Author's Note: Finally cutting down on work hours, and I forgot to mention how happy I was to get last chapter out on time. I cut it close, only finishing and editing it right before the upload, but it turned out a bit better than I hoped. Supports will be supports but some nice character interactions outside of those supports was something I was looking forward to.

Pixelsaber: I'll admit, Lord Elbert's Death never hit me very hard. He learned almost nothing about him until the few chapters leading up to his death, and while important to the character of Eliwood, it never felt important to me. I tried improving it so it had more weight as a whole, but my feelings towards the scene may have leaked in a bit. The fallout was always something I knew needed to be a focus. In the game, it's hard to feel how devastating the loss is without the characters interacting about it and the like. It's one thing Fire Emblem has a tiny bit of trouble with. While the deaths that can happen are sad, the in-game death that happen as a part of the story never really get the full fallout they need. Awakening was probably the best about it, since at least the fallout lasted a whole extra chapter. I do want to say one thing: you're comment about Raven is actually what prompted that scene. I hadn't really thought about how truly injured he would be until you brought it up, so I'm grateful for the help. And yeah, Will can be pretty dense. I hope his points weren't entirely off the mark though. It's true that Hector and Eliwood are essentially shirking their familial duties to travel from this point on. Even though Nergal certainly does need to be stopped.

UltimaBuster: Yeah, sorry about that. Serra will still hopefully get the love you feel she deserves though, throughout the rest of this story. Will and Hector's relationship surprisingly became a focal point throughout this arc. From mutual distrust/dislike into what essentially is a very strong and powerful bond. Just one more thing the Maria character was able to contribute to, it seems. I still haven't gotten around to Leila again yet. Hopefully soon I'll be able to fit in some nice scenes for her.

Please enjoy.

Chapter 66: Memories of the Departed

Wallace,

I know you'll never receive this, but I wanted to write something to someone and you were the only one who came to mind.

My mind may not be able to remember my past well anymore, but I can still deliver decent tactics. After my fight with Hector, I realize how close with everyone here I've become. Sure, some will always be closer to me than others, but leaving them while going out on my own… it was a rash decision made in the heat of the moment.

Renault wanted me to be happy, even if it meant denying his gift. I don't know if I'll find that happiness, but I can't leave the fate of the world in Nergal's hands. I'll take Aureola, find Athos, find the other legendary weapons and defeat Nergal and the Black Fang once and for all. Not out of a sense of duty, but because I want to do what's right.

I hope you'll keep watch over us, as we find our way through these dark times.

Rest in peace,

Will

Found in Tactician William's records

Will rubbed the sore spot on his cheek. Sure, he had maybe deserved some of that fight, but the punching was something he was quickly regretting, especially since his face was aching something fierce now. Serra, Priscilla and even Lucius had refused to heal either him or Hector, stating they needed to repent their earlier actions.

This meant his jaw was going to be sore and hurting at least until they reach Badon, still a few days away. Will sighed. Now that Hector knew of his plan, he'd have to let Eliwood and Lyn in on it as well. He should also consult Florina, since he had made her the back-up tactician for the group. He had hoped she would fill his spot when he left, but that was no longer necessary. As all these thoughts clashed, he heard a knock at the door.

Opening it, he found Kent standing there. "Will." Kent said. "Would you like to come with me?"

It was a strange request, to say the least. "What for?" Will asked.

"We knights are having a small gathering." Kent said. "Well, Lady Lyndis and the Legion are bound to be there as well. I think only Lady Serra can't, since she's on healing duty."

"I see." Will said. "Yeah… I'd like that."

He followed Kent from the room. They headed straight for the galley. Upon arrival, Will noticed Lowen happily cooking away in the kitchen, Canas assisting him. At the largest table sat the gathering. Marcus, Oswin (now fully healed), Dorcas, Bartre, Hector, Matthew, Merlinus, Erk, Lyn, Florina, Ninian, Nils and Sain were already seated, each holding a drink. Kent sat down, Will following suit just next to him. Sain poured them both a glass, passing the ale to the two.

"I uh… I don't drink." Will said.

"Just this once." Hector said. "Let that tension go for a while."

Will sighed. "Fine… but only enough for the toast."

Hector chuckled. "Of course." He stood up. "Comrades! Today, we honor those who fell in battle on the Dread Isle!"

"Is this everyone?" Will asked.

