Taking a seat in her office, flames danced in Shion's eyes as she stared at the candle on her desk. She was deep in thought, Venat's words ringing in her ears as if replaying themselves over and over. It was completely ridiculous. Why hadn't Venat simply told them what needed to be done? Why drag the possibility of Rio's return like this? Why? She wanted to think it was to create a false hope only to get crushed, but there was something she hated about this. If it truly was Rio, would she have to relive his death? The thought seemed to form a pit in her stomach. How emotions often ignored time, it was as if the pain reopened an old wound.

"[color=lime]My lady?[/color]" Ren asked nervously, afraid to break her concentration.

The blue haired woman would stand, a weary expression on her face. She stared at Ren for a moment, though she seemed resigned. "[color=deepskyblue]Remain here. Alert me should there be any notice,[/color]" She muttered the order, though the obedient Ren would bow to her nonetheless.

Uncertainty accompanied her as the walked through the halls. She paid no mind to those who bowed to her; at the moment, reality didn't exist. All her work, everything she had strove for all these years, nothing seemed important. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was plagued by the thought of his return, even though she continued to deny it. She wished she could rip it out of her heart and bury it somewhere, but that wasn't happening. She didn't even realize she had stopped in front of a door, feeling as if someone foreign was going through the motions for her as she would open it without knocking.

"[color=deepskyblue]I've returned,[/color]" She announced to Francis.

[hr]

Emiri held onto Jaakuna as best she could without hindering his walk, though her clinginess was apparent to anyone who watched them. He put up with it well, though his annoyance couldn't quite be held back. For once, however, she knew she was being entirely selfish. Nothing about the situation could possibly put her at ease, and no one would be able to convince her that both Levi and Venat had their own, hidden agendas, ready to strike as soon as they got what they wanted. There was no way this would go smoothly either; they'd probably come out with more injuries than they could count. The thought made her hold onto him tighter, though she couldn't quite deny the real reason she didn't want to leave his side.

If she let go, she was certain she would end up losing him, too.

Grant couldn't help but smile at Jaakuna's response, though it wasn't unexpected. "[color=darkorchid]Too much of anything is bad. Too much confidence, too much recklessness, too many risks...I had thought after your encounter with the viera you'd be able to find balance, but I suppose your personality gets in the way of that.[/color]" He couldn't help but comment, shrugging. "[color=darkorchid]And just like too much of something is bad, lacking is just as dangerous. Especially now, considering how everyone is essentially shoving the purification of the Creature onto you.[/color]"