"Selling out your villainous brother, huh?" Ace said, his stare glaring into the man's eyes. He was prepared to respond, however, Lin spoke up once again. She didn't trust the ex Empire General, and as Lin was a girl that wore her heart on her sleeves she made no attempt to hold back her tongue. Ace wanted to tell her to wait, but he thought better of it. The truth was that for as impassioned as she was right now, he likely held more ire for this man than she did. It did not matter how he had approached them, nor did it truly matter what he had to say. Ex General or not, he had worked for the Empire, that was more than enough to earn his contempt. A throbbing pain ached in his chest, reminding him why he was in the position he was.

Hearing this man say he liked him granted him no pleasure, it only made him feel sick. He hated him, he hated his brother, he hated every single last person that had ever fought for the Empire. He had lost too much because of them. Friends, family, his home, they had taken it and more away as if it belonged to them. 
"I have no intention of working with you, Cerden." Ace said calmly. "However, there is one thing you can do that will change my mind. Kill your brother." Ace tapped the hilt of his blade, a habit he had when severely irritated. "His rancid machines are becoming a nuisance, and seeing as how you know him best, I figure this shouldn't be too difficult for you." Ace turned to leave, grabbing Shizuka by the shoulder to force her with him. She got the message quickly, and began walking in pace with him.

"Ace... are you alright?" She asked. "Did you mean what you said, About him killing his brother?"

"Yes, and that's all I meant." He said. Shizuka looked down, a subtle melancholy on her face.

"Is it hurting again, your scar?" She asked. She lightly touched his chest, and felt his heart beating like the roar of a cannon. "Ace... Are you sure..." She mumbled. Ace gently moved her hand, and patted her on the shoulder.

"I'm fine, let's get back to Lin, I think she may be upset with us." He said watching as a fireball exploded in the air brilliantly, letting the two of them know where their friend had gone, she was standing in front of a crowd of people, a slightly familiar sight to both him and Shizuka. The people had come to express their gratitude to them, though it looked like Lin got the brunt of it. "Lin." Ace called to her, his voice noticeably somber. "I'm sorry if I offended you back there, however, you should know that the last thing I intended to do was honor that man. I simply... Wanted to deal with him in my own way. I wouldn't have cared if he had rode in on a white horse and a suit of shining armor, I have no respect for anyone that has worked for the Empire."

"Right!" Shizuka chimed in,

"What? Weren't you saying I was being rude to him?" Ace asked, confused. Shizuka returned an even more dumbfounded expression.

"Well you were, you need to mind your manners Ace, besides, you and I both know there's no way I'd be okay with letting him join us." Shizuka said, then turning to Lin. "I have appearances to keep up after all, right?"