"So there you have it." Regal brushed a rogue strand of hair away with one of his bound hands. "My work in the city should be completed by the end of the day. I nevertheless apologise for any inconvenience caused."

Genis smiled brightly from his seat, waving a hand around the rustic room of the house the group had found themselves in. "Don't worry about it Regal. After all, this is a pretty cosy place to relax for a while."

Sheena nodded her assent as she knelt down to stoke the fireplace, a warm flame licking the air. "Yeah, it sure is something! How did you manage to get us such a classy place anyway?"

Regal lowered his head slightly, his tumbling blue mane concealing the small smile on his lips. "Well…the Lezareno Company owns a lot of these cottages. The hilly terrain outside of Altamira brings a large number of tourists each year who crave the peace and quiet this area affords." He looked up and shrugged. "It doesn't take much string pulling when you are the president, even if I no longer flout my position. Besides, it is my way of apologising for the slight delay my work has caused."

Presea listened to the exchange half-heartedly, browsing one of the two packed bookcases in the living room. The topics were extensive, but slightly unusual in truth. She picked one out on cookery (expert level) and scanned through it, feeling her eyes glaze over. Is this really such a tedious subject, she thought, or is it just the book? Taking it back with her to the polished ornate table beside the fire, Presea sat down beside Colette and opened the text again to read. It took all of two seconds before she had been dragged into a conversation regarding her role as Altamira's mascot.

"Lloyd, that was Presea's line!" Genis' voice was scolding. "Besides, she can do it better than you – after all, she is the official mascot."

"Shut it Genis!"

Presea dared to look up from her book at the bickering friends. Lloyd, sat opposite her at the table, appeared to have the young half-elf in a mock headlock, but it seemed insufficient to stop the disagreement. Meanwhile, Regal was still talking to Raine and Zelos, and Sheena was asking Colette a question on something or other. Everyone seemed to have someone to talk to at the moment. And I have my book, she thought, lowering her gaze to continue reading.

"Hey Preseaaaa!" The singsong voices of Lloyd and Genis called out in unison.

Presea closed her eyes, finding herself grinding her teeth. "Yes?"

"Do that Dream Traveller act again," requested Lloyd. Genis nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, go on Presea. Pleeease. It's so cool."

The pink haired girl blinked. Not again, she thought; marking the part of the page she had read to. All one sentence of it. "…But I…I'm not really…" she cut herself short, watching the vacant smiles remain on their faces. Are they even hearing what I'm saying?

She held their gaze for a second, before sighing. "…Do I have to?"

"YES!"

Looking round the room for any kind of support, Presea found everyone present was staring expectantly at her, having paused their conversations. The small girl looked from one face to the next, each wearing the same look, before slumping back into her chair in resignation – raising an unenthusiastic fist high in salute.

"Wahoo," she said, somewhat flatly.

"Ahaha, that was brilliant!" Lloyd roared with laughter, rocking back on his chair.

Genis joined in, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "Yeah, that was amazing Presea! Do it again, do it again!"

Presea sighed, casting another glance around the room. Apparently, her impression had been sufficient for everyone else, who had resumed their earlier conversations.

Just as she looked down at the next sentence, Lloyd, being pushed off balance by Genis, fell backwards in his chair – grasping the tablecloth in his descent. A terrible crash filled the room as several glasses, a fruit bowl and a large text on cookery hit the ground in tandem with the young man. Presea stared dumbly at the area where her book had been just seconds before, then dropped her head down heavily on the table with a sigh. Cutting through the laugher that followed, she was dimly aware of Raine's voice lecturing Lloyd on his behaviour.

"Honestly Lloyd! When will you learn?"

"Aw…but Professor…it wasn't my fault, Genis-"

"Don't blame others for your own actions," interrupted Regal.

"But…"

"No Lloyd." Raine's voice was firm. "You need to learn how to be a responsible adult."

"But I'm…"

"Perhaps I should take him to Altamira with me," suggested Regal. "I'm sure I can find him something to do there."

"Aw no…I don't want-"

"That's an excellent idea Regal," Raine nodded. "Yes. I'm sure that will do wonders for our young warrior."

"Do I even get a say in this?" Lloyd's resigned voice floated in the silence.

As the sunny morning gave way to an overcast afternoon, Presea gave up on the book, resting it on her lap as she sat in a chair in the corner of the room, peering out into the garden of the cottage. Bored, she thought, watching Genis and Zelos arguing in the garden. Colette and Sheena entered then, both laden with baskets of fresh vegetables they had spent the morning picking. Placing her book on the table, Presea stood up to shake off the sleepiness that had already claimed Raine.

