Adelia sat in the eting hall of the Order, her position providing her a clear view of the entrance.
With an air of lancholy about her, she seed to retreat into herself, finding solace in recalling mories of a ti long past.
Amidst it all, she was also forced to grapple with the question Lionel had posed to her and so far, she had happened upon nothing with no end to her struggles in sight.
Just as she let out a sigh interlaced with frustration, the entrance to the hall slowly opened with a familiar figure walking in.
"Smiley," Adelia muttered softly, acknowledging the entrance of her most trustworthy Exarch.
"You called for ."
"I did." Adelia intoned. "Co sit."
Unsure of what to make of things at first, Smiley did as instructed, taking steady steps before standing before her.
"I said sit."
"I’d prefer to stand, my lady."
"And I’d prefer you sit. Now stop annoying and just sit."
Smiley regarded her for a mont before obliging her request.
"Take off your mask."
"My lady, this..."
"Can you just do as I say?... Please."
Smiley hesitated, sensing the emotional turmoil underneath the facade of strength Adelia was trying to put on.
Ultimately, he took off the mask, presenting a human face with three mouths and an eye in his glabella.
He regarded Adelia, who stared back while scrutinizing his appearance.
"Are you alright, my lady?"
Adelia pursed her lips as she turned away, perhaps finding the words to explain the situation she was in before deciding to tell it as it was.
"I need to talk to soone. Usually, I’d have spoken with Ezra... but he’s gone now."
"So you wish for to cover for him."
"No, not really. It wouldn’t be the sa."
"Then what would you have do, my lady?"
Adelia hesitated, unsure of how to respond.
She hadn’t thought this far and had only summoned Smiley on an impulse.
Smiley understood her predicant and so, turning away, he raised his head to stare at the dod roof above.
"My lady."
"... Yes?"
"Have you ever wondered what my real na is?" Smiley inquired calmly causing Adelia to glance at him.
Pursing her lips, she replied. "Isn’t it Smiley?"
"Hardly," Smiley replied with a slight chuckle. "Phineas is my true na, Smiley is but an alias I and my siblings utilize in the Order."
"Oh." Adelia looked embarrassed but was quick to compose herself as she replied. "I’m Adelia."
"Nice to et you, Adelia. Would you like to hear my story?"
"... Maybe."
"Then I’ll tell you. Listen closely."
And so, one spoke and the other listened under the scrutiny of a ghostly figure watching everything from above.
***
Livermore was once a town poised to be alleviated to the status of an industrial city after the influx of citizens from BoneHaven.
It stood as a beacon of hope to those who had been forced to abandon their ho due to a most uncanny disaster and would have served as their new ho.
However, the Month of Astra brought with it yet another disaster and now, that sa town on the trajectory to greatness was no more with only a large crater left where it once stood tall.
In this enormous crater that seed to have resulted from an otherwise incredibly destructive blast, four individuals currently sat with the females attending to the males.
"To think that she would get away," Charles muttered with a grimace as his Homunculus assistant tended to what was left of his left leg.
Robert sighed as his assistant helped him bandage what remained of his right arm. "It was to be expected. Despite her juvenile way of speaking, she is quite the genius."
"Stop praising her, that bitch mutilated the both of us."
"She is not without her scars either."
"If we let her be, she will recover."
"And that we cannot allow," Robert remarked as he muttered a low thank you once his assistant was done with preliminary first aid.
"So what now?... We can’t give chase in our current state. We need new limbs."
"That is hardly a problem." As Robert spoke, he turned to his assistant. "How long would it take to create a prosthetic leg for Charles?"
"A month at the very least."
"And if we made use of yours?"
"... Three days at most."
"Then it’s settled."
"Wait!" Charles exclaid, putting an end to the bizarre discussion. "You’d sacrifice your Homunculus for ?"
"We don’t have a choice. Sayda will recover and once she does, we won’t be a match for her. Chasing after her now is paramount."
"... You are crazy," Charles muttered before utilizing his great sword to get back on his feet.
"Do you have another option in mind?"
Charles paused as he pondered briefly before ultimately replying, a mischievous grin playing at the corners of his lips. "I might have an idea."
***
Under the crimson glow of the Nighteye, Victoria and Co found themselves encamped in a forest clearing with a lake a few ways ahead.
Gathered around the fire, those still plagued by hunger indulged in so roasted at while others, like Victoria, busied herself with planning their next route.
It had been roughly 10 Nights and so far, they’d managed to resolve six conflicts with the matter involving the newborn Evil God, their biggest so far.
The thought of upping the ante was fresh in her mind and she pondered the myriad responsibilities as though she needed to focus on their growth, her growth was just as important.
She had told no one but the gaze from that fateful day was still sowhere in her thoughts, lurking, waiting to consu her.
Strength was needed, the kind that would allow her to completely banish the influence of that dread-inducing entity.
Taking a deep breath, she made to calm her nerves only to pause as she sensed sothing.
The others seed to be as perceptive as one after the other, they paused what they were doing, their eyes darting about in search of what could have encroached on their campsite.
Of course, they saw nothing but that didn’t negate the fact that sothing was lurking in the shadows, watching them.
So Victoria arose, taking the initiative to call out. "Who’s there?... Answer now lest I am forced to unleash the fury of the Night on you."
Quite a few Constellations found their toes curling as they heard her speak.
However, their cringe was short-lived as a boisterous voice was heard.
"Unbelievable, it truly is you."
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