Author's note: Thanks for waiting! We are now in the second act of SC5ART, starting with chapter 11. Forgive me if most of it is filler, but it'll pick up later on. With that being said, enjoy!
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"Have you found the girl?"
"Why, yes!"
Tira grinned as she skipped over to Nightmare, sporting a very happy smile. He looked over at her, and continued.
"And were you able to manipulate her into working for us? She is, after all, my successor."
"Ugh...not really." she replied, rolling her eyes as her smile vanished.
"Then I suggest you track her down once more; as for me, I have plans of my own."
"What's that, you say?" Tira asked, raising an eyebrow out of curiosity.
"I am intent on invading Siegfried and his band's castle, and perhaps killing him and his associates. I might even get to the successors of Soul Calibur."
"Sounds exciting! Can I come along? Pleease?"
He grimaced at Tira's words, but a drawn-out sigh emerged from him. "Fine. As long as my successor is in our sights."
Grinning almost instantly, she petted one of her Watchers, confident that the scales would tip in his favor. "Maybe we could get folks like Voldo to help us out." she said.
"It could be possible."
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The next several days had proved to be somewhat uneventful for Patroklos, Pyrrha and the Mad Hearts Neo. But little did they know that something was about to change almost gradually for them.
But for now, morning came and went as normal. When lunchtime happened, Marie had wanted to do something different. Instead of relying on just the servants to make lunch, she wanted to help them.
For all the time the Alexander siblings spent with the Mad Hearts Neo, Marie had begun to develop somewhat of a crush on Patroklos. And yet it seemed to be in conflict with Lydia, who would always charm him, and Pyrrha, almost on a regular basis.
And since Pyrrha was out with Lydia at the tavern, Marie wanted to have a picnic of sorts for her and the blond youth. Almost eagerly, she went towards the kitchen, and got some of the MHN's servants to join her in cooking and preparing the food.
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Z.W.E.I. was at the tavern, expecting Viola. However, it was Patroklos that entered the building, prompting him to briefly roll his eyes before greeting him.
"If it isn't you again. So how's your clicking with the chicks?" he asked.
"Chicks? You mean the Mad Hearts Neo? Well, I-I seem to have gone all the way with Liz, and I believe Lydia's still eyeing me like I'm some intricate sculpture come to life. Plus, Isuzu seems to enjoy flirting with me."
"Really?"
"Yes, really. So how's life hanging out for you?"
With a smirk, Z.W.E.I. replied, "Nothing out of the ordinary, but I've been hearing that something's up with your sister."
"Y-You know of Pyrrha and her involvement with Soul Edge?!"
Patroklos jolted in shock as he spoke those words, prompting Z.W.E.I. to tell him, "Well, Pyrrha explained it all to me and Viola yesterday. Now I'm assuming she's become quite suspicious, wouldn't you say?"
"M-Maybe."
Both of them suddenly heard the sound of someone running, and that someone in question was Marie. She had held a picnic basket and a blanket of sorts in her hands and asked, "Sorry I'm late, but...Patroklos, do you want to have lunch with me?"
Her inquiry made Patroklos blush a bit, prompting Z.W.E.I. to grin. "Even the leader's kinda into you." he said.
"S-Shut up!"
He turned to Marie, and rubbed the back of his neck. "I, uh...I'd like to."
She smiled, before both of them left the tavern together. Greed and Malice, who Z.W.E.I. was previously conversing with, just watched, with their jaws figuratively dropped.
"I bet the dude's got pheromones or something." Malice said.
"He better not get intimate with that babe!" Greed added with a snarl.
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Reaching the hill that overlooked Lasberg, both Patroklos and Marie arrived there. The latter would then drape the blanket onto the ground, and placed the picnic basket on top.
"I didn't know you'd invite me to a private lunch with you." he told her.
"Well, we've been developing hidden feelings for each other for so long, but I don't think it's the right time to do it."
As she spoke, Marie opened the picnic basket, and set down several plates of fresh meat and bread. By the time she was finished, she silently but earnestly let him sit next to her.
"So you've made this food by yourself?" Patroklos asked.
"Well, the servants helped me out, too. Even if I was pretty decent at cooking."
"I gotta say, you've actually done a good job."
"Aw, thanks!" Marie exclaimed, before picking up two plates of meat.
She had one for herself, and the other from him. "Let's dig in!" she exclaimed.
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The two would continue eating lunch, until they were full. Marie asked as she began cleaning things up, "So, how was the food I made?"
"It was really good! You're a pretty good cook, I might add."
"Yeah, but sometimes I screw up and let the servants take care of things. I once nearly caught one of my fingers on fire, and I was told to not cook again until I healed completely."
"I guess we all make mistakes sometimes." Patroklos told her. "Also, there's something I want to bring up: have you and Lydia ever pined for me?"
His question prompted Marie to raise an eyebrow, and as curious as she was, she was more than happy to oblige. "Well, for the past few months since we've tagged along together with you and Pyrrha, Lydia had become very romantically assertive around both of you."
