Sorry for taking so long! I've been awfully busy with other stories and everything, but I haven't forgotten about this one! I love Lloyd/Genis to bits but because I'm so busy some of my stories get neglected… I'm going to skip all the dungeons. We all know what happens in them. Hope you don't mind.
In case you have time, check out my homepage. And now, enjoy!
Tre: Botta's Dates Are Full of Creeps
It took no more than the moving of a few blocks and facing a tiny beast before they came to an altar with a shining red gem. It was about the size of a fist, shining brightly enough to light up the whole room with an intense shade of red. As the gem quietly turned around the playful colours danced on the walls like aboriginals in their fiery celebrations.
"Is… that a Cruxis Crystal?" Genis asked, glancing at Colette.
She smiled at him, nodding as she clasped her hands. "Yes. They say I was born with that in my hand."
"Poor mom." Lloyd gawked; the beauty of the gem unfortunately hadn't caused his brains to malfunction. He didn't notice the short mage trying to shoot him a glare until Genis pulled his sleeve. And even then at first he thought Genis wanted to hug him and wouldn't stop trying until the boy kicked him.
A creature with large wings had descended from the heavens, looking at them with calm, almost pensive eyes. Quietly he hummed a dramatic song, trying to increase the theatrical atmosphere.
"I am Remiel." He cleared his throat while flapping his massive wings. Delighted by the amount of mouths wide open he continued: "I am the Angel of Judgement. It is time, Colette, to awaken the sleeping Goddess Martel."
The crystal shone brightly for a moment. She then took a step towards it; it reacted to her by shining even brighter, shooting rays around the dim lit room. For a while the wild dancing of shadows on the walls reached a furious frenzy, a maniacal pattern before the gem attached itself into Colette's body. She touched it gently in agape, feeling the warmth it radiated into her.
Remiel waited for a moment longer before bellowing: "You are now the Chosen of Regeneration. We of Cruxis bless you and bestow the Tower of Salvation into Sylvarant."
There was a lot of talking after that, but Lloyd didn't really pay attention because of all the difficult words Remiel used. He seemed to love acting sophisticated and seemed a little aggravated by the knowledge both Genis and Raine possessed about the Cruxis. If there was something he needed to understand about what Remiel had said Genis knew how to explain it to him. When Remiel was done talking he lifted his right hand above him and looked at the sky, curling his hand into a fist and shouted Superman as he disappeared into the heavens.
A curious silence followed that. No one knew how to react until Colette couldn't help giggling. Genis started to giggle with her and soon all of them were laughing like mad at Remiel, who had only tried to be cool. Only Lloyd wasn't laughing, he was deep in thought. When Genis noticed this, he poked the brunette: "Don't think so hard or your head will catch fire."
"Genis… have you ever thought--"
The mage shot him a scornful glare, his voice dripping with sarcasm: "I don't think."
Lloyd wouldn't let the discouragement get him down. The matter was perturbing him and he needed an answer. "How inconvenient wings are? I mean, dressing up and sleeping, they must be really hard!"
"Please, Lloyd, do NOT think." Genis said, looking at him accusingly. He began towards the others, mumbling quietly: "Note to self; don't allow Lloyd to think again."
"Oh, okay." Lloyd said as he trotted next to him, luckily he hadn't heard the last sentence.
Kratos walked away from the others when he noticed the young mage approaching them. He still hadn't found a way to prevent the red rushing to his cheeks whenever Genis looked at him, no matter was it a glance or a stare or a glare or a gaze, he just couldn't help it. It was all beyond his control, annoying him past any limit in its pure naturality. He could only pray that the mage wasn't getting suspicious. But it seemed that the more he tried to avoid looking at him the more Genis seemed to want his attention.
They arrived to Tried, the desert oasis, shortly after midday. It was incredibly hot, even to the point of the air seeming to ripple. Sand was hot enough to roast bacon on it. The people of Triet, however, didn't seem to notice the hot air; everyone was well clothed. Men had crimson turbans and white clothes made of the thinnest cotton whereas women wore black long robes, only their dark brown eyes showing.
