For those of you who missed her, Alleyne is back with more 'meaningful' chapter time. And if she's around, the other elves are too.

"I suppose this is where we split."

Church stood alongside Tomoe and Shizuka, holding Snow by the reins, as the trio stood before a fork in the beaten dirt road they had been traveling. It had been a merry last hour shared between the three of them, but it had come to an end all too soon.

Shizuka sighed and frowned, as displeased with this situation as Church was. He really was great company. "I guess it is. This last hour sure felt short..."

Tomoe nodded sagely, an action that seemed very befitting of her. "It is unfortunate that we could not travel together for a longer time. I truly did enjoy your presence, Church."

"Not as much as I enjoyed being with you and Shizuka I bet."

The silver haired ninja nudged Church with her shoulder. "Oh, I'm sure. How could you not, with two bombshell beauties like us for company?"

Church rolled his eyes, barely even fazed by the flirty remark at this point, having been subject to so many in the past hour. Still, he smiled. "It's too bad I have this errand to run. I would have loved to come with you guys. Then again... even when I'm done, I won't have much of a reason to go to the capital... I actually don't know where I'll go when I'm done with this business in Bosk."

Shizuka wrapped an arm around Church's shoulders, leaning in and speaking in the most persuasive tone she could. "Well, you could come to the capital to watch the tournament when you're done, Church. Tomoe-sama's going to be competing, you know? I bet she'd love an extra fan to cheer her on."

At the mention of a tournament, Church vaguely remembered hearing about it at least once before. "That tournament to decide the ruler of the country right? I thought you weren't going to participate in that unless the Queen refused to help you or something?"

Since Tomoe was obviously the one he was speaking to, it was her that answered. "Well, I won't be aiming to win if the Queen is willing to offer aid to Hinomoto. But even so, it would be a true waste to not participate while I am here, would it not? It will be a great opportunity to test myself against other warriors and grow as a warrior myself."

"Guess I can't argue with that, though it still seems like a woefully inefficient way to select a new ruler. Being a strong fighter doesn't mean you're the best suited to lead. Then again... I suppose the right to rule by blood isn't exactly the best way to choose a leader either. In the end, democracy is just the best way to go."

Shizuka cocked an eyebrow at him. "Democracy?"

"The greatest thing since sliced bread, trust me."

"I don't know about that Church, sliced bread is pretty hard to beat."

Church decided against explaining his stance on politics, especially in a world where the ruler was merely the strongest fighter. Instead, he tried to get his friends to further elaborate on his attending the tournament. "So if I do that... am I allowed to just walk into the stands? Is there like a fee or something? Wait, is there even an arena for this kind of thing?"

Tomoe smiled kindly at him, a little amused by his ignorance. "Well the preliminary fights can take place almost anywhere. Angels will supervise those battles and relay them to people all over the continent. The semi-finals will take place in an arena in Gainos, and the final battle against the Queen is at an as of yet undetermined location. Unfortunately, there is a fee for watching the tournament from the stands: if there weren't, the event wouldn't be nearly as large of a source of revenue."

Church's knitted his eyebrows in confusion. "Wait, the preliminaries can be held anywhere? What's the point of going to the capital at all then?"

Shizuka wagged her index finger at him. "Well we still have to sign up, right? We could register in almost any town actually, but we figured it would be best to explore the capital anyway. Besides, there's a couple of months in-between the sign-up and the semi-finals. So there's plenty of time for the competitors to roam around and fight and all that."

This whole tournament setup made little to no sense to Church, but there was no point in asking how or why it was how it was. After all, neither Tomoe nor Shizuka had dictated the tournament rules. "What about you, Shizuka? Are you going to compete too?"

Shizuka waved her arms in front of her, making her statement of 'no way' quite clear. "C'mon Church, it may have only been a day or so, but I'm sure you can already tell that I wouldn't make a very good leader. I'd probably wreck the country in a week."

Well he couldn't disagree with that. Shizuka didn't exactly seem like national leader material. Still, it was disappointing. "That's a shame. I would have loved to see you out there."

The silver-haired ninja hid a slight blush behind a laugh, inwardly regretting now that she wasn't participating in the tournament after all. "W-well, maybe next time..."

