So someone tells me Ein is pronounced EYE-n, which is German for one. Well, I still find it a bit awkward, so I prefer EE-in. Just personal preference, so don't take offense or anything XD
Okay, I'm Canadian so school starts in September, though it probably varies between provinces/states. By the time September rolls around, you could probably expect updates to come weekly instead of twice a week. Don't yell at me, though XD. High school is one hell of a busy life, and I don't expect it to become any easier by the time I reach the university level.
What's up with the doc uploader? I had to retry five times just to get this chapter up... how annoying. Anyway...
Awright, here's chapter 13. This one was written with a slightly lighter and giddy atmosphere (giddy… used to describe atmosphere? I dunno…). Lina's providing most of the comic relief in this chapter, as she is for most of the story XD. Serene has a little to do with it too near the end. Anyhow, enjoy!
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"We're back!"
Ein, Fia, Rose, Ledah, and Cierra all turned to see Lina walk in, pulling Serene behind her, barely giving her enough time to take her shoes off.
"Lina, wa-wait!" Serene stammered, struggling in Lina's tight grip. Lina suddenly released her hold, and Serene nearly fell down. Barely managing to catch herself with her wings, she got up and glared at Lina's back.
"Hey, you two," Fia greeted. "We were waiting. What were you doing?"
"Yeah, what were you doing?" Rose smirked.
Serene blushed at the question, but Lina covered up for her. "Just testing out Serene's new weapon!" she chirped.
Ein's ears perked up. "Weapon?" he asked curiously.
Serene pulled out the scythe, which she had been hiding behind her back as best she could with her thin figure. "Crescent Darkness," she stated, her face still tinted red. Serene glared at Rose, who was stifling a laugh as best she could.
"Rose, what's so funny?" Cierra asked. She smacked Rose on the head for good measure.
Rose regained her composure. "Oh, nothing. Hey, are you two gonna eat or not?"
"Yeah, why don't we look at the new scythe after eating?" Ein suggested. "I'm really hungry. There's some good dragon steak here."
Fia gave Ein a sideways glance. "There are vegetables too, okay?" She pointed at the bowls of greens in the middle of the table. There was a big salad bowl too. Seven plates were arranged around the rectangular table. "Don't forget to eat your veggies!"
"Looks great!" Serene exclaimed, following Lina to the table. By complete coincidence, Serene ended up facing Lina at the table.
"Thanks for the food!" Lina said, picking up her fork.
Fia looked at her in confusion. "Where did that come from?" she asked. "I've never heard you say that before."
"Oh, I just felt like saying it," Lina said sheepishly. "Come on, let's eat!"
Everyone ignored the incident and began to eat.
"Oh, yeah, I need to talk to you all about something," Ein announced, halfway through his steak.
Ledah looked up. "Huh?"
"Everyone has to hear this," Ein continued. "Riviera has new enemy now."
"What?" everyone chorused.
"Enemy?" Fia managed. She put her fork down.
"Yeah. Ursula contacted me in my dream after the battle." Ein paused to take a bite of steak, and swallowed before continuing. "Another Magus by the name of Orion is apparently planning to destroy Riviera for his own selfish goals."
"Orion?" Rose asked. Fia picked up her fork again to take another bite. Ledah kept eating, and Lina barely paid attention, stuffing her face with food.
"Was he behind that attack earlier today?" Cierra asked, nibbling a carrot.
"Yeah, that's what Ursula said," Ein affirmed. "Orion has the power to summon and control huge beings like that one, and his power is supposed to be about ten times Hector's."
"Ten times!" Serene nearly spewed the food out of her mouth. "Ten times… that power?"
"Serene?" Serene looked up to see Lina staring at her. "Are you okay?"
"Uh, I'm fine, but didn't you hear a thing Ein said?"
"Not really," Lina chirped. She absentmindedly stuffed a stalk of celery into her mouth. "Ish ith importhanth?"
"Lina, listen to what he's saying!" Fia scolded. "Of course it's important!"
"It's okay, really… Uh, anyway, his most powerful ability is that he can transform into anyone whose image he has in his memory," Ein continued, looking hard at Lina.
