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Alvin's Chronicles
CHAPTER ONE PROVIDED BY saffire


Alvin is in Fenmont, after the end of the game. As he walks, he suddenly spots Jude (in his doctor's coat) talking and telling someone to give his regards to Balan in Elympios.

He greets him, and Jude is surprised to see him. They're by one of the bridges. Alvin asks if he was interrupting anything. Jude says no, gives him a nostalgic look, and says that he was about to head home. He then says it's been a long time.

Alvin agrees. Though it hasn't really been long—it's only felt that way. It's been just around a month or so since everything had happened.

Jude asks what he's doing in Fenmont. Alvin replies that he's hear on business. But since he has some free time to spare, he decided to use that time to stop by Talim and see a certain nerd. Alvin says he heard he successfully survived graduation, and congratulates him.

Jude smiles and says thanks. Though the thanks should go to Rowen and Gaius, since they helped him get back into the medical school, since he was expelled, and the school wasn't really fond of letting someone expelled back into the school.

But Alvin turns around the conversation and says that maybe he should give credit where credit is due, because of Jude's own efforts.

Jude's modest about it, and says he supposes so.

And Alvin says that now that he's graduated Alvin's now going over to Elympios and take up a new post to help promote a certain project. They're opening up a new medical school in Elympios.

Jude says he wasn't aware of it, and looks surprised. And that triggers Alvin's memory of the day before they fought Gaius. And how Jude made it clear he wanted to save both worlds. And it's partly because of his determination they now have a bridge between the two worlds. Things are calm for the time being.

Alvin says he doesn't know how things will go, but he'll try his best to help accomplish their goes.

Jude says that's a good answer, and Alvin asks if the Honors Student is making fun of him.

And Jude's like, "No, I'm serious." And that he means it from the bottom of his heart.

And for once, Alvin thinks that those are his true intentions for once.

And then they talk about Elympios a little bit and how Alvin's being used as a go-between.

Across the bridge, the Laforte Institute is being rebuilt. It was once made by Nachitigal to research the Lance of Kresnik. Now it's being relaunched to focus on Spirit Arte research. Jude looks over to it and mutters something. Alvin asks if something's wrong.

Jude replies that this is just the spot where everything began for him. He first met Milal here.

Alvin replies that he knows that.

Jude says that he sees. He guesses someone must have said something about it. Alvin says that no, that wasn't the case. Jude asks what he means. And Alvin says that he needs to tell a story, and that they should sit down. And then he begins to tell him what happened that day from his point at view.

At the time, he was on a easy mission relaxing near the bar. Something about looking for corruption, because if he when you have information like that, it's easy to manipulate the aristocracy with it by threatening to go public. He's also a member of Exodus and primarily information gathers between Auj Oule and Rashugal.

It's his job to explore the secrets of others, and because of it he has to manipulate people sometimes. HE feels bad about it occasionally, but that's what alcohol is for overtime the mission ends—even though he always inwardly debates whether he can continue (and should continue) to live like he is.

Tonight the alcohol isn't helping very much. And he gives up drinking and leaves the bar.A girl walks about to him that he knows—he's been in Fenmont for half a year—and offers to…ah…suggestively help him relax, order some drinks, and so on.

Alvin dodges that invitation and leaves, because he has to do things early tomorrow.

He leaves and suddenly the lights flicker out. He doesn't know what's going on here, but assumes there's some disruption with the spirits, since everyone's been talking about it lately. He does have a hunch though.

After getting over his surprise, he keeps walking and rounds the corner to see the Laforte Intute. The guards are acting pretty edgy—and then he sees why, noticing the damage on thew waterway entrance. ..And then it occurs to him that you could probably enter the institute from there. He doesn't know exactly what's being done in the laboratory—not everything—except what he's heard from Exodus. And he knows that returning home ins the priority, and that the Lance of Kresnik is apparently being build there. And given that the device itself was completed some time ago, they're probably running important tests by now.

And then he wounds if this means the institute is being infiltrated for that. And so Alvin decides to follow the intruders and jumps into the river. He finds the smell pretty disgusting but carries on. And finds one of the guards knocked unconscious.

He climbs the ladder and finds the hall is pretty deserted and starts to explore. Then he hears a sound—voices—and follows it. It's Agria attacking Jude (obviously), and Alvin can see it through a gap he's looking through. They both seem to be around 15 or 16 years of age. He doesn't want to be noticed, so he keeps hidden, and figures even though they're around the same age, they don't seem to be lovers or two people meting up for a rendezvous. The girl looks pretty murderous herself, and the boy doesn't seem like he has anything to fight back with.

Still, either one (or both) of them could possibly be the intruder.

Even so, the boy looks like he's trying to still fight regardless, and Alvin feels sort of impressed. The boy looks pretty childish to him, but he seems more guts to than his kid-ish face portrays.

Agria's about to stab him when Milla intervenes.

To Alvin, she obviously doesn't look like someone who works here. Alvin finds attractive.

The girl laughs and states that she must be the intruder. And that she was getting bored. Jude tells Milla to run away.

…and then things go down exactly how they do in the game. Alvin, though, had no intention on helping the boy even before the new girl intervened.

Then Milla starts to introduce herself, and he hears the name Maxwell and about has a fit. That's Maxwell? The Lord of Spirits. …in the shape of a really pretty girl. That is how the rumors went, didn't they?

And then he thinks that if the woman is reallly Maxwell, she's a sword enemy and has been destroying Spirixes. And she must be hear to destroy the Lance of Kresnik.

And if it's going to be destroyed…well. Alvin can't have that. He'll fight her for it. Whatever he has to do, he needs to go home.

In fact, if she is Maxwell and he's able to kill her, then the Schism should be lifted, and they won't have to wait for the Lance of Kresnik to be completed. He already knows Exodus has been out to kill Maxwell for awhile, but hasn't been able to manage. But Maxwell is dangerous, since she apparently has control of the Four Great Spirits.

…This isn't the sort of situation Alvin had prepared himself for. But he tries to analyze it and think of the best way to kill her. Because a direct confrontation probably wouldn't work. But if he could, if he could snipe her from a distance, maybe that'd work—or at least stop her form destroying the Lance.

And as he follows them he finally notices the devices along the wall. And how grotesque it is since they held bodies. He's not sure if some of them are just unconscious or dead. He assumes they're part of the experiment to get back home and to run the Lance. The inhumanness makes him feel uneasy. And… he doesn't quite like it, but he tries to put those thoughts out of his mind and reminds himself that he has to get back to Elympios no matter what. It's what he swore to do, and it's worth getting his hands dirty over it. Whatever needs to be done.

He says sorry, and leaves the room. And finally comes to the room where the Lance is. He hasn't seen the real thing before, but he's seen blueprints. And he's in a spot that overlooks the room and he can see both Jude and Maxwell.

He hears them talk about the irony of the lance's name. And then Milla starts summoning the four and… Alvin's pretty damn surprised. But, knowing that she's going to try to destroy the spear, Alvin lifts up his gun to shoot her, but he's cut to the chase by Agria, and she activates it.

…he admires her tenacity. But he admires Milla's even more as she tries to get to the spear.

And Alvin tries to shoot her again, but with the lance activated, and the Four doing their thing, the air is being disturbed and he can't aim right. Then things happen like in the game, the floor collapses, and so on. Alvin still tries to shoot them but is unable to really get a good vantage point to do so. Alvin does notice that Milla took the activation key though. …Which means that they won't be able to use the lance and everything could be for nothing.

That was pretty cunning of her, but Alvin isn't very happy about it. And tries to think of where the hole leads and where they'll go. Outside, probably. So he heads out that way. And during this the alarms go off, and he's stopped by guards. He tries to joke it off in the "I swear it wasn't me" kind of manner. …it doesn't really work on the guards, so Alvin has to fight through them. Woops.

He defeats them, but he can still hear the alarms. He goes down the ladder he came in before and escapes through the underground waterway out of the laboratory. As he does, he tries to predict where Maxwell will go. It could be hard to flow her. Since she's the Lord of Spirits, she could very possible fly. But if she couldn't, she'd probably head to the in the direction of the highroad, or to the Seahaven.

Alvin decides to go to the later. Because that's where he himself would go. And once he's reached there, he's delighted to find Jude and Milla are still around, currently surrounded by Rashugal guards.

And then things happen as in the game. And Alvin watched the situation, and rushes over to Jude. And the conversation about the arrest warrant happens and he'd probably be executed and etc. He said it to be a threat, but Alvin thinks that would probably be the case if the guards had captured him. And Alvin attempts to get onto the boat. He's pretty confident about being physically capable of making the jump himself, but carrying a kid makes it tricky. He of course makes it. And things happen exactly as in the game.

And as he's not he deck then with Jude and Milla, Alvin changes his plans. Instead of killing Milla/abandoning them/whatever as he had planned, he decides that he instead should aim on stealing the activation key instead. If he does that, he knows he can keep doing business with Gaius at the same time, with getting the key as leverage. Because even though he does work for Exodus, he doesn't entirely like being at the beck and call of JIrando, and wants to be self-reliant and at least have some sense of independence from him and everyone else.

But, in the end, things didn't exactly turn out the way he planned. And look at him now, being an official.

And the flashback starts to end. The battle is over, and he's happy for Jude. But now they again have to walk separate paths. And format his point forward they'll probably only be able to exchange letters for the most part. …So it was probably good he came to see him again.

And he hopes that, after this, they'll be able to stay in touch. He really hopes he can, because it'd be a damn shame if they couldn't, and would like to have their relationship extend intuit he future, too. You know. That damn friendship thing.

He wants to say to Jude, but he can't. And he says that he should probably be going soon.

And Jude's just like "What, already?" And it's clear from his face Jude doesn't want him to go.

And then Jude says that since he's gone to all the trouble of coming here, he should stay and they should talk a little bit more. : (

Alvin says sorry. He has some business to attend to. Buuut after that he'll probably go eat, zoo since Jude graduated, he'll buy him dinner as a graduation gift if Jude tells him where a good place is.

Jude blushes, and mumbles something. And Alvin just thinks about how typical that is, and exactly how a boy his age should act.

Alvin laughs and says goodbye. And thinks that his business actual went well for a change, and walks off.

-------------------------

CHAPTER TWO PROVIDED BY saffire



Still after the end of the game, Yurgen and Alvin are walking through Nia Khera.

Alvin comments that no matter how many times he comes here, the place never seems to change—it's like time stands still

Yurgen says "Well, it is a holy land, is it not?"

and Alvin just… shrugs his shoulders.

Alvin and Yurgen are here on a business trip, as Nia Khera is known for having a lot of valuable resources, as well as being a place that yields high-quality crops. So it could be used to potentially help supply Elympios and lead to a lot of wealth for the place. So he's going to try to negotiate with the residents, but so far nothing has come of it yet. So.. he brought Yurgen to help try, as Alvin almost always comes here alone.

The results haven't been fruitful either, exactly. But Alvin knows such negotiations aren't built in a day, and it's important to "build up trust." Because "trust is more important than anything."

…Of course. it is, Alvin. Of course it is.

Anyway, Alvin thinks about this and comes to one of the edge boundaries of the village. Yurgen asks where they're going, as the Wyverns aren't moored over that way.

