The small entourage, composed of three young women on chocobo, made their way throughout the small camp. The girl in the lead was dressed differently; insignias and medals covered her uniform, and her chocobo was covered in well-made, silver armor. Unlike the other two, this chocobo was a deep, coal-black, with cool intelligent eyes that stared out from its helmet. The two younger women rode close together, quietly chatting amongst themselves. The blonde giggled when the brunette said something, but a look from their superior made them fall silent. The leader trotted to a halt, and performed Yevon's prayer with practiced ease. Two of the three men in front of her did the same. The third, a rough, tanned man with long, unruly brown locks of hair, and a large tattoo across his chest, simply snorted and crossed his arms. The leader of the three, dressed in traditional summoner robes, glanced over at the blonde girl, who gave him a bright smile. The first young woman introduced herself. "Lord Braska, I am Reia, First Class Cadet of the Djose Chocobo Knights. My companions and I will be leading you and your guardians through Mi'hen, until you safely arrive at Djose. I apologize for any inconvenience, sirs, but Mi'hen is crowded with many fiends at this time, and our superior officers thought it necessary that you have escorts." "Escorts," one of the men grumbled. He was dressed in warrior monk garb, and carried a rather large, thick-bladed katana. "Escorts consisting of three girls, one of whom isn't even the rank of lieutenant yet. Such disrespect they show Lord Braska!" Reia's eyes narrowed. "I assure you, sir, despite being a cadet; I am one of the best. You would be hard pressed to find a better warrior. I assure you, I did not receive these medals by selling cookies. The two young ladies here are at the top of their squad as well." Under her breath, she uttered, "Be grateful you received escorts at all." "Hey, hey!" the blonde finally piped up, hopping off of her chocobo and extending her hand to the sullen warrior monk. "None of that arguing! I promise, me and Elma and Reia here will take really good care of Lord Braska, sir! And, and, you're here too, right? And you are his Guardian, right? So just think of us as insurance!" The warrior monk simply stared oddly at her, but Braska stepped up and shook the girl's hand. "That's right, Auron," he said to the other man, before turning to the girl, "and you, what's your name?" "Tyhlan, sir! It's a real pleasure to finally meet you, sir!" "Tyhlan, hmm...that's an interesting name." Braska smiled. "Well, I'm sure you and your comrades are fine warriors, am I correct, er, Reia?" "Quite." The girl responded shortly. "Now, Tyhlan, get back over here. We can't sit around chatting. There's work that needs to be done." "Right, right," Tyhlan grumbled, hopping back on her chocobo. "You're such a downer..." "I beg your pardon?" Reia hissed under her breath. The last man, who had been silent until then, chuckled loudly. "The blonde one knows what she's talkin' about, huh Braska?" he exclaimed, nudging the summoner in the ribs. "Shut up, Jecht," Auron grumbled, falling in place next to Braska, the three young women trailing behind them slowly. "Just shut up." ------------- "The monk dude reminds me of Reia. Rules this and blah blah blah honor, blah blah blah important stuff, blah blah blah. Geez, he totally insulted us! 'Three girls?' Like we don't know what we're doing or something!" Tyhlan groused, ruffling the feathers of her chocobo, who chirped in delight. "Where does he get off talking to us like that? I thought Reia was gonna kick his head off." "Calm down Tyhlan," Elma murmured, adjusting her chocobo's saddle. The bird gently pecked at her hand and she frowned for a moment. "Cut that out...Guardians take their work very seriously. He was just concerned, I think." "The other one isn't a jerk." "The other one is crazy." "Is not!" Tyhlan frowned, and then winced when Elma narrowed her eyes. "Okay, so he's kinda nuts. But at least he isn't mean. He's kinda cool, and he said he can blitz." Tyhlan grinned, closing her eyes at the thought of a memory known only to her. "I miss blitzball. I always wanted to learn, but, you know how that is. Haven't seen a game in years. I wonder if we