"What!" Rose shouted, barely refraining from spraying Ledah, who was sitting across from her, with food. "How can we defeat someone like that?"
"Ursula simply said it's up to us," Ein replied. "I'm not sure if we'll be able to do it, but we have to believe."
"Ein's right," Ledah agreed, swallowing a bite. "So is Ursula. Only we can possibly know who is who."
"Yeah, we can't be beaten by some imposter," Fia agreed. "We all know each other well. We should be able to tell."
"But what if we can't?" Serene asked. "He might end up making us kill each other off!"
"How can we beat something like this?" Cierra wondered. "We need a plan of some sort."
"Well, it will take time for him to recharge his power after that last fight," Ein continued. "During that time, we should think up a counterattack."
"Couldn't he might be among us right now?" Lina asked. Everyone froze at the statement. "Uh, what? Say something!"
"I don't know what to say to that," Serene said. "It's possible, isn't it?"
"I don't think so," Ein put in. "He's still recharging. Summoning that beast must have taken a lot of his power."
"That may be so, but let's be more cautious while knowing about that ability," Ledah added. "We better move carefully against this new enemy."
"Yeah," Ein agreed. "One more thing, he's the new commander of the Grim Angels. I don't think Asgard has a Light Angel, but Orion might just decide to promote some of the Grim Angels."
"That might become a problem too," Fia stated. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this."
"We better enjoy the peace while we can," Rose put in. "We're going to be fighting another war very soon, it seems."
"So what does that make us?" Lina exclaimed, nibbling on a carrot. "Riviera's guardians?"
"I guess so," Cierra smiled. "Ein, the Guardian Angel."
Ein blushed. "You don't need to put it like that," he stammered. "I… I'm just another living being here in Riviera. I'll fight to protect it."
"That's our angel," Serene winked. "You have our help and our trust." She spooned some rice into her mouth.
"Agreed!" Fia jumped in. "Ein was our hero before, so he can be our hero again!" She threw her arms around his neck from his side, where she sat, nearly choking him.
"Come on," Ein protested. "I'm not a hero. I have all of you to give credit to."
"I guess so," Cierra said. "But hey, you saved us, even if you didn't do it single-handedly. Give yourself more credit!"
"Uh, right," Ein shifted in his chair, cheeks still bright red. "I… why don't we just eat?"
"Yeah," Ledah added. "That's what we're here for."
The dinner continued quietly for a few minutes as everyone tried to come up with an attack plan. Lina finished first and ran off, leaving her plate and utensils on the table.
"Like I said, still a kid," Serene muttered to herself.
"Okay, I'm done," Ein announced, picking up his plate. He took Lina's plate with him as he walked into the kitchen.
"That was pretty good, Ein," Serene called after him. "You too, Ledah."
"Thanks." Ledah picked up his own plate and utensils and brought them into the kitchen. Fia soon followed. Ein brought a large basket of fruit into the dining room, and Ledah carried a plate of cut fruit.
"Okay, here's dessert," Ein announced, setting the basket on the table. He then looked inside, stunned. Half the applecots were gone. "Where did the applecots go?" he demanded. "Lina!"
"W-what?" Lina crawled out from under the table, mouth full.
"Did you take the applecots?" he asked. "Oh, why am I asking? It's in your mouth!"
Lina swallowed as quickly as she could. "Lina's mouth is empty!" she announced. She opened her mouth and pointed inside. Ein could see small crumbs of applecot.
"Yeah, you took the applecots," Ein mumbled.
Lina's jaw dropped in surprise. "What?"
"Forget it. Just enjoy the fruit!"
"With pleasure!" Lina jumped up and grabbed a handful of applecots and banangos and ran off. Ein looked inside the basket and shook his head. Lina had left only three applecots and two banangos.
"Well, we still have the cut fruit," Ledah said from behind him. Quickly realizing Ledah was still holding the plate, Ein moved out of the way and let Ledah set it down on the table.
"So any ideas about Orion yet?" Ein asked as he sat down. He picked up a piece of applecot and took a bite. "He's one formidable enemy."
"That he is," Rose agreed. She reached for an applecot piece. "Is force good enough to beat him?"
