Project Great Madness

by Kakashiz

[DISCONTINUED] Great Madness ficbase, dedicated to my legion. Collection of random drabbles and one-shots, as seen from Kaolin's, i.e. my viewpoint. "We are the legion, we are Great Madness!"

6. Mindswap

A/N: Goodness it's been forever. Sorry for the super-long delay, when finals and writer's block and Microsoft Word going haywire comes together it's madness. And not in a good way. I remember someone telling me that they liked how my legion role-played, can't remember your name sorry xD well they don't really role-play, not very much, most the stuff here I write without much input from them, they're as much waiting in suspense as you guys are :D

Well, here I am back to crack-up humour, with a little more storyline. My regards to my readers and everyone in the legion that's been waiting for this, thanks for bearing with me.

Oh, and oniisan is big bro in Japanese.

"We are the legion, we are Great Madness!" ~Reaza

So. The long-awaited Chapter 6.

Chapter 6: Mindswap

I was woken at the crack of dawn by the apocalypse.

At least, that was what it sounded like. A series of bangs rattled the studio door, prompting me to slip out of bed and shuffle to answer it before whomever it was decided to break it down.

They'd better had a good reason for waking me up. I did not like seeing people when I still had a bedhead. The only person I'd tolerate was perhaps Kex, but then again Kex wouldn't hammer on the door like that, not even if he'd wanted to inform me of his presence. The insufferable sorcerer much preferred to scare the living daylights out of me when I wasn't expecting it.

Straightening my nightgown and combing my fingers through my messy hair, I flung the door open irritably. "What do you-" I broke off mid-sentence as I took in the two men huddled in my doorway, almost close to hysterics. "Kex? Bear? What the hell are you two doing here? It's four in the morning for Aion's sake."

"Kex tried a mind-swap on me!" The ivory-haired sorcerer wailed, pointing an accusing finger at the gladiator.

"Not my fault you don't have enough aether in you for me to change us back!" Bahiam yelled back.

"Okay Kex, what did you do this... wait."

I stared at 'Bahiam' disbelievingly, and he offered me a sheepish smile. "Peach?" he said half-heartedly. I stared at 'Kex' next, and he quietly muttered a "hi, koala" under his breath before embarrassedly scratching the back of his head in a very Bahiam-like way.

No way. No. Freaking. Way.

I promptly shut the door in their faces, convinced that it was just a weird dream. That cup of tea I had before bed must've had something weird in it.

"KAOOO/WIFEYY!" Twin frantic yelps came through the door.

I opened the door again, and surprise, Bah was still being very Kex-like and vice versa for Kex. The moment they saw me, the both of them started jabbering away as they tried to give me an explanation and recounted their respective versions of what happened.

"Last night I saw this really awesome mind-swap spell in a book from the library-"

"Kex came over to my place out of nowhere-"

"And so I wanted to try it on someone and I thought of Bah-"

"He just said 'I want to try something on you' and I was like 'what the heck'-"

"-at first he didn't want to but then I convinced him-"

"-offered to buy me a drink after-"

"And I tried it and whoosh there was this epic feeling-"

"-then there was this weird feeling and then I just blacked out-"

"-passed out and woke up and we saw each other and IT WAS HORRIFYING-"

"And for some reason he couldn't change us back-"

"-now we're stuck and-"

"Euwyn would either die laughing or bust us into little pieces for waking her-"

"And please don't let Bigheall and Mad hear about this or we're never gonna hear the end of it-"

"You're the only one who can help-"

"So please?" Both of them finished at the same time, gazing at me imploringly.

I blinked several times as I tried to absorb their rapid-fire narration. "Okay. So Kex tried a mind swap on Bah, and I assume it worked. And now you can't change back. What's going on?"

Bahiam-Kex wrung his hands in agitation. "This sorc says he can't turn us back because apparently I don't have enough aether or something."

I looked at Kex-Bahiam quizzically. Kex sighed, and ran a hand through his – Bah's – hair. "Look, since I'm a mage, naturally I have an aether bloodline and strong aether resources, right? And Bah here doesn't, he's a warrior. Well, when we did the swap, I wasn't expecting to lose my aether pools as well. So now..."

