Chapter 33: The Battle Rages
|Real People Offices|9:34 am|
"Hey Stella! Me and Sheila are going speed dating on Friday! Wanna come?" Colette asked.
"Hmm. As awkward as it will be, I suppose it couldn't hurt. Go on then." Stella said, nervously.
"Awkward? What's the worst that could happen? All you have to say is 'piss off' if you don't like them, and they get the message. Unless that turns them on. In which case, get the hell out." Sheila said, shrugging.
"Speed dating? Sounds stupid." Lucy said. "Anyway, guys, I have a little announcement to make! Blaine was talking to Roger yesterday, and he - um -"
"Good morning, ladies and gentleman. Sorry I'm late. Car trouble." Karen said, entering the offices.
"All these women, and not one of them wants me! Why me?!" Juan said, mock crying.
"...Whatever, Juan. Lucy, this person said they're coming to my office soon, yes?" Karen said.
"Yes, Karen. They said it's a surprise, but since our magazine has been doing pretty well, they really want to talk to us!" Lucy said. Gee, I can't imagine who's coming.
"I see. Amara, could I speak to you in my office. for a moment?" Karen asked.
"Sure." Amara said. This was surprising. It was usually Lucy that was summoned to the office, not Amara. What could this be about? She hoped she wasn't in trouble. If she was going to be fired now, that would be a massive embarassment. Still, she followed Karen into the office, and they sat down. "What is it, Karen?"
"I've been thinking. I couldn't bear living on my own when Roger left, but when I begged him to stay, he got so angry at me. Now he wants us to be together again. I'm scared if we do, I'll lose him again." Karen said.
She must trust me if she's willing to talk about this with me...
"This again? Karen, you're not the same as you were then-"
"Yes I am. I may not act like it as much, but the only reason I got married four times was because I didn't think I could do any better! I couldn't handle being alone, because fifteen years ago, someone...hurt me." Karen said.
"Hurt you?" Amara said. "Wait...oh my god, are you saying-"
"Yes! A man named Victor came across me as I was leaving a bar on my own, and he...I can't even say it now." Karen said, shaking. "It was terrible. Worse than the stories I'd read about. I just felt worthless, weak, like I couldn't go outside without seeing him again."
"Karen..."
"Finally, my mother persuaded me to go outside for some fresh air. But I couldn't handle it! I fled the area, but then I bumped into a man. He was a handsome fellow carrying a stack of classical records. I was crying my eyes out, but he tried to talk to me. He was so gentle, and I felt I could trust him."
"So that's how you met him?" Amara asked.
"Yes. He knew Victor, too. He was a thug from Kanaloa. Roger was from the same place, but he was patient. He wouldn't hurt a fly. So after a while, we were finally able to put him in jail. Even after that, I was afraid all the time. Roger was the only one who made me feel safe. I don't know why he put up with me, but for one year, we were always together. He wasn't like other men. He enjoyed classical music, the theatre, even chess. But he had ambitions - making Kanaloa a better place, for example. I always assumed he hated me for trying to stop him from going, but now he comes back and says he wants us to be together. I just don't know what to do!"
"Really? I think I know exactly what you want. Roger! It's that simple!" Amara said. "If you're worried about relying on him, don't. You're pretty strong yourself - after all, you have to put up with me and the others every day! Everyone looks up to you, too! Even me!"
"Is that so?" Karen said. "You know what? I'm going to call him. We have a lot to talk about!"
Just then, the office door opened, and a man came in, face obscured by a large beautiful bouquet of pink carnations. "Whoa!" Amara exclaimed. Even the flowers Karl gave her on Valentine's Day weren't as gorgeous as those. Bianca, right?
"Good morning, Karen." Karen took the carnations, and her eyes widened as she saw Roger's grinning face.
"Roger...How did you know where I worked?" Karen asked.
"Your employee has been hounding me for an interview for days! If she wasn't working for you, I'd have blocked that number. Now I have an excuse to come down. Karen, I know what you said on Monday, but I can't accept it. I don't want to find anyone else. I only want you. You're stronger than you think, trust me!" Roger said.
"Roger, thank you. These are beautiful, and - oh, who am I kidding? I love you too!" Karen quickly embraced Roger, and kissed him with more love and devotion than she had probably ever shown her husbands. "I have an idea. There's a restaurant callled Cosmos near Augustus Square that I've been dying to try out for ages. It's a mixture of Asian styles, with some rather unique recipes. Let's go there, you and me!"
