"So, are you done running adjustments yet?" Damon heard whispered in his host's ear, and leaving his work for a moment, he took over their shared body and shifted around in the other male's embrace, smiling as he looked up into Ares's amused, sky-blue eyes. He rested his hand over his lover's cheek, for a second simply admiring his beauty with added cuteness of the cat-like features before he answered. Even back in their day, Azem's looks were uncanny. Despite knowing the price, his mortal host would be forced to pay for looking like him… for Damon, it was such an integral part of his husband that despite all his power, he could not force himself to remove that from the original spell his predecessors used.

"Not exactly," he finally answered with a frown, watching his finger as he trailed his fingertip along the line of the clan mark next to Ares's eye, then down to his mouth and tapped it against his lower lip. "It's sort of… complicated, I admit. But think that while now Raha knows about me, I should be a tad freer to get him to cooperate and lose less time to work while keeping him unaware of my presence."

"That's what happened?" Ares frowned, then shifted, and while keeping his arm around him and pulling him on top of his body, he rolled over to his back, pushing his left hand under his head. Damon settled over him with a happy sigh, crossing his forearms over his husband's wide chest and resting his chin on top of them. Despite the whole… snag in their plans with this timeline's weird twist and his usual dislike for surprises, he sort of enjoyed the challenge it presented. While he had his husband to scheme alongside him… well, he didn't really mind the extra work he had been doing since waking up. And enjoying Ares's heat and new, sweet scent while his nose seemed so much more sensitive than it used to be… well, their new bodies had quite a few amusing quirks – some of which he was warned about and others he was… tweaking as a part of necessary improvements.

He reasoned that since their plans were already… well, fucked before they even woke up, there wasn't much reason to stick to them other than allowing the most important things to happen until the time their hosts were bound to travel back to Elpis. And since 'his' Raha was so different from the one he was supposed to wake up to, some adjustments were simply unavoidable, in his opinion. The first thing he did after waking up from the nap after Ares cast the Traveler's Ward on them was making their shared body immortal for the simple fact that otherwise, his presence was bound to be too much for Raha's mortal body. And without the necessity for them to split from Ares and Senri while the boy was fated to seal the Crystal Tower, there was no point in keeping them mortal. And while trying to be as subtle as possible not to alert his host, he did enjoy the somewhat devious thought of adding some fun quirks to their shared body it brought about.

"No," he replied with a chuckle while wiggling his eyebrows playfully at his lover's curious look. "He just irritated me, to be honest. More so than his predecessor, this Raha has a sad tendency to bring himself down. While I somewhat understand that, considering his experiences in this city, once he started considering breaking the bond to Senri, I thought it prudent to step in."

"Break it?" his lover frowned with confusion.

"Well, it would fail, obviously," he rolled his eyes at the very idea, then smirked when Ares chuckled fondly, then ran his fingers through Damon's much shorter hair. "And since then, he would surely figure out that something is up…" he shrugged slightly, pursing his lips with consideration.

"But he is physically stronger than Senri now, isn't he?" Ares asked while raising his dark eyebrows, and he sighed, then rose on his elbows to look at him easier. The size difference between them now was kind of fun, too. Something to get used to, surely, but fun nonetheless. Having a tail, too, though he didn't yet try to figure out walking with it since he hardly had a need so far – while their hosts were mostly busy with each other, and he was busy with his work in the back of their shared head, using the moments of Raha's unconsciousness to put his ideas together.

