Night had fallen, a fire crackled merrily, a tent was set up with some difficulty... and pained groans were filling their little clearing. Margaret was miserable, for she had forgotten something vital. Now that the initial enthusiasm subsided, she remembered that she was not Artorius. Her body lacked the endurance built up by the journeys she remembered, yet she had walked for hours. Her feet were throbbing in pain even now that she had them put up, which prompted another groan from her. Symonne sat opposite of the fire without any visible sign of pity, though she did catch the rapig currently cooking over it.

"I was curious about something," the seraph girl finally opened, eyes still focussed on the fire in front of her. Margaret hummed to communicate she was listening and her partner continued: "Why do you have a last name? You're a peasant, right?"

That was not the question she had expected, but at least she could give an answer to this one. "You're right, it's a little odd. From what Mother told me, Randgriz Inn has been in my family's possession for generations. At some point people just started calling us that, so we have a last name. You know, 'the Randgriz girl' or something like that." She pushed a few more sticks into the fire, taking note of how Symonne's gaze followed her motions.

"Huh, interesting."

Margaret did not comment on the fact Velvet, too, had a last name. She knew it was more common back in her original time, but admitting to that would feed valuable intel to Symonne; no one had told Margaret that her partner already knew about this. Neither could she tell that Symonne was having similar thoughts about the Crowe siblings. Both of them knew, yet neither spoke of it.

She took the silence to study her companion once again, but somehow her mind returned to Celica. Perhaps it was the black hair they both had, even if Symonne's turned purple at the tips. Margaret sighed and hated her hormone-addled self. This was all so complicated. Thinking of the subject however, she became curious. "Symonne? Do you like Laphi?"

"Hm? Yeah, he's a sweet boy."

Margaret quickly shook her head. "No, not like this. I meant romantically. You two get along so well, so I was wondering if, you know?"

Symonne's expression became blank in an instant, though a frown soon broke through; it already felt like it gave the answer away. In the end, the seraph shrugged. "Don't know," she muttered to the crackling flames. "I've never been in love before, so I can't say if what I feel is that."

That was sad to hear, or so Margaret thought. Even just remembering the way Arthur felt while he was with Celica made her relax. "Love," she began without truly realising, "is a wonderful, complicated, horrifying thing. It makes you go above and beyond for those in your heart, pushes you to your limits, and makes you happier than most things could ever hope to make you." She stopped herself from elaborating on the horrifying part, of the emptiness and self-loathing that followed losing that love.

Looking up, she found Symonne's eyes firmly on her own. "You remember being in love?" A nod. "What was it like?"

"It's... hard to describe. Tranquil. I remember being able to rest after a life full of struggle. To just take day after day in peace, knowing someone was there."

Symonne did not respond to Margaret's soft words and they fell back into silence.

Back in Lastonbell, Laphicet was busy doing the books. Numbers were easy to him, for they always acted in the same way and with the same rules. It was something he could just do without needing to take great care. At the same time, the work did not help distract him from this weird feeling. Like something was missing, or that he forgot something. He could not figure out what it was.

Thankfully, a distraction announced itself rather quickly, just as it entered the room: "Now look at that, our resident nerd is at it again."

"Hello, Zaveid."

"Heya, kiddo."

He only looked up after finishing a column, only to find their infrequent visitor standing in front of him with his usual, confident grin. It faltered a little when he looked Laphicet over, though. "What's with that look? Something on your mind?"

The boy could only shrug and close his folder. "Not sure, something is bothering me but I don't know what it is." He then put on a smile for Zaveid. "Anyway, you haven't been here in a while. Where were you?"

"Ah, y'know, this place and that. Mostly northern Rolance, but I was passing through." Zaveid made a dismissive motion even while he pulled a few sheets of parchment out of his pouch; the same one Laphi put a storage space into a few months ago. "Here you go. Might need some more bullets soon, though."

Laphicet paused for an instant as he put the papers down, then threw a glance at his... friend? "How many do you go through in a day?"

"Uh... enough?"

He let out a deep sigh and produced another pouch filled with compressed mana bullets, which was taken from his hands with a cheerful grin. "At least there won't be as many hellions around the area for a while." Glancing down at the notes however, Laphicet could not help but add on something else: "It always surprises me how neat and concise your writing is, considering, well, you."

"Heh, that's fair." Zaveid leaned onto the table and watched how the other seraph began to mark the most important points in his notes, then colour code some others. "So, anything happen while I was out?"

"Not really," Laphicet told him idly as he worked. "Everything is proceeding at a good pace. Although, there is one thing that has a bunch of connecting issues. Margaret awakened past memories much like Aifread. She headed out earlier today after one of our human members found her a partner."

"Huh, now that's a surprise. Any idea who she was before?"

"Yes."

"...well, who is it?"

"That isn't my place to say, I think." He paused to chance a look, finding Zaveid's eyes narrowed. He was a smart man and could likely guess, but Laphicet would keep his mouth shut about this one.

