“I love you. I’m sorry.”

“W…”

Why? The question, wordless, passed her parted lips as a shuddering breath. Her eyes slowly opened to whites and greys, and to shadows all around. She blinked as something fell into her eye - snow? She became aware of a pain in her head, terrible and acute, and a ringing in her ears, and through that ringing, urgent whispers.

She was in someone’s arms, a strangely safe feeling, and blind through the pain of her headache, she tried to focus on their features. Was this person the one who had apologized? The voice that echoed in her head sounded so familiar, so comforting and sad as it had spoken right into her ear before darkness had taken her. She let her eyes close again for a moment as she felt the cool press of someone’s fingers against her temple. The pain was fading - a potion perhaps? - and her vision was clearing. The voices cut through the whine in her ears more clearly, but they didn’t make anymore sense to her now than when they had just been a wordless buzz.

“Keep her warm.”

“... I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”

“Get Irene. She’s waking up.”

A girl - a blonde - broke away from the group and left, and Wendy’s dazed eyes followed her, attempting to conjure up a hint of recognition, but there was nothing. She didn’t know her. She didn’t know any of these people.

She couldn’t remember anything.

Seulgi had a careful hold of the Witch’s cloaked shoulders. She was so warm - not hot like the raging fire Seulgi had seen in the cave, but comforting, inviting. Seulgi almost wanted to hug the girl, exposed as they all were on the stormy escarpment. Seulgi herself was numb, both in mind and body from the fight. As she had laid there on the cavern floor, overwhelmed by the sensation of having a bullet lodged in her thigh, she hadn’t seen the way Irene and the Witch had fought. All Seulgi had noticed was how both of them had emerged from the cave without a scratch.

As she adjusted her grip, helping Joy administer the potion, she noticed bits of metal fall from the Witch’s brow - the remnants of something that looked like a diadem - and a coloring bruise at the girl’s temple where Eunji had shot her.

“This must have protected her,” Seulgi mused in wonder, picking one of the sections of copper up out of the snow.

“Lucky her,” Moonbyul said over the wind as she scooted closer to see.

Joy gently withdrew her hands, watching the the Witch’s confused gaze drift around. “Lucky, or the General did it on purpose,” she suggested as she replaced the stopper on the nearly empty potion vial.

Seulgi’s eyebrows screwed up in confusion and she glanced back at Irene, who hadn’t moved. She looked completely defeated, an expression Seulgi had never seen the determined ex-general wear before. But her attention was drawn back to the Witch as she felt warm fingers grip the front of her ragged dress shirt beseechingly.

“Don’t be frightened,” Seulgi murmured down to her.

Irene slowly stood from where she knelt in the snow. She absently brushed it off her trousers and bent to retrieve her half-buried sabre. She took her time resheathing it, feeling the familiar weight as it hung from her hip. She didn’t know what to do with her hands. How could it be that just moments ago they were locked in such a desperate battle? How could it all have ended with a single bullet? The facade of ‘monster’, the legend of the Empire’s Witch, was just a cover for the small, fragile girl whom Irene had failed to protect.

She had trusted Eunji, and the new general had taken everything away from her.

Well, perhaps not everything.

Before her exile, Irene would have never thought there could be a life outside of the Imperial Army for someone like her. Beyond the title of General, there was no purpose for someone with her training. Beyond the epithet of Ice Princess, there was no mercy or compassion for someone with her abilities. But after Yeri’s rescue, she had been shown another way - a better way - and she would have given anything to let Wendy know that it was possible. That she had seen it. That she had felt it.

There, actually. Those people who had shown her warmth and love were on their knees, surrounding Wendy’s fallen form. Seulgi had her gathered up in her arms. And small, hesitant, weak, Irene saw Wendy reach a hand up and grip the front of Seulgi’s shirt.

“Wendy,” Irene breathed in shock, just as Yeri walked up to her.

“She’s-” Yeri began in a tone that struggled to be empathetic.

“-alive,” Irene finished as she pushed past the thief and ran straight at the huddled group of Returners. Irene slid onto her knees beside them, asking in a breathless rush: “She’s alive?!”

“I think she was just knocked unconscious,” Joy replied, taken aback by the way Irene’s entire person nearly vibrated with hope and amazement.

And then Irene did something even more surprising. She cried.

“Irene-?” Seulgi asked worriedly as Irene buried her face against the Witch’s red dress, wrinkling the material in her balled fists.

But even if Irene had attempted to make a reply, however, it would have been drowned out by the long, ear-splitting shriek of the Phoenix.

“... Oh yeah,” Moonbyul said faintly, her complexion as pale as the snow all around them.