"So now your aether resources are with your body, which is with Bah, and he doesn't know how to use it," I finished for him, understanding dawning on me.

"Aye, exactly." Kex let out an explosive breath. "And we can't tell anyone else because if they see this we won't hear the end of it for the next century. Honestly? You're the only person we trust not to just collapse in a laughing fit. The main problem being, Bahiam doesn't have close to enough aether for me to tap into to reverse this thing. Take this for example..."

Kex-Bah shifted into a casting stance (which was beyond weird) and ice began to crystallize in his hand. But instead of expanding into the massive, lethal, one-tonne glacier that I was used to seeing on the battlefield, what came out was a pathetic little icicle about 5 inches long.

I let out a low whistle. "Aion's toes, we have a problem." Plucking the delicate icicle out of the air, I twirled it around my finger, and it promptly shattered in my hand.

"Please tell us you can fix this. I don't like this... this thing." Bah plucked at Kex's robes, his face the picture of discomfort. "It makes me feel so... so exposed and naked. And it's windy."

"Sir, I assure you, I don't like this any more than you do," Kex shot back, and gestured at the plate armor all over him. "This weighs a damn tonne. How do you even run properly in this?"

"Guys, I'm not sure if I can fix this," I said doubtfully. "This is more on Creature Control and priests hardly even brush that field. I don't think it's something we cover in the academy. This is a mage specialization field."

"I am not going to Viper like this. Or anyone else," Kex muttered. "This is the most ridiculous thing that's ever happened to me in the whole century."

"Well in that case, it seems like the only other way is for Bahiam to learn how to use magic and switch you both back," I mused, and they both turned to stare at me with incredulous are-you-effing-kidding-me looks.

"Have you any idea how long I've studied in Kaisinel Academy to get to where I am now?"

"I do not do glitter and sparkles and fireworks, thank you very much."

"Aether-weaving is not glitter and sparkles. It is advanced elemental control-"

"Guys. Cut it out," I interrupted. "I can't do anything much to help, so if you insist on not going for professional assistance, this is the only way I can think of. Either that or staying like this for the rest of your egos' unfortunately long lifespans. Frankly speaking, I would prefer the former."

They were both silent as they digested that information.

"Try using the aether," I prompted Bah.

He grimaced. "No promises."

Edging his feet open, he tried to imitate Kex and shift into casting stance, and ended up looking rather comical. His face screwing up in concentration, his fingers tightened into a claw as red began to glow around his palm.

Something exploded behind me with a bang and a clinking of falling pieces, and I jumped about a foot in the air. Looking over my shoulder, I saw what remained of a vase smoking on the ground, the painted-clay fragments blackened and burnt as they lay in a growing puddle of water. The roses that Kex had given me had just about exploded, petals and stalks scattered across the ground.

Kex peered over my shoulder at the annihilated vase. "Aw snap, there goes my gift." He snorted. "Though, be glad that that's all that happened. He could have pew pewed the whole house. Hell, I started my career by setting the whole classroom on fire by accident."

I shuddered at the thought. I had too many nice things and losing them to fire was not a very nice thought. "We'd better train you up fast then. Come in, you two." I stepped aside to allow them passage, and they both shuffled inside. A faint clunk and a tinkle reached my ears as Kex's head collided with one of our overhang lamps.

"Watch it," I warned. "I happen to like that antique porcelain."

"Ow. Yes ma'am. Bah, you're far too tall for your own good."

"Well, what do you expect? I wouldn't be much good at tanking if I were as tiny as you."

"Admit it, you're jealous."

"Guys. Cut it out." I crossed my arms. "So. Kex. You're the mage here, how are we gonna do this? Let's get this over with."

"About that," Kex started awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "There's a reason why mage study takes so long, it's rather complicated. I suppose Bah wouldn't need to go for the full course, maybe just the basics of aether-wielding and that one spell, but the fact remains that it isn't easy and could very well take several weeks."

"Several weeks?" I exclaimed. "We don't have that long! For sure Reaza won't let either of you take a leave of several weeks, least of all Bah. You're too popular as it is." I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Now how are we supposed to do this?"

"I have an idea," Bah quipped. "Kex could cover for me while I learn this thing. I mean, we'll put it off for as long as possible but he can go in my place if we really have no choice."

