Wow this took me forever, I'm so sorry. I've been working a lot of extra hours recently so I've just been exhausted. I do hope you enjoy this!u
Lunafreya rolled her shoulder and massaged the skin once the metallic fingers from the Magitek released her. The airship's door closed behind them with a hiss of compressed air and an echoing metallic clank. She felt a nudge against her back and started to proceed with her escorts. They walked two-by-two through the cramped hallways, painted gray with red lines, lined with thin red tube lights that seemed to be a source of a constant buzzing. The air smelled metallic enough to linger on her tongue, punctuated by the chilled air that was enough to raise goosebumps on Lunafreya's arms. Three red lines on the wall turned into two flanking a series of dashes, telling her that they had walked from the entrance to the barracks.
They turned right and the pattern on the wall became one thick red line, painted into the floor and ceiling as well. She counted the doors, and as she expected they stopped at the fourth one. The Magitek to her right held out a small card to the square just beside the doorknob, the red light blinked green, and the door was opened before another rough nudge to her back caused her to stumble inside.
"Be more careful." Verstael's voice snapped and there was a jarring impact of metal on metal. She flinched but kept her back to the door, eyes scanning the small room. A short bookshelf served as an end-table beside the twin sized bed. The opposite corner had a small square table and a single chair. A squared light was imbedded in the ceiling casting a yellow glow to the room, and a hatch was centered in the back wall that covered a window. "Get rest Lady Lunafreya. We have work to do tomorrow and I prefer to start early in the morning. Your meals will be brought to you."
She flinched again when the door shut, causing her to spin on her heels and could feel her rapid breaths burning her throat. The hair on her arms and back of her neck stood on end and she hugged her arms to chase the chill. A humming above her head came from the shutter pattern in the air vent rushing cold air into the small room. She squinted to fight off the burning in her eyes, fingertips digging harder into her skin as her shoulders closed in and the first sob broke through her throat. She felt the rush of blood to her face and forced herself to stand taller and bite her lip to fight the wave of dizziness until it passed. She staggered several steps away from the door and dropped herself onto the edge of the small bed.
The metal creaked as she settled her weight, lying on her side and drawing her knees to her chest. She closed her eyes, trying to deny how fast her pulse throbbed her ears nearly drowned out by the sound of her own tachypnea. You'll get back out. You'll get back out of this room. She tried to convince herself. She wanted Noctis's arms to come around her, feel him kiss her ear and assure her that everything would be okay. She even wanted to hear Crowe curse at her and tell her to get her sorry ass out of that bed. She could picture the woman telling her to kick them so hard in the mouth they'll shit their own teeth for a month. And almost felt her mother rolling in her grave that she could even think such crude thoughts. And then pictured Noctis's Shield Gladiolus patting her on the back and laughing that she was finally one of them.
She sniffed as her nose felt like it was going to run, causing her breath to stutter allowing her to become aware of how sore her throat felt and the ache settling into her ribs. I… I was one of them. I… had friends? She pondered. She bit her lip again, guilt rising causing her heart to accelerate again. That broken gaze as she turned away from Noctis caused her memory to flash to when she let her hand slip from Regis's grip. The way Noctis screamed for her, the heartbroken twisted expression on Regis as he kept running without her before turning back to the road ahead, Noctis continuing to reach for her until he was out of her sight. She squinted, wanting to stay grounded and not allow her memory to overtake her. To force back old fears, old pains. She curled on herself once more, arms wrapped around her chest as she cried until her voice was hoarse and her eyes ached.
She rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling and started to count to control her inhale and exhale, slowing the sobs and and eventually in turn her heart slowed and the throbbing in her body eased. She pictured home, and the serenity she felt when nestled with a book, stealing glances outside to the floating islands and the promise of adventure they held when Ravus would help her sneak out with him. She tried to replace the metallic smell of the ship with the smell of the book in her hands, and the plate of sweets to accompany the herbal tea. The still and sterile air with the cool breeze of Tenebrae. The groan of the welded joints and echoing footsteps with her mother's humming and the strong wind outside the window. She found the ease settling into her limbs, and continued her controlled breathing pattern. You got away once. You can do it again. The thought snapped her eyes open just as her thoughts had threatened to drift to her home aflame, and the face of Caligo looking down at her. She jolted her to her feet to look him in the eye, shaking her head and letting out a huff of air. Calm you foolish girl. Caligo isn't here.
