Part 66: You'll find the answer you need if you take it one step at a time. I know you will.

-Under the Moonlight-



Well, then, Estelle! Lead on to your home!
Er. Why exactly are you coming with US, Olivier?
Ha-ha-ha! Fear not, my sweet! Olivier Lenheim is a perfect gentleman who would never overstep his bounds. Especially in a gathering of lovely ladies such as this!
Nay, my purpose is merely to...protect you.
Ummmmmmmm...
Um, Olivier, I think we'll...be all right. Really.
Oh, we'll be protected, all right. Once I tie you to a mattress and throw you in the river, that is.



We need to figure out who'll be on patrol and when.
What...?
Ha-ha-ha! Oh, Agate! The muse of comedy touches you! Did you not say that you and Zane would handle the patrol?
Uh. No? I said 'leave it to us guys.' Last I checked, that includes you. But I could be wrong.
Erm.
C'mon, get inside!
Agate, wait a moment! Do you not realize that a...gathering, such as this, is no common occurrence? I'll enjoy it enough for the both of us! Just let me go!
Yeah, you get inside. C'mon.





How the heck can he not show any, like, tension or anything in our predicament, though?
Haha...It's hard to tell, sometimes, whether he's joking or really serious.
I'm pretty sure he was 100% serious.
One way or another, though, he's, uh...a bad influence on Tita! Yeah.
Well, um, I kind of feel sorry for Olivier, though.
Hmmhmmhmm...
Schera?
It's nothing. As much as I despair to borrow his words, he did have a point. We should call it a night soon.
Yeah, that's true. Okay, Tita, Kloe, follow me. I'll show you guys the way.









...A door?





Oh! Sorry to wake you, Tita.
I'm just gonna make sure I locked up properly, okay? I'll be right back, so you just snuggle up and go back to sleep, okay?
Nnn'kay...
C'back soon...'Stelle...



Must...fight...cheek-pinching urges!
...Actually, that would be kind of cruel, so let's not.



(Okay, gotta calm down. That was probably just Schera or Kloe. Best to double-check the beds and locks, though.)



Well, she's out like a broken light.
Haha. She really freaked out when I told her she'd be sleeping in Joshua's room. Really kind of adorable...
Nnn...Dean...Ev'rone...Wha shoul' I...
Zzz...
Kloe...



We'll both do our best, okay?



...







Schera?



I, uh, heard a sound and got up to check it out. I thought it might be you.
It was, I'm sorry.
Being able to wake when you sense the slightest change in your environment? NOW you're acting like a proper bracer.
Heheh...Well, I dunno about that. I think I'm just nervous.
I've got a lot on my mind and I feel kinda confused.
I see...



So, hey! Are the cards showing you anything?
Let's take a look.



The inverted Emperor. Mercy. Empathy. Trust. Difficulty. Inexperience. And...uncertainty regarding your enemies.
Um...Wow. I don't really get how one card can have THAT much meaning.
And what do you mean by 'uncertainty regarding my enemies'?
Mmm...
I didn't draw that card for you, Estelle.
Er.
Hmmhmm. It sounds like you think some of that does apply to you, though. This wouldn't have anything to do with what you spoke with Mr. Burns about, would it?
Oh, um...
...
I'm sorry, Estelle. I'm really not trying to rush you. I do think getting it off your chest would help, though, once you're ready.
...
Schera...do you have a few minutes?
Honey, you're practically my little sister. You have all my minutes. That's what older sisters are for.
Aww, Schera...
Um...Could you take a look at this?

