Hero

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Grant smiled to himself, remembering it. "Don't you worry about the dark, I will light up the night with the love in my heart--I will burn like the sun, I will keep you safe and warm..." He sang lightly, looking at Nadeline.

"Like the smell of a rose on a summer's day, I will be there to take all your fears away, with the touch of my hand I will turn your life to...gold..." She finished, grinning from ear to ear. "It was called 'Gold', Savayna. It was pretty popular for a while a couple of years back." She told them. "Oh, Lady Gretchen used to love that song, she had a nice voice, too. Didn't she want to become a singer?"

---

But Emiri did want to tell Jaakuna, more than anything. Still, as he motioned for him to follow her, she did so, somewhat crestfallen. Yet as they rode up the elevator in silence, it ate away at her. She needed to tell him. Once they were in his room, she reached out and gently touched his arm. "Jaakuna...I want to tell you." She told him, looking right at him. "The nightmare...it was disturbing. Gods, it was the only thing I thought of when I ended up attacking you. I couldn't believe it...but after that, Lola pulled me out of it. She was disguised as you, and when we were back in Nabudis..." She hesitated for a moment, releasing him and looking away. "She...I was violated by her. She kept touching me all over, my hands were bound over my head and she wouldn't stop...'

---

Shion and Lola spoke more about Giruvegan (more like Lola whining and Shion scolding her) Shion noticed the flower in her hair glowing lightly. Lola noticed it too. "It's Levi." She told her, raising an eyebrow. "She's in the Phon Coast."

The blue haired woman shot Lola a look. "I hope this conversation has taught you that I will not tolerate another failure. No matter how infatuated you are with that girl, I want her dead." Shion pointed at her, stepping backwards as the flower in her hair released its petals. They surrounded her, covering every inch of her body, and once they scattered she could smell the sea breeze. It had been a while since she had been to this part of Ivalice. As the petals returned to form the flower in her hair, she spotted the woman close by. "Levi, Levi, Levi..." Shion repeated her name a few times, looking at the woman before her.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Emiri walked down the hall, not even sure where she was trying to go. She just needed to get out of there. It wasn't Nadeline's fault, but the last thing she wanted to do was talk and relive what had happened. Jaakuna caught up to her, and she held her elbows in each hand. He was right, she was certainly rattled. At the very least, had it been the nightmare, she could blame it on that. But the nightmare didn't bother her. Lola did. Emiri rubbed her arms, not wanting to look at Jaakuna. She felt ashamed, and she didn't know why. She should have killed her when she had the chance. But even then, it wouldn't undo what she did. Nothing could.

She opened her mouth, as if wanting to tell Jaakuna, but what would he even say? Would he look down on her? She decided she needed--no, she wanted to tell him. She wanted to get it off her chest. "The nightmare...it...that's not it." She fumbled her words, if only because she didn't know how to say it. "No, it did bother me, but...gods." Why was it so hard to say it? Taking in a deep breath, she stopped walking and faced Jaakuna. "In my nightmare, I...I ended up killing you." She ended up blurting out, much to her dismay. "It was so confusing, somehow it happened and...but that's...that's not the worst part. It's what happened when I got out of there...what she did..." Her voice trailed off as she held her head, clearly distressed.

---

As both Jaakuna and Emiri left, Nadeline sank in her seat a bit. She hated that she couldn't do anything for any of them. Grant drummed his fingers on the table, not really sure what to do. It had been his idea to relax, though. He started humming lightly, a song he remembered hearing a street performer sing once, a very long time ago. Nadeline let out a sigh, running her hands through her hair, though she placed her chin in the palm of her hand. As she listened to Grant hum, she vaguely recognized the song. "That's...we heard that...oh where was it? Your mother used to sing that to us." She told him. He nodded as he continued to hum.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Nadeline felt extremely guilty upon asking, seeing as how truly, everyone had suffered. No, they were still suffering. What could she even say or do? Despite their reluctance to speak on it, she knew they needed to be addressed. At the risk of earning another round of glares (Emiri outright looked like she wanted to maim her in particular) she decided to give an idea. She cleared her throat, hoping to get everyone's attention. "It is often best believed that problems are best solved by talking about them." She told the group as a whole, though when she received several looks, she waved her hands anxiously. "Not here, in front of everyone...maybe in private...if you feel like it." She hastily corrected herself, as Emiri looked ready to rip her head off. "I mean I'm here, too, I suppose." She shrugged, if only to alleviate Emiri's rather scathing glare.

At this point, Emiri decided that she had enough. She pushed her seat back, standing up and simply walking out. Talking about it? No way. They'd think she was crazy. Grant watched her rather abrupt departure, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ah...perhaps some time to properly adjust and digest...though you are right." He offered, not wanting to hurt her feelings. And she was right. Bottling it up would just make it worse. "For now, we should just...relax for a moment."