And Alvin says there's a place he wants to stop by for a little while. He apologizes, and says Yurgen can wait around here if he wants while he goes to the place. Yurgen asks if he can tag along instead. Alvin says he can come, but the trip will probably be boring, but he can do as he likes. And as they walk along the road Alvin stops to bundle up some flowers that are in bloom. Yurgen asks what the flowers are for, and Alvin comments that he'll see soon enough.

And they head out of the village, eventually going up some steep stars until he reaches a spot near a slope overgrown with trees. There's a building there. And Yurgen asks if that's where Maxwell resides. Alvin says that it's a shrine, and Yurgen assumes then that Alvin must be making a pilgrimage, but Alvin says that that's not the case. Yurgen asks why then, and Alvin just replies this isn't the spot where he wanted to go.

And without hesitating, he heads further into the dense undergrowth that there's no road to. Yurgen asks where he thinks he's going but follows. And after awhile, they come to a small clearing in the forest, where only a single tree is growing within. And by it are two stones placed side by side—something that obviously didn't happen naturally, and had to have been made by man.

Yurgen comments that it looks like a grave. And Alvin's responds that, yeah, that's exactly what it is. And places the flowers on the grave. …Then Yurgen asks if he was the one who made the grave, and Alvin confirms it. …And Yurgen asks who the grave is for, if he can ask.

Alvin responds that the grave is for the woman he killed.

"…What?"

Alvin says that he means what he says. He then comments that they've been together for awhile, and if he wants, Alvin could tell him about it, if he wouldn't mind listening.

Yurgen says of course. And Alvin says he won't pretend that it's an interesting/that pleasant of a story at all, and he can still back out if he wants to, but he thought he'd better warn him beforehand. And starts the story, saying it happened about half a year ago……

At the moment we flashback to, for Alvin, walking is incredibly painful. He's walking extremely slowly, and his entire body hurts and feels like it's been filled with plaster. Moving is just that hard. His face is swollen and all he can feel is a dull pain that refuses to go away.

He thinks that he probably hasn't ever been beaten this badly during his 26 years of life.

It's hard to think, and his mind is really fuzzy and it's hard to… really remember much.

Except some words are running through his head over and over again. Jude's, mainly, about how Milla sacrificed herself so that they could live. That she died for them and it would be foolish to give up now.

And then Alvin thinks, "That's right, she'd dead."

She helped them (him), without an ounce of hesitation.

And then he had let her die.

He had sworn to everyone that he wouldn't betray them.

And yet he had, over and over and over again.

And yet, even though she died, the way home is still closed, which wasn't what he had believed would happen. Even though she died, the Schism is still there.

He feels crushed by the amount of guilt and remorse that he feels. He feels repellent. His only wish is to go home, and he was offered that opportunity by Muzét, on the condition that he kill his former associates. That was the deal.

But he couldn't even do that, and he's alone now. He's literally nothing, and everything he's done has ended in failure, and all he can do now is drag his worthless, painful body around.

And he just thinks, "Well, fine, I couldn't do it. So what?" It wasn't the right mission for him anyway, right? He couldn't do it. He just can't… live like this.

And then he thinks about how he's so different from Milla. There's such a contrast between him and her. She was noble, and had a lot of strength—elements that he doesn't really possess.

Then he recalls Jude's words again bout how Milla isn't here anymore, and how they have to do things on their own now. And the dialogue they have during the scene in-game replays.

When Milla died, there were gaping holes that were opened up in his mind. …He wasn't that different from Jude, when he found him again. Lethargic and lost. He remembers holding Jude at gunpoint, and not even getting a reaction out of him. Just getting told to do what he wanted.

And then, things had changed. And Leia was able to wake him up again. And as Alvin fought and resisted, the anger and frustration that had consumed him started to die in his body, and he was defeated.

Jude was almost ten years younger than him, but Alvin was the one who was the brat. And not only that, but Milla had found out the truth about her own existence, the lies that she had been living since she was young, but she still pressed on and took responsibility for the things she felt was still her duty, and still used her life to save theirs.

> Another few lines of flashback to their fight. And he remembers how Jude reached out his hand to him, and he refused to take it.

And now he's completely miserable. He ran away, and now he's here. And he doesn't know what the hell he's supposed to do now.

He doesn't even know what he ~wants~ to do.

He just feels empty, and all too soon, it starts to rain. Large, deep puddles start to form in the road and he continues to walk. And he keeps walking until he stumbles, slips, and finally collapses, and his face lands squarely in the water. His face is immersed in the muddy water, it he can't breathe and his body aches and he just… doesn't know what he's supposed to do now.

Eventually, though, he manages to turn his aching body around so his back is in the puddle instead. And he looks up, sees it raining and how the sky is just… grey and murky and water is just coming down. And he dwells on how the Schism is still there, as he stares at the sky. It's still there.

Then his thoughts start to get hazy. And that he's still miles away from home, isolated, because of the damn barrier that lies between them. And he's tried so hard, and it's not even possible for him to do anything about it anymore.

~

…and then he wonders if he's dead.

It had seemed like he was, up until now. That's his first thought, until he finally begins to see signs that maybe he isn't, but he has to be dying. And then he remembers he always swore that he had to survive, because he has to return home, no matter what. So he has to get up again.

Except he can't. He no longer has the energy or the will to.

He's stranded on a foreign soil, and that's apparently going to always be his fate.

…and then he finds consciousness is exceptionally hard to hold on to. And finds it dimming again.

And then he thinks maybe he's reached his limit, that he's not going to wake up again because everything's melting away and disappearing.

As he contemplates about dying, a figure suddenly appears in his field of vision, leans over him, looking down on him like the figure's talking to him.

And he thinks maybe someone came here to get him and to hear his life's story.

That's just a part of dying, isn't it? This is just what happens when you're on the verge of death, that you're going to have memories flashing through your mind like a revolving lanturn.

He wants to ask what the hell's going on, but then he stops because he suddenly recognizes the hand of the person who's come to him. It's... very surprisingly familiar. And Alvin tries to talk to mouth the name, but his words never reach his voice and he falls unconscious.

When he walks up again, he sees a wood ceiling. And he sits up slowly, and finds his location somewhat familiar—a room at an inn, somewhere, he guesses, though he doesn't know quite where he is. But he wants to know.

And then he hears footsteps outside his door, and someone opens it. And Alvin's able to raise his voice enough to say "Presa" before falling unconscious again. And he kind of fades in and out of awareness, but sees Presa's face.

Eventually, however, he quickly regains a more solid state of consciousness, and wakes up again, Presa quickly turns and leaves the room.

Alvin sighs, and figures her leaving him again is punishment.

She had been the one who had probably brought him here, after all. …and he finds that almost hard to believe, given all the things he'd done. It couldn't just be out of the pure kindness of her heart, could it? They were old acquaintances yes, but there's a lot of baggage there, to be sure.

Maybe she wasn't really helping him so much as taking him into custody.

After a little while, Presa appears again, with soup and bread on a tray. Presa tells him to eat and hands him the tray.

He says sorry, thanks her, and takes it, and tries to eat. But his mouth kind of…well.. hurts a lot since Jude beat him up so bad. And he still doesn't have that big of an appetite, but he eats things anyway.

Near his bedside, Presa turns away, as if she wants to pretend that she's showing him no interest or concern at all. And now that Alvin thinks of it, it kind of reminds him of the old days.

The first time they met was a lot like this, over a meal. And she took on the same type of attitude. So much so that he'd often joke about it to her, and tell her that she should stop acting so much like a stray cat all the time. Because stray cats like to pretend they don't care about anyone, even while humans give them food and show kindness, and it's not all that easy to get close to them. They have to decide to close the distance themselves, and if they do, they always have the attitude that they could (and would) leave at any time.

Alvin thanks her, and receives no reply. He then asks her the "You were the one who helped me, didn't you?" question. And… he knows that's obviously a difficult question and it's hard to get information out of her.

So her instead where he is.

Presa says.. nothing, so Alvin keeps talking, saying the place looks familiar, but—

And then Presa tells him he's in the inn at the X Seahaven near Hamil. And Alvin's like "Oh" so that's why he recognizes it, since he's been here a few times before.

And then he tries to remember what happened when he first lost consciousness, and figures Presa must have stopped by by chance. He got lucky.

And then another voice comes from just outside. "You here, you old hag?"

And (guess who) Agria appears, and asks "So, what happened, nii-chan." (she calls him "brother" for whatever reason IDEK. For kicks and giggles, but it's the least offensive term she's used yet.) and marches up to the bed with a callous smile, and tells him that it's lucky they stumbled upon him while he was dying like a dog on the road.

Ad he's basically like "Yep. Probably." And just agrees with her. …Because he thinks the same thing himself.

And Agria assures him it wasn't ~ her~ idea to save him—that it was old hag who had insisted on dragging his worthless ass along with them. And Presa basically shoots her a look, says her name sharply, and Agria's like "Well, who did it?" …Because she would very much like to know who beat the crap out of him.

Then Agria asks if it was that "damned vapid spirit" who did it. And Alvin asks if she's talking about Muzét.

She confirms this, and Presa explains that they are under Gaius' orders to search for her. So if Alvin knows anything about her whereabouts…

He shakes his head and mentions he met her near Xian Du, but that's the last time he saw her, so Agria's basically "So she wasn't the one who beat you up, huh?"

And Alvin thinks about what to say next, but decides to actually open up for once and explain what happened after the ship went down. This includes Giland's death, and the deal he made with Muzét to kill everyone. He also tells him how he had gone to Hamil first to kill Jude, and what happened following. He doesn't really know why he's telling them the story. He doesn't know if he's telling them to invite sympathy, or to torture himself. But for whatever reason, he doesn't stop, even though he doesn't understand why. Maybe it's because he wants to be frank and true to himself for once, because what happened has been occupying his mind, and he… somehow just wants to let go and to expose his faults in front of others—which is a stark contrast to what he's used to.

Agria and Presa don't say a word as he tells him this. And even afterward, neither of them say anything for awhile. And the reaction is easy for Alvin to understand. Then Agria, of course, has to get her two cents in, and basically tells him that he's really super lame, and she can't believe he would kill his own comrades at the request of a spirit, and if that is true, then she's really fucking embarrassed for him.

Agria then turns towards Presa and asks what she's going to do with him.

And Agria frowns and looks confused, and Agria keeps getting angrier, and tells her that they may have been hoping to at the very get some useful information/gossip out of him, but he's obviously nothing but a good-for-nothing, lazy-ass loser who's been mooching off them and eating their food, and asks her if she thinks it's really necessary to feed him anymore.

Presa tells her to keep her voice down, and to stop talking like she is. And Agria tells her to stop being so indecisive, and just because Alvin's someone from her past doesn't mean she should act like an idiot.

And then Agria proceeds to flounce out of the room.

Presa apologies, and Alvin says that it's fine, because what Agria said was all true.

Presa calls him by his name, and Alvin asks why she's still calling him that (Al) still.

And the narrative explains that Presa had always called him Al, and Al in turn had called her by a name that was different from Presa. And that the two of them had lived together in the capital of Rashugal four or five years ago. It's hard to remember exactly how long they had lived together, because it still feels like it was only a season since they had been this way. Since they had shared a bed together, or had eaten a meal together.

