“Luna, please,” hissed Constance underneath her breath as the nurse uncontrollably spewed garbage from her mouth. She could not understand one single bit why the other woman had absolutely zero tactful bones in her body. Clearly Luna was trying to goad Maxine in the same way that she goaded Constance, but unlike Constance, Maxine could actually do something about the woman’s sharp tongue and get away with it. And while, of course, Constance wouldn’t mind having Luna waltz her way into a wasp’s nest, she would greatly prefer to not be in a place where she too could get stung when the inevitable happened. If the nurse ruined this—Constance glanced anxiously over towards Maxine. The older woman did not appear to be fazed in the slightest, although perhaps she was too concerned with throwing the men out to even listen to the woman.

And then Luna’s words became what sounded, almost, like praise, which was even more alarming than the usual hooks and jabs. “Luna, please,” said Constance, her voice softening as she looked away, burying her face in her glass of wine to hide the smile that had sprung to life when Luna decided to slip into her “barbaric” side. They most certainly aren’t as big as yours, thought Constance, blushing, as Luna asked her if that was right. For a second, Constance felt for the first time a connection to Luna that wasn’t formed from bitterness or jealousy.

However, it was all crumpled up into a ball and stomped underfoot in an instant the moment Luna finished by saying, “You got where you are because of yourself.” The hidden meaning was completely lost on Constance. Worse still, not only did she lose the original one, but she had fabricated an entirely different meaning in its place. It wasn’t advice to avoid being used by Maxine that Constance heard, but a simple form of mockery from Luna regarding Constance’s alleged ego. So, all of that had just been a long-winded and roundabout way for Luna to prick her with yet another barb, a way of saying “everything that has happened to you is your fault” without actually say that it was her fault. The thought stung. After all, where Constance was right now was nowhere near where she wanted to be, and a million miles away from where she had been. Constance shot the nurse a dirty look. How could one person be so horribly perceptive?

She wanted to slug Luna; instead, she just chewed on her lip and watched as Juliette was guided to her seat, thinking, Why is Maxine even bothering with talking to a girl so helpless that she can’t even sit down on her own? Constance furrowed her brow and finished her drink as Maxine shifted into the foreign tongue, forcing a polite smile on her face as she impatiently waited to be clued in on whatever the hell it was they were talking about. She hated not being left out of the loop, but took the moment to add more wine to her glass as well as pour one for Juliette. The girl must be important if she was being included at the table—There’s a reason you’re standing, thought Constance as she shot Luna another spiteful look—and thus it would only do Constance good to try and befriend her. Yet the woman acted as if the full cup was not even there. She didn’t even utter a single word of thanks, not that Constance would be able to understand it either way. Seriously, what a conceited jerk!

It was amazing, indeed, how one person could be so horrible at being perceptive.

Maxine was speaking, again, in their language, “...but marriage is still one of the best ways to forge alliances and increase power…”

Constance choked on her wine. “Are you fu—” She censored herself with a cough and drained the rest of her glass, a somewhat painful yet completely necessary act, and almost reach for the bottle to finish the damn thing too. What in the hell had those two babbled about in their bizarre tongue that had shifted the conversation down this path? Marriage? She had not known this woman for more than ten minutes and already she was plotting to marry Constance off for a few stock points? All of this was entirely too much to comprehend, and she knew she needed to say something before things took a turn for the worse.

“Sorry, are you fuh-inished with the wine?” she said quickly, lifting the bottle and offering some more to Maxine. It wasn’t a great save in anyway, but certainly it was better than bolting from the room or breaking out into uncontrollable laughter. She coughed into her fist again. “Ahem. But what makes you think that I am not already married?” Constance did not intend for it, but there was an actual mild hint of offense in her voice. “There are dozens of people from my little island. Perhaps I have already taken one of them.”

Of course, she had not; the only thing she had been married to ever was work, and they only really stayed together for the sake of their children, money. Still, the thought served as a buffer to give her some time to actually collect herself and recover from the initial shock of the statement. It seemed that Maxine fully intended to have Constance stick around for some time. That was good, or, at least that seemed good. Anything was better than going back to that ship, especially since Conway had implied that it was a slim chance that they would ever make it back home, not that she could have gone either way. She decided she’d toy with the idea, but she wouldn’t agree to anything yet. Even if she did end up staying here for the long haul she would rather not be tied to someone she could not stand, let alone did not know.

Although something did seem awfully familiar about the name Joseph Geralt. She had said he was from their home? Well then, it wouldn’t hurt to at least meet with the man.

“However, if you say this Geralt fellow is brilliant than I think it would be an absolute fantastic idea if we were to meet,” said Constance, leaning forward and propping her chin on her hand. “Who knows, perhaps we’ll hit it off.” She blinked over towards Luna, her tone turning. "At the very least, it’ll be nice to have someone decent to talk about home with.”

Outside
"So," Edward began, trying to take his mind off of what was going on within the building. It wasn't something for him to know, and that drove him mad with curiosity. All of his compatriots had been allowed to stay, for one reason or another, but not him? Not the other men? What the hell was going on? "So," he said again, pulling out his notebook. The poor thing had been getting more and more tattered as they went. "You mentioned...something called 'ye-Orlah' earlier. What is that?"

Collin turned to answer, but Raymond beat him to it. "ye-Orlah is the true maker of all things. The balancing force of the world, the creator of ye-Kambha'la, its servants and heavenly agents." Raymond had his head pressed up against the door of Holloway Co. Edward had joined him at first, but had given up when all he could hear were muddled voices.

The young man flushed when Collin stared. "I know a few things about the culture of our people too. I was raised here, wasn't I?" When Collin shrugged and looked away, Raymond continued: "ye-Orlah is a creature of symmetry and balance. Not...not order, really, but where one extreme occurs, the other has to happen somewhere else."

"So two wrongs could make a right?" Edward asked, his pen moving with fervor. He was barely keeping up.

Collin interrupted. "Not really. More like a wrong and a right make a balance. Good and evil, light and dark...that sort of thing."

"I see, I see..." Edward turned back to Raymond, but the young man had returned his attention to the door. "And how does...ye-kamblabla--"

"ye-Kambha'la," Collin corrected him gently. "There is a space. The 'la' means 'god'." Sensing Edward's confusion, he continued. "'ye' is 'the', in some cases. 'kamb'...literally, it is 'countenance', but generally it means 'face', so 'kambha' is 'faces'. Not too complicated, is it?"

