Warning: attempted sexual assault.

Leaning against the railing of the Grandcypher's deck, Fraux stared up at the twinkling stars overhead with a smile. Few others stood on the ship that night, though a small, if rambunctious, gathering had formed at its base. Nothing to worry about though, of course. Everything was, surprisingly, going nicely for once; she just had to be patient, and surely Zeta would be along any minute. Yes, it was several minutes past when they were supposed to meet, but naturally there was a good reason for that. Surely Zeta wasn't going to skip out on this…

"There you are!" Zeta's voice called out from across the deck, and Fraux's ears, unconsciously drooping the more lost in thought she'd become, perked up at the sound. The blonde warrior strode over to her, a pair of glasses in hand, and grinned wide. "Sorry I'm late! Stopped by Raduga to grab a couple drinks for us."

"Hey! You showed up! And thanks!" Returning the grin as pure joy welled up inside her, all fears destroyed, Fraux accepted the drink. A fruity fragrance mixing with the scent of alcohol within struck her. "Some sort of cocktail?"

"Eh, something like that. It's some fruity crap Metera recommended." Settling in beside Fraux against the rail, Zeta took a sip of her drink and scowled. "…Yeah. Gimme a good beer over this any day."

Fraux chuckled at Zeta's biting commentary as she sipped at hers as well. "…Lime and pineapple, hm? Not bad."

"Well, long as you're happy." Zeta shucked her thick dark olive jacket and hung it on the railing beside her, leaving her in a midriff-baring black tank top. She glanced down at her stomach before turning back to Fraux. "Oh, right, that skin balm you gave me worked wonders! The itch from my burns is completely gone."

"Good, good! Glad to hear it." Fraux couldn't help her chest puffing with pride at the compliment. She looked at the coat Zeta had just removed, glanced over her general attire, and cocked her head with one ear askew. "Are you sure you're not cold here?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Was starting to feel a bit hot in this stupid thing anyways." Despite her words, Zeta gave a light shiver. She gave Fraux, clad in a perfect replica of her burnt attire from earlier in the day, a glance-over as well as she sipped at her drink once more. "What about you? That doesn't look super warm either."

"I'm good. I'm used to this." Despite the nonchalant answer and shrug of her shoulders, Fraux's expression darkened. She took another drink of her cocktail to try and hide it. When she looked back up, Zeta wore a frown. "Hm?"

"Ah, it's… it's nothing." A blatant lie. Zeta had gotten the feeling earlier that Fraux dodged around talking about herself, but now she was certain of it. How to crack that particular shell…? "So, uh. Balms and oils, eh?"
"Yep! Taught myself when I was younger. Was originally… uh…" Fraux paused a moment in thought. "Well, I prefer naturally sourced products in general, and it really was the best way for me to get beauty care stuff in my hometown as well. And I found it actually fun to mix and try new things with them, so it sort of became a hobby. Goes nicely with… uh, I also love growing flowers as well. It's hard to do a lot of that while on the ship, but I've still got a few back in my cabin."

"Ooh, neat. You seem pretty resourceful." Zeta leaned closer with a grin, her eyes lighting up. "And of course, you definitely enjoy a good scrap."

"Hell yeah I do. Great exercise." For a moment, Fraux returned the wicked smile, before looking away. "Though, really, I prefer fighting monsters. I'm always… I have to worry about hurting others when sparring, especially since I'm not the best at really holding back."

"Heh. Yeah, I can tell. I'm no better though; there's a reason Ilsa yelled at both of us earlier." Zeta slung an arm around Fraux's shoulders and took a deep drought of her drink. "Just don't overdo the concern, yeah? Especially if it's a real fight."

"Oh, no worries there. If it's a real fight, I'm not stopping that easily." Fraux's ears perked up as Zeta wound her arm around her. She took another sip herself; already, a light alcoholic buzz had settled in her mind. "But you sure were quick to let loose yourself. Guess that's normal for you, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Main spar partner is my Society partner. Vaseraga; big Draph guy in black armor, you've definitely seen him around. The big lummox actually doesn't feel any pain at all, so I can kinda just go all in against him." Zeta threw her head back with a sigh. "Not that it helps, he still usually wins."