She looked around the room, hoping to take a better analysis than before. But her second look provided little more information. She took the steps to the back and reached for the latch covering the window. She thumbed the latched and was a bit surprised when it opened with a protesting squeak, the latch connected to the wall on the other side to keep it open. She pressed her palm to the glass, the small gap between her hand and its reflection indicating the thickness, the bars on the other side eliminating the window as any hope for escape. She sighed, leaving it open to allow some natural blue light to offset the yellow glow that would eventually instigate a headache when the sun set leaving her with nothing but the square light above her head.
She returned to the bed, relieved to find that at the least, the small bookshelf contained books and layed back on the bed, hoping to pass the time until her mind found the ability to sleep. A quiet clatter and a new humming stole her attention and she winced as cold air blew down at her, coming from an air vent beside the light. She sighed, shimmying under the blanket tucked tightly into the bed with Niflehiem's usual military rigidity to hide from the chill, and re-read the page that she had failed to retain a single word from. The classic novel was one of her mother's favorites, written by the Tenebraean author Aria Melodium; of a Princess stolen from her home and kept as a captive by the dragon Vulcan as a gold thief to build his hoard until a Knight rescues her, being given the Princess's hand and the two lived happily ever after. Her mother used to read it to her in snipits at bedtime as a child, but she still made it nearly halfway through the book long after sunset, eyes strained reading it in the dim yellow light, before sleep finally claimed her into a long dreamless night.
A metallic banging startled her from her sleep, Lunafreya jolting upright with her heart racing and her chest heaving as it took her some seconds to register that she was awake, and several more to remember where she was. She rubbed her face roughly and took in, and released a long breath while the startle faded, blinking away the remnants of slumber before she narrowed her eyes at the door. Another severe knock had her curl her lip and she straightened out her severely wrinkled clothing and realized how unpleasant she smelled. She walked over to the door and immediately realized there was no way to open it from her side. Lucky I didn't need a restroom. She thought, and rolled her eyes at the third set of pounding knocks.
"You must open the door from your side!" she shouted. The door opened and she saw there was a pair of Magitek, and a familiar face flanked between them. "Nettmann?" she asked, stepping back from the door.
"Good morning my Lady Lunafreya. Sleep well?"
"How?" she blurted, then bit her tongue. "I slept well." she answered.
"Doctor Besithia doesn't like losing his toys, so there's advantages to being one." The soldier answered. "Perhaps we can talk more over dinner tonight? For now, follow me. Doctor Besithia wants you clean and dressed, he has a long day planned." She nodded and took the package from the Magitek. There was a towel, and a folded Niflheim uniform. Nettmann cleared his throat to gather her attention, and she nodded before following him, flanked by the two Magitek. "Did you sleep well?"
"Well enough." she answered.
"You read at all?" he asked. She quirked her brow at this question before trying to find a neutral expression again.
"Yes. Always helps me to relax."
"I encouraged Doctor Besithia to stock some fantasy books. You always liked those."
"Oh. Thank you." Her brow came together as she thought about this preparation. Verstael was counting on finding me. "Are we heading back to Tenebrae?" she asked. Nettmann shook his head,
"Verstael has stuff to attend to first."
"Caligo will be displeased. As will Aldercapt."
"Doctor Besithia doesn't answer to Brigadier General Ulldor, and Our Emperor Aldercapt has already given himl freedom to research the Blight as he sees fit." She blinked at this, lips pursing as she tried to process the fact anyone from Nifleheim having a degree of freedom not restrained by their superiors. Her thoughts drifted back to the people of Niflheim, and bit her lip. She wasn't there to tour the towns. How bad has the Blight spread in my absence that Aldercapt has given Verstael the freedom to research it however he pleases? The thought arise that perhaps allowing herself to return to the west would be best, so she could cure the people while Noctis prepared by collecting his royal arms. Her chest tightened at the thought, and she bit the back of her tongue. No. He needs me to awaken the Six my light is merely a bandage on the gaping wound. But she couldn't push away the memories of the ill and dying that would stand and embrace her when she pulled back from her prayer over them.
"So why is Verstael in Lucis and not back in Niflheim if its his Blight research he wants to focus on?" she inquired.
"Never claimed I understand Doctor Besithia. Just a cushy job."
"Like guarding the hall of the Manor of a spoiled Princess?" she quipped. She flinched when he spun around, and he chuckled when he saw her halt her steps the moment he turned.