---

Inside
Maxine chortled heartily at Luna's outburst. "Heavens above, child, such fire! I shudder to think what lack of love filled you with so much vitriol." The lazy smile on her face was one of utter control: or at least, a belief in her own control. "If I wasn't so thrilled to be reunited with family, I might have been forced to call my security detail to take you away. Understand this, child: material wealth is not my end goal. Manipulating material wealth and fanciful trinkets allows me to further my true goals." She left that cryptic statement to hang in the air, glancing at Constance with a knowing look and a subtle roll of the eyes.

"Now", said the old woman, switching to Ghalari. "Dear girl. Love is not necessary to create a long and profitable union. My own husband and I are proof of that, though I have grown fond of him over the years. You will see. Arn is a fine man. He shall care for you, and you shall not want for anything, as a part of our family. I like your parents as well, and I doubt they will disagree with me. Together, our families can accomplish a great deal."

---

Outside
"Sorry," Edward said, a small, apologetic smile crossing his face. "I'm used to only one God back home. One God, one Obelisk...that's the main religion of the United Is--"

"Obelisk?" Collin interrupted him sharply. "You said...an Obelisk?"

"Y-es?" said Edward slowly. "A great big thing of stone and metal. It's been there since recorded history, and no one has ever been able to figure out how it works. Pieces of it float in the air, completely cut off from the rest. They just...levitate, impossibly."

"We have an obelisk here," Collin said, urgency creeping into his voice. "It is called 'ye-la'spiekr'. The Gods' Tower."

"What?" Edward asked in shock. In the span of half a second, excitement, confusion, and even terror rushed through him."

"But there are no floating parts of ye-la'spiekr. Just a tall, dark spike into the sky. It is hidden in the mountains near Ghal-Priyam." Collin glanced at Raymond, still ignoring them to listen within. "It's where ye-Orlah and ye-Kambha'la are said to repose when they grace the mortal plane. But I don't--"

"Collin-sha! Collin-sha!" A foreign voice interrupted their urgent talk with an even more-urgent sound. Edward had seen enough paper-boys and messengers back home to recognize a runner. The boy came to a stop in front of Collin and spoke to him in a rapid burst of Ghalari. Collin's face grew pale, and then he turned to look at Edward.

"What do you know about a large ship which just landed at Ikallge? One...Galloch?" He butchered the name, of course. "A man named Conway claims he's looking for you."

As Constance hissed at her, Luna flashed her a smile, finding that she was actually enjoying herself. This was all a game, wasn’t it? She was quite aware that Constance probably didn’t think she was helping, and that actually made it… fun. She shifted, pleased with herself. Constance reaction was just, really, what she expected. The woman would never believe that she was actually trying to help, and that was just… sad. All Luna could do was continue as she was, and maybe Constance would see that she wasn’t, at least here, trying to bring her down. At Constance’s words of having someone decent to talk to, Luna couldn’t stop herself from saying ”Oh, yes, Constance, because we both know you only like to talk about yourself. You hide behind a mask, that you must build everyday, because you are afraid to admit that you are… just. Like. me”

She flashed Constance a smile, and then turned from her, the smile fading at Juliette's almost ghostly complexion. She wasn’t too sure what the old bat had said to Juliette to cause her to react in such a way, but it couldn’t be good. Luna quickly went back over everything that had been said, that she understand. The woman had offered marriage to Constance. What if she had done the same to Juliette? Judging by the girls reaction, it wasn’t something that Juliette wanted.

She looked to Maxine, and new that she wouldn’t let herself, nor this girl be bullied by her. She quickly composed herself at Maxine’s comments, and gave a laugh, shaking her head, before she turned to Juliette once more, completely dismissing the woman from her thoughts. It was done smoothly, and in a way that wouldn’t be outright obvious, like the woman had done to her. And the fact that Luna had gotten a reaction from her, that in one of denial, showed that she could get under the woman’s skin. Oddly enough, just like she could with Constance.

She crouched so that she was on level with Juliette, even if the girl couldn’t see her, it was still polite to look into her eyes as she spoke, trying to put emphasis and emotions into her words, gently taking the girl’s hand, and giving it a squeeze, wanting her to know that she wasn’t alone, and that there was someone there who just wanted the best for her. Luna might not be able to understand this island's language, this people’s customs, yet forcing someone into something was not right.

”Juliette?” she asked softly, wanting to ask if she was okay, but knowing that she wouldn’t understand. Language barriers sucked, Luna decided, as she gave Juliette her full attention, wanting to simply… pick up the girl, and take her out of there, but she wouldn’t force that on Juliette. Although it would be interesting to see what Maxine would do, Luna would never want to force her beliefs onto the girl. She thought that Juliette would need to find her own two feet to stand on… maybe she just needed to be shown how.

And she was acting like she’d be here for a while. Sudden worry filled her, that as soon a she left, there wouldn’t be anyone to stand in Maxine’s way, and then… Luna sighed heavily, wondering if there was anything that she could do, to make a permanent change here, at least for Juliette.

Constance smiled as Maxine chuckled at Luna and threatened to have the girl removed, a smile that was an undeniable, bonafide shit-eating grin. She almost chirped in that it would be quite all right with her if some goons came in, flexed their muscles, and dragged Luna kicking and screaming from the room. Actually, she would be thrilled if that were to be the case; as family, it would be a most welcome gift. However, the thought was stripped from Constance’s mind as Maxine vaguely hinted at her true goal. It was slightly ominous, and she couldn’t help but think how quick Maxine was to try and marry her off.

What could she want? thought Constance.

Oh, it was obvious. It was the same thing Constance wanted, wasn’t it? A legacy. Something that not only could she look back on and be able to say “I did this” but that everyone, even a hundred years from now, would say, “See that? That’s thanks to Constance Holloway.” No, even better, she would want them to say, “That’s Constance Holloway,” when they looked upon the things she had left behind. She felt as if she had almost achieved it back home, back before everything went to shit, but a small part of her believed that she could’ve recovered from that loss. All great entrepreneurs go bust every now and then.

