"Traitor," Jaakuna commented angrily towards Emiri as she seemed oh-so-cozy with the Chocobo. Why was she giving into its facade of cuteness? It was an evil bastard that would make a fine roast.

You're not seriously thinking about frying that Chocobo, are you?

Jaakuna heard Belias suddenly chime in. He let out a mental scowl. Why not? I'm hungry and I have the means.

But it's a Chocobo.

Yeah. And?

Jaakuna heard Belias give him a disapproving sigh, which Jaakuna knew was Belias telling him not to do it. As he contemplated that option, he heard Emiri say how they'd be able to walk the remainder of the way. Good thing Emiri said that or else the item on tonight's menu would've been Fried Chocobo. It's a shame, really. JAakuna was actually curious how Chocobo would taste. He's had cockatrice before, but he's never had Chocobo before. There was never a chance, unlike this one. He could do it and the Chocobo wouldn't feel a thing.

And then suddenly Jaakuna's mind became corrupted by the unthinkable act of eating the Chocobo that smugly looked at him, unaware that he had been cackling evilly out loud, hands aflame and the light from said flame making Jaakuna appear demented.

"No need to get jealous," Emiri replied rather simply as she would pat the chocobo's beak. As searched herself to see if she had any more greens, a rather unsettling laughter could be heard. For a moment, she thought her worst fear had been confirmed, though as she turned around,s he spotted Jaakuna. Flames aloft, and an uncanny expresison of hunger--was that drool?! The chocobo was rather offput by Jaakuna, riling itself up as if to attack. Emiri gave out a squeak of shock, though firmly planted herself between the chocobo and Jaakuna, holding her hand out. "Oh, don't you even think about harming a feather on this chocobo!" She immediately put a halt to his intentions. "Instead of putting that energy over a chocobo, how about you save it for the monsters in the mines?! Did you forget why we're here?"

"I bet you taste oh-so-yummy with a bit of tomato sauce over you!" Jaakuna slowly approached the Chocobo. Each step he took, the bird would ready itself to attack. If it was going to die by the hands of the Flaming Sky Pirate, then he would go down with a fight.

In the midst of his rage and unsatiable hunger for tasty, delicious Chocobo flesh, Jaakuna, as if the flick of a switch, was reminded about why they were at Henne Mines: the search for the Zodiark Statue. That had settled him down to the point his hands were no longer set aflame and he gave the Chocobo an apologetic look, to which the bird responded with a huff and would start to walk away, back to Jahara to be teleported back to Rabanastre.

The two were apparently ready for their adventure into the mines, though Jaakuna had briefly glanced to Emiri. "Are you absolutely sure about this? I mean, we can turn back now if you want." Jaakuna wanted to make sure that she was absolutely certain about going into Henne Mines. Once they went in, there was no telling what awaited them. It could be all for nothing and the dream was just that. Alternatively, it could be a trap, and they would be walking right into whoever's hands had sent Emiri that vision/dream.

Of course she wasn't entirely certain about this. Chaos' silence nor his unhelpfulness didn't assuage her, but something else was bothering her. Emiri nodded at Jaakuna's question, a hand on her hip. "Before we left, I did a little research of my own--and by that, I mean that I stole Naddie's book," She told him, frowning. "If what Michel said is true and the guy we've been fighting isn't actually Zodiark, then where is the real Esper? According to Naddie's tome, a long time ago, the gods had sealed Zodiark away here in the mines. That isn't to say I'm fully confident that he is here, but...if the statue is here, it must mean something. If there's any place to start looking, it would be here."

"You stole her tome?"

Jaakuna's concerned expression soon faded into a neutral one, then went in the other direction with only a cheek-to-cheek grin that remained. To think that she had done something Jaakuna had thought about doing many times before. That tome of Nadeline's was huge and apparently was pricy. He recalled hearing those talk about how valuable it was and on the black market, it went for millions of gil. Jaakuna had no idea why but during his times of trying to get enough money to keep the maintenance of his Ifrit from going below his expectations, he heard about it from time to time and it always seemed like a dream come true. But now, as he no longer has a need for gil, he didn't even think twice - just like Emiri didn't when she swiped it from Nadeline.

"She's going to be livid with you when she finds out." Jaakuna chuckled, giving her an approving grin. "Well, then I guess we shouldn't waste any more time since you're sure." Jaakuna led the charge into Henne Mines. As soon as they would enter, however, chills went down his body. He didn't know if it was the wind or something else, but he knew it just from that moment alone...

Something wicked this way comes.

The atmosphere around the mines was eerie, as if haunted. The mist was rather thick, a telltale sign that an Esper lurked around the area. And yet, as they traversed, it was different. They had visited many places like this, seen the mist with their own eyes like so, but something was...off. Was that the word Emiri really wanted to use, though? With sword in hand, the only thing that was heard were their footsteps one after the other. Once in a while, the sound of water could be heard, but other than that, it was silence. It was completely unsettling in a way, making it harder to continue at times. Emiri followed Jaakuna closely, her eyes scanning the area. There was nothing around them, but every fiber of her being told her to be alert. It was as if the absence of anything was the very thing putting her on edge. There was no way she could relax, feeling as if something would jump out at her at any moment.

But said silence was what really bothered her.

"Why aren't there any monsters?" She couldn't help but ask outloud, her voice bouncing back and echoing slightly back at them. "With this much mist around, you would think we could get attacked around every corner we turn," She muttered as they came to a crossroads. Emiri stepped forward to see what direction to take, trying to see if any way looked familiar. As she looked at the leftmost passageway, she nearly let out a scream of surprise as she spotted something white moving in the distance. Her hand immediately went to her sword, though she saw it disappear. What was that? Overcome by curiosity, she squinted as she would move forward slightly, peeking around the corner.

In the distance, she could make out the white shape to be a young woman, younger than she was, anyway. Her hair was colored a dull gray, though it looked more like silver against her rather pale skin. She was willowy in her stature, the whiteness of her dress giving her an ethereal look. She was staring off at something in the distance, a concerned look on her face. She would look towards Emiri's direction, giving her a glimpse of pale blue eyes. She shook her head at Emiri, though she would continue to walk.

For some reason, Emiri felt compelled to follow. "Wait!" She found herself calling out, immediately giving chase.