"So you haven't fully become a deviant in your time away. Your brother will be happy." Nettman chuckled and shrugged, resuming his walk. She hesitated until he put some distance between them before one of the Magitek pushed on her back to get her to resume following him.
"Ravus? Is he here?" A spark of hope ignited in her heart.
"Not here. But as a brother worried about his little sister he does check in from time to time hoping for word." Nettmann explained. If I can get word to him, perhaps he can get me away from here.
She was led to a hallway with blue stripes on the wall and passed by a set of doors, stopping at the second. Nettmann pushed a door open on their left and gestured for Lunafreya to go inside. "The showers are through here my Lady." She walked passed him, turning once in the room to wait for him to shut the door.
"I will be able to set to showering faster once you shut that door." She stated after several seconds.
"I should stand guard, keep you safe." He answered, stepping into the room with a smirk.
"From Verstael's own Magitek? Perhaps once I go to his office I can discuss your concerns for his machines with him?" she asked. Nettmann curled his lip and gave her the privacy she wanted. Feeling like she needed to scrub away the lingering feeling of his eyes on her she set the linen down on the bench running along the wall across from the narrow shower stalls. She stepped inside, feeling overly exposed in the empty room goosebumps rolling down her limbs before she willed herself to remove her dirty outfit and set it beside the clean set. She wrapped an arm around her chest, stepping back into the stall and turned the knob to take a lukewarm shower. She pulled her hair loose from its low ponytail and slipped the elastic around her wrist. The lingering smell and taste of metal that came with being on an airship made her feel as if there was a film on her skin, and she scrubbed at herself until her skin was pink and sore, realizing tears were burning her eyes again.
She looked up into the shower head to clear her face and reached to shut off the nozzle, sure that if she took much longer there would be a pounding on the door followed by the groan of it opening. She reached quickly for her towel, stepping back into the stall to dry herself off, eyeing the empty room. She draped the towel over the stall's wall and grabbed the clean uniform. It was loose, and she had to tighten the belt nearly all the way to keep the pants on her hips. She looked at her soiled clothing but before she could debate redressing herself in them for the better fit the expected knock came on the door and Nettmann poked his head in, and she was surprised to see his head turned towards the wall away from the stalls.
"I'm dressed." she stated, and he turned to face her.
"You can leave your dirty linen there." he tried to suggest, but she shook her head,
"I'd rather take them back to my room." she answered, tightening her grip on the clothing she was wearing.
"We'll have the Magitek clean it, and bring it back." he tried again, with more insistence in his voice. He approached her and reached for the bundle in her arms, and she let him pull it from her grip with a frown. "I'll have it delivered to your room. You've stalled long enough." he turned, one of the Magitek swung out its arm to hold the door ajar for Lunafreya, who let out a long breath and followed the Nifleheimer. She wound her hair into a simple bun to keep it off her neck and avoid further dampening the back of the uniform she was wearing.
Through more hallways with shifting paint patterns until they were in one with thick double-lines with dots above and below them. The floor had a series of what at first looked like arrow heads, and took Lunafreya a moment to realize they were the letter V, wincing at her own delay in observation. Nettmann tried to make conversation with her, but she hadn't focused on his words and looked up to meet his gaze when he halted to turn about.
"You all right?" he asked, quirking a brow.
"Tired." she answered with a shrug.
"Doctor Besithia has coffee perpetually brewing in that office of his. Pretty sure his body is more caffeine than blood. Not sure the man even sleeps…" he mumbled. "Few more doors down." Lunafreya felt her stomach grumble as the mention of coffee had her thinking of the campfire breakfasts with instant coffee provided by Ignis, punctuated by the thought of how many hours it had been since her last meal. "And don't worry he plans on feeding you." he added, as if reading her mind. Or, more likely, having heard the loud rumble of her stomach.
"Will you be joining us?" she asked as a formality.
"I haven't had breakfast yet, so yes. Beats eating alone in my bunk," he shrugged. "I could use company." He turned to wink at her over his shoulder and she stared back with a flat expression, fingers twitching as she kept her arms by her sides. "That… wasn't my implication. There's no need to look at me like that." His tone was deeper, and he let out a hard huff of air through his nose, and she slowed her pace to allow the distance between them to grow when she saw the muscles in his neck tense. "Doctor Besithia is not the most personable and it can get a little lonely on an airship with only these MTs for company."
"I was never overly fond of the puppets," she answered. Bile lingered at the back of her throat, heart starting to race again as she wondered for how long this man would be her only company. She was grateful for the books in her room so she could retreat into solitude. They reached the door and everything was a familiar routine. The knock on the office, an exchange of bows, the obligatory invitation to come inside.