“Oh yeah?” Joy squawked at the captain.

“A lot’s happened today, alright?!” Moonbyul answered defensively. “It sounded like it came from out here, though, didn’t it?” she asked, looking from the opening of the cave to around the ravine. Maybe the echoes from the chasm were playing tricks on her.

But from below the edge of the cliff, completely unaffected by the howling wind, the Phoenix rose up in front of them, carried aloft by its great wings. Light shimmered from its rainbow-colored plumage and it washed over the cliff, bathing them all in golden glow, just as it had back in the cave. The Returners struggled to find traction in the snow, hastily retreating from the massive esper.

Seulgi scooped the Witch up in her arms and stood with Irene’s assistance, and together they ran back towards the entrance of the cave, having nowhere else left to go. The other girls followed close behind, attempting to draw their weapons in their panic.

“Mortals.” A booming voice echoed in their minds, staggering them as they ran. “Do not run.”

“I’ve heard that one before…!” Moonbyul said, though she was surprised to see Yeri actually stop.

“You have no need to fear me. Are there not two among you who are like myself?” And then Irene stopped as well.

“Pray have courage, mortals, and approach.”

Slowly, with great trepidation, the Returners walked back towards the esper. The golden glow cut through the harsh wind and prickling ice and they felt curiously rejuvenated the closer they came to the ancient creature.

“Bring that one to me,” it’s telepathic voice rang in Seulgi’s head, and she looked first at Joy, then at Irene before approaching, bringing Wendy to the esper.

“She has freed me from my prison. For one thousand years the ice held me - a punishment from one of my ilk, who also walks amongst you,” the voice continued, as the Phoenix’s great head tilted to regard Irene. “Though as I reposed and witnessed the end of my world and the birth of human innovation in the absence of magic, I realized her sentence was no punishment at all.”

The Phoenix bowed until his huge, raptor-like beak barely rested against the Witch’s forehead. “Shiva saved me from banishment - or perhaps worse, the enslavement which she suffered. And for that I am eternally grateful.” As the Phoenix straightened again, Wendy’s eyes fluttered open, and she gasped, instinctively clinging to Seulgi.

“Wendy!” Irene hissed as she darted forward.

“Pray listen well, mortals, and you, daughter of Shiva.” Irene paused at the epithet, her gaze torn away from Wendy’s dazed expression.

“And you, daughter of Maduin,” the Phoenix continued to Wendy. “We, the espers as you have named us, see your toil against those who would corrupt magic and plunge the world into the ruin I witnessed many ages ago. In my wish to repay the debts I owe to your friends, I will honor your struggle. I will pledge my strength to you, such as it is.”

“Wait-” Irene began, feeling the sudden bite of the wind again against her face and hands. The glow that had protected them all from the elements dimmed until Irene could barely perceive it, remaining as only a faint outline around the massive esper.

“One amongst you shall become my vessel, as Shiva has chosen before me. You will adopt my abilities, as much as is possible for a mortal like yourself. Choose my champion well, and in times of great desperation, remember that we guide and protect you.”

“WAIT!” Yeri cried, racing forward as the great Phoenix began to fade. Her momentum nearly carried her right over the edge of the cliff as the esper vanished right before her eyes, a scene very similar to that in Vector’s Magitek Research Facility. “No…” she whispered in shock, as a glass-like shard with a golden center hovered in front of her. She took it into her hands, feeling defeated, lost. Hope had looked her in the eye, bowed its great head, and disappeared.

A hush settled over the group, a silence that even the wind could barely pierce as the implications of the Phoenix’s words and actions settled in. Once again, an esper had sacrificed itself for them, their little rag-tag group of pariahs and misfits - strays, as Joy liked to call them - but to what end? They had let Leeteuk escape twice already, and the Empire gained ground in the north every day.

Seulgi felt the Witch shifting in her arms.

“E-excuse me, but…”

“Oh! Uh, can you stand?” Seulgi asked bashfully, lowering the Witch onto her feet.

“I think so. Thank you,” she murmured to Seulgi. Whatever the Phoenix had done to her, she felt completely restored - her strength and senses had returned. She noticed the others a little ways behind them, and the cave beyond that, and the tall cliff face that rose up into grey and white obscurity above them. “Where am I?”

“Narshe.” Irene’s voice didn’t have any strength to elaborate further than that, especially when Wendy turned to face her. That look of curiosity, apprehension, and mostly confusion overwhelmed the little Witch’s expression - Irene knew those looks well and saw it all. She saw everything in Wendy’s eyes except recognition.

“Maybe we should get out of the wind,” Moonbyul suggested. She wasn’t sure what Yeri was carrying in terms of supplies, but she was fairly certain there wouldn’t be enough to go around if they all caught frostbite.

