The ocean roared from all around him, walled off from the inner sanctum that now crumbled within a howling gale that near-deafened him.  The jungle remained at his back, dark and mysterious with the most deadly of paths, all of which were now futile for him to take.  He held on to the thick wood keeping him afloat, panting as he swam his way back to shore, back to shallow waters as a chance to escape.
But he knew the island was sinking.  The mountain core at the very inner heart of the island, rising from its own inner lake with a sculpted face like his own, a place he had once revered with such awe and mystery, was now failing.  The channelling energy pumping out in blue, white and purple was flickering, failing, beating to its last breath.  Even if it had achieved what he now wanted in his mutiny, he mourned for it.  Mourned for the ancestral island home.
But a greater mourning overtook him as he laid within the shallow reef.  He tried to look all over for his friend, the one who disappeared underneath a large boulder.  But he was sure that he somehow escaped, somehow he knew, something he saw just before he disappeared.  A blue light, harsh and enveloping that remained flickering within the inner lake.  He knew that it was not part of the island's death throes, the lights flickering from the energy column up above the mountain was of a far different look than what he saw.
He sat upon the reef and wept, torn between dying with the island like many of his kin, or for his friend who could not die with him.  It was selfish in the end, but he had no other truths.  Everything was lost to him.  His heart begged deeper than ever before, pleading for a wish that could reach out to someone, somewhere as his voice whimpered softly.
	"Please...someone help me...s-someone...help me find my friend.  Lemme die with him.  Let me...die with my heart beside me.  I...I can't escape, I know I can't, but I don't wanna die alone...please..."
	"Be that a promise I hear?"
	"Wh-who...who's there?!"
A voice came from all around him, echoing faintly yet somehow able to be heard above the roaring chaos of the island itself.  It was a voice that made his scales shiver, deeper than they ever had been.  He knew it had to be a spirit, a darkness flowing from around him as the voice neared him.
	"I hear there be one of my kind who cannot die without his heart."
	"Y-yeah...who are you?"
	"A benefactor, nothing more.  The spirit of this place shall never die, not even when all has sunken beneath the seven seas."
	"R-really?  ...oh...n-no, yer...oh Sebek."
	"HAH, no, not him...but I be the next best thing.  Ye plead for parley?"
	"Why...why you care?"
	"Ye be of my kindred, we share the same scales as you were born on this island."
	"I...I wasn't born on-"
	"All souls of our kin are born upon this island...you are a son to me as every other shall be.  Even the one that abandoned ye for his personal gain."
	"...is mah captain...dead?"
	"His corpulent form has not...become corporeal, hmhmhmhm...sadly.  But I will not abandon ye.  I can help ye.  I can help ye find your heart, wherever he may lie."
	"He...you know where he is?!  You know where to find him?!"
	"He has taken another path, far beyond our reach...but his presence remains, there."
His eyes turned towards the strange blue light flickering upon the lake, a strange tear within existence that struggled to close itself.  But the island's power was harvesting it, struggling, desperate to absorb all forms of excess energy.
	"...there?!  H-he's in there?!"
	"Yes.  The one whose soul was not from this isle, he has taken leave of ye.  But I can help ye find him."
	"You can?!  Oh...oh thank you, thank you spirit, thank you please, anything you want, anything!  Just...help me find him please.  There's nuthin' left here for me anymore."
	"As there is nothing for me...we are both agreed.  But there is a price to pay should one travel with me."
	"I don't care.  I don't care about anything anymore, just let me find my friend, so long I see him once before I die, just take me away from this bastard's island!"
	"Hmhmhmhm...so receptive ye be.  Very well...come."
A shining grey hook flowed forth from the darkness, followed by a black-cloaked arm.  In a show of sympathy, the mortal clasped it with his own hook that replaced his left hand.
	"Come with me...and I shall find ye your heart."
	"Yes...I will.  I'll find him with you."
	"Tell me your name...tell me, and I will show ye the way."

	"Kruz..."
	"Mmmmph?"
	"Kruz, you alrigh'?"
He stirred gently from his sleep at the wheel of the ship, groaning with eyes flickering as he gazed upon the afternoon turning grey above northwest Valendia.
	"Uhhhhhrrrrghhh..."
	"You know tiredness kills man," said a deep voice, "you should get sum sleep."
He saw Roy to his left looking worried whilst wearing an incredibly thick pale cloak stuffed with fur padding.
	"Might wanna get down below deck."
	"Nah...I'm good."
	"You sure?"
	"I said I'm fine, I'm just...hhhhh this heavy weather is not helping today."
	"Neither is thuh cold, ah mean winter's come an' all."
	"Finally."
	"You lahk thuh winter?"
	"...just a good change of pace."
Kruz turned back staring upon the cold mist of the horizon as Roy stretched his arms back.
	"Nnnnnnuuuuurrrrh...tell thuh truth, ah lahk thuh winter too.  Always makes me think back to Christmas 3501.  Wuz ten years old, New York wuz crisp an' clean lahk solid white, thuh kind of white you get on top of a birthday cake or a wedding.  All thuh kids out on thuh street, thuh cars overhead pushin' steam on out underneath cuz of thuh anti-gravity an' all thuh hot air down pushin'...snowball fights, ah wuz thuh winner of thuh big battle of one-eighty-fourth street, hmhmhm."
	"Sounds nice."
	"...you sure you wanna keep goin', ah mean you look lahk you been through hell."
	"It's fine Roy...I just need to head on back to Lea Monde and I...well I'll be all good once we do."
	"Alrigh'...we're gonna find him."
	"You keep saying that."
	"Ah know...jus' sayin' we will."
	"Is that for me or you?"
	"Both.  Ah know we been searchin' a long tahm but, yanno ah never found FG when ah wuz in Ivalice until he arrived lahk maybe-"
	"Six months."
	"...naw it's more lahk eight."
	"Six months for me...first I found him of then...khheh...same length of time as he disappeared from now, back when-"
	"That thing with the esper?"
His shoulders sank with a gentle nod, the raptor putting an arm around his shoulders.
	"We're gonna find him.  Ivalice is a big place, and he always keeps on movin' trust me, ah spent a hell of a lotta tahm tryin' to find him previously."
	"I know."
	"Just keep yer hopes up.  Six months ain't enough to go searchin' all over Ivalice completely.  Let's just head on home an' see if we can't try again sum other place."
	"Wind is turning southeast," said the intercom.
	"Thanks Rzepka," said Kruz sullen, "keep an eye on that thing, we're entering the outer city limits and I'd rather not hit the trees like last time we were here."
	"Heh, aye-aye captain."
	"It wasn't MY fault!" cried Cid via intercom.  "You wanna come down here an' try to wrangle what's LITERALLY LIGHTNING in a damn bottle, HMMM!?  ...yeah, didn't think so!"
Far below the sky the airship strode through, winter had now come to this world by the month of Libra as a cold wind whistled through the streets of Lea Monde promptly.  The white blankets of snow were fresh and perfect, the sound of bells resonating with sumptuous celebration at the sound of children playing.  All throughout the town square now cleaned of debris from six months hence, the residents of the cathedral city came out in droves to enjoy the gentle snowdrifts.

People began serving hot drinks and roasted pies more than usual, whilst a choir of thirty strong sung at the very front of the church upon the steps pealing with songs of joy, wrapped in coats with hot misty breaths all except for mother Mariel.  Even in the midst of winter whilst singing out her praise her breaths never turned cold for they already had been for the longest time.  But that only gave her all the more reason to celebrate hope for the future as she lead the entire chorus into full swing, the cathedral coated in white like a bride-to-be on her wedding day.
A large thick sheet of ice had been perfectly formed to become an ice-skating rink at the local riverbank, with help from the local mages casting blizzara to make sure that it would not break preventing any unfortunate accidents.  The people went across the lake with steel blades across their feet, swishing their shoes back and forth amidst wild spins and ducking twirls amongst the less-experienced flailing wildly with their arms helplessly like a baby duckling.  Said baby duckling was Dahlia trying to find her balance awfully, squealing panickedly as she tried hardest not to fall, her body in a large white coat gyrating insanely like a bell back and forth.
Just before she lost however against the forces of gravity, someone had held her hand firmly and grabbed on to help her balance back upright.  Navarro wore a tightened purple coat as she stood alongside the nu-mou, demonstrating that of posture as slowly she slid herself forwards with one foot pushing behind her firmly.  Dahlia did the same, trying to understand momentum against the ice as she staggered forwards with arms out completely wide akimbo, the moogle grabbing her once again and cautiously pulling her along.
Whimpering nervously amidst the teeming eyes that didn't actually bother watching them as they were also trying not to fall flat on the ice, the white mage felt herself speeding up as Navarro picked up the pace.  Streaking her steel boots behind her in sharp slicing straights, the moogle nodded towards her friend with a firm smile of confidence who looked back blushing hotly, before she let Dahlia go at full speed.  She almost fell over screaming from the fright as she tried to reach back, but she was on her own now completely off the rails.
Somehow she managed to turn careening wildly as she dared not move her feet, but that instinctive urge for one to correct their balance became all too great as her feet suddenly shot out both back and forth underneath her body.  Navarro caught up with her easily, skidding her feet with a turning streak of pure expert agility as she spun through the air grabbing the nu-mou's hand outstretched.  She latched on dearly as she spun round with her, the two turning into a miniature typhoon of purple and white as everyone dodged desperately to avoid being collided into.
