Return of the Emblem Chapter Fifteen: Alliance

[Mercakete]

Daichi gave a light nod in acknowledgement to Joanna, and his demeanor was back to its content and tranquil state. "That is what we will do, then."

Once the two had retrieved their writing supplies, they went to a quiet place where Daichi could relay his message to Mercy through Joanna. He set down the things he'd been carrying, then waited patiently and quietly for direction from the Avian woman.

[Phoenix]

Calling Mercy

Liam wasn't too miffed about Joanna being alone with Daichi, but there was that initial reluctance anyone with a working pair of eyes could easily pick up on. He waited outside while Joanna and Daichi borrowed one of the vacant rooms?--it looked vacant--and prepared to deliver the latter's message to the Goddess.

"I honestly have no idea how this is supposed to work," she said, carefully taking a seiza-style sitting position in front of Daichi. Sitting this way put less wear on her dress and was easier on her wings, so despite it being a Kigenese style of sitting, she was very well practiced. What she wasn't at all versed in was what they were attempting to do, now ... pass along Daichi's message. It was times like these when Joanna felt less like the Goddess' avatar, and more like someone who may have just been having intense daydreams. Luckily, the Goddess had left plenty of evidence to the contrary. Even ignoring the flashy ritual she and Liam had gone through, Joanna retained a passive 'knowing' of his overall mental state and well being, something only avians with a spiritual connection to the Goddess herself could experience. She was also more levelheaded about things now, not feeling the need to throw herself into danger in a desperate attempt to stop the fighting. She felt ... balanced.

Waiting

"Hey," Malik said, staring down the oddly patient messenger girl.

"Y-yes?!" She practically jumped. To be fair, Malik's distrust of her was plain as day.

"You should stop standing around outside like this. Just go inside and take a seat. Someone else can deal with you ..."

"Deal with me?" Her face went completely pale, and it took a great deal of discipline for her not to start backpedaling to safety. "I-I was just told to ..."

Malik scowled at her. "I didn't mean it like that. Just go inside. No one's going to hurt you."

[Mercakete]

Daichi likewise took up the formal sitting position, across from Joanna. At first, it only made sense to him, but then he remembered that Ursians typically didn't understand the significance of one's posture. Perhaps things were different up north now, or maybe it was more commonly known where Joanna worked. Surely it was expected that people show respect to their goddess. Besides it being common sense, that was the impression Daphne had left him, though he also thought that the way that Ursians showed reverence and how the Kigenese did, were quite different most of the time.

"Hmm... You said that the goddess Mercy can see and hear what is happening around you, yes?" Daichi asked. "Then, if it is not offensive, I can simply speak to you as though you were your goddess, and she will hear me. Would it be alright for us to try that?"

[Phoenix]

Fulfilling the Role

It was a slightly startling request, but Joanna hardly thought it was offensive. She was the new Avatar of Mercy, after all. Things like this just might become increasingly more common as time went along. "Alright," she nodded, ready to fulfill her role.

[Mercakete]

Daichi gave Joanna a nod and a light, encouraging smile before his expression turned serious, he closed his eyes, and he bowed from where he sat (though not fully prostrate), holding that position. "Northerner goddess Mercy-sama...I deeply apologize for the intrusion. You do not know me...but you may know of me. My wife's name was Daphne, and our son is Norbert. Thank you very much for protecting him for all this time...and for letting me meet him. I do not have the right to ask you for anything, and you have given me so much already, bringing him to me...but if it is something that you want to do in spite of my request, please continue to protect my son! There is much danger ahead of him...but there is much danger behind him, too. So thank you... Thank you so much...for giving Daphne to me, too. I hope that she is happy...if she is with you, then she must be. Thank you for her... Thank you for my son..."

Daichi's throat was getting tight towards the middle, and his body was beginning to tremble. He'd been unable to hold back his tears fully as well, though he'd at least kept himself from blubbering. With effort, he composed himself again, but remained in his low, seated bow, and his eyes remained closed. "That is...all that I wanted to say."

[Phoenix]

Avatar

Joanna knew going into this that it would be somewhat strange having Daichi speak to the Goddess through her, but she simply was not ready for the man's humility. There were respected individuals within the Order of Mercy who were far less grateful than he was, having received far more than he had. She couldn't sense any sort of response from the Goddess, but she did feel an almost overwhelming compulsion in herself. At first, she wasn't sure what to make of it. It felt presumptuous to tell Daichi what she wanted to tell him, but not overly so, not to the point of running counter to her principles or the Goddess' immediate goals.

"Even though I'm the Goddess' new avatar, I shouldn't speak for her on this particular issue ... but ..." The closer she got to her point, the more nervous Joanna felt. It was too late to back down now, though. She was already committed, both to the words and the actions tied to them. "... she doesn't want to see Norbert die in this fight ... and she will let me protect him, both as a friend, and as one of the emblem wielders." She wasn't sure how Liam would feel about that, but one of the easiest ways to protect someone in Norbert's position, was to make sure he wasn't caught without any of the emblem's energy to use. "It isn't much, but I know that part of my job is to protect life, and so I will."

[Mercakete]

Daichi supposed that his encounter with Mercy was over, if it had even taken place, when Joanna responded to his words, herself. From what she said, she wasn't receiving any particular messages from Mercy. Nonetheless, Joanna was proving herself to be a kind and compassionate soul, whatever her responsibilities required. It was also good, once again, to hear confirmation that his son had made friends who were willing to look after him.

The Hikibain had raised himself back up into a normal seated position partway through Joanna's reply, but now, he bowed again, though for a shorter duration, the bow only being held for a moment. "Thank you very much, Joanna-san. As a father, I am very grateful. Thank you for helping me to tell Mercy-sama my thanks as well. Do you believe that my words reached her?"

He was a little nervous about that, not sure how an Ursian goddess would respond to someone who lived in such a different country, in such a different lifestyle, addressing her.

[Phoenix]

She Does

Joanna nodded and smiled. "I do. Believe me, nothing is more important to the Goddess than humility."

[Mercakete]

Daichi gave a quiet but deep sigh, visibly relaxing. <"What a relief..."> Refocusing on Joanna with his relaxed, carefree-style smile, he explained, "My wife, Daphne, told me about Mercy-sama. She is very kind, and watches over those who are not protected by their parents. Daphne never knew who her parents were, and so, even when the one who raised her, Father Nigel, was no longer taking care of her, she still believed that Mercy-sama was protecting her."

The warmth in Daichi's face was replaced by pain,  but his calm smile remained. "When she was dying...I believe that she would have asked Mercy-sama to protect Norbert, just like she protected her. And I believe that Mercy-sama has done that. She...would have said, 'until she brought us to you.' Heh, but I am not a very good protector of my family."

Realizing the train of thought he was beginning to go down, Daichi quickly tried to rectify it, raising a hand and smiling apologetically. "Ah, gomen, I am only trying to say that I am grateful that Mercy-sama has taken such good care of two people I care about very much. I am not trying to complain at all."

[Phoenix]

Memories

Daichi's late wife, Daphne, definitely sounded like an adherent of the order, though probably not a member of the clergy. Oddly enough, that seemed to have its benefits. Perhaps legalism and ingratitude were a bit more innate in the Order of Mercy than Joanna had realized before. It also seemed like one of the consequences of being the new avatar of the Goddess; some matters were just ... clearer to her, now. Problems with all four of the religious orders in Ursium stuck out from her memories like lit street lamps, and rather than disgust or shame, Joanna felt little more than pity at the state of things in the world she came out of. Being around someone like Daichi, who was grateful and reflective was refreshing, and not something she would fail to take note of, anymore.

The man's apology struck her somewhat. Daichi's intentions were clear, and the downturn at the thought of his deceased wife was only natural. "It's alright. Really." Fortunately, the man had more good to remember her by than anything. Joanna's posture loosened up after that, when she remembered that there was still much to do. For Daichi, he had his report to write for the local garrison. For Joanna, she had decided to write a letter to the Order of Mercy back in Ursium. She was a little worried it might turn into a slight admonition, now that she was becoming increasingly aware of the problems quietly chipping away at the spirit of the group. 

[Mercakete]

The two set to their respective letters, though Daichi thanked his host once more before heading to the room he was assigned when he picked up the writing materials. His letter wasn't very long. All it said, really, was that he spoke with those involved in the disturbance outside of town and found that various foreign mercenaries had simply been testing and enhancing their abilities with foreign weapons. Further, they had agreed not to use these weapons near settlements in the future in order to avoid scaring anyone. The matter was settled, and there should not have been any more problems going forward. Letter completed, Daichi requested of the woman at the front desk that it be sent to the local garrison as soon as was feasible.

Norbert, meanwhile, finished getting Rizen settled into the stables. She was practically glowing, she was in such pristine condition. Bert himself, though... Well, it seemed to be the usual set of things, being dirty, tired, hungry, and having other errands yet to do. At least, thanks to Joanna, he wasn't wounded anymore. Well, the first order of business would be to find out what happened with those guardsmen, then to see if he couldn't get Hoshi to repair his and Rizen's armor. He'd need to get his clothes repaired again, too, and he figured he might as well wash those before handing them off to anyone. So, information, then bath and laundry, then repairs. Maybe he'd get something to eat after that, depending on what the news was. If he had the chance, his next step would need to be writing that letter to Darcey. It was nice to have a sister he could get advice from, and really, this affected her, so she had a right to weigh in. He still felt bad about the whole thing, though. I don't want to stop being siblings... Hm. Guess I should say that clearly so she doesn't get the wrong idea.

On his way in, Norbert ran into Malik and Eva, who were with some Kigenese girl. From them, he found out that the soldiers from earlier had been handled by his supposed father. They would be staying the night here at this W.E. building, and set out sometime the next day, and that man would be with them the entire time. Great. Angelica had warned him about that sort of thing earlier, so it wasn't a shock, at least, but he was put into a minorly irritable mood at that. Staying the night here was good news, though. Despite having just been passengers aboard the two ships, the group could use the rest gained from staying the night somewhere like this. Of course, that also meant figuring out which room he would be staying in. Anna provided him with that information, and told him that he'd be sharing a room with someone. That wouldn't be a problem. Bert found Hoshi after that, and as usual, she agreed to patch up his and Rizen's armor after he'd cleaned them.

It was a little out of order, but he found out that no meal would be provided for the group that night after that. Likewise, the building had no bathing facilities, though there was a place where he could wash his clothes and armor on site. That helped to determine the order of tasks. The building did have some spare clothes, so he picked up a set along with the writing materials he'd need for that letter. Given the company's origin, Bert was a little surprised to see that only about a fifth of the spare clothes were Ursian-style. The rest were all Kigenese, and only the Kigenese ones had color to them, albeit mostly calm earth tones. It meant wearing grey, but Bert didn't mind. He preferred wearing something familiar...that and he was unconsciously trying to reject his likely-Kigenese heritage.

That was when it happened. Norbert was planning on just dropping some things off in his room before going off to start doing his laundry when he...met his roommate. Eyes shining and mouth pulled wide into a smile when he saw who was standing in the doorway, was Daichi, who had just previously been lost in thought. Norbert paused in his surprise, but otherwise didn't react. Then, he simply began leaving.

"Ah! W-wait!" Daichi scrambled after Norbert. He'd just previously been seated, so even though Norbert's pace was a simple walk, he had the advantage. Though, Bert was a little surprised at how quickly the Kigenese man caught up. Very soon, they were walking down the hall together, though Bert refused to look at his elder. Nervous and excited, with a bit of not knowing what to say mixed in, Daichi fumbled over his words as he tried to keep tentative while taking initiative. "Was there something you wanted to ask me?"