"There, there. Sounds like a toughie." Fraux patted Zeta on the shoulder with a giggle. "We've got a guy like that in the Evokers too. Geisenborger. But uh… I'd never spar with him. The guy's a madman on the battlefield and doesn't know when to stop."

"Ooh, yeah, I've heard of him. Kinda want to go toe to toe with him, but probably not the best idea." An idea came to Zeta, and she winked at Fraux. "So. Vaseraga or Geisenborger. Who do you think would win?"

"…Heh. Don't see how our man Borger loses, honestly. They call him the Juggernaut for a reason; he just can't even be hurt. Doesn't matter if Vas can't feel pain if he can't do damage. And…" With a wicked grin, Fraux held up the crystal of her necklace. "Like me, he has an Arcarum to call upon, the Star. They don't seem to get along too well, but that's still a nearly invincible man and a primal beast for Vaseraga to deal with."

"Oh ho ho~. Someone's awfully cocky about that." Laughing to herself, Zeta returned the grin. "Vaseraga's taken way more than you'd think. Got slammed with a weapon that was supposed to tear him to atoms and he just tanked it. And as for the Star… you know what Society specializes in, right?"

"Hmm?" Fraux's ears cocked back, both in nervousness and curiosity. "Sorry, can't say I do. You're the first person from Society I've really talked to."

"Well, contractors like me and Vas use special weapons called seal weapons. Made specifically to hunt and destroy primal beasts." Zeta crossed her arms, puffing out her chest in self-assured victory. "Sorry, but it'd be lights out for the Star! And you said they argue, yeah?"

"…Well then." Fraux lowered her head, hand on her chin in thought. No rebuttal came to her, so she took a sip of her now near-empty drink, hoping for some inspiration. Still nothing. After all, it wasn't like she was the most familiar with her fellow Evoker. "…Hm. Yeah. Maybe this isn't so clearly Borger's win. Especially if he and the Star fight each other more than Vaseraga. Okay, you win this one."

"Ha! Damn right I do." Zeta downed the remainder of her drink in one long gulp, closing her eyes in victorious satisfaction. "Maybe we should put this to the test one day."

"Heehee, maybe. Just don't let your Sergeant Ilsa catch wind; I can't imagine she'd be happy with us."

"For sure she wouldn't. She'd have us cleaning latrines with a toothbrush if we arranged something like that." Zeta cracked an eye open to look into Fraux's. After a moment, both girls erupted into laughter. The loud roar of a combustion engine roaring to life near the base of the ship cut them off, and Zeta groaned. "Oh, dammit, not now. Those dumb gearcycles are going to make my head explode…"

"…Right. I remember that blond kid talking about a rally tonight with some teens from the town. What a…" Another fiery bellow sounded, and Fraux winced in pain; the loud sounds did not mix well at all with the alcohol in her system. She reached out and took Zeta's hand. "Come on, let's go find somewhere quieter to chat."

"Yeah, seri—" The thunder of several more gearcycle roars cut her off, followed by whoops and cheers. With a roll of her eyes, Zeta let Fraux pull her up to her feet and grumbled. "There's a nice hill overlooking where we're moored, let's head there."

"Sounds good." Fraux swallowed the last of her beverage, ears folding back at yet another burst of sound, and turned to give Zeta the best smile she could through the pain. "Lead the way then."

"Alright. As far away from those idiots as we can." Zeta led the way toward a gangplank leading off the Grandcypher's deck to the solid ground below. As they crossed the narrow board, Zeta dared look back at Fraux. "Guessing you're not a fan of these things either, eh?"

"Not at all. Way too loud for me." As her feet touched the cold earth, Fraux cocked an ear to the side. "…Well, maybe it's not so much the noise. Doss concerts even louder as hell, and I love those."

"Ooh, you like the Doss too?" Zeta grinned in excitement as they started up the gentle, grassy slope of the hill. "Don't get to see a lot of their shows, but damn they're good when I do. Most of the other Society people don't care for them, though."

