A/N: If this chapter is a little extreme, don't blame me. Blame the Extreme Fairy who leaves it under my pillow at night. And I KNOW I said the next chapter was "Talented" but I forgot about my Sheena-Raine-Sheena-Raine chapter design. The next Raine chapter is gonna be called "Talented". Enjoy! (Man, if this were an Exalted game I would SO get points for stunts…) This one turned out 5,000 words long. I was just in the shower thinking of what the heck I was going to do next when this scene struck me. I was running around the house shrieking "EUREKA! EUREKA!" and my mother was very worried.
Sheena sat on the edge of her bed, mindlessly running one of Zelos's combs through her hair. She barely looked up when Pandora entered without knocking, softly closing the door behind her. The half-elf noble sat down next to her, tucking her legs under her as she played with the tassels on one of the throw pillows. Sheena tried to ignore her, but Pandora was obviously more patient than she was.
"What, are you here to comfort me?" she finally asked, putting the comb down.
"Psh," Pandora collapsed back onto the bed. "Who do you think I am- Zelos? No, no. Comforting people requests that you have emotions."
Sheena rolled her eyes. "Pandora, I've… loved someone, even when something happened to them that made them lose their emotions. I know the real deal when I see it."
Pandora's ears seemed to perk as she quickly sat up. "What, really?" she asked, grinning. "Who?"
Sheena flushed. "Oh, come on! Who do you know that lost their emotions besides Cole- I mean, besides… besides that person? Is that a common occurrence in the life of Pandora Epiphany? Huh?" she said, wondering again at why Pandora never seemed to lose control of her emotions the way Sheena always was. They were alike in so many other ways; it made Sheena wonder if maybe someone from Pandora's human heredity might be from Mizuho. It certainly wasn't impossible- if Genis had a brother, why couldn't she have a sister?
She glanced over at Pandora, who only gave her a thin smile. Flushing, she quickly glanced away again. Nope. No Mizuho in her bloodline, Sheena could tell. Her thoughts had, as per usual, only been wishful thinking.
Pandora's face suddenly loomed into her line of vision. "You're dripping water all over Zelos's floor, Sheena," she said, her voice wry.
Sheena shrugged. Gathering up her hair and squeezing it, she unleashed a small shower on the rich carpet. Pandora smiled at that, standing up and stretching her arms high above her head. "So where are you headed off to now, mysterious Shinobi of Mizuho?"
Silence.
Pandora looked over her shoulder at Sheena, who was staring at the palm of her hand. Her dark eyes were glazed over, but her lips were pressed together so tight they were only thin pale stripes. "Sheena?" She walked closer, tentatively putting a hand on Sheena's shoulder. Sheena jumped back to reality, blinking a few times and quickly wiping her hand on her pant leg.
"Uh, what?" she asked, swallowing nervously.
"…I asked where you were headed next," Pandora said.
"Izoo- ….Triet," Sheena said after a moment of deliberation. "Wanna tag along?"
"No thanks. I've got a week to take a break from being Pandora Epiphany, daughter of Charles Epiphany, and I want to spend it in peace and silence." Pandora tapped a finger against the pommel of her sword, examining Sheena from head to toe. "But maybe you should ask Zelos to come. You don't look too well, and I don't want you falling off of your Rheiard."
"I'm fine," Sheena said quickly. She put a hand to her still damp hair, squeezing the last dregs of water out before standing up and glancing at her palm again. She was silent for a moment, her hands held out before her with the palms facing upwards.
"…Pandora?" she asked when that brief, tense moment of silence was done. Looking up with an odd expression on her face; she held out her palm to the half-elf. "What do you see when you look at my hand?"
Pandora took Sheena's hand in her own, her expression soft and neutral. "What am I looking for?" she asked.
"Blood," Sheena said. "Is there blood on my hand?"
Pandora shook her head. Letting go of Sheena's hand, their dark eyes locked. "I only see the water from your hair." Turning around, she walked to the door and locked it shut as quietly as she could. "Maybe," she said, "You should stay here for a while and get some rest- Sheena, no!"
When Pandora had turned back around, Sheena had slid the window open and leapt out, her long black hair trailing behind her like a cape. Pandora ran to the window, her eyes darting around Zelos's gardens, but the ninja was nowhere to be found.
Tok tok tok tok tok!
