My apologies, I did have this ready to be posted by last night, but refused to let me login. Sorry for the delay; thanks so much for your patience. I realize it's a few weeks later than I initially thought, anyway, and I'm sorry. Let it be known, though, that I DID make it by the first full week of February, so at least I didn't completely fail my deadline XD Anyway, hope you enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Tales copyright or the characters; I am merely a fan who enjoys writing about them. All rights belong to Namco; character designs (c) Kosuke Fujishima.

Serendipity

-Chapter 3: Gauche and Droite-

One month later saw Yeager back in Capua Torim, after a business trip all the way to Nordopolica. He would stay a few days there, before heading back to Dahngrest for a meeting with the Union.

Fields of Gold had been catering regularly to Nor House for the past month, and Yeager had set aside a specific time to visit both guild and orphanage. Before he'd left, Yeager had had a long discussion with Mills about Nor House, and how to go about catering to it. He had told the other guildsleader to do whatever he saw fit that the orphanage needed, and not to take Ms. Ferris's word on just anything. "Spare no expense," Yeager had insisted. "If you see zhat zhey need something, or it appears as though ze governess is taking less zhan what she needs, insist she take a little more. Hmm...nein, better yet, just leave it zhere, and I vill take care of it later." Ms. Ferris was ridiculously gracious, and Yeager couldn't see her freely taking anything more than what was absolutely needed.

And he did not want her or the children to have to get by on what they absolutely needed - more often than not, "needed" just wasn't enough. Furthermore, they should have extras; storage was important. A port town like Torim was not immune to floods or hurricanes or any manner of other storms, and the town had been known to experience those in the past. Or, on a less destructive level, what if the markets simply didn't have what they needed when they needed it? What if more children came who needed warm beds and full stomachs? His intention was not only to fill their table, but their pantry, too. Ms. Ferris simply would not do that of her own accord. Her gracious personality was both a blessing and a curse.

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The ship docked in Torim harbor mid-afternoon. Yeager had a porter take his bags to the Inn, while he continued onward toward the House. The orphanage was down a side-street off the city's main thoroughfare, housed in a sad little building deeper into town, up the stairs and away from the port. (The term "building" was used liberally, of course..."shack" was a more fitting description for that dilapidated old place.)

Yeager walked through the town's main shopping district and turned down the side street which would lead him to Nor House. The orphanage was in a poorer neighborhood, hidden away from the fancier districts. He rounded one corner, then another, and the home came into view. It was even more dilapidated than he remembered, with bricks chipped and corroded, and the leaning fence. But there were children playing happily in the front yard - innocent, unassuming, without a care in the world, just content to be alive. Ms. Ferris, however, was nowhere in sight.

Yeager approached the gate, and a young girl - no more than eight years old - came forward, regarding him somewhat cautiously. She was quite pretty, with red hair in wavy pigtails and tied with little bows, and irises of mulled pink. "Can I help you, sir?" she asked after a moment.

"Ja, perhaps," he said, giving her a friendly smile, and she reddened a little. "Vould ze headmistress of zhis institution be home? I was needing to speak wis' her."

"Ms. Ferris? She's not here right now," the girl informed him, relaxing somewhat. To all appearances, he was a wealthy man - hardly someone to turn away - but he was still a stranger. Nobles rarely ventured out this way, and most of the ones who did were led there by Ms. Ferris. But he and Nanny must already know each other.

"Who's this, Gauche?" Another little girl had approached - her pigtailed hair a unique blend of lime-green-blonde - and was watching them with curious aquamarine eyes.

"He's asking for Nanny," Gauche responded. She turned back to Yeager. "Nanny usually comes back home around four-thirty or five. Would you like to wait inside? We can make you something. Or I can give Ms. Ferris a message for you-"

"Hey, I remember you!" the other little girl suddenly exclaimed. "You were the guy who helped out Antoine! Gauche, this is Yeager!"

"Whaaaaat?" Gauche turned to her friend, eyes wide with horror. "Droite, why didn't you tell me?"

(Left and Right?)