The market was chaotic to an unaccustomed eye yet still there seemed to be a certain pattern in the movement of the people. They moved from stand to stand, haggling, shouting, greeting each other with smiles on their faces. The sellers tried to make their offers heard through the general clamour but it was almost impossible to hear what they were saying.
"Hey, look! That poster!" Genis rushed to the information board, completely ignoring the chaos the others were admiring. "Lloyd…"
"Yeah?" Lloyd turned to look at him, leaning his head a bit.
Genis tapped the poster with a curious gaze. "This… this poster. That's you."
"Me? Now I understand why Raine's always complaining about my hair… What does she know about hairstyles anyway? She's a history professor, not a styling guru." For a while he waited for the professor to run and kick him for that because it had totally poured out of his mouth without him having any control over it at all, as usual. Genis looked at him from under his eyebrows, waiting for Raine to at least poke him with her staff but she never did. When he scanned the market quickly, all he saw were backs, more backs and a few goats. He bit his lower lip when he looked up at Lloyd:
"Can you see her?"
"Yeah, she's over there, talking with that salesman."
"Raine! Raine!" Genis dashed to his sister, worried about her wandering off alone.
"So you say this is an original fossil from the Jurassic era?" Her eyes shone with a mad glint as she spoke to a travelling salesman. The man had a very wide smile, no; it was more like a grin, on his face. His eyes were tiny and green, very observing. Under his long jacket he could've hid a horse and no one would've noticed it.
"Yes, very genuine indeed!" He assured the professor. The grin grew even wider, reaching the point of scary.
"Then why does it say Made in Triet?" Raine asked, pointing a small text on the side of the fossil she was holding. Genis took it from her and examined it very carefully. It seemed completely new, not even dirt was on it. It didn't take him long to realise that either it had been very carefully cleaned or then it was forgery.
The salesman's grin died in less than a second. He turned from overly eager to apprehensive in a split second, starting to sweat as he tried to come up with a sensible explanation. "I guess… uhh… you know, this is indisputable proof that the dinosaurs were actually a lot cleverer than what we thought!"
Raine's hands began to tremble. "…Unbelievable."
Kratos appeared next to her mysteriously, making her flinch. He noticed her interest in the travelling salesman who was, in the least, very suspicious. He seemed like the kind of a man who acted decent during the daytime but at night transformed himself into a robber; stealing everything he could get his hands on. And even his act of decency seemed forced, reeking with dishonesty. Kratos shot him a glare as he said: "Raine, let's go."
The professor turned to look at him, desperation showing in her eyes. Was she trying to look cute? "But I need to buy this… this archaeologically important fossil that proves--"
"Ah, souvenirs!" Lloyd came to look at the fossil she was holding while Genis walked to his backpack and suddenly Kratos was sweating. Genis had to tiptoe to reach, but Kratos couldn't force himself to help him. He was red enough without even touching him deducing from the hotness on his face.
Raine kicked Lloyd in the ankle gently. "They are archaeological findings. One of a kind!"
"Then why is his bag full of the same kind of fossils?" Genis asked, holding the same kinds of fossils in his hands. All of them said Made in Triet and looked awfully simile to each other.
Raine's excitement was replaced by fury. Like a feral cat she attacked the salesman, accusing him of tarnishing the reputation of real archaeological findings. She scratched his face, leaving a very nasty wound with profusion bleeding. The man screamed and tried to leave abruptly but she hung onto him, her long nails doing prodigious damage to his face. Kratos began to pull her away from him, Lloyd just stood there and Genis gawked. He looked around, alarmed by the poster and noticed two whip masters looking at them from a tiny bazaar, whispering to each other quietly. Just like he had thought, the altercation had attracted unwanted attention. The chaos hadn't ensconced them.