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

The trek back was silent, for the most part. Nadeline didn't dare blame anyone in that aspect, and so made sure she, too, was silent. How she wished she could read minds, but as she stared at the back of Emiri's head, she let out a sigh. She was lucky, it seemed, as everyone else had the same blank expression. Savayna's nightmare was disturbing enough, she didn't know if she wanted to know what everyone else's was like. What could she say? What could she even do to help? Not only that, but Zodiark popped up...again. Jaakuna was hiding something, this much she knew for sure. She watched as Emiri protested a ride from him, insisting she was fine. Lola had managed to mimic Emiri, and that little fact seemed to have shaken the brunette up. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she somehow felt sure the nightmare was not the only thing that had bothered her.

She thought she heard laughter as they exited, but as everyone else chose to ignore it, she had no way of investigating it. She looked at Emiri on Jaakuna's back, her eyes closed, but her expression was not of exhaustion. It was of worry. Once they were in the Ifrit, violet eyes signaled that she was awake, and the group went to the dining room. All was silent until Jaakuna broke it.

"I don't think any of us do." Grant groaned, running a hand through his hair. "How the hell did Lola even...make those nightmares?"

Emiri stared at her hands on the table. "She told me...she uses information. She didn't say how she got it, but she used them for the illusions." Her voice was even quieter than usual.

Nadeline then remembered Lola's shapeshifting. "So then, she didn't put you in a nightmare? What did she do to you?"

The brunette visibly tensed up, and it was as if she could feel Lola's hands on her. She remembered stabbing Jaakuna as well. "I was in one, but she brought me out, pretending to be Jaakuna." She told the group. "Then she..." Touched me. "...took my weapons and tied me up. I guess she tried to do the same to Jaakuna." She concluded.

Grant raised an eyebrow. He was sure he wasn't the only one who caught that hesitation on her part. What did Lola do to her? Nadeline caught it too, but she didn't know how to address it. She didn't want to confront her, Emiri already looked depressed enough. Hell, everyone looked depressed as hell. The princess tucked her hair behind her ear, getting slightly nervous. But she needed to know. "Where they...that bad?" She asked slowly.

"What do you mean that bad?" Emiri looked up, a very low anger in her voice. "What, are you telling me it didn't affect you?"

Damn. "Well, I just...heard everyone's voices. And I was in a wedding dress getting pulled into the sea." Nadeline replied somewhat hesitantly, looking around. "I mean, I got out of it...but the worst that could have happened was me drowning...so...I guess to answer your question, no, it didn't."

Grant crossed his arms, the slightest tint of jealousy in his eyes. Boy did she have it easy. "Oh, so that's it? Lucky you then." He asked, raising an eyebrow. "It wasn't like that for me, I WISH it would have been something as stupid as that." He murmured. Emiri simply stared at her hands. While she felt the same way Grant did, she didn't want to admit it.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

The Rozarrian prince was in a daze. What had just happened? Grant held his free hand to his head, though he felt like he had gotten hit in his stomach though. He let out a groan, nearly doubling over. Nadeline let out a huge sigh of relief, shaking her head. Putting two and two together, he realized he had been fighting Nadeline and Wesley. He then shot Wesley a look. "Ow." He told him, straightening up but still rubbing where the Dalmascan prince had hit him. Still, now that that was said and done, he saw Savayna fighting Chaos and readied his gun again, shooting several times at the Esper. Nadeline grinned at Wesley, and then joined Grant for the attack.

Clearly horrified, Emiri outright dropped her bow. She had attacked Jaakuna again. He didn't seem to have gotten hurt, but she saw her arrows a distance away from her. She really did attack him. As she recalled her nightmare, she slowly sank to her knees, trembling. "I can't--" Emiri put her hands to her head as another sharp pain shot through it. She must have used her power again, she had no idea what she had just been doing. She looked up at Jaakuna, then at Chaos. Shaking her head, she picked up her bow. "I'm fine." She replied, rubbing her gut, though she did back away slightly from Jaakuna. Not from him attacking her, no, if it wasn't for that she was sure she would have hurt him. Taking in a deep breath, she turned her attention back to Chaos.

The brunette readied another arrow, aiming it at the Esper. As it fired, he easily deflected it with one of his swords. She then held out her hand, a clock appearing beneath him. "Slow!" She called out. Despite the hand turning slowly, it had no effect on the Esper. Don't insult me. Chaos' voice echoed in her head. You're going to have to do a lot better then that. She shook her head, agreeing. She needed to get her head in the game, what was she thinking? "Everyone, get back!" She called out, putting her bow away. Once everyone was in the clear, she held out both her hands, closing her eyes. The Mist around her shifted, crackling slightly in small bursts. Electricity could be seen surrounding her, and soon the same thing would be happening to Chaos.