It had all gone pear-shaped as they found themselves hitting the snowbank at the edge of the river like a thick fluffy cold pillow slamming their heads into it, wiggling tails hidden underneath thick coats as Navarro popped out first from the pile.  Dahlia leaned up looking like a sullen camel before she smirked bashfully pointing at the moogle's pom-pom still trapped underneath the snow.  She pulled it out with some still hanging on the pom-pom before it fell over half her face, making her look like a spotted rabbit which left Dahlia rolling with tears of laughter that the moogle herself could not help but join in with a deep chuckling of mirth.
The chocobos had been given special coats to keep warm as they played out in their allotted field next to the stables.  Rinoa raced around the pen squealing as she tried to catch the snowdrops in her beak almost bumping into Lightning, who simply ducked whilst grazing the winter grass allowing the pale-winged chocobo to vault over her squealing.  Then she came round again after two minutes circulating the pen to leap over, and again another two minutes without missing a beat in her chewing.
Cadbury and Luke were in the centre of the field scratching the ground fiercely in preparation for combat, before they charged other storming with vicious faces and burning eyes of fury.  Both their heads collided with a solid clonk as a burst of pain ran through both, but Luke fell back taking it worst from the stronger bull whose feathered black head simply swaggered with cockiness.  The short red-maned chocobo shook himself clear and staggered back upright before he swept his wing over Cadbury's head in a playful manner.
The black ruffian countered back by a ducking shove of his head into Luke's breast nipping him roughly and trying to knock him over, the two roughhousing it before the neckbiting began.  Not hard but firm, as the two boys forcefully wrestled each other before Luke managed to trip Cadbury up with a good enough push to the side, before falling with him on their sides laughing from exhilaration.  Their laughter stopped when Rinoa mistimed her jump and squealed trying to catch a snowdrop before falling completely on top of both males, her feathered butt slapping on their beaks as they cried out in protest, whilst Lightning simply continued to eat rolling her eyes at them disdainfully.

The streets were slick upon the cobblestones as boots stomped and crunched their way through the ice and snow, tiny mittens of woollen knit hurling snowballs at each other across the promenade.  All throughout the city there were five dozen wars between excitable little ones, squealing and trying to evade the thickened slush flying across the air.  One such casualty were two bangaa brothers walking through the streets next to the Equestrian tavern, the monk wrapped in thicker togs receiving a full-on slap of white onto his back.
With a cry of outrage he turned and saw the little moogle responsible who pointed feverishly at the viera next to her, with smaller nu-mou and viera peeking out bashfully before he turned towards the cleric nodding cruelly with eagerness.  Fayne and Baldwin smirked at each other before the two quickly began to slap up a few snowballs together to wham towards the three girls kids hiding behind a large mound at a street corner.  The children fired back at the two adults, who ran hiding behind a fountain as they both threw at once with a double volley of snowball shots.
Thwacking the moogle girl across the ear, she cried out to the sky from a sudden bite of cold as the viera couldn't stop herself from giggling before she almost got struck down herself.  Fayne whipped out fast as he could, but the nu-mou had been waiting with a peckish little ball that slapped him right between the eyes as he gasped from the cold, falling back and pretending to be hurt crying to be avenged with hand up to the sky.
Baldwin made a mock sneer of insult as he clapped his hands fiercely together with a small blast of holy wind, rendering itself forth as a weaker aerial force to shoot an entire sheet of white across the ground and smother the three kids almost completely covering their faces.  Their eyes blinked out like little snowcreatures before they shook themselves free and fired a triple volley altogether, aiming for the big guy with the thick muscles especially.
They only stopped once they felt a large shadow loom overhead, blotting out the sun that had already been clouded over without needing another obstacle as Fayne gazed up already on his back.  He shot up with delight at the sight of Kruz's ship, the Broken Petal hovering over the city as he waved desperately to whoever was on deck.  He was the perfect target, the viera striding forwards with loaded ball as she threw hard as she could towards the cleric's chest.
Just before it hit, Baldwin leapt straight in front of him like a president's bodyguard crying out a single word in slow-motion.  Gutshot.  He wasn't going to make it as he fell with exaggerated groans of his most "fatal" wound, his face contorting with tongue out fully as he spun halfway and fell onto his back, crumpling onto the cobbled stone.  Fayne didn't even notice, smiling and waving like a child happily as Kruz peered out from the starboard side and waved back to him softly, turning the ship slowly towards the outer city limits where it would be laid to rest.
It was half an hour later when Dahlia and Navarro gathered at the reading room inside the cathedral, with fire smouldering behind its guarded cage amidst bookshelves of contemporary fiction for visitors to peruse.  With several couches and small tables positioned around the room with rugs over the cool stone floor, it was the perfect little place to unwind as both nu-mou and moogle sat together on one couch facing towards the fire comfortably.  Wearing their woollen sweaters of green and blue respectively with their wet coats drying in front of the fire, they waited for their drinks which came courtesy of one male moogle handing them by a tray.
	"Heeeere you go, hot cocoa for you kupo."
	"Thank you Berniere," said Rocino kindly.

The firelight showed his tired eyes but he was looking a lot better since last they had met as he sat down on the couch opposite them to rest his legs, deeply sighing as he rubbed his own grey woollen shirt to warm up quickly.  The two girls gladly sipped up their drinks feeling the hot run through their souls gladly at the taste of cinnamon and chocolate melt, Navarro's large steel badge glinting upon her left breast with the amber light as Berniere asked:
	"How goes the skating lesson?"
	"Fine, kupo.  Dahlia lasted longer than she did before."
	"D-did I?" asked the nu-mou.  "I did?!"
	"Yes, you lasted four minutes the first time we skated.  This day it was nine, you are learning, you just need confidence kupo."
	"I...I suppose I do."
	"I would think your training with Mariel would help with that!" cried Berniere.  "Aren't you two getting along well, kupo?"
	"Oh we are!  Mother Mariel has been so brilliant to help me control my esper, but I think that's not something that can really translate to keeping your balance on a pair of skates."
	"Hmmm you never know.  Some skills can surprise you in the most unusual ways, look at Navarro with her sharp eye during that courtroom case."
	"O-o-oh...yes."
Berniere realised his error and cast a look shamefully downtrodden.
	"...sorry, kupo."
	"N-no it's...fine, you are right I'm...extremely surprised by her skills more than I ever could hope to-"
	"Read any good books lately?" asked Navarro distracting her.
	"OH, yes actually I was reading a good book that's in my room called 'the Fall of Burmecia', wonderfully gripping stuff.  Normally I'm not into political thrillers but this one leapt straight off the page for me!"
	"Hmhmhm, no science journal this week?"
	"They come bi-monthly, last month's was good, mister Tesla has been moving up in the world and he managed to finally patent his works fully."
	"With a little help from Kruz, kupo.  It must have been very trying to convince him to install a Tesla Coil in place of his tested Lindblum engine."
	"Not really, mister Cid was very honest about its capabilities and was all TOO eager to set it in, now they can travel the whole world of Ivalice without ever having to worry about the Jagd causing havoc."
	"I myself," said Berniere, "have been reading a tale called 'The Last Story', one of the latest works by Sakaguchi kupo.  One of my favourite writers admittedly."
	"I used to enjoy his work, back with his former publisher that is."
	"What about Nomura?"
	"Oh PFFFFT!"
She waved a hand derisively chortling.
	"That silly hack is far too maddening to take seriously."
	"What I love his stories, they have such whimsicality!"
	"He's now twisted his own work into practically a parody of itself!"
	"That is the point kupo!  Not all stories have to be taken so seriously, I myself enjoy his raucous insanity.  Like a child being taken through a parent's story desperately made-up to entertain them, that's not a bad thing I think so long as it's entertaining."
	"I suppose...what about you Navarro, have you been reading anything lately?"
	"I just finished 'The Lone Stranger'," said Rocino, "it spoke greatly to me kupo."
	"Ooooh, what's it about?"
	"A traveller wandering from place to place righting wrongs in various towns, something of a lone warrior only concerned with justice to escape a price on his head."
	"Ahhh your autobiography's out!" said Berniere chuckling.
	"I could recommend you if you want."
	"Please do!  Not that I don't enjoy hearing your own stories kupo."
	"Well...the past few months have not been so lonely thankfully."
She smiled softly at the nu-mou who blushed hotly almost spilling her drink from quivering hands before she gently gulped too much and nearly coughed placing her cup down with a feverish panting as Navarro backpatted her strongly to clear her throat.
	"Careful!" shouted Lavant.  "You don't want to drink all of it at once, I know you're excited to get back out there and go ice-skating bu-"
	"NO NO HHHH!  ...ugh...s-sorry, drank too fast."
	"Hmhmhmhm...ahhhhh..."
Just then, the sound of padding clawed feet came clacking upon the stone floor as Fayne and Baldwin rushed through inside the reading room as the monk took both their coats off to dry by the fire.
	"Isszh he here?!" asked Fayne.
	"Who?" asked Berniere.
	"K-Kruzzh of coursszhe, I sszhaw hisszh airsszhip!"
	"Fayne calm down sszheesszh!" urged Baldwin.  "You're gonna give yoursszhelf a heart attack, we all wanna hear the big newsszh they might have but-"
	"I-i know s-sszhorry, I jusszht...hhhmmmm..."
The cleric sat down onto a sofa a little ways from the fire slightly fiddling with himself as his brother smirked at seeing his enthusiasm, walking over to Dahlia with wide grin.