"Lloyd." Genis whispered. "LLOYD!" He yelled when it didn't seem to work.
"What?"
Genis grabbed his hand nervously. "We need to run. Those guys, they recognise you."
"Oh, they do? Who are they?" Lloyd asked, following him through the multitude. "Some of your friends?"
"Idiot." Genis mumbled as he kept dragging him, occasionally dodging one or two lost goats. "We need to hide. I'll tell you later why."
"Let's go to a hotel!" The brunette exclaimed loud enough to make it clear for everyone where they were going.
Genis frowned but didn't stop. "A hotel?"
"Yeah, you said you would make love to me in a hotel room." Lloyd said with a cheerful tone. Genis slapped his forehead as he stopped, hoping that the multitude would hide them long enough for him to clarify the situation for Lloyd.
"Look, we're running away. We have to hide, not make love."
"But if we went into a hotel room we could kill two birds with one stone." The brunette refused to move when he tried to start dragging him again.
"And what if they found us, your hands in my crotch or vice versa?" Genis turned to face him with a furious glare. He loved Lloyd, but sometimes he couldn't stand his thickness. Especially when it endangered their lives. "They would probably let you go free because we're such an adorable gay couple!"
"Exactly!" Lloyd declared, pulling him into a hug.
Genis sighed, part of him wanting to stay there in Lloyd's dumb yet warm embrace but another part of him wanted to protect him and that was his top priority, being the smartest in their group. Sometimes he wondered how someone as stupid as Lloyd could even live without someone at least twice as smart as themselves. "Let's just hide. In these barrels!"
Lloyd murmured but followed his imperious order. The barrel was rather tiny, filled with stagnant air. The lid hadn't been opened in days, maybe even weeks. Lloyd usually understood Genis's pranks, but this one was rather folly. He got into the barrel, throwing the boy one final gaze before putting the lid on. He was forced to sit in it with his knees against his chest, the dates as his cushion. For a while he was sure he would never fall asleep, but he had hardly even finished that thought before he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.
Genis woke up and coughed up a few dates he had accidentally got into his mouth during the night. Afraid of having been heard he held his breath, for once happy that he was half an elf and having their hearing ability. His ears rocked back and forth as he tried to embody his surroundings. The silence surrounding him was complete. Nothing seemed to move; the only sound he heard was the crackling of the fire in the torches. Maybe he had slept until the early hours and sun was rising deducing from the thin beams of light filtering into his barrel. "Lloyd, I think it's safe now."
No answer.
"Lloyd?"
Silence.
"Lloyd? Did you fall asleep or are you mad at me?"
Nothing.
"Okay, Lloyd. Let's get that hotel room. Or what the heck. Anything's fine with me. I just don't want to be in this dark barrel any longer."
Still no answer at all.
"Lloyd! What more do you want? Me to play some little housewife or agree to bondage or something like that?"
"Sure, I'd like that." But it wasn't Lloyd who answered.
Genis came out of the barrel, glaring at an old mad sitting in a rocking chair. The fire danced on the dry wood in the fireplace in front of him wickedly. "You could've said something earlier."
"Well, I wasn't sure what kind of a creep would be swimming in my dates this time." The old man said in a friendly manner, lighting his pipe. The wrinkles on his face seemed to fade away as he smoked the pipe, blowing little circles of smoke into the air. Genis admired them for a while; the ability to make such fragile, brief artworks was enchanting and in all of its vanity very uplifting. He knew he wasn't supposed to stay there when Lloyd could be anywhere goofing off, but the child part of him was very intrigued by the circles.
"Where did the other barrel go?" He asked, a little absent-mindedly.
"Was there a creep as well?" The old man smiled at him as he ruminated the smoke. It came out of his nose in a funny manner.
"…Just tell me where it went."
"I sold it to the commander's deputy commander, Botta." The old man exhaled another patch of circles into the air, admiring how perfectly round he had managed to make them.