"It might be, if we can keep him from transforming or summoning," Cierra suggested, reaching for a banango from the basket. "Can we seal his magic? He's a Magus. It's gonna be more than a little difficult."
"I see what you're saying," Ledah said thoughtfully. "If we seal his magic, then he can't do a thing."
"I'm sure he can still fight physically," Ein put in. "With ten times Hector's power, it shouldn't be hard, and he has all the Grim Angels on his side too."
"Come to think of it, what lies is he telling them this time?" Rose asked. "'It's the will of the Gods' shouldn't be swaying them anymore."
"No, it's possible," Ein argued. "Even though Hector's defeat is pretty well-known by now, the Grim Angels still operate on the Gods' will."
"That may be so, but shouldn't the angels be more insightful?" Cierra countered. "By now they should realize that not all Magi act on the Gods' will."
"That's true too," Ledah added. "However, you can't assume I'm the only one who gave up his emotions either. Those who give up their emotions will never be able to question their duty."
"What a complicated matter," Rose remarked. "We certainly need more information on Orion." She nibbled on a banango. "Should one of us do some reconnaissance?"
"I don't think so," Ledah argued. "That would be dangerous. What if he kills that person and takes his or her form?"
"Yeah, I guess you have a point there. But, what are we gonna do? We need to find out more about this guy!" Rose protested.
At that moment, Fia walked in, carrying a large plate with six cups and a teapot.
"Ah, tea," Cierra remarked. "We have tea quite a bit lately."
"Well, it's all natural." Fia beamed. "Remember, I grow tea in the garden." She set the plate down on the table next to the fruit basket and proceeded to pour out the cups. "I don't think Lina wants tea," she remarked. "She didn't drink any last time."
"Applecots are enough for her," Serene replied.
"Oh my," Fia said, glancing into the fruit basket. "Did Lina take all the fruit?"
"Yeah," Ein replied sheepishly. "I didn't stop her."
"Well that's okay." Fia handed out the cups of tea, receiving thanks from everyone. "There's plenty more in the garden."
Serene bit an applecot piece. Yeah, mine are definitely sweeter, she thought, remembering what Lina had said back at Serene's house. They don't know my secret spot. She hid her grin from the others.
"So, Fia, what do you think of Orion?" Rose asked.
"Ein?" Fia purposely misheard. "He's a nice guy. I like him." She smiled at Ein, and he quickly looked away, blushing.
"Um, Orion," Rose murmured uneasily, sweat trickling down her face. "You know, that evil Magus guy who plans to destroy Riviera."
"Oh, Orion!" Fia chuckled. "Um, I don't know, really."
"We do need a plan of some sort," Ledah added, giving the embarrassed Ein a sideways glance. "How can we defeat him? His powers allow him to infiltrate us."
"We just have to trust ourselves and each other, right?" Fia replied. Everyone turned to her. "We're the best of friends. Our bond can never be broken."
"But I'm kinda new?" Ledah said. "Although Ein and Rose knew me for a long time already, I don't know all of you too well, and the vice versa."
"We'll just have to rely on Ein and Rose then, shall we?" Fia took a bite out of an applecot. "Ein's our leader, after all."
"Leader?" Ein protested. "Why am I the leader?"
"You can't be a leader again after leading the previous resistance?" Rose asked.
"You're the most capable one here, and you know all our abilities and weaknesses," Serene added. "It's only natural you lead us."
"I… guess so," Ein mumbled. "Okay then, I'll lead again."
"All right!" Cierra clapped her hands together. "We can give Ein advice, and he'll plan everything."
"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Ledah put in. "You'll have him shoulder all the responsibility?"
"Ein's a dependable guy," Fia responded. "I believe in him."
"Fia…" Ein stared at her for a moment. Fia looked back. "I…"
"Right, Ein?" Fia pressed.
"I believe in you too, Ein!" Cierra added.
"Yeah!" Serene agreed.
"Me too!" Rose said.
"I guess I do too," Ledah murmured.
"I… thanks, guys," Ein said. "I'll do it. We'll beat him together!"
"Yeah!" everyone cheered.
"I wonder where Lina went." Serene picked up a banango and stood up. "I'm going to see what she's up to."
"Okay." Ein waved her off.
