One more chapter until we hit 300! What will I have in store? I think you guys will like it ;)
Speaking on the topic of a schedule, I'm still working on it, but I'm hoping to get a chapter of this up every Monday. Even if it's Sunday for me. Ah who cares, you guys get it.
Enjoy!
"Are you positive?" The mayor asked. Drake watched as Jellal nodded.
"We did a full sweep of what was left of the mountains," Jellal replied. "And there's a whole lot of, well, dead bodies there. Anyone who escaped was captured, right lieutenant?"
"That's right." Quinn said, also standing at the Mayors desk. "We captured most of who escaped the mountain. If anyone did escape, there not likely to be strong enough to try again." The mayor took a deep breath at this.
"Thank Goodness," he said. "It seems that this nightmare may finally be over. I cannot thank you enough, Jellal."
"No need for thanks," Jellal replied, turning to leave the office. "I'm glad we could help." With this, Drake followed both Jellal and Quinn out of the office, going back out to where everyone else was waiting for them.
"How'd it go?" Drake's father asked.
"About as good as it could," Jellal replied. "I said we could stay around for a little bit to see if anything happened, but he declined. Said the reinforcements Quinn called in was enough."
"Well, at least we solved their problem." Sorano said. "Killing two birds with one stone."
"I'm just glad this is over," Drake said. "For more than one reason."
It was painfully obvious to everyone waiting there what he meant.
It had been a few days since they'd escaped back to Arkney after the collapse of Mt. Cryc, and Drake had barely seen Ultear since. As soon as they'd gotten back she'd gone home and locked herself in her room, not coming out. Drake knew she was alive, he'd checked, but he was still concerned. He didn't have any idea what Simon had said or done to her, but it was clearly bothering the hell out of here. Speaking of Simon, he'd been missing for a while too. According to Jellal he was on the airship, but Drake hadn't gone looking for him. It wasn't something he felt confident getting involved in.
Leaving the office with Crime Sociere and Quinn, Drake quickly walked in the direction of the house. He knew that the girls were there, and he needed to talk to them and figure out their next move. He had no idea what they were doing next, but he hoped that it wasn't as depressing as what they'd been doing for the last week. Finally arriving back at the house, Drake opened the door to find Elise and Steph sitting on the couch, watching something on the TV.
"How'd it go?" Elise asked, looking over as he shut the door.
"Alright," Drake replied as he pocketed his hands and walked over to them. "Talked over what had happened and the danger we might still be in. Other than that, it was a pretty boring."
"Meetings generally are," Steph replied. Drake nodded at this, casting a glance down the hallway.
"Seen Ultear yet?" He asked. Neither answered him at first, which was pretty much his answer. Taking a listen, Drake heard her heartbeat. This barely put his own heart at ease, though. He knew Ultear had gone through a lot, and never involved them for fear of hurting them too. This was getting out of hand though.
"She went to the bathroom half an hour ago," Elise finally answered, making a face. "That's it though."
"What happened down there?" Drake asked. "What did Simon say?"
"We don't know," Steph replied. "He didn't say any of it in front of us. All he did was hand Ultear a blade and make her kill Zindo." Drake had seen that, but it wasn't a concern of his. It was good Ultear had killed the man, but Simon was clearly involved in why she was so upset. Before he could come up with anything, though, there was a knock at the door. Moving to answer it, Drake smiled as he opened the door.
"Hello Lieutenant," he said, greeting Quinn. She rolled her eyes.
"Cut it out," she said. Drake laughed a little as he let her inside.
"What can we do for you?" Elise asked.
"I don't have a lot of time," Quinn said. "I have to go and help the guards set up for any defences we may need. That being said, I did want to come by and thank you all. You didn't need to get involved like you did, but in doing so you saved us so much time and who knows how many lives. And for that, I'm in your debt."
"It's was no big deal, really." Steph said. "It's what we do."
"I know," Quinn said, smiling even wider. "That's why I'd like to offer my services. If there's anything I can help you all with, anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll do what I can." Drake smiled at this.
"We'll let you know," he replied. Quinn nodded.
"That's all I can ask," she said. "Where's Ultear?" At first, nobody responded to this. Maybe they were unsure how to. Quinn wasn't exactly as aware of the situation as the rest of them.
"Still in her room," Elise said. "She's...Been through a lot recently."
"I can only imagine." Quinn muttered, looking down at her feet. "I must be going, but please keep my offer in mind. If there's anything I can do, come find me by the southern outpost." With this, Quinn made for the door and left, leaving the three friends in silence.
"...So now what?" Elise asked. "Do we go home, or...?"
"I don't know." Drake replied. "I was hoping one of you guys had an idea." Steph didn't speak up, but Elise shrugged.
"I have no idea what we should do." She said. "We really don't have a goal in mind now that we found Ultear." With this, Steph stood from the couch and made for the door, looking determined as ever.