"No." Bert bluntly and tersely replied.

"Ah... Was...that your room? I did not know that was where you would be staying."

Anna. The Pegasus rider's brow furrowed even lower. His irritation was steadily climbing. "I was told I'd have a roommate... No one said it was you."

"Oh." Daichi felt an odd mix of happiness and unease. This conversation wasn't going very well...but it was a conversation. A conversation that had a pause for a moment. Deciding to change the subject, and tentatively cheerful, Daichi asked, "Where are you going now?"

"The stables. I'll sleep there tonight."

"Ah! You do not have to. If you really do not want to share a room with me, I can sleep there instead." He could also have rented at an inn, but that wasn't the first option to come to mind since he was a little frazzled.

"No," Bert irritably snapped, rounding on the Kigenese man. His initial reaction stemmed from wanting to keep Daichi away from Rizen, actually, but then he realized another reason: he wouldn't feel right about taking the room and making someone stay in the stables like that, especially if the other person didn't even have a mount staying there. "You take the room. I'll be fine with Rizen."

A mildly confused look came to Daichi's face. "Ri...zen…?" Then it dawned on him. "Ah, your pegasus! Right." Someone had told him her name before.

"Right." Bert turned and began heading that way again...but Daichi still followed. At first, Nobrert ignored him. They were at the mouth of the stables before he finally turned to glower at the Hikibain. "What do you want?"

"I was going to help you get comfortable," he replied, smiling amiably. "Do you need any blankets? Are you thirsty? I can get you what you need if you would like me to."

"I can take care of myself just fine!" Norbert snapped in response.

"I know," Daichi replied with a tranquil smile. "You are very good at taking care of your needs. But I want to help take care of your comforts, if I may. You can ensure your own survival without any help...but how often do you get to enjoy more than survival? And does it not only come with help from others?"

Norbert stiffened up at Daichi's hauntingly accurate questions. He thought of when Valter bought him a sandwich in Urcenter, and his poleaxe. He thought of the simple comforts those from Ursaea's garrison gave him after he escorted the Pegasus knights back. Even things he'd tried to reject, like Weyland's lavish living conditions extended to all employees, and likewise, Sanctuary's palace, and the conditions there. He tried to always be self-sufficient, and to pay back anyone who did something for him with something of equal value. As a result, everything went towards survival...and being able to keep everyone at a distance. He was sure of his own ability, so it was safe to rely only on himself. Besides, then he wouldn't have to worry about anyone else if he couldn't survive. Ra's warning returned to him...but he couldn't quite give up his self-sufficiency. Not to that degree - not yet.

"How did you know all that?" warily asked the rider.

Daichi smiled cheerfully at him. "I guessed!" If Daichi had left it at that, Bert would have been left incredulous. "I have seen many people. I only know you a little bit, so I made my best guess based off of what I have seen in the past from others."

"I...see..." That makes sense, at least. It was a little unnerving, though. So, he tried to brush him off. "I have a lot of things I have to get done tonight though, so..."

"I will gladly help! What is it that you need?"

That backfired. Norbert gave Daichi an annoyed look. "I told you -- I don't need your help!"

"The work will get done much faster with two people doing it," Daichi responded. It was an annoyingly sound argument.

Norbert gave a drawn-out, irritated sigh. "Fine! I was going to do my laundry. That means cleaning my clothes, and my and Rizen's armor. Her tack could use a cleaning, too."

Daichi gave his son an unnervingly confident look. "I have been a soldier for thirty years. Cleaning armor is easy."

Urgh, what did I get myself into? At least this'll get done quicker...

At Daichi's frustratingly reasonable suggestion to keep Bert's writing supplies and clean set of clothes in order, the elder took them back to his room while Norbert got things ready. Daichi had also suggested cleaning the armor first, since the clothes were going to be washed later anyway, and cleaning the armor would just get them dirty again. While scrubbing armor, Daichi told his son about Angelica's account of their fight against Ra, and wanted to know more. It was strange to Norbert how eager Daichi was throughout the retelling. He kept asking questions, and sometimes would forget that he was supposed to be cleaning things. Norbert kept things on task, though. Honestly, the elder man was acting more like a little boy hearing about some daring hero. In the end, Norbert told his account of the fight in full, down to the last detail, including meeting up with Joanna and Liam on the way back. That reminded Norbert that there was something he wanted to ask Jo later. Given the length of the story, it was only done after the two men had just about made it back to Daichi's room, where Norbert was going to change. As it turned out, Daichi knew some tricks to cleaning armor both faster and more thoroughly, and Norbert wound up secretly copying the technique. He didn't want the Hikibain to think that he was learning from him; that would only encourage him.

"Wait." Daichi stopped Bert at the door, giving him a hard look over.

"What?" Norbert asked. His tone was challenging, but the scrutiny was a bit unsettling.

Daichi then stated matter-of-factly, "You are dirty. Before putting on those clean clothes, you should clean yourself."

Norbert got an uncomfortable look on his face. "I would, but there aren't any bathing rooms here."

The look on Daichi's face after he said that kind of scared the Crusher. He'd apparently said something that excited Daichi...but Norbert couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was in the few seconds he had to do so.

"Come with me! I know where we can go to get a bath!" Daichi excitedly told him.

"Er- what?"

"You want to be clean before putting on those clean clothes, do you not?"

"Well, yeah-"

"Then go get them and come with me! I will show you a place!" Daichi excitedly told Norbert, opening the door to his room and immediately heading towards his own travel supplies. Norbert was getting an uncomfortable feeling about this, but he went to where Daichi  had rested the set of clean clothes earlier and picked them up.

On their way out, Norbert dropped by Hoshi's room to tell her where to find the armor. He apologized for not bringing it by directly, but since Rizen's armor was included, he figured it would have been easier in general for her to just go to the stables to repair them. He said that once his clothes were dry, he would bring them over, too. After that, Norbert and Daichi were off to wash up...as strange as that sounded to Bert.

The two came to a building, where Daichi led Bert inside. They were welcomed in Kigenese -- or at least, Bert figured that was a welcome -- and being the Kigenese-speaker, Daichi handled talks from there. The exchange seemed pretty jovial, and coin was passed from Daichi to this businessman. The businessman gave Daichi a bucket, much like the one the Hikibain had taken with him form his room, and was likewise filled with an assortment of bathing supplies. This new bucket was given to Norbert. It was a little weird, but if there were specific places you were supposed to bathe in Kigen, it made some sense that you should bring your own supplies, if nothing else was provided. Kigen's weird.

But it got weirder. Daichi led Norbert through a curtain to... just what sort of place was this?

"This is the changing room," Daichi explained. He indicated some cubbies. "This is where you put your things and your clothes. Shoes go over here."

Bert was both a little confused and a bit uneasy. "Why...would there be a changing room here?"

Daichi smiled, probably amused by the question. Stop looking at me like a kid who asks obvious things.

The Hikibain answered, "You can't wash yourself if you're dressed."

"That's not what I meant," Norbert replied, a little irritably from how awkward he was getting. "Are these...public baths?"

Norbert wouldn't have minded that so much. In some circumstances, it made sense, like the bathing rooms at Ursaea's barracks. But Daichi seemed like he was getting ready for a bath, too, and that thought was just uncomfortable. Besides that, he didn't know how different it would be for public baths open to anyone as opposed to a facility filled with fired soldiers who just wanted to get clean so that they could get some sleep.

"This is a sento," Daichi answered, "Men and women get clean separately, so you do not need to worry about that."

I wasn't until you put that thought in my head! Norbert mentally snapped, though he managed to keep his mouth shut on that one. Norbert looked around uncomfortably. "Are all Kigenese baths like this?"

"No," Daichi answered. Norbert regretted looking back over to him, and immediately went back to looking at the surrounding room. The man was about ready for his bath, it seemed. "Some private homes have smaller baths, and then there are onsen. … Hm? Norbert, you are not ready yet. That is alright. I will wait for you."

Please don't. It was awkward, especially since Daichi was staring at him the entire time  -- Norbert could feel his eyes as the elder patiently waited, but he didn't turn to look -- but soon it was onto the next phase...which was a little confusing to the Ursian-raised man. Thankfully, Daichi was there to guide him through it. Evidently, the actual washing took place next, but not in the baths. Evidently, it was a terrible faux pas to introduce soap to the bathwater. Rather, there were cleaning stations, and that was what the bucket of supplies was for. Norbert didn't see much of a point in a bath after that, since his only goal was to get clean, and though he protested, Daichi imposed an inspection to make sure Norbert hadn't forgotten to wash anything. For whatever reason, no matter how hard he tried to knock Daichi away, his strike or shove would miss every time, while Daichi himself didn't miss a beat in making sure his son was sufficiently clean. Daichi was sure to express that splashing around in the bath was rude, and while this didn't make sense initially, when they actually came to the bath, it did.

This was not simply a semi-public bathing area. Now, being clean before entering the water made sense. There was only one, large bath...and already, three other men were soaking in it.

"Alright, alright, time to go in!~" Daichi cheerily sang as he ushered a very awkward and half-unwilling Norbert into the hot water.

The pegasus rider didn't want to draw attention to himself, but he also wanted out of this situation entirely. Unfortunately for him, after Daichi got into the water, saying something in Kigenese as he did so, the elder of the two men began talking to the other three in the bath. All of it was in Kigenese, so he couldn't understand any of it. I should've stayed at an Ursian-style inn.

<"Oh, that mark! Are you a Hikibain?"> asked one of the men.

<"Oh, you noticed that. Yes, I am,"> Daichi replied, <"but don't think about that for now. We all came here to relax, didn't we?">

<"Hahahah! Yes, that's right! Still, it's kind of amazing seeing one this far up north. Oh. There...aren't any demons around, are there?"> asked another.

<"We've been searching for them, but we haven't found any real signs of any, so you don't have to worry about that. There only things we've found are people chasing what isn't there.">

<"Ah, that's a relief.">

<"Hm? I've seen you around before,"> the third man noted.

<"That's not surprising. I've been stationed here for...hmmm a month, I think? I apologize; I'm not really in a work mindset right now,"> Daichi replied.

<"No, no, that's what a bath is for! The Hikibain need to relax once in a while too,"> the first man noted.

<"Even more than the rest of us, maybe!"> the second one agreed.

<"It is a difficult job, but many other men also have difficult jobs. I appreciate the work that everyone does. If we didn't have any cooks, we couldn't eat, and painters and toymakers makes the world so much nicer,"> Daichi sincerely and cheerily replied.

<"Hmm yeah, that's true,"> the first agreed. Then, much to the half-Ursian's dread, he looked right at him with a curious look on his face. <"Hey, Mr. Hikibain, who is that with you?">

<"Is he another Hikibain? He sure looks tough,"> the third man asked. Norbert was desperately trying to ignore them.

<"I don't know. He looks like he's trying to be cool..."> the second one mused.

<"Oh, no, no, nothing like that! This is my son, Norbert. He's a mercenary from Ursium. In fact, we only just met today! His mother was my wife, but she died in Ursium, and since I am a Hikibain, I couldn't go look for her. Norbert didn't know who his father was until today,"> Daichi explained.

<"Ohh! I see! No wonder he looks so strong, being the son of a Hikibain!"> the first man noted.