After a moment of quiet staring, the other man rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine. What about her partner, then?"

This, he could answer. "Symonne is a water seraph. Kinda snarky, and a bit of a tease. No, scratch the bit, she's a big tease. Really insightful and observant, too. Also, uh..." He trailed off, feeling an odd weight in his gut. Zaveid's eyes narrowed at him and another grin began to grow, though it fell away when Laphicet found the words to describe what he meant: "She used to be tethered to Melchior. I think she never quite recovered from it even after she was no longer suppressed. She reacted really badly to seeing my mana flow."

"Ah, gotcha."

That sounded a bit too calm. He glanced up again, to find Zaveid's expression unusually somber. Laphicet turned his head properly and waited for the other seraph to speak, which he did after a moment of tense silence. "The way I see it, kid... you don't ever forget it. Or, no, not like this. You can forget being tethered, put it behind you, but your soul won't ever forget that. It always remembers that light and reminds you that yes, there stands a god right in front of you. I get it, too." It made sense, even.

And as if to pretend his previous words had never been spoken, Zaveid leaned closer with a wink. "Anyway, she cute?"

They exchanged a long look, one seraph exasperated and the other amused. In the end, Laphicet decided not to be snarky and stay with the facts. "Very." Though the thought of letting Zaveid near her bothered him for some reason. He wondered about that, but got distracted by the next question.

"You after her, then?"

Laphicet did not respond beyond a shrug. He had no idea about these things and was still hoping he did not lose his third ever friend entirely over their shared past. Zaveid's eyes narrowed a little as he studied the younger seraph. "Alright, I'll ask differently. You happy when she's around?"

"Um, yes?"

"And you have fun spending time with her?"

Outside of the times he had to watch her turn into a sobbing mess? "Yes?" He was starting to get a little confused about these questions, admittedly. "Aren't those things that are just as true for a good friend?"

"Ehhh, kinda but not really." Zaveid made a so-so motion and leaned in with a grin. "Here's a little something you might wanna know: the line between good friend and lover is thin at times. If you love someone, you also get along with them like they're your friend or it won't hold. They're just more than that."

Laphicet listened curiously, wondering. Growing up really was complicated. His thoughts were still with the way Zaveid spoke, though. He knew this subject better than one would expect, considering his usual macho behaviour. "You speak from experience?"

"I am." He did not elaborate and Laphicet did not ask. "Anyway," Zaveid continued with a renewed grin, "I can give you some advice on how to sort your own feelings, but you gotta figure things out on your own. You gotta figure out how to approach a girl yourself, too. No help from me there."

"...Considering your general behaviour, I am probably better off doing that anyway." Laphicet's quip only made him laugh, which the boy took as a cue to change the subject. "Where are you headed next?"

Zaveid leaned back and against the wall to give him space. "Got some business in Hyland." He stayed quiet for a moment, then elaborated: "Gonna pay Eizen a visit."

Laphicet threw him a sideway glance, well remembering what Zaveid said about Eizen before. "So you're checking up on Edna?"

"Might as well, she's a cutie."

He could not help but chuckle about that. "You're not wrong, but her sarcasm kinda stings."

"You met her? Ah, yeah, obviously. But boy, you do have it bad for the snarky girls, don't you?" Zaveid probably hoped for some kind of response, but Laphicet could only shrug again. "Alright, fair enough. You're kinda lucky Eizen isn't in a state of mind to threaten you over not touching her, y'know? He was kinda overprotective the whole time I knew him."

"So Velvet told me." Laphicet huffed and shook his head. "I don't really understand why, though. Edna can look after herself."

"That she can. But it's the same reason Velvet looks after you, that guy is a big softie when his baby sister's involved."

"...I have yet to hear Velvet threaten either Symonne or Edna about me, so that's probably not quite the same."

He got a pat on the head at that point while Zaveid chuckled. "Yeah, but it's the same principle. Kinda hilarious that god's big sister can still make him go to bed on time, ain't it?" The wind seraph did not even wait for an answer as he swaggered toward the door. "Anyway, I'm gonna go spend some quality time with Velvet now. See ya!"

Laphicet just rolled his eyes and got back to work. By himself, he had the feeling Zaveid would only get himself in trouble with Velvet. But that was his funeral, he was old enough to make his own choices.

A few more minutes were spent reading and copying notes, but Laphicet ultimately set down the quill with a sigh. His jumbled thoughts were going everywhere except to work and he could not focus anymore. A moment of consideration and he got up, having decided to take a walk to clear his head. Before he even made it so far as to finish cleaning his workplace however, another thought struck his mind: he had spent the last few days with Symonne, who was not well. Perhaps he should check up on Edna, just to make sure nothing happened to her. He doubted anything could happen, but the worry he still felt was easier applied to a friend he could reach.

So instead of walking outside, his feet carried him down to the teleportation hub and from there to the Spiritcrest. Cold air hit his nostrils immediately, though he took note of the elaborate platform a certain someone crafted all around the gate; Edna had not yet tried to learn how to use it, but she seemed fine with having it there.

