A/N: I am not dead! And I am sorry for the long wait! Things have been a little... difficult. But I'm back! I hope! And I promise this fic will be finished! 3

Commandant

He was about to go do his rounds when the door to his chamber suddenly flew open. Had this not been a regular occurrence, he would have been taken by surprise. But as it was, Lucien had a tendency to barge in at the most inconvenient of times.

"And to what do I owe this honor?" he asked, raising his brow ever so slightly, his annoyance unintentionally seeping into his tone.

"Busy?" Lucien asked, looking around and noticing the coat in his hands.

"The tower doesn't build itself, my lord."

Lord Fairfax. The bane of his existence. If it were up to him, Lucien would be dead and this whole ridiculous project would be scrapped.

"I would be careful with how you employ that attitude of yours. Remember. I gave you life and I can easily take it away with a twitch of a finger."

"Of course, my lord."

"Good. Now. I want to talk to you about a certain recruit." Even with the vagueness, he already had a pretty good idea who Lucien was talking about. And sure enough, as if she wasn't a pain in his rear already, she was brought up once again. "I can't help but notice you've taken a special interest in 273. Anything you wish to tell me?"

"What is there to tell? She is irritating, persistent, and more trouble than she's worth." the Commandant snapped. And as such, on his mind constantly to his annoyance. Ever since she showed up at the spire, his life has been nothing but a series of headaches and sleepless nights.

"Yes, well, she does have the tendency to ruin people's days, doesn't she?" The hinting was subtle and perhaps unintentional but the Commandant couldn't help but notice the inclination of Lucien's tone imply that the two knew each other. Though he opted not to ask about it.

"Is there something you needed of me?" he asked instead. The reply came after a short pause which solidified his belief that the two had a past and he would be lying if he said he wasn't curious and ... no. There was a feeling he preferred not to elaborate on. He needed to completely put her out of his mind and most definitely out of sight. Perhaps he could suggest moving her out from under his command. But he was not that lucky. In fact, it would seem she was destined to haunt his life regardless of his opinion.

"Yes," Lucien stated absentmindedly. "I need you to keep a close eye on her. I can't help but feel she's here for something. What, I've yet to figure out."

The words took a moment to sink in. Him? Keeping a closer eye on 273? Closer... He wanted to run as far away from her as he could and Lucien wanted him to keep a closer eye on her?

"I really don't think that is necessary." he tried to reply as calmly as he could. The statement gave Lucien a pause and a shadow crossed his face, which only meant...

"Do you believe your opinion superior to mine?" he asked icily, raising his chin and straightening his back. He was a noble through and through. A rich, pompous bastard. But the Commandant valued his life above all else, even if it was distorted and polluted by the darkness growing within him.

"No, my lord." he hissed in reply. "Your word is law." The shadow passed, replaced by a smile.

"Excellent. Then I shall have her stationed here as your guard." Without another word, Lucien gathered himself up and left, leaving a stunned Commandant behind.

An odd feeling spread throughout his whole being. A feeling he hadn't felt since... since he almost died. With his heart beating faster than normal, he recognized it.

Fear.