Interlude 6: Change of pace
A month had past since the events of Vollachia...Priscilla and her camp members had arrived to the capital of Lugnica in order to settle down. During the trip, Sora had the chance to see how Louis Arneb felt about the new surroundings.
He also noticed how Zarestia was interested in how different things are here from the kingdom she came from, Kararagi, and from the empire they had just left, Vollachia.
Once arriving to the capital, Priscilla and her camp arrived at her place.
Arakiya remained hidden from sight since most would recognize her as someone from Vollachia. This was something to avoid since the last thing she needed was to cause an international incident.
Zarestia was left in the carriage since she was sleeping due to wanting to memories the route they took to reach the capital.
Since she didn't sleep until know, she was left alone by everybody. Before entering, she turned towards Sora, Heinkel, and Al's direction to tell them:
"You two, work with the keyblade master and get stronger if you wish to be any use for me."
"Understood." Al responding, having wanted to get stronger himself ever since the Sephiroth battle.
"..." Heinkel remained silent as he didn't care that much of gaining strength...however he does wish to learn from the one who bested his monstrous son. Priscilla turned towards Schult, the child attendant of hers.
"I want you to observe them. Gain knowledge from the keyblade master."
"Understood, Priscilla-sama."
Schult nodded before they all watched Priscilla go inside her palace. Once she had left the area, Heinkel turned towards a corner to be left alone.
"Where are you doing?" Al questioned.
"She said to train with the keyblade master but not at the same time. I'm taking a nap, you can have the first go at it."
"That is one way of interpreting things."
As Al watched Heinkel go sit down away from them and drink some alcohol, the one armed warrior turned towards Sora.
As he looked at him, he noticed Louis was right next to him.
"How's she holding up?"
"Louis? She's doing just fine. Just adjusting to the new environment."
"I suppose that's a good sign..." Sora didn't caught it at that moment but after a couple of seconds had passed, he noticed Al's hesitant tone. Before he could say something in respond, the one armed warrior approached him in order to whisper:
"It isn't a good idea to have her out in the open."
"What?"
"Look, I get you see the good in everyone, hell the other keyblade wielder also has that flaw but you must remember that she's an Archbishop. It isn't simple for many people to accept her because of this fact."
Sora thought on the words being told to him by Al at this moment, knowing that what he said is a valid concern.
Considering the Sin Archbishops he has encountered, many of them are bad people who have done a lot of bad things.
So, if someone were to figure out that Louis Arneb is the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, then things could get...complicated real fast.
"I don't want to sound harsh bro, but I need to look out for the princess's best interest. Although you two have a deal, having her here is very risky for her."
"I understand your concerns, I do...but everything will be okay. Nobody will find out about Louis." He speaks with a calm and confident tone, believing in his words. Al looked at him for a second before just sighing.
"I hope so, bro. Anyway, let's get to actual training."
As Al took a few steps back to gain some distance from the keyblade master, he casually pulled out his sword while remaining in a calm state.
He prepared himself for a training session with the keyblade master only to see that he wasn't summoning his weapon.
"Is something wrong, bro?"
"No, it's just that I would like to have a walk first before doing this."
"Oh. Well that's fine, no need to rush training if your not feeling up for it."
"Then when will training begin?" Schult asked since his instructions were to observe the training between Sora and the two warriors, Al and Heinkel.
Sora and Al looked at each other for a brief moment before turning back towards the young boy.
"Schult, was it?" Sora asked, having only heard the name once during the trip. "What do you wish to be when you are older?"
"Strong." The young boy responded, his desire being to protect Priscilla. Sora could see this determination, reminding him of both Riku and himself when they were kids in Destiny Islands. He smiled as he patted the boy in the head while saying,
"You'll be strong. I guarantee that."
As he said this, he turned towards Al while summoning Kingdom Key.
"I guess a little match up here won't hurt."
"You sure bro? Don't want to force you or anything."
"It's fine." The Keyblade Master said as he got himself into his fighting pose. "Ready whenever you are."
"Alright but I won't be going easy on you."
"Neither will I."
The moment Sora finished his sentence, Al charged at him and began their training session.
Al swung his blade right towards Sora's face, prompting the keyblade master to dodge this.
Once he dodged the attack, he swung his keyblade right towards Al's right lung to force the one armed warrior to block.
He noticed this attack and quickly moved himself in a way where he could avoid it all together before attempting to stab the keyblade master in the chest.
Sora saw this and quickly blocked away the attack before once again swinging his keyblade right towards his opponent's head.
Al dodged this attack before swinging his blade, prompting his opponent to block away this attack.
The two continued this for a good minute, both countering each other's attacks.
Schult and Louis were both amazed by this, seeing how evenly matched it looks between the two fighters.
'We know you are holding back, Sora-kun. But what an amazing battle!'
Louis had participated in many battles and seen some grandiose battles such as the battle against Sephiroth.
This was simple and clean for a one on one battle between two warriors, however it is still amazing seeing two fighters looking to be close on speed and strength.
As Al and Sora clashed weapons, the one armed warrior knew that his opponent was holding back and yet he wasn't annoyed by this.
He was genuinely having fun, enjoying his intense battle with the keyblade master.
The two continued to clash weapons a few more times until finally the fight reached its end when Sora's strength was enough to knock the sword out of Al's hand.
Louis and Schult were amazed by the way the battle ended, Louis happy that Sora had one the fight while Schult was just left speechless by how Al fought against an overwhelming opponent.
Al laughed at this outcome, figuring that it wouldn't have taken this long had Sora truly used all of his abilities.
"That was pretty fun. It's been a while since we've clashed, but I can tell that you are much stronger than you were in your Mark of Mastery."
"You think so?" Sora questioned, not really seeing much growth to his strength.
Al tilted his head when he heard the keyblade master's question.
From the last time he clashed with the keyblade master, he knew that his strength then and the strength now were much different.
Possibly the events in Vollachia had something to do with it considering how long Sora was in battle.
Dealing with a bundle amount of heartless before facing Xehanort which eventually led into the battle against Sephiroth.
He responded to the boy's question in his usual calm tone:
"Yeah bro, you definitely have gotten stronger. Perhaps that fallen angel had something to do with it."
Sora took a moment to think on the words Al just said.
He had a small point.
The last time he had fought Sephiroth, he was barely on equal terms with him.
If he had fought him from the very beginning before he and Cloud fought all the heartless in the capital as well as before facing off against Xehanort, perhaps he would've done better.
Regardless, he does acknowledge Al's compliment and perhaps he's gotten stronger. He just smiled before saying:
"Thanks."
As Sora spoke with an innocent tone, Al went to grab his sword...though he noticed something charging right behind the keyblade master.
"Watch out!"
Right when Al said this, Sora quickly summoned his Kingdom Key before turning around to block away a sneak attack from Heinkel. As he succeeded in blocking this away, Heinkel gave a blank expression however he did say:
"Not bad."