"I didn't realize until-" Droite was saying indignantly, but Gauche wasn't listening. She turned back to Yeager, bowing, flushing redder than a sunburn and stammering a bit over her next words:

"M-Mister Yeager, sir, I'm so sorry! Please, come inside. Droite and I will make you some refreshments. Nanny will be home within the hour; you can speak with her then. I am so sorry-"

"Zhat is quite alright," Yeager replied, chuckling at the little exchange. "Don't worry about it."

"Would you like to come inside?" Droite asked then. "Gauche and I can whip up a mean hazelnut tea, and we have scones with honey butter."

"Vhy, zhat sounds delightful," Yeager responded amicably. "I vould love some."

"Please, come with us." The girls turned toward the house and gestured for Yeager to follow.

"Anya," Droite said, looking at another girl about her age, "you're in charge, okay?" The other girl nodded.

Gauche and Droite led Yeager into the house and sat him down in the front room. Yes, the home was definitely poorer-looking than he had remembered: paint and plaster coming off the walls, worn sofa, furniture with dings and dents. But the fireplace was swept-out, the shelves hadn't a smidgen of dust, and the floor had been mopped. A few toys littered the carpet, but with thirty-or-so children, that was to be expected.

"Feel free to make yourself at home, sir," Droite said cheerfully. "We'll be right back." The little girl winked, then scampered into the kitchen after Gauche. Yeager only chuckled; they were quite the pair, those two.

"Why are you still so red, Gauche?" he heard Droite's voice from inside the kitchen.

"That was really embarrassing, Droite! Why didn't you tell me who he was?"

"I didn't remember his face at first; I only saw him in passing last time...and that was like, what? A month ago? Mmm...he's pretty handsome, don't you think?"

Silence.

"...I knew it! You think so, too!"

"No, I don't! Can it, Droite!" There was a giggle, and Droite appeared with scones and honey butter arranged neatly on a plate.

"My sister thinks you're hot," she whispered, setting the tray down.

"Does she, now?" Yeager chuckled, amused. "I'll take zhat as a compliment, zhen." Droite giggled again, and headed back into the kitchen. The guildleader helped himself to a scone and honey butter, and was thoroughly satisfied with their savory sweetness. Some minutes later, both girls re-entered the room, laden with a teapot, milk, and sugar.

"Danke - zhis looks lovely," Yeager commented. Gauche poured some tea, and he added in milk and sugar (lots and lots of sugar). "Ze scones are quite delicious, might I say - did you make zhem yourselves?"

"Nanny helped us roll and cut them," Gauche replied, "and she cooked them for us. But we mixed everything ourselves."

"Yeah, we made the butter, too!"

"Vell, you did a fine job of it," he nodded. Both girls blushed, but smiled at the compliment.

"Is there anything else we can get for you?"

"No, no, zhis is vonderful," he said, taking another scone. "Thank you," he said again, this time in Saxonian (for few people understood his native Doitshan). "So, you said zhat Ms. Ferris zhould be home by...five o' clock, ja?"

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Ms. Ferris arrived back at the home at a quarter to five, pushcart in tow. Several of the children ran to greet her as she came up the walk, telling her there was a visitor inside.

"A visitor?" she asked as she walked in. "Now, who could that be?...Oh!" Yeager grinned and Ms. Ferris smiled warmly at him. "What a pleasant surprise!" she said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep you waiting."

"No need for apologies," the guildsleader replied, "for I came rather unexpectedly. Zhese fine girls set me down wis' some scones and good tea. It is not a problem at all."

"Yes," Ms. Ferris heartily agreed, smiling at the girls (both of whom blushed again), "they're of great help to me around the house."

"Nanny, who's this?" another small child at her side asked.

"Why, this is Mr. Yeager," she responded. "He's the nice man who's been paying for all of our food this last month."

"Oh." The child was very young, so the full generosity of the concept didn't quite register, but nevertheless, she offered a smile and a thank-you, and - as per a rare occasion for him - Yeager didn't know how to respond. He hadn't done it for a thank-you...

"Mr. Yeager!" a familiar voice called out (saving him), and Antoine entered with a smile on his face.

"And how have you been, Antoine?" Yeager asked him, "It's good to zee you. No more troubles, I take it?"

"Nope! They're too scared you'll show up again!"

Yeager smirked. "Gut." (Yeager may or may not have caught sight of one of the little brats on his way out of Torim, and taken "extra precautions" to ensure the aforementioned lack of trouble, but Antoine didn't have to know that.)

