Something poked his bare shoulder. Dilandau awoke with a jolt of adrenaline. His first reaction was to withdraw his sword, pointing the edge of the long blade at his aggressor. Dilandau opened his eyes, squinting from the light. The forest was filled with pale golden light, and ... Standing around him were Chesta, Migel, Dalet, Viole, and Guimel . He could tell by the stupid expressions on their faces that they were trying not to laugh at him.

"Still keeping her warm, eh, Lord Dilandau" Migel tittered, and he controlled his laughter with enormous effort.

"Shut up, all of you." Dilandau growled menacingly. "It's not what it looks like." He tried to explain, still in a low tone.

"Oh, come off it, my Lord." Dalet sighed. "We all know you've grown soft for her." Guimel said.

"Oh, really? Well, you've grown hard for her!" He snarled.

"Please, be quiet, lest you wake her." Chesta said softly, before Dilandau could reply with another stinging comeback that would have again offended Guimel's manhood.

They were all silenced. All of them were mildly surprised that Gabrielle was still asleep, her back to them all.

"Fine," He whispered, "But if anyone- anyone -squeals to anybody - even to her," His eyes flicked to the ball that was Gabrielle.

"The little squealing piglet's head will be rolling across the floor." He hissed at them. They all nodded vigorously.

"Yessir." They echoed, eyes downcast. None of them doubted the truth in that statement.

After a moment or two, Gabrielle sat up slowly.

"Nnn..." She muttered. Her eyes flickered open, focusing slowly. "Ngah!" She exlaimed, and she jumped backwards. "W-what are you all doing here? How? What? Huh?"

"We were sent here," Chesta explained quietly. "To look for you."

"Oh." She said. "Who sent you?" She asked, curious at who had assumed command when Dilandau had been absent.

"I did, O My exquisite, sublime Flower of the West," Gatti said, stepping out of the bushes. If Dilandau had been an animal, his hackles would have risen. Gabrielle blinked.

"Oh, um... Thank you... Ah..." Gabrielle was lost for words and chased the vision out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly the bark on that tree looked very interesting.

"I gave the order to find you, you who inspires poetry. As second in command, I felt it was my duty." Gatti said. Dilandau's blood was practically boiling. One more word like that, and I'll-

"So, Gabrielle, once we get back to the Fortress today... Just a shot in the dark, but I was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner. Privately, sometime?" He said haltingly. Dilandau shook with bottled anger.

"Y-you!" He cried. Gatti quaked.

"W-wh-wha-what, s-sir?" He quivered under Dilandau's basilisk-like glare.

Dilandau restrained himself.

"You... Fly back. Now." He said, barely managing to spit the words out.

"B-but-" Gatti started.

"Your audacity sickens me! Do not dare contradict me!" Dilandau screamed at him. "Get out of my sight!" He barked.

"Y-yes, sir. Right away, sir. Immediately, sir." Gatti stammered. The second in command mustered a shaky salute and ran to his guymelef faster than a fleeing antelope.

Dilandau turned, looking avidly for something to punch. He came across a tall rotting log, and he punched it, ripping a hole into the bark. The log was not hollow, but he made a considerable hole deep into it. He cracked his knuckles.

"Would anybody else care to try my patience?" He snarled. A resounding

"No sir!" Made a flock of birds fly away, frightened at the sudden volume. Gabrielle shrank away from his direction cautiously.

"S-Sir, permission to speak freely, sir?" She stammered.

"Granted."

"If I may be so bold sir, why did you yell at him so?"

Dilandau's eyes flicked to an empty forested space to the right.

"Acting inappropriately on a mission."

"Yes, sir." Gabrielle nodded her head, still confused, however accepting. The girl understood why the others were so anxious to follow whatever was ordered of them.

Climbing over slick metal, Gabrielle entered the Libreia's cockpit. In little time at all, she was flying with them all, high in the sky, tracking the position of Zaibach.She noticed some bickering going on between two pilots. Private radio waves hammered at each other, and she watched lazily as the Oreides neared a blue model.

A resounding crash broke the relative quiet of thrumming engines. One of the Dragonslayers was spiralling uncontrollably to the ground.

"Computer, who is that falling?" She asked urgently.

.:Dragonslayer Gatti.:. The Libreia replied.

"I should have guessed…" Gabrielle muttered to herself.