Constance examined her fingernails as Maxine spoke to Juliette in that strange tongue again, pretending that she wasn’t interested in what was being said. And, truthfully, she wasn’t. Instead, she was thinking that maybe she had been looking at how she could achieve her legacy all wrong. After all, it didn’t matter where she was remembered, just that she was remembered, and that what she was remembered for was what she wanted to be and not what she had truly been. Perhaps she should marry after all. She smiled; it was almost funny how her future was about to mirror her past. She glanced over at Luna. Just like her. I can’t wait to prove you wrong.

Assuming the nurse didn’t screw up everything before then by destroying their host’s goodwill with that viper tongue of hers.

“Excuse me,” said Constance, cutting in between Maxine and Juliette. “But you were saying that you would send for Mr. Geralt? If that is so, is there a place I might freshen up? It seems like you two have a lot to talk about, anyway.”

---

---

---

---

Love wasn’t necessary..?

That didn’t-... That wasn’t right… was it..? The words ringing over and over within the confines of her mind, Juliette curled her fingers lightly around the material of her skirt, causing it to ride up ever so slightly as she continued to stare unseeingly at the space between her and Maxine, her soft pink lips parting from one another, and a confused expression flickering across her soft features as she did her best to think through what the woman had just said to her…

Love wasn’t necessary…? That didn’t sound right. Her parents, and even her older brother, had always led her to believe that being in love was a magical experience- one of the most beautiful things that a person could feel towards another; and then to be able to go out, and share that with the one person that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with… the one person that you chose to spend the rest of your life with… such a thing seemed completely invaluable...

..had-... had she been misled all this time..?

“..You will see. Arn is a fine man. He shall care for you, and you shall not want for anything, as a part of our family. I like your parents as well, and I doubt they will disagree with me. Together, our families can accomplish a great deal.”

Maxine was right- this wasn’t about love; it was about status… about power… about what she could gain from having the two families united in wedlock. She felt sick… her stomach churning slightly at the thought of marriage to a man she both knew and felt very little about. Yes; Arn was a good man… a gentleman with a kind heart, and one that would, in truth, provide for her well through their lives, but-... but he wasn’t the man that she wanted…

Her head lifting as she felt the warmth of another’s hands taking her own, Juliette allowed her gaze to linger in the direction she could both hear and feel the gentle breath of the other person; and with it, she couldn’t help but take even the smallest amount of comfort. Someone was trying to help her, but she knew in the long run, there was no getting out of that which had been decided for her. Everyone in Ghal-Priyam knew… whatever Maxine Holloway wanted; she got.

“Juliette?”

That voice… though she had only heard it but a few times that day, she knew exactly who it belonged to; the Devil Diver… the one that had arrived that morn, and who had been interested in what it was that she actually did. The woman seemed nice… or at least, nice enough that Raymond had helped to translate so that they could have a conversation with one another.

..Raymond…

Shifting slightly over the seat, Juliette let her head drop once more, her eyes flicking over to glance in the direction of the door that was separating the both of them before her attention was once more on her lap. She wanted to be out there- she wanted to be with him, not sitting here listening to some woman making choices for a life that she wanted nothing to do with…

Hesitating a moment, she lifted her head slightly, her voice soft… almost inaudible as she spoke, though only to the woman that was crouched in front of her, doing her best to speak in the language that she would understand, “..L-Luuna… want-... want to l-leave… b-be with Raymond…”

By the Gods… when she had the chance, she really needed to learn more of the Devil Divers tongue...

Luna didn’t even give Constance the time of day, freshen up? The woman is in denial, and can’t see she’s playing right into the hands of that vile woman She thought to herself. Well, Luna was going to do whatever she could to undermine the woman’s authority-without being truly obvious about it. Already, she had laid down the pattern that she was a little sloppy about manipulation. And that was just fine by her. Let them think she wasn’t good at it, she would soon switch to something more refined... And she’d figure out a way to give Juliette some confidence, and nudge her into standing up for herself, so that when she was gone, the girl could look after herself against the old bat.

She didn’t know what Maxine was saying to Juliette, but if it got the reaction it was getting, then it couldn’t be good. Especially if it was a similar topic to the conversation between Constance and Maxine. She can’t force the girl to marry someone. She isn’t a slave, to be told what to do, and how to do it. She isn’t someone to be controlled. And sooner or later this bitch will be smacked in the face with that knowledge she thought to herself, watching Juliette. The girl seemed so fragile… and terrified to be there, at least to Luna.

“..L-Luuna… want-... want to l-leave… b-be with Raymond…”

As the girl spoke in Luna’s tongue, in broken sentences, struggling to convey what she wanted, Luna listened, piecing it together, she looked to Juliette to make sure this was in fact something she wanted, quickly trying to figure out how to do so, she saw bruises on the girl’s arms, not quite concealed by her shirt. Fury engulfed Luna-had someone hurt her? Had anyone done anything about it? It didn’t seem like it, and with rising horror, Luna wondered if Maxine was the cause of it.

Fury fueled her, and Luna rose, gently pulling Juliette up, and gave her a smile, hoping it was one that was encouraging, and kind, trying to also convey that she was taking her out of there. And nothing was going to stop it. She’d like to see Maxine try and stop her. She didn’t think that Juliette’s friend, Raymond would let Juliette be forced to stay somewhere she didn’t want to be… and if he did well, then Luna would just have to do her best to keep the girl out of Maxine’s clutches.

If Maxine wanted to make a scene, and perhaps diminish herself in the people of this island’s eyes, then she could. Luna still wasn’t going to leave Juliette here, when she didn’t want to be there. Gently tugging at the girl’s hand, Luna thought she might just, if need be, carry her out there. She could do it… but not for long. Luna was strong, but carrying a girl her size and weight would take a toll on her. So, to have Juliette move on her own power would be a blessing. Although Luna wasn’t adverse to picking her up and carrying her, if she must.

"Leaving, Juliette" She said softly to the her, so that only she would hear.

Previously...

Maxine Holloway crooked an eyebrow at the proceedings, but made no move to stop them. "Come, come, Constance," she said, rising and ringing a minute bell she pulled from her person. "I shall show you the lavatory. I daresay you've no need to freshen up at all, but I shan't fault you for an attempt."

They had almost made it out of the room when Edward burst in, Raymond in tow. "Sorry to intrude, honest," Edward began, cheeks flushed. "Constance, Luna--Conway's just landed down at the coast. We've be asked to regroup at the Endurance and wait for him there. The people here: they have automobiles which should get him here within the end of the day. No working airplanes, if you can believe that! But that's not all."