"Where are you going?" Drake asked as she opened the door.
"To chase after Quinn," she replied. "I have an idea, but I need her help." With this, Steph left. Elise sighed and stretched out across the whole couch.
"Thank God she left," she said. "I felt like I needed a stretch." Drake rolled his eyes at this.
"How much of a stretch does a shorty like you need?" He demanded.
"Every day you erode my self control of not smacking you in the head, Cyanide Breath."
Steph sprinted down the street after Quinn, hoping to run into her soon. She had a request only she could help with, and she really hoped that she could help.
Before she could, however, she ran into someone else in the streets.
"Simon?" She asked, grinding to a halt as the redhead approached her. He seemed to notice her as well, coming to a stop.
"Hey Steph," he greeted. "What's up?"
"Uh, not much." She said. "I was just, uh, on my way to find Quinn. Did you see her?"
"Short haired woman?" He asked, Steph nodding. "I saw her a second ago, you aren't far behind." Steph nodded with a smile.
"Thanks Simon!" She said, running past him.
"Hey, Steph." Steph paused and turned to look back at Simon, who was watched her.
"Yeah?" She asked.
"You guys are staying at a place down here, yeah?" Steph made a face at this question. Did he not know that?
"Uh, yeah we are." She said. "It's around the next corner." Nodding, Simon turned and left for the house, leaving Steph confused. She almost wanted to turn around and tail him back, but she needed to find Quinn first. Continuing away from Simon, Steph soon found Quinn walking in the city center, not looking at her.
"Quinn!" She called out, making the woman turn around and look at her.
"Steph?" She asked as Steph caught up with her, breathing heavy. "What is it?"
"You offered your assistance back there," Steph said. "I think I have something you could help me with."
"Oh?" Quinn asked. "What is it?" Steph frowned and looked down at her feet, unsure if Quinn could really help them.
"You're in the army," she said. "That means you must have contacts all over the country, right?" Quinn made a face at this, looking confused.
"Sure, I've got contacts." She said. "Why? What is this about?" Steph felt a glimmer of hope inside. Maybe she could help.
"Well, I've got a brother," she said. "But I haven't seen him in months. I have no idea where he went, and I've got no clue where to look for him." It was around here Quinn seemed to catch onto what Steph was asking.
"I see," she said. "You want me to ask around and see if anyone's seen him." Steph smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, exactly." She agreed. "I was hoping maybe if anyone in the army saw him around, we'd have some kind of lead to work off of. Or anything at all, really." Quinn nodded.
"I see," she said. "I'll ask around. What does he look like?"
"He's got white hair, and golden coloured eyes." Steph replied. "He was in the Grand Magic Games last year, I'm sure his face is noticeable. His name is Damien" Quinn nodded.
"Alright, I'll ask around." she said. "I should be able to get back to you tonight. Don't expect much though." Steph nodded. She knew asking Quinn was a long shot, but at this point any shot was a long one. She doubted anyone but Damien knew where Damien was.
"That's all I can ask for," she said, smiling. "Thank you so much." Watching Quinn leave, Steph felt her chest tighten with anticipation. With Simon here as well, the gang was almost back together. She didn't know if Damien would want to come home, but she missed him terribly.
It's my turn to bring you home, you big dope.
Simon had only run into Steph a minute ago once he arrived at the house the mayor had described to him. He'd come looking for his friends, but mainly for Ultear. He needed to talk to her, and he needed to talk to her now. He wasn't going to let Drake or Elise stand in his way, either. He doubted they knew how important this was.
Sighing, Simon swallowed his pride and knocked on the door. He was soon greeted by Drake, who opened up with a cautious frown rather than a smile.
"Simon," he greeted, leaning on the doorway. "What's up?"
"Everyone okay?" Simon asked, opening as vaguely as he could. Drake shrugged.
"More or less okay." He replied. Simon nodded, grateful.
"That's good." He said. "Where's Ultear?" Simon was not surprised to see Drake's walls going up. He had to break them apart a few days ago, after all.
"In her room." he replied. "Why?"
"Can I talk to her?" He wasn't totally surprised to see a no encroaching on Drake's face. "I'm not planning on yelling at her, if you're curious."
"And I'm supposed to buy that, right?" Drake asked. "Look Simon, I don't know what happened down there. But whatever it is, you left a mark on her."
"Let me heal it, then." Simon replied. "Come on man, this is serious." Drake watched him carefully for a few moments, before he sighed and stepped aside.
"Alright, come on in." he said. Simon nodded and walked inside, greeted by Elise staring at him.
"Hey Simon," she greeted. He nodded at her with a small smile.
"Hey," he replied. Drake walked past him and pointed down the hall.
"Her room is the only closed door," he said. "It's not locked, if you're curious."
