One thing was clear to Ingrid as she woke up; her sleep schedule was probably never going to recover from this trip. Rays of sunlight shone through the trees, but not as bright as they had been previously. It was still daytime without a doubt, but likely the afternoon. In a couple of hours the sun would probably be setting. Every bone and muscle in her body felt sore, even more than they had in Baile Stioballan. She didn’t manage to stifle the loud groan as she forced herself up. Surprisingly enough, she felt the warm fabric on top of her. Someone had gone through the trouble of manually putting her in the bedroll. She looked around, squinting as her eyes adjusted. The grove was quiet, save for the sound of Kallen and Malori snoring (The former was significantly louder) and the crackling of the fire.

Ingrid’s heart dropped as she glanced at the fire. In front of it, Alice was sitting with her knees pulled to her chest. She rested her face on them, only her eyes peeking over as she absentmindedly poked at the fire with a stick. At least she didn’t try to do it bare handed like Natalia. She would probably have to ask their new acquaintance about that. With her mind on illian, she looked around again. The golden haired woman was nowhere to be found. As if reading her mind, a timid voice spoke up.

“She left to go scout. Said I needed to rest and wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Ingrid blinked. It didn’t register with her at first that the scared, small voice that addressed her was coming from Alice. The moment it did she felt her heart ache. This was her fault. Alice poured her heart and soul out to her and all she did was make out with her and then bolt. She tried to open her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. Not even the awkward rasping noises that she usually made when she was nervous. All that greeted her was silence.

Silence that she hated.

She was tired of it. She was tired of letting things happen. That passiveness was why they were in this mess. How many more times could she just go with the group or avoid decisions because she didn’t want to cause an issue? Her heart pounded as she stood up and turned towards Alice. Her best friend.

For some reason, that didn’t feel as accurate anymore. It was still true, but it felt like it left something out. Like there was an asterisk to the phrase. Regardless of what that asterisk was, she owed it to herself to listen to what Alice had said during their fight. She had to make her own choice for once. She owed it to Alice too.

“We need to talk about this morning–”

“We need to talk about this morning–”

They both stared each at each other dumbly as they spoke the same words. Alice raised a finger to continue at the same time Ingrid opened her mouth, and they both stopped again. Something similar repeated about three more times before Ingrid finally blurted something out.

“I think I might be in love with you too!” She yelped, wishing it sounded a little less desperate.

Again, they stared at each other. It was clear to Ingrid that Alice was just at just as much of a loss on what to do as she was. Taking a shaky breath, Ingrid walked over and knelt down next to her. The dark elf seemed to recoil ever so slightly in what might have been fear, but she quickly relaxed.

“I–Fuck. I’m sorry, Ingrid,” Alice grumbled, her voice more shaky than Ingrid had ever heard before. “I sprang that on you, now it’s all awkward and I just–This sucks. You’re the most important person in my life, and I don’t want to ruin that. You don’t need to force yourself just so I don’t get depressed or some shit.”

As Alice spoke, Ingrid felt more of that anger rising inside of her. It wasn’t nearly as hot as it had been the previous night. This was more of a dull warmth, like the campfire in front of them. She gripped her leggings anxiously. “Stop that.”

Alice looked at her, dumbfounded. “Huh? Did I do something? Um, other than the obvious, I mean–”

“I meant stop making those assumptions,” Ingrid whimpered. Again, why did she always sound so pathetic when she desperately wanted to convey something? “I know. I know I have trouble making my own choices, I know I just go with whatever’s presented, but I–” She bit her lip, “Let me make my own choice. Please.”

For the third time, there was nothing but silence between them. Ingrid squeezed her eyes shut and found herself wishing she knew why. Maybe she was terrified of what expression Alice would make. Forcing them open felt more draining than forcing that stone tunnel open to sneak into the camp. Alice still just seemed surprised. If she had any clue what to say, her eyes certainly didn’t show it.

