Chapter 14: The Shroud
The door to the laboratory creaked slowly open, and those in the hall outside listened carefully for any signs of something - anything - that might be waiting for them inside. The room seemed to be just as dark and empty as the rest of the floor, and so after a moment the survivors made their way inside. It had been a long time since any of them had been in this building, let alone this room. It was where each of the Angels of Darkness had started and, for those who didn't shudder at the thought that it may now be their end, they couldn't help but wonder what new future it would usher in.
Balthazar had told Velcia about this place before, but there was something more lonely and forlorn than she had expected. Whenever he'd talked about his time in this tower his memories of it had been mostly fond and, though in no way idealistic, the stories always had a tinge of nostalgic warmth to them. A warmth that was, disappointingly, sorely lacking in the present. It was cold, lifeless, and dusty. The still air was filled only with the sounds of pathetic, dilapidated machinery struggling to be heard over the whistling bursts of wind past the large windows. A gentle hum underneath it all suggested that some sort of electrical life still persisted, waiting to be revived, but for now it was only that - a suggestion.
The eerie atmosphere wasn't helped by the fact that the room was nearly pitch black, lit only by what moonlight was able to make it through the windows. It was hard to tell just how big the room was, but the shadows that hid the walls did this so completely as to make the space feel nearly endless. The only thing that could be seen was a singular, glowing pod in the middle of the darkness ahead. Balthazar had mentioned these odd metal canister-like devices before, and Velcia did vaguely recognize it as being one of the machines used to create the Angels.
Balthazar stopped in place with an abrupt gasp, clutching his chest and groaning sharply. The others turned towards him fearfully, and after a few moments he took a deep breath.
"...Tadataka has fallen…" he said, voice just above a whisper. A chill coursed through the group, each of them overcome with sadness for the loss of their friend. Balthazar took a shaky step forward towards the pod, pressing through. "We can't let his sacrifice be in vain…"
As he approached the pod, Balthazar tried to remember what The Master had told him all that time ago. He could see a red tag dangling off the hinge, and a small control panel glowed almost imperceptibly.
"What do we do with this…?" Balthazar asked, picking up the control panel and inspecting the display. The panel's interface was almost confusing in its simplicity, having only a single unlabeled button available.
Farah came up beside him. "So… do you think we're meant to go inside, or is someone inside already?"
A voice broke out from the darkness behind the pod. "Neither."
Almost simultaneously, each of the Angels summoned their Keyblades. They'd lost enough already, and they weren't taking any chances.
"There is no need for weapons," the voice reassured them. The silhouette of the tall figure could be seen approaching the control panel, which he then picked up to press the button.
A loud clunking sound cracked out from the distance, followed immediately by a deep whirring hum that grew steadily higher in pitch. Lights in the corners of the room began to spark slowly to life, and not far back from the pod with the red tag several more, nearly identical such capsules could be seen glowing to life as well.
The figure revealed by the light was tall and well-built. Most of his body was covered in a complex, multi-pieced armor like nothing Balthazar had ever seen before, but his head was exposed. Balthazar recognized the man, and smiled with relief.
"Khosrow… it's you!"
"It is indeed. Is this truly all that remains of our family?" he said, surveying the crowd. He nodded expectantly at the sight of Bi'nh's son, but seemed to be surprised by Velcia. "Ah, who is this?"
Velcia went wide eyed and quickly stepped behind Balthazar, waving an awkward hello as she peeked at him.
"This is Velcia. She's… a very dear friend of mine. We were traveling together when… when all of this happened," Balthazar explained.
Khosrow nodded solemnly. "I see. In another life, miss, I am sure I would be happy to meet you, but as it stands the less we know of each other, the better."
"As it stands…" Balthazar repeated softly, looking back towards the pods. "Where do we stand, exactly? What happens next?"
Khosrow nodded, crossing his arms. "The Master has foreseen this day and planned accordingly. The Darkness that hunts you will now do so ceaselessly for as long as it knows you exist. Going forward from here, there can be no mistakes, no carelessness. This is your final chance, one that I am certain you will make use of."
"Excuse me," Hadrianus spoke up, taking a step out. "But, if this Darkness is so keen on our destruction, surely it is again only a matter of time before it finds us once more. As long as we are in Daybreak Town, I do not see how we can avoid it."
Meresankh nodded. "And it would be irresponsible to send us to another World, knowing as we do that these physical forms are composed of Darkness. We cannot introduce this plague to other lands."
"You are both correct," Khosrow said with a nod. "The Master has shared certain inevitabilities with me, small glimpses into the future. There are few of these that are relevant here and now, but one thing I can share with you is that Daybreak Town is not far from a great change. Should you make it that far, you will each find your own way forward. In the meantime," he stepped aside, motioning back towards the pods.
Balthazar didn't know why, but his heart sank at the sight of them "What are the pods going to do?"
"As I said, the Darkness will hunt you for as long as it knows you exist. It does so even now, scouring the town in a ceaseless hunt. This place," he motioned around the laboratory, "will help obscure your presence for a time, but even so the Darkness will make its way here before long. These devices of The Master's will shroud your Hearts so tightly that nobody else will remember that you ever existed - the Darkness itself will forget about you entirely," Khosrow said.
"So… we're the only ones that will remember each other then?" Balthazar asked.
"No. After this night, you shall each be as strangers to each other," Khosrow said, closing his eyes solemnly as he listened to the surprised gasps and outcry from the others.
Bi'nh stepped forward, holding her son's hand. "I cannot enter these pods. I cannot lose my son again. Isn't there any other way?"
