rest. And this girl you have in front of you needs to think in other things", she said, grabbing the light haired girl from the shoulders as she spoke of her.

"Arantxa, can't you shut up?", the light haired girl asked, embarrassed and blushing.

"I see", Alina said, feeling that she choose the wrong people to speak to. "Who's your fav contestant?"

"Mmmh… let's see…", the brown haired girl said, thoughtfully. "Mhhh…. Erk! It has to be Erk!", she exclaimed, enthusiastically. "From the girls, I would say Lyn, or Farina. She sure has some attitude"

"What about you two?", she asked to the older girls.

"Hector", said the black haired girl without hesitation. "Definetly, Marquess Ostia's younger brother. I guess Rebecca can do something on her own, too"

"And you?", the reporter asked the remaining girl, who stayed silent.

"I… I guess it's Kent", she mumbled, shyly.

At that statement, which was something near to a revelation, her two companions looked at her puzzled.

"Always the same, Hazel?", the black haired girl faced her, annoyed. "Can't you go for another type?"

"Yes! You are always after the silent, hard-working type!", the younger girl added, also annoyed.

"So you like Kent, uh?", Alina said, with a hint of hate in her eyes, and her laugh couldn't disguise it. "Good luck. I'll move on", she said, walking again.

"Well, thanks. Good bye!", the younger girl yelled to the reporter. "And all of you, cows, start walking! I'm freezing here!", she yelled to the others who were ahead of her in the crowd.

"Cynthia! You are on TV right now!", the light haired girl protested, annoyed. "What will your parents say about this?!?"

"Oh, Gosh, you are right!", she exclaimed, terrified. "I'm sorry!", she apologized to the crowd, yelling once again.

"It's something great to hang out with these two", the black haired girl said, giggling.

After that small incident, caught by Heath's camera, the camera returned to Alina, who was now further in the queue. Again, she patted another girl in the shoulder, who turned back to face the young reporter.

"Hi. What's your name?"

"Shadow", the girl replied, simply.

"Aha. What are your expectations for tonight?"

"I don't know. Maybe to see Serra fall down from the stage, or Bartre being knocked by Nils, or Sain trying to find a date and loosing miserably at every time. Things like that", the girl replied, grinning at the thought of those contestants being ridicule.

"Anything else?", Alina asked, afraid of what she may say.

"No"

"At least you don't want to kill me", she mumbled, relieved. "Now, I'll change the strategy. Who's your least favorite character?"

"That's easy! Serra, Sain, Bartre, Merlinus… thank St. Elimine that he already left. And my most hated contestant: Eliwood! He should have been kicked out from the very beginning! What happened with my phone calls!?!? I called hundreds of times to kick him out!!!", she yelled, demanding an explanation.

"I have no idea", Alina replied, trying to look innocently. "I'm not in charge of the poll area"

"Alina, we are about to open the gates!", Louise's voice resounded in her headphones.

"Oh, thanks for everything", she thanked the black claded girl, who remained silent in the crowd. Rushing, she went to the entrance, where Eliwood and Priscilla sat in the small room where they would be selling the entrances, while Raven and Karel stood at both sides of the main room, with their arms folded across their chests.

At the only sight of Eliwood selling entrances, the first guy in the crowd burst into laughter, and crying of it, he managed to say,

"Look! Eliwood is a ticket boy!!"

With that, the entire crowd burst into a maniacal laughter.

And so, a long, tough Saturday night began…

The queue was now moving quickly, and so the street was a better place to breath and walk. Alina leaned back against a wall, with her microphone in one hand.

"Are you already tired?", Heath asked, opening a can of a cola drink.

"You bet", she said, leaning her head backwards until it laid on the wall. "I never thought that working at Saturday nights would be that tiring"

"Everyday you know something new", the odd haired young man commented, sipping his drink. "What do you think, Rath?"

The Sacaen cameraman stayed silent, looking to the north.

"… Those two look suspicious, I guess", he said, pointing ahead of them.

"Let's go and see", Alina suggested, getting away from the wall.

They reached the point mentioned by Rath, and they found Ursula and Uhai, from the Black Fang, doing a kind of 'parallel' coverage of the event.

"Excuse us", Heath said, guessing that Alina would be too soft to face them. "Is it just me or you are filming this event? In that case, where's your permission?", he asked, knowing that what would come next would be a cheap excuse.

"Permission?", Ursula asked puzzled. "There should be a misunderstanding here. We are from a travel channel, and we are covering the night life in Pherae", she explained, as if nothing was wrong.

"In that case, show us your credentials, then", Alina asked from behind, almost behind Rath. This was one of those moments in which she felt like a proud chicken, as she was along two guys, and not alone.

"We left them in our van, like five or six blocks away from here", Uhai said, after looking for it in his pockets.

"In that case, you'll have to leave", Heath said, yawning. "We don't want any kind of problems"

"If there's no other way", Ursula said, shrugging.

"No there isn't. Good night", the odd haired boy said, turning back and walking again to the disco's door. Behind him, Alina and Rath walked back, slowly.

Meanwhile, at the main door…

"Capt'n, this is the best ya' could've done to us!", an already drunk pirate said, his breath stinking to alcohol. "Guys, to them!", he shouted, rushing to the entrance, but he was stopped by Karel, who, with his Wo Dao in his hand, was in the middle of the door, not allowing them to pass.

"You can't get in", he said, looking down at them. "Get out"

"We've already paid, and even if we hadn't, we are getting' in!", one yelled, pushing forwards.

"Out!", the long haired swordman said, coldly.