"Oh, really? That sucks; maybe next time they play a show, I can get tickets for both of us." Fraux almost skipped along beside Zeta, excitement bubbling inside as her attempts to keep it contained failed miserably. "The other musicians and singers in the crew are great too, but I definitely prefer the more aggressive stuff. Though that new violinist girl's playing is awesome."

"Oh, Cantate? Haven't heard her much, but I've heard she's great, yeah. Though she doesn't really perform much for other people." Zeta grinned, the sheer excitement coming from Fraux infecting her. "I kinda prefer the poppier groups on the ship myself; Primal Slap is fun, and I always like watching Diantha's group when I get the chance."

"Huh. Wouldn't have thought you were into idols and such." Despite her surprise, Fraux beamed. In the distance, a cacophonous chorus of gearcycle roars broke the night, but they were no longer close enough to bother the girls. "You got a favorite idol from the group?"

"Nah, I'm not quite that into them. The weird glowstick thing their fans do is beyond me. And uh, as for why I'm into them at all…" Zeta rubbed the back of her head with a sheepish grin. "I kinda may have done a little idol work once? It was just a one-off, but… well, it was actually fun. So I'm a bit more interested in idol groups than I normally would be from that."

"Wait, seriously? Wow; never would have dreamed you would do that." Fraux looked Zeta up and down, just imagining the blonde in idol attire. A blush spread across her cheeks at the image; she had to fight to bring her mind back to the current conversation. "Would've loved to see it though; I'm sure you have a beautiful voice~. But you really seem to be into a lot of things, huh?"

"Yeah, kinda. I dunno, I just sorta go with whatever present company is into. If I'm with Vas, we're sparring or drinking. Bea, it's shopping for clothes and such. Or, well, also drinking. You get the idea." Another gearcycle roar sounded, and Zeta frowned; were they coming closer? Trying to put the thought out of her mind, Zeta forced a smile at Fraux again. "But hell yeah, if we get the chance, we gotta go to a Doss concert together. You good with getting in close?"

"Of couse I am. No better way to enjoy it." Despite her cheer, Fraux's ears folded almost flat against her head. Why were those machines so loud? She looked up to the top of the hill they were climbing. Only about halfway up. "Uh, I don't mean to rush us, but… maybe we can hurry up? The noise is getting to me here."

"Yeah, agreed." Picking up the pace, Zeta took Fraux's hand again. "By the way, I can't help but wonder; are erune ears actually more sensitive than humans? Because if I'm this bothered by the gearcycles…"

"Yeah, no doubt. It's not by much, but this is no doubt hitting me harder than you. And…" Fraux sighed, and slowed to a halt. "They're definitely coming this way. Should we see what they want?"

"Might as well. Not like we can outrun them." Pursing her lips, Zeta turned to look back. Sure enough, the blinding headlights of two cycles zoomed their way. "…I don't think they'd be hostile, but uh… I kinda don't got Arvess on me."

"It's fine. If they're going to cause problems, I can deal with them."

Moments later, the gearcycles pulled up to a stop on either side the women. Two figures dismounted; a burly, redhaired draph man, and a lanky erune teenager with long black hair. Zeta recoiled; the scent of alcohol, far stronger than the cocktails she and Fraux had earlier, hung heavy in the air. The draph sauntered forward, a leering grin on his lips. "Well, well. We sure got ourselves a couple of cuties; what are you heading away from the party for?"

"Oh, you know, just wanted some peace and quiet. We don't do well with that kinda noise." Although Zeta grinned in friendly response, her entire body tensed and a pit knotted in her stomach. These were not crew members. In fact, she doubted very much they were even part of the crew's local extended gearcycle gang. Locals, probably. "Don't mind us."

"Oh, that's too bad." The male erune made his way forward, not even disguising where his eyes fell on Fraux's body. A lecherous chuckle escaped his throat as Fraux hissed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Ahaha. Come on now, don't be like that. Why don't you let us keep you company?"

"No. Go away." Unlike Zeta's feigned friendliness, the Evoker snarled and glared at the men. A heat haze wavered about her. "We're not interested in the least."

