#23 Old Habits

Xelloss watched the dark green tea leaves swirl around carefully, pondering the question. It was a difficult question. One that required a lot of thought.

Since it was Filia asking this, it probably didn't have any hidden traps behind it. She was always so innocent and naive.

But, admittedly, she was full of surprises.

Xelloss remembered the time they first met. He had thought she was just another dragon girl, and would probably cower disgustedly in front of him. And if not, at least be silently afraid of him, like dear old Milgazia a few years before. But when she met him, she put a barbed wire fence around him, and dared to call him "Namagomi!" Such disrespect! NO one dared to insult him! Okay, maybe Lina would. But even she had the common sense to be respectful of his power. Filia had no such thing.

At least I have her fooled! He remembered consoling himself, but he just could not suppress that slight twitch of the eyes, that slight crack in his always-perfect facade.

But how naive she was! He could remember her shocked expression when she found out he betrayed Lina. And then later, when he saved her (because...he was saving her for other purposes...like the magic fusing to defeat Darkstar...Of course...), her shocked expression was so amusing! And even though she hated him, she still ran to his side when he was hurt. He had much worse, so seeing her coming to her like that was hilarious!

Of course, Lina wasn't fooled at all. And even though Filia probably wanted more than anything to hit him with her mace for his betrayal, she still took in Lina's words and helped him.

Ah, yes! She was always full of surprises! Xelloss grinned at the tea leaves, remembering his delightful little toy. Always so full of energy.

Yet today, when he barged into her tea shop two hundred years after the Darkstar campaign, she looked up at him with tired eyes that have seen too much, and asked,

Why did you come back?

Why did you come back after all these years?

After everyone else has left, why did you come back?

He learned a few years back that Filia had tried to stop this war. Val had been with her the whole time. And he had died in a crossfire between light and darkness. And following his death, he had seen Filia briefly on one of his massacres. Even after the centuries, he had not forgotten that innocent, idealist, surprising, and energetic dragon girl he once knew.

She walked away from the battlefield. Her ideal of peace died with Val. She gave up.

How fitting. Valgaav started her fight, and Val had ended it.

He had been curious. So whenever he could spare a minute, he checked on her.

She had changed. Thought Xelloss as he watched Filia closing up her shop.

She had changed. Thought Xelloss as he watched Filia locking away her mace.

She had changed. Thought Xelloss thought as he watched Filia staring at the embers in the fireplace from her place on the rocking chair, holding a picture of Val to her heart.

But as she asked him the question today, he could see something shining in her clear blue eyes...Something that set her apart from all the other dragons...Something that reminded him so much of the Filia he knew.

Was it hope?

Or perhaps she hadn't changed at all. Thought Xelloss as he watched her pour herself a cup of tea.

After much consideration, Xelloss decided on an answer.

"That's a secret!" He grinned.

As they say, old habits die hard.