"Is this really happening?!" Roger asked, stunned. "Um...that would be perfect. How about Friday at 7pm?"
"Sounds good. I'll be waiting. Before that, we have work to do. Amara, you can go now. Lucy, get in here." Amara left the office, with a huge smile on her face. Everyone else was looking eagerly at the office. They had all seen Roger kiss Karen, and they were all exuberant.
"Looks like they really did work things out for themselves. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder!" Stella said.
"They don't look drunk to me..." Juan said.
"Absence, Juan, not Absinthe. Piss off." Sheila said. Amara got back to work. Hopefully, Karen would find the strength to avoid clinging to people for support, and still be with Roger. Yet their other selves were still a problem. What to do?
|Secret Base|19:45 pm|
Zao arrived at the base earlier, due to his training. He had been focusing on advancing to the second tier of elemental magic, yet had not managed it by the time the others had arrived.
"Geez. It sucks that I'm still stuck on the weakest magic. Hey, at least I didn't have to run around for two hours!" Zao said, smiling yet again.
"No, that's tomorrow. With weights around your ankles. Anyway, what's new with you guys?" Dan asked the team. Serena had a phone call from Kyle earlier, who was enjoying his trip in France. Nathan hadn't found out anything about Josephine other than where she worked before Aeternus. Blaine was going out Friday night with Lucy. Amara told everyone about Karen and Roger, and they seemed pleased to hear about them getting together again.
"That's good! It's kind of romantic, you know? Fourteen years apart, and they meet again!" Aimee said, smiling.
"Yet whilst their selves in that world are happy once again, in this domain they remain against us and perhaps each other. Dramatic irony, perhaps." Seraphina said.
"I've been keeping an eye on the Farawell Shadow Development Centre, and they've gathered a lot of members. Word on the street is that Roger doesn't like them very much, and Archibald has to stop him from maiming them." Kyle said.
"Word on the street? What is this, Brooklyn?" Dan said, amused. "Still, if they have a lot of manpower, it makes it harder to fight the main guy."
"Also, they already finished that new base for Karen in Saragel. They've been given new uniforms - I believe one of the Ornatu Legion members you fought mentioned that?" Aimee said. "A white and blue uniform, with a skinny blue tie. Something doesn't feel right about all this..."
"Your misgivings are not without reason." The cloaked woman appeared in front of them, and Serena looked especially surprised to see her. "If you do not act now, many casualties will ensue, and it will be too late to save Karen and Roger!"
"What are you talking about?" Nathan asked.
"The Power Tunnels. Roger's Freedom League are going to battle the Angelic Vanguard there. Lorean Tower provides switches to turn power on and off, but going to the tunnels means they can destroy their power source entirely." The cloaked woman said.
Serena hesitated, staring at this robed figure. "Hold on, aren't you -"
"There's no time, Serena. You must go. ...What is he doing here?" she said, pointing at Zao.
"I'm Zao! Pleased to meetcha!" Zao said.
"Your friend said there was a fifth member destined to join us, right? Is this him?" Blaine said.
"...Go. Now." the cloaked woman said, disappearing. Kyle turned to his machine, pulling up the power tunnel map.
"I see it. The Power Tunnel's latest section, beneath the old hotel. We're going to have to break into the Angelic Vanguard's base to get to Roger and Karen!" Kyle said. "Everyone, get ready and go!"
"Wait, hold on!" Aimee said, dashing off, and coming back with some kind of metal pole arm with a laser blade on it. "Zao, take this! I used to use this weapon, but I wasn't very good with it!"
"Got it! I'm ready whenever you guys are!" Zao said. After everyone prepared for battle, they entered the NDD.
|Angelic Vanguard Base|8:14 pm|
It was hard to believe this place was once a run-down hotel, that had been further ruined by the furious battle against Josephine and Karen. Now, the place was stunning, with immaculate white tiled floors, blue decorative banners, and exquisite furniture all around.
"I'll say this about Aeternus, they sure don't waste time with renovations." Blaine said. "So how do we get to the power tunnels?"
"There's probably a basement. We should find it quickly!" Aimee said. As she looked at the rest of the group, she gasped. "Oh! Priscilla, you came this time?" Priscilla simply nodded, and Nathan looked away. "I see. Zao, I want you to listen to what we say, alright? You're still very inexperienced."