"There is not," Khosrow said, opening his eyes once more. "The Darkness must feel as though there are no loose ends, or it will continue the hunt until it is satisfied. It has destroyed five of our siblings already tonight, and if it is to be satisfied with its endeavors there must be nobody else for it to search for. Going forward you must be sure to never again use your Dark Magic and avoid the temptations to rebuild your old lives, or you would invite destruction upon yourself and put the others in jeopardy," Khosrow said, before turning his attention to Bi'nh directly. "However… The Master foresaw your situation, Bi'nh, and has configured a set of pods specifically for you and your son. Your son will not forget you."
Bi'nh let out a sigh of relief, then looked over towards the others. "I will miss you all greatly…"
Velcia tugged at Balthazar's sleeve. "Balthazar… that means… I'm not going to remember you either, doesn't it?"
Balthazar swallowed thickly. "I… I don't think so. Khosrow, is there any way that Velcia and I…?"
"I am afraid not," Khosrow told him. Each pod has been calibrated specifically for the Hearts it is meant to hide behind the Shroud, and I have only enough knowledge to administer the process and cannot make such alterations. I am afraid that, for all of you, this is the time to say your goodbyes."
"Velcia… I…" Balthazar started.
"There is not much time," Khosrow told them all.
"Well, Balthazar," Hadrianus said as he ambled over. "It was a good run, eh? I am thankful for the opportunity to have met you.
"And I'm happy to have met you too, Hadrianus… all of you. You've all meant so much to me. I…" he paused, his body slumping with a dejected sigh. "It feels silly to say it but, even though I won't remember you, I am sure my heart will always cherish the time we had."
Hadassah came forward with a bittersweet smile. "We may not be able to remember each other, Balthazar, but I will forever be changed by the selflessness you showed me. I believe we have all left our marks on each other in our own unique ways, and though our memories may fail us, our growth will always reflect the love that shaped us."
"Well-spoken," Meresankh said. "And given the circumstances, I believe it leaves little else to be said. You all have my gratitude." Saying so, she turned away and made her way towards the row of pods.
Farah came over to Balthazar, taking one of his hands. "Is Areshmin here?"
"I am," Areshmin said, coming out in a puff of smoke. Velcia picked him up, holding him near to his friends. "Thank you, Velcia," Areshmin said, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his soft paws.
Farah leaned forward, scooping them all up in a hug. "The three of us have gone through so much together. It's been so, so hard to be away from you for all this time… I've missed you dearly. My only hope is that someday… we may be able to meet each other again."
"Farah…" Balthazar said softly. "It's just like Hadassah said… I wouldn't be who I am today without your help and support. I hope that we can see each other again. Heh… who knows, maybe we'll find each other out there in Daybreak Town, and be friends again without even realizing it?"
"That would be nice," Farah said with a hopeful smile. "You and Areshmin take care of each other for me, alright?"
"We shall," Areshmin said with a nod.
Khosrow came over. "I am sorry to interrupt, but it is time to make your way to the machines."
"R-right, sorry," Balthazar said. "Come with me, Velcia," he said.
She set Areshmin down, and he promptly disappeared again as she followed after Balthazar.
"I… I'm so sorry Velcia," he said. "If it weren't for the others, I wouldn't do it… there's so much I wish I could help you with."
"No, I wouldn't let you stay," Velcia said. "I… I don't know what I will do without you, but if you don't use the machine…! I don't want you to die, Balthazar! Even if I never remember you again, you must live!"
"I won't forget you, Velcia…" Balthazar said softly. They stopped at the pod door, and Balthazar looked over to see Khosrow working his way down the line, closing the other pods and activating the machines. It wasn't long before he arrived at Balthazar's pod.
"What do you need, my friend?" Khosrow asked.
"I was just wondering a few things," Balthazar said. "I won't lose my memories of Velcia, right? Is there some way I can explain things to her afterwards-"
"You must not," Khosrow said firmly. "The workings of the heart are complex, and we do not fully understand the intricacies of the connections they make. The Master has warned that attempting to rebuild the memories locked away by the Shroud could cause the entire effect to unravel."
Balthazar looked over at Velcia, doing his best to keep his tears at bay. "Well, so much for that idea…"
Velcia's shimmering eyes wet her cheeks, and she sniffled softly. "I… I'll be alright. I still have Aspis to help me when I need it."
"I'll never stop helping you, Velcia…" Balthazar told her, pulling her into a hug. "Whether you're allowed to know it or not… I will always be here for you."
"Oh, Balthazar…!" Velcia cried out, returning the hug.
The other pods in the room began to rumble gently and hum, and bright lights began flashing out through the glass. Velcia and Balthazar pulled apart and looked at these, then back to Khosrow who gave them a firm nod to let them know that now was the time.
Balthazar stepped back and up into the pod. "Goodbye, Velcia…"
"Goodbye Balthazar…" Velcia said. He gave her a bright, warm smile, and with one last sniffle Velcia pulled herself together and did her best to give him a similar smile in return as Khosrow slowly closed the door of the pod and began the sequence.
Velcia stepped back, watching as the pod began to hum to life. It wasn't long before bright flashes of light began to stream out the window. Velcia kept her eyes locked to the pod door, that same warm smile on her face.
She looked on, hoping that her friend would be alright without her. He'd meant so much to her, more than either of them knew, and the suddenness of everything had left little time to process any of it. The heaviness of it all was too much, and she began to cry softly again as she kept vigilant watch over her friend.
Slowly, however, her tears began to dry. She watched the pod until the lights died down, and when they did she blinked as if she'd just come out of a trance. She looked around the large laboratory, then back up at the pod.
"Oh dear…" she muttered. "Um, what was I doing here…?"
