The newly-installed automatic doors in the castle Alhambra (being rebranded from "castle" to "base" to be congruent with the wider UED philosophy taking over Gallia) parted with a hiss for Joseph as he entered into his personal bedroom. Before him was a figure with their back turned towards him. He smirked, knowing who this was.
"Ah, Vish'dnir," Joseph greeted in his usual smarmy tone to the imposing elf as he turned around to lock eyes with the entering Admiral. "I take it your mission was a success?"
"Indeed," Vish'dnir answered as he stepped aside to reveal an unconscious Tabitha lying on the balcony that his room led to. Joseph smirked once more.
"You've done well, my associate," Joseph praised in a tone that felt condescending as he walked forward and beside the elf to look down on his unconscious niece..
"And what of your end of the deal?" Vish'dnir asked, scowling at the Admiral who was not looking at him.
"You will get what's coming to you, I assure you," Joseph said.
"You will not use me as you use others, human," Vish'dnir declared threateningly as swirling red and black energies began to manifest on his gauntlet-laden hands. "Do not forget your place."
"You must be confused," Joseph said as he, suddenly, disappeared before Vish'dnir, causing him to look around widely.
"It is you who should not forget your place," Joseph whispered into Vish'dnir's ear from behind, causing him to whip around and attempt to launch a red psionic blast at him, finding his target gone and his psionic blast colliding with the wall instead. "You need my power. And my resources. Both as a Void Mage and Admiral, respectively," Joseph smugly declared as he appeared behind Vish'dnir once more, causing him to once more whip around. "You will need to be patient while we finish our conflict with the Protoss."
"Yes, that…" Vish'dnir mused as he lowered his hand he was aiming at Joseph, causing the energy to dissipate. "I hear it goes… poorly."
"Temporary setbacks," Joseph replied with the slightest tinge of anger that caused Vish'dnir a small sense of satisfaction.
"You are impatient," Vish'dnir declared as he stepped forward and looked down on Joseph with a smug look of his own. "Your forebears knew better than to accelerate things the way you have."
"My forebears…" Joseph began, practically snarling, "were slothful fools who needed detailed reports on taking a piss. In one fell swoop I have secured humanity's future faster than any who came before."
"Indeed…" Vish'dnir replied sarcastically as he raised an eyebrow.
"This squabbling gets us nowhere," Joseph declared with an exasperated sigh as he regathered his smug countenance. "Make yourself useful and continue work on our project, no?"
Vish'dnir, satisfied with the jabs he got in on Joseph's ego, nodded before turning to leave the room. As the door opened, Saito was revealed to be standing there. Vish'dnir took one look at him before continuing on, while Saito stepped into the room.
"Saito, my beautiful familiar, would you kindly take my niece to her place by my sister-in-law?" Joseph smugly ordered as he poured himself a drink.
Their… Saito thought to himself as he gave a respectful bow and lifted Tabitha into his arms before leaving the room.
As Saito carried Tabitha, cradled in his arms, through the halls to their mother, he remembered the meeting just before their most recent one. The last one they had before the events of Albion were beginning to be set in motion.
On that fateful night, Saito stood, anxiously fidgeting, in the hallway of the Gallian Royal palace. Lit, as it was, by pale moonlight. He was not sure they would come, given recent events, but also had the slightest hope that they wouldn't. Regardless of his feelings, it looked as though the confrontation was now inevitable as the unmistakable light footsteps of Tabitha, then still known as Charlotte, revealed them before the light of the moon did. They were still dressed in their ornate white dress they had worn to the party just earlier. Where their mother had been attacked. Saito gave them a look of concern, tinged with guilt.
"I wasn't sure you'd be here…" Saito began, his gaze downcast.
"They sent me away. Didn't want me to see…" Charlotte stopped, choked by their building need to cry. Saito instinctively twitched to embrace them, but stopped himself as he remembered his shame. Charlotte, as the tears were finally beginning to manifest, noticed this and opened their arms to him. "Please… I need you…" Once again, Saito hesitated as he struggled to look at them. "What's wrong?" Charlotte asked, pleading.
"I-." Saito's voice was stolen by shame. He clenched his fists to muster the courage to do what he knew was right. "I have to tell you something," Saito declared as he locked his eyes with Charlotte's, furrowing his brow in determination and tensing his entire body in anticipation of what he knew would ruin his relationship with the only friend he had had in this world.
"It was me," Saito admitted, feeling sick to his stomach as he spoke it into existence. "I was the one… who poisoned your mother." Charlotte gasped and faltered, feeling the need to stabilize themselves on the wall the windows adorned.
"No. Please. That's not funny," Charlotte strained to say, their tone heavy in desperation and denial as their eyes widened with the shock of this, and just as suddenly became obscured to Saito as they turned and leaned against the wall, casting their gaze downwards.
"It's true," Saito declared, making no effort to hide the shame that clawed at the edges of his tone, "I was originally supposed to-." Saito's shame cut him off once more.
"Tell me," Charlotte ordered as they stared at the ground, their, at the time, long hair obscuring their face. Saito drew a shaky breath at that.
"It was meant for you," Saito admitted. If there was any reaction from Charlotte, Saito could not see it. He resolved to continue laying his sins before his only friend. "When your mother saw me and took the drink away from you, I just looked at you and… I couldn't… Please understand I didn't-"
"Didn't have a choice?" Charlotte practically whispered as they raised their head to meet Saito's gaze once more. For the first time since he'd known them, he saw true, genuine fury upon their face. An accusatory glare that demanded more from him.