“Just be careful… we don’t know how sturdy it is after all that commotion,” Solji said as she peered into the entrance of the cave. “I can’t see how deep it goes from here, but I’m not really interested in finding out.”

“We need to find a way to get back to the ship,” Moonbyul added. “I’m not sure where we are in relation to where we landed, but I mean, we’re clearly still in the ravine.”

Seulgi was surprised at how agile and sure-footed the Witch was as they followed after the others. For someone so small, and in such a short dress, she didn’t seem to have any trouble climbing over the fallen rocks into the cave the Phoenix had nearly completely collapsed.

Irene was watching Wendy acutely as well, noticing the distance she put between herself and the others, how she warily tried to keep an eye on them all, but also the curious way she seemed to accept the fact that she was with a group of near-perfect strangers, and going along with the things that they said.

It was almost like she was used to waking up with little to no information about her surroundings.

The Returners moved deeper into the cave, trying to escape the bitter cold of the cliffs, but the going was slow. Joy and Yeri led the way, carefully testing the ground as they shuffled forward, pausing every time a rain of dirt fell free of the ceiling. Their tension was palpable and it rippled through the group. All conversation ceased, and everyone’s breathing was quiet save for the chattering teeth of Moonbyul as she grumbled near the back of the group.

“Sh-sh-shoulda stopped in Jidoor after all,” she stammered. “And p-p-picked up a new coat.”

Wendy glanced back at the silver-haired captain, and dropped back to walk with her. After several moments of hesitation, she eventually gathered her courage and placed a hand on Moonbyul's arm.

Moonbyul flinched in spite of herself. The Witch was touching her. If Wendy wanted, she could immolate her in the blink of an eye… right? But instead of her skin splitting under a searing heat that could liquify half the rock in this cave, Moonbyul felt a delicate warmth work its way into her numbing muscles. It was such a welcomed sensation that she clapped and hand on top of Wendy’s, not wanting her to let go.

“Quite a trick,” the pilot sighed, giving the little witch a small smile.

Wendy returned it briefly, aware that this wasn’t something a normal person could do, but before she could respond, a sharp shriek rang out, and a blanket of dust from the disturbed ceiling rained down on the Returners.

“What’s wrong?” Joy barked, ready for action.

“Yeah, what’s wrong kupo?” a tiny voice squeaked out in indignation.

Yeri, recovered from her momentary shock, squinted into the darkness. “You can talk…”

Joy came up behind her as the others quickly gathered around. “What can talk?” she asked suspiciously, her hand on the ripcord of her chainsaw.

“Of course I can talk kupo!” the voice protested. “What do you think I am, some kinda animal?” It stepped out of the shadows of the jagged rocks and into full view and Joy put a hand to her heart.

In all fairness, it certainly did look like an animal: not more than three feet tall, the creature - for lack of a better word - was rather portly with stubby limbs and a head nearly the size of its body. It was covered with a coat of fluffy white fur, with squinty, mirthful eyes and a bright red nose, but most eye-catching of all was its… antenna or… whatever it was. A long, thin antenna-like protrusion sprouted from its head, and from its end bobbed a large fluffy ball, the same color as its large nose.

As it crossed its little arms and tapped its small foot, Joy had to turn away to hide a squeal. But Yeri was not quite so affected by this curiously teddy bear-like creature. “Then who are you? Or… what are you?”

“Kupo! How rude! I’m a Moogle of course!” it cried out, gesturing angrily. “And the name’s Mog, though I dunno why I’m even bothering with an introduction after all these insults kupo!”

Yeri was more confused than chagrined, but she had the grace to remain silent as Irene took over. “A Moogle… I’ve read about you,” she began curiously. Military reconnaissance reports from Narshe had mentioned these rare inhabitants of the frigid cliffs, but she had chalked it up to local folklore more than hard fact.

“You have kupo?” Mog asked, seemingly pleased at this information as he rocked back and forth on his little heels, the pom-pom on top of his head bobbing with the movement. “Not surprised. We are the best dancers in the north kupo~” he added, striking a pose.

“Dancers?” Solji muttered, then after a moment followed up with an “... oh no.”

Seulgi looked up at the don questioningly.

“Mooooog~!” a voice called out, almost pitched as high as the Moogle’s. A tall, lanky girl with long lavender-colored hair crawled out from the gloom to join Mog as he regarded the confused Returners.

“Junghwa?” Solji sputtered, her eyes fixed to the newcomer’s hair.

“Hey! As long as she’s my student, it’s Moghwa kupo,” Mog corrected.

“M-Moghwa…” Yeri whispered in mild disgust.