“Maybe this choice is kind of just going with things, so it isn’t the best look for me. It’s mine though. For a while now, my heart has been racing any time I’m around you, and I find myself always missing you whenever we’re away, and I just–” She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. At least maybe get her mind to stop racing. It didn’t. “My choice is that I want to… Be with you. I um, I know I haven’t really had this sort of thing before, but you showing me knew things is kind of a running theme so…”

Alice’s facial expression didn’t change much at first. It only got steadily more and more bewildered the more Ingrid spoke. As she trailed off, it finally changed to something different. It was hard to interpret. It looked like a mix of joy, fear, shock, and relief as tears welled up in her friend’s eyes. A wide smile spread across her face as those tears began to fall.

“I think… I think this is the closest you’ve gotten to being smooth, Princess,” She laughed. It was one of the most beautiful sounds Ingrid had ever heard. Alice leaned forward, pressing her forehead to Ingrid’s like she had in Lhanbryde. “Would be real hypocritical for me to try and fight this, huh?”

“Maybe a little,” Ingrid closed her eyes. Alice’s forehead felt warm.

“Guess you got me beat then,” She sighed. She pulled away from Ingrid, taking one of her hands. “Um, if it’s alright, I’d… Like to make a request.”

Ingrid felt her face go bright red when she saw Alice sheepishly looking away like that. Covering her mouth with one hand, she felt Alice gently caress her other with her thumb.

“I, um, g-go ahead,” Ingrid stammered. The initial adrenaline and bravado had worn off. Now that she was actually getting a chance to properly take in everything happening, her entire body felt hot with embarrassment.

“Back there, I wasn’t ready, you know? You got me by surprise,” Alice started, managing to meet Ingrid’s eyes again. “And like, we’ve had sex, so it’s not exactly a new thing. I just, it feels different now. So, if you’re okay with it…”

Ingrid felt her heart pounding as the world seemed to slow down. The moment just after their fight had been one she wanted to last out of fear. Yes, it was nice, but she had been terrified of having to go back to the argument they had been having. This moment was something else entirely. The way her heart raced, the sound of Alice’s voice, the warmth of her hand, everything about it. This was bliss.

“Princ–Ingrid,” Alice looked at her awkwardly. “Can I kiss you?”

She couldn’t stop the smile that formed on her face if she tried. “Yes, you can.”

Alice leaned forward. The moment their lips touched was one of the happiest moments of Ingrid’s life. She closed her eyes, leaning into the kiss. Alice’s other hand reached around her and pulled her close until she was on her lap, and could feel the warmth of the woman’s body against hers. She didn’t find herself wishing the moment would last. Wishing for something would have spoiled the moment. All she needed or wanted was already there.

Ingrid pulled away to take a breath, then went right back in. Alice made no move to stop her. She was careful not to go any further, given the fact that two of her companions were still asleep right next to them and could wake up any moment. This was enough. It was more than enough. It was everything.

“Am I interrupting something?”

Ingrid and Alice quickly separated, Alice in particular almost falling over at the sound of the voice. Ingrid looked towards it, her face bright red. Leaning against the mossy rock was Natalia, arms crossed, and an unamused expression on her face.

Scrambling off of Alice’s lap, she pushed her hair out of her face. “O-Oh! Um, you’re back! Great! Did you see any–”

“No one’s followed us so far, there’s a valley up ahead that might be an easier path heading to Amalthea,” She deadpanned. One of her wings outstretched and pointed north, her arms not moving. It was hard to tell, but Ingrid got the distinct feeling that she had just rolled her eyes. “Should we wake up the other two? There are a few things I’d like to discuss.”

“So that’s what’s happened up until this point,” Ingrid sighed. The five of them sat around the campfire, Kallen still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She looked at Natalia hopefully, but throughout the story there hadn’t been any change to her vaguely irritated expression.

“U-Um, and I wanted to th-thank you as well! F-For helping us,” Malori stammered, leaning forward.

“You already healed my wing and helped me escape. I’ve received enough thanks,” She sighed. Her head turned to Alice. “And what about you? You’ve been quiet this whole time.”

Alice shifted awkwardly. “So has Kallen.”

“Kallen is barely awake. I don’t even think she processed you saying that.”

“Hm? Did I miss something?”

“I rest my case. So, why haven’t you said anything?”

Alice bit her lip, averting her eyes. “Look, I’m kinda thinking about a lot right now–”

“By ‘a lot’ do you mean forming a plan or…” She turned her head towards Ingrid, but let the question linger. Malori seemed confused, but Ingrid and Alice were both well aware of what was being implied.