"Or what?", a pirate with a white piece of cloth over his hair said much more colder, walking until he was in front of Karel. Grabbing him from his neck, he demanded an explanation, again.

"You smell of…", Karel mumbled, trying to look like a tough guy, even if he was about to run out of air.

"Say it, and you won't make it to tell the story to your children", the young pirated threatened him once more, grinning evilly.

"Dart, don't you think it's too much", a white haired man with gray beard asked, entertained. Apparently, he was the Captain.

"Nah, I don't think so", the mentioned pirate replied, still grabbing Karel from his throat. "And?!?", he asked, now facing his victim.

"Alright, alright. You may pass", the black haired swordman yelled with the few strength he still had.

At that answer, Dart left the bouncer on the floor. His group of pirates walked past them, laughing at the incident, while Karel was rubbing his throat.

"I never thought you such a chicken", Raven, the other bouncer, commented mischievously, while Karel tried his best to stand up from the floor.

"Very funny", he replied, glaring at him, while picking his sword, which ended in the floor. "If you say a single word about this, you are dead man"

"Always the same good-hearted, caring person", a feminine voice said, behind him.

His blood froze, and his eyes widened. Karel turned back slowly, with the certainty that he knew the person who spoke to him, and he wasn't that happy to see her. When he finally turned back, he saw a dark haired young woman, dressed with a black mini-skirt, a black coat and a white sleeveless t-shirt. She was looking at him with a strange, sad expression.

Karel took a minute to realize who had in front of him. He stayed calm, silent. However, all of a sudden, he jumped towards her, grabbing her from her shoulder.

"Hadn't I told you not to come after me?!? Are you stupid or what?!? Haven't I told you to stay away from me?!? And who told you that you could wear mini-skirts!?!?!?", he yelled at her angrily, pushing her forwards with one hand, while he had his sword in the other.

Raven reacted as soon as he could, and it demanded him a bit of extra work to separate him from the unknown girl.

"Karel!!!!!!!!!!", Farina yelled from the door, rushing to the 'place of the scene'. "What's wrong with you?!?! This is no way to treat a lady!! And she had already pay her entrance fee!!! Let her in!!!!", the blue haired administrator yelled angrily, treating him like a small child.

"But…"

"But nothing!", Farina protested, driving the girl into the disco. "And I thought you could do this job well… I think Lucius can do it better than you!"

"No, please! Don't bring Lucius here!", Raven pleaded, all of a sudden.
"I thought he was your best friend", Karel said, returning to his post, angrily.

"Yes, but sometimes I get sick of having him around me all day", the red haired boy admitted, rubbing his arms. "And what about that beauty? Who was her, and what did she do to you , that you reacted that common all of a sudden?", he asked, curiously.

"She's my sister, Karla", he said, glaring him. "Beware with what you say about her. Today I'm in a peaceful mood, apparently, or I would have cut you into small little pieces and…"
"Alright, I understood", Raven stopped him, sighing. "But what's wrong with her?"

"Never mind", the swordman replied, giving his back to him and ignoring the younger boy.

"Wow! This is something… fun!", Fiora shouted into Alina's ear, due to the loud music. "I just wonder why Sain just plays the same themes over and over again. It has to be ninth time in the night that I listen to 'Fascination'", she added, staring at the dancing girls.

"You still hadn't found out why?", Alina shouted back, puzzled. "Even if he's not with the girls, face to face, he tries to find some advantages. Playing either this song, or 'Livin' la Vida Loca', or anything sticky and good to dance, he can enjoy the 'mad about the music' girls, and he can even peep their physical attributes", the brownish-reddish haired girl explained, sighing.

"Ah, I see", Fiora said, alarmed. "I just hope Farina won't drag Florina to dance above a buffer. She would regret it for the rest of her life"

"Why?", the reporter asked, sipping a bottle of mineral water.

"Why are you drinking water at a disco?", Fiora asked, omitting her friend's question.

"Because it's healthy?", Alina joked, playing dumb. "I'm thirsty, and I don't want to touch alcohol, not while we are on the air. I don't know what could happen after that", she explained, sipping more water. "Hey, let's see how they are doing!", she said, grabbing the pegasus knight from the arm and guiding her through the crowd.

"And let's see if we can find something interesting here…", Matthew mumbled, looking into another person's coat pockets. He was alone, bored, and he couldn't with his genie…

"You said you would stop doing that", a girl's voice protested, next to him.

"Honey!", he exclaimed, kissing Leila, while dropping the coat to the floor. "I missed you so much!"

"You won't buy me with that", she complained, getting away from him. "You said you would stop doing that, at least when you aren't working", she moaned, saddened. "If you are to be the dad of my kids, I want you by my side, not at jail for a minor theft"

"Silly dear! You know I can get away from it easily!", Matthew replied, lovingly. He knew she died for him when he did that. "Alright, I'll stop doing this. By the way, this ones came just with the money for the entrance ticket", he objected, glaring at the pile of coats laying in the ground, and that had been already revised by him.

"Matthew!", Leila sighed, resigned. "You'll never change! What would Lord Uther say if it was him the one who caught you?", she asked, embracing him.

"What? Uther's here?", the boy asked, surprised.