Kex stared at him like he had lost his mind. "Go in your place? Act like a punching bag and bodyguard several squishies while you hole up all nice and comfy in here? How about no? Big blades aren't my thing anyway."

"Well they're mine and you can't do anything about it," Bah retorted smugly. "Should've thought of that before you decided to use me as your guinea pig, sorcerer."

"Well, in that case it seems like you both have to learn how to be each other," I remarked, ignoring the heated glares the men were levelling at each other. "I can't help you both at once, and my melee combat is barely passable as it is. We're gonna need someone else to help, someone who can melee fight and I know just the person."

"Do we really have to?" Bah whined.

"Yes we do. Don't worry, it'll be fine."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Latona completely lost it when I finished filling her in on the situation. The chanter was laughing hysterically for almost 5 minutes straight, and tears streamed from her eyes as she clutched at her stomach, bent nearly double with mirth. Both the men merely gave her flat looks until she calmed down somewhat, though still wheezing helplessly. "Okay, so you want me to train Kex in the noble arts of tanking and melee fighting," she summed up breathlessly, grinning.

"In a nutshell, yes," I sighed. "And I want your word of absolute secrecy, or these two here," I gestured at the two men watching her rather ominously. "Will not be happy."

"You have my word," Latona declared solemnly, keeping her straight face for barely a few seconds before cracking into a grin again. "Oh, this is going to be very fun." She rubbed her hands together gleefully and darted into her studio for her staff. Kex shifted uncomfortably beside me. "I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered, and I understood his sentiment. Half-amused, I patted his shoulder reassuringly, just as Latona reappeared with her staff. I caught Kex eyeing her weapon warily, and had to cough to mask my snort. Latona was not one to trifle with when she had a staff in her hands. You never know where she'd stick it next.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go book the Coliseum before everyone else wakes up!" The chanter darted off ahead of us and vanished into the teleporter. The rest of us filed in after her, stepping out into the deserted and quiet streets of Sanctum. It was barely 6am by the time we arrived at the Coliseum, and dawn was streaking the skies with brilliant chrome. With a flourish, Latona penned our names into the Coliseum logbook and hustled us inside.

The wide expanse of the Coliseum was a perfect venue for rookies to practice their swings and shots. A line of training dummies stood along one side of the Coliseum for target practice, which was a good thing, because heaven knew Bah was going to need it. Latona skipped to the middle of the Coliseum and waved Kex over, unstrapping her staff from her back when he tentatively obliged.

"Right, let's see what you can do." Latona shifted into a casual standby stance, her staff held in one hand, braced against her arm and pointing towards the floor. Lifting her other hand, she beckoned in a taunt, smirking. "Gimme everything you got."

Kex blinked at her. "Um. Sorry, I don't follow. How am I supposed to fight you in this state?"

"Bah's polearm, duh," she answered, rolling her eyes. "Some bright dude you are. No wonder you could never beat me."

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in," he grumbled. Kex twisted around, trying to get at the polearm. "You do know-" Twist. "-that I have no idea-" Turn. "How melee fighting-" Twist again. "-works." Kex finally managed to grasp the handle of the weapon. Fumbling with the straps, he brought it around (nearly dropping it in the process) and held it before him awkwardly.

Bahiam sighed in exasperation and facepalmed, while Latona and I burst into helpless giggles. Kex was holding it point-up like a pitchfork, the heavy blade swaying to and fro as he fought to keep his balance.

Bahiam stalked over to the sorc-turned-glad as both me and Lat dissolved in fits of hysterical laughter. "No you do not hold it like that this is not a freaking pitchfork for Aion's sake - you hold it like that yes point down - I said POINT DOWN - and your right hand here - you're right handed right? Okay hold here with your right hand, that's for manoeuvring, left hand here as an axis, to support the weight - yes hold tight that's what the grips are for and WATCH WHERE YOU SWING THAT THING GODDAMMIT-"

Latona was laughing so hard she had to lean on her staff as Kex raised the polearm in a hesitant battle-stance. Lifting her staff to grip it with both hands, she gestured for Kex to make the first move.