"Some are still injured." Kent whispered. "Lord Eliwood has yet to emerge, though Lady Fiora took a few mugs down with her. I believe Guy is currently experiencing a rather nasty bout of seasickness."

"Ah." Will said. That would keep Guy out of the gathering, wouldn't it? Come to think of it, he hadn't seen the swordsman unless it was on the deck. He supposed that must be why. "Is anyone checking on him?"

"I believe so." Kent said. "Fargus would inform us otherwise."

"Too true." Will admitted.

"To Renault, our mysterious Excellency who sacrificed himself for our escape!" Hector shouted.

Everyone drank. To Will, it was nasty and bitter. He nearly spat it out all over the table. Why anyone would drink this swill was beyond him. Before he had finished swallowing, Hector's mug was back in the air.

"To Lord Elbert, whose brave sacrifice wounded Nergal enough for us to get away!"

They drank a second time. This time, Will took a smaller sip. Not out of disrespect, but because a giant swig of that would most certainly end up on the floor. Hector's mug was in the air again before he had finished swallowing.

"And to Lord Wallace, who fought damn hard until his dying breath, killing that bastard Ephidel!"

They drank for the third time. Will swallowed as he shook his head. He didn't like this buzzing feeling that was entering his brain. It was like his thoughts couldn't connect themselves properly. Hector finally sat down, which meant the toasting was over. Gratefully, Will quickly pushed the mug away. Bartre, who had finished his already, snatched it up and chugged the rest down.

"Better hope there wasn't any backwash." Sain chuckled.

"Hey now!" Will said. "I'm not a sloppy drinker!"

"Just a sloppy fighter." Kent giggled.

Wait… giggled? Will glanced over, but the red armored knight's face was already a spectacular shade of red. "Kent… are you drunk already?"

"What? NO!" Kent said defensively. "I drink all the time when Sain drags me to bars and flirts with women and everyone fawns over him."

"He really doesn't." Sain said.

"SSSHHSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHSHHHHHHH." Kent said, putting his hands over Sain's mouth. Sain raised an eyebrow. "No one needs to know."

Will chuckled. It felt like the first time in a while he had such a ridiculous scene before his eyes.

As Oswin and Bartre began a drinking contest, Will couldn't help joining in cheering them on. Of course, he'd be rooting for Bartre. No way Oswin was out drinking that monster.

"Lord Eliwood." Fiora said gently, knocking on the door. "Can I come in?"

No sound came from inside. Pushing the door open, Fiora finally found Eliwood asleep, slumbering soundly with his head resting on his arms, which were resting on the table. With a small sigh, Fiora grabbed the blanket off the nearby bed, placing it around his shoulders. She then left the room once more, taking the mugs with her. Since Eliwood didn't need them…

"This is to you, sisters." Fiora said softly, before downing the mug. The taste was just as bitter as she remembered.

"Urk…" Guy leaned over the railing, trying his best to keep the food he had eaten earlier down. Every time this happened to him, but he knew he couldn't eat nothing for the duration of the trip. So the cycle was seemingly never ending. To be fair, it had been worse when he was coped up in the medical wing for a few days. With all three healers on him at nearly all times, he'd had no fresh air to breathe and forced to eat more than he felt he could stomach.

Thankfully, his leg and ribs were fine. He was made of some sturdy stuff, and the intense use of Priscilla's mend staff had gradually reduced the bruising and swelling to a point where he was in safe territory again. This time, he had even managed to thank her. Priscilla had smiled at him then. It was a wonderfully beautiful smile, he had to admit. Wasn't Erk her… guard? Maybe he should go into body guarding. He could certainly improve his swordsmanship.

It was at this moment he noticed Priscilla, sitting quietly upon the deck. She hadn't seemed to notice him, looking out upon the waves for reasons of her own. He noticed, despite his nausea, the trails of tears down her face. Once he noticed, he found himself unable to simply let it go. Wobbling over as slowly as he could to prevent her from noticing his instability, he called out to her. "Miss… Priscilla?"

"Oh!" Priscilla exclaimed in surprise. She quickly wiped her eyes, though realized it was far too late to fool the young nomad. "Hi… Guy."

"Why are you crying?" Guy asked simply.

"I… there is… hmm." Priscilla trailed off. "I'm not sure how to say it."

"You promised not to speak of it?" Guy said. "Forgive me then, I did not intend to pry."

"No, it's alright." Priscilla said. "I know what it must look like."

"Perhaps… simply don't mention who said it?" Guy supplied.