"Well, yes, he is", Leila replied, looking up to meet his gaze. "It also caught me by surprise, I have to admit. He must want to talk seriously with Hector. It's the only reason I find for him being here…"

"You are right about that. This isn't his natural habitat", Matthew joked, kissing her in her head. "I wouldn't want to be in Hector's place right now…"

The party was going on smoothly, at least it seemed like that for Hector, who was doing some sort of patrol through the disco. Matthew was dancing with Leila in the dance floor, as he was replaced by Nils at the wardrobe. The magic users were doing quite well in their bartending, even Erk had learned to do a cocktel well. Lyndis and Rebecca were helping Lowen in the kitchen, doing some kind waitressing, moving at the rhythm of the music, for the delight of some males next to the kitchen. Kent had to replace Eliwood at the entrance, and he left to the kitchen, to eat something, as he was about to starve. Dorcas was now at the wardrobe, protecting Nils from a bored Bartre, who decided to harass the little boy to get some entertainment. Serra wasn't around, for some unknown reason, as well as Florina, Farina and Priscilla. Will was doing something at the stage, with the help of Ninian. Sain was playing the music, and Guy was about to switch his turn with Raven, while Bartre had to replace Karel, if he were to leave the little child at ease, that is. Everything seemed so peaceful and calm for a Saturday night…

Just as he was thinking that, he felt someone calling him from behind, patting his shoulder with one finger. Carelessly, he turned back, not expecting what would come.

He felt a strong hand grabbing him from his shirt neck, and he spent a few seconds there, flying, until his brother had the gentleness of placing him down in the ground again.

"I think we have things to talk", Uther said, not so friendly towards his younger brother. "Seems like you were extremely bored while I was out, or you either missed me so much that you needed more people to talk to", he said, looking at his surroundings.

"Oh, hi, brother! So nice to see you again? How are you doing? Did you do well in Akanea? Why do you always grab me by the shirt's neck when you are furious?", Hector asked ironically, mocking his brother. "Had you already arrived?"

"No, I have send an hologram of me", Uther replied, loosing the little patience he had.

"Hi!!!", Serra's high pitched voice resounded throughout all the disco. She was standing at one extreme of the stage, while Ninian and Will went on dealing with one microphone connection. She was wearing a sticky pink dress, and her hair was obviously tied up in two high, long ponytails.

"Serra! Come back! We aren't ready yet!", Farina's voice yelled at her, from behind the stage.

"Oh, you have just arrived for the first surprise show, bro", Hector told Uther, turning back to face the stage. "You'll die when you see this"

"I'm still alive after watching you dancing some hula-hula at TV last night, so this can't be worst", the lawyer brother complained, with a sigh filled of frustration.

"You saw that?!?!?", the blue haired youth asked embarrassed, remembering the stupid situation that had been filmed and seen by maybe thousands of people: in one of the 'top scores' of boredom, he, along with Eliwood, Will and Canas, tried to think in a good surprise number, trying to resemble a tropical choreography. As none of the girls wanted to join, and admitting that the four of them were better cooks than dancers (and that was too much!), they decided to forget about that. Now, his brother had something to torture him.

"Hello, everybody!", Will greeted the people. "We'll began our little series of shows. I know I suck at this giggle, so I'll let the official hosts to introduce it", he said, giving the microphone to Lady Louise.

"Well, thanks, Will", she thanked, a bit puzzled. "Are you having fun, people?", she asked, enthusiastically.

A soft mumble was the only thing that could be heard.

"I don't hear you. Are you having fun?", Louise insisted, giggling nervously. Needless to say that something was wrong…

Without her noticing, Karel walked along the stage, with his index finger moving slowly across his throat, and with his sword clearly at sight. Immediately, the people at the disco screamed affirmatively, as they had never done before.

"Good! I like that you are enjoying it!", Louise said, unaware of Karel's threat. "The first ones to come to the stage are Serra, Priscilla, Florina and Farina. A round of applause for 'Serra and the Holograms'!!!", she exclaimed, leaving the stage quickly.

The lights went out, just to return at the next instant, showing the girls at the stage. The band, with Dorcas at the bass guitar, Bartre at the drums and Guy at the electronic guitar, started playing the instruments, and the girls, with Serra on the lead, started singing a song of Serra's writing. Needless to say, Serra was trying to be the center of all the attention, and whenever one of the girls tried to come nearer her, she pushed them backwards, sometimes gently, sometimes rudely.

"Man, she's a wonderful cleric for a popstar", Wallace joked, talking to Renault, while watching the show among the people. "I think that I know why she left the Abbey"

"Or she was forced to leave", Renault replied, hoping it wouldn't take much. "The other three girls aren't that bad, but Serra spoils it too much", he added. "I wonder why Lyn isn't the lead, or even Rebecca. They would be more graceful than that pink-haired thing…"

"Well, so we can't make a CD with their themes…", Wallace sighed, saddened. "It would have been a good business and a great way to get some money…"

"Oh, my… Florina's at the stage!!!!", Fiora exclaimed puzzled, shocked by that. "What happened to her?"

"She's rather graceful when dancing matters", Alina pointed out, impressed. "I wish I could at least control my feet and stop falling down each time I want to dance something 'lively'…"

"Seems that Farina's influence is somewhat strong", Isadora giggled.

"While she takes good care of her… and keeps her out from the alcohol", the greenish haired girl commented, surprised of her sisters performance.

"Hey, hey…", Karel exclaimed, staring at Priscilla. "I hadn't noticed that Priscilla was that well… ouch! What's the matter with you?!? You want to smell like blood?!?", he asked Raven angrily, after being interrupted in the middle of his sentence, and knocked in the stomach by the red haired bouncer.

"Nothing. I thought you had a fly attached to your clothes", Raven replied, rubbing his fist.

"Oh, my Light!", Cynthia, the young student Alina had interviewed while waiting to get into the disco, exclaimed, horrified. "I can sing better than her!"

"So you think the same, hu?", Shadow, the black haired girl, asked, interested. "What do you think about the song? It sure sucks!"

