"Roque Island, here I am."

Partitio was practically shaking with excitement as he stood on the dock after disembarking from the Grand Terry, and he waited for the rest of his companions to do the same. Tipping his hat with a beaming smile on his face, Partitio silently thanked Alrond again for his help; he really couldn't have done this without him.

"Ugh…Dry land…Thank the gods…"

He turned to see Osvald let out a relieved sigh, and Partitio noted that he still looked a little pale. He hadn't expected Osvald to have a seasickness problem, and it was always a challenge to get to their overseas destinations without him vomiting at least once. This time, however, he had managed to make the trip while keeping his stomach contents in place, but Partitio had noticed that he had still been pretty uncomfortable and nauseous the entire time.

"You alright, partner?" Partitio placed a hand on Osvald's back and started gently rubbing it in a circular motion. Osvald closed his eyes and hummed, and the smile that crossed his face sent Partitio's heartbeat off to the races.

"I am now, thank you." Osvald's eyes briefly locked with Partitio's, before he cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses before walking down the dock towards shore. Partitio watched him for a moment, and he cursed himself for not reaching out to take Osvald's hand when he had the chance. Or was that really the right thing to do?

Having rescued his daughter and defeated that irredeemable scumbag Harvey, Partitio knew that Osvald's largest burden had been lifted from his shoulders. This logically would be the best time to confess his feelings for him, but every time Partitio worked up the courage to do so, the memories of the night when he saw Osvald at his lowest point flooded his mind and stopped him. Partitio never wanted to see him like that again, and he was afraid that if he confessed his feelings, that he would reopen Osvald's old wounds concerning his late wife. He really was at a loss at how to proceed.

For now, however, he had work to do, so he followed Osvald and the rest of their companions until they reached the top of the flight of stairs, and he gazed out upon the heart of Roque Island.

"Hang on to your britches, Mister Roque," Partitio said, grinning as he flicked a silver coin into the air, "Cause I'm bringin' you eighty billion reasons to make good on our deal!"

"Well said." Osvald chuckled beside him, and the sound made Partitio's heart flutter. It seemed that Osvald smiled and laughed much easier nowadays, and that made it so much harder for Partitio to bottle up his feelings.

"Wowee! This place is so cool!" Ochette leaned over the railing, her tail wagging with her excitement as she jerked her head back and forth. "What are those things?"

"They're smokestacks," Osvald said, and Partitio followed Ochette's gaze to have a look for himself. These smokestacks were huge pillars that shot up into the sky, and - as the name suggested - plumes of smoke were steadily streaming out of the tops of them.

"I believe they are used to discharge excess steam during the production process," Temenos chimed in, and Throné nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, a few of them started popping up in New Delsta a while back."

"Ooh, how interesting…"

The group continued talking among themselves, and Partitio was happy that they were enjoying themselves already. However, he had an important contract to fulfill, and he cracked his knuckles before pointing out over the town, his coat flaring out dramatically with the movement of his arm.

"Alright! Let's get a move on, y'all! We've got a steam engine to purchase!" His friends all voiced their agreement and started to head down the stairs into the city proper, and they soon found themselves in the middle of a large crowd.

"Oh, I like the feel of this! Tension's buildin' 'n' energy's cracklin' through the air!" Partitio said, his eyes sparkling with excitement, but that wasn't quite enough to prevent a pit of uncertainty from forming in his gut. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly through his nose. He would like to say that he wasn't nervous, but this was the biggest deal he had ever made, and he couldn't help but entertain the idea of something going wrong.

"Something on your mind?"

Partitio blinked when a hand fell onto his shoulder, he turned to find Osvald watching him over his glasses. Face flushing at the contact, Partitio shrugged and shook his head.

"It's nothing. Just a little jittery is all."

"Hmm, that is understandable, considering how much money you're about to deal in." Osvald tugged at his beard as he watched Temenos and Agnea chat with random members of the crowd. "But don't worry. I'll be here just in case anything goes wrong."

Partitio sighed and shook his head when Osvald made a show of slowly cracking the knuckles on each of his hands before cracking his neck as well. "Osvald…we've talked about this…No violence unless it's completely necessary."

"Hmp." Osvald pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest, and Partitio stifled a laugh. It seemed that no matter how much Osvald had changed, some things were meant to stay the same. He was glad to have Osvald's impressive physique at his disposal in case something did go awry, but for now he needed to focus on getting to Roque.

"...Hey, we have a problem."

Throné came up to them, casting a glare at the gates leading into the headquarters. "We need papers to get through."