	"Sszhoooo how'sszh the sszhkating lesszhon going?!"
	"Not bad thank you!" she said earnestly.  "Navarro told me I did better than before, twice as long as my first record!"
	"Great!  Hey yanno Kruzzh might be real good at it, maybe he can give you sszhome pointersszh."
	"I should ask, yes!  How are you Baldwin?"
	"Doing real good, me an' Fayne had a sszhnowball fight with sszhome kidsszh, it wasszh awesszhome!  One of 'em got me in the back."
	"A callous but efficient tactic kupo," said the female moogle chuckling.
	"Kidsszh fight dirty!  You can't take yer eyesszh off of 'em for one minute or elsszhe-BAM!  Right in the gut with a sszhnowball."
	"Hmhmhm...well at least Lea Monde is safe for the future with such warriors on the streets."
	"Indeed!" cried Berniere.  "I was tutoring the Cupid Mark Crusaders only a few days back, they've certainly become a lot more formidable since last I saw them kupo."
	"Oh?"
	"Oh yes, especially the moogle, Lu...I can see a lot of you in her, that strong determination back when we were at the academy."
	"Ah yes, of course."
	"You know," asked Baldwin, "you never did actually tell me about your old daysszh at the academy, any good sszhtoriesszh?"
	"Not really, it was very dull and tedious."
The moogles shared a look unseen except by Dahlia who wondered to herself, before hearing footsteps come heftily clumping in from the cold as brown and black scales approached the radius of the firelight glinting.  Fayne was first to leap up and hug instantly the first body that approached, one only a few inches shorter than him.
	"KRUZZH!"
	"W-WOAH!"

The bishop grabbed him by the waist and wrapped his arms around him squeezing tight, the kremling chuckling as he hugged back showing his left medical eyepatch coloured black before the two pulled away, with Roy walking past them to get closer to the warmth of the fire.
	"Wow did you miss me that much?" asked Kruz.
	"Of coursszhe!" replied Fayne.  "Are you alright?  Isszh everything well?"
	"Same as always, unfortunately."
	"No sszhign of...Jamesszh?"
	"Naw."
Roy swept off his coat and placed it down beside everyone else's to dry off.  The atmosphere changed towards a more sullen approach once he explained.
	"Went over as far as thuh land of Garif, made a few deals, nuthin' bad...no sign of James still."
	"And what of Farthing Wood?" asked Navarro.
	"Nuthin' there, but because they owe us  a favour they said they'll keep an eye out for i'm, we got 'em their own li'l skiff that'll zip through thuh continent in lahk two days flat for anythin' we need."
	"That is good, kupo.  And you are certain he's not left, as in completely from this world?"
	"I've seen the way he leaves worlds," said Kruz, "with a flash of blue and nothing else, trust me I saw neither."
	"He's righ'," said Roy confident, "when him or me leave anyplace bah teleportation, we always got a blue flash an' a keyword in our heads, that's thuh only way we gonna leave sumplace."
	"But this thing had followed him across dimensions," added Dahlia, "is it not possible that thing may have also taken him?"
	"Ah dunno...but that's no reason for me to stop searchin', ahm not leavin' this place until ah find out where FG went, there's gotta be sum clue as to where he's got to."
	"Hopefully...I feel as if I am to blame for this."
	"No you are not," said Berniere, "my former friends are to blame, not you, and I have no idea where they have got to.  When I find them there will be justice for what they have done to you, I swear upon it."
	"Thank you...I'm...I'm sorry your friends did-"
	"Enough!"
A slight frustration crept into the moogle's voice as he rubbed his furrowed brow, bending forwards
	"S-sorry I...I am just so frustrated I can not do more to aid you, kupo.  I am the one who should be sorry, after all my clan has put you through.  Naturally Clan Herne is no more as of this betrayal but...Enoch is what hurts me the most."
	"Enoch?" asked Fayne.  "Why him particularly?"
	"I trusted him the most, he was always very studious and very logical, very level-headed...and to think that he got roped into some scheme by Margaret I cannot think...what could possibly have compelled him other than by forceful intervention, kupo."
	"Blackmail perhapsszh?"
	"Enoch is a clean slate, he came from a prodigious background of Archades and was a teacher's pet, if anything he makes the Judges look like criminals!"
	"HAH!" cackled Baldwin.  "That'sszh a new one."
	"But the fact remains," added Navarro, "that James is now missing still from whatever this anomaly was, we have no idea how it connects to your former people's conspiracy, kupo."
	"I sszhtill don't undersszhtand that word that thing sszhpoke, 'Tohmalag'?  Fayne an' mother went through all the booksszh and they found nothing about it."
	"I do not know either," replied Berniere.  "But I do know one thing.  Who needs more hot chocolate?"
	"Ah do!" shouted Roy with his hand up.  "No cinnamon for me though, just stir it righ' up with more chocolate!"
	"Cinnamon for me," replied Kruz, "I really need something to warm my bones..."
Unknown amongst all of them, Kruz had cautiously slid his hand down towards Fayne's rear and squeezed it naughtily causing the bishop to practice an utmost patience to not yelp out of sheer panic.  His crotch thrust forwards slightly with the tiniest of winces as he cautiously bit his lip, looking up at the kremling who simply winked back at him rather sneakily causing Fayne to blush hotly.
	"I-i-iiii would like sszhome cocoa too pleasszhe make mine sszhyrup!"
	"Brandy for me!" cried Baldwin.
	"Hokay fine fine!" clamoured Berniere.  "At this rate I should be charging you, kupo!"
Chuckling at what he got himself into the male moogle headed back towards the kitchen to grab everybody's orders amongst the regular staff who allowed him by his reputation.  The kitchen which was just one of many in the cathedral, allowed a sumptuous rectangular workplace of all fruits, vegetables and meats being currently allocated by a studiously clerical staff.  Inbetween an adoring fan here or there, he asked with permission to make more mugs of hot chocolate with cinnamon, chocolate crumbs and syrup in separate cups.
	"Hmmmm...is there any brandy in this kitchen kupo?"
	"Why yeeees."
	"G-GUH!"
Hearing a warbly voice slither into his ear he almost fell back against the floor seeing Mother Mariel smiling from the darkness outside the door near a stairway, the moogle gasping to compose himself.
	"D-d-don't DO that madame!"
	"Hmhmhmhm, sorry, I do so love to see faces surprised at me, it shows me everything they are."
	"...um...w-well I-"
	"Let me grab you some brandy...I could do with a bit myself after all  that singing from the church steps."
Gingerly walking through the kitchen as workers moved around her like orbiting spheres of the heavens proffering roast measts and fresh-cut leaves of lettuce, the nu-mou bent down a little to grab one bottle with sepia colour from the cooling rack in the corner.
	"Ahhhh yes here we are, Bardorba four-six-two, very fine year with a raspy warmth that will go perfectly with hot chocolate.  I remember when this was first made, hohohoho, mister Bardorba's son was a VERY fine man."
Heading back over she poured a glass for herself to drink as well as winking at the moogle with a dash of brandy into the hot chocolate offered as Berniere nodded.
	"Thank you, kupo.  And uh, how are you madame Mariel?"
	"Well as can be, thank you Berniere."
	"I hope the cold has not been harsh on you."
	"Hmhmhm, I can no longer feel cold thank you."
	"Pardon?"
	"You need not worry about me."
With a grin of confidence her eyes creased sweetly as Berniere looked at her oddly.  He could not help but ask however with pondering eye raised up to the stooped matron.
	"Did you ever manage to make any breakthroughs on the Sercian Stone?"
	"Quite a bit, I told madame Navarro also that the stone she collected from Farthing Wood also connects with it very eerily.  Almost as if both stones are of the perfect property towards each other."
	"Really?  But the Sercian Stone was nowhere near to be found by northeast Valendia."
	"And yet they are like brother and sister, perfectly combined with all their faults and sweetness.  When placing the two together I found no effect other than by an odd pulsating through the mist as if it were trying to call a signal to something.  I have seen that sort of thing before and I have told Clan Koridai also this...that those two stones have a sort of connection towards some place, and so they must unlock something.  But as to what I do not know."
	"You think it might be some sort of activation key, kupo?"
	"I think so, and that is why we must keep it safely locked in the cathedral reliquary, lest your...dearest friends cause a greater cataclysm."
He looked downwards with a deepened shame closing his fist bitterly.  She put a hand on his shoulder giving the sweetest smile she could give.
	"I am sorry Berniere...but you are among friends here, and should we ever capture those two I will make certain that you are called forth to give them judgement."
	"For which criminal act?"
	"Any that they achieve."
	"Hmm..."

With gentle hands he took the tray of mugs off the counter and headed back towards the reading room, the mother accompanying him through the bleak stone halls as winter's light began to fade from the windows turning from ice crisp to a wilting rose sunset.  Returning perhaps not more than fifteen minutes later as Roy kept everyone busy with a tale or two amidst giggling fits inbetween people, the five of them all sitting around the fire on three seats.
	"So, we were in this alley, fourteen guys bearin' down on us behind thuh casino an' thuh professor is lahk 'Roy, would you mind covering me for a moment?' an' ahm lahk 'uhm professor we got noplace to go' but ah do whut he says an' ahm hurlin' these fireballs back at dudes AN' HE PULLS OUT A GODDAMN MACHINE GUN!"
	"A WHAT?!" asked Baldwin.