"Definitely! She can barely mover her feet from the ground!"

"Absolutely! And what about her playing the sexy girl?"

"Argh!! I'm gonna vomit!"

Just then, the song ended, and the girls waved at the public, then, they disappeared from the stage, but with the promise of returning.

Hector tried to leave, but Uther grabbed him from the arm tightly

"What are you doing here?", Hector asked, talking seriously and trying to get rid of his brother's hand.

"So you want to know, uh?", the darker haired young man asked, now being him the one who used the irony. "What do you think I'm doing in a place like this, with TV cameras around? Not filming an advertisement for my buffet, of course"

"Why don't you go and tell some jokes on the stage. You'll surely do better than Wil, who's approaching to the microphone", the younger brother said, half joking, half seriously.

In effect, Wil grabbed the microphone, and turned it on.

"Hi, people! It's me, Wil, again!", he greeted back, now feeling ore relaxed with a microphone on a hand. "Well, the girls are changing their outfits for the next number, and while we wait, I thought, Why don't I go out and cheer everyone up with some jokes? ", he said, grinning cheerfully, as he always did. "Well, let's start with this! Where does Lassie takes its holidays every year? Do you know? I bet you don't!"

The crowd looked amongst themselves oddly and tiredly, and no one replied.

"I assume you don't know!", Wil exclaimed, cheerfully. "Well, to 'Collie-fornia!'", he said, bursting into laughter.

The camera showed that everyone rolled their eyes at that.

"And I thought Serra was the worst thing I could ever seen or even hear", Wallace mumbled, while Renault was trying to repress his frustration.

"Why do people worship Swiss cheese? Because it's holley !!! Hahahah", Wil went on, laughing maniacally at his own jokes.

"What's 'Swiss'?", Heath asked, raising an eyebrow.

"… Mmmh… I don't know", Rath said. "Don't waste your time and went on recording that"

"Are you sure we have to record this?", the odd haired cameraman asked, chuckling. "You know, this will bring us down, even more than that gossips show!"

"Seems it was somewhat odd to understand", Wil said, thoughtfully. "Oh, this one will make you laugh! A guy asks another, 'Do you know jokes about sofas?' And the other replies, 'Puuufffff'!!!! Mwahahahah!!!! It's great!", the brown haired archer laughed, crying of happiness.

"Tell me you hadn't taught him those jokes, for St. Elimine's sake!", Uther pleaded irritated, controlling his desire of throwing something hard at the joking guy.

"Why do you say that!?!? I'm not that stupid!", Hector yelled offended.

"Well, you danced hula-hula last night… I thought that was the worst I could ever seen or heard, but seems I was wrong… that guy is worst!", the purple haired young man said, sighing.

"Well, I have another one! What happens if I cross an elephant with a rhino? What happens, what happens? You don't know? The 'if-I-know'"

Again, everyone rolled their eyes while he burst into laughter again.

"I think this is one of the most stupid moments in my life", Cynthia, the brown haired girl said.

"Shouldn't they take an IQ test before applying to things like this?", Shadow added, feeling frustrated.

"Alright, that one was a bit difficult to understand", the brown haired archer said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Aha! This one is good! A man goes to the doctor and says, "Doctor, doctor! Every time I drink a cup of tea, I get a sharp pain in my eye! What is it?" And the doctor says, "Well, take the spoon out first" Bwahahahahaha, it's great!!"

"Oh, my! Someone should knock him over for telling those jokes", Alina told Fiora, while they went on peeping everything at the disco.

"Ha! Said and done! The Pirates are taking care of that", the green haired pegasus knight giggled, pointing towards the stage, where Wil was trying to evade the things that the angry pirates were throwing at him, as well as arrows and some other things coming from behind the stage's curtain, where the other contestants were. Happily, Wil understood what that all meant, and left the stage at light-speed.

"Finally! I think someone should sue him for telling that bad stuff", Uther sighed bitterly, starting to loose the few patience he had. "Back on topic, little brother, we have to talk", he added, seriously.

Hector swallowed hard, but he wasn't going to show that he was feeling intimidated by his older brother.

"What's the matter with this? I'm old enough to take care of myself, and I'm already an adult person, according to the Law, so…"

"Not yet", Uther stopped him, quickly. "You are still under my responsibility until you are 21. I can't allow you to do stupid things like this one. With the Coliseum thing I've had enough for this year", he added, making reference to his brother's continuous 'field trips' to that place, in his search of entertainment and fight.

"Come on! You are out the majority of time, so this is also good for you! You don't have to waste time with me!", Hector protested, trying to see the new number, in which all the girls would dance some sticky song.

"I haven't finished!", Uther said coldly, grabbing him from the shoulder, trying to make him talk more.

"Excuse me, excuse me", Fiora said by their side, trying to pass along all the people, in order to find a better place to see the number. Behind her was Alina, trying to stay close to her. Hector grinned; he had a good excuse to make his brother shut up. Well, anything turned into a potential good excuse to avoid the subject.

"Fiora! How are you doing?", Hector yelled, grabbing her from her hand.

"Leave me!", the green haired girl said, offended. "How could you dare to treat Florina like that, the other day when she fall onto the pool, just above you! Nah, don't reply, I won't believe your excuse!", she protested quickly, trying to pass.

"Hey, don't go away that soon", Hector pleaded, trying to waste more time. "Hey, Alina, wait!"

The reporter turned back, and made her way to the two youths.
"What's the matter?", she asked, politely. "Oh, hi again!", she greeted Uther, friendly.

