The initial hit stunned Somi. She was lucky that her instinct was to grab on, especially as she felt her calves collide with the railing as she was essentially dragged off the side of the Blackjack. The sensation of her feet dangling hundreds of feet above the tops of the skyscrapers of Vector with only the strength of her fingers keeping her from certain death didn’t help with the dazed feeling. Every protruding pipe, every tube or wire was a lifeline she clung to as she sought for a better grip as the Sky Armor arced away from the airship, slowly coming back around for another attack. Did they not realize she was still holding on?

All the better.

Perhaps Somi could wait to see if they’d make another pass over the deck of the ship, and drop herself back to safety. There were just two problems with that plan, Somi quickly realized: one, she wasn’t sure she was strong enough to hold on until they made another pass, and two… over the puttering of the Sky Armor’s propellers, she heard the gunner in the cockpit fire off a shot. She couldn’t just hang around while her friends were getting shot at!

She swung her legs up, trying to brace herself against the bottom of the ‘copter as she attempted to scale the back of the cockpit. Living and working on the Blackjack may have dispelled her fear of heights, but the Sky Armor was smaller, maneuvered faster, and had a noticeable lack of rigging for her to hold onto. Still, she managed to make her way up until she she could peep over the back and into the cockpit.

The gunner was standing right in front of her, his concentration fixed on maintaining his balance and his sight down the long barrel of his rifle as he trained it on the Blackjack. Somi briefly considered reaching over and pulling the gunner back into the dangerously close propeller, but the thought was too gruesome and could send them all plunging into the city below. Instead, she pushed herself up suddenly to grab him by the uniform jacket and held on tightly.

“What the f-?” he sputtered, letting off a wild shot as he twisted in her grip. With a free hand, he grabbed her wrist tightly in an attempt to pry her off.

Perfect.

Immediately, Somi’s other hand came up and grabbed his wrist in the same manner, squeezing and pulling with exactly the same pressure.

“Let go!” he cried, as Somi used his weight as leverage to pull herself up over the side and into the cockpit. “Hey- give me a hand, here!”

The pilot glanced over his shoulder at the commotion. “What do you want me to do? I gotta drive! You can handle one little girl!”

But Somi matched the gunner’s shuffling around step for step, grip for grip, with the strength of an Imperial soldier twice her age and a head taller than her. He finally gave up on trying to loosen her hold on his shirt and grabbed her wrist that was locked around his rifle hand. She was now free to get a better fistful of his uniform and try to maneuver him closer to the edge of the cockpit. It was dangerous, but she wasn’t sure there was anything else she could do. If she pushed and he didn’t let go, it’d be a long way down…

“What are you doing back there? Get rid of her already!”

“What do you think I’m tryina do?” he strained. “She’s like a ing leech.”

“Rude!” Somi gasped. She stuck her foot behind his ankle and shoved him hard. The change from pull to push surprised the soldier, and he tripped. Predictably, he let go of her as he cried out, falling backwards over the side of the cockpit, landing with a faint crunch against the top of a skyscraper as they zipped past.

“What the-?! You little b-” Somi had a sharp eye on the pilot’s hands and grabbed the gunner’s seat harness just in time as the pilot to sent them into a barrel roll, trying to dump her out of the cockpit.

She kept her eyes trained on the pilot as they flipped over and over, and when they straightened out, she quickly untangled herself from the harness, loosening one of the straps. The pilot turned to see if she was still aboard just in time to catch Somi looping it around his neck. The pilot choked once as Somi used a foot for leverage against the back of his seat, pulling as hard as she could. He scratched at the strap around his neck desperately with one hand as they began to list dangerously close to the tops of the buildings below.

“Come on, come on,” Somi strained as dipped below the canopy of Vector’s skyline, between the tall steel buildings. Even as they plummeted, she waited until his hands fell from the levers, lifeless, before reaching over him to pull them out of their descent.

The few years she had spent aboard the Blackjack had given her ample opportunity to learn how to fly an airship - a skill she didn’t think she’d ever have to use outside of taking a nocturnal shift at the helm - but this Sky Armor was a wholly different piece of engineering. It was so small, it reacted instantly to her grip on the controls, sending them rocketing back up above the skyline.