"Come on! I'll be alright. I know you guys are the ones in charge here, so just give the orders!" Zao said.
"Good boy!" Dan said.
"You're not going to treat him like an errand boy, are you?" Nathan said.
"No, silly! What kind of man do you take me for? He can be my butler." Dan said. Nathan rolled his eyes, but Zao was none the wiser.
|Power Tunnels - Saragel Sector|8:21 pm|
"Why is it always so darn hot in here?" Serena asked.
"These things use a lot of energy, so maybe that's why. Still, I don't see anything - whoa!" Dan said. Right beneath his feet were red stains on the floor. They looked like they were recent, too. "Blood?"
"Look!" Aimee pointed to the wounded body of a young girl in a white uniform. "She's not breathing…"
"Those assholes! She must be younger than Serena, and they still sent her to die!" Blaine said, furious.
"Everyone, we have entered the fray. We must fight with all our strength to stay alive." Seraphina said, looking at Priscilla.
"Yes." Priscilla said. This was the first word Amara had heard her say since the Divine Spark fiasco. This girl, she tried her hardest to get back to her home, and didn't make it...
"The worst part is, she's probably not the only one." Serena said. "We have to stop this now! This really isn't a game. This is war! Let's go!"
Further Ahead
"Principality!" A voice screamed from up ahead.
"Take Mikazuchi!" another voice yelled.
"Dammit, another battle! Let's hurry and put a stop to it!" Amara yelled. The team ran up to see a Freedom League soldier fighting a Vanguard member, the latter using the angelic Persona. The one with Principality managed to knock the bearer of Take Mikazuchi out, and with her gun, she stepped closer...
"Stop!" Aimee yelled.
"Who are you?!" The Vanguard girl said. "Those weapons! You're not civilians!"
"We'll let you go if you leave this man alone. If not, we'll show you just why people fear Natural Personas." Dan said, with a menacing look.
"Argh! Please don't kill me!" The girl ran away, and the man was just barely breathing.
"I think he'll survive, but if a Vanguard finds him, he's in trouble." Kyle said.
"We don't have time to move them out of harm's way. We just defeat everyone we find before they can kill each other. Got that?" Aimee said. "I won't let this go on! I have to protect everyone!" More sounds of fighting could be heard up ahead. Shuddering, Amara pressed onward...
One Hour Later
The team had travelled through many tunnels, where many Vanguard or League members had perished in battle. Blood stained every room they went through, and the murderers would not remember a thing after being defeated. Neither side was willing to give in, or listen to the other. One wanted a new society where the citizens followed the orders of Aeternus, and built an eternal land of law. The other wished for absolute chaos and freedom, with no one to boss them around.
Aimee was more and more horrified as they went through, and Amara could see why. Seeing all those corpses was a grim sight, and even though she had watched horror films before, seeing real dead bodies was far worse. Amara wanted to get out of here as soon as she could, but they still hadn't found Karen or Roger.
"Two extremes, and we're the middle ground." Serena said. "All those people are dead because of those idiots."
"No, Serena! Karen was vulnerable, and Josephine took advantage of her. I suspect Archibald did the same with Roger. Their stupid game has to end!" Nathan said.
"Ladies and gentlemen, halt your steps. I feel greater power than any of the peons we have come across! The halfway point between the two bases is where the main battle will begin. More blood will be spilled. We must muster up the courage to bear witness to this brutality!" Seraphina said. Priscilla's face was pale, but she didn't say anything.
"We don't have a choice. We have to stop more people from dying! Otherwise, another Divine Spark could appear!" Kyle said.
"Then let's do this thing!" Dan roared, kicking the door down. Amara saw what was inside, and almost threw up.
"Oh my god!" Aimee screamed.
This was a rather large section, a circular room with large pipes in the sides of the wall. Most of them had been damaged by the battle between the soldiers, some still functioning, others completely beyond repair. Most of the soldiers there were already dead, and only three on each side were still fighting.
"Stop, all of you!" Blaine shouted, but they didn't notice. "I'm shocked. And so are they! Tlaloc!" One Mazionga was enough to knock them all out, and with that, the room was filled with over fifty dead bodies and ten unconscious soldiers.
"It's not over yet, is it?!" Aimee said, her face pale at the sight of the bloodshed.
"No. I've never seen anything like this before. Something bothers me. Why haven't any Shadows appeared?" Kyle said.