“Student?!” Solji squawked. “This is where you’ve been doing your training? And what’s up with your hair?!”

“I don’t want to hear that from you,” Junghwa cried out, pointing at Solji’s fiery red locks.

“Uh, excuse me, but-” Seulgi began, before the bickering could escalate.

Solji pursed her lips. “This is Junghwa-”

“Moghwa,” Mog corrected again.

“-Junghwa, and she’s part of our gang. She was supposed to be going on some spiritual journey to the mountains of Narshe to train, but…” Solji explained, her voice coated in skepticism.

Junghwa put her hands on her hips. “But what? What better dancers are there in all of the World of Balance?”

“And don’t think we’ve been going easy on her, either kupo!” Mog interjected. “She came to us weak and inexperienced-” he effused.

“-Hey…!”

“-so we put her through the paces, and look at her now, kupo!” he finished proudly, gesturing at her with a small paw.

They looked. Junghwa flipped her hair.

Solji sighed. “That’s great, but what are you doing here?”

“Kupo!” Mog cried out, pointing at Solji. “That’s my line! We were minding our own business, when suddenly our tunnels started collapsing!”

“I thought it was some sort of earthquake,” Junghwa said.

“And then we heard it cry kupo,” Mog added, his high, squeaky voice darkening. “Did you release Phoenix?” he asked.

Seulgi’s gaze swung first to Irene, then to Yeri, the Phoenix magicite still clutched in the thief's gloved hands. Before anyone else could speak up, however, Joy cleared .

“We did, but he is not a threat to you,” the queen stated. “He’s… already gone,” she finished quietly. Mog’s squinty eyes opened wide at her admission.

“GONE? What do you mean he’s ‘gone’ kupo?” Mog sputtered. “Back to the Esper World?”

“The what?”

“Or did you kill him?” he all but growled, ignoring the question.

“We didn’t kill him!” Yeri spat. “He… sacrificed himself for us,” she added, her voice quieting as she glanced down at the glass-like shard of magicite, its golden center dimly reflecting the light coming into the cave.

Considering how pudgey and stubby Mog’s proportions were - comically so when compared to Junghwa’s lithe form beside him - he made his way over to Yeri with a fair amount of grace. The fallen rocks littering the floor of the unstable tunnel were no obstacle as he tiptoed up to the thief, and it was then that Seulgi noticed this creature had wings. A pair of small, dark, bat-like wings flapped and flitted, adding lift to his gait as he approached.

He regarded the magicite in Yeri’s hands with his squinty eyes, rubbing his small chin with a paw. “He gave you that kupo?” he asked.

“It’s... him,” Yeri replied, though her answer wasn’t very confident. “He disappeared and all that was left was this.”

“It’s magicite,” Irene offered, hoping the talking stuffed animal could provide a little more insight.

Mog tilted his large head this way and that as he thought. “Oh, it’s magical alright kupo. I can feel it.” He reached out a paw to touch it, but Yeri held the shard up out of his reach. “Hey-!”

“Not a chance,” Yeri said defiantly. “Do you know what this is or not?”

Mog huffed and squinted up at her impatiently. “I don’t, but the Elder will kupo. I should take you to him anyway. You’ll need to explain all of this,” he said, gesturing at the collapsed cave.

Joy turned to the others. “What do you think? Should we follow him?”

“Do we have any better ideas?” Moonbyul asked. “They might know an easier way to get back to Narshe so we can find the ship.”

“And it’d be nice to get out of the cold, finally,” Solji muttered. “Lead the way, kiddo,” she waved to Junghwa who clapped her hands.

“More company!” she cheered.

“More?” Irene asked as they followed Mog deeper into the darkness.

+++

Considering Mog’s small stature, Irene was relieved to see that the Moogle tunnels were wide enough and tall enough to easily accommodate their group. Mog and Junghwa lead them through a maze of passages, some that looked like abandoned mine shafts, others that had a more rustic architecture supporting them, until Irene felt they must be very deep underground indeed.

Seulgi was glad that wherever they were heading seemed to be much warmer than the cave where they had discovered Phoenix, and certainly warmer than outside. She brought up the rear and kept an eye on the group ahead as she plodded along, wondering at how Wendy just seemed to accept that she was meant to follow them, no questions asked. She hoped there would be rest somewhere ahead where they could go over everything that had happened. Even though they had more or less rescued her, she was still the Empire’s Witch, after all.

“Kupo!”

“Kuppopo!”

The Returners looked this way and that as a sudden chorus of “kupos” echoed around them. The reached the end of a tunnel and it opened up into a well-lit and surprisingly well-furnished cavern, wholly different than the one in which they had fought Leeteuk.