“Okay we can talk about that later,” Ingrid pleaded, “We need to think about what we’re going to do next.”

The group quieted down, all casting glances at each other. Natalia sat there with her arms folded. Somehow, Ingrid knew she was staring directly at her. She turned to Alice, worry clear on her face. She expected to see Alice annoyed, given how she had looked at every leg of the journey so far when a decision like this rolled around. Strangely enough, that face she had become so familiar with wasn’t there. Her eyes met Ingrid’s, and she smiled. Ingrid felt her heart flutter. Alice looked, for the first time in a while, at ease.

Ingrid took another deep breath. Once the first step was taken, she was supposed to run with the momentum. She stood up, looking around at the other four. “We need to get out of these mountains. If we try to go back the way we came, Berith will find us again, and he’ll get what he wants. We push forward to Amalthea,” Her voice wobbled slightly as she spoke, but it was more confident than she expected it to sound. That was progress, probably. She nodded to Alice, then looked at Natalia. “It may not be a great option, but currently it’s the one we have. Natalia, you clearly know what you’re doing in a fight. Having someone to scout from the sky is helpful too. Would you accompany us at the very least until we get out of the mountains?”

Natalia turned her head to face directly at Ingrid. There was no doubt that she was looking at her. She was quiet for an uncomfortably long amount of time. Her eyes narrowed, and her wings twitched slightly. Ingrid could feel her knees starting to get weak under her gaze. The illian could be terrifying if she wanted to be.

Finally, she let out a breath, closing her eyes. “I suppose it makes sense. I sure as hell don’t want to end up back in one of Berith’s cells. I should probably thank you for getting me out of there before I wound up on his dissection table too,” She grumbled. Putting her hands on her knees, she stood up and walked to Ingrid, towering over her. She reached out her hand. “Let’s at the very least make sure things go smoothly, alright?”

Pride swelled in Ingrid’s chest as she took the woman’s hand to shake it. “Thank you, Natalia.”

“Don’t thank me until we’re out of the mountains,” She sighed, “So. What now?”

Ingrid looked around at their belongings scattered about. There were still injuries visible on everyone that would have been debilitating as well. That wasn’t even accounting for the fact that her and Alice weren’t exactly quiet in their argument. Natalia had mentioned that there weren’t signs of anyone following them yet though.

She clicked her tongue. “It’s going to be dark soon. Berith and his group are dark elves, meaning they’re at an advantage, even with Alice, Natalia, and I. We’re all still wounded as well. Let’s move forward a little bit and find another place like this to camp for the night. Staying in one place for too long isn’t a good idea,” She looked up at Natalia, “When you flew around, did you happen to see any places that might have been a good hiding spot for the night?”

The woman gave a respectful nod. “There was a rocky shoulder up ahead that provides a lot of cover. On foot we could be there in around two hours or so.”

“Alright. We walk for two hours then,” She pointed at Malori, making sure she spoke in a gentle voice. “I know this whole situation is stressful, and that you’re exhausted. Do you think if Kallen or Natalia carry you so you can rest up a bit you’ll be able to heal more of our wounds?”

She seemed a little surprised at the question, but covered her mouth as she thought. Still staring at the ground, she nodded slightly. “I-I think so. I don’t know if I can h-heal everything, but I can do more. I-If that’s okay?”

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Ingrid smiled. “That’s perfect. Thank you,” She grabbed the dimensional bag and placed it on the mossy rock. “Alright, let’s pack everything up. I can deal with the fire, you guys get the bedrolls and stuff.”

A wide grin spread across Alice’s face as she put her middle and index fingers to her forehead in a small salute. “Yes ma’am!” Hopping up, she immediately went to work rolling up her bedroll and grabbing the remains of any rations. For once, Ingrid actually felt good about this. Kneeling down by the fire, Ingrid started dousing it with water and mixing the ashes with soil.

“Hey, Princess?” A gentle voice came from next to her.

“What is it?” She asked, turning to Alice. Malori and Kallen had both started grabbing materials and moved to the rock to organize the bag. Natalia seemed to be getting an in-depth explanation of Malori’s meticulous ways of keeping track of everything. For the moment, her and Alice were as close to alone as they could probably get.