Hmm? A photo?...What...in...
Well, this...answers one question, at least.
I can see why you've been so distracted.
Yeah...
I bet he's with them as a front, of sorts, for whatever clandestine work he's doing. Yes, I see. With them he can do the sorts of things he couldn't easily do if he was having to maintain a bracer's face. Hmmmm...I wonder what his goals are, though.
Uh. Schera? Aren't you just a little bit surprised?
To be completely honest? I was expecting far worse.
I remember hearing that the soldiers attacked during the bandit raid were simply knocked unconscious. Not killed. I'm certain Joshua's skill had a lot to do with that.
Yeah, that's true...
Getting caught on film was a bit careless of him, though. I should demand better of a student of mine.
Well, to be fair, it was Dorothy who took it. Sometimes I swear it's like the hand of the Goddess is guiding her pictures or something.
She DOES seem possessed of the camera of miracles, yes.
So...Schera? Should I...hand this photo over to Aina? Or Elnan?
Mm. As a rule, bracers have only one obligation.
That is, to come to the aid of civilians who are unjustly harmed, and to prevent such acts whenever possible. So, let me ask you: is Joshua a danger to the citizenry? Will he work with the Capuas to bring terror to Liberl's skies?
Wh- NO! He'd NEVER do something like that!
Then you have exactly zero obligation to report anything. And I see no reason to say anything, either, as I, too, am confident Joshua presents no danger. Ultimately, it comes down to whether you believe in Joshua or not.
...
Or...is that actually an on-going question?
I do believe in him...I DO trust him.
I'm just so worried. He's out there, somewhere, and I don't know where, and he's got those cold, unfeeling eyes...He looks like he doesn't care what happens to himself.
I almost want to talk to Dad, and try to get Joshua put into protective custody or something...
Estelle...
But then...what did I do all of this for? Wasn't this all because I wanted to bring Joshua back myself? But, then...then, maybe I'm just being a selfish little girl?
And...ow, yeah, once I get this far in, the headache sets in.
I wouldn't worry, Estelle. You're coming to an answer in your own way. I wouldn't fret.
What do you mean?
From the sound of it, you have a fairly good grasp of your feelings on this. All you've lost sight of is what you want to actually DO. You'll find the answer you need if you take it one step at a time. I know you will.
Schera...
You already seem a lot calmer now than when you got off the airship. You certainly seem to know what you need to do right now, at least.
Yeah, that's true.
When I heard that Elissa's mom and Luke had both collapsed...I actually felt kinda motivated, you know? Like, 'I can't sit around in my own little rain cloud!' My own problems seemed to fade into the distance a little after that.
...Oh, great, now I think I sound like a vapid, flighty pom.
I don't know about that, though you're definitely cute enough to be a pom. I do think you should keep moving forward. You've always solved your problems best by putting one foot in front of the other, without stopping.
Thanks, Schera, NOW I sound like a charging rhinocider, not a pom.
Still...really, thanks. I think...I kinda see the answer in the distance, now.
I hardly did anything special.
Anyway...Joshua's doing pretty well for himself, now isn't he? I never thought he and that bandit girl would be a match, but they are cute together! ♥
Oh, great, now YOU'RE getting in on that...
We don't know if there's anything going on there, you know.
Ooooooh? You think not? She IS a very strong-willed, boyish sort of girl. And yet, beneath that, there is a sort of deeply-buried sense of refinement to her...
That sounds like just the kind of girl Joshua would snuggle tenderly with. ♥
Schera. Did you become a perverted old man while I wasn't looking or something? The fog seeped into your brain, didn't it?
As they overcome perils together, the soil will become fertile with affection...
Oh, but, Estelle! Why are you worried?
If someone steals Joshua from you, all you have to do is take back your man! Bright versus Capua! A struggle to the death!
...Note to self, never talk to Schera about anything in the future. At all. Ever.
Haha! I'm joking, Estelle. Really.
Still, though, if you want to worry about Joshua, that would be the thing I'd worry about more, in your shoes. You two ARE at that age, after all.
Oh, believe me, I'm plenty worried on that front, too.
(Like...there's Kloe, for starters.)
Hmm?
Er, nothing. I totally said nothing!
Anyway, even despite all that, I'm actually...a lot calmer now. I think I'm going to get back to bed. Are you going to stay up, Schera?
No, I won't be too long in getting back to bed myself. Agate and the others had a point about getting some rest.
That's true...
...
What is it?
Schera...is there something YOU'RE worried about?
Ah...Well, a little, perhaps.
Give me a day or two, Estelle. We can talk about it then.
Well, okay.
I promise I won't worry about it too much, then. Just...keep your own advice in mind, okay? Don't drive yourself crazy or anything.
Don't worry.
I've got a bothersome little sister to handle all the crazy in my life.
Well...goodnight, Schera.
Good night, Estelle.





Mercy. Empathy. Trust. Difficulty. Inexperience. And...uncertainty regarding one's enemies.
Losing sight of what you want to do...
Hmmhmm...I wonder who I was really talking about.

_*RINGGG*