"Ah, you appear to have lost your way," Khosrow said, coming over and kneeling down beside her. He was now at about her level, and she could see his tanned, scarred face in much more detail than she could before. The rigid lines in his face were the writings of years of hardship and experience; and though there was certainly a harshness to him there was, at the moment, a tender gentleness to his demeanor that helped her to lower her guard.
She looked around the lab, shaking her head. "I… I forgot what I was doing. My friends… Juangshi and the others, we were being chased, right? But the Darkness got them. I remember coming into the tower to escape, but… I don't remember how I ended up here."
"The Master's tower is a confusing place, isn't it?" Khosrow said, standing back up. "If you remember, your friends were my friends as well. They wanted you to come here so that I could protect you."
Velcia nodded. "T-that's right… I think I remember that now."
Khosrow walked over to the large window overlooking the city, his eyes scanning the area below. "I believe that you should be safe now. The Darkness has no reason to pursue you any longer."
"O-oh, are you sure?" Velcia said, walking up beside him and looking out the window down at the moonlit streets.
"I am. If it would help ease your mind, I can escort you back home. I have further business in this laboratory, but it does not require my attention for some time."
"Thank you… I would like that. After everything that's happened tonight I… I don't want to be alone…"
Velcia startled awake with a gasp, sitting up quickly and holding her hand to her chest. Her slumber had been host to a tormentous parade of nightmares, and the bright light coming through the windows was a welcome relief to her. Her heaving breath began to slow, and she pulled her legs close to her chest and held the sides of her head.
"What terrible nightmares…" she whispered to herself. She thought over the events of the previous night, but found that her mind was so muddled that she could no longer differentiate between the nightmares and reality. Everything that she could remember after meeting the Potion Maker felt too horrifying to be real. She lifted her head, eyeing the door reluctantly. There would only be one way to truly sort out what was true and what was not, and that would be to face the day.
She stood up from her bed, legs trembling, and slowly dressed herself in her Olympian outfit once more. She opened the door to find her kitchen a mess, as if someone had been cooking in it while she were gone. She had been too exhausted to notice it last night, but now it stood out to her like a shining beacon. Velcia slowly made her way to the kitchen, now noticing all number of little things around the house that she knew were not as she would leave them. Had someone else been here? What could they have wanted?
It was at this point that she felt a breeze across her cheek, and for a moment she found the salt-tinged air to be refreshing before she remembered that this, too, seemed to be without explanation. The window was open, though she knew she would have no reason to do so. She rushed over and slammed it shut and fastened the lock. Her breath grew quick and heavy, and after but a moment's contemplation she ran outside the small cottage and onto the rooftop.
She stopped, and took a moment to catch her breath. She couldn't remember why the house was the way that it was… had the Darkness come here when it was searching for her and her friends? The thought sent shivers up her spine. She couldn't be alone. She had to find someone, and her thoughts turned towards The Chroniclers.
But… Morgan. She'd nearly forgotten about that, and even now found that her memories of the conversation with Maxine were muddy and unreal. Was that a nightmare too? She sat down on the grass and cried quietly to herself. It was all too much.
When she could stand her loneliness no further, she stood up and slowly made her way down the ladder. She would go to The Chronicler's HQ and find Maxine, she would surely know what was going on.
The road Velcia walked was the same as she knew it always was, and yet, it felt different to her in some incomprehensible fashion. She could find little else to do but bite her lip and press on in the hopes that she would find something to help clear the fog and tether her back to reality, whatever that was.
When at last she made it to the Party's door, she paused to listen to the voices inside. It sounded like many of the Chroniclers were here today, and she dared to hope that this meant that Morgan would continue to restrain herself. She took a deep breath. "I just need to talk to Maxine," she said to herself.
When Velcia opened the door, everyone turned to say hello. They seemed to be in mostly good spirits, though there was a group around Morgan who were notably more dour.
"Hello everyone," she greeted them back. She didn't see Maxine, and hoped she would be back in the office and began to make her way there.
Morgan had said nothing when she entered, but had been watching her like a vulture. Velcia noticed this, and couldn't help but tense up. Morgan stood up with a smirk, and in just a few steps blocked her path.
"So, like, what's up today huh?" Morgan asked, her voice heavy with a disturbingly casual-sounding tone.
"Oh, uh, I wanted to see if Maxine was here," Velcia said. She stepped to the side to try to go past, but Morgan moved to block her again.
"Naw, Maxine's out for a bit. She had to like, go talk to someone, you know?"
"Well, that's okay," Velcia said, crossing her arms. "I will just wait for her in the office."
Morgan chuckled a bit and shook her head. "Actually, I was thinking it was time to like, have a discussion with you about something. You see, like, some of us have questions that you don't really seem to have an answer for."
"...Oh…" Velcia said slowly. She had no idea what Morgan was talking about, but it certainly seemed to have captured everybody's attention.
Morgan's friends came up beside her, each of them looking sternly at Velcia. Dio noticed this, and came over.
"Hey, what's this all about?" he asked.
"I didn't, like, want this to be public," Morgan said, shaking her head. "But, I guess it's for the best that everyone gets the explanation together, huh? So Velcia… I couldn't help but notice that a bunch of the party's Jewels have been disappearing. It's like, a whole sponsorship's worth of jewels have just been, like, given out to a ghost or something."
"O-oh no…!" Velcia said, eyes wide. "I'm sure there must be some explanation for it-"
"That's right," Morgan said. Her eyes narrowed and she smiled like a snake. "Say, you put Jewels into that fund too, don't you?"
Velcia paused, looking across Morgan and her friends. She couldn't help but feel like there was a trap just waiting for her. "Y-yes, in fact… I put all of my Jewels in."
Pancha scoffed, a disgusted scowl darkening her face. "Looks like you were right, Morgan. We've found our rat."