"He is… We are, I mean," he said with a slightly smug smirk, then rolled his eyes again. "I don't really mind that one way or another, Ares, but there are some changes I do think prudent to add. If he was as… experienced and strong as he was supposed to be after hundred years in the First, I wouldn't bother, but like this… I sort of had to adjust our body to be able to contain me, without my presence putting too much strain on it. The strength is an unintended side effect of that since my tweaks with combination to your Ward allow more of my aether through… so to say," he added with a sheepish chuckle. "And since he doesn't really have any sort of… how they call it… the class training? Other than the basics of archery, I feel kind of free to give him something to… play with?" he said while shifting to sit up astride Ares's waist and stretched lazily, somewhat testing their shared body. It was more muscular than he was used to, but it definitely wasn't unpleasant – not to mention the sparks of desire in his lover's eyes while Ares's sky-blue irises eagerly followed his movements. Seeing that, he tossed him a coy smirk, dropping his hands on his chest and shamelessly, in turn, admiring the sight. Similarly to him, Ares's new body was much more muscular than it used to be, considering that his host had years of fighting behind his belt.

From what he was getting of Raha's knowledge, the athletic build of their bodies was quite typical for the males of their race if his host was now slightly more slender than his version they met in Elpis. Much less confident and more self-conscious, as well. And while following the trail of his thoughts, Damon could understand his issues with the disproportionate strengths between him and his 'mate,' so – like he said – evening it out in the hope of letting the boy grow more confident seemed prudent. He was somewhat used to the idea of being… well, stronger than Ares, so it's possible it was as well affecting his tweaks on some unconscious level, but since Senri didn't seem to mind… well, who cares? He also still had some ideas to improve, but he thought it better to leave until his host was awake and free to discuss them – as he liked to avoid freaking him out too much or giving him an idea that he had no control over himself anymore.

This wasn't exactly untrue… but they were bound to spend quite a while together, so he preferred to have his host rather willing than not. He tilted his head curiously while carefully probing Raha's sleeping mind and frowned.

"Uh oh," he said slowly while looking toward his husband.

"What's going on?" Ares asked carefully, wrapping his big hands around his hips and smoothing his thumbs over his skin.

"Raha's dreaming of Senri's past," he knitted his eyebrows, closing his eyes to focus on the slightly blurry images his host's mind was apparently sorting through.

"Which part?" his lover asked.

"His childhood at the moment," he replied, then sighed and opened his eyes. "The good parts, but I'm thinking… soon he's about to see the nasty parts as well. Should I wake him up before he gets to that?" he frowned with consideration.

"Why…?" Ares said quietly, and his sky-blue irises chilled down to the ice. "He is bound to see it sooner or later, Damon."

"True," he agreed carefully, then leaned in, resting his hands around his lover's head, and brushed his lips against the corner of his mouth when they tilted into a grimace. "I won't pretend I truly understand how their minds work, love, but once he does… I can predict that he will be quite… upset, that's all. As much abuse as he experienced in this hellish city, Raha does not have the true idea of the sort of thing that Senri was forced to contend with, from what you told me."

"Then let him get upset," Ares growled, smoothing his hands around his back and pulling him down into a tight cocoon of his arms. "If he inherited your temper… I figure he's bound to be a tad more… receptive to you and your ideas if you promise him a way to be able to protect his 'mate' from any of that repeating."

"Mmm," he hummed with consideration, relaxing and pressing his nose against his lover's throat, again enjoying his heat and scent. "I guess you are right, love," he chuckled, closing his eyes and thinking, considering how he would use that to their advantage.


G'raha woke up with a start but didn't open his eyes or move, hearing Senri's slow, even breath against his ears. Trying to get his body to stop shivering involuntarily as his heart seemed determined to jump to pound in his throat while it tightened around it until he could barely breathe, he fought not to jostle his lover awake as he tried to make sense of his awful dreams.

Not really dreams, the voice in the back of his head sounded cold and detached. Memories, it added, and he flinched at what it suggested.

Senri's…? He sort of… tossed back at it, still more than baffled at some level by the presence of another person in his head. One that was very clearly much older and more confident than he ever felt… and apparently could literally read his thoughts. Or hear them… or something. He was completely confused by the whole thing. Still, since he got an impression from Senri's memories that he was in the same situation but seemed… well, perhaps not content, but accepting of it – not to mention he had no idea if something like this could be reversed… he resolved to keep an open mind and see what happens. So long as the… person taking a ride inside him didn't seem to have bad intentions toward his lover… his inborn curiosity overruled his caution.