And Presa whispers that it's not like his ~name~ has changed at all, has it? and starts to walk out the room. As she's leaving, she says that Alvin is not bound to her, and he is free to leave at any time.

Then she leaves the room, and it's filled with silence again.

~~

Then, this exchange is recalled. There are no dialogue tags or lead up to it, but Alvin is remembering a conversation between he and Presa that occurred while they were living together, where he told her the story.

Sylphjays = the kind of bird Agria had as a pet, and is the breed of bird that was delivering messages to Alvin. Anyway.

The exchange goes as follows:

"Once upon a time there was a older brother and younger sister who were very close to one another. One day, they decided to go on a journey to search for their promised land. They would know when they had found it, because a blue sylphjay would be there as a sign."

"'A sylphjay? But they're white. I've never heard of a blue sylphjay."

"Well… it's still fine, isn't it? That's just how things were, somehow. Anyway, the two of them traveled all across the world, but…"

"In the end, they were looking for a place that didn't actually exist?"

"Well, that's…"

"But if such a location really existed, they would have already easily found what they were looking for. Therefore, from the very beginning, their journey was meaningless… So this story must be strictly allegorical. That's the case then, correct?"

"Not exactly. The story isn't over yet."

~

"The ending, what was it?"

And we cut back-forward to past!Alvin staring up at the ceiling.

One week has elapsed, and he's still at the inn, staring up at the wood in the ceiling. He's so familiar with it he thinks he knows the number of knots int he wood. The question wasn't aimed at something in particular, just an absent-minded thought from someone who hadn't done much else except eat and lay in bed and stare absently out the window.

It brings to mind his confrontation of Jude at Hamil. Jude had been acting much the same way, at the time. ...Well, no, Jude had been much worse. He had been there, leaning agains the wall with his head down, and showed no reaction even when Alvin had put the gun to his head.

All he said was to do what he liked. And when Alvin heard that, he started to get extremely angry. And Alvin asked how he the hell he can just sit back and just go with things like he is, and how he's really starting to piss him off.

Why was he so angry? The reason for that was clear enough: at the time, he wanted to see Jude scream and cry. He wanted to see him suffer, and not seeing it just made him more and more angry.

From the first he had first seen Jude in Fenmont, he had known that Jude was a kid from a well-to-do family who had seemingly had a great future ahead of him. And then he had seen that promising future crumble around Jude as he was branded a felon. This had always been on Alvin's mind, and Alvin had always secretly been inwardly sneering at Jude for it.

He knows those feelings thoughts and feelings were immature, and he kind of laughs at them now, seeing how immediately afterward things just continued to collapse and go wrong, and he thought Jude would degrade into someone filled with regret and bitterness.

However, that's not what happened.

At the time, he remembers thinking that Jude had reached the breaking point, that he wasn't going to be able to get over things, given what Alvin has seen and experienced during his twenty years of life here—he's seen how hard life can be, and how easy it is to break down to the point you can't get up again.

But Jude was able to surmount that. He had been crippled after Milla's death, which wasn't all that surprising to Alvin—it seemed like an expected reaction, but despite that, Jude has been able to stand back up. Something…befitting of an honor's student, Alvin guesses. Jude had been able to get over his loss.

That's something that Alvin hasn't yet been able to do.

Twenty years ago, he had been in a similar position to Jude—in a way, they had been the same. He had so many expectations before—good ones that he had embraced and had always tried to hold on to, but then everything had changed, and from that point from he had arrived in the new world, he has been bombarded with constant change.

Alvin wonders what Jude is doing now—now that he accepted that that Milla is gone and he was going to move forward on his own. Was Jude really doing what he said he would do?

And now Alvin is stuck with the same problem that Jude had been faced with. Should he act the same way, and try to go forward, or—

Then Alvin hears a knock on the door, and he tells Presa to come in, telling her she doesn't really have to knock. But she's always been like that, and isn't about to stop.

And it's at a time like this, that his own sense of decision wavers. To be stubborn when he sees her in front of him. And he remembers how they used to eat breakfast together each morning, and remembers how they used to spend every day together, because they both had wanted to.

Presa then muses over the fact that he's still here.

And Alvin's responds that he doesn't really have any idea about where to go anyway.

And each time she's come back to the inn, they've talked. He knows that Presa has a mission with Agria to search for Muzét, and that's what they've been doing. Though he doesn't know all of the details. aAl he knows is they don't go very far, since they've still been renting the rooms at the in.

Today things seem to be different—he can kind of sense it. And he feels like today's the day Presa's going to tell him that she's going to be leaving. He feels like he should say something, but he hesitates, and then he asks if something's wrong.

And then Presa asks what he's going to do now. …And that's the answer Alvin kind of expected out of her. Thanks to the amount of rest he's gotten, he's recovered, and he could leave at any time. He ought to, go and return to life… but he doesn't have anything to go back to now. And he admits to Presa that deciding what he's going to do now is the problem.

Now that Exodus is gone, he doesn't really have anyone giving him orders anymore. Even just being a mercenary, things have drastically changed, and he's not sure where to go anymore. He had the contract with Muzét, but… that's over and done with now, and he someone doubts she'll forgive him for not killing Jude and the rest. She can crush humans like flies, so he doubts he'll be much trouble for her, if she comes for him.

He pauses for a moment and says that "Maybe I'll turn over a new leaf and become a farmer."

Because out of the window, he can see an orchard. The village here isn't that far from Hamil, and they cultivate a lot of produce.

And Presa kind of stares at him, and just says that he'll have to forgive her, but she doesn't think he's cut out at all for agriculture.

And he knows that she's joking with him, even though her tone is cold and she's not really smiling.

And it's like "You're probably right about that."

He kind of just wanted to see her reaction, to be honest.

Then Presa surprises him and says that maybe if he sold the crops instead of farming, it might actually be a different story, and then she turns her face away.

And as Presa starts to leave the room, Alvin suddenly tells her to wait for a moment, but when she asks what he wants, he… kind of backs out and says that it's nothing. And she leaves.

And then Alvin thinks about the story with the blue sylphjay before he falls asleep. Due to how he's lived, he can sleep deeply, yet wake up at a moment's notice, so when his ears sense something, he wakes up, it's dark and into the late night, and knows immediately that someone has crept into his room.

And he… kind of knows who it is.

"Sneaking into my room at night? How unexpectedly passionate. I had no idea you loved me that much."

And the voice immediately tells him to keep his moth shut. It's Agria, of course, and she seems to be a bit taken aback by his behavior.

And Agria asks him if he knows why she came here.

"Because of Presa?"

"Well that's half of it."

"Well, what's the other half."

"Because I thought I'd come in and kick your ass."

And Alvin finds the tip of Agria's sword pointing at him. And Agria tells him he should stop taking forever and a day to get his thoughts together, and that his lazy ass needs to hurry up and decide what it wants to do.

She also tells him that she was getting frustrated watching the two of them (him and Presa). And..she can't really take it anymore.

"Um… I'm sorry that we worried you???"

And Agria is staring pretty intensely at him, and then says that the old hag hopes that Alvin will say that he'll join them and work for Gaius, so you know, maybe he should do that.

And Alvin's like what.gif.

Though he admits to himself that he hadn't thought about that, but considering the state of the world, that is a viable option. And he feels conflicted over it. ..And he wonders if he's feeling opposed to being companions with Presa gain or something. But it's probably not that so much as it's the high possibility that he'll have to meet Jude again…and he's kind of afraid of it, and doesn't really want to.

He asks if Presa really said that.

And Agria says she didn't ~say~ it, but Agria knows that's the case, given their history and things. She got that feeling from the two of them.

And Alvin can't help but smile. And Agria's like "what's so funny?"

And he's just like "I feel like I could cry, being asked to join the Chimeriad. I don't know what to say."

And Agria tells him to not make fun of her. She could destroy him. And Alvin relents, because she's getting pretty ticked over it. And Agria tells him they can't wait around for him forever to decide what to do, so he has until tomorrow morning to decide.

He tells her he understands, and he'll have his decision by tomorrow. ..And Agria finally lowers her sword. Agria says that Alvin better not make her have to say anything like that again. And to not tell the old hag either, and then comments that he's quite the womanizer.

"Sorry."

Agria then restates that tomorrow is his absolute last opportunity to decide. Agria starts to leave, and Alvin tells her that she's not so bad after all. Agria calls him an idiot—and Alvin thinks for a moment that he can see her blush, but maybe it was just a trick of the moonlight, and Agria slams the door.

And Alvin waits until he's gone before getting up, going to the small desk in his room and taking out the gun he had taken from Giland. And he thinks about things with a new determination.

-------------------------

CHAPTER THREE PROVIDED BY saffire

That next day, Alvin leaves the inn alone. He tries to pay for the bill for his stay, but apparently Presa already paid for it. He's a bit surprised, since she had told him he could leave when he wanted, so who knows how long he might have stayed there.

He feels a bit ashamed about it, since Presa pretty had not only taken care of him, but everything else for him as well. Leaving the village, he headed towards the seahaven, because that morning Presa had come in from the room she was sharing with Agria and told him where they were going, informing him that they were going to board a ship, hoping to reunite with Gaius and the others.

So he has until then to give Agria his answer. He then remembers what Presa had told him about Gaius trying to recover the Lance of Kresnik from the sea, and how there was a strong possibility that Muzét would interfere. So the more guards they could get, the better.

Alvin wonders what Gaius wants the lance for. For an invasion? If that was the case, Alvin can't imagine Rieze Maxia being able to hold out against Elympios for very long—because from his viewpoint, Elympios has a distinct advantage over them. At least, if this is anything like the Elympios that Alvin remembers. The depletion of mana was having a negative impact on everything before he left, so it's probably even more severe now.

So then he starts to doubt his original assumptions. Gaius has the combined strength of Auj Oule and Rashugal to potentially use, after all, so maybe there's not too big of a difference of power between the two worlds. And if an invasion does happen… well, what side is he supposed to take?

And as he walks alone in thought, he spots some dark forms in the sky, and realizes that it's Presa and Agria. He figures something must have happened for them to be returning so soon. When they land, some men from the Aoj Oule army approach them.

When Alvin finally gets close enough for Presa to spot him, she definitely acts surprised, because it seems she didn't expect him to come to the Seahaven. She exits the discussion and they talk.

Presa tells him that she doesn't know what he's doing here, but whatever he wants to talk about will have to wait. Alvin, however, doesn't really care if he's interrupting something important. He immediately asks her to let him work for them. He figures it's probably best to cut to the chase.

Presa frowns, and Alvin explains that he owes them for the help they gave him earlier.

Still, he remembers the ultimatum that Agria gave him. He had thought about what she had said, and what he wanted to do, and it didn't take long for him to decide. It wasn't like he had much choice, and he thinks his mind has finally made itself up.

For the longest time, he was content to be a coward—almost proud of it, really, and what he did, even if he was despised for it. He had let himself become resigned to the fact that he was a coward, and accepted it as a part of who he was. But now the person he had been sickens him.

Presa asks if he's serious. Her voice is…actually interested, and it's evident she's wondering what led to his change of heart. It's not a reaction that Alvin had expected, from what Agria had told him yesterday. He had accepted her story, but he hadn't believed everything that she had told him. He hadn't expected to be extremely happy, but he imagined that she would say yes to him quickly.