	"He made a goddamn rapid-firin' gun, out of a slot machine, basically a machine that you put money in an-"
	"Wait, why would you put money in a masszheen?"
	"It's a tourist thing, don' worry about it, thuh point is he actually managed to make a machine gun that fired MONEY at people!  An' all these coins are jus' poppin' off lahk bullets goin' budududududududu, but they ain't lethal cuz they just well, coins an' just smackin' these gangsters all up in their face batterin' 'em left an' righ' an' they can't do shit!"
	"A gun that fires MONEY?!" gasped Dahlia.  "Wh-what is tha-hhhhahahahahaha, oh-ho-how absurd!"
	"An' ah just go 'whut thuh hell, how did you make that!?' an' then he turns to me an', ah swear, cool as fuck without thuh slightest quiver in his voice, told me 'don't worry, I've done this before my dear Roy'."
Roy could only throw his hands up with utter shock at reliving this tale as the people around him also turned raucously surprised with laughter at such a bizarre story.  Berniere handed them all round their chosen drinks as he sat with them along with Mariel keeping close to the fire gladly.  After everyone had been warmed up with good spirits they all decided to busy themselves with various tasks with Mariel being first to break up the group putting a hand on Dahlia's shoulder.
	"Sorry to have to borrow your little lady but I believe it's time for our weekly ritual."
	"O-oh...today?" asked the fair lady.
	"But of course...come with me miss Orosco, I hope you are a lot more sturdy this week to handle my...capabilities."
	"W-w-well...I lasted twice as long ice skating before I fell over if that...counts?"
	"...no, I'm sure it doesn't, hohohoho."
With a tender pinch to the younger nu-mou's cheeks, the old matron took her off towards the darkness of the stairwell far beyond, heading downwards into the deepest cellars of the cathedral for private mental training.  Kruz and Fayne also took this opportunity to abscond elsewhere with Baldwin shooting up asking:
	"Hey-ey, where you goin'?!"
	"Um," stammered Fayne, "my room, we...have to practisszhe you know, my training with Kruzzh?"
	"Ohhhh right that uhhhh that fitnesszh thing...whasszhit called?"
	"Yoga," said Kruz gladly, "just to keep his muscles limber, I mean sitting on your butt all day reading's just not going to do you any good, don't want his legs turning weak after all.  And no offence to you but...your regime is rather tough on Fayne and I've got a much more smooth and easier-to-maintain routine for beginners with less muscle."
	"Hah, yeaaaaah you really got to get out more often bro, you don't walk asszh much asszh you usszhed to."
	"I walk plenty enough!" cried Fayne defensively.
	"Yeah right, lasszht I sszhaw you after you were done with Kruzzh you looked like you were walking funny!"
Deeply blushing the cleric struggled to hide his face whilst the kremling withheld his smirk with the patience of a saint.  Roy, Berniere and Navarro looked at each other with awkward looks as Roy mouthed "reaaaaaaaally?!" to them, whilst Fayne stuttered rapidly:
	"I-i-i-i sszhprained my hamsszhtring, that'sszh all, I overexsszheeded mysszhelf and nothing more!"
	"And that's why I'm going to be more careful," replied Kruz putting a hand on Fayne's shoulder, "we've just got to strengthen those glutes, you keep your rump nicely toned it'll all work out for you with your legs."
	"Ah, r-right.  Yesszh."
	"Hey uh Baldwin!" cried Roy to distract him.  "Since your brother's off gettin' physical, whut say you an' me have a li'l competition?"
	"Huh?"
	"You know, our uh...competition?"
The raptor winked knowingly at Baldwin who nodded with a filthy chuckle.
	"Ehhhhehehehehe, ohhh yeah totally!  I mean got nothin' elsszhe to do sszho let'sszh do it!"
	"Race ya to thuh gym, later baby bird!"
The bangaa monk dashed off towards a private room with Roy trailing up behind him by a jog as he winked to Fayne and Kruz with a knowing nod as Navarro was left on her lonesome beside Berniere.  The two moogles simply drank up to slowly savour the atmosphere of silence, the fire crackling by itself humbly as they sipped their hot chocolate pleasantly.  The male moogle could not help himself from noting with a gentle smile:
	"You're looking a lot better than last we met, kupo."
	"Hm, I should say the same for you, kupo."
	"Hhhahahhaha...you look good wearing that medal."
	"I should hope so, considering you gave that to me."
	"Well I think that you are still a knight by all accounts at least in my opinion so..."
He finished his own drink first with a heated breath and leaned back enjoying the softness of his seat, his head rearing back to gaze upon the ceiling with its greyish gothic brickwork like everything else about the cathedral.
	"It's very nice of the church to give us some place to be accommodated kupo."
	"It is, I was not expecting such good hospitality but after all we have been through I think that's their way of repaying us."
	"Hmmm...how is Dahlia faring ever since the...esper incident?"
	"Doing very well, kupo.  Mariel has been instructing her on how to control her inner feelings, a surprising woman of great mental strength despite her age."
	"People forget there are stronger beings besides warriors and knights such as we, kupo."
	"Quite...she's come through a great many months after her ordeal, plus that what we already know about her-"
	"Did she actually say that Eidolum incident was her?"
	"She told us," explained Navarro, "promptly as of two months hence, kupo.  It was...quite distressing after all we had been through but slowly we had come to accept it as but a thing of the past...and despite all that had been we do not blame her one bit for the incident regardless of how many had been lost.  Dahlia is a kindly wonderful intelligent woman, and she has frankly shown incredible mental strength to have come this far without completely falling apart...at least until she started to a few months before James' disappearance."
The male shook his head looking slightly towards the fire 
	"I cannot even imagine that girl having that much blood on her conscience...such shameful circumstances."
	"She was not to blame, I will defend her if anything happens."
	"I know you will...you are fiercely loyal that way, your greatest strength I always thought admirable, kupo."
	"Hm.  Never harmed your reputation through everything."
	"Yes, hmhmhaha!  I could never trade anyone else for you Navarro.  You always had my back, and I know too that I always have yours."
	"You do.  You always have it, kupo."
The two clinked mugs as a symbol of trust despite having emptied them as they let silence fall over them once again.  And yet, there was a look in the male moogle's eyes that Navarro found somewhat off-putting, the way he stared into the fire with growing severity as his muscles began turning tense.  The sound of the crackling flames had become overwhelming, as his eyes turned listless and almost began to fall asleep before Navarro asked him:
	"Are you...alright Berniere?"
	"......mmm?"
	"I know the past few months have been especially tiresome to you but-"
	"It's not...the past, I am fine kupo.  But thank you."
Turning with a soft smile, he began to yawn softly with a brief smack of his lips, the warmth starting to soothe him as he did everything he could to relax completely.
	"OOooooyyyyyyyy I am starting to feel tired, maybe I should go sleep a little."
	"A good nap can do wonders kupo," agreed Rocino.
	"Indeed.  Um...you should tell Dahlia how you feel."
	"What?"
He stood up as he patted her on the shoulder in brief passing towards his guest room.
	"Remember what I said, just because you know does not mean that they do.  She has suffered greatly and needs to know after hearing clearly that she has somebody on her side.  Not everyone is as intuitive as you, you may recall."
	"I see...I...do remember that advice."
	"Good.  Night night, Navarro."
	"Sleep well...Berniere."

Far away from the warmth there was a different story between two people in the musty depths of Lea Monde's undercurrent.  A dark decrepit old room that was previously known to be a wine cellar before everything had been moved due to being difficult to access before.  Dahlia hated this room, but she understood why it was necessary as mother Mariel cautiously walked forwards into the gloom of darkness.
With trembling fingers that began to snap wide with the subtle glint of magic, the light of a dozen generations poured through the place as every torch suddenly flickered into existence revealing an old abandoned storage area.  A walled rectangular stone room where the bricks had turned to an earthen brown colour in the midst of shimmering torchlight with large worn alcoves where the liquor had been kept.  The first thing Dahlia saw, like always in this ritual, was madame Mariel shedding her cloak freely rendering herself completely naked.
The mark of the Blood-Sin firmly embedded itself within her old withered skin, sagging all across her body despite an exorbitantly strong muscular definition composed on her flesh.  Pulsing with an eternal Dark, the matron began chanting as her voice echoed across the ancient storage room as the darkness became tangible upon herself, wrapping around her feet like a nest of vipers seeping from within.  Blood of this earth, the great history of Lea Monde untold at a tragic cost as her voice became darker and more wretched with every sentence.
	"Audite me, fratres estis, ut a somno exsuscitem sanguine urbe mea.  Afferte mihi tenebrosa veste induere carnem esse noctem aurora Lea Monde.  Sicque, sic ero, in saecula saeculorum.  Amen."
The nu-mou turned towards the younger as her eyes had become black with death, her breasts sagging beneath her elbows as she stood upright with a snapping of her spine forcing against the wear of age as shadows began flickering in the light.  Her fur had withered to a rakish grey like a fine stiff brush, her vulva quite exposed and certainly more pronounced as a wilting pair of lips.
	"Disrobe yourself, please."
	"A-a-alright...i-it's a bit cold though-"
	"That will become part of your mental training, my young child."
	"Y-yes...I understand."