Mhmm, he… Damon, he corrected himself instantly, trying not to insult him while he was still trying to collect his thoughts. According to Senri's thoughts and what he learned from his 'passenger,' as baffling as it seemed, he was getting another impression: that apparently Damon was dangerous and upsetting him was… unwise. Quite, but you have nothing to worry about, Raha. I do not intend to make our… situation unpleasant, so I would prefer if you try to relax, boy. I do quite literally mean you – and your lover – no harm… Opposite, actually, as I intend to do all in my power to make both of you thrive.

Okay… he replied carefully, trying to comply and taking comfort in surrounding him heat of his mate's body wrapped securely around his back. Without opening his eyes, he wrapped his hands around Senri's forearm, resting limply over his chest, unconsciously shifting slightly to press his back tighter against his front. He smiled when his lover snore-purred against his ear, and his arm tightened around him possessively. He had to admit he quite liked how much bigger his lover was than him if he was somewhat embarrassed by the fact that it was caused by the instinctive feeling of safety his lover exhumed without any effort. And it was simply just… nice to be surrounded by his heat like this… if not for the fact that what those images suggested was a price for his looks and unusual height.

With all the abuse and ridicule he had to contend with over the years… no one ever tried to force themselves on him. He was propositioned, yeah, but as some of those offers were beyond disgusting… he was free to refuse. He didn't have to literally fend off females trying to climb his body when he was asleep and defenseless… to others mocking his shock. He didn't feel helpless and terrified… and oh, so wrong, when people he trusted told him he should be happy for someone trying to rape him… He didn't have to contend with that on a daily basis because he was embarrassed and scared to bring shame to the only person who cared for him…

Gods… His throat tightened painfully around a sob as he delicately smoothed his hands over his lover's arm, fighting to calm his breath and not to wake him up until he could look into his unbearably beautiful face without feeling like weeping at the misery it caused.

It made so much more sense – terrible, but still – why Senri was convinced that his preferences were unnatural. While he was big and strong enough to avoid the worst-case scenario, all but his beautiful mother laid it upon his head that he should be happy for females who tried to use him. Literally use him like he was nothing more than a piece of meat – as the boys like him were seen as nothing more than a commodity to be useful to the tribe or discarded without a thought…

And though he knew about that, read of Seekers customs plenty of times, he realized he never really had the real idea of how… soulless it truly was. As a kit, he used to dream about someone from his tribe showing up here and taking him back. He was making up stories and excuses why they didn't want him and why he was sent here alone, unable to remember anything before being in this cold city when all ridiculed him for his eyes. But now, actually, he wondered if he was somehow better off growing up here – despite the abuse – instead of something like what happened to Senri…

You are, actually, according to what I know of your tribe's motives for sending you here, Damon said softly, clearly following his trail of thought. That had him blink, then stare numbly at the wall of his bedroom visible over the edge of Senri's makeshift nest.

What do you… mean? He finally asked carefully, not really sure if he truly wanted to know that.

Nothing pleasant, trust me, the immortal replied carefully, then sighed and added in a much cooler manner. But as much as I think you deserve to know that, I think we should leave that… can of worms for another day, Raha. You have enough on your plate to contend with as it is, and I wish to discuss something with you before Senri wakes up, and you get distracted again.

He swallowed his half-hearted protest and took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, closing his eyes again.

I'm listening, he said instead, more than grateful for the reprieve when his very… soul ached with what he learned of his lover's life.