"Yes I… I suppose I might be able to do that." Priscilla said. "Someone… asked me to leave Lord Eliwood's company."

"What?" Guy cried in surprise. "Why… why would they ask that?"

"They… I know it is mostly for my well-being." Priscilla said somewhat defensively. "And it's not as if… their points were invalid either."

"What do you mean? You've always been a great help with your healing." Guy said. "Those times I was injured, you took extra time ensuring I was fully healed, didn't you?"

"But I can't protect myself." Priscilla said. "Lucius, Renault… even Serra can use light magic now. But I… I've always needed protection."

"Some people aren't meant to fight. Your healing doesn't become any less important because of that." Guy smiled.

"Lord Wallace, Lord Elbert, Excellency Renault." Priscilla said. "Three dead and gone because our company wasn't strong enough. Nergal has some sort of super soldiers called morphs on his side, one's capable of defeating any one of us with ease. Who's to say ten… no, even twenty normal fighters would be able to compare? You may not have realized since you're one of them, Guy, but our company is… pretty exceptional."

"I have." Guy admitted. "Lady Lyndis is a swordfighter so capable as to make me lament my skills almost every day."

"Lady Serra is my Lady Lyndis." Priscilla said. "She's strong, confident… she refuses to give way under pressure. When she's healing, you can tell how truly dedicated she is. Next to her, I do feel rather… inadequate."

"But why should that be any reason for you to leave?" Guy asked.

"If precious members must be used to protect me… someone who can't even travel without a guard…" Priscilla trailed off. "I may be more of a burden than a help."

"That's not-"

"Erk's contract is up in two month's time." Priscilla said. "No matter what we do, we'll be back in Lycia at that time. If I… If I did leave…"

"I don't think you should do that." Guy said. "You look like it's killing you just considering it."

"I'm just… I'm not sure I can get through to him. Even if I do, if I'm of no help to the company…"

"If you're worried about that," Guy said, "you can always come to me for help. Or maybe… if that doesn't work, you could try getting Erk to teach you magic?"

Priscilla looked at Guy in surprise. "Guy, that's brilliant."

"Huh? I mean, it is?" Guy said in surprise.

"Yes! I'll get started right away! Thank you!" Priscilla said, leaping to her feet. She gripped Guy's hand, shaking it vigorously before heading back below deck.

"Glad I could help." Guy said with a small smile. Once Priscilla had vanished beneath the deck, he hurried back over to the railing. He was most definitely about to be sick.

Across the ship, Lucius leaned against the railing, looking back at the waters they had traversed. In his mind, he felt like he could see Renault's last stand, as the brave Excellency faced down the Morphs without a hint of fear, taking many of them with him as he went. It was an impressive imagining, to be sure, but Lucius hated the idea of contemplating the man's death.

"What you doin' out here, pretty boy?" Dart grunted, placing a barrel he must've taken from below deck down on the wooden floor.

"Ah… Dart." Lucius said. He hadn't had any time to speak with the pirate. To be fair, he wasn't sure if Dart had spoken to any of them much during their time on the Dread Isle. "How are you?"

"Eh, doin' fine." Dart shrugged. "To be honest, been having some… thoughts lately."

"Oh?" Lucius asked. "What about?"

"Me past." Dart said. "I ain't usually the type to dwell, but Rebecca and Wil have been damn insistent on tellin' me who I am. I don't like it."

"No one can decide who you are." Lucius said. "But why is this such a concern?"

"I don't… I can't remember me past." Dart admitted. "It's a literal case of amnesia, you get me? I barely remember anything before Cap'n picked me up and let me serve on his ship."

"I see." Lucius said. "That would cause you some trouble in rebuking them, wouldn't it."

"Well it's like… I felt so sure about meself, but now… I kinda doubt it." Dart growled. "They look damn familiar, that's for sure. If I can't just discount it entirely cause me guts telling me something…"

"I understand that feeling all too well." Lucius said. "When I was on the Dread Isle, I had to come to terms with my family's death. It was something that's haunted me for a long time. I felt I was a poor monk, one who couldn't truly be devout because I could not forgive the man who killed my parents. But there… somehow… I felt like I was given the chance to see his point of view. People do things, terrible things, sometimes without knowledge of the consequences. I think… now… I can forgive him."

"Yeah? Well that's damn noble of you." Dart said.

"Are you considering traveling with us?" Lucius asked.