“A chair!” Moonbyul, Solji, and Joy shouted all at once, clamoring over each other to rest their weary selves.

“Kupo… make yourselves at home, I guess,” Mog muttered, watching the way Joy bodily lifted Moonbyul out of the seat and sat herself down. Solji was content to sprawl amongst the numerous pillows strewn across a large rug on the ground as the rest of the Returners halted by the entrance awkwardly.

“Come on,” Junghwa said encouragingly, and she reached out to take Irene’s hand, who was too surprised by the gesture to object. “We have a lot of guests today, so don’t be shy!”

“A lot?” Irene asked as she allowed herself to be lead into the room. Even after Seulgi and Wendy timidly entered, Yeri continued to hang back, her thumb absently rubbing along the glass-like piece of magicite she clutched.

“Kupo! Where are you finding all these humans!” another high, squeaky voice intoned. Solji felt herself being pushed aside as a Moogle emerged from the pile of pillows irritatedly.

“Moglin!” Mog greeted. “Where are the other ones? They might know each other kupo.”

Moglin pulled at his round ears in frustration. “How am I supposed to know kupo? I was trying to get away from them, and all the noise!”

“They’re right here kupo!” yet another Moogle announced as he entered the large room from the opposite end. Behind this third Moogle, the Returners were surprised to see Sohee, Eunae, and Yooa, their hands and mouths full with what they could only guess was food of some sort.

“AH!!!” Sohee shouted, pointing at them.

“Oh, thank Seraph we found you!” Yooa sighed loudly in relief.

“Kupo! You mean thank Seraph we found them!” Mog corrected indignantly.

Moonbyul sputtered for a moment, then waved her hands. “Wait a second, why are you three here? What happened to my ship?!”

“Sujeong’s got it idling on a cliff way, way below the town. The storm was getting to be too much and we didn’t want a gust to send us right into the cliff,” Yooa explained. “So we went looking for you in Narshe…”

“But we got lost,” Sohee admitted.

The Moogle who was leading them pushed to the front and stood there with his hands on his hips. “And I thought they were more Imperials, so I chased them down and rounded them up,” he declared heroically, in his tiny voice.

“But I kind of recognized you from Moonbyul’s crew,” Junghwa said with a bright smile. “I knew she wouldn’t have anything to do with the Empire.”

Moonbyul smiled at her and crossed her arms, drinking in the praise.

At the mention of Imperials, however, Seulgi stopped trying to follow the ping-pong match of a conversation and glanced at Wendy. If they weren’t careful, the chaotic mood of the room could become hostile.

“We chased them off,” Irene spoke up. The room quieted. “The Imperials, I mean. The Court Wizard was here to claim Phoenix for the Empire, and we fought him off. He retreated.”

“Retreated?” Yooa asked in a low voice.

“And what about Phoenix?” the third Moogle interrupted.

“That was the earthquake we felt, Moghan,” Mog supplied. “The fighting woke Phoenix and he broke free of the ice. We need to see the Elder kupo.”

“Kupo. I’ll go get him,” Moglin said, pulling himself up from his comfortable position on the floor. He seemed glad for an excuse to leave all the commotion.

“Wait, Phoenix is free kupo?!” Moghan squeaked. The little bat-like wings on his back fluttered in surprised as he pranced back a pace. “No wonder we lost the cliff-side tunnels kupo!”

“He’s…” Mog began, then turned back to look at the Returners for help.

“This,” was all Yeri added, holding up the Phoenix magicite for the others to see.

Yooa and the rest of the crew crossed the room to get a better look. “Another one of these, huh?” she asked.

“I wonder what it’s for,” Sohee asked, more to herself than to the other girls crowded around.

Yeri gave an unhelpful shrug, still disappointed that the esper had sacrificed itself at all. If he really felt like he owed the Returners a favor, she had an idea how he could have more than repaid it.

“Kup-poooh. So many humans,” a new voice grumbled. Seulgi wasn’t sure a furry, bear-like creature could be said to have a beard, but this new, fourth Moogle’s chin hairs were much longer and fuller than the others’, giving off that impression. He must be the Elder. “And what are you all standing around for? Please be seated and make yourselves comfortable kupopo,” he admonished, gesturing about the room with a short, gnarled walking stick.

Embarrassed for reasons not readily understood by the girls, they quickly tried to find places to sit on the various pieces of furniture or on the floor with Solji. Even Wendy hastened obediently, taking a corner of the rug for herself and hugging a pillow to her chest.

The Moogle Elder pushed the girls aside with his stick as he settled himself in the middle of the room. “Kupo! So what’s this business about the Empire and setting Phoenix free? Where did you come from kup-kupo? You look like Returners.”

