[center][h2][color=#b3ccff]Esben Mathiassen[/color] and Asakura Chisato[/h2][/center] [hr] After seeing Rudolf on his way to go and chat with Zacharias, Esben—already exhausted [i]before[/i] the fight with Famfrit, and clearly dragging his feet the entire way back up to the cathedral—slumped against the back wall of the chamber they’d been given, sliding to the floor gracelessly. Ramuh and Cid certainly hadn’t lied; even a halfway summon of the Eidolon was nearly more than he had the strength to handle, certainly after a nearly-sleepless last three [i]weeks.[/i] Pulling on what little he had left when they cleansed the crystal was the final nail in the coffin, leaving him unable to even call up enough to summon back Eve and Selene to help take care of him. He leaned his head back against the wall, eyes closed against the light around. Trying to block out the little bit of sound that the others were making as they set about their own tasks before trying to get what meager rest they could. Trying to clear his mind of any thoughts at all, just so that he could slip away into his own blissful oblivion for a couple hours. Fruitlessly, as he knew it would be, but he still [i]wished[/i] he could quiet the constant racing in his mind, [i]wished[/i] he could stop noticing every minutely uncomfortable sensation, [i]wished[/i] he could stop focusing on every other thing around him. That was almost always the true impossibility, given how he’d conditioned himself to try and keep from missing any detail around him, and that was one of the things that always turned around to bite him when he wanted to relax. But, if sleep wouldn’t come, he could at least take care of something else important. Opening his eyes again and resisting the urge to sigh, he pulled out one of his notebooks, flipping open to an earlier page in it and pulling out his pencil. Names, nicknames, little notes about the others in the party, things he’d thought worth noticing—something that long needed updating, which he’d been putting off doing. He sharply crossed out four lines, adding small notes next to each. [i]Arton Yule—Disappeared. Sick. Presumed deceased.[/i] [i]Robin Fey—Departed. No longer aligned with overall mission; possible support if chance occurrence.[/i] [i]Eve—With Cid.[/i] [i]Ciradyl—Recalled to Kugane. Possible support if return to Osprey.[/i] Simple enough update on those four. Patently unnecessary, except to satisfy his own feeling that they were left ‘unfinished’ in some manner if he didn’t. For the four that they had lost, they’d only gained one in return. Still, it wasn’t complete if he didn’t add her in, so he started writing again: [i]Asakura Chisato—Sent by Hien. Shinobi.[/i] In terms of capabilities, that seemed enough to get everything across that he might otherwise note for the rest—far better than if someone was to write similar about him and just put [i]SEED,[/i] for all that certain members of the group liked to complain about having so many ‘godsdamned spooks.’ With that done, it was on to other things; certain obvious aspects of the personality, what could be worked with, what couldn’t, what might change over the time travelling; if he couldn’t sleep because his mind was racing, he could at least put it to more useful things. He tapped his pencil thoughtfully, glancing up over the edge of the page as he saw a short flash of red and black moving just ahead of him. [color=#b3ccff]”Come sit down, Chisato.”[/color] [hr] A major goal, accomplished. A corrupted guardian, given peace. It’s with this in mind that I feel some level of satisfaction. Each step on this path is part of my mission’s goal, therefore there’s simply no way I would feel any differently. The battle with Famfrit would probably have gone somewhat more smoothly if I had been able to bring my handcannon, but there was no way to feasibly transport it into the temple. Besides, we had still claimed victory. I’ve already bandaged my arm. The damage is light, relatively superficial. It’s nothing that should impede my capabilities, and the tingling sensation over my lightly-seared skin won’t prevent me from carrying out any of my objectives. If necessary, I can have it healed, but it will do so on its own fairly swiftly regardless. More importantly, I’ll need to fix my gauntlet as soon as I get the chance. In fact, I’ll— Ah? “Mathiassen-san?” I find myself cocking his head. Why does he wish to speak with me? After only a moment’s pause, I approach him to sit down. “What is it?” [hr] [color=#b3ccff]”Your being up-and-about is making it hard to focus,”[/color] came Esben’s bland, matter-of-fact reply. He let it hang in the air for a moment, before continuing along: [color=#b3ccff]”Besides, I haven’t had a chance to really speak with you since you came to join us.”[/color] As she sat down, he flipped ahead in his notebook to a fresh page. [color=#b3ccff]”What do you think, so far? Do we match up to whatever Hien told you about us?”[/color] While he hadn’t been so brazen as to write down his thoughts on each other member so openly, he figured the tiny ninja would understand a bit quicker—and be less bothered by it. [hr] —Do they match to what Rijin-sama informed me of when I was assigned this mission? I consider the question for a few moments, turning the words over in my mind. Izayoi-dono is someone I was already quite familiar with, and therefore my expectations were firmly in place before I was briefed. The others, however— Two are men of Edren, but I suppose they have managed to be useful. I cannot simply deny that, even if acknowledging their capabilities makes me feel mildly ill. Caradoc-san in particular has proven himself to be capable and effective as a warrior and leader, which is probably to be expected, but I cannot completely ignore the capabilities of Sagramore-san. —Nor the strangely dark aura that surrounds him, but I shall put that aside for now. “I suppose so, in most respects,” I respond. If that was all, I believe that answer should be sufficient. [hr] He waited silently as she thought the question over in her mind, raising one eyebrow at her short answer. [color=#b3ccff]”In [i]most[/i] respects?”[/color] he parroted back. [color=#b3ccff]”I’m not sure if I’m more curious at how we match up or how we don’t, when you put it that way.”