Broken Wings
N.W. 17
Aeros Lily
The first death hit him like one of his father's techs.
Probably because Presea hadn't been that old.
It was a solemn group that met on the top of the Lezareno building to watch as Presea was buried next to her sister. Lloyd hovered near the back with Zelos and Sheena, grateful that Colette seemed to be sticking close to Marta and Emil.
Presea had only looked to be in her late twenties. Even at her true age of forty-five, the death was sudden and unexpected, and had been blamed on the experimental key crest that had frozen her body at twelve years old for sixteen years.
Lloyd had the feeling he understood it, too.
Presea had been Rodyle's attempt at creating his own Angelus Project, and though Lloyd and Presea had spoken often about her exsphere and key crest—they hadn't dared remove it when it seemed to have fused with her body much like any Cruxis Crystal would—especially after his own had evolved, they'd both known that where Kvar had succeeded, Rodyle never would.
He had a feeling, now, that Presea had known her death was coming. It had been in the little things; the way she had been visiting all of them as often as possible, the carefully-carved trinkets handed out every time at least half of them all found themselves in the same place...
Lloyd was going to miss her. Already, he was having trouble not looking around for her pink pigtails, a look she'd kept even into physical adulthood, if for no other reason than to make other people underestimate her. She'd always been a steady presence, solid and supportive as the earth below his feet, and now...
Now, she was gone.
It had been so sudden...
And, a part of Lloyd acknowledged, that made it easier. One day, she'd been there, the next, she'd been gone. His memories of her would always be of the strong young woman who'd been through hell and come out the other side stronger than he believed he would have in her position.
"...Lloyd?"
He blinked, looking away from the fountain at the center of the garden and reluctantly turning to face Colette.
Colette, who was looking at him like she'd seen a ghost. Something he pointed out.
"I hate to have to say it, but the only ghosts present are probably Presea and Alicia," Zelos piped up, only to get knocked upside the head by Sheena.
Lloyd chuckled. "Hey, can't blame him for speaking the truth."
"Don't make me hit you, too."
"You... You haven't aged..."
Lloyd glanced at Colette and nodded somewhat stiffly. Hm, the area had cleared out some...
He'd brought a flower to lay on Presea's grave, a pretty pink flower she'd once told him was called an Aeros Lily. It had been a bit of a pain to track down, as many of them had been destroyed along with Ozette, but given the meanings of the flower and the way it matched her hair...
Well. Finding it hadn't been an unnecessary use of time, really.
They'd agreed, ages ago, that taking off from the center of the garden was rude. But Regal and Presea had told them, almost in the same breath, that the angels were more than welcome to take to the air from the edges.
So Lloyd bid a quiet farewell to Presea, stood, and headed for the edge, passing Zelos as he went. "Heading home?"
Lloyd nodded. "Yeah. Lilia's been ill the last few days; we're not sure if it's morning sickness or just a bug floating around."
The look of shock on Colette's face told Lloyd that she hadn't kept up with his life at all. And, well... Maybe he'd regret it later, but right now?
"What? You're the one who told me to move on."
Not even Sheena could argue that he was being harsh as he left the main part of the garden. He was just pointing out what he felt was obvious.
Though from Zelos' snort, the former Tethe'allan Chosen thought he was being too nice. "You're lucky he can't hold a grudge worth a shit."
Lloyd rolled his eyes and jumped, wings forming behind him and catching the wind with ease. He needed to go check on Lilia.
As much as a biological child would be a blessing... He wasn't sure he wanted to lose Lilia to an unplanned pregnancy.