could get that guy a blitzball so we can see if he's good or not." "He seems a little old to be playing blitzball," Elma murmured, frowning. "But it would be something else if he wasn't lying. I haven't seen a blitzball match since I was a kid." "Ahh," Tyhlan was quiet for a moment, her cheerful expression fading and then blinking back in an instant. "You know, we should go to one! When we get to go on leave or something." Elma pulled her knees up to her chest, fighting off a yawn. The girls had been woken up by Reia before the sun had even risen, and she was tired. Lord Braska had suggested they rest up for a moment before leaving Djose and traveling down the Highroad. 'I've heard there is a dangerous fiend about,' he had told Reia, 'so it would be best if we all got some rest.' "We should..." she mumbled. "It'll be fun." She paused for a moment, reaching up to pluck blades of grass from her chocobo's feathers. "I know why Lord Braska is an outcast, but do you have any idea what that monk and the crazy guy is doing with him?" Tyhlan shrugged. "I think he got excommunicated. Don't know the reason, and I can't even guess. It couldn't have been for not following rules. He seems like a total stick in the mud. As for Sir Jecht," she ignored Elma's laugh, "I don't know that either." Elma laughed again and shook her head. "Who knows?" -------------- "Sir!" Auron exclaimed, shaking his head, "you can't possibly trust these girls!" "Geez, Auron, calm down! They're just escortin' us a little ways away. Quit being such a stiff." Jecht muttered. "Hey, you got any sake in that stupid jug of yours? I need a drink." Auron sputtered angrily, unable to say anything for a moment, and Braska sighed, feeling a fight, and a headache coming. "Please, you two. Auron, Jecht is right. They are here to help, that's all. And they seem like very nice young ladies. If you're really worried about them, talk to one." "Try the leader," Jecht said, chuckling. "She looks like she's on your wavelength." Auron opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Instead, he stalked off to find Reia, grumbling something about 'stupid drunkard,' and 'wasting time.' He found the girl after a while, absentmindedly brushing the coat of her chocobo. He cleared his throat, and was a bit thrown-off when she didn't so much as twitch in surprise. When she noted the baffled look on his face, she rolled her eyes. "You walk heavily. So. Exiled warrior monk. Is there something you want to talk about?" "I have a name," Auron snapped, a bit stung at the insult. "And yes, I do want to talk about something." "Go for it," Reia remarked dryly, turning back to her mount. "Nobody's stopping you." "You do realize that a Chocobo Eater is on the loose?" "I'm well aware," Reia responded flatly, yawning. "And?" "And!" Auron exclaimed in surprise. "And? You have a chocobo! As do your little friends! You'll simply lead the fiend to us!" "Don't you want to kill it? It's hurting people, is it not? Aren't Guardians supposed to be brave?" "You...you have no idea, do you?" "You need to learn how to relax," Reia responded, a bit sharply. "There is no need to worry. We are trained professionals. Your precious Summoner is in good hands. And in the very rare case that we do get eaten by a fiend, you're a Guardian, are you not? Do your job. We're just insurance, as the...Cadet Tyhlan said earlier." "So you will do your best?" Reia frowned, rubbing her temples. "For the last time, yes! My goodness! You certainly are a stickler for protocol, aren't you?" "I! But, but you...you!" "I follow the rules when it is required. I'm not paranoid. Goodness, what gave you that idea?" Auron only shook his head and walked off, baffled. Today just wasn't his day. -------------- The group continued their short journey soon after, and Jecht spoke to the three girls, reveling them with tales of his Zanarkand. Reia looked nothing short of horrified, and even Elma shuffled uneasily. Tyhlan however, was engrossed, asking the man questions now and then. "So, skyscrapers? Sounds fascinating! With lights, and machina?" "Yeah, all sorts of lights, even at night, kid." "Wow!" Reia finally lost her temper, moving her chocobo to block the path. "For the love of Yevon! Can we please stop this blatant blasphemy? I can hear