"Eh?" Dart said. "Uh… well… after learning 'bout Nergal's plans and all that… I've been considering it. Don't seem right to leave ya'll to fend for yourselves."

"Well, I know we'd be happy to have you, Dart. It's your choice to make." Lucius said.

"Yeah, I'll think on it." Dart said.

"Oh, one last thing before I go." Lucius said, as he began to head back inside, it was about time for him to head back to take over for Serra. "Don't call me pretty boy again."

Dart shivered. The look the monk gave him was one he found utterly terrifying. Yet… somehow… it was familiar? Where had he seen that face before? Clutching his head, the only thing that came to mind was a flash of green.

"You know… we did actually get a chance to train with Wallace once." Sain said as the party continued.

"You did?" Will asked. "When was this?"

"Ah, it was back during training. Kent and I had passed the first few rounds of training, but General Eagler wanted to put us to a real test." Sain began happily. "He decided, probably because he knew there was no one better, to send us to a lone mountaintop."

The climb had been long and hard. General Eagler, for reasons that escaped them, hadn't allowed them to bring their horses along. So he and Kent had been forced to climb this mountain all day, searching for the residence he had sent them to. Why he had sent them there was another mystery, but neither of them cared very much about the reason anymore now that they were so exhausted.

It had taken them two whole weeks to get here in the first place, because the map they had been given was drawn so poorly they had gotten lost for an entire week before getting back on track. Because of this, their food supplies were beginning to run low.

"Why… in the world…" Kent panted, "Is it so important for us… to meet this man?"

"I… have no flippin'… clue." Sain panted back.

As they continued to desperately climb, the night began to wane, the morning sun beginning to peak itself out from the far horizon. Finally, just as the true morning hours begun, they saw the top, reaching it right before collapsing onto the hard dirt.

"Oy, what's all this then?" The booming voice of a large armored man said. "Who are you two?"

"Kent." Kent managed.

"Sain… knight of… Lycia… in training." Sain wheezed.

"Ho? Then you two are the two Eagler's been telling me about. Gotta say, you're less impressive than I was hoping."

"We've been trying to find you… for two weeks." Kent said.

"The map you left was terrible!" Sain growled.

"Ah… right. That. My bad." The general laughed heartily. "Two weeks though? I suppose that may not be so bad after all. Come on in then. We'll have some breakfast, then you two can see what a real workout looks like."

"Wallace's hell training." Will shuddered. "I remember it all too well."

"No one who's had that friggin training can forget it." Wil said from across the table. "You know while we were traveling to Valor Wallace forced me to do that every morning with him? The guy's a monster. Err… was, I guess."

"He was one-of-a-kind." Sain said. "I can't remember the rest of the story too well from there, but I know Kent and I improved greatly thanks to him. We became knights, saved you and Lyndis, stopped Lundgren… all of it was thanks to him. And our own efforts, of course."

"Do you think…" Will began. "Do you really think he's… okay with how it all ended?"

"Dunno." Wil said. "But he died doing what he wanted. Helping us. That has to count for something right?"

"It counted!" Kent shouted drunkenly. "So much, it's like the amount of gold we had before Will spent it all on those supplies! It was huuuuuge!"

"Yeah it did!" Bartre shouted back. "Not to mention he's the only one I never got to beat in a spar!"

"I think… I'd like to get some air." Will said, smiling softly. "The booze isn't agreeing with me too well. I'll be back once I've cleared my head."

"Yeah, sounds good." Hector said. "I was thinking of doing some rounds to rope in some more people. Once I've finished, I'll come get you."

"Sounds good." Will agreed. "See you in a bit then."

Will and Hector left the Galley while the merriment continued, now turning into more of an impromptu party with Fargus' crew joining in on the drinking. Oswin, sadly, lay unconscious on the floor.

Hector knocked on the door once more. He hadn't meant to hear it, but when he had passed by the door he heard the sounds of sobbing. When he didn't hear a sound, he pressed on the handle. It gave way, opening to a scene he hadn't been expecting to see.

Serra lay on the bed, sobbing deeply into her pillow. Her hair, usually in two ponytails, was undone and lay across her back. Her white dress was more disheveled than he had ever seen it. She had likely fallen on the bed as soon as she had returned from the medical wing. She looked up as he entered, sniffling heavily, before gasping and trying to hide her face in her pillow again.

"Uh… Serra?" Hector said awkwardly. He couldn't just leave now that he had seen this, but he wasn't sure how willing she was to talk.

