Seraphim sighed with great relief the moment the door closed and they were no longer in public.  Clumsy fingers yanked at the pins keeping her hair up and dropped them carelessly to the ground as she threw herself onto one of the sofas.  “Oh thank the Lights that’s over.”  She leaned her head on the back of the sofa, one hand coming up to massage the temples of her forehead.  Around her, the other members of Team Blonde took their seats as well.  An awkward silence fell over the group punctuated only by groans of relief and cracking of body parts as everyone tried to relax.<br/><br/>Adair rested his elbows on his knees, flipping the box with Lethe’s “Badge of Valor” in it over and over.  His own badge had already been discarded on the coffee table.  The audacity of the High Council sometimes surprised even him; as if these pieces of ribbon and metal made up for the fact Captain was still convalescing from the battle in Luciano.  He’d gladly throw away these pointless tokens if Captain would just wake up.  The wooden box in his hand creaked in protest as he unconsciously tightened his grip on it.<br/><br/>“Hey.”  A hand landed heavily on his shoulder, breaking him from his thoughts.  Green eyes glanced up wearily to see black eyes staring at him in concern.  “It’ll be okay.  She’s a survivor.”  Despite the reassuring words, Valiar was clearly worried as well.<br/><br/>Cricket opened his mouth as if to say something but then closed it again wordlessly.  There was nothing appropriate to say.  No quip or bitter words would wake Captain from her rest or alleviate the tension now thick in the room.  Instead, he leaned forward and rested his head in his hands as well.  Gloom hung in the air before Deimos stood up and turned to walk towards Captain’s room.  Multiple eyes glanced at him enviously.  Though all were concerned, none of them were sure they could handle seeing Captain lying there so lifelessly.  It had been hard enough the first night when Adair was cradling her in the midst of Luciano.  Lightning had occasionally popped along her skin as the remnants of her spell had sought release.  It had been too much like the time she’d hung in Lillith’s grasp back in Jenault.  But she had lived then and she’d live again! Right?  So they kept telling themselves, but Captain had woken up within minutes of Lillith’s assault and now.. Now it had already been seven days.<br/><br/>Adair’s head dropped back to the stupid box in his hands, seeing not the pointless medal but the Captain he’d.. knocked out.  His hands unconsciously tightened again even as he tried to forget the sensation of struggling through the countless waves of magic; of lifting his hand to the blind Lethe, for even though her eyes were open, her gaze was clearly far beyond the physical plane they’d been standing on; and of hitting her so hard she’d crumpled forward like a puppet’s strings that had been cut.  The light had abruptly died as she’d toppled to the ground, the glow slowly fading from her body.  Had he hit her too strongly?  He should have caught her when she fell.  He should have realized about the Faiths earlier.  Why else had she only summoned one blade at the beginning instead of all eight?  He should have stopped her from trying to absolve Victorie.  That bitch was lucky she was already dead or… But no, those thoughts wouldn’t help either.  Instead, he went back to turning the box over and over and over again, praying desperately that Lethe would wake up.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><br/>Deimos knocked on the door and then slowly pushed it open.  The room was massive.  It had enough furnishings to make it look lived in, but it still had a sterile quality to it.  No doubt an effect of Master Guilford’s meticulous butler.  Pale yellow eyes traced the ornaments, comparing them with Captain’s more homely apartment.<br/><br/>When they’d reached Gless, there had been arguments over where Captain should go.  The Councilor’s scribe’s suggestion of the Grand Cathedral had been immediately shot down.  Adair had offered the Golden Sun, Master Guilford his home, and Cricket had insisted that Lethe would prefer waking up in her own room.  The heated discussion had continued until Orphelia, who had insisted on coming along, had finally shouted at all of them to please shut up, this negativity was probably affecting their patient, and who had the largest house?  While Lethe probably would prefer familiar surroundings, Orphelia didn’t want to deal with seven people (or would it be fifteen, she wondered with a dry look at the silent seven who made up the other squad) in Lethe’s apartment.  Besides, if Lethe woke up with fifteen guests, didn’t you think she’d insist on hosting everyone instead of properly resting?  So no to Lethe’s apartment.  The Golden Sun was deemed too noisy and so the bossy woman had finally turn her attention to the last viable option.  Blue eyes had scrutinized the other Seraph before she huffed and asked why he was just standing there instead of showing them the way.  Did he think Thea would get better lying around in Seraphim’s arms?  And so they had ended up here, though Deimos found it amusing that  Master Guilford had given up his own room for Lethe.  Any bedroom probably would have worked fine.  In fact, it might have been better in another room.<br/><br/>His face deepened into a frown at the sight of Lethe.  She was a smudge of white and lavender in a sea of deep blue covers and pillow.  It looked like the too large bed and much too massive room was trying to swallow her up, snuff out her already fragile existence.  Ever since Luciano, no expression had crossed her face.  He took the offered seat, not even sparing a glance for the now leaving woman.<br/><br/>Orphelia had called upon her prerogative as Captain’s only (available) childhood friend to come along and nurse Lethe.  She had set up a chaise lounge for herself in the corner in case Lethe needed everything and spent the day by Captain’s bedside unless someone came in to visit.  Unfortunately, her diligence wasn’t being rewarded; Lethe had never stirred even though they’d been here for five days already.<br/><br/>Taking Lethe’s limp hand in his, he wrapped his fingers around her wrist, taking silent comfort in the steady heartbeat.  She wasn’t dead yet and she never would be on his watch, if he could help it.  He was their rear guard, he’d make sure Death never came creeping for her.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><br/>Valiar sighed deeply, closing the mansion door behind him to start the long walk back home.  Being there was.. stressful.  He ignored the sideways glances he earned for leaving<span style="font-style: italic">the</span>Master Guilford’s mansion as he turned towards the elevator shaft that connected Gless and Lindela.  