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[Sirus]

Grifen rubbed her eyes and brightened.

: "Oh, that all? Maybe we're finally gonna leave this place! Gimme a minute or three and I'll help ya."

She disappeared back into her room, emerging a short time later in her usual outfit.

: "Sorry fer being tired like that. Gotta heal folks during the day and make more medicine at night, y'know.Anyway, who did you tell so far?"

[Blade Master Model 42]

"Just you and Julius. He already went ahead." Sheila led the way to the other end of the hall, expecting that most of the others would probably be up. "Don't worry about being tired, I understand. By the way, have you seen Candy? I don't think I've seen him since the duke fight, and Matilda mentioned she hadn't either..."

[Haspen]

"We will see." Matilda then moved back into the audience chamber proper, crossed arms on her chest, and began waiting.

[Furtuka]

Julius waited quietly until she had walked out of earshot and then turned around and punched the wall in anger.

"Dragon dammit I'm such an idiot. Why in the world would they want someone as useless as me..."

In the end he was the weakest out of everyone in the group in some way or another. Save for maybe Candy, but who knew what kind of tricks he had up his sleeve. Even Grifen had ways of compensating for her arm. All he could do was break into things. What kind of hero was that.

No matter what he tried, he still wasn't strong enough to succeed at anything. But giving up was not an option.

All he could do was continue to train. Get stronger. Find a way to distinguish himself, and show his worth. Get strong enough to prover her wrong, to prove him wrong.

He stayed in that position for a while to cool down, and then eventually Julius pulled his hood back up, and went back to the audience hall.

[Sirus]

The nomad shook her head, looking a bit worried.

: "'Fraid not. I keep an eye open when I'm gatherin' herbs, but I ain't seen hide nor hair."

: "Well, I'm guessin' he'll turn up before long. How's about we go ahead and find the rest? I think I know where Fezz is, so I'll start with him. And you can start with preacher!"

[Blade Master Model 42]

"Oh. Yeah, I suppose we would get done faster if we split up. Okay, see you at the audience chamber." Sheila wandered toward Leo's room, stopping in front of the door. She shook her head slightly, taking a deep breath in and letting it our before gently knocking at the door. "Hey, Leo? I, uh, are you decent in there? Awake?" It occurred to Sheila that he might not even be in the room. She hoped he was.

[Sirus]

It belatedly occurred to the nomad that Sheila had wanted to look for the rest of the group together, possibly to chat. Grifen felt a bit guilty once she realized that, as she looked up to the pirate but somehow hadn't been speaking to her much lately. She resolved to spend time with Sheila later, after Matilda held the meeting.

In the meantime, she had to find Fezz and whoever else didn't know of the meeting. She wandered the halls of the castle, opening doors at random and looking around for her teammates.

[SeriousConcentrate]

(Introducing in this post, new and improved Saint Leo. :3)

[FLASHBACK - TWO DAYS AGO, AFTER VICTORY OVER DUKE]

Everyone had gone about their various business getting ready for the stay, leaving Leopoldo and Fezz alone in a corridor. Seeing his chance, Leo seized upon it.

"Fezz, this is going to sound like an odd question, but there's something I have to know. Can I see your eyes? These things Sheila and Grifen have mentioned... similarities I'm beginning to see for myself in our appearance and ability... How did she put it? 'If preacher needs a looking glass, Fezz here would make a good substitute?'"

Leo tilted his head to the side.

"Something she saw in your eyes, and I've yet to see them myself. Something tells me we may be closer than I thought. One hand of light restores life, the other hand of light takes it away. Two sides of the same coin, but they both show faces."

The priest smiled to himself and took out his lucky coin, showing it to Fezz. Both sides were heads.

"There have been times when I've felt alone, or hurt, or angry, with no cause or explanation. And you seem to draw your power from hurt and anger. I have a theory. I imagine it's correct, though I don't like certain implications it carries towards Mother and Father. If your eyes are the same as mine... then I'll know."
Leo was, in fact, in his room for once. He had spent the past two days in the chapel. There were many ceremonies he had to go through to be officially recognized as a saint beyond wearing the ring, and he had wanted to help with the rituals to ease the passing of the deceased. It was only the proper thing to do. Additionally, the priestesses of Kretos had seemed a bit... taken with him, and insisted on making him look more proper as befit his station. He supposed it would look better on Ironmill if he looked and dressed the part of a saint. Still, as he stared at himself in the mirror, he couldn't help but wonder if his friends would recognize him this way.

There was a knock on the door, followed by Sheila's voice. He walked over to the door and opened it.

"Good morning, Sheila. I.. apologize for my absence these past two days. There was so much work to do... regardless, how have you been?"

He self-consciously touched on of his bangs and tried to tuck it behind an ear, but it was too short and immediately fell back into place.

[Xanmyral]

[FLASHBACK - TWO DAYS AGO, AFTER VICTORY OVER DUKE]

Everything had been a blur after his duel with the duke. Fear, anger, exhilaration had whirled through his head as he acted off of instinct and skill. With the duke finished, the historian shivered visibly and swayed. Had it not been for Leo, he would of collapsed. Then the mash of faces, words, and hands, the scholar only dimly aware. Fezz regained himself shortly after Grifen had treated him, thanking her.