Joy was surprised. “You know who the Returners are?” she couldn’t help asking.

“Kupopo! Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I know who the Returners are, the last line of defense against that bastard Emperor and his cronies kupo!” he paused, cracking open one of his squinty eyes at the women surrounding him. “Pardon my language kupo.”

“We might as well be Returners, too kupo!” Mog spoke up, but he withered as the Elder turned to glare at him.

“No, we’re not Returners kupo. Returners are humans, and we’re better off keeping our interactions with them to a minimum.” He put both of his little paws on the knot of his walking stick and leaned on it heavily. “I think we all know how humans tend to treat those who are… different from them,” he intoned, turning his narrow eyes towards the shard of magicite in Yeri’s hand. “Is that Phoenix?”

Yeri nodded, and she approached to let the Elder get a closer look. “Do you know what magicite is?”

The Elder tugged at his beard in thought. “Kupo… it's giving off a very powerful magical energy,” he said gravely. “Something the Empire would probably pay a high price for kupo.” Irene the smooth, cool surface of Shiva’s magicite in her coat pocket.

“They got rid of the Imperials who were in Narshe - chased ‘em off kupo!” Mog offered. Now that Seulgi thought about it, Mog seemed much younger than she first realized in comparison with the Elder.

“Yet you couldn’t save Phoenix, in the end kupo,” the Elder stated.

Yeri grit her teeth, but Joy spoke up before the thief could respond. “Phoenix told us that he was going to give us his power - uh, choose one of us as a ‘vessel’ - and then he turned himself into that,” she said, gesturing. “He said it would grant one of us his abilities to use as we wished but… I don’t think any of us know how...”

“We thought you might know,” Junghwa said.

The Elder tucked his walking stick under his arm as he paced back and forth on the carpet a moment.

“Aren’t you supposed to be fighting humans who want to use magic kupo? Not sacrificing the espers and using it yourselves kup-kupo?” He paced all the way up to Wendy, who tried to hide further behind the plush pillow she was clutching. Even seated on the carpet, she was still almost as tall as the Elder. “Two of you also give off a strong magical aura. Did you know that, kupo? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that this one is an esper.”

Irene reached for the hilt of her sabre, her eyes dangerously cold.

“A magical aura?” Sohee asked, having been wondering about the newcomer for quite some time now.

Yooa stood up suddenly from her seat, pointing at Wendy. “The Witch!” she cried in shock.

There was a flurry of movement as Moogles fluttered through the air and Irene and Seulgi raced to the middle of the room in an attempt to put themselves between Wendy and Moonbyul’s crew.

Solji and Joy were already holding Yooa back, though the girl wasn’t actually struggling against them. “Why is she here? Why? You were supposed to kill them, not… not…” she paused, confusion and indignation overwhelming her features. She took a deep breath and shot a dark look at Moonbyul. “What about Somi?”

Moonbyul had no answer. She wasn’t sure herself why they had brought the Empire’s Witch along. And maybe she had knocked her head against the ice a little harder than she thought, because as she looked at the frightened and confused way Wendy’s eyes darted between them all, Moonbyul thought she looked just as vulnerable now as she had been back when she was lying unconscious in the snow.

“She’s not an enemy,” Moonbyul sighed, holding Wendy’s gaze as the little witch looked her way. “I think she was being used. Just like...” she paused, glancing at Irene. "Just like everyone else the Court Wizard gets ahold of." The tension in the room tangibly slackened. “Besides,” the pilot continued, “she’s pretty cute, don’t you think~?”

Joy and Solji grunted as Yooa thrashed in their grip, though they considered releasing her as it was fairly clear her rage was directed at a new target.

Wendy blinked at the airship captain, a soft frown on her face. “Please... don’t fight.”

That impotent utterance caused the activity in the room to halt and they turned to face her. Joy crossed her arms. “No,” the queen said, pointedly staring at Yooa before her gaze swept over to the others from the Blackjack. “We’re done fighting today.”

“Kupo! Please,” the Elder squeaked, poking his head up from behind an overturned chair. “We may not all be Returners, but we are all allies kupo. I ask that you save any fighting until you leave kupo.” He flapped his little bat-like wings and righted the chair before plopping down in it.

"Leave..." Yeri muttered. "But where do we go from here?" she asked the room at large. Silence greeted her as the Returners each fell into their own thoughts.

The Elder tugged at his little beard. "You still have questions, don't you kupo? I don't know what a magicite is, nor how you'd 'use' one kup-kupo, but you know who might?"

"Thamasa!" Mog piped up. Seulgi and Yeri snapped to attention.