So he does what he does best and tries to sell himself, explaining that he'd be beneficial to have along, because he's good at infiltration and getting himself out of tough situations.

And he realizes that he sounds pretty pathetic. And Presa just stays quiet and looks rather sad. Meanwhile, Agria is coming closer. …And totally not eavesdropping at all. Se lets Presa know that the people they were pursing left here awhile ago, so they obviously have some catching up to do.

And the conversation starts to get awkward, so Alvin tries to break the ice, and tells Presa she doesn't have to talk anymore if she doesn't want, and to just take him with, and looks towards Agria for support.

And Agria... doesn't really react, and just stays quiet. Alvin was hoping for something more, given how Agria came to him last night, and hated how he was sitting around not doing a damn thing—and now he is, progress! And she doesn't bother to help him out.

So Alvin continues to try to justify them taking him along, and tells the two of them that it's… really no good worrying about him. There was that situation with Muzét, yeah, sure. He dealt with her, but he really super never had any intention of completely following through with those intentions. It would have been his 18th betrayal after all, so...

Agria says that the deal he made with the spirit is something that she couldn't care less about. What concerns her is their current mission, considering who they are hunting.

And Alvin's just like,"well shit," and asks if they're only chasing Jude. And Agria's like, nope. Because "the ugly bitch, the little shit, and the old man" are with him too. Charming.

And Alvin thinks that that's not at all surprising. He then starts to ask if they're… really going to do that. Because why? Are they really their enemies at that point? Because if anything, they seemed more like "rivals" than "enemies" to him. …why lose out on that sort of relationship?

And Agria is like, "Let me explain this to you slowly. We're chasing after them. If we find them, we're going to kill them on sight. Is that easy enough for you to understand?"

And Alvin's finally gets that they're pretty serious about it.

—And then responds that he doesn't care.

Agria seems to accept his word for what it is, and says that if that's the case, he can come. They only have two wyverns, so since Alvin obviously gets along with Presa so well, he can ride along with the old hag.

And Presa shoots him a questioning look, and he explains that he's already fought his friends once. Doing it a second or a third time isn't going to change anything.

Except he wonders if that actually will be true. Presa stares at him like she's trying to see through him and read his true intentions, but finally says she understands.

Alvin figures that he has "No choice but to do this, right?" and tries to convince himself of that, repeatedly, as they get on the wyverns and head out to sea. On the way, he hears from Presa what happened on the ships when they were trying to retrieve the Lance of Kresnik. He learns about what Muzét did, and how Gaius and the others had chased after her, and after an hour of battling with her, Gaius had succeeded in wearing her down and temporarily capturing her, but she had managed to escape shortly thereafter.

Agria and Presa though were then given orders to get rid of Jude, because Jude is dangerous, and they need to get rid of him before it's too late, for the sake of the future. Wingul was the one who apparently ordered them to do so, not Gaius specifically.

Presa then asks if Alvin is listening to what she's telling him. And Alvin, who's not entirely there, is obviously lost in thought. Presa later comments that they're flying towards Nia Khera, because if their judgment is correct, they're all heading to the same place. They haven't overtaken Jude's group yet… either purposefully or accidentally, and it's not certain if they will.

During all this, Alvin's thoughts are far from happy or positive. Because he, again, doesn't know what to do, and he can't keep Jude's and the rest of them out of his mind. He can't calm himself down. Alvin might outwardly seem to be resolute, but in his heart, he's really not all that sure at all. He thinks he needs to prepare himself, and wonders if he should tell Presa his doubts.

And yet… he feels like he's aimlessly walking through a thick blanket of fog.

Presa suddenly speaks up instead. "You're regretting your decision about coming with us on the wyverns, aren't you?" Alvin immediately denies it, and Presa comments that she wonders it that's actually true.

Alvin then wonders when his outer appearance started to fail him, and when his innermost thoughts suddenly became so easy to read.

Or maybe it isn't that. Maybe it's just because this is Presa he's dealing with. She might be the sole exception.

He asks her what made her think that he didn't really want to get on the wyverns. And Presa answers that she could just tell. And Alvin tells her that despite the confidence issues, everything will be all right. When the time comes, he'll do what he needs to do. Presa doesn't answer, and neither does he, and they finish the Wyvern ride in silence.

Meanwhile, he tries to convince himself that this is all just business. He can be responsible for his duties, couldn't he? His resolve wasn't just.. going to break. They were just doing what they were ordered to, nothing more. It's not like Jude and co. were expecting anything out of Alvin anymore. Like loyalty.

Eventually, the Wyverns land in the village of Nia Khera, and some Auj Oule military come to report on the situation. They learn about how Muzét had passed by here, followed by Wingul and Gaius, and they were heading towards the mountain. No one else has really come by.

And Agria reports back that it doesn't look like Jude and company has arrived here yet, and asks Presa what she wants to do. And Presa just looks… completely bewildered and distracted. "Huh? What do you mean, 'what do I want to do'?"

Agria gets kind of ticked, and tells Presa not to just stand there doing nothing. They should do something, and suggests that they put together an ambush. Presa looks around… and just kind of agrees with what Agria suggests. Alvin can tell Presa is obviously distracted. …Agria is less than pleased about it.

Agria then asks where the entrance to the mountain is, and they're given the location of an animal trail that villagers who do mountain work use. And they (Agria, really. The other two stay silent) makes the decision to go up the mountain by foot instead of taking the wyverns, like Gaius had before.

And as they head to their spot on the mountain, Alvin just… kind of realizes that he's really relieved that Jude and the rest aren't here now, because he kind of wants to put off confronting him for as long as possible, because the thought of it is making him depressed.

And he wonders outloud when he started to lose his touch and sympathize/like them anyway?

Presa catches some of it, and asks him what he was saying. Alvin replies that it was nothing, though Alvin's pretty sure she's seeing completely through him again. And as they continue to walk through the trail, they don't bother to talk much.

However, Agria does start to, and talks about how she can tell how Gaius is still fighting, and things must be going well. Alvin asks how she knows, and Agria tells him that if he bothers to use his ears, he could hear them fighting, like it's the most natural thing to be able to do. He tries, and he hears very low sounds, like thunder almost. He can't tell quite where it's coming from, except it's far away, but close enough he can hear sounds every now and again.

Alvin's still, however, skeptical.

And Agria replies that whenever His Majesty swings his sword around, it makes that sound, so it's proof that he's fighting.

And Alvin comments that he just thought it sounded like thunder to him. So Alvin starts to wonder just how strong Gaius is, if when he fights, his strikes reverberate through the mountain. Alvin recalls the battle in the swamp, and how terrifying Gaius had been (and how equally terrified Alvin had been of him).

Agria proudly tells him that this means that Gaius is fighting seriously, and that even when Agria and the rest were fighting against Muzét with Gaius at sea, Gaius really didn't need their help. They weren't necessary.

Presa cuts in and tells her what Gaius and Wingul are doing now are none of their concern, and that they should focus on completing their task, and everyone goes silent again. But now that Alvin doesn't have the Gaius conversation to distract him, his thoughts drift to Jude. He starts to worry again that they might run into him. He must be coming this way, after all, and if he is, they're inevitably going to run into each other. That time is undoubtedly fast approaching, and he can't put it off forever.

And then Alvin wonders if doing any of this is really okay. If it's really the right thing to do—to fight against them again.

Agria had told him quite clearly what their mission was, and Alvin had agreed to it, regardless of the problems he was facing inwardly. He tells himself that, of course, everything is going to be fine; however, part of him wishes he could leave for a minute and warn Jude.

When he had made the deal with Muzét, his mind had been made up. It would have been, after all, his 18th betrayal. And, really, that sums up everything pretty well. He's betrayed people countless times in the past.

He had even betrayed Presa after she had confided in him that she was a spy. After she had told him, he had immediately ratted her out, and from the information he received, she was captured by the Rashugal army.

So, really, he knows what kind of man he is. He's a brute, so why is he hesitating when it comes to Jude?

They finally reach the summit, and he gets told that beyond the space distortion, the real Maxwell resides. And that is why Muzét had been aiming for Nia Khera. Agria tells them that she'll monitor the mountain trails, and will allow Alvin and Presa some time to be alone.

After she leaves, they're silent for a long time. Alvin continues to wonder if what he's doing is right, but no matter how hard he thinks about it, he can't get an answer.

Then Presa speaks up, and Alvin asks what's the matter.

And Presa asks if he remembers the story she told him when they were together.

(I originally thought Alvin had told her the story, but apparently it's the reverse. Makes sense.)

And Alvin asks if she means the story with the blue sylphjay. Alvin's surprised that she's bringing up their past on her own accord, because from the time they had reunited, they had never one talked about their past together. It seemed to just be something mutually understood—that neither of them would bring up the past. Presa tells him that yes, that's the story she meant.

And Alvin's like, "well, this is a coincidence. I was thinking about the story the other day while I was in bed, but I've forgotten what the ending was."

"I see."

"I'm really glad you asked! If it's not too much trouble, would you tell me the ending again?"

Alvin's request sounds earnest, but the stare Presa gives him is complicated and hard to read. She starts to tell him the end of the story, but she's cut off when Agria appears and tells them that Jude's group is coming.

Alvin just… feels tense as he hears his former associates approach. He knows he doesn't have any time to hesitate anymore, but they've all come earlier than Alvin thought they would. Alvin leaves his hiding place, and Jude is pretty obviously surprised Alvin is even on the mountain. Agria and Presa quickly follow his lead, and Jude's expression changes to the point he's obviously expecting a fight.

Agria tells Jude that Wingul's seen through him and knows he's dangerous, even if His Majesty is still puzzled by him. Alvin doesn't say anything. He doesn't know what to do—part of him just wants to run away, even if he'd get his ears chewed out for it.

Agria then spots Leia and comments that she heard that Alvin shot her. Alvin tells her to stop it, and Agria just laughs, and tells Jude and the rest that she didn't get the opportunity to settle the score with them last time, but she'll see to it that they die this time around.

And the dialogue basically follows exactly what happened in the game. They start to fight, but Alvin doesn't join in, conflicted. From the front, he hears Presa call out to him, and the sound's almost heartbreaking to, and from behind, Agria tells him that if he's not motivated enough to fight, he should get out of the damn way. And… that makes Alvin feel pretty damn terrible.

And Agria means pretty much what she says, and physically makes him get out of the way, telling everyone within earshot that she'd never betray His Majesty. From the sidelines, Alvin watches Presa and Agria fight Jude. He feels like a outsider, not knowing which side to go to, like he's some sort of spectator.

And when Agria and Presa attack Jude with their Mystic Arte, and he hears Jude scream in pain, something snaps. And he wonders what the hell he's doing, and why the hell he's even here. And he realizes that if he doesn't do anything, the fight is going to be decided without him. And he's betting on Presa this time around. He's pretty confident on that.

But then he remembers what he had said to Jude. What was he supposed to do? What did he want to do?