“Zephyr’s wing, this thing is fast…” she cursed as she struggled to control it from her awkward position. She tried to steer it back towards the fight, hoping to wave down someone on deck and let them know she’s alright. Maybe she could follow them out of Vector and land somewhere safely so she could reboard the Blackjack. She could see the airship itself emerging from the around side of the huge ziggurat, a small swarm of more agile Sky Armors buzzing around it in pursuit.

Gaining more confidence - or perhaps just more determination - she sped towards the chase with one hand on the levers, as she used her other hand to try to undo the pilot’s harness. She needed to get closer, then she could fly off to the north and wait for them… a little more… But distracted as she was about the pilot’s lifeless body, she didn’t see another Sky Armor in a tailspin above her, before it clipped one of her propellers in its descent. Somi had to hold on wherever she could as they tumbled, over and over, losing altitude fast.

Somi dug in, feeling gravity try to tug her out of the cockpit with every roll. Adrenaline overrode her fear and she fumbled for the controls trying to at least get the Sky Armor upright before they inevitably crashed. Her desperate yanking on the levers at least seemed to slow them down a bit as they began to level out, but Somi could see it was too late and barely had a moment to brace herself as they skidded sharply across the dirt of the Imperial Army’s training grounds. Her arm throbbed from her deathgrip on the pilot’s harness, the only thing that had kept her rooted in place during their crash, but Somi was surprised that she somehow managed to escape more serious injury. Dust clouded up around their small crater and she could hear shouting in the distance. It seemed she wasn’t quite out of the fight just yet.

As she turned to the pilot’s lifeless form, she could feel aches revealing themselves in more of her limbs. She had landed too stiffly, but a few bruises and muscle pains were better than broken bones. She quickly frisked the soldier for a weapon, anything that could help her fight her way through the army, but she found nothing. Why hadn’t she thrown him out instead of the gunner?

Well, there was only one thing left she could try, though it might be just as risky as trying to make a run for it defenseless and alone.

Before the smoke cleared, she quickly unstrapped the pilot and began ing his jacket.

+++

Leeteuk didn’t care if Eunji was right behind him or not. In fact it'd be easier for him if she had simply died back there on the cliffs. She had played out her usefulness weeks ago, and soon he wouldn’t need her or the Witch to pull off his schemes. They’d all see. They’d all see.

His manic laughter was lost on the icy wind of the storm as he sped away from Narshe, rising up above the ravine to head south. A quick glance around showed that he was right, Eunji must not have made it, or he had lost her in the storm and she was heading back to Vector alone.

What folly. “Love,” he spat against the ice that stung his face. A force almost destructive as hate, and he had seen it ruin promising careers and break the most clever minds. Like Heechul, that sentimental fool. “Wallowing in the dark with his tanks of literal gods, and what does he do with all of that power? NOTHING.” The Chief Engineer had gone to the Emperor again and again with his reports about how much pain they were in, about how they were dying, about how drained they were. “Wasteful. Absolutely wasteful!” Who cares how much pain they were in? No one cared how much pain he was in when they injected him with that demonic concoction. So why not squeeze the espers for every last drop of power they had?

Like he had wanted to squeeze the Witch. He had shown the Emperor what she was capable of but instead of letting him harness that power and unleash it on the world, he had given discretion to Irene.

“And she’s only a half-breed. Imagine if I put this crown on someone like Ifrit!”

“I can very well imagine,” the Emperor contemplated, his long moustache. “But what use is an empty countryside to my illustrious Empire? What is the point of this war if there are no subjects left to rule at its conclusion?”

Leeteuk his lips, his eyes wide at the prospect of being leashed. “I don’t dare question your reasons, your Grace, but subjugating the people with soldiers may cost more lives and require even more conscripts. I could wrap up our Northern Campaign in a matter of weeks if you’d just allow me to-”

“I understand your concern,” the Emperor interrupted. “Perhaps we can compromise and use Wendy in strategic strikes. Confer with General Bae and see where she thinks such uses will benefit us most.”