"Oh damn." The mage gawked, dashing off. As he ran towards the facility he dug out the dates from his pockets and cursed the smell of olive oil lingering around him. It was making him hungry, reminding him of all the delicious dishes of the Italian kitchen. The barrels hadn't clearly been one of the brightest ideas he had had lately, but they had at least delayed getting caught. And as long as he was free there was hope for the others to be free as well.
Meanwhile the brunette woke up in his barrel, yawning. When he tried to stretch the barrel wouldn't let him and a few muscle cramps reminded him about the uncomfortable lodging for the night. For a while he waited listening two people talking quietly to each other, at times letting out casual chuckles. The participants of the conversation were both men, the other one sounded a little like Kratos. Who knew, maybe it was him playing a prank on him? How fun would that be!
"Maybe it's safe now to come out of this barrel, eh, Genis?"
No answer. Actually, the conversation died upon his question. Tired of needing to sit in the piteous barrel for many hours he opened the lid and looked out to see a very surprised face that didn't belong to Genis. Or then his ears had grown to tremendous proportions and turned brown. And turned into hair as well. Cleverly he deduced that it wasn't Genis.
"Okay, it's not safe to come out yet." He put the lid back on and sat quietly amidst the dates.
Botta blinked twice and cast a surprised gaze to Yuan before taking the lid off. Yuan calmly shrugged, brushing his long fringe behind his ear and glancing at his nails. Their colour matched his shirt. Botta knew not how to react to the creep that had tried to emerge from his dates and Yuan didn't seem to care. Thus he only inquired: "What on Earth are you doing in my dates?"
"I… uh… Well, Genis told me to hide here." Lloyd explained, his nougat eyes scrutinizing Botta at the same time. Raine should've seen his hair before telling him how to style his! Before he ventured deeper into thought, the man with turquoise hair asked him haughtily: "Who the hell are you?"
Lloyd looked at him, still in the barrel. "Tell me your name and I shall tell you mine!"
The man laughed abruptly, even though he laughed he never took his eyes off Lloyd. By watching his every movement he was trying to jog his memory. There was something familiar in the boy but he couldn't put his finger on it. "You certainly have guts, but I do not see a point in introducing myself to a miserable creature like you."
"I don't like to talk to idiots either." Lloyd snapped, narrowing his eyes. Why were they being so rude to him?
"And yet you are a very good one yourself." The man with turquoise hair replied, throwing his ponytail over his shoulder.
"Thank you, I try to--"
"Stop it, stop it." Botta said, wanting to avoid an altercation. "Come out of the barrel and we'll talk."
Lloyd got up and stretched with a long yawn. It felt so good to stand straight again. Yuan still hadn't taken his eyes off him, his mind trying to dig up the reason why Lloyd looked so familiar. It occurred to him the second Lloyd lowered his hands. The colour, the shape, the radiance, it had to be it. Quickly he exchanged glances with Botta, both realising just what they had caught in a barrel of dates.
"Lloyd!"
The brunette's jaw dropped. "Wow! You guys must be psychic!"
The man with turquoise hair looked at Botta for a while, clearing his throat to gain his attention: "I'll leave him to you. Do not disappoint me."
"So… Lloyd, this is going to be amusing!" Botta stood up as he drew his sword. Yuan walked out of the room, picking up a comb from the bookshelf and beginning to brush his hair while humming an old song. Lloyd couldn't understand why he hadn't fought against him as well, had it been because he was a coward or because he was merely lazy? As soon as he saw Botta's sword he thanked the good Goddess for not letting him face the two of them at the same time, that sword was huge. It didn't take Lloyd long to realise a hit from it would hurt.
"Lloyd, we came to save you!" Colette rushed in from the door with the others. She was holding a crooked hair pin in her hands, clasping it as if it had been a gift from the heavens. Genis came in right after them, followed by a scent of olive oil and dates.
