Grant watched Savayna carefully, gauging her reaction to the arrow. She definitely recognized it, although from where wasn't a detail she had at the moment. He wasn’t sure how to take the news, though: on one hand, knowing the enemy was always advantageous, but on the other, that same recognition could always come back to bite them in the ass. For now, and only for now, he would have to make due with what he got. At the very least, they were somewhat safe, though the temperature only dropped lower. He let out a small sigh, resulting in his breath forming a small cloud, though he would then shuffle himself into the tent a little more. “[b][color=purple]Rest easy now, you’re alright,[/color][/b]” He assured her. “[b][color=purple]No one seems to have followed, though I have to apologize for your wound…I’m afraid my expertize in dark magicks offered no solace in healing so I had to rely on items.[/color][/b]” [hr] Sand was everywhere. That was the first thought as Nadeline sputtered some out of her mouth, coughing and hacking in order to free her lungs of the substance. The wind didn’t help matters, though by some miracle she was able to get to her feet with little trouble. She was relatively unharmed, though the same could not be said for the airship they had traveled in. She watched as flames engulfed it, lighting it up like a bonfire. It was then she realized she had landed a distance away from the commotion. Why wasn’t she with Wesley? She couldn’t remember, the last thing that came to mind was her and Wesley combining to protect the ship from crashing. That’s right, they crash landed. The fire happened afterwards, a combined result of engine failure and the magicite powering the whole thing going crazy. The citizens were being evacuated from the ship by several knights, though it was then Nadeline realized Wesley was nowhere to be found. No, it was the other way around; she spotted the prince in no time, and as she trudged through the sand, she saw that a hole had been blasted through their room. She must have gone flying from the impact, and as if to confirm it, she felt something warm running down her head. Her fingertips confirmed it was blood, though she couldn’t say whether or not she was fine just yet. “[b][color=coral]What a miracle…[/color][/b]” She told Wesley, astonished for once. “[b][color=coral]We seem to be relatively unharmed.[/color][/b]” [hr] “[b][color=pink]What do you mean there are no outgoing flights?[/color][/b] Emiri was beyond annoyed now. Keiran teetered behind her, amused as she would try to argue with the flight attendant, but to no avail. Airships everywhere seemed to be having issues, and thus most flights had been shut down and canceled. The attendant seemed apologetic, but Emiri was not having any of that at the moment. Keiran patted her should assuredly, though the girl turned on him shortly after. “[b]Hey, calm down, the Sandsea isn’t far at all. We could always find other means of transportation, we don’t have to go through Dalmasca,[/b]” Keiran pointed out. Running her hand through her hair, she had no choice but to concede, and nearly shoved him aside as she would lead the way. He grinned, running after her, though he could feel Shion’s presence getting closer and closer. She sure was a thorn in his side—no pun intended—though at this rate, there would be a fight he really wanted to avoid. He half wished Emiri could take her on, but he was sure she wasn’t quite ready for that yet. Clucking his tongue, he slipped between the people as they arrived at the chocobo rentals. As the pair approached the man, Keiran realized an attack was coming towards them, He grabbed Emiri as he leapt back, a flash of light passing by them. Letting out a curse, he would see Shion approach them, wielding a blade of light. [i]Crap![/i] He bit his lip as the woman looked at the pair, though it seemed Emiri was the more courageous of the pair as she stepped forward. “[b][color=pink]What are you doing here?[/color][/b]” She asked, a hand on the holt of her sword. Shion eyed her rather coldly, though her amber eyes would flicker to Keiran. “[b][color=deepskyblue]Had I known this would have happened, I would have killed you from the start,[/color][/b]” She fully admitted, gripping her blade. “[b][color=deepskyblue]Birds of a feather, you and that sky pirate, for you would repeat the same mistake that he did. Fear not, I will cleanse the Dark One’s influence from you.[/color][/b]” That was absolutely the last thing Keiran wanted. No, he didn’t have a choice, he would have to further the plan now lest he risked to lose it all. His lord may or may not forgive him, but losing Emiri was not an option. He stepped behind her, a darkness surrounding him so great that it would materialize. It would engulf himself and the brunette, surprising her, though it was only the beginning…. [i][color=pink]Where am I?[/color] She could see her own reflection in the walls, as if looking at a broken mirror. A cave path with crystals protruding from several places seemed to be her location, although exactly where, she couldn’t really say. The crystals themselves looked nice enough, but there was something off about them. The cave looked like it would lead somewhere else, and so she would make the decision to continue walking down the unknown path. Further and further, until she reached the inner cavern. Said cavern was covered from top to bottom in glimmering crystals except for a small pool of water. Emiri approached the water, watching her reflection in the stillness. After a moment, she would see Keiran approaching, and she would let out a sigh. “[b][color=pink]Something told me not to trust you. I don’t know how you got me to confide in you,[/color][/b]” She said, as she would turn to him. “[b]Actually, you can thank Jaakuna for that,[/b]” He outright admitted with a small shrug. “[b]Desperation is a funny thing, you know. Hell, it even makes your worst enemy look like a friend. I mean come on, of all the people to trust, you decided to place it on the one person in Ivalice who’s notorious for having no loyalties for [i]anyone[/i]? Although I can’t say that act alone was enough for me.[/b]” He was trying to get under her skin, though she wouldn’t have any of it. “[b][color=pink]What’s that supposed to mean?