Raymond rushed to Juliette, taking especial care not to look Maxine in the eye. "Juliette!" he mumbled, and a stream of Ghalari followed. Edward assumed he was asking if she was okay. Probably was.

Maxine made an equally careful show of ignoring him entirely, her eyes fixed on the other two men. "I beg your pardon?"

Edward shuffled from foot to foot, excitement dancing in his eyes. "Plummet! They have an obelisk here! Honest to God obelisk, like the one at home. But it's dead somehow, like a broken power line. I don't know how to explain it, because they just explained it to me. Come on, then!" He didn't know about the others, but this had been his whole reason for coming out of the U.I. "Collin and Raymond have agreed to take us to it, even!"

"Nonsense, Mr. Samick," huffed Maxine, "Constance is to begin familiarizing herself with the Holloway brand, and those who work alongside it. She has no time for such a trip to ye-la'spiekr."

Now it was Edward's turn to turn an arched eyebrow to Constance. She was many things, and not all of them pleasant, but he hadn't known her to let anyone else tell her what she was allowed to do. "I...see?"

"Certainly not with Mr. Geralt traveling such to see her. Arn!" Maxine smiled at the young man when he peeped his head in. "Ring Mr. Geralt, would you? He shouldn't be far. I believe he is in town currently on business of some sort."

"Wait, Geralt?" Edward stopped short on his quest to drag everyone out the door. The name sounded oddly familiar, but...

"Joseph Geralt? I'm sure someone on your little island must know of him, yes?"

"Joseph Geralt died," Edward said flatly. "Some thirty years ago, he flew some high-tech aircraft out into the storms surrounding out home. He never returned, and we heard no more communications from him.

Maxine tossed her head, nostrils flaring. "Then I suppose the Joseph Geralt Ghalari fishermen found thirty years ago, clinging to a wooden scrap in the middle of the ocean, that was imagined, then?"

Edward shook himself slightly. "Oh, my apologies, Mrs. Holloway. I did not mean to imply disrespect. Geralt is a sort of mythic figure back home. People, myself included, would be surprised to find that he survived, that's all." Before she could inhale more breath, a thought occurred to him. "Geralt was in his mid-thirties when he left. Wouldn't that mean he's--"

"Geralt is somewhat aged, this is true." Maxine's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly to Constance's face, but Edward had become excellent at reading such minute details. "But he is fit, intelligent, and witty to a fault, I assure you. I can also assure that he would be most interested to meet you as well."

"Of course, but...we really must be going now. We have only the day to reach the obelisk and back, and we can't fly in our aircraft." He glanced at Constance, and a pang of something flashed through him. Like her or not, they'd gone through multiple hells together, and it felt wrong to abandon her here, even if it was where she was most comfortable. He shrugged. "We'll be outside for a few minutes while Collin tracks down an jitney." He turned and went to the door. "Come on, Ray! Juliette can come too, of course."

Then he stepped outside. It looked like the sun was still rising. So they had a good amount of time left before Conway would expect them to be back at the Endurance. Still, he didn't really trust time to give them the benefit of the doubt. It didn't matter how long you had, time always found a way to slip out of your fingertips.

Constance put a hand on her hip as the boys barged into the room, ready to lash out that she didn’t care in the slightest that Conway had landed. They were interrupting an important meeting with important people, and she wasn’t about to come running at Conway’s beck-and-call like some lapdog when she finally found sensible people who actually understood her value. However, her face softened as Edward mentioned an obelisk and she stepped forward, stopping only when she heard Maxine’s voice. Didn’t have time for an adventure? Nonsense. Constance was the only one who knew what time she did and did not have, even if it did make Maxine wrinkle her brow.

Yet she hesitated and listened carefully as Edward and Maxine exchanged words about Joseph Geralt. The Joseph Geralt, actually. She finally remembered the significance behind that name: he had been the damn fool who tried to fly through the storm wall and got himself killed (or not, actually). A living legend, then. An old living legend. Constance squinted at the mention of his age. She had only agreed to meet the man; it wasn’t as if she was throwing herself into a shotgun wedding. She also did not understand Edward’s rush; it wasn’t like the obelisk was going to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Still, why choose when you could have both?

“Maxine, dear, why don’t you have Arn tell Mr. Geralt to come join us?” Already she was speaking as if she was going with Edward and the others. “I would love to see more of this land, and we could use the ride over to the obelisk as time to get to know each other. Personally, that sounds like an absolutely fantastic idea to me.” She offered Maxine a soft smile. “Please. They are a rather helpless bunch and I fear what would happen if I wasn’t there to take care of them. I wouldn’t want to sour the Holloway reputation by having one of my fellow travellers make an ass out of themselves.”

Luna looked over to Constance and grinned “ah, but Connie, making an ass out of one’s self is just so fun! You should know!” She said, amusement heavy in her voice, she did refrain from laughing. So much seemed to have happened in a few moments, but she stayed close to Juliete, wanting to make sure that the girl was okay, and definitely wanting t make sure that the old bat couldn’t drug Juliette down into whatever scheme’s she had planned for her. Sighing softly, she looked towards the excited Edward, as Raymond ran over to Juliette. Satisfied that he’d look after her, and maybe convey what she was trying to say to the girl, Luna gave him a smile.

“Oh, Maxine, maybe Constance should teach you her own brand of Holloway, rather than yours, after all, in our land, she’s made her name, and did it without anyone’s help” So many balls to juggle in the air, it was really quite… exhilarating. She flashed a smile at the old bat, before once more dismissing her from her mind, turning to the others again. “Although maybe you need to remember that yourself, huh, Constance?” She said, almost as an afterthought, before shaking her head, looking to Edward, she nodded.

“Alright then, we best get moving” She said, looking over to Juliette and giving her a smile. It would get her away from Maxine, at least. And Raymond could maybe be a translator, for both of them… the thought of actually being able to talk with Juliette was uplifting, and she relished the thought. Although Raymond seemed as cowed by Maxine as everyone else… maybe she could help both of them. She thought on that a moment, and smiled.

She stepped out, followed Edward, glancing back to see if Raymond and Juliette were coming. She thought on what they were going to do... just how many more mystery's would this island give them? There seemed to be so many, and she wondered... would they be able to leave this island, or would they experience more here that would land them here? Would Constance choose to stay... and what would that mean for the rest of them?