Partitio frowned and placed a hand on the top of his head while the other went to his hip. "Rats…All the excitement's inside, and we're stuck out here-"

"Well, what do we have here? If it isn't Partitio!"

When the familiar voice of Ori hit his ears, a smile returned to Partitio's face and he perked up instantly. If anyone could help him get inside, it was his excitable, kooky scrivener friend.

"Go on! The world's counting on you!"

"Ori!"

Partitio reached out towards her as he ran at the guards. It didn't feel right, just leaving her like this after she had helped him get to this back way into Roque's announcement ceremony.

"Come, Partitio." He felt Osvald's hand cover his and tug him forward. "We need to go now, or we will waste the chance that she's giving us."

Partitio squeezed his eyes shut and grit his teeth. He knew that Osvald was right, but it still felt scummy just to leave. Throné and Ochette suddenly rushed past him to stand in front of Ori, with Castti and Agnea following suit.

"We'll stay and help her," Throné said, with her daggers already at the ready.

"Go, Partitio!" Ori said, and Partitio's eyes went wide when she turned to give him the saddest of smiles, "And don't look back!"

"Aw, heck!" Partitio finally turned and rushed off with Osvald, his hand gripping his tightly, with Temenos and Hikari hot on their heels. When they had made it a good way into the factory, Partitio stopped so that they could catch their breaths.

"Now why'd she go and do something so reckless?" Partitio wondered aloud, scratching at his chin. At least she had some of his companions to back her up, but he still didn't understand why she would risk her neck for him.

"She probably knows the importance of you getting to Roque," Osvald said, crossing his arms over his chest as he let out a thoughtful hum, "We're about to embark on a business deal worth eighty billion, after all."

Partitio smiled as they started walking again, anticipation bubbling up within him again. "Yeah, and I'm right excited 'bout it!"

"I hope nothing goes amiss with the contract signing."

Partitio sighed, briefly removing his hat so that he could run his hand through his hair. "If recent experience is any indication, this'll be a rougher ride than any buckin' bronco. When it comes to business, Mister Roque's a master…"

Partitio glanced at Temenos and Hikari out of the corner of his eye, finding them deep in conversation, so Partitio managed to sneak his hand back into Osvald's. "Y'know, they used to call him Rainbow Tongue, 'cause he could convince you you'd find a pot of gold if you'd follow his logic."

Osvald was staring at Partitio, and the intensity of his scrutinizing gaze made his heart race as he continued: "In the art of persuasion, no one's his equal. His words well…They're like magic."

"Magic, you say?" Osvald perked up at that and squeezed his hand, and Partitio raised an eyebrow at him. "If that's true, then there must be some fundamental principle to its power." Partitio watched as Osvald rubbed at his chin and mumbled some calculations to himself, and he couldn't stop himself from bursting out laughing.

"Easy there, partner," he said between giggles, "It was just a turn of phrase."

"Oh, was it now?"

Partitio stared at Osvald, who was trying to keep a straight face, but Partitio could see his lips twitching slightly upwards. Rolling his eyes, Partitio swatted at Osvald's arm.

"You're just yankin' my chain, aren't ya? You don't actually believe it's magic."

"Perhaps." Osvald snorted as he quickened his pace so that he moved ahead of Partitio. "However, I accomplished my goal." Osvald glanced back at him over his shoulder, and Partitio's brow furrowed in confusion. It didn't take him long to realize what he meant: Did Osvald…want to make him laugh? To take his mind off of Ori? Partitio's jaw dropped, and Osvald let out an amused chuckle.

"Let's go. It sounds like the announcement has begun already."

Partitio could faintly hear Roque's voice as they walked outside onto a bridge between buildings, and he grit his teeth and nodded, placing his hand in the one that Osvald offered to him.

"Yeah, you got it, partner." Partitio's eyes locked with Osvald's, and he knew that with his support, and that of the rest of his friends, he could make this once in a lifetime business deal work.

Deep down, Partitio had a sinking feeling that Roque was going to pull some funny business with their contract. He had been right, unfortunately, and he almost admitted defeat when Roque pointed out the fatal flaw in their contract.

However, he certainly had not expected Alrond of all people to suddenly show up with the entire eighty billion in physical leaves packed onto a ship. Roque's vehement refusal to honor the contract had led to an unbelievable confrontation with his Steam Tank Obsidian.

Luckily, Ori along with Ochette, Agnea, Throné, and Castti managed to get the crowd to safety, allowing Partitio, Osvald, Hikari, and Temenos to deal with the massive machine. Deal with it they did, and now Partitio stood before the kneeling Roque, flanked by the burning, broken bits of his masterful creation.

