Of the time that they had met, Shinto was surprised she didn’t pick up on it sooner. Being one of the few people whose mist-sensing abilities are rivaled to very few, Shinto was a bit disappointed that Shion didn’t recognize him right away. Then again, he’d been deliberately masking his mist just enough to go undetected. There are some powerful people who have been after him. Thankfully, Dominic’s assertive mist hid it well, but without him currently conscious, there wasn’t a single doubt in his mind that Shion picked up on it.

“[color=50c878]Madame Blue Rose, I’m surprised it took you this long to recognize your Water Lily,[/color]” Shinto said taking off his sunglasses and showing his white eyes with a single spec of gold in the center. “Know that the Archadian soil isn’t quite as soft as those of the Phon Coast..

Admittedly, she had an entire garden’s worth of people to tend to, though she would let out a sigh. “[color=deepskyblue]I wouldn’t speak unless I was sure. When we saw one another before, I thought I recognized your face, though figured I was mistaken--until now, that is.[/color]”

Meanwhile, the rest were finding out the exact reasons for Shion’s being here. Apparently Emiri had been taken by Zodiark. 

What was even worse, Jaakuna didn’t know. 

Savayna gripped her arm tightly and then looked over to that dome of concentrated mist. She saw glimpses of two figures fighting. It was intense. She couldn’t believe that two superpowers were duking it out and all they could do was talk about whatever Shinto was going on about with Shion and why the busty bitch was here in the first place. No one could tell him because that dome was so full of God-tier levels of mist that, if they even dared to, they would get destroyed right away. 

“[color=lightblue]Goddamn it all![/color]” Savayna cursed, stomping her feet on the ground. Not in a tantrum kind of way but one of those ‘you can’t do anything and it sucks’ kind of ways. She hated that she wasn’t there to protect Emiri in Jaakuna’s stead. She hated that she couldn’t help Jaakuna with his fight against that monster, Bahamut. She hated that, despite all of her efforts, she was still as weak and bothersome as she was when this entire shitstorm began. 

She had enough. No more staying out of it for her. Savayna wasn’t going to sulk in her self-pity any longer. That wasn’t her style. More than anything, she was pretty much the only one here who had any stake in this ordeal. Her history with Jaakuna was just exactly what made her more relevant than ever before.

“[color=lightblue]Shion, with all due respect, you have no place in telling Jaakuna anything.[/color]” Savayna stated bluntly.

The blue haired woman wouldn’t turn to Savayna, though she would eye her curiously. “[color=deepskyblue]No place...that’s a first.[/color]” She admitted, though she raised her head. “[color=deepskyblue]And I suppose that place belongs to who? The prince of another nation? The princess that let her get away? Or perhaps you’re referring to yourself.[/color]” Shion said.

“[color=darkorchid]Does it really matter who tells him?[/color]” Grant couldn’t help but ask, sensing an incoming argument. He figured he wouldn’t make much of a difference, but he may as well get it out now. “[color=darkorchid]Considering the circumstances…[/color]”

“[color=deepskyblue]Those same circumstances are what brought us all here today,[/color]” Shion reminded him, though she wouldn’t take her eyes off Savayna.

Savayna turned her icy-blue eyes towards Grant, exposing a very faint wave of icy mist specifically at him. Then, she turned her attention to Shion. “[color=lightblue]Yes, I’m very much aware of why we’re here. I’m also aware that you think you have this obligation to tell Jaakuna the news about Emiri. But, need I remind everyone that it wasn’t that long ago that she was trying to kill us. In fact, she almost succeeded when we were at Giruvegan. So why should we trust a person like that to deliver such dire news to Jaakuna? Why does this..[b]outsider[/b]  get a pass?[/color]” Savayna’s icy tone was felt throughout. 

Grant let out a slight sigh, though Savayna had already made it clear he was to stay out of it. Throwing his arms up in defeat, he would turn his attention elsewhere, though he would through Vlyn a glare as he noticed him chuckle. Shion raised an eyebrow, though she let out a sigh. “[color=deepskyblue]It’s true,[/color]” She outright admitted, causing Grant to pay attention to the conversation once again. “[color=deepskyblue]Though I wouldn’t say it’s so much a ‘pass’ as it is a warning. I told him before, and I’ll repeat it here: things have changed. Not that it’s excusing my actions--my goal was, and still is stopping Zodiark.[/color]”