The Elder growled at him. "Don't interrupt me kupo! I wanted to tell them!"

"Thamasa?" Seulgi asked, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

"Hrmph," the Elder grumbled. "Yes, Thamasa kupo. I'm sure the humans there will have all the answers you need."

"Why there? What's in Thamasa?" Moonbyul asked skeptically. She had flown all over the World of Balance in her quest for diversion, but the tiny, isolated village of Thamasa was second to last on her list of places to visit, topped only by the rural township of Mobliz, its close neighbor.

"Not what, but who is in Thamasa kupo," the Elder explained.

"Magic users." The group turned at Yeri's utterance. Irene opened once, but shut it again. Yeri met her gaze for a moment before continuing. "Magic users, and the descendents of magic users, going all the way back to the War of the Magi a thousand years ago." The answer was so obvious now that Yeri said it aloud. The one place she had been avoiding this entire quest for revenge, was the one place that would have all the answers to her questions.

Irene was dumbfounded. How could such critical intel escape the Empire for so long? There were other people who had the gift of magic?

"But you shouldn't leave until this storm passes kupo," the Elder interjected. "Rest here for the night. You are our guests kupo."

“Rest,” Solji said gratefully, settling back down onto the carpet. It was clear there was a lot for them to think over, and taking the night off to relax a bit before rushing halfway across the world again seemed like a great idea.

“Leave everything to us kupo!” Mog cried and the Moogles hopped and flapped down one of the many tunnels connected to the cavern and out of sight.

+++

“Is it… some sort of Moogle holiday?” Solji asked Junghwa as she eyed the long table the teddy bear-like creatures had set up and covered with an impressive array of food.

Junghwa shrugged. “Maybe?”

“It’s a show of gratitude kupo,” the Elder said, gesturing at the table with his walking stick. “For chasing off the Empire, and not letting Phoenix fall into their hands.”

“Well when you put it that way, it does seem kind of impressive,” Moonbyul admitted as she eyed the unrecognizable faire. The table was heaped with platters and bowls full of flora and fauna befitting the Moogles’ subterranean lifestyle: iridescent chitin gleamed in the firelight, the shells of insect-like creatures that the airship pilot couldn’t even begin to guess the names of, and dull, yet distractingly colorful glow of mushrooms of all shapes and sizes. “Are… are these even edible?” she asked, picking up a bright green mushroom as she gave the Elder a skeptical look.

“Kupo! How rude! You know the miners in Narshe eat this stuff, too kupo!” he finished filling his little plate and left her there in a huff.

Moonbyul shrugged and picked a mushroom of each color for herself before joining the growing gathering of Moogles and Returners in the middle of the cavern.

If left to their own devices, the girls might have just ate quietly and spent the night recovering from their harrowing fight with the Court Wizard, but with the addition of the Moogles and their high-pitched voices, and the crew of the Blackjack with their bickering, the cavern was alive with the echoes of conversation. It wasn’t long before Mog himself put aside his dishes and pulled out a flute, an ornate instrument carved with patterns and symbols that the humans decided must be distinctly ‘Moogle’ in origin. After a bit of cheering and a few shouted requests, he took a deep breath and began to play.

Those who weren’t still eating began to clap along, the beat picking up tempo until Mog stood, the little red fluff on the end of his antenna bobbing along to the furious pace as he tried to keep up.

“Are you going to let him perform all by himself like that?” Solji goaded, bumping her shoulder against Junghwa’s.

“Me? Play?” Junghwa asked in disbelief.

“Not play, you idiot. Dance. What have you been up here learning all these months?”

Despite being called an idiot, Junghwa came oddly bashful, hesitating a moment before finally standing herself and walking over to Mog. He gave her a nod as best he could and on the downbeat she began to dance.

Irene startled, hearing the sudden whooping and cheering from the group and paused, holding her empty plate to her chest. Her gaze slowly shifted from Junghwa’s graceful, athletic figure to the arrangement of phosphorescent fungi. Her years of diplomatic missions in attendance of the Emperor hadn’t quite prepared her for a situation like this. Any… of this.

A pair of tongs reaching in front of her broke Irene’s concentration on keeping a neutral expression in the face of the unusual faire.

“Excuse me,” a painfully familiar voice uttered.

“Please,” Irene answered robotically as she stepped out of Wendy’s way. She watched the little witch pick up first one mushroom, then another, turning them this way and that as she decided which to try. After a moment, she sighed and ended up putting them both on her plate. Noticing that Irene was watching her mutely, she offered the tongs to the ex-general.

“I’m sorry,” Wendy began, but then changed the direction of her apology. “I mean, thank you,” she said, holding out the tongs to Irene. “I’m not sure what happened out there, but it’s obvious I owe you and your friends a great deal.”

