The bastard was enjoying this, wasn't he?

Shion cocked an eyebrow at him, uncrossing her arms and instead placing a hand on her hip. Either he was looking for an ego boost or he was stupidly curious. As she opened her mouth, she could feel the ice of Mateus through the halls. Birds of a feather, that Savayna was practically a clone of Jaakuna. She would turn her attention back to him, staring at him for a moment before she would decide to answer. "[color=deepskyblue]Perhaps she did. I can't say I remember a physical description,[/color]" She admitted. "[color=deepskyblue]Not that you were hard to find--royalty doesn't have privacy, even if they run away from home. Although I was surprised...he had eyes like yours, though after so many years perhaps it's just nostalgia taking over.[/color]"

[hr]

Wesley meant well, he truly did, though Nadeline was unable to hide her rather mischievous grin as she would hug Wesley tightly, batting her eyelashes at her father. Lorenzo looked like he had seen his beloved pet die, and he would drop to his knees. Nadeline couldn't help but roll her eyes--he was fine now that he was being all dramatic again. "[color=darkorange]Karolina, I swear to you, I did my best![/color]" He called out to his wife, wailing. "[color=darkorange]Forgive me, my love, I failed our daughter, I failed you, I failed everyone--I don't want to be a grandpa yet![/color]"

She poked Wesley lightly, as if telling him to watch. "[color=coral]So, Father, if I am to bear a child, what do you think--boy, or girl?[/color]" She asked him, feigning curiosity.

"[color=darkorange]Oh, boy for sure,[/color]" Lorenzo got up rather quickly, a thoughtful expression on his face. "[color=darkorange]I hope he got my brains, I'd love to have a second pair of hands in my garage.[/color]"

Nadeline looked up at Wesley, unable to hide her smile. "[color=coral]See? He's estatic,[/color]" She told him.

"[color=darkorange]I'm conflicted![/color]" Lorenzo protested. "[color=darkorange]I'm happy and I'm pissed and I want to hold it in my arms and I want to strangle Wesley and I'm excited and I'm feeling the wrinkles already and--it's a lot to take in![/color]"

[hr]

"[color=gray]Rude![/color]" Keiran called out to Savayna as she would run away with Grant. It wasn't until a second later that he realized what had happened. "[color=gray]Wait! Grant can't talk![/color]" His shout was probably on the late side. Not that it mattered, it was honestly Grant's own problem to deal with. As he would slowly get up (knowing it would be entirely in character for Savayna to ice the floor while he tried to stand) he let out a sigh, rubbing his hurt nose. He clucked his tongue, slightly annoyed, although he would then lean against the wall. He winced, his heart aching quite literally, though he realized that it wasn't actually his pain. Despite blocking their connection, it seemed some of Emiri's pain still hit him. Maybe it wasn't as blocked as she wanted it to be.

Not wanting to waste an opportunity, Keiran would hop up, waltzing over to where he knew his beloved Emiri was. He didn't bother knocking, strolling into the empty bedroom. She only noticed him when the door closed, causing her to grimace at him. "[color=pink]Come to gloat?[/color]" She asked him darkly, a hand to her chest.

"[color=gray]Considering that I'm feeling it, too, I don't think gloating is the best course of action,[/color]" He stated wisely, taking a seat in a nearby chair. He watched as she would slowly sit up, mustering the energy to give him a glare. "[color=gray]Defiant as always. Rest. Honestly, I'm just here for the company since no one else wants me around.[/color]"

"[color=pink]How pitiful. And you have no remorse for this whatsoever? Not even when Wesley at least tried to get through to you?[/color]" She asked him, frowning. "[color=pink]If Wesley can rebel, you can as well. You have nothing to gain from serving your current master.[/color]"

Keiran's finger tapped his temple a few times, though he smiled. "[color=gray]We shared emotions once, but that doesn't mean you know me. I'll admit it; you were spot on with your 'one way road' statement from before,[/color]" He said, leaning back. "[color=gray]I, on the other hand, know everything about you. And Shion's statement was spot on, wasn't it?[/color]" Her silence was answer enough for him. "[color=gray]Even now the darkness calls out to you. I know you can hear it.[/color]"