Lorenzo narrowed his eyes, though he stayed quiet for once. Grant, on the other hand, found this entire conversation pointless, though as he opened his mouth to retort Vlyn shook his head at him. “[color=deepskyblue]My obligation is to fix my errors. I underestimated her--whatever that boy did to her left me blindsided--[/color]” She lifted her blackened arm as she spoke. “[color=deepskyblue]--and I felt that it was my [i]place[/i] to inform Jaakuna. I am to blame.[/color]”

“[color=thistle]I can’t completely agree with that part,[/color]” This time Vlyn couldn’t help but interject. “[color=thistle]You were not alone, as both Aloa and myself joined you in that battle. And we all lost…[/color]”

“[color=lightblue]So just because you got injured by..whatever it is that person is, you feel that it’s your job to tell him the news about the one person he cares most about in all of Ivalice?[/color]” Savayna asked, “don’t bother answering. I’m going to tell you exactly why you are wrong on so many levels.” She approached Shion. “[color=lightblue]First off, you are an enemy-turned [i]possible[/i] ally,[/color]” Savayna pushed her finger against Shion’s large bust, “[color=lightblue]secondly, you know nothing about what he’s been through. You know nothing about what strife he had to overcome to be the man that he is today.[/color]” Savayna said with another hard nudge. “[color=lightblue]Lastly — and I cannot stress this enough — you are not one of us. You will never be one of us. You are, in my eyes, someone who happened to get lucky and not be on everyone’s bad side.[/color]” 

Turning around, Savayna looked at everyone’s doubtless shocked expressions. She would then look back at Shion. “[color=lightblue]An outsider has no place giving him this kind of news. I will be the one to do it. It’s [i]my[/i] place - my burden.[/color]”

Shion looked at the back of Savayna’s head for a moment, though she then looked downcast. Grant’s jaw nearly dropped--was Savayna right? No, that wasn’t it, Shion seemed to realize something. The woman walked around Savayna, facing her, her amber eyes stern on Savayna’s blue ones.

“[color=deepskyblue]Is it your burden because you feel it’s your place as a friend? Or is it because you clearly still love him?[/color]” She asked her, straight to the point.

Lorenzo’s eyes widened, though catching Grant’s expression made his heart sink. Grant himself looked like someone had just slapped him, though everyone was deathly silent, waiting on Savayna’s response.

For a moment, Savayna just stood there, contemplating exactly what she was going to say — what she was going to [i]do[/i]. So many thoughts riddled through her mind that Mateus even chimed in on a few of them, stating that whatever she did she wouldn’t be able to come back from. Savayna agreed with him. This seemed to be something they both understood had reprecautions. 

She took in a deep breath. She made sure to be absolutely serene. And as she exhaled, Savayna’s mist gathered around her, focusing into her right fist. It was, of course, invisible to the naked eye. But in the moment that it had reached its peak and the next moment that had followed, the temperature around her had dropped to nearly absolute zero. It was a fraction of a millisecond, but as she would hook her right arm inside Shion’s personal space, it was dealt in full. The fist was as cold as it could be and it had made contact with its intended target: Shion, the Blue Rose. And as it did, Savayna screamed with much anger that one would think she was possessed by some sort of devil or demon.

Shion skidded back, her face turned away, though as she looked back at the group, her cheek was frosty. Her amber eyes flashed as she began to walk towards the blonde, a light glimmering in her hand. Grant’s eyes widened, though as he moved, Lorenzo was the one that stopped him. “[color=darkorange]She hasn’t answered yet, not with words, anyway,[/color]” He told his younger brother, a hand on his shoulder. “[color=darkorange]We have no business interfering.[/color]”

[i][color=darkorchid]Even so…![/color][/i] Grant’s thought was interrupted by the familiar ringing of steel as Shion would summon her weapon. Her blackened hand seemed to pulse as well, clutching her blade tightly. She stopped before Savayna, spitting to her side before eyeing the woman., her rose glowing. “[color=deepskyblue]You got me with that sucker punch--it won’t happen again.[/color]” Shion stated as she took her stance, her petals wilting from her flower. In the next second, she charged with such a speed that the wind seemed to nearly knock Grant off his feet, though he was horrified as Shion moved with every intention to strike Savayna.

When Shion’s katana would come at her, SAvayna, held her hand out. As she would motion her arm upward in a diagonal angle, blue mist extended from her hand and solidified. In that moment, a smaller, one-handed version of Mateus’ Trident appeared in her hand and clashed with Shion’s attack. The collision of their respective mist would cause dual-effects of non-elemental and ice mist in a small radius, all the while both of them were an even match as the sounds of magick-infused steel was at a standstill with magick-infused steel.  “[color=lightblue]I’m going to prove once and for all that we never needed you and we don’t need you now,[/color]” Savayna went for a push in the struggle, using the power of Mateus’ presence inside her to help her gain an advantage. While she did that, her eyes were becoming increasingly colder and appearing as if they were literal stones of ice.

