"Nids, are we...?"

Laya laid her head onto her knees, her body curled up as she lay in her bed. After her escape from the forest through her sister's distraction, the Adapter shut herself in her room, waiting for her sister to return. She didn't want to leave her there with the other S.O.N.G. fighters, but after a command to return home using the alchemy as a cover, she was forced to obey. She didn't want to bring up her concerns to the alchemist, especially after how upset she looked when she came back. As such, she confided in the only other being that would listen to her, one that didn't play favorites.

"Do you think that you are," Nidhogg asked, spinning around in a circle before plopping its butt on a blanket right beside her. Normally, the girl would have cooed at this sight, but right now, she was too stricken on her decision-making to bother praising the dragon's small actions.

"I... don't know."

The dragon could read the turmoil on the girl's face, not even needing to go into her mind to understand her feelings.

"You could always bring it up to your sister."

When Nidhogg mentioned it, Laya couldn't help but scoff at the idea. She hated the idea of unnecessary fighting, even if she let her ambitions of using the Symphogear get the better of her when she first came face-to-face with the idol duo. But when the group finally stood in front of her, extending a hand to her, she figured that there was no need to fight them.

Her sister thought otherwise.

"Yeah, a lot of good that does. She doesn't listen," Laya muttered, rolling over to meet Nidhogg's eyes.

The dragon went silent, the faint smell of lavender wafting in the air after Laya's brief experience in the shower. With all the running through the forest, she felt grimy, even if it was more because of sweat than it was from being slammed into the ground. She mulled over this thought of hers the entire time in and out of there, only now sitting on her mattress before finally vocalizing anything.

Her sister rarely ever listened to her suggestions or her requests, shooting them down without a second thought. She was very headstrong, a trait both of them carried. However, in Leia's case, it was much more detrimental than it was helpful.

Because of this, Laya couldn't help but think of what they were doing and if it was wrong or not. Those people wanted to help her, and yet...

"Hah... I wonder what they're doing."

"You mean the S.O.N.G. agents?"

Of course, there was no one else she could have been thinking of. While her impression among the other Adapters was something that she could care less for, the girl who she knew as Red Singing Hood was a different story. She didn't want to look like a villain in the eyes of her savior, but it seemed like it was too late for that. It made her heart heavy, knowing she couldn't just explain her side of the story as an unwilling combatant in this war waged by her double.

She let out a sigh, bringing her knees even closer to her chest. "Maybe they could-"

Before her thought could finish, Nidhogg interrupted her, an obvious retort coming from its voice. "Do you not remember what happened earlier," it reminded, the events playing back in Laya's head.

The moment she was reminded of how they attacked her before entering Yggdrasil, she knew that just talking to them had a chance of being a lost cause. Even when they offered a chance to go with them, the use of the phrase "take into custody" made it sound like she was a criminal who wasn't worth redeeming.

Granted, the group was correct on the "criminal" part, since she did fly straight into and trespass on the Kazanari residence, so they had legal reason to do so. However, the "not worth redeeming" was more of an exaggeration in Laya's mind.

With a groan, she rolled onto her back, letting go of her legs and putting her arms out in frustration. "Ugh... what do I do, Nids?" The more she thought about it, the more she felt that it was hopeless.

"That's not up for me to decide."

That answer made Laya perk up, if only to retaliate at the Relic. Of course, it always had its snarky remarks, but this time, she wanted guidance. She didn't know what she could do, so getting a third opinion was crucial in her decision-making, since she had an opinion that wasn't already leaning in favoritism.

"Well, you're in our heads all the time, I assumed you'd have some secret I could take advantage of," she responded, her brow furrowing as Nidhogg got comfortable. Laying its head down, it gave a yawn, though its response would still be as clear as ever.

"Do you hear yourself?"

Laya didn't want to admit it, but the dragon was right. The words she used weren't just to help her decide on her own, but from what it sounded like, she wanted to sway Leia over to her side. Her sister had her own reasons for not trusting S.O.N.G. and their forces, but Laya didn't think they were justified. She wanted her to see reason, by any means necessary. She wanted to find something that she could pull at, to get her sister to see her side, because she thought that this time, now more than ever, she was right compared to Leia.