"Are you going to stay for supper?" Antoine asked him then. "Nanny made a casserole."

"Yes, please do," Ms. Ferris added her assent. "It's the least we can offer."

Yeager deliberated for a moment. "Oh, vhy not?" he shrugged. He'd seen to it that the orphanage was well-stocked; there would be enough and more to go around, and it would be rude to turn them down a second time. Antoine smiled happily, as did Gauche and Droite.

"All right!"

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The dining area in the kitchen had three long wooden tables sitting end-to-end with each other, covered in cheerful blue-and -white checkered cloths. Ms. Ferris put down four large casserole dishes along the tables, each filled with her delicious cottage pie. She and some of the older children (including Antoine, Droite, and the girl Droite had spoken to earlier) helped dish out for everyone, than sat down on one of the six long benches on either side of the tables. Antoine shyly sat down on Yeager's right, while Droite bounced over without any preamble whatsoever, and plopped down on his left, dragging an embarrassed Gauche with her.

"Droite! That is so rude!" Gauche hissed. "You didn't even ask him!"

"Children, as you may have noticed, we have a guest with us today," Ms. Ferris announced. "Please say thank-you to Mr. Yeager for his generosity; it's thanks to him that we have had such good meals this last month."

"Thank you!" the children chorused, and inwardly, Yeager found himself nearly as embarrassed as Gauche.

"Really, really...zhere is no need for zuch formalities..." he smiled genially. Time to change the subject. He turned to Antoine. "By ze way, vhere did you go off to, Antoine? I vould have thought you would be here."

"Well..." Antoine ducked his head a little shyly, "I was out job-hunting, actually."

"Oh yes, Antoine, how did that go?" Ms. Ferris asked him.

"Yeah, tell us!" Droite chimed in.

"Yes, we'd like to hear."

"Well...it was going okay, I guess..." Antoine fidgeted a little bit, then smiled brightly at them. "Then Mr. Mills stopped and asked how I was doing. Anyway...um, we talked, and he ended up asking if maybe I would like to join his guild...and I told him that'd be great."

"Oh, Antoine - that's wonderful! I'm so proud of you!"

"Yes, I'm to report to their Torim headquarters this Sylphday," Antoine said.

"My, that's only two days away! But how exciting for you!"

"Yeah..."

After dinner, some of the older children - Phillipe, Gauche, Esmerelda, and Franz - pitched in to help wash the dishes and clean up, while the rest of the kids moved into either the bedroom or the main room, including Antoine and Droite, who pulled Yeager in along with them.

Overall, the guildsleader found himself very content as the evening wore on...chatting with the children, playing games...he hadn't felt so relaxed in ages. By and by, the sun set, and the children were put to bed. Ms. Ferris suggested that Yeager might have some cocoa with her before heading back to the Pollux, and he agreed. A light rain was just beginning outside.

"So..."Gauche" and "Droite"?" Yeager asked as he sat down, looking curiously at the headmistress. He'd heard many strange names over the course of his military and guild career, but these were the strangest so far. "Zheir parents named zhem "Left" and "Right"?"

"You know Francaisan?" Ms. Ferris laughed, "My goodness, there's no end of surprises to you, is there? Where did you learn such a pretty language?"

"My mother spoke it very well."

"Ah, I see." Ms. Ferris chuckled a little as she continued, "But to answer your question, no, Gauche and Droite are not their real names."

"I should hope not..."

Ms. Ferris chuckled again. "Of course not. One of the children - Phillipe - came from the Parysan district in Zaphias, one of the few Imperial children here. He named them for their dominant hands. Droite is right-handed and Gauche uses her left. The nicknames caught on - everyone, including myself, call them that now."

"I zee. Zhey are not blood sisters, nein?"

"No, but they are very close. We rarely see them apart. They're quite helpful to me around the home - always minding the other children."

Yeager smiled. "Ja, I noticed zhat. Zhey are quite ze pair, aren't zhey?" He and the headmistress spent some time chatting, even after the cocoa was long finished.

"Thank you," she said suddenly, looking at him. "Thank you for everything you have done for us. You can't imagine how much you have helped us."