Partitio had every reason to be angry as a hornet with Roque, but in this moment he only felt sorry for him. Even though he had strayed from the path of the straight and narrow, Partitio knew that he was a brilliant merchant, and there was still good in him.

"Unbelievable. You never change, do you?" Roque said after Partitio had offered him the opportunity to join him on his next business venture.

"Not when it comes to mercha-"

"We need to move, now!"

Partitio had almost forgotten that Osvald was with them, and he yelped as he was suddenly thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He tried to ignore the rapid beating of his heart as Osvald's grip tightened around his legs, and Partitio was embarrassed to admit to himself that he had never been more turned on in his entire life.

Partitio watched Osvald grab Roque by the back of his coat and he rushed them out of harm's way, getting them back to the main street before they could get caught in the collapsing section of the factory.

Osvald dropped Roque unceremoniously onto the ground, and he looked a bit shaken after being dragged so far. Partitio sighed and shook his head when Osvald, in contrast, carefully placed him back onto his feet and gave him a concerned once-over. He had done that on purpose.

"Osvald…You could've been a bit more careful with 'im."

"Oops," Osvald deadpanned, and Partitio had never heard someone sound more insincere before. Osvald glared at Roque with a sour look on his face, before turning back to Partitio.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to trust him?"

"Eh, he might be a bit rough around the edges," Partitio said, laughing as he threw his arm over Osvald's shoulders, "But I've got more grit than I can handle, so I'm sure I can turn him around!"

"...I could just snap my fingers and-"

"No."

"...Fine."

Roque huffed as he stood up, brushing off his coat with a scowl on his face. "I am right here, you know." He opened his mouth to protest more, but when Osvald shot him a glare and cracked his knuckles, he wisely snapped his jaw shut.

"Hoo boy, we've gotta work on those people skills of yours, partner." Partitio snickered when Osvald pouted at him, but his gaze softened when Partitio took his hand, and Roque's raised eyebrow did not go unnoticed.

"Er, anyway," Partitio cleared his throat as a light blush dusted his cheeks, "Let's get to talking about this new business proposition, Mister Roque…"

It had been a busy week, and the fact that Partitio was now the president of his own company was still sinking in. Although, he couldn't fully commit to that position just yet, as he still had to help some of his traveling companions with their quests. He was happy that Roque had agreed to work for him, and Partitio felt confident enough to leave the company in his hands for the time being.

"You truly are one-of-a-kind, Partitio," Osvald said as they strolled through the streets of Clockbank.

"Well, right back at ya, partner!" Partitio grinned as he tipped his hat at him, "You've been givin' me a whole lot to think about these past few days, with your ideas to use magic alongside the steam power!"

Osvald chuckled as they stopped outside of the tavern, and he crossed his arms over his chest. He appreciated Partitio's enthusiasm, and how alluring he looked when he was riled up like this. "Don't get too excited, Mr. President. It's just a theory at the moment."

Partitio's face flushed and he averted his gaze, rubbing at the back of his neck. "C'mon Osvald, you're getting me all flustered callin' me that…"

"Hmm, what an interesting reaction...Curious that it's only me that seems to invoke it." Osvald smiled at Partitio when he met his gaze again, and his heart skipped a beat when he smiled back and laughed.

"This teasing side of you is new," Partitio said, winking as he opened the tavern door, "I reckon I like it, though." Osvald's face burned and he cleared his throat, trying to chase away the butterflies that had taken flight in his gut. He followed Partitio inside, and they headed for a table by the stage, where Agnea was eagerly waving them over.

"Hey, you two finally made it!" she said as she shoved a box into each of their arms. Osvald raised a curious eyebrow, and Partitio gave the box a light shake.

"What's this?" Partitio asked, glancing over at Osvald, who had already opened his and had pulled out a shirt with ruffled sleeves.

"They're dancer outfits!" Agnea's eyes were sparkling with excitement as she pointed to the stage, "I had my pa make one for each of you." Partitio looked over to see that Castti and Ochette were already wearing their custom dresses, and Hikari was off to the side tugging his shirt on with Throné's help.

"Well, go on!" Agnea started to shove both of them towards the backstage, and Partitio excitedly rushed to get changed as quickly as possible. Osvald didn't follow him, and Partitio snickered when his shouts of protest hit his ears.

"Shee-oot, Agnea's pa really knows his stuff!" Partitio beamed when he stepped onto the stage, twisting his body around so that he could examine his new outfit, "He even made me a hat to go with it-"

"T-This is embarrassing, I can't go out there-"

"Oh, I think you can."

"C'mon Pops, you're holding us all up!"