---

---

---

---

“..Raymond..!”

The sound of the now ever familiar voice, the warmth of his arms once more wrapping around her lithe frame; and before she could so much as whisper another word, the two of them were headed towards the door, away from the group, and in turn, away from the woman who had forced the both of them apart not a mere twenty or so minutes beforehand. Her soft blue eyes fluttering to a close, Juliette leant herself further into his embrace, her head resting lightly against his shoulder as he led her further away from the presence of others, and instead into the privacy of the hallway.

“Juliette..! Are you alright..? What did she want..? She didn’t do anything to you, did she..?”

Her body turned to face his once they had come to a stop, she lifted her head up, her soft pink lips parting ever so slightly from one another as she shook her head, unsure about just where it was that she was meant to even begin…

She didn’t want to get married… at least, not to Arn- she wanted to marry for love. To someone she knew for certain that she had feelings for; someone who had feelings for her in return… She wanted to marry someone who was going to love her, for just being her… Lifting her arms up, she reached out to where she could feel his body pressing against her own, her hands coming to a gentle rest over the front of his chest as she shook her head, doing what she could to let him know that she was alright… at least as alright as she could be…

“..R-Raymond, I-...”

Her words cut off by the sound of the male outsiders voice, Juliette turned her head, her fingers curling gently over the front of Raymond’s top as she searched in the direction she could hear their names being called from, and not a few moments later they were once more on the move, slowly (and albeit reluctantly) following after the rest of the group they had been pulled into- they were leaving..? Relief washed through her very being at the thought. The sooner she was away from the Holloway Company, the better it was going to be; though the nagging thoughts of what was to come continued to tug away at the back of her mind.

..how could things have become so complicated, so quickly..?

Edward winced when Luna's biting words carried out of the building. He understood her reasons for such biting wit, but did she really need to eviscerate Constance all the time? Small wonder that they were always at odds with one another. He knew that they didn't get along, but it wasn't a one sided thing, for sure.

Still, Constance seemed as interested in coming along as the rest of them, so he had nothing to complain about. Maxine had pursed her lips at the challenge to her authority, but what was she really going to do? They were newcomers in the region, and if Maxine was the kind of woman to have a ton of dirt on people to force them to do her bidding...well, they hadn't known her long enough for her to have any dirt.

"I shall get in touch with him, then," said Maxine. "He'll meet you at the Gods' Tower, I presume?"

"If it pleases him," Collin replied, nodding slightly to her.

"Marvelous." No trace of emotion etched Maxine's face, nor did her voice tremble with any feeling. "Until next we meet. Safe travels, my dear." Then she retreated back into the building, lightly shutting the door behind her.

"Right then," Collin huffed, heading down the steps to the street. The morning sun shone down smartly above them, and the street was criss-crossed by people going about their day of celebration. It reminded Edward of the Ventuian holiday of repentance. Ellal, it's called. People took "day of repentance" to mean "absolved of all sins", in the most literal sense of the phrase. The parties were quite substantial.

"I refuse to walk all the way to the Gods' Tower," Collin continued, making a very specific path across the street. "I know of a place where we can get a horseless carriage to take us there."

"Do you mean a car?" Edward asked, hurrying to keep up with the tall man's gait. "Back home, they're called cars. Well, automobiles is the official term."

Collin glanced at him with mild confusion. "Those words sound nothing alike. How are either of them related to a horseless carriage?"

"I..." Edward trailed off, his finger falling with confusion. "I don't know. But that's what they're called."

The older man snorted in what Edward hoped was amusement, before he quickened his speed further. Edward found himself beside Luna next, thoroughly disgruntled at being left behind. He was five-ten, for God's sake! But Collin apparently had longer legs.

Oh, right! Ed reached out to Luna. "Luna, I know you have every reason to give Constance a good what-for, but do you think you might be giving her a bit...much?" Ed spoke in a low tone, not wanting to alert anyone else as to the nature of their conversation. "I think being out here with the rest of us is opening her up to new things. Good things. But...do you think you might be laying into her a bit excessively?"

The sounds of a rejoicing population echoed around them, and Edward worried that he might have been drowned out. He almost asked again, but he didn't want to irritate Luna. Of everyone in their group, he trusted her the most.

Meanwhile, Raymond and Juliette walked beside Constance. The young man held his tongue as long as he could, but eventually he had to ask Constance, ask Juliette: "What did Maxine say in there?"

He asked both of them in different languages. He knew that Juliette would be truthful--why wouldn't she be?--but he wanted to give Constance a chance to make an ally with them. Maybe their stories would match up.

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"What did Maxine say in there?"

At the sound of his voice, Juliette lifted her head, her soft pink lips parting slightly and her expression one of weariness as she thought over his words. It was a loaded question; but either way, there was no possible reason for her to lie- and why would she..? Raymond had been nothing but kind and caring towards her since the moment they had first met; rarely straying from her side, and making her feel as though there was nothing she couldn’t do…

..as though there was nothing she couldn’t achieve with him at her side…

“..M-Maxine-...” She paused, tears glistening lightly within her beautiful cloudy eyes. She didn’t want to tell him- didn’t want to hurt whatever it was that they had between them; though if Maxine got her way as she always did, anything they felt towards one another would be quashed before they could think to begin exploring it… even should it only be that of a friendship. It wasn’t fair- i-it just wasn’t fair..!

“..Maxine has made choice… I-I am to marry Arn by weeks end…”

Satisfied for the moment that she had, for now, beaten the old bat, Luna kept her attention on Juliette, her friend Raymond, and Edward. Luna had absolutely nothing to hide, this woman didn’t know anything about her background, and she wasn’t from Luna’s home, there was little to nothing that Maxine could do to her. So Luna wasn’t afraid, and he dismissed the woman from her mind. Instead, she listened to the conversation going on, giving a small laugh at the conversation about cars. ”Automobiles refers to the different types of vehicles, whereas cars are specific to cars themselves” She said, giving a shrug, ”Its like referring to cats and dogs as animals instead of cats and dogs”. At least, to her it made sense.

