The conversation ends shortly after that. With nothing but a softly whispered 'Goodbye, Master', she closed off the conversation and went back to her work with the House Phenex and that... interesting character, Rosalia.
She's interesting for all the wrong reasons. She either really is just as interested in me as she said, or she's playing it up for the sake of gaining something. Not from me, though. I'd assume something from Grayfia. Trying to illicit some kindred spiritry? Is that- is that even a phrase? I have no idea.
Truth is, I'm still here, even a few minutes after Grayfia cut the line. Still thinking, still waiting, still lost in so many different thoughts it almost makes my head spin, a rather common occurrence these days.
I told myself that I would try, in spite of all the problems it would bring, to help Serafall. I told Grayfia that I would do whatever I could for the sake of her own doubts, and all for the sake of... I don't fucking know anymore.
Anything to do with Serafall always makes me feel slightly nauseous. I shouldn't care, I should hate her guts and despise everything about her. I do, that hasn't changed. But some small, worthless part of me still thinks I can find a piece of her worth redeeming. A piece of her worth trying for. Every time I try to hate her from the bottom of my heart, I remember the little things. The calmer moments. The manor. Dinner. Education.
...she wasn't always like this. She wasn't always a hateful, spite-driven thing. Silas was wrong about many things, but that wasn't one of them. I've seen hints of it peeking through, aspects of the woman she used to be floating at the surface - nothing concrete, but enough to make me hesitate.
How would I even go about something like this? Make conversation? Ask her to dinner? Try to go back to something soft, a facsimile of what we had before the Lucifaad Incursion? She's guilty. I know that much, she regrets what happened that day.
But is it genuine regret? Or is it just guilt for the sake of her own preservation, now that I'm strong enough to fight back? I can't know for sure. It's annoying, but... after everything that happened, I can hazard a guess.
...everything that happened. I still haven't gotten over just how easily I gave into my own desires with her. Those words keep ringing through my head. All it took was a few soft whispers, and the Demi-fiend was felled. I crumbled like wet sand.
I really do owe so much to Grayfia.
She's too good for me. Too forgiving, too trusting. She said it was okay, but that shouldn't be justification for what happened. That shouldn't be some blanket I can hide in. If I'm... if I'm really going to stick with her request, if I'm going to try and help Serafall through her own struggles, then I don't want to just spend that time fucking like animals.
I don't want to give in like that. Not again. I don't want to be a slave to my own instincts.
That's if I can even manage. I told Grayfia I'd help, told myself I'd try, but... I'm not even sure how I'd go about it. Not even sure if I'd be able to. If Sera tries to attack me again, tried to fight and fuck her frustration away with me, will I really be able to say no? Will I be able to grit my teeth through the pain, and do it for their sake?
...for their sake. What a joke. I only wish my motivations were so altruistic. It's disgusting to think, to even consider, and it's something I can't bring myself to say aloud, but... it's not just altruism that motivates me.
No matter how much I may try deny it, I want Serafall. I want her name, her power, her looks. The thought of any other man having her makes a stab of possessiveness flare in my chest, for a woman I have no claim over. It's a deep, hollow part of myself that feels this way, but it's there - tiny and minute, yet present all the same.
To be honest, I almost wish it were still that simple. That I could still be a naive idiot who saw the strongest women in the Underworld as trophies to take for myself. A naive, hopeful idiot who couldn't care less about anything beyond his own satisfaction.
Unfortunately, that isn't the case anymore. Try as I might, I can't see them that way, the way I did when I first reincarnated. Goals. Aspirations. No, I see them as people, with all the fucked up flaws and trauma that comes with that distinction.
I see them as broken things... and I just can't resist that urge within me to fix them. Do I have the right? Do I have the strength? I don't know. I never have. But I still try, always against my best wishes.
That's enough time spent pretending I'm some deep, philosophical figure, pretending that my monologues have any meaning. I'm no Aristotle, nor am I Plato.