Sleekly pulling off her robe, Dahlia kept only her bifocals on which glimmered with a slightly golden light amidst the torches.  Her body a soft coat of brown, paling with her breasts somewhat around a lighter D-cup not yet weighed down by age.  The white mage struggled to resist the urge to cover herself, showing her own vagina as still healthy and unmatted with more fur covering over it.  Her tail however was still horribly covered in burnt skin of old, with blanched paling hairs desperately struggling to hang on like the feeble flora of the wasteland.
	"Are you cold?"
	"Y-y-yes...quite a bit."
	"Good, that will sharpen the mind for you, little one.  Are you afraid?"
Her shadow grew upon the walls overreaching far beyond her.
	"Do you feel frightened?"
Darkness swept through across the hall as the shadow became something else.
	"What darkness...have you felt inside you?"
The vision on the walls turned the old nu-mou's face into a silently shrieking monster, long-snouted almost to a pointed beak as the shape of skulls replaced its breasts, jaws cracked wide open by an endless scream as tongues flickered out towards Dahlia.  She felt the darkness taste her, licking across her by a cold deathly still as she stood firm gritting her teeth.
	"No.  I am NOT afraid."
	"Do you believe that...or is that your wishful desire?"
	"I believe.  I am not afraid, I will show you my fear in death.  Fithos.  Lusec.  Wecos!  VINOSEC!"
Voicing her incantation louder with every word, she felt the weakening essence of her containment as the esper burst through with a smouldering hot red mist.  The darkening gemstone pulsated with a raw energy as her eyes, mouth and ears fumed with amber and green oozing out of her body, gasping as the power burned her from within before she slowly staggered forwards with tremorous voice.
	"I...we...are ready for you, madame Mariel."
	"Are you?  Is he at first-level summoning?"
	"Yes...he...I only but need his hand for this, not his entire body."
	"Good...let us prove your strength to the testaments of this existence."
With a stomp of her foot, the dust swept in a widening circle from the Blood-Sin embodiment as she striked towards Dahlia first, wreathing venomous coils into one single twisting spear across the walls.  But the younger nu-mou struck back, her hand balling up with lightning crackling along her fingers forming a mighty backhand across the hall, briefly giving a silhouette of red-scaled claws upon her fist.  Sparks of white flashed across the walls revealing Dahlia's shadow transformed to a monstrous draconic visage, the very shape of Adrammelech pulmonating inside of her.
Mariel smiled nodding from her cold undead eyes as she spun with sudden grace, her bones snapping out of joint forcing her body against its physical limit with her back turned towards Orosco.  With one foot she stood, the symbol upon her back lighting up to send burning hot flames across the floor the colour of night as Dahlia swiftly dodged to her left, the sound of wings flapping ominously from upon the walls.  Her counterattack came in the form of a thunderous stream, shriking across the hall back towards Mariel.

Suddenly half the room went dark, a deep breath borne from the old nu-mou's throat that blew out the torches near her casting into darkness.  Lightning screeched across where she once stood lighting up the shadowed floor but there was nothing there, no trace of anything.  The torches flickered back on revived by their own brief will as Mariel reappeared back where she stood, chuckling deviously towards the fog-covered Dahlia, her power rancorously emanating from every orifice in her body.
	"Not bad...but you must learn to train his hand faster than darkness itself."
As she said this, the shifting shadows upon the walls suddenly sprouted dark tentacled forms from Mariel's silhouette, rippling across the walls and wrapping tightly across Dahlia's arms.  The white-mage shrieked, falling back to find her fur suddenly spread out on her arms as if an invisible hand was roughly assaulting her, responding with a vicious stomp that tore lightning through her very body.  Summoning an innate force into her, she gasped pulsing out with electric charge that forced the tentacles to retreat from her shadow.
In response Dahlia almost instantly slammed her fist into the very ground forcing a bolt of solid blue to course through the cobblestones towards Mariel.  The matron of the cathedral simply smiled before she summoned another shadow upon the wall, which in reality was invisible to the naked eye as she grabbed it before her.  The invisible length pointed downwards and cracked hard upon solid stone breaking it underneath, the lightning forced to divert itself violently towards one direction as if repelled by her force.
Madame Mariel raised her "staff" into the air as Dahlia watched the shadows cautiously from the corner of her eye watching it dissipate into a ball of serpents, an almost biblical act of transformation as the vipers silently crawled towards her.  The problem was, they were beneath the line of the torches' radius, leaving them in total darkness truly unseen.  The summoner closed her eyes fearlessly and breathed softly, trying to pick up the odd sensations throughout the air.
Something was moving towards her left foot, she felt the subtle shift almost like the wind turning direction on one's fingers as she pulsed with static aura to check for subdermal vibrations.  So long as it had a form, it could be detected as she suddenly leapt back just before the darkness struck.  Something lashed out, the air passing briefly from its existence as another striking snap came towards her right heel which turned and jumped with a shockblast of electricity underneath, the sounds of shrieking pain trickling inside her ear faintly from another plane of existence.
Her success was short-lived however when something viciously tore in her thigh, a serpentine tenebrously sinking its fangs as blood dripped suddenly down her left leg.  Gasping with a cry of anguish, the darkness smouldered within as she felt pain become rage, eyes glowering as she forced herself to resist.  Madame Mariel noticed this and softly walked towards her, the lights flickering out once more to leave the entire room in darkness.  Then she reappeared with the torches once more lit with hands behind her back to Dahlia's front left.
	"Are you angry?"
She disappeared into darkness, reappearing with the light on her right.
	"Do you burn with fury?"
Darkness took her once again, the light revealing her once more standing almost inches away from the young mage.
	"Do you desire...destruction?"
	"NO!" roared the summoner.  "I...I will hurt you...as far as I want to...but nothing more."
	"Then hurt me...child of the lightning storm."
	"RRRAAAAARGH!"
Swiping her fist as she struggled to control herself, lightning boomed with deafening shockwave from her mist-covered fingers as Mariel dodged with spine almost snapping backwards fully.  Creaking bones forced against their will by the old woman's mind, her legs never once moved as she shifted her entire upper body to prevent being struck by Dahlia's burning fist.  Left, right, left her head went in the blink of an eye as Dahlia shrieked trying to contain her wroth, the matron even bowing forwards to avoid a ruthless sweeping haymaker that tore at the speed of lightning, pummelling the very air itself with such furious electricity that it almost singed the old mother's cheeks.
Wrapped within close combat, the motherly vessel swiped with what appeared to be a gentle fist not even touching Dahlia's face but her shadow had proved otherwise, a vile rectangular length that suddenly sent her flying.  The young nu-mou screeched, the pain of such vicious bluntness like a mace across her skull before rolling across the floor.  Stumbling back up, blood welted itself as a thickening purple bruise on her face as she crunched her knuckles tight rubbing her thumb across them, a deepening rumble burning at the back of her throat.
Madame Mariel watched with anticipation but had not expected Dahlia's next move truly.  Her shadow went flying across the room as a winged beast, the power of the esper now projecting itself as a white-hot vision before the old nu-mou's face, daring her to blink and miss the sharp lightning claws that carved into her chest, like a pitchfork swung down upon her head.  Screaming as she fell back, the horrifying pain charred through her diaphragm as she gasped viciously to gulp back air into her withered lungs.
	"HHHHH!  HHHhhh...not...bad, my little one.  Now you shall have a taste of Lea Monde HERSELF!"

Shrieking like a harpy as her eyes burned fiercely with grave darkness deeper than anything ever seen, from which no light could escape, she cast the Dark across the hall sending pitch black to every single torch leaving Dahlia blind to her mortal senses.  But her subdermal senses using the static of Adrammelech's natural state gave her an advantage as she fed charges gently through the air feeling something approach her, rapidly, like a barracuda hunting across the lake diving and breeching across the waters as darkness pooled in front of her vision.
Netherous smog burst through seeing Mariel lunge forth, a demon cloaked within the essence of Lea Monde's blood-festooned history as she striked out with vicious claws formed from the twisting tendrils of the Dark.  Dahlia swung back, rearing her head as she struck out with lightning fist, their shadows lit up only by a brief instant upon every strike she made as bolts of blue tore through their very bodies.  Every clash the room exploded with white, Mariel's shadow a twisting clawed beast versus Dahlia's esper-ridden form.
The mother's shadow swung its claws violently, slicing left, right and upwards despite her physical body looking rather feeble in doing so.  But Dahlia knew not to underestimate her, her own summon's silhouette tearing across the air itself with its long bristling talons of tremulous fulmination.  The briefest flashes showed the two creatures battling across another plane beneath the mortal existence, yet still able to rip flesh and tear blood from their bodies as Dahlia desperately blocked all she could.
Gashing sweeps of invisible nails struck against her esper's being, raking her shoulder hard as she failed to guard against one attack, before the second overhead swing she fought against by a ruthless one-two punch.  First one charged through the air as a blasting uppercut that shrieked blue towards the roof, whilst the other fist slammed wrathfully to break through Mariel's nose snapping it harshly.  Her only consolation despite the welting pain tearing inside her face was that her blood had long stilled itself to a fine crawl and barely dripped from her undead self.
Slithering coils swiped across the floor forcing Dahlia to leap with a sudden shock, bursting from her being as the esper guarded her by her innate command over it.  A little late to almost wrap its essence around her foot but she now had the opportunity to drive a ball of lightning from her foot and kick viciously into Mariel's chin, making her snap backwards before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
Reappearing behind Dahlia, the old nu-mou grabbed her violently as her fingers scored deeply into her skin, seeping into the flesh as the young blood ran freely down her fingers.  Demoniac sounds came whispering from the matron's throat before Dahlia remained firm and forced her backwards by a mighty sweep of wings invisible, buffering back with a furious gust of wind before turning fast and dashing forwards.  The old keeper of Lea Monde found herself being pushed against the wall roughly cracking her head against the cobbled stone before sinking into the darkness.
