[[Day -7 of Month 3, Cathedral (Late Night)]]<br/><br/>Lance stood at the doorway to the Council Chambers, reinstatement papers clenched in one hand.  He had wanted to share them with Gil but..<div style="text-indent:1em;"><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="color: #0080FF">“This is yours”</span></span></div>Had he ever heard his friend that defeated before?  He had stood frozen watching his friend and Lethe interact, seen the way Gil had longed to touch her but didn’t.  It had reminded him—he turned his head away at the thought—it had reminded him of himself, twelve years ago.  Except instead of white hair, flashing topaz eyes had characterized the girl.  His hand tightened into a fist.  Should he be happy that at least Lethe wasn’t staring forlornly after Gil like Bryn always had?  Lights, no.  Light, he knew,<span style="font-style: italic">he knew</span>, Gil liked Lethe and still..!<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Oh, Lance,”</span>He looked up at the sound of his name, seeing Lethe was now looking in his direction.  Her cheeks still bore a faint blush from her previous embarrassment and it made her look really pretty, he noted with a mix of admiration and despair.<span style="color: silver"> “Congratulations again.”</span>Despite her words, her eyes looked at him in worry, seemingly reading his no longer jubilant mood.<br/><br/>“Haha, thanks!”  He pasted a grin on his face, crossing his hands behind his head.  “I’m going to go tell the other Crests now!”  He hoped the act was enough to convince her.  He was a Pristine Knight now.  He didn’t want to cause her or Gil anymore trouble.  “Get some sleep, okay?”  With a wave of goodbye, he turned and walked away.  When he’d turned the corner and could no longer feel her gaze on him, he let the façade drop.  Shit, what was he doing?  He knew Gil liked Lethe, had heard it in the way Gil had spoken, could see it in the way Gil<span style="font-style: italic">held</span>himself, and yet—<br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div><span style="font-style: italic">Haunted blue eyes stared past him, replaying the rejection that had just been thrown in her face: a glass doll, ready to crumble. <br/> A peal of laughter as she punched him playfully, voice mirthfully retelling a funny story.<br/> A fierce grin and an outstretched hand even as she commanded, <span style="color: silver">“Then let’s go, Knight Lance!”</span><br/>The lingering feeling of a concerned gaze that worried about him, <span style="text-decoration: underline">him</span> personally, even at such a critical juncture.</span></div></blockquote><br/>Shit.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~</div><br/>[[Day 8 of Month -3, Grand Cathedral (just after midnight)]]<br/><br/>Given there were only five days till a major offensive, the Cathedral was oddly quiet.  She’d seen few others roaming the hallways at this time, mostly Advocates doing their last rounds or Knights on the night shift.  Otherwise, it was blissfully quiet.  After the past two hours she’d had, Lethe was grateful for the calm.  Her humming paused at the sight of light peeking out from under her squad room’s door.  Who was up so late?  Adair, perhaps?  And maybe YunQiao.  Valiar should have gone back to Marielle and Annabelle by now.  She’d heard the bells tolling half past and she wasn’t ambitious enough to think it still the seventh.  Deciding it didn’t matter, she reached out and pushed the door open.  Adair and Deimos stared at her in bemusement from the table, clearly having waited for her to enter.  Cricket was sprawled out on the couch, asleep.  Romauld also sat at the table, looking both welcoming and uncomfortable.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “I’m back.”</span>She announced pointlessly, a smile curing her lips upwards.  “Welcome back,” Adair returned softly, mindful of the sleeping occupant.  Deimos just waved while Romauld echoed her Vice Captain’s words.<span style="color: silver"> “Why are you still here?”</span>She let the door shut softly behind her as she detoured for the water heater.<br/><br/>“Waiting for you.  How was the Council meeting?”  She shot Adair an amused look even as she lifted up a canister, a silent inquiry if they wanted any.  There were two nods.<span style="color: silver"> “As well as could be expected, I guess.  How have you all been?”</span>There was a pause before the amber haired man responded, “Well enough.  We finished Divine Magic Training yesterday.  However, only the Knight Commanders will be returning to their stations.  The rest are being kept here.  Leon and the others have continued their training under Lady QianHua.”  Lethe made a sound of encouragement as she finished preparing the cup and pot.  “Her assessment is here for your review.  Mine is here as well, and Romauld provided some feedback as well.”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “Thank you, Knight Commander Romauld.”</span>She nodded at the brunette as she brought the drinks over.  He had gotten to his feet to assist but paused when it became clear neither of his companions had.<span style="color: silver">“And again, thank you, but there’s no need.  I assume everything is in the reports?”</span>Lethe gave a pointed look at her vice captain and then the reports, receiving a smile in return.