Keterburg lived up to the rumors. The cold, the beauty, the modest personality. Guy knew the emperor of Malkuth grew up in this frozen city in the middle of the mountains and it was definitely everything that he'd heard. Snow piled everywhere, covering the city in a beautiful white sheen, accented by the continued gentle fall of many gald-sized snowflakes. Despite that, the streets were mostly clear and the only other place where snow didn't gather were the myriad statues littered throughout the city. All, he noticed, the same man in a Malkuth uniform holding two swords, a hero named Karl III. The buildings didn't convey the riches that Guy knew lived here, despite Keterburg being a resort town complete with a casino, but that was okay. He was excited to come and see it for himself. He hoped to even visit the casino someday, maybe while they were here, but first, well… he looked at Raine.

She walked at his side, still with her bag to her shoulder and her staff in her hand; even after finding out which room was hers, she didn't leave them behind. Though she did look a little better after her nap at the hostel, she hung her head in a silent shame that he wished he could rip away from her. Clearly, she wasn't herself yet. He settled on enjoying the sights though he'd lost track of how long they'd been out here. With the sky darkening, perhaps it was getting late enough.

"Are you still tired?" Guy asked. "It's been a while since you've eaten, are you hungry?"

"Has it?" Raine shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

"That was around lunch time. It's evening now." He looked back towards the light on the south western horizon where the sun settled, its glow behind all of the buildings in the city was sufficient for brilliant visibility. "Not that you can tell…."

"I'd slept a few hours…" she said in a low voice as if she'd only just now realized it. She had slept long enough that he'd started to worry about her, given that she had just downed several shots of whiskey before her nap. Apparently she hadn't been sleeping well, and with everything she'd been through, who would? The fiasco with the Tartarus was probably her final straw given how she looked in Daath. Guy could only hope his presence helped her.

"Are you sure you're not hungry?"

"I still have some food from the Tartarus." Raine pulled her bag higher up on her shoulder. "I should be fine for a while."

"Okay. Yeah, I'm glad we got the kitchen all cleaned up and stocked. I don't mind cooking in it now that we found the source of that weird smell." It wasn't just Asch living off spoiled food that smelled weird. The kitchen had food rotting in all of its crevices. They had to pull out everything that wasn't nailed down to clean it. They actually used the cafeteria now. "Hey, I know! When we get back to the Tartarus, maybe I can make your favorite dish. What would you like?"

"Anything with lemons." Then she thought for a moment. "How about spaghetti?"

She puts lemons in her spaghetti? Guy tried really hard to contain his disgust but he couldn't stop his eyebrow from raising. She would mix anything into her food, wouldn't she? The strawberry miso stew she made for everyone had been unforgettable especially with her use of both chicken and fish. He wondered what other bizarre recipes she had. "S-sure. Yeah, I can do that. I'll see if there are any lemons at the shops around here." Besides, just because he didn't like lemons didn't mean he couldn't cook with them if he tried. Probably.

Seeing her now, though, it was worth the thought. She held her chin up a little more than she had, exploring Keterburg with her natural curiosity rather than passing disinterest. There was even a small hint of a smile attempting to form.

Perhaps now was the time to pique her historical interest as they approached yet another statue of Karl III. He stopped to read the plaque aloud. "Karl III, Hero of Keterburg." Raine stopped walking, but only because he had. She showed no interest as she didn't spare a glance at the statue or its plaque. Strange. He looked back to the statue, taking in the details of it. The sculptor did a good job with carving it to look real. "Hero makes it sound like he was in a war, but really he just founded this place. I suppose that's no small feat considering where we are."

Raine shrugged. "The Snow Treants do make it seem miraculous anyone could settle out here." She held the staff in the crook of her arm just to rub her left wrist. Was it really not bothering her? Or was she just remembering the fight in the woods? Either way, her lack of interest was obvious. Maybe it wasn't all history she was interested in. What was the difference? Or was she really this down?

Giving up on that, Guy carried on. At least she continued walking with him.

She glanced over at him so he smiled the moment they made eye contact. He saw it in her face that she appreciated his attempt to cheer her up. She really was a beautiful woman, especially with her skin turned pink from the cold. She echoed his smile. Yes, she definitely looked a lot better. The burdens she carried didn't feel so heavy to her. And neither did he.

"Guy…." She spoke in barely a whisper as she watched him.

"Yeah?"