"Man, that Zelos is such a jerk." Sheena wore a scowl as she dropped her baskets onto the table. "He could at least help once in a while."

"Never mind," Colette's voice was cheerful. "It was fun anyway." She unloaded herself of her baskets, wiping her brow. "Whew, well we've got all this stuff, now we've just got to make something out of it."

"Yeah," agreed Sheena, massaging her hands. "So who's going to cook? Man, I'm starving."

Colette waved a hand at Presea. "Hi Presea, did you have a good morning?"

"It was…ok." Presea stretched her arms before sitting back down again. "I was reading. It wasn't really a productive way of spending time though."

Sheena carried her baskets to the sink in the kitchen. "So what were you reading then? Anything good?"

Presea picked up the cookery book and stared at the dreary cover. "A publication on cooking that was here in the cottage. It was…boring."

Colette did a little skip, "Oh, on cookery? I didn't know you were planning on making something tonight."

Presea blinked, feeling her eyes widening. Had she said that? She mentally replayed the conversation. "Huh? Ah…no, that's not what I-"

"Presea's cooking, eh?" Sheena's voice came from the kitchen. "That's unusual. Cool, so what are you making?"

"Uh…I never said…I can't really cook-"

"Maybe you could try a curry again? I remember that last time you made one, for the Gnomelette, it wasn't really suitable for our consumption."

Presea jumped at the sound of Raine's voice, and wheeled round to look at the Professor, still sprawled in the armchair beside the fire. The small girl scowled inwardly. How nice for her to wake at such a convenient time!

"Curry…but…" her voice trailed off.

"Yay! Presea's going to make curry." Colette was smiling as she carried her baskets into the kitchen to join Sheena in rinsing the vegetables. The pink haired girl looked lost and she stared down at the book in her hands.

"Genis! Zelos! Curry tonight. Presea's cooking!" Sheena's voice could be heard as she shouted through the back door of the kitchen into the garden. Presea slumped forward onto the table, dropping the book to the floor and kicking it when Raine wasn't looking.

Shortly after, Presea was standing in front of the kitchen worktop, staring at two chickens which had been taken out of storage for her to use. She turned her attention to the cookery book again, scanning through the recipe before returning to the chickens. They appeared to return her stare despite having no eyes or, indeed, no heads.

How did this happen? She turned her gaze to the spice rack. Not too spicy this time. It would be more efficient if I started by cutting the chicken though.

Pulling one of the chickens closer, Presea opened up drawers as she looked for a suitable knife. The kitchen appeared to be as well stocked as the rest of the house, and she examined a number of different blades before closing the drawer again in frustration.

She entered the living room, where Sheena, Colette and Raine were sat round the table playing cards. Presea felt some irritation at that, but quelled it as she hadn't actually done any cooking herself yet.

"Excuse me," she said. "I am not used to preparing food in such a well equipped kitchen. Um…which knife is best for cutting the chicken?"

"…A chicken knife?" Raine suggested. Presea looked at her, unsure whether she was being unhelpful or merely clueless.

"I do not think there is such a thing."

"Well," Sheena interrupted. "There is a sort of meat knife. Just go for something large and sharp, which will won't get blocked by the bone."

Presea nodded. "Affirmative. Large and sharp."

Colette shook her head. "But isn't it better if you cut the meat away from the bone rather than going through the bone? You could try a small thin knife, which would be easier to use."

Presea nodded. "Affirmative. Small and thin." There must be some hidden skill to this, she thought, feeling none the wiser.

"Yeah, but the small knife won't be able to cut the bone away so you can get to other areas of the chicken. A larger one will save time.

"But you might end up with bone in the chicken," argued Colette. "You might choke…"

Sheena waved a dismissive hand. "Nah, the bones'll be large enough to see."

"Isn't there a happy medium?" Raine asked. "Something which is sharp, large but easy to handle?"

Presea thought for a second. "Yes. I know of something that will fulfil the criteria specified. I shall retrieve it for use."

A few moments later, the living room was in wide-eyed silence, the card game halted, with cards limp in the players' hands.

Sheena looked over at the kitchen door, feeling as apprehensive as the others looked. "Um…was that her idea of a joke, or is she really planning on using her axe?"

Presea stared in satisfaction at the pile of neatly chopped chicken on the worktop before her.