"Hey, don't you know sneak attacking like that is kinda cowardly." Al spoke out, not liking how Heinkel chose quite the way to start a match with the keyblade master.
The deputy didn't really care on what the one armed warrior had to say and just continued to attack Sora, wanting to see just what made this boy special.
He knew he was strong; it would be stupid to think otherwise, but he wanted to know what drove Sora to reach this strength.
He began to go on the offense against his opponent, wanting to see what will the keyblade master will do.
Sora blocked these attacks without much trouble however he knew that if he let his guard down, Heinkel won't hesitate to injure or even kill him.
He gave a serious expression as he continued to block away all of Heinkel's attack.
He can tell that Heinkel's fighting technique was refined; he knew how to swing a blade however he leaves himself too open.
His attacks were all heavy despite how fast he was moving.
This prompting Sora to quickly change this fight from being on the defense to be on the offense by simply dodging an attack while also trying to land a hit on Heinkel's head.
The deputy saw this and quickly dodged the attack, though as he avoided this first attack, Sora had already gone for another attack.
This one was aimed towards Heinkel's chest area, an attack that he could not avoid.
As the attack landed right in the middle of his chest area, he tightened his chest area in order to tank the attack.
Although he was in pain, that did not stop him from trying to attack the keyblade master.
Sora was impressed by this, seeing that although Heinkel looked defeated, his spirit was still strong.
He can sense that there was something motivating him, something keeping him together.
This prompting Sora to first end up in a blade clash with the deputy before asking him:
"What is causing you pain?"
"..."
Heinkel didn't like this question at all, prompting him to push Sora back in order to go back on the offensive, this time with much aggression.
Sora saw this aggression as affirmation that something's on Heinkel's mind that he wants to keep to himself.
He respected it, however he wished to help him somehow.
Despite the way he's treated...everyone, he doesn't believe that he's evil or in line with darkness.
He remained on the defensive, seeing how determined Heinkel was to win regardless of the gap between the two.
After a few seconds of being on the defense, he took the chance to land a hit on Heinkel's chest once again.
This one was with a little more force than the last attack that landed, to which Heinkel couldn't tank like the last one.
He was pushed back while he was trying to catch his breath.
"Stand down." Al said, knowing that Heinkel is only fighting because he's trying to get his mind off of something.
Heinkel turned towards him for a second before returning focus to the keyblade master, wanting to continue his battle with him.
Once back up on his feet, he got into his fighting position, ready for round two.
"You sure you want to keep going?" Al questioned. Heinkel didn't respond, making it clear that he wasn't going to stop.
He charged at Sora before swinging his blade towards him, prompting the keyblade master to go back onto defense.
The keyblade master observed closely on the way Heinkel would swing his blade this time around, still filled with anger though his attack pattern had change.
His quick attacks were faster than before though they were not as strong while any heavy attack he would swing would push the keyblade master to grip his Kingdom Key keyblade tightly.
This would go on for a minute until he finally found one last opening to end this intense training session.
The second Heinkel swung his blade right for Sora's neck, he barely dodged this attack with some of his hair being cut while he moved his keyblade towards his left arm in order to land a strong blow onto the deputy's right side of his head.
Once the attack connected, Heinkel attempted to retaliate before he went unconscious, yet Sora made a follow up attack.
This one was aimed right on the center of his chest, using almost half of his strength in order to stop his opponent.
Heinkel tried to stay conscious, but the follow up attack was enough to finally knock him out.
The deputy commander fell onto the ground with his sword still in hand, refusing to let go even when he's no longer conscious.
Al went to check on Heinkel, a bit worried that Sora's attacks might leave some serious wounds.
As he checked on him, he can see that the side of his head is fine, no bleeding though there is a bruise.
'That's going to hurt for a few days.'
Once assessing that he'll be fine, he figured that the two can go back inside since they accomplished what the princess wanted, at least for the day.
"I think that's enough for today. We can continue this later if you want, bro. For now, I'll take him to his room to rest."
"What are you going to do after that?"
"...don't know. Probably guard the princess, be by her side."
"You must really care for her." Sora pointed out, seeing it admirable. Al paused for a moment before carrying Heinkel towards Pricsilla's mansion. Though as he was walking, he asked Schult:
"What're you going to do next? Join the princess or do you wish to stay with the keyblade master?"
"..." Schult was silent for a moment since he wasn't sure what exactly the keyblade master was going to do. He turned towards Sora to ask, "What will you be doing next, Sora-sama?"
"Y-You can just call me Sora." The Keyblade Master said, not exactly a fond of the honorifics. "To answer your question, probably walk around town for a bit. Show Louis and Zarestia around."
"As I said before, be careful doing that." Al said, not exactly fond of that idea. He's already warry of having Louis walk around town, but having Zarestia walk around will surely draw attention. He turned fully towards the keyblade master to tell him:
"If you wish to take either of them into town, I suggest dressing up in different attire."
"Why?" Sora asked as he crossed his arms and tilted his head, confused as to why. Al couldn't help but wish he had his other hand in order face palm.
"It's just for precaution sake."
Although Sora didn't see this as necessary, however he understood that this is for Priscilla's sake.
He doesn't wish to cause trouble for her right when he, Louis, and Zarestia just joined her camp.
Sora nodded before turning towards Zarestia's direction, noticing that she's awoken from her sleep.
"Did you had a good rest?"
"..." Zarestia didn't want to admit she felt comfortable sleeping since she was by her new contractor's side. All she did was move away from the topic by asking, "What did I miss?"
"We are going into town."
"But first you should all change out." Al quickly pointed out. Zarestia gave him a sharp look before turning towards Sora. He just slightly rubbed the back of his head before he turned towards Al's direction.
"Okay. Best play it safe."
"Right."
Al turned around and continued to make his way towards the mansion with Sora, Schult, Louis, and Zarestia eventually following behind.
While these events were happening, Priscilla was in the main lobby, noticing that Arakiya wished to say something.
"If you have something in your mind, then speak it."
"...r-right, apologize Prisc—" Before she made this mistake once again, Arakiya quickly corrected herself before Priscilla gave her the death stare. "Priscilla-sama. I wish to know, why have the girl join your camp?"
Priscilla was silent for a moment, thinking on the question the second divine general had asked. It was a foolish question since it's obvious that the main reason is because Sora wouldn't want to be separated from her.
"Do you question my choices?" She asked, causing Arakiya to be taken aback from this.
"N-No, I didn't mean to question you. I just...don't understand the 'bigger picture'. I do understand that the girl, the former witch cultist, follows the keyblade master. But isn't it a risk having her here?"
"Because she's of no concern. No normal person would be able to tell that she was a part of the witch cult."
"True...though her speaking pattern could draw some attention."
"Regardless, she's a child. Nobody will think much of it." As Priscilla said this, she turned towards the entrance to the main lobby to see that Al and the others were entering.