Stooping into a dive to catch Gatti as he fell, she observed coolly that his primary flight engine had been punched clean through. She spread the Libreia's dragon wings to brake as she caught him. The Libreia was working hard to regain a bit of altitude.

.:"I think I may just love you,":. Came forth from an enthralled Gatti as she pulled him up, back into the sky.

.:'What was that?":. A destraught, defensive voice shot through. The Oreides was plummeting, aimed straight for Gatti. She covered him with the body of her mech, still trying to raise him. The Oreides pried her off as gently as he could, not even scratching the paint job on the Libreia.

"Dilandau!" She shouted. "You'll kill him! Stop!" She called. The Oreides' flamethrowers still powered up. "Dilandau, he's one of your own! This isn't worth it! Stop, Sir!" Gabrielle tried to reason. Hydraulics hissed as the claws retracted. Dilandau let the mechanized arm drop. He didn't say a word, but released him roughly, letting the blue mech drop out of the sky. She prepared for another dive.

.:"No, Gabrielle. Let him drop.":. Dilandau said over the radio. "He'll die!" She said worriedly. .:"That's an order. He deserves to have his mech wrecked.":. He said haughtily. "Dilandau, that's not fair. What did he do?" She said defensively.

.:"Please, Gabrielle, it's… Don't question me! 'Because' is all the answer you need." ::. He growled as his guymelef hovered, and the engines hummed.

.:"Oh, Gabrielle come on. He fancies you. ":. Guimel rolled his eyes as he ducked in the sky.

.:"You want to join him, Sheep Boy?":. Dilandau roared back at him, the claws recalibrating for Guimel's guymelef.

.:"No, sir! Not at all, sir!":. Guimel replied.

.:"Then shut up.":. Dilandau growled back. He headed back in the direction of the base. Gabrielle blushed and was very silent the rest of the way returning.

She stepped into the docking bay, all her energy spent. Her thoughts returned to her family and friends that were gone forever. She started to hum a tune on the way to her quarters. Once arrived,Gabrielle tapped her finger along to it as she punched in the combination on the lock. The young blonde lay down on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She looked at the desk next to her, and noticed there was a corner of a piece of paper peeking over the edge of the desk that she could see. She pulled it off and opened it. There were actually two pieces, and she read the first one.

Registered Pilot No. 68372

It has come to our attention that you have recently broken curfew rules. It has also come to our attention that you did not know that these rules were in effect. We would like to caution you against breaking curfew hours. As further breakage of this rule will not result in 'correctionals,' however, for your personal safety, we do ask that you do not break curfew rules again.

Curfew times are between 0100h - 0600h. Thank you.

She made a mental note of the times the curfew ended and began. She folded the sheet up and placed it back on the desk. She flipped open the next.It was only a blank piece of paper. She placed it back on the desk, and she looked around the room. She carefully disrobed down to her underclothes, and then changed those for some clean ones. Putting those on, she slipped into the bed. Gabbi was tired. Sitting up with her elbows on her knees for a moment, the girl cast her gaze down at the folded black shirt with the dolphin silhouette on it. She set the alarm for three hours later.

Dilandau was sitting in his quarters. He was puzzling over the words Gatti and Guimel had said. He eventually walked over to the computer terminal near the corner of his room. He flicked it on.

"Computer. Define the emotion called 'love.'" He asked it in a calm, casual voice.

Computing... It promptly responded. He could wait. Processed. It said finally.

The emotion called love felt between lovers, in most cases a boy and girl, or man and woman, respectively, can be described in many different contextual ways. Philosophically, simply one example cannot be found. Scientifically, it is classified as a chemical reaction, that occurs when two or more chemicals mix in a certain part of the brain, like all other emotions are theorized to be developed. Biologically, it can be described as thedrive to initiate the process of reproduction. Basically, it can be described as when one feels an intense positive feeling towards another. The computer explained as Dilandau listened attentively.

"So... How does one find out if one is in love with another?" Dilandau asked the console, as he pu his feet up on an adjacent chair. It computated his question. Dilandau was now sitting right in front of the screen, staring at it as it's words formed on the screen, and as it spoke them.

Query successfully computed, but there was an error. No information available – None has been documented for this subject. It said, and Dilandau grew so frustrated with it after re-wording his question near ten times that he drew back his fist and punched in the screen. Sparks flew. Now how was he supposed to find out if he was in love with Gabrielle? He read the computer's printout over and over again. He was going to need a new computer. Again. But, he needed one now. He thought rapidly of where there was another computer. Gatti had one. But, he didn't want to be in Gatti's room. He'd probably end up busting his computer, and Gatti needed his computer. His had the most sophisticated technology on it, things that he had made himself.