“Confer with- My lordship, you can’t be serious… You have seen the general’s hesitation to use the W-... to use Wendy at all in service of the Empire.”

The Emperor looked at Leeteuk darkly from beneath his winged brows. “She has more discretion than some, indeed. If she deems it unnecessary to use Wendy to win, then who am I to disagree? If our purpose was sheer destruction, then I would say by all means, but my goal is to preside. To lead the world back to more prosperous times when magic and machine lived side by side and was not feared. How can I do that if you melt every stubborn foe we come across?”

Leeteuk laughed to himself. A chuckle that crescendoed to a frustrated growl as he clenched his teeth. “How dare he!” Perhaps the Emperor himself was wearing out his usefulness. Yes, perhaps so..

Soon… soon they’d all see.

+++

Moonbyul held out her hand. “M’lady~”

Wendy accepted it without comment, far more concerned about the flying ship she was stepping up onto than its captain’s advances. Her gaze was drawn all around, up to the massive blimp that offered respite from the gently falling snow, to the web-like rigging that draped down and fastened it to the deck, and finally down to the crew making ready for take off. Moonbyul watched her hesitant, curious expression with a small smile.

The Empire’s Witch. On her ship. She shouldn’t have been so surprised at her crew’s ready acceptance of the newcomer - Cait Sith, they were an entire collection of rapscallions and ne’er-do-wells, after all. Someone like Wendy fit right in. Her disarmingly gentle nature certainly helped endear her to the crew. Even Yooa and Sohee seemed to have taken Moonbyul’s words to heart and were treating Wendy more like a victim of the Empire than its most powerful weapon.

“Prepare to embark,” Moonbyul ordered after rousing herself. “Due east, Sujeong. We’re heading to Thamasa.”

“Thamasa?” the designated pilot asked curiously, but began fidgeting with the dials at the helm all the same.

“Yup. We’ve done all we can do here. I’ll explain on the way-”

“ARE WE GONNA FLY?” Junghwa exclaimed, hanging on Solji’s shoulders as she boarded.

Solji groaned and shrugged her off. “Haven’t you ridden on the Blackjack before?”

Junghwa shook her head as she looked around excitedly. “Never! You wouldn’t let me. You said Moonbyul was ‘too dangerous’ and I was ‘too impressionable’.”

“Dangerous?” Moonbyul asked, wounded.

Solji raised a scathing eyebrow at the nefarious captain, but addressed Junghwa. “Well now I’m here to supervise. We’ve got some 'good guy' stuff to take care of, so we’re going to tag along for a bit.”

Moonbyul’s mock offense softened into a smile. “Don’t tell me the Returners got to you, too.”

Solji looked around until she spied Seulgi, holding the trapdoor open for Joy who disappeared belowdeck. “It’s good to spice things up a bit,” she admitted, her warm gaze following the chocobo rancher. “Besides, the Empire’s bad for business. They found me in the dungeon when you guys came to Vector,” she continued with a nod towards the Queen of Figaro. “Who knows how long they would have let me rot in there until they figured out what to do with me, and the rest of the gang?” She patted Junghwa on the head and pushed her towards the crew to help.

“It’s hard to tell what they’re going to do next. That Court Wizard freak seems like a loose cannon. I can’t believe he just disappeared back there in the cave,” Moonbyul muttered, her humor long gone. “I don’t remember him always being so…”

“Unpredictable?” Solji offered, remembering the immense pressure, the strange spell Leeteuk had put her under back in the cave. He seemed to have them all right where he wanted them, so then why run at the first sign of danger? “It’s almost like Phoenix was too small-time for him to bother with.” Which didn’t sit well with her at all.

“Phoenix? The esper?” Moonbyul asked, barely following. “What do you mean small-time?”

Solji moved them out of the way as the crew made ready to leave. “Why did he give up so easily back there?”

“Easily?” Moonbyul countered. “The general was injured, his wi- er, Wendy was in a stalemate with Irene, and he was outnumbered. And with Phoenix waking up, I’d say it was more of a tactical retreat.”