Fading into the wall as if consumed by her own shadow, she reappeared from Dahlia's left as the young nu-mou blasted down five sparks tearing through the storage room floor by the same points of a star.  Mariel managed to dodge two by forcing them onto other directions away from her as her shadow formed a wicked-looking sabre from her tenebrous existence.  Orosco managed to catch a glimpse of it by the lightning upon the walls, ducking fast before the sweeping fist of mother Mariel's Dark across her face.
With one final punch bursting lightning into her stomach, the white-mage turned summoner bolted a hot fire roaring through her lungs as she gasped coughing backwards with a cancerous heat.  She staggered slightly, surprisingly no worse for wear as the Dark helped soothe her wounds with the deathly cold that accompanied it.  The most cleansing feeling she ever did felt in her existence, a salve with the warmth of gravedirt as she gently turned back on the lights from torches to the entire place.  Seeing her younger protege bleed clearly from at least four different places, she nodded proudly at her tutorage for this week.
	"Good.  Very good...you are certainly far improving than you ever did before, my sweet little Orosco."
	"Are we...done, for now?"
	"Yes.  You may recede his influence upon you."

Murmuring the same incantation but in backwards perfectly, Dahlia managed to draw the great essence of the esper back into herself without problem, the monster submitting to its plain vessel as she gasped tearfully onto the floor harshly.  Blood poured from her lips as the mist began to recede from her orifices, squeezing her shoulder tightly trying to compose herself to make a spell of healing.  Madame Mariel rather easily switched into her mortal self as if no difference had occurred with old bones creaking slightly as she hobbled forwards at her young student.
	"HHHHHHHH!  A-aaaaaaah...f-f...f-f-fuck."
	"Now now," said Mariel quaintly, "a lady must be courteous at all times."
	"Y-you just...tore into my shoulder you bloody witch."
	"Takes one to know one, I think that's fair after you electrocuted my diaphragm."
Taking her hand clasping gently, she let Dahlia focus as she tried to cast Cura on herself, managing to nurse her wounds to a better state of healing as the blood stopped oozing from her shoulder, left leg, arms and cheek with Mariel adding:
	"It's times like these I am thankful I have passed menopause."
	"N-not...p-passed through that yet."
	"Trust me, once you become an old spinster like me you will be glad your body starts to...dispose with some processes not needed."
	"Hhhhheh...hhhhh...d-do you know...once a man told me, back in college that he...couldn't trust something that would bleed for three days and not die?  I expected that he...did not date very often."
	"Hmph...I hope you had him bleed through his rectum for that comment."
	"I-i...I wanted to, badly."
	"But you didn't.  And that shows good restraint which is why I am noting a marked improvement upon your training my dearest girl."
	"Tha-...that was years ago."
	"I know.  But I saw you had good potential for it, now come on.  Up you get."
Cautiously pulling her up with her odd strength, the old matron gave a firm pat on her student's back as the two robed themselves before making their way back to the upstairs hobbling from the cathedral basements.  But not before Mariel gave a sly look and briskly took from beneath the darkened cellar step a bottle of purple-coloured wine hiding away in darkness, nodding by a wink which made Dahlia smirk greatly.
	"A gift," said the elder, "for your success continuing as a student."
	"A-are we really?"
	"Why not?  We are both skilled fearsome avatars and so too must we be treated...or else they shall suffer during our great conquest of the world upon its future."
	"Hhhahahahha, I'm not falling for that again, I told you you cannot take over the world madame Mariel."
	"No...but it's good to have standards for yourself to achieve constantly."
	"Hhhehehehehee...thank you...for all this, and um...helping everyone accept me for-"
	"I think considering what you've all been through, the last twenty-five years of your vagrant story would hardly matter to them."
	"I think...it should."
	"But it doesn't."
	"Are you sure?  I'm...I feel their looks on me but I am not sure if it is pity or fear that drives them to want me back."
	"Navarro clearly respects you, that I know.  As for Baldwin well, bless him, he's trying so hard to be liked by you I would tell you to put a leash on him for a more positive effect."
	"I-i wouldn't do that!"
	"I know.  Just informing you."
Grinning sweetly with clandestine chuckles of teasing words they went to find themselves a soft warm corner to toast and drink themselves within.  But on the other side of the cathedral there was to be another sort of activity strenuously testing another sort of limit entirely.

Sneaking off towards Fayne's room, Kruz watched the bishop neatly lock the door with his own key before leaving it firmly in its hole, the light from the windows turning a rather soft pinkish hue that gave Kruz the colour of sunset.
	"Doesn't your brother have a key too?" he asked Fayne.
	"He doesszh but we have a rule between usszh.  'If the key isszh in the lock, pray do not knock'.  At the very leasszht he doesszh resszhpect our privasszhy...even if he isszh ignorant of our uh-"
	"Yoga lesson...khhahah...I've heard that expression before or something like that.  Alright then...let's have our lesson."
He simply swept open his arms and awaited the boundless enthusiasm of the cleric grasping him by the waist before his hands slid straight up around his neck, hugging closely with a hot deep kiss between them as Kruz melted inside of it.  Warm pebbly scales rubbed against smoother tone as Fayne's ears swished gently amidst their tongues slipping into each other's moans as their eyes closed tightly.  Whimpering bliss from the bangaa, his knees turned slightly weak despite Kruz being a few inches shorter than him as he shuddered with delight.
	"HHhhhhhh...hhhhohhhh I misszhed you."
	"I know," said Kruz, "I'm sorry for being away for like a month bu-"
	"I know, I know, you are sszhtill sszhearching and I greatly appresszhiate you for it.  But you are here now that...isszh what mattersszh mosszht to me at thisszh moment."
With lips pressed against Kruz's head just above the ridge of his left eye where the medical eyepatch kept, tied behind the back of his head firmly, the cleric softly kissed all down his left cheek towards the neck itself.  Kruz in turn tasted Fayne's neck in turn, gently licking and smooching with their snouts keeping their heads a small distance apart in order to do so comfortably.
The light dancing across their scales and the floor turned things ever sweeter as if rose petals were mirroring the sun's rays upon them as Kruz's arms pulled Fayne by the lower waist, his left arm without hook for this as it rested firmly against the bishop's back.  Eventually they pulled back with one more kiss upon the lips as Kruz asked:
	"Shall I take you like a male...or a female today?"
	"M-male," said Fayne gasping, "I have been p-preparing mysszhelf after the-"
	"Khhheheheheh...you know I don't have to just take you by the rear, and you never have to do it  for my sake."
	"I want to...I...I enjoyed it desszhpite the...tightnesszh, much more than the...docking of my sszhlit."
	"Mmmmm you can get used to it...but alright, let's be traditional, come on over here."
Leading him towards Fayne's bed laid immaculately upon preparation for this time, the bishop slowly undressed himself as did Kruz pulling off his cloak and pants showing his crocodilian-like slit.  Already it had bulged to a fiendish lump from which his member sprouted hotly, eagerly anticipating the cleric's body as Fayne removed his mitre, disrobed his garments and stripped off his undershirt.  The sight of his yellowish-brown scaled rump made the skyfaring captain bite his lip, gazing upon the dark pucker underneath the long smooth tail.
Underneath that of course was Fayne's well-erect cock, a potent thick eight inches that was intimidating clearly for its huge width, requiring his whole hand to wrap around the base as he stroked himself bashfully.  But not before moving the bedsheets to his front so they could be pulled over them before Kruz ordered:
	"On your side, let's get you warmed up first."
	"Yesszh dear..."
With reddened blush across his features as he did as told, the bishop had limbs thinly without much exercise along with a delicate little paunch on his belly that made him all too adorable for Kruz who walked to behind him.  Slurping along his own finger to moisten it, he clambered onto the bed with his left arm pressed tenderly upon Fayne's thigh to steady himself, his hand teasing across the pucker to let him know before sliding in.
Gasping sweetly, Fayne's thigh twitched as the lean penetrating finger slid itself all the way in to the knuckle, the kremling feeling around to make certain all was good as well as to check his tightness.  He also loved to tease the bangaa, feeling around for that special place as he tickled along the walls cautiously pressing a second finger within his hot reptile taint.  The gasps turned louder as a slight "aah!" came from him, making Kruz chuckle toothily.
	"That feel good?"
	"Y-y-yesszh..h-hoh..."
	"You're feeling a lot more smooth than you were last before."
	"I...I-i-i have been...practisszhing with your gift."
	"Mmmmhmhmhmhm...good boy, always nice to see you're so studious to learn something new."
Creasing his cheeks with hands clasped tightly in embarrassment, Fayne almost his face before Kruz leaned over to hotly kiss him by the lips, forcing his tongue into the bishop's mouth to stop him from hesitation.  The two fingers stuffing themselves to the hilt made him gasp into Kruz's throat, moaning as he gave in to the kremling's suckling dominance, his tongue submitting to be caressed by Kruz's own.
	"Mmmmmmm...there."
His fingers slid free from the cleric's rump cleanly as he walked his way round the bed towards Fayne's front.
	"Nice and ready."
	"Hoh thank goodnesszh."
	"Now...why don't you get ME ready for that cute rump of yours?"