"Hey!" Chuck exclaimed. "What do you mean by that?!"
Morgan shook her head again, her face contorting into a twisted veneer of sadness and regret. "Oh, Velcia… You know, like, my friends tried to ask you about this before and you weaseled out of it somehow but… I think it's time you tell us all how you were able to afford something expensive like those Olympian Sandals."
Velcia's eyes went wide and she looked down at her feet. A heavy lump grew in her throat as she struggled in vain to remember where they'd come from. "I-i I do put all my Jewels in, honest," she stammered.
"We know you do," Morgan said. "Maxine keeps very good track of that. But, like, that just makes it more obvious, right? If you don't keep any jewels for yourself… how did you get those shoes?"
"I-i don't know…" Velcia stammered, her face pale.
Morgan turned towards the rest of the party, humming her disappointment. "Hm, hm, hm… Well, if Velcia won't admit it, I'm afraid that, like, I have to call her out on it. Velcia's been stealing jewels from all of us this entire time."
The group broke out into a confused uproar, and Velcia couldn't help but shrink back against the wall.
"There's no way!" someone yelled.
"She would never!"
"I knew it all along!"
"Hey!" Morgan called out over the raucous. "Shuttup, huh?" She turned to Velcia. "Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"I-i didn't steal anything, I promise!" Velcia said, looking out at the faces of her friends across the room. Not all of them seemed convinced, but the doubt and suspicion in their eyes stung. Many of them were glancing down at her feet, no doubt wondering about these perplexing sandals.
"V-velcia," Dio said slowly. "I don't want to believe it, but… how DID you get those shoes? They're new, I remember that much…"
Velcia's face turned a deep red, and she averted her gaze back down to the floor as she tried desperately to remember. "I… I really don't… remember…"
Morgan stomped her foot. "That's enough. You can't, like, seriously expect we're stupid enough to believe you just magically got those out of nowhere. You DO know how you got them, and you're just too much of a useless coward to admit it!"
"No!" Velcia cried out. "I didn't steal anything!"
"Then how do you explain the missing jewels?!" Morgan demanded, echoed by her entourage. "Why won't you tell us about the shoes?"
"Because I don't know anything about that!" Velcia said, stepping back. She could feel each and every eye in the room staring at her, wondering, judging her. She didn't have any of the answers, but she knew that she didn't take anything.
"Look, everyone," Morgan said, shaking her head. "I'm, like, really sorry it's come to this, but, like… if she's been lying and stealing this whole time, who knows what else she's been doing?"
Velcia's eyes went wide, and she found a fire inside. "What have I been doing?!" she exclaimed, clenching her fists and stepping forward. "You…! You've been doing such horrible things, leaving poor defenseless Wielders in the most dangerous of places and demanding that they pay you more! We've all been working so hard for this party and you… you've been using our hard work to bully and steal!"
Morgan shook her head, shrugging with an exasperated sigh. "I don't know why I expected better from you, Velcia. I'm, like, just trying to get answers here, and now you're coming up with all these lies just to try to save your own skin."
"B-but I'm not lying!" Velcia exclaimed. "That Wielder from the other day sai-"
"Oh, stop it," Pancha said. She turned to the other Chroniclers. "Listen everybody, don't give these stupid, desperate lies the time of day. Do you really think Morgan of all people would do something like that? She puts in so much work to keep everyone safe. I don't know why Velcia thinks it'll do any good to say such stupid things, but don't let it distract you from the fact that she's just lying to cover for her own theft."
"B-but, it's true…! Just ask Maxine!" Velcia pleaded with the others.
Sarah shook her head softly. "Velcia… I didn't want to believe it, but… it's true isn't it?"
"It's not! It's really not!"
Pancha scoffed. "If you ask me, it's never even made sense for Velcia to be the leader. It should be someone like Morgan. She actually cares about the party."
"What?!" Velcia exclaimed, turning to plead with the others but stopping short. Most of them were nodding in agreement, looking at Velcia with a mixture of confusion and disgust.
Morgan crossed her arms. "I, like, didn't really want to be leader, but I guess Velcia here's not leaving us much choice, huh? Well, if you all want, I'll do it."
The enthusiasm of the responses was mixed, but ultimately in favor. Morgan shot Velcia a wicked smirk, hiding the upturned corner of her mouth from view. "Then I guess the first thing I'll have to do is banish you from our party, Velcia. I've got to keep everyone safe, you know? So, like… it doesn't make any sense to keep a thief around."
Velcia began to step back slowly, trying to make her way towards the front door.
Pancha began to walk towards her. "Where do you think you're going, huh? Give us back the jewels you stole!"
Velcia let out a loud, scared yelp and bolted to the door, flinging it open and rocketing outside so quickly that nobody had any time to react at all. As she reached the stairs at the end of the hall she could hear some of them angrily calling her name, but she dared not stop. She had to get away. She had to find somewhere safe.
She may have woken up, but the nightmares never ended.
The last time that Aspis had come to The Chronicler's to drop off a package, he'd forgone visiting the meeting room itself and had simply left the package with the Moogle administrating the building. As he stood out in the street looking up towards the third-floor window, hand over his brow to block the sun, he considered doing so again.
No, he thought to himself, he'd stop by and see it this time. That little chipmunk had been unusually proud of the party she'd made, and it piqued his curiosity. He lowered his hand, then blew a lock of his frosty, light-blue hair out of his face before making his way inside. He carried a thickly-stuffed envelope under one of his arms, but otherwise was traveling light.
He made his way up the stairs, shaking his head to himself at the state of the building. He'd seen buildings in worse shape, but this one certainly seemed to be showing its age. The stairs creaked and the air smelled strongly of old wood and ancient bricks.