She paused as if unsure what to say next. She finally settled on, "thank you." Raine tried to close the gap between them to lean on him.

He jumped back, startled.

Damn that phobia!

Why did his body have to react this way? "I'm sorry!" He really meant it, but it didn't help ease her disappointment as she pulled her cloak a little tighter around herself. She nodded and turned away, he presumed to hide that her smile wasn't there anymore, and the lift she had a moment ago vanished, too. She needed some form of comfort, but who else did she have right now? Her only option was this broken man who couldn't stand to be too close to women. He clenched his fist in frustration.

Except she was different from other women. He could help her. He'd done it before.

Determined to try, he held out his right hand. "Here, compromise?" Raine turned back around, startled to see it. He watched her eyes stare at his glove before coming to rest on his face. She took his hand. He noticed her hands were still bare and must be numb by now. Maybe he should offer his gloves. "Are your hands cold?"

"I'm fine."

Sure, he thought skeptically. Then Guy noticed his heart beat a little faster but it didn't feel right. His breathing changed, too, albeit under more control than usual. He wasn't shaking. Shivering a little from the cold, but even that could've melted away. What was this? The symptoms were the same as his usual panic attacks but the overall feel was… different. This was new.

This was… positive. Even the weird feeling in his stomach.

He'd experienced stirring feelings in his stomach from women before, but nothing like this. For once he actually wanted a woman to be too close. This one was interesting and intelligent and beautiful and he felt a strange sagging in his stomach when he realized it. He was actually falling for her. The idea had never felt tangible before. It never felt real. But here she was, Raine walking side-by-side with him, holding his hand and he felt a stirring weight in his stomach that he'd never felt before.

As much as he wanted to, he couldn't smile anymore. Instead he watched the ground pass below his feet. Was this really okay? Leading her on like this? There's no way he could give her what she wanted. Clearly that was true! She couldn't even find comfort in leaning on his shoulder the way friends do.

Yes, friends. Nothing more. That's all they would ever be because that's all they could ever be. He could accept that… but would she?

The gripped feeling in his stomach intensified. What if she did feel that way? About him? Wouldn't she regret it? Being with someone who couldn't hold her? But watching her now, he wasn't sure what to think. She simply walked, her staff in one hand and his hand in the other. She didn't seem to pay any attention to the fact that they actually holding hands. Maybe she didn't feel that way. Maybe she saw it as seeking comfort from a friend, too. After all, so much had happened recently, between Daath, the Tartarus, and missing Genis, fearing the loss of the Rheaird, and hiding her secrets from everyone, she was definitely under a lot of stress. She just needed a friend to support her. That's all it's been all along. That's all it was.

That's all this is.

Right?

He glanced down at their hands, his gloves enveloping her fingers in a way that could help with the cold, but not in the way he wanted. Guy let go and pulled the gloves from his hands. "No, I insist." He held them out for her. Raine blinked at them and eventually, she set the staff in the snow and pulled them on. A matter-of-fact gesture of appreciation without any sly, flirty grins that one of maids might've given him. She flexed her fingers, staring almost blankly at how much bigger they were than her own hands.

"Thank you." A simple thank you. He nodded. Yes, friends. Maybe this was okay.

She picked up her staff and carried on walking, again side-by-side with him, sometimes even looking down to examine his gloves in between checking out this residence or that woman's fur coat. See? This was okay. She really did just see him as a friend. Nothing to worry about. And if he felt this way, that would be fine. He was satisfied just being around her.

He sighed and surveyed Keterburg. Other people seemed so carefree and able to do whatever they wanted. But Raine was better off hugging Karl III's statue for all the warmth and physical contact he could give her. Maybe Keterburg wasn't his favorite place. The snow seemed stale even in the light flurry and he found himself hating even the melting snowflakes that landed on the dim lampposts.

But Guy knew all his life that this was how it was going to be. From the beginning when he first panicked because a woman had approached him. At the time he didn't understand what was happening. All he knew was that he felt in danger, actively dying, with his heart beating too fast out of his chest, his breathing too shallow, he thought he really was going to die. And it happened every time a woman got close. Over the years he'd gotten used to the idea that he would be alone. He just never expected to find anyone he wanted to be with. He ground his teeth as he walked. Now what? Better not to think about this.

Ugh, he wanted to focus on anything else. Wait. What about that? She didn't even know about that because she wasn't even with them when they learned it. He tried to loosen his jaw a little before speaking.

"You were right, by the way," Guy said in what he hoped was a normal tone.