"So you've actually found out what happened not so long ago with me and Lydia?" he asked.
"Sort of...after all, I am pretty naive to the topic of romance and sex." was her reply. "And to be honest, I've actually garnered a bit of a crush on you, I might add."
This effectively bewildered Patroklos, causing him to ask, "You...you have?"
Marie nodded, albeit with a noticeable flush. "And even though she's never experienced it either, Helen even told me she read up on both topics in a few books she came across in the study." she added.
"And who knows? If I play my cards right, then I'll probably end up with you. But if someone else wins your heart, then I'm happy for her."
"Ares once told me that I might pick the five of you."
Marie was instantly taken aback by his statement, and she asked, "He did?"
"Yeah...I guess." Patroklos said, almost awkwardly chuckling as a small blush showed up on his features.
"Maybe we'll have to play it by ear and see what happens, okay?"
He nodded. "Okay."
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Isuzu grinned as she gazed at the two kimonos that the merchant had, one red and one blue. It was clear he was from either Japan or China, and he had a gentle smile on his face.
She asked him, "So where'd you get these fancy kimonos from?"
"These are from the Far East, and very exquisite. But they are quite expensive, I'll admit." he replied.
Cupping her chin in thought, she pondered over which one to buy. Around the same time, Patroklos was en route back to the MHN's base when he saw her buying clothes from the merchant.
"Hey, over here!" he heard her call out.
He shrugged before heading over to her, and asking, "What are you up to?"
"I'm planning on buying a kimono for my sister to wear if she ever visits Lasberg for a challenge or two. What do you think?" Isuzu replied.
Patroklos noticed as to how gaudy yet strangely beautiful the kimonos were (red and blue), as were the obis (black and green, respectively) and after some thinking over, he turned to her.
"Does she have any favorite colors?"
"Well, she likes colors that indicate passion and toughness. Colors like red and-"
"Sounds like I'll take the red one!"
"70,000 gold pieces."
Remembering all of the gold pieces that he and the Mad Hearts Neo acquired on their numerous treks and adventures, he knew they had the right about of money. Isuzu was more than happy to pay the merchant for both garments, and with that, had found what she was looking for.
"Thank you!" the merchant said, his smile still intact.
As she parted ways with him, Isuzu was then asked another question from Patroklos. "Is it some kind of gift for her?"
"Yes, and I'm hoping she'll love it!" she replied with a grin.
He smiled back, and he was also more than happy to offer her a way back to the base, to which she accepted.
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Elsewhere, Helen was done with her combat techniques in the training room, taking off her helmet to wipe the sweat from her forehead. As she laid her lance next to the other assorted weapons, she heard the sound of a door being knocked.
Is it Siegfried and Tristy visiting us? Or perhaps Z.W.E.I.? Or maybe Viola?
She would eventually leave the room in order to answer the door, and see who wanted to speak to her (and the others present in the base).
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Answering the door, Helen noticed it was Viola. Since the white-haired girl had begun regain her memory, she had expected her and the rest of the MHN to refer to her as Amy.
To her surprise, they didn't want to. Regardless, Viola began opening up to the women about her past, and how she had amnesia until she, alongside Z.W.E.I., encountered Graf Dumas, in her foster father's physical form.
"Greetings, Helen."
"Greetings to you too, Viola."
"May I come in to talk to you?" Viola asked.
"Sure!" Helen replied with a smile.
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A few minutes later, Isuzu had bid Patroklos goodbye, as well as giving him a playful wink as she left for her room. Yet he could also hear the sound of people talking outside, prompting himto head there.
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"Tell me about what your childhood was like." Helen said as she and her visitor sat together on a bench outdoors in the garden.
Viola nodded, and replied, "It was...rather troubling to say the least. After I lost my parents, I wound up under the care of Raphael Sorel, my eventual foster father."
"Did he ever teach you anything?"
"He taught me to wield a rapier like him, and I would develop a style of fighting similar to him. Come to think of it, I've never fought with a rapier when I lost my memory. So I could give it a shot again." Viola said.
Helen smiled as she told her, "Maybe. But what about the crystal ball you brought with you to battle?"
"Well...I can still use it, but I'm not sure if I'll incorporate it with such a weapon."
"I think it could be possible." Helen said.
"I agree."
Both girls would turn to notice Patroklos entering the garden, giving Viola a confident smile. "Oh dear, I..." she managed to say.
"It's possible you could remember taking up after Raphael." he replied.
Viola couldn't help but smile back, nodding in agreement. She looked over at Helen and asked, "Do you think I have enough gold to purchase one at the local weapon shop?"
Helen nodded. "Maybe." She then told Patroklos, "Thank you for giving Viola some pretty good advice. I'm certain that she'll take it to heart."
"No problem."
After exchanging their goodbyes, evening would take over, and it was clear that tonight was going to be a truly pivoting moment for all involved.
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Part 2 of Chapter 11 will be much more plot-relevant, so stay tuned.
With love for my fans,
Chrissy