"Size…acceptable, bone content…minimal. Mission accomplished. Next task, boil water for rice."

After checking there was sufficient fuel, Presea lit the flame and made sure the stove was warming. Then she placed the pan of water over the stove and waited. A few minutes passed, but the water still had not begun to boil. Presea checked the stove was lit again, and frowned. Was there some hidden secret to this too?

A few minutes later, Sheena poked her head around the door. "Hey, need a hand in here or have you got everything under control?"

Presea stared at the stubborn water. "I appear to be having difficulties in getting the water to boiling temperature."

Sheena entered the kitchen and looked at the stove. "Well…it's lit, maybe the water just needs a bit longer. You could do something else while you wait. A watched pot never boils…or something like that."

Presea frowned at the odd metaphor. "That seems strange," she said. "It has been like that for some time now, and I haven't been watching it the whole time."

"Hm, tell you what – lets try a little experiment."

Presea didn't know why the gleam in Sheena's eye concerned her. "I see. What will we do?"

"Well, how's about I get us a little elemental help?"

"You mean…summoning? Is that somewhat…excessive? And inappropriate?"

Sheena smiled, "Nah, it'll be fine – don't worry. Besides, I've always wanted to try this."

"Then I relinquish the water boiling duties to you. Please…do your best."

"Not a problem." Sheena pointed a finger at the flame in the stove. "Efreet! I ask that thou impart a fragment of thy power onto this weak elemental matter."

"Aargh. Oh god, oh god, my clothes!" Sheena's voice carried into the living room from the kitchen.

"Please hold still so I can administer water."

"But it burns! Ow."

"I did warn you that it was excessive."

"I said fragment!"

Raine looked up as a cloud of black smoke flowed out from the kitchen. "Oh dear. Even I haven't managed something that bad."

Colette ran over to open the windows. "I'm sure it'll be fine," she said, not quite feeling the confidence her voice held.

Presea looked towards the blackened stove as she dressed Sheena's arm with a damp bandage. "You have succeeded in boiling the water."

The young summoner winced, brushing back her long hair from her face. "Yeah, I guess that's something. Um…sorry about your hand."

"It is fine. Cold water should suffice. You suffered worse burns."

"Ah, it's okay." Sheena fidgeted. "Say, you wanna hand? I could deal with the rice or something."

"If you wish." Presea nodded. "Although I would recommend against the use of further summons."

Sheena laughed weakly. "Sure. So…where's the rice kept then?"

Presea frowned. "I think that door over there leads to the pantry. I shall go and have a look."

The room beyond the kitchen was enormous for its purpose, and stocked with large quantities of vegetables, preserved meat, flavourings and spices, and liquids. Presea looked around the room, locating the jute sacks which contained the wheat and grain. Picking up one of the ones marked 'Rice' Presea looked briefly at the racks containing wines and ales. Do you have wine in or with curry? She grabbed a bottle anyway, and returned to the kitchen.

"Here is the rice," she dragged the bag over to Sheena.

"Ok, leave it to me." The young summoner paused as she took the bag from Presea. "Hey, what's the wine for?"

"Oh…I did not know if wine was necessary for the recipe. Last time I only made the curry spicy…this time I must focus on taste."

"Well, I don't know of any curry recipe that requires wine." Sheena shrugged, a smile on her face. "But, hey – we can always have some. After all, we're the ones working right?"

Presea thought for a moment. "Yes…I'm sure that is fair."

"Atta girl!" Sheena poured several measures of rice into the water before breaking the seal of the bottle. Presea placed the chicken pieces into the pan and set it on the stove, before receiving the glass of wine her friend had just poured.

Sipping at the sweet, oaken tasting liquid, Presea studied the recipe book once again. The wine felt like it was fizzing in her mouth, and she swallowed quickly after each sip to avoid the peculiar sensation. The measures of the necessary spices and other ingredients seemed to have been written in a complex manner purely for the sake of it. She frowned, then handed the book to Sheena. "Does this make any sense to you?"

"Not a bit." Sheena's brows furrowed, then she closed the book and put it aside. "Never mind, I've made curry quite a few times before, I'm sure I can remember what to put in."

"You can? That is impressive."

Sheena waved a hand, taking a rather large sip from her glass. "Ah, its nothing. Don't worry – this'll be a great curry!"

Colette bounded in through the door. "Hi everyone," she called out cheerfully. "Need a hand?"

Raine followed the young chosen, stifling a yawn. "Yes, card games really need more than two people to work."