<"And cool!"> the second man agreed.

Norbert could tell they were talking about him, even with his eyes closed. He was doing his best to ignore them, being thoroughly uncomfortable with the situation.

<"A foreigner, too! Hey, Mr. Hikibain, his mother must have looked exotic and beautiful, huh?"> asked the third man.

Daichi's face gained a little more color. <"Oh, well, you know... Of course, I think she was beautiful. But I did already tell you that she's dead, didn't I?">

The second man gave the third a good, firm whack. <"That's not an appropriate question to ask a widower, idiot!">

<"Er, you're right... Sorry, Mr. Hikibain.">

<"Don't worry about it right now, please. Let's all just relax, okay? Ah, and Norbert isn't saying anything because he only speaks Common, so he can't understand anything that we're saying,"> Daichi replied, awkwardly trying to smooth things over.

<"He only speaks common?! That's surprising, since he's the son of a Hikibain…"> the third man commented. The second one nodded in agreement, but that was the end of that, at least, after the first man gave the other two a firm reminder that they were all here to relax.

After it got quiet, Norbert was able to shut out the others well enough to actually unwind a little. The water really did feel nice. However, he was glad when it was time to get out, dry off, and most importantly, get dressed.

TO BE CONTINUED.

Edited July 30, 2018 by Mercakete

[Mercakete]

"Hmm..."

"What is it?" Norbert asked. He'd been trying to ignore Daichi as the Hikibain scrutinized him, but now that he was humming about whatever he was observing, the half-Ursian figured he should address it. Whatever was bothering him seemed to have been distracting the elder of the two since they left the sento.

"Your clothes," Daichi answered, pointing at the borrowed tunic and pants his son was wearing. He had a mildly confused look on his face. "They're very...different from what you were wearing earlier. Do you like this style?"

Oh. The tunic and pants were pretty dull, both being bland, close shades of gray, and without any special needlework or anything on them. The important thing in this case was that they functioned, though. "Not really, but I don't care about that very much right now. I'm just grateful that I was able to borrow them until my clothes are cleaned and fixed."

"Hm? They're... Do you mean that your only set of clothes are what you were wearing earlier?!" Daichi asked, the realization dawning on him.

"It's not a big deal," Norbert replied, trying to calm his elder down. What an overreaction... "All I really need is one set of clothes. If those get too damaged to repair, I can just get new clothes then. I don't like carrying excess."

"And yet, you needed to borrow a set of clothes," Daichi pointed out. "You should always have extra clothes ready just in case you need them. It is not extra."

I think he meant "excess." Norbert thought. Yeah, there Daichi went with his logical chain of thought again... The younger heaved a sigh, returning his eyes to the direction they were going. "I guess, but it's not like I can afford another outfit. Besides, Rizen's carrying enough as it is, and I've been managing just fine- Er…" What's with that look?

Daichi looked like his heart was breaking with sympathy... "My poor son!"

"Don't call me that."

Daichi's face suddenly gained a very serious look to it, though sympathy was mixed in, and he rested a hand on Bert's shoulder. "Norbert... You do not need to rely only on yourself anymore. Please, allow me to supply this need."

Bert grunted in annoyance, again thinking about that lesson he'd learned: that he had to rely more on others. Still, he wanted to reject it, partially because he was uncomfortable with it, and partially because of who he'd be accepting the help from.

"Let me do this for you...please." Norbert was a little surprised when he looked back over at the Hikibain. Daichi sure was being intense about this... He couldn't find sympathy in his face anymore. It was nothing but keen focus and determination... If not for the ridiculous subject matter, Bert would've thought he was facing down an opponent or something... This situation...is just weird... And again, he was beginning to feel awkward about it. The longer they stood there in the middle of the road like that, the more of a scene they'd cause... "Er… Are there any clothing stores even open at this time?"

"Yes," Daichi answered. Then, he turned towards whatever shop he had in mind before turning his head to lock eyes with Norbert again. "Come with me." Then, Daichi blinked, his features rapidly transitioning from what Norbert could only assume was his combat face to that carefree expression he was wearing earlier. His tone shifted to match. "Please? This will be enjoyable for me as well."

For a beat, Norbert could only stare at Daichi's smiling face with a look of confusion and a bit of unease. This guy...is really weird... In the end, though, reacting more on impulse than thought, he wound up agreeing and following Daichi to whatever shop he had in mind. When they actually stepped into the store, however, while Daichi and the store owner called greetings to one another, Norbert tensed up.

"As for Kazemi, I don't think anyone expects you to immediately start wearing the family robes and start speaking Kigenese." Right... In this clothing store, wall to wall, all Bert could see were Kigenese-style clothes.

<"You came at a good time! We were going to close up for the day soon,"> the store's owner told Daichi, coming up to him after their called greetings, <"What can I do for you?">

<"This is my son, Norbert. He just came over from Ursium, and this is his first time in Kigen. We only just met today, and he doesn't know any Kigenese. Right now, he's borrowing a spare set of clothes, but I want to buy him something to wear. We have a lot of travel ahead of us, so something simple and durable would be best. Could you show us anything like that?"> Daichi replied, gesturing at his son when he introduced him. Norbert's eyes were wandering the shop, though, so he didn't notice.

<"Oh, I see, I see..."> the shopkeeper replied, scrutinizing Norbert's current outfit with a look of distaste. Then, he gave a nod and a warm smile. gestured for them to follow as he began heading deeper into the store. <"Well, congratulations on finding one another. Don't worry; I'm sure I have something that will be to your teste. What style of clothing are you looking for? If it's not for a formal occasion, I recommend looking at our selection of yukata. Summer is nearly here, after all, and I've found that it's a good garment for men who have never worn Kigenese clothing before. It's easy to take care of, too, and it's lighter than other styles of clothing.">

Daichi nodded with a broad, calm smile. <"Thank you; that sounds perfect. We'll take a look.">

The shopkeeper gestured for them to follow as he began heading deeper into the store with a smile. <"I have a selection of clothes that sound like they're just what you're looking for. Come with me, and you can try them on until you find something you like.">

<"Thank you."> Daichi began following as he told his son, "Norbert, come this way. The owner says that he has useful clothing over here."

And then, suddenly, he heard Common. Evidently, Daichi had been speaking with the store owner during Norbert's short-lived stupor. The half-Ursian hesitated with a grimace. Maybe they have styles I'm used to further in. Norbert reasoned. So, with a quiet sigh, but not losing his skeptical grimace, he followed.

Soon, Norbert found himself standing so stiffly that he could have been a statue, staring at rows and rows of Kigenese-style...robes? while Daichi and the businessman exchanged customary pleasantries of the customer thanking the businessman for his assistance and the businessman saying that the customer could call him if he needed any assistance. Then, it was just Norbert, Daichi, and rows of yukata.

"Sa! Let's start looking through these. Hmm Norbert, what kind of color do you like?" Daichi cheerily asked. <Judging by his clothes, I bet he likes red.>

"Are...you kidding me?"

"Hm?"

Daichi was struck with surprise to see Norbert's face contorted from shock to fury. "Just what are you trying to do?!"

"Eh?" Daichi was legitimately confused. In a calm, casual, but confused voice, he replied, "I was trying to buy you a spare set of traveling clothes..."

"I'm not Kigenese!" the younger snapped, pointing an accusatory finger at the elder. "I know you think you're my dad and you want me to be your son, but I'm Ursian and that's not about to change just because you want it to! I was born in Ursium, I was raised in Ursium… I only know how to be Ursian! Being Ursian is a big part of who I am! Even my sisters fight to protect Ursium! Not Kigen! You want me to suddenly change who I am...but that's not going to happen!"

Daichi stared in astonishment at Norbert for a moment. Then, his face melted into a warm, loving, gentle smile...which both surprised Norbert and put him on edge. What? What's that look for? Doesn't he get it?!

"Ahh, Norbert..." Daichi sighed, hanging his head for a moment before looking back to his son. "I do not want you to give up who you are. I do not want you to stop being Ursian. You have always been Ursian, just like your mother. Your family in Ursium is very important to me as well, because they are your family. They were with you, though I could not be. I am so grateful to them...for looking after you."

Norbert was shocked. Daichi was clearly being sincere - the man was close to tears, he was so grateful. It was downright humbling. Bert was still uneasy and confused, though. "Then...why take me to a Kigenese bath, and try to buy me Kigenese clothes?"

Daichi looked at Norbert like he'd asked a childish question - as though what he had said was cute. Gently, he answered, "You are in Kigen. These are the sort of things we have here."

"Oh." Well, that was embarrassingly obvious in hindsight. Norbert looked nervously at Daichi. "Well...I'm still afraid. If I stop thinking of myself as only Ursian, that means that who I am isn't the same as who I thought I was. So, no matter what, things will change."

Daichi gave a loving but sympathetic look to his son and rested a gentle hand on his shoulder. "All of the experiences you have had in your life are real. Everything that has made you who you are have already happened. You will not stop being who you are just because you learn more about yourself. I do not want you to stop being who you are...I want to be included in who you are already becoming."

It was so profound that Norbert's defenses dropped, and all he could do was stare at this man who claimed to be his father. It was true... Ever since he was little, a piece of who he was had been missing. There was a part of his identity that he'd never been able to reach. He'd always known that it was rooted in whoever his father was. If he could learn that, he could know himself much more fully. Before, he could never really deny it when people called him a bastard. He could never know for sure if it was true or not. He couldn't deny any of the things people accused his parents of...and that had been the worst part of it, when people did that. Because he didn't know what the truth really was... And now, he was running away from that because it didn't fit what he'd imagined it might be. He had to change how he thought of himself, and that was frightening...but, now that he was staring it in the face...it wasn't actually that bad. Was it really so terrible to be Kigenese? Some of his better friends were Kigenese. It'll take some adjusting...but...can I really accept this? Even with all this, it's...scary... Norbert looked away with an uneasy grimace.

"You add to who you are all the time through your experiences. This is just like that," Daichi assured. The man sure could be comforting to be around - that was certain. "I want to learn everything about you, my son. I want to hear about everything in your life. I want to learn who you were, who you are, and who you want to be. I want to know what foods you like, what time of year you like best, what your friends are like... Everything. I want to...be a part of your life."

That was something else. What was holding Norbert back from accepting Daichi into his life was more than just the change in identity. He sent an angry glare at the elder man again. Quietly but like a warning growl, Norbert added, "That's another thing."

Daichi blinked blankly at Norbert again. "Hm?"

"Why didn't you ever come to Ursium?" Norbert snapped, minding his volume for the shopkeeper's sake. "Why didn't you ever come looking for my mother and me?"

Daichi's face shifted into an expression so sad and pitiable that Norbert almost felt like he needed to apologize for asking what he did. Daichi suddenly looked very tired, and he released a long sigh, his head drooping.

There was a stretch of silence. Then, he lifted his arm and displayed his Hikiba tattoo. Norbert looked at it, a bit confused, for a little while. And then, Daichi's sorrowful, quiet voice answered, "I gave my life to the protection of Kigen. I became a Hikibain. Unless under direct orders from the emperor, we are not permitted to leave Kigen. To do so...would have been betrayal to the emperor, and to Kigen: a terrible crime. I asked to guard the northern border, even though the demons attack from the south. I was given what I asked for. I waited here for ten years...and then I finally accepted that Daphne..." Daichi's eyes were welling up and his voice was tight, and breaking. "...would never come back to me."

