Luna had spent the night scouring Logan’s room for anything useable for the mission ahead. Except for a few knives, some rope and some minor tools, she’d been disappointed to find that his usual well-preparedness ended in Zeke’s pack. In there she hadn’t the faintest idea what the roots or powders would do, but there was a vial of something she drew recognition on. The accelerant - that yellow, viscous liquid that had been instrumental in burning the Anza Behemoth.
She’d also come upon a curious box filled to the brim with what had to be nearly fifty letters - all addressed to him, but with varying handwritings. A box under the bed didn’t pass for much of an archival system, but she imagined the letters had to be important and personal, which was why she’d left them unread, but made a point of questioning him, should he ever return to retrieve them. She brushed the intrusive thought away - she didn’t need to imagine his strong form bouncing atop that whore’s body, not now. Not when Pupper was at stake.
When morning came and it was time for her hours in the coffin, she excused herself after breakfast with stating that both she and the symbiote both needed to spend as much time with the hounds they could - it was important to them, now that they’d become such great friends.
In truth, she didn’t need to go very far to see Pupper. Her long nose and wide eyes were staring right at her as she opened the door, as silently joyous as ever, wholly fine after the previous evening’s battle.
Luna stepped down the stairs to embrace the long, bony giant and pressed back a tear as her mind inevitably went where it shouldn’t.
“I ain’t letting them do anything to you, all right?” She questioned the hound. Her heart nearly shattered as she felt a paw against her left buttock in what appeared to be a closed hug.
She wiped the corner of her eyes with her healing, yet still scabbed hand as she rounded the building to see Abraham there - cross-armed, staring at the distance. He, too, was in pain - watching Serah comb some of the larger hounds in his peripheral vision. When Luna approached, he spoke through the side of his mouth: “We’re gonna have to search wide… I tried talking to Zeke about helping me out, but he just… kinda stared off. Like I didn’t even exist.” Logan had warned them of that tendency. The diva…
“It’s fine. Pupper’s fast enough to look all over. I just wish I knew what a hive looks like. I-” Luna stopped mid-sentence, staring out into the distant sunrise.
Her mind flashed with imagery - the inside of Sitalii and more importantly, the horrible feeling of dread she and Guy had shared as they arrived at the station. “What? Are you all right?” Abraham questioned from her side. She turned to the half-bald, young man to nod.
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“Yeah… I think we can feel them, is that right? You can tell me when we’re close?” She asked out into the air, but Abraham knew he was no longer the subject for the conversation.
By the look of Luna’s smile, it was a resounding ‘yes’ from somewhere at the back of her mind - confirming that they, indeed, had some form of locating the thing if they got anywhere close.
“Let’s go find us some monsters.”
“Pupper’s never worn a harness before, but she’s a quick learner. I’m sure she’ll do just great.” Serah smiled as she buckled the harness over Pupper’s neck and gave the chest-strap a jerk to verify that it was in place.
The leather harness was not new, but it fit the proud hound like a glove. Her long nose had never stood so high to the skies as when the other hounds eyed her with jealousy - even Zeke batted an eyebrow as the white giant received an ear-scratch on either side, courtesy of Abraham and Serah.
“Abe, have you ever ridden a hound before?” Serah met Abraham’s eyes in front of the hound’s chest. He swallowed - he always did whenever his mouth dried up talking to her.
“Y-yeah… once. I rode Zeke away from a hive. I didn’t get a place on the harness, so I just kinda hung off of his ear. I think that might be why he doesn’t like me.” His heart melted as he heard her giggle into her hand and saw her divine smile.
“Zeke’s just a diva. Them setters all are. ‘Specially the boys.” Serah went on to show him how to mount the harness - one foot first, then slinging one over. She nearly knocked him out as she displayed the maneuver, as she did so in his direction - revealing the white undies barely hidden beneath her skirt.
When she finally returned to the side of her pale student, she cocked her head and questioned: “You all right? You look a bit pale. And you’re bein’ a bit weird today.” He quickly coughed into his hand, suppressing the strong pull to ask her to display the trick again.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine. I’m just… just a bit…” He trailed off, glancing around at the many hounds around there before nervously finding his way to grip his elbow. She looked as divine as ever in her tight leather top, the short, floral skirt and that long, blonde hair slung over her shoulders. He imagined he looked quite the opposite, in his dirty, furred coat, but he hadn’t spent all night preparing for this moment for nothing.
“S-Serah… out there, in the hardlands, we’ve got this thing called ‘The Orders’... do you know what that is?” She raised her index to her soft lips and shook her head.
“Nah, why?”
He cleared his throat and courageously declared: “W-well, y-you see… I was in an Order of warriors a-and… well, w-when a member l-likes someone, t-they dedicate a c-courageous f-feat to t-that person… I… I want to do that t-to you. I want to do something brave and do it in your name. I-... I just wanna hear if you’d accept it.” He scratched the back of his neck and looked down into the moss - deeply ashamed of how much better that had gone in his head.
A lengthy silence ensued, before he looked up to see her smile that warm grin. “I didn’t understand that at all, but yeah, sure - ‘round here, I think we just fuck. But that sounds great!” Even on a dark day such as this one, she found a reason - a means to smile. But it was not the smile that had claimed his concentration, nor had sunk his heart, it was the realization that that had always been the option.
As she skipped off to be with the other hounds, Abraham rubbed his temples and choked back his tears, pleading with the hound: “Please God Bravelle, Logos or whoever the fuck - let me live through this…”