Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss.
Chapter 32
Loreleiday, Gnome-Decan 50, ND2019 – 1:30pm local time (Keterburg)
Anise watched anxiously as Florian, who was dressed in plain black swim trunks and shivering violently, stepped into a pool of hot water and sat down, submerging himself to the chin. His green eyes widened in surprise, and some of the tension left his face. Anise smiled in relief and seated herself on the edge of the pool, dangling her feet in the water.
The Colonel was right, as usual, she reflected. An afternoon at the spa will help Florian recover from the pact with Undine... and it will be good for the rest of us, too.
Just as Jade had predicted, Florian's reaction to the pact with Undine was the opposite of his reaction to Ifrit. Not long after the group had made it back to the Albiore – which was thankfully still parked where they had left it – Florian had complained of being too cold. He had curled up under the blankets in his bunk, shivering, too miserable to sleep during the overnight flight to Keterburg. Tear had tried adding Luke's blankets to Florian's, but the extra layers had made no difference.
Upon arriving in Keterburg, Jade had suggested a visit to the spa at the Keterburg Hotel. Since Florian didn't have a swimsuit, unlike everyone else who had gotten one from Emperor Peony last year, he had needed a rental suit – but Florian didn't have any money, so Guy had paid for it.
Tear, on the other hand, who had rented a white one-piece swimsuit last time, was wearing the suit from Peony that she had previously deemed too daring: a white bikini with a printed pattern of large blue flowers. Her hair was tied in a messy wad except for a thin braid crossing over the top of her head, pinned in place with a white flower.
Anise glanced across the spa toward the pair of lounge chairs where Tear and Natalia were relaxing. It's not fair, Anise thought. Tear is only three years older than I am. Why didn't I get a swimsuit like that? The answer, Because I'm as flat as an ironing board, was rather inescapable. Anise sighed.
Florian looked up at her. "Anise? What are you sighing about?"
"Oh," Anise said, embarrassed, "it's nothing. Just...thinking, that's all."
Florian frowned suspiciously. "You told Colonel Jade that whenever he says, 'It's nothing,' it's always something. What were you thinking about?"
Anise shook her head. "Never mind. It's not important. Are you feeling any better yet, Florian?"
Florian nodded, his expression lightening to something more like his usual good cheer. "Yeah, the hot water is really helping. Colonel Jade is so smart!"
Anise smiled. "He sure is." Then, after a moment, she asked, "Why can't you just summon Ifrit to warm yourself?"
Florian looked thoughtful. He closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath. Opening his eyes again, he said, "I can barely feel Ifrit's power right now, or Sylph's. Right now, Undine's power is...kind of overwhelming." His gaze flicked upward for a moment, as though he was trying to see his own forehead, then he added, "Undine says that my body is still bringing her fonons into balance with Ifrit's, Sylph's, and my own."
"So you really can hear their voices? Like, inside your head?" Anise asked.
"Yeah," said Florian, smiling. His lips were still blue-violet from cold, and Anise wondered how long it would take for them to turn pink again.
They sat together in companionable silence for a while. Eventually Anise began to grow bored. Her gaze drifted toward the glass table where Guy and Jade were sitting and drinking hot tea. Jade had a pencil in his hand and some papers scattered on the tabletop in front of him. Anise frowned. What is he doing? she wondered. We're supposed to be taking a day off and relaxing.
Florian noticed Anise's frown. "Anise? What's wrong?"
Anise stood up. "I'm going to check on something. I'll be back in a minute."
"Okay..." Florian said uncertainly.
Trying to appear casual and unconcerned, Anise wandered over to the table. As she approached, she overheard Guy saying, "—should take a break too, Jade. This was your idea."
Jade, without looking up from his papers, shrugged slightly. "Sometimes I find that writing helps me relax. At the moment, I'm writing down some of my thoughts regarding the passage rings, to get them out of my mind... or I would be, if a certain Count of House Gardios didn't keep interrupting."
Guy rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. I can take a hint." He set down his empty teacup and pushed back his chair. "I think I'll go join Florian. See you later, Jade." He caught sight of Anise approaching and smiled. "Hey there, Anise. Want some tea?"
Anise shook her head. "No... I came to see what the Colonel was doing."
Guy grinned. "He says he's relaxing, but I don't believe a word of it. Talk some sense into him, huh?" Smirking, Guy rose from his chair and held it for Anise.
"Thanks," said Anise, plunking herself down into the chair and scooting it toward the table.
As Guy left to join Florian, Jade sighed. "Such a bother. I do wish you youngsters would leave a tired old man alone to think for a while."
Anise giggled. "Colonel, stop calling yourself old."
Jade didn't reply. After a little more writing, he glanced up at her and inquired, "Was there something you needed, Anise?"
"I was just curious what you were up to," said Anise. She leaned forward to take a closer look at Jade's papers, which were slightly damp from the humidity in the room. Reading upside-down was difficult, but Jade's tidy, precise handwriting made it slightly easier. One page was a summary of what Undine had told them about the passage rings and the Planet Storm. Another page had a sketch of a passage ring with miscellaneous labels and notations that included Flow of Fonons with arrows, Center Fonstone – Fonic Glyph(s)? and Miasma?