"You know my brother?", Hector asked, puzzled.

"Your brother?", Alina asked, surprised.

"We've met in a bad situation, outside the channel", Uther explained, quickly.

"Alina, he's my brother Uther. Uther, this is Alina, the show's reporter", Hector introduced them formally, noticing that she wasn't aware of whom she had in front of her.

"Ahh…. Nice to meet you…", Alina mumbled, shacking her hand. "If you excuse me…", she said shyly, turning back and pushing the people in front of her.

"Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh, my God….", they could hear her mumbling nervously, while keeping on pushing the ones in front of her, as she went in direction to the bathroom.

"What's wrong with her?", Uther asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's the first time I see someone reacting like this…"

"Excuse her, she's too shy", Fiora, who had been watching the entire scene, explained, resigned. "Sometimes she has some little panic attacks…"

Meanwhile, Alina went on mumbling 'Oh, my God', each time stronger, as she was getting close to the bathroom.

"And what do you think now about this… performance?", Cynthia asked Shadow. The two girls stayed together since Serra's group performance, and now they were talking as life-long friends, criticizing every single detail with no mercy.

"Well, not that bad. Lyn sure has grace to dance…"

"Not just grace. She also has a good body", Cynthia added, feeling a bit jealous. "Else, ask those boys there", she added, pointing to a group of guys who were drooling at the figure of the young Sacaen girl.

"At least, this is better than Serra's singing. How was the group called?", Shadow asked, thinking in something.

"'Serra and the Holograms'", Cynthia replied, strange. "Why do you ask? Are you planning to buy their CD when it comes out?", she asked ironically, winking her eye.

Shadow just glared at her, then she spoke, "I just asked. It's somewhat appropriate. If just Serra was an hologram, and not a flesh and bone being…"

"Oh, my God, oh, my God!!", Alina whined, pushing them a bit, in her race to the girl's bathroom.

The two girls, pushed by the hurried reporter, looked at her oddly, then they looked at each other.

"Wait, wait! This is enough!", Cynthia exclaimed, folding her arms. "We had to cope with Serra's high pitched voice, Wil's terrible jokes, and now this, being pushed by a rather stupid reporter!!", she cried, starting to lose her nerves. "Don't you think this is too much?"

"Yes", Shadow mumbled, rubbing her clothes. "This is altering the idea I had of her…", she added, anoyed.

"She looked something different on TV. I wouldn't have said she was so dumb"

"Absolutely", Shadow agreed. "Well, that happens because we weren't paying too much attention to her. Do you remember the day Kent got into the Castle? She sure was acting idiot there!"

"You bet! And she keeps on saying things she shouldn't! That multicolored hair boy had to remember her to stop saying who their bosses were and such things"

"And she seems quite stupid when she's at her own. She always needs someone to help her, or to give her more speech", Shadow added, then she stayed silent. "Hey, this is getting boring. Why don't we mess around and put some people into trouble, like Bartre, for example?", she suggested, a strange light shinning in her eyes, while she smiled mischievously.

"Well… could be funny… Aye! Let's go!", Cynthia approved, walking away with her new 'comrade in arms'.

"Oh, my God. Excuse me, excuse me. Oh, my God!!!", she went on whining, pushing the people in front of her, making her way into the girl's bathroom, and getting into the first door that opened, even though there were like 500 girls waiting before her, and without listening to the long rage of insults that they charged towards her person. However, she couldn't care less, as she was getting into some depressive state, product of her sudden 'panic attack'.

"Great!!", she thought, sarcastically. "I have now met the infamous Marquess Ostia, whom I had met earlier and treated like a John Doe, and I panicked! What the Hell is wrong with me?!? Why do I always mess everything up!?!?!?", she asked herself, punching the wall, and hurting herself. "Is it that I was expecting something more for a Marquess, or that I have an inferiority complex, especially when being in front of a member of some royal House?", she went on wondering, remembering the day she met Lord Pent. Something like that happened, and she was really surprised when she was told that she got the job. However, she kept on addressing him 'Lord Pent' every now and then for the first month and a half, when Pent lost her patience and threatened her with firing her if she kept on calling him like that. She understood, but she still called him that way from time to time…

The brownish-reddish reporter stood there for a little while, thinking in nothing in particular, until she realized she was in a public bath, with a long queue of angry girls who wanted to kill her for avoiding the queue. She opened the door and went to the wash-basin, ignoring the insults. Just then, Isadora came out of another bath.

"Hey, what's the matter with you? What's with that face?", the blue haired producer asked worried, seeing Alina's worried face. "Is there something wrong?"

"Have you ever been helped by a top-person?", the reporter asked, feeling guilty. Guilty of nothing in particular, but she couldn't stop feeling like that.

"If we consider my Harken a top guy, yes, I have", Isadora giggled, with a loving face at the only name of Harken.

"I wasn't making reference to that", Alina objected, trying to look better. "I mean, do you remember that I told you that someone helped me when that Legault intercepted me when I left the channel? Well, that person was Hector's brother", she said, now feeling like crying, for no apparent reason!

Isadora laughed.

"And that's the problem?", she asked, putting her hands over Alina's shoulders. "You finally met Hector's so mentioned brother, and personally! Weren't looking for that?"

"Hey, I just wanted to see how he looked like, so if I ever got to came across him, I would know how to react, or to run away, so I wouldn't have to talk to him and spoil everything!", Alina protested, annoyed.

"Oh, calm down!", Isadora told her, strongly. "You'll never find a boyfriend if you go on panicking like this! This doesn't happen just with royal people, but with any male of around your age!"