He pondered for a moment more. He then got up and left his quarters, headed for Gabrielle's. Dilandau then realized he couldn't use hers if she was there. The Oreides. It had a central computer that could be connected to the mother computer, and what was more, he could make the connection scrambled so that nobody save himself could view or intercept what he was doing. He had the authority to do it. So, he changed direction and headed towards the docking bay. Curiosity plagued him. How could Gatti be so sure of such an unstable emotion, rumoured to be the most volatile and fickle thing known to sentient kind?

Struggling through this grey veil of inexperience was frustrating for Dilandau. Gabrielle had complicated him – Made him think when he never used to before. Some part of his mind was ashamed of himself. Disgusted, he felt like a child again. However the simple key was that he felt. How intriguing.

Gabrielle was sitting in her quarters. There was a beep on the panel on the wall. Someone was calling her. She pressed the button.

"Gabrielle, here," She said to it. Dr. Jerrick's sharp, crisp voice spoke.

"Good. Gabrielle, come down here. You must test you on your fighting skills outside of a mechanized environment." He said to her.

"That's all, sir?" She asked, nervously. She didn't want any more needles.

"Yes, Gabrielle. That is all. Come immediately." He said, and disconnected the 'Com line. She stood.

She got dressed again, and pressed the door release, locking it behind her, and walking down the hall. She wondered what training she'd have to do. She wasn't looking where she was going, just following the path that Dilandau had shown her to the battle grounds. She bumped into somebody.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm clumsy. Are you alright?" She asked rapidly, and she saw Dilandau looking back at her, calm and collected.

"It's okay." He said. "Where are you going?" He asked.

"I was called down for training or assessment or something." She said.

"Oh, I see. Well, you're going the wrong way. It's in the direction of the docking bay. I'll show you." He said. "Okay thank you." Gabrielle was grateful and followed him.

"What kind of training am I going to do, do you know?" She asked.

"Hand to hand, weapons." He said flatly, looking straight ahead.

"Oh," She said. She got the impression he didn't really want to talk. Either that, or he was thinking of something rather important. They came to a hallway.

"This is where the girls enter." He said absently. She looked at the door. It hadn't been used in a long time.

"Doesn't anybody clean this?" She asked.

"Well, you're the only girl here in years." He shrugged. "No one saw to it to clean something no one used. Best not to keep the Scientists waiting. Good luck, Gabrielle."

She opened the doors to the room, and Dr. Jerrick was standing there, along with several other associates of his.

"Gabrielle, stand outside, in the arena. Your opponent will be with you in a moment." He said, and he pointed to a door. She stepped outside. It was a great outdoor room, and it reminded Gabrielle of a colosseum. The ground was grit and dirt, and the sides of the arena were stone with many seats. Cautiously, the girl walked to the middle, the dust swirling all around from the breeze. She looked up. She watched the sky, feeling the breeze stir her hair. It had been a long time since she'd actually stopped and looked at the sky. She used to do it all the time. Back home...

"Have you chosen her opponent?" Dr. Jerrick asked another scientist, who sat in front of a console.

"Yes." Replied the other, and he reached over and punched in a few programming lines.

"What level?" He asked Dr. Jerrick. The man half smiled, slicking back his hair.

"Full." He said.

"Sir?" The other asked.

"Confirm it. I said 'Full.' What I say is what I mean. Do it." He said.

"Okay." The other passively muttered, and pressed a button.

A door opened all the way across the arena. Gabrielle turned and faced the opening door, drawing her sword. She peered across the long distance to the door, inside the gloom. A figure emerged from inside. It put one foot into the light. She could see the toe of a red boot. She heard the sing of metal being drawn out of a sheath. A low laugh floated across the distance between them.

She was puzzled. The voice was familiar, but the tone of the laugh was not. It was a maniacal, insane laugh, that seemed to come from someone who had completely lost their mind. The figure emerged from the shadows, much to Gabrielle's surprise. Taken aback, the girl straightened from her defensive posture. It was Dilandau. He gave a menacing, dark grin and lunged forward, swinging his sword high up above him as his long strides chewed up the distance between them in a matter of seconds. She blocked his blow, and watched several sparks fly from the clang of the two metal blades. He faked to slash down to her legs, and then thrust upwards, slashing her across the left cheek of her face. The blood dripped down from the left side of her face. It stung.