As Edward moved to walk beside her, Luna frowned at his words, ”It’s not her I’m trying to undermine, Edward. It’s the bat that thinks she is the Queen of this island, trying to control people’s live. She’s already made a marriage proposition for Constance, and We’ve been on the island all of five minutes! Constance deserves better than that, and, yes, maybe my words are harsh, but she needs to fight this control. She’s a lot better than that old bat, and deserves more than to be treated as a thing by her. Family isn’t all blood, and Constance shouldn’t be blindsided because of it” She said, looking ahead, sighing softly. [b]”Constance won’t respond to kindness from me, why would she? So i have to do what I’ve always done with her. Annoy her enough to make her see. But it has to be done in a way that she thinks it’s her idea. That’s the hard part”[b]

She didn’t say that she suspected Juliette had been given the same proposition, that was for the girl to tell, and she glanced to her as Raymond asked both Constance and juli53et3 (she assumed) what had happened. She waited patiently for Juliete’s words to be translated, seeing that the girl was well and truly distressed by what was happening to here. Luna’s hands curled into fists, and she wanted nothing more than to sweep Juliette away, to take her away from a woman that sought to control her.

No one deserved to be controlled… ”And that” she said softly to Edward, looking at Juliette, at her distress, ”Is why I want to tear that woman down”

The car talk got Constance mulling over something Edward had said a little bit earlier: the island did not have planes. As the others discussed the proper use of the word “car” versus “automobile”, gears in Constance’s head began to turn. Flight was a powerful tool, and with the secrets to it being locked on this island the new inventor of the airplane could easily monopolize the market. Constance furrowed her brow. Although her factories had built airplanes, she did not know the ins and outs of engineering. There were people on the Garrloch that knew, of course, and perhaps the blueprints to the Endurance was hanging about, but getting access to either of those seemed like a pipe dream, another flight of fancy. She sighed.

“What did Maxine say in there?”

Constance looked over at the speaker. It was Raymond. The man seemed almost permanently latched to Juliette. Perhaps they were dating, perhaps one of them was using the other as an accessory. He asked the question twice, although Constance couldn’t be one hundred percent sure that it had really been the same question. After all, the only word she could make out when he spoke in his native tongue was “Maxine”. Juliette spoke first, giving Constance a second to think if she should even tell the man what Maxine had asked her—it had been a private conversation, after all, and this Raymond could just be trying to stir the pot around town. Still, Constance knew that if she said nothing then Luna, like some kind of twisted angel on her shoulder, would go ahead and expound the truth. Better to have the words come from her mouth than that of a pit viper.

“She didn’t say anything bad about you, if that’s what you are asking. She’s simply a bored, older woman trying to get some thrills by playing matchmaker in her spare time. I had hardly shaken her hand before she was thinking of men which she could offer mine to,” said Constance, smiling lightly. “One of them, Joseph Geralt, is going to be meeting us at the Obelisk, I’m afraid.” She gave Raymond a teasing wink. “You’ll distract him for me if he turns out to be a bore, won’t you? Hmph, maybe I’ll just pass him off onto Luna. I’m sure if I just pretend to like him she’d be more than happy to steal him away.”

She made a disgusted face at the thought, and then turned back to Juliette and Raymond. “So, obelisks and engagements aside, what is the must-do thing on this island? No, scratch that, I don’t want anything touristy. Where’s your favorite place on this island?”

Luna looked over at Constance and sighed. Once more, the girl was trying to make herself seem more important, or powerful than she was. “Constance, do not lie. You were intimidated by her” She said, wearily. There wasn’t a hint of challenge in her voice, and Luna looked away, ahead. Edwards words playing around and around in her head, and despite the fact that she believed she was right in what she was doing, she couldn’t stop feeling like she had just been judged the most terrible person out there. She knew that wasn’t what Edward had meant, that he had just been trying to merely create a bridge… and knew that he got caught in their… bickering. She was sorry for that, but she didn’t know how to say it. She was prepared to let bygones be bygones, but it seemed that no matter what conclusion she came to, whenever she went to try and make an effort, before she could even do so, Constance had to be a bitch.

Pass him off to her?

How dare Constance. Luna’s hands curled into fists, and she stopped working, turning to the vile, selfish, condescending woman- although right than, Luna thought that was an insult to her gender. “And why would I want your leavings, Constance? I, unlike you, know what I want, and I go for it. You just pretend, pretend at being in power, pretend that you are the best. And I am not a dog to be fed your leavings, to be dominated by you. No, if you haven’t learned by now, my bite is a lot worse than my bark. Do not ever presume to think that I want anything from you, in anyway” She shook her head, disappointed. And of course Constance would see it as pity. Not that right then, Luna cared. She started to walk again, quickening her pace, and pulling way from the others.

Her breathing was hard, and she could feel her heart beating fast in her chest. She was absolutely furious, and she knew if she had continued talking she’d say something that she regret, and she didn’t want that. Yet Constance had pushed a deadly button with Luna. she drew in a breath and let it out through her clenched teeth. Evil, vile woman. She was beginning to think there was nothing worth saving in Constance, this woman who didn’t even think about those she had left behind in squalor. This woman who everything she did was aimed at making her position better, rather than helping others.

The woman Luna very well could have become, if not for her father. Her father had saved her, when he had found her. He’d saved her, taken her in, given her food, and clothes, even when he didn’t have anything himself. Her father had shown her kindness, and love, and taught her to look out for others, simply because that was the way he was. Her father who had never given up on her, and given her a chance. Her father who she wouldn’t fail, wouldn’t dishonor him by acting the way she had. She turned back to the others, and said “I’m sorry Edward, Raymond, Juliette…. That was rude of me” For now, she didn’t address Constance. What would be the point? The woman would think she was lying, or that she had an ulterior motive. She trusted Raymond to translate her words to Juliette.

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Raymond cursed. "Week's end..? That is hardly enough time to know--" He stopped. Had he not only recently met Juliette, and begun courting her..? Had it not been just today that they had expressed their feelings..?

This didn't change how he felt. "I disagree with this," he said. "I would have your affections before you are forced to give them to others. I will fight this, if you will fight this with me."

He touched her arm again, even as Constance spoke in turn. The woman tried to downplay the seriousness of what was to happen, but she didn't know Maxine as well as the other Devil Divers did. She only knew what she had gleaned from moments before.

Her cheeks flushing a bright red as his words hit her ears, Juliette kept her attention on him and him alone; the words of those around them going completely unnoticed as she let the gravity of what he was saying fall upon her shoulders. H-He wanted to fight this..? No; he wanted to fight this with her… and he wanted to know whether or not she was willing to fight this with him.