I had to give Kex credit, he did try to mimic Bahiam's arcing sweeps instead of charging at Lat with the polearm as a lance, like we'd half-expected him to. But Kex forgot to compensate for the weapon's considerable weight, and Latona danced out of the way lightly as the polearm smashed into the ground blade-first.

Bahiam threw up his hands in agitation and stormed forward to wrest the polearm from Kex. "Dammit, if you keep doing that you're going to destroy the blade. Give me that!" Kex instantly relinquished his hold, and Bah grabbed hold of the weapon. "You do it like this - oof!"

When Kex released his hold on the handle, the full weight of the polearm made the tip tilt dangerously back towards the ground. The glad-turned-sorc gritted his teeth as he fought to lift it into the proper stance, and with effort he managed to hold it erect, his arms quivering with the strain. Clearly it was too heavy for him, he could barely lift it, let alone wield it.

"Kex," Bah growled. "You sir, need to work out more."

"I'm aware of that," Kex replied dryly. "So, I assume you'll continue with that demonstration for me?"

"Are you freaking kidding me? I can't even lift this thing!" Bah grumbled, shoving it back at Kex. "You watch it, that's my best blade right there and don't you dare ruin it."

Laughing, I waved Bah over and pointed at the training dummies. Once I made sure his attention was on me and not on whatever Kex was doing with/to his precious weapon, I singled out one training dummy. "There. Try to hit that one."

Bahiam frowned, and gave it a go, inadvertently blowing up a dummy three down from the one he was aiming at.

"Try again."

And that was how our little oddball team started training. It was rather impossible to keep a full focus on the magic training with all the highly amusing snippets of conversation coming from Kex and Lat's directions, and many a time I had to pause and stifle a snort at what I was overhearing.

"Okay, swing it left and twist – good job – and down… I said down! You're supposed to be catching my ankles not my ass, I don't care how pretty it is – okay now back, brace your leg and slam – come on hit harder, you hit like a wuss. Even I can hit you harder than that (insert sharp thwack and Kexy's yelp of pain) yes that's it, put your back in it or so help me, I'll have you drop and give me 50 pushups AND I'LL STAND ON YOUR BACK WHILE YOU'RE AT IT-"

She should trademark the thing. Latona's Training Regime of Hell™. Sounds legit enough.

A few hours and several scorch marks later, Bah had managed to consistently make only the dummy he was aiming at explode, and we decided to call it quits for today. I looked over to see how Kex and Lat was doing. Kex at least was wielding the polearm passably now, looking more like a rookie warrior than a lifetime mage.

Well, it wasn't much, but it was progress.

xxxxxxxxx

A few days after that, both the men had grasped the basics, and I decided that it was time to start working with Bah on the finer nuances of aether-wielding. Specifically speaking, the mind-swap spell would be classified under CC spells, and it wasn't something that I could really teach, not being too proficient with it myself. After some discussion with Kex, we'd decided at length that Kex would do the actual teaching himself, but in the meantime, I would provide Bah with something similar to practice with.

I'd decided on teaching him how to Blind, or at least, the relevant parts of it. Blinding was a skill most clerics would learn easily, as it relied heavily on the ability to manipulate the target's physiology. While it didn't affect the mind and hence would not be considered a CC skill, it served a close enough purpose of buying time. Blinding required the caster to produce a bright flash that would cause the target's pupils to contract involuntarily, and in that brief window of time, freeze the pupils in a perpetual state of constriction and hence impairing vision. It was delicate, precise work, similar to CC spells in that manner and I had Bahiam work on it, only without the flash. And when Kex had gotten around to teaching him the CC spells themselves, I allowed him to practice on me. I was a cleric, and I was confident I could fix anything he could dish.

So that was how I found myself sitting at the table across from Bah, with my chin in my hands as I met Bah's stare steadily. I could sense tendrils of aether clumsily trying to find a hold in my consciousness. I didn't try to bat it away, there was no point in resistance after all, so I merely remained as I was, blankly and quiescently watching him. As he tried again and again, my gaze roved over his – Kex's – face, and came back to meet his eyes, jet-black eyes dark and intense as they stared into my own. I could see the silver flecks in his eyes, his smouldering gaze that reminded me of the days when Kex was still courting me. Drowsiness gradually stole up upon me as I continued to watch him dreamily – I realized it suddenly and straightened, immediately alert again. I opened my mouth, about to encourage Bah on his progress.