Stepping out of the small cave, Laphicet beheld the by now familiar mountains. While night had already fallen over Lastonbell, the evening sun's orange rays still illuminated Rayfalke Spiritcrest; being able to actually see how the sun appeared to travel from west to east still amazed him, despite knowing it was actually the planet's rotation making it appear that way.

Laphicet wandered around and to the higher crests, where he knew Edna preferred to sit and peer down at the world. It took him a little while as usual, but he could soon sense her presence and simply flew up the last bit. The seraph girl was lying on her back when he hovered over the cliffside, eyes closed; her umbrella lay folded by her side and she smiled for a reason Laphicet could not guess. It was a nice smile, more at ease than he usually saw Edna.

He slowly floated to the edge and passed it, settling down next his friend as quietly as possible. Another minute passed before her eyes opened. "Hello," she offered in a tone more bored-sounding than she appeared otherwise. Laphicet could not help but needle her a little.

"Hello, Edna. It's rare to see you smile like that." And as if she had not even realised before, her expression turned completely blank. They both knew he already saw it, but he did not comment. "What were you thinking of?"

It was quiet for a few long moments, then Edna sat up and scooted next to him. "I was reading some of my brother's letters," she told Laphicet softly. That was intriguing.

"In your head?"

She nodded. "My blessing preserves specific memories and calls them back. The paper he wrote on turned to dust by now, but I have them with me still."

She likely failed to notice how soft her voice became, but Laphicet did. He could not help but smile, even though he was struggling to conceptualise such a blessing. "Huh. I can't imagine what that must be like."

"Like so."

Edna's gaze turning to him was the last he saw of her, then the world changed; for an instant, he was back at Aball. In perfect clarity he remembered, the weak scent of Spring coming in through the window, flowers blooming everywhere. He could feel the warm and homey flavour of Velvet's stew on his tongue, see his sister and brother-in-law chatting about the goings-on in Taliesin, almost hear Arthur's chuckle. It was intense, as if he were really back there, yet gone as fast as it appeared; Laphi blinked, wide-eyed, once more seeing Edna watch him curiously.

"I can't see what memories others have, though," she finished.

Laphi did not respond, mind standing still as he leaned forward; he never really thought of Aball since his death, not truly. Looking back now, he cherished the peaceful days with his family. Every single one of them. And yet, he would do the exact same thing again, no matter how often he were given the choice.

He blinked, only to realise that his cheeks were weirdly warm; another blink had wetness slide down his skin. Edna was still looking at him, he noticed, but she stayed where she was; one hand of hers twitched, but she did not act; Laphicet blinked a few more times and wiped off his tears. Silence reigned between them once again until Edna averted her gaze. "It should only show you fond memories," she muttered softly.

"It did. I just... haven't thought of home in a while." Not like this, at least. He knew Aball was lost forever, but there had always been a disconnect between his lives as Laphicet and as Innominat. Now he felt like that disconnect grew weaker, if it had not vanished entirely.

Edna made to turn away, but then paused and returned to sitting normally. She fidgeted a little, though. "Where is it?" she asked next. "Your home?"

Laphicet sat quietly for a long time, his silence being all the answer Edna likely needed; she lowered her head, but in the end he still felt like telling her: "Aball is no more. It used to be a small village far north of Ladylake, close to the sea." After a few more moments, he heaved a long sigh; Laphicet realised he hated lying to his friends; he always hated lying in general, but his position did not allow to always be truthful. But could he risk coming clean to Edna?

Before the boy found an answer to this conundrum, she changed the subject. "What's your blessing, then? I showed you mine, so show me yours."

Being forced to make a choice, Laphicet decided to be careful for now. No matter how much he hated the fact he had to. "I'm sorry, it's just... not something I want to talk about."

Now it was for Edna to stay quiet again, only to then avert her gaze entirely and mumble an apology. Laphicet turned back to her with a puzzled look. "Why do you apologise?"

"I didn't want to push bad memories onto you like that."

She had not, really. Only pushed him to actually confront some of the issues plaguing him as of late. But her quiet admission and the care it implied drew a smile from Laphicet nonetheless. He leaned back to look at the sunset. "It's fine, you couldn't know. But... is this okay for now?" He put his hand over hers as he asked, much to Edna's visible surprise. She even flinched lightly, but he held on and waited for whether she shook him off. "I don't really want to be alone with my thoughts."

Ironic it was, how he had visited to make sure she was alright, only to realise that he himself was not. His lost home merely added to the doubts Symonne's fear instilled, just like the fact he was lying to his only other friend beside Margaret.

Edna's hand twitched once, twice, but then she carefully turned it around and clasped his; neither of them acknowledged that, but Laphicet was glad nonetheless. Perhaps he could not tell her everything now, but there was time. The tender feeling of holding her hand right now was enough to calm his worries, at least for the moment.

They remained quiet after that, just watching the sunset together.