"I know!!!", Alina cried, and burst into tears, hugging Isadora brusquely, giving into her sudden depression…

Isadora couldn't help but sighing, and hugging her depressed friend and colleague.

Finally, Isadora and Alina left the bathroom, with Alina looking slightly better than what she did when she got in. Now, at the stage, Dorcas, Bartre and Guy were playing some heavy metalish themes, with Eliwood as the singer. The few people who hadn't cover their ears with little pieces of paper couldn't say if they preferred Serra or Eliwood at the microphone…

"Uh-ops", Isadora mumbled, her eyes widened. "Menace incoming from the north, Alina. Put your guard up", she said, imperatively.

"What the…?", the mentioned girl asked, surprised that Isadora started talking in military terms. However, she understood. Uther was coming, with Hector behind.

"Argh… great…", Alina mumbled, blushing lightly. She took a big breath, and decided to look confident and strong. Confident and strong…

"Hi, again, Alina!", Hector greeted, hoping that she wouldn't run away again, even if it was funny.

"Hi", she greeted, thinking in her new 'leit motiv': Confident and strong…

"Are you better?", Uther asked brusquely.

"Ah, I… yes! I just remembered something and left quickly; that's all", the brownish-reddish haired girl lied, giggling nervously. Isadora couldn't believe her friend's nervousness…

"Are you doing better?", Fiora's voice asked. She came quickly, approaching her two friends, and grabbed Alina from her arms.

"Yes. Do I look that bad?", the reporter asked, worried.

"Oh, no", Fiora said, quickly. "I just asked", she added, as a way to calm her nervous friend down. "Oh, by the way, Alina… Lyn wants you to sing. She says you can do it well", she added, naturally.

"She wants me to what?!?!?", Alina asked, at the verge of a heart attack. "She knows I can barely sing a cradle song! She's so evil!! Oh, my God… She's so mean to me!!! Oh, my God!!", she whined, depressed. Slowly, she turned back, and rushed to the bathroom again, mumbling her nervous phrase… Again, she got into the bathroom, evading the queue, and earning another series of insults…

"Can you tell me what's the matter with that girl?", Uther asked, annoyed.

Fiora and Isadora looked at each other and shrugged, resigned and without an answer to offer.

Wil came into the stage again, shielded with a magazine this time, as if he could do much with one.

"Hi, again", he greeted, smiling nervously. "I'm not here to start a new round of jokes, so don't start throwing things at me!", he yelled, angry.

The entire disco began clapping.

"Whatever", Wil said, annoyed, passing the microphone to Lady Louise, who was next to him.

"We'll introduce the last number of the night. Then, there will be some more dancing, and, to finish this wonderful night, we'll know who has to leave the house", the blonde host said, while the youth left the stage. "With you, Ninian and Nils, in one of their special number!", she exclaimed, leaving the stage quickly.

The lights were gone for a second, and then, Ninian and Nils appeared. Nils started playing his flute in a way no one would have expected it, playing a joyful, yet melancholic song, while his sister started dancing slowly, with so much grace. To make her dancing even more attractive, she had a piece of some transparent cloth with her, which she moved according to the tune.

Among the people, a black dressed man, with a cloak that covered his eyes, was feeling rather pleased. He was there, without moving, almost without breathing, abstracted from the world, just paying attention to the young siblings, who had just finished their number.

The rest of the public started clapping fiercely, for the first time in the night.

"So those are they… I hadn't thought it was going to be that easy…", the man mumbled monotonously under the shower of claps.

In half an hour, the TV transmission was about to end, as well as the party. There wasn't much more to do, and they had enough material for two or three specials, besides of the weekly show. For that reason, Isadora was rushing from one side to the other of the disco, trying to gather all the other crew members. Right now, she had Pent, Louise and Athos waiting in the small service room, which was now the 'producer's hq', and she had found Wallace and Renault on their way. Only Alina, Heath and Rath were missing.

She found Alina soon, wandering through the disco with Fiora, who wanted to say some words to her sisters since she put a foot in the disco, but they seemed to evade her. Bad luck.

"Hey, Alina", Isadora called her, shouting above the loud music. "We finish in thirty minutes! We've producer's meeting right now, so come with me!"

"Alright, but don't expect me to say who leaves the Castle. I don't feel like working now!", the brownish-reddish reporter moaned, still a bit down.

"You are still depressed at that?!?", Isadora asked, puzzled. "Girl, there are important things to worry about in the world…"

"I know! That's why I'm down now!", Alina complained, feeling more miserable. "I need alcohol…", she whined, saddened.

"No, you don't!" Fiora yelled, quickly. "You know what happens when you drink some! Then I have to look after you!"

"By the way… have you seen Harken? He promised he would come…", Isadora asked, stretching her neck to search for him better, even if she was already tallest than the other two girls.

"No, I haven't", Alina replied, sighing bitterly.

"Nor did I", Fiora said, shrugging. "Well, let's go to that reunion", she suggested, grabbing them from her hands.

"And who told you that you were coming?", the blue haired producer asked, annoyed, not for her self-invitation, but for Harken's absence.

"Nobody, but I won't stay alone here…", the green haired pegasus sister said, smiling. "I'm a bit sick of Sain's 'dance' music", she added, sighing.