I'm just a sentimental fool who can't stop caring about a woman that saved my life, no matter how much shit I keep being put through for her sake.
Grayfia's words have only worsened that niggling sentimentality in my heart as well.
After her speech of them being alike, similar in their suffering, it's becoming difficult to not feel this... pathetic urge to try and help Sera. Not just for the sake of Grayfia's own doubts and earnest requests, but for the sake of my own relief as well.
...I truly am a fool.
Perhaps that is my biggest flaw. I dream of Freedom, but I shackle myself to my own sentimentality. I dream of a life without limits, but I can't stop myself from indulging a simple, polite request.
No matter. The War must be fought, and it won't wait for me to play at being a therapist. I can worry about trying to establish some fragment of connection with Serafall again when the official decision is made for how we'll move in on Castle Cainhurst.
I have a plan of my own, actually. One that would no doubt be shot down in an instant, but a plan of my own all the same. All I'd need is one prisoner from the Loyalist armies, and one Skill activation to bring me inside the Castle-
A transmission.
The sensation sends a chill up my spine like it always does, an odd buzzing in the back of my mind and a cold tingling behind my ear. Easy to ignore, but hard to forget. Not the first time I've felt it today, either.
Without a moments hesitation, I place a finger to the source of the buzzing and feel a Magic Circle open in my palm, a voice coming through it just a moment later.
"You certainly kept me waiting for quite a while, Demi-fiend."
Ajuka's voice is, well, to put simply, a fair bit pissed off. Probably on account of me ignoring his transmissions during my rendezvous with Serafall.
Clearing my throat and putting on the most blissfully innocent front I can manage, I give him a response that I've rehearsed several times over in my head.
"Forgive me, Ajuka. I couldn't answer. I was... busy training with Serafall. You probably felt the surge of Mana after she tried some new tricks on me."
He snorts. It is the single most terrifying thing I've ever heard him do.
"You've no need to keep up an appearance, or try your hand at deceiving me, Alistair. Sirzechs and I were watching the battle unfold, and the... battle that came after that."
...what?
"Beg your pardon, Ajuka? I must have misheard you, please say that again."
He grins. I don't know how I know. His tone doesn't shift, inflection doesn't change a bit. But I know. Deep down, I can just tell.
"You heard me, Demi-fiend. But that's not why I'm here. You can get intimate with whoever you want for all I care. No, my focus is on something much more intriguing that happened during your fight."
Ignorant to the fact that almost ninety percent of the blood in my face has long since vanished, Ajuka continues on.
"You used Serafall's Clan Trait against her. Not just any Trait, but her Mutated Trait. Something long thought impossible. I simply must know... How? And is it permanent?"
The raw obsession in his voice is slightly alarming, though not enough to push aside the stab of utter embarassment that pierces through my heart at the knowledge that both Sirzechs and Ajuka saw me... like that.
Massaging the bridge of my nose and pacing around simply for the sake of keeping my body active, lest I slam my head into the nearest wall, I give him my answer.
"No. It isn't permanent. Even if it was, I wouldn't tell you that. Not until I was strong enough to handle the consequences of it. It's a temporary ability, allows me to mirror the power of a target for a few minutes at the cost of a chunk of my Mana. That's all. Probably another facet of the Andromalius Trait that my power stems from."
I can almost tangibly feel the sag in his shoulders from so far away, though whether it be from disappointment or relief is another matter entirely.
"I see. Quite the remarkable ability all the same. From what I'd seen, it wasn't a weakened form, no. You genuinely used Serafall's own Mutated Trait against her, and it worked. I hope you'll be willing to test the limits of it further alongside Sirzechs and I upon your return from sieging Cainhurst."
...fuck. He's got me there. I absolutely want to test the limits of it. Especially when it comes to the Power of Destruction. Hell, I just want to know what it's like to have that power in my hand in general.
"I see no reason not to. If we discover any other caveats to it, then all the better. Maybe we can try it with your Trait as well... whatever the fuck it actually is. Must be something quite powerful, surely."