Norbert's anger was completely quenched as he stared in wide-eyed shock at his father. Daichi wasn't quite finished, however.

"I tried to continue my life as though she would not return. I went to a person to find a...good fit for me. I was introduced to Sumire, who I married. Sumire had bribed the person who finds husbands and wives so that she could become my wife. I knew that, but I never told her that. I went along with it because I was trying to force my life to continue without your mother. I did not know...if she had found someone else, or..." Daichi couldn't continue. He closed his eyes and let the tears fall, his lip trembling as he slowly turned his face away from his son, doing his best to recompose himself before he completely broke down.

Norbert felt terrible, sympathetic, and awkward all at once. He wanted to help console this man, but he had no idea how. Marrying someone so that you can try to move on from another marriage is still a terrible thing to do...but, she bribed someone so she could marry him, so I guess they were using each other. That doesn't make it right. Just makes the whole situation despicable. Still, he couldn't feel angry at Daichi - not right now. Besides, Daichi seemed to know that what he did - using that woman - had been wrong. There wasn't any reason to bring that up, even later on.

Once Daichi had composed himself, he gave Norbert an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

Norbert shook his head. "No...I'm the one who should apologize. I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you. I didn't know your situation."

He didn't know exactly what the punishment would be for someone in Daichi's position to commit treason like that, but couldn't the emperor cut him some slack if he was going to look for his missing wife and kid? This wasn't the time to ask that sort of thing, though, so he wasn't sure if he still held that against him or not. Even if they couldn't return to Kigen, couldn't they have just stayed in Ursium? Maybe he'd find someone to ask these things some other time. Asking Daichi himself might not be the best option. Still...if he loved my mother that much, then if there was a way, you'd think he would've taken it...unless he has a greater loyalty to his country than to his family. It's hard to say...

Norbert shook his head. "Even with all that, though, I don't know if I can call you my father. If you really did marry my mother, then she must have told you about the rule of the sisterhood. If any of us get a family outside of the sisterhood - if we take a surname - then we leave the sisterhood, and are now a part of that new family. If I became your son...I wouldn't have my sisters anymore. We didn't get along...but recently, there's one who I do get along with. I can't just stop being her brother right after we got on good terms. So I'm going to write her a letter, telling her about all this, and ask what I should do. This doesn't just affect me, so...it's only fair."

Daichi was still a little emotional, but had mostly pulled himself together. He was smiling amiably at Norbert, and gave him a nod. "I understand. I believe that you are doing the right thing."

Norbert was a little surprised to hear that, but he wound up giving Daichi a smile and a nod of his own. Then, his eyes traveled beyond the Hikibain to the rows of yukata and gave them an uneasy grimace. "But you know...I still prefer Ursian clothes."

Daichi gave a laugh at that. "Of course! It is what is familiar to you. But since you will be in Kigen for a while, I thought that Kigenese clothes would be more useful to you. You have Ursian clothes already, which you can use when Ursian clothes would be more helpful. But sometimes, it might be more helpful to have Kigenese clothes. These are called 'yukata.' They are light clothes, and good for hot weather. They can be worn in many situations, are easy to take care of, and easier to put on than other kinds of clothes. So, I thought that they would be the most useful to you."

Norbert paused for a second at how well thought-through Daichi's plan for what kind of clothes to get was, and the release of tension actually set Norbert off laughing.

"Hm? What is funny?" Daichi asked, smiling along with Norbert, though a bit confused.

"N-nothing; don't worry about it," Norbert replied, his laughter dying down. Then, he grinned at Daichi. "Your reasoning makes sense. I guess I'll go with your plan. I...might need some help with this, though..."

Daichi beamed at Norbert. "I will happily help you!"

And he did. They looked through various yukata, and tried quite a few on before deciding on one. Then there were the other components: the obi, koshihimo, and a pair of geta. They also decided to get a nagajuban for style and comfort. Throughout the process, Daichi answered every question Norbert had, and patiently instructed him - with much repetition - on how to pick out and put on the yukata ensemble. Watching Norbert - who was used to boots - try to walk normally in the geta was particularly amusing, but Daichi was very proud of how dedicated his son was to learning what he was being taught.

"I still feel like I'm wearing a dress," Norbert grumbled, glowering at his reflection.

That elicited a laugh out of Daichi. "Well, you are not. It is a good thing that you are not a girl. Their clothes are even more complicated to wear."

"It gets even worse?!" Bert exclaimed in surprise, his eyes snapping to his father, who let out another laugh in response.

"Not 'worse.' It is more complicated, though, yes," Daichi replied with a smile.

Norbert grunted in irritation as he returned his attention to his reflection. I miss pants. It'd already been explained to him, though, that while hakama -- that was, Kigenese-style lower-wear -- was common, it wasn't worn with yukata. He and Daichi had already talked about getting him a kimono at some point, once he got used to the yukata, but for now, Norbert wasn't interested. One set of foreign clothes was enough for him. I'm glad I don't have to replace my usual clothes with all this. … How is this o... ob... sash going to hold up my maces? I...guess it might work? I trust leather more than I trust cloth... Fighting might be difficult, too. I think I can wear most of my armor over this, though... Urgh, that might look silly... I'll have to try, though. Better to look silly than to die, if it comes to that. I guess I don't have to worry about that much, though. I'll only have to wear this if my usual clothes are damaged or dirty or something. At least I can stop borrowing other people's clothes.

"You look good in that."

Norbert looked over to Daichi, who was smiling in satisfaction at him. Then the younger man looked himself over again. "I do?" After a nod from Daichi and a bit more getting used to the foreign garb, Norbert tilted his head to the side. "It's...not terrible...I guess... And I have to admit, it is comfortable." Daichi's smile turned into a purely pleased one. "It'll just...take some getting used-to."

Daichi nodded. "Of course. It is new, after all."

Norbert's head bobbed in agreement as he scrutinized himself. This is...a bit weird... In all honestly, though, he was a little excited to try fighting in it, or at least practicing in it to feel the difference from what he usually fought in. It was beginning to feel like a new challenge. I...may be able to do this. Finally, Norbert's mouth began to curve into a smile.

Purchase complete, and thanking the shop owner for keeping his store open later than usual for them, the two left the clothing store behind, and began heading back the way they'd come from. Norbert decided that he'd continue to wear the borrowed clothes for the time being, though, since it was easier to move around in them, and he would have had to carry his boots otherwise. Daichi insisted on taking Norbert somewhere to eat before returning to the W.E. building, so they agreed to go get something to eat. Again, Daichi would be covering the expenses. When asked what sort of food he liked, Norbert didn't have much of an answer, though, he did say that he enjoyed stew. They wound up going to a soup shop, where Daichi tried to teach Norbert how to eat ramen. Norbert was terrible at using chopsticks, though, having to be hastily corrected when he tried to stab the meat in his bowl to get at it after many failed attempts at using the utensils. Eventually, a fork and a spoon were provided instead.

Finally, the two made it back to the W.E. building, and both were quite ready for some sleep. Norbert still had some chores left to take care of that were on his mind...along with something else. A bit sheepishly, he apologized for his earlier behavior, and said that, if Daichi didn't mind, he wouldn't mind being roommates. Of course, Daichi happily accepted. Daichi also offered to help Norbert with his laundry, but Norbert was quite adamant that that he could take care of himself. As agreed, once he was done cleaning his clothes, he delivered what needed mending to Hoshi, along with an apology for the hour. Then, it was back to his room to write his letter.

TO BE CONTINUED.

Edited July 31, 2018 by Mercakete

[Mercakete]

Darcey,

Here's that letter I promised you. The group I'm with and I made it to Kigen today, so I guess it's safe to tell you now. Joanna, the Winged Cleric, is with us. After the Order of Wrath took her captive in order to take something important that belonged to her, we rescued her, took back her item, and began fleeing. I was also the one who stired up the Mercites against the Wrathites with this information. I didn't want to get any of you in trouble for helping us out, so I didn't say anything about it while I was with you, but now you can say that you didn't intentionally help fugitives get away from the Wrathites. And since we're in Kigen now, you won't have to be put into that awkward position of doing what you're told, or helping us. I'd been really careful to stay on the right side of the law until recently, but circumstances forced me to make a similar choice. I wound up choosing to do what I thought was right instead of what was less complicated. Everything I told you was true, though, so don't think I was being completely dishonest with you. I just wanted to protect you and the others by omitting those specific details. As for why I'm telling you now? I figured you guys had a right to know, and that it wouldn't put you in a bad spot anymore.

Well, that's out of the way, now. I don't know if you're mad at me by this point, but something else came up once we got here, and I need to talk to you about it. I'm no good at Kigenese names, so I don't actually know the guy's name yet, but there's a man here who claims to be my father. He recognized me when I got off the boat because I look like my parents, and he started asking me questions, like how old I was. I'm pretty sure he's telling the truth, and that I've found him. But I haven't accepted it yet - not entirely - so I'm still a part of the sisterhood. He's not a bad guy, so you don't need to worry about that, and he really wants to be my dad. He's some rank in the military where if he'd left Kigen to find my mother and me, he would've been committing treason. So he says, anyway. I'm still looking into that, but I'm sure he at least believes it. Honestly, part of me wants to get to know him more, and to be his son. But I don't want to leave the sisterhood, either. I just got on good terms with you. I don't want to stop being your brother, especially not so soon after we connected. I could never betray our family. I'm grateful to Father Nigel for raising me, and even though I wasn't treated well growing up, I have a sense of fidelity toward all of our sisters. I don't want to choose. I want to be a part of the sisterhood forever, but I also want to discover this part of myself that's been out of my reach for so long: the part that comes from my father. So, Sis... What should I do? I need your advice on this. Besides that, it wouldn't be fair not to include you in this decision, since it involves all of you. I'll go ahead and let you speak for our sisters, too, since out of all of them, you probably care the most.

Well, that's that for now. I hope that all of you and your pegasi are doing well. Even Doran. Be sure to let me know how everything wound up after that mess I left you in. I want to know how you're doing. Cameron, too.

Your brother,

Norbert

 

Well, that was that. Letter completed, Bert walked over to the W.E. building's front desk to have it delivered as soon as was available. It would take some time to reach Ursaea, but at least the recipient and the destination were clearly written on the envelope: "To Darcey at the Ursaea garrison." On his way back to his and his father's shared room, Bert slowed to a stop next to another door. He'd been thinking about doing something since the clothing store, and was currently in his new yukata, getting used to moving around in it and his geta. He was getting less clumsy about it, and was even able to walk fairly quietly, though, he still stumbled at times. When he'd washed his clothes, he also washed the ones he'd borrowed, figuring it was the least he could do as thanks for lending them to him. Since he returned them afterwards, and his usual clothes were being repaired, his only option was the yukata. Thankfully, Daichi graciously helped him make sure it was on right before the elder went to sleep.

Norbert grimaced, looking at the door. I wonder what she'll think if she sees me in this... Still, that thought from earlier kept rolling around in his head, and she would be the best person to talk to about it, most likely. So, he went ahead and gave the door a couple raps.

TO BE CONTINUED.

Edited August 2, 2018 by Mercakete

[Mercakete]

All's Hair & Love & War

Spoiler

"Hey, Angelica, you in there? I know it's late, so I'll just go if you want me to, but I'd like to ask you for a favor, if that's alright," Norbert asked through the door, minding his volume to try to minimize how many people he disturbed. Still a little self-conscious about how different his attire was, he also put in a warning afterwards. "And don't be too shocked by what I'm wearing if you answer the door."