But Solji couldn’t be too sure. “You might not know this, but the Empire’s been looking for Phoenix for a long time.”

Moonbyul glanced around the deck, briefly pulling out of the conversation to yell a “Ready when you are, Sujeong! Cast away!” before turning her full attention back to Solji. “They’re trying to hunt down lots of espers, right?” She still had a hard time picturing the laboratory Irene and the others had described in the Magitek Research Facility, huge espers like Phoenix contained in tubes like simple experiments?

“But Phoenix was especially prized.”

Moonbyul wished Solji wouldn’t get all mysterious on her and would just get to the point. “So you’re trying to say the Court Wizard shouldn’t have given up like that and run? Why?”

“You’re not a smuggler, but maybe you’ve heard of ‘phoenix down’?”

Moonbyul’s quirked eyebrow. An item that rare and valuable eluded even her most well-endowed contacts. “Yeah, they say even a tuft of that stuff can raise the dead.” It seemed obvious to her now - phoenix down must come from Phoenix himself. She was already a few steps ahead of Solji after that clue, thinking about how powerful the Empire would be if it had insurance against the death of its most valuable personnel… and arsenal. Her gaze drifted away from the redheaded don to settle on Wendy who had wandered up towards the bow. “Only Seraph herself might be more powerful in that department.”

Solji followed her gaze, watching the little witch approach the Sky Armor Irene had landed on the deck. Watched the way Wendy drew her hand along the iron rivets in the armored plating. “So you can see why I’m a little suspicious.” She sighed. “Maybe I’m overthinking it, but the only reason I can see for him giving up like that on Phoenix is…”

“... If he’s got bigger plans. Another score even more valuable than Phoenix.”

“Exactly.”

Moonbyul put her hands behind her head as she turned, striding towards the trap door. “Well, that ought to keep me busy on our trip to Thamasa, as if I didn’t already have enough to think about. It’ll be a few days before we get any answers so maybe it’d be better if you kept your thoughts to yourself until then.”

Solji thought the Returners were smart enough to work something like this out on their own, but acquiesced with a nod.

+++

Irene hated takeoffs the most. She would never enjoy flying, but luckily (or perhaps unluckily as the case may be) every time she has had to ascend in Moonbyul’s conspicuous flying casino, she had a goal to focus her thoughts on - something to busy her mind and distract her from the fact that they were climbing hundreds of feet into the air with each passing second. Today was no different, as her eyes barely left Wendy.

“Hold on,” Seulgi muttered to her quietly and slipped an arm around her waist as Sujeong banked, circling as they continued to gain altitude out of the icy ravine. She was surprised Irene was electing to stay on deck but didn’t exactly trust it was because she was suddenly over her fear of heights.

“I’m alright,” Irene said, slipping away from Seulgi towards the bow, mesmerized by the surreal sight of Wendy standing there on the same ship, for all the world like she had been with them on this journey all along.

Seulgi watched her go for a moment before pulling the brim of her hat a little lower over her eyes. She should go check on Boko.

One by one the Returners and the crew of the Blackjack drifted off to sleep where they sat, amongst the carpets and pillows of the Moogle’s earthen hall. Mog had long since given over playing his flute in favor of listening to the Elder tell old stories in a droning voice that lulled the guests into a restful slumber. All except for a certain ex-general and her stalwart chocobo rancher.

Irene was nestled against Seulgi’s side, the taller girl having already nodded off once or twice during the elder’s recital. “Go to sleep,” Irene whispered as she felt Seulgi stir once again.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” Seulgi whispered back, turning her head to take a chance to bury her nose in Irene’s dark hair.

“Can’t,” she breathed, feeling Seulgi’s gentle embrace. The Elder’s low, raspy voice had provided a backdrop for her thoughts about the past. Not the Moogle’s past as was being recited, however, but of a history much more personal. Her position propped up against the chocobo rancher provided a perfect line of sight to Wendy, who was putting a spare blanket over a shamelessly snoring Sohee.

Seulgi was silent for a moment - long enough for Irene to think she had dozed off again before she spoke up. “Are you worried about her?”