Ajuka laughs, his voice just brimming with mirth as he considers the idea.
"I'm afraid my family has no impressive Trait at our fingertips, contrary to what you might think. If you'd read up on your Demonology properly, you'd know that the only power we have is dominion over serpents. Useful, no doubt, but it isn't the crux of my strength."
Dominion over serpents? That's... intriguing. Sure as shit not as strong as the Power of Destruction, but it's better than nothing.
"Do dragons count as some distant relative of serpents? Can you control them?"
He hums, mulling over the idea for just a moment before ultimately considering it silly.
"No. At least, none that I'm aware of. Perhaps an Eastern Dragon of some variant, if the relationship to serpents could be considered thick enough. Otherwise though, I'm afraid not. If you want dragon tamers, you're better off looking for remnants of the Clan Buné, though it might be rather difficult given what you did to Ludwig Buné."
I scoff, now rubbing my temple.
"I didn't do shit other than exist. The guy had a fucking grudge the size of Lucifaad against me simply because I breathed in his presence. If anyone's to blame, it's Sirzechs. He dealt the final blow."
Ajuka hums again.
"You have a unique talent for diminishing your own achievements, Demi-fiend. Though, on the subject of Lucifaad, I believe there is something you still owe me."
I frown in confusion, brows furrowed as I run back through every single day of the last few months in my mind, racking my mind for anything resembling a debt I owe the man.
"...I'm afraid I don't follow."
He huffs, no doubt rolling his eyes.
"Convenient. But not unexpected. I had been hoping to let you remember in your own time, but our calendar has shifted forward quite a bit in light of recent developments. As of now, you still owe me two things, Demi-fiend. Some DNA from that bizarre dragon of yours, and Euclid's research logs."
...oh fUCK-
"Right! Those! The documents, of course! I was just keeping them warm and... yeah fine, I forgot. Kinda difficult to consider it a 'debt owed' when all you did that day was make things worse for me with Serafall, anyways. Maybe if I'd not bothered with you, I wouldn't have wound up with a shattered sternum."
The man actually... winces? I'm not even sure, frankly. He just hisses ever so slightly.
"Yes, I... apologise for that, Demi-fiend. I did only as you asked, yes, but in my thirst for knowledge, I didn't stop to consider the full ramifications of your request. It isn't just a matter of debts, though. Those documents will be integral to the future of this war. Perhaps so too will your dragon."
I sigh again, figuring that there's no point in getting angry at the man for doing exactly as I'd told him. If there's anyone I'm angry at, it's myself for being so naive as to think a few words from Ajuka could solve anything.
"Unexpected, but fine. Apology accepted. I'll bring those research logs with me next time I visit Lilith, and Alduin's DNA is something I can get at any time as well. Just a couple of scales should suffice. More importantly... what do you mean 'in light of recent developments'?"
Ajuka sounds giddy once again, as though he had been waiting for me to ask this.
"Ah. That. It seems your efforts with Diamor Belial have borne fruit. Rather spectacularly at that. Loyalist forces have been pulled back drastically across the lands. They are consolidated in several key positions, the most important to you being Agares, and Cainhurst. I believe Daimadosu is trying to make a move on the Grand Mechanism."
...beg your fucking pardon?
"The Grand Mechanism? As in, the thing that can destroy the Underworld as we know it? And you're just sat here chatting about that!? What the fuck are you waiting for!?"
Ajuka sighs, as if he's had this conversation once before already.
"The Mechanism is defended by Seals and Curses the likes of which would make a man of education blush. To say getting his hands on it is an impossibility would be an insult to the idea of understating as a whole. The automated defenses would never even allow him to get close. No, that's not why it's important to us."
A beat. I can almost hear the grin on Ajuka's lips, now. He speaks with an eagerness I'd never expect to hear from him.
"It is important because of the opportunity it presents. He wants to reach Agreas? I say we let him. The Grand Mechanism is fitted with one of the few teleportation blockers still functioning in the Underworld. If we... nudge him in the right direction, make him believe he has something to gain and work past the defenses to give him a better path, we can trap him inside of Agreas with us. Be it murder or imprisonment, disabling him should be a cakewalk from there."