She was instructed to sit down at a table, sitting in the seat a Magitek pulled out for her. She was told to be sure she ate well, to have energy for the day. At the mention of energy Nettmann passed on Lunafreya's request for coffee, earning her a shrug and a mug was shortly brought to her. A plate was placed before her, toast and eggs with some fruit. She was instructed to finish her meal, drink enough water. She kept her eyes low and on her plate. She thought of eggs cooked on a campfire, the gritty bitterness of the instant coffee or the smooth nutty taste of Ebony. She thought toast, uneven doneness from cooking it over a fire. The odd smokey taste that she would cover by mopping up her eggs with it.
She bit into the rich buttery toast, high quality foods that only life in the high ranks of military could earn. She bit hard into the toast to mask the fact she was biting down on her tongue. Formalities were exchanged, and her brow came together as she missed the banter of her friends. Complaints about the lack of sugar for the coffee, or how hard the ground was. Hugging her hoodie closer to chase the morning chill, rather than moving uncomfortably in the oversized starchy uniform provided for her.
"Lady Lunafreya?" she looked up, meeting Verstael's gaze. "I asked if you slept well? I hope you feel rested today. We have a lot of work to do."
"Yes." She replied with a curt nod. She ate, pausing between bites to nod or answer simple questions. She stared at her cup of coffee, sipping at it hoping that it would give her the energy needed to get through the day. She followed Verstael into his lab while Magitek cleaned the table from breakfast. She was sat in a chair and submitted to his tests. Checking her vital signs, drawing four vials of blood, flashing lights into her eyes and mouth. She let him swab the inside of her cheek and check her reflexes. He lanced her bicep and tapped at it with a white paper, staring at his watch until the small prick stopped bleeding and mumbled under his breath adding to the scribbles on his clipboard.
The airship shuddered, Verstael explaining they were landing. He stood and left his office, and she followed him after a nudge on her back from Nettmann. They were escorted again by Magitek, through the painted halls until the pattern was three lines. They halted at the door, Lunafreya watched Verstael shout a command to a Magitek who tapped a code into the door, 173205080. She found it curious that Verstael had never changed the code. The door hissed, and she squinted as bright white light lined the doorway as it separated from the ship. She blinked rapidly to adjust to the sudden brightness, and stumbled over the ramp as they stepped forward to followed Verstael when Nettmann once again pushed on her back. And immediately recognized where she was.
"Where are we?" She asked, feeling like a fog finally dissipated from her mind.
"VL-3"
"Verstael Lucian Research Outpost Three." Nettmann clarified. How? She wondered, looking around.
"Inform Doctor Lorren that I have arrived and to meet me in my office." Verstael instructed Nettmann. The soldier bowed and left. How? Lunafreya wondered, her brow coming together. Her throat tightened, and she looked around the base. The layout was identical to any base she had ever been brought to. The same tall tower, buildings in rows. "Follow me Lady Lunafreya." She nodded and let herself be led through the rows. A Magitek entered a code and pulled the door open, holding it until the two humans had entered.
The room held an instant familiarity. Despite the same aesthetic the inside of the office was better lit than the inside of the airship, though still cast in the same red glow. An open window did allow natural light to filter in. She saw a small bed against the wall in the corner Opposite it was a desk, but rather than against the wall was pushed away enough so the chair to it faced the bed. The walls were lined with bookshelves with books in neat rows. The desk was clean, not coated in the array of paper, notebooks, books, and pens that she would have expected all held down with heavy coffee mugs. There was the trademark coffee maker with a bag of grounds on a filing cabinet with three coffee mugs lined up neatly next to it.
Without a command the Magitek crossed the room and started getting the coffee maker started, vanishing through a small door, she assumed to get water for it. Verstael gestured at the bed before settling down onto the desk chair, pulling out a notebook and started to read it. Lunafreya crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. It groaned like the one on the airship as she settled her weight upon it and she sank into the flimsy mattress. She stared down at her hands, brows knit together. What happened to the hunters? What's going on here again if Doctor Lorren is free? There was a knock at the door, snapping her attention when it opened upon a Magitek's command.