"Oh Sheena darling!" Zelos warbled through the door. "Hmm? The doors are locked? Are you changing? Hmmm? You don't want me to walk in at a wrong moment, is that it? Oh, you tease…"
Pandora swung open the door, glaring at Zelos.
"Pandora?" He asked, bemused, before grinning again. "I see! Two girls in a locked room. Risqué. Well, when you're done putting the moves on your ninja-sweetie-pie, can you give her this?" he handed her a small brown package. "Is she even in there?"
"She jumped out the window," Pandora sighed, shoving the package back into his hands.
"She got scared when you started being too 'forceful', huh? Or do handcuffs turn her off?"
SMACK!
Pandora looked away from Zelos, who was sprawled on the floor with a sizable lump growing on his head. Her eyebrow twitched once in annoyance before she stormed past him down the hallways to the roof. "Whoahey!" He called out, getting on all fours and reaching out after her, though she was far out of his grasp. "Where are you going?"
"Triet!" She yelled back at him, stomping up the stairs.
Sheena flew at full speed through the icy, needling rain. Night had already fallen since she had taken off from Meltokio and the thick storm clouds didn't help her vision much. She flew over the raging ocean, not slowing down as she reached with one hand to the small storage compartment on the side of her Rheiard. She rummaged around for a pair of goggles. Dammit, she thought, finding nothing but maps and turning her attention back to driving. I'm not crazy, dammit! There was blood on my hands!
She stuck a hand in her pocket to run a finger along Gnome's soft, warm fur. He hopped into the palm of her hand, scrambling up her sleeve to cling onto her shoulder, his head next to her ear. "I think there are enemies nearby, Sheena!" he yelled. "Be careful!"
Would her Summon Spirits notice if there was something wrong with her? Even if they did, could they refuse an order from her? Technically the pact with her had been completed. She'd set out and done what she said she'd do: create a world where everyone could live in peace.
Could live in peace. That didn't mean they would.
"Sheena! Look out!"
Sheena instinctively barrel-rolled a few yards to her right, barely able to register a gargantuan dark shape zooming past where she had been flying moments before. "Thanks, Gnome," she said, glancing at the foaming ocean waters beneath her. Frickin' A. Looking up again, she saw the dark shape had wheeled around for another strike, screeching out a cry sharp enough to make her ears throb.
"I call upon the Maiden of the Mists!" Sheena said, feeling the power of the Summon Spirit of water well up inside of her. "I summon thee! Come, Undine! Attack that creature!"
Suddenly, the ocean waves grew in intensity, reaching up in forty-foot crests. The soft white foam writhed, forming tiny hands that grabbed at the creature, wrapping around it and hampering its movements. The winged creature writhed in the grasp of the thousands of tendrils of water, clawing through insubstantial chains that dragged it down into the dark depths of the ocean to be crushed by the water pressure. That is, if it didn't drown before then.
"Freaking monsters…" Sheena said to Gnome. He squeaked his agreement.
CRASH!
Sheena's head snapped down to see the creature breaking free from Undine's clutches and screeching again, almost making her faint with the unearthly noise. It flapped its wings, opening its cavernous maw wide. Sheena saw the sparks before a huge belch of white-hot flames erupted from the creature's mouth. It missed her, but the fiery stream was so close she could feel the steam rising off of her water-drenched clothing. Sheena swerved as the creature zipped past again, roaring and swiping out with its gleaming, sharp claws.
A fire dragon? But the water… She shook her head before she sped up, aiming for a head-on collision with the flying creature. Sheena cursed under her breath, veering to the side at the last minute, pulling out a handful of small daggers and hurling them at the creature as she dashed by its serpentine head. But even though she aimed where the eyes should be, all she heard was a faint metallic clang and the dim silhouette of her daggers falling down into the ocean. The rain clouds parted for a split second, letting the moon's light spill out over the creature for a brief second before enshrouding the night with darkness once more.
The creature had reflected the light.
"Gnome," she said quickly, water spraying from her mouth as the rain only slammed down harder with the sudden appearance of the elemental master of Water. "What is it? It just can't be a fire dragon."
"Uhh…" the mouse shook his head.
"Is it Earth-element?" she snapped.
"No!" he said, indignant.
"Wind?"
"No…"
"Darkness?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Water?"
"No."