Finally, some rest and relaxation after a long day. Running around doing this and that, dealing with Ra... it was finally over, and having just gotten comfortable resting her head against Eva's neck and shoulder, it was finally time to just- of course someone would come knocking on her door. Hoping to ignore it, until a voice accompanied the knocking, Angelica rose from the comfort of warm snuggling with a light grimace on her face, a sigh escaping her lips as she started towards the door.

"So much for that... Norbert, as long as it's not a fundoshi, I don't think it's going to that shocking." The mage noted as she opened the door, not having bothered to fix up the light yukata she had been lounging in, leaving it tied rather loose and open... not so far as to be indecent, but certainly more showy than one would typically wear around people.

"What can I help you with, hmm?"

"A...what?" Angelica had said some word in Kigenese… Well, it was probably neither here nor there and...was that a yukata? Ones for women were supposed to be more complicated, so he'd begun trying to look for just how out of curiosity before almost immediately stopping himself. She probably wasn't wearing it right if it was hanging so loosely on her and he didn't want to see all that. He waved a hand as he cancelled his question. "Nevermind. Looks like you picked one of these up, too. That's not what I'm here about, though."

Norbert began fiddling with the ends of his hair. "I'm here for a haircut. You seem to be good at this sort of thing, so I thought I'd ask you. It's kind of a mundane request, but my hair was getting a little long, and...well, I was thinking about changing it a little. I could just use my knife, but... I just thought you'd do better. That and I guess I'm practicing not strictly relying on myself for things. But I know it's late, so if you don't want to, that's okay, too. We're not on the road, though, so I thought this might be one of the better times to ask."

He had come all this way... for a haircut? Angelica just gave Norbert an incredulous look for a few moments, before sighing as she threw her head back a bit, reaching up to her yukata to close it a bit more tightly, after catching Norbert's quickly shifted glance.

"Well, I suppose I am probably the best person to ask for that... a makeover for Norbert, huh? Can't say I expected you to be among the first to take up that offer."

Indeed, the reason why he thought of Angelica for the job was because of her offer back near Ursaea to change people's appearance. That was when she'd altered her own. There was a little clarifying that needed to be done, though, it seemed.

"Not a whole makeover," Norbert corrected, maybe a little quickly, as he held his hand, palm-out, in a vague halting gesture. "I just want a haircut. Though..." He looked down at his yukata. "I guess how I look is changing a little more than just that, even though I won't be wearing this very often..." Then, he looked back to Angelica. "Thanks for agreeing to do this for me, though. It's not for some sort of disguise or anything. I just felt like it was time to get it cut."

Although, that meant a little more than Norbert was saying. He gave the end of his longer bangs a little tug as he looked at them. After this, they'd be gone...and he hadn't realized their humble significance until earlier that day.

Eva had half fallen asleep when Norbert knocked, only stirring once the two at the door started to have a conversation. "What's, who...?" Sitting up rather groggy, she rubbed her eyes before scooting off the bed and stepping over, yawning along the way. "What's up, you two...?" Eva was wearing a similar getup to Angelica, though tied up better than the mage's.

"Oh, hey. Nice clothes, Bert. What's the occasion? Today go well, I gather?" Eva didn't think there'd be much reason for him to be wearing local attire unless he either had no choice, or things with his dad had worked out.

"Aww, no makeover? And here I was already working it out in my head... a little eyeliner, some foundation... oh well~ Did you have anything in mind for style or length?" Angelica teased, holding her hands towards Norbert, looking at his face through a frame comprised of her own fingers, before chuckling as Eva came over.

"Norbert here wants a haircut, and he made his best choice for the job. Let me see if I can find something while you talk that out..." Angelica replied to Eva, grabbing a nearby chair easily enough, although it took a few moments to locate a spare sheet. 

"This'll have to do as a bib, I suppose."

"Er, thanks," Bert replied to Eva, noticing that she was in a yukata, too. Is this a fad or something? Does everyone have one of these now? If it was a fad, he'd stumbled into it. There was something else confusing, too, to address. Perhaps once he'd worked that last bit out, he'd be able to address the other questions, but for now, one thing was stalling out his brain. "Bib?"

He wasn't versed at all in that terminology. As far as he knew, bibs were what babies wore to keep food from falling on their clothes. There was no food involved in the discussion, and a blanket certainly was too big to be considered the kind of bib that he was thinking of. So, in the end, he was just too confused to address anything else.

It seemed that Norbert had gotten caught on the concept of a bib... well, it wasn't surprising really, if he was accustomed to cutting his own hair with a knife, it likely wasn't something he really took much time to consider in the past.

"Just something to wrap around your collar and around you, keeps the hair from getting into your clothing... for the most part. I suppose a professional might have another name for it, but that's all it is."

"Oh," he responded, nodding. That made sense. Then, he pulled into his thoughts to sort out and answer the other questions, crossing one arm and resting the hand of his other on his chin. "Let's see... I'm not very creative when it comes to things like this. I like the length I usually try to keep for most of it, but" he pointed to the cluster of longer hairs hanging over his forehead "it's time that this goes. Besides that, I guess I'll trust you with the rest."

Then, he turned his attention to Eva. "You mean after we talked, right? About today going well?" That took a bit of thinking, too. "Hrm, I guess. You'll both be glad to hear that I talked with that Kigenese guy. I'm still no good at his name yet, though. Anyway, he helped me clean up Rizen's and my armor, then we went to a Kigenese-style bath since there aren't any available in this place and I needed to wash up. He noticed that I don't have a spare set of clothes, so he took me to a clothing store after that, where we got this. It's called a...you-gotchya or something, but you guys are wearing them, too, so I guess you knew that. We went to a soup place after that, then came back here... I don't usually indulge like that, so I guess you could say the day ended well. Like I said, we talked, too. Things are a lot more complicated than I thought. We're on better terms now, at least, me and him."

"That makes me really happy, honestly." Eva sighed a bit, but smiled, sitting back on the edge of the bed as Angelica got him ready for an apparent haircut. "I didn't get to talk to him very much, but he seemed like he really cared. I'm glad things worked out for you, even if it was just a bit. Yu-ka-ta, by the way. I'll leave you to figure out his name on your own." Unless he wanted her to tell him, but it was better not to step on Bert's toes too much.

"You're not gonna use your wind magic for this, are you, Angelica? I mean, I figured you were good at make up and stuff, but hair? Didn't really peg you for that..."

"I haven't known you that long, Norbert. I don't know what your usual length is. Just... grab your bang, and use your fingers to show me how long you want the rest of your hair to be." Angelica replied, nodding along with Eva and Norbert's conversation about Daichi as she ruffled through her belongings, pulling out a pair of scissors just after Eva had asked if she was going to use her magic to do the deed, eliciting a chuckle from the mage.

"I am glad things worked out... it would have been rather awkward if you had fought, and we'd have had to deal with the aftermath of that the whole way to Kayoyama. And no, I'm not going to use my magic to cut his hair... I mean, I could. All it takes is some precision cuts, and it's basically the same thing but faster, although... I don't think Norbert trusts me that much, to let me experiment like that."

"Yeah, that's true," Norbert muttered in agreement with Eva's assessment of how much Daichi cared. Her leaving him to figure out Daichi's name on his own was fair enough, so he didn't bother about that. He did appreciate the other aid, though. "Yu-ka-ta... I'll keep working on that." Yu-ka-ta, yu-ka-ta, you-cut-yeah, you-c- … Wait. I...don't think that was it... You...cat-ah? Er… I'll ask again later...

It was also interesting that Eva thought of makeup and hairstyling as separate skills. She was right, of course, but the thought hadn't occurred to Norbert. He'd always just lumped the two together, in most cases. Angelica had a good point, too, regarding how short he usually kept is hair; they really hadn't known each other long enough for her to just know: another thing that was obvious in hindsight. Am I getting dumber or something? Maybe I've been taking too many blows to the head...

In response to Angelica's last comment, Norbert shrugged a little. "You're the expert; cut it with whatever you want to. I've seen you fight, so I know you know how to use your magic. You won't use it if you think it's too risky. As for how short to cut it... It'd be easier to show you if I had a mirror or something. Where do you want me to be, by the way?"

Though it seemed a little off-topic for now, he did agree that he was glad that things worked out between him and Daichi, even though things weren't completely resolved yet. At least they were getting better...but it was still bothering him: was there really no way that he could have gone to Ursium to look for his wife and child?

"Well, you're braver than me if you let her try. She's already mean enough, I wouldn't want her cutting air near my head. One wrong turn of a spell, and I'd be down an ear. Way too risky, hoof." Eva gave herself shivers just thinking about that. They could probably get one of the healers to help with it, but it would be incredibly awkward and entirely unnecessary to try.

Norbert smiled, giving a light chuckle at Eva's reaction. "I trusted her to guide Rizen's wings. This is nothing by comparison. I don't think she'll make any mistakes, but even if she did, it wouldn't be much of a problem." Norbert indicated the scars on his face as he moved his hand to display the nick in his ear. "I've been cut up by magic wind before, and if she accidentally took out a bit more of one of my ears, she'd stop, unlike that demon back at Weyland's. And my face is already damaged enough that another small scar isn't going to be very noticeable, if it even got that bad. Besides, it's not like it'd be that painful. I've gone through a lot worse."

Crossing his arms, an intrigued look came to the Crusher's face. "Actually, I'm kind of surprised you don't trust Angelica more. She's the sort of person who takes her combat abilities seriously, and hones herself to get as close to perfection as possible. She'll only hurt you if she wants to." Then, he grinned a bit tauntingly. "Out of all the things to be afraid of, you're scared of her. That's surprising, too, since you act so fearless all the time. Everyone's scared of something; don't get me wrong. It's just that I thought yours would make a little more sense. Like being scared of being eaten by a sea monster or having to wear something impractically frilly or something, since you take on so many other things with a smile. But being afraid of the one you like the most? That doesn't make much sense."

Well... Bert had a point. Though it wasn't really fear it was more... "Hmmm..." It was going to be hard to say this properly, Eva had to take a moment to think on how to put it. "I do trust her. This is hard to say, I'm not sure what words to use. I guess... I run at the unknown because I don't know how strong it is. There's no point in being afraid of something if I don't know how strong it is. At least, that's how I see it... But, I know how strong Angelica is. It's just because of her magic, but with it, she can even out muscle me. I tried to fight her properly once, and we sort of, ended up in a draw, heh. So it's more of a... An odd respect, because I know how strong she is. That, and... Sometimes I'm not quite sure if she wants to hurt me or not."

Eva chuckled at that, she didn't want to give more details than he'd asked for, but Angelica was a lot different in private. "Don't sell yourself short, by the way. Scars are plenty attractive. I've got more than a few, though they've avoided my face."

Well. That bit of teasing backfired weirdly. Sure, it was his honest opinion, but there had been a point where he'd begun poking light fun at her. While he was sure that Angelica didn't actually want to hurt Eva, the woman could speak for herself about that. Besides, he was distracted from that point when thrust into one of his own zones of discomfort.

"Don't sell yourself short?" "Scars are attractive?" And that zone was...well, anything having to do with the topic of romance or attraction, especially when it pertained to him, himself. At least if it was about someone else, he could just shrug it off, that being a topic that was particularly out of his depth. It was difficult not to feel awkward, and even a bit frazzled, when he was the topic, himself, though. Various times during his travels since meeting Raquel came to mind, the strangest of which was Robin's supposed feelings for him. That woman made no sense at all, though, so that just added another layer of confusion to the whole thing.