Though Jaakuna didn't particularly agree with everything that Emiri felt about the lack of any monsters - even the bat ones - he did find it strange none of them had greeted them upon entering the mines. With as much mist that was in plain view for Jaakuna, it was awfully peculiar. The likely case was they weren't relatively deep into the mines themselves, which meant no monster or fiend would be present. An alternate theory was that all of the monsters have been dealt away for some unknown reason. Maybe the mist reacted to the hostility and killed them all in one fell swoop. Maybe someone came in and cleaned house. Jaakuna didn't know which was the more likely scenario. Henne Mines was a popular hunting ground. It's as ancient as Ivalice herself. Maybe one of the Garif came and tried to improve their skills by challenging the various, powerful monsters that dwelled within the deep within.

"It's strange, I agree, but--" Before Jaakuna could finish his sentence, Emiri took off. He didn't know why, but that honestly was of any importance. With her newfound height and leg reach, Emiri ran faster than she did before. She was almsot as fast as Savayna was when she ran at full-speed. Because of that, Jaakuna would have to take off at three-thirds of his full speed just to catch up to her.

They rounded a few corners, going into the first shaft that led them to another series of turns. It eventually brought them to a three-way crossroads, to which Emiri randomly chose one; though Jaakuna had a feeling it wasn't so random. She seemed content on going deeper intot he mines, which proved one thing to Jaakuna: she had a lot more stamina than he originally gave her credit for. He underestimated her speed, too. This proved to be his downfall when he appeared to lose sight of her. As in, he lost her.

"Fuck."

And just as Jaakuna was cursing himself for being unprepared for Emiri's sudden burst of speed, he sensed something approach him from behind. Immediately, he turned around his arms to the side. His hands started to flicker with red and black mist, forming the sight of a black hilt in each hand and quickly spread about thirteen inches after it, mist forming a red blade. "Who goes there?" Jaakuna called out, readying the pair of twin swords that was the form the Belias Sigil took as it had bonded to his soul.

Uh...oh.

It had been a left turn, wasn’t it? No wait, to the right. Or the middle? Lorenzo squinted as he jogged in what seemed to be a circle, only stopping to scratch his head, slightly confused. He could have sworn he was right behind Savanna and Grant, but he must have gone the wrong way. He went back to see if going the other way helped, but it did not. So he went back to go the other way again, which accomplished one thing: he had no idea where he was. Not that he knew the layout of the mines, but he certainly hadn’t a clue where to go.

Uh...oh, let’s try this way, He decided, his right hand on the wall as he walked. He had heard once that you could get out of a maze by staying on the right hand side. He continued, looking around, though he let out a scream at the same time a woman did. He jumped back, seeing a very surprised Grant, though he would then burst out laughing.

“Damn it, Lorenzo! Why did you run off like that?!” Grant yelled, getting annoyed.

“You know, in the name of science, I couldn’t bring myself to make fun of your voice, but did your scream really have to come out so girly?” Lorenzo laughed, though he would calm himself. “I only started running ‘cause Jaakie did!”

Grant sighed. “I wasn’t able to keep up, either. I think Savayna did...which leaves you and I.”

Lorenzo nodded, and the pair would continue on the path. And to his delight, he spotted Jaakuna up ahead. Before he could approach him, however, Jaakuna had his blades at the ready, eliciting a yell of surprise from Lorenzo.

“Oi, oi,oi! Calm down there, Jaakie!” Lorenzo exclaimed, his hands in the air. “It’s your old buddy Larry--I mean, Lorenzo!” Why did he say Larry?

“What in the--”Jaakuna squinted his eyes, seeing both Lorenzo and Grant. “What on earth are you two doing here? Did something happen at Rabanastre?” Not that Jaakuna would know; he was asleep the entire day and had left with Emiri when the coast was clear.

“No, or at least, if Reia hasn’t murdered Cassandra, things should be fine,” Lorenzo told Jaakuna, frowning.

”If you ask me, she’d be doing us all a favor.” Jaakuna noted, his two swords fading from the tip of the blade to the bottom of the hilt in glistening mist.

“We went to the Zertinan Caverns to get some Sonosis Magicite to help Grant talk again.” He nudged his brother to speak. Grant flat out refused, shaking his head. “It uh...didn’t completely work.”

“What does that mean?” Jaakuna asked, curious eyebrow raised.

Lorenzo nudged Grant again, but said nothing. Grant nudged him back. Lorenzo responded with an elbow. Grant glared at Lorenzo, outright punching him. Letting out a warcry, he leaped onto Grant, the pair wrestling for a moment before Lorenzo was essentially clinging onto his younger brother, his hands pulling on his face. “Talk, damn it! I went through all the trouble to make that thing!”

“Oww! Stop it!” Grant retorted, though Lorenzo would finally release him and get off, slapping Grant’s back.

“Yeah, like I said, it didn’t work as well as I had hoped,” Lorenzo said, ignoring Grant’s scowl. “Too much interference, but hey, at least it matches his whininess, am I right?”

Jaakuna blinked at Lorenzo and then to Grant. “You’re right, it doesn’t work. Grant sounds like whiny, self-entitled little cuntbitch.” Jaakuna commented, his atention on Grant. “To be honest, you sound like a mix of Nadeline when she pouts and Cassandra.”

“That’s just hurtful,” Grant visibly winced as Lorenzo cackled next to him. “More importantly than that, what are you doing here?”

So he wanted to play like that, did he? “Listen, I was going to spare your feelings because I am trying to be a bigger man here, but you asked for it,” Jaakuna coughed, clearing his throat.

Letting out a sigh, Grant hung his head, though he gestured for Jaakuna to get on with it. Might as well get it out of the way sooner rather than later.

“You sound like some chick in those stories who is like ‘save me, save me, oh strong knight! Help me from this fearsome beast! Please!’ and then when they do, you’re all like ‘What took you so long’--yappity yapp yapp.” Jaakuna said, his hands in the form of continuous talking that got to the point of being unbearable.

Lorenzo burst out laughing, clearly unable to control himself. Grant had a mind to turn around and run back to Rabanastre, though he remained in place. He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “Mind answering my question now?” He asked, ignoring Lorenzo’s howls of laughter. “What are you doing here?”

“Who am I here with?” Jaakuna almost forgot. “Oh, I came here with Emiri. We’re here following a...feeling she had in a dream that may or may not have to do with the real Zodiark.” He told Grant, recalling the dream Emiri had.

Lorenzo stopped laughing long enough to come to a realization. “So that really was Elizabeth? Are you sure? She looked hella different!” He said, confused.

Grant had to put that thought to the side, more concerned with the latter part of his explanation. “The real Zodiark...and you chose to come alone?” Grant was in disbelief, and...he felt offended. “What, we can’t be trusted to help you out? Clearly this is big. Why didn’t you tell us?”