She was shocked, but continued to block his parries and slashes. Why had her commander struck her, when he had been perfectly amiable moments before? What was wrong with him? He laughed insanely and tried to cut her from the belly all the way up, like a fish getting gutted. She continued to block him. He aimed a punch, and she stopped his fist with the flat of her blade. His blade nicked her on her hand. She leapt back from him, her hand beginning to bleed. He'd cut her left hand, and it was letting red blood leak more than her face.

"Dilandau, why are you hitting me?" She asked him in a frightened voice as she blocked yet another of his slashes.

He did not answer. He cut at her again. As he stepped forward to lunge, sword in hand and braced, he stopped in midair. He hung there, suspended, it seemed, a single frame held by some invisible thread. Nothing on him moved. The image of him flickered, and she moved out of the way. The image restabilized itself, and motion continued. His blade dug into the earth. This is a computer! She realized. He's an image! He's not alive! Gabrielle backed off for one last instant as she calculated what to do. As he rushed at her, she swerved to the side and struck at him from an unexpected angle.

The image of Dilandau faltered. She could almost see the A.I. twitching. Before giving it a time to react, she cut him on either arm, rammed him in the stomach and kicked him between the legs. His eyes crossed and he fell to the ground, hunched over. He lay on the ground for a moment. She had her sword to his neck, pointed in the base of the throat near the collar bone. She stood there for a moment, panting, eyes glazed.

"Okay, that's enough. We see that you could have killed him had the need arisen. Why did you not attack initially?" He asked. Gabrielle looked back at him.

"I didn't know it wasn't real. I didn't want to hurt my commander. His life is more valuable than mine to the Empire. If anyone were to die, it should be me instead, for I am worth nothing." She said flatly, betraying none of the other sneaking, rushing emotions or other reasons she felt.

"It is good you think that way. That's the way we try to get our soldiers to think. Like a machine." Dr. Jerrick said, half to himself. "You may go back to your quarters. I'm satisfied." He said, and showed her the door. "We'll be seeing you soon." He said, belying a dark tone in his voice. She almost shuddered, but caught herself as she left.

While this was all happening, Dilandau was in the Oreides, typing and talking to the computer, which did its best to help him. It came up with something eventually, but it looked foreign to Dilandau. He looked it over. There were plenty of bright columns and the lettering was different colours in parts. At the top of the page, was a small pink logo in cursive on a blue background. The title was supposedly a quiz on how to find if you really liked someone a lot. He began to read the awkwardly phrased questions, wrinkling his brow when he didn't understand the odd syntax. It said it came from someplace called 'London.' Dilandau figured this must be somewhere in Fanelia. That would make up for all the strange abbreviations and language words that he didn't understand. Goddamn that ass-backwards little country.

"Computer, what does 'Gissa snog' mean?" He asked, completely lost.

.:Term unknown,:. The computer replied. .:Perhaps it is some form of expression.:. It suggested, and Dilandau continued to read.

"This is absolutely hopeless. I don't understand this. The language is confusing, and the context is unfamiliar. Why me?" He cried, and the computer, taking this as a question, replied,

.:Error in query computation.. You are an officer. Maybe this is one of your missions.:.
"What?" Snapped Dilandau, and the computer repeated itself. He lifted his fist to bash in the monitor and rip out a few cords, when he stopped himself mere inches before the screen.

"Damn. I've already done this today. If I bust this one, it will be a lot more expensive. Damn you. I'll spare you, you piece of crap." He snarled at it, and as he got up to leave, the computer said, as the doors were closing,

.:Thank you.:. In a flat tone that somehow managed to sound mocking. He made a face and a rude gesture at the machine, and turned and left.

He ran his thoughts over in his head. I'm just going to have to find out myself. But that's impossible. I don't understand emotions. He sighed as he walked. Dilandau didn't concentrate on where he was going, and and ended up standing in front of Gabrielle's door. He was wrapped in layers of thoughtas he pressed the button on the door that gave Gabrielle an alert at his prescence. She released the door, and he stepped in. She sat at her desk, busily wrapping her forearm with something. He noticed a few drops of blood on the shining, polished black surface of the desk. The dark red was illuminated by a single, dim light to the side.

"What happened?" He asked, betraying a fraction of the concern that he actually felt.