And his reply had been—

And then, just as Agria is swinging her sword down at Jude, and it's obvious he can't hold her back much longer, Alvin lifts his gun and shoots Agria, hitting her in the shoulder. Her movements stop, arm going sluggish, and the both her and Jude turn to tare at him. The entire battle suddenly stops for a few moments, because everyone's kind of stunned. Even Presa stops fighting. And when she questions him, Alvin doesn't… even know what to say. He's almost in shock.

And Agria slowly recovers and tells him that she knew that Alvin couldn't be trusted. And Alvin starts to deny it, but then he stops, and just… mans up and admits that what Agria says is true—because it's just the kind of man he is.

And then… he finally thinks he understands. Or maybe it would be better to say that he finally recognizes it. The answer he's been looking for all this time.

Presa then tells Alvin she's sorry as she sends a Spirit Arte at Alvin, but "you are an enemy, after all." However, Alvin is able to dodge the Arte and counterattack. It's hard to believe that his body feels as light as it does, now that he suddenly doesn't have anything tying him down.

And they eventually overwhelm Agria and Presa and force them down. Alvin tells Presa that he's sorry, and when Presa stares back at him, he doesn't sense any hostility from her. And Presa tells him the last few days have been happy ones for her. And she's glad that he's finally been able to find where he belongs.

And suddenly feels like received some kind of blessing from heaven, because his body feels electric. And he figures that, yeah, "belongs" is the right word for it.

But the next moment, the ground beneath Agria and Presa begins to crumble, and he hears Jude tell everyone to get back. Alvin can see that Presa's going to be dragged down, and he tries to reach her, but his hands catch nothing, and Presa falls with the rest of the crumbling rocks.

It all happens in a blink of the eye, before he can even process it.

And then, he the starts internally speaking to Presa.

"Hey, Presa,

You know the end of that story? I remembered it.

The blue sylphjay had been near them the whole time.

The brother and sister had already found where they belonged, but they had just never noticed it."

And then we cut back to Alvin and Yurgen. He tells Yurgen that that moment was the last time he ever saw Agria and Presa. After everything with Gaius had been taken care of, Alvin had returned to Nia Khera and asked around about them, but the villagers had nothing to report.

This doesn't surprise Alvin, as their bodies were never found. So the grave(s) Alvin made are only for his own satisfaction.

(I can't tell for sure if one of the stones is for Agria too, but it seems somewhat likely. ...There are no plurals in Japanese.)

And Yurgen sits in silence for a minute, and for a time, he doesn't react. Then Yurgen speaks up and he tells Alvin that he guesses that if Presa were to choose where she belonged, that the only place she would have wanted to be would be besides Alvin.

And Alvin just answers with a rough "well, maybe that's so," because in the end, though you might be able to hazard a guess at someone's heart, you can never know for sure, as you can't get an answer from someone who is dead. All that is is a convenient guess to make things easier on those who are still alive.

Alvin tells Yurgen that now that he knows just what kind of a person he is, he's free to go his own way and abandon their partnership, if he feels like that's the right thing to do.

Yurgen stands up and walks towards the graves, and raises his hands together in front of his closed eyes. It's a gesture of lament that the Kitaru clan use to pay respect to the deceased.

When Yurgen opens his eyes he tells Alvin that it's thanks to Presa that he's still here, and to not waste that. Yurgen then also tells then that he needs to do his best, because they have a lot of business together that they need doing, and Alvin can't afford to let himself be broken by hardships. He shouldn't allow himself to, and just use those hardships to become stronger. (Just listening to the story alone makes Yurgen feel like Alvin is a stronger man for it.)

Alvin tells him thank you, and they begin to walk back to the village, and Yurgen tells him that they will have to visit here again, and light shines upon the gravestones.

-------------------------

CHAPTER FOUR PROVIDED BY saffire


Alvin is in Sharliton. It's pretty busy, and apparently in Rieze Maxia, people disagree whether Sharliton is the second or third largest city. Nevertheless, it shows marvelous prosperity.

Thankfully, after the political union of Auj Oule and Rashugal, the tensions have eased. And though people were once often stopped on their way to Sharliton at Gandala Fortress, that practice has stopped, and the fear of war is gone.

As Alvin walks through Sharliton, he gets called over by a girl selling flowers. Alvin tells her he's not from around here, so he wouldn't have any use for them. Despite his protests, he ends up giving in and picking out a bouquet of flowers anyway, and he leaves.

He heads through the richer parts of town, past the Sharliton mansion, because there's a school a short distance from there and that's his destination—the school that was mentioned in Elize's letter to him. He arrives just as the students are getting out of school. A lot of parents are around and… Alvin really sticks out.

He spots Elize eventually with two other girls. He hasn't seen her for awhile, but she seems to have grown a little bit taller and her hairstyle is different. He thinks she looks nice. And she's walking with a couple of her classmates.

Then Alvin things that he probably looks pretty damn suspicious, lounging around and watching the students go by. Shadily. Oh well. Alvin just stands around, and Elize finally notices him, clearly surprised to see him.

He passes the bouquet he bought over to Elize, telling her he knows that it's a dull and uninteresting, but hopes that she'll accept it.

The first girl things that the gift's amazing (Ohhh wooow, Elize~). Meanwhile, the other girl who is walking with Elize immediately asks her if Alvin is her boyfriend.

Elize blushes and tries to say that no, he isn't, but—

But then the girl asks what she would be doing with an older guy if he's not her boyfriend, then.

Elize explains she interacts with other people who are older than her too, writing letters back and forth, not just Alvin, but Rowen and Jude too, so...

And one if the girls is like, "What? There are three of them?"

Alvin speaks up and tells the girl to hold on a second, and is about to, you know, explain things, but Elize interrupts him and asks him to (please) be quiet. Because all he'll do is make the whole situation more complicated. …And Alvin shuts up.

A short time later Elize and Alvin are weaving through the crowd. And they eventually sit at a cafe. Elize is drinking soda water in a cup and… she 's still pouting because of the teasing from before. Alvin's having coffee.

Elize tells Alvin that he should tell her when he's going to stop by next time, so she doesn't have to be surprised. And Alvin says that he's sorry, but a letter wouldn't have arrived in time and his decision was kind of spontaneous. He comments that the coffee is pretty good.

And Elize nods, agreeing with him. And she tells him the café has a very good reputation among all the students at school. And the mood starts to change and Elize finally smiles for the first time since he had met her at the school.

And Alvin says that figures, that children of such prosperous families would stop by here and loiter around. It's very fancy.

Elize had been the one who brought him here.Elize had practically grabbed his arm and dragged Alvin over to where the café was. As she was leaving, the girls teased her about it again, asking her if she was taking Alvin on a date, which Elize denied rather vehemently.

And Alvin tells her it would have been okay if she had brought the two girls along too. They were her friends, weren't they? It would have been easy to treat three people.

Elize shakes her head and says that.. she doesn't think that would've been a good idea.

And Alvin asks her why.

"Because…"

And she starts to kind of explain, but she kind of evades answering anything concretely, mumbling and going quiet and blowing bubbles in her drink with her straw (it's a cute image, okay), and repeats that, anyway, it just wouldn't have worked out!

And so, sensing Elize is uncomfortable, Alvin changes the topic, and he gets her to take about the school.

She does. Elize tells him that before she went for the first time, she was really nervous, but it ended up really being a lot of fun, especially since she was able to make friends.

And she continues to tell him about what her experience with school is like. How she has to do school work every day, and how grades seem to be really important. Studying is a strict thing (Driselle seems to take it seriously), and needs a lot of study, review, and preparation. And if you skip school, you get scolded. Her favorite subject is (surprisingly) math, and there's not a subject in particular that Elize doesn't like/feels she does badly in.

After that, she starts to talk about her friends. Earlier, she had made friends with two girls on her first day of attending school, and walks with them to school each day. They both have a crush on a boy who's in the same class as her, and Elize enjoys being a friend and supporting them. And as Elize talks, she starts to become less timid than before, and her speech changes (instead of being quiet and stuttering). And to Alvin, she seems to be mentally stronger and she seems to be having a better life than she did—it's a lot of change for having been not even a year. Especially since she's pulled away from Teepo.

He thinks that girls of her age group grow up really fast.

Elize stops after awhile and apologizes for monopolizing the conversation. And Alvin tells her it's fine, that he enjoyed hearing it.

And Elize is like, really? Because all she was talking to him about were mundane, normal things. Nothing special. And Alvin tells her that "normal" things are good. Besides, he never got to go to school, so even the trivial things she says are news to him.

Hearing that, Elize immediately apologizes for talking to him about school (since he never had the chance to attend).

Alvin tells her to not worry about it. Even though he didn't get to go to school, he still studied on his own. He was a product of different circumstances and he can't change that.

Elize interrupts, and says that was he said reminds her that she hasn't heard any stories of what Alvin did when he was her age. Alvin asks her if she wants to hear about it, and she says yes.

And so he begins to talk about what he did thirteen years ago, and he was around 14 at the time….

And we cut to his fourteen year old self, and he's, naturally, on the run. He's being chased by an unknown number of people, and Alvin thinks he also hears a dog. He had thought that he'd have more time than this, but they reacted quicker than he expected.

He doesn't have any choice but to make sure he outruns them. He's in the middle of the woods and trying, very, very hard not to run into any of the trees as he runs, because the wooded area he's running in is thick with them. He reaches a cliff edge, and below him seems to be a river; he can hear it.

And now that he's emerged from the woods and stopped running, stopped at the cliff edge, the group of people chasing him emerge from the woods. He has nowhere to run. The group of men are seemingly being led by a portly man who's name is ridiculous. And until he gets a better one I'll just romanize it as Aurignac. (For reference, he's Agria's older half-brother.) Don't know how old he is, but he's referred to as "young master" by others. Aurignac tells Julio (Alvin's current pseudonym) that he knows that Alvin is just single-mindedly trying to attract his attention, but he's messing into things that are bigger than he is.

And Alvin tries to tell them that it's all a misunderstanding. That he's sorry that Aurignac thinks that way, but, on the contrary, Alvin never had any interest in Aurignac at all, and didn't want his attention.

And Aurignac finds this hard to believe. If he wasn't trying to get his attention/was interested in him, then why was he was shooting him "amorous glances" all the time. (The word he uses here is a phrase is an idiom. Oogling him/trying to flirt/flatter him. Whatever. Basically insinuating that Alvin wanted a specific kind of… attention from him. [unsure])

Aurignac keeps getting angrier. Alvin, meanwhile, is calm and doesn't act scared at all. Like he said before, everything was just a misunderstanding. Sure, each time Aurignac would come near him, Alvin would look his way, sure, but it wasn't out of any actual interest; he was just watching him. His real intention for hanging around was to get a letter.

He knew a lot of thinks about Aurignac due to prior study. And he came in knowing that Aurignac has some.. specific "tastes" that are implied to be of a sexual nature. …And that was actually really obvious. Based on that, Alvin had been instructed to infiltrate the Travis family grounds… and to catch Aurignac's attention.

Alvin takes it out the letter to show him. The name of the man in question is none other than Aurignac L. Travis. He holds a considerable reputation. Being a member of the Travis household, he's part of one of the six most influential aristocratic families in Rashugal—and probably the most powerful, second in line to the King's.