"Really, it's no trouble," Yeager insisted. He was a little uncomfortable with getting thanked all the time. He did not do it for a thank-you. His eyes fell on the clock in the corner. "Oh, my - look at ze time! I am terribly sorry - how rude of me!"

"It's alright," Ms. Ferris smiled amiably. "It was nice to have the company. I love the children dearly, but I'll admit I do want for a conversation besides toys and comic books now and again," she laughed. "It's no trouble at all."

"Nevertheless, I really should be going."

"I do imagine you're ready for a good long sleep after that voyage - oh, but dear, you didn't bring an umbrella or a raincoat, did you?"

"Hmm?"

"It's storming outside." Yeager glanced out the window - indeed, the light rain falling earlier had turned into a heavy one, and they could hear more thunder in the distance.

"We can't have you walking all the way back to the Pollux in that storm," Ms. Ferris shook her head. "Such storms are so fierce; you'll catch your death out there. Why don't you just stay the night here? You can use my room, and I will take the couch."

Yeager all but glared at her. "Absolutely not. A voman taking a couch? How disgraceful - I am nothing if not a gentleman." He didn't want to sleep in his clothes, either, but that rain was awful and he was without an umbrella, and at half-past eleven, it was quite dark even without a storm. He'd catch pneumonia or something equally undesirable, and that would mean a doctor's visit and like heck was he seeing one of those any more than he had to. Every six months to get his blastia checked was every six months too much.

"Alright," he finally said, "but I'm taking ze couch."

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Visiting at Nor House was an unexpected yet welcome de-stresser, and a nice change from his daily routine.

Sleeping at Nor House was far different story.

Yeager groaned into the pillow as yet another round of wind and thunder shook the rundown house. He should have taken his chances with the pneumonia. How on Terca Lumereis could the children sleep at all in this? He didn't mind the rain - it was kind of comforting, actually - and that was good because Tolbyccia was full of it. As a knight, he had learned to fall asleep in all manner of places, under all manner of weather, because one could be fighting for days on end, and never knew when the next nap was coming.

Except that the tents hadn't whistled or leaked (the house did both - Yeager was just glad the water wasn't dripping on his head), and his Manor never shook with the wind or thunder, the latter of which he was not much fond of. It wasn't as though he was scared of the thunder persay, but it, combined with the lightning and that Entelexeia-forsaken shaking reminded him of those awful days on Temza just before he'd died...endless droves of monsters, artes and attacks felling men beside him, rocking the ground beneath their feet...

Lightning lit up the sky once more, and another round of thunder crashed; the guildsleader groaned again and pulled the pillow over his head. Would this storm never end?

A sob from down the hall interrupted his train of thought. It had come from the direction of the childrens' room. Moments passed, the house-earthquake came again, and so did another little cry. Curious, and with some concern, Yeager got up off the couch, and moved quietly toward the sound.

Across from the children's room was the house's only other bathroom (the first was attached to Ms. Ferris's room, though she allowed the children use of that as well). The door was half-open. Yeager couldn't see very well - the high window in room was darkened because of the storm - but peering through the space between the door and the frame, he could just make out a small lump behind the hinged wood, against the wall, and a quiet sniffling apart from the rain. Yeager regarded the unknown figure with empathy; whomever was in there was clearly having even worse a night than he was.

"Hello?" he said, in a voice just louder than a whisper. Thunder crashed again, drowning out any response, save for another little cry. Yeager lowered down to one knee, closer to ear-level with the person just inside. "Hello?" he spoke through the crack, tapping lightly on the frame with his knuckle. "Who is in zhere?"

The sniffling stopped. "...W-who's there?" a small, scared voice called back softly, after a moment. "A-Antoine?"

"No, zhis is Yeager," he corrected quietly, "I had supper wis' you, remember?"

A pause and a sniffle. "Yeager?" the voice repeated.

"Ja," Yeager nodded, even though the child likely couldn't see it. "Who is zhis?" he asked again.

Another pause. "...This is Gauche," the child finally said.

"Gauche?" he repeated. "Vhat's ze matter, Liebchen?"

"Mmm..."

Yeager was silent for a moment. What to do, what to do? "...Vhy don't you come out of zhere?" he finally said, standing up. He had a good idea of what was bothering her, but surely it would be better for her to tell him herself, and that was better done face-to-face. The door moved a little, and he could make out the shadow of a child, crawling out from behind it.