“..y-yes…”

Nodding her head lightly up and down in response to what he was asking of her, she slowed her pace to an eventual stop, her body turning into his as she lifted both of her hands up, resting them gently over the front of his chest as she did all that she could to hide within the safety and warmth of his arms. This was where she wanted to be… this was who she wanted to spend her life with… Raymond had so quickly become her everything; and Arn-...

No matter how many times she was asked; Arn would never be more than just a friend…

“..yes, I will fight this…” Sliding her hand up over his chest and neck, Juliette lightly cupped his cheek, her head tilting lightly to the side as she pressed herself closer against his body, seemingly trying to make herself as small as she possibly could, though it was more than clear that she was doing everything she could to be brave, “..I-... I will stand and fight this at your side… I do not wish to marry Arn; not when it is you that holds my heart…”

Edward listened awkwardly to the Ghalari exchange between Raymond and Juliette. He really had no idea what they were saying, but it seemed tender, caring. He felt that he shouldn't listen in, regardless of the language. It just felt wrong.

They reached the taxi service in a few more blocks. After a brief, fiery conversation with the driver, Collin handed him a sheaf of paper money, and he beckoned them into the vehicle. Edward tried to introduce himself to the man, but the driver glared at him, and anyone who spoke, until they faded into silence.

The drive to the tower was quiet, uphill, and hot. The sun was intensifying as they rode on, beating down over the top of the carriage. Still, they made good time, and soon a huge spire grew in the distance.

It was impossibly large, and Edward's stomach seemed to rise up into his throat as it continued to grow. He'd never actually seen the Obelisk on Leigr before he'd left, but it seemed similar to him. Part metal, part stone, the obelisk seemed to buzz silently with a quiet, godlike power.



At the bottom of the tower there was a huge, gaping maw into the device. They slowed to a stop, outside, and they departed. Edward turned to thank their driver, but he had already sped off. "Not the nicest man, is he?" Edward said, looking in awe at the monstrosity before him. "D'you all think Geralt is inside?"

Hadn't they been meant to meet him at the Gods' Tower? He walked forward with the rest of them, all drawn toward the obelisk as if in a trance. Edward didn't exactly know why, but he felt as if he had to see what was inside. Also, it was very hot, and Raymond wanted to get Juliette out of the sun.

His eyes adjusted slowly as the light grew dimmer. The inside of the metallic behemoth seemed to be made of rock, and a staircase of some kind traced the back end of the cavern, spiraling up around the outside of the wall. It was spectacular.

Then it happened.

The cube in Edward's pocket grew hot as they stepped through the line, and a shrill noise came from inside. Edward jumped at the sudden
intrusion into the silence and pulled out the map-cube. It whirred, clicked, and pinged. A wave of force rolled from it into the air, which he felt as a blast of pressure in his ears. "Plummet!" he hissed, dropping the cube and staggering.

Behind them, the opening of the structure disappeared. It didn't close, exactly: it was more like the entrance had never existed at all, vanishing in an instant. He rushed to the wall where they had came in, and felt nothing but smooth rock. Or was it metal? He ran back to the others in the center of the cavernous room. "What's going on?" he asked Collin.

Collin looked as bewildered as him. "I...don't know! This hasn't ever happened before! I--"

The ground began to rumble. The map cube continued pulsing on the floor, flickering on and off. "Guys..." Edward said, as the floor tilted beneath them slightly. The rumbling grew more intense, and the sound of cracking rock echoed down from above. Edward glanced up in a panic, just in time to see a rock the size of the Endurance falling down from the rafters. "Shit!" he screeched, and dove to one side. The rock smashed into the floor and shattered, sending a spray of rock and grit covering them all.

Another rock fell a moment later, again smashing too close to them for comfort. He staggered to his feet, just in time to see the ground cracking. As he gaped, the center of the room began to fall away, and light poured in through the gap? Light?

Even as he watched, the hole in the floor grew larger and larger, radiating outward toward where they stood. It looked like the ground itself was dropping away from the tower. "Plummet! Run!" He shouted, as if anyone needed the prompt.

"We have to get to that staircase!" he shouted, pointing to the rock steps. If they could get to the next level, they might be safe. He stooped and scooped up the box as her ran, which still glowed ominously. "Luna!" he roared, "take care of Juliette and Raymond! Come on, Constance! Collin, you too: no time to argue!"

Luna listened to the discussion between Raymond and Juliette, not able to understand them, but their voices told her a lot. Kind, caring… loving. She sighed softly, hoping that things would work out for them… and wanting to do something for them. She glanced away from them to give them privacy, looking back ahead once more.

As they reached the taxi service, Luna looked about with more than a little curiosity, wondering how things worked here... yet it seemed remarkably similar to back home. Getting into the car, Luna remained quiet after the treatment Edward received, deciding it wasn't worth the effort to have the man be polite. Especially given that they probably didn't speak the same language. And she’d rather only anger people who deserved it. She smiled to herself, and looked out the window.

She was content as they continued on their journey, no stranger to heat, Luna remembered fondly times working in the hospital. Sometimes it grew so hot when you were working, that she was no longer aware of it. And really, there was no point complaining about it. No one could control the weather. As the huge spire grew closer and closer, Luna watched with apprehensive, curiosity, but no fear. She was rather interested in the artifact, and she was a little in awe of it. She couldn't imagine anything anymore... mystical then that. How it got there, she had no idea... but she was sure the answer was interesting.

Luna climbed out the taxi when they stopped, staring at the construct above her. She started to walk, not sure why... but knowing she wanted to explore it, and find answers to the many numerous questions she had. And then, as seemed common with them, all hell broke loose. She was beginning to think that they should just expect something to happen whenever they did something… first there was the ship itself, the fire… then it was that island, and what happened there… then the plane, and landing here… and now this.

She quickly moved to help Edward balance, but he had already raced off, towards the entrance. she already knew that they wouldn't be able to force it open, yet she followed Edward. Instead of wasting anymore time at the door, Luna returned to the cube, crouching and studying it, a little unnerved. Yet there was no point panicking, what use would it do? She looked up at Edward, in time to see the rock.

She dove, from her crouch position, she skidded along the ground, skin scraping off when bare skin met harsh ground, and she rolled, wincing at the large amount of stinging sensation. She rolled onto her feet, and up, glancing about to make sure that everyone was okay... and swallowing as she realised the collision had caused some serious damage.