[/color][/b]” “[b]Alienating your friends, grieving over the loss of a family member, anger towards the whole situation…all that pent up frustration does wonders to the mind, you know,[/b]” He gestured towards the crystals. She wasn’t entirely sure what he was trying to say until she realized that most of them were cracked, and a few would crumble and fall into the water. “[b]The mind is a terribly fragile thing, you see, especially when left unchecked. It makes it easy for someone like me to come on in and do as I please.[/b]” Emiri hesitated, looking around once more. She hated to admit it, but he was right; as beautiful and serene as the cavern seemed, it was slowly deteriorating around her. So this was her mindscape—it was vastly different from when she had seen Jaakuna’s, at least he had been sound of mind back then. Still, Keiran had finally admitted his intention to take over—she had no reason to hold back. Summoning her sword, she would take a battle stance, much to Keiran’s amusement. “[b]Not going down without a fight, huh? I admire that, I really do,[/b]” He said as he would summon his own sword. “[b]And honestly, at any other time I’m sure you’d have a fighting chance. But with everything that’s happened, this is nothing more than a guaranteed victory.[/b]” She had heard enough, and would charge it. Keiran would parry her first attack and sidestep with little effort, striking her arm. To her surprise, there was no pain from the sword, although instead a brief memory flashed before her. Grant had grabbed her by the hair back when they had been captured, a dark look on his face. But as quickly as it came, it faded, and she was back with Keiran. What the hell was that?! Keiran read her expression perfectly, and would only smile in response. No, she couldn’t lose focus now. She went in again, only for him to block her attack and counter. She jumped back, bringing her sword around and parrying his next attack, but he was faster. She staggered backwards as he lunged at her, his sword barely slicing through her cheek, and again a memory played before her. This time it was Nadeline reprimanding her in front of Wesley and Jaakuna, one of the first fights they had. Emiri managed to keep her ground as it faded away, though she hated to admit that whatever he was doing was definitely throwing her off. Keiran admired his sword for a moment, glancing at her. “[b]A Nightmare Blade—all it really does is bring up bad times. Mostly distractions, but it’s more effective here,[/b]” He explained, his dark eyes briefly glowing red. Now it was his turn to take the initiative—and he would rush at her in a blinding speed, his sword cutting across her arm. She couldn’t keep up with his strikes, and the memories would flood in one after another: a fight with her mother, the first time her father would leave and no come back for months, the massacre at Dalmasca, Vincent kidnapping her, her powers failing her. Every single moment in her life where she was afraid, every time she was angry, every time she was sad. It was too much. She wanted it all to stop, she didn’t want to remember any of this! The crystals around them would further deteriorate. Her sword fell to the ground as she would drop to her knees, her hands grasping her head. “[b][color=pink]Stop it![/color][/b]” She cried, shaking her head. Keiran let out a small sigh, bringing his blade above his head. He paused as he watched, though he would get down on one knee. He would take his free hand and place it under her chin, lifting her face towards his. “[b]This world is nothing but impure. People have nothing but hatred and sorrow in their hearts. Your travels have shown you this much, I can tell,[/b]” His voice was low, almost comforting. “[b]He will free us all from this misery. You’ll never have to feel the pain of being abandoned, I promise.[/b]” It was ridiculous. It wasn’t true, everything Keiran said was all lies, and her head was screaming at her body to do something, anything. He’d remove his hand from her face, lightly embracing her. She let out a gasp as he would run his blade through her, clutching her abdomen as he withdrew his sword. A glyph appeared from her wound, the light of the crystals fading around them. Her eyes darkened as they clouded over, and she would stand as darkness seeped out of the glyph, enveloping her entirely. She fell backwards, Keiran watching as the darkness erected a cage around her. The crystals emitted a red glow, and he let out a small sigh, watching as she writhed in pain. Emiri managed to sit up somehow, grabbing a hold of the bars keeping her imprisoned. Keiran couldn’t help but clap for her. “[b]Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.[/b]” He grinned. [/i] The darkness would converge on the two, and as Shion raised her weapon, it would burst forward, though it seemed it was more for show than anything. Her eyes widened as she had seen that Emiri had changed before her, though it seemed more refined than Jaakuna’s possession. Gone were her dress and boots, replaced with a rather revealing leotard that left little to the imagination paired with a matching set of long gloves and long boots, the remains of a tailcoat billowing behind her. A crown of gold and silver formed on her head, holding some of her hair up as several red jewels sparkled from it. Emiri seemed just as surprised, examining herself, and as she would unsheathe her weapon, it too would change into a blade of darkness. “[b][color=palevioletred]So this is the power of darkness…[/color][/b]” Emiri mused out loud, looking at her weapon. “[b][color=palevioletred]Cold…yet comforting…[/color][/b]” Shion narrowed her eyes, though she shook her head. “[b][color=deepskyblue]You fool…fear not, for I shall release you from your shackles,[/color][/b]” She stated. Emiri’s eyes widened, her once violet eyes now a hue of magenta, though she let out a small giggle as she covered her mouth. “[b][color=palevioletred]Fear…I have nothing to fear now,[/color][/b]” She seemed to agree, though her expression would get more serious as she [url=http://imgur.com/yLRlaf0]prepared her sword[/url]. “[b][color=deepskyblue]You would challenge me?[/color][/b]” “[b][color=palevioletred]A challenge implies a chance at a struggle. No…I plan to [i]win[/i].[/color][/b]”