Grant could not believe what had just happened. Even after he had remounted his chocobo and began backtracking and retracing his footsteps, he just could not believe it. How the hell did he manage to lose Emiri? The group was going to kill him for sure. Nadeline spoke about doing something idiotic: this was it. This was definitely fucking it. How the fuck did he lose a five foot three brunette in a sandstorm?! Nadeline was going to kill him. Savayna was going to kill him after laughing hysterically. Jaakuna would find him and kill him. Wesley was probably just going to watch as the others killed him and be disappointed in him. How the hell could he have let this happen?! The desert seemed somewhat endless, and soon Grant was not sure where they were headed. Harris sensed the prince's desperation, though even he had to admit that trekking through sandstorms was not one of his strengths. [i]Come on, Emiri, I need a sign, anything. Dear gods please don't let anything happen to her...[/i] He thought, feeling desperate. "[b]Damn it, Jaakuna![/b]" He yelled out in frustration. "[b]Jaakuna? The sky pirate?[/b]" Harris asked, somewhat confused. "[b]Yes, Jaakuna...the entire reason we had come out here was to find him.[/b]" Grant informed him. Harris became somewhat silent, though he did avoid Grant's gaze. He raised an eyebrow, and a realization came over him. "[b]You [i]did[/i] see Jaakuna, right?[/b]" "[b]You asked for a man matching a description.[/b]" Harris replied rather reluctantly. "[b]I had no idea he was the one you were searching for...[/b]" Grant almost fell off his chocobo. ----------- The arrival of this so called uncle of Wesley's seemed to halt the festivities. As Wesley jumped up, Nadeline turned to watch their interaction. Truly the mood following Clyde's entrance had turned things sour. He seemed very full of himself, and what was more, Wesley seemed uncharacteristically upset and angry towards him. Upon revealing the intention behind Wesley's visit--Hashmaal--his family seemed surprised. Of course this Clyde person was also the one that knew of his location. Great. As their conversation continued Wesley made it clear that he was not happy with Clyde at all. As the very smug Clyde was enjoying Wesley's discomfort, Nadeline found herself standing up as well. She didn't appreciate Clyde's attitude towards her fiance. She also stepped forward, finding herself summoning every ounce of royal blood in her as she stepped in front of Wesley, effectively getting between the two men. "[b]The reality is that I will be the one requiring your assistance.[/b]" She stated quite curtly. "[b]The Espers are something of great importance that need to be found immediately. I can tell you aren't the type to give away information for free, so have at it. Jewels? Treasure? Gil? What do you want?[/b]" ----------- The trio walked out of Eruyt in silence. They would lead Jaakuna through the jungle, Ryua and Mtra easily felling whatever Malboro and Coerul would cross their paths. They would reach another seemingly barren dead end. Ryua would step forward with her hand raised. It was as if she had pressed her hand against a wall, for magicks would spring up and reveal a door. With some creaking and groaning it would part open, revealing a path to what looked like the inside of a small tree. It was very dark, only a few specs of sunlight peeking through. As they would walk in the doors would close behind them, effectively sealing all the light out. The viera would continue on walking, and when Jaakuna would step forward several white lights would flutter down the path. Once they all reached the center, Aloa would hand the vial over to Ryua and the staff to Mtra. She and Mtra would place their bows on the ground, motioning for Jaakuna to lay down his weapons as well. A sense of calmness would soothe Jaakuna as the little lights would glow around them. Aloa would motion for Jaakuna to join her on the ground sitting. Once he was seated, Aloa nodded at the viera pair. The two nodded, and Ryua would take the top off the vial of Dream Power. The substance would glow, and Mtra would put the staff over the bottle. She then stepped back, the staff glowing and the powder would start coming out in small puffs. They would solidify, appearing much like the little white lights, and as Mtra walked they followed her. She circled the room, Jaakuna now being surrounded by orange and white lights. "[b]I will not bore you with unneeded information.[/b]" Aloa told Jaakuna as she sat across from him. "[b]We will be going through seven steps, cleansing each one. When we are finished, you will not only become detached from the darkness, we will be unlocking whatever it is that truly lies in your heart.[/b]" She looked at the white lights. "[b]The lights will tell us when you have gotten to each step. We will begin now.[/b]" The dream power would shimmer, and the white lights would surround Jaakuna, landing on the ground and glowing dimly. "[b]The first step we will be facing will be your hesitation. As intelligent beings, our minds dictate our actions. So much that we put ourselves above the animals and monsters, yet we forget that we too, have our own instincts. You need to shut out what you know and rely on your instincts. To overcome your hesitation, you must remember your potential.[/b]"