The atmosphere would have quickly turned awkward had Tomoe not made a timely intervention, though it wasn't because she understood the social danger. "I truly regret cutting our time together short, but we must not tarry for much longer. Much of the day has already passed."

Church and Shizuka frowned simultaneously, both unhappy with the reminder. They were trying to stretch this moment out as long as possible, but in the end the amount of time that could be spared on this parting was the same. After all, both parties had places to be, and the sooner they got there the better.

Church sighed and scratched the back of his head. "This really bites... every time I meet someone new, I swear..."

Shizuka wrapped her arm around the distraught man. "Well it doesn't have to be that way, Church. Like I said, you could always come to the capital when you're done with your little errand. I'm sure we could find you with that bright red jacket of yours."

The man in question just smiled and nodded, not quite ready to agree with that plan of action. His plan had been to continue his search for Airi and Melona once he finished his business in Bosk, and Church didn't know if going to the capital was the best way to do that. Would those two even have a reason for going there? As far as he knew, neither Airi nor Melona was competing in the tournament. Then again, considering the fact that they never told him anything of importance, it was possible that they could be participating and he wouldn't even know about it.

Church must have been silent for a little too long, as Shizuka saw fit to tap him on the nose, startling him out of his thoughts. "Church? Hey, you get lost in there?"

"Sorry, I was just thinking about whether or not to do that. The capital and all, I mean..."

The beautiful ninja pouted and wrapped both arms around Church's neck, trying to nail him with guilt. "Please, Church? It couldn't really hurt, could it? I'm sure you would really enjoy it there. I know I'd enjoy it a lot more together."

Church could have sworn that Shizuka's words carried a slight pleading undertone to them, a genuine one, apart from her attempt to persuade him. It was barely there, but noticeable, especially to someone who had been trained to identify voices and tones. It was likely that Shizuka did not even realize that she was begging him to accept the idea, ever so subtly.

It was a mess of confusing emotions for Church. There were a lot of things he wanted to do, and naturally they just ended up conflicting with one another. For all he knew, going to the capital could prove nothing but detrimental as far as finding Airi and Melona was concerned. But of course he wanted to see Tomoe and Shizuka again.

Thinking about it, it struck Church as odd that such things were playing a major factor in his decision making. Shouldn't his life revolve more around him than others? That being said, maybe going to the capital was for the best after all. Airi and Melona were his friends, of course, but should he really make finding them again a priority? There were other people out there to be close to right? People like Shizuka and Tomoe. Maybe he should focus more on new friends and less on old ones.

It kind of hurt to say that, but logically, Church couldn't fault himself. Running around the entire continent looking for two people who were as mobile as he was just wasn't sensible. His chances of ever finding them like that were slim. He'd likely be better off just hoping that he ran into the two of them again at some point along his travels.

"You know what, I think I will. This tournament sounds interesting to watch... and of course I'd like to see the two of you again."

Shizuka practically beamed at him, a far cry from the merely pleased and gentle smile Tomoe sported. "Well of course, who wouldn't want to send more time with us? I knew you'd figure out the right answer."

Church smiled back at her, a little half-hardheartedly, both pleased and put off by his decision. For now, he figured it was best to go along with it. "Oh no, it's you who wants to spend more time with me, don't get it backwards."

That elicited a laugh from both girls, who both seemed in a more chipper mood now that Church had decided to try and reunite with them later. "Speaking of which, you do know how to get there, right Church?"

"Well I figure I could just return to this point here and go down the other road, right? Besides, I do have a map. I'm sure I could figure it out either way."

Shizuka clapped him on the shoulder. "Well you'd better. I'd be awfully disappointed if this was the last time I saw you just because you're bad with directions."

The trio shared a few more jokes between themselves, if only to make the goodbye last a little bit longer. But eventually the two girls did have to depart, and the humor was toned down a little bit in exchange for some more sincere goodbyes. Tomoe settled for a respectful bow, which really wasn't enough for Church, but exactly what he expected from someone so reserved. Shizuka on the other hand had a full-blown hug to offer, along with a quick peck on the cheek that Church found way more tantalizing than he probably should have.

"See you later Church. Try not to make us wait too long, alright? It's bad luck to keep pretty girls waiting."

Church was so busy staring down at those silver lips of hers that he almost forgot to respond. "Uh, r-right... I won't be long, I promise. Trust me, I want to see you again as soon as possible..."