”Oh, I’m sorry your highness, who was it again that decided to take off on a trip just so she could speak again?” Jaakuna’s face got real close to Grant’s.

Lorenzo continued to laugh, having clearly lost it. “I’m being serious!” Grant insisted, though it came off much whinier than it should have.

“There’s no proof that it actually is him. Even if the dream had her seeing a statue of Zodiark, for all we know it could be Venat playing tricks on her and sending her on a wild goose chase. That being said,” Jaakuna let out a sigh, “we had to at least check it out. You guys were gone, so it was on us.”

“Getting Sonisis Magicite isn’t comparable to what is potentially the strongest of all Espers,” Grant couldn’t help but point out. “And what if it is here? What if it is a trap? Then what? Right here, right now is a perfect example--you came in with Emiri, but you have no idea where she is, do you?”

“Look here, missy! Emiri is a lot taller now and a lot…fuller, so she more stamina. As if that’s bad enough, she took off faster than Savayna runs when she’s at full speed.” Jaakuna glanced at Grant. “You of all people should know how fast that is.” He let out a sigh.

“Fuller? You mean her boobs got bigger?” Lorenzo would interrupt the conversation, a curious expression on his face.

“Nowhere near Shion’s size, but pretty damn close!” Jaakuna said, appearing to be drooling somewhat.

Grant stared at Jaakuna, incredulous to his expression. Lorenzo, on the other hand, seemed more sympathetic, clapping Jaakuna’s shoulder. “The dream is real my friend, congratulations,” He told him, a shine in his eye.

Oh for the love of all that was good in this world! “Will you two focus?!” He couldn’t help but yell.

“Don’t get jealous Grant, a man’s very being depends on the breast size of his woman!” Lorenzo declared.

Does that mean Wesley is shit out of luck? Grant couldn’t help but think, though he immediately tried to get back on topic. “Let’s...if that’s the case, Savayna was with us, so I’m sure she can keep up with her speed. We should look for them together.”

“If anyone can, it’s the speed queen herself.”

---

Emiri would finally come to a halt, her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. Shoot, where had she gone? As she stood straight to look around, she caught a glimpse of the girl. Turning back to Jaakuna, it was then she realized he wasn't behind her as she had thought. Crap, she had run ahead of him. Which was actually really weird now that she thought about it; Jaakuna was usually the faster of the two. Hell, everyone was faster than she was. She turned back, as if to retrace her footsteps, but she would see the girl. The young girl hadn't seen her, though she would continue deeper into the mine. Why did she continue to follow? She should have turned back to look for Jaakuna, but it was as if something was beckoning her, calling her.

The brunette continued, coming to a stop before a wall of mist. As she approached it, a powerful wind came, dissipating it entirely. It had reacted to her presence--very much how the other espers did. Feeling more confident, Emiri continued, and suddenly it felt like deja vu. The pathway looked so familiar, and she realized that she was moving exactly like she did in her dream. Her footsteps hastened, her heart beating faster against her chest. Just a little further...!

As Emiri turned the corner, she would stop, spotting the girl once more. This time, the girl looked back at her, disappointed. "You shouldn't be here," She said, shaking her head once more. "Why? Why have you come?"

"Who are you?" Emiri asked. "And what do you mean, 'why'?"

"It doesn't matter," She replied sharply. "Ignore it. Do whatever it takes to ignore its call...going any further will only result in pain for everyone."

"If it's so important, then tell me why," She said adamantly. "Who's to say trusting you is safe?"

She huffed, displeased at Emiri's insistence. "I am Emette. I know who you are, Emiri--and I am here for the same reason you are."

She knew her name? How? She had never met this girl before, and absolutely nothing about her seemed familiar at all. "Are you now?" She asked. "Then, that means..."

"I know you've seen it. I know it's calling you, but you have to listen to me. The last thing this world can handle is your awakening. I know it doesn't make any sense, but the longer you stay here, the more in danger you and everyone else with you is. It's not just Jaakuna--Savayna, Grant, and Lorenzo followed you here. Please, turn around and go," The girl had decided at a different approach, pleading with Emiri. "There's only so much I can do for you, but if you continue..."

Was that why she felt so uneasy about this? Emiri hesitated, though after a moment, she nodded at the girl. As she did however, she would feel her legs moving without her input. The girl gasped, running up to Emiri and taking her arm, attempting to pull her back. "Wh-what's happening?!" Emiri exclaimed, alarmed that her body was moving of its own accord.

"He's here! Fight it, Emiri! Fight it!" The girl told her as she tried to stop her, but to no avail.

Savayna had walked and walked through the twists and turns of the abandoned mines of Henne. She had memorized the paths and shortcuts long ago when she had done several scouting missions back when she was a soldier for the Archadian Imperial Army. So, unlike those two buffoons who got themselves lost in record-breaking time, Savayna kept to the paths she knew. Unlike them, she didn’t get lost. Though, she wondered exactly how they could get lost. She was leading them. Unless something else was at play that led to them taking the wrong turn. There had been a slew of turns that she took whereas they probably went the wrong way.

As she let out a sigh, she continued through the Staging Shaft, which had a teleportation crystal. That would come in handy for when she was done here. As she entered the Ore Separation, Savayna knew she had to heed a right turn. The left would bring her back to the beginning of the mines, which she didn’t want.

The right turn brought her to the beginning of the Phase Two Dig. However, when she entered it, she heard voices - one she recognized as Emiri’s, but the other was unknown to her. She hugged the walls she listened in and something about Emiri’s awakening was mentioned. “Awakening? Maybe it had to do something with the Word.” Savayna mused, making sure not to speak too much. She wanted to hear the rest of this; though, her plan would be cut short as she heard a cry from Emiri as she called out to whomever she was speaking with.

And as if on impulse, Savayna jumped into action, brandishing her sword in one hand and blizzaga in the other. She hurled the wave of ice forward. It flew past Emiri’s left ear, sending a cold shiver of wind throughout the brunette’s body. Just three inches more to the right and Emiri would’ve lost that ear to frostbite. The wave itself, however, would briefly illuminate a path for them, freezing a straight line of Redmaws where they had been. A few seconds later, as Savayna would snap her fingers, the ice they were encased it cracked and splattered their limbs, as well as blood, all over the cold steel and dirt of the mine ground.