Arakiya turned forward and noticed that Al was carrying Heinkel.
"What happened to him?"
"...He overworked himself." Al responded with a blank tone.
He bowed towards Priscilla first before turning towards the rooms to take the unconscious Heinkel to his room.
Priscilla didn't seem to care though she did turn her attention towards Sora.
"What's on your mind, Keyblade Master?"
Sora paused for a moment, taking note on the question the sun princess had asked.
"Just something Al had mention."
"And what was that?" She question as she held her fan close to her face.
"He was just mentioning that we should change into different attires to avoid trouble."
"Hm."
Priscilla thought on the words Sora had said, figuring that Al would say this since he was one of the many people who feared having Louis Arneb in her camp.
She clearly doesn't care for having a former Sin Archbishop in her camp, if anything it would prove useful having such a powerful opponent.
Yet, she's also aware that the information of Louis's past as now become a possible problem for her.
"This is only a problem should any of you continue to speak on the matter. Nobody outside the five camps know about the girl's origin. Because they care deeply about you, Keyblade Master, they won't expose her. However, Aldebaran makes a point on your attires. For now, drawing less attention to yourself will be beneficial."
As Priscilla said this, Sora nodded as he understood that they probably should lay low.
Although not many would just instantly recognize Louis Arneb as a Sin Archbishop, it could cause some to want to find out if they see her frequently with him.
This also applies to him.
Now that he's famous in Lugnica, he would instantly draw attention from everyone.
Priscilla turned her eyes towards Schult.
"Schult, lead them to the changing room."
"Understood."
The young boy bowed in respects to the sun princess before turning towards the keyblade master.
"Follow me."
Sora, Zarestia, and Louis Arneb followed Schult right behind the young servant boy. As they were leaving, Arakiya waited before asking Priscilla:
"What do you think of that spirit woman that's with the keyblade master?"
Priscilla turned towards her for a brief moment before looking forward.
"There's nothing to say. She's strong but one that I'm not concerned about. Do you fear her?"
"No. I'm just worried that she might cause some trouble."
"Her attitude does need work, however it's still not something to concern yourself. What you should be concern is winning my favor."
"..." Arakiya remained silent when hearing this. She figured that it would take a while before she could win Prisca's favor again. Priscilla noticed this.
"Did you really think I would trust you so easily?"
"No...I didn't think so. But, I will work just as hard to win back your trust."
"You express confidence however those are merely words. I require actions."
"I understand."
Arakiya understood that she'll need to work even harder to prove herself to Priscilla.
"Would you like me to join the keyblade master on...what he's up to?"
"No. Allow the Keyblade Master to do what he pleases. It's nothing to be concerned with. For now, get yourself familiar with the mansion. You will be helping Al with his duties."
Arakiya bowed when hearing this before leaving Priscilla's side to go find Al, having a feeling that he's going to prove useful in helping to win her master's heart back.
As the second divine general leaves the room, Priscilla put away her fan as she gave a sharp look at the direction Arakiya had gone towards.
It'll be some time before she can trust Arakiya, though for now she will use her to help in winning the royal selection.
As she remained in the room on her own, Sora and the others were guided by Schult to the wardrobe to change into different attire.
Sora asked Schult what attire they could wear when going into the capital without drawing attention.
Before Schult could answer, Al had appeared right behind everyone.
"Allow me to assist on this, bro."
Sora and the others turned towards the one armed warrior with the keyblade master tilting his head, curious about what Al had in mind.
The one armed warrior looked around the wardrobe before handing down clothing for Sora, Louis Arneb, and Zarestia.
After waiting for the three to change into their new attires, he was a little surprised by Sora and Louis since their attire makes them look almost like different people.
The only thing that gives away Sora would be the hair, considering how uniquely spikey it is.
Louis Arneb hasn't been shown in public so the way she looks is a bit different than what she looked previously though it would be safer if they change her hairstyle.
As for Zarestia...he wasn't surprised that she didn't bother changing.
"I think I'll keep my kimono."
"The point is to not attract unwanted attention."
"It should be fine." Sora said, noticing that Zarestia was getting easily angry by Al's comment. "I doubt many have ever seen Zarestia, so we wouldn't have to worry about her being recognized."
"...you make a point." Al reluctantly said since his worry was more concern with Louis than with Zarestia.
"Is everyone ready?" Sora asked, with Zarestia and Louis both nodding a yes to him.
As the three were making their way towards the exit of Priscilla's mansion, the keyblade master turned towards Schult to verify:
"Are you ready to go?"
"Yes."
Schult was excited to see what adventure the keyblade master was going to take him to.
Although he has been through the capital along with Al and Priscilla, he's curious how Sora will approach things.
As they were heading out, Al couldn't help but wish to join Sora more so to keep him, Louis, and Zarestia out of trouble.
However, he knows that if anything were to happen, Sora's capable of facing any adversary choosing to battle the keyblade master.
He waited to make sure that Sora and the others left the mansion well before resuming his daily duties to Priscilla.
Has he turned back, Sora and the others walked into the city with Zarestia holding her contractor's right hand while Louis held his left arm.
Schult couldn't help but find it a little funny since the three look like a family.
As he thought this, he then thought about how he looked like an outsider. Before he could think anymore into it, Sora turned towards Schult to ask him:
"Anywhere you want to go?"
"Hm?" The boy was silent, a bit surprised by the question.
He is rarely asked by others what he wants to do.
Before he could answer this question, a rumbling noise from his stomach could be heard.
He looked down with his face red, embarrassed.
"If you are hungry, we can go eat." Sora said with a friendly gesture, catching Schult's attention.
He was aware of how kind Sora was, but receiving this kindness himself was different.
It's the same kindness that he receives from Priscilla, a warmth that can be trusted. He smiled as he knew of one place Priscilla had taken him.
"I have one place in mind."
Schult led Sora, Louis Arneb, and Zarestia deeper into the capital until finding a food store that Schult was fond of.
The keyblade master hasn't been to this place since he rarely gets a chance to go to the capital since he's mostly at the mansion either checking on the Emilia camp members or training with Subaru.
He's also mainly eaten from the mansion through either Frederica, Petra, Rem, or Ram's cooking.
'Hm. I haven't really tried out the food from this world, have I?'
He didn't think much of this until now, making him curious about what kind of food this place had.
The four of them enter the place with those inside turning towards them, a few customers wearing similar and yet familiar attire.
'Where have I seen these before?'
Sora pondered on this question for a brief moment before hearing someone call out to him.
"Sowra-kun! Sowra-kun!"
"Hm?"
Sora took a second before spotting Mimi. It's been a long while since he's seen the little demi human girl.
"Mimi, it's been a while."
"Sowra! So good to see you! Are you here to eat?"
"Yes."
"Cool! You should join my lady."