I blink, caught off guard by the relative... simplicity of it all?
"That's it? We just trap him there with us, and dispose of one of the Satans with ease? Sounds too good to be true."
He laughs. A deep, hearty laugh, as if I'd just told the single best joke he ever heard.
"The challenge isn't handling Daimadosu, Demi-fiend. His strength lies in control, not in combat. No, the real challenge for us will be reaching Agreas in the first place. My draconic companion has been doing some preliminary scouting, to the best of her abilities without Loyalist forces noticing."
He sighs now, his previous amusement vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"Nothing. She could gleam nothing, not even whatever defenses the floating city had. With regards to this matter, we will be going in blind no matter what. All we know is that the defenses are automated, and follow a singular purpose bestowed by Lucifer before his demise. Allow none to reach the Mechanism. Destroy all who try."
Somehow, I should've expected that.
"Brilliant. Well, at the very least, we should have a long time still to prepare for this-"
Ajuka cuts in.
"Yes, well, about that... Do you remember the shifting of our calendar I mentioned? It just so happens that Daimadosu is setting up an operating base around Agares as we speak. Your advancement through Gusion lands and subsequent dismantling of Diamor's battalion has made him jumpy. I've already gotten started on bleeding my little birds dry in spreading disinformation to him, giving him the idea that he can reach the Mechanism on his own."
Little birds? Is he some sort of fucking spymaster- no. Questions for another time, there are far more important ones to ask.
"What sort of time frame are we working with now, then? Hell, what was the original? You never even mentioned it."
He hums, for barely a fraction of a second.
"Truth be told, I'd expected it take a few months before we had to leave on this journey. Now, it's closer to a few weeks."
...I should be strong enough. If I can have my cake and get into Cainhurst on my lonesome like I'd hoped, then I can absolutely get a big enough boost in power to easily handle what may await.
"Fine then. I'll be there when you need me. If only just so I can have the pleasure of gutting that prick Daimadosu myself."
Ajuka remains silent for a long moment after I finish. When he speaks again, his tone is almost stern. Chiding, even.
"Be careful what you say on open channels, Demi-fiend. If I were anyone else, you may have just expressed your desire to commit regicide to uninvited listeners."
My amusement vanishes just as quickly as it arrived. I can't stop the wave of annoyance that washes over me at the idea of not even being able to enjoy a simple conversation without possibly being monitored.
"...is that all you wanted, then? Castle Cainhurst isn't going to take itself, so I think I'll be quite busy going forward."
He sighs, a series of papers being shuffled from his end of the connection briefly.
"No. That was all. Thank you for listening, Demi-fiend. I look forward to your aid in the matter of surveying Agreas."
I scoff, now standing at the gates to Chastinal after so long in the forest.
"Oh, I'm sure it'll be a wonderful time, Ajuka. If those automated defenses are half as aggressive as you've made them out to be, I'll never join you on a field trip again."
I only catch the faintest hint of laughter from his side before I cut the line, dragging a hand down my face as the exhaustion in my mind continues to worsen.
Looks like I'll be handling the Agreas business sooner than expected. If it means the Peerage system can be drafted, and more importantly regulated, sooner, then I won't be complaining.
I just hoped I'd be able to take a break for a while when this Cainhurst business is all done and dusted. I suppose that won't be the case now.
...a shame.
------------------------------------
Three days have passed in the blink of an eye. Three days of nothing but meandering, idle communication with Grayfia, playing with Alduin and keeping a countdown for when the next Dungeon would be available for me to clear.
...still got 16 hours until I can try. I can't believe it's not even been a full week since I was last in Lilith. Feels like a lifetime ago that I fought Mordred on the day of Grayfia's trial.
For the first time in a long, long time, I find myself thankful for Anya's presence. She at least kept me entertained with mindless chatter over the last few days.