Luna didn't need Edward to tell her to look after the two, she was already running towards them, looking to Raymond, her heart beating fast, her ears ringing slightly from the loud crashes, not aware that she was bleeding from numerous scrapes, and small cuts- and indeed even if she was, she was sure that she wouldn't care. ”Come on! Let’s get her to safety, okay? You’re going to have to trust me, okay?” she said, already trying to think how they could lead Juliette away, without her getting hurt. Or at least not seriously hurt. She looked over Juliette, reaching up to brush hair out of her eyes, raking blood and sweat along her hand as she did so. Although at this point it was hard to tell, she seemed to be covered in both. ”I’m going to get you both to safety”

Constance stopped as Luna chewed into her, her hand on her chest as she initially recoiled away, perhaps concerned that the fists at Luna’s side wouldn’t remain there for much longer. Constance felt that Luna had no right to be upset; she shouldn’t have been listening in on their conversation in the first place. Straightening herself out to her full height, Constance folded her arms and gave Luna the look of a woman whose patience was quickly running away. Maybe they should just come to blows and get it over with. See who learned more in the gutters. Find out what her bite was really like.

“All you want is to be awful to me. Jealous little…” Constance mumbled under her breath, out of earshot of the others, as Luna stormed off. She turned to Raymond and Juliette, faking an amused smile and giving an exaggerated shrug to the couple. Not that it really was necessary; they appeared to be off in their own world. Whatever. Luna had stopped and turned to the others, apologizing for her rudeness. Not to Constance, but to the others. Yet she took it in stride, turning that same plastic smile to Luna as she brushed past the nurse to catch up with Collin, but not before she loudly said, “Apology accepted.”

The simmering tension was thick when the group crammed into a taxi, packed together tighter than sardines and stewing in just about as much salt, but the heat from the sun had since sapped all of the fight out of Constance and a temporary ceasefire was formed. The wine she had earlier only made the heat more unbearable. She held onto her hat as she leaned out of the window, even the wind too hot to find enjoyable; occasionally she would push against the person next to her or groan, utter a complaint about the heat, or how the driver should go faster, or how they should’ve stopped for mimosas. Mostly, however, she just stayed silent, her eyes watching the ground move below them as she fanned herself with her hand.

It was the shadow of the obelisk and not the obelisk itself that Constance saw first, the darkness blocking out the sun and offering some reprieve from its onslaught. She traced the shadow to its source, gasping at the sight of the behemoth tower. It looked larger than the obelisk back home, and there was something about it that filled her with a quiet unease. As they piled out of the car, Constance craning her neck in an attempt to take in full sight of the tower’s majesty as she walked around to stretch her legs, Edward asked, “D’you all think Geralt is inside?”

“Who?” replied Constance without batting a lash as she followed them inside.

It happened before she even had time to take in the entirety of the room: the shrill screech, Edward dropping the cube with a curse, the shockwave, the door vanishing and casting a darkness throughout the room that was only interrupted by the pulsating lights from Edward’s cube. Constance head whipped back and forth, looking to the locals and swallowing hard as she realized the looks on their faces were just as confused and bewildered as hers. She threw her hands up in front of her face and reeled back as the large rock crashed into the floor, shouting in surprise as debris smacked against her arms.

The second crash sent her off balance, and a pain shot through her wrist as she caught herself as she fell backwards. It would’ve been embarrassing if she wasn’t so worried about not dying at the moment. Edward did not need to shout for her to get moving; she was already scrambling towards the staircase, finding her footing when she was about halfway there and almost losing it again when she hit the first step. Constance barely bothered to stand herself upright as she began to bolt up the stairs, hugging the wall in case there was another violent shake that would throw her off balance and into the ever growing abyss below them.

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She had barely been paying attention… lost in her own thoughts- in the warmth and loving embrace that Raymond had wrapped fast around her body as he guided her along with the rest of the group they had unwittingly joined up with. So much had changed, and in such a short amount of time- from the arrival of the outsiders into their lands, to the news of her soon-to-be wedding, and then the choice they had both made to fight Maxine’s decision together… All of it leading them to where they were right in that very moment…

Stood together in the cool shade granted to them by the towering obelisk.

Closing her eyes as she was lead inside, Juliette once more slowed to a stop, her soft pink lips parting ever so slightly as she turned into his body, her head falling forward until she was able to feel the gentle in and out movement of his chest against her forehead, causing her to only press herself closer against him, nestling happily within his arms, “..Raymond, I-...”

“Guys...”

Her attention drawn away as the ever growing rumble spoke loud over her voice, she let her grip over the front of Raymond’s top tighten, the action causing him to retaliate by wrapping his arms further around her body, a single hand lifting up to cradle the back of her head, his fingers intertwining into her hair to keep her close to him.

“Stay close to me..!” Yelling to be heard over the sound of rock breaking apart, Raymond hunched his shoulders over, doing what he could to protect her as he ushered her to the side, the sound of her muffled scream lost as the large rock fell, smashing against the ground causing debris to fly about the group, the moment of peace only lasting just that as a second was soon to follow, forcing him to rip her back and out of the way of what would have been a fatal blow, “Careful..1”

“..w-what is going on..? R-Raymond..? Collin..?” Her heart racing within the very confines of her chest, Juliette turned her head, panic written all over her otherwise gentle features as she searched around, unsure of anything that was going on other than the fact that whatever it was… it was loud… and it had scared the others just as much as her…

“Plummet! Run!”

The pair stumbled back slightly as the floor began to give out, the gaping hole growing wider, and seeming to make a beeline towards them. Clinging tightly to one another, unsure and barely able to hear a thing over the noise, Raymond turned his attention down to Luna as she approached the two of them, hesitating only the briefest of moments before he nodded his head- they had to get out of here… he had to get Juliette to safety.

Shooting a glance around them, Raymond frowned, a single hand breaking away from the young blonde pressed so intimately against his body so that he could motion for Luna to take the lead, before he leant down slightly, his arm reaching down to scoop her up by the backs of her legs whilst keeping hold of her middle with his other arm. Standing up tall once more, he held her close, waiting for Luna to move before following after her, being careful of the falling rubble, and quickly disappearing floor as they made their way towards the stone staircase.