After the fact, Fezz was left alone with Leopoldo. He was about to ask Leo about the meditation, his mind on the secret he had been keeping this whole time. It wouldn't be the best of times but... Would a better one come up? He doubted it, after everything that has happened. When Leopoldo spoke up, he listened.

The scholar's face went through a visible variety of emotions as the priest asked all the right questions. He was silent after Leo said his piece, looking at his feet. Taking a deep breath, he faced Leo fully and lifted his hair. His eyes are almost the same as Leo's, they were tired and ashamed, with visible shadows under the eyes from poor sleeping habits and stress, but it was unmistakeable.

"I'm... Afraid that it isn't quite the odd question." He let his hair once more fall and there was a pause. "...I wanted to tell you. Moment I saw you, I wanted to just shout it. I couldn't believe that fate would favor me so. But it never seemed like the right time, and this whole thing doesn't even come close to how I thought it would go."

The words tumbled out of his mouth in a rush as he rubbed his forehead. "But that doesn't really excuse me for keeping quiet for so long. I wouldn't blame you for being angry at me. For being your brother, I fear I'm a pretty awful one already." Fezz ended with a nervous chuckle. He had no idea how the priest would react.


[PRESENT DAY]

Fezz, meanwhile, was in his room. It was dark and quiet as the monk laid in the bed, thoroughly enjoying the soothing lack of sensory input. All of the combat from the prior days had caused his migraines to flare worse than usual, enough so that he would take moments of pause to wait it out during the time he spent in the keep. No matter what he did, he couldn't feel comfortable here, and he avoided the guards and soldiers whenever he could.

Hearing his door open and light flood in from outside, the historian looked groggily at Grifen, wincing at the sudden (relatively) bright light. "Hmm? Oh, morning Grifen. Something going on?"

[Blade Master Model 42]

"You... You cut your hair." Sheila said, sounding crestfallen. She stepped forward and put her gloved hands in Leo's hair, all personal boundaries forgotten in her moment of mourning. "You had such nice hair, why would you ever want to cut it?"

[SeriousConcentrate]

[FLASHBACK]

Leo looked into cornflower blue eyes. Grifen was right; with his hair out of the way, looking at Fezz was exactly like looking into a mirror.

"...I thought as much. I'm not angry, Fezz. I'm... honestly not sure how I feel. It's almost like I always knew, but didn't believe it. Maybe I didn't want to believe, because it would mean my parents - our parents, that is - lied to me my entire life."

Leo's shoulders slumped a little.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I agree. It... isn't something one can just bring up out of the blue. I was never told about you... but I take it your adoptive father told you about me. Did he tell you why we were split up?"


Leo looked nervous as Sheila got very close, but he oddly enough made no move to stop her.

"Sheila, please... it's merely hair. Getting rid of it is part of being a saint now. I'm supposed to be... respectable. My former hairstyle was not appropriate."

Leo tried to push his hair back again, and upon failing again let out an exasperated sigh.

"It wasn't entirely my idea, to be honest. Apparently these clothes and this hairstyle is quite in fashion among the younger priests of Kretos, or so the priestesses we spared say. Is it really that bad, Sheila?"

[Blade Master Model 42]

"Well, not bad, but, I dunno, I was used to how you used to look." Sheila took a step back, and pulled at the fingers of her left hand with her right. A self conscious action. "You should grow your hair back out though. You were more than respectable even when it was all over the place. Anyway," Sheila said, drawing out the first A, "I got Grifen to help me grab everybody. Matilda has something she wants to talk about in the audience chamber with all of us. Let's get everyone else, okay?"

[SeriousConcentrate]

Leo rubbed the back of his neck, feeling rather self-conscious himself.

"I see. I'm having trouble getting used to it as well. If it wasn't for these high collars I imagine my neck would be a little cold."

He didn't know what to say to 'more than respectable', so he let the comment pass. Sheila dropped the fact she was gathering the allies, and he nodded in response.

"All right. I'll come with you. I wonder what it is Matilda wants now."

[Blade Master Model 42]

"No idea. But she seemed pretty excited, so it's probably a big deal. Maybe she arranged for her own transport back to Mireos? Can't really be sure until we go find her." Sheila stepped out of Leo's doorway, and began moving down the hall. "Grifen said that she was getting Fezz... Julius already went... So let's get Alec next maybe?" Sheila suspected he might not be in his room, but it wouldn't hurt to check. She knocked, again, somewhat too loudly. "Hey Alec? You in there?"

[SeriousConcentrate]

Leo followed along, head lowered as they walked.

"Perhaps. This rebellion..."

"I don't know how to feel about it. On the one hand, they forced us to join it against our will. On the other, their cause might be just. And I made a promise to protect Matilda."

After thirty seconds of silence, Leo shrugged.

"I suppose he isn't in. Shall we continue on?"