In spite of my prior words, I've not even made an attempt to talk with Serafall again. Hell, I've not even seen her since our little... rendezvous in the forest. Either she's deliberately kept away from me all this time, or I've been far more negligent than I'd like.
Once again, I'm realising that it's a lot easier to make a promise than it is to stick by it. I could wax all the poetic I want about fixing our relationship, about fixing Sera, but when it comes down to it, it seems like I'm a lot more lost on the workings of it than I hoped.
Truth be told, I've not even made much contact with the Satanihilus. Most of my time has been spent in this room, just reading and relaxing. Making the most of what little free time I have to myself.
I never was the most social type of person before I died anyways.
Today, though, is a special day. A day where my relaxation comes to an abrupt end. Enough time has passed for Diallos and Serafall to get an idea on how they'll move towards Cainhurst after watching troop movements, and most importantly...
Today is the day of Diamor's interrogation. I have several questions I'd like to have answers to, in all honesty. Ones that have plagued my mind for a while. I won't pretend to understand why Serafall waited so long for the interrogation to happen. It's not my place to care.
All I know is that it will hopefully help with the siege of Cainhurst if Diamor is cooperative.
I've got ideas of my own for how this day will end in general. It'll probably piss Serafall off, but I'm getting into Cainhurst whether she likes it or not. I have a plan, I have an idea, and I'm almost certain it will work. I just need to know the number of Loyalists I'll be looking at when I breach those walls. If I can get even just an estimate from Diamor, then I'll be better off than I was before.
There's another concern I have, and it involves the vision I've seen from the Precursor's Eye... or, more accurately, the complete stagnation of it.
The vision is exactly as it was before, utterly unchanging. A sword in my chest at Bidleid's hand, then nothing. Death. I've tried to peek around so to speak, glance at other possibilities and realities, but there's nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Every time I try, I see nothing but emptiness.
...it doesn't bode well for me, in all honesty. There's this gnawing in my chest nowadays, this worry that I'm throwing myself at death and hoping I don't crack. I've not told a soul about what I see, either.
I know better by now than to be beholden by fate, though. I won't let myself be hung in chains of my own making, won't let this vision dictate my future. I'll stare into as many timelines as it takes until I find one where I survive...
I did not come all this way to die at his hands. I refuse to.
I've no idea how strong Bidleid is. Stronger than Serafall and Grayfia, yes, but weaker than Sirzechs. That's within my ballpark. If I see him again, be it today, tomorrow, or next week, I will be ready.
I will not be weak. Never again-
A knocking at the door.
My head tilts, brows furrowed and confusion across my face as I stare at the entrance. I'd not been expecting any visitors, and especially not on such an important day.
"I'm not in the mood for any guests."
There's a scoff on the other end, and almost instantly I recognise who it is that's come to see me. Someone I hadn't been expecting.
"Really? Of course. I should've known you were the type of guy to touch a girl and never talk to her again. You're terrible, Ali."
The door is flung open in the blink of an eye, my eyes darting down the hall as I check for anyone who might've heard Serafall's uncaring remark. When I see none, I breathe a small sigh of relief and pull back, hand braced against the door and regarding her with something akin to caution now.
She's smirking at me, arms folded and leaning against the doorframe with a shit-eating grin on her lips.
Her cloak is still fastened tight around her neck, and her hat is just as pink and puffy as before. Seems like there's some new additions, though. Long, elbow length gloves, with some knee socks to boot.
She's still got those same twintails as always, they'll never change. Her skirt is slightly shorter than before, as well. Not enough to make a difference, but enough that you'd notice if you paid attention.
If I didn't know any better I'd say she were making a terrible fashion statement, not readying herself for a brutal battle in war.
...then again, it also doesn't take a genius to see her lack of armour comes from a desire for pain. Be it in part due to masochism or self hatred, I simply don't know.
"Been a while, huh? You really know how to keep a girl waiting, Demi-fiend."
I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose and biting down the urge to slam the door in her face in spite of every urge to do so.