"Vhat are you doing up so late, Liebchen?" he asked then, not unkindly. "You should be in bed wis' ze others."

"I-I was asleep," the little girl explained, clutching a toy dog. "But then I woke up and had to use the bathroom...and-and then that storm-"

As if to emphasize the admission, the lightning and thunder came again, causing Gauche to jump and cover her ears, fresh tears making their way down her cheeks. He put an arm around the little girl's shoulders, and she pressed against his side, burying her face in his shirt. The guildsleader was startled, but only for a moment. A certain protectiveness and empathy had overcome him - even moreso than usual when he was around children - and he moved to stroke her hair, gently rubbing her back, as his own mother had done when he was small.

"Shh," he soothed, brushing the tears away with a sleeve. "Don't very much like storms, nein?" he asked kindly, squeezing her shoulders a bit.

"Mm-mmm," Gauche shook her head, voice muffled. She clutched harder, wrenching the shirt in her small hands. "The thunder...it's so loud...and it shakes everything..."

"Ja," he replied, "I don't...much care for ze thunder, either."

Gauche looked up at him, surprise and a little relief on her face. "You don't?"

"It brings back unpleasant memories of ze War," Yeager explained. "Especially ze shaking - it's not so bad wis'out ze shaking. Ze rain is comforting enough, zhough.

"Vell," he said then, "how about a glass of water, ja?" he suggested, giving her shoulder another little squeeze.

"Mmm." She buried her face in his side again.

"Come on, Liebchen," he said, taking her hand and leading her into the kitchen. Some water would do them both good.

"Leap...shin?" she sniffed, sitting down on a corner of the table.

"Means "dear", or "sweetheart"," he explained. "It's Doitshan - one of my native languages."

"Doitshan? Mommy used to talk about that. It must be fun to know more than one language."

"It is quite useful at times," Yeager agreed. He sat down across from her, handing her a glass. She took a gulp.

"Mr. Yeager?"

"Oh, no need for ze "Mr."," he said cheerfully. "Just Yeager is fine. But vhat vas your question?"

"What guild are you from?"

"Hmm? Which guild?"

"There's a symbol on your ring," she observed, pointing at the silver band on his right ring finger, upon which the insignia was quite visible. "What guild is it?" she asked again.

"Leviasan's Claw," he finally said. "I direct it."

"Wow...what does the guild do?"

"Ve sell weapons and hoplon blastia. Sometimes, ve'll do custom works for clients. It's quite lucrative."

"Wow." Gauche finished her water, and put her and Yeager's glasses in the sink. The house shook once more, and she winced. Yeager looked at her sympathetically, going over and putting an arm around her again.

"I don't sink you'll be getting back to sleep anytime soon, hmm?" he asked, and she shook her head, hugging her toy dog. Yeager sighed as more lightning came, and he felt a shiver run up her back. "Vell," he said, watching the rain on the windowpanes, "how about you come and sit wis' me awhile, ja? Vould zhat be good?"

Gauche paused, then nodded silently. Yeager moved into the main room, the little girl trailing after him like a puppy, and sat down on the couch, pulling the blanket around his shoulders. Gauche sat next to him, curling up under his arm and hiding her face once more.

"Shh," he soothed again, rubbing her shoulder and back. "All storms pass. Morning vill be here before you know it."

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The storm had indeed ceased by morning, leaving a brilliant blue sky in its wake. Both Yeager and Gauche had fallen asleep on the couch - him sitting up, leaving a terribly uncomfortable crick in his neck. Yeager rose not long after the sun did, tucked the blanket around the still-sleeping Gauche, and went to fix his hair and straighten his clothes as best as he could.

Then he went to make himself a nice big cup of coffee. Coffee with lots and lots of sugar in it.

"Ah, good morning," Ms. Ferris greeted him as she came into the kitchen, pulling out some bread and jam. "Did you have a nice night?"

"Wunderbar!" Yeager answered with assurance. (He was never sleeping on that stupid couch again.) But Ms. Ferris smiled and nodded at him, and finished her bread and jam in silence.

"Well," the Headmistress said then, putting her plate in the sink, "I'll be off. There's some bread and oatmeal in the cupboard, if you would like."