"Ah, Doctor Lorren. Come in." Lunafreya could remember the face of the terrified woman who had been locked in a small lab with the others when her and her friends had arrived at this base. The woman responsible for the ghostly expression locked on Ignis and Aranea's faces, and what she suspected was the source of their nightmares. She was dressed in the same clothing as before, a white lab coat over a Nifleheim uniform. She looked like an entirely different woman holding herself tall. He hair was pulled back into a tight bun and she strode across the room to Verstael.
"Welcome." She greeted. "Can I fetch you anything?"
"I have what I need. I see you remembered my coffee."
"Not easy to import into Lucis, but I managed.
"Have you managed to catch up on your work?" he asked, thumbing through the notebook in his hand.
"The Lucians interrupted months of work. I've hardly had the time." Dorcas answered, curling her lip, and turned to Lunafreya. "Curious that the Oracle has been so tantamount to your own research yet the harbinger of doom to my own."
"Stop. I will not harm the Oracle to satisfy your frustration, nor did I come here to have you complain. Do you have your latest reports? This one seems rather old."
"Right away sir. Will you and the Oracle be staying the night?" she asked.
"In my airship." he answered. "Report?"
"Right." Dorcas handed Verstael a binder and he started flipping through it. Silence filled the room and Lunafreya wished she had brought one of the books with her. Verstael read in silence and startled both women when he jerked upright and coughed.
"Seems like you've started making progress again on the vectors of transmission for the Starscrourge Blight." Lunafreya noticed how Dorcas straightened herself, head tilting up and shoulders quaring. She was glad she couldn't see whatever smile was likely on the woman's face. Verstael was focused on the paperwork in his hands, flicking through the pages and occasionally licking his finger before turning to the next one.
"It's no mystery why this parasite is so contagious. Usually parasites don't spread like this." Dorcas answered him.
"Not in Nifleheim. I've read about outbreaks in the Duscae regions of Lucis, far back when the populations were more… dense, than they are now. Insects can be troublesome. Thinning populations and a decade-long drought has effectively rendered biting insects locally endangered." The male doctor murmured.
"Yet this scourge spread so fast in western Nifleheim."
"I am well aware of how fast this spread." Verstael's jaw tensed, lines appearing in his cheeks and he let out a long breath through his nose. "I wanted vectors researched to find out why."
"It seems to carry nearly every vector. But I've studied the blood further. It's like the body realizes there's infection but not that it is a parasite. Look at the white count differentials, the eosinophil levels stay the same. But the neutrophil levels are high." she began to bounce on one leg, crossing her arms and drumming her fingers on her arm.
"And you did not notice this previously?" he asked, finally looking up and knitting his brows at her.
"Until recently I lacked the sufficient equipment. You were able to get us sufficient grants but ordering the equipment I needed from Nifleheim proved difficult to obtain… and the only place in this damned continent that seemed to manufacture anything was Insomnia." Dorcas explained.
"Please sit, your restlessness is distracting." He complained, waving a hand at her. She looked around, realizing the only place to sit was the small cot Lunafreya was sitting on. Said woman moved over and folded her hands together, eyes still locked on her clasped hands as the doctor sat down beside her.
"How many patients are you currently working with?" He asked, hunching over the desk and looking back down at the notebook.
"Right now nine infected, not including the three who died. Seveneen more potentials in the barracks. Brigadier General Ulldor and Commander Fleuret felt keeping any more was too risky. I was hoping you'd talk some sense into them. It's hard to study infection vectors in such a small control group. I've studied the records from recent outbreaks in Gralea, even got my hands on Insomnian records, Altissia. But the Lucians don't keep strict records outside the capitol. But I need to see things in real time, larger groups, better controls. And I need more of the Lucian records, they're… informative"
"Hmm. Perhaps I should sent Magitek into the city." Verstael mumled, picking up a pen and starting to tap it repeatedly against the desk. "I want a copy of the records you've obtained. Meanwhile, I have a task for you. As you've noticed I have the Oracle with me. I want you to have her heal your nine infected patients. Study their blood and tissues. If you have good initial results we can submit a new grant request for you, get you a larger lab. Maybe to the Northern Muspelheim Mountains Prison."
Lunafreya felt her stomach churn, and her vision turned pinpoint while heat flashed into her neck and cheeks, the tips of her ears going numb. Her fingertips dug into the backs of her hands while her knuckles turned white. They want to bring me back to Niflheim? Torture an entire prison of people like those three men we saw? She swallowed hard, squinting and trying to focus on her breathing to suppress the roiling in her stomach. The sound of their voices faded away with the throbbing in her ears, a sound like ocean waves making focusing on the conversation difficult.
