Say My Name
Written by vox shade
v/s: Hey guys! Thanks for all the support! XD Just wanted to add that this fic will also include action. If we had a third genre, it'd be action for this one. Just giving you a heads-up 3
Disclaimer: Star Ocean 3 belongs to Tri-Ace/Ubisoft/Square-Enix.
Chapter Five
With A Flick Of The Wand And... Sorry Cinderella, Y'gotta Wait Until I Get This.
"Again."
"Again."
"Again."
"Again."
"Aga-"
"What do you think I'm doing, woman!"
Nel sipped her hot chocolate and looked over from the cloth covered desk at the frustrated swordsman sitting across from her on the opposite chair. He'd been trying to summon symbology for almost two hours now.
They had come to stay at Arias after the meeting with the Queen of Acquaria. They'd traveled from the Sacred City to Peterney where they had dropped in quickly at the house and picked up a few forgotten items, then had made it to Arias on their way to Airyglyph just as the storm had kicked in. Now it was raining in torrents and streets were flooding. The sky was dark, the absence of the sun casting a black veil over the town. Candles were lit inside as the source for light, and fireplaces lit for both light and warmth. Once Nel had spoken to Clair, Tynave, and Farleen, both Nel and Albel had decided to stay in Arias until the storm had passed.
During the journey, Albel had been colder and said fewer words since the unforgettable kiss at the castle. They'd traveled in uncomfortable silence, to say the least. And whenever he did choose to speak, it would be one word answers or harshly worded questions. But in a way this also benefited them because he'd focus on distractions and would sweep through the monster-ridden areas with shocking speed, leaving a trail of gore behind him.
Nel had finally apologized (even though she'd been asked by the Queen to do it anyhow) when he'd become unbearable in Arias. She'd approached him while he was in his room, sitting in the dark alone. When he didn't reply to her apology, she'd pressed on to ask how she could make up for it. To her surprise, he had answered instantly.
"Alright, how can I make it up to you?"
Albel looked up at Nel from underneath his bangs, giving him a feral look. "I want you to teach me symbology. Today."
Nel blinked. This was not what she had been expecting. Maybe being a slave for his chores or something for a week, but certainly not this. "...Teach you symbology?"
Albel narrowed his eyes. "You said you wanted to make it up to me. You can do that by teaching me the bloody symbology."
Nel lit the candle on his desk with a design traced in the air above the wick, then closed the door and sat down in the chair by the desk. "What do you want to learn?"
"Symbology."
"What kind of symbology?"
"…"
Nel sighed, feeling the first waves of a headache. "Then we'll have to start with the basics."
That had been a little over two hours ago. Nel had then retreated to her room to grab a few textbooks containing certain symbology, and a thermo of hot chocolate and two mugs. Then she'd sat him down and proceeded to teach him the first symbol – fire bolt, since he was so big on attacking. That had ended when he'd nearly set fire to his own braids (well, at least he succeeded in summoning it). They had tried ice needles, but he wasn't successful with that one. Nel didn't try to help him with earth glaive or thunder flare, since she could see the potential dangers, the ruination of Arias' headquarters being one of them. So they'd switched to common support symbols.
And it was failing miserably.
Albel had scratched a light cut on his forearm, and had been trying to heal it for the past forty five minutes. The situation would have been funny, but the amusement of bossing Albel around for once had worn off early in the first hour of practice. Nel knew it would take a while before he mastered any one of them. He had avoided symbology before, claiming that it was a cheap way of fighting. But to have a sudden interest in it now was a bit strange. Nel wondered why he wanted to learn so suddenly.
It was also curious that she did not feel tense or like she was in danger being alone with Albel in a small dark room together.
A knocking on the door brought her out of her train of thoughts. "Come in," Nel called. Then she mentally hit herself because she'd caught the look on Albel's face and remembered that this was his room.
But it was too late now. The door swung open and in stepped Tynave and Farleen, wearing slightly confused expressions. Both women were holding a bag each. When they spotted Nel with Albel, their eyes widened in slight surprise, yet they kept this to themselves.
"Good evening, Tynave. Farleen."
"Good evening, captain."
"Good evening!"
Nel kept the wince of Farleen's high falsetto inside, even as she noticed Albel's lip curl. She pressed on, hoping that the two would leave unscathed if they were quick enough. "What is it?"
Tynave saluted her (the bag was in her left hand). "We are aware of the time, yet were put with the duty to check every room and replace the light globes. Lady Clair apologizes for the blackout."
Light globes were a new invention, patented and licensed by Misty Lear. These crystal globes emitted a soft white light which could be adjusted with basic runology. However, they were susceptible to high frequency tremors, or the occasional strong storm. When such things happened, the globes would flare out and the spells would need to be renewed for it to activate once again. Of course, if tremors and such did not happen, then the spells, according to Misty Lear, would have to be renewed every five years.