"Ooh, you know what? I'd love some couscous with dates right now." Lloyd said as the scent reached his nose. Botta nodded with a smile:
"Or ostrich ragoût!"
"I've never tasted that…" The brunette said pensively, rubbing his chin with his thumb. He had seen Genis do that when he created hypotheses, always having wanted to do it as well. It made the mage look smart, why not him as well?
Botta put down his sword, vehemently waving his hands in the air: "I shall tell the cook to make us a patch! You'll love it!"
Kratos cleared his throat as the two carried on with the conversation. He had to do it quite a few times before they had the patience to put their conversation aside to listen to him. He got their attention, but at the same time also Genis's attention, something he had wished to avoid. "W-w-weren't we sup-supposed to f-f-fight?"
Botta tried not to giggle but couldn't help it. "Your mercenary's very scary." He said to the brunette, who replied with a smile. "But if that's what you want, then draw your weapons!"
"Way to go, Kratos." Lloyd said, wiping the drool off his chin. He had wanted to sup the ostrich ragoût Botta had mentioned, the smell of olive oil was torturing him with the mental images of all Mediterranean dishes, but Kratos had had to remind the deputy commander of the turquoise haired man's order. Without him they could be tasting all kinds of delicious foods, some of which Genis would probably want to learn for later use.
The battle began, but it seemed like Botta wasn't taking it seriously. He moved slowly and cast only a few spells every now and then. Only when the four were starting to get the better of him he reorganised himself. Spells began raining down on them, followed by attacks each fiercer than before. He was not only powerful but also fast, proving himself a tremendous opponent. Kratos did everything he could to protect Genis, but it wasn't enough. The small mage fell unconscious from a single spell, his glasslike body falling down. Kratos had a mental image of him shattering into millions of reflecting pieces like a mirror breaking if he hit the ground, at once dashing to him.
Kratos lifted him on his shoulder as he dodged the deputy commander's attack. Genis was warm against his shoulder, but his body was limp. Kratos landed on his feet agilely like a cat, the brown eyes flashing with a cold calculative gaze. He turned around on his heels, his sword slashing a nasty wound to Botta's temple. Without a second thought he put a hand on Genis to make sure he wouldn't fall off as he dashed towards the deputy commander again. Botta was quickly recovering from the momentary panic the blood flowing down his cheek had caused but still he wasn't concentrated enough to dodge Kratos's feet. The mercenary jumped on him, forcing him groaning on all fours as he continued over him towards Raine. He put the boy down next to her feet asking her to give him some potion to wake him up. Raine listened to his orders completely and in no time the small mage was on his feet, cocky as ever.
Lloyd had seen the whole thing but hadn't been able to help Genis. He had been too busy fighting with Botta to pay any heed to the others. A devastating realisation hit him: he hadn't been able to protect his loved one. Kratos had done it for him, proving how useless he was for the group. Genis wouldn't thank him for saving his life but Kratos. He hadn't been observant enough to notice his plight, he hadn't even looked at him when he had fallen, whispering his sister's name. All he had thought had been his swords, how to cause maximum damage, how to dodge effectively. A sharp pain stabbed his heart, ripping it into shreds. Genis, his beloved, could have died without the mercenary.
Lloyd stared at the ground, a mental image forcing a tear to roll down his cheek.
He returned to reality only when Kratos nudged him gently. The swordsman had noticed his pensive expression, deduced where it had come from and known there was nothing to be done to fix it before the battle would be over. Without Lloyd he wouldn't be able to protect both Genis and Raine while attacking Botta. The two were defenceless when they cast, and not only that. Both of them concentrated so hard that they kept their eyes closed. They had no idea what was happening until it was too late.
Botta was almost finished when he turned towards Colette. She began casting, at the same time begging for Lloyd to come and protect her. Lloyd ran towards her, determined to save her. He had failed to protect Genis, but had learned his lesson. Observing was the greatest skill he would ever learn. Raine noticed the valuables on the cupboard behind Colette as she cast First Aid on her. She dashed to them and took a tiny statue, throwing it to the deputy commander running towards them with apoplectic anger shining in his eyes. He received the blow in the middle of his forehead and fell down, unconscious.