Presea shrugged as she stirred the chicken pieces. "There is little to do at the moment."

"It doesn't matter." Sheena had already pulled out another two glasses from a cupboard and had begun to fill them with wine. "Pull up a chair and have a glass." She topped up Presea's and her own glass in the progress.

"Ooh – is this wine? I haven't tried this before." Colette took the proffered glass and drank a significant quantity of it. "It tickles," she remarked.

"Don't drink it so fast," Raine advised, taking her own glass. "Are you sure we should be drinking this? That bottle looks old. About 53 years if I'm not mistaken, and, judging by its rich taste, a wine of excellent quality."

"Wow Professor, are you a wine expert too?" Colette giggled as she set the empty glass down, brushing locks of blonde hair away from her eyes.

"Not really, though through history one can learn to appreciate the value of-"

"Enough," interrupted Sheena as she finished her second glass, her cheeks holding a slight pink tint.

"It's easy to appreciate the value of wine! You don't need history for that!" She set the glass down. "Presea! We must spice the chicken."

Presea watched the young lady as she studied the spice rack. "Ah…um…there must be something here, somewhere."

"Does anybody present know the type and quantity of spice needed to flavour the chicken?"

Raine shook her head. "Haven't a clue, I'm afraid." She finished off her glass and frowned. "Genis will know, if you can find him – he was in the garden earlier."

Presea nodded, and drained her glass, feeling slightly light-headed as she placed it down on the worktop. "Then I shall…locate Genis and ask for his assistance." The sentence had somehow proved difficult to say.

Colette giggled again, sitting on the floor. "I'll go and get the vegetables from the storeroom."

"And another bottle! This ones empty!" Sheena shouted before turning her attention to stirring the chicken.

Presea's head reeled suddenly in the cool afternoon air as she entered the garden. Despite the mild breeze, she found herself feeling warm from the inside out, her cheeks aglow. Spying Genis dozing against a solid apple tree, Presea found herself wanting to sneak up to the young half-elf rather than just calling out to wake him. She moved round the garden perimeter, coming up to the tree behind Genis.

"BooGenismaywepleaserequestyourservicesinthekitchen?"

Genis jumped at the sound of the rapidly spoken and slurred sentence and looked about him in alarm, rubbing the tiredness from his eyes. "Wha-oh, Presea! You made me jump!"

He looked at the small girl, slightly swaying before him as she leaned against the tree. What's wrong with her?

"…Genis may we please request your services in the kitchen? We are having spice trouble."

The half-elf scratched his brow as he rose to his feet. That didn't sound like how Presea would normally speak. He looked at the pink glow around her cheeks and watched her steady herself against the tree. "Presea…have you been, drinking?"

"A-Affirmative. Sheena found a bottle of wine. Apparently Colette is going to find another. There is a lot in the storeroom."

"Oh-okay." Genis felt a slight pang of regret at missing what was obviously a good time. "Sure I'll help."

Presea's bow was exaggerated. "Thank you Genis. I am indebted to you"

The half-elf flushed. "Ah, no…It's okay, you don't have to go that far. Umm…lets go to the kitchen then, eh?"

They were greeted at the door of the kitchen by an inebriated Colette, who distributed glasses of wine to Presea and Genis. "Preseaaa, Geeenis!" She enveloped them both in hugs, "Welcome back! Zelos is showing us how to cut the vegetables well."

The small girl heard Genis sigh as they followed Colette through the door. Great, that's all we need." Presea was going to add a comment, but found herself taking another sip of wine instead.

"I heard that, brat." The Teth'allan chosen was stood at the worktop, a pristine white apron and oversized chef's hat looking quite ridiculous on him. "Now quiet and listen, the great Zelos is about to show his hunnies how to turn cutting vegetables into an art form."

Genis was staring incredulously at Zelos; "You're good in the kitchen?"

"Hey now, go easy on the scepticism, there's lots of things I'm good at. Observe!" Zelos' hands were a blur as he diced through several of the vegetables in quick succession. Presea wasn't sure if it was genuine skill or her own decidedly blurry eyes deceiving her. She took a step closer to watch, holding onto Genis' arm to balance. The young half-elf blushed at her touch, "Presea, are you all right? Do you need to lie down?"

Presea shook her head. "I am fine, there is no need for concern." She turned to Zelos. "Your skills in the kitchen are impressive. I did not expect that."

Zelos smiled broadly at the compliment. "Thank you my cute little Presea, but why did you not expect it?"