Just then, there was a sound that seemed like some mechanical problem, and the moving, happy music that Sain played all night turned into a characteristic, old melody, and a male voice started singing, after a small drum introduction,

"This Romeo is bleeding, but you can't see its blood. It's nothing but some feelings that this old dog kicked up…"

The three girls looked at each other, with a puzzled expression. At the next instant, they burst into tears, thinking in the missing boyfriend, the love that couldn't be, and the temptation to cry in each one of her respective cases…

After the small producer's meeting, in which Pent had to admit that he would have to say the one who would leave the Castle, as Alina was too depressed to face the camera once again, and neither Louise nor Athos had the guts to face Karel, the Castle's gang had to get together over the stage. The problem was that they were all facing their little problems.

Sain had some problems with his crazy jukebox. He had just been outside for a little while, the time needed to try to impress a girl who was standing next to the DJ room, for no apparent reason. Luckily for the girl, the girl's bathroom queue moved quickly, and she got rid of the failed attempt of Casanova. When he returned, half disco was crying with that slow, romantic song that started playing by its own.

Serra was desperate looking for her make-up. A star like her couldn't return to the stage with the same colors she had in her number, and she didn't know where she put them. For her horror, they ended up in the pirates' hands, and she wasn't going to mess with people like that at all. Instead, she sent Wil, who wasn't in the moods of facing the pirates again, but the pink haired girl pushed him that hard that he ended up bumping into one of them, the one with a white cloth on his head that had some problems with Karel before getting into the party.

"Ah… uh… hi", Wil mumbled nervously when the pirate turned back, dropping one of his comrade's beer in the process. "It wasn't my intention to hurt you, I was pushed", he explained, analyzing the pirate's face slowly. "Hey, aren't you Dan? Yes, it's you!", he exclaimed, all of a sudden. "Dan, it's me, Wil! Wil, your friend! The one you left alone at Badon because you missed Mommy and Daddy so much!", he said ironically, hugging him.

"What the Hell are ya' talking about!?!?", Dart asked puzzled, getting annoyed slowly. "My name's Dart, not Dan! I've never seen you before, and you couldn't be my friend. I would never have a friend that decides to get into something stupid like this!", he yelled, making reference to the reality show, not to the party.

"Well, Dan, we did some stupid things before, even more stupid than me getting into this show", Wil said, smiling nervously. "We did run away from our homes…", he began explaining, but Dart pushed him backwards, annoyed.

"Hey, don't mess with him like that!", Rebecca yelled from afar, her bow ready to be used in her hands. "And you, Wil… we'll talk later! I knew it was you!! I knew you were the one who run away with my brother!", she whined, tempted of using her bow towards her companion, but she desisted.

She got nearer the group, pushing Wil backwards this time. She got nearer the pirates, and analyzed Dart's face, who was getting more pissed off as time passed. He was no different to the rest of the Elibian people, yet, everyone seemed to find him odd in that place.

"Brother… is that you?", Rebecca asked sweetly, her eyes starting to get wet by the tears that were appearing in them.

Dart looked at her oddly. That was enough for that night.

"Hey, girl, you must be mistaken me by somebody else", he said, trying to sound polite, although he was harsh. "I don't have any sister, at least I don't remember having one…"

"But I'm sure it's you, Dan!", the green haired girl insisted, whining. "Don't you remember me? I'm Rebecca, your sister! That stupid over there is Wil, your best friend!", she exclaimed, pointing to the other archer as she mentioned him.

"Sorry, girl, but there should be a mistake here…", he insisted, trying to get away from her. "I already told you…"
"Excuse me, excuse me", Farina got in between, in haste. "We've got to go, so sorry, you can chat later", she said, pushing the two archers away from the pirates gang. Rebecca looked back at him until she could, sobbing. Dart didn't know what to think and left the disco, quickly and alone.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen", Athos said from the DJ cabin, where the hosts were to end the TV transmission. "The party is near its end, but we have to know who leaves the Castle"

"Indeed, Archsage", Louise agreed, smiling broadly. "Our two nominees were Erk and Karel. It was a tough decision, and there were lots of phone calls, but we would be grateful if you could just phone to vote for one of the two nominees, and not to say who do you like best or what. You have another line to do that, thanks", she went on, cheerfully.

"Well, now it's time to see what happens", Athos said. He picked an envelope and picked a paper from it. He read it, and looking oddly at it, he gave it to Lady Louise. She reacted the same way: she was confused.

"The one who leaves the Castle is…", Pent's voice, deformed by a PC program said from somewhere else. A long silence filled the entire disco, making the people there feel anxious.

On the stage, Erk was standing normal, wishing that everybody had called to kick him out. Karel, on the other hand, was playing with his Wo Dao, swinging it from one side to the other, and glaring at every camera he found.

"And?!?!?", the crowd asked, anxious.

"Er… the one who leaves is…", Pent repeated, nervously. He couldn't make up his mind. On one hand, it was better for him to make Erk stay there a little longer, but on the other hand he had Karel, who would go after him just after he left. So…

"No one!!!", he said, sighing relieved.

"Yayyyy!!!", some people on the crowd yelled happily.

Erk frowned and shrugged, resign with his 'destiny', while Karel stopped messing with his sword and grinned, dropping it to the ground.

"Oh, my", Louise said, just to say something. "This is another emission where nobody leaves… it's odd…"

"Indeed, it's really odd"; Athos joined, confused. "But we do what you say when eliminating people matters. This is what you vote", he added, trying to justify that.

"Anyway, this transmission has come to an end! We wish you a good week, and we'll see you again in one week in this show called Big Emblem! Ciao!", Louise greeted, while the credits roll music started playing, as the channel was in a little hurry. LBC was about to make a special program about Big Emblem, and Lycia TV decided to show the latest movie available to counter-attack.

And so, another TV transmission of Big Emblem was over…

"This is no fair!", Alina protested, walking to the service room to pick a broom. "They were supposed to do all the cleaning, not us! That was the funny thing!"