"We've got to get out of here before there comes more!" Raine said after he had fallen, dashing to the control system of the facility with her silvery hair billowing behind her. Her indigo eyes danced on the machine while she pondered which buttons to press in which order. Taking a careful breath, glancing at Lloyd she pressed a few buttons carefully. Delighted by her correct hypothesis, she squealed while opening all the prison gates, setting the prisoners free as well as activating the self destruct program. "I opened the escape route just now. Let's go."
They ran for their lives. One wasted second could cost their lives, one slow turn, one stumbling. Genis ran right after Lloyd, holding his hand as tightly as he could. He would've panicked hadn't it been for him, his warm hand telling him he wasn't running away alone. Raine helped Colette, she wanted to make sure the Chosen wouldn't trip and die because of her. Kratos came behind everyone, just in case someone stumbled or would be left behind. Secretly, on some subconscious level he hoped for Genis to fall over so that he could save his life again.
Everyone panted as they got out of the facility yet no one stopped running until a massive explosion shook the ground. It threw them off their feet, one falling on another. A wave of heat passed over them, bending the trees with its powerful breath. At the same time small pieces of the facility filled the sky, turning it momentarily grey before a dark rain of dust and dirt, raised into the air by the explosion, fell down. The first on their feet was Raine, watching the facility go up in smoke, the flames licking the sky, coughing up more black fog.
She wouldn't let the others rest, not even for a split second. No matter how strained or exhausted they were, she pushed them forward towards the next seal, located in the middle of the desert. Upon questioning a reason for her hurry, she shrugged nervously, explaining something about Colette's well-being. Kratos tried to remark that she was just as tired as everyone else, but the professor ignored him completely. When Genis whined about the desert being too hot she smacked him with her staff. She made it awfully clear that she didn't accept objections.
They arrived to the next seal at the hottest hour of the day, all dying for a drop of water. It was even hotter than in Triet, the sand itself was almost melting and turning into glass. The sun shone mercilessly from the cloudless sky, staring at them hungrily like a vulture. There wasn't any kind of flora, no trees, no flowers, not even cacti! Having been prepared for battle both Lloyd and Kratos tried to stay sharp, but there weren't even animals. It was just too hot.
Colette sat in the shade of the ruin of the broken down temple when they reached it, gathering strength in case a battle would occur. The shade was a blessing; although hot it wasn't nearly as hot as under the sun's burning glare. She and Genis had suffered the most of their trip, she being the frailest and he being the youngest, thus being the only ones who fell asleep. Raine made a little snack, but to her surprise no one was particularly hungry. Instead of pouting she ran off to study the ruins, her squeals reaching their ears even from far away. No one said it out loud, but everyone knew why she had been in such a hurry earlier.
"I-is she al-always like th-this?" Kratos asked, cursing himself for stuttering.
Genis opened one lazy eye as he sighed, glancing him. He wasn't expecting for Kratos to create an eye contact with him, but it was polite to even try. "…And I tried to hide it so badly."
Lloyd laughed at that; the mage gave him a glance as well, smiling tiredly. He was trying very hard to act like friends when they weren't alone, sometimes succeeding so well that Lloyd suspected the genuineness of his feelings. Very casually he ran his fingers over his hand, eliciting a happy childish smile on the boy's lips. If Kratos and Colette only accompanied Raine they would've had a sweet moment alone.
They sat in silence for a while, Lloyd had never known what to talk about with Kratos. He seemed like one of those types of people who couldn't be interested in anything at all. They just followed others, never smiling, never laughing, never even cracking a joke. The brunette felt a little uneasy, desperately trying to dig up a subject for a conversation from his brain but came up with nothing.