"Probably because you look as though you've never had to cook a meal in your life." Remarked Genis sullenly.

Zelos' reply was cut short by the explosive arrival of Sheena and Raine from the storage room, bottles of wine clutched in each of their hands. "Here's the wine!" Shouted the young lady, opening a bottle and pouring it into glasses. It was only when her own glass was topped up that Presea realised she had emptied it. Colette bounded over as Genis wandered over to apply spices to the cooking chicken.

"Presea! Lets do the washing!" Her voice was rapid and permeated with giggles. Presea found herself struggling to focus on her own words as she made to reply, her vision seeming blurred around the edges.

"Affirmative," she managed. Colette laughed for seemingly no reason and grabbed Presea by the hand, running to the sink. Presea looked back as she was pulled along, feeling her senses reel with the motion. "Good luck with the vegetables Zelos. Please…do your best."

As she approached the sink, Colette slipped on some spilled water and fell over, taking Presea with her. The two skidded slightly along the floor, Presea coming to rest across Colette's lap.

"For goodness sake, you mustn't run in the kitchen. And watch out, the rice is boiling over!" Despite the mild lecturing tone in her voice, it was clear Raine was very much under the influence of the wine too.

"I'll deal with it," replied Sheena, her voice raised.

"I think you've dealt with enough." Zelos remarked with a small laugh. "Yo, vegetables are done."

"Chicken is almost done," added Genis. "Woah, no Sheena, we don't put wine in the chicken. Now how's about you give me that bottle so I can put it out of harms way. You wouldn't want to waste any now, right?"

"Yeah…no…no I wouldn't. You're pretty smart Genis, you know that? Hehe…Here, you have some wine – it'll do you good. I'll…I'll just take my glass and me over here."

Colette laughed, rousing Presea from her drowsy listening of the conversations. "Guess this isn't going too well."

Presea found herself smiling, her head feeling light and numb. "True…you are quite comfortable Colette. Is that an effect of being a chosen?"

Colette giggled, ruffling the small girl's hair. "Hehe, just my speciality I guess."

"It is a handy speciality to have. I think I may stay here a while if that is okay with yourself."

"Hey you two – weren't you washing? Genis walked over, a glass of wine untouched in his hand.

"It became necessary to charge our energies before starting such a task." Presea wasn't sure if she was making any sense. There seemed to be a warm burning from her throat to her stomach as she tried to stand up, holding onto the worktop beside her with shaky hands. She lurched forward into the half-elf's steadying grasp. "I appear to be acting somewhat foolishly," she slurred, unable to tell if the heat in her cheeks was from the wine or blush.

"I shouldn't worry about it," replied Genis, taking a small sip from his glass and spluttering slightly at the strength of it. "You're not alone. Except for Zelos, everyone else is drinking."

I wonder why, thought Presea as she lurched towards the red haired young man who was emptying vegetables into the chicken's spicy sauce. "Zelos…wine are you not drinking? Why I mean. Why are you not having any…wine? She paused, frowning.

Zelos looked down and smiled. "I will let you know in the morning my dear Presea. If you haven't already found out by then that is."

Presea pondered his words, looking round to see Colette beginning to wash up under the watchful eyes of Genis. Her vision seemed to be becoming very glassy now. "Is there any…" she struggled to find the word, "…task I can perform?" She seemed to remember being the one who was supposed to be cooking the meal tonight.

"How about taking that bowl with the left over spices to Colette for washing up?" Zelos took off the hat, and placed it on Presea's head, where it sunk somewhat over her eyes. "You can be my head chef."

Presea raised an arm in salute. "I will do my best."

The small girl found herself dashing down the kitchen in a joyous stupor, the hat almost completely blocking her hazy view. "Colette. Spice bowl. Beware, it still contains spice powder."

"No problem, I'll wash it." Colette voice was as slurred as it was cheerful, taking the bowl in both hands from Presea. The young chosen went to turn around, but tripped on the side of the sink cupboard, and fell backwards with a squeak. The bowl flew from her hands, sending the remaining spice over Genis and Presea on its way to the ground.

"Sorry!" Colette managed to say in between gasping laughs. "If its any consol…cons…um…" she struggled at the word. "…If it makes you feel better, at least you smell cute now."

Presea blinked. "Cute? I smell of…paprika?"

"Yeah, but it's a nice smell."

Genis dusted himself off, and placed his now empty wineglass on the worktop, cheeks slightly rosy. "How about I finish the washing? There's not much left anyway."

