Broken Wings
N.W. 302
Stepping Back
Lloyd sighed as he took to the air, barely spotting Genis as the half-elf 'vanished' using the same mana-trick Lloyd, Colette, and Zelos used. They'd already agreed to meet up a few miles away to talk about this one.
Once again, what had started as a casual visit to make sure the mana usage was still not excessive had turned into a fight. One that the angels—and lone half-elf trying to help them—had gotten pulled into... and had finished rather viciously.
He hated using force to end a conflict like that...
Tenebrae rose up to meet him, Genis sitting upon his back like the Centurion was a beast of burden, not that Tenebrae was complaining. Genis couldn't fly, and he had managed to stay out of the conflict, so providing a ride for him wasn't a problem.
"You know... You'd think, after three hundred years, we'd all be tired of this by now," Genis muttered.
Lloyd sighed. "We knew what we were signing up for when we decided to start doing this. At least, I hope we all knew what we were doing."
There were days he wondered if Colette was just doing this because he was. She wasn't handling it well, that much he could see... which was odd, because he'd have sworn she'd been doing so well when they'd started.
"I think you all need to take a break," Tenebrae piped up as they dropped from the air to land at the pre-determined location. Not a moment later, Zelos joined the three of them, grinning and glancing behind him with a familiar air.
"Aw, really? Pranking Colette mid-flight?" Genis muttered.
Zelos snickered. "She needed to loosen up." A pause, and then he was suddenly sober. "We all do, really. Tenebrae's right, we need a break."
Lloyd sighed, stepping to the right just enough to catch Colette when she rather predictably tripped upon landing.
The bright pink that covered her back had Lloyd chuckling without even thinking about it, reaching over to pat the worst of the pink chalk dust from the blonde's clothes. It would wash out okay, even with Colette's tendency to lean toward white clothes, but in the meantime, her backside (and a good portion of her hair) would be pink.
"Did it have to be pink?" Colette asked glumly as she tried to help Lloyd.
"Come on, what's wrong with pink?" Zelos shot back, arms spread wide in a clear indication of his coat, which was just as pink as the coat he'd worn when they were all the ages they appeared.
"What's wrong with this picture?" Genis muttered, though clearly amused. Lloyd glanced at him, then snorted.
"What, you mean the fact that the girl's arguing against pink and the guy's arguing for it?" he asked. Genis grinned and nodded, and Zelos let out a melodramatic sigh.
"Yeah, yeah. You're all just jealous of my awesomeness."
And that comment got even Colette giggling.
Lloyd sighed to himself and glanced back toward the fight they'd just broken up.
They'd made their point. The peace between Tethe'alla and the recently-established Freyja would last for a few years, at least.
"I think I'm going to make my grave rounds. It's been a few years, anyway," Lloyd started.
"I'm not sure flying around the world counts as taking a break," Tenebrae muttered.
"Eh, it's Lloyd. He's more relaxed up above the clouds than I am in a hot spring," Zelos pointed out.
"Mm. That is true."
Lloyd rolled his eyes at the two, even as Colette bit her lip. "Um... Lloyd? Do you... mind if I come with you?"
He hadn't been expecting the request, but who was he to deny her? "Sure! ...Besides... I was planning on heading home for a while after making my rounds... I could always use some help with the garden." The garden she'd started, really.
And the bright smile he got in response was just the reaction he'd been hoping to get.
Tenebrae hummed. "I think I'll go report in to Lord Ratatosk and then meet you back there."
"Hey, there's something the rest of us need to do!" Genis piped up. "Go visit Richter and Ratatosk! I haven't been by in ages."
Lloyd chuckled. "I think I'll pass on Ratatosk in favor of Raine. I was just by the Ginnungagap a couple weeks ago, but I haven't seen Raine in months." Forty-some months, actually, but he'd long since learned not to say 'years' around Colette or Zelos. Looked like Genis had learned, too, since he'd pointedly said 'ages' when talking about Richter and Ratatosk.
"Oh, that's right! And the Professor's getting married in a few more weeks, too!" Colette said, clearly looking forward to the event.
"Wait, Raine's getting married?!"
And, looked like Lloyd wasn't the only one who was clueless, though he was hiding it better than Zelos.
Genis chuckled. "Yeah. Decided not to actually send out invitations. It's basically turned into a word-of-mouth thing. I only found out because I dropped by to check in on Miriam."
"Are you two dating yet, or still in denial?"
Lloyd, Colette, and Zelos got a good laugh out of the face Genis made at Tenebrae for such a comment, and Lloyd couldn't help himself. "Tenebrae's got a point. You two have been 'visiting' each other for decades now."
Genis turned a bright shade of red. "Well..."
Zelos snorted. "Just go for it already! Call it an extended vacation from saving the world. I personally think we all could use one, but..."
Lloyd winced. "Maybe not all at the same time."
"Exactly. If we all vanish for a couple decades, the world's gonna fall apart. Probably. More than likely," Zelos added.
Colette's giggles redoubled. "Oh, I don't know. They might survive without us."
Genis laughed. "Oh, fine! But I don't wanna hear about anyone doing any world-saving in the next five years, got it? We really do need a break. I guess... I'll just be taking a long break."
Lloyd glanced down at Colette and ran his fingers through her currently half-pink hair. "I think that sounds like a good idea."
"Oh, excellent. I don't have to have my monsters actually sit on you four."
Lloyd couldn't help but laugh. Count on Tenebrae to sound so pleased with himself.
"So it's settled. We'll all take a break for the next few years." And maybe, just maybe... Lloyd glanced at Colette and smiled.
It was well past time for the two of them to cross that line, as well.