"C'mon, Gnome!" Sheena said her voice on the edge of panic. "You've gotta help me out here! What do I use against it?" The creature opened its mouth again, flames spewing out, reaching for her with greedy arms. She sped off in another direction, the dragon hot on her heels and screaming out its anger.
"I don't know!" he yelled, nipping at her ear in frustration. "I don't know. I can't feel anything from it, Sheena! It doesn't have an eleme- shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!" Gnome clutched onto her ear as tight as he could as she made a sharp and sudden nose dive- right towards the frothing ocean surface.
"Undine, Sylph! Now!" Sheena closed her eyes.
There was no splash. When Sheena dared to breath again, she tenderly cracked one eyelid open to see the infinite darkness spread out before her. Growing bold, she opened both her eyes and looked around her, her Rheiard slowly cruising underwater in its own protective air bubble. Faintly, she could see a lithe, feminine profile swimming just outside her bubble. Sheena waved hello at the familiar sight of her first real Summon Spirit while Gnome, in a cat form, clambered into her arms and nuzzled his head under her chin. Trusting the Sylph to keep her aloft, she let go of the handlebars and held him, trying to keep herself from shaking. She'd used this underwater trick before, but never at such a high speed.
"That was not a dragon," she said out loud to her Summon Spirits.
"No…" Gnome agreed. "I know every living thing that comes from Mother Earth, and that was not one of them."
"Well, whatever it is, I need to kick its ass and I can't do that if I'm flying or floating. Gnome, where's the nearest land?"
"Ummmm," the tom cat wriggled in her arms, clenching his eyes shut as he concentrated. "I think in a sort of that-way direction," he said, pointing to Sheena's left. "There's a small island with no vegetation over there. Deserted, no people, and it's like five minutes away."
"Right. I'll go back to the surface and grab its attention; after that I'll head to the island and then kick its ass."
"…Good plan," Gnome said.
"Yeah? Thanks."
Gnome opened his mouth to respond again when Sheena was suddenly thrust forward, a massive wave pushing at her air bubble and sending her Rheiard tumbling head over heels. Sheena grabbed at the handlebars, righting herself and speeding away as the creature gave chase, powerful claws cutting cleanly through the water. Gnome changed back into a mouse and buried himself into her pocket once more, utterly useless here where even the ocean floor was miles away. "It can swim?" Sheena cried, looking over her shoulder as she accelerated. "Undine, do something! It's surrounded by water for Martel's sake!"
Whatever this creature is, it is unaffected by even the greatest water pressure, Undine droned into her mind as another jet of fire shot past her, hot enough to evaporate the water around it. She was not safe, even surrounded in the element that should have a fire dragon writhing in pain she was not safe. Great! An invincible, element-less monster. Time to pull out the big guns, though it would take considerably longer to summon a powerful spirit like Maxwell, not to mention she was already worn out from calling Undine and the Sylph. At least Gnome didn't take up any of her mana since he had come of his own accord.
But wait… to buy her time while calling Maxwell, she could…
"OK! Sylph, Undine, use all your strength to push me up out of the water and then get the hell outta here!" Sheena commanded, angling her Rheiard so the nose faced the surface of the water. The gnashing, shining teeth of the creature actually managed to brush against the silk of her obi before she gave the order.
"Ready? Go!"
As you command.
Sure thing baby!
Sheena was lifted up out of the water with such explosive force she thought she might just pass out. She was slicing through the sky, feeling as though if she kept going she could touch the stars…. Clutching at the handlebar with one hand, she guided it up, certain that the beast was far behind her now. Squeezing the Rheiard between her knees, she turned in her seat and wrenched the Rheiard along with her so that she sat suspended, upside down to whip her free hand, palm out, at the creature below her. The monster was just emerging from the ocean, maw opened wide to unleash another white-hot surge of flame.
"Celsius! Freeze it!"
The Summon Spirit of ice materialized in front of the pillar of fire, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. Holding up one tightly clenched fist, she thrust a beam of ice, freezing the pillar of fire and traveling down, completely encasing it, the monster, and the surrounding yards of ocean in a crystal clear sheet of solid ice.
Sheena started her slow descent in lazy spirals, her heart throbbing in her chest and her mind hurting from the overuse of mana. She let herself relax, taking deep, slow breaths to regain her strength. "Thank you…" she said to Celsius when she reached the monster. "So much."