Shizuka winked at him as she retreated back to Tomoe's side. "Oh, I'm sure. Glad to know we feel the same way."

Tomoe, clueless as ever as far as something like flirting was concerned, bowed once more. "Goodbye, Church. I hope we'll see you again, sooner than later."

Church nodded, a genuine smile plastered on his face. "Likewise. Bye, Tomoe."

Naturally Shizuka opted for blowing a kiss at him. "Later, Church! If you need more motivation to hurry, just remember that if you don't show up you'll be missing a really good time! Don't keep me waiting forever, alright?"

The flirtatious comment itself was just Shizuka's usual banter, but her last words weren't lost on him, and neither was earnest tone they were uttered with. "I promise I won't. I... I won't keep you waiting for too long."

Those were the final words exchanged between the trio that day, but their thoughts dwelt on one another long after they went their separate ways.

"Shizuka-san, I don't think I've ever seen you so friendly towards anyone: not even me. You're awfully fond of Church to have just met him the other day."

The two women walked along their own path, and the conversation naturally drifted to their newest and recently departed friend. Shizuka crossed her arms over her head and smiled at Tomoe's assessment. "Well, I'd have to say you're right, Tomoe-sama. What can I say? He's hard to dislike."

While Shizuka said this nonchalantly, she was actually stunned by how quickly she had taken a liking to the man she had just met. He really was charming, but even so she found it mildly unsettling that she had been so easily swayed. Not to say she had fallen madly in love from such a short encounter of course, but she wouldn't deny even for a minute that she liked him. And why not? He was good looking and kind hearted, not to mention clever and funny. And hey, he thought all the same things about her. As far as Shizuka was concerned that was at least enough to warrant a small crush, and she had no problem allowing that feeling to persist.

There were no beds in the isolated forest Alleyne and her companions trekked through that day, but lack of such a convenience did not truly have anything to do with the blond warrior's current predicament.

Sleep had mostly eluded Alleyne last night, as it had for the past couple of days. She was not sure why this occurred, but could only attribute it to the tension that surrounded her group. A few days ago, there had been a group consensus that the three women in the party would register for the upcoming Queen's Blade tournament, for varying reasons. With Alleyne's full support, Nowa was in it for the experience. She knew fighting in the tournament would be a great way to grow as a fighter. Echidna had decided to join in for what she described as 'entertainment', which Alleyne could honestly see as a legitimate reason coming from someone like her. When it came to that woman, a reason like that was truly all she needed to do something.

As for her, Alleyne herself did not know why exactly she was going to register. She certainly didn't aspire to be Queen, and if she happened to make it that far, would probably forfeit. Neither was it for the experience, having had plenty of that throughout her long life. If she was to be completely honest with herself, Alleyne had to admit that she had probably decided to join simply for fun. For the first time in centuries, Alleyne had to admit that she was bored, and needed something to do.

If anything, it was also because she felt a little lost. Most of Alleyne's long life had revolved around the village. She had spent countless years defending it, training its warriors, and being a figure of guidance. Without it she was little more than an experienced warrior without a home. Even Nowa needed her less and less as time wore on, as the girl was growing more independent of her teacher every day, even in her training. It left Alleyne without much of a purpose.

That may have been the only reason for this foolish tournament business. Either way, the decision had been made, and now the elven group was making their way to Gainos for that exact purpose. Lucas had vehemently opposed the idea, but unwilling to separate from Nowa, had decided to stay with the group regardless. Still, his bitter feelings towards both Alleyne and Echidna were ever-present, and the concern that the rash and reckless boy would make a foolish move on either of them persisted at all times.

Honestly, Alleyne had no idea why Lucas chose to stick around, involving himself in a group that consisted of two people he absolutely despised for no other reason than to try and garner Nowa's attention. Alleyne was a far cry from an expert on romance, but even to her, it was obvious that Lucas' feelings for her apprentice were not reciprocated. The brunette half-elf was friendly and kind with him, but she was like that with everyone. There was no longing or desire or admiration in her honey-brown eyes when she looked at Lucas. Currently, he was nothing more than a friend. Maybe Lucas just couldn't see that.