She turned around, seeing Emiri’s petrified expression. “My bad. I heard you cry out for help. Or someone - I don’t know, I couldn’t hear all of it.” The blonde Archadian looked at Emiri, noticing that wasn’t why she looked like she almost died - it was because she did almost die. “Oh, right,” She just remembered. “Why you cryin’? I barely touched you!” She scowled, huffing into a pout.

After the moment passed, Savayna looked towards the direction Emiri was. “So, who was that other voice I heard?”

Emiri hadn't seen the monsters, though admittedly she was still more occupied with her still moving legs. She half-wished Savayna had actually hit her with the ice--it was terrifying to see her own body non-responsive to her own commands. It was then she realized she couldn't see Emette, though she had heard her voice. Which...in itself was comical, considering Emette had essentially thrown herself in Emiri's path to try to put a stop to her. How exactly was she going to go about explaining this? A foreign presence would catch all other their attention, Emette narrowing her eyes as two figures approached them.

The brunette cursed herself as she watched Keiran approach them with a wave, a small smile on his face. "Yo!" He called out, stopping a few paces before them. To her surprise, Emiri stopped at well, though the realization then dawned on her. "Hm, I wasn't expecting Mateus' Scion to show up. And..." His eyes fell on Emette, who glared at him. "Anyway, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go on ahead with Emiri. Don't think me a rude host, however; I made sure to bring you some entertainment~" He winked at Savayna as the second figure stepped closer to them.

"Honestly, you drag me all the way out here, and then I don't even get the chance to play with my little pet?" Lola scowled at Keiran, clearly displeased at the situation. She was still in those odd clothes that Emiri had seen, though she was more recognizable this time, even with her red eyes. "But I suppose I'll participate in whatever crazy plan you have this time."

Emette looked between the pair, though she let out a gasp, her efforts on stopping Emiri fruitless as Keiran would beckon to her, Emiri moving forward once more. "Keiran! Stop!" Emiri yelled at him.

"Right now, you'll find I'm the one giving orders," He replied quite coldly, turning as he would walk with Emiri deeper into the mines.

Lola would use the toe of her boot to draw a line, and then step over it, smiling at Savayna. "I'd offer you the chance to run, but I think you and I share that wonderful bloodlust for battle. Unfortunately for you, this is the one time I have the advantage, Savayna Glacie, you'll find trying to break through with force to be at your disadvantage," She said as the earth behind her would rise, effectively forming a wall behind her. "Let's make this fun, okay? ♥"

The blonde had wondered if maybe her attack was too close for Emiri's comfort. Maybe she did. It had seemed, at least to Savayna, that her aim was a little off. However, that being in mind, the path ahead had become better illuminated so the two women could see exactly what awaited them. To Savayna's surprise, coming from the darkness in his trademark lax style and a too-casual wave, Keiran came out with speaking to the two as if his presence here wasn't questionable at best. Truly, she didn't know why Emiri was here in the first place. Henne Mines, of all places, was a bit odd to venture to, especially at night, but it was even more peculiar when Keiran was here. She didn't know what to make of it, but as always, Savayna had her guard up, ready and willing to do anything should he try anything.

As he spoke, the ice queen thought maybe he was directing it at one of them. He seemed genuine, but as it would turn out, it wasn't Savayna nor Emiri that he was directing those words towards. A few, short moments later, from the darkness, came an all-too-familiar woman with a bust that wasn't nearly as unbelievable as Shion's, but it did cut it pretty close. That aside, however, the blonde had a few questions about her sudden appearance was why was she even here? Moreover, why the hell was she here with Keiran? It didn't make any sense. He was a Spawn of that false Zodiark, so why, of all people, was he teaming up with Lola, that crazed psycho who had this master-slave fetish for Emiri? It just didn't make any sense.

Agreed, but you would do well to keep your guard up.

Yeah, thanks for the reminder. The thought never would've crossed my mind on account of what I know about her. She scoffed towards Mateus, not exactly taking his captain obvious-like comment too kindly; though, he was right about one thing: lowering your guard against an opponent like Lola meant certain defeat.

She remained poised as Lola started talking. First, it was to Keiran about how he dragged her into some plan of his and how it gave her an opportunity to play with Emiri. Yeah, like that's going to happen. Savayna wasn't about to let that crazed Looney Lola near Emiri, not as long as she had the power of the Corrupt at her disposal. Though, as a surprise to her, Emiri was going with Keiran. "What are you doing!?" Savayna called out to Emiri, stepping forward as if to stop the brunette. However, the moment she did, Lola put up a wall of earth that rose up from the ground, stopping Savayna in her tracks. Apparently she thought a fight was appropriate right now.

Savayna spat at Lola's comments, but if a battle was the only thing that was going to allow her free passage, then she would happily oblige her. "It wouldn't be like how it was before." She'd gotten a lot stronger and Lola would find that out sooner rather than later. Going forward, ice beckoned at her feet, sending her on an ice slide much how she did when she fought those elementals in Giz; which allowed her to easily close the gap between them. As she was a brief foot away from the wall of earth, she did two things one second after the other. First, she extended out her arm and it touched the wall, freezing it upon contact. This allowed her to burst through the wall of earth. And secondly, she had brought her sword down from its overhead position and aimed to slice right through Lola, an arc of semi-solidified mist not far behind.

Lola wagged a finger at Savayna, though that same hand came up, her iato forming as she would block Savayna's strike. It seemed like an all too-normal parry, and it was then that Savayna would see that Lola had effectively cancelled the mist behind the strike. "Oooo! Scary!" Lola chuckled, winking at Savayna. "Did you forget who you're dealing with? Why, I nearly broke all of you into pieces mentally in Nabudis," She would cheerfully remind Savayna, pushing her sword back with what seemed like little effort. "But, since you insist on fighting, I'll just have to punish you, too!" Lola stated, her iato bursting into flame. As the flames flickered, it would melt Savayna's ice. "All I really need to do is hold you off, but...breaking you more would be so much more fun. I wonder how Grant would respond if I tore you limb from limb?"

Meanwhile Emiri was struggling to stop herself from moving, biting her lip. Slowly, her resistance would start to show some results as she slowed herself down considerably. Keiran raised his eyebrows, somewhat impressed. "So you've been working on severing our connection? Not bad, not bad," He outright told her as she came to a complete halt, fighting his command. "I suppose I'll have to take you the rest of the way myself." He said as he approached her.

Emette put herself between the pair, glaring at Keiran still. "You would doom us all over your own petty crisis?" She demanded to know, trying to buy Emiri time. "How pathetic. Instead of wasting time searching for a master that has clearly abandoned you, learn to think for yourself!"