"You know what happens when I disobey him?!" Saito hissed as he pointed to the runes on his forehead.
"YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID TO MY MOTHER?" Charlotte shouted at him, turning their body towards him as they did. "What you were going to do to ME?" Charlotte's voice once again was choked away by tears that were now streaking down their face. Saito, though he found it burned him inside, kept his gaze fixed with Charlotte's, trying to give his best, most genuine apologetic look. No matter how futile it felt.
"I didn't have a choice…" Saito finally said, his tone heavy with resignation. Charlotte glared at him, silently, as tears of rage and sorrow dripped off their face and hit the stone floor beneath them, causing audible impacts that cut through their silence. After a few moments, Charlotte took a deep, wavering breath as they turned from Saito, causing him to look wounded.
"Don't speak to me again," Charlotte declared in the tone that would later become their default that everyone knew them for.
"Charlotte…" Saito said in a low, pleading tone.
"No," Charlotte replied as they began walking away. "That name belongs to the doll now. My mother believes it so."
"Then-?"
"Tabitha," Tabitha declared as they kept walking away, stopping for one moment before they rounded the corner to shoot Saito one, last look from their now-stoic face that they became known for. "Seems fitting."
Tabitha disappeared beyond the corner at that. Leaving Saito alone in the hall. He looked down at the carpet, feeling his own tears begin to well up. Tears of frustration at his powerlessness. His cowardice. If only he could endure more pain. If only he had the courage to die before hurting those he cared about.
Regardless, what was done was done.
Saito felt his rage at his uselessness hit a boiling point as he fell to his knees and began slamming his fist into the ground, giving an angry shout through his gritted teeth at each impact. Once he was done, and felt no more tears to cry, he took a deep breath and stood himself up, rubbing his arm as he did.
Saito, my familiar, it appears you did not succeed in your task, Joseph's smarmy voice rang through Saito's head as he felt the familiar burning pain within his runes that came from displeasing him. However… the voice continued, causing the pain to fade away. I believe we may be able to use this to our advantage…
Now, in the present, as Saito walked past the power-armored UED marine that was standing guard at the door, he entered the room where Tabitha's mother lay. Sedated, so as to prevent more of her thrashing. Saito sat the unconscious Tabitha on a chair that had been set up next to the bed by him. Just for his old friend. As he did, Tabitha began to stir, and their eyes slowly opened. After a moment, it seemed they had registered their surroundings and looked down to the sedated figure before them.
"Mother!" Tabitha cried out as they reached for their mother's hand. They whipped their head around, finding Saito as they did and scowling at him. "What have you done to her?!"
"She's just sedated," Saito replied in a cold, even tone. Tabitha looked down at their mother, tears welling up in their eyes. Saito took a deep, shaky breath as he turned around to a bookshelf on the wall.
There it is. He thought to himself as he grabbed one of the books and held it out to the crying Tabitha. They looked at the book, and then to him in confusion.
"I know it was always your favorite," Saito stated, not making eye contact with Tabitha as they took the book, wiping away the dust to read its title. The Legend of Lu. Saito's heart was racing, causing his emotions to overwhelm him as he opened his mouth to speak again.
"I remember you taught me to read your language using that book," Saito said, causing no reaction in Tabitha that he could see, but one he could sense as a small prick of nostalgia appeared in their mind, "I can't thank you enough for the kindness you showed me."
There was a silence that hung in the air for what felt like an eternity before Tabitha finally spoke up. "Leave us in peace," Tabitha ordered. Saito, turning his gaze away in shame, bowed his head and obeyed.
Once he had left, Tabitha opened the book, beginning to read aloud the all-too-familiar story.
"Once upon a time, in a peaceful, far away land. A princess was taken from her family by a dragon," as Tabitha read these words, they began to choke up, feeling their own situation acutely. Kirche… Louise… Siesta… Someone… save us.
Saito could hear these desperate thoughts as he leaned against the opposite side of the door, not wanting to give up Tabitha's presence.
Have you finished your task, Saito? Joseph's voice rang in Saito's head, causing him to scowl and finally push himself away from the door.
Yes, master, Saito replied.
Good. The potion is almost ready. When it is, come pick it up, Joseph informed him with what Saito could feel was delight and cruelty emanating from his master.
What potion? Saito asked, trying his best to mask his feelings of concern.
Curious, aren't you? How adorable… Joseph replied, amused. Why… the Potion of the Lost Heart, of course. Saito stopped where he stood. Frozen, now, with fear. I sensed that, my familiar… You have feelings for my niece, don't you?
No, master, all my devotion is reserved for you, Saito hastily replied.
Liar, Joseph replied, still with that smug, amused tone. Prove me wrong, though, and administer it to Charlotte yourself. Saito's eyes went wide with horror at this. He hoped against all hope this would not turn into an order. Oh? That scares you? Then it's settled. You will be the one to break my darling niece's mind. Saito couldn't hear it, but he knew Joseph was cackling at this. Snarling with rage, Saito smashed his fist into the wall beside him, denting it as he did. When he pulled his hand back, he could see that it was bruised, broken, and bloody. He'd definitely need to see a medic. The pain had yet to set in, but, oddly enough, he prayed for it.