He was one of the few that wasn’t camping out at Master Guilford’s home.  After the first night, Orphelia had pulled him aside with an evil glare.  Thea would be distraught to know she kept you away from your daughter and wife!  I know you’re worried, and I know Thea appreciates it, but go spend time with your family!  Family is important!  Thea’s going to think you all ridiculous for all your moping! Go be useful!  And so he’d pretty much been thrown out of the house despite it not being Orphelia’s house and the butler’s protests. Women, scary beings they were.<br/><br/>Now though, he was sort of glad for the excuse to leave.  It was hard to breathe in such an oppressive atmosphere, though he understood why it was so silent.  No one wanted to voice the fears that lingered in their hearts: would Lethe wake up?  Sometimes he wondered, did he want Lethe to wake up?  It sounded selfish but.. Lethe looked so<span style="font-style: italic">peaceful</span>right now.  Ever since they’d gone to Palaugrim, ever since the attack in District 8 really, Lethe had increasingly looked strained.<br/><br/>It wasn’t the awkward strain that had been prominent when they’d first met six years ago, when Lethe was still trying to get used to seven adoring just-graduated trainees who were overawed at being on the same squad as THE WHITE SERAPH.  It had been the strain that’d lingered when Eiji had first died, that had come back when Fidelus had died; it was the strain he’d first seen on her face nine years ago that had convinced him to try his hand at being a Pristine Knight once more.<br/><br/>He’d been a Knight before the final battle with Sin.  With a build like his, it was obvious he’d end up in the Pristine Knight Corps: he was the stereotypical Knight!  But he’d been a mediocre one.  He was constantly on the front lines but he just couldn’t seem to do his job right.  His shield was more dead weight than anything and too many Sinners got past him to the back line.  After his team’s casters had almost died, again, he’d given up.  He just wasn’t cut to be a Pristine Knight.  He was more trouble than it was worth; people kept thinking they could rely on him (he looked like a perfect tank!) and he kept failing them.<br/><br/>He’d slunk back to his civvie life and found work doing odds and ends, mostly muscle work.  The war was just starting to turn nasty, but he could pretend everything was okay in his little town.  He met an amazing woman who faced life’s challenges with a smile and they fell in love and all was good.  Unlike everyone else, he never felt the silent accusation: why aren’t you helping with the effort?  Even after he’d confessed his cowardice to her, Marielle had only smiled and pulled him close.  They muddled through the hard times and the day she said “yes” had been the best day in his life.<br/><br/>They’d gotten married the day they heard the God of Sin had been defeated.  It seemed so miraculous! So unbelievable!  To think that at long last, the pall that had hung over the lands was gone.  To celebrate this new future, they’d tied their futures together.  It had been a happy year, even with the word of the lands being blighted.<br/><br/>About a year after the God of Sin had fallen, they were given the opportunity to see the famous Seraphs.  With how religious Marielle was, it was no surprise they’d gone.  One of the Councilors was making some broad, inspiring speech and the crowd was cheering with all their might but all Valiar remembered was the two awkward looking teens.  Both had uneasy smiles plastered to their face, though the boy looked a bit more comfortable.  The girl had been adorned in too large armor and despite the smile on her face, her eyes had screamed how overwhelmed she was feeling.  They had looked.. so young.<span style="font-style: italic">These</span>were the famous Seraphs who had saved them?  Who were meant to lead the Immaculate?  They looked like they needed a pat on the head and a sandwich!  He remembered looking around at countless bright eyes all staring adoringly at the people on the stage, many of them his age or older, and he could only feel shame.  All these people, all these<span style="font-style: italic">adults</span>!, were looking at two kids to save them.  He had gone home from the festivities and pulled out his old armor.  He remembered staring at the beaten armor and then looking up to see their cheery home, overflowing with Marielle’s favorite sayings:<br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>Home is where the heart is.</div></blockquote><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>Chocolate is the answer. Who cares what the question is.</div></blockquote><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.</div></blockquote><br/>The last one, Marielle’s motto for life, had stared at him accusingly.  When he left the corps, hadn’t he been running away for an easier life?  And now two kids—he remembered those wooden smiles, those eyes that had stared in utter fear at the mass screaming at them—were stuck bearing the burden he’d left behind.<br/><br/>He picked up jogging again.  He started practicing his swordplay again.  He wasn’t a good tank, but maybe he could make those poor kids’ lives a bit easier someday.  When the Corps re-opened, he applied once more but this time they tried him out on a cleric role.  It had come surprisingly easy to him and lo-behold, somehow he ended up on a Seraph’s team.  It had been the little girl’s squad and so he learned her name was Lethe, she was seven years younger than him (SEVEN?!), and she could be the sulkiest kid in the world if you teased her about her height (or lack thereof).  Marielle, of course, had also fallen in love with the little Knight (and the other squad members, his Marielle was generous like that) and so had started some of the most terrifying and worthwhile years of his life.  Through it all, he’d seen as Lethe opened up, relaxed, and became more like a normal twenty year old rather than a paragon of the Light.  But now it was coming back.<br/><br/>He leaned his head against the cool walls of the elevator, ignoring the wide eyed looks from the group of trainees.  Oh right, that stupid badge was still on his chest.  Now it was coming back and it broke his heart seeing how she was boxing herself back in.  Makeup might fool the masses, but six years together!  Those bags under her eyes were as clear as day to him.  But now she finally looked.. peaceful.  Unconscious, yes, but also peaceful, as if she’d gone to sleep and the weight of the world could finally leave her alone.  Valiar sighed and stared down at the ever approaching Lindela.  There were no easy answers.