Once he reached the third floor, it did not take him long to find the door he was looking for. "The Chroniclers" was stenciled on the door very neatly with a bright, attractive gold paint. A reversible sign hanging beside the door was flipped to say "Open", and so he entered.
There were several young Wielders inside, none of whom he was interested in. Velcia was nowhere to be seen, but a boy came up to him quickly wearing the sort of smile that felt tiring to deal with.
"Welcome!" the boy greeted. "I'm Dio! How can we help you today?"
"I don't need any help," Aspis told him, averting his eyes from the far-too-big smile on display. He lifted the envelope. "I have something to give to your party leader."
"Oh! I'll be right back!" Dio said, disappearing into the office in the back.
Aspis turned and looked around the room. As far as he cared to look, he found it to be filled mostly with shelves and a few stray plants. They were exactly the sort of plants he expected to see in stores and offices, and nowhere else. Somehow, them being here did not surprise him in the slightest.
A voice interrupted his thoughts. "Hello! I heard you have something for me?"
This was not the voice Aspis expected, and he glanced over to see an unfamiliar girl standing expectantly. She stood tall, and carried herself with a self-satisfied pride.
"No. I have something for your party leader, Velcia."
"Oh, I see," the girl said, shaking her head. "Well, she's not here anymore. My name is Morgan, I'm the party leader now."
"...You what?" Aspis asked, voice lower now.
Morgan crossed her arms. "I'm the party leader now," she repeated. "So, like, if you're looking for the person in charge around here, you want to talk to me.."
Aspis paused, looking around the room with narrowed eyes. "... Like hell I do. Where is Velcia?"
"Ugh, like, we had to part ways with her," Morgan said, rolling her eyes. "We caught her, like, stealing, so, like… we couldn't let her stay around after that, you know?"
"Stealing?" Aspis asked, his brow furrowing. "I doubt that."
"Hey, I was surprised too," Morgan said with a shrug. "Always thought she'd be too spineless to do something like that. But hey, like, it's not like she really did anything important around here. Look, like, don't worry about it, whatever you need, we still-"
"Shut up," Aspis snapped tersely.
"W-what did you say to me?" Morgan said.
Aspis glared at her harshly, hands clenched by his sides. He took a step backwards, then turned away and left the room. He could hear Morgan scoffing and sputtering indignantly behind him, and huffed to himself as he continued down the hall.
He'd just made it to the stairwell when a voice called out from behind him.
"Hey, wait!"
He did not wait, and continued on. By the time he made it out to the sidewalk in front of the building, the caller had caught up to him and circled around in front to block his path - the boy from before.
"Hey, didn't you hear me?" Dio asked, huffing.
"Of course I did," Aspis said, walking past Dio.
"Are you friends with Velcia?" Dio asked, chasing after Aspis. "Is she okay?"
Aspis stopped in his tracks, glowering at the boy angrily. "You tell me."
"I haven't seen her since Morgan confronted her a few days ago. Look… I agree with Morgan that the way Velcia's been acting seems suspicious, but it just doesn't seem like her to steal," Dio said.
"She didn't steal a goddamn thing," Aspis said tersely. He didn't know what any of this was about, but he knew Velcia well enough to know how ridiculous the assertion was. "How long did you say she's been gone?"
"A few days. Maxine and I have been looking all over Daybreak Town for her, but we can't find any sign of her. Even with the help of our Chirithy we're turning up nothing."
Aspis took a deep breath, shaking his head. "Then I don't need anything else from you."
Dio looked at him with a look of bewilderment. "So… are you going to go find her?"
"Of course I am," Aspis said tersely.
"I can help-"
"If you braindead morons hadn't eaten up Morgan's stupid shit she wouldn't need to be found," Aspis bit. "She's worked herself to the freaking bone to make your party what it is, were you all really dumb enough to believe she'd turn around and steal something from you?"
"I-i…" Dio stammered. "I haven't felt right about it."
"Good." Aspis said, turning and walking away. He shook his head, waiting for a moment to see if Dio would follow. Hearing nothing, he snapped his finger by his side and his Chirithy appeared in an instant. The small creature bounded along, keeping pace beside Aspis in practiced stride.
"Hello Aspis, want me to go find Lupe?"
"Yeah, and have him bring his dogs," Aspis said with a nod. He took in a deep breath, running his hand through his hair. "Tell him to meet me in our usual spot. We'll take a good look through Daybreak Town first, and then check the Projected Worlds."
"Will do," Chirithy replied, disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Aspis groaned, feeling a knot of frustration inside. "Where the hell did you go, Chipmunk?"
Even after cleaning her cottage and putting everything back in its place, Velcia had found it next to impossible to shake the feeling that something was wrong there. There was a certain feeling that she couldn't understand. It felt as if there were still things there that should not be, but she didn't know what. It felt as if there were other things, indescribable, that somehow pained her by their absence, but again she could not fathom or articulate what they could be.
Yet, there was nowhere else in Daybreak Town she felt she could go. She had no friends left anymore, and nowhere else to stay. The thought had crossed her mind to go to Aspis, but how could she bear to face him after how things had gone with her party? The fact that she had no explanation for Morgan's accusations sat heavy and uncomfortable on her shoulders. She knew that she did not steal anything, be it jewels or shoes, but she was equally baffled as to where the sandals had come from or where the missing jewels could have gone. If she could forget something so obvious as where or how she bought something as important to her Olympian sandals… What else had she forgotten? These potentially endless possibilities scared her.