As he was, though, that kind of thing was usually far away from Norbert's mind. Instead, he thought of himself based on his actions, not his appearance, and typically, he thought of others in the same way. Would I really be considered attractive? He, therefore, wasn't sure what he would do with that sort of attention. Trying to hide the bit of panic that'd come up within him, though the initial look of surprise and bit of color that came to his face had already given him away a little, Norbert shrugged and replied, "I have no way of measuring or understanding that sort of thing. Even without the scars, I figure I'm unappealing, but that suits me just fine. It's not like it's a necessary quality to have in a fight."

Combat, training, power, logic, morals... These sorts of things he could comprehend and ponder. How attractive he was in the eyes of others? That...was something best left undiscussed, as far as he was concerned.

"You're going to talk bad about me like that, and say something else is risky? I might need to discipline you when I'm finished up here." Angelica replied with a flat expression, the only indication she wasn't genuinely upset was that she stuck her tongue out at Eva after a few moments. Still, Eva was being awfully coy, keeping this fear conversation so firmly in the realm of fighting.

"She's afraid of me, because you two are very alike. You're very combat focused, without worrying too much about romantic matters. Even if I was clearly stronger than her, she wouldn't be scared of that. She's afraid of everything I can do outside of a fight, that she isn't prepared to deal with." Angelica corrected... or rather, duly spilled the beans that Eva had been so desperately trying to keep housed in an overturned can. Well, there they were.

"Back to the hair. I haven't practiced cutting with magic, so I'm not going to. That'd be like using a longsword to spread butter, sure it might look impressive, but if you aren't sure of what you're doing, it's probably going to end badly. Just sit in this chair here while I grab a mirror." The mage noted, before diving back into her bag of assorted tricks, eventually pulling out a relatively small hand mirror, and holding it in front of Norbert.

"If you say so." Eva didn't, but calling Bert attractive in front of Angelica was probably a bad idea. Much as Eva was good at making bad decisions, she was starting to learn in these situations. "Yeah, I feel you there. Don't need a pretty face to swing a sword."

Angelica had to make everything apparent though, didn't she? Eva stammered out a small laugh, hiding her face a bit with a quickly raised hand. "I... Y-Yeah, I suppose, that's about right. Maybe..." Definitely. Angelica was certainly... A unique individual, outside of combat. As much as Eva was starting to see some of her approaches coming, there was always something else to try, and the woman wasn't about to empty her bag of tricks any time soon.

"A-Anyway, let's see how well you can do cutting his hair," she started, changing the subject back to Norbert.

"Like that, see? She's positively adorable when she's embarrassed, and I'm probably the best at it. Certainly here, maybe even in the world~" Angelica teased with a gentle giggle, before giving her head a shake and sighing.

"Ladies, you're both pretty. Honestly... don't underestimate how useful appearance can be in a fight, though. You would be surprised how easy it can be to create openings that way."

"Punished?" Maybe there's something to fear after all... No, wait, she's joking. Okay, I guess. Norbert thought when Angelica joked about punishing Eva. Then, so casually, Angelica talked about what was apparently another similarity between him and Eva. Sure, he knew they were both combat-focused -- it was something he appreciated about her -- but they both were uncomfortable with that particular topic? And he was being that obvious about it?! Not to mention how ominously vague she was being about "things outside of combat." He didn't let himself imagine much on that front; it was plenty scary.

Despite his minor panic returning at the topic, he managed to keep quiet and just follow the instructions given to him. If she was going to let that topic go, he was more than happy to follow suit. And so, soon, he was seated and holding a mirror. At least Eva seemed to share his views on those sorts of things...not that that hadn't already been pointed out by Angelica. Eva tried to follow the new topic, too, but then...well, Angelica just had to make it awkward again, didn't she? Even though her teasing wasn't directed at him, Norbert blushed a little in discomfort...except that it wasn't entirely not directed at him. It was like he was getting hit with the shrapnel of the attack aimed at Eva.

"I'd rather create an opening with my weapons," he half-muttered in response to Angelica's last statement. Not that he could completely avoid the topic of aesthetics, given why he was there in the first place. Just have to endure it.

"Anyway, right." Norbert pinched the more even strands of his hair, using the mirror to help guide him. "About this much off for most of it, I think."

"I'm with him. If I'm using my face for anything in a fight, I'd rather it be a headbutt." She didn't really get what Angelica meant anyway, how could you distract someone trying to maim or kill you with your body? Just hit them with your sword... She shrugged a bit, confused.

"Your face? Pretty as it is, that's not typically what you would use... you've much to learn. All I'm saying is, it's silly not to use everything at your disposal, especially in a fight to the death. Honourable warrior types usually aren't killed by someone stronger than them, they're killed by someone more wily." Angelica noted, though with these two, it was unlikely anything would stick. Still, their reactions were enough to have made the detour worth it... and having finally gotten a solid answer out of Norbert, Angelica picked up the blanket again, draping it around Norbert's collar and tucking it in place so it wouldn't fall off.

"Right then, any other requests before I begin, or just a cut with no styling?"

"Y-You should probably tone down the compliments some. I get it, but, like... Bert came here to get his hair cut, not listen to you embarrass me. You can save it until after, can't you?" It was getting a bit hard to keep a straight face, as well. She couldn't imagine how Norbert must've felt.

Norbert didn't want to think about what "after" would entail, for one. He didn't completely agree with Angelica's assessment of who killed who in battle, though he figured that there must have certainly been times when the stronger were defeated by those willing to pull dirty tricks. For now, though, he chose to just focus on the task at hand.

The pegasus rider gave Angelica a shrug. "Like I said, I'm not very creative when it comes to things like that." Then, he gripped his longer hairs between two fingers to show what their new length would be. "Maybe something like this for these, though. Besides that, I'll leave the styling to you. I may not be the sort who tries to make himself attractive, but that doesn't mean I'm opposed to looking decent."

"Fine, fine~ I got to see you turn that luscious shade of red, so I suppose I can hold off for the time being... hmm, well that seems like a simple enough request. Shouldn't take too long for just a trim." Angelica noted, as she stepped behind Norbert, and began to cut to his desired length, starting at the nape of his neck.

Eva simply grumbled, but slid over on the bed a bit, wanting to watch Angelica work. It had been a while since she'd dealt with the ends of her hair... Maybe Angelica could give her a trim, later? As long as things with Bert worked out.

Angelica's teasing -- or more specifically her word choice -- kept the environment uncomfortable, for Norbert, at least, and he imagined for Eva as well. Yet, at the same time, this was the person Eva liked the most. Eva was the sort to enjoy being put into dangerous circumstances, so in the end, oddly enough, her choice to be with someone who made people like them this uncomfortable actually made sense. It was somewhat circular reasoning, but in the end, Bert couldn't help but feel he understood Eva's way of thinking a bit better. As for Angelica, she enjoyed toying with people, even if it was just by making people squirm a little from an uncomfortable topic, so it was no wonder that the two liked being together. That seems kind of unhealthy for them both, though... He wasn't going to say anything about that, however. They could do what they wanted.

Besides that, he was trying to get accustomed to feeling cold, sharp metal at the back of his neck without getting on edge. Usually, that meant he was in danger and needed to act quickly, especially knowing that someone was right behind him. Even without the obvious signs from her cutting his hair, he could feel her presence. Being able to remain still and reason his instincts away was within his power, but he had to do so intentionally. She was doing him a favor, so the last he could do was suppress his overdeveloped survival instincts while she worked. This got easier as time went by, and Norbert began to relax and lose track of the passage of time. All his focus was inward, after all.

With little other interruption, calm having mostly taken over after their initial heyday, it didn't take very long for Angelica to finish up Norbert's trim. It really had been a pretty simple request, in the end.

"Well, that should about do it."

Angelica's voice brought Norbert out of his thoughts and back to the present. When he opened his eyes, he could see the difference right away: no hair obscured his sight, even by a small amount. Almost at the same as that observation, Norbert saw his reflection. Most of his hair had been brought back to its usual length, though what growth his bangs had acquired, for the most part, had remained the same. His longer hairs had been cut back to match their length. It was a much more ordinary haircut than what he'd previously had, but it was certainly new on him, and was a good starting point for any hairstyles he might want to try in the future. It was just easier to visualize with this one, not to mention that the heir length was evened out, and so would, naturally, grow more evenly. Norbert also noticed that he looked less like a punk and more like an adult with this haircut.

It was amazing how different he looked now from how he looked a year ago. He was more developed, he had new scars, he was visibly in better health, he was wearing foreign clothes, and he even had this new haircut. Actually, most of those changes were made much more recently than a year ago, but a year was an easy point of comparison. I wonder how different I'll look next year...if next year comes. There was Wrath to worry about, after all. Back to the present, though.

"I wasn't expecting you to pick such a simple hairstyle," Norbert commented with a light smile, unaware that, given the varied lengths of his hair before the cut, this was one of the very few practical choices, "I think it looks good, though. Thanks."

Eva wasn't shocked to see Angelica's hands being so careful around Bert's hair, but the end result was still impressive for how cohesive it was. "I never knew you were so deft with your hands," she said, near immediately regretting it, and trying to think of something quick to change the subject.

"It looks good Norbert! I might have to ask her to deal with some of my hair, now. Good work, Angelica." Almost called her Angy, trying to get that out fast. Yikes... I'm already in enough hot water.

"I figured something like this would be best... more complicated styles require more upkeep, and when you're always on the move and not giving it much priority... they can quickly fall apart and look worse than something simpler." Angelica replied... with Norbert seemingly satisfied, Angelica removed the blanket draped around him, giving it a shake to empty it's hair contents onto the floor, to join the small pile around Norbert's chair. 

And there Eva went, attempting to make an observation, and in the process, uttering an entirely abusable comment... still, they had both gotten rather flustered earlier, enough to openly ask for a ceasefire, so Angelica opted to give Eva a small break... instead of lambasting her word choice aloud, she merely gave the wyvern rider a very smug, knowing smirk.

"Yes, well you very well can't hold yourself to a proper standard without at least learning the basics... you won't always have professional stylists around, after all."

"Thank you," Norbert replied to Eva for the compliment, more than happy to go along with her recovery after her remark about Angelica's hands. Then, to Angelica, as he stood up from the chair after she'd removed the blanket, he responded, "That's some good thinking, by the way. Your reasons for picking this style, I mean."

He wound up leaving the mirror on the chair as he stepped away before looking to Eva. "So, are you going to get your hair cut too after all, or are you just thinking about it?"

"Eh? ... ... Ah, wh, r-right now? Uh... I... Maybe?" Eva looked confused, not expecting to be put on the spot like that, glancing at Angelica. Was she up for dealing with longer hair?

"It just seemed like the best choice...you don't seem the type who would mesh well with fanciful high fashion stuff in the first place... classics are that for a reason." Angelica replied, pausing as Norbert asked Eva whether she would follow up on her earlier expression of potential interest.

"Well, I think it would be fun~ I always like a chance to pretty you up, some more. You never think you'll look good in things, Eva~" Angelica added, a grin forming on her lips.

That was exactly the sort of thinking he was complimenting, even if reasoning like that came naturally. He decided not to pursue it, though. The topic had moved on, and the day had been long and eventful.