"Yeah, sorry. No chance." Zeta put a hand on her hip, her easy smile fading. "You've got a rally going on, right? You sure there aren't some girls there you could go for instead?"

The draph's face fell and he sighed as he turned to his companion, ready to concede being shot down. However, the erune's smirk only widened. "Yeah, you think? Trust me, there's no girls in that sausagefest. Why do you think we're out here?"

"Well, that's too bad for you." Fraux almost spat her words; she ignored Zeta's cautionary glance. Her body shook, the red heat of surging emotion taking control. "Go away, or else."

"Or else what? What's a little girl like yourself gonna do to us, huh? Tch." With a click of his tongue, the erune stepped forward and reached for Fraux's wrist. "Come on~. Why don't you give us a chance to show you what we're really all about? No need to be such a frigid prude. Why not let me warm you up? I'll comfort you."

I'll comfort you. Fraux froze up, stiff as a corpse, eyes wide yet empty as a torrent of memories swept through her. A yellow gleam shined in her eye, and she reached up to grip the crystal about her neck. "Don't touch me."

Behind them, the draph, reading the room and vibe far better than his randy friend, took a step back, color draining from his face. "Hey, bro, let's drop it… they're not into us, and…"

"Yeah, piss off!" Zeta stepped forward and gave the erune a strong shove, sending him back away from Fraux. "Nobody but you wants this. Not even your friend. Go the hell away already, before I kick your ass."

"Oh really? You're coming with me!" Eyes wide with drunken fervor, the erune lunged forward and groped again for her wrist, this time catching his mark. He gave a forceful yank, pulling her closer as he whipped out a knife, pointed in Zeta's direction to try and keep her at bay. "Don't resist, and—"

Traumatic memory snapped into boundless fury; the erune never even saw Fraux move. Her foot rocketed up, all the way to smash into his chin. As his grip faltered and he stumbled back, Fraux spun and delivered a blazing kick straight to the chest, scorching through his shirt and launching him flat on his back several feet back with a deep burn on his skin. A hiss of pure seething rage escaping her, Fraux strode over and planted her foot straight on his chest, grinding her heel. "I warned you…"

"Get off him!"

The bulkier teen, driven by misplaced vengeful honor, hurtled at Fraux, bare hands outstretched for her. With an angry click of her tongue, she simply stepped aside and allowed him trip over his supine companion. As he stumbled to the ground, she advanced on the two of them. She stomped the ground beside the erune's head, and embers shot up from her boot. As he stared up at her, wincing from the pain of her devastating kicks and quivering like a scalded dog under her rage, she scowled. "So. What now?"

"H-hey, Fraux?" A nervous weight in her chest, Zeta took a few steps closer. Surely Fraux wasn't about to seriously hurt these boys… right? "Ease up a bit… isn't that enough? You don't gotta go too far here…"

"…Hm." Fraux took several steps back, though the heat about her did not dissipate in the least. A look of relief flitted across the draph boy's face, but the erune boy, acting drunken humiliation, had already grabbed his knife again. Fraux snarled and ground her teeth, a bloodcurdling aura spilling forth from her as her remaining mental restraint shook. Her fingers came up to press on the crimson jewel hanging about her neck. "Come forth, Devil."

Fraux's words hissed into the night like scalding steam. Behind her, a brilliant conflagration erupted, sending the men recoiling backwards. In the night air, a massive figure took form. The crimson glow of its long horns and sharp claws illuminated its black body even in the night. Four arms arose from the flames, each towering over the cowering erune boy. A heat shroud scorched the air around her as she took as a step forward, eyes ablaze with rage and disgust. White light coalesced at her foot, ready to unleash in a horrific blaze. And the last semblance of restraint kicked in to stay her attack. "…Run."

For a moment, both men could only stare in complete terror at the monstrous sight before them. With a simultaneous scream, each leapt onto their gearcycles, fired up the engines, and shot back the way they came. Fraux watched the machines vanish into the night, moving not a muscle. All temptation called for her to follow after them, no matter where they were headed.