And so, with her backpack of art supplies emptied of her tools and resources and replaced with what clothes and necessities she could think of, Velcia had left the stony streets of Daybreak Town and made her way to the Projected World of Olympus. She didn't want to see other Wielders any more than she wanted them to see her, so she made her way to the outskirts of Thebes where she found an old temple of Zeus. It made sense to her that Zeus should keep an eye on such things, and so she decided to make for herself some sort of new home nearby.
Of course, construction of any sort was very much outside of Velcia's skill set. After some searching and thought, Velcia found herself inspecting a sea of rather overgrown bushes, covered in vines. This place seemed as if it had once been a garden meant to support the temple in some capacity, one which had since thrived in its own wild way without the attention of whatever caretaker once tended to it. There was a short stone wall around the bushes fencing them in, with only one entrance near the front. From the top, the foliage was thick and the thickly-twisted branches presented themselves as a barrier impenetrable, but when she'd stooped down to pick some of the grapes from the vines she saw that underneath them all some sort of dirt pathway through the bushes. No doubt some animals had used this place as a haven at some point, and after some fretful worrying she decided to be brave and take a look around.
This secret little trail through the thicket didn't go far into the overgrown garden, at least at first, but Velcia decided that this forgotten place would be just the right sort of spot for her new home, and set to clearing out branches and underbrush until she'd cleared out a small little tunnel network through the foliage. She had to crawl through to navigate, of course, but in places where the bushes and plants had grown high enough she found she'd been able to make some semblances of rooms for herself where she could sit and draw little pictures in the dirt.
She'd found the discarded top of a wooden barrel that was just about the size of her tunnel opening. She used some sticky sap to stick twigs and leaves to it, and decided to use it as a front door to block up the entrance. It wouldn't stop any curious people, but she hoped it would discourage any animals from exploring her leafy domain.
Velcia was somewhat proud of this new little place she'd made for herself, though she knew at some point very soon she would need to find a source of food more satisfying than the grapes. At some point, she planned to go back to her old cottage in Daybreak Town and bring a few more of her things here.
One day, she was standing on the outside of the short stone wall picking berries when in the distance she heard the sound of barking dogs. She perked up to attention immediately, eyes growing wide with anxiety at the realization that they sounded as if they were coming closer. She retreated quickly back inside her small thicket home and pulled the barrel-lid door into place, and none too soon as only minutes later she could hear the sound of the curious beasts sniffing around at the entrance. She summoned her Keyblade and held it at the ready lest they should burst through anyway, but much to her relief the dogs turned away and ran off, barking like mad.
It was a temporary relief, however, as not long after the dogs returned and this time she could hear what sounded like voices as well. She crawled back quietly into what she considered to be her makeshift art room, this one gave her the most space to move should she need it.
The sound of a sharp knock rang out through the bushes, and an oddly familiar voice could be heard. She crawled a bit closer, just far enough to hear what it had to say.
"I know you're in there. Stop making me wait and come on out," it said sternly.
"...Aspis…!" Velcia whispered to herself. She swallowed. How did he find her? And why did he come looking for her?
She could hear the barrel lid being moved away and, not wanting to find out how angry Aspis would be should she make him actually try to enter this place, she began to make her way out. "I'm coming," she called.
Aspis could hardly believe the sight of her. She was dirty from head to toe, and had leaves stuck all over her.
"Holy hell, just a couple days and you've already gone feral?"
"...I have not gone feral," Velcia said, coming out fully and sitting cross-legged by the entrance.
"Could have fooled me," Aspis said. He sat down beside her, then realized just how dirty she was and scooted away a little bit further. "So you're just going to live the life of a stray here now, are you? You know, when I called you a chipmunk, I didn't mean it to try to inspire you."
Velcia swallowed, averting her eyes. "...Why did you come look for me?"
"Why did you come here?" Aspis countered.
"I… um," Velcia stammered, thinking back to everything that had happened just a few days ago. Her face lit with a deep red, and suddenly she began to realize just how ridiculous she'd made herself. "I don't belong anywhere else…"
"You have a home of some sort, don't you?" Aspis said, shaking his head. "You know, a place with stuff like a kitchen? Does a bath ring a bell to you?"
"It doesn't feel like my home anymore. Something is wrong with it, it's like something is missing, or someone. Whenever I'm there, I just have this feeling that I don't know how to explain," Velcia said. She glanced over at Aspis, expecting him to come back with some sort of sharp remark, but he seemed to be oddly quiet. "I don't want to be in Daybreak Town at all, anymore. I know my bushes house is stupid… but I can't bother anybody here."
Aspis took a deep breath, then exhaled softly. "...Is that all? This doesn't happen to have anything to do with what happened with your party?"
A chill washed over Velcia and she shrunk back, pulling her legs up against her chest. "A little, maybe. Oh, Aspis, I don't know how everything suddenly went so wrong! I didn't mean for any of those things to happen, and when I found out about Morgan, I-! But I can't do anything to fix any of it. Daybreak Town would be better if I had never been there at all, so I thought the best way I could help was to make sure I stay away."
One leg still straight ahead, Aspis pulled one knee up and leaned against it as he looked out into the distance. "Look… I… I know how you feel. I don't know what the hell is going on in this crazy town, but something isn't right. I'm dealing with the same kind of stupid problems you are."
"Oh… I'm sorry," Velcia said, lowering her head. "I didn't mean to complain."
Aspis sighed. These sorts of discussions were not his strong suit. "Look, right now I don't really care about whatever you decide to do about your party, but I'll be damned if I let you burrow around in these bushes like an animal feeling sorry for yourself all day. Come on, get up," Aspis said, standing up and motioning sharply for her to follow.
Velcia looked up at him sadly, and the lack of any passion or enthusiasm in her face hit Aspis like a ton of bricks. "I don't want to do anything anymore, Aspis. All I have left is Olympus. I want to live here now."