[/color] Pencil tapping on the empty page, he turned back to stare at it for a moment rather than watching Chisato. Truthfully, he would have imagined the state that she had found them in would be a [i]shock[/i] compared to whatever expectations they had set in Kugane. Bleeding talent, haggard, harried—a far cry from the crew that had successfully broken Hien free from prison and stormed Mizutani Tane’s dwelling. Considering the perceived relative competence of the Grovemasters to the Valheimer, short of knowing how much of it was an operation done on the latter’s behalf, and how much of it was planned by someone outside of their forces, for the Kirins to be so set back...[i]he[/i] would have been disheartened at the sight. He made a quick note on the page. [color=#b3ccff]”I’ll get you to explain more later, I’m sure, if you don’t care to now?”[/color] Leave the door open if she felt like it, but he wasted no time moving along. [color=#b3ccff]”Good initiative with Isolde, by the way. I take it she wasn’t hard at all to find, being in the cathedral?”[/color] [hr] The manner in which they did not necessarily match up to my expectations should be obvious, shouldn’t it? They all seemed quite exhausted, and some of their number had departed. But those who were present have since fulfilled the expectations given to me by Rijin-sama. —Isolde. “That woman earned her death, and was quite easy to locate,” I reply, “I have tracked more difficult targets.” The image of the look on her face moments before her death returns to my mind. A monstrous figure that would condemn her people, the innocent people she was supposed to lead and guide, to a future filled with destruction… —It was simply an objective, nothing more. My personal feelings matter very little. I glance towards Mathiassen-san again. His condition appears quite poor, at this point. “You look exhausted.” [hr] [color=#b3ccff]”I’ve barely slept for the last three weeks. That’s expected.”[/color] Even the meager compliment didn’t get any reaction. Another thing to make note of. [color=#b3ccff]”Well, it ought to be nice to keep you around, regardless. We may not be the only ones here that know how to be quiet, but...”[/color] He glanced off in the direction of their vibrantly pink-haired gunner, and then again towards the door, where their vibrantly [i]red[/i] haired mage had yet to show back up. [color=#b3ccff]”It’ll be nice having somebody that doesn’t want to argue with me every time I suggest the more cautious approach, at least.”[/color] He turned back. [color=#b3ccff]”Aren’t [i]you[/i] tired? You’ve been up as long as the rest today, after all.”[/color] [hr] I shake my head. “Not enough to disrupt my activities. Even if I were, it would be less important than my objectives,” I respond. I’m well-equipped to brush aside feelings of tiredness, myself. Perhaps I simply instinctively push past them in order to continue my duties, or perhaps my stamina has increased that much simply due to my prior training and experiences. In either case, it allows me to operate quite freely as is necessary. I pause for a moment. “In any case, you look far worse than the others.” [hr] [color=#b3ccff]”Thanks for the frank assessment.”[/color] Hopefully his small smile was enough to make it clear that he did, at least, find some humor in it. [color=#b3ccff]”Is this the part where you take a page from Izayoi’s book and command me to sleep?”[/color] [hr] “I have no authority over you.” It’s quite simply the truth. I have absolutely no ability to dispense orders to anyone here. In any case, I’m usually far more suited to carrying orders out than giving them, anyway. “Izayoi-dono would be correct, however. Unless you enjoy the symptoms of exhaustion, I suppose.” Perhaps he is a particularly unique kind of masochist, but I have my doubts. Besides, allowing such things to get in the way of his performance is hardly ideal. [hr] He almost had to wonder if that was a joke; at the very least, it seemed about the closest that she was likely to get. Maybe until they all knew her better. Maybe she’d never get a step closer than that. In any event, though, he [i]was[/i] quite tired, and if there was even one member of the team still moving about that would guarantee he didn’t get any real rest at all. All atop the troubles he already had with such. [color=#b3ccff]”It’s funny, after Cid worked to fix us back up after that fight with Adrammelech, I don’t seem to have any headache or anything—but I suppose I struggled to sleep even before I got hit out in the desert.”[/color] Whether Hien had told her of that little mission or not didn’t make much difference to his musing out loud. He closed his notebook, sliding it back into its pocket within his cloak. [color=#b3ccff]”I’ve got another little objective for you, then, to help me try and sleep. I can’t have you moving around or doing anything that might wake me up. Is that doable?”[/color] [hr] Rijin-sama had mentioned the events of that fight to me. A part of me can’t help but be curious about further details. They may not be immediately relevant, but surely they can help with coordination with the others, couldn’t they? Regardless, this objective… “Are you trying to suggest that I get some sleep, as well?” —If so, his motivations are hardly subtle. [hr] Now it was his chance to play the part of the “laconic and blunt spy-type” in the conversation. [color=#b3ccff]”It’s a yes or no question, Chisato.”[/color] [hr] Very well. If that’s how he wants it. I fold my arms, looking away. “Fine.” [hr] Esben smiled. A grin that, despite his tired state, still reached his eyes as though he was party to some private joke that Chisato had just stumbled into. [color=#b3ccff]”Very good!”[/color] he replied with an appreciative nod. [color=#b3ccff]”That being the case, then, I’ll just be borrowing this—”[/color] He turned, leaning back against the short Viera’s shoulder. Where with Éliane he might find it necessary to act equally ridiculous just to hold his ground, against the stone-faced Asakura Chisato, it was an inherently offensive tactic to take in the conversation. Of course, there was also the fact that he’d noticed he could manage to sleep far better in a scenario such as this than any time else, anyways. [color=#b3ccff]”Wake me when it’s time to go, [i]ja?”[/i][/color] he bid, closing his eyes. [hr] “That… you…!” Damn it, this isn’t what I’d agreed to at all—! … Tch. He’ll receive my complaints later. Using me like this certainly wasn’t part of his request. [hr] [color=#b3ccff][i]"Could be worse,"[/i][/color] he mumbled under his breath, still grinning at himself.