But if she did that by force...

She'd be no better than Leia.

"Yeah, but... you know how she is..."

She laid her head onto her pillow, gazing up at the ceiling fan as it slowly spun. What could she do about her sister? "Empathy isn't her strong suit, but it's to be expected." Nidhogg's words only made Laya's thoughts more jumbled, trying to find a solution that benefited everyone. Unfortunately, she wasn't coming up with anything, nothing that could help Leia without making her an enemy to the other Relic wielders. If anything, all her ideas of working together were only making things worse.

"I should..."

She felt guilty about trying to rebel against Leia's decisions, her mind remembering what a certain blonde told her years ago as a child.


"You should listen to your sister, she knows best."


That memory played itself on repeat, that line of thinking being something she lived by ever since Stella passed. It didn't steer her wrong once, so there was no reason to divert from it now. "Do what you think is right," Nidhogg responded, not wanting to guide her down a line of thought that wasn't her own. Even if it did warn her about the interaction with S.O.N.G. before and how that went, the Relic wouldn't stop her from going back to them, if that's what she really wanted.

"Nids..."

Laya noticed the dragon's way of diversion, as if it were trying to remain neutral in this situation. Despite this attempt at staying neutral, she could tell that Nidhogg was drawing its own conclusions, though she couldn't tell which side it was leaning on. Because of that, she just had to ask her questions, even if they were just confirmation to put herself at ease.

"Would you... stop me if I went over to them?"

The dragon knew who she was referring to when she mentioned "them", not needing further clarification. Despite warning her previously about the wielders, its answer didn't disavow her choices. It was more supportive than Leia, though that wasn't a high bar to be set. "I have no qualms about the decisions you make. Your sister, on the other hand..."

Of course, she knew Leia would disagree with that line of logic. It wasn't her plan, backed up with several contingencies if nothing went her way. For all Laya knew, the moment Laya met with S.O.N.G. again and willingly went with them, she'd be in cuffs and locked away for years. There were too many unknowns to this alliance with S.O.N.G. that could lead to disaster. If there wasn't a surefire way of the alliance being in their favor, there was no point in trying for Leia. "And I'm gonna' assume that you won't stop her either?"

"You humans have the ability to apply critical thinking. If either of you go down your own paths, you should expect the consequences."

Nidhogg's response sounded very condescending, but it was the nicest way of saying that they should be aware of what their actions cause. Should Laya continue to follow her sister, they'd be at war with S.O.N.G. and their Adapters. However, if she defected to the S.O.N.G. Adapters, who knows how Leia would act? She already didn't see her as much more than a glorified drone camera, even if they were siblings. The fact that she could even think that made Laya's attitude much more downcast.

"Thanks, that's very helpful," she muttered, turning away from Nidhogg and rolling her eyes.

"You know I can recognize sarcasm in your mind, right?"

When Nidhogg mentioned being able to read her attitude in her thoughts, she turned back over, childishly sticking her tongue out at the dragon. "Maybe I wanted you to hear it." That lit her spirits, at least, for a moment. Her heart hadn't fallen low enough to stop her teasing, though it would need to be something absolutely awful to make her that sad. Her response put a smile on her face, but Nidhogg was always quick with a retort. "I wouldn't put it past you, but..."

"But...?"

Its response was curt.

"Wearing your heart on your sleeve doesn't help either."

She didn't think that would come from the beast's mouth, but it was more than enough to rile her up and distract her from her plight. "You...!" She didn't take it as an insult, but instead, as a compliment. It just meant that she was honest enough with her feelings to put them on full display for everyone to see, something she considered an admirable quality. She shifted herself, her face now right in front of Nidhogg's as she held its sides. She wasn't angry with it, using this time to coddle and pet the dragon's neck as she wore her usual carefree smile.

"Are you done?"

The voice of the alchemist cut through the fluffy atmosphere of Laya's room, the owner of that voice leaning against the doorframe with an unamused look on her face. The call from her sister caused Laya to jump, embarrassed at the coddling she was caught red-handed in. Leia had grown accustomed to this sight, since her twin always treated Nidhogg as more of a pet than a tool made by God.