Raine turned back towards him. "About what?"

"Jade has more than a little knowledge about fomicry."

"Oh, that."

Huh. She didn't seem very interested, but he continued anyway. "He is behind the theory, and the one who eventually forbade it. Can you believe that? He is actually the father of fomicry!" Raine nodded without a note of surprise that Guy expected. Was she that sure of her theory? "Anyway, apparently Van is collecting replica data for some project, but I don't know why."

"For replication, probably," Raine said.

"Yeah…." Something about the way she said that sounded like she thought it was obvious, but somehow Guy wasn't sure that was the whole story. What was Van's ultimate goal here? Maybe he missed a big opportunity when he didn't go with the others, but where Luke had seen everything through Asch anyway, Guy figured he could just ask him. He would've, but he had gotten derailed by something else Luke had said. "By the way," Guy said, "I've been meaning to thank you for helping him."

"Him?"

Oh, right. She couldn't follow his line of thinking. "Back at the Tartarus after Akzeriuth, I got so mad at Luke that I just left. He told me that you helped him, that's part of why he wants to change."

Raine shook her head. "That can't be me."

"Why not?"

"All I did was sit with him until he fell asleep. There was nothing I could've said to him, so I didn't bother trying."

"It's more than that…" He stopped and turned to face her, so she stopped walking, too, and looked up at him. "Apparently, you've been singing to him. Whenever he's distressed."

Raine blushed, somehow turning her skin more pink than it already was. "He told you about that?" Embarrassed, she turned away from him. "Well, it's… how long have you known?"

"Not long. He just told me about it when we went to Daath to pick up Natalia and Ion. He thanked me for waiting for him and… well…." Flustered, he scratched the back of his head. Not that he regretted all the things he said to Luke, but it was embarrassing to admit it now. He wanted to make up for everything.

"When did you leave them?" Raine didn't sound all that curious. The question was more automatic.

"After Belkend. I didn't want him to think I'd abandoned him. I just wanted answers. I figured at that point everyone else could find out the rest and I… I would check on him. From his perspective, we were pretty mad at him and then we just kind of left him behind."

"I'm sure that's exactly where his mind would've gone," Raine replied. "I'm still convinced my parents abandoned us," she paused long enough for a few breaths, "but I suppose you're right there might've been another way to look at it." So she was finally opening up to the idea. Guy was still sure it wasn't that they didn't want their kids; something else was going on. He was glad she was starting to believe it herself.

Guy looked up at the sky, still barely lit with a low sun. Wait… That's right! Her parents abandoned her and Genis somewhere. What if they came down from the village and then had no way to get back? Wasn't that why she wanted the Rheaird? Without it, she couldn't return to Genis. Then, did she mean by "coming here" as coming to the Outer Lands from above? Was that the message she tried to tell him? So then… what she told Natalia…? Was it actually true?

"Did you really come from the village in the sky?" Guy asked. Raine hesitated so he continued. "I won't tell anyone about it. I'm just wondering if that's part of why your parents never came back. Maybe they couldn't come back to you."

"You don't really believe that's where I came from."

In truth, he was torn. A village in the sky made more sense than anything else did. "It is a bit far-fetched," Guy admitted. He waved his hand at the sky, "but so is thinking the Outer Lands are so high up in the air. Knowing that, I suppose it's not that unbelievable." However, it did explain a lot of things he wondered about her all along. Did it explain everything? He wasn't sure but he didn't want to pull out his paper to check. Instead he held out his hand again, unsure what else to do. Well, more to stop himself from checking it.

Raine accepted his hand but didn't confirm anything. What did that even mean? She certainly didn't seem to have the same openness with him as she did with Natalia, or even as she did before they parted at Belkend Port. Tugging even small details out of her was like trying to use a fonon he's not suited for. He supposed she'd always been like that, but something about her demeanor seemed a little more tight-lipped than before, if that was even possible. She did seem to take comfort in holding his hand, though. Maybe this really was enough for her.

"After all, you said so yourself," he said, watching her carefully. "Why not try expanding our thinking beyond our current understanding? A village in the sky certainly fits that."

Her response was dispirited. "Yes, it does." Why did always have this feeling that he was missing something?! He grunted in frustration. Something still felt off. What was it?! Why couldn't she just outright tell him? How hard was that? Yes, it's true or no it's not? He had to take a deep breath.