"Why not?" Simon asked. "I'd have figured she locked herself in.
"Nope," Drake replied as he sat on the couch. "Don't ask me why though." Frowning, Simon walked down the hall and stood in front of the door, eyeing it quietly. Even after coming all this way, he didn't have a clue what he was going to say. He felt terrible for tearing into Ultear a few days ago, but his feelings towards what she said were not changed. It was still as ridiculous and stupid as it was days ago. Just going about it differently now was key.
"Ultear?" he asked, not getting any response from the other side of the door. "Ultear? Are you there? I'm going to come in, okay?" Again, no response. Sighing, Simon turned the knob and entered the room. He was greeted by the sight of Ultear's back to him, wrapped under her sheets on her bed. He slowly shut the door behind him, and stood in the dark room quietly. He didn't know what he was waiting for, maybe a miracle and he knew what to say?
"What do you want, Simon?" Ultear asked, breaking the silence of the room quickly. Simon made a face and looked at the back of her head.
"I wanted to talk to you," he replied. "About the other day."
"Why?" Simon sighed and looked down at his feet.
"What I said to you...Was inappropriate." he said. "I shouldn't have said what I said, it was foolish and I acted in my anger instead of-"
"Don't apologise, you're right." She said, cutting him off. Simon made a face at this.
"Huh?" He asked.
"You're right," Ultear replied, barely moving. "I was foolish to talk like that. I don't have anything to complain about, and yet I have to feel this way. I can't imagine how annoying that must be for you, huh? Someone with actual problems and real stress to handle, listening to my ass talking like that. Unreal, honestly."
She could not be serious.
"Ultear-" Simon started.
"I know, I know." she said. "It's ridiculous. But what can I do, you know? I was born this way, it happens. Sorry I was such a problem, I didn't mean to make you angry or-"
"Ultear shut the fuck up!" Simon shouted, his rising temper getting the better of him. He realised immediately what he said, and looked back towards the door with a pained expression. Drake did not come bursting through it, so he assumed he was safe. For now anyway.
"What?" Ultear asked.
"Stop talking like that," Simon hissed, curling his hands into fists. "You're wrong."
"What do you mean?" Ultear demanded. "I shouldn't feel this way. But I do, and it grates on everyone else because it's not supposed to-"
"You're right, you're not supposed to feel this way," Simon said, taking a turn to interrupt her. "Do you think that means nobody gives a damn? Huh?" Ultear didn't respond to this. "Did you really think I was angry because you feel like that? I was angry because I was scared."
At this, Ultear rolled over and looked over her shoulder at him. He noticed that her eyes were sunken in, as though she'd been crying.
"Huh?" She asked. "You were...Scared?" Simon frowned and looked down at his feet. He was angry with himself now for letting that out, but he had to speak up.
"Of course I was," he hissed. "After everything that happened at Mt. Olympus, I thought...I thought I was about to lose you. Lose someone else. Do you know how that feels? To know full well you may be watching as someone you love is taken from you?"
"Simon..."
"I'm not angry at you." Simon said, still not looking at her. "I would never be angry at you for feeling like that. I was scared. I still am. I...I can't handle losing you, Ultear. I...My rage, it came from my fear of losing you. Of losing someone else. And with the way you were speaking down there...I cracked. I'm quick to anger these days, and I snapped."
Silence came over the room, but Simon still did not look up from his feet. He didn't have the courage, not right now.
"I'm sorry," Ultear said, voice raspy now. "I'm sorry I scared you. Another thing that's my fault." At this, Simon's eyes widened. "Why do I keep ruining everything? Even when I think I'm just thinking out loud I do it..."
"Can you please stop talking like that?" Simon demanded, looking up finally. "Please, just stop. It's not funny."
"I never claimed it was..." Ultear said weakly.
"Just stop. Stop blaming yourself, Ultear. Something are out of your control." Simon fully realised he was being a hypocrite right now, but he didn't have time to look inward. "I can only imagine how tired you are if that's how you feel." Ultear didn't reply at first, staring down at her sheets.
"...I am tired," she said, voice cracking. "Every day is a challenge, Simon. Every day is harder than the day before. Why do I bother? I get up and fight and I still lose people. I get up and try to fight, and we lose in the end. I'm so tired of it, Simon."
"So you're going to give up, then?" Simon asked. "Give up the fight?"
"I want too. When has fighting every worked before? I lost Nashi, I lost Keiko. Fighting gets me nowhere."
"Because you have to keep finding things to fight for," Simon replied. "You need to stop looking at what you've lost, and look for what to protect. Yeah, we lost Nashi. Yeah, you lost Keiko. They're gone. But that doesn't mean you have run out of things to fight for. What about me? And the others? Your parents? The Guild? There are so many things to fight for, Ultear. The first step is getting up."
"How?" Ultear asked. "How do I get back up?"