Face pale, Zeta could only stare for several long moments, waiting for Fraux to cool down. But no, the glow of heat only grew brighter around her, and the Devil remained in its blaze. Swallowing, Zeta forced herself to step forward. She reached into the scalding corona; she gasped as the heat kissed her hand, but placed it on Fraux's shoulder nonetheless. "Hey. Fraux. Calm down. They're gone."

Fraux whipped around to face Zeta, breathing heavy, body still tense and ready to strike. But Zeta did not flinch; she locked an even gaze with Fraux and clasped her shoulder tighter. The piercing blue eyes cut through Fraux's rage. She blinked and stepped back, the glow about her dissipating. Behind her, the Devil vanished as well, leaving behind only embers where it had appeared. But yet, Fraux's breathing did not calm down; wincing, face down, she placed a hand on her forehead. A torrent of traumatic fear burrowed into her mind, swallowing all her anger. "I… Zeta, I…"

"Fraux, what's wrong?" Zeta stepped even closer, clasping her other shoulder as well. No reply. "Hey, come on, stay with—"

A banshee shriek cut Zeta off as Fraux dropped to her knees and curled up, hands clutching her head as her heart raced. Her eyes shut tight as she knelt there, quaking in some unknown terror as beads of sweat built on her face. In an instant, Zeta knelt beside her, arms coming around to embrace her tight. "Fraux? Hey, Fraux! Come on, answer me!"

But only silence and trembling met her. The sting of tears in her eyes at the state of her new friend, Zeta glanced around for anything that could help. But they were too far from the ship for anything of the sort. Somehow, she had to do this herself. "Oh Bahamut, what do I do… Hey, Fraux, I'm right here. I'm with you, okay?"

Still no reply, or even movement besides the tremors of Fraux's body. Gently cupping Fraux's chin, Zeta turned her face up to try and lock eyes with her. An unfocused gaze met her, as though Fraux's mind was somewhere all too far away. Gritting her teeth, Zeta forced herself to hold the gaze. "It's gonna be okay, Fraux. Nothing's going to hurt you. Just hang in there."

After a few moments, Fraux's ragged breathing slowed and her eyes focused. She blinked twice and shook her head, finally coming to as she lowered her hands from her head, nail marks carved into her scalp. "…Zeta…"

"Take it easy; everything's gonna be fine, Fraux." Zeta looked up for a moment and exhaled a deep breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding, before offering Fraux a comforting smile. "You doing better now?"

"Yeah… I…" With a sigh, Fraux hung her head, tears forming in her eyes. "…I'm so sorry."

"What are you even apologizing for? You didn't hurt anybody; it's those two jerks that should be apologizing to you." Zeta reached down and clasped Fraux's hand, giving a squeeze to console her. "Come on. Let's get you back to the ship, yeah?"

"But I…" Fraux shook her head, ears folding flat against her head, voice barely more than a whisper. "I lost control of myself. I could have hurt someone… I could have hurt you. I don't deserve…"

"Who gives a damn about 'could've?' You didn't hurt me. Or, really, those punks for that matter. Not too badly at least, but they're sure not gonna bother you ever again." Once more, Zeta tilted Fraux's chin up to look her in the eye, this time with a wide grin. "It's fine, Fraux. Really. So let's head back, okay? If you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

"…I…" No rejection. No hate. Even after hitting such an uncontrolled low, there was finally someone else willing to stand by Fraux afterwards. Words caught in her throat, and her eyes misted over as she stared at Zeta's radiant smile. Finally, a soft smile managed to form, and she returned the squeeze of the hand. "…Zeta… thanks. Yes, I… really need to talk about some things here. But I think I also need a drink, if that's fine…"

"Heh. Whatever you need, Fraux." Zeta rose to her feet, pulling Fraux up with her. "Let's head back to Raduga then. If nothing else, Ladiva's a sweetheart; she'll be able to help."

"Mmm… sounds good." While the fear and pain had yet to leave Fraux in full, a warm buzz of comfort burned in her chest as she fell into step beside Zeta once more, unable to take an eye off the blonde.