"Sure." Sora said with a smile before watching as Mimi excitedly running back inside. Zarestia had a blank expression as she was curious what relation Sora have with the demi human.
"Who is she?"
"A friend." Sora said before leading everyone inside.
Once in the building, Zarestia suddenly grabbed Sora's hand with excessive force.
The keyblade master was caught off guard by this, causing him to quickly question:
"What's wrong?"
"..." Zarestia was shaken by a certain smell and had feelings of murder overwhelming her...though Sora's voice helped her calm back down. "Nothing. I'll be fine."
Sora could tell that she's lying though his attention would be turn towards Anastasia Hoshin, hearing her say:
"Sora-sama, it's good to see you. Didn't expect you to be here."
"I'm just passing by. Schult here wanted to eat and recommended this place."
"Schult?" Anastasia tilted her head when hearing this name, having a feeling that she's heard this name before.
As she turned towards Schult's direction, she recognized the boy as one of Priscilla's servants.
'I wonder what one of Priscilla's servants being with Sora-sama?' She questioned herself though for now, she let it slide since her attention was drawn towards Zarestia and Louis Arneb.
She isn't sure on who exactly Louis Arneb is, however for Zarestia...
"Sora-sama, who's this woman by your side?"
"Oh. This is Zarestia."
"Zarestia? The Great Spirit of Death?"
"Yes." Zarestia said proudly, to which Anastasia was indeed surprised.
"I see. Impressive." She turned towards Sora, "You really can make friends with anyone you meet."
Sora closed his eyes and smiled nervously since he couldn't help but think about Elsa Granhiert when hearing Anastasia's comment.
Anastasia remained with her innocent smile before leading the group to the table she was at where Sora encountered Tivey and Ricardo.
"Oi, Keyblade Master!"
"Ricardo. It's good to see you."
"Likewise! Been a while."
"It sure has."
Sora and his group sat down with Ricardo taking the chance to pat the keyblade master on the back, happy to see him.
"I heard you were in Vollachia." Tivey spoke, having been curious to ask Sora about this. "What was it like over there?"
"Different." Sora responded, being the only word he can come up with when thinking about Vollachia.
"F' course it's different. Vollachia is intense compared to either Kararagi or Lugnica."
"Agreed." Tivey said before turning back towards the keyblade master, "What business did you had in Vollachia?"
"He was teleported there." Anastasia interjected. She recalled the events of the Pleiades watchtower. "Hopefully, you and Natsuki Subaru didn't encounter too many problems there."
"We had help." Sora said when turning towards both Zarestia and Louis Arneb, indicating that they were essential to the events of Vollachia.
"Understood. It's good to see you made it out safely."
Anastasia was only glad that the witch the mysterious figure had mentioned that was after the two keyblade wielders didn't get to them. Though that does bring a question,
"What business do you have with Priscilla Barielle?"
"She helped Subaru and I in Vollachia. I made a deal with her in order to prevent Emilia from getting in trouble for her knight suddenly being in Vollachia."
"Yes, that would be problematic of a knight from a candidate was found in another kingdom. Though, I heard that Reinhard van Astrea was there too."
"Yes, Reinhard was really helpful."
"Interesting. Then the council of wisemen must've been alerted of the situation in order to make an exemption to the Reinhard law."
"The Reinhard law?" Sora tilted his head along with Louis Arneb and Zarestia, all three a bit confused by what Anastasia had said.
Schult chuckled a little since it genuinely looks like the three are a family, all sharing the same emotions.
Anastasia, Mimi, Tivey, and Ricardo noticed this as well though they didn't react to it.
She responded to the keyblade master's question with:
"The Reinhard Law was created due to the Sword Saint's destructive capabilities. All nations fear the Master Swordsman due to his ability to wipe out an entire kingdom alone. It's placed as a safety measure for not only the other kingdoms but for Lugnica. Should the Sword Saint find himself somewhere that isn't Lugnica, that would cause Kararagi, Gusteko, and Vollachia to all declare war on this kingdom."
"I see..." Sora was surprised by this information, having an understanding of the amount of restrictions his friend's dealing with all alone. "Wait, what about me and Subaru? Aren't we also considered dangerous?"
He thought this due to the one sole fact that word about him being able to best the Sword Saint himself must've reached to all four kingdoms by now. Anastasia remained with her calm smile as she responded in a professional manner:
"You are known across Kararagi for sure. The last time I was there, a few were speaking about it however most don't believe it. Since there's no proof other than words, not many would believe such an event took place. There's also the matter that you are still too new in terms of popularity to be placed in those same restrictions as Reinhard van Astrea. Overall, there's no need to worry about that for now."
Sora nodded when he heard this information, understanding that he hasn't done something extraordinarily big to show his presence to Kararagi and Gusteko.
For Vollachia, Vincent Vollachia has seen with his own eyes what he and Subaru can accomplish thanks to the events leading into the battle against Sephiroth.
Before continuing the conversation on this topic, a waiter approached the group.
"How can I serve you fine folk?"
"Burger! Burger!" Mimi gleefully said.
"I'll also have a burger." Ricardo spoke proudly.
"I will have the same." Tivey said calmly.
"I would also like a burger, good sir." Schult said, knowing that this restaurant has quality burgers.
"I'll get a burger as well."
Since everyone was getting a burger, he might as well get one as well. He turned towards Zarestia and Louis to ask the two:
"Do you want one as well?"
"I'll be fine." Zarestia spoke calmly as she didn't really need to eat...though maybe if her contractor suggested it, she would take it.
Louis was silent for a moment before nodding a yes, wanting to avoid speaking for now since her way of speaking is...a bit unique to her and her dead brothers.
Sora patted her in the head before turning towards the servant to tell him:
"A burger for Louis here."
"Understood." The servant said before beginning to head towards the back in order to give the cooks the orders for this table.
While the servant went to the back, Anastasia turned towards Louis Arneb's direction to ask her:
"What's your name?"
"..." Louis was at first hesitant to answer this, not wanting to give away that she was once a Sin Archbishop though once she looked at the keyblade master, he smiled warmly before nodding.
This nod gave her the indication that it's alright to give her name to the royal candidate in front of them. She turned towards Anastasia's direction to answer her question:
"Louis...Louis Arneb."
"That's an interesting name."
"Thanks."
Louis nodded at Sora before sitting down, trying to avoid conversation. Sora took notice of this, quickly changing the conversation away from Louis.
"Have you had the chance to speak with Julius?"
"We spoke the other day; he informed me about the events that took place at the capital city of Vollachia. That's quite the battle."
"Yes." Sora responded in a blank tone, recalling just how hellish it must've been for Subaru since he had returned by death who knows how many times.
Though what was the toughest part was even getting the win on Sephiroth since he was a lot more powerful than in their last interaction at Radiant Garden.
"Those black coats were very foolish thinking they stood a chance." Zarestia commented, recalling her fight with Ansem and managing to eliminate him. Anastasia turned towards Zarestia's direction, having taken note of her comment.