"Honestly, it'd be pretty cool if it were true." Wait… "Uh, I mean, except for the part about having to escape from it." Guy thought he was being of some comfort, but the more he spoke, the more she seemed to shut down on him. Her chin drooped more and more with his every word. Why? Could she tell he was frustrated? That's not what he wanted either. There had to be a way to salvage this. "I'm assuming that's what you mean by that." Raine turned away. "It makes sense why you'd need the Rheaird then. Did you make it to Sheridan at all?"

She only nodded.

"What about meeting up with Class M? Did you see them?"

Raine nodded again.

Guy turned away. He was getting answers he supposed, but it was still frustrating. Why didn't she even want to answer questions about that? If he was right, wouldn't she be more comfortable being forthcoming at this point? What was the problem then? Not being happy about it meant there must've been some kind of trouble. He tried to keep his tone level as he asked, "Did they say they could fix it up?"

She shrugged. Quite the conversationalist she was being. Guy inhaled a deep breath. No, don't get upset with her. It's frustrating that she won't talk much, but she had her reasons. Still, he felt the frustration in his chest and he scratched at it with his fingers. "That's good. You'll be able to get it fixed up and then find Genis."

Ah! She finally looked up at him and smiled. But then she turned her attention to a man walking past them the other direction. Guy squeezed her hand; it was the only other thing he could think of. They walked on silence though Guy's mind wasn't silent at all. He wanted her to talk to him. He wanted her to come back to her happier self, not to see her like this. He wanted to be able to connect with Raine the way had before. During those times when they could banter back and forth. Maybe he could try something else.

"Sometimes I miss my sister, Mary. She was very assertive and pushed me to become more like a man, but she taught me to stand up for myself. Without her, I don't know whether I would've had the guts to come to Kimlasca and face His Grace."

Raine didn't seem to be interested in that topic either; she hung her head again. "I imagine that was a tough decision to make."

"For a young boy who was scared of everything, it was huge. I think Pere only indulged me because he didn't think I would actually follow through on my plan." Guy paused, remembering again the day he met Luke. "I really thought I would once I saw what his son was like, but I never tried."

"Why not?"

Guy shrugged. "Too scared, I guess. In the end, that turned out to be a good thing. Just like you, I made a friend out of an enemy."

She squeezed his hand gently and turned back to watching her steps. Well, that was something he supposed. Maybe it was still too early to try making her feel better. As much as he wanted to help, she just didn't have the energy. That had to be it. The more he looked around, though, the less he knew what to say. There had to be something. He didn't really want to go in and she didn't look like she wanted to either. Given the choice of paths in the forked street, she opted against the one heading back to the hotel. Still holding her hand, Guy followed.

"The village in the sky sounds interesting. I'm sure, there are details you can share that won't adversely affect you, right?" Raine nearly froze. Apparently she was far less confident about that than he was. "I mean, I like hearing your stories. I was just hoping you had another one is all." Raine refused to look at him, even turning her body away. Rather than walking the staff along the ground, now she carried it parallel to the ground. Here it was again, the distrust. But why?! He pulled her along with a gentle tug. She walked stiffly, like a robot facing only forward. "Am I really that much of a threat?"

Raine shook her head, a small gesture that if he hadn't been watching her, he might've missed it.

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything." Though inside, he wanted her to say something that would indicate she still trusted him on some level. He felt the anger in the pit of his chest, though. "But I'm sure there's some stuff we can talk about that's harmless, especially since I know about that village at all. I imagine Martel is the woman who runs it, but what is it called? Can I ask that?" Apparently not. Raine took to watching her feet and slumping her shoulders. Fine. He copied her and watched his feet, too. "I'm sorry. I just have a couple of theories and I just wanted to know if its name is Tethe'alla or Cruxis. Either way, there's no reas—"

Raine yanked her hand out of his. Uh oh.

She stopped walking and stared at him, horrified. "Cruxis? When did I mention that?" He didn't have to feel her pulse to know her heart rate just skyrocketed. Cruxis was definitely important somehow! But what did that mean for him now?

"Well, um…" he thought back. When was that? "I think we were in the desert…."

Raine lost her breath and held her hand to her hair, almost grabbing a chunk of it. She would've dropped her staff, he was sure, except her grip had become so firm it was probably glued in place. Suddenly she turned her back to him.