Colette rose to her feet and embraced Genis, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you Geeenis," she said sweetly.

"All right girls!" Sheena's voice was louder than ever, as she seemed to appear out of thin air beside them. "If you're free, then how's about helping me finish this bottle?" She waved the object around in her hand, sloshing its contents out over the floor.

"Yeah!" Colette held out her own glass and Genis'. Presea looked round, unable to remember where she had left hers.

"…I was in possession of a glass," she remarked. "…I have…lost it."

"Ah, don't worry about it!" Sheena leaned over the worktop in the centre of the room and grabbed another bottle. "Here, this one can be yours. Look – we'll even write your name on it!"

Presea received the bottle and admired the almost illegible writing. This one smelled differently, richer, almost drier.

"Watch out, that chicken is burning." Raine suddenly appeared by the stove, lurching forward and gripping the pan with her hand to move it away from the heat. "Ow!" She moaned in pain as the hot metal burned her hand.

Zelos appeared beside her, taking the pan by its handle to set it back on the stove. "The chicken is fine. The rice is fine. The only thing burning was you, my dear professor. Now lets run that hand under some cold water."

"Oh my…you certainly are useful to have in the kitchen." The giggly quality of Raine's voice brought out a moan from her younger brother.

"Raine…please! This is why you shouldn't drink."

Presea leaned on the centre worktop and watched the scene with blurry eyes, although she could barely understand what they were talking about. Raine seemed to be discussing the task of being an older sister with Zelos, much to the chagrin of a blushing Genis, begging her to stop.

There was a sound nearby, and suddenly Sheena and Colette were staring down at her. Looking about, Presea realised that she had fallen over. The lights in the kitchen seemed to be growing brighter, and her friends were talking; though she couldn't understand what they were saying.

"Wahoo," she slurred as an answer to whatever they were asking her.

Presea screwed her eyes shut against the morning light as somebody opened the curtains with a loud "Morning." Even closed though, the sun seemed to penetrate through, causing a throbbing pain to erupt in her head. She turned over in the bed, and opened her eyes slightly, before they widened in the shock of finding Colette beside her, asleep. Sitting bolt upright – and regretting it – Presea turned her head round to look at the window where Zelos was fastening the curtains open.

"Zelos!" Presea winced as she spoke. "You should not be in here. Please leave."

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger! I'm just the unlucky one who get sent to wake you guys up – youtwo should have been up ages ago. Come on, we're ready to leave soon. After you guys clean up the kitchen." He laughed, but avoided her eyes all the same, looking instead at the floor as he left. Presea paused for a second after he closed the door, then lay her head back on a pillow to fight off the waves of nausea that seemed to rise with every movement. She figured it was a bad thing that large pieces of the night before seemed to be missing from her memory.

"Colette," she said quietly, then turned to shake her companion. "Um, Colette – we need to get up."

"Mph," replied the Chosen as she opened her eyes. She blushed as she focused on Presea. "Morning…oh…um…Presea? What are you doing here?"

"Good morning." Presea sat up and climbed out of bed, rubbing her sore head. "I understand what Zelos meant about the wine now," she muttered.

"Colette sat up with a moan. "At least you remember something."

The two girls walked down the stairs into the lounge of the house, where everyone was gathered. Sheena and Raine looked very pale and limp in the chairs they were sat in, but Lloyd, Regal – who both must have returned at some point in the night – and Genis blushed as they set eyes on Presea and Colette.

"What?" Colette asked after a brief pause. Presea suddenly had a bad feeling about the whole situation and her head was in agony.

"Um…nothing…nothing at all." Lloyd's laugh was nervous and Genis looked away, abashed.

"Huh?" Colette blinked… "I don't understand, what is it?"

Regal coughed, not making eye contact. "Well…I assume that last night you both…" he trailed off for a second, "…you…uh…don't remember then…about-"

"No, I do not." Presea looked around the room, feeling very awkward. "Are we leaving now then?"

"Um…why? What happened? Did I fall over or something?" Colette sounded concerned, obviously sharing Presea's thoughts.

"All the time…but that wasn't really it." Lloyd hesitated, rubbing the back of his head. "You…um, neither of you remember what you got up to? Before you both went up–"

"No." Presea interrupted, grabbing Colette by the arm and walking quickly to the front door, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks. "We don't remember and we don't want to. Lets go."

"But Presea…" Colette started, but the small girl ignored her, trying hard not to remember anything. I don't want this lost time back.