"Just a moment, please," Farleen said, skipping towards the light globe fixtures in the walls. Nel watched as they both worked together to invoke the runology required to both globes in Albel's room. The soft white light illuminated the back half of Albel's room first, and Nel waited to adjust her eyes. She glanced at the dying candle on the table between Albel and herself. She blew it out, seeing no need for it anymore. Looking up from the wick, she caught Albel looking at her strangely. It was only for an instant, but it was there. Before she had time to pursue it farther, he looked away, his mask back in place with a tinge of annoyance as he watched Farleen skip around his room. Nel sensed that Farleen may be in danger. She was well aware that not many could tolerate Farleen's voice. But Nel was also aware of Farleen's ability and had taken her in as a subordinate, and she knew Farleen had considerable courage. Being in this room with the man who had defeated her twice was proof of that.
Nel tapped Albel's leg underneath the table with her foot. He glared at her from across the table and she shot him a look meant to warn him not to do anything to the girls. He only kicked her back. Nel winced and glared, reflexively kicking back harder. Albel let out a low growl and thus the kicking fight started.
At surface level, both Nel and Albel seemed to be reading textbooks in different states of disrepair. But below the table feet were connecting with shins, heels cramming toes, knees knocking around, all hidden by the table cloth. Nel suppressed a sound of pain as she looked up from her textbook and kicked Albel particularly hard in the middle of his shin. A thump sounded as Albel bit down a curse as his knee hit the top of the table. Nel smirked and went back to pretending to read her decrepit tome, crossing her legs in an effort to keep them out of Albel's range.
"Captain?"
Nel looked up. Farleen and Tynave were standing together by the door, looking at her strangely. "Is everything under control?"
Nel suppressed another yelp of pain as Albel's steel-toed feet connected with her knee. With a wincing smile, Nel tried to look innocent. "Everything is fine, Tynave. Just a new invention Albel thought up. He said that it's supposed to work like this."
Farleen peered down at the table cloth, which was now silent. "What is it? Can we see?"
"No." Albel said, glaring from underneath his bangs, crimson eyes glinting murderously. Farleen wisely backed off, clutching the black cloth bag to her chest.
Kaboom!
Nel noticed the bags in both her hands and Tynave's. "What's in those bags?"
Tynave looked down at hers. "Well, we found these outside headquarter doors, so we figured that they were garbage bags. But when we looked inside it seemed to be an incomplete gift of some sort."
Farleen opened her bag at that point and withdrew a plush stuffed pink bunny (think bunny races). "This is the gift. Inside Tynave's bags are some gadgets and tools we thought the person was using to complete it."
Nel was interested. She hadn't known someone was working on a gift who was taking residence in headquarters. "Could I see it, Farleen?"
"Of course, captain."
The bunny was transferred and Nel lifted her eyebrows in surprise. The rabbit was heavier than she'd expected. Lifting it, she examined it closely. After working in the Inventor's Guild for nearly a year, she could analyze items with precision. The material used to cover the stuffed animal was soft, and expensive. She placed it as velvet. The eyes were also crafted perfectly and polished, probably made of the most expensive black glass. Overall, nothing was really worth noting except that whoever had made it had a lot of money, and that it was abnormally heavier than what a normal stuffed animal should weigh.
"Give me that." Albel took the bunny out of Nel's hands and flipped it around, looking at it with a furrowed brow and a slight frown. Nel glanced at Tynave and Farleen, whose shoulders were faintly shaking with suppressed giggles. They exchanged glances and tried not to look at each other. Who knew that Albel the Wicked was into cute, pink stuffed animals?
A chair clattered back and fell as Albel violently rose and dashed for the door. With a cry of alarm, both Farleen and Tynave were shoved out of the way as the swordsman dashed through the banging door just as Nel got up and dashed in pursuit of him. She didn't know what he thought he was doing – she veered around a corner – and she didn't know what exactly she was doing following him anyway. She just instinctively ran behind him, keeping up three meters behind as he dashed through the flickering darkness of the corridors Tynave and Farleen hadn't restored yet. The sudden exercise burned her muscles, but she was used to such sensations, as this was required from her occupation.
"Albel!" Nel shouted as they dashed up the second flight of stairs. She received no response from the Glyphian as he lightly ran up the stairs and disappeared out of sight as a crash of thunder clapped. Nel rounded the stairs and saw the open door to the roof. Running out, she peered around through the rain for any sign of her partner. She was about to call for him again when a flash of lightning illuminated the roof for the briefest of moments. During that time she was able to locate a silhouette by the chimney, crouched over something. Stepping lightly through the dark and mindful of the slippery tiles, Nel walked almost blindly towards where she thought Albel would be. She almost jumped when her rain-chilled hands made contact with a shoulder.