He looked up to see Temenos dragging Osvald onto the stage, with Ochette pushing him from behind. Partitio felt his face grow hot and a lump formed in his throat as he scanned Osvald from head to toe, his eyes lingering for much too long on Osvald's exposed navel. It was a vastly different look to his usual, and Partitio thought that he looked really damn handsome.

Osvald felt ridiculous in this silly outfit and didn't see the point in wearing it only to dance in a random tavern. However, when his eyes met Partitio's and wandered down to his exposed chest, he concluded that this situation wasn't quite as obnoxious as he had initially thought.

"Lookin' good, Osvald!" Partitio said, beaming as he gave him two thumbs up. Osvald stared down at the floor, and Partitio was endeared at how red his face was, the blush even extending to the tips of his ears. Gods, he really had it bad for him…

"C'mon y'all, the music's about to start!" Agnea said, nodding towards the barkeep, who nodded back and fiddled with the gramophone next to the bar. Osvald glanced around to see that she was already dancing with Hikari, Castti was twirling a laughing Ochette around, and Temenos was leading Throné across the stage with a surprising amount of skill.

That left him to dance with Partitio. The thought made Osvald's palms sweat, and he swallowed thickly to try and chase away the dryness in his throat. With his heart beating so fast that he thought it might burst from his chest, Osvald glanced at Partitio, who had already been looking at him. He watched as Partitio closed the distance between them, reaching out to take Osvald's hand.

"May I have this dance, partner?" Partitio winked as he brought Osvald's hand to his face, placing a light kiss onto his knuckles. Osvald's cheeks flushed as his heartbeat roared inside his ears, and it took every single ounce of his self-restraint not to yank Partitio forward and kiss him breathless.

"I'm…not good at dancing…" Osvald muttered, and Partitio laughed as he placed his free hand on Osvald's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"That makes two of us then!" Partitio said, and his heart raced with anticipation as Osvald stared at him over his glasses. After a few moments, Osvald finally placed his hand on Partitio's waist, causing Partitio to let out the breath that he didn't know he had been holding.

Osvald took the lead, and he cringed when he stepped on Partitio's foot, but he didn't feel too bad about it, due to Partitio stepping on his right after. They probably looked like a pair of bumbling fools to anyone watching, but Osvald didn't know for sure, as he was unable to tear his eyes from Partitio's beautiful, laughing face.

"Hoo boy, we really are terrible, huh?" Partitio said, placing a hand on Osvald's chest when they finally stopped moving. He wiped the sweat from his brow and tried to catch his breath, but he was finding that very hard to do due to how intensely Osvald was studying his face. Bifelgan have mercy, it was taking all of his willpower to stop himself from reaching up to cup Osvald's face, running his fingers through his beard before leaning in to press their lips together…

"I-I think I need some fresh air."

Partitio's eyes widened when Osvald suddenly pulled away from him, and he was left stunned upon the stage, watching as Osvald quickly retreated from the tavern. His heart sank, and Partitio's gaze dropped to his hands, which he slowly clenched into fists. Had he done something wrong? Maybe dancing with Osvald was something too intimate, and Partitio felt sick at the thought of making Osvald uncomfortable in any way.

"Partitio, where'd Osvald go?" Agnea frowned as he sat down at the table that she, Hikari, and Castti were occupying. He sighed as he cradled his head in his hands, before taking a long swig of the drink that Hikari had pushed towards him.

"He…said that he needed some air." Partitio pursed his lips and let out a sigh. "Y'all…I think I screwed up…"

"Oh no! I really thought that getting you two to dance together would help…" Agnea said, and Hikari nodded as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Indeed. You two seemed to be getting closer, and this did not seem like an unreasonable next step."

"Partitio," Castti said, folding her hands on the table in front of her, "You do want to be with Osvald, yes?"

"More than anything, Castti," Partitio said, biting his quivering lip as his eyes welled up with tears, "It's just…I'm scared."

"Aw, why?" Agnea gently placed a hand over his, and Partitio sniffed as he wiped the tears from his cheeks.

"Osvald he…he's been through a kind of hell that I can't even imagine," Partitio said, swallowing thickly as he chewed his bottom lip, "I just…don't want my feelings for him to open up those wounds and hurt him all over again."

"Oh, Partitio," Castti said, smiling softly as she took his other hand, "Osvald is stronger than you know, and he does care for you a great deal. If you never ask, then you will never know. And I believe that you would regret that for the rest of your life."

"Yes, I agree," Hikari chimed in, placing a hand on Partitio's shoulder, "There is a chance of rejection, but isn't that a risk worth taking if the other side is getting the chance to finally be with the one that you love?"