"Peh. Don't even bother summoning the old fool to finish it off," the girl-shaped Summon Spirit said to her out loud, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "That dragon won't be going anywhere for the next century or so."
Sheena, too tired to argue or ask how Celsius knew she was trying to contact Maxwell, silently called off the summon. She rested her forehead against the control, blindly groping at the side of her Rheiard in the darkness for the compartment where she stored her gels. Finding it, she opened it up and her hands brushed against several jars of the life-saving stuff and…
…her goggles.
She conked her head against the controls hard enough to make a small hollow sound. "Goddess…damn… it… all…" she panted, pulling out the jar of pineapple gel as she did so.
"If you won't be needing any further assistance with dragons, my master…?"
"Yeah, you can go," Sheena grumbled, scooping a healthy portion out of her jar. In a flash of colored light, Celsius teleported back to her shrine where she would wait for another summon. Sheena glanced at the digital clock on her Rheiard, groaning at how much time she had lost fighting dragon-things. And speaking of such things… hovering a little closer to the ensnared beast, her dark eyes darting over the bolts and welded plates of metal, she let a small noise of confusion escape from her mouth.
"Huh?"
A robot?
She glided around the impromptu ice sculpture, weariness forgotten in light of this new puzzle. The rain had finally let up and the clouds meandered across the sky, again letting the moon show her face to the world. The light made the ice and metal plating glitter beautifully enough to rival the stars, and illuminated a small patch of metal she might have otherwise overlooked. Branded onto the 'thigh' of the creature was an eerily familiar insignia, though she couldn't remember where she had seen it before. But her attention was soon shifted to something else, something that made her pulse slow and her mind fog.
Gazing mindlessly at a patch of ice, she looked at her dozens of reflections; suddenly serene, she reached out and put a palm against the ice. Her eye glazed over, entranced as she saw it once more: the repeating vision. Swirling, wriggling, churning eddies of red tendrils, branching out, out, out.
Krick.
Sheena snapped out of her trance, her heart stopping for a moment. She heard it again, much louder this time:
Krriickckraaaaaaakt!
"Oh shi-!"
Sheena's engine roared to life and she darted out of the way as huge chunks of ice began to crack and crumble, falling down with mammoth splashes as it hit the water below. The creature's head broke free first, allowing it to shriek that ungodly noise before blowing out another fireball at her. Sheena almost gagged as the ends of her hair were singed, sending the putrid smell her way as she flew in reverse to avoid a swiping blow from one of the monster's claws.
"Sheena!" Gnome yelled at her as she swooped and dodged in midair, rolling and flying in loops to avoid thrashing limbs and the ever-falling ice. "It might take a while but I can grab some earth from the bottom of the floor!"
"Do it!" she gasped, watching as the mouse clambered out of her pocket and dived down, out of sight. Not wasting time to try and track his descent, she began to fly out of range of the fireballs and falling debris, cursing under her breath all the while. She shouldn't have listened to Celsius, she was too proud for her own good. Maxwell could have ripped the monster apart molecule by molecule.
Fwoosh.
Sheena blinked, turning in her seat to gawk, jaw dropping as a slim black Rheiard whizzed silently by her, heading back in the direction of the monster. The rider was leaning forward in his seat, his chest almost parallel to the body of the Rheiard; a long vermillion scarf trailed behind him like a spill of blood, entrancing Sheena for a moment before she struggled back to a lucid state of mind.
"Hey, wait! What the hell are you doing?" She revved her Rheiard up, chasing after him, trying to grab at his scarf, anything to keep him from his suicidal charge against the dragon.
Sheena, leave! She heard, faintly. The voice was soft, carried by the freezing winds to whisper by her ear. Can't you just get out of here while it's safe?
"Get- get back here!"
Wordlessly, the not-quite stranger shrugged off his coat, tossing it back at her. Sheena cursed, flipping out of the way of the fluttering red fabric before it could get caught in her engines or tangle up the controls. But those precious few seconds were enough to let the stranger get farther ahead of her, hopelessly out of her reach. "No, wait!" she called out, her heart dropping into the pit of her stomach."Wait! What are you doing? Come back!"
She could only watch, helpless, as he crashed his Rheiard headfirst into the head of the monster, a golden-red sphere of fire billowing where they collided. The creature shrieked, sirens wailing and lights flashing as the bombs attached to the Rheiard began to go off in rapid succession, tearing away huge chunks of its metal plating.