the Lady Yunalesca sobbing in the Farplane from here! Do you want us to be brutally massacred by fiends or something? Just...please, stop it. We're almost to the Highroad," she pointed up ahead to an Al Bhed inn, "and we'll leave you be, but until then, show some respe--" She stopped suddenly when she heard a loud roar, and the distinct warble of a baby chocobo, followed by a loud scream. "Fiend!" Someone called out, and Reia turned quickly, unsheathing her sword. "Elma, Tyhlan, flank my sides! Seems we've discovered the Chocobo Eater! Make sure the Summoner is unharmed!" The three young woman made their way to the fiend, and Jecht moved to follow. Auron stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder. "Auron, what the hell?!" "Are you insane? Drunkard or no, I won't have you dying for something that really isn't our concern! Why do you want to help anyway?" "Because...." Jecht thought for a moment. "'Cause it's the right thing to do! Come on, you stiff!" he called, running to follow the three girls. Braska began to walk ahead as well, readying his staff. "My lord!" Auron sputtered. "Come on, Auron." Braska smiled. "It might be...fun." With that, he spun the staff around in his hands, ancient runes appearing below his feet. With a loud roar, Bahamut tore through the skies, landing on his feet with a loud crash. Elma and Tyhlan nearly fell off of their chocobos at the impressive site, but Reia only looked a bit relieved. "Lord Bahamut...I've not seen it since I left home. There is no need for us to continue. Fall back and let the Aeon handle it." "Huh? Home?" Tyhlan frowned. "Where are you from?" "Bevelle. I assure you, even the weakest summoner is made formidable when he or she is able to summon Lord Bahamut to the field. And Lord Braska, I trust, is a fine summoner." "Bevelle?!" Tyhlan paled. "I've been taking orders from a--" "Don't worry about it," Elma said quickly, wincing when Bahamut dug his teeth into the rough hide of the Chocobo Eater. "Let's just go." Tyhlan nodded, and the three made their way off to allow the Guardians and Summoner to take over. When they reached Auron, Reia knelt over to speak to him. "I believe you have it from here, right? Besides, we'll do nothing but lead the fiend to you, am I correct? If you'll excuse us...girls, we'll be going back to camp. Give Lord Braska and Sir Jecht our regards after they dispose of the beast, Sir Auron. May you be blessed by the previous Guardians as you traverse throughout your pilgrimage. Yevon be with you." She saluted, and trotted off, the other two girls snickering behind her. "Today really isn't my day," Auron muttered, running to assist Braska and Jecht. ------------- Lord Braska's Calm arrived three months later, in a flourish of bright fireworks and loud cheers. The fallen Summoner, revered now as High Summoner Braska, had created a legend. Even with the sounds of their comrades celebrating around them, neither Elma nor Tyhlan could find it in them to be particularly enthused. Sitting on a low hill, the two girls watched as the last set of fireworks fizzled out into the night sky, burning brightly and then fading, like the legendary phoenix. Is this how life is? Elma thought, reaching up, as if to grasp the very stars from the sky, You burn brightly, and then you fade away? Tyhlan was just as silent as Elma was, listlessly tugging scraggly weeds up from the ground. She glanced over at Elma, and the dim light made her eyes look like empty pools. Elma bit down a shudder as Tyhlan began to speak. "It's weird." The blonde girl blew air through her teeh and brushed a stubborn smudge of dirt from her face. "Isn't it?" "What's weird?" Elma asked, pulling her knees to her chest. In the distance, she heard Clasko's laughter, and a sharp curse from Kehni. "He was alive," Tyhlan started, twirling a blade of grass between her fingers, "and everyone hated him. He died, and now they love him." "I didn't hate him," Elma remarked, glancing over at her friend. The blonde girl's expression was unreadable, but she seemed so eerily tranquil that it made warning bells go off in her head. "Because you knew him," Tyhlan finally said. "I wonder how his daughter feels," she added, as an afterthought. Elma opened her mouth to respond, but no words came. Instead, she