"Must've been quite the battle."
As Anastasia said this, Ricardo turned his attention towards Sora.
"Y'know, I'm jealous we weren't there to witness th't glorias battle Julius spoke of."
"It was a tough battle, but we still managed to push through."
"Gotta tell me, what happened before Julius and the others helped ya out?"
"I also wanna know!" Mimi shouted with excitement, wanting to know the story behind the battle.
Sora scratched the back of his head while feeling a bit embarrassed, not sure where to start.
After having explained mostly the battle for the capital while also having received their burgers, Mimi and Tivey's eyes were glowing as they were amazed by what Sora had told.
"Awesome!"
"Man, th't's one hell of a fight." Ricardo said before laughing of excitement, now wishing he was there to help in the battle against the Organization XIII. "Still, pretty badass to have survived th'ordeal."
"It's all thanks to Subaru." Sora said as he looked up at the ceiling, knowing full well that he's the reason they didn't lose anybody in that fight. "He worked hard to make sure we all made it all alive."
"I see. I'll make sure to praise him the next time I see him."
Anastasia said this with a new perspective on Natsuki Subaru.
She had seen his accomplishments as abnormal due to how he was the key in beating both the White Whale and the Sin Archbishop of Sloth as well as being told by the three knights in the Emilia camp that he was vital in the battle against the Great Rabbit.
Now hearing how Subaru's involvement in the battle at the Vollachia Empire capital being important enough to reach victory is quite telling of the boy's capabilities.
Though she was interested more in Sora's friend he spoke about, Cloud.
"How did your friend end up in Vollachia of all places?"
"Not sure...last time I saw him, he was fighting Sephiroth. The two disappeared in their battle."
Anastasia and her camp members were all puzzled when they heard this, a bit puzzled how a fight from over a year ago could suddenly lead Cloud and Sephiroth into Vollachia of all places.
"So long as your friend's okay, I think th't's what matters most." Ricardo commented, seeing that at the very least Sora was able to find one of his friends that had gone missing due to a battle against this one winged angel.
"Yeah." Sora said with a calm smile, still feeling happy that he got to see and fight alongside Cloud again. As he said this, he took the last bite of his burger before turning towards Schult to tell him:
"This was a great place, thank you."
Schult nodded with respect, feeling happy he got to eat in this restaurant once again before finishing up his burger.
The keyblade master turned towards the former sin archbishop of gluttony.
"Did you enjoy the burger?"
"Yes!" Louis responded with a smile, having a new, a much truer feeling that she did before...happiness.
The burger she's eating, she's tasting it with her own mouth, not using a memory to replicate the taste; she's tasting this with her own taste buds.
Sora patted her head again before noticing the servant approaching the table.
"Is there anything else you all need?"
"More burgers!" Mimi shouted, wanting more to eat. Tivey shook his head, a little embarrassed at how his sister's acting.
Anastasia and Ricardo smiled at this before the two turned towards the servant before the royal candidate nodded.
The servant turned towards Sora and his group to see if they wanted anything else. Sora looked at Zarestia first to see if she had changed her mind to get a burger, but it seemed like she wasn't interested in eating at the moment.
He turned towards Louis and Schult but could tell that they were good.
He turned back towards the servant to give him a response.
"We are good."
"Understood, then the amount shall be—"
"I'll be paying for them." Anastasia interrupted, catching everyone's attention.
"Are you sure, my lady?"
"Yes, I'm positive."
"Understood." The servant bowed before going to the back in order to get Mimi another burger.
As he leaves, Sora and his group start to get back up while saying to the royal candidate:
"Thank you, Anastasia. I owe you one."
"No need, this is just a thanks for keeping Julius out of harm's way."
Sora nodded at Anastasia before turning towards Schult to ask him:
"Anywhere else that you want to go?"
"Nothing in mind."
"Okay, then let us explore." As they were about to leave, the keyblade master turns one last time to Anastasia and the others to tell them, "Have a great rest of the day and thank you for the meal!"
"Bye-Bye!" Mimi shouted in excitement.
"Till we meet again." Ricardo spoke proudly.
"Take care." Anastasia said.
"Farewell." Tivey speaks in a respectful manner.
Once Sora and his group had left the restaurant, Ricardo commented:
"It's good t'see him again. Though I was curious m'lady, why not get your usual wine?"
"...do you know the story of the great spirit of death?"
"Not th't I'm aware of..." Ricardo said as he thought on the question. He's heard the name however the story is not coming to mind.
"Well, for those who know, this particular spirit was betrayed by what she calls animals by having her blackout through alcohol. She killed them all and became a spirit filled with murderous intent. That same spirit is now friends with the keyblade master Sora. Having alcohol around would be ill advice."
"I see..."
Ricardo understood just how dangerous Sora's new friend is...though it is impressive that the keyblade master was able to befriend someone like Zarestia.
Anastasia closed her eyes as she continued with a calm gesture:
"It's nothing to be of concern, for now. Knowing how strong Sora is, he should be able to keep her in check."
As Anastasia said this, she started to think about Louis Arneb.
She started to remember where she had seen the teen girl though she was curious what role does she plays in the Priscilla camp.
Once outside of the restaurant, Sora guided the four of them towards a random direction that leads deeper into the capital, deciding that they should just roam around.
As they were walking around, Sora observed Zarestia and Louis Arneb closely as he could tell that they are enjoying themselves.
This made him smile since he can tell that the two had difficulty getting to enjoy life with Zarestia perhaps being on her own for so long with the desire to murder everyone all the while knowing Louis Arneb and her desire to want to be happy.
He turned towards Schult to see that he was looking forward with a serious expression.
"Not having fun?" Sora questioned.
"I'm enjoying myself." Schult responded with a blank tone, leaving Sora silent for a second before looking around.
He had sensed something off, like if someone was spying on them.
'Could it be the Organization?' He could only speculate since Xehanort and his remaining lackeys do tend to appear in the most peaceful of times.
As he saw that everything seemed fine, he turned forward only to see Louis and Zarestia looking at him.
"Is everything okay, master?" Zarestia questioned, having felt his sudden serious emotion. Sora shook this off by saying:
"No need to worry, it's just my imagination."
"..."
The two girls were a bit off by Sora's carefree nature, having a bad feeling that having their guard down might leave them open for an attack.
Zarestia and Louis looked forward as they kept their guards up.
The four of them walked for a bit until a man spotted Sora, recognizing the hair anywhere.
"Oi!"
"Hm?" Sora turned around, having a feeling that someone was speaking to him. As he turned, he noticed a familiar man with green hair holding an apple. "Didn't recognized you at first but that hair doesn't lie. Good to see you, kid."
"Who's this?" Zarestia asked, tempted to kill this man as she felt that he was a threat. Sora remained silent for a moment as he thought on who this man could be. After taking a moment to think back, he started to recall who this person was.