"Y'all…" Partitio smiled as tears ran down his face again, and his heart felt lighter as he let all three of them hug him. "Thankee kindly. I need to tell him, and the sooner the better."

"But…" Castti let out a chuckle. "You may want to wait until you and Osvald are completely alone. This group of ours tends to be a bit…nosy, and might interrupt at an inopportune time."

"You ain't wrong…" Agnea said, and Hikari laughed as he nodded in agreement.

"Hmm, alone…" Partitio agreed with them about that, but he was at a loss as to how to achieve that. Maybe he would come up with something after a few more drinks, but first…

Partitio turned to Agnea with a smile on his face. "Hey, Agnea, is your pa taking on new work right now?"

"Um, I think so, why?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Great! 'Cause I'd like to commission an outfit…"

Osvald mumbled incoherently to himself as he paced in front of the fountain at the entrance to Clockbank. He felt bad for abruptly leaving Partitio like that, but he concluded that he ran the risk of making a hasty mistake if he had stayed.

He stared down at the hand that Partitio had kissed, and he swore that he could still feel the warmth of his lips on his knuckles, no matter how illogical that was. Being in such close proximity to the man that he loved was excruciating when he wanted nothing more than to take Partitio into his arms, confessing all of his bottled up feelings before finally kissing him proper.

Osvald couldn't do that, though. He stared down at his hands and balled them into fists. These were hands that he had used to harm, to kill, many people on his path to revenge. He couldn't allow his bloodstained hands to taint someone as pure as Partitio…

"Heya, Pops."

Osvald winced, anticipating Ochette throwing herself onto his back, but he was surprised when that didn't happen. She instead had sat down on the edge of the fountain, with Mahina perched next to her, and Osvald's brow furrowed when he moved to sit on her other side.

They sat in silence for a while, which also surprised Osvald. Ochette was rarely quiet, always chatting on about something, anything really, and Osvald wondered if he should break the silence instead…

"You're in love with Parti, aren't you Pops?"

Ochette beat him to the punch, however, and he felt his face heat up as he glanced at her. She was watching him with wide eyes, her ears perked up and tail wagging, and Osvald let out a deep sigh as he ran a hand through his hair.

"...Yes."

"Yay, I'm so happy!" Ochette giggled as she wagged a finger at him, "He's loved you for a long time now, you know."

"Really?"

"Yes, silly!" Ochette rolled her eyes and puffed out her cheeks. "I just don't understand why you won't tell each other how you feel."

"It's…not that simple, Ochette." Osvald closed his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Partitio is a much better man than me. I don't want to tarnish him with my hands, tainted as they are with the blood of many."

"Aw, I don't think that's very fair to you, Pops." Ochette hummed as she swung her legs back and forth. "No one's perfect, and you've come a long way to improve yourself since we met!"

"...I have?"

Ochette nodded and shot him a bright smile. "Yep! You were so grumpy and really sad when we first met, but you managed to open up to all of us, and you saved your daughter, and stopped that nasty Harvey from causing more harm! You're a good person, I think."

Osvald had opened his mouth to protest, but he was interrupted when Throné sat down beside him. "She's right, professor. You've also risked your life to help all of us with our troubles. We all really are lucky to have you with us."

"I wholeheartedly agree." Temenos had appeared in front of Osvald with an uncharacteristically serious look on his face. "And I would like to add that if you never confess your feelings, you will regret it. If not now, then when it becomes too late to do so, one way or another…"

Osvald's heart clenched and his gaze dropped to the ground, hands balling into fists as he remembered what Temenos had gone through in Stormhail. Yes, he would know better than anyone what that kind of regret felt like, and Osvald did not want to know what it felt like for himself.

"...You all have given me valuable insight," Osvald said, smiling as he looked between the three of them, "Thank you, for giving me the confidence that I need to tell Partitio of my love for him."

"Aww, cute!" Ochette giggled and shot Osvald a toothy grin as she punched a fist into the air. "You can do it, Pops!"

"Yes, but I would advise doing so without all of us around to potentially interfere and ruin your perfect moment," Temenos said, and everyone turned to look at Ochette, whose brow furrowed in confusion.

"That's…very sound advice, Temenos," Osvald said, chuckling as he stood up, and they made their way back to the tavern together. Osvald counted himself incredibly lucky that he had met a group of such wonderful people to travel with, who had all become loyal friends that wanted him to be happy, despite all of the questionable things that he had done to get where he was now. As for how to get him alone with Partitio, Osvald had an idea, and he pulled a letter out of his pocket that he had recently received from Regulus…