"And you choose only to crawl out of the woodwork now, of all times. Convenient, no?" Keiran replied rather cheerfully. "I'm not an idiot. Your power wanes more and more, your seals here severely weakened. Your reign is finished, and your time on Ivalice limited." Her eyes widened, though she raised her hand, as if to hit him, but he grabbed her wrist, a powerful darkness emanating from it. Emiri let out a gasp, mentally screaming at her body to move, and as Keiran moved to hit Emette, Emiri's body sprang forth, grabbing Emette and pulling her out of harm's way. "You're just full of surprises today, aren't you?" He asked Emiri bitterly.

The brunette shook her head, this time stepping in front of Emette protectively. "I'm not the same as I was before, I won't let you pray on me again!" She declared, Chaos' sigil glowing on her hand as several swords would materialize behind her.

"Wait, please! Take the chance and run away!" Emette pleaded with her. "You're too close to it, at any moment it's going to call you again!"

"Even if I wanted to, I'm sure both Keiran and Lola would give chase," Emiri pointed out as Keiran emitted a rather dark aura. "So right now, I'm going to tell you to run. If what you said is true, then find Jaakuna. I'll hold off as long as I can--but his magicks...they're enhanced somehow..." Emiri noticed right away, squinting at Keiran as he would mimic her, several swords appearing behind him. "Tapping into my powers as well? You truly have no mind of your own, do you?!"

Emette bit her lip, though she nodded as she turned around, running away. Keiran scoffed, focused entirely on Emiri.

"And you're forgetting that was ages ago, ya big-titted bimbo!" Savayna retorted back.

She wasn't going to indulge in Lola's sick fantasy of 'playing' with her. She remembered the last time that she got a hold of them and sent them on a wild goose chase back in Nabudis. As much fun as that was, Savayna wasn't the same woman she was back then. She didn't hold the same insecurities that she did now. Though, she couldn't say Lola never did anything for her. Because of the hell she was put through at the hands of that psychotic nutjob, she became stronger for it. Her bonds with everyone became tighter, not to mention her bond with Mateus has gotten to the point where they no longer needed to argue back and forth. When one wanted the other to do something, they both knew what their job in that was.

Savayna twirled her body around, bringing her sword aimed at the right side of Lola's hip. As she did, Mateus' form, although a bit more hume-sized, appeared as his trident made a piercing motion for Lola's face.

The woman let out a rather dramatic gasp, her iato halting Savayna's sword. As Mateus trident aimed directly for her face, she let out a scream, though a scorpion's tail would appear, parrying Mateus' strike. Lola let out a fake sigh of relief, closing her eyes for a moment, though when she opened them, the aura of an esper surrounded her. "You really have improved!" She conceded as she gave Savayna a half-assed swing, though it was more to get her to get back rather than an actual attack. As she was pushed back, Lola would let Savayna see her scorpion's tail, a wicked smile on her face as she straightened up.

"Too bad for you, though--I've improved as well!" Lola stated, one hand on her hip. "You're a lot more attuned with your esper, but you haven't quite completely awakened yet, have you?" She asked as she charged forward, swinging her iato several times.

"As if I need to!" Savayna scoffed at Lola, parrying each and every strike while Mateus did the same with the scorpion tail that would strike as many times as Lola's iado did.

For several moments, all three were in a back-to-back sequence of ducking, sriking and parrying each other's attacks. when Lola appeared to see an opening, she went for it, but then just as quickly, Savayna and Mateus blocked and ducked. It was like an endless sequence, neither party giving in. That was, however, until Savayna, with the aid of Mateus' enhancing magicks, laced her entire body with faith and bravery, and she punched Lola's face with her mistified hand, sending the woman back a bit. When Lola would be caught off guard, Mateus sent a wave of ice magick at her as to capitalize on it.

What a confident woman, it was almost admirable. Of course, it was also rather irksome how she managed to keep up; albeit Lola credited this due to determination as opposed to actual skill. As the thought crossed her mind, however she managed to get a single hit in, causing Lola to stagger. Of course, rather than do a proper follow up, Savayna had sent her magicks to do her work for her. Lola wagged her finger, swinging her blade as flames would erupt from them, colliding with Savayna's magicks and dissipating them into a cool mist. How predictable. Still, to Savayna's credit, her ice magicks were famed across the military, so it was no surprise it was a staple of her fighting style.

Lola smiled once more, her iato laced with magicks. "Hmm, okay, you're better than I expected," She would admit with a shrug, lightly tousling her hair. "But I'd say we're just about even. This is a fight that's not going anywhere, you realize that, right?"

---

Emiri and Keiran were toe to toe on each other's moves, much to Emiri's irritation. He knew every single move of hers, and despite knowing what was coming, she couldn't quite take the advantage. As she skidded to a halt, she saw him casting, though she knew what he was trying to do. She held out her own hand, a Haste spell cancelling out his Slow. He grinned, presumably enjoying himself, though he charged at her. Emiri turned, her blades colliding with his, but this time she followed up with physical attacks, and while her punches were blocked, a swift kick to the chest sent him flying.

Not one to never follow up, Emiri pursued. As she traveled deeper, however, she could swear she heard voices until she came to a full stop, looking around. ListenComeDon'tBeyondTranscendTheTwelveIBeesechYou Her hands flew to her ears, but she could hear it, and it was getting louder, much to her dismay. ComeToMeWhyDarkOneNOWeMusn'tDivinityOccuriaTheGodsThemselvesCall She wanted it to stop, she didn't understand what it was trying to say. Don'tListenFaithPainLossSorrowDON'TIdon'tunderstandIdon'tunderstandIdon'tunderstand Her voice was caught in her throat as she staggered backwards, her hands on her head.

"Stop! Stop it!" She screamed, shaking her head.

He comes! Chaos warned her.

Emiri looked up, the sword slicing past her cheek as she barely managed to sidestep, though the whispers continued, and Keiran became ruthless in his attacks. Her swords would fade away into mist, the calling becoming louder. There was no way she would be able to concentrate, and without thinking, she would stop time. If anything, the words would only get angrier, though for a moment she didn't even notice, shocked that despite everything else being frozen, Keiran approached her still.

"Didn't see that one coming, huh?" He asked, bringing his sword down.