"By my hand, power shall prevail, incarnate here and now, blessing us with might--Creare!"

As she finished her chant, several bolts of Mist appeared, striking Chaos. Each one would explode on him, converging on top of each strike, until finally, what could be only explained as a Mist explosion happened. The resulting wave surged through the room, cleanly knocking everyone down. The Esper was silent, yet sunk to the ground, fading away. Its crystal appeared and shattered as it did with the rest, its mark appearing on the brunette's left hand. Emiri panted heavily, clearly exhausted by the attack, though she stood up as Chaos appeared before her.

"Impressive." He chuckled. "And now, I am at your command."

"Told you." She muttered, clearly displeased.

"Now, is that tone for me, or for yourself?" He asked, clearly amused.

She remained silent, and he disappeared. Nabudis once again filled her sight, and she looked at the door. Without waiting for her teammates, she simply walked out. "Emi!" Nadeline called, having gotten to her feet as well. Grant seemed to follow her lead, though, clearly not wanting to be here anymore. Nadeline had a feeling that despite getting the Esper, this had been a Pyrrhic victory for them.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Nadeline found herself among a barrage of bullets. Damn it, why did Grant have to be so fast?! Once she saw Savayna get Chaos' attention, she held her hand out to Grant. "Esuna--" She started, but Grant simply avoided the spell. He slashed his gunblade at Wesley, then fired off several shots. "Esuna!" She called, trying again, but Grant looked at her, his own arm extended. "Graviga!" He called, and Nadeline felt an immense pressure suddenly. She dropped down to her knees, unable to stand. Wait, if Grant could use his magic, did that mean Emiri could as well? "Oh no." She muttered, trying to get to her feet. Being on the receiving end of Grant's onslaught was not fun at all.

"Vanish!" Grant called, and he disappeared from their view.

"Oh, come on!" Nadeline yelled out frustration, finally on her feet in time to get knocked back by one of Grant's attacks. She looked at her arm, cut by Grant's gunblade, and she looked around. "Wesley, he'd probably coming after you next! You need to evade and counter, the only way to snap them out of it is to hit them!" She called, looking over at Jaakuna and Emiri. As Jaakuna blocked Emiri's attack, the brunette would jump back, bringing out her bow. Nadeline knew what she was going to do next. "Jaakuna! Look out!" The princess called. Jaakuna would find himself on the receiving end of a dozen arrows.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Nadeline caught Wesley's murmur, and she looked ahead. It had been quite the treacherous journey just to get to Chaos, no doubt this battle needed to be swift. It was one hell of a day, after all, for some more than others. She made it a point to make sure to keep an eye on everyone, no doubt that this fight wasn't going to be simple. As they entered, there Chaos was. The Esper before them looked somewhat familiar to Emiri, though once again she credited that to her power. He sat, awaiting them, though once they all entered the doors closed behind them. The group would prepare their weapons as he would arise, a wind expelling from him, signaling the start of the battle. Several of his swords floated in the air, and Grant eyed them warily. At least they didn't have any minions to deal with.

A large glyph appeared behind Chaos, signaling the start of his spell. Despite this, when it was over, only a breeze had passed through them. Nadeline raised an eyebrow, and as she was just about to question it, she saw Emiri putting away her bow. "Emi, what are you--" Her question was cut off as she noticed her looking around, withdrawing her dagger. Before Nadeline could react, Emiri swung her dagger at the group. No doubt everyone scattered after that, and Emiri went straight for Jaakuna for her next attack. Had she gone insane? Yet as she turned to Grant, she saw him aiming his gun at Wesley. The blonde ran up to him, and Grant saw her and shot at her instead. She flinched, stepping back as the bullet grazed her shoulder.

"They're Confused!" Nadeline called out, but the Confused Emiri and Grant was not their only problem, as Chaos had gone in for the attack. She found herself barely blocking a sword of his in time, pushed back somewhat by it.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

As the group walked, Wesley would ask about Jaakuna to Nadeline. "Something is very off about him. Whatever Lola's abilities are, those Emiri clones were flawless. She managed to get her mannerisms down and everything--I encountered Lola as Emiri before I went to help you. Whatever method Jaakuna used, it isn't a power of his own. Zodiark may have his own body, but I don't think Jaakuna is entirely free of him, either." She murmured to Wesley quietly. "I'm not going to make any assumptions, but once we are out of here, I am going to get some answers from him. I am not making the same mistake twice."

Chaos was definitely calling out to Emiri. She wasn't really surprised, though she may have been if Justine didn't reveal that said Esper was where she got her powers from. It's not like he was influencing her, and the louder he got, the closer she knew they were. And what is your name, daughter of Justine? He asked her.