As it stands, I think that now you have a tad better… understanding of what you're going to have to contend with by being with Senri, yes? Damon said carefully, and G'raha nodded involuntarily, tightening his fingers around his lover's arm. He thought back somewhat wryly toward his earlier thoughts about it and his stupid idea of breaking the bond that granted him a man as wonderful as his Warrior, and his ears fell flat against his head in distress. Literally feeling how happy having him made Senri – whether G'raha deserved him or not – that he would even consider hurting him like that… No, never! Ah, glad to see an improvement, the immortal chuckled sheepishly, then his voice softened. As you had more than a few occasions to witness, my boy, behind his cheery disposition, Senri is quite… well, sensitive, to say the least, between other things. You should be ready for the fact that now he has as much access to your memories as you do to his, so he will likely find out that you were considering it, and that can quite possibly make him very… uncertain. It's a pointless idea since your bond is not 'normal' in the sense that healing the mark would NOT break it, in any case. Nothing will, pretty much – as it is as eternal as the one between Ares and me, but the idea that you did think about it… Well, I can guess he is not going to take that well.

G'raha cringed, curling deeper into his lover's heat, and his heart almost stopped when Senri muttered something incomprehensible against his ear, then shifted slightly. His long, black tail curled around his hip, its fluffy length slipping between his thighs, apparently trying to wound around one… He bit back a moan, feeling the soft fur over his cock, that instantly rose with interest at the sensation. His face grew unbearably heated when Damon chuckled downright deviously, apparently amused at his expanse.

I'll get to the point since you're already getting… distracted, the immortal chortled, and his face grew even hotter… especially when Senri's body soon seemed as interested, even if he still didn't seem awake, snore-purring quietly against his ears. Which was beyond adorable… and distracting, as Damon called it… even if the sheer scope of his arousal and pure need for his lover was more than baffling. He did tend to be eager, and Senri was a gorgeous man, mind-blowingly generous in that aspect… but it did somewhat didn't feel natural. Not to mention… last time, he could almost swear that something strange was happening. At first, he was sure that his powerful lover was indulging him, letting himself be quite… manhandled, but if he didn't know better… Yeah, that's one of the things I wish to discuss with you, boy, so focus, Damon chided with a laugh, and he blushed. Good. Now, to make it clear: you ARE stronger than him now, so I would recommend getting a tad more careful unless you wish to hurt him unintentionally. Though I didn't yet notice it, I would also assume that you'll be faster than him, and your attunement with aether should also grow… to an uncanny degree if you are inclined to get interested in the magic other mortals practice. I'm not exactly clear on that, but Ares suggested that your stamina also seems higher than Senri's.

"...huh?" he murmured, frowning as he tried to make sense of what he was saying.

With his access to Senri's memories from before, he was… blessed, and after, he has a bit better idea about it, I guess, Damon almost grumbled petulantly. You didn't seem to notice the difference, so I am unsure… but I more than trust his judgment. You're also immortal, so there's that, but…

HUH…?!

Please do NOT freak out and wake him up, Damon chided with some amusement. Senri is as well if I don't think Ares had an occasion yet to inform him about that. Anyway, what I'm getting at, is the fact that since the moment I woke up, I've been busy giving our body some very necessary tweaks, boy, since otherwise, it wouldn't be able to contain me, much less both of us. The WHY of our situation is another long story better left for another time, but for now, let me put it like this: that expedition you were invited on years ago, you were fated to take part in if I'm quite unclear what exactly went wrong that you didn't. But if you did, you were meant to meet and fall for Senri, then… some other stuff would happen to separate you, but in the end, make you stronger than you ended up here, which would work to make my tweaks unnecessary, but, yeah… here we are. You must understand that Ares does consider me more dangerous because I do have a talent capable of twisting reality to my whims, boy, and opposite to him… not as many scruples to use it.

Talent…? He hesitated, swallowing audibly.