The sword sliced open a wound on her shoulder, though she was too shocked to let out a scream. Pain shot through it, her back hitting a wall, though she somehow managed to hold out her hand, catching his blade. She could see the blood on her hand as she pushed back, her mind an absolute mess. Why?! Why now?! What was it?! Keiran then pulled her away from the wall, and right then and there caught her off guard. His hands clasped hers, though rather than throwing her as she anticipated, she felt his knee come right up to her abdomen. It literally knocked the wind right out of her, and before she knew what was happening she was on the ground. As her body would try to catch up on its breathing, she felt Keiran pick her up, slinging her over his shoulder.

"Rest easy," He stated, continuing the trek.

“We’ll see about that.” Savayna retorted, glancing one of her eyes up at Mateus. He gave her a simple nod.

The two would utilize the moment that Lola took to speak and seemingly lower her guard. Their weapons were tossed into the air but not without cause. Both trident and sword started to spin around the three. Eventually, as the two weapons got to a fast enough speed, they multiplied double their numbers, then triple, and then to the point of going past one-hundred times their numbers. By a point, there were several hundred of them, surrounding Savayna, Mateus, and Lola within a vortex.

“You know, you’re right, Lola. This fight was going nowhere. I have ice - cold, frigid, deadly ice. And you’re using fire. These two elements, no matter their force, will always cancel each other out. But tell me, what is it that one needs to create fire? What is essential for you to summon your flames?” Savayna could see Lola was blanking on it. She was strong and a formidable foe but she wasn’t bright. “Allow me to tell you: it’s oxygen. Even if you have all of the magical power, one needs oxygen to create fire. And you can feel it now, this isn’t just any ordinary vortex.”

Savayna held up her left hand, a glyph appearing on the backside of her hand. Lola would recognize it as the glyph corresponding to the forbidden magick spell Vacuum. She extended that arm and mist started to form around it, pulling the remaining oxygen within the vortex into it. In just a few short minutes, she would have gathered every bit of oxygen left int he vortex.

“As I’m sure you now realize that this is Vacuum, the forbidden spell that sucks out any air from any surface of five meters or less. It is forbidden because it not only affects the air the opponent of the caster breathes but the air the caster themselves breathe. But, there is a way out of this, dear Lola,” Savayna gave a wincing smile, “bow to me and serve your Ice Queen.” Savayna laid out her ultimatum, stepping closer to Lola. As she would, the effects of Vacuum would increase and Lola doubtless felt it. “Get on your knees and swear your fealty to the Glacie name and you will live.” Like the most northern reaches of Ivalice, Savayna’s words were just as cold.

---

”Admit it, we’re lost.”

Jaakuna had lost the amount of time he had seen the same trashed cart as the trio of Rozarrian and Archadian tried to find their way out of the Phase One Dig. Jaakuna succeeded at a number of tasks, but when it came to traversing through underground areas, he was just as useful as Lorenzo was in just about anything that wasn’t building machines or causing his siblings to repeatedly bash him in the head.

So just try to imagine Jaakuna’s decreasing patience as Lorenzo insisted he take the lead despite it being the one thing that had them going in circles at least ten times over. That aside, they were wasting time. Emiri was out there with Savayna. Jaakuna feared what could happen if those two were to get off on the wrong foot again. He sure remembered the last time they had an argument.

“We’re lost,” Grant would repeat himself for maybe the dozenth time. At least this time, Jaakuna was on his side.

”You see, even your sister agrees with me.

Lorenzo frowned. “Are you gonna let him talk to you like that?” He asked Grant.

“I’ve accepted my fate,” Grant admitted, a rather defeated expression on his face.

Letting out a sigh, the blond man looked around, scratching the back of his head. “Eh...okay! Fine! I have no idea where I’m going!” He yelled out, running in literal circles. “Everything looks the same! We’re going to be stuck here forever!”

Jaakuna let out a sigh, looking at Grant and the panicking Lorenzo. ”Well, there is a way we could get out of here, but I must admit it’s a tad extreme, not to mention it could kill us all.” Jaakuna said, informing the brothers about a possible way out, though warning them at the same time.

“By killing Lorenzo brutally so his dying screams attract Savayna and Emiri?” Grant asked, completely deadpan.

“Wow. That was just mean,” Now it was Lorenzo’s turn to scowl at Grant. “And to think I went out of my way to let you talk again!”

“It was Savayna’s idea. Not yours.” Grant reminded him.

Jaakuna shook his head at both of them. Honestly, how long were they going to go on like this? ”Honestly you two, would you focus. I have a way for us to get out of here.” Jaakuna raised his voice, getting the attention of both Lorenzo and Female-sounding Grant.

“Then spit it out already,” Grant’s usual annoyed tone came off rather whiny, though he outright ignored Lorenzo’s snickering.

He grew annoyed by Grant’s whiny tone, more so because of his more feminine voice. That prompted Jaakuna to not reply with words but rather action. Shoving past Lorenzo and Grant (putting more force on Grant’s side), Jaakuna’s hands flickered red and white, the mist in the air being drawn to both of his hands and centering at the base of his palm. After a few seconds of facing thea direction in the mines that had the thickest formation of rock and steel, Jaakuna held both palms out. By now, they were ablaze of white and red fire, mixed in with the natural green shade that Mist tended to appear as.

I should’ve known. Grant thought as he would put some distance between himself and Jaakuna.

Lorenzo, on the other hand, seemed confused. Was he trying to track the others down via magic? That was an awful lot of mist he was gathering. “Uh...What are you trying to do there?” He asked slowly.

“What does it look like? I’m going to mine us an alternate path. So either you find us the right way out of here or stand back. I can control it when released, but there’s no telling how rocky this is going to get.” Jaakuna warned them, raising his hands up as he prepared to fire, though giving them time to back away, of course.

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Hold it, hold it!” Lorenzo exclaimed, not noticing that Grant wisely chose to put a greater distance between them. “The entire pathway could collapse on us!”

“Don’t worry, Lorenzo,” Jaakuna gave his blond brother an assuring smile. “Unlike that ex-wife of mine, I know how to aim my attacks.” He told him with a nod.

After a moment passed, Jaakuna focused his the magickal energy he collected in conjunction with the manipulation of mist, he brought his flaming hands together, placing them opposite of each other. His fingers were spread and slightly bent, yet perfectly aligned. “Sea of Flames!” Jaakuna called out.

At maximum power, his hands flashed white and then red, after which magick and mist flowed from his hands and unleashed a powerful stream of red and white fire that began to pierce through the rock, melting any steel that had gotten in the way. However, before any real damage could be done, a pair of hands would put themselves on Jaakuna’s, lightly touching them. He would see the girl in white, shaking her head at him, though would go so far as to outright dissipate his mist, returning his hands to normal. Without so much as a word, she took a step back, staring at him. Grant was surprised at Jaakuna’s hesitance. “What is it?” He asked, frowning.