"Uhh, Krat--"
"Thanks, Kratos…" Genis cut him off, obviously perturbed by the silence as well.
"F-f-for w-wh-what?" The mercenary asked, his face matching the colour of a beetroot. When he glanced at the tiny mage it seemed like Genis paid his stuttering no heed, or that was what he thought. Actually he wanted to find out when he stuttered and when he didn't, if there was a certain subject or a certain person that caused his stuttering.
"Thanks for saving my life. I owe you one." He said, gaining the eye contact he had waited for so long, emphasizing his gratefulness with a sunny smile.
Kratos, had he been able to, turned even redder, acting as if he had caught a cold. In the middle of the summer. Genis and Lloyd exchanged glances, both having the strange feeling of something being awfully wrong with their mystery mercenary.
"Come, everyone, quickly!" They heard Raine exclaim, forgetting Kratos's dilemma.
Colette sat up, rubbing her eyes as if she had just woken up. "I wonder what she found…?"
"Probably another fossil again", Genis said sarcastically, closing his eyes. He wasn't going to get up to see what kind of a historic piece of crap her sister had found this time. Lloyd didn't agree with him, dragging him behind him to the others. He tried to pout, but Raine shot him an angry gaze as if she had heard what he had said and he kept quiet. Another hit from a staff wasn't what he was looking for.
"Here. This depression reads Oracle stone. Colette, place your hand here, maybe it reveals the entrance." She spoke, giggling like a schoolgirl in love. Anyone in their right mind would've escaped or suggested a field trip to the nearest asylum, but they all knew Raine was mostly harmless.
"It has my family crest on it…" Colette said thoughtfully as she put her hand there. "Let's hope it opens."
"This stone is enchanted with magic designed to identify the Chosen. There's no question about it." Raine explained, her eyes shining as she scrutinised the Oracle stone. Genis rolled his eyes, heaving a heavy – and theatrical sigh like the brat he was. Lloyd put a comforting hand on his shoulder, stealing Kratos's chance of getting closer to the mage.
The door to an old stairway opened slowly on the ground, followed by a tiny earthquake. Slippery stony stairs were revealed, the dark walls covered in dark green mildew and slime. A smell of decay spilled out of the stairway, strong enough to make everyone hold their noses while still curiously trying to see deeper into the booming darkness that welcomed them. Whoever had last passed through the stairway had left it in an awful condition, and what's worse, left no candles behind.
"It opened! Wow! So I really must be the Chosen!" Colette squealed, clapping her hands together.
Genis raised his eyebrows as he shrug off Lloyd's caring hand. "I thought we all knew that already."
Lloyd ran to Colette, taking her hands into his to admire them. Maybe he was expecting to see some kind of magic glowing her hands, no one but he knew for sure. "Wow, you really are the Chosen! Let's go inside! Let's go inside!"
"I hope you'll be able to maintain that enthusiasm, Lloyd." Kratos said, to Genis's surprise he didn't stutter at all. At first Genis had flinched, not recognising the voice of the speaker. The mage frowned, but didn't say anything because he wasn't sure what it portended. Jumping to conclusions wasn't very wise, especially without asking Raine about any kinds of disorders and diseases that could cause selective stuttering, as folly as it sounded.
It didn't take long to kill the beast and solve the riddles. Except for Lloyd who simply had to be dragged around. When the others had finished the puzzle he realised what it was about, the trip to the temple to be accurate. Kratos didn't say a word during the whole time, he only solemnly nodded and avoided Genis's gaze. Maybe he too had noticed the frown and realised what the mage had frowned upon. Trying to explain why without telling the truthful reason would be hard, especially if he had to tell it to Genis's face. The mage was a prodigy, fooling him with fancy terms could prove to be impossible.
At the altar Colette offered her prayers and Remiel appeared to tell her about the next seal while flapping his massive wings. He seemed a little disappointed that no one seemed half as surprised by him as the first time they had met. He needed something more, something new and exciting to keep them in agape whenever he was around.