(The Six houses for reference are:

1. Fenn House (aka the house that Nactigal's from, and the house that subjugated the other ones… though the Sharil house is more independent from what I understand)
2. Travis House
3. Sharil House (Cline's)
4. Ilbert House
5. Banya House
6. Zemey House)

Alvin had infiltrated the main Travis family house.

Aurignac asks "Julio" if he knows the content of the letter. He looks like he finds that hard to believe.

Alvin says that sure, of course he does. It's a secret letter addressed to the Banya family, proposing a secret alliance to attempt to overthrow the Fenn family. He remarks that if they implemented this, they must really want to change history.

The head of the Travis family at the moment is Aurignac's father, Ferdinand L. Travis, though as the eldest son, Aurignac actually holds a ton of power, and had been entrusted with the responsibility to negotiate with the Banya family—though Alvin knew that in advance.

Alvin calls him a bastard and asks if he knows that he was a secret agent for Nactigal.

As Alvin addresses Nactigal without any honorific, Aurignac calls him out on it. How could he be one of his spies if he won't even call him "his majesty" and show him respect.

They advance on him, and Alvin starts to retreat more. But he's at the cliff edge, and Aurignac remark that he has nowhere to run, unless he'd like to try jumping off the cliff.

And Alvin, being the smartass, asks Aurignac if he doesn't mind letting him have a minute to try that."

And Aurignac's just like "Come again?"

Alvin comments that it was nice knowing him, and to take care, and promptly jumps off the cliff before Aurignac or the others can do everything.

And as they run towards the cliff to look down and see what happened, one of the men spots a boat, and points to it. There are two figures on the boat. One of those people is Alvin, the other is apparently another apprentice gardner that was hired recently.

And now Aurignac realizes that Alvin had planned all of this before hand, and has a fit.

Then the scene cuts to the boat. The person piloting the boat is another member of Exodus, just like Alvin is, and is equal to Alvin's age. His name is Zerik. He has a hint of wildness to him, and has a fearless face, though he tends to be always smiling.

Alvin comments that he came at just the right time. If Zerik had taken any longer, Alvin would have been undoubtedly arrested. And Zerik comments that he'd glad he made it at the last minute then.

Though they're both in Exodus, they work in different units. Alvin is in the "Construction/Work Unit," and Zerik is in the "Combat Unit" but this time they were put on a mission together.

Zerik says that he thinks they make a good team, and asks if he was successful. Alvin says that of course he was; he has the letter. Zerik remarks that if he passes the letter to the Leader himself, his reputation will undoubtedly increase.

Alvin's voice drops (though Zerik doesn't seem to notice), and says that if that happens, it'll be good but…

Zerik cuts him off, and says that maybe, for the first time in a long time, he'll get a vacation. What would Alvin do if he got one?

Alvin smiles bitterly, and asks Zerik if he minds if he takes a nap, he's suddenly tired somehow.

Zerik tells Alvin he's making himself sound old. But the voyage shouldn't be any trouble, so it should be okay if he sleeps. And Alvin does almost immediately.

--

In the year 4284 of the "Premier" (Elympios) Calendar, the cruise ship Zenethra became trapped in Rieze Maxia. Because of it, Exodus was formed. Giland is the current leader of it, though it also includes a panel of people chosen from the people stranded aboard the ship. However, at the current time, the panel is more of a facade than an actual governing body—Giland pretty much runs the show himself. He emphasized the return to Elympios constantly, and became immensely popular.

As far as Alvin is concerned, it's just a part of human nature to seize power. And even when opposing parties had issues, Giland was usually prepared for it.

Naturally, as Alvin is Giland's nephew, Giland is one of the most familiar people to him. And due to the people who were near Giland (I'm assuming the narration means Alvin's mother here) Alvin has been obedient.

The narrative mentions that once Zerik and Alvin maneuvered the boat out of the river and Travis family territory, they headed towards the sea, and transferred to a seaworthy vessel and headed to Exodus' base on the Zenethra, anchored a cove of a small, uninhabited island in Auj Oule territoryish that they had moved to in order to be in a better position to find out the whereabouts of the spirit Maxwell.

Then, we are interrupted by Giland speaking, as he praises Zerik for a job well done.

Zerik and Alvin are standing next to each other in the master's quarters of the ship, which is used as a control room for the present. There are six other people there as well. And Giland continues to praise Zerik for his efforts at infiltrating the Travis house, which has very strict security.

Giland opens the sealed letter and laughs, because the letter is definitely authentic, and they can threaten the Travis home with it, and it'll make for good negotiating material with Nachtigal. It's definitely a money-maker.

Due to all the praise, Zerik looks extremely uncomfortable, and keeps intermittently shooting Alvin worried looks. Alvin, however, remains expressionless, and since he had entered the room, hasn't said a single word.

Since Zerik is in the combat unit, Giland apologizes Zerik, for making him have help from the construction unit.

And so far, Giland asks as if he doesn't see Alvin at all.

Zerik starts to speak, about to say that, no, he wasn't troubled, but Giland cuts him off. And says he knows what he made Zerik do probably seems like filthy work but it's necessary to maintain their organization. And though they're trying to find a way to return home—which is what they want more than anything—if they are going to live in Rieze Maxia, they're going to need money. And this was the way he choose, and does Zerik understand that.

Zerik says of course he does. And Giland responds that he's glad to hear it, and to take a rest for awhile until his his next orders come.

Zeriko salutes and steps back. Giland, at last, finally seems to notice Alvin. He asks him, (he calls him Alfred) why he's standing around so lazily for, and that he can go with Zerik and leave as well, like Giland's trying to get rid of a nuisance.

Alvin salutes and leaves the control room with Zerik, without having received a word of praise.

---

"When you think about it, none of that was really very funny, was it?

Zerik's words are full of resentment, as we switch to a scene inside the ship. They are in the dining room on the ship, which is pretty busy, even though the number of people living here at a time are very few. It's pretty popular, especially since they serve Elympios cuisine. Zerik had invited him, and Alvin had accepted.

Even now, the dining room is rather full—there are quite a few people there. So when Zerik's voice had suddenly changed, and he had slammed his glass of water on the table, quite a few people looked their way.

Zerik repeats that he can't accept what happened.

And Alvin, his face composed, says he doesn't see a problem with it. After all, Zerik had done a good job, hadn't he? And Giland had recognized that.

Zerik asks Alvin if he's even annoyed. The reason for the mission's success was because of Alvin. Alvin did all of the work, not him. And yet…

Alvin says it doesn't matter, the mission was completed safely, and that was the objective, and that was a good of a reason enough to be praised for as any.

Zerik frowns, and asks him quietly if something's going on between Alvin and their leader, since Giland basically treated Alvin like shit. Zerik's always noticed that Giland has regarded Alvin unkindly, but today he was way worse than usual.

Alvin answers that nothing's really going on. Giland acts like that all the time, nothing's new about it.

Zerik comments that even if that's how it is, he can't just remain calm about it. Alvin says he's confident that Zerik will be able to get used to it.

It's well known that Giland and Alvin are related to one another. However, even if you share familial ties, it doesn't mean you're going to get along. Relationships can worsen and grudges can form. You can see that just by looking at history. Giland's always been curt around Alvin, that's not new. Sometimes when it's just the two of them, Giland's less so, but when there's other people around, Giland's strict attitude comes out very strongly.

In the beginning, they hadn't had a good or close relationship anyway. And during the eight years since the shipwreck, it's not like Giland has shown a lot of concern for him. Alvin isn't about to depend on him.

Alvin tells him that he's thankful for the concern, but not to worry about it.

Zerik says that he gets it, but if Alvin's ever worried about something, or he needs help with anything, he's always willing to help and listen. His abilities are always at Alvin's disposal if he needs it.

Alvin then asks why Zerik is so kind to him.

"Well, it's a natural thing to do, isn't it? We're friends, aren't we?"

Alvin stares intently at him for a few seconds, and Zerik asks what's wrong.

And Alvin says it's nothing, he just is thinking about how embarrassing to hear Zerik speak so boldly as ever.

And Zerik's like what the hell, I was trying to talk about serious things with you. Zerik's expression sours, and Alvin can't help but laugh at him and apologizes.

"We're friends, aren't we?" is one of Zerik's favorite phrases. He never hesitates in saying it, and yet, Alvin has never once said the same words to him. Despite that, Zerik's never appeared to be bothered by it.

Then Zerik starts to talk about a rumor he's heard, and asks Alvin if he's listening. He asks what the rumor is, and Zerik comments that he's heard that there's a traitor within Exodus.

And Alvin's like what? Zerik comments that this must be a new rumor to him then. Alvin reminds him that he's in the construction unit. He needs details from him, and Zerik supplies.

He tells him that recently Exodus's maneuvers have been failing a lot as of late. And not just trivial things either, and it's a serious matter, and failing a mission can be a matter between life and death. This is especially true for those who have gone undercover, like Zerik and Alvin just have done. Their mission was a success, others are not so lucky. And if they get exposed by some traitor… well…

He's also heard that during the middle of exercises, Maxwell suddenly attacked the combat unit, and he heard that the troops in that exercise were destroyed.

So that means that there must be a traitor in the organization. Information is being leaked.

Alvin asks if he has any guesses who the traitor is. Zerik shrugs and says he's afraid to say. But he thinks it must be someone who's displeased with their leader's actions. Zerik comments that he knows it's not any of his business, and wants to believe that the rumors are groundless, but he wants Alvin to take care and be careful regardless, and to always be on the lookout.

Alvin says that he will.

==

All told, the forces of Exodus number about 200 total. Besides Giland and the director of the executive committee, these 200 people all belong to one of Exodus' units: the combat unit, the construction unit, the civilian unit, or the engineering unit. Alvin is, again, part of the construction unit. Zerik is in the combat unit. Each department is responsible for ands specializes in different things, but as the combat unit and the construction unit make up the major workforce, it's not uncommon for those two units to work together.

A few days after Alvin's return to headquarters, he's ordered to join the support forces that are headed to war as a mercenary group over in Auj Oule, due to its current intertribal strife. Alvin accepted the orders calmly, but he's surprised to see Zerik there, and Zerik is equally surprised to see him.

When Alvin and Zerik go to board the main transport ship, they overhear two men talking, and learns a bit more about Auj Oule, and how it's made up of a bunch of different tribes that are usually always in conflict with one another, but the fighting has intensified as of late. One of the tribes is gaining momentum.

That tribe is one that Alvin's heard Zerik speak of before. Before, it wasn't anything, but the current leader of that tribe has managed to secure a series of victories, and it seems that that particular tribe is the one that Exodus has been rumored to have been hired to fight against.

It's true that Exodus' goal is to get back home to Elympios, and this has nothing directly to do with that goal. Normally, the tribes' affairs wouldn't matter to them, nor would they care much about the results. However, like Giland said the other day, the circumstances are different, and sometimes they have to involve themselves in situations like this one out of economic necessity. Alvin understands that. They need to have a way to support themselves.

Zerik asks if Alvin is scared. He replies that he's not really. He's putting on false stoicism again, in order to hide his feelings. He hasn't been an official member of Exodus very long, but he's been tested in combat plenty of times. Being in a big war group like this will be a new experience, however. He can't allow himself to get nervous or worked up.