“I just want to say that was big. Good job,” She said fondly.

Ingrid smiled, starting to scrape the remaining wood to make sure no more embers were on them. “Th-thank you,” She said. Stressful was what it had been. Everyone listening to what she said made it a lot easier than it could have been though.

“I know… I know that there’s probably a lot more to talk about, and I know that that stuff kind of hangs over your head a bunch. I just want you to know that even if those end up being kinda rough,” Alice scratched the back of her neck. “Don’t forget this. You did something good, be proud of that.”

She nodded. Alice was definitely right. Their chat barely even scratched the surface of everything that needed to be done or said. Hearing her say that though did manage to put her a little more at ease. “Thank you, Alice. It’s like cooking though. We put a lid on it for a bit, just while we need to. Then, we take it off once things are ready,” She said happily. She stopped for a moment as a thought occurred to her. A mischievous grin appeared on her face as she turned to Alice.

It took her a moment to notice, but she looked suspiciously at Ingrid. “Oi, what are you thinking right now? I don’t like that look,” She laughed.

“Alice, guess what?”

Even as her eyes narrowed, her smile never left. “Um, what?”

“I love you.”

Alice’s face didn’t change for a moment, but it became apparent that she was surprised when she accidentally cut her finger on one of the knives she was putting away. “Gah! Motherfu–”

Her cursing was silenced as Ingrid leaned forward, kissing her again. Alice stared at her for a moment as she pulled away, bewildered. That mischievous look that Ingrid knew her for returned to her face.

“Oh, so that’s how you want to play it huh?” She laughed, standing up.

Ingrid yelped as she was scooped up into a princess carry. She could feel her face go red as a tomato as Alice looked at her.

“I can do it too, Love,” she said quietly, kissing her deeply.

Ingrid was happy to close her eyes and accept it, draping her arms around Alice’s neck. She became vaguely aware of Malori squealing with excitement, as well as something that sounded like a groan from Natalia as they separated.

“W-Wait! Y-You two–” She looked at Natalia, “Did you see them… Um, S-See them–”

“No, I saw them making out by the fire before you woke up.”

The esper beamed as she looked between the two of them. Ingrid buried her face in her hands. Had Natalia really seen the whole thing? They were probably going to have to tell Malori and Kallen anyway, but this was likely the second most embarrassing way they could have found out. The worst would have been if they found out the same way Natalia did. She couldn’t exactly complain though, she did it to herself after all.

“Hell, Feathers do you have to just blurt things out like that?”

“Alice, this is s-something to be happy about! Kallen! See? I t-told you something was there!” She said excitedly, shaking the human at her side.

Kallen wobbled as Malori managed to actually put her off balance, clearly struggling to process everything around her. “H-Huh? Oh, yeah,” She mumbled. The human looked over at Ingrid, still in Alice’s arms. “Wait, they did? Crap. Well, a deal’s a deal.”

The woman reached into her tunic and pulled out two small silver coins, both decorated with symbols of Carys. Malori giggled happily as she took them, examining every last bit of the shiny metal.

Alice looked offended. “I–Shortie, did you bet on us?”

“Um, m-maybe…” She said sheepishly. She tucked the coins away in her robes. “W-We had talked about it at the inn, and she had those silver coins with a h-holy symbol on them…”

“I wasn’t using them, so I offered,” Kallen explained matter of factly, “She felt bad just taking them, so I said we should make a bet. It was the first thing she thought of!”

Alice’s eye twitched. “I have never felt so slighted yet so proud at the same time.”

“Is this going to be a regular occurrence? I would have expected you to keep such things much closer to your chest,” Natalia said, gesturing towards Alice.

Alice smiled, letting Ingrid down with a satisfied sigh. “Well, she started it. Alright gang, let's get movin. Sooner we get there the sooner we can make a proper dinner. Feathers, how do you feel about mushrooms?”

Natalia sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose. “Are you going to insist on continuing to call me that?”

“Yes.”

There wasn’t a hint of desire to argue in Alice’s voice. Ingrid couldn’t help but laugh.

“Let’s just get a move on,” she sighed, sounding more tired than she had after fighting Berith.