slumped to the ground, leaning her head against a large rock. Tyhlan glanced down at her quizzically, and then cleared her throat. "Hey, Elma." "Hmm?" "I'm sorry. I...I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just, I was just wondering out loud, that's all." "I know. Are you alright?" Tyhlan looked surprised for a moment, and then gradually relaxed. "I'm fine...I just...well, soon we'll be done with our training...I'm thinking I might request a transfer." Elma fell backward and knocked her head against the rock. Before Tyhlan could ask her if she was alright, she had scrambled to her feet. "Why? I mean...what for?" "I...I'm not sure. I just...I think I should find my way...you know? A transfer would be good. I'm sure the captain would let me." Elma pouted, rubbing the back of her head. "Well I'll transfer too." Tyhlan laughed out loud, clutching her sides. "Oh please! You wanna stay with the captain, and you know it! I'll be fine, Elma! I'm a big kid! And we'll see each other, I promise!" "But..." Elma fought for a response, "but you're my best friend. I mean, why do you want to go? Why can't you stay here?" "I..." Tyhlan trailed off, looking guilty. "I just think it would be best," she finally whispered. "You don't have to worry. I can take care of myself." "I know that!" Elma exclaimed, finally at the edge of her patience. "You're not making any sense, that's all!" "You'll get it later." Tyhlan gave her a bright, if forced grin. "Don't be mad! If you really want to know, it's 'cause I just want you to be happy, is all! You'll go with the captain and forget all about me, you know? And geez,we need the space, Elma! We've been like...inseperable for months now!" "But..." Elma glanced down at her feet and sniffled. "How am I going to do anything without you around? I'm...scared, to be with the captain by myself. And I won't have anyone to talk to about it, and--" she was interrupted when a small stone nicked the side of her head. "What was that for?!" "Elma, you're so stupid! You graduated the top of our class. Save Reia, you're one of the best cadets here! And you're scared! Of what? That she'll reject you? And if she does, who cares? She isn't worth it then! Be tough! You're a soldier, am I right?" "Well...yeah...I guess you are right. But," and at this, she threw a stone at Tyhlan, who wasn't quite fast enough to dodge it, "don't call me stupid." "Deal," Tyhlan muttered, rubbing her now-sore arm. The two girls were quiet again for a while. "So..." Elma began hesitantly, "where are you going to transfer to?" Her blonde comrade kicked at the dust beneath her feet, shrugging her slim shoulders. "Macalania, I think. There aren't a lot of people there to help, and they still have some leftover fiends to take care of. I've heard it's really pretty there...it'll be cool. No pun intended." "That's...so far away." "Yeah..." "I...I'm going to miss you," Elma finally managed, her bangs obscuring one side of her face. "I'm going to miss you a lot." "Geez, Elma, I'm not dying. Everything will be fine..." Tyhlan thought for a moment, and then tugged her rough, leather headband off of her head, moving to brush Elma's bangs away from her face. "And, for what it's worth," she said quietly, handing Elma the headband, "I'm going to miss you too." Nothing much was said after that, as the two friends spoke without words. ----------- With the Calm came the last days of Knight training, and the camp was a flurry of activity as the newly graduated Knights ran around, gathering supplies for whatever missions their Captains had planned. Reia looked uncharacteristically nervous, tugging on the lapels of her uniform coat. Barely avoiding a flock of Chocobos tugged along by Clasko, she waked over to Elma, and saluted shakily, giving her a giddy, nervous smile. "Are you excited soldier?" "You bet!" Elma watched the older girl shuffle uncomfortably and smiled. "How are you faring, lieutenant?" "Oh, I..." Reia glanced down at her new set of badges, as if she had never seen them before. "I'm quite alright...we won't be seeing each other for a while though," she added dejectedly. Elma patted her on the shoulder. "It's alright. You're a lieutenant now! You shouldn't be sad." "Well...I suppose. But things...are going to change, I think..." Reia