"Wait, but it doesn't mean anything is wrong," he reached for her again, but failing to get close, he simply showed her his palms. "I'm not going to hurt you because of that. The names mean nothing to me until you tell me what it is!" Even that did nothing to soften her fear. "Look, I won't say the names again." Her eyes met his and for a moment, she stood frozen, looking over her shoulder, and obviously struggling to breathe. "You see, I understand why you're scared. You have a secret that you think will endanger your life if anyone knows and not knowing what will happen to you if they find out, but the thing is, Raine, I… I don't want you to…" He began faltering in his speech. What did he want to say? His heart knew what he wanted to say, but he couldn't say that. That would be too inappropriate, especially if she didn't feel that way about him. No, it was that he couldn't find the right words, the right way to say it without upsetting her more. "You can't be afraid of me. Even now, right?" She didn't respond. "Are you?"

She seemed to soften a little, but her nervous jitters returned, this time as a visibly quivering jaw. "I…" Again, she struggled to speak and through all of his frustration, she saw the terrified woman he had cornered on the Tartarus. He closed his eyes. Damn. He'd done it again. But as much as he wanted to back off, he just couldn't. He wanted her to trust him! Then he heard her take a deep breath. "Cruxis is… the Order of Lorelei." The Order of Lorelei? Did she mean that literally? That they were the same thing? Or…?

"It is the Order of Lorelei? Or just like the Order of Lorelei?"

Raine didn't answer, but held her hands to her chest and tottered back the other direction, back down the road towards the hotel. He followed her but at a pace that fell behind.

Whatever it was, this was definitely a core part of the problem. Not only did Raine shut down on him, the reaction she gave him was almost as severe as on the Tartarus. She still didn't trust him! She still didn't want him to know, even after everything! Even after he sat with her at the inn, silently, not even asking about what happened when she crashed their landship.

"Haven't I proven I'm a good man?!" He cried at her back. She continued up the stairs to the hotel without looking back. She went into the hotel and closed the door behind her, leaving Guy standing on the front steps.

"What the hell…?"

He kicked at the snow and grunted in frustration. Yet again, he opened his damned mouth and screwed things up! Why was she so guarded?! And what happened to reserving the right to not answer? Couldn't she be a little more respectful about it and just say "hey, I'm not answering that. Let's talk about something else?" Or better yet, offering a topic at all. Supportive silence is fine for a while, but Guy didn't want just that. Ugh, why did he bother trying so hard? Even after all of the support he'd given her all along, she was ungrateful for all of it!

He shook his head and climbed the steps to the hotel. But before he could open the door, it opened for him and Raine stepped back out. Embarrassed, she kept her eyes down. This time, he couldn't say anything. As angry as he felt, he wanted to say something. But then she looked over at him and muttered in a low voice, "I'm sorry."

Yeah, well, you should be. Then he sighed. "You know, it's enough to say 'I'm invoking the pact' or 'don't ask' or… just about anything, really." He didn't hide the anger in his voice. She nodded. "I'm trying to be supportive but I want to actually talk about stuff, too."

"You're such a kind man."

"Huh?" All of the frustration he felt a moment ago vanished. That wasn't what he expected to hear.

"I don't mean to make you feel like you're not," she said finally. "I'm… Guy, I'm sorry." She didn't seem to know what to say. She held the door open for him. "Shall we go back to the dull view?"

"No."

Surprised, Raine nodded. "I understand."

"No, it's not that." He gestured for her to go inside. "Why not get a better view? One of the city?"

At first, she looked confused but then he watched the realization ease into her face. She understood. He had invited her to explore the hotel. "Okay." He smiled at her. And then we can stand in silence. I just won't say anything at all. Yes, that was a far safer bet. As much as he wanted to talk, she clearly didn't.

The elevator dinged and the door opened. Somehow, all of his anger got left behind as he boarded. She'd just called him a kind man, even after he snapped at her in anger. He certainly didn't feel kind a moment ago. When she looked at him this time, he couldn't help but notice the fear and sadness hidden in her smile. She didn't say anything else. They took the elevator to the terrace at the top of the hotel where they could look out at the city. There were several people hanging around so Raine turned back towards the elevator and boarded again.

"How about a balcony? They're a little more private."

"I think there's a door that leads outside to a common area balcony. We can see if any of those are empty." Again he felt a flip in his stomach. She wanted to be alone with him. Buoyed a little, Guy led the way to a balcony hanging off the fifth floor, and Guy held the door open for her. Below, they could see everyone coming and going through one set of the front doors.