There was a sudden rapping at the door, and both Bah and I jumped. "Kaolin, you there?" Aedoras's muffled voice came through the door. "I need to talk to Kex."

"Hide!" I hissed at Bah. The glad-turned-sorc cast around helplessly, looking for a place large enough to conceal himself in. "Kaolin?" the gunner called again. Aedoras Nameless was a new member of the legion (well, new-er. Does half a century count as being new?), but in truth he was older than many of us. He was Nameless, an orphan having grown up never knowing his parents, and his eyes sometimes gleamed the dark crimson of our shade-bound counterparts, the Asmodians, yet dark-skinned as he was, he was clearly not one of them. His tale was long and dark, and a tale for another time so it seems. Sworn fealty to Elysea, Ariel and Great Madness, he was one of us now.

And being part of Great Madness usually meant that any and all solemnity and anti-sociality would soon be dispelled one way or another.

"One sec!" I yelled back, throwing a closet door open and shoving Bah into it, forcing the door closed. Hurrying to answer the door, I threw it open to meet Aedoras's perplexed gaze.

"Are you okay? You look a little flustered," he said, tilting his head curiously.

"I - I'm fine, Toki," I answered, using our informal name for him, trying to keep my face straight and neutral. He did so like the little tomato-flavoured snacks, hence the moniker we subsequently christened him with. After all, his full name was quite a mouthful. Back in the closet, Bah emitted a soft grunt and a little twinge of guilt stabbed at me – the closet was rather small and I had unceremoniously stuffed him in it.

"So," I started nervously, brushing my hair from my face and trying to divert Aedoras's attention. "What's the matter? Anything up?"

"Nothing much, just wanted to talk to Kex about some stuff." Aedoras smiled, crossing his arms over his dark, wiry frame and leaning on the doorframe. "I've been looking all over for him and I couldn't find him. Thought you might have an idea where he is."

"Eheh," I chuckled awkwardly, stalling for time as I desperately racked my mind for an answer. "He... just left a few minutes ago. He didn't tell me where." A shaky excuse, but to my intense relief he seemed to buy it. Whatever my adopted big brother wanted to speak to Kex about, it was highly unlikely that Bah would share Kex's mind enough to answer convincingly in his stead. Also as implausible was to reveal Kex's location, where he was currently training in the Coliseum as Bah.

"Awh man, guess I'll have to search again," he grumbled, his half-hearted sigh of resignation contradicted by a faint smile on his face. "But since I'm here anyway. How's life, sis?" He punched me lightly on the shoulder, grinning cheekily. "Haven't seen you around these few days. You good?"

"Pretty good, oniisan. And yeah, I've been staying in. What've you been up to?" I forced a smile and a playful tone. At that moment, a thunk came from the closet, a little too loud to be missed, and I winced. Aedoras peered over my shoulder curiously. "What's in there?"

I instantly shifted to block his view, laughing awkwardly. Curse his height. Curse it. He had about half a foot on me and it was not helping."I've been working on a new project lately," I said quickly. It wasn't exactly a lie. Teaching a gladiator how to wield magic was one hell of a project. And something I wasn't about to let on.

"Oh? Tell me about it." He craned his neck, still trying to catch a glimpse of whatever might be hiding in the closet, but I wouldn't budge. Nope nope nope. Not on my watch.

"Um... it's top secret," I started - just then, the closet door burst open, and Bah tumbled out of it in a messy heap, landing awkwardly on his front. "Oof."

Aedoras blinked. Both the men stared at each other in silence for a long moment. Then Bah coughed awkwardly. "Uh, hi."

The gunner stared at me and then Bah, looking completely mystified. "Oh, Kex! What were you doing in there?" I asked in fake surprise as Bah got up and straightened his (Kex's?) clothing, wincing internally. This was just lame with a capital 'L'. I'd never be able to live this down.

"I was... just... checking to make sure everything was in there, koa- I mean, babe. It's all there, by the way. We're good."

Both of us chuckled awkwardly. Aedoras looked utterly bewildered, and put up no resistance as I gently but firmly headed him out the door. "Okay we're done here you can talk to Kex some other time I'm sorry goodbye and have a nice day." I shut the door and locked it.