"Find what you're fighting for," Simon replied. "I found my drive after Nashi died. Every day, I get up with the drive to get stronger. To become so powerful I'll never lose someone I care about again. I won't ever lose you, Drake, Elise, Damien or Steph. I swear it. And I get up every day to fight and make that dream a reality. What are you going to fight for, Ultear?" Ultear didn't say anything for a long time, but finally she took a deep breath and kicked off her sheets. Simon watched with a smile as she stood, watching him with a determined look.
"I want to fight for everyone I love," she said. "Those I care about. To make sure they're safe."
"There you go," Simon said. "Fight for them, if not yourself." Ultear nodded, and what happened next took Simon by surprise. The determined look on her face disappeared, and she rushed forward to collapse into his arms. She buried her face into his shoulder, shaking slightly.
"What happens if we lose this fight too?" She asked, voice muffled by his shoulder. "What happens if this rain cloud doesn't go away?"
"I can't guarantee it ever will," Simon replied. "But at the very least, you need an umbrella to stop it from raining on you. Find it, and use it. The rain clouds can go to hell." At this, Ultear let out a tiny laugh into his shoulder and backed up, standing on her own two feet.
"Thank you Simon," she said, wiping at her eyes. "I really needed to hear that."
"No problem," he replied. "Now, do me and everyone who loves you a favour and stop hiding in your own head. If you're struggling, tell us. We want to help you." She nodded weakly, still rubbing at her eyes.
"I know, I know." she said. "It's just a bad habit." She managed to put on a weak smile for him as she looked up. "You're a good friend, you know that?"
"Don't act like I'm the first one to outstretch my hand for you," He said. "This is just the first time you've accepted the help."
"I know, but it's still appreciated." She said, looking down at her feet. "I guess I need to get up and fight, huh?"
"Yeah, you do." Simon said. She smiled even wider at this.
"Then, do you mind letting go of me, or is this going somewhere?" It was when she said this Simon realised he still had his arms around her, even though she'd backed away a bit. Going red and releasing her, Simon coughed into his hand.
"Uh, sorry." he said. "I didn't realise."
"I figured," she said. Simon heard her walk closer, and his eyes widened when her lips brushed up against his cheek. "Let's go talk with the others, unless you want to stay in here with me." Simon didn't have the confidence to say a word, so Ultear walked out of the room before him, and he followed soon after.
"Ultear?" Steph asked, having rejoined them from following Quinn. "How're you feeling?" Ultear still managed that weak smile from before.
"Better," she said. "Figured I should show my face." Drake looked at Simon, who just returned his friends gaze. After a few moments Drake smirked and nodded at him, making Simon's head race as he tried to figure out what he was smirking about.
"Now that we're all here, we can figure out what we're doing next," Elise said. "Do we just head home, or what?"
"I dunno," Drake said, leaning back on the couch. "I'll hear what you guys have to say."
"I'm still training with my dad, but I guess I can hang around." Simon said. "Any ideas Ultear?" Ultear shook her head.
"No, I wasn't expecting my schedule to be free." Silence came over the friends for a good minute or so before Steph coughed.
"We could look for Damien," She said. Everyone stared at her for a moment, not saying anything.
"Do you know where he is?" Elise asked. Steph shook her head,
"Well no, but I asked Quinn to check with her contacts to see if anyone heard from him."
"That's still not a lot to go off of." Drake said. Simon listened to his friends argue for a minute, and then his eyes widened as he came up with an idea.
"I think I have an idea," he said.
"What's up?" Steph asked.
"I think I know someone who may know where Damien wondered off to."
Bella sighed as the sun bore down on her face from outside. Despite the terribly snowy weather they'd had recently. the sun still shone. Sighing and sitting up, Bella cracked her back to relieve some of the stress there.
Another sub par sleep, huh?
Naturally, that was probably because she was in a tent in the middle of nowhere after a snowstorm. Getting up and putting on her coat, Bella exited the tent and was greeted with quite a familiar sight. Her fellow camper was resting cross-legged on a tree stump, looking to be meditating. Smiling to herself, Bella coughed loudly.
"Hey, Master Dreyar," she called sarcastically. "I'm heading to town. You want breakfast?" He seemed to perk up slightly at this, and turned over his shoulder to look at her.
Despite the short beard that had adorned his face since they'd been out here, Bella could detect Damien's face anywhere. He smiled at her warmly once he realised it was her.
"Sure," he said. "That's sounds great." Nodding, Bella grabbed the cane she used from inside her tent and used it to help her walk away through the snow towards town. How had she ended up here again? In the middle of the winter camping out with Damien? Oh. Now she remembered.
It had really started back on that day. Nashi's funeral.
Oho, what's this? A CURVE BALL? I hope you all enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get five!
Chapter 300: Looking for a Sign