"You can't live here," Aspis groaned. He looked over at her, noticing now that she didn't have any of her usual art supplies on her; no pencils, no discolored cloth, no backpacks or sketchbooks or papers. He sighed, his face growing a little softer. "Look… you did your part for Daybreak Town, alright? If you want to spend every day in Olympus, I'm not going to stop you. But this?" he said, motioning his hand out vaguely towards the overgrown garden, "This is not healthy for you. Just look at you, you're filthy. And when was the last time you had anything to eat?"
Velcia averted her gaze, debating with herself whether or not mentioning the grapes would satisfy him or further prove his point. He was right, of course, and she knew it. A small smile began to tease at the corner of her mouth. "Um, I guess you're right. I didn't… I didn't think you would care."
Aspis rolled his eyes. "Of course I care, dummy, that's why I came here."
"E-even though I'm just a, um, demented chipmunk?" She asked, studying his face closely.
Aspis sighed, and looked at her hesitantly for a moment before reaching his hand down towards her. "Chipmunk or not, I'm your brother, right? So stop fighting me and just come on."
This was enough for Velcia to spring up to her feet, and she'd just started the motion to give Aspis a hug when she remembered just how dirty she was. Aspis was quite relieved to see her stop in place, and instead of a hug she simply gave him a large, happy grin instead.
"Okay… Where are we going?" Velcia asked.
Aspis sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. How about you show me your house first and we'll figure out what's wrong there."
"I don't want to go b-"
"If I catch you back here in these bushes I will pull you out by the nape of your neck and drag you back to Daybreak Town myself," Aspis warned her. "You have a home. Let's find a way to make it work."
Velcia nodded. It wasn't so much that she agreed as that she didn't have the will to fight. "...And then what?"
"We'll figure it out from there."
Velcia took a deep breath, her smile fading and giving way to trembling lips as her tears began to wet the dust on her cheeks once more. "Oh, Aspis… I'm so sad, and so alone. I feel like I've lost someone I loved very much, and I can't even for the life of me remember who it could be! There's just this… this hole and I'm not… not me anymore and I don't know why."
Aspis sighed, and after a moment's hesitation he leaned over and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Going out into the wilderness by yourself and hiding in the bushes doesn't exactly seem like the best way to fix those problems. Even if things in Daybreak Town fell apart, you still weren't alone you know."
Velcia opened her mouth with the intention of arguing this, but then closed it slowly. She'd lost a lot, yes, but not everything. She glanced over at Aspis, and for a moment wondered over his sense of indifference. This dissonance between his attitude and his actions always threw off her perception of him, but she understood in this moment that what he was there for her despite it all.
"Thank you for coming to find me," Velcia said with a sniffle. "I didn't think anywould be able to."
"You didn't make it easy," Aspis admitted. "I don't know if I would have found you without the dogs."
"Oh! Were those dogs yours?" she asked curiously.
"No, they're Lupe's," Aspis said, pointing over to a small hill on the other end of the Temple.
Velcia looked over to see a very tall man with dark hair playing with a pack of dogs, he appeared to be throwing something out for them to fetch and bring back to him. She looked down at herself, feeling a bit ashamed of how she'd reacted to everything. "I'm so sorry for all the trouble I've caused."
Aspis opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself and bit his lip instead. "Everything collapsed out from underneath you. Most people panic and do stupid things when that happens."
"...It was stupid of me, wasn't it?" Velcia said, looking back at her hiding spot. "I can't believe I ended up doing something like that. Oh! Don't say it!"
Aspis averted his eyes, but couldn't suppress his smirk. "I didn't say anything."
"Oh, but I know you wanted to! You were going to say something about it making me a Chipmunk!"
"Now that you mention it…"
Velcia crossed her arms, but her defiance faded fast. "I am a chipmunk. I ran away and hid in the bushes," she said, chuckling to herself at how ridiculous it sounded. "And I made you worry so much that you had to go get your coworker to help you. I hope he's not too mad at me."
"Lupe?" Aspis asked, shaking his head. "No, he's not mad. He's… he's a friend. He was more worried about you than I was."
Velcia looked over towards the man on the hill. "A friend…! You've never told me someone was your friend before. Is he cranky like you, too?"
Aspis rolled his eyes. "Don't push it. Let me go check in with him and then let's get you back to your home."
Velcia followed after him as they made their way past the old temple. "But Aspis I don't want to go back there."
"You've said that. Look, we're going to talk to Lupe, then I'll bring you to your home. That will be enough for one day. Everything else that you need to figure out can wait until tomorrow," Aspis told her.
"But I can't do it on my own…" Velcia said softly, her voice trailing off.
"I already told you I was going to help you," Aspis said. The firmness in his voice told Velcia that she was starting to test his patience, so she wisely decided to drop the topic for now.
Lupe raised his hand to greet them. A playful smirk came across his face, but when he opened his mouth to say something Aspis pre-empted him.
"Not a word."
Lupe held his hands out and shrugged innocently. "I was just going to say it looks like you found her."
"And you thought you'd need to tell me that?" Aspis said, rolling his eyes. He turned towards Velcia. "Don't trust a thing this dummy says."
"Ouch! Talk about biting the hand that feeds you," Lupe said, holding his hand to his chest with an exaggerated wince. "I guess that's Aspis for you, huh?" he said to Velcia, ignoring Aspis' disgruntled scowl.
While Velcia did agree, she wasn't about to say as much. She was very grateful that he'd cared enough to come look for her, and didn't dare say anything that might potentially push him away again. She'd already lost too much.