Emiri. She replied mentally.

Why so cold? You should be thankful. Not many humes possess the power that you do. He wondered. Even now, you wish for more, do you not?

Stay quiet, Esper, your talk is a distraction.

Is it? Forgive me, I only thought you would want to thank me.

Alright, thank you for cursing my mother and having her pass said curse onto ME and making my life a bother. Truly, you have my deepest gratitude. Emiri rolled her eyes, though at that moment only one hall remained. There you are.

Here I am. Best of luck.

"As if I need it." Emiri scoffed out loud, though she continued walking.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Emiri wiped her tears away as the group discussed on their next action. She didn't even want to keep going, but Nadeline had a point. When Jaakuna asked where they would even start to look, she felt she needed to locate it. Taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to focus on finding Chaos. Just like the other Espers, he radiated his own kind of Mist. What made it difficult was more the location: the Necrohol of Nabudis swam with Mist and made it difficult to properly pinpoint his location. Still, she could somewhat get a hold on where he was, even if it was slightly fuzzy.

So you have come, child.

Why did she recognize this voice? No matter how much she tried, though, she couldn't match an identity to it.

Come along now. Don't keep me waiting, scion of time.

Nadeline thought to herself as Emiri was concentrating. As big as this place was, she was sure they were pretty deep in. As she was the one who had been running around the place the most, she was pretty sure they would have to just keep going. After a moment, Emiri would then open her eyes, taking out her bow. "He's not far." She stated, beckoning the group to follow her. Grant let out a small sigh, clearly displeased at the thought of having to go in further, though he followed nonetheless.

---

Sion smiled at Francis. "Pay no attention to her, she plays for the other team." The blue haired woman informed him, lightly waving Lola away. The brunette pouted, not appreciating being sent away. Still she stood up, and instead headed deeper into the jungle. "Until next time, Wolf." Shion bid her farewell and followed Lola. After a distance, the purple girl hopped down from the trees, though she knelt down as Shion approached her. "You've become reckless." Shion stated to Lola, her expression one of clear displeasure. "What is your excuse?"

"Don't blame me.." Lola mumbled as she stood, crossing her arms. "If Zodiark hadn't interfered I would have had them all."

Again with the damned Esper. Still, Shion was not an idiot, and she glared at Lola. "I told you before, that girl needed to be eliminated, I don't care about the rest." She snapped, and Lola winced. "At the very least if she was dead, the other Espers would lose their physical connection, and the only one we would have had to be concerned with was Zodiark himself." She reminded her. "Not only that, you had her, and instead of killing her you decided to have 'fun'. I warned you, giving her the slightest opening would be your downfall, that ability of hers greatly outclasses any natural magic."

Lola nodded rather guiltily. "Sorry, Boss..."

"I'll have to send Meli, get to Giruvegan and start looking for Ultima." Shion ordered.

"What? Aw, come on, that crystal is much too big, I must have sent nearly a hundred men in there and none of them have been able to locate the Esper!" Lola whined. "I tell you, that place knows, it creeps me out! Not to mention that rather nasty giant mimic we encountered...thank goodness it was inactive or we may have had a problem..." She pointed out.

"Consider it punishment."

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

As Emiri deemed her bow alright, she found that couldn't quite calm down. Her arm was shaking somewhat, and she had to put her other hand over it just to stop it. It was then that she noticed Jaakuna approaching her. She looked at him, though to her surprise he pulled her into a hug. As he apologized to her, she remembered how she ended up stabbing him in the illusion. Before she could control herself, she felt her entire body shake. She didn't even realize she started crying, and she held onto Jaakuna tightly, sobbing into his chest. Indeed, despite the nightmare being over, the group still felt its effects on them. Nadeline felt somewhat guilty, though she made sure she would not forget Lola's comment on Jaakuna. For now, she would leave it for another time.

"I don't think I can stand this place much longer." Grant told the group, lightly rubbing his neck. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he hadn't exactly gotten over his nightmare just yet. "Can we go now?"

"We still have our original goal, I don't think Lola took the Esper, her intention was clearly to eliminate us." Nadeline reminded him, though she too was growing quite weary of this place. "If we can still move on, we should."

---

"I'll have to get back to you on that. Duty calls." Shion replied, pointing to the trees. Francis would be able to see someone there, though he would not recognize Lola as she sat on the branch, lazily leaning against the tree and awaiting the pair to finish. She had a rather cheerful expression, though she was not looking at the two, instead tracing her finger on her lips rather wistfully. Shion remained looking at Francis, still smiling. "You can get off whenever you feel like it, though." She told him, pointing out that he was still on top of her.