Effectively, the Castle gang left almost immediately the end of the TV transmission. The people left rather soon, and Pent, still feeling intimidated by Karel's attitude, decided to let them go before than what they had scheduled. Anyway, the long, gray haired boss left with his wife, saying that he was really tired and that Louise wasn't feeling that good. A cheap excuse that nobody could believe, not yet discuss, as he turned back and left in a matter of seconds.

"And why do you complain that much? Don't tell me you don't do the housework at your home?", Wallace joked, while putting all the alcoholic drinks in their cabinet. There weren't much, though.

"Of course I do them! That's why!", the brownish-reddish haired reporter complained, walking to the cabinet where Wallace was putting the drinks, and she picked an almost finished bottle of Vodka. She poured some of it on a crystal like glass, and looked at it with a not so convinced expression.

"So you like the heavy stuff, uh?", Renault asked ironically, looking at her confused expression.

"Well… I'm not sure, really, but I really want to disappear right now, so… what's the matter with it?", she asked, grabbing the glass again, but another hand prevented her of doing it, as Isadora rushed to the glass and drank it from one sip.

"You thought you were going to drink this, did you?", she asked her friend and subordinate, disapprovingly. "You can't touch alcohol, and it's I the one who needs this more than you. I talked to Harken", she said, leaning against the other door of the two doors cabinet. "He said he got asleep… I'm gonna kill him!!! He said that I expect too much from him, and that he also works hard and that… bwaaaahhhhhhh!!!!", she started explaining, just to burst into tears.

"Calm down, Isa", Fiora said, hugging her. "Everything will be alright…"

"Now I really want that Vodka", Alina said, turning back to grab the bottle, but Heath got in her way and picked him first, before running away with it.

"Hey, I was going to pick that!", Alina yelled, angrily. Things were starting to get a bit uncomfortable.

"Don't even think about it", Heath said, sitting over the stage. "We were all the night with those cameras over our shoulders, so we deserve some reward!", he said, while Rath came with two glasses, smiling.

"Oh, great", the reporter mumbled, wishing she had some psychic powers and get that bottle with her only thought. "At least I have the cabinet by my side…"

Just then, Wallace closed it with key and a padlock.

"Hey, young Alina, why don't you pick your broom again and help me a bit", Lord Athos himself called her. As the rest of the crew, he had to stay to help in the cleaning up of the disco, and he was also sweeping.

"Sorry, Archsage, I'm going", she said, feeling guilty. "But first…", she said, heading to the stage, with a strange look in her eyes. She wasn't paying attention to Heath and Rath, but she was looking up from them, straight to the microphone.

Isadora and Fiora, both afar from her, noticed her intention. They shouldn't let her get near the microphone, not matter the costs…

"Don't let her get nearer the microphone!", Isadora yelled, between her sobs.

"She's right! You'll regret it later!", Fiora added, yelling anxiously.

At those warning, Alina started walking quickly, almost running. She jumped over Athos' broom, and she zigzagged Renault, who tried to grab her from one arm, and she was about to get near the stage when Wallace, thinking in his good old times as rugbier, came running and performed a memorable tackle, dropping her down.

"Tackle!", he yelled, proudly.

"Wow, you can go and play in the veterans division", Heath joked, impressed.

Alina turned back, and facing the roof, she let go a bitter sigh, defeated…

Hi, there! Still breathing, just busy and with lots of things to do.

About the girls Alina talks to in the queue: the first three (Hazel, Cynthia and Arantxa) are from one of my other fics (well, one is a 'soon to be'). Yup, it's quite stupid, and not advised by anyone, but I'm the writer here! There ain't no law against it, so… What's the worst thing that could ever happen to me about it? That someone will tear into pieces my work because I shouldn't have done that? Oh, you are late, that already happen. Beyond that, nothing could be worst, so I have complete freedom now. By the way, I needed some other people to put in that part, and that was the best thing I came across when I wrote it, so… P Back on topic, Shadow is the alter ego of one of my reviewers, Zero84, who sent her data to be put into here. I hope I made it acceptable and that it didn't suck!

I know the pirates slang sucks. With a bit of effort and imagination, I guess it can work P Also, I take no credit for the songs listed here (in that case, I would be a millionaire! P), and I know that neither Ricky Martin nor the other songs can co-exist in the original Fire Emblem setting. But this being a fanfic (parody, above else), and an explicit AU, so there's 'no' problem.

Serra's pop group is a parody of the 80's animated/cartoon series "Jem". For those who have never heard about it, it was the story of Jerrica Benton (It was 'Jerrica', not 'Jessica'. I'm not the one to blame! P), who, with the help of some earrings that his deceased father left her, could turn into Jem, a super popstar. She had a band, with her sister (red hair, played by Priscilla in the fic), the drums player (played by Florina, just because both had violet hair and were soft spoken), and the electronic guitar player (played by Farina, again, just because she had blue hair). The group was called 'Jem and the holograms', and well, just that. For more info, you can visit I hope someone out there remembers about it; else, it's a sign that I'm growing old… and I'm not even 20 yet!!!!! Bwaahhhhh!!!!! ;P

Then, the song I'm making reference to when Sain's jukebox goes crazy is "Always", by Bon Jovi (1994, from the album "Crossroads") Wonderful song, in my opinion. Sad, a really moving love song, at least for me… sighs I could go on "until the heavens burst, and the words don't rhyme…"

Well, all for now. See you sometime else… Now I realize that I have put tons of references to my favorite things… D Tell me what you think about this one, please!