"I don't know, but I'm concerned. I don't see Karen and Roger." Nathan said. Just then, the door behind them and the one in front of them opened. Josephine and Archibald had joined the battlefield.
"Well, well, well. We have company! It's nice to have spectators! Or perhaps new combatants?" Archibald said.
"You bastards! You two are supposed to be working together, and you have your own soldiers kill each other? Why? What's the point of this?" Aimee wailed.
"Oh? I recall that girl! Aimee Davenport, was it? Yes, the one who overheard our plans!" Josephine said.
"Correct. Her dumb ox of a brother tried to save her, but failed miserably. His actions are undeniable proof that without strength, you don't deserve to live in this world!" Archibald goaded. Aimee painfully shut her eyes, grinding her teeth. "Josephine, do you still intend to pit your Last Soldier against mine?"
"Of course, you slime dog. Mine will bring forth the Divine Spark long before yours ever could!" Josephine said. "Karen, come forth! Do not be alarmed!"
Karen stepped forward, and almost threw up at the sight of the corpses all around the area. "Josephine...my followers! You said -"
"Oh, Josephine, I know this must be difficult to deal with. Yet, my colleague doesn't approve of your ideals. Show him he is a fool!" Josephine yelled. "Karen, the man I speak of is the one responsible. Are you going to let him get away?"
"No! In the name of God, I will not lose! With you and God, I will never fail! Sinners will fall before my blade of judgment!" Karen yelled.
"Nice bravado, but it won't last long. Come out, Roger." Archibald said. Roger came through, and looked at Karen, bemused.
"What?! You?!" Karen said, as she froze on the sport. The sight of her former love had shocked her into silence.
"Archibald! What the hell is going on?!" Josephine shouted.
"You can't tell?" Archibald said, with an arrogant smirk. "Karen and Roger have history, you know. Long story short, a man assaulted Karen, crippling her with fear! Roger helped her overcome that fear. Or so it seemed, but that fear was never overcome! Look at the way she clings to your every word! The idea of a 'God' saving her from darkness? Ridiculous! There is no way such a weak woman could invoke any of the Divine Sparks."
"Karen!" Roger said. "You're fucking pathetic! Aren't you thirty four by now? Yet you're like a child! You can't do anything without anyone to hold your hand, even that old bitch!"
"Karen, don't listen to his cruel words. A man without dignity and grace cannot vanquish your spirit!" Josephine said.
"Listen to yourself. Dignity? Grace? What good do they have in this world? Only one thing matters, and that's getting stronger! Shadows and Personas are the real power here. Karen's Persona is no match for mine, so prepare to die!" Roger yelled, and he summoned Kanaloa.
"You're evil! I trusted you once before, but the devil has taken hold of you. I wasted a long time worrying about you, but now that I've seen who you truly are, I'll have no mercy! Josephine, help me!" Karen said. "Aeshma!"
"Dammit, no!" Amara said. "What the hell are we supposed to do?"
"That's right...I forgot about you." Josephine said. "You can satiate your thirst for battle in a duel with this powerful Shadow. Behold, the Akashic Vidofnir!"
A massive Shadow appeared in front of the team. It was in the shape of an eagle, much like other Shadows they had fought before. Alas, this was a cut above them. Both of it's navy wings appeared to have strange bright red writing on it, in a language no one knew. The feathers on its tail were bright green and lilac, with silver symbols on them. Above it's metallic beak was the Hierophant mask, sitting on top of its azure and lilac crest.
"For once, Josephine, I'm impressed. Now let me show you this specimen! The Tainted Yggdrasill!" A terrifying Shadow emerged from the darkness. It was a rather twisted looking tree, with a dark red bark covered with strange orange vines of light. Its roots were writhing, poking out of the ground, hungry for blood. In the centre of the tree was an Emperor mask, and the dark green leaves were razor sharp, like blades.
"Oh my goodness...we need to split up to take these freaks down! Amara, Zao, Serena, Priscilla and Seraphina can cut down that tree! Blaine, Dan, Kyle, Nathan and I will clip that eagle's wings!" Aimee said.
"Aimee's still dangerous when she's mad, huh?" Zao said. "Alright. Guys, I'm going to do the best I can! Let's fight!"