Serene quietly left the dining room and crept up the stairs. She found Lina's room easily enough, next to Fia's room, which was clean and organized. She walked into Lina's room to find Lina jumping on the bed again. Clothes littered the floor, and the bed was a mess. A round mirror stood on a wooden table. The table was covered with various articles of clothing. The window hung open, and a gentle breeze wafted in from the opening.
"Oh, Serene!" Lina exclaimed when she saw her walk in. "How was the chat?"
"You missed a lot," Serene said in a serious tone. "We were discussing how to beat Orion. We're gonna take a huge magic bow and fire Cierra at him, and then she'll turn into a huge fireball and explode when she hits him. After that, we'll take all the pieces and cook them and eat them!"
"Whoa!" Lina stopped jumping and ran up to Serene. "Really? Really! We get to eat Cierra and the bad guy!"
"No." Serene laughed. "Just kidding."
"Waahhh!" Lina wailed. "Serene's mean!" She looked ready to cry.
"Come on, Lina," Serene smiled. She gently ruffled her hair. "Loosen up! You were jumping on the bed just a minute ago."
"Ah hah!" Lina jumped away, holding a banango above her head. "Gotcha!"
"Huh? What…" Serene looked down at her hand. The banango was gone. "How did you do that?" she demanded.
Lina giggled. "Lina's sneaky!" She peeled the banango and bit it, jumping on the bed again.
Serene shook her head. "You'd make a good thief," she remarked.
"Yup!" Lina exclaimed. She finished eating the banango and chucked the peel at Serene.
She caught it in her hand, spreading sticky juices onto her hand.
"Eww!" Serene shouted, and proceeded to throw the peel out the window.
"Someone's gonna slip on that," Lina informed her. "I'm sure Cierra would."
"Then she should watch where she's going," Serene replied. "Besides, that was disgusting!"
"Banango peels are fun!" Lina continued jumping. "Let's get more and throw them all out the window!"
"No, I think one is enough," Serene said. She wandered around the small room, picking up clothes as she went. Lina paid no attention as she went about collecting clothes. When she finished, Serene had a pile the size of her head. Lina looked down in surprise.
"Where did Serene find those clothes?" she asked cluelessly.
Serene pointed around the room. "Oh, just over there, there, there, there, there…"
"Oh, right," Lina said sheepishly. "Why did you pick them up?"
"You seemed to need help cleaning up." Serene winked. "You should do laundry or something."
"Lina hates chores!" Lina announced, and resumed jumping on the bed.
Serene shook her head. "You're older than Fia, and yet younger, in so many ways," she mumbled to herself. "But that's what makes you different."
"What are you babbling about?" Lina chirped. Serene looked up to see Lina was staring down at her."
"Oh, nothing," Serene hastily replied. "I can't tell which ones of these are dirty and which ones are clean."
"The ones that are dirty are dirty, and the ones that aren't dirty are clean!" Lina nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that's it!"
Serene sighed. "No kidding."
"No, I'm not kidding!" Lina protested. "That's the absolute truth!"
"Yeah, I know," Serene sighed again. She set the clothes down in a corner. "Come on, let's go back down."
"Huh? Why?" Lina asked. "Why, why, why?"
"We have a scythe to do show and tell on," Serene reminded her. "Now come on!"
"Oh yeah. Okay!" Lina took Serene's hand and allowed herself to be pulled down the stairs.
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A/N: Lina's even more innocent than Ein XD. I love that part about her. You could take advantage of it and make her say almost anything stupid XD. Her logic is awesome too D
I know that in the game it's possible to just waltz into Lina's room upstairs, and it doesn't look as bad as I made it sound here. I also know that Coco does help clean up Lina's room, so it shouldn't be half as bad as it was… My excuse is, Coco's been slacking off cleaning Lina's room lately, since she has more rooms to tend to (with people moving in and whatnot) XD.
On the next chapter of The White Wings…
Chapter 14: The Scythe's Powers (Release on August 24, 2006)
The group analyzes the extent of the scythe's powers, and discover some interesting properties. Afterwards, Rose's telepathy gets working again, and she decides to test at a very inconvenient time, and results in some unwanted events…