<span style="color: silver">“Well then, last chance for you three to get a good night’s rest.”</span>Deimos stopped sniffing the pot and just held a hand out for her papers, ignoring her warning.<span style="color: silver">“I only have one copy, you’ll have to share.”</span>She handed off her copy of the papers presented to the Council in favor of the three reports Adair had mentioned while Adair walked around the table to read over Deimos’s shoulder.  Romauld scooted his chair closer and the blonde obliged by holding the summary further out so all could read with relative ease.<br/><br/>A surprised gasp informed her Romauld had reached the proposal for the attack on Santa Olivia but Lethe continued reviewing her own papers.  It was good to hear that Leon had improved in his sensing ability.  It was unfortunate that Ethera didn’t think he’d ever have the battle flow control she (and to a lesser extent Silver) were known for, but at least he was now capable of recognizing attacks and patterns.  With his sensing ability, he could become a good tactician.  Valiar was as steady as ever; most of Lady QianHua’s complaints was about his attitude, which she wasn’t too surprised about.  Her cleric did seem to have an unnatural fear of the Pure Magic Squadron.  YunQiao had gotten grudging approval from Spaz (he’s not..<span style="font-style: italic">complete</span>trash), so he must have done well.  Adair, Seraphim, and Deimos were to be as expected, though she was surprised to see Romauld had recommended the last for potential Captainhood, if groomed properly.  She glanced at the blonde who looked up as if sensing her contemplation.  Despite the grim news in his hands, he smirked and mouthed one word: Moo.  She stuck her tongue out in response and went back to the report in her hands, missing the pleased look her two squadmates shared.<br/><br/>Cricket, however, was another story.  Lethe looked at her sleeping subordinate.  His hairstyle did seem more elaborate than usual, but it was hard to tell much more with his face half submerged in the sofa.  However, for both Adair and Romauld to mention it… She’d have to keep an eye on him, if she could.<span style="color: silver"> “How long has he been wearing that comb?”</span>Her eyes narrowed on a familiar looking comb.  Red petals formed a peony and rested on coils of purple hair.  “Four times since you left,” Deimos volunteered; Lethe said nothing as she continued staring at the sleeping man.<br/><br/>“Master Lethe?”  Romauld finally asked, the random question having drawn his attention from the clean map of Palaugrim Deimos had pulled out.  (How did the blonde know?  The Palaugrimian wondered; he hadn’t understood why the Knight had shown up with five identical maps of Palaugrim, but they were already on their third this evening.)<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Forgive me, Knight Commander Romauld.”</span>Lethe dismissed with a shake of her head as she turned to face the table once more.<span style="color: silver">“Well, you’ve seen the troop lists, the blueprints, and our recommendations.  The Council has authorized mobilization of two-thirds of them and Master Guilford and his squad will assist.  Which troops shall we choose and how shall we modify our plans?”</span>Four heads bent over the map and started discussing.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~</div><br/>[[Day 8 of Month -3, Gless’s Wyervia Port (Morning)]]<br/><br/>An impeccably dressed Seraph was waiting for him at the Wyervia Port the next morning.  As a Knight Commander, and as the Commander of one of Palaugrim’s key strongholds, Romauld was returning to his city now that the Divine Magic training was finished.  The brunette eyed the chatting Lethe in mild disbelief.  If he hadn’t bade her goodnight just four hours ago, he would have thought she’d just woken up from beauty sleep with how put together she looked.  In contrast, he felt like a zombie and was pretty sure his attire reflected it.  His chin probably did with all the nicks he’d accidentally given himself while shaving this morning.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “Good morning, Romauld!”</span>She greeted cheerfully, one hand brushing against his cheek and the other pressing a cup into his hands.  The familiar scent of coffee wafted up to his nose and he took a grateful sip, barely able to keep from spitting it out the moment it hit his tongue.<br/><br/>“Captain’s triple shot.”  An amused voice rumbled from his side, “How late did you guys stay up?”  The brunette turned to see a smiling Valiar eyeing him curiously.  “Your face,” Squad ten’s cleric explained, “it’s the inevitable ‘oh my Light, what in Light’s holy name did I just drink’ look.  The answer is a triple shot of caffeine dumped into the coffee you’re holding, so about two times the recommended daily intake of caffeine.  So, how late did you guys stay up?”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “Valiar!”</span>Now that the other Knight mentioned it, the Seraph did seem a bit excitable.  She fluttered over and enveloped the dark-haired man in a hug, seemingly forgetting propriety.<span style="color: silver"> “How have you been? And Marielle and Annabelle?”</span><br/><br/>“They’re all fine, Captain.  I actually have breakfast for you,” The man lifted a bag for the two to see.  “Marielle sends her love and the missing bite is Annabelle’s contribution.”