Lloyd and Genis stood behind everyone else, shyly holding hands. If someone had turned to look at them they wouldn't only have seen their hands together, but also the feeling between them could be seen on their countenances. Such happy faces shining with rapture couldn't be understood in the wrong way. At times they glanced at each other, wanting to kiss like lovers, wanting to touch warm skin under their clothes, wanting to whisper sweet nothings to each other's ears but knowing too well what would happen if they began cuddling. Remiel would forget to fly and fall down, Raine would make minced meat out of them with her staff, Colette would faint and Kratos… well… Kratos would probably blush.
"I shall now grant you with wings, the sign of the Chosen!" Remiel bellowed, trying to be very dramatic.
They formed into her back, thin and delicate like the finest of lace, sparkling with all the colours of the rainbow. Everyone had expected them to look like Remiel's wings, supposing he was her father, but her wings were like a butterfly's, spectacular in their beauty.
"Thanks so much… dad…?" Colette said, smiling happily. Remiel didn't reply, only smiled tenderly as Genis scampered to her, admiring her wings. They were truly like a piece of art.
Suddenly Lloyd exclaimed loud enough for everyone to hear it: "Oh, oh, I get it!"
"Get what?" Genis asked, touching the wings as carefully as possible.
"Angels must have lots of zippers!" Lloyd declared, but before he could verify his theory from Remiel, the angel had flown back to heaven. He had forgotten to commit his Superman-act in such a hurry, probably mistaking Lloyd's remark as ridicule.
Genis sighed. "Didn't we agree not to think about this anymore?"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry to bring it up." Lloyd said, looking away as they began walking out of the temple. "But I tho--"
"Don't think." Genis smiled at him, tapping his temple gently. "Something might go kaput up there."
"Kaput? What does kaput mean?"
Raine didn't let Genis go on. "So, didn't Remiel say the next seal was behind… an ocean?"
"Yeah", Colette answered. "That's what he said."
"And how… are we about to cross the ocean…?" Raine asked, the giggly schoolgirl long gone replaced by a morose old man.
"I don't know. It'd be great if we could buy a boat or something…" Colette glanced at her, noticing the greenness of her face. She looked a bit ill; maybe she had accidentally tasted her own food. Ah, what a nasty thought!
"Oh…" Raine chuckled nervously, feeling how some of her gastric acids were crawling up her throat. "Couldn't we buy a plane instead?"
"I suppose we can if we have enou--" Colette started but fell over, hurting her hand on a stone. Blood spilled out, colouring the beige sand crimson. However, she wasn't sonorous although such a wound had most certainly hurt. Lloyd ran to her, his eyes looking at her wound with fear. Raine followed him, trying to ask Colette about her wound over the brunette's repetitive question of Are you all right.
"It's nothing. It doesn't even hurt." Colette explained with a sweet smile, looking at Raine with her cerulean eyes.
"Are you sure?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. A wound that large had to hurt; whatever Colette tried to hide was showing through her terribly bad lie.
"Yes." She looked at her feet. "I'm sorry to make you all worry."
"You don't need to apologise for that!" Genis exclaimed, watching Raine bandage her arm.
Raine didn't say anything. She merely observed Colette, keeping to herself. She wasn't a professor for nothing, which was why Colette's poor attempt to conceal her pain had almost insulted her. One way or another she swore to find out what kinds of side effects the process of becoming an angel had.
Together they decided to head back for Triet to spend the night at the local hotel. Everyone was exhausted from the long and eventful day, in dire need of beverages and nutrition. Without any clear reason they decided to eat Italian food for dinner if they only found an Italian restaurant. Only Lloyd seemed to be in a hurry to the hotel, wanting to skip the meal. No one quite figured out why.
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Finally a new chapter. Once again, I'm sorry I took so long!
Thank you for reading, please review if you want to see this continued!