Ah, back in our day, our people often were born with certain specific aptitudes toward our magic, Damon chuckled somewhat ruefully, and he blinked with surprise. Creation magic, you could call it to make it simple, Raha. Somewhat vaguely similar to the way mortals now are capable of summoning Primals… if that ability apparently became ridiculously diluted. While my husband has a… gift for manipulating the aether of others and, by extension, affecting and bending their will, my talent is a tad more… flexible. I can reform aether into the form of spells and with them do whatever I think to do, he said like it was normal… and not something somewhat utterly as awe-inspiring as terrifying. Quite, if I was so inclined, but Ares does tend to keep me contained, he chuckled fondly, but the other immortal's name rang with so much emotion behind it… He IS the meaning of my eternity, Raha, if I don't think your mortal mind is truly capable of understanding it. Not yet, anyway, but I believe someday you will. But I digress again… What I meant to ask you, since all those tiny changes to our body were quite… unavoidable, I agreed with letting you get some time to adjust before springing my presence on you… so I didn't ask permission, but I do not wish you to think that's going to be the norm between us from now on. Since my predecessor seemed very… content sharing their life with you, I'm willing to see if we get along, and I understand that to do so, I have to give you a say in whatever other changes I can, especially if it somehow concerns our body or your… mate, as you call it. Since you had a glimpse of the sort of behavior Senri is the target of…

Wait… IS, not WAS? He frowned and stilled utterly as his ears fell flat against his head, and his heart almost stopped.

Of course, Damon replied carefully, and he felt chill climbing up his spine while his hands tightened around his lover's forearm. Your mortal… peers find his beauty quite irresistible, I heard, and though Ares tells me that his friends, the Scions, try to do their best to shield him from any unwanted advances, and by now, his reputation back in Eorzea helps with that… Well, apparently, there is more than one reason why he is so happy to have you, Raha. I think I'm more than enough for you to deal with at the moment, but Ares did ask me to suggest to you that his host would very much prefer if you made your claim to him quite known, saying that Senri is apparently too embarrassed about that to raise the topic with you openly. So, there's that, but what I'm trying to get to with all of that is since you don't really have any proper training in the magic of your peers, but I believe you'll more than need a way to protect yourself and your lover, so I have an offer for you to consider, Raha.

Which is…? He asked unnecessarily, knowing that anything that would let him be… worthy of a man like his Senri… an ability to keep safe from the aspect of his fame and beauty he didn't even think earlier to consider…

If you're willing, I can give you a somewhat… tweaked ability to use my talent, boy. OUR magic, if I'll stay in control of how far you can push it… just in case you involuntarily tried to do something that would jeopardize this timeline, Damon whispered, and his eyes shot wide open as his jaw dropped. You can take time considering it until the frenzy wears off, and you'll have to face other aspects of being with Senri, but…

I'm willing! He rushed, then cleared his throat self-consciously, cringing a bit. I mean… if I can use it to keep him safe, I would be stupid to refuse.

That's what I thought, the immortal chuckled fondly, and he felt something almost like a… pat on his soul, which wasn't unpleasant. I believe we will get along beautifully, my boy, at least as far as Senri and Ares are concerned. Anything else… well, we can negotiate, and I promise to be considerate of your opinions.

Sounds… good, he replied smoothly, as suddenly the idea of sharing his body didn't seem that… unnerving. Now, he wanted to be worthy of the devotion filling his lover's pale eyes whenever Senri looked like him like the whole world started and ended with him… and if Damon and his magic could help him with that…

Well, as he already thought: there was not a price too high for his soulmate, simple as that. And if the impression he was getting from his more recent memories correctly pointed toward the idea of what kind of side activities his beast indulged in… he was more than intrigued.


"I've met him!"

Y'shtola merely raised her eyes from the book she was leafing through when Alisaie burst into the main hall of the Baldesion Annex, brimming with uncanny enthusiasm.

"Who?" asked her twin with a frown from his spot near the map covering most of the back wall of the massive room.