Jade smiled slightly. "What I'm 'up to,' you say? How interesting. Did you imagine I was plotting some nefarious scheme for world domination? Or perhaps inventing novel ways of driving you youngsters crazy?"
"No, I was worried that you were working instead of relaxing."
"Oh, is that so? I seem to recall telling you there's no need to worry about me."
Anise pouted. "Booooo. Fine. You can be a real hypocrite sometimes, Colonel."
Jade set down his pencil and regarded her quizzically. "What makes you say that?" he asked.
"Well, you said we all needed a break, but you're not taking one," Anise reprimanded him. "You're always pushing yourself too hard, Colonel. You stay awake thinking while the rest of us are asleep – I've seen you sneaking out to the galley for a cup of tea. And you have dark circles under your eyes."
"The 'dark circles' you're referring to are the shadows from my glasses."
"Oh yeah?" Anise challenged him, sitting back and crossing her arms. "Prove it. Take off your glasses."
Jade smirked. "I think not. You know I wear them because I have a fonic arte applied to my eyes. Without my glasses, the arte could go out of control. So unless you're attempting to cause a large explosion—"
"The only large explosion around here is gonna be me, if you keep brushing me off," Anise retorted.
"Now, now," Jade chided, picking up his pencil again. "There's no need to get angry, Anise. You need to relax, too. Please, stop fussing over me and leave me to my writing." He returned his attention to his sketch of the passage ring and added a notation, Add/Remove Components?
Anise gritted her teeth. "Colonel..." she growled.
"Um...Colonel Jade?" Florian's timid voice interrupted from behind Anise.
Jade gave a sigh of resignation. "Yes, Florian? Did Guy bring you along to harass me, too?"
Huh? Anise thought. Turning sideways in her chair, she looked up to see Florian, wrapped in a large, fluffy white towel, and Guy standing behind him.
Guy tapped his bare foot impatiently, making wet slapping noises on the tile floor, and said, "Jade, get your head out of your...er...papers, and listen up. Undine just told Florian something important."
"Oh?" said Jade, suddenly alert.
"Um..." Florian began, wary of Jade's irritation, "Um...Undine says I need to make a pact with Gnome as soon as possible."
"Ah, yes. To balance your fonons, correct?" Jade inquired, easing back in his chair.
"Well, yeah, but also...um..." Florian trailed off.
"Yes?" Jade asked, raising his eyebrows.
Florian took a deep breath. "Undine says that with Sylph's power being stabilized for a while now, Gnome's power has become more unstable. If we wait much longer...well..."
"I see," Jade said solemnly. "Thank you for telling me. I'd been planning to suggest visiting Gnome next, upon departure from Yulia City, based on what Undine said on Mount Roneal about balancing your fonons. I suppose this means we shouldn't linger in Yulia City. I had hoped to confer with Teodoro about whatever information he might have found for us. We'll have to keep that discussion as brief as possible. Meanwhile..." He picked up another piece of paper and wrote Supplies at the top of the page, then began making a list. Stone Charms was the first entry, followed by Poison Charms and Panacea Bottles.
Anise rolled her eyes. "There you go again, Colonel, working instead of relaxing."
Jade ignored her. Tapping his pencil against the edge of table, he said, "Guy, take an inventory of the item bag and make a list of what we need to restock. We'll buy food before we leave Keterburg, but since healing items are unduly expensive here, we'll stop in Chesedonia for those on the way to the Zao Ruins." Frowning, he added Gels to the list and handed it to Guy.
"You gotta be kidding me..." Guy grumbled. "All right, fine. Give me that pencil, Jade. You're not allowed to use it anymore. Take. A. Break."
Jade handed the pencil to Guy and pushed back his chair. "I still need to report to Nephry and warn her about Celsius. Don't wait up for me."
Guy set the pencil and supply list on the table and put a hand on Jade's shoulder to stop him from rising. "Sit the hell down and finish your tea first, or I'll kick you into one of the pools like you did to me last year. You don't want to get that robe all wet, do you?"
"If I recall correctly, it was Luke who kicked you, not me," Jade pointed out. He reached for his teacup, drained it in one gulp, and set the cup back on its saucer. "May I be excused now, Mother?" he asked, his voice heavy with sarcasm.
"No," Guy and Anise said simultaneously.
"Oh, dear," Jade lamented. "I'll just have to excuse myself, then." Abruptly, he jumped to his feet, seized Guy by the back of his wetsuit, lunged toward the nearest pool, and tossed Guy into it – all in one smooth motion. Smirking, he gathered up his papers and walked toward the spa exit.
Florian stared in astonishment at the retreating Colonel. "I thought he was a frail old man. How did he do that?"
Anise snickered. "He says that a lot, but he's kidding. He's a soldier, remember? He has to stay in fighting shape. Come on, Florian, let's get you back into the water. You're shivering again."
As Anise escorted Florian over to the pool that Guy was now clambering out of, dripping wet and swearing under his breath, she suppressed a sigh of regret, thinking, I still want to know what kind of swimsuit the Colonel is wearing under that bathrobe.
A/N: Tear's swimsuit, as described in this chapter, is the one she wears in Tales of the Rays. You can find it on the Tales of the Rays wiki. (Late edit: Tales of Crestoria also has her wearing this same swimsuit.)