"Oh, it's you. How's your daughter doing?" Sora said, having remembered the man from over a year ago when the Organization and the heartless attacked the capital.
"She's doing great, all thanks to you." As he said this, he handed the keyblade master an apple. "Take it and however many appas you and your group need."
"Priscilla-sama loves appas." Schult added, catching Sora's attention.
"Okay, we will grab some Appas." As Sora said this, he along with the others followed the man towards his little store to grab some appas. Once they grabbed around twenty of them, Schult pulled out the money having been given to him by Priscilla, the man told him:
"No need." The man said, "This is a gift for the Keyblade Wielder here."
"Are you sure?" Sora asked, not wanting to just get a bunch of apples from the merchant, to which the man responded:
"It's fine. Consider it a thanks for saving my daughter."
"That's really nice of you." Sora said with a friendly smile. The man just nodded before questioning him:
"Is there anything else I can help? You seemed lost."
"We are just roaming around. Anything you recommend for us to go to?"
"Hm." The man thought for a brief moment before pointing towards a building a mile away from their location. "There's a theater right by that building. If you want, you could watch a show. I know the kids love it."
Sora looked at the building and couldn't help but think of the last time he was on a stage of sorts, assisting the three musketeers in the dream world.
He thanked the apple merchant before leading the group towards the theater to check it out. Before heading out, Schult commented:
"We should return the bag of Appas back to Priscilla-sama's mansion. I doubt they would allow the appas into the building."
"Allow me." Zarestia grabbed the bag of appas before starting to fly off in the direction of the mansion. Clearly, this drew all sorts of attention, something they were trying to avoid.
"What now?" Louis asked, worried that she might be recognized as a witch cultist. Sora looked at her with a calm expression, not fazed by Zarestia's actions.
"We keep going."
As he said this, he led Louis Arneb and Schult towards the theater though the moment they arrived, Zarestia herself landed right next to her contractor.
"It's done."
"Wait, where did you put the bag?" The keyblade master asked.
"Handed it to that one armed knight."
"I see. Okay."
Sora was grateful that Al was there to receive the apples that were for Priscilla.
As the four of them were going inside the theater, Schult took the lead since he knew who they needed to speak with as well as wanting to pay for the four of them.
Once they got tickets into the show that'll start in a few minutes, the four of them went to the very top of the theater.
After arriving, the four sat down for a moment though during their way up, Sora sensed that someone was following them though he didn't see anybody suspicious.
He got up of his seat which caught the attention of the others.
"I'll be right back."
As he said this, he turned towards the three to see that Schult was curious while Louis Arneb and Zarestia were concerned.
"No need to worry, I just want to check something out."
"Are you sure?" Both Louis and Zarestia asked in unison, sensing something's off. Sora continued to have a calm exterior while replying to the two girls' question:
"Just relax. We aren't in any danger. I'm just going to check something out really quick."
Once he finished his sentence, he quickly made his way down to the first floor since that's where he last felt that odd feeling.
He observed the first floor as he could still feel that someone's still looking at him. He continued to search his surroundings until he spotted someone hiding in the shadows of a hallway nearby.
This prompted the keyblade master to run towards the hallway and follows this shadow until he was able to corner the shadow.
"Who are you?" Sora question, trying to be calm as he was not looking for a fight.
The shadow looked at him for a moment before charging rapidly towards him.
He prepared to summon his keyblade though right when Kingdom Key was out, he was hugged by this shadow.
"Huh?"
As he was hugged, a light started to shine in the hallway to show a familiar blue haired maid.
"Rem?" Sora questioned, a bit confused by this since he didn't expect to see her anytime soon. Though since it is her, he returned the hug.
"Sora-kun! Sora-kun! I missed you!"
"..." Sora didn't have any words in response though he was happy to see her again. After hugging for a minute, he asks: "What are you doing here?"
"I had to see you again." Rem said, having felt withdrawal for not being by Sora's side.
He looked at her and knew that they hadn't had much time together since the aftermath she had regained her memories back in the Pleiades Watchtower since he along with Louis, Subaru, and Subaru's parents were teleported to Vollachia.
"How's everything going with Subaru and the others?"
"Subaru's doing well. He's staying by Emilia-sama's side. Garf is training hard to become stronger. Frederica-sama is continuing to train little Petra-san."
"How about those new members to the Emilia camp? How are they doing?"
"Tiga-san and Melty-sama? They are currently at the capital with Rem and neesama protecting them."
Sora was hoping to speak with them, wanting to know more about the two since they did join the Emilia camp in such a roundabout way.
"Wait, if you are here, where are they?"
"Somewhere in the city. Neesama allowed Rem to go find you."
"That's nice of Ram." Sora said in a positive gesture.
"What brings you and your group here?"
"We came to see a show."
"I see."
As Rem said this, she was caught off guard by Sora's question:
"Do you want to join us?"
"..." Rem's face turned red. "A-Are you sure? Rem should go ba—"
"It's okay. We never got a chance to spend time together, so let's spend some time by looking at this show."
Rem was silent as she couldn't help but smile, happy that she's going to have time to spend with her hero.
As the two headed to where Louis, Schult, and Zarestia were left off, Sora was curious about something.
"How did you find me?"
"That spirit. I saw her flying from Priscilla-sama's mansion. Rem just followed her."
"Oh, really?"
He wasn't expecting this...though that makes him feel concerned about who could've been watching him back outside.
This thought would be pushed to the side when he and Rem arrived to the third floor where Louis and the others were located.
The three turned towards Sora with Louis and Zarestia happy to see him though when they spotted Rem, only Zarestia was looking mad.
"What is she doing here?"
"I'm just spending time with Sora-kun." Rem remarked swiftly before choosing to grab onto Sora's arm, closing in on him.
All this achieved was to piss off Zarestia, prompting her to get up immediately while a bit of wind around her was beginning to be created.
"Oh really?"
The two were giving each other the death stare, something that Schult and Louis Arneb noticed.
This prompted Schult to move a bit to the side since he's worried a fight's about to break out while Louis is just left in fear since unfortunately, she's right in between the two.
Sora could sense the tension though he wasn't too concerned.
Before anything could be said by any of them, the curtains were beginning to move which alerted them that the show's about to start.
"Let's just watch the show." Sora said, wanting to keep things civil between the two.
Rem and Zarestia didn't want to argue or go against Sora's wish, prompting the two to just look at each other with a death stare before turning their attention towards the keyblade master.
"We only purchased four seats, Sora-sama. There's no room for the maid unfortunately."
"We can make room."
Rem and Zarestia had their faces turned red for a moment, both thinking that one of them would have to sit on his lap in order for all of them to fit together.
Though what they didn't account for was Sora turning towards Louis and having her sit on his lap.
Zarestia was a bit annoyed by this though she was at least content that she can hold onto her contractor's arm.