“Yes.” It was obvious who Seulgi meant, and Irene’s answer was entirely expected, but Seulgi still wondered at it.

The Irene from a month ago… even from a couple weeks ago might have scoffed at such an intimate question. Seulgi would have had to piece the answer together for herself after watching Irene’s actions and reading the subtle changes in her stern expressions. She was happy that Irene was more open with her now and didn’t hide her feelings away.

But the ready admission also gave her pause.

Irene felt Seulgi’s smile press against her ear. “She’s safe here with us,” Seulgi iterated. “Maybe the Empire thinks she’s dead already.”

Irene closed her eyes for a moment, the echo of Eunji’s pistol crackling in her mind. “That won’t stop them from coming after us, and when they realize she is still alive…” But why had Eunji turned her over? Was she playing double agent? Eunji had done several things that afternoon that lead her to question the new general’s motives. “This isn’t as easy as ‘us versus them’,” she whispered into the low light of the cavern.

“I know,” Seulgi said, and Irene scoffed at how reassuring her tone was. “You still have friends in the army, right? They don’t seem all bad…”

Irene turned in Seulgi’s arm until she faced the chocobo rancher. “Not all bad?” Was this the same girl whom Irene had to drag away from desecrating a soldier’s corpse while sobbing naught two months ago?

Seulgi looked down into Irene’s eyes before placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “Well you, for instance. You’re a hero, Irene. Look at how many people you’ve saved and protected.” When Irene scoffed again, Seulgi pulled her close. “I mean it. Not only after you became a Returner, but even before that. You looked after Wendy, right?”

Irene gave her an intense look that Seulgi couldn’t place, but it felt like she had hit the mark.

“It’s obvious she's important to you, and I mean… look at her. It seems like she needs our help. Everyone warmed up to her right away,” Seulgi continued, rubbing a thumb along Irene’s shoulder.

Irene could barely stand how sweet and understanding Seulgi was being while she was this tense and worried. “She’s not like what people say,” Irene replied. “She’s not… she’s not a monster.”

Seulgi listened to the ardent way Irene’s voice rose with that assertion. “Monsters are what we faced in the Veldt. She’s… she’s just a person who can use magic. Like you, right?” she said, trying to understand.

Just a person who can use magic? Did Seulgi even realize what she was saying? What normal person could use magic? What normal person had abilities like hers and Wendy’s? “Not quite like me,” Irene confessed. “Her powers are… natural.”

Irene abruptly reversed course and made a beeline for the trapdoor instead, cutting Seulgi off as she herself headed towards the hold. Seulgi halted, wondering if she should stay up here and give Irene a bit of space. She seemed to still be dealing with a lot of tension after yesterday, and adopting Wendy into the Returners seemed to be taking its toll on her.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that Wendy could barely remember her own name, let alone anything else about her past. Seulgi sighed and looked towards the bow, her feet carrying her towards the little witch before she even realized.

Seulgi felt herself being tugged to slow down. “Where are you off to?” Yooa asked, standing at her elbow.

“I was going to… I don’t know,” Seulgi confessed. “I was going to talk to Wendy.”

Yooa searched her eyes under the brim of her hat. “And take her belowdeck? To get something warm to put on?” Yooa asked, eyeing Wendy’s short dress. The little witch also sported a gossamer cloak that Yooa was sure wouldn’t even protect her from a sneeze.

Seulgi shrugged. “She has like, fire powers. I don’t think the cold affects her much,” she said, remembering how warm Wendy felt in her arms back on the cliff.

Wendy turned towards them, overhearing their conversation. “Oh, I’m fine out here, really. Please don’t worry about me.”

Yooa crossed her arms. “Of course we’re worried about you. You used to be the- OOF!”

“Sorry,” Seulgi muttered, and the cleared . “What Yooa means is there’s a long way between here and Thamasa, so we were thinking maybe you’d like to hang out belowdeck with us.”

Wendy smiled. “Yeah, I would like that, actually, but… are you sure there isn’t something I could be doing to help?”