"Albel, what're you doing?" Nel shouted above the noise of the rain as she crouched beside him. Albel didn't reply and she struggled to focus on what he was working on in the dark. Squinting through the curtain of rain, she realized that the small shape in his hands was the stuffed pink rabbit, now being dissected by his claws. Shredded, more like.
Nel clutched his wrist, regardless that it was the mechanical one. "What are you doing? That's not even yours!"
Albel ignored her and kept clawing through the fabric and cotton stuffing, the material now ruined by the rain as well. The eyes seemed to look up and ask for help from its black glassy depths. Just as Nel was debating whether or not she should try to persuade him at the tip of her daggers, Albel stopped. "Look at this."
This time Nel didn't need a flash of lightning to see what Albel was looking at. There, in glowing red digital numbers was a timer in a black box with wires connecting the different parts together, counting down from 00:07:21. Her mind comprehended the situation immediately – although smart bombs were a relatively new invention, the Crimson Blade and the organization used them often for infiltrating and distractions during missions. They had quickly become the newest hot item for dangerous occupations. This particular one had a timer set to go off in close to six seconds.
Before she could even wonder why the bomb was at the front of headquarters, Albel had seized the stuffed animal and stood up. Nel half rose from reflex and quickly looked around for a safe place to throw it. Then she realized that they were in the middle of a town, with no where close to throw it to so it could explode safely out of harm's way. But Albel was on the ball already as he wound his arm back and threw the bomb straight up blindly as hard as he could. As soon as the bomb had cleared his hand, he turned and grabbed Nel by the shoulders.
With a whirl the world spun as Albel knocked Nel off her feet and both rolled down the slope of the roof. Nearly blind and vision blurred by rain, Nel hung on for her life as she became disoriented, wondering when they'd stop rolling, wondering when the bomb would go off in their faces.
She was not disappointed.
A clap of deafening sound, then a brilliant flare of light accompanied by energy sent out from the source, evaporating water around it. Pressure pressed chips of tiles to the roof, water out of the gutters. After that brilliant blast of light for a the briefest of moments, it disappeared, leaving only the steady down pouring of rain, leaving everything in sudden silence.
Eyes wide, drenched, Nel raised her head from Albel's chest and locked startled gazes with crimson eyes.
Tracing Suspect... Tracing... Tracing...
The rain had let up in the morning, leaving the village in sunlight as the clouds passed by a clear blue sky, leaving no trace of the violent storm. Likewise, the rain had washed away any trace of the bunny bomb which had exploded above the roof last night.
Nel let out a tired sigh and tucked her cloak in her knapsack. That was the last item she'd needed to pack. The Crimson Blade looked around her room and made sure she'd packed everything. Yawning, she straightened her belt and her daggers, hoisting her small bag on a shoulder. She hadn't been able to sleep a wink after the bomb incident. After it had exploded, she'd had to file a report which had taken an hour or so, then she'd been kept up by adrenaline and wild imagination.
She'd been saved by Albel. Who would have thought? Last night she'd wondered about whether she'd been crazy or something, but the truth was moot. Albel had pushed her out of harm's way, and had kept her safe (even though he'd been nearly constricting her in his arms). This evoked a mixture of feelings... a confusing mixture to be sure.
And the more pressing matter – the bomb. It didn't take a rocket scientist (or so Cliff usually said) to deduct that Daddy's Little Rich Boys had sent the bomb. Not only was it too coincidental that the bomb had been sent when Nel and Albel had reached Arias, but that materials used for the invention had been expensive, too. Nel remembered that the conspiracy group (sad excuse thereof) had sent a message in an expensive glass bottle and parchment. Obviously they had the money. Perhaps they had hired an inventor to make the bomb for them.
Nel was starting to feel a personal spike of anger now. Their letter to Albel had not been surprising – expected really – so she had not felt any insult from their high-and-mighty tone. But to endanger her subordinates, when she knew that they did not know that she was accompanying Albel, was something that could not go unnoticed by her temper. Essentially they had risked ordinary civilian lives, uncaring about their fate as long as they had ridden the problem.
Brooding, Nel stepped out of her room and trotted down the hall and the stairs, returning greetings from the residents in headquarters. She stopped by Clair's room and bid her farewell, ordering Clair to get more sleep when she tried to escort her out.
Albel looked up from where he was leaning against a tree by the Arias headquarter doors as Nel stepped out into the village. She had a preoccupied expression, her eyes a shade darker than their usual clear emerald. His heart skipped a beat and he scowled. It had been doing that a lot recently. As if being cursed, having to do this mission, and bombed wasn't enough, his heart had decided to take upon itself its own schedule of responding rather strangely whenever this woman was around.
Nel was now gazing off at the horizon, lost in thought. Albel sighed and stepped towards her. "You took your sweet time."