They stood in silence looking out. Guy did feel a sense of exhaustion. He leaned against the rails with his arms folded across the top and rested his chin there. Great, now he felt bad for letting his anger go. Maybe he shouldn't be trying so hard. With as guarded as she was, maybe she was satisfied with silence. Why couldn't he be?

Because she was mysterious. She was interesting. There were things about her he could only guess and he wanted to know. He felt something at knowing she was willing to tell him things she wouldn't tell anyone else and he wanted more of that feeling. That feeling must've been related to the squirreling in his stomach he felt when he held her hand.

"What do you plan to do when this is all over?" Raine asked.

He lifted his head, a little surprised. She was willing to talk now? When he saw her, he saw her effort at pulling herself together. Her shame, too. He stood up straight. "Oh, I don't know. It kinda depends on what happens."

"Do you think you'll ever go back to Malkuth?"

Guy shrugged. "If I do, I'd return to Grand Chokmah; it'd be the easiest place to start over. I know you're not a fan of water, but if that happens, you should come visit me." He smiled at the thought. Raine, visiting him in Grand Chokmah?

"I made a promise never to visit that city because Elder McGovern said it sits on the water." Raine brushed some of the snow off the rail and smiled at him. "That is to say, if I have a chance, I'd love to come visit. Maybe I'll bring Genis so you can meet him."

"Man, that would be awesome! Do you think Genis would like me?"

"Eventually…." Then Raine laughed and leaned on the rail to better look at the people below. "Genis always was protective of the people he cares about."

"Oh? So he might not like someone cozying up to his older sister."

The coy smile Raine gave him wasn't very reassuring. Hopefully, Genis wasn't dangerous. Or very old. He was a teenager by the sounds of it, though. Definitely big enough to protect his sister from any—Guy shook his head. Just friends. They're just friends!

"Did you enjoy Belkend?"

Oh, man, that city was great! "You bet! The whole city just lives and breathes technology. There's all kinds of machines to look at." No one else except Ion had ever appreciated fontech like he had, which was disappointing, but for her to ask about it? She must be interested in hearing! When he saw a small grin sneak onto her face, he realized why she brought it up. She just wanted to see him excited. Well, he was happy to indulge her in that! "You never know what this gear will do or what that lever alters, and apparently the people who built the city wanted to put some puzzles together. One of them involved a crane that moved a crate where someone had put something inside. At first, I thought someone would be mad at us taking it, but the more we wandered, the more I thought they did it for that reason. There were even massive water wheels that also generated artificial lightning, electricity, enough to power more than the whole city. We even found a man fallen into a shaft." He threw that in to see if she was really listening.

With an amused smile, she asked, "He fell into a shaft?" Apparently, she was.

"I know, it was really weird. Asch did manage to get him out of there." He leaned on the rail again and looked out over Keterburg. This was much better. "The Fontech Laboratory was doing all kinds of things. Apparently some of them really are helping with replication research. I know you said you wanted information on exspheres, but I'll be honest, I forgot to ask. I'm sorry about that. I was a little more focused on—"

But when he glanced at her, she turned away.

Not again! What happened this time? He really should just stop talking.

Raine paled and turned away. Oh, that's right! He was going to ask Class I about the exspheres. It was all she could do not to groan. Oh, no… please don't tell me he's actually going to! At least he forgot to ask. This time.

"I did it again, didn't I?" She heard this discontent in his voice, a sharp contrast to the excitement he had a moment ago.

"Y-you don't have to talk to them about those things," Raine said in a hurried voice.

"But… you said you wanted to know more about them…." The confusion on his face was evident. Raine furrowed her brow at the sight of it. She shook her head. Immediately, Guy frowned and snapped right back to anger. This time, though, he didn't say anything. He had said he would back off and quit asking, but she could tell the confusion ate at him. He rested his chin in his hand as he leaned on the rail, facing away from her. All of the energy he displayed at the mere mention of Belkend had evaporated into disinterest. She didn't want to leave him like that.

Nor did she want to lie.

He was right. He wanted to support her, she'd felt that all along, but it was hard to just sit with someone in sheer silence all the time. She had the same feeling when everyone abandoned Luke out of disgust on the Tartarus. She didn't know what to say or do that would help him feel better and sitting in silence was too uncomfortable, too. She didn't want that for him.