trailed off and saluted again. "Good luck, soldier." "You too, lieutenant." Reia turned and walked toward her own captain, and Elma waved as she departed. "Take care of yourself, Reia! Try not to be so grumpy!" "Elma?" At the sound of the familiar voice, Elma turned so quickly her head spun from it. "Captain?" she asked, shifting from one side to the other and avoiding her superior's eyes. "Elma," Lucil responded. Both women stared at each other for a moment, until Elma found the courage to ask her Captain what the problem was. "Is there something you want to speak about, Captain?" "I..." Lucil cleared her throat, looking from side to side. "As you most likely know, Cadet...ahem, Private Tyhlan transferred to another location earlier this morning." "Yeah," Elma murmured. "I know." "And," Lucil continued, "I was wondering if you...had chosen to take the same course of action? I'm certainly not forcing you to, and of course I would love for you to continue to be a member of my squad, but I would entirely back whatever path you chose to take, and--" "I'm not going anywhere, Captain," Elma said, shaking her head. "Tyhlan's choice was...her own. Not mine. I'd...I'd like to stay with you. I mean...I'd be honored, ma'am." Lucil stared at her blankly for a moment, and then regained her composure. "Right, right. Good then, good. We'll be leaving tomorrow then. There's a bit of work that needs to be done at the Crusaders headquarters in Besaid, as well as some other things...we'll be going to Bevelle soon after that for some work I need to do, and Luca, of course. Do you like blitzball, soldier? I've never really been fond of it, myself." "I...I'm afraid I love blitzball, captain." "Oh! Well. Hmm...we'll go see a game, then, would you like that?" Elma scratched her head, unsure of what to say. "If you don't want to..." "I insist. Come along then. Clasko will be coming as well." Clasko? Elma groaned inwardly, but covered it up with a bright grin. "Yes ma'am!" "Alright," a ghost of a smile played along Lucil's face. "Let's move out." ------------- It was like that, for a while, the three Chocobo Knights traveling across all of Spira. Every day, Elma would try to work up the courage to tell the captain her feelings, but she would always bail out at the last minute. She remembered Tyhlan's words and allowed that to be her mantra. The Calm was like an extended vacation, of sorts, even the captain would relax at the end of the day, and the three would wtach the sun dip down into the horizon. Elma had never really lived through a Calm, and she imagined the Captain hadn't either, for they were both always on edge, waiting for the moment when Sin would return. Elma saw Tyhlan, occasionally, always wrapped up in winter uniform and pink-cheeked from Macalania's frozen winds. She had cut her hair as well; now it barely reached her shoulders. The last time the two had spoken, Tyhlan had asked Elma an odd question. "What will you do when you tell her?" the blonde had asked, voice raspy from a recovering cold. Elma had shrugged helplessly, moving a hand up to touch the headband Tyhlan had given her when she departed. "I don't know. Run away?" Elma chuckled, but Tyhlan did not. Instead, she watched the soft, blue light reflect against a crystalline tree as she spoke. Elma noted that the years of the Calm had relaxed Tyhlan as well, made her silent, contemplative. She wasn't sure if Macalania was good for her friend, always. "Running away only makes it worse. It eats away at you, like a cancer, like Sin's toxin breaking away at your mind. You don't want to end up like that." "Ty, why so serious? You're scaring me, a little bit." Elma laughed nervously, trying to cover up her growing panic. "I'm sorry. I'm just...you really should tell her. I think you'll make her happy." "Maybe you should come with us. There's not much to do in Macalania, you know. It'd...I mean, when's the last time you saw the sun? You're pale, and you've been sick, haven't you? You should come with us, it would be better, and--" "No thank you. There's always work that needs to be done here, lieutenant." Elma frowned. She had never heard the girl use her title before. "Well...er, sergeant. If you're sure." "Positive." "Elma!" A voice called out in the distance. Elma hopped to