Nel seemed startled to see him standing there, her face open and vulnerable for a split second. His heart did another skip (traitorous bastard). Then she seemed recollect the events which had happened and was opening her mouth to retort when simultaneously two sets of beeping chirped in the air.
Albel rolled his eyes and ignored it while Nel fished in her pocket. He knew what the beeping was. It was from the Inventor Guild's communicator they gave to each registered inventor in Aquaria and Airyglyph. It alerted the inventor of new inventions, shop stocks, etcetera. Usually Albel ignored it, knowing that the beeping would end in ten seconds.
Sure enough, the beeping ended just as Nel flipped her communicator on and began reading the contents and listening to the worm (he thought her name was Welch, or something close to that) ranting about the newest developments.
Albel strode up to her, "woman, we don't have all day. Move."
Nel didn't budge. Albel quirked an eyebrow and looked down at the top of her red head. He'd expected a retort of some sort, rather than the silent treatment, although that itself was a highly probably option as well. Using his considerable height to look over Nel's shoulder, he focused on the item of Nel's scrutiny – the Guild communicator.
And on the screen, revolving against a green backdrop and description, was the bomb bunny.
Albel forgot about rushing to get to the king as he stepped back and roughly fished in his bag and pulled out his own communicator. Flipping it open, he quickly scanned through the list of new inventions and selected the Bunny Of Doom. The pink bunny popped up on screen, twirling on the spot slowly. Albel took a moment to confirm that it was indeed the bomb from last night before reading the description beside it.
Bunny Of Doom
This unique, one-of-a-kind bomb is in fact not very special at all. Most of the work seems to have been made on the outward appearance of the weapon, while the core, the actual bomb, is almost as primitive as the Duck Bomb. The cute surface of the bomb induces the question of whether the inventor wanted to target kids instead of adults.
Inventor: Count Noppin
Price: 1 600 Fol
Quantity: 4
Rating: 20
Rarity: 70
Albel's calculating gaze focused on the inventor. Count Noppin. Another pompous, idiotic, worthless and disgusting piece of filth. Not only did he pay others to make things for him, but he took the credit as well with that condescending attitude of his. He remembered when the filth had actually managed to stay in the royal castle, pissing everyone off with his complaints and boasts… he should have killed him while he still had the chance. Leingod was an idiot for recruiting the unnecessary scum.
"Albel."
He looked up and was met with Nel's determined, sparkling emerald eyes. "Do you know what this means?"
Albel looked at her, then snorted. "I'm not an idiot, woman. Noppin's the one we're after now."
Nel nodded. "It's highly unlikely he would involve himself in such matters, but we should investigate. Fayt situated him in the workshop in Airyglyph."
Albel smirked and tucked his communicator into his bag. "Then let's move."
They had walked about three steps when the door of headquarters banged open. "Hey! You two leavin' already?"
Dread struck both their hearts as Nel and Albel reeled around to see the shirtless father of Clair Lasbard – Adray Lasbard – marching out into the sunny morning light with a stern look on his face and an odd flash in his eyes. Albel recognized that spark. It had been the same spark which had been there when Adray had asked Leingod if he were single, and if he would marry his daughter.
Immediate instinct: RUN!
Second instinct: Don't run, idiot! What of pride?
Screw pride! It's not worth having a worm like him a father-in-law! Stricken between feelings, Albel caught Nel's gaze as she looked from him to the approaching older man, who was beginning to show signs of a wild smile. And that's when it struck him.
Albel turned to Nel with determination, and an eerie calm. This was the only way to escape. Whispering quietly, moving his lips as little as possible, Albel spoke. "Say it."
A confused look from Nel.
"My name, woman, just say my name!"
Albel was close now, and getting closer. Almost three meters away. Albel implored Nel as best he could with his eyes, snapping at his pride to shut the hell up and go sit on a bed of hot coals somewhere.
Three meters... Two and a half. He could hear Adray's deep breathing now, becoming louder with each step he took. Cursing himself, Albel was about to stop Adray right there and tell him no, he wouldn't marry Clair even if he offered himself as a servant when Nel matched his gaze and gave the tiniest of nods.
"You owe me one, Albel Nox."
His body was seized by puppet strings for the fifth time as he moved forward and grabbed Nel's shoulders and bent his head toward her. He had a brief glimpse of Nel's wide, almost vulnerable green eyes before his lips touched hers. The moment was… pure, for lack of a better word. The chaste kiss touched something within him, stilling his skip-happy heart for a blinding instant. Is this what it feels like to be totally, irrevocably alive?
Then the moment was shattered before his body had begun to retreat for the ritual "I hate you".
"Albel, why didn't you tell us sooner that you'remarried toLady Nel?"
v/s: sorry, no embarassing kisses for Albel today. Can't keep repeating myself, now, can I? Comments please!