Considering the… noise about the 'nap rooms' seemed the worst earlier, she wasn't very surprised to find most of them 'hiding' in the quieter part of the compound when she walked in and settled with the book in one of the corners, opposite to Thancred that sprawled in his seat lazily with his booted feet resting on top of the table between them and his arms crossed behind his head. No, she wasn't surprised, but quite determined that when she gets an occasion, she will force Senri to learn to cast the sound shield because Twelve preserve… this was ridiculous!

"Don't be dull, Alphinaud," Alisaie snarked at her twin, closing the door behind her and nearing their table. "I mean Senri's man, obviously."

That got her attention, and Y'shtola closed her book, looking at the younger woman expectantly. Shocking as it was when their friend announced that he found his 'mate,' and asked them to stay clear of him – she somewhat understood, as… uncanny as were the circumstances. But it hardly changed her curiosity about the man that was supposed to be a match for someone like Senri.

She loved that boy, but to say he was a handful was an understatement.

"For one, he's cute," Alisaie giggled, dropping into the free seat after pushing Thancred's feet off the table and leaning against it. "But what's more important, he pulled Senri back from going cold… just like that," she snapped her fingers.

"Told you," Thancred drawled, raising his ashen eyebrows pointedly as he shifted in his seat, dropping his arms on the chair's armrests.

"Nah," Alisaie shook her head, pointing her finger at him. "I mean the real cold, Thancred, as in the 'we have to hide the bodies' type of thing."

"Oh," Thancred frowned, looking toward her with a frown, and Y'shtola shrugged helplessly. "Why he went that cold, though?"

"No clue, he heard something, and the next thing I saw was him about to snap some girl's neck," the Elzen shrugged, looking between them, then to her twin. "Then this redhead showed up out of nowhere, called him, and Senri went to him like a puppy, even waving his tail!" she sniggered when Alphinaud rolled his eyes at her, then joined them, falling on the last available seat.

"Not funny, Alisaie," he sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "That could have ended badly, then, if he didn't show up. Any idea what would get Senri so… agitated out of nowhere? Is he getting worse?" he frowned with worry on his youthful features.

Alisaie's expression fell instantly, and she sagged in her seat, pursing her lips in consideration.

"I really don't know," she finally said with a resigned sigh. "I don't have an as sharp hearing as he does, obviously, and all things considered, I didn't want to get too close into his space and aggravate him even worse. But it didn't look worse than the last time, though…" she shrugged helplessly, then looked at her, and Y'shtola frowned.

The last being with them scrambling to hide the body of the bitch stupid enough to make the suicidal mistake of sneaking into Senri's room at the inn they stayed in and trying to climb him. To say Esteem wasn't amused was an understatement… but at least as far as they could tell, Senri seemed unaware of the situation the next morning. She was quite glad afterward that the girl's shriek woke her up if by the time she got to the Warrior's room, there was not much left of the bitch – so subduing the beast, she woke up the others and they cleaned up all the evidence of the occurrence without many issues, thankfully.

It was a risky decision they made behind Senri's back, to whenever possible cover for him, but considering that they all loved him beyond reason… and they did need him, the occasional… slips were a price they were willing to pay. Most of the time, they managed to keep anything – or rather anyone – from provoking him into snapping… but obviously, they couldn't predict everything.

And in her personal opinion, she didn't quite hesitate to share with the others – if someone was dumb enough to try to force themselves on Senri just because of the way he looked, they deserved what was coming to them as a result.

She had no patience for stupidity, that's all.

"I see…" Alphinaud hummed, rubbing his chin, then looked between them with narrowed eyes. "Anyway, I think it would be best to try to find out what exactly provoked him to this reaction if it's an option…?" he trailed off, looking toward his sister.

"There were quite a few people closer to that woman that I think I would recognize," she said slowly, putting one leg on top of the other and wrapping her hands around her knee, bouncing her foot. "I figure, whatever she said, someone ought to overhear… maybe."