"You know exactly why it's been a while, Sera. Don't try and guilt trip me about what happened, or pretend it was anything more than lust that caused it. I'm not going to entertain your games."
She rolls her eyes, her smirk never once dropping.
"Oh, it can be whatever you tell yourself it was, Ali. Personally, I thought it was fun. Really, really fun. That's besides the point though. I'm here for a reason..."
Her words drop off towards the end, leaving me in mild suspense as she continues to stare. Barely a moment later, she brushes beneath my arm held up against the doorframe and into my room, uncaring for my willingness to let her in or not.
"Do you have no respect for privacy, woman!?" I hiss, halfway to batting her hand aside as she goes around inspecting the nooks and crannies of the place I've been sleeping in lately.
My annoyance reaches a breaking point as she reaches for Caduceus with a glint of nostalgia in her eyes, my blade currently laid out across the bed alongside a book I'd been reading; The Luciferian Lie. A good read.
I shut the door behind me and march over to her, though not in time to stop her from grabbing hold of my most trusted weapon.
She turns it over in her hands, appraising it for a moment before making several mock stabs, even going so far as to mimic being in an actual battle with her shadow.
"...are you quite done, Serafall?"
She hums, turning it over one last time before shrugging.
"I guess. I wanted to get a closer look. It's not changed at all from how I remember it, after all. That caught me by surprise."
I sigh, resisting the urge to drag a hand down my face in exhaustion and settling for folding my arms instead.
"Treat it with care, for fucks sake, that's the manifestation of my Soul you're holding right now. There's a reason it hasn't changed."
She blinks, eyes wide with shock, before a mischievous grin forms on her lips.
"Your Soul, huh? No wonder it was so special back then. To think, this sword is the reason you and I have so much history. What were to happen, then, if-"
Her words are cut off short by the sudden appearance of Thorn in my hand, drawn and raised to rest against her cheek as she tilts the blade ever so slightly, as if trying to snap it in twain. Caduceus is dismissed back into my Inventory just a moment later, leaving her staring up at me in slight shock with nothing in her hands.
"Don't. Don't even think about it, Serafall."
Her eye flickers to the gun in my hand, and to the perceived powerlessness she has in this situation. A flicker of excitement crosses through her eyes, something I pointedly ignore as she stammers something out.
"I- I wasn't actually going to do anything to it, Ali. I just... just wanted to tease you a bit."
I sigh, dismissing Thorn as well a moment later as I stare down at her with blatant annoyance from just a few inches away.
"Teasing? Your best idea to play a prank on me was, what, pretend you were going to harm my Soul? Really?"
She rolls her eyes, taking my own frustration as aggression and fighting back against it.
"Right, because you're any better. You were an inch away from shooting me, just because I bent the blade a bit in my hand!"
I scoff, hand twitching, falling into a familiar rhythm all too easily.
"That blade is my Soul, you fucking moron! I wasn't willing to take the risk that you break it, be it on purpose or by accident, in your endless stupidity!"
She winces, as if struck. Her mouth opens, but no sound comes out for several long, agonising moments. When she finally does speak, her voice is hoarse.
"...I wasn't actually gonna do it, Ali. I'd never... I wouldn't hurt you like that. Not again. Not like I did before."
I bite back an insult with every ounce of strength I have in me, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, both to compose myself and ignore the stabbing guilt I feel when I look at her.
Grayfia's words ring through my mind once again now, her request from the days prior. For the first time in Lucifer knows how long, I don't take the low hanging fruit. Instead, I open my eyes, and I meet her gaze.
"...fine. I won't apologise for how I reacted, Serafall, but if my assumption hurt you, then I'm... sorry for that."
It feels like swallowing down a razor blade just saying that, and clearly Serafall knows it. Her pained expression shifts to one of open skepticism, the Devil now blatantly astonished by this turn of events.
"You... you're sorry? What? That's not..."
I sigh, once again realising that doing anything close to even being cordial with Serafall is going to take a long, long time and bite down on the bullet even harder.