At first Alleyne had thought it was because romance was something still out of Nowa's social scope, but it didn't take long to realize that wasn't necessarily true. After all, the girl was seventeen, and not nearly as naive as most people assumed she was. In fact, if some of the conversations the mentor and student had shared recently were any indication, Nowa was taking a healthy interest in the opposite gender: one man in particular.

Maybe Alleyne was too. Maybe she had been wooed by the kind, amiable, considerate human as well, without even realizing it. The mere thought of love: and especially loving another person, scared Alleyne to no small extent. She was, for all intents and purposes, an anti-social introvert who barely managed to keep up a friendship with Echidna and Nowa and no one else. The idea of a romantic relationship with anyone, even someone kind and thoughtful, was almost inconceivable at this point, most likely because the combat master just wouldn't be able to handle such a thing.

Still, her cheeks flushed just slightly when she thought of him, which was often. It was strange, because Alleyne couldn't remember being like this even when he was still around. She had of course heard that absence made the heart grow fonder, but this was beyond what she had expected. Whatever emotions she felt towards the man, even though she had not seen him in several weeks, were clearly not just platonic.

"Hey Alleyne, you're blushing again. Someone on your mind?"

The blond elf beauty cast an irritable glare at Echidna, who had her hands folded behind her head as she walked along the unnamed forest with the others. "I don't see how it is any of your business who I am thinking about."

That elicited a smirk from the green-haired mercenary. "So it is a who, huh? That man is the only person you think about these days, wouldn't you say?"

While her reference was not specific, it was clear to everyone who Echidna was talking about. Usually a composed woman, Alleyne was so unused to being teased about a man that she couldn't control the scowl that dominated her face at the remark. "Nothing of the sort. I assure you that my relationship with him is strictly that of a friend. Besides, he is far too young for me to consider for something like... like what you are insinuating."

Nowa, who was walking just a little further ahead alongside Lucas, turned back to look at her mentor. "There's nothing wrong with considering Church for that, is there Captain? Miss Echidna said that age doesn't matter in relationships."

Alleyne shot another glare at the snake-obsessed woman. "Why am I not pleased with you giving my student relationship advice?"

"Well I've got more experience than you, don't I? Out of all of us, I'm the only one who's not a virgin."

"That's not necessarily something to be proud of. Besides, there is more to a relationship than that!"

Echidna winked at the woman. "Well if you believe that, you must have been thinking about it for awhile now, Alleyne. How long have you been fantasizing over an ideal relationship with him?"

The blonde refrained from making any retort, lest she dig her grave any deeper. It was almost unheard of for her to be anything less than completely calm in conversation, so being so awkward and unsure of her own words was unsettling.

Echidna took that as a victory, but decided to gloat silently. Even Nowa had to stifle a giggle at her teacher's expense. Lucas was literally the only person less amused than Alleyne. "What's so great about this person you're all talking about anyway? I met him once and he was little more than a pushover."

Nowa outright scowled at the boy. "Don't say that about him! Church is an amazing person, even if he isn't the strongest fighter!"

Lucas tried his hardest to fight down a disgusted look, though he failed miserably. "If he's too weak to achieve his goals or even protect himself he's worthless. Isn't that obvious?"

In what was a very rare occasion, Nowa glared at her male companion. It was surprisingly ferocious, which may have had something to do with how out of place it was on her face. "That's enough! I won't let you say things like that about him. As long as I'm around, keep it to yourself!"

The whole group gawked at the girl in surprise. That was probably the meanest thing Nowa had ever said to anyone, ever. Although even then, she was being mean in the defense of another person. Lucas himself was the most flabbergasted of them all. The girl he had never heard a harsh word from in his childhood was not only using them now, but directing them at him. And in the defense of another man, no less!

"Come on, Nowa, there is no need to be like that over someone who is merely an acquaintance!"

At this, Nowa's angry countenance faded entirely. It had to, since countering that statement would require her to admit something embarrassing. "W-well... he's not just an acquaintance to me... I-I mean, he's more than that..."

Echidna seemed to be overjoyed by this development, if her next words were anything to go by. "Wow, the master and the student both enthralled by the same man? This just keeps getting better! Am I missing out on something? Cuz' if he's really that great I think I should hop on board too."