Lupe wasn't waiting for any sort of answer, anyway, and knelt down beside her with a warm smile. "He might not say it, but we're both relieved to see you're okay. I'm Lupe, nice to meet you."
"I-i am Velcia!" she said, shaking his outstretched hand. His smile was friendly and earnest, and he smelled of a fruity smoke. Velcia looked up to see Aspis glowing a beet red, completely averting his eyes as he seethed to himself. She turned back to Lupe curiously. "Was he really worried about me?"
"Of course I was," Aspis bit over his shoulder.
"I have to say, I was surprised at first. Not often this guy admits he cares about anything," Lupe said, shooting a playfully taunting expression towards his friend. "But now that I see you it makes sense. He's got a soft spot for cute, helpless little things."
"Lupe, I swear to god if you don't shut up-"
Lupe laughed heartily, and wrapped an arm around Aspis' shoulder despite the immediate bristling he received. "Sorry, I'll lay off. I'm just relieved that we've found her alive and well. Although…" he looked at her thoughtfully, realizing just how tired and hungry she looked.
"I'm very sorry to cause so much trouble for you both," Velcia said, looking between them. As tall as Lupe was, Aspis was taller still, and neither one looked comfortable with Lupe's arrangement. Aspis grumbled, and with a quick twist flung Lupe's arm off his shoulders.
"...It's fine," Aspis said, averting his eyes again.
"Don't worry about it," Lupe said. "Hey, Chirithy?"
Lupe's Chirithy appeared beside him, and without needing further instruction opened up its pouch and handed Lupe a cloth, which he used to gently wipe some of the dirt from Velcia's face.
"Hiding out in a bunch of overgrown bushes, huh?" Lupe said, handing her the cloth to use on her own now. "Are you doing alright? Need any food or water?"
Velcia wiped her face in the cloth, very thankful to be rid of the dirt. She lowered it, her green eyes peering over the top. "I don't want to-"
"Nonsense," Lupe said. His Chirithy came over and presented a small selection of nutritional bars and bottles of water. Velcia considered these shyly for a moment before her hunger took over and she accepted a pair of the bars.
Aspis watched this wordlessly, the embarrassment from before had all but drained away by now. "You could at least thank him, you know."
"O-oh, yes, thank you Lupe!"
Lupe leaned back, closing his eyes with a contented sigh. "Ah yes, I forgot how nice it was to be thanked. Aspis, you should try it some time!"
"Oh, shuttup," Aspis bit. He sighed in exasperation. "You've been a real pain in my ass all day, you know that? If anybody, I should be thanking your dogs."
Velcia couldn't help but giggle at this, but seeing Aspis' annoyed expression she found herself feeling conflicted about it. She stood up and walked over beside him, only to see him starting to scowl as he awaited whatever trouble was coming next.
"Thank you, Aspis, for working so hard to find me. I didn't think I wanted to be found, but I am very glad that you did. I just want you to know that… that I really appreciate you." She paused for a moment, then wrapped her arms around him in a big hug.
Aspis froze for a second and glanced at Lupe, who was gawking at him with wide, teasing eyes and a dopey smile, his tongue sticking out just enough to be incredibly agitating. It was an expression he knew all too well, as Lupe had spent several years practicing to make it as irritating as possible. His face turned a vivid red and he raised a middle finger towards Lupe, before coming to his senses and employing his second hand in the same fashion as well.
Lupe watched this barely-contained bottle of rage with extreme amusement, and decided to double down. "Aw, I don't think I've ever seen him so happy. He must really need that hug, Velcia!"
"Oh! I am so sorry I worried you so much," Velcia exclaimed, squeezing Aspis tighter.
Aspis' anger began to petrify him at this moment, his rage such that his muscles stiffened as if turned to stone; there was only a deepening, furrowing scowl that spoke to an unholy revenge that would come later.
Lupe chuckled at this, but this died out as he realized that despite all of this Aspis was in fact keeping his temper in check and his rage contained. Usually his friend would bite back with more ferocity than this. His teasing grin slowly faded as he looked down at Velcia.
Now that Lupe was backing off a bit, Aspis gave an exasperated sigh and began to pry Velcia off. She stepped back none the wiser, and gave them both a beaming grin.
Lupe adjusted his stance, putting his weight on his left leg with his arms crossed. He looked them over for a moment, trying to make sense of this odd pair. "So uh, if you don't mind me asking, how exactly do you two know each other?"
"Oh! Aspis is my brother!" Velcia said happily.
"...You don't say?" Lupe said, casting an inquisitive glance towards Aspis. "I didn't know you had a sister, Aspis."
"Even your dogs should be smart enough to guess why that is," Aspis said, shooting Lupe another warning glare. He tapped his foot, looking at Velcia's great big smile. "More than anything else I'm her art teacher. She just happens to have a very active imagination."
Lupe came beside Aspis and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, cracking a knowing grin. He was well used to Aspis' obfuscations. "Sure, sure. So what are you going to do now?"
Aspis sighed, holding his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "I gotta get her back home so she can get a bath and some actual food. I guess I'll figure it out from there."
"...Anything else I can help with?" Lupe asked, watching Velcia eagerly nibbling at her second nutrition bar.
"Not that I can think of," Aspis said. "I'll let you know."
"Alright then. I better get these guys back home then," Lupe said, motioning towards his dogs. "It was good to meet you, Velcia."
"Thank you, I am glad to have met you too," Velcia said, waving good-bye.
Lupe called his dogs and began to make his way home, and Aspis motioned for Velcia to follow after him.
"Alright, so where do you live then?"
Velcia swallowed hard. She still didn't want to go back home, but she knew there was no sense in arguing with Aspis over it. "It's… it's not far from The Master's tower, but it's a little hard to find… I'll show it to you."