Shion remained stone faced, though for a moment, she smirked, pushing back  on her katana. “[color=deepskyblue]Let’s see about that,[/color]” She said, though she would step back, letting the force of Savayna’s sword draw her forward, and she would bring up her knee at the same time, effectively kneeing Savayna with her own force. Shion’s blade scraped the ground, a green light indicating its magicks had changed, and a wind would knock Savayna back slightly. Whipping her blade to the side, the scattered rose petals would dance around them, fading into mist, the petals reforming on her head as her sword would glow. Changing elements once more, she drew a circle in front of her, her katana taking on a different form as she held it at her side. Reminiscent of a draw, her blade would flash forward, nearly invisible to the naked eye as her jabs reached a speed where it looked more like each strike was instantaneous.

Good thing Savayna’s eyes weren’t naked. She saw every jab that Shion had unleashed. With the eyes and reaction time of an Esper - the Corrupted Esper - Savayna parried Shion’s jab. To those watching, it was an amazing feat. Each time Shion’s katana would go in, Savayna matched her own weapon at the exact moment with just the right amount of magick to fend it off. This continued for about five times until Savayna, in her other hand, had been gathering mist. When Shion’s last jab came, Savayna had pressed her hand full of Mist onto the hilt of her Trident Sword and it exploded with magick, repelling Shion back. While the Blue Rose would be in midair, Savayna would carpe diem. Her body disappeared into a shroud of icy mist, appearing just above Shion and two feet plunged into the woman’s stomach, driving them both into the ground.

The ground beneath them crumbled,though Shion’s corrupted hand pulsed. She told a hold of Savayna’s trident, this time the wind picking up around the pair. The darkness would glow ominously, spreading from Shion’s hand to the weapon, though she would not let go. As the wind whipped her hair around her, she remained steady, her eyes locked onto Savayna. “[color=deepskyblue]Show me![/color]” She shouted as the darkness surrounded them. “[color=deepskyblue]Where is that resolve of yours?![/color]” The darkness continued to spread. “[color=deepskyblue]If your reasoning is true, if this is all you’re capable of, show me! Show me everything![/color]” Though soon the dark clouds surrounded the pair, and in a moment, they would become completely eclipsed.

“[color=thistle]That’s...Zodiark’s power![/color]” Vlyn gasped, alerting the rest of them.

Grant’s eyes widened. “[color=darkorchid]Savayna![/color]” He shouted, Lorenzo having to try harder to hold him back.

It was dark all right — dark enough to render Savayna’s line of sight worse than Old Dalan’s. And yet, she could still clearly see Shion in front of her. Well, not exactly see but feel her. That stench of Zodiark’s Mist was impossible to ignore. The putrid, vapid aura of it was as black as it was unique. SOmething about it just gave off a signature that, those who were exposed to it, would be able to sense it. And those who had felt it would be able to feel it. So, it wasn’t like she was going in blind. Plus, when the words of Shion hit her ears, Savayna’s instincts kicked in..

“[color=lightblue]Fine, I [i]will[/i].[/color]”

SAvayna brought her trident down with all her might. Whatever remained of her Mist was concentrated into the three tips of her weapon. It was so much that it illuminated the black abyss that surrounded them. In the following moments, neither Savayna or Shion, nor those outside were ready for what happened.

Silence from all fronts. No cricket was chirping nor birds tweeting - just silence in the air. Until a mild bang could be heard, reverberating through the ground and air. Next, came a louder bang that caused even louder shockwaves. It was even felt within the black fog that surrounded Shion and Savayna. It was loud enough to clear [i]some[/i] of the clouds but not all. Only enough to give a small glimpse into it(for those outside) and a small dose of sunlight within the fog. 

But, of course, like Zodiark’s natural essence was, it closed it up, ceasing any light once more. However, this only lasted for a few seconds more until a loud, thundering shockwave was felt throughout the entire area. It was so loud and so filled with Esper-levels of Mist, it overpowered whatever amount of Zodiark’s power that had activated from Shion’s arm, not only reiterating it back to whatever form it was before but in doing so, it evaporated the entire black fog, and sent both ladies flying(along with everyone else) about fifty paces, tumbling through buildings and debris.