"And what about the redhead?" Y'shtola said carefully, tapping her nails over the cover of her book. Since they were quite stuck while Senri was… unavailable, she visited Noumenon, but this particular book seemed less interesting than their friend's situation. That her intentions in visiting the city's library didn't only narrow down to looking for a lecture, using the opportunity to also pick up on the latest gossip… which topic was quite expected, all things considered, she already had her suspicions about what exactly was that pissed Senri off.

"What about him?" Alisaie clearly pretended to play dumb if the bouncing of her foot sped up, betraying her agitation.

"I mean…" she started, narrowing her eyes slightly as she looked between them. "Between what Krile told us and the… reputation he has that I doubt you didn't hear about yet," she smirked when all three looked away from her instantly. "We must consider the repercussions that the situation can turn into, yes? We arrived here hoping for the Forum's cooperation, after all… but if they threaten Senri…" she trailed off meaningfully.

"I don't think they would dare," Alphinaud said quietly but with a hint of amusement in his blue eyes. "They may like to pretend that the politics of the other lands don't affect them, but this city is literally funded by donations from the families of the students who choose to study here. If they as much as breathed wrong toward our friend and the word about it gets out, they would have not only Eorzean Alliance pulling back their support, but I suspect the Far East and Ala Mhigo as well. And that they can hardly afford," he shrugged, smiling with his usual calm. "If we can, I would prefer avoiding antagonizing the members of the Forum, but if they prove to be… unreasonable, well, it would be on them, whatever happens."

"And as I said, G'raha actually pulled him back from the murderous rage," Alisaie pointed out and grinned when Y'shtola looked toward her. "Plus, having Senri finally be 'taken' should discourage a healthy portion of his… fans," she grimaced at the word, rolling her eyes. "…I hope."

"I guess we don't have a choice but to wait and see," said Thancred, running his fingers through his hair.

"I guess…" she agreed, then pushed her chair back and stood up, smoothing down her black robe. "In the meantime, I'm going to visit one of the old collages and learn more about Senri's… pick, just in case Krile's story is a tad biased. Because if she correctly tracked down the person who started those rumors… there won't be avoiding antagonizing the Forum," she smiled wryly, then nodded and headed toward the door, leaving her book behind.

"True," she heard Thancred behind her. "More like… there won't be avoiding their massacre, though."

"Don't be so melodramatic," Alisaie chided with a laugh. "Like Senri says: to each what they are owed, right?"

"Right," she breathed under her nose after closing the door behind her and looked around the empty lobby.

She still couldn't make up her mind if this development was a miracle they were waiting for, that would help with Senri's issues or the catastrophe that would push him over the edge and into full-blown insanity… and she could only hope that it was going to turn out to be a blessing it was promised. Trusting an Ascian was not something she was normally inclined to do, but for Senri…. They all would do and give all to see him get better. Before they arrived here, the… attacks were getting worryingly more frequent and increasingly violent, and she knew that she wasn't the only one that noticed it and started to fear that their friend was slowly losing the fight against his darker side.

Senri, they knew and loved, was fierce and fearless, and those he cared about, he loved in an unconditional and inhibited way that none of them could resist. He was the heart of their group, and they all adored him, striving to be the best they could to support him. And Esteem – his polar opposite – hated them for that with a rage that was hard to comprehend. It protected him, in a way, there was no doubt about that, but she couldn't help but see it more as the way a parasite would 'protect' its host while hurting him the most simultaneously. The more Senri cared about them, the more it wanted to tear into them – an observation she had more than a few occasions to witness in the pure ferocity with which it would always target Alisaie the most out of all of them.

Emet-Selch promised them that the only way to get rid of it was Senri finding his match – and she chose to believe that hope despite being unsure of the Ascian's motives. And if what Alisaie witnessed was correct, that hope grew brighter, and she refused to let some superstitious idiots endanger it.

No matter what it took… if that G'raha could really help Senri heal, they were going to make damn sure that none got in the way of that.