fortunefail | - 83 [Written / Action]

[Martel]

Have you been settling in without any problems?

[The hidden question is "Has Mithos been giving you any problems?", but he's not quite that tactless. So this will have to do. Especially after the latest experiment, he wants to be sure she's all right.]

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[Action]

[It's been about four months since Kratos disappeared from the enclosure. So much has happened in that time that Yuan's finally coming to terms with something; there's a good chance he'll never truly see the man again. Unless he's returned here in the future, like some others, but Yuan's not holding his breath for that. They'd already said their farewells before coming to Luceti, but back then, there was still a line of communication in case Yuan desperately needed to speak with him. Now there's no way to contact his old friend and he didn't even get to say any parting words this time. A shame, because he could really use some of that trademark Kratos advice right about now.

To make matters worse, some prankster decided to have a bit of fun with Yuan's hair. It used to reach all the way to his waist, but a considerable amount of it was cut off. It can still fit in a ponytail, but now it barely reaches his shoulderblades. Yuan assumes it's Mithos's doing. Considering his track record, it seems like the kind of thing he'd do. Yuan just can't be bothered to yell at him anymore. He'll just have to increase the amount of locks on his door and hope nobody will comment on the sudden change.

Feeling especially restless, he's decided to go see Noishe this afternoon. Perhaps it's because Noishe was Kratos's pet, or perhaps he just has a soft spot for the creature after all. Yuan doesn't even know himself, but it doesn't really matter. Anyone is free to catch him either while he's on his way to the stables between house 42 and Community Building 7, or while he's in the stables.]

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[He pauses. It's been three years and he still can't really answer that question.]

No one knows for certain. Some say it's to force our bodies to adapt to the environment, but that is merely a hypothesis. Either way, they're essential to our survival now.

[ She looks back at her fluttering wings. They weren't as grand as the wings she had before. Also they didn't provide the same type of flight. She could only manage to hover a few inches above the ground. ]

I see. I just wonder how did they attach them to our bodies. You'd think we would wake up while they're attaching them.

[That certainly leaves Yuan with a few morbid mental images. Those wings are linked directly to the spine and the notion of some scientists surgically attaching them is a terrible one.]

That isn't the sort of thing you should spend too much thought on. And either way, all the residents of this world have wings, regardless of whether they came into contact with the Malnosso.

[ A picture of a city full of winged people pops up in her head. Everyone in this world... She bites her bottom lip as she flashbacks to Welgaria, the city of 'angels.' Perhaps it was a good thing that the wings she now has isn't the same as her old ones.

Then a thought came to her. How did Yuan know that everyone in this world has wings? ]

Wait, how do you know that? Have you been outside the barrier?

[Oh, he has. Twice, actually. But the only way to leave the barrier is to be drafted into a warzone by the Malnosso, which is why he'll try to evade that question.]

All members of the Third Party have wings, as well as the Malnosso themselves.

[ She frowned inside. The Third Party. It was a tad embarrassing for her that she needed explanations about almost everything in this world. ]

I'm sorry but who is the Third Party?

[She doesn't know. This certainly complicates things for Yuan. He can't hide the war from Martel, but he hates having to be the one to explain it.]

A large group of extremists. They're at war with the Malnosso.

[ His words was like a trigger. The moment he said that word "war" her mind was overwhelmed with flashbacks of the Kharlan War. ]

War?! But this town it's not...

[ The thought then occurred to. This town. This barrier was as far as they could go jit that didn't mean nothing was there. ]

Yuan, have you been outside the barrier?

[Again that question. And again, Yuan will try to avoid it.]

The war is taking place outside the barrier. That's why it's best if we stay inside, or the Third Party will target us as well.

[ Martel is not amused with your avoidness of the question, Yuan. Unfortunately for him, she's feeling especially stubborn today. ]

Yes, I understand that part but what I want to know is if you've been outside the barrier.

[Well, it's obvious Martel isn't about to drop the issue. And the last thing Yuan wants to do is lie to her, but she won't be too happy with the answer.]

Several times.

[ Her grip on her pen loosened, dropping it on the floor. Yuan was outside the barrier several times. He was out there when there was a war occurring. The very thought of him just being out there made her fear for his life. Diving for the fallen pen, she franticly wrote back to her fiance. ]

Why in the world were you outside the barrier?!

[ Her normally neat handwriting was shakey. The trembling in her hand refused to stop as she wrote. ]

[The shaky handwriting doesn't go unnoticed. It doesn't fail to make Yuan feel bad, either. Not that he's to blame; two of the three times he left the barrier (discounting Malnosso kidnappings, of course) he didn't have a choice in the matter anyway.]

The first time was a few years ago, when a tunnel system appeared that led into the desert. At the time, that was still terrain that lay outside the barrier, which is why we set out to explore it.

[ She would be lying if she said that she never expected Yuan to commit such reckless acts just for the sake of exploring. (Even though the exploration led to your freedom from the barrier.) It was just like him to pull stunts of the sort. She picked up the pencil again and wrote with a little more steady handwriting. ]

And the other times?

Drafts. Once someone is selected by the Malnosso to be sent into the battlefield, refusal isn't an option.

[Of course, now Yuan's conveniently leaving out that he wanted to be sent out. He found both times he was drafted to be refreshing changes of scenery and a great opportunity to release some of his pent-up rage.]

[ Yuan was a war soldier again. That was all she could think about at the moment. He neither sounded pleased or displeased at that fact. Though she wasn't surprised by the result. Yuan was always used to the military life so being forced back to it didn't have a dramatic effect. In actuality, he was acting fairly impassive about it. Although that didn't stop her from worrying herself sick over his wellbeing. ]

Did you get injured while you were out there?

Nothing but a few scratches and bruises.

[A "scratch" is still a relative definition. What Yuan would call a scratch, other people might call a gash. Not that it mattered much; there were always healers around whenever he decided he actually needed help.]

[ That statement was doubtful. She knew better than anyone else that what Yuan considered a minor injury others would say it was severe. She can recall a time where he insisted he was fine despite the blood falling from his head. At the very least, his recklessness hasn't left him crippled. Though that still didn't reassure any of Martel's worries and concerns. ]

That's a relief. [ Not really. ] I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you.

[ She really didn't. The only thing that came in mind was to sink to her knees and cry. ]

- 83 [Written / Action]

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