I braced my back on the door, letting out a deep breath. Then I rounded on Bah. "Don't you ever. Call me babe again. Or I will personally sew your mouth shut until you finish learning that spell." Just thinking about it gave me the shivers.

"What? I was trying to keep our cover!" Bah protested helplessly, holding up his hands in self-defensive posture.

"Kex does not call me babe," I hissed at him. "And coming from you, that is the singularly most disturbing thing I have ever heard in as long as I've known you." I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Damn, Toki's probably gonna think he walked in on some kinky private time. My dignity was not a price I considered paying to fix this problem. You guys owe me big after this."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Bah muttered. "So I guess I should have called you 'darling' or 'cupcake' or something like-"

He had to break off mid-sentence to duck as I threw a cushion at him.

"I heard that."

The whole affair was forgiven and forgotten after I was satisfied pummelling him half to death with pillows, and training went on as usual. Bah and Kex's progress improved with each passing day, as did Reaza's harried calls for 'Bahiam' to return to active duty. The pressure was on, and needless to say we were all rather stressed by the time constraint.

One of the days in our rushed training, I had Latona banging breathlessly on the door as I was doing my best to guide Bah on subtle magic control. I left Bah to his own devices practicing alone as I went to answer the door. Bah was grasping the concepts of aether-wielding well, he was just a little shaky with the whole aether-control thing.

Latona looked grave.

"How is Kex?" I asked, suddenly a little worried. Had something happened to him?

"Well, he recently learned that trying to put up an aetheric shield in his current state is a lot more trouble than it's worth, especially after I hit him on the head several times, but that's not the point." She pursed her lips. "Tahabata Pyrelord laid waste to Tiamaranta. The Elyos legions are calling for strike teams to storm Tiamat Stronghold. Guess who Reaza's put in as assist tank." She paused, as if for dramatic effect. " Our very own Bahiam Arriez."

I stared for a moment. "But Bah's not ready! If he tries the swap now things might go horribly wrong!" I exclaimed, glancing back to where Bah was murmuring softly to himself in my husband's body, tendrils of red aether coiling around his fingers. If something went wrong… I couldn't bear to think about it.

"Exactly. Which is why Kex has to go in his place."

xxxxxxxxx

Kex arrived home late the next day, tired, battered and grumpy. The Tiamat Stronghold run had gone successfully enough, since most of the tanking responsibility was on Rock, though there had been minor comments as to whether 'Bah' was feeling okay, as his performance was a little off. When I opened the door and greeted him with a peck on the cheek, he was radiating physical fatigue.

The sorcerer-turned-gladiator grunted as he pulled off his plate armor, revealing Bahiam's muscular build that was black and blue all over. Dropping the armor and his shirt on the floor, Kex sank heavily on the couch with a sigh. Bahiam was cradling a purple glow in his hands, and didn't look up as I folded myself on the couch next to Kex to devote some attention to the hastily-healed injuries on him.

There was a brief moment of silence.

"I remember my first tanking experience," Bah spoke up, his voice unexpectedly kind. "It went well, but I wasn't expecting all the muscle aches and strain the day after, even when the cleric had healed all my wounds and there was no sign of injury anywhere." He let out a faint huff of amusement. "It was difficult at first. I thought it was unfair that I had to take all the damage like a punching bag while the other classes just stood back and attacked. But then in time, as I got used to the pain, I realized that defending others was my job, and it's what I do best. We're a team, and we all need each other. They wouldn't be able to pull off their spells and attacks if it weren't for me, and I'm proud of who I am and what I can do." He looked up, and offered Kex a wan smile. Kex looked up almost unwillingly from where I was perched next to him, healing him, and silently dropped his gaze again.

"I remember my first few weeks at Kaisinel Academy," Kex replied quietly in reply, looking down at his hands. "I kept setting the tables on fire and scorching my own robes." He snorted softly. "I couldn't get the aether to work the way I wanted it to, I was so frustrated. It was like trying to bind all hell with a hair." There was a faint, nostalgic smile on his face. "I thought the melee classes had it so easy, all they had to do was swing some blades around. Guess we were both wrong, huh?"