"Aah! Sis, you scared me," Laya cried out, her back now to the wall after jumping back to meet her eyes, "you could have knocked or-"

"Hand over your converter."

Leia issued another demand, her hand extended and waiting for Laya to comply. She didn't have time for games, especially after their last encounter. Now that she knew what they were up against, precautions needed to be made. Something was telling her that the next time the two parties met, it would be the most impactful.

Laya, however, was a bit wary about handing her Gear over to her, knowing that she wouldn't be asking for a reason. "W-Why," she questioned, her eyes bouncing from her double to the jacket that was thrown onto the chair in the corner of her bedroom. When Leia noticed this eye movement, she clicked her tongue, her agitation becoming more visible by the second as she walked over to the chair.

"Just hand it over. You wouldn't understand maintenance if the process was fed into your brain by Nidhogg."

Picking up the jacket, she fished out the pendant from the pocket of the hoodie, tossing the hoodie aside after retrieving what she came for. She didn't say another word as she made her way to leave the room, but Laya couldn't help noticing her sister's condition.

She carried bags under her eyes, her scowl twisted like when she had a mind-numbing headache. Her fists were clenched, displaying an anger far beyond anything Laya had seen before. She could have sworn that she saw a trickle of blood running along the fingernail on her index finger, but she never got a chance to get a second look.

"H-Hey, are you sure you should be working on stuff right now? You look exhausted."

The younger sister turned to Laya, her temper raised when concern was shown for her. Even if it was genuine, Leia couldn't see it as anything other than condescending. Of course she was exhausted, but she wasn't born gifted with the power to activate a Relic, not to mention being the only one out of the two to be able to use alchemy. She was practically doing two people's jobs at once, on top of needing to work harder on her end naturally. The older twin wasn't going to do anything for her, so there was no point in her asking.

"Who else is going to do it? Certainly not you."

That remark made Laya quiet, internally cursing at herself for even offering help in the first place. There was a reason Leia never asked her for help before this; she wasn't good at anything Leia was. She wasn't good at alchemy, so what would she have done if Leia answered her in the way she wanted? The most she could do was wear a fancy suit and fight, but even that was a stretch. She couldn't help her.

She was just a burden to her, at the end of the day.

"Leia."

Leia's attention was now on the dragon, her eyes squinting as she snarled, "What did I tell you? I know my limits, don't patronize me. I've already had enough of that today." Her sister assumed that the last comment was directed at her concerns, even though it was towards the encounter with the Gears. The sight of one of the Receptor Children rebelling against absolute power made her angry, like the entire point of her having the Faust Robe meant nothing.

"But you look like you're about to pass out any minute now," Laya explained, even though Leia knew full well that she could see that if she looked in the mirror. It wasn't an easy job with handling Relics, she didn't need someone who couldn't even understand simplistic concepts of alchemy to tell her that.

"If I do, I do. Who cares?"

Laya immediately shot up from her bed, standing up as she put a hand on her chest. Even if her sister only listened to reason for most things, the words and concerns of her own flesh and blood should have sparked something in her.

"I-"

Before Laya could get her words out, her sister stepped up to her, their faces inches apart from each other. The more the distance closed, the more Laya could tell that her sister was overworking herself. It hurt her, especially since she knew that she couldn't stop it. No matter how many times she saw her sister depriving herself of rest, she couldn't force her to relax.

Once Leia finally reached her sister, she grabbed her shirt, now confirming Laya's suspicions as the white shirt she wore started to be dyed a shade of crimson where her sister's hand was. Leia's words rang throughout the Adapter's head when she declared them, her conviction just as strong as when they first started their journey.

"We have a job to do. And I'm not going to let anyone stand in my way."


What did I say? The older sister sure has her work cut out for her, doesn't she? Hopefully, she can sway Leia over to her side, but who knows...? Shorter chapter this week, but next week will be the start of the climax of this arc, so be sure to stick around for the beginning of the end!