"Oh, I was hurt in training. I thought it was you, so I only blocked the blows. I missed a few. I eventually noticed that it was only a program, and ... Well let's just say I beat it." She said. He nodded.

"Good job." He said. He noticed the cut on her face. He hadn't seen it before. It was on the opposite side of his scar.

"Let me see the cut on your face." He said.

"... Okay," Gabrielle sighed and she turned the left cheek towards him. He looked at it a bit closer.

"It might leave a very faint scar, but chances are it'll go without a mark." He said.

"That's good." She replied, and her attention wavered to the blood on the desk and on her arm, and the tears in the arms of her uniform.

"Damn, I need to clean this place up. I need to clean myself up." Gabrielle muttered, resting her hands on her hips as she surveyed herself and the room. "I feel bloody filthy. I've only washed in a stream once since I got here, ugh." She grimaced. "Where are the showers?" She piped up.

"Your showers are down the hall to the left. But, they're only two minutes long, and with cold water." He explained grimly.

"What? Two minutes? How am I supposed to clean myself with cold water in two minutes?" She exclaimed. She sighed in defeat. She grasped the towel that had been given to her and started to make her way down the hall.

"Wait," He said just as she was about to turn the corner. He forced himself to speak. "My showers have warm water, and I can use them as much as I want. You could use mine this time." He said.

"You'd let me? Thank you so much!" Gabrielle exclaimed. She grabbed her towel, and doubled back for the housecoat.

"You've got soap and all that junk, right?" She asked him.

"Yeah," He replied.

"Great, let's go." She said, and they walked down the hall towards his quarters. Clutching her towel and housecoat to her chest, Gabrielle looked at Dilandau as he walked. She noted idly the glint of the lights overhead turning their course over his armour. Though polished and undented, she could see faint scratches that had been painted over. He slid his gaze at her over his shoulder.

"What?"

"Nothing."

They went inside the quarters, and he showed her the bathroom, standing there for a moment.

"Well, are you going to watch or what?" She said sarcastically.

"Um, well... I, uh..." He stamered, with lack of a comeback.

"I was sarcastic. Go away." She said with a soft smile, and affectionately touched him on the arm. He turned stiffly and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

"Finally." She sighed to herself quietly. It was the only time she'd been alone since she'd gone out in the mech or was asleep. It was nice to have some time to herself. She disrobed and placed her clothes in a near pile by the outside of the door. She turned the knob for the water and stepped into the shower, adjusting the heat. Dilandau sat on his bed for a moment, his hand on his cheek. After about fifteen minutes, Gabrielle got out of the shower. She set to work drying off and making her hair fall into place, when she realized she'd forgotten the housecoat just outside the bathroom door. Perfect. She couldn't use the towel again, because it was soaking wet and she didn't have another one to dry off with. Great. She realized she'd have to venture outside and get the housecoat. She prayed it was only a foot or so away from the door, but she wasn't quite sure. She thought he'd left, because there was no noise coming from outside the bathroom door. She opened the door about two feet, and looked straight across the wall. There it was, sitting folded up on a chest a few feet across from her. She stuck her upper body out and reached for it, a little bit of the water dripping from her hair making a small plip, plip, plip noise on the linoleum just before the bathroom door. She had just about reached it, when she saw out of the corner of her eye, Dilandau.

He was staring dumbly at the top half of her that was exposed, the rest hidden behind the door. His eyes were widened just slightly, mouth a little open in surprise.

"Gyah!" She yelped and snapped back into the bathroom faster than a retracting cobra, slamming the door shut behind her. Her heart was beating fast.

"Um," He said. "You wanted your housecoat?" He started. "Should I pass it to you?" He asked.

"Yes, please, just don't look in, okay?" She pleaded.

"Alright." He replied, and he picked up the silvery silk-like housecoat. He opened the door lightly. He swung his head around to look the other way, but by no fault of his own was a mirror placed where he was looking. He caught the reflection of her holding a towel to cover herself only for just a split second. Dilandau squeezed his eyes shut. Another very strange feeling welled up inside him, along with the regular feeling in his chest. This was too strange. It joined and merged with the regular feeling inside his chest, kind of tingly in a weird way. She took the housecoat and he stepped away from the steaming bathroom door's opening. He was breathing a bit quicker than normally.