"My Lady?" She looked up, seeing Dorcas was addressing her. She stood up and put a smile on her face.
"Doctor."
"Doctor Verstael and I would like you to heal those infected with the blight at our various Lucian research bases." Lunafreya's brows lifted but she tried to settle herself back into a neutral expression.
"I'm always happy to provide my light to those in need." she answered with a light bow of her head. To what end? She pondered. She wasn't being dragged to villages to stem the spread of the Blight. She didn't want to be a tool of Dorcas Lorren's experiments. Didn't want to help her torture more people.
She allowed herself to be led away from the small office, through the rows of buildings until she was facing a familiar door. They passed through, and the interior was different than what she remembered. rather than three beds there were ten, five against the east and west walls with a narrow aisle separating them and hardly enough room between the beds for basic equipment, most of it bolted to the wall, or at the foot of the beds with a tangle of cords running beneath the beds. The smell in the room hit her stomach before her mind could register it. The sharp smell of bleach failed to cover the sickly-sweet scent of death, urine, and the metallic scent of blood.
Lunafreya let out a steady huff of air through her nose to give herself a moment to try and compose herself. She blinked rapidly to soothe the startled sting in her eyes. She pinched the web between her right thumb and forefinger to suppress the wave of nausea. Nine of the beds were occupied, the tenth bed made and tucked to military standards. The four to her left were tucked up to their chins, a mercy that saved her from seeing more like the others in the five beds to her right. They were stripped naked save for an incontinence brief. Dark circles rimmed their eyes. Their cheeks were sunken, blue staining the tips of their noses and their ears. Their lips were blue, standing out sharply against their pale skin. Their veins stood out against their skin, black wherever wasn't blue. The man furthest from her looked as if his fingers were already black, and she wondered if she was even able to save him. There were dark dried patches on the mattress beneath him, and the edges of his brief. Blood oozed from his nose and down the sides of his face, from the corners of his eyes and and his ears. There were scabbed scratches on his arms. Most were scabbed, some were still trickling blood. There was an IV in his arm, and even from across the room she could see the clear bandage covering the insertion site was bubbled with dark blood. But she was instructed to start with the man closest to her on the right, kneeling by his bedside.
Her own anxiety, fear, wants, fatigue, washed away as she reached out to rouse the first man. Seeing the fragile smile on his face as she told him she was the Oracle helped to bring one to her own. She cupped his face, pressing her forehead to his and started to whisper her prayer. She could feel the Blight surging through him. The disease was advanced, enough that a day or two may have been too late. It made her skin itch, but she ignored the discomfort until she felt the sensation fade and the intensity of the disease wash away from the man. She smiled and nodded at him as he started to thank her and whisper prayers to the Six for bringing her to him. She turned from him so he couldn't see the way her face tightened, dread settling deep into her stomach. She moved on to the second man, then the third.
As she carried through the row her sense of dread grew deeper and gnawed at her stomach. Her fatigue grew and her motions grew slower, the ache in her joints growing. But she continued to smile to each of the men. When she finished she stood by the tenth bed, staring down at the sheets and gripped her arms.
"Rest, Lady Lunafreya." She flinched, turning to Verstael. "Stay here in case they need more healing. The Magitek will be outside. I have reports and records to review with Doctor Lorran. Sit on the bed and rest." He gestured at the tenth bed, and she nodded at him and forced a smile.
"Thank you." she stated. He turned and left, two Magitek guarding the inside of the door. She was sure there were at least two more outside. She sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. An itch ran through her limbs but she closed her eyes to focus her breathing until it faded. Her attempts were interrupted by someone calling her name. She looked up, the hoarse voice difficult to ascertain.
"Hello?" she called, looking around. One of the covered men one bed further away from her was stirring, and she got to her feet quickly enough to leave her momentarily dizzy, pressing the heel of her hand to the side of her head. "Please, rest Sir." she suggested.
"Lunafreya…" he insisted again. There was something familiar about the voice and she crossed the space to the bed, kneeling again beside him. Natural color had returned to his face, allowing her to see his features. He had short brown hair slightly longer than last she saw him, and greasy from an unknown length of time in bed. His once short and neat beard coated his face and matched the dark tone of his hair. His blue eyes locked onto hers, and her brows shot up with instant recognition.
"Sir Leonis!" There had to be dozens of men last time she saw this bas, urged by the legendary Immortal that the base was under control. "Oh Gods… what happened here?"