“He probably realized that this isn’t a good idea,” Lorenzo noted.

“What the fuck did you just do!?” Jaakuna roared, noticing the complete lack of fire from his hands and more importantly, the lack of an escape route being forged. He turned to the girl in the white dress. “I was about to get us out of here. Why’d you stop me?”

Grant couldn’t help but stare at Jaakuna. “...Neither one of us stopped you,” He said, raising an eyebrow at him. “I still think it’s a bad idea, but you do you.”

“Not you princess -- the bitch in the white dress! The one who kind of looks like Emiri but not as hot.”

Lorenzo and Grant looked at one another, concerned for a moment. The girl raised her eyebrows at him, amused as Lorenzo would walk up to him. As if taunting Jaakuna, she would wave his hand in front of Lorenzo’s face, but the man wouldn’t react. “You, uh...you alright Jaakie?” He asked him seriously. “What bitch? We’re the only ones here.”

The girl gave him a rather mischievous smirk. “They can’t see ‘the bitch’,” She told Jaakuna simply. “I’ve only revealed myself to you.”

”Huh, guess they really can’t huh.” Jaakuna mused to himself, looking over to the brothers. “Turns out I’m not going crazy.”[ He mused again. “I guess it turns out this less-hot version of Emiri can decide who gets to see her and I’m the lucky one.” Jaakuna scratched his head as he informed Lorenzo and Grant of the situation.

Wow, so this was how Jaakuna would finally snap. Grant walked closer to Lorenzo, uneasy about Jaakuna’s claims. “Jaakuna...are you feeling alright?” He couldn’t help but ask.

“Look, I’m just fine, Granella! This flat-chested fluezy really is only making me see her. I’m not going insane!” Jaakuna repeated, seeing the worried glances from the brothers. “I’m not!”

“They don’t believe you,” She pointed out, though she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Whether they think you’re going insane or not, you’ve lost plenty of time here. Even now, the women are locked in combat. Will you go to them?” She asked Jaakuna.

“What do you mean?” Jaakuna asked the girl. “What women? Who even are you? Why are you here in the mines?”

“Savayna and Emiri. Who else would I be talking about that is relevant to you?” Her tone was that of an annoyed one, though she caught herself, a hand on her forehead. “Goodness, you two are truly meant for one another, considering Emiri asked me the exact same thing.”

Jaakuna had enough of this bitch’s vagueness, so he gripped her white dress and brought her close to him. “Tell me who you are!” He demanded, not giving any sign of releasing her from his grip.

She scoffed. “You humes and your obsession with missing the big picture…” She muttered, though she looked Jaakuna right in the eye. “Call me Emette, bitch, whatever, the point is everyone here--everyone in Ivalice I’d argue--is in danger. If Emiri reaches the end of the mines, the only thing that will follow is our absolute doom!” She snapped at Jaakuna.

“Oh,” Jaakuna let her go, even going as far as to unwrinkle her dress; though in doing so he patted her breasts a few times. “Huh, I was right - you are flat-chested.”

Emette rolled her eyes at him, her hands on her hips. “Will you get your mind out of the gutter?!” She scolded him, raising her nose at him. “Did anything else I said register?!”

“Relax, would ya?” Jaakuna shrugged, patting Emette’s shoulders. He gave her a carefree smile. “I heard you loud and clear the first time. Danger lurks and I have to stop it.” Jaakuna recited it as if a line from a script, “same shit, different day.” He let out a sigh of pure boredom, though he understood the severity of what Emette was saying.

“How is an idiot like you the Transcendent…?” Emette asked, completely baffled. “I thought you’d care a little more considering it concerns your beloved, but you couldn’t care less, could yo--”

Before she would be able to get out that last thought, Jaakuna’s now-golden left hand gripped Emette’s throat so tightly that it would cause her to lose her next breath and he forcefully rammed her against the wall of stone and steel just three paces behind her. “Don’t you dare question my love for her.” Jaakuna threatened Emette, tightening the grip of his hand on her throat, forcing more gags to follow.

Grant’s eyes widened as a woman would suddenly appear, Jaakuna’s hand at her throat. “Jaakuna! Calm down!” Lorenzo told him, alarmed.

“Then…do something...!” Emette managed to choke out her words, a defiant glare at Jaakuna, though she seemingly did nothing to stop him. “Even now...Mitron is…!”

Upon hearing that name, Jaakuna let go of Emette’s throat. “What does Keiran have to do with anything?” He asked, surprised.

Lorenzo knelt down, offering her a hand. She took it, standing up once more, though she gave Jaakuna a serious look. “Mitron is misguided in his attempts, he has broken all my seals to bring Emiri to the statue. Little does he understand the implications of this...I can tell you more, but on the way, I urge you to come.”

“What seals?”

She would begin to walk, beckoning him to follow. “To prevent more of Zodiark’s power from leaking out--the true one, mind you--I placed several seals around the mines a long time ago. Once they started to weaken, I awakened. His power was great, though I managed to chain a portion of it to this place,” She would hastily explain, doing very little to clarify her words. “I suspect Keiran wishes to release it fully into the world, though for what reason, I do not know.”

“Wait, so he’s not acting on Venat’s orders, huh?” Jaakuna seemed surprised by this. If Venat wasn’t behind it, then Keiran was doing this on his own. Or was he? Gah, Jaakuna wasn’t sure what the hell was going on. Regardless, he followed Emette.

“I don’t suspect Venat would have any advantage to having Zodiark at full power. So why?” Grant asked out loud.

“Anything for attention. Mitron is quite needy,” She admitted. “I know the two of you remember Emiri’s secondary ability, the more subtle one.”

Lorenzo blinked, though quickly realized he wasn’t in the conversation. As he hung his head, Grant would answer the question. “You mean unlocking the Espers, don’t you?”

“Unlocking Espers isn’t the half of it,” She informed them. “It’s not that there’s more to it, but I’m sure you’ve realized your awakenings happening within proximity. It isn’t an accident--whether intentional or not, she’s caused them.”

Jaakuna must’ve heard wrong. It sounded to him that she was saying Emiri’s responsible for the crap that’s been happening to them for the past couple of days. If that was true, then he really only had one response to that. “Ah, so Emiri is the one responsible for making Grant sound like a little girl.”