What could she do, though? Telling him the truth about anything was tricky. And at the very deepest core of her, she wanted him to figure it out, to understand. But it just seemed so impossible to tell him herself. Torn between telling a lie he could believe or telling the truth that was unbelievable, she didn't know what to say. It wouldn't be the first time a man learned one thing about her and forgot everything they'd just been through. It just hurt to see him so frustrated at her all the time. How could she do it, though? For as long as she'd known him, he didn't seem dangerous. He was always humble, mild, kind. Would it be safe to say something? To give him a clue that would lead him straight to an answer? She chewed on her lip and ran her hand all along her left arm, brushing the torn sleeve over her bracelet.

If she did, would he take an unhealthy interest in it? Somehow, she doubted that. When he heard about fomicry, he didn't react like it was something he would pounce on and exploit. And just now when he talked about it, he was more interested in what Van was doing with it. No, it wasn't the ideas he was interested in. He just loved the machines and exploring how they worked. Perhaps it would be safe to tell him. That's what she wanted to believe anyway.

The more people that knew about this technology, though, the more it could be exploited. He truly didn't seem that kind of person. No, she just wanted to share something honest with him. She didn't want him to feel angry and confused. Frustrated. She looked around for anyone who could be within earshot but didn't see anyone. She'd made up her mind. "Here." Raine pulled up the sleeve on her left arm and held up the bracelet for him to see. He raised his chin from his hand and turned to look. At first he seemed stunned, staring at the bracelet. Then his eyes widened when he realized she was actually showing him.

"Huh? That's… you said not to ask about that."

"Well, now it's okay," she whispered. "As long as you keep what I say to yourself."

He leaned in closer to see it. "Umm… okay. What is it?"

"It's an exsphere." Raine removed the exsphere from her bracelet mount and handed it to him. He held it up for a closer look. The stone was a tiny round stone with a flat bottom and pure red. Even as he looked at it closely, she could tell he didn't see anything special about it. "It's basically a gem that amplifies power."

"Oh wow! Where did you get this?" Then he looked up at her with another dawning realization. "You stole this from Class I, didn't you?"

"No, I got it from a sword I found in some ruins." A half-truth, but he wouldn't know that. It was answer enough.

"Ruins…? Which ones?"

"It doesn't matter."

Disappointed, Guy sighed, but briefly. "How does it work?"

"It amplifies abilities through the skin. I think it's the energy from it that boosts our abilities to use m—" No, don't say that. "Magic. It's the reason I can use fonic artes the way I can."

"Oh, so that's how you got so strong so fast! That's neat. This is what you found in Choral Castle, isn't it?" Interested in the stone, he rolled it over and over in his hand as if looking at it from a different side would yield something new to see. He didn't realize she never answered him. But then he paused and looked up at her, confused. "You're actually answering questions…."

Raine nodded. "I can't afford you asking someone else."

"Really?" He lowered his hand, no longer looking it over. "But I don't think anyone's going to turn you in, as cool as this is. I mean, if there's one, there's likely more. What do you have to worry about?"

There certainly were more, but not on Auldrant. "It sounds impressive, but it's actually awful." Raine held out her hand to take it back. He handed it to her. To answer his questioning look, she put it back on her bracelet, deliberately avoiding his eyes. "They're made from human lives." She heard a sharp intake of breath and slowly peeked at him to gauge his reaction. He looked too stunned to breathe.

It was the lowest of tones when he finally spoke. "Human... lives...?" As the horribleness of it sunk in, Raine could see his face turn pale. "They're sacrificing people to make those?"

"Humans," she corrected him.

"Er, right…." He obviously didn't know what to think as he rubbed the back of his head. "Still… it's…." Clearly, he struggled for what to say, how to respond, and settled on muttering nonsense until… "Wait. You... you're using human lives..." He stepped back away from her, this time not out of his fear of women. "Doesn't that bother you?"

She frowned and turned away just in time to see a clump of snow fall from above. "Well, yes, it does..."

"But… you're still using it."

Because I have to. "So you're judging me after all."

"How long have you known where it came from? How can you even… use it?"

Raine sighed and followed the balcony along the banister, her arms folded across her chest. She'd asked herself that many times since she found out. Even Lloyd was ready to throw his away until a conversation with Kratos changed his mind. For Raine, it was her little brother. With this exsphere, she could protect Genis from anyone, and a long time ago she decided that was her first priority, using whatever means necessary to save him if his life was in danger. But an answer like that wouldn't make sense to Guy. He'd lost his family, sure, but living a cushy life as a noble's servant wouldn't yield the same sense of danger as protecting your sick little brother from a man threatening to evict you from more than just his barn late at night. "I suppose because what's done is done." She could still feel the warmth, but only from the exsphere. The rest of her felt colder than ever.