	"C-c-cute?"
	"Mmhmmm."
A stridant seven inches appeared before Fayne with a large knot-like base swelling out to push free from the swollen slit.  The thick scent of male needs wafted to his nostrils as he slowly opened his mouth and suckled on the tip.  The kremling petted him with his single hand holding firmly by the back of Fayne's head as slowly he began to sink into the warmth of the cleric's mouth.
	"Ohhhhhh...that's a good boy."
	"Mm-mmmmph...glk...mmmmmhhhh..."
	"You love that don't you?  Cute big boy, take it all inside you...like your ass is going to in about a minute."
	"Mmmhmm!  Hhhhmmmmm..."

Fiendishly blushing as he heard this, Fayne swallowed the entire length with ease thanks to his longer snout whimpering as his lips pressed against the knotted base, suckling warmly upon it.  The sweetest sounds came from him as he half-closed his eyes whilst Kruz simply slid his cock back and forth, softly bumping his slit against Fayne's nostrils as the bishop began to pre down his sheets.  He moved his hand down towards his length to please himself but Kruz stayed his hand with a firm press of his left arm on the bishop's hand.
	"No no no...you don't need to do anything Fayne...I'll make you cum without using a hand on you."
	"M-mmmmmhhhh!"
Trickling a squirt of excitement from his bangaa meat, Fayne looked up at Kruz crinkling his cheeks before the kremling slided out looking pleased at his lubed length dripping with hot saliva.  Moving round back towards Fayne's back on the bed he climbed in behind the cleric and wrapped his arms firmly across the bangaa's waist as his cock rubbed against the rump nearing the base of his tail.  He did his best to relax waiting for his lover's heat, slowly nearing his pucker winking nervously before the cocktip pushed in.
	"A-aaah!"
	"Ssshhhhhh...that's it...just let that sink in...my sweet bishop."
He breached past the ring as the head of his throbbing warmth became consumed by Fayne's body, spreading his cheeks a little wider as the first three inches slipped in neatly.  Kruz shifted himself to straighten his body as he pushed in deeply, managing to hilt inside until his base rubbed thickly against the bangaa's skin.
	"H-Hhhhoh!  O-OH, K-kruzzh..."
	"Sshhhhh it's alright...just take it easy...now...let's pick this up."
Leaning over to plant a kiss on his cheek, the kremling began pulling out before he pumped back in, surprised at how loosened his lover had become grinning at this self-training.  He could imagine gladly the sight of the bangaa in his robes ecclesiastical, the light dappled upon his face whilst taking a long firm dildo inside himself, greased to perfection with panting hot bliss.  His beaming eyes clenched tight trying to resist the urge to squeeze himself onto the invading length, moaning deeply to himself as his hips bucked against the air throbbing with erection inside his robes.
Hearing Fayne's gasp and wince with joy only made Kruz's imaginings all the more real, his eyes reopening as he kissed upon the bishop's neck, nipping with his teeth to send a little twitch of pleasure as he thrust more assertively.  Feeling less resistance encouraged him onwards, picking up the pace as his rhythm began with hefty slaps of his hips grappling Fayne close to his body.  The slight suck of the sweet pucker around his cock could be heard everytime he pulled back before it was swallowed back into the wondrous body heat.
	"OH!  H-HOH GODSSZH!  Kruzzh, f-fill me Kruzzh I b-beg of you!"
	"You don't have to beg...mmmmph...ohhh...ohhhh Fayne...gods I missed this."
	"A-aaah!  Hohhhh god-NNNGH...m-more, prithee, I want...I need all of you insszhide me."
	"We...can arrange tha-AAAH!"
	"OHHHH!  KRUZZH!"
He felt himself nearly spurt, but not yet as he leaned over Fayne giving him one deep kiss in the midst of feeling orgasm approach.  The cleric moaned into his throat, drooling slightly from his lips in feverish anticipation as their tongues waltzed briefly amidst the throes of passion that incensed them.  Scaled bodies moved grinding against each other burning with raw heat, as Kruz felt his muscles tense.  He couldn't even stop himself thrusting forwards as he stuffed himself fully, grinding his cock within Fayne's walls as hot love filled him completely.
His eyes fluttered briefly, rippling through his lower body as the sensation of that warm kremling seed came to him once more, sighing deeply into Kruz's throat as their kiss slowed down to a tender dance.  An oral embrace as their moans went together with Kruz's finishing last thrusts as his cum ran down his cock, dripping along Fayne's rump cheek as their tongues parted at last, panting gratefully with a spider's web of saliva shining between as Fayne sighed with:
	"Ohhhhh...ohhhh thank you..."
	"Khhhmmmhmhmhm...such a sweet thing."
He kissed him on the cheek but noticed something down below, seeing Fayne was still leaking hard and had not cum just yet.  Moving his arm downwards the cleric stopped him with a teasing nod and wink.
	"A-a-ah, you sszhaid you would not usszhe your hand."
	"I'm not."
His left arm went down as he began to rub the metal stump slowly across the cleric's meat making Fayne gasp strangely at the lukewarm solid steel.
	"H-Hhhhh...wh-what are you-"
	"Juuuust wait..."

With gentle gliding strokes of the smooth steel end he found the right vein pulsating on the underside of the bishop's member, pressing on it firmly to plant it against Fayne's lower belly.  Pinned down between metal and flesh, he slowly began to apply pressure up and down the various points of it, gently stroking along one vein which drove the bangaa into a wild frenzy of lust as he began to buck desperately.  He was already near his breaking point as the pre spilt down the warming steel glistening as its rounded top pressed teasingly on the vein.
	"OHHH...A-A-AAANNNGH!"
	"Khhehehehe...I told you...now cum for me...come on...baptise me with your holy seed."
	"G-g-godsszh, OHHH, PLEASSZHE!"
	"That's it...come on, you're almost there my love."
	"A-ah...aaah...th-there, right there-A-AAAAH!  OHHH KRUZZH I-NNNNNPH!"
Finally he was free, his seed pulsing out from his cock viciously onto himself as he sprayed upwards, lathering his chest and squeezing his muscles around Kruz's meat inside him still.  The kremling relished the extra tightness milking his cock for that bit more seed as his single hand scooped up whatever cum had been left on the cleric's belly and licked it off clean, relishing the taste with a naughty slurp across Fayne's gasping cheek.
	"Mmmmmmm...was that good?"
	"Ohhh yessszh," murmured Fayne, "it...hhhhh sszhomehow better than the lasszht time we did it."
	"Mmmmmhmhmhmhm...maybe because you're now taking it like a real man."
	"I would hope sszho......I feel sszho...complete thanksszh to you.  I can't ever thank you enough for thisszh."
	"Mmmmmmmmm...you can thank me one way."
	"Oh?"
Saying this as he turned his head, the bishop softly kissed Kruz on the lips as the kremling leaned over slightly, raising himself on his right arm to embrace their lips, a suckling kiss briefly interspersed between their tongues' last dance slowly before they gently laid against each other by a spooning position, the kremling behind the cleric giving another soft kiss to one of Fayne's long ears as warm misty breath washed over him.
His cock remained still within Fayne's rear until it would retreat to rest itself, and once he felt it leave he would roll softly to his other side to stare at Kruz, with eyes glistening overwhelmed before he laid his head against the kremling's shoulder.  His left arm wrapped around the cleric's head in turn to cuddle him close.
	"I love you Kruzzh...my...dearesszht Kruzzh."
He smiled down upon Fayne as a look of sadness came upon his features never noticed by the cleric before kissing Fayne on the head.
	"...I love you too Fayne.  I'll always love you...no matter what."
Closing their eyes softly, they let time pass away in what felt like the span of seconds but had moreso been at least ten minutes of sweet silence cozying in Fayne's bed on a cold winter's eve.  Smiling up towards the ceiling wistfully, Kruz hung his right arm over the side of the bed and thought that he felt something, a book of some sort.  Cautiously picking it up, he found it was indeed a special book, well-read through as he chuckled.
	"Weeeellll-heh-heh-heeeellll."
	"Hmm?"
	"Good to see I haven't COMPLETELY turned you gay despite my hardest efforts being with you."
The kremling pulled up the journal from underneath the bed showing it to Fayne who pulled his head up from Kruz's chest showing a surprisingly realistic portrait of a rather strikingly naked hume female showing off her gorgeous black skin.  Pendulous breasts and bare ebony transfixed within the sunset cliffs, the cleric blushed violently fast covering up his snout with the sheets.
	"NNNNNnnngh!"
	"Khhhahaha, whaaaat come on you've got your urges it's fine!"
	"I-i-i...I thought I had put that away before you'd come round."
	"Why?  ...thumbing through it for inspiration?"
	"N-n-not...quite I wasszh merely perusszhing sszhome old favouritesszh of mine."
	"I'm surprised this is not sticky."
	"I take GREAT care of it."
	"So who's your favourite then?  ...come ooooon Fayne tell me, none of these ladies do anything for me but they must do something for you still...don't they?"
The bangaa looked over to him with a nervous disposition, trying not to smile from awkwardness.
	"You...you don't...mind?"
	"Nooooo of course not come on, we're together now Fayne I want to know what makes you tick."
	"W-well...alright then, I sszhupposszhe you can casszht a more...unbiasszhed look upon them, let me sszhee."