<br/><br/>The giggle seemed to be a touch hysterical as Lethe accepted the offering with a chirpy<span style="color: silver">“thanks!”</span>Romauld eyed his cup suspiciously, wondering if there was a place he could discreetly dispose of it.  “Don’t worry, she had more than three shots; you won’t end up like that.”  Could the man read his mind or something?!  “On second thought, maybe you will end up like that.  You don’t drink caffeine much do you?”  Valiar looked down at the panicked-looking Romauld.  He would have never imagined Rasova’s Knight Commander to be so expressive?  Every thought seemed broadcasted from the man’s face, including the current horror.  Valiar slowly reached a hand out and plucked the cup from the Commander’s hand.  Even if the man was bone tired, it might be better to keep this away.<br/><br/>“I can’t believe they didn’t tell us.”  An irate Seraphim complained from his side, arms crossed unhappily over her chest.  Lethe was too busy chatting with Port Captain Kobayashi to notice her and Leon’s arrivals.  Leon only laughed weakly in response.  He’d been hearing the same refrain since they’d met up on the street three blocks ago.<br/><br/>“You’re telling me.”  Cricket commiserated, “I was<span style="font-style: italic">in</span>the squad room and they didn’t wake me to tell me Captain had returned!”  The man seemed less haggard from a night of sleep but the tight look around his eyes remained.<br/><br/>“Yeah.. well…”  Leon’s reply was cut off by an enthusiastic<span style="color: silver">“Leon!”</span>before he was assaulted.  The barnacle soon detached itself, only to clasp onto the just appeared YunQiao, then Seraphim and finally Cricket.<span style="color: silver">“Good morning!”</span><br/><br/>The pink haired woman cocked an eyebrow at the overly cuddly Lethe.  Sure it’d been ten days but that hardly enough time to get separation anxiety.  “How much did you drink, Lethe?”<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “Only one!”</span>The Seraph protested hotly,<span style="color: silver">“… maybe two.  When are we starting counting from?”</span><br/><br/>“Oh my Light…”<br/><br/>“Should we detox her now or later..?”<br/><br/>“How about when we get on the Wyervia?  She’ll probably fall over the moment we detox.”<br/><br/>“She’s just going to be.. oddly chipper until then, especially given the circumstances”<br/><br/>There was a rumble of thought before Seraphim decided, “Better chipper than dead on her feet.”  All eyes turned to the still clinging Lethe, seemingly ignorant of their conversation.  The woman’s head popped up at the sight of someone else coming towards them,<span style="color: silver"> “Fion—mrph!“</span>“Just.. let’s keep her contained.”  Five heads nodded in agreement.  Romauld just stared at his hands and wondered where his coffee went.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~</div><br/><span style="color: silver"> “See you guys soon.”</span>Lethe mustered a tired smile for the other occupants of the Wyervia.  The others had been nice enough to let her sleep on the flight, though she hadn’t had much of a choice.  There’d been a<span style="font-style: italic">reason</span>she’d imbibed so much caffeine earlier; now that it was all gone, she could feel that deep-set weariness again.  But now wasn’t the time for rest.<span style="color: silver">“Stay safe.”</span>With those words, she nodded at Adair to open the hatch to the outside.  The Knight yanked the door open, welcoming a furious gale of wind.  The rumble of the Wyervia blast into their ears, no longer muted by the walls.  With one last wave for her Vice Captain, the Seraph jumped out.  Even exhausted, the wind ripped a smile from her face.  What had it felt like being in the air?  Freedom.  Without a doubt, pure, exhilarating freedom.  Her keyblades finally expanded to slow her descent, converting the free fall into a controlled one.  And love.  Freedom and love: that’s what flying felt like.  When she touched the top of Bastille, she was surrounded in a cocoon of her own magic.  As always, it had protected her from harm.  With a fond smile for her keyblades, Lethe dismissed them back onto the Divine Realm.<br/><br/>“Master Lethe, welcome back.”  Kavita etched a salute, the only one of the ‘welcoming committee’ to do so.  The brunette had always prided herself on her self control and it had certainly taken a lot to not be awed by the Seraph’s casual display.  The other woman seemed dismissive of her arrival’s effects.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“Thank you, Knight Commander Kavita.”</span>Lethe echoed the salute, tapping her fist against her chest.<span style="color: silver">“The others—my squad, Knight Lance, Squad Eight, and Master Guilford—will be arriving shortly.  They plan to land outside the city.  But until then, I need to update you in private on some recent developments.”</span><br/><br/>Kavita nodded in acknowledgment and motioned for the Seraph to follow as she led the way into the fortress.  “Very well, we’ll meet in my office first.  Makar, prepare the Solan conference room for..eight—twenty, plus scribes.  Ingrid’s group.”  She clarified, deciding on her most experience scribes.  Whatever required both Seraph squads, it had to be big.  Lifting her chin, Bastille’s Knight Commander steeled herself for what was to come.