AN: Nothing much this time around! Enjoy :)

Grief (CSII, post Infernal Castle)

Sorrow shared -

xxx

The Wind Orchestra welcomed a silent Elliot, letting him sit and listen. Vivi and Edel stayed near Fie as she planted, their presence a soothing balm.

The Swimming Club indulged Laura as she threw herself into practice, and Stefan and Dorothee left their club doors open to let Machias and Emma come and go. Millium cooked and cooked, and Nicholas and Margarita tasted and tasted.

Clara and Linde quietly painted with Gaius, Paula greeted Jusis with a kind, gentle smile and Ferris offered her rival a cup of tea, saying nothing when her fingers shook.

xxx

- is sorrow halved.

Complications (Carl Regnitz)

The blood is roaring through his ears. Try as he might, he can hear nothing else.

"… I beg your pardon, could you please repeat that?"

"The procedure went well and your wife is resting comfortably," the physician answers, his solemn air assuring Carl this is merely the calm before the storm. "We did, however, find some… irregularities."

He's clearly trying his best to be delicate, but he's young. He hasn't yet learned that some things are simply beyond what effort can provide.

"I see. What does that mean, exactly?"

Carl sees his lips move. Once again, he hears nothing.

Dichotomy (Fidelio)

He remembered when the images through his viewfinder weren't so bleak.

Smiling classmates. Picturesque landscapes. Wandering wildlife. He'd loved taking pictures like that. He'd felt good about taking pictures like that, felt good about capturing the quiet beauty of everyday life.

Now, standing within the shattered, burning remains of Celdic, Fidelio only feels sick.

Fighting down the nausea as best he can, he raises his camera and takes photo after photo, every press of the shutter burning the images into his memory, never to be forgotten.

He doesn't want to do this.

He has to do this.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Bite (Estelle, Joshua)

The morsel is dangling in the open water; inviting, tantalizing.

It knows it shouldn't approach. It's heard far too many stories of what such temptation can lead to, but what are tall tales in the face of hunger, primal and fierce?

It swims closer, its mouth opening wide, and the mistake is realized far too late.

xxx

"Hey, I got another one!" Estelle exclaims, gleefully tossing her latest catch in with the others. "Five for five – whaddya think about that, Joshua?"

He looks up from his book with a shrug and a smile. "Poor fish never knew what hit them."

Smile (Thomas, Sara, Neithardt)

"Good evening, my compatriots!" and Thomas immediately found himself pinned with an annoyed glare, courtesy of one Purple Lightning.

"Yeah? What's so good about it, anyway?"

Neidhardt sighed as she signaled for another round. "Ignore her. It seems the reality of marking has finally hit Instructor Valestein."

"Ah! Coping poorly, I take it?"

"Not coping at all, more like."

"Well, that just won't do. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking, Sara! Take a deep breath and try turning that frown upside – "

"Finish that sentence," she said, her teeth bared in a flash of ivory. "I dare you."

Fantasy (Alisa)

She'll wake up to the sun shining outside, the rays of light gently coaxing her from slumber.

The pitter-patter of her feet will herald an appearance in the dining room, where her father will look up from reading his book and tell her 'good morning' after taking a bite from his toast.

Beside him, her mother will greet her with a kind, gentle smile, gesturing to sit and asking how she slept.

Sharon will appear out of nowhere – of course – with breakfast, urging her to eat. With a smile of her own, she does.

(It's a dream she has, sometimes).

Silence (Stefan, Machias)

Their first game is an absolute slaughter.

They bow their heads and exchange pleasantries before Stefan opens with queen's pawn, intent on seeing how his new clubmate answers. Machias plays the symmetrical response without a word, remaining quiet when a smiling Stefan throws down a familiar gambit.

By the time the midgame comes around, his smile has vanished. White's forces are in utter disarray, the result of some arcane theorem that Stefan cannot decipher nor interdict and he can only wonder what it would be like to understand as his opponent does.

He bows once more, and tips his king.