"…What." Serra managed, her voice still cracking.

"Are you… uh… okay?" Hector asked.

Even as Serra glared at him, he knew it was a stupid question. "No, Lord Hector. I'm not."

"Why… are you crying?" He tried again.

"I…" Serra trailed off. "I was just… thinking about Lord Wallace."

"About your argument?" Hector asked.

"How did you-"

"Hey, I may be insensitive but I'm not a moron." Hector said defensively. "You and he had a big argument in the Dragon's Gate. Before that… you had another argument with him at Caelin, didn't you?"

"I…" Serra began. She found it too difficult to continue, the tears trailing down his face. "His injuries from Bauker were… so severe. I told him… I told him not to fight anymore, but he…"

Hector crossed the room in three strides, grabbing Serra as gently as he good before drawing her in for a hug. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how hard this was on you."

Serra cried. It had been a long time since she allowed herself to really let it all go. The months of stress, of worry over her charges, along with what had happened to their friends on the island, all of it came pouring out in one big mess. Eventually, slowly, her sobs began to subside. "When you aren't punching out our tactician, you mean." she said sarcastically.

Hector winced. "Yeah… sorry about that. I'm not too great at pep talks."

"You got the job done, I suppose." Serra sighed.

"Look, Serra… I've been meaning to ask." Hector asked. "About that abbey you lived in… it's the one in Ostia, isn't it?"

Serra flinched. Hector felt it since he still hadn't let her go. Great, another subject he shouldn't have touched on had been. He was hitting every wrong note today. "What of it?" Serra asked, carefully.

"Well, the only abbey I know of is the one my brother rebuilt when he became Marquis of Ostia." Hector said. "I was just… checking."

Serra remained silent, though her grip on Hector's shirt tightened.

"So… that was the place." Hector answered his own question.

"I… yes. That's where I grew up." Serra said softly. "Children who lost their parents in the wars, children from poor villages… It's more of an Orphanage than anything else, really."

"I remember visiting it once." Hector said. "It was uh… well it was pretty dismal. I know it's gotten better these past few years but…"

"We only have a little food, so everyone be sure to share." Serra recited. They were likely words she had heard thousands of times before. "Tonight's a special night, the Marquis gave us money for a nice turkey dinner." She sniffed, but continued. "Serra, I'm sorry to ask, but the little ones do terribly in the cold. We only have a few blankets to spare…"

"Serra…" Hector said kindly, cutting her off.

"No, it's okay." Serra said firmly. "I was fine. Really. After all it… it was only temporary! Things would get better!"

"Serra?" Hector said.

Serra looked up at him, her eyes still bleary with tears. "I really am of the bloodline of an Etrurian count's family, I am! I just can't meet them because of… family issues! Someday… someday they'll welcome me back! Surely!"

Hector closed his eyes. In spite of himself, he could feel tears forming in his eyes as well. It wouldn't do for him to cry. Not yet.

"My mother and father are kind people, who thought of me often. They hoped to take me away so I wouldn't be alone in the abbey forever. It… it has to be true." Serra said softly, her voice failing.

Hector opened his eyes again, looking at Serra as he never had before. This was not some screeching harpy. It was not an arrogant but talented healer. She was… scared. A sad, timid little girl who simply didn't want to be alone. Live alone. Die… alone.

"Don't look at me like that!" Serra said angrily, striking Hector's chest with her small hand. "It's true! It really is!" She struck again, but this time Hector caught her hand in his.

"It's fine, Serra. I believe you." Hector said with a small smile. "Come on, don't cry. I've never doubted who you said you are."

"Hmph." Serra said, pulling her hand from Hector's and crossing them over her chest. "I know that."

"Good." Hector said. "After all, until your parents come for you… we're your family."

Serra looked at him in surprise. "Eh?"

"Look, I'm not the greatest guy, but Oswin's pretty reliable, Matthew's one damn good information source and even Leila will love you." Hector said. "Everyone else I can't speak for, but to us… to Ostia, you're family."

Serra blushed. She even surprised herself with the ferocity of it. Quickly turning away, she hid her face from Hector to wipe away her tears once more. When she had, she turned back to face him with her imperious grin back in place. "Well… you are a bit untidy to be a member of my family… but I suppose I could tolerate that… for now… yeah."

"Well, thank you for that." Hector said with a far too ungracious bow.

Serra giggled.