Nowa blushed furiously, while her teacher's was slightly more subdued. "W-well, like I said, he's really amazing, a-and... er, I don't really know, this is the first time I've felt this way about somebody... I mean, I love you guys too, but it's not the same. When I think about Church, I just... I get really happy. I can't really explain it."

Lucas' expression was a mix of many negative emotions, among them resentment, anger, and betrayal. Alleyne could see it all, and it was likely that Echidna could too, but chose to ignore it. Honestly, Alleyne had no idea why the boy felt so betrayed when Nowa had never really felt that way about him in the first place. Besides, although she felt just the slightest bit guilty about the thought, Alleyne was glad that Nowa had chosen to feel as she did towards someone like Church and not towards a self-pitying child like Lucas.

If Echidna really had taken notice of anything unusual in Lucas' countenance, she chose to ignore it completely. "Well, I can't say I blame either of you. He is a pretty interesting guy, and not half-bad in the looks department. If I ever get bored with the ladies I might decide to swing in his direction: unless the two of you would be there to fight me off, of course."

Not willing to be goaded, Alleyne crossed her arms and kept walking, wondering how the entire conversation had managed to turn onto the one person she couldn't get out of her head in the first place.

Church hadn't been on his own road for long when he got the distinct feeling that someone was watching him. It wasn't a dangerous feeling, but present, nevertheless. Despite the non-threatening aspect of this feeling, Church couldn't help but wonder if he was possibly being followed by the same dark-skinned assassin he had met earlier that day, although he had no idea why she would be following him instead of Tomoe and Shizuka.

He scanned his surroundings for telltale signs of his stalker, looking around the terrain that was slowly becoming mountainous as his path took him ever higher. He didn't spot anyone, but honestly he wasn't surprised. It was very likely that the woman he believed was following him was a master of stealth, she likely would not reveal herself until-

"Hey! Stop right there!"

In a moment of confusion, Church thought the assassin might have actually called him out, and in such an uncharacteristic way. However, it was indeed only a moment, for the voice that called him was not the smooth and suave tone of that tanned beauty, but a far more brusque voice that he recognized quite easily. Looking up, he spotted the two flashes of white, blue, and pink he had been expecting, as the only two angels he was acquainted with descended to the ground.

Before Church could utter a single word of greeting, Nanael jabbed a gloved finger at him. "You thought you could just run off and avoid us forever, huh? Well sorry, but we're not that easy to get rid of!"

Church cocked an eyebrow in response to the accusation, feigning indignation. "I'll have you know that I was quite worried about both of you. And yet here you are trying to accuse me of evading you. How rude."

Nanael's arm dropped as she struggled to find some sort of response. The idea that someone besides Hachiel would be worried about her well-being threw her off her game a bit. Fortunately, Hachiel picked up the slack. "We're pleased to see that you are alright as well. After the catastrophe at the castle, I had feared the worst for you."

It felt good to have people worrying about him, and cute girls to talk to was always a nice thing, but neither could keep Church from asking the obvious question here. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but what are you two doing here? This is kind of the middle of nowhere."

Nanael's hands went to her hips. "You've forgotten already, huh? You owe us for rescuing you and your friends back at the castle! Without us you'd still be in a cell!"

"And I'm very grateful, but how am I supposed to repay you? You're angels, surely there's nothing worthwhile a human could give you."

Hachiel was honestly not surprised that Church was ignorant of what they needed. After all, it was not like she had explicitly spelled it out for him. And even if she had, he probably would have forgotten by now anyway. She and Nanael had been keeping an eye on him ever since they managed to find him the other day with those two women from Hinomoto, and they were not oblivious to his fiasco in Alabaster Town either. The man got around quickly.

"Well, for now our request is very simple. You seem to like traveling with company: I don't suppose you would mind ours?"

Church smiled, ever eager to acquire the companionship of others. Why angels would want to travel with him, he dared not question, lest he jinx himself.

"Well I don't see why not."

You know, I myself had no idea the dialogue alone would make a normal length chapter this time around. Before even writing the last section, I had over the normal set length.

Anyway, I don't know if there will be any questions about the kind of interactions that went down this chapter, but if you do, feel free to PM or review or send a message to ask in some way, shape, or form.

And you know, as far as characters are concerned, I rather like a less naive, somewhat less childish Nowa. So you can probably expect more than that.

Anyway, until next time.