"I guess I'll leave you two to it, then. If you wind up getting a new hairstyle, Eva, I'll see it tomorrow. Thanks again for helping me out with this, especially at this hour," Norbert responded to the women. After all, he'd intruded on the both of them.

"Oh, uh, sure thing, Bert. Have a good rest... Thanks, for today." Eva gave him a bit of a wave, hoping he was satisfied from what he'd done today.

Hm? Norbert wasn't sure what, specifically, Eva was thanking him for, but he could always ask later. For now, he just nodded, gave the two a wave, and headed out the door.

 

[Phoenix]

The Meeting (Hyper Summary)

Spoiler

There was something incredibly unnerving about facing Neviskotian officers, particularly when one of them was Commander Virgil Kozel, the same Kozel they had run afoul of back in Ursium. For some reason, the Imperial Navy had seen fit to send him and his team along with this Lev Mikoyan to track down the culprits behind the Basilisk's disappearance. And since it was the Neviskotians they had to deal with, Daichi had more or less recused himself. Ra was also conspicuously absent, and Amon wound up speaking with both men alone. While doing so would help protect the group, it didn't leave Amon himself with many options if things went south and Ra didn't come to his aid.

As expected, Kozel was domineering and a little snarky. He was also bitter about the catastrophe at Urquium. The sancturan could hardly blame the man with the loss of such an important military symbol. What Amon hadn't been expecting was Lev's gentle, almost friendly approach. He had as much reason to be upset as Kozel, perhaps even more so, since he'd been stationed on the Basilisk when it was taken. Things started to make a bit more sense when Mikoyan pointed out that when they had the chance to incinerate half the fleet with the Basilisk's main guns, they simply fired a warning shot ... an extremely painful one, but a warning shot nonetheless. On top of wanting to reclaim the ship, that seemed like a good enough excuse to sit down and talk. The threats and the fighting could wait ...

There was no avoiding the bigger issue, and what was at stake, so when Amon began explaining the situation, he told them everything he could. Neither of the officers were pleased to know that the Regalia was no longer functioning, but there was little to be done. The Basilisk may have simply been lost forever, but even so, neither of the two men were tuned out when Amon explained the situation with the fallen. While Kozel didn't appreciate the convenient distraction of a massive incursion into his homeland, he wasn't about to ignore it. Lev wasted no time in trying to think through the situation and the likely outcomes, and once the deliberations were finished, both officers came back to Amon with a consensus: a truce.

It didn't seem like either side was going to simply follow the other's lead, and so while the Neviskotian officers went about trying to get a warning back to their homeland, Amon returned to Weyland Enterprises and let them know what had happened. The current plan was to let each group get its affairs in order and then meet again in the morning to decide how best to proceed. Wit the Basilisk issue shelved for the moment, it was difficult to know how the Neviskotian team would fair with the locals, as well as Daichi. They obviously weren't supposed to be present in the first place .... Either way, it was an issue that would have to be settled in the morning.

The Shadow of Death

At dawn, it was clear that something was very, very wrong in Arugai. No one was hit harder than the fishermen of the port town. The waters had gone black, and that made anything coming up out of the water suspect. Some thought the waters had been cursed. Others blamed the foreigners and their military vessels for whatever was happening. A few inquisitive types quietly took samples of the water, hoping to figure out what sort of substance had dissolved in it. Weyland's Kigen team was also up by dawn. Anna made sure of that ...

"You feel that, right?" Anna asked, her eyes on Shadrak, Hoshi, and Haruhi, "That's dark magic ..."

As some of the group stood there at the edge of the docks, Shadrak wanted to say the dark units were 'diffuse,' to try and explain its relatively weak presence. He wanted to, but the sheer quantity was almost overwhelming to think about. If they could extract all of this dark energy, the group's dark mages would all have enough spare energy to get through dozens of battles without any reservation.

Hoshi seemed to discover something about the dark water too, now that they could directly interact with it. "I can't separate any of it from the water. I think ... I think someone is still controlling it. Controlling it right now."

"You mean it's still being used in a spell?! All of it?!" Shadrak was beside himself. The dark waters stretched out for miles in every direction one looked. Someone was holding down all of that power by willpower alone?

"If this really is the same thing you saw in Urquium, that means we have a vasilus problem," Anna noted.

---

"What in Sardius is going on?" Edith cringed at the dark waters as one of her group's mages took a sample. "It followed us here? All the way to ... Kigen ...?" That monster ...?

"Dark energy, ma'am," the mage said, stepping away from the shoreline. He was fully cloaked, like Edith and the few others present. "It's bound up in the water, but in amounts that are making it opaque. Someone or some rune is responsible for this. Extremely powerful ... though, I'm not sure what the point of this is ..." The mage was taken aback when he noticed the look on his commander's face. Edith was terrified, and not doing a good job of hiding it. "The water isn't exactly ... dangerous. Though it could be if its properties change. What should we do?"

"W-we need ... to move further inland. We'll figure out the rest, then. Make sure we don't lose track of our target, though. I'm still going with the previous plan. If they come into the net, we close it and catch them."

The mage nodded his understanding, and made his way past Edith to his horse.

Edith stayed put for a moment, looking at the water, and trying to separate the black from the blue as her gaze drifted further and further out. She couldn't find the border, and it only made her feel worse. "Please don't tell me he's following me ..." She turned to leave with her scouts, and hoped against hope that this didn't have anything to do with her or her target.

---

"I don't think anyone has ever worried about me this much," Lexi said, blushing at Malik.

He was sure she was incredibly flattered, but the situation was deadly serious, now. "You remember this black water, right? From Urquium? I know there was a lot going on, but this is dangerous. Not to mention you're an emblem wielder. You need to get out of here before something happens." Malik knew full well that Lexi could generally look after herself ... but this was a far cry from rowdy sailers and mercenaries. Something on this scale could only be a vasilus, and they didn't have many allies in that category.

"So are you asking me to set sail in this and try to get away ... or abandon ship and come with you?"

"... e-either," Malik's shoulders slumped. He hadn't actually considered what 'getting out' would entail. Heading out on her ship would just have her isolated, and coming with them meant abandoning it entirely. Was Lexi cornered, here? "I ... I don't know. All I know is that crazy things happen around the emblem which means you're in serious danger." And Malik didn't have any solutions ... none that he particularly liked, anyway.

"Would you mind if I spoke with my grandmother? See what she thinks about this?" Lexi looked apologetic when she asked, almost like she was inconveniencing him. Really, all Malik cared about was making sure she survived whatever hell was headed their way.

"Sure, go'head. I'm ... I'm staying here until you get back. I need to be here in case something happens."

Lexi smiled gratefully. "Just like a good first mate would do for his captain."

---

Joanna was pacing around in her room while Amon and Liam watched, not sure what they were going to do if this lingering darkness came from where they thought it did. "He may be after us," Joanna noted. Despite that being the worst case scenario, or close to it, she was less concerned about her own safety and more concerned about the people that would get hurt just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"We should leave town as soon as possible," Liam chimed in, "We can't fight a vasilus and win, but the Goddess did not bring us this far simply to fail. For now, we should try not to endanger innocents needlessly."

Not the best plan of action, Amon thought, but they didn't have many options against a vasilus whether they were alone out in the open somewhere, or just barely hidden in a port town. The result of a direct attack by Obelisk would be about the same. "... we'll leave. As soon as the others get back, we'll head out, and get as far away from this place as we can. I'll let Daichi know. I guess I should also tell the Neviskotians so they know they should head out, too." And hopefully they could come up with a good way to protect themselves by the time they were beyond city limits.

[Mercakete]

When Norbert woke up, the first thing he saw was someone leaning over him. Naturally, his reflex was to lash out, punching upward, and immediately afterward, to pull his feet under him to gain a better position. At about this point, memories from the previous day began to return to him and Norbert remembered the identity of the man who had leaned just enough out of the way to avoid his attack. Daichi's motions had been downright tranquil, as though he'd been avoiding a falling feather rather than a flung fist. Though his eyes had seemed mildly surprised for a moment, his calm, pleased smile never left his mouth.

"Good morning, Norbert!" Daichi practically sang.

"The heck do you think you were doing?!" Norbert demanded in reply.

Daichi gained an innocent, clueless look to his face. "Hm? Is it not natural for a parent to watch his child sleep?"

"No! It's creepy! And I haven't even accepted you as my father yet so stop it!" Norbert snapped in response.

Daichi's expression turned somewhat dejected for the most part, and though he kept his smile, it was a disappointed one. In reality, though, he wasn't sure if he was going to stop that particular activity or not when the opportunity presented itself.

"Urgh… So, do you always get up so early?" Norbert asked as he smoothed out his yukata. Given his own internal clock, it was likely fairly early in the morning at present.

Daichi nodded, a cheery look returning to his face. "Do you often wake up early in the morning as well?"

"Yeah, unless I'm injured," Norbert replied. Severe blood loss was a real downer.

Though Norbert's exact wording was somewhat alarming, Daichi was quite pleased to learn of another thing the two of them had in common. There was also something about Norbert that he noticed was different from the previous day. "Sa, Norbert, you cut your hair."

"Hm?" Right... He had. Well, more precisely, he'd asked Angelica to perform the task. Norbert nodded in response. "Yeah." Looking at Daichi, it was clear the man wanted to know just what had prompted the choice, so he added, "I just felt like I wanted to change it."

On a surface level, that was true. The deeper meaning behind it was perhaps a bit silly, so it was something he planned to keep personal. Ever since he was young, he'd kept a bit of hair longer than the rest. Part of it was a simple preference in style, but a deeper reason was because it partially obscured his view. It wasn't enough to get in his way in a fight, but it was something he could "hide behind." That is, it enabled him to feel somewhat "protected," even if the one protecting him was himself. In that way, it gave him an extra dose of courage. He hadn't realized this reason until the previous night, when he'd decided that he didn't need it anymore. His subtle "security blanket" had been helpful to his younger self. Now, however, he was a full-grown man, and was overcoming his weaknesses and fears with reckless abandon. He didn't want to hide behind anything anymore...nor could he, really. The challenges ahead demanded everything they had and more. So, he was getting rid of every impurity he could, including reminders of fearful mentalities. He had to grow stronger still...but he could only move forward if he stopped looking back.

"Where are you going?" Daichi asked as Norbert headed for the door.

"It's still kind of early, so I don't think Hoshi's done with my clothes. I was going to see if I can't get any training in before breakfast."

Daichi beamed at that answer, which startled Norbert a little. As it turned out, Daichi regularly put some time into training before breakfast. He was especially happy when Norbert told him that it was a habit he'd developed long ago, too. And then came the natural result from that conversation.

"Are you messing with me?!" Norbert demanded in frustration.

"You are doing great!" Daichi encouraged in response.

"What're you talking about?! I haven't landed a single hit!"

The two had gone outside to train together. Currently, it was a no-weapons spar, and all Daichi had done was avoid Norbert's attacks in the most casual, easygoing ways possible.

"Do not worry," Daichi replied with a lighthearted chuckle, "Most people find it very difficult to hit me."

"You could at least fight back!" Norbert roared in response as he lunged at Daichi again, hurling his fist at the Hikibain's face.

A clever look came into Daichi's expression. Then, suddenly, Norbert found his arm twisted behind his back, and his own shoulder forcing him to the ground. What?

"You put much energy into your attacks, but you lack precision, speed, and the ability to adapt. This makes you vulnerable to quick attacks, and to technical maneuvers, such as this," Daichi explained.

Then, Norbert felt Daichi's hand feeling his muscles. What?