"That doesn't make it right." He said in a low voice. She shook her head.

"We would've died several times without them."

"Doesn't make it right," he whispered, but with less conviction.

"Sometimes, I can feel the life from the human." She wrapped her fingers around the gem, stroking it. "Sometimes I wonder if they can tell they're being useful still, that they are helping me intentionally."

"It's a stone, Raine."

"And yet, I sense a consciousness from it." She spoke as if mindlessly expressing herself, as if she were thinking aloud and not talking to someone in particular. The footprints she left behind on the terrace quickly buried under falling snow. "I feel gratitude from it, love almost, as if they're thankful for serving a purpose." The door to the room above them opened. Raine glanced up.

"Is that really true? It sounds like—" He cut himself off before he could say it.

Raine wasn't sure, but his icy tone convinced her to stop talking about it. Just as well since someone from the floor above them closed the door up there. Instead, she turned back to their door and walked inside the round hallway of the hotel. He followed, but his shadow cast on the floor told her he maintained some distance. They rode the elevator together without looking at each other and separated the moment the doors opened. In the women's room of the hotel, she pulled off the exsphere and stuffed it into her bag, suddenly more ashamed than ever of having it, of using it, of... relying on it.

She sat on the bed and rubbed her face before glancing up at the ceiling. He was right, though, what was she thinking using such a thing? It's not like she was able to do anything to save Genis now. It was just a thing.

A few minutes later, Anise came into the room, also covered in snow. She'd been gone this whole time? Sure enough, Raine looked and saw that Tear and Natalia had fallen asleep, but Anise was apparently out. She casted Raine a strange look before pulling down her blankets to crawl into bed. Perhaps she thought it was strange Raine was still up. At the very least, Raine thought Anise should've been in bed by now, too. Unsure what to think, Raine turned her own bedding down. Her own body heat wasn't enough to warm up her bed. The fire in the grate wasn't either. Somehow, after talking with Guy about the exsphere, she felt filthier, colder, more prejudiced than ever. It'd been a long time since she last saw herself as what she really was. A vile half-elf. No better than a Desian.

Luke and Ion had fallen asleep by the time Jade returned. It was late enough Guy could tell Jade didn't expect anyone to be up, but he just had a hard time getting any rest after asking about Cruxis and Raine's reaction to it, not to mention the exspheres and—Guy shuddered. He didn't want to think about that. What the hell was going on with that anyway? Jade set about preparing for bed before Guy said anything.

"You were gone for a long time."

"Oh, just doing some research," he replied in and upbeat tone as he removed his boots and set them up next to his bed. Guy supposed that explained his late return, but did it explain his jubilance? He doubted it.

"Find anything interesting?"

Jade smiled a broad, joyous smile. "Curious? I daresay you'll find out in due time. But if you figure it out on your own, you'll learn it sooner."

Guy frowned and, frustrated, rolled over and pounded into his pillow with his fist. What was with all these people and their damn secrets?!

And Raine literally carried a horrible one with her.

What struck him more…. Natalia had been right about it.

A/N: Hi, Everyone!

I hope this chapter finds you well. :)

I love how slow and steady wins the race. It took a lot of revising and editing this time (I can't even count how many rewrites I had just of the first three paragraphs), but I finally got something I'm happy with. I think my biggest problem was Guy's contradiction between making a promise about not asking and then asking a bunch of questions anyway. I finally solved that with some small talk.

Anyway, 47 will also take some time but in between the breaks of working on 46, I also worked on that one, so it's not quite as far gone as 46 was. Hopefully I'll get it done on time! * determined * I'm shooting for June 23.

I also didn't know this until I researched this chapter, but apparently it's a real thing to put lemons in your spaghetti. o.O I had never heard of that but a quick search online reveals that quite a few people do. Personally, I sit in Guy's camp, but that's mostly because I didn't grow up with it.

Thank you to you all for reading! I appreciate that you take time and enjoy this story. Here's hoping the rest of the your weekend is fantastic. Be well!

Update June 14: Okay, I can already see I'm not making my June 23 deadline. When I have better idea when, I'll post the update here. :)

Update July 9: July 21 should be the date of reckoning! Okay, maybe not, but I think I should have the chapter ready by then. :)

~~Kat =^-^=