Both the men met each other's gazes, a long moment of wordless communication passing between them. There was a new light of respect in both their eyes, for both of them knew exactly what the other was going through, understood how it felt like to be each other. I smiled to myself. This mind-swapping fiasco might have been more trouble than it was worth, but it had brought them closer as a result, and I was glad.

"So how did it go?" Bah asked, and the moment was lost. He was grinning knowingly. "Viper's damage too much for you to handle?"

Kex threw up his hands. "'Too much' is the understatement of the year! I swear he has some sort of mob-attracting agent on him, those adds just love him and make a beeline for him every time." He laughed and covered his face with a hand. "I solemnly swear that from this day forth I shall forever respect those tanks that can hold my aggro without fail."

"That'd be me then," Bah stated smugly, then ducked and laughed when Kex tossed a cushion at him indignantly. It bounced off the back of the armchair, falling in Bah's lap.

"So, how's things on your end?" Kex asked, catching the cushion that Bah tossed back and absentmindedly handing it to me.

"Pretty good, though those CC spells are a huge pain in the ass. It's like holding water in your hands."

"Aye, I totally know how that feels man." Kex leaned forward to highfive Bah. "You have to spontaneously empty your mind and access your target's consciousness, then block it or shut it down."

"Sir, your wife has a very high mind-block resist."

"Kaolin? Nah, she's just had due warning. She's actually below average. All you gotta do is prac-"

I whacked Kex upside the head with my cushion. Hard. "I'm right here, you derp."

"Oh admit it, you love me anyway."

Whack.

"Ow cut that out-"

Whack.

"I'm going to Lat's place," I declared loftily, dumping the cushion on Kex's head. "I'll steal her food, you guys handle dinner on your own." I stood up and stalked to the door in mock offence, trying and failing to hide a grin of amusement.

Both the men glanced at me, then at each other. "You're the cook, and this is your house. Dinner's on you," Bah stated matter-of-factly at Kex, then leaned back on the armchair as if everything was settled. Kex shot him a glare. "And who said I'd be cooking for you? Go and order takeout, go, shoo."

"You ain't getting rid of me that easy, mister-"

I closed the door behind me, stifling my giggles as the men started squabbling. It was a fine time to let them bond, and I figured I could use some girl time with Latona. We came back the next morning to see both the men sprawled out haphazardly on the couch and armchair respectively, fast asleep and snoring with empty takeout packs for two on the coffee table. Latona had quite the fun experience of scaring them both awake, and the traumatized men had reflexively pelted her with pillows while I huddled in the corner and howled with laughter.

After that, everything went much more efficiently and smoothly, especially since the men seemed to have come to an understanding between them. Several more days of our almost-routine had passed when Bah walked into the kitchen where I was quietly having a cup of tea.

I looked up questioningly at his hesitant silence and he glanced aside for a moment, before bringing his – Kex's – striking black eyes back to me with a startlingly intense gaze.

"What is it?" I asked, somehow sensing the monumental moment.

"I think…" Bah paused. "I think I'm ready."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After two weeks of haste and nervous anticipation, the whole process was unexpectedly anticlimactic.

All four of us, Bah, Kex, Lat and I were huddled in the living room, with the men perched on the couch and us women standing at the edge of the room. The atmosphere was silent and tense. Kex, having imparted the necessary details to Bah, sat perfectly still and looked steadily into Bah's eyes. Previously he'd cracked a joke about his life and his wife hanging in the balance, which coaxed a twitch from Bah's lips, but now the glad-turned-sorc-and-hopefully-about-to-turn-back-glad was sitting facing Kex with a grim set of his jaw.

Bah readied himself with a deep breath, a steely determination on his expression. My senses tingled as a pulse of aether flared at the very edge of my consciousness.

Silence.

"Did it work?" Latona ventured tentatively.

Kex blinked rapidly, looked at his hands then ran his fingers over his face and through his hair. Then, with a wordless laugh, he sprung to his feet and threw his arms wide. An icy gale immediately picked up in the previously still room, sending papers flapping and making my hair whip about my face. With a wide grin on his face, he stepped close and pressed his lips to mine in a quick kiss.