Then she saw it- a slender black shadow falling, arms outspread, long dark hair and vermillion scarf sprawling out behind him. Sheena's heart skipped a beat and she tore after him as fast as her Rheiard would allow, dipping into a steady nose dive with both her arms outstretched to catch him. He sent her a panicked glance over his shoulder, pale face clearly visible in the moonlight, eyes wide behind thin rimless red sunglasses.
Go! Away! She heard him say.
Against all thoughts of rhyme or reason, the stranger pressed his arms flat against his sides and veered off, heading back up in the direction of the monster. Sheena broke out of her nose dive, not believing her eyes as what she had believed to be the ends of his ragged clothing flapping in the wind… unfurled. They flapped down, fwoosh, and up, fwoosh, rocketing him through the sky faster than any Rheiard.
Stay! Just… stay put! I can handle this!
"No way!" Sheena hissed. Not about to be outdone, she flew after him, skillfully dodging past the chunks of burning metal and ice that were still falling down from the sky. Jabbing at a few buttons on the controls, she waited until she was zipping past the head of the monster to leap off, for a moment completely weightless before she snatched onto the horn of the dragon and climbed on. Pulling out the wing pack, she zapped at the Rheiard and called it back to her, shrinking it and putting it into her pocket before looking around for the winged stranger. She found him at the point where he had flown his Rheiard into the dragon, pulling a dagger out of his belt and folding his wings while lowering himself into the gaping hole. Sheena swallowed her fear and jumped in after him, landing on all fours in a dimly lit compartment strewn with cables and controls.
She turned to face the stranger. He hung back, a dagger held tightly in one hand and the other resting on a nearby keyboard. The crimson scarf he wore was wrapped completely around his lower face, covering his mouth and the bridge of his nose "Do you know how to break this thing?" she asked him, clutching onto some low-hanging cables as the monster made a sudden movement, shaking her footing.
He nodded.
"Then tell me how I can help." After a moment of hesitation he tossed her the dagger, pointing at another grouping of cables. Again she heard his voice, whisper thin, tickling her ears. …Thin yellow ones…
Sheena nodded, grabbing at the cables. "These?" Again, he nodded. Sheena got to work hacking through the florescent plastic coating as he turned his attention to the screen before him, violet eyes scanning over waves of incomprehensible computer jargon, his long, slender fingers fluttering over the keys clickity clackety clack.
Suddenly, there was a long, metallic groan. Sheena froze, looking around her as her pulse quickened. "That didn't sound good…" she said. She almost jumped when the stranger grabbed at her arm, tugging at her and pointing urgently at the hole in the ceiling. "We're done here?"
I disabled the wings and other motor functions, we have to leave! He jabbed a finger at the hole, tightening the bright red scarf around his lower face. Go, go! Do you understand me? We have to leave! Now! He held out his arms, motioning for her to hold onto him as he began to unfurl his wings, but she pushed him away and climbed out on her own. Holding onto the edge of the hole with one hand, feeling the vertigo as the creature began its slow descent into the ocean. All around her she could see that Gnome had finally managed to tap into the ocean floor, spikes of solid volcanic rock punching through the metal plating like it was paper.
"Hell yes," she breathed, grinning hugely as she reached into her pocket, pulling out the wing pack and calling out her Rheiard. Hopping onto the slim purple machine, she waved once to the winged stranger, motioning for him to follow her. The noise by then was deafening, a bloody cacophony of wails and shrieks and explosions. Taking off and hoping the stranger had seen her, she flew out through the falling maze of rubble. Soon the stranger had caught up to her, flying on her right and sticking to her as they flew away, far away to safety.
Sheena felt a warm, familiar presence on her shoulder and looked up to see Gnome, in mouse form, smugly grinning at her. "How ya like me now, bitch?"
"Not much more than I did before," Sheena admitted, reaching up to run a finger along his soft fur.
"Anything else my mistress requires from the awesome and pimpin' Gnome?" the mouse said, reclining against her ear and feeling the wind against his whiskers.
"Yes," Sheena said, lowering her voice. "I want you to knock that man out."
Gnome snapped to attention, nodding to the winged stranger, who was busy looking for somewhere to land. "Who? Him? Certainly." He raised one paw up and then suddenly let it drop, hurling a stray chunk of rock and smashing it against the winged strangers head. His wings fell limp against his back and he plummeted, but not so fast that Sheena couldn't catch him and sling him across the back of her Rheiard. Using the map on her Rheiard controls, she changed course and headed out, her face grim.