===

As soon as they land on Auj Oule, they join their employer's tribe. According to Zerik, the tribe doesn't know of Exodus' true identity, and they are working under the assumption they're a private army that some Rashugal nobles have put together. They don't get time to rest, and begin the march immediately.

The strategy is this:

They're going to lure the other tribe to their desired location. As the tribe their employer's want to fight against are supposedly allies, some of them will be fake battling against Exodus as a ruse to lure them in. Then the other tribe's army will follow them inward. The location in question surrounded on either side by high walls, and leads to a dead-end that will allow the rest of the tribe to box them in. And after that, they'll just be killing trapped rats.

It's an elementary strategy, really, Alvin thinks, to betray the people who they think they are allies with you. It's a very heartless and callous thing, but if the other side's that gullible, well…

Because of that, Alvin doesn't really feel that guilty.

Currently, they're marching in vertical columns. He's in the rear unit, Zerik is in the vanguard. Alvin questions a close commanding officer if their columns aren't… a little too long.

The captain comments that it can't be helped because of the way the ravine is.

But that just makes Alvin uneasy. They're surrounded by high on either side by cliffs. And Alvin grows increasingly nervous, and then notices that pebbles rolling down the cliff sides.

And then his eyes catch something from above. He sees an army looking down at them from the top of the cliffs. Alvin yells out a warning just before they're assailed by enemy arrows. The Exodus army immediately starts to panic as everyone tries to escape the arrows falling from above—and they're in such a narrow space evading is difficult, and is causing even more disorder and chaos. And the air starts to be filled with screams and angry yells.

Again and again he sees people he knows collapse to the ground as arrows go right through them as they scream. And sometimes they go silent as they fall, blood staining the ground. It looks like a scene from some sort of hell.

When the arrows are spent, the troops begin to come down the cliffs towards them in a cloud of dust at the order of a commander.

He hears someone shout that "It's Wingul!" and Alvin figures that must be the man giving the opposing army orders. He knows that name, recognizing it as the name of the leader of the Lon Dau tribe. That person is also described as the right arm of "that man."

And in the middle of the path, Alvin sees someone coming towards them with a drawn sword. He seems to be walking their way with clear purpose, seemingly surrounded by crimson flame. The man's gaze is so fierce, that it could be said that some men seeing it would rather shoot themselves dead first than face him.

He was the man that Exodus had been hired to fight against.

Alvin knows who he is. It's Gaius.

-------------------------------------
Presa's Story: Visions of Days Gone By
PRESA'S STORY: VISIONS OF DAYS GONE BY PROVIDED BY saffire

Presa's story is called "Visions of Days Gone By"



Jill's father was an archaeologist. So because of that, Jill, her mother, and her father spent their time living around the ruins of Auj Oule for the majority of the year. There wasn't anyone else, and they mostly walked with just sleeping bags and backpacks, though sometimes they had a wagon as they traveled cross-country.

Her and her mother were often left to stay in a tent for long periods of time while her father went surveying. He was a very kind and gentle man, and Jill loved loved him more than she did her mother. And she'd wait for him to return, and watch for him until she could spot him on horseback. And inevitably, he'd always return.

Life was pretty solitary. Her father never really encouraged her (or allowed her even) to have friends her age, and instead of letting her play with other children or toys, her father instead started giving her books and encouraging to use those as a substitute for friendship. Jill actually took to books better than her father expected, and grew to love them immensely, because it unlocked the kind of worlds she always wanted to see. And from then on, it was impossible to see her without a book in hand.

Her father was naturally very pleased at her progress. And though they traveled around a lot, there was an inn that her family used and always came back to every year or so. And since Jill read so much that… the inn owners pretty much granted her permission to make exclusive use of one of the bookshelves at the inn hers. So, because of this, her dad would buy her books as gifts as she started to amass a healthy book collection.

On her sixteenth birthday, her mother accompanied her father to a trip over to to the sea. They left her at the inn, promising they'd be back. Jill wasn't overly worried, and just read books at the inn.

However, one evening soldiers invaded the inn and arrested her on suspicion of being a spy. She was interrogated, and often violently accused of being someone who helped her father. Through these interrogations, she discovered that her father was a foreign man from Rashagal, and he was a spy who used the cover of being an archaeologist as cover. As Jill knows nothing of her whereabouts, she figures that her parents knew about their impending arrest warrant, and left her.

Because her bookshelf was technically evidence, the soldiers took the shelf and books away and discovered that her father used her bookshelf to pass along secret documents and so on, which is why they always returned to that inn.

However, it was her bookshelf that eventually freed her of suspicion. There, the soldiers also found her diary and read it, and concluded that she hadn't known anything about what her father and mother were doing and was let go.

She left, humiliated, having lost everything. Jill didn't know what to do. She didn't have anywhere to go, didn't really have any friends, and because her life with her parents had been nomadic, she never really learned how to do any real work. Jill had been heavily reliant on the support of her family, and now that she doesn't have them anymore, she's not sure how to she's supposed to survive.

She feels rightly betrayed by her parents, though she's never able to say that word aloud. She feels really hurt by them abandoning her and spent a long time after she was freed questioning why they abandoned her, and made her go through everything alone. Why did they leave her at the inn to be captured and interrogated? They left her with absolutely nothing to stand on.

And only when she has no more tears to shed over them, she begins to turn bitter and vengeful, and starts to dwell on one day getting revenge. It's about the only way she can cope with everything that had happened to her.

And then while she was wondering around Auj Oule alone, she was picked up by a small band of men belonging to the Aktau tribe. And they chat her up and offer her a place to live for a time being, and promise her work.

At first, she's taken in by their invitations and flattery, and couldn't' really complain. And, very steadily, the sympathy and flattery go away and she's made to join the "Rats" (or the "Garbage Corp" in the original Japanese, since the girls that work there are expendable trash, apparently). As such, she's taken to one of their intelligence hideouts and left. The Rats are made up entirely of women and are used to procure intelligence information. Even in the Aktau Tribe, they're kind of looked down on and despised. And failing a mission often means death.

So she was eventually incorporated into a unit, and she followed convention like the rest of those in the Rats, and took on a name of a beast, and began to call herself "Mink."

Jill didn't brand it so much of a pitiable way of living as one of desperation. Jill's spent most of her time learning to throw away her emotions, and because of this, she let her guard down much, or even smiled, even during "work." This was Not Cool with the people she worked with, and they often criticized her for it, and being so closed off like that usually never got information out of anymore. In response, she'd apologize and said that she was going that as a means of self-defense.

But she never did that much intelligence work during this period. In the end, she was only doing the minimum to live, and the bitterness she held towards her parents are what keeps her going, ultimately. She just kind of existed as a stranger, even among the Aktau tribe, and kept to herself.

During that time, Auj Oule was rife with conflict among the various tribes. All of them had the tendency to betray and fight one another. Gaius was trying to achieve national unity, though the road was still difficult. It was a good source for work and gossip though.

Not everyone believed in what he was preaching, but some of her Aktau tribe to believe in the new future Gaius was proposing. Some of it was just out of blind devotion, however, the majority of her colleagues just saw it as a chance for work. And as she watched the tribe and her colleagues more, she noticed that the women would go to whatever means was necessary to support their families.

This made her feel guilty, for some reason, but she refused to show it, but observed them with an aloof sort of fascination.

~

Officially Becoming One of the Rats:

Jill may have been an outsider to the tribe's culture, but from her point of view, what she saw the women doing eventually started to seem like a good idea for her. She then decided that if she had to undergo hardship, she should at least get money and some kind of rewards for it, and should do whatever she had to to accomplish her goals. From then Jill started to change. And though she knows nothing about sex, she decides to involve herself in that practice. ..And though it doesn't state it implicitly, it implies that she goes and hangs around a brothel or something of that nature… where there's a lot of that going on.

And someone there notices her hanging around and gets curious. And asks her what she's doing hanging around where she is. Jill then asks her if the woman really has to ask what she's come here for.

And the other woman tells her that yes, she has to ask. Living this way, she tells her, is not really a to live. The woman then asks her if they know who they are—they're the trash heap's lowest of the low. She comments that Jill doesn't seem to the type for this sort of work. Jill seems too fastidious and clean and calm/serious. And, well, a "good girl." And that she'd maybe do better going back home to her family and studying instead.

And Jill answers frankly and tells the other woman that she has no home and no family. Her family abandoned her and threw her away, because they were Rashugal spies.

And the woman laughs and remarks she's not really calm at all, is she?

Jill nods and admits it's all the act, and she's just waiting for the time when she can exact her revenge.

The other woman remarks that, who knows, maybe she'll be able to make peace with with her parents— maybe all they wanted to do was protect their precious daughter, and they had left her in order to protect her.

Jill's not… having any of that and tells her immediately to stop.

And the other woman relaxes and tells her that it's too late for her to turn back anyway. But if she's that dedicated, she'll keep her and teach her what she knows. Se says Jill can take out her resentment on the hundreds of men she'll be with. She'll get them to relax their guard, find out their secrets, and use them to her advantage.

The woman then introduces herself as Lynx, and tells "Mink" that she's pleased to meet her. And Lynx begins to teach her everything she knows.

The women often live together. The people within this unit of Rats are all very strong women that Jill comes to sincerely respect and view as friends, even if they're not allowed to show it during their daily work. They're only allowed to unwind and relax at their shared lodgings, as that's the only place they're able to act joke around, and they spend a lot of their time comforting each other and drinking, because life's sort of difficult for all of then.

~~

Later on, Jill gets an opportunity to head to Rashugal unexpectedly. She seizes the opportunity (because that is where her father is from, and she sees it as a chance to maybe settle her score with him) and was ordered to gather information in Fenmont.

She takes a job as a receptionist at the Talim Medical School/Clinic. She pretends to be someone who has migrated from the countryside into the city.

At this point, she's six months older than 18 years of age. A lot of men, as it happens, find her really alluring and attractive, so her job is perfect and pretty easy. She doesn't really have to go out of her way to find someone to drain information out of …and she ends up sleeping with a lot of men to get information out of them. She really doesn't have any dignity to lose, after all. She's here for revenge. She hopes to find the whereabouts of her parents, but never manages. So she keeps hold to the words Lynx told her instead.

"Chance Meeting"

She goes to the market one day, pretending to look at vegetables, though her current target of interest is really Professor Haus. When she loses sight of him, she starts to chase him, but as her mind is so preoccupied, she runs into a man and gets her hair tangled in his jacket.

And that somebody is Alvin.

Mentally angry with herself, she apologizes and says she's in a hurry.

But Alvin replies that he's sorry abut her hair, because it's really pretty and he'd hate to ruin it.

As she stands there and Alvin tries to carefully untangle her hair from his jacket, she's… kind of taken back by him. She finds his jacket to be interesting—different, and kind of "rustic." And she's drawn to the fact that he smells like oak and peppermint and grass.

And that kind of acts like a catalyst for her memory, and she thinks of her father, and how he kind of smelled like similar. Kind of like a mix between beast and man. And she's reminded then of more pleasant times.

Alvin tells her he's finished, and Jill looks up, startled, and watches Alvin leave.


After that meeting at the market. They meet again at the doctor's office. Until then, Jill hadn't really noticed, but Alvin comes to visit the doctor's office on a fairly regular basis. When Alvin comes in for one of his medical exams, she examines his records, finds out his name, and that he belongs to the intelligence division of the Rashagal army.