"I'll take that as a yes," I replied drolly, but nevertheless pleased with the results. I'd missed his touch more than I cared to admit.

Meanwhile, Lat watched as Bah flexed his arms and rolled his shoulders. Gripping his polearm firmly, he lifted it, and the look of pure joy and relief on his face then was amusingly kid-like.

It was done. It was over. And no one was any worse for wear.

"It was great working with you sir." Kex grabbed Bah's hand in a firm handshake, grinning widely. There was a brief fond look in both their eyes. Then Kex spun on his heel and marched towards the kitchen, reappearing with a bottle of champagne and a few glasses. "This calls for a celebration!" he declared, popping the cork. He poured us each a glass, and then took a swig straight from the bottle before I swatted him on the shoulder mock-reproachfully. Though in any case we were in too much of an ecstatic state to actually care, and the night passed with much celebration and merry laughter.

~Two months later~

I kept a steady stream on healing aether on Bah as he struggled to fight off several Asmodians, focusing on the task as battle raged around me. Large explosions shook the area, screams and war-cries in both Elyan and Asmoth. We were outnumbered, Bah couldn't hold on much longer, and having to constantly duck from arrows and bolts of magic was getting on my nerves.

A shout of warning from Kathline, somewhere to my left – I turned my head only to see a flash of movement behind me and realize that I had turned in the wrong direction – and all of a sudden there was a ring of metal as something blocked the hit aimed for my back.

I spun around to see Kex fighting off an Asmodian assassin with his spear. The assassin had been moving too fast for Kex to cast, apparently – it had been a split second reaction, and I was glad to see that the lightweight, retractable spear custom-forged for him had at least been of some use. Frost spread like wildfire wherever the spear connected, and the assassin backed up in a hurry when her daggers both turned to ice. Back at the frontlines, the Asmodians gave a shout of alarm, and I spun back to face the front. Bah was back with a vengeance. His polearm rippled with blue flames as he brought it down and around in sweeping arcs, setting the very air on fire, and it was a terrifying sight. The Asmodian leader eyed Bah and Kex uneasily, then yelled for retreat. The Asmodians vanished, leaving the six of us standing, tired and battered but alive.

"Wow, what was that?" Kath turned around to face Kex, brushing her hair from her eyes and lowering her bow. "A sorcerer with a spear? That's pretty cool."

Kex grinned. "Just call it an unusual hobby," he replied flippantly. In truth, after he'd gotten his body back, Kex decided to take up a little melee fighting as a backup in case he would ever need it, and had a lightweight spear custom-forged to be able to fold in on itself, as it conserved space and fitted with his previous experiences with Bah's polearm. He was now one of the only mages able to wield a melee weapon, making him an adversary and ally to reckon with, and none of the four involved were about to loosen our tongues despite the flurry of interest at his newfound ability.

Lat and I shared a knowing smirk when Kath moved on to marvel at Bah's vastly improved grasp of aether. Kex wasn't the only one to develop his skills further. After the gladiator had gotten his body back, he'd incorporated whatever little magic he had into his fighting style. He'd already had some knowledge of wind aether before, allowing him to cleave an opponent from a distance away, but the fire was new. Being the base element of aether and its natural manifestation, it was all he could manage with his limited resources. Not that it didn't add an extra oomph into his attack though. The blue wraith-flames were a refined form of fire, that didn't emit heat but burned viciously upon contact. Bah fobbed it off as a new trick that he'd been working on, and nobody thought to question it.

I watched the proceedings contentedly, happy with how it turned out. At least they both got something out of it. Lat on the other hand had something else to hold over both their heads for the next century, which, needless to say, was reward enough. As for me…

Aedoras, the last member of our team, sidled up to me and poked my shoulder, eyes fixed on Kex and Bah as they chuckled modestly at Kath's compliments. "Hey, sis," the gunner started, a weird look on his face. "Does this have anything to do with that 'project' you were talking about the other day?"

End.

A/N: Well, that was longer than I expected, and yet the story seems to be rather rushed o3o I dunno, I have a habit of poking holes in my own works. Meh. We're done! Hope you enjoyed it, and stay tuned for later chapters :D one of them was hinted at in this chapter xD

Peace out,

Kakashiz/Kaolin