Seulgi blinked, glancing around at the activity on deck. “Help? No, no, you don’t need to help. I think they’ve got it.”

Yooa winked. “Leave it to us experts!”

Seulgi looked up at the Sky Armor Wendy was standing next to. “Do you… have any flying experience? Or um, I guess do you… uh,”

“Remember?” Wendy supplied, her smile fading a bit. She turned and reached out to place her hand on the iron plating of the ‘copter, ice cold from exposure. “Actually I do.”

The two other girls didn’t say anything, and the silence drew out as Wendy appeared lost in thought.

Yooa paused a moment longer, looking between the two girls. “I’m uh… gonna get back to work. It’s going to get colder the higher up we go until we’re out of the mountains,” she said to Seulgi before giving them both a nod and heading back towards the helm.

Seulgi watched her go with pleading eyes, but when she looked back at Wendy, she saw the little witch was looking up at her expectantly.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Sorry?”

“Sorry about… this. It must be really difficult for everyone,” Wendy sighed. “You all seem to know me somehow, but I just…”

Seulgi reached out and grabbed her upper arm, giving it a squeeze. “Hey, a lot’s happened to everyone the past couple days. Just relax and take your time. You’re safe here with us.”

Wendy tried to give her a bracing smile.

Seulgi dropped her hand after another moment and tugged at the brim of her hat. “So you remember flying? In this?” she gestured behind Wendy at the Sky Armor.

Wendy turned with Seulgi’s outstretched hand, her gaze once again tracing the brute form of the ‘copter. She mostly remembered clouds. Clouds, the winter sun high above, and the glittering sea below.

Getting closer, and closer.

“Wendy,” a voice said in her ear. “Wendy pull up, we’re losing a little too much altitude.”

Wendy pretended not to hear as the sea drew ever closer. She felt light and heady as she pushed the lever a smidge more, increasing their speed.

“W-Wendy, pull not push!” the voice sputtered, and a gloved hand settled over hers on the controls, gently guiding the lever back into position and leveling them out. “Are you crazy?” Though the tone was a bit exasperated, Wendy found herself laughing all the same. She just felt so safe; the freeing feeling of flying, knowing she was nearby... why not have a little fun?

She felt the woman’s hand pull away once they were steady, and she grabbed it suddenly, holding it as she turned back to look over her shoulder...

“Someone was teaching me how to fly,” she said absently. “I’m not sure how good I am at it, but it’s something.”

Seulgi smiled. “Yeah, it’s a start!”

“We kissed.”

Seulgi blinked. “What?”

“The General. I kissed her,” Wendy said with a note of wonder.

+++

Boko made a small noise in his throat as Irene finally pulled away. She usually wasn’t one for hugs, but the fluffy chocobo was pretty hard to resist. Much like its owner.

Irene sighed and ran a hand through her long, dark hair. Her near-sleepless night in the Moogle cave certainly wasn’t helping her muddled thoughts about Wendy and her apparent case of amnesia, or the events of the last 24 hours in general. But she couldn’t bring herself to talk about it anymore either. What was there to even say? Any conversation just led to more questions, none of which seemed to have answers. The magicite they had, Phoenix’s message about vessels, Eunji’s sacrifice, Leeteuk’s retreat... What they should do next.

With her court marshal, she had lost the title of general and it felt like her leadership and tactical skills were disappearing with it. And with Wendy’s memory erased, she felt like she had lost her past as well. She just didn’t know who she was anymore. If the one person she had centered all of her life’s decisions around had forgotten her, then what was left?

Maybe the word ‘vessel’ was more apt than she realized. She carefully pulled the Shiva magicite out from the pocket of Moonbyul’s coat and rubbed her thumbs on its glassy surface. Maybe it was foolish to try and think of herself as anything other than a weapon, whether for the Empire or against it.

Boko clicked his beak, gently pinching her hand as he sought her attention.

“Ow, what?” she grumbled petulantly. Boko stretched his head towards the magicite as Irene held it out of reach. “What do you want? This? It’s not food.” Irene couldn’t even imagine what might happen if Boko got ahold of the magicite. They still had little idea what these were, and what if he broke it? Would it unleash a blizzard inside the cargo hold? Would it destroy the last remnant of Shiva in this world? Would it hurt Irene herself, connected as she was with the esper?