Taking the pornographic journal he thumbed through the pages with practiced memory before dotting down upon one page especially, a rather sexy nu-mou with prodigiously large cleavage that definitely went over to G-cup territory.  She was leaning back across the desk of what appeared to be a rather mild-looking bookstore, packed shelves all around her with ravishing fur like silver and nicely chunky thighs as Kruz smirked.
	"Oooooooh...she looks after her fur nicely."
	"That'sszh not the besszht part.  Look at thisszh."
Turning the page over, there was an immaculate view of the same nu-mou now bending her ass over the desk giving full beauty shot of both pucker and pussy, her tail lifted up by one hand as she gasped coquettishly with a finger to her lower lip.  The kremling could not help but whistle with appreciation.
	"Not baaaaaaad."
	"Sszhe isszh my favourite, Gorgeoussszh Misszh Ariesszh they call her but by GODSSZH her arsszhe looksszh magnifisszhent."
	"Khhheheha!  An ass man are we?!"
	"Y-yesszh I...have alwaysszh had a rather...great passzhion for the posszhterior and...t-tell the truth, one of my...greatesszht fantasszhiesszh wasszh to...take a female from the rear."
	"Ohhhhhhhhhh I can DEFINITELY relate to that."

Groping Fayne's posterior made the bishop yelp with hot blush as he creased with whimpering smirk as his enthusiasm lead him onwards, despite his hands rubbing feverishly together with nervous anticipation.
	"I bet you would like a night with her, bending herself over before you showing off that nice taint."
	"I...will not lie I have had many a night to mysszhelf wanting to take Misszh Ariesszh by her desszhk and......plow her ruthlesszhly until ssszhe begsszh me to sszhtop."
	"And will you, if she does?"
	"...o-only if it hurt too much...there are one or two ladiesszh I have known that rejected me out of fear for my um...prodigiousszh length."
	"Well to be fair it IS quite thick, I mean..."
Slipping a hand down underneath the sheets Fayne gasp slightly at the hand of the kremling slowly curling itself around his thick meat, barely able to press his fingers together at the base before he added:
	"I mean I managed to take it but, the anus is a lot more able to take things inside it than a...a uh-"
	"Vagina."
	"Yes...I think."
	"How would YOU know that?"
	"I spent seven years in Ivalice, practically eight, I had to learn SOMETHING out here."
	"Yeeeeeesszh..."
The kremling nudged him with a lewd wink however adding:
	"So, that ticks moogles off your list then?"
	"Wha-I-bu-you-"
	"Actually are there any moogles in this?"
	"Y-yesszh, why do you want to know?!"
	"I'm curious!  Those cuties are so small I have to wonder how-"
	"Very carefully," said Fayne firmly, "and almosszht never doesszh one tend to bottom out unlesszh being another moogle or nu-mou."
Kruz looked at him oddly with Fayne's look of awkwardness saying everything.
	"...did you try-"
	"Yesszh, and it wasszh a very enlightening lesszhon.  Namely that I will never be having any moogle riding my pommel down to the hilt, or not even half of it!"
	"Khhhhahahahaha!  Awwww I'm sorry."
	"Do not worry...I had little interesszht in them that way, Baldwin and I prefer nu-mousszh anyway."
	"Why?"
	"They're very sszhoft and warm, furry and sszhweet...sszhtrangely pliable too in termsszh of how much they can take."
	"Iiii seeee..." murmured Kruz pondering.  "So, I know Baldwin is very into the ladies, did you two ever...suggest sharing one between you?"
	"Sszhurprisszhingly, yesszh long asszh we are at different endsszh.  He wasszh unsszhure about usszh in the sszhame vulva due to my  length...I offered to take the anusszh but he...doesszh not approve of anal, predictably."
	"That must be frustrating."
	"Well that isszh why we end up with sszheparate women for the night."
	"That's true...but youuuu never had anyone's ass?"
	"No, I have had three...all of whom loved it rapturousszhly and took VERY good care of themsszhelvesszh, without Baldwin knowing naturally."
	"Right...well I mean I guess it's just necessity in your case being rather big."
	"I admit I...would appresszhiate having sszhomething a little sszhmaller I um...there are not many femalesszh who enjoy having me in them, asszh much asszh I love to make love to them there were not many who...took it well."
	"Hey hey, lots of men would kill for something this good between their legs, you appreciate what you've got."
	"I already do.  I have you."
His words had thrown Kruz off, blushing with soft sweet surprise before Fayne kissed him on the lips, giving a mawkish grin before laying his arm across Kruz's chest with warm cheek resting against oddly colder left pectoral.
	"...are you cold?"
	"Hmm?"
	"Your chesszht, it feelsszh cold right here-"
	"Metal plate."
He tapped solidly on the left breast giving a firm clink of steel.
	"Remember?"
	"Oh...right yesszh, of coursszhe my misszhtake.  Um...how isszh your eye faring by the way?"
	"It's fine, the doctor said I can't let any light go into it for at least another two months."
	"But...he sszhaid that at leasszht two monthsszh ago."
	"Well...it's not exactly doing any better on this uh...extraocular muscle palsy thing, it makes all this double vision happen and well that's not good for someone driving a ship?"
	"I sszhee...I thought eyepatchesszh were usszhed by thosszhe faring on sszhipsszh to deter againsszht sszhea sszhicknesszh."
	"That's a myth," replied Kruz firmly, "it doesn't work like that since sea sickness happens because of your eyes getting offset with the rest of your senses whilst on a ship.  Keeping both eyes open and focusing on the distant horizon is more effective."
	"I am glad none of our group had to deal with it, sszhurprisszhingly."
	"Seriously, I expected one of you to have sea sickness...even if it was in the sky."
In the aftermath of physical bliss their minds opened slightly like all people do, contemplating on the greater concepts as they stared at the ceiling whilst laying beneath the sheets, silently thankful they had no need to move anywhere for a good few hours yet.  Fayne asked without even looking:
	"Are you a...religiousszh being, Kruzzh?"
	"Huh?"
	"I alwaysszh pondered, we never talk much on it desszphite being my alma mater but, from the fact that you were the one to asszhk me on performing funereal ritesszh for your crew...I wondered if you yoursszhelf wasszh religiousszh in any form or if that wasszh merely consszhiderasszhion to your holisszhtic membersszh of your crew."
	"Mmmmm...somewhat, I mean I have seen ghosts both here and back on my island."
	"Really?"
	"Yeah...back home they say that ghosts only exist because they've got regrets, still trapped on the island not able to move on unless they can absolve their feelings.  We also worshipped this great being of the island, called him Sebek that powered everything at the very centre of the island's core.  Though frankly I think our ruler made himself more the main focus."
	"Hmmm..."
	"Let me ask you something.  What do you believe happens after you...pass on?"
	"Pardon?"
	"What does your faith believe happen to your soul after your body has passed?"
The sobering thought made them glad they had experienced the greater lustful love before this as Fayne stroked his chin.
	"We believe, that our sszhoulsszh are returned to the earth, where they sszhall nurture the land of Ivalisszhe after which our remnantsszh are taken to the heavensszh where we may frolic freely in the midsszht of the great pantheon by which Faram and hisszh beloved now remain.  An infinite vasszht world by which we can become reunited with all that hasszh passzhed...and all that will be."
	"Sounds...simple really, rather peaceful but personally...I always believed in reincarnation."
	"What isszh that?"
	"It's...kind of a belief where you are reborn into something else, a whole new body, a whole new person but always the same soul.  You do something good with your life, your soul goes upwards to something higher and more sentient.  But you do something bad with it, it goes down and you start to become reduced to something much lower down like an insect or something.  I always loved that idea, was one of the beliefs back on my island because there were so few places around we sort of thought...maybe there weren't that many souls all around."
	"Wasszh it...isszholated?"
	"Pretty much...but I always loved that idea, the idea of just...being someone different in whole new other world, a whole new other existence.  Makes me think that's what coming to Ivalice was like for me, khheh...maybe I really am a bangaa now and I just don't even know it."
It was here that Fayne turned towards him with eyes glistening wholesome at him, the captain turning to him in turn with his left arm resting his head up slightly.
	"Do you think that you were anything before being a kremling?"
	"I'm not sure.  The thing is, I'm not very religious.  But I do believe that spirituality's important, like it gives you a whole new meaning for life.  I always believed in something greater beyond our world, something bigger to imagine, and whether I call it a god or alien or some interdimensional being well uh...I think what we've both been through after James went off disappearing kind of confirms that, don't you think?"
	"True, but the pantheon I alwaysszh believed in and that isszh irrefutable, we know that they are all exszhisszhtent upon our world promptly by the Occuria."
	"Right...but I always think that hope is more important than faith.  Faith can give you a lot of reasons to go do odd things but there's always hope and that just seems a lot more wholesome and pure to me than a doctrine of beliefs."
	"Do you...not approve of my faith?"
	"Oh I'm fine with your Kildean thing come on Fayne, if I was really that bothered you think I would have asked you to perform those ceremonies for my crew?  What I'm saying is that...I'm not going to be a follower, but I can be a believer...if that makes sense."
Fayne clasped at Kruz's remaining hand.
	"I think...I think it doesszh, my dearesszht."
With a gentle peck on the lips, the two decided to lay down for the next few hours asleep in their locked room, knowing Baldwin had no means of interrupting them for their short nap.  The kremling smiled deeply as he embraced Fayne against his beating chest, sighing happily to enjoy the peace and silence of a lover's embrace.  More than seven years he had been waiting for this feeling to return back to him.