"[color=pink]It doesn't matter if it calls me,[/color]" She told him. "[color=pink]Look at what I did to Shion--I feel guilty enough about it. What if I had done that to Nadeline, or Jaakuna or anyone else? Shion is barely hanging in there, and that's only because of the pact she made--any of my friends would probably be dead by now. There's no way I can do that to any of them, I'd never forgive myself.[/color]"

The temptation was there, but the consequences of her previous actions had hung over her head and caused hesitance. As on point as his master was with everything, Keiran wasn't too sure what direction to take next. He simply watched her, his eyes examining her as if she was on display. He then shrugged at her, leaning forward in his seat. "[color=gray]It's really noble. But...it's hollow, isn't it? You should be happy that you and Jaakuna are reunited, but it's just not the same anymore, is it? You really thought that heart-to-heart would solve everything, but it hasn't. I'm still here. Jaakuna's destiny is now laid out before him. And you...can barely sit up,[/color]" He said, raising an eyebrow. "[color=gray]You feel just as empty as you did before, only its worse because you know you're fully in control of your own body and mind--and its your own emotion.[/color]"

Emiri stared at him, looking genuinely hurt. "[color=pink]I don't understand you at all,[/color]" She said. "[color=pink]Why would you tell me those things? What do you care? You say you want my heart, then you rip it out like you did just now and make me feel horrible. Why?[/color]"

"[color=gray]Because I'm right,[/color]" He said harshly. "[color=gray]Face it, Emiri, you're unstable. And what's worse is Shion didn't bother mentioning your problem.[/color]"

Problem? "[color=pink]What problem?[/color]"

"[color=gray]The fact that you're one wrong decision from literally destroying us all. Yeah, Jaakuna is the one that can stop Lord Zodiark--and who do you think can stop Jaakuna?[/color]" Keiran said. "[color=gray]Even before, he couldn't bear to actually fight you, and even went so far as to find another way. But if you wanted to, you could walk right up to him and stab him right in the chest, and he would let you do it without so much as blinking an eye.[/color]"

Is that why Shion treated her so harshly? No, Keiran was playing his mind tricks again. She shook her head at him. "[color=pink]I'd never do that of my own will.[/color]" She would continue to insist.

"[color=gray]Shion seemed pretty confident that Rio wouldn't either.[/color]"

"[color=pink]Stop it![/color]" She yelled at him. "[color=pink]I don't care what you think! That's not who I am![/color]"

"[color=gray]It's a fact that you refuse to acknowledge. And until you do, you're going to continue to suffer,[/color]" Keiran raised his voice. "[color=gray]No matter what you do, your pain isn't going away. You're scared of everything, you're scared of fighting Venat, you're scared of Jaakuna taking his place at the helm of Archadia--and that fear will drive you straight into Venat's hands whether you want to admit it or not.[/color]"

"[color=pink]It won't![/color]" She insisted, her hands over her ears as she shook her head again. And thus, her mental state would crack once more. "[color=pink]It's not true! It's not![/color]"

Hook, line, and sinker.

Keiran would stand from his seat and walk over to the bed, sitting next to her. She made to move, but was surprised when he would pull her into a hug. She froze, unsure of what he was trying to accomplish, but he would just hold her close. "[color=gray]I'm sorry,[/color]" He told her as he would break them apart, looking right at her. "[color=gray]No one else is saying it, so I will. I'm sorry.[/color]"

Her violet eyes were wide, watching as he would stand. He would leave the room without so much as another word. It wasn't until a moment later that she realized she had an anger welling up inside of her. Deep down, she knew he was right. But her denial ran deep, so much that reason itself was thrown into the wind. She grabbed a pillow, pulling it to her face as she would let out a frustrated scream. Once she finished, she let herself fall back onto the bed. Why? Why was she so weak? Why did Keiran see right through her?

[hr]

No kidding, her spontaneity was something Grant often liked, even if it did usually cause him trouble. As he caught his breath, he found himself staring at her for a moment. Whether it was intentional or not, they were alone now. His heart seemed to jump up to his throat--as if he didn't have enough issues--as he thought of what to say. But the words wouldn't come in a literal sense. He looked at her, seemingly calling out her name as his lips would certainly tell, though her name never came. Letting out a sigh, he sat down in front of the bench, a contemplative look on his face. Great, they finally got a chance to talk, and he couldn't even say a word. The gods were enjoying tormenting him, weren't they?

He looked back at her, nodding slowly in agreement to her statement.