“That’s the spirit! You never gave me an answer though!”

“And you are yet to say my actual name.”

“I gave you a nickname! That means I like you.”

“You didn’t give Kallen a nickname.”

“And you didn’t answer the original question!”

Ingrid only laughed harder as the tension seemed to almost physically leave the air. There was more to talk about, and even more left to do. For the first time in as long as she could remember, that didn’t bother her. Her anxiety seemed to decide that just this once, she could enjoy the moment.

“Just a little longer, Mattias. I’m on my way.”

Berith groaned as he forced himself to sit up. He had a headache far worse than any hangover he’d ever had to deal with. He dropped his head into his hands, rubbing his temples. Had that really made him pass out? Is that what that felt like? Oh gods he hoped not. Otherwise he might have had to relate to Lilith on something. He scooted back in the bed and propped his back against the wall, letting out a long sigh.

Even without opening his eyes, he felt the air shift ever so slightly, like someone entered the room. He slowly opened his eyes, taking a moment to let the blurry features around him take more solid shapes. Standing at the side of his bed was Alviss, deadpan as ever. His assistant wordlessly held out a glass of water. He let out another sigh as he took the glass.

“Thank you,” he muttered as he greedily drank from it. He didn’t realize how thirsty he was until now. Granted, passing out in the middle of a fire would do that to him. He gasped for air as he finished chugging down the last drop and handed the glass back to Alviss. They took it without complaint. His ‘tattoos’ had shifted back into their normal place as usual. Thankfully, that inferno and the illian didn’t add any new scars that he’d need to outline.

“Alviss… Losses?” He asked. It wasn’t that he cared about any of his troops dying per se, it was more annoyance with those five nuisances. Those troops were his. Not theirs to take.

Alviss placed the glass on the dresser. “About half, give or take.”

“What about the–”

“None of the Twilight was destroyed.”

Berith breathed the biggest sigh of relief yet as he slumped back against the wall. Troops could be replaced far more easily than the poison. If that was safe, then it was at least a silver lining on the defeat he had faced. He opened his eyes again.

“Alviss, did you check the instruments? Was any telepathi–”

“How nice of you to see us in, brother,” an annoyingly loud voice called out.

Berith’s heart sank as the tall, dark elven woman entered his quarters. She had long, wavy silver hair that hung loosely over her shoulders and down her back. The heavy plate mail armor that she wore was impossibly silent. Armor like that was supposed to be loud, easy to hear from rooms away. The purple runes glowing on the chest piece prevented any sound whatsoever from being made by the clanking plates. Her gaudy cape of black feathers helped complete the look of an incomprehensibly insufferable ass of a woman. At least she looked the part.

“Lilith,” He grinned, irritation dripping from his voice as he swung his legs out of bed and stood up. “And to what do I owe the pleasure of being interrupted a second time in a row?”

Her cocky smile only seemed to grow. “Oh, I’m just here to relieve you of your current…” She trailed off, glancing out the window at the destruction. “Predicament.”

An annoyed chuckle came from Berith. “Are you! Well, that’s just great, Lilith,” He cracked his neck and stretched. “Well, I’m happy to inform you that that’s not necessary. I’m doing just fine without you annoying me in my room.”

“Oh, is this what you call just fine? I shudder to think about what you would call a failure,” She snorted, “Or maybe that isn’t a word you use. I’m not quite sure how strong your denial has grown. It is the only thing that seems to get better after all!”

He scowled at her. “I did not ask for your opinion. Leave, I have work to do.”

“But you don’t,” She chuckled, “Do you think I came here to give you a hand? I’m here on Moloch’s orders. You are to join us in Amalthea.”

Berith glared at her. After a brief pause, he spoke again. “I thought he wanted me in Baile Boglach?”

“He did. Something has come up, however.”

“In one night?”

She raised an eyebrow, for the first time showing an emotion that wasn’t simply gloating, “One night? Brother, it’s been two days since your failure.”

His eyes went wide as he turned to Alviss. They gave him a neutral look.

“She entered before I could inform you, my lord.”

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Fine. Mind informing me of what did come up? Or are you just going to continue being a vague bitch as usual?”