Rem was a bit uncomfortable with having Louis, the one who stole her hero's memories back in the Pleiades watchtower sit on his lap...though on the bright side, she's spending time with Sora.
The show begins with all of them seemingly enjoying it.
Even Zarestia's enjoying the show though anytime alcohol is mentioned, she does have to calm herself since her bloodlust starts rising.
After a good hour and a half, the five of them start to leave with Schult and Louis left excited from the show.
Sora smiled since he not only enjoyed the show but he's happy that Louis and Schult are having fun.
Zarestia still wasn't fond of Alcohol at all and disliked it every time the show mentioned it or even had some fake version of it shown off...though what helped her from just straight up killing everyone was holding onto Sora's arm.
Rem hadn't been to one of these types of shows in a long time, making this quite the experience.
Once the five of them had left the theater building, Sora turned towards Rem to ask her:
"Did you enjoy the show?"
"Yes."
"Good, how about you Zarestia? Did you enjoy the show?"
"It was...quite the experience."
"Hopefully a good one."
Sora saying this with a smile only caused the great spirit of murder to suddenly have her face turn bright red.
She looked away to avoid being seen like this by her contractor all the while he just tilted his head, a bit confused by this sudden action.
Before he could ask, he remembered something that prompted him to turn back towards Rem.
"Could you take us to your sister?"
"Hm?" Rem looked at her hero, catching onto his question.
She took a second before remembering the conversation before watching the show with him.
She nodded before taking the lead towards the center of the capital.
Once there, the group finds themselves surrounded by loads of people.
"I wonder where's Ram in all of this."
"Right behind you, Sora-sama."
Ram suddenly said with no warning, surprising Sora and Louis.
Zarestia looked at Ram, taking immediate note that her aura was shrouded in mystery.
This made her cautious compared to Rem since she's a lot more forward with her emotions.
Sora turned towards Ram while saying:
"Ram, good to see you."
"Likewise, Sora-sama. What's your reason for wanting me?"
"I was more hoping to speak with the two behind you." Sora said as he noticed immediately Tiga and Melty.
"It's good to see you, Keyblade Master." Melty said as she bowed to Sora.
"Didn't think we would cross paths so soon." Tiga respectfully commented, thinking that it would be a while before he got a chance to speak with Sora. "You said you wanted to speak with us?"
"Yes."
As Sora requested this desire, Ram recommended that they should speak in a more formal place to avoid drawing too much attention.
They agreed and went towards a different area of the capital, somewhere with less people to draw attention.
Once there, they all sat down with Rem and Ram staying vigilante should anybody try anything on the group.
Louis sat next to Sora's right side while Zarestia was on his left side.
"Keyblade Master, what was on your mind when wanting to speak with us?" Tiga asked, starting the conversation off.
His tone was much more serious compared to before, something Sora caught onto.
"I wanted to know, why did you want to join the Emilia camp?" Sora asked which caught Rem and Ram's attention. The two were also curious about this though they never had the chance to question these two new members. Tiga was silent for a second before turning towards Melty, curious about how she would respond. Melty retained her calm composure as she responded to Sora's question:
"We wish to help out Emilia-sama. As someone who's been accused of being a witch and still pursing to help the kingdom of Lugnica. It moved us."
"We left in pursue of Emilia-sama." Tiga jumped into the conversation, "We heard about her knight being a keyblade wielder. We weren't sure what that meant at first until we followed a rumor that a warrior with a sword in the shape of a key was spotted in Vollachia. We figured that we would find Emilia-sama there."
"Okay."
Sora crossed his arms as he thought carefully about the information told to him by the two. It felt a bit vague their reasoning with the only information he got being how they found them in Vollachia.
'I don't sense any malicious intent. But it's still suspicious.'
He can sense that there's more to the story but for now, this'll do. If Emilia and Subaru have put enough trust in them to be at the mansion, then he's willing to trust them as well.
"What brings you to the capital?"
"We wished to explore this place. We haven't had a chance to see what day to day life in Lugnica is like."
"That makes it sound like you aren't from around here." Zarestia commented, finding the comment Melty said pretty suspicious.
"Yes..." Melty looked down when answering the great spirit of murder's comment, "We are actually from Kararagi."
"Kararagi..." Sora softly whispered the name, recalling that Zarestia and Anastasia are from there. "Well, I hope you are enjoying your time in the capital."
"We are." Melty said with a smile.
"It's not too different from Kararagi." Tiga added.
"As long as you are enjoying yourselves is what matters." Sora said with a friendly expression.
Tiga and Melty appreciated this which caused them to smile.
As it seemed like there's nothing left to talk about, Sora began to stand up.
"Mind if I ask something?"
Sora looked at Tiga, seeing that there was something on his mind.
"Sure." The keyblade master responded.
"That keyblade of yours, what exactly is it made out of?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"What, or more specifically who created the keyblade? I asked Subaru about it, but he said that the one to ask on such information would be you."
Sora was silent when he heard this, not expecting Tiga to ask about the keyblade. He moved his right hand forward before summoning Kingdom Key. This slightly started Melty while gaining the interest of Tiga.
"The Keyblade. I don't know who was the first one to create the keyblade. All I know is that the keyblade chose me."
"I presume that was the same for Subaru, no?" Tiga asked.
"Yes." He responded with a smile, recalling the first week in this world where Subaru had suddenly summoned the Starlight keyblade.
It was a shock at the time since this was an unexpected outcome.
Now, he feels that his presence had allowed his apprentice and best friend to gain the ability to wield the keyblade.
As he continued to smile, he turned towards the sky as he began to think about his friends.
'Riku, Kairi, Donald, Goofy.'
The main four were on his mind, still wishing to see them again. He paused for a second before turning towards Louis, Schult, and Zarestia.
"Are you three ready to go?"
The three nodded, seeing the excitement in the keyblade master's eyes as he said this. Before leaving, he turned towards Tiga and Melty.
"I hope our paths cross again."
"Of course." Tiga said as he and Melty nodded at the keyblade master, showing their respect to him. He smiled at the two before turning towards Rem and Ram.
"I hope things aren't going to bad without me."
"Rest assure, Barusu has made himself useful." Ram with a blank expression said, recalling that Subaru and Kenichi have wanted to assist with the cooking for the Emilia camp. "Though the only useful one would be Barusu's father."
"As long as he's okay, that's what matters." Sora said, unsure on what Subaru's been up to though he knows that he'll be fine. He turned towards Rem's direction, knowing that she's going to struggle since she desperately misses him.
"I'll be back to the mansion in no time. It's a promise."
Rem smiled at Sora before nodding, trying to keep herself under control.
"I will be waiting."
The two smiled at each other before the keyblade master led the great spirit of death, the former sin archbishop of gluttony, and the young servant of Priscilla towards the center of the city once again. As they were leaving, Ram and Rem turned towards Melty and Tiga.