But Boko kept picking at her until she finally put it back into her coat pocket. “There! It’s gone!” she growled irritably, holding up her hands for him to see. He chirped and settled down, watching her placidly. “What’s with you?” She reached up to smooth back the feathers on his head.

“Maybe he didn’t like that look on your face.” Irene whirled around to see Moonbyul watching her with crossed arms. “I’ll be honest, I wasn’t fond of it either. You’re scary when you’re mad.”

Irene frowned. “What are you doing down here?”

Moonbyul pointed at herself. “Me? This is my ship. I came to check on the giant live animal you guys insist on carting around, and take stock of our stores,” she explained, motioning at Boko who haughtily tossed his head. “What are you doing down here?”

When Irene didn’t answer, Moonbyul’s incredulous expression softened. She joined the ex-general near the pile of straw Boko was using to roost, but when she reached out to pet the chocobo, he hissed at her and snapped his beak.

“Boko,” Irene chided.

“He hissed!” Moonbyul yelped, putting Irene between herself and the bird.

Irene could have said she was feeling the same. She wanted to be alone to try and think some of this through, but their band of allies was growing ever-larger and it was getting more and more difficult to find solitude. She missed the loneliness of her tent in the center of their siege camps. She missed how quiet it was at the top, where her goals were clear and her directives absolute.

She felt Moonbyul’s hands on her shoulders as the captain peeked at the chocobo. “He seems pretty protective of you. Makes sense, since you’ve got that thing going with his master.”

Irene scoffed.

“Hmm? Are you going to try to deny it?”

Irene shrugged Moonbyul’s hands off. “Seulgi and I…”

“You nearly killed me after I kissed her.”

“I don’t need to be in love with someone to protect them from assault,” Irene snapped, turning around.

“Chivalrous, but you are, aren’t you?” Moonbyul prompted crossing her arms. “And who is Wendy?”

“You know who she is- what does she have to do with this, anyway?” Irene’s voice was low and quiet, leading Moonbyul to believe she was on the right track.

Moonbyul raised a brow. “Plenty, from what it looks like. I was going to ask if she was a ‘flame’ from your past but it sounds a little inappropriate given the circumstances.”

“Don’t.” Irene was far from amused.

“Come on, Irene. I saw you up there, on the cliffs when Wendy was-”

“Don’t. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Moonbyul hesitated, but pushed ahead. “It’s just obvious she means a lot to you.” She watched Irene’s expression slowly crumble.

“We’re all each other has.” In the whole world. Moonbyul was about to refute her, but Irene continued, her voice rising and falling with emotion. “And she doesn’t remember that. And you know what? I’m not sure I want her to remember. You have no idea what we went through together, growing up in that stronghold. You have no idea what they put her through. The things they’ve made her do. So if she can’t remember? If she never remembers any of that pain or suffering? G-good.”

“Even if she never remembers you?” Moonbyul asked, voicing the unspoken part of Irene’s rant.

Irene slowly nodded. Something else she’d willingly sacrifice for Wendy’s sake.

“Bull, Irene. You can’t just run from the things that happened in your past. It’s better to accept the truth. Those things that happened to her, that’s her life. We’ve all got stuff we’re dealing with, but it’s part of who we are. And you’re pretending like it’s okay if she just forgets it all? Forgets you? I don’t buy it.”

“You couldn’t possibly understand.”

Moonbyul watched her for a long, silent moment. There was no tension coming from Irene; in fact it felt like she wasn’t there at all, like Moonbyul was talking to wall. That look of melancholic resignation made her want to scream and shake some sense into the ex-general. The epithet of Ice Princess was on the tip of Moonbyul’s tongue as she sought for the words.

“Maybe I don’t,” she finally said, her voice hoarse as she struggled. That moment she saw Irene fall to her knees in the snow after their surrender, after watching Wendy get shot at point-blank range… The scene had plagued Moonbyul all night; the echoes of moments from her own past haunting her sleep. “I was just worried about you.”