Akashic Vidofnir
"I'm not familiar with this thing." Kyle said. "Let's begin anyway! Agilao!" A burst of fire hit the feathered fiend, who retaliated by flapping it's wings, sending the page-like feathers at the team.
"Ow!" Blaine yelled. "Hold on, I think I got something new! Acid Volt!" A brilliant spark of lightning struck the Vidofnir, and it looked particularly peaky after this attack. It attempted to use Bufula, but it completely missed.
"Well done, Blaine! Poison should help chip away at it's health!" Kyle said.
"Zephyr Aria!" Nathan sent his melodic winds forth, but the Vidofnir was not silenced. In fact, the spell had little effect at all. "Okay, that was kind of a let down."
"Relax, buddy, I'll show you something cool. Cursed Swings!" Tezcatlipoca swung his scythe around, each swing generating dark energy that caused dire injury to the Vidofnir. "Not bad, huh?"
"As epic as always, man! Tlaloc, it's hammer time!" Blaine yelled.
"Seriously? You think you can pull that line off?" Kyle said, watching as Tlaloc pummelled the Vidofnir with his hammer again. Angry at all the attacks, it flew into the air and cast Magarula. "Argh! Dammit to hell!" Kyle slumped over in his chair, in pain.
"Kyle! Are you alright?" Nathan said.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Son of a bitch..." Kyle moaned, slowly sitting back up. "That bird must be punished! Hephaestus, Magma Sword!" The sword attack powered by earth magic dealt quite a blow to the bird, and it collapsed, making distorted bird noises.
"Here!" Aimee used Irene to heal Kyle, with more energy than Serena's healing skills.
"Take this!" Nathan swung his staff, bashing the eagle many times. "We need an electrifying finale!"
"Couldn't agree more! Dan, you ready?" Blaine said.
"Like you needed to ask!" Dan said, and Tlaloc and Tezcatlipoca rose into the air, their bodies charged with electricity. Holding hands, an incredible amount of power built up. Just as the Shadow was about to fly up and attack, the two Personas released a terrifying bolt of lightning that utterly fried the Vidofnir. "Thunderous Finale!"
"I'm actually a little scared of you two now." Nathan said, in awe.
"Good job guys! Dan, fantastic as always!" Kyle said, beaming.
"Man, we are awesome!" Dan said, shaking Blaine's hand as the Shadow dissipated.
Tainted Yggdrasill
"This is the tree of mana in Norse mythology. Awesome!" Serena said, amazed. "This one looks horrible, though."
"Tell me about it. Well then, Agilao!" Amara yelled, and the flames caused immense distress to the Shadow. It was 'rooted' to the floor, and it swung it's branches wildly, hitting Zao many times.
"Oof! Uh...Agi!" Zao yelled, and a smaller flame burned the tree. "Hold on, I thought of something cool to say. Let's start a forest fire!"
"That was pitiful, Sir Zao. We must finish this battle with haste! Grimoire's Armada!" Seraphina's impressive spell battered the Shadow, who retaliated with an incredible burst of electricity - even better than Zionga.
"Ow!" Serena screeched, falling to the ground. "That hurt! You're not getting away with that!"
Priscilla stared at the tree, and holding her sceptre, she finally summoned Uathach. Yet it didn't look as colourful as before. Uathach looked just as depressed as Priscilla did. Without any invocation, Uathach cast Bufula, which seemed fairly effective.
The Shadow called forth a Maragion spell, which didn't harm Amara much, but the searing flames sent Priscilla to her knees. She didn't even try to stand up, and just laid on the floor in a daze. "Priscilla, what the hell are you doing?" Serena yelled. "Damn. Mediarama!" Artemis's healing power once again came in handy.
"Ruby Ignition!" Amara yelled, and the shining flames burnt her opponent and gave her more power. "Okay, try this! Power Slash!" Hathor changed her staff into a sword, and struck the Tainted Yggdrasill with great force. In turn, it shook itself rapidly, and it's leaves fell and struck the team, causing quite a bit of damage.
"Owwie!" Zao yelled. "My foot!"
"Zao, stop it!" Serena yelled. "Aques!" A burst of magical water hit the Shadow, who countered by whipping her with one of it's branches. Soon, Serena and the Shadow were constantly whipping each other, their ferocity increasing with each swing.
"It's losing it's energy! Keep going!" Seraphina shouted, as she cast another Megido. However, the Tree also unleashed an Almighty spell, which was rather painful.