"But you are strong! You have done well, building yourself like this! I am so proud that you have been able to accomplish all of this all on your own!"

"Stop touching me!" Norbert demanded, trying to force himself out of the arm bar using brute strength.

Daichi backed off immediately, worried that Norbert's stubbornness would have caused him to power through whatever pain he felt and injure himself in the attempt to free himself. He wasn't entirely wrong, either. And, as Daichi had predicted, Norbert came at him again. This time, Daichi just went about what he'd been doing before: simply stepping out of the way of each strike Norbert attempted. There was something to say for the younger's power, endurance, and determination, but the body could still only perform the way it was built to, and Norbert's patterns were already extremely evident. <I wonder when he will get tired...>

[Nanami Touko]

Haruhi couldn't really make much of what was being said, and even less of what was going on with the water. It was definitely dark magic, no doubt there, but what was it doing? Haruhi and Shadrak were talking about it, Shad seemed really excited, or worried... "<Stupid Common... Shadrak, what's going on? I get that it's something bad, but what? Really wish there was some sorta automatic translation magic... This is getting silly.>" Not that she'd be able to do much even if she did know, but that didn't mean she wanted to ignore the situation! And hey, if they needed mages to do something, maybe she could help there... Like some sorta, catalyst. Or something.

[Ether]

No good. Despite coming out here at the break of dawn once the news started to spread, there wasn't anything she could gather from this damned black water. It was infused with dark magic, she had managed to work that much out, but with a bit of thought, it didn't take a mage to make that out. Someone more familiar with the workings of dark magic was likely to be able to figure out... something more about it, but alone this was all she could manage. 

"Well whatever it is, it can't be a good thing..." Angelica mumbled to herself, as she started to walk along the docks and coastline, keeping a wary eye on the ocean. It didn't take too long for her to come across some of the others from their party, also interested in the phenomenon. Well, the dark mages seemed to be among them, so there was that at least. Leaping over and platforming onto the dock, the mage landed with a light step a small ways away from Shadrak, walking the rest of the way over rather briskly.

"Shadrak. It's not my area of expertise, so all I managed is that it's dark magic, and surely bad news. Anything you've managed to find out over here?"

[Nanami Touko]

"Mmnhh...?" Eva groaned and woke herself up, yawning... No Angelica, but that wasn't really surprising. "Gone to check out the town? What, something else happening?" Eva messed with her hair some and got herself dressed in her regular attire, not really up for walking about in a yukata if there was a mess to deal with. Sasha hadn't broken out, by the looks of things, so it couldn't have been that... But there was certainly some commotion going on. "The heck's happenin'?" In her confusion, Eva had looked everywhere but the problem area, saving it for last. "<What the fuck...?>" That sure was the entire strait... Turning black. With a fresh worry in mind, she started to make her way to the docks. Hopefully someone was already there that could explain something of what was happening. "Always gotta be more magic bullshit, <never a fuckin' break, every time...>"

[Phoenix]

Suspicions

Hoshi wound up addressing Haruhi before Shadrak could. <"The water is filled with dark energy, and we think a vasilus is responsible for this.">

<"Err- ... yeah ... that,"> Shadrak chimed in uselessly after the fact, <"There aren't a lot of dark vasili to choose from ...">

When Angelica arrived, she informed him that she didn't learn much about this weird mess, either.

It would have been nice to give a good and studious explanation, but they hardly knew anything themselves. "We think there's a vasilus controlling it."

"What else could it be?" Anna squinted at him, "I've seen some powerful runes, but nothing on this scale, and no mage, no matter how powerful, could keep this much dark energy in check, especially not for this long."

"Okay so it's definitely a vasilus," Shadrak sighed. Personally, he preferred it if they weren't screwed from the get-go, but perhaps there was still a way out of this mess, or maybe this wasn't as bad as it looked ...

[Xinnidy]

The evening had been rather uneventful, leaving Thales to wonder of his past once more. The confines of the room he'd be staying the night was enough to get his idle mind to work again, and that was pretty much the worst situation he could find himself in. I'm usually more cheerful than this. Recent events were already being re-evaluated. It felt painfully obvious that Lumi did not want to be left alone back at the boat, when doubt and fear filled her decisions. He'd only made things worse. Perhaps that had rubbed off on him enough that Thales started spouting his own insecurities to Haruhi later, at the hallways.

Thales winced. The one thing he was certain of was that his regret had been colored harder by the supernatural events occurring around him... but that didn't change how pointless these excursions felt after the fact. In fact, it exacerbated how useless it was. No point griefing when we're all on borrowed time. Whether it was the fallen that did them in or whatever waited after that, it still didn't make sense to be dragged down by preemptively. One exercise in frustration too many.

It'd be best to get ready for bed... actually to go take a shower first, but he didn't remember passing by anything that could remotely resemble a bathing space in the building. Time to ask one of the maids...

---

Morning came quickly enough, Thales wasn't feeling much better, but enough to keep the facade. Maybe it'd be best to wander around town again, but he still lacked enough mastery of Kigenese to actively want to go. There was something that required Weyland's staff and the group's mages to leave, which was a bit intriguing, but not a matter Thales felt like pursuing immediately. It was just the start of the day for him, unsuspectingly wandering the building. Maybe it was good to leave and go to the port still. That was where anybody speaking Common would likely be.

As soon as he left, for whatever reason, two men had decided to spar outside... it was enough to catch Thales' attention. No, he was certain he knew these two --one was the Hikibain the group had talked eith before, while the other was with Amon's group. Ah. Thales' memory was jogging. On their first meeting, the Hikibain had said something along the lines of being related to this man, right? Yeah. That... made some sense, explained why they were sparring --or trying, even though the Hikibain was hardly working a sweat--. That guy's face looks... a bit different. It wouldn't hurt to watch, no? Thales wasn't even sure he was being noticed, at the distance he was. Perhaps by the Hikibain, he did seem to need good perception to judge counterattacks like that. Thales opted to sit down, figuring they could just tell him to leave if that was the case... probably.

It was always a curious case, seeing a son and a father interact in a way that didn't seem destructive... perhaps a bit of wishful thinking, but it wouldn't to good to dive deep on that hole now. Especially not after yesterday. The Hikibain's footwork was a better target for curious eyes. Fairly different from an Ursian soldier's, though that was more than expected.

[Mercakete]

As Daichi was avoiding Norbert's flurry of attacks, something caught his eye. People had been coming and going, but this one had only gone so far before he began watching his and his son's sparring match. Watching Norbert's movements with his peripheral vision, the Hikibain gave Thales a smile and a wave as he called, "Good morning!"

"TAKE ME SERIOUSLY, DARNIT!" It was aggravating that Daichi could act so casually, and even greet someone across the way, while continuing to avoid his attacks. Urgh, I can't--!

"Okay." That was all Daichi responded with before Norbert found himself on the ground, yet again not entirely certain how he'd gotten there. At least this time he knew he hadn't been put into a hold. Instead, he'd actually been hit in the stomach -- although not very hard -- and had his legs swept out from under him, completely flipping him over before his back slammed into the ground. Retroactively, he realized that Daichi had even managed to get some sort of harder attack in on his midsection. What really happened was that while Norbert was still in the air after having been flipped over Daichi's arm, the Hikibain had performed an elbow strike into Norbert's belly, spiking him the rest of the way to the ground. Even though he'd been the one to deliver the attack, Daichi winced as he wondered if he'd been a little too hard on his son. Norbert hadn't mitigated the force of his fall at all... Even as Norbert's body began to try to recover with a cough, Daichi leaned over a little to look down at him, a concerned look on his face. Norbert, meanwhile, couldn't help but remember when Haythem's father had struck him and Malik solidly in their respective guts back in Sanctuary.

"Are you alright, Norbert? I am sorry; I thought that you were feeling insulted because I was not fighting you with much of my skill, but maybe I was too difficult for you..."

Daichi's apology annoyed Norbert more than the strike hurt him. Common may not have been his first language, but even so, that wording he'd chosen was just plain infuriating. Stubbornly, and groaning a little still, Norbert forced himself to sit up. as soon as he was in a seated position, still nursing his belly a little, Norbert grunted, "I'm fine."

[Xinnidy]

Oh, he'd been noticed by the Hikibain alright. That was expected, but still a bit amusing. "Good morning!" Thales replied, and no sooner a louder voice took over. Norbert, frustrated in some level, demanded his father to cut the levity. Also amusing, but it'd be a bit rude to laugh. Thales was able to hold it back to a smile, as he watched the two, not that Norbert would have much room to pay attention to Thales with the serving his father just gave him. Oh my... Another reminded that this was, in fact, a Hikibain. Thales was unable to catch when he'd changed his approach from a defensive dance to the aggressive, decisive gut punch. Fluid movement was understating it.

Thales stood up, figuring the battle had ended... or at least been paused, for the moment. "That was fast, Mr. --uh, Kazemi, was it?" Thales tried to spell out the name, almost drawing a blank, unsure how hard he'd butchered it. Ah well, it wouldn't be too bad. "Have you two just started training? I hope I'm not being a bother. I just caught the scene and got curious." It did have a sense of wonder, that they'd gained an ally as capable as the Hikibain. "How long have you trained yourself to move like that?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Thales could still make out Norbert's expression. Pained, annoyed? Well, being outmatched in a training match was sure to fell bad... he had Thales' condolences. If he could land a hit, it'd be no joke... big if against this guy, though.

[Mercakete]

<"My my!> You have many questions," Daichi replied. Norbert seemed fine for the time being, but he couldn't help but glance at him every couple seconds just to make sure.

His hesitation was enough of an in for Norbert to answer with a grunt as he stood back up. "We've been training since we got up." He looked to the sky to try to figure the time for a moment before answering a bit more specifically, "I guess it's been about half an hour or so. So, yeah, we just started. It's not a bother, though; not to me, anyway."

Norbert looked to his elder who was already shaking his head. "I am not bothered either." Then, he gave Thales a smile. "Would you like to join us?"

Norbert shrugged, deciding to say his piece. "I wouldn't mind it." Then, he looked to the Hikibain again. "But you should answer his other question first."

"Ah! Yes." Daichi gave it a little thought as he answered, <"Let's see...> Every town trains its men to fight. Every morning, everyone trains together. I was expected to become a soldier like my father, so I worked harder than many others. I suppose that is where my ability in unarmed fighting began. As for my speed, it is simply something I have practiced since childhood. If you work very hard on something for a very long time, your ability improves." He gave Thales a calm yet cheerful smile. "If you practice every day, you will have trained a lot by the time you reach my age."

A more contemplative and serious look returned to Daichi's face. "Hmm...but the most important things to achieving my fighting style were study and practice. Some men are tough, some are strong, and some are good at using magic. For me, practice and study were what gave me my ability... Bodies move in some ways, and not in others. A man must stand in only a few ways or he will fall. The sword moves particular ways as well... These are the things that I studied. Everything your foe does can be used to your advantage. Knowing how to escape his attack keeps you safe. Learn how he moves and you will not be struck. Learn how his body moves, and he cannot win."

Norbert grunted in annoyance. The little lesson was a nice sentiment, but the kind of study Daichi was talking about took a very long time to master, so in the end, it wasn't very helpful. It did hold a little bit of useful advice, though. "Are you saying that you could read my movements?"

Daichi gave his son an apologetic smile. "You attack like a wild animal."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Bert wasn't sure whether he was supposed to be offended or not.