"Off?" Yeager looked at her. "Vhere are you off to so early in ze day?"

"The square, of course," Ms. Ferris explained. "You may have taken care of the groceries, but we still have to make rent."

"You're...renting?" Yeager was flabbergasted, to say the least. "Zis place? For how much?" The so-called building was falling apart; how could anyone in their right mind possibly rent this?

"It's only what my mother could afford," Ms. Ferris answered. "We moved over here from Capua Nor five years ago, when the new - well, not so new anymore - magistrate was appointed. She felt that his influence was...poisonous. She felt that the children would fare better in a city run by the guilds, so we moved. But, it did cost us financially, in ways my mother didn't anticipate. Far fewer nobles pass through Torim than Nor."

"How much do you need?"

"Hmm?"

"How. Much. Do. You. Need?" he ground out cheerfully. Yeager wore a smile, but she got the distinct feeling that he was actually glaring at her.

"You can't be serious - you've done so much for us already!"

"Let's zee...groceries are covered already, so, figure in water, electricity, gas...other essentials...and you're going to get zhat roof patched, at least. But I vill find someone to take care of zhat myself." Yeager reached into his coat and pulled out his checkbook. "Vhat is zhis renting for?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Zhat's alright - I am sure zhat Antoine or one of ze girls vill-"

"Antoine and the girls don't know-"

"Vant to bet on zhat?" Yeager wrote out a sum. "Nevermind it; I know one or two things about ze real estate in zis city, and I made a guess. I think zhat vill cover it for zhis month." He tore out the check, and held it out to the Headmistress. But she didn't take it.

"Why?" she asked, tears in her eyes as she looked at him. Yeager stared back, thinking a moment.

Why was he doing it? It wasn't for a thank-you. And, though he did truly feel for anyone who had lost someone in the War or otherwise, and especially for whatever orphans had been created (whether or not he'd personally had a hand in it), such things had happened on both sides; there were just as many orphans and widows and widowers in Zaphias and the Imperial cities as there were in the Guild Lands. It wasn't exactly a penance on his part, either.

"...Because you are doing a noble thing," he finally said. "I have seen ze orphanages in Zaphias and I have seen ze one in Dahngrest. Zaphias's ones are filled wis' material needs, but zhey do not give ze children love. And in Dahngrest zhey are expected to conform to zhat city's traditions...which is not a bad sing, but zhey still do not give as much care as you do. I remember vhat it vas like to have ze pressure to conform as a child. I didn't like it zhen and I don't like it now. You do not expect conformity - you only love."

"Take it," he insisted, and this time, she did.

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Yeager returned on Sylphday, having promised to see Antoine off. The boy was to meet Mr. Mills, then they were immediately going on a two-week sojourn to Zaphias. He hugged his Nanny and his brothers and sisters, and then approached Yeager.

"Thank you for everything," Antoine said. "If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have gotten to know Mr. Mills, and I wouldn't be able to join their guild like this."

"Who knows? You might have," Yeager replied amiably. Antoine only shook his head and chuckled.

"Thank you for everything," he repeated. The guildsleader reached out and hugged the boy.

"You're velcome," he said. "I'm certain you'll do a fine job; best of luck to you, Antoine. I'm sure our paths vill cross again." The boy nodded, smiling, and took off down the walk and around the corner. Many of the children were crying, as well as Ms. Ferris.

"I'm really going to miss Antoine," Droite sniffed from beside him.

"It is hard to say goodbye," Yeager agreed, smiling gently at her. "It's all a part of growing up - one day you vill be ze one leaving here. And you know vhat zhey say...goodbyes are not forever. I'm certain he'll come to visit you often."

"Do you think so?"

"Vouldn't you if ze situations were reversed?"

Droite sniffed and nodded. "Of course." Yeager smiled again and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"Zhen I am sure Antoine vill do ze same, ja? Who knows, you and Gauche could be next," he suggested, ruffling her hair.

"Ah, but unfortunately, I must be going as vell; I have a meeting in another city."

"Um...Yeager?"

"Hmm?"

"Um...I...I wanted to thank you, too. Gauche told me about how you helped her the other night."

Yeager nodded. "No trouble at all, Liebchen - none at all. I am glad I vas able to help."