Irene liked Moonbyul better when she was just a disreputable philanderer.

“You might think you’re alone, Irene,” Moonbyul said, holding up her hands as she began to back away. “But you’re not. You’ve got us now.” She turned to leave, but gave the ex-general one last look before departing. “And Seulgi. Try to remember that.”

+++

It took two days for Irene to gather her courage to face Wendy after that conversation. She was hoping to get the little witch alone to talk, but when she walked into the main gallery of the Blackjack, she saw Wendy sitting at one of the card tables with Moonbyul, Joy, Solji, and Seulgi. The other four were busy examining their cards behind their piles of chips, while the chocobo rancher looked on with a rather dejected expression. Irene was still fairly new to these games, but it didn’t seem like a good sign that Seulgi didn’t have any cards or chips in front of her.

“Cheer up, Seulgi,” Joy was saying as Irene approached. “Next time just don’t let Solji bully you into going all-in.”

“I think this is just Seulgi’s luck,” Moonbyul countered, slapping the poor girl on the back. “I never have to worry about losing any gil when we play together.”

Seulgi brightened despite everyone’s comments at her expense. “I just wanted to play with everyone. I can never seem to make it past the first couple rounds, though…”

“Maybe we don’t have to bet?” Wendy offered.

Moonbyul and Solji stared at her blankly. “Not bet?”

“In this economy?”

Irene cleared . Moonbyul smiled up at her. “Want me to deal you in?”

She shook her head. “I’ll wait until you’re finished. I was just… hoping Wendy and I could talk,” she replied, her gaze fixed on the pilot.

Wendy looked a little nervous. “Maybe Seulgi could fill in for me?” The mood around the table was hard for her to read, but she was picking up that this might be important. Somehow.

In the intervening silence, the group could hear the clank Clank CLANK of someone racing down the spiral staircase from the deck, and Yeri burst into the gallery breathlessly.

“Seulgi!” she shouted as she came right up to the table with an intense expression. “We’re here!” she wheezed.

Moonbyul narrowed her eyes after her initial shock. “Thamasa? Already?”

Yeri waved her hand and shook her head. “No, it’s Mobliz.”

+++

“That’s definitely smoke,” Joy said as she handed the spyglass back to Moonbyul.

“But from what?” the captain asked as she took another look for herself. The Blackjack had long since passed over the range of mountains separating the Kingdom of Doma from the wide plains of the Veldt, and the small hamlet of Mobliz was barely visible on the horizon - a cluster of tiny buildings along the coast obscured by a dark grey haze.

Joy hesitated to answer. “... Maybe it’s the Empire.”

“Way out here?”

“We… that’s how we met Seulgi,” Yeri explained. “They chased us all the way from Doma to the Veldt…”

“And they might have decided to occupy the town once they lost sight of us,” Joy conjectured. They had killed the two Magitek Armor pilots that had caught up to them, but there must have been more. They wouldn’t let a rogue general escape so easily.

Irene stood next to Seulgi as the chocobo rancher grimly squinted along the coastline. Irene couldn’t see the village itself without the aid of the spyglass, but the smoke stood out like a errant cloud hanging far too low over the otherwise clear landscape.

“We have to check it out,” Yeri stated. “Take us down.”

Moonbyul strode away towards the helm as Seulgi gripped the railing. “Thank you,” she said quietly to the thief.

Yeri put a hand on hers. “This is what we’re all about, right? If it is the Empire, we’ll chase them out.”

Irene was silent as she contemplated the damage that may have already been done. If everyone’s suspicions were correct and the Empire had besieged Mobliz after she escaped with the Returners, they could be pretty entrenched in the town. After all, it had been several weeks since Seulgi had escorted them across the Veldt.

“Let’s not get too carried away,” Joy said, attempting to ease their collective anxiety. “It could just be a fire or something.”

Seulgi rubbed her thumb on the pommel of her sword, the one she had retrieved from the bloodstained grass of her own pasture so long ago. “I wish I could believe that.”

She really, really wished.