“Not necessarily,” She stated. “The side effects are entirely dependant on the person. She draws out the power--how you react to it is your own body’s fault.”

“Oh, I get it,” Jaakuna seemed to understand. “Grant secretly wishes to be a woman, so his body prepared him for the pending operation.”

“What?!” Grant blurted out, not noticing Lorenzo’s hysterical laughter.

“Focus,” She told Jaakuna as she would guide them. “You’ve always known Emiri was different, but you’ve never truly understood to what extent. The reason Venat and everyone want their hands on her isn’t simply because of the espers. It’s far more complicated than that--it’s the very reason she can manipulate time.”

“You don’t need to keep reminding me about how special she is; I know exactly how special Emiri is.” Jaakuna scowled at Emette.

Yes, he knew she was special. Yes, her powers are something that has never been recorded ever in any history book or any scroll. Jaakuna knew that. He also knew that it made her a target. It made her a target for undead gods, for spawns of ancient God-Beasts - hell, it made her a target for a then-power-hungry Reia. But not one of those people were able to hold onto her long because she always found a way out.

“One thing you’re forgetting, though.” Jaakuna said as they would turn a corner, finally getting out of the Phase One Dig, much to Jaakuna’s inward relief, “she’s not a helpless little girl you think she is. She’s got other talents other than her time ability. And if you think she doesn’t, then you obviously don’t know her that well. Despite looking a lot like her, you don’t know half of what she can do.”

Jaakuna came to a stop, halting their progress as they seemed to be near the Shifting Shaft. “No, you don’t know what she’s capable of,” She informed him, frowning. “Or rather, what she’s capable of in the wrong hands…”

“So you’ve said.” Jaakunna let out a sigh of frustration. “This is getting us nowhere and frankly, I’m getting bored, so here is what’s going to happen: either you tell us who you are really or you can forget about us following you. We’ll find our own way out even if I have to blow this place to smithereens.” Jaakuna stated bluntly, giving Emette an ultimatum. “Now, out with it: who in the hell are you and why do you think you know Emiri better than any of us do?”

Emette stared at Jaakuna, incredulous. “It doesn’t matter who I am, and if it does, it can wait,” She informed him, shaking her head. “If you truly must know, then I will tell you afterwards.”

“Fine but if you think you’re going to forget telling me, you have another thing comin to you.” Jaakuna said to her. He wasn’t going to let this go. “But, yes please lead the way.” He would reluctantly submit to her being the leader.

“Perish the thought. I am here to serve,” She said, Grant noticing her words were dripping with sarcasm. “Simply follow, I only hope we are not too late.”

Ah, so she wanted to play chicken, did she?

Lola would have sighed, though she focused more on remaining standing. So Savayna was willing to kill herself to stop her? Or was it a bluff? No, she was too stupid and stubborn to properly pull that off. Lola crossed her arms, her head tilting curiously as she stared at Savayna. Was she truly so vain she simply wanted to be bowed down to? That much was more likely, though a smirk played on Lola's own lips as she listened to her. No, she wasn't sure where she was going with this. Or rather, Lola didn't care as much as Savayna thought she would.

Shrugging once more, Lola smiled at Savayna rather cheerfully. "How scary! ♥ So let's just see who lasts longer--the hume General of Ice, or the immortal Scion, Nabriales the Majestic! Do you really think I'm so vapid I'd kneel down to some washed up General to beg for my own life? You don't know me as well as you think you do," Lola replied, her arms open in a welcoming gesture. "Bring it. I'd rather die then bow down to anyone but my master. Let's see how long you can keep this farce up."

---

ItComesItGoesStopFortheSakeofEveryoneIDidn'tWantthisPleaseICannotRefuseLettheDayComeChosenTranscendantTheTwelveIvaliceWeepsThereisMoreWhoComesBeckonTowardsThouWhoWouldTakeRevengeWeCanGoTogetherPreciousLivesWhatDoYouWantTheSigilsDestinyDoesn’tMeanAnythingWhoGoesThereWePromisedRememberFaithfulServantAskUsForButWhyLetUsContinueCanYouHearMeWhatShouldIThereisNoHopeNoSalvationLetUsBeginAnew

"Make it stop..."

The weak protest had come, lost to the air. Keiran let out a sigh, though he would place her down for the moment. Placing his hand on her forehead, he watched as her eyes would cloud over. For a moment, he hesitated--why? Before the thought would process, she muttered something, though he didn't quite catch it. She stood, her body swaying, though it was clear she would walk regardless of his input. The closer they got, the more unsettled she had become, but now she was walking not of her will, nor of Keiran's. The dark power beckoned to her, completely flooding her mind. He let out a sigh, though he followed suit, slightly wincing as a headache came on. Crap, was he going to get affected, too?

"I beg your pardon?"

Savayna could've sworn she heard wrong. It was almost as though she said she was the motherfucking Scion of Light opposite of the Impure Scion. That couldn't be right. That Scion of Light was not a repulsive, crazed lunatic like that of Lola. From what she remembered from her history lessons as a child, Nabriales was a beautiful woman who, despite having the appearance of a scorpian, was gentle and kind. Despite being a Scion who wished evil upon the world it ruled over, she was described as not wanting the total death and destruction of it - at least, not like the rest of them wished. Lola, on the other hand, seemed to have not a single qualm about seeing to that exact result.

"I figured as much," Mateus mused. "There was something very off-putting when we cross blades. I didn't think, but this is most certainly Cuchulainn's opposite. This is the one my dear brother opposed and yet.." Mateus was bothered by something. "Tell me, Cuchulainn, are you so far gone that you would accept the one you opposed all those years ago as your Chosen One?"

Lola sported a wicked grin, wagging her finger at Mateus. "You heard that right! ♥ Admittedly, it's been a very, very long time since I've used that name. I am the 'woman of a thousand faces' after all. Even though my current form is the one I've taken on for the longest, it, too, is a farce," She admitted gleefully. "I do apologize, Mateus, but Cuchulainn won't quite be able to respond to you. You see, I'm not his Chosen. His was someone far more normal...you remember General Harris, don't you, Glacie? And of course, you remember that I was the one that ended his life, right? I can assure you both that this relationship is a one way street, though it's not like the esper has the choice! If that was the case, Ultima would have stayed with Lady Shion, and not Princess Nadeline."

She sighed, shaking her head. "I digress, details, details. Who cares about what's supposed to happen when you can just make it happen yourself? Isn't that why you cast this forbidden spell? So you could make me do something I didn't want to do?"