her feet immediately. "I have to go. The captain is calling. Maybe we'll see each other soon?" Tyhlan seemed to deflate for a moment before grinning up at Elma. It reminded her of the old Tyhlan. "Sure. I'd like that. You take care of yourself, Elma." "You too, Tyhlan." That had nearly ten years ago. The two kept in contact, after that, but visits became few and far between. Over time, the amount of fiends had doubled, and Elma feared that soon, the Calm would come to an abrupt halt. ------------ "Captain Reia! Captain!" Reia frowned and turned in the direction of the young soldier speaking to her. "Yes?" The boy's face was white as a sheet, she noted, as he shakily responded. "Ma'am, something...bad happened. A shipwreck, right off the coast of Kilika." "And?" Reia asked, absently touching a long, greusome scar along the side of her face. She knew better than to attack a group of Couerls alone, now. "What of it? There are shipwrecks, occasionally. Everyone is fine, right?" "No, I...no, ma'am," the boy stammered. "They...they say it was Sin. We only found one man." Reia stood up quickly, knocking over the trinkets on her desk. "Are you certain?" "Yes ma'am." "Then why are you standing here like an idiot? Get me a ferry to Kilika boy, immediately. Saddle up Tio as well; he'll be going with me." The boy nodded and quickly scrambled out of her office, nearly tripping over himself in his haste to leave. Reia sighed softly, closing her eyes tightly, and began to recite a hymn that was as familiar to her as breathing. "Ieyui...nobomeno, renmiri, yojuyogo...hasatekanae...kutamae..." ------------ It was worse than she had thought. Knights and Crusaders alike were in a flurry, moving the wounded to Kilika's Temple. The man, dressed in Knight uniform, sat near a priest, shaking uncontrollably, driftwood scattered all around them. Reia steered Tio toward them slowly, afraid to startle the man. He saw her though, and immediately stood and saluted, despite the fact that he looked in no condition to be doing anything. "Captain." It was bizarre, Reia noted, to see someone so completely out of touch greeting her almost normally. It made a strange, cold chill shoot up her back. "Er...I don't believe...are you part of the Chocobo Knights?" The man nodded, gray eyes glinting strangely. "Ma'am. Private Kehni, under Captain Lucil of the Djose Chocobo Knights." Ah, that was why she hadn't recognized him. Outside of Elma, and the mouse, she knew little of Lucil's cadets. A private then. He had graduated with her, most likely. "I see. Might you be able to tell me what happened here?" The priest at her side gave her a warning look, but she ignored him, in favor of watching what would happen next. The man shook his head and sat down on the beach, rocking back and forth slowly. She frowned. "Private?" He did not respond. She shook her head, and turned to the priest, waiting for an explanation. "He won't speak of it," the man explained. I got his name out of him, where he was going. Said he came from Luca, got relocated here because of our...fiend problem. He told me about his family, but when I asked him about the attack..." he waved a hand in Kehni's direction, "he did that." Reia thought for a moment, and then came up with a desicion. "Do you think he'll be up to another ship ride? I have to take him to Besaid, the Crusader headquarters, you see, and--" "Do you see him?" the priest interrupted irritably. "He wouldn't care. He's out of it. If you think you can help him, do what you want with him. There are too many wounded here, and already there's talk in the temples, girl. Too many soldiers make the people nervous, and--" "I've heard quite enough," Reia said sharply. "I'll be taking the man with me." Despite her deep respect of Yevon, Reia had little patience when it came to the clergy. Uppity fellows, they were. ------------ Besaid was a warm, lazy island, and Elma thought she might want to stay forever, watching waves lap up against the shore and enjoying the bright, hazy sunrises. It reminded her of home. She leaned against a palm tree, drifting in and out of sleep as the laughter of two youngsters echoed in the distance. Something obscured her vision, and she glanced up, seeing a familiar face. "The Calm has made you lazy, lieutenant." "Captain