Good Gods! What was that all about? He thought at himself, flat against the bedroom wall.That ragingly passionate feeling welled up inside him again. He knew that feeling, and knew it well. He leaned his head against the wall with a soft thump. Why me? Why do I feel this way? Can't somebody tell me? He asked himself over and over, but he couldn't come up with an answer. That unfamiliar emotion was a little stronger, swiftly becoming one with the other. He looked at the closed door again. No click of the handle. He wanted to be with her so badly. He stared at the doorknob. Still nothing. He wanted to so badly! He stared at it intensely, and the feeling grew. This whole thing was horrifying. He felt that he slowly losing himself to these rushing, flowing, welling chemicals in his brain. Yet it was oh, so lovely. A drink to be savoured. A drink! Dilandau took himself to the wine rack in the corner of the room, picked up a bottle of wine and read the label. He popped the cork and took out a glass, several of which he kept in a drawer. Poured the dark red liquid into the glass, the young man replaced the bottle on the rack with a sharp 'clink.'. Absent mindedly he ran his finger along the crystal rim, making the glass hum. Click.

The door opened, and Gabrielle emerged in the silver silky material housecoat, the top tied at a good tightness, but she still smoothed the flap over anyways. Folded neatly over one arm was her towel. She was embarassed, and she didn't want a repeat.

"I'm very sorry about that, I didn't notice you were still here. I'm so embarrassed, and I'm sorry." She apologized.

"Honest mistake," He grunted, shrugging a shoulder.

"Still, I'm sorry for embarassing you. You were blushing." She said flatly.

"Well, I think that was from a different feeling." He said, and hadn't realized the connotations of what he'd said until it was too late. She blushed and looked away, blinking.

"Oh!" She said. He cleared his throat.

"Um. Want some wine?" He asked, offering her a glass without meeting her eyes.

"I don't really drink, but I'll try some." She said politely. He took out another glass and poured some. He passed it to her.

"Thanks." She said as she accepted it from his hands. She took a very small sip, and winced at the sour, bitter taste that filled her mouth. She swallowed heavily.

"You don't like it?" He asked with a tilt of his head.

"I haven't developed a liking for it yet." She said shyly. She hoped she hadn't offended him.

"Acquired taste." He nodded agreeably. "What is it you don't like about it?" He asked, simply out of curiosity.

"I don't find it sweet enough. It's too sour and bitter." She explained.

"There are sweeter varieties. I just don't drink them. Some are too sweet." He said, and shrugged his shoulder.

"I should get going back to my quarters." She said.

"It's getting late, and I don't want to intrude – Thank you so much for use of your shower." She said, bowing her head.

"Not an intrusion at all, Gabrielle." He said. "I am partial to your presence as I have said before."He looked over the glass as he sipped the wine. The dim lighting made a delicate sheen on his silver hair and pale skin.

"Thanks." She said shyly. "Stay as long as you want." He said. "I won't be offended if you want to leave." He added. She smiled softly.

"So... How long are you going to stay for?" He asked.

"I don't know. I can go if you want me to." She said quietly.

"No, I would like for you to stay a while." He blinked, a slow, cool expression assuming his demeanour. "Well,"

"Just a little while. I have to go to the Scientists tomorrow morning for some sort of annual 'checkup' thing. To know someone else who has been through at least some of the same is decidedly a good thing. You tend to make me feel... Different." He said, choosing his words carefully, but still confused at how he phrased it. "What I'm trying to say is…" He trailed off, his mind at a loss for what he was actually trying to say. His magenta eyes flicked to Gabrielle's glass. "More wine?" Dilandau asked, dismissing what had just been said. Gabrielle was silent. She didn't know what to say to this. Dilandau was obviously uncomfortable.

"Please, Dilandau. More wine would be lovely." She said with a polite smile, refolding her hands on her crossed knee. They were relatively silent for the better part of an hour, Gabrielle delicately sipping at her one cupful of the bitter fluid, trying politely to see the good taste in it, and Dilandau polishing off glass after glass. He idly made very unpractised attempts at speech, and the subject eventually wound up back at the subject of the Scientists.

"I know what they're going to do, and having you around for a little while makes me feel better." He said, glancing at the wall. "Perhaps because you have been strapped down to the same table for roughly the same reasons."

"What are they going to do to you?" She asked, concern appearing. He was not used to seeing such an expression made for him.

"Test my limits for pain, mostly. Numb me to it and most else around me. It's difficult to explain, really. They drug me up and I don't know what I do or say at the time, but I remember it later." He explained, and placed the empty wine glass on the little table by the bed. "That is how they knew about you, and your visions. It is my fault you had to go through that," He explained in a monotone. "And I'm sorry."