When he came to, he was tied up to a chair in a dark room. Sheena was standing, leaning against the wall of the room with her arms crossed. Faintly, she heard him groan in pain and willed herself not to care about him. When he began to struggle against his bonds she strode across the room to grab him by his shoulder, her grip tight.
"How did you know how to disable the robot?" she demanded, leaning down so that she was at eye-level with the lanky stranger. He shook his head, slowly, trying to blink away the dried blood on his eyelashes. Sheena gritted her teeth, grabbing at the front of his shirt and pulling him closer to her. "Answer me."
I… can't…
"Yes you can! You were wearing Desian armor under your clothing. And…" She let him go and pulled something from the top of the room's table. She threw it at his feet, stalking around him, her ragged and torn clothing fluttering behind her like wings. "…This, plus your uncanny knowledge of machinery most people never see in their lives, lead me to believe that it was not an accident or fate you came to save me." She kicked at the plate of metal she had torn from the monster's thigh, the one with the familiar logo branded onto it.
"In the Remote Island Ranch I saw this symbol over every piece of machinery. You used to work for Rodyle. Only he would want to make something dangerous like that robot." She stopped her manic pacing and stood in front of him again, one hand brandishing her deck of cards. "And Rodyle hurt someone very close to me. I'm not about to spare you just because you helped."
He coughed a few times, turning his head away. It was an accident… Sheena…
Sheena didn't let down. "Answer the question! If you don't..." She grabbed at his dark violet hair, forcing his head down so she could see over his shoulders to the wings folded neatly on his back. "…I'll cut them off."
He yanked his head out of her grip, sending his glasses flying. No! Please! Sheena! If you could just understand me I could tell you what happened!
"I understand you just fine," she snapped, flipping her cards back out of sight. "Now tell me who sent you, and how you know my name."
The stranger inhaled sharply, sitting back in his seat to stare at her with wide eyes. You… you understand me? He said from behind his thick scarf.
"Well yeah," she said, starting to feel her resolve slip away in her confusion. "You're speaking the common language."
But that's not possible! He said, beginning to struggle again. She put a hand to his shoulder and pushed him against his chair, pressing her cards against his throat.
"Don't try to escape," she said. "Explain yourself."
Sheena, he said. She waited, patiently, for him to finish. Eventually, he did. I'm the one who saved you in Flanoir.
Sheena stood back, letting him go. "You? You're 'A Shadow'? You're the one who left all those notes!"
Yes, that's what they call me. Please, untie me and I can explain.
"You…" Sheena shook her head, trying to make sense of this. "You still haven't answered my other questions! How do you know how to operate Rodyle's creation? How could you know about that?"
A Shadow shook his head. I'm sorry. I can't tell you that.
"Are you forgetting that I'm a shinobi?" she asked. "You know that torture methods are one of the things we learn when we're still children." She shoved him again. "So talk. How do you know Rodyle?"
His bowed his head, letting his long purple hair curtain his face. I can't. He's my… he was my…
Suddenly, the gears in Sheena's mind began to work at full speed as she stood back and looked him up and down, from his violet hair to his mottled black wings to his familiar stark white gloves. Bending down, she picked up the stranger's thin, rimless glasses and held them up before his face. "...These glasses," she asked. "Did they belong to your father?"
Slowly, miserably, he nodded.
"And your wings…"
He put them on me.
Sheena put them in his lap, frowning as she took a strand of the stranger's violet hair and let it run over her fingers. "That explains a lot," she said, weakly.
Tok tok tok tok tok!
"Sheena? Come out here right now! I know you're in there!" Sheena glanced up in alarm, quickly turning to run to the window again when the door burst open and Pandora strode in, grabbing at Sheena's arm and holding her tightly. She looked from the stranger, bruised and bloody and tied to a chair, and then looked back to Sheena's guilty face.
"What in the name of Martel…"
Next Chapter: "Talented" or "If I had a Gald piece for every time she said that!" And I'm pretty sure the poll is gonna be introduced next chapter, too.
And Rodyle's son is a lot prettier than he ever was. And he's not a Gary Stu! Trust me, he has his share of weaknesses...