Reia," Elma stood at attention immediately, saluting. Reia waved a hand and smiled, wearily. The girl's once-flawless face was marred by a long, vertical scar across her right cheek, barely missing her eye. "You've changed, since I last saw you." "You mean I've had my face ruined." Reia smiled weakly, shrugging her shoulders. "Though, I'm quite happy the Couerl didn't get my eye." "Praise Yevon," Elma murmured, uneasily. "But, did you have something you wanted to speak about? You're in full dress, captain, so I imagine this isn't a social call." "No, it ah...it isn't." Reia ran a hand over her face, suddenly looking very tired. "It has been...years now, since Lord Braska brought us the Calm, has it not, lieutenant?" "It has...why do you ask though?" "May I...speak to Captain Lucil?" Reia asked, avoiding the question. "I saw you, and I thought you would be able to find her...and I...have an old friend of yours...though he wouldn't speak much to me, I imagine he might have more words for his captain." "Begging your pardon, ma'am, but...is something wrong?" Reia slumped her shoulders, nodding her head. She looked very much like a child. "I'm afraid so. I can't speak on it anymore though...lead the way, please." Elma took one last look at the children, and quietly made her way to the inn, Reia slowly following behind her. ----------- "Seen something that looked like a fin, black, gray, whatever." Kehni's face was unusually pale. "Rose up above the water, like a fuckin' wave, and then, and then..." "Calm down, Kehni," Lucil murmured gently. "It's alright. Please continue." Elma's eyes darted from side to side as Kehni continued, his voice wavering uncontrollably. "R-ran to the side, grabbed my kids from the deck, captain. Didn't have my sword, didn't have it." He ran a hand over his face, rough with stubble, and closed his eyes. "Sinspawn, pulled up out of the water, came down on us, that's how I got this," he rose up an arm, showing a blackened scar. "Got my kids down to the deck, told my boy to get my sword...thank Yevon I learned some black magic from my time at Macalania...but my...my...my youngest..." he collasped, finally, strangled sobs leaping from his throat. "Why does it always come back? Why?" Elma turned away, closing her eyes. She heard Lucil sigh, heard the soft, odd click of the wooden clock above their heads. "I'm...sorry for your loss, soldier." Lucil whispered. Reia cleared her throat awkwardly. "I've...informed the higher-ups of this...this tragedy. I found..I found him a little after the attack, with a priest...Sinspawn are closing in on our base, at Djose, ma'am. I...trust you will inform the Crusaders here, and begin gathering troops." A slow, shuddering sigh escaped her, and she bit her lip. "I..I'm not quite sure what to do with..." "Take him to Bevelle." Elma cut in. "They have good medical facilities there." She knelt down next to Kehni and stroked his back. "Where are his..." Reia shook her head. "He was the only one I found...alive." "Elma," Lucil finally said. "Put Kehni to bed. Reia, do you know any sleep spells?" When the girl shook her head, Lucil sighed. "Find a priest in the temple a little ways away from here. They might have something to help him sleep. Inform them of...this as well. Elma, tomorrow we're going back to Djose. I'm not going to lie to you and say this will be easy..." "Yes ma'am," Elma said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "I know." ----------------- A/N: There we go. Revision power. To everyone who reviewed and all, thanks! A special thanks to everyone who answered my question. I really don't like being misinformed. Nice reviews are...nice, I guess? :/ But constructive criticism is better. Does the revision make things clearer? If not, tell me that too. Reia is totally channelling Auron's spirit or something nowadays, huh? Creepy. Next chapter will be soon. Oh, last chapter's reference was in the form of Tyhlan's speech: "What can I do for you?" What can I do for you, what can I do for you? I can't hear you. real Emotion, and all that. Catch the reference to a previous Final Fantasy and you get an Elma plushie, complete with spazziness. Chapter edit has killed equal signs now. I hate chapter edit.
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