She chuckled deeply at the insult. “Details are reserved for people who can actually beat the rabble that challenges them. For now, I’ll simply say that the boy has made certain things far easier than initially assumed. Gather your things, we’re leaving in an hour.”

Her cape swishing behind her as she turned, she silently left the room. Silent other than her more than a little annoying laugh.

It took everything in Berith’s power not to scream in anger and punch another wall. Now was not the time to turn into a walking stereotype. He plopped back down on his bed, resting his forearms on his knees and staring at the ground.

Alviss approached the bed and sat down next to him. They didn’t say anything, but their presence did make the heavy mood feel a little bit lighter.

“It’s kind of amazing how quickly nearly a decade of work can go–hm, this is poor wording–up in flames,” He sighed. He rubbed his wrist absentmindedly. “You’re lucky, Alviss. I feel like I’m back to my early 20s and wishing I was an only child. Don’t get an older sibling.”

“I don’t believe that’s how that works, my lord.”

“Let me have this.”

The two sat in silence for a little while longer. Berith hated stewing in his thoughts like this. He needed something to work on, but his sister evidently wanted him to squirm a little while longer. Asshole. He placed his head in his hands, rubbing any tiredness left out of his system. He looked back at Alviss. They sat there, staring at him without a word.

“Well, before she interrupted us I was asking. Any signs that telepathy was used?” He asked, hoping that this could distract him for a few seconds.

Alviss nodded. “It seems someone was in contact with an external esper. I believe it’s fairly obvious who said esper was.”

Berith only felt his annoyance grow. There was still a fair amount of Twilight in their stores, and a few bands of raiders out there with a couple of Twilight weapons that he could likely track down. He had been very clear with the Alvar girl not to communicate with the esper. It was irritating that he couldn’t do anything to stop it, but he could always do the next best thing. He could make her regret it. Immensely.

“Alviss, a thought occurs,” He mused, still mentally sorting out the amount of doses he could potentially use on a person. His smile returned, “If that druid is looking for her brother, that means that they’re likely heading towards Amalthea. Am I wrong?”

“I don’t believe you are, my lord.”

Berith sighed contentedly. There really were silver linings everywhere if you knew how to look for them. He stood up, walking over to his dresser to start packing his things. “You know what? I think a change of scenery might be good for me.”

“You’re okay with going, my lord?”

“Oh of course not, I’d rather cut my own hands off usually. Some things just lined up, that’s all,” He laughed, “Sure I’m losing a lot of work, but I can continue things on my own. After all, I only need to make enough Twilight for two people now, don’t I? Besides, we’re elves. It’s only been a decade.”

“Shall I gather your equipment for you? It won’t take long to clean up your personal lab.”

“You’re a gem, Alviss,” He sighed, “And hey, this’ll save you the job of tracking them down across the mountainside.”

Alviss nodded as they approached the door. Strangely enough, they stopped, then turned back to him. “My lord, may I ask a question?”

“Go for it, I’m in a better mood than I expected.”

“At the end of the battle, you and the esper met. I’m not familiar with your experiments up until this point,” They explained, “What was it that she did?”

Berith stopped gathering his clothes. It was a reasonable question. Alviss had only joined his side a few years prior, and Berith hadn’t exactly had much time or reason to infodump his research onto them. That said, to call what had happened ‘irregular’ would have been the understatement of the year.

“Espers can establish a link between their mind and another creature’s. Normally, this is used for long distance communication, or secret communication. It is magical in nature, so there are ways to detect it. There should be ways to intercept it as well but with the current resources I–” He stopped, “I got off track. Normally, it’s used for talking. With a skilled enough esper though, they can lower that barrier even more. They can share visions, thoughts, and in some cases, emotions.”

“I’m not sure I follow, my lord. What is it that you’re saying?”

Berith shuddered as he thought of what he had experienced. The pause when the link was established, and the floodgates that came down with it. The suffocating feeling of more doubt, sadness, and fear than he had experienced in a century was not something he wanted to remember. What went on in that esper’s head? How did she manage to even function when there was that much chaos swirling around in there? The shift from thoroughly enjoying that fight to the sheer amount of misery forced into his mind was almost enough to give him whiplash just from thinking about it.

“I’m saying someone needs to get that girl a fucking therapist.”