"Is there anything you wish to visit?" The two maids in unison asked. The priestess and her guardian turned towards each other for a moment before turning towards the two twin maids.
"We would like to see where the knights are located?"
"Understood."
The two maids nodded before starting to lead the two new members of the Emilia camp towards the location where the knights would gather.
This provided a perfect opportunity to encounter Yabuto, Kishida, and Waraki since they had headed towards the capital to inform Marcos of what had transpired in the Empire of Vollachia.
As the day was reaching its end, Sora was carrying a sleeping Louis Arneb while Zarestia and Schult were walking right by his side.
"Schult, did you have a good day?"
"Yes." The servant boy spoke with a slight smile on his face.
"That's good." Sora turned towards Zarestia to ask her, "Did you enjoy your first day in Lugnica?"
"...It wasn't bad." Zarestia spoke quietly. She did find the capital of Lugnica interesting though what hurt the day was random drunk men walking around with alcohol.
The only reason they aren't dead is quite literally because Sora and Louis Arneb were holding her back from just murdering them right on the spot.
Sora had a feeling that she was still sore about it, prompting him to say:
"Well, I had a lot of fun with you all. I want to spend more time like this again tomorrow."
"...that sounds nice."
Zarestia whispered, really wanting to do more with Sora so long as alcohol isn't involved.
The keyblade master looked at Louis Arneb with a smile, seeing that she's worn out from all the activities they had done after splitting paths with Rem and Ram.
Even though Louis is much older than she looks, she's definitely a kid. For the first time, she's actually experiencing real things than seeing it through memories of others that were stolen from her brothers.
This made her think of Rapunzel, how she was trapped in the castle her whole life and when she finally had a chance to be out of there, she was filled with joy at all the new experiences.
That's what Louis Arneb makes him think of when she's doing things for the first time and her expressions to said new things.
"She must've had so much fun." Schult said, having been a while himself since he's seen some have as much fun as her. Sora nodded, agreeing with him.
Once they returned to Priscilla's mansion, Schult escorted the new members of the Priscilla camp to their respective rooms.
Zarestia was fine with her room since it was right next to Sora's though she was jealous that Louis could share the same room as her contractor.
Despite this, she was at least satisfied with her living quarters and decided to take the opportunity to rest.
As she went to sleep, Sora set Louis on her bed and tucked her in before deciding to speak with one last person before calling it a day.
He quietly left the room and made his way towards the main hall where Priscilla was located.
The sun princess was there, reading a book before noticing Sora's presence.
"What brings you here, Keyblade Master? Did you enjoy your little trip to the capital?"
"Yes, it was a lot of fun, but I wish to speak with you."
"What about?" Priscilla said as she pulled her fan up and right towards her face. She had curiosity in both her tone of voice and expression.
"I wish to know, what exactly is my role in this camp? I understand that Al is designated as your knight and I'm not going to take that spot away from him. So, what's my purpose here?"
Sora thought this all day, having not giving much thought when he accepted the deal with Priscilla to be a part of her camp.
She was silent for a moment, a bit surprised by the question though not too fazed. She lowered her fan as she began to answer the boy's question:
"You are a figure head of my camp. Think yourself as my benefactor. Aldebaran serves as my disposable guardian while you are the front lines warrior the world had granted me."
"So...I'm your soldier?"
"If that's how you want to perceive yourself." Priscilla said as she put back her fan right near her face. "Don't mistaken yourself as beneath me. You are an equal, one I can rely on when the time is right."
"...What about Arakiya?"
"What about that fool?" Priscilla responded sharply as her eyes were suddenly filled with fire. Sora was slightly taken aback from this, yet he remained his ground.
"She's valuable to the group now that she came all the way from Vollachia."
"She's a useful shield." Priscilla said as she didn't want to continue this particular subject.
"I understand that she betrayed you. I know it must've hurt, but people deserve second chance."
Priscilla for this one time listened to Sora's words without her usual attempt to kill the person pissing her off...though this interested her since Sora's words sound like he had experience with this kind of thing.
"Have you ever had to trust someone that backstabbed you?" She asked with a curious tone, paying close attention to the boy to see how he would react to this and how he would respond to such a question.
Sora froze for a second; there were a few people that had in some way betrayed him though not in the manner Priscilla's thinking.
"There were a few instances that I felt betrayed. When Riku sided with darkness and won over the keyblade and when Donald and Goofy left me because they were task to follow the one with the key. Those were from my first adventure."
"You said this Riku person won over the keyblade, elaborate."
Sora realized he had a small slip up when saying this, prompting him to give a vague response, explaining mainly how his childhood and best friend was able to win the keyblade over before he won it back.
She couldn't help but find this explanation quite fascinating due to the fact that she's learning more about the keyblade and some of its functions.
"Interesting. That keyblade of yours sure as mysterious that need to be solved. Tomorrow we can discuss more on that weapon of yours." She started to get up, seeing that it was nighttime now. "You can go rest now."
"Are you sure? I'm not too tired..."
"One must rest, especially on days that seem peaceful. You never know when the world will throw an obstacle."
As she said this, she began to leave towards her quarters, entrusting that Sora knows his way to his quarters. Right before she left into a different hallway of the mansion, Sora had just one last thing to tell her.
"I know that it's just the first day here, but I want to say, I hope we can be good friends."
Priscilla paused for a second, processing what the boy had just said.
All she did in response was turn towards the boy and smile confidently.
Although friendship is not important to her, she understands that it's something Sora values.
After giving the boy a smile, she continued on her way towards her room. Sora smiled before turning towards the hallway where his room's located and began to walk forward.
He knew that it'd be some time to get used to being in the Priscilla camp, but he knew he'd be fine.
He also knows that Subaru and the others will be okay without him since he knows that if anything happens, his apprentice and his best friend will take care of it.
As he was confident in Subaru's capabilities, he ended up thinking of Cloud.
He wished that he was with him, wishing that he got a chance to chat more with his friend.
Regardless, he was just happy that his friend was safe and well, especially now that Sephiroth had been defeated.
He looked up at the ceiling, thinking to himself:
'May our hearts guide us back together.'
As he thought this sentence, he thought of Subaru, Rem, Ram, Petra, Emilia, Beatrice, Shaula, Frederica, Kenichi, Naoto, Kishida, Waraki, Yabuto, Ryuzu, Garfiel, Otto, and Cloud.
He smiled to himself thinking of them before finally making his way to his room.
'Tomorrow's going to be fun.'
Author's note:
Well, it's been a while since I've posted on this story. I haven't given up on this story, I just still needed a break due to how long the Vollachia War arc took. I didn't start the next arc since I wanted one peaceful chapter before the time skip that'll take place. There's also the fact that my family and I lost the family dog three weeks ago so I took a big mental hit in writing but now that I've gotten back my writing spirit, I shall start the next arc.