Will took a deep breath of the sea air. In a strange way, he felt better. Whether it was from clearing the small amount of alcohol he had ingested, or that everyone was celebrating those that had fallen… he wasn't sure. Maybe it was just… being with people again. Ever since he had joined Eliwood, he had felt like a much better person. More positive, more confident in himself and his choices. Even learning about his grandfather hadn't really changed that, or about his mother's past and Merlinus' involvement. When Wallace had died… it was like Maria all over again.

He could no longer remember her face. Her voice no longer sounded like the one he thought he knew. However, the feelings of loss… of failing… were still there.

Having it out with Hector well… it was much more brutal than he had thought. Sure, he knew it wasn't necessarily the smartest move, or the best, but he had taken that decision upon himself. The points he made during their argument weren't wrong either. Well, Will wasn't as worried about Hector as he was about Eliwood.

Unlike himself, Hector and Lyndis, Eliwood had never really experienced the world in the way they had. Pharae, for all intents and purposes, was a nice country. The Marquis took great care with the citizenry, and in return they respected his laws. Any bandits here or there were more of the exception than the rule. When Lord Elbert had disappeared… it was likely the worst occurrence in recent history for them.

Eliwood had a tough façade, but even that had cracked on occasion. Will remembered the talk they had right after taking Laus. Eliwood's doubts and fears could easily break him if he let them. Now, with the original source of his strength gone… would Eliwood even stand again? How could he, as Eliwood's friend, tactician, and confidant, pull him from this state? He didn't know.

"Will?" A soft voice called him.

He turned to see Florina leaning on the railing next to him. "Oh… hey." He said. "How long have you been there?"

"Not… too long." Florina said. "You looked like you were thinking about something."

"Yeah." Will said. "I'm worried about Eliwood. Not to mention everything else."

"What's the plan?" Florina asked. "I know you have one."

"To find the legendary weapons." Will said simply. "To do that, we'll have to look for Athos, I'm thinking."

"Athos… is he still alive?" Florina asked. "I thought he was one of the Heroes during the Scouring?"

"Yeah, he was." Will said. "I'm not sure how he's still alive, but it would make some rumors I've heard make a lot more sense. Now if only I had actual substantial evidence, that would seal the deal. If I could get that, maybe Eliwood…"

"I see." Florina said. "Even now, you're thinking about how to help us. It's… amazing."

"Only after Hector smacked me good for being an idiot." Will chuckled.

"I think… all he meant was… you take too much on yourself, you know?" Florina said. "You can trust us to help you. After all… you made me your back-up, right?"

"Yeah… you definitely have a point there." Will said. "I'm sorry, Florina. I'm still getting used to being helped, I guess."

"It's okay." Florina said. "You'll get better with time."

"So, what would you suggest?" Will asked, a small smile playing across his face.

"Eh?" Florina squeaked. "Umm… about what?"

"My plan." Will said.

"Hmm…" Florina placed a finger to her head thoughtfully. It made Will chuckle. "Well, if we need information about finding the legendary weapons or Lord Athos… wouldn't Ostia be our best bet?"

"Marquis Ostia?" Will mused. "You have a point. Matthew has mentioned their net is pretty wide. Not to mention the spies from Etruria or Bern may have let slip useful information. Add in that traveling to Ostia is much easier than Bern, Etruria or Ilia and… that's a pretty good idea."

Florina blushed. "Thank you."

"There's one other thing I've been meaning to talk to you about." Will said hesitantly. "Well, I mean… how to start." He scratched the back of his head. "I'm trying not to be… you know, insensitive about it."

"Uh-huh." Florina said slowly.

"Well, I mean… I could be wrong and if I'm wrong that's fine." Will said quickly, blushing slightly himself. "But you… and Lyn… you aren't umm… are you?"

Florina understood what Will was getting at, her blush probably reaching the worst it had ever been. "I… umm…"

"It's just I… I'm not any sort of…" Will stammered, which reminded her awfully of herself. "I've never… you know?"

"Yeah… well… I mean… in my case… not Lyn…" Florina stuttered out herself.

"Right… sorry. I should've just… maybe I should go." Will said.

"No!" Florina shouted. Her hand shot out, grabbing his without meaning to as he turned away. "You were… I am…" Closing her eyes, without thinking, she raised herself onto her tiptoes. An instant later, her lips met his. It was a moment that felt like an eternity.

Silently, at the below deck entrance, Lyn closed the door. She walked back towards her room, covering her eyes so no one could see her cry.