"Urgh! Die already! Ruby Ignition!" Once again, the shining flame had the dark tree shrieking in pain, and it was on it's last legs - or roots, rather.
Finally, Priscilla used a Bufula spell to finish it off. "Well done!" Serena said.
"Thank you." Priscilla said.
"Phew, we won!" Amara said. "Oh no! Karen!"
Karen had fallen to her knees, unable to fight any longer. Josephine was watching her, disgusted, as Roger slowly moved towards her, katars in hand. "Roger..."
"It's a real shame. If you had grown up, we could have fought together. Archie's right about you! You useless bitch, I'm sending you to hell!" Karen cowered in fear, bracing herself for Roger to impale her with his katars. Amara suddenly rushed forward and struck him with her blade.
"Argh!" Roger fell down, and Archie gasped.
"What are you playing at, woman?" Josephine said.
"Shut the hell up! You people are sick! Karen, you may not understand this, but there's another world like this one out there. There, you're in charge of a magazine, and I work for you. I can't just let you die, even if you don't know me!" Amara said.
"Roger, stop it. You're like a kid acting out!" Blaine said. "Come on, this isn't how you really feel, is it? If you kill Karen, then what will you do?"
"I can do whatever the hell I want!" Roger yelled. "I dunno who you are, but you're pissing me off! All of you!"
"Oh yeah? Then what is it that you want to do?" Dan said.
"Ugh, you guys are so sad. I told you before, I want to make a new Kanaloa, better than the crappy one you guys have!"
"Crappy? Yeah, it is. You're not the only one who wishes they came from a better town. But how do you know Archibald's gonna let you do that?" Blaine said. "For someone who wants to do whatever the hell they want, you sure are letting people use you."
"For fuck's sake, shut the hell up! Archie, let's get out of this place! We'll settle this battle later!" Roger said, storming off.
"Miss Amara, Thank you for saving me! This must be God's blessing." Karen said. "I feel like we've met before, actually."
"Karen, we're leaving for now. We need to regroup and rebuild our forces, and prepare for a counterattack. I'm warning you, people. You get in our way, there will be absolutely no mercy. The carnage you witnessed today? The future battle will be even bloodier than that." Josephine said, hissing. "Nathan, why do you stare at me that way? Have you inherited your father's wandering eye?"
"I don't think so. I'm not my father, and I'll never go with you. Neither would the other me. So get lost!" Nathan yelled.
"Fine. Josephine, expect no mercy from me next time. I won't allow Roger to be swayed by such illogical banter!" Archibald said, and they all left.
"They're not going to stop, are they? If this keeps up, everyone in the city's going to die!" Aimee whimpered, gazing at the wreckage around her. The sight of the bloody corpses was terrifying to behold, and she shut her eyes, trying to hide her tears.
"Aimee, that's not going to happen. I'm here now! I can help stop them!" Zao said, smiling again. "Let's get out of here, okay? You shouldn't have to see this!"
"Zao...thank you. You haven't changed at all." Aimee said, weakly smiling.
"What are you talking about? Me getting taller doesn't count?!"
|Farawell - Outside Warehouse|9:59 pm|
Everyone was tired now, and after Kyle promised he would research where the next battle would be, they went home.
"We still didn't save Karen and Roger. How are we gonna do that?" Serena asked. "If only there was an FAQ I could read."
"Hell if I know. We'll just have to break up the fight and knock some sense into them!" Blaine said.
"Well, it's not the most thorough strategy, but I like it. Everyone, get some rest. We don't know when the battle will start, so we need to be prepared." Nathan said. Everyone went home, but Zao hesitated.
"Zao?"
"You know how me and Karl used to hang out all the time as kids, right? Aimee loved playing with us, too. We used to fight over who got to look after her. Now she's fighting monsters, and today, she saw people die right in front of her." Zao said.
"Would you rather not join us?" Amara asked. "I'd understand."
"No, I have to keep going! I don't want her to suffer anymore. For Karl's sake. I'm going to help her in his place!" Zao said.
"Zao...you're so kind. I'll help you too. I'm still the personal trainer, right?" Amara said.
"Of course! I need to get some sleep...see you soon, babe." Zao said. Before he left, he gave Amara a quick kiss.
Amara smiled as Zao left, but was surprised to see him running back. "What's wrong?"
"I dropped my wallet!" Zao said, pointing to the leather wallet by Amara's feet.