Well now. It's been a few days, and I do apologise. I've had my art deadline, but there's another one next week, so don't be expecting a whole barrage of updates. I've also found a new baby, which Sora knows about as she's joined too. =3 It's a site called Protagonize, and it's really awesome. You should check it out. It lets you write original or fanfiction, solo or collaborations, linear or branched stories. It's amazing. I LOVE IT. 3 Should you decide to join, my username is Sareneth.

In other news, Sora is now officially my seme. =3 And she made me a gorgeous icon of Soren saying "I just don't LOL." =D Saren is incredibly happy.

I'm also rather bemused-but-happy about having a Death Note fan join the growing amount of reviewers. I do love to see my inbox flooded with messages. =3 Make me happy?

Oh yeah. This is chapter 20. MILESTONE. Review to make me happy and ensure it doesn't end here? XD

Begnion was nothing short of magnificent. The towering structures, the vast expanse of carefully arrange buildings, the sheer intricacy of detail in the plan of the city layout...All of these things made Sienne grander and more impressive than Soren had expected. The Mainal Cathedral and its adjacent library were of particular interest to him. He knew that they housed religious documentation that would certainly be interesting to peruse. Much of the wording would be corrupt through multiple translations (he doubted that the original texts were still available) and the senate would naturally have seen fit to alter events to favour Begnion. Even so, Soren relished the opportunity to learn more of the country's history - biased and covered up as it was.

He was also admittedly curious about the Grann Desert, and the colony of Branded that Nasir had mentioned. Not that he would ever openly show this curiosity, particularly towards the aforementioned captain. Soren grimaced. Between Nasir and Kurthnaga, his first impressions of the dragon laguz were hardly admirable. In all fairness, the prince had restocked their supplies by a sufficent enough amount for them to reach Begnion (and likely halfway back again, should they so desire), something that Soren was rather appreciative of. He did not appreciate, however, the prince's overly friendly demeanour (such people were often two-faced, in Soren's experience), nor the fact that he acted as the figurehead that he was. Standing for his own views once in a while might have raised Soren's opinion of him somewhat. As it stood, though, Soren had a less than pleasant view of the prince. He was beginning to wish more and more wholeheartedly that his previous assumption had been incorrect. At least Nasir was openly sly and devious.

Soren sighed. Their companions were slowly growing more numerous, something that he wasn't entirely sure he approved of. While there was nothing wrong with them gaining allies, several of them were, in his opinion, less than useless. A knight had recently joined them who appeared to have previously served under Ike's father. He seemed trustworthy enough, and indeed might have been a skilled fighter were he not so easily distracted by members of the female persuasion. Soren couldn't honestly say that he had any empathy with the man. Another had joined with him, a noblewoman handy with a bow. Soren deemed her a liability on the battlefield. She also had little contact with her family, making her purposeless in attaining funds also. To top this all off, there was the young thief, Sothe. If it were possible, Soren might have held even less trust for him than he did with Volke. At least with that man, everything started and ended with a large fee. Money was the only motive. With the boy, he might have been after anything. Soren could hardly bring himself to accept his sob story of losing a friend. How could you lose a person? It made no sense. If the boy had cared any for her, he would not have let her out of his sight.

Soren watched as Ike paused in front of the cathedral, watched as his brow furrowed in trepidation. "Are you sure this is where we're meant to be, Soren? It looks so...off-limits."

"I'm positive, Ike." The young mage continued walking until he was level with the commander (his legs being considerably shorter; he had previously fallen behind). "This is where the pegasus knight told us to meet. It's the only cathedral in the capital. It isn't as though there's another with which to confuse it." Soren grimaced. No doubt the childish empress saw fit to make them wait outside for an escort, though he doubted that one would be sent for quite some time. A band of rough mercenaries could hardly be seen to be her top priority. Politics again. He glanced away, wondering if he had enough time to visit the library beforehand.

As though Ike knew he was contemplating such thoughts, he turned to Soren. "There must be a lot of books in a city this large."

Soren blinked at him, both pleased and unsettled by this apparent mindreading. "A significant amount, yes. The Mainal Cathedral's library houses the single largest collection of texts on the entire continent."

"So what's that, a few days reading for you?" Ike was grinning.

Ah. Ike was attempting a joke. Soren smiled, replying with the only humour he knew. "Around a week, actually."

He watched in amusement as Ike's eyes widened, waited patiently for the pin to drop. Only it never did. It never had the chance.

"Commander Ike of the Greil Mercenaries?"