"Oh, Dilandau... I never knew. I had thought that -"

"I would never betray someone like that." He cut her off. "It was what I was trying to explain before you left…"

"… On my 'escapade,' yeah." Gabrielle smiled a small smile as she looked at the floor, clutching the crystal glass gently in her hands, resting the base on her thigh. "I'm still sorry for that. I've done nothing but cause trouble."

"You've caused many things, but none of them particularly troublesome." Dilandau suddenly found himself otherwise mute. He put one cold hand to his face, and he rested his elbow on his knee. As he looked at her in the silver patterned night coat, gazing softly back at him, the new strange feeling made itself known to him again. He found a want within him to touch her gently and kiss her. He found a want to tell her how he felt. Not a want... A need within him that was growing by the second. He sat cross-legged on the bed, just a few inches from her, who sat on the edge of it in a polite, good-postured position.

One long leg was crossed over the other, and her hands were folded neatly in the long silver sleeves. Only her bare feet were exposed, her hands, and her head and neck, but he could see her shape. The ribbon was tightly secure about her waist, and the long, flowing dress part draped flatteringly over her slim form. Her hair was still slightly wet from the shower, and it hung softly, nicely combed at shoulder length. Her startlingly blue eyes looked out kindly at him. He looked at her sublime hourglass-like shape, and he felt he wanted to feel those curves. He needed to. He swallowed. Had those damned furnace workers turned up the heat in here? It felt warmer than normal... A lot warmer. The heat seemed to wash over him, and he let it.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're beautiful?" He complimented her in a small voice. She smiled shyly and looked at the floor.

"It's a rare compliment sir, thank you." She said.

"Call me Dilandau. And perhaps you should be told more often, then." She thanked him shyly with a little blush. He absent mindedly picked up the wine glass and made the rim hum again.

"You look tired, Dilandau." She said after a moment, a trifle unsettled by his fixating stare. She shifted her weight, and uncrossed her legs.

"... Dilandau." She said. She received no answer. He seemed to be falling asleep a he sat.

"Dil-an-dau," She said in a sort of low sing-song voice. "Hello." She said. Still no answer. She moved closer to him. "Hey," She said softly, and his gaze clarified and followed hers. "Are you in a trance or something? What's wrong with you?" She asked him.

"Nothing. Tired." He replied decisively, as if very far off and it was hard for him to hear her and reply. He placed one hand on her cheek to gently keep her from pulling away, and kissed her. Such a simple touch, yet an intimate interaction. The cut on Gabrielle's face stung intense and horrible. Yet, when Dilandau had touched it, the pain had dissipated altogether. Once he had brushed her cheek and let go, the pain began to steadily return. She touched it. It had a strange kind of pain, the kind where it is ticklish and feels like it's full of pins. She took her hand away, and there was some blood on the fingertips of her middle and ring finger. The tickly pain receded, and the sharp regular pain returned. The pain on her arm, where she'd also been cut, hurt less. It had stopped bleeding and she'd cleaned it well in the shower.

"You should put a bandage on that. I had a cut like that once. It left this." He said disgustedly, as he pointed to the scar on the right side of his face.

"Oh, I don't know... I find it kind of... sexy." Gabrielle said in a soft tone.

"I've always hated it. I treat it like a disfigurement." He said, and touched it.

"Well, don't. Work with it." She said with a smile. "I'll have to get used to mine if it leaves a scar." She said, shrugging a shoulder.

"Well, Dilandau, I'm very tired, and I should go now." She said.

"Oh." He said, his mood falling. He looked so alone that she felt sorry for him.

"Your clothes were laundered." He blinked as he mentioned.

"Thanks, Dilandau." She said.

"Yeah. Well, I guess I'll go to bed, too." He said, covering his emotions with a flat tone. The boy was back to his unsteady nature around her. Dilandau stood up.

"You know where your quarters are now." He said, his voice as flat as ever. "They'll be delivered to your door in the morning so-" He hushed when she hugged him.

"Takeru yume. Oyasuminasai." She said quietly to him in Japanese, his native language. It meant something akin to 'Sweet dreams and goodnight.'

"I didn't know you co-" She kissed him, and he shut his eyes. She separated from him with a touch as light as that of a feather, and turned to the door.

"Goodnight," She said, and left, leaving him standing there with a pile of raging hormones. He stood, rooted in the spot for a moment. Such horrifically wonderful feelings.