"Is it so much to assume that I want a conversation to last more than five minutes without a weapon being drawn, or someone being in danger? Is it so much to assume that I want to have a normal chat for once?"
She looks at me like I'm a man wearing Alistair's skin. Like she can't believe what she's seeing. It only lasts a minute, though. Whatever astonishment, or excitement she may have held is wiped away by the smirk that takes over her lips.
"Right. Because after all the shit you and I have done to eachother, you just want to talk now, despite wanting to beat me bloody just a few days ago. Don't play around with me, Ali. I still haven't forgiven you for abandoning this war to play house with Grayfia."
I just barely stop myself from slamming my head into the nearest wall, dragging a hand down my face as the exhaustion burns in my mind with full force now.
"It was never a matter of abandoning it, Serafall! You inducted me into the Satanihilus without giving a damn for my opinion, so when I had a chance to take some time for myself, I took it without hesitation. I didn't do it to spite you, or for some malicious purpose, I just... I wanted a break, Sera. A moment of peace."
Her jaw tenses as she stares at me. For a moment, I almost think that she's going to snap, that she's about to lash out and start screaming about betrayal all over again, but... nothing of the sort happens.
She just looks away from me. Her eyes crease ever so slightly, fist clenching at her side as she grits her teeth.
"...I see. Fair enough, then."
For a long moment, nothing but silence remains in the wake of her gritted words. I mull over several different things I want to try and say, several different assumptions she made that I want to correct, but I find myself remaining silent.
We just stand there in silence for several long seconds, my eyes glued to the way her fist trembles ever so slightly as it clenches and unclenches regularly. Just as I think she's about to punch something, she releases another deep sigh.
"I wasn't angry just because you vanished, Ali. I can... I can understand wanting a break from this life, it's just who you chose to spend it with that I took issue on."
The conversation is drifting towards Grayfia, and that's not something I can allow. Before she can go into the reasons why she was so angry, reasons I already know far too well by now, I steer the conversation elsewhere.
"What are you really here for, Serafall?"
She blinks, thankfully torn away from whatever diatribe she was a hairs breadth away from going on, now looking at me again as if nothing was wrong.
"I hadn't seen you for a while. Diamor's interrogation is today, figured I'd come pick you up and bring you there. Diallos offered to do it himself, but... I guess I also wanted to talk about what happened a few days ago."
I blink, tilting my head and furrowing my brows.
"Talk? What is there to talk about? It happened, it was fun, I changed my mind before it went too far and that's it. That's where it begins and ends, Sera."
She grimaces, a hand in her hair and scratching the head beneath softly.
"That's not what I meant, Ali. I'm not under any illusions about what happened with us. I'm talking about the fight."
Another deep breath, her tone shifting to something strangely fond now.
"...you did a pretty good job, actually. You're stronger than I thought. I'm proud of you."
I'm not sure what I hate more. That she said those words in the first place, or that I feel an odd surge of pride in my heart because of it. I turn away so as to not let it show, and if Sera notices, she thankfully says nothing.
My hands are against the doorhandle in the blink of an eye, deciding to end this strangely peaceful conversation of ours now.
"Diamor won't interrogate himself, Sera. We've got a long day ahead of us."
A pause. My hand freezes atop the handle for a moment, a thousand different thoughts running through my mind, warring constantly as I struggle to find the words.
I settle on simply being honest.
"...thank you, Serafall. For both the words, and just... for being cordial. This was nice. Even if it was short."
I don't bother paying attention to what she says in response, nor do I glance over my shoulder to take a look and see. I just open the door and leave the room, making my way towards the exit of this building and letting her catch up to bring me to Diamor's cell, a place where I'll find any other Loyalists I might need for my plan.
...you know, maybe Grayfia was right.
Maybe there is potential for something better with Serafall. Maybe I just need to keep trying, keep chipping away at the layers piece by piece. Slow and steady.
Maybe I'm just a sentimental fool.