And Jill realizes that Alvin's the perfect man to get close to because of his involvement in the Rashugal army. She could get a lot of details out of him. So she then starts to wonder what kind of woman he likes. Is he someone who prefers a girl who's easy to get in bed with, a stubborn one who plays hard to get? She also wonders what dangers there are in trying to pursue him, and if trying to get into bed with him would be too risky.

She waits a few days, and after she gets the go-ahead she gets into contact with him. Invites him out to dinner and so on.

…And it doesn't take very long before Jill is sleeping with him.

And Jill notes that he's definitely someone from the intelligence division, because he's very careful about what information he divulges, though he does tell her a few things. And while they're living together, she notices a few things about him. She notices he likes to use gloves when handling a weapon, and seems to be very proficient with knifes, and tends to easily blend in with his surroundings. The way he walks is reminiscent of someone who was brought up with discipline ingrained in him.

He's also a light sleeper, and can wake up at a moment's notice, as she discovered one night when she woke up and tried to find her glasses. Because of this, Jill wonders if he was maybe a child soldier. Unusual, maybe, but not impossible. Gaius himself was a child soldier.

But, as she watches him sleep one night, she starts to think that, in the end, Alvin's still a human being who has probably lived a very demanding way of life, just like she has, and maybe she's come to understand him a little more.

And before long, Jill starts to fall in love with him.

~~

During the time Jill spends with Alvin, she for once doesn't have to be on the run for anyone, or have to feel the stress she usually feels when she's on a mission. She remembers how she was often treated by men like a a throw away rag, but Alvin treats her differently …Jill's kind of worried and confused about what she's feeling, because for the past two years she has been so single-minded, and after having been betrayed by her parents, she kind of marvels at the fact she's starting to trust and love someone else again. …She didn't think that was possible or would ever happen.

She wants to think rationally (and knows she should), and yet she thinks it wouldn't be so bad to rely on someone.

But she starts to think about how surprised Alvin would be if Alvin knew who and what she really was.

Still, she cherishes the time they have together. The season passes into Efreeta, and during the day, the temperatures are kind of hot, so they tend to leave the windows open and stay indoors.

During this particular day, Jill is reading a book on their bed. And Alvin's head is resting on her lap.

He comments on how she seems to be always reading, and she replies that it's just a force of habit. And she says that instead of her parents giving her toys, they gave her books to read.

Alvin comments that her parents sound like good people, and Jill wonders what kind of parents he had, if he can say something like that in such a carefree way. She then tells him that her father was an archaeologist, and that they spent most of their time when she was a child looking at ruins.

He asks her for some examples of where she's been, and Jill almost starts talking about when she remembers the locations she's been to are all in Auj Oule. So she stops herself, and says that it all happened when she was small, so she's forgotten most of it already. She also admits that to be honest she wishes rid of her name and everything connected to her childhood too, because she doesn't really want anything to do with with her parents.

Alvin says that he actually really likes her name. It's the name of a saint (Jill --> Julia) over fire and water.

Jill is kind of surprised that Alvin even knows something like that—she didn't expect that of him. The people of Auj Oule tend to be deeply religious, and it's not uncommon for the parents to name their new children after a saint that shares the day they were born on.

Alvin says it fits her, because pretty damned serious most of the time, but he also senses she has a lot of
"hidden passion" in her so… it fits like a glove.

And Jill kind of senses that he's probably making fun of her again in his typically nonchalant manner.

Jill then asks about Alvin's parents, and if they're still alive and healthy.

And Alvin says that well, they kind of are, but more in body than in spirit, or something like that. He doesn't know if he can think of the right word for it, anyway.

Jill tells him he could be more honest and serious and less frivolous about his answers.

And Alvin's says that he guesses so. But in the end he still has a parent that's a parent, and in the end, the all the things he wants to say about his parents are things that he probably couldn't ever say.

But now that he's told her about himself, it's her turn. But if she doesn't want to talk about her family life, she can tell her about her medical work in Fenmont instead. She can tell him about all naked guys she's been able to see during her work all she wants.

…and Jill's not really amused by his comment and kicks his head off her knee, and he just laughs at her.

And then she says, before she can stop herself, "You think parents are important, but what if your parents treated you badly?"

And he says that she'll realize how important they are when they're gone.

And she says she wishes she could think that way, but she can't. She's not in a position to.

And Alvin then asks her, as he reaches up a hand to brush her face, if she would react the same way she has to her parents if he broke up with her? Would all the good times she had with him just be unpleasant to her after that? Would she just repress the memories and pretend they didn't exist?

She responds that, at the very least, she'd never forget what he smelled like when she first met him, and asks if she remembers that day at the market, and tells him that his scent then reminded her of pleasant things.

"I see."

And then he starts to undress her on the bed and Jill tells him to stop it, and that they shouldn't be doing something like this during the day.

And then Alvin helpfully reminds her they're in Fenmont, stuck in a perpetual night-clime, where it's pretty much evening all the time. So her argument is denied and invalid.

And she tells him that he really is an idiot.

~

And then the scene cuts and we're treated to a bunch of tiny one-sentence flashbacks to moments Jill had with her parents. Memories that she's very fond of. And then she remembers again that her father was a spy and that they had betrayed her, in the end, and she had been living off of her desire for revenge.

And she wonders if maybe she should drop the obsession she has with her parents go. That maybe, in the end, her parents were normal people too.

And then she thinks of how she's living with Al now. She's in a foreign country like her father had been in Auj Oule. Like him, she has nothing much to her name anymore. Even when he met her mother, he must've been like this.

Then she remembers even more of the happy times she spent with her mother and father. She wonders then if her father had felt the same way towards her mother as she's starting to towards Alvin: if he had the desire to want to confide everything about yourself in another person.

At the moment, Jill's walking down one of the main streets in Fenmont, lost in thought, when she runs into Lynx, and Lynx mentions that it's been awhile since they've seen each other.

And Jill asks what she came her for, and Lynx says she'll keep it short, and tells her that she's heard she's living with a man.

Jill guessed this is what things will be about. Jill tells her he's a man within the Rashugal army and a potential treasure trove of information, and she reminds Lynx that she's taken up with men before too.

And Lynx responds that's true enough, she is a woman too, after all, but that Jill should be careful not to lose her head and fall in love with him. Alvin's a member of the military intelligence division, and he could be dangerous.

And they talk about how he has a relative that's apparently close to the king of Rashugal and that his mother is apparently being secretly harbored in Auj Oule. She asks Jill if she can ~possibly~ think of why that would be.

And Jill asks if it's maybe because doesn't want to be caught at something, and what his mother drawn into it, and Lynx admits that she doesn't know, but she does know that he sends risky letters to her sometimes.

Then Jill asks Lynx if it's possible that Alvin is secretly a person from Auj Oule, like them.

She feels rather shocked at the sudden amount of information she's getting about Alvin and the possibilities it contains. And Lynx's opinion is that Al's a shady guy, and reminds her that they don't know anything about him, but she and Mink are cut from the shame cloth and share maybe the same experiences. Lynx warns her that falling in love with someone this way can be dangerous. And they have an argument, and Lynx tells her she shouldn't destroy herself because of love, and that Lynx doesn't want to have to kill her if something goes wrong. And then she leaves.

Jill doesn't know what to think. But she starts to fantasize about what could possibly happen, if she and Al were to exile themselves to Auj Oule. She could continue her intelligence work, and if Alvin really is someone from Auj Oule, then his intelligence he could provide after having been part of the Rashugal military would make him a valuable asset. She figures they could use marriage as a disguise for Alvin leaving the army, and the Rats would be satisfied with that as well.

But on the other hand, if things go wrong, the price for betrayal is death. And even if she's not killed from someone from the outside, it's not uncommon for the Rats to kill one another in the name of secrecy.

~

Alvin and Jill are in the room they share together, and Alvin suggests they go shopping. Jill asks what's wrong with him, because he doesn't normally offer to take her shopping and buy her things, and he reminds her that it's her birthday, so he needs to get her something, even just to fulfill tradition.

Jill had actually forgotten that it was her birthday (It's the 335th day of the year…. so good luck figuring out her birthday from that IDK).

So far, she hasn't been able to build up the courage to tell Alvin everything and betray her colleagues. She's afraid about the consequences and what will happen to he and her if she tells him. But, not long after thinking this, she begins to tell him everything in their room.

When she finishes, Alvin thanks her from telling him. Jill apologizes, and says she's sorry for involving him in something so dangerous.

Alvin just… smiles and shrugs and says he'll go get ready and heads into the shower. And as he's in the shower, Jill thinks about how this could be the last time she sees this place, even if they're able to escape. This day might be the last one she gets to experience, because she could die.

Jill starts to get anxious when Alvin doesn't return from the shower, even if she can still hear it running, but she tries to convince herself that everything's okay, remembering what he had told her earlier. Alvin told her that he was happy that Jill trusted him, and that she was trying to to what she thought was right to the two of them.

Eventually though, anxiety gets the better of her, and she looks into the shower to check on him, and finds him gone. He had probably escaped out of the bathroom window.

And not long after, military personnel start showing up. She hears them talking about "spies" and how some were "caught," and Jill realizes that she's doomed herself and all of her friends.

She tries to escape, but is captured by Rashagul forces.

The interrogation this time is different from what she was subjected to in Auj Oule, when she was younger and possibly innocent. And it's.. pretty terrible. She's severely beaten and whipped and interrogated by a lot of men—some of which are who recognize her (and some she likely slept with), and they're not all that happy to see her, given what she is and what she did to them. So by the time they're finished with her she's pretty much half dead.

They didn't treat any of her wounds, and left her half-naked in the prison to either bleed or freeze to death or just succumb to her injuries. They never provide her with much.

But Jill manages to use her charm to sway some of the younger guards and make them feel bad for her, and is able to steal a sword and run away. She doesn't know where to go, but knows that she has to get out of Rashugal. To escape the army, she tries to leave through the swamp and get to the capital of Kanbalar. Her wounds haven't healed, and at this point she's basically a walking corpse and hungry and cold. But through sheer force of will she manages to make it to Kanbalar. The injuries to her limbs were severe enough that she found herself unable to use a sword properly anymore. …It was that bad.

During this time she finds out in that she was the only member of her unit to make it back to Auj Oule. And because of her betrayal back in Rashugal, most of the Rats just want to see her dead. And for awhile she has to make use the contacts she made back in Fenmont (via Alvin, ironically) to recover ground and status again, so she's not on everybody's hit list. She even returns to the Talim Medical School later. And she holds a lot of resentment for Alvin over it, naturally.

But from that point forward, Jill never allowed herself to open up to anyone anymore. And since she can't use swords or hold any sort of weapon properly anymore, she begins to learn how to proficiently use Spirit Artes instead (and she's quite good at it). And she begins to gain notoriety again.

But her comeback is mainly due to Gaius after she caught his attention. He took her in from the Rats and from that point forward she became Presa of the Chemeriad.

But even though she has a position again, she still deeply regrets what happened back in Fenmont, and she knows she should have listened to Lynx's warnings, and it's her fault all of her colleagues were killed. And she vows never to never allow herself to fall in love with anyone again.