"Um...you're...going to come back and visit us again soon, right?"

Yeager nodded. "I vill. I'll come visit again ze next time I am in town."

"Promise?"

He nodded again. "I promise."

CREDITS to (take out the spaces) http:/ /amberspike-sama. deviantart. com/ and http:/ /of-guilds-and-unions. proboards. ?board=applic ations&ac tion=dis play&th read=9 for the inspiration of the thunder scenes. Thankies muchos! :)

GOOD SYLPH IT'S DONE.

This chapter turned out to be much trickier to write than I'd initially anticipated; Yeager's a real pain XD While he's no Sosuke Aizen, he nevertheless is VERY clever and good at predicting what will and won't happen. I wrestled quite exhaustively with myself over some of his simplest actions XD Worked on the accent, too; a few people said I overdid it in the last one, so I tried to tone it down a bit ;)

Also, for anyone who's curious, this story isgoing to go up to and beyond Zaude (I'm already writing parts of that, actually - and it is a tear-jerker, warnings abound right now XD). Once the girls get into Leviathan's Claw, I've intended for the story to become somewhat more episodic, in that you'll see scenes and whatnot as the girls grow up.

(Like to see something? Drop me a note or a PM and I will see what can be done!).

About ten or so chapters of that, I think, then we'll start hitting the actual game. I'm supposing that the fic itself will run twenty to twenty-five chapters or so: Zaude itself will take up four chapters, plus we'll have two or three chapters of Aftermath. Once we start hitting the game, Yeager only has a limited number of chapters left. T.T

Weeeeeeell, that about covers it. I hope everyone enjoyed it; thank you all for reading!

NOTES:

- Yeager did indeed let the bratty teens live. He just casually mentioned that he ran a big guild that had access to lots and lots of weapons, that he thought picking on orphans was disgusting, and that he, personally, had killed people. =3

- The deal with Gauche and Droite not actually being twins is one I have toyed with for quite some time; nonetheless, I am not the first to think of it nor use it in a fanfic. However, the idea of 'Gauche' and 'Droite' being nicknames is mine (at least, I haven't seen it anywhere else). (Anyone else who would like to use this, please feel free to do so :)

- Owing to his background and military career, Yeager can speak a grand total of four languages: Nihongan (Japanese - learned), Francaisan (French - learned), Doitshan (German - native), and Saxonian (English - native). Many soldiers can speak a variety of languages; as such, Raven, the Brigades, and Alexei can also speak more than one language (and Flynn is learning ;P). Yeager speaks the Colonial dialect of Saxonian, not the Kingsbury one (differences explained below).)

LANGUAGE NAMES TO KNOW:

- Doitshan comes from Deutsch (pron. "Doytsh"), which is the German word for "German". Essentially, it's an English transliteration of "Deutsch" with the English "-an" suffix to make it an adjective. This idea comes from Tales of the Abyss' fictional Ancient Ispanian language: "Ispanian" is derived from Espana, which is the Spanish word for Spain. (German's word for Germany is Deutschland - "Doitshlant").

- Francaisan is pronounced "Frahnt-swah-zan"; Parysan is pronounced "Pari-san", and is the Francaisan-speaking (French-speaking) district of Zaphias. ("Francais" is the French word for "French".) Spelling it phonetically made it look very strange, so I left that the way it was. (Hopefully any French-speaking readers will not find this too annoying/stupid ^^;)

- Nihongan comes from "nihongo" - the Japanese word for "Japanese language" - with the English suffix "-an" attached on the end. (Are we seeing a pattern, here? XD)

- Saxonian is taken from the branch of languages that English belongs to, "Anglo-Saxon" (had to get a little more creative for that one!), and there's two particular dialects I'll be referring to, as American English and British English are actually fairly different from each other. American English is referred to as Colonial Saxonian (from the Colonies) and British English is Kingsbury Saxonian (the name Kingsbury courtesy of Howl's Moving Castle). Yeager is American in the Japanese version, so he speaks and spells things the Colonial way.

I'll be referencing these languages in the future - I think it's pretty straightforward, but if anyone gets confused later, this is where to look. Also, anyone else who would like to use these (or would like to suggest a language/better spelling/etc), please feel free to do so, or leave me a comment :)