Irene accepted the utensil without realizing. “My friends… Wendy, do you still not…?” she ventured, catching Wendy’s curious gaze. “... Remember?”

Wendy broke eye contact. “I’m sorry. This happens to me a lot; I forget things, but they usually come back to me after a while…”

That ‘usually’ chilled Irene, a grip on her heart colder than any of Shiva’s abilities she had adopted. “W-what do you remember?” she asked in a voice almost too weak to be heard over the cacophony of the room.

Wendy shrugged with a helpless smile. “It’s more like what I know than what I can remember: My name is Wendy, and… I’m safe here.” Her eyes swept the cavern taking in the carousing inhabitants. “And it’s because of you. I’d try to thank you more properly, but… I don’t remember your name-” Her smile faded as she looked back up at Irene, seeing the ex-general’s stormy expression. “... I’m sorry. I’m sure it’ll come back to me,” Wendy insisted, reaching out to rest a hand on Irene’s wrist.

How like Wendy to apologize. Irene couldn’t imagine what was going through her head, to awaken in a strange location, surrounded by strange people, and spoken to by a mythical creature thousands of years old. But Irene could barely do more than acknowledge Wendy’s situation while she gave up looking for any hint of recognition in those brown eyes. She scoffed at herself, and Wendy withdrew her hand.

The little witch let her gaze fall to the floor and mumbled an “Excuse me,” before turning to rejoin the group, leaving Irene all alone at the table.

Seulgi had been wandering back and forth between the buffet and the squabbling crew of the Blackjack, never straying too far from the food. Her plate was never more than half empty, but after a while even she began to slow down. As she chewed the strange Moogle dishes ponderously, making a last pass of the table, she realized there was someone who seemed a little too preoccupied to eat. She loaded up her plate one final time and wandered her way over to a certain ex-general.

Irene didn’t notice Seulgi was at her side until Seulgi held out the heaping plate to her. She eyed the curious arrangement with carefully concealed disgust, before shaking her head at Seulgi.

Seulgi was confused. “It’s not bad, really. Just… could use some salt,” she trailed off in a whisper, letting Mog’s flute bury her voice.

“I’m not hungry,” Irene stated. Seulgi followed Irene's troubled gaze to where it rested on Wendy.

“Wendy,” Seulgi said, watching the little witch standing awkwardly at the edge of the gathering. “What's wrong? Aren’t you two… friends?” Seulgi ventured. If that scene out in the snow had been any indication, Wendy meant a great deal to Irene, but Seulgi wasn’t quite sure to what extent. Especially since Wendy had been rather mute since she had awoken.

“We... “ The way Irene’s voice stopped unexpectedly brought Seulgi’s gaze back to her.

“Irene?”

Irene turned away. How could she explain it? How could she even begin…? But more immediately, it was clear there was something else that was making it difficult for Irene to face Wendy after all this time - a side effect of prolonged use of Leeteuk’s Slave Crown.

“She doesn’t remember me.”

Seulgi’s gaze snapped back to Wendy, who was flushed with embarrassment as Mog tried to pass his flute over to her. “Because of her injury?” Seulgi asked.

Irene shook her head. “No, from that diadem she was wearing. It had magical properties, giving the Court Wizard complete control over her.”

Seulgi’s bewildered gaze returned to Irene. “He was controlling her?” She was still getting used to the idea that magical creatures and people existed, but magical items was a concept that escaped her.

“He didn’t tell me how it worked, but I suspect he poured a part of his own powers into the crown,” which was why he was the only one who could use it, and why Irene was sure it would be easy for him to make another, should Wendy be returned to Leeteuk. Eunji’s actions had shown Irene a strength of character that made her strangely proud, but the foolish general was probably going to end up in shackles for her sacrifice, if not worse. It was a betrayal to the Empire more blatant and damaging that Irene’s own, which was curious in itself.

Was it Eunji’s sense of nobility that had convinced her to turn Wendy over to the Returners, or something else?

“We’ll keep her safe.”

Irene was startled out of her musings and glanced up at Seulgi in shock. “What?”

Seulgi had seen the dark, contemplative look on Irene’s face and tried to give her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure the Empire doesn’t take her again.” At Irene’s continued wordless staring, she added, “We’ll take her with us to Thamasa. Maybe they can even help restore her memories!”

“Seulgi,” was all Irene could say. The rancher’s sense of hope was oddly infectious.

“Okay?” Seulgi asked, searching Irene’s eyes. Finally the ex-general nodded, and Seulgi beamed at her. “Good, now will you please eat?”