Return to Darkness

[Sai]

Sai nodded, listening to Nexus as he put the weaponry in the gate house and had one of the guards lock it up tight. Looking up, he acknowledged the dragon with the same expression he had for everything else: apathetic. "Noted..."he said. He then turned to the man, jerking his head that he might follow him further.

"The Heartless are born of the darkness in men's hearts..." he explained as they walked. "They seek nothing more than to claim more hearts, engulf them in darkness, and create more of themselves. This evil exists because there is darkness, albeit even a trace amount, in all hearts save seven. Those seven belong to the Princesses of Heart. As long as darkness exists, there will be heartless. They can be repelled however, temporarily. Regular weapons are ineffective, unless tempered by magic which seems to work well. However, even this is only a quick fix to a permenant problem. The hearts released return to darkness and re-form, basically as though nothing had happened. There is, however, one weapon which can release the hearts and ensure they do not return as heartless..."

Sai pushed open the doors, allowing Nexus to enter before following after. "The Keyblade. It was designed for the sole purpose of defeating the heartless and send hearts to Kingdom Hearts, which is the Heart of All Worlds. Of course... when darkness resides in all hearts, lust for the light becomes an issue, thus the keyblade war outlined in the paper, where dark and light keybladers clashed and eventually destroyed themselves." He paused, allowing this to sink in.

"When a Heartless is created, if one is of a strong will, they can continue to manipulate their bodies, but because they have no heart of their own, they are empty... and the universe considers them to not exist. They are called Nobodies. I am one of them." He expected some kind of retort on Nexus' part here, for surely if Sai was a Nobody, his Heartless had to be somewhere, yes? Would Nexus consider him an enemy? Sai could probably handle him, should he get violent, but he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"Abigail. Agrias," Sai called out as they approached the lobby. He stepped up to them and looked between the two. "Have you spoken with the masters of the castle? Am I free to check their library?" Nexus was behind him... but if he attacked now, he might strike the two women. It was a defense tactic to give the dragon-hunter some time to think.

[nexus]

Nexus fallowed Sai silently taking it all in, one by one the facts started to become clear. "how could i have been so off?" nexus thought to himself. "The keyblade masters weren't the ones causing it, they were the ones fighting it." Nexus listened more and more as his own thoughts still had some untangling to do.

" They are called Nobodies. I am one of them." Sai said, Nexus stopped in his tracks, "him one of them?, no he said he was the other, a nobody" Nexus pondered a moment before catching up with Sai.

Nexus walked into the lobby standing next to Sai , he looked at both of the women before turning to him. "Sai as long as your not a heartless, then you are no enemy of mine." he said before turning back to the two ladies, Taking a deep bow before them both "Greetings"

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]Up aboard the Red Rose Beatrix leaped out of the telepods and was greeted by Daphne; the woman spoke of her meetings with Sai and showed much humility in her embarrassment. The general chuckled after she spoke and nodded to her wishes, as she had hoped to descend to work with the Nobody some more.

"Of course, Professor," said Beatrix, a confident hand resting on the other's shoulder. "Why not find love while you still can?"

She moved on, heading first to speak with Ellis and ordering her to assemble all troops to the conference hall below deck. She needed to collect some things from her private suite, too, so she made her next stop there while her co-pilot did as she asked.

She walked over to her wardrobe and gathered some clothes, folding them neatly and tucking them away in a large case that had rested below her bed; she buckled the straps that would hold it shut and turned, seeing what else would be needed. She inched to the center of the room and grabbed a pitcher of water and poured herself a glass. When she finished, she let out a relieved "ah..." before heading over to the other side of the room.

A sudden pulse rippled through her mind, and she somewhat stumbled over to her vanity and reached out to steady herself on the back of her chair; she sighed heavily, a bit of sweat just forming above her brow.

She walked around the back of the chair and sat down, staring long and hard at herself in the mirror. Removing her eye patch, she took in the sight of the withering rose, and frowned.

"What is coming over me these days..."[/glow]

"Oh, several things, dear General. Several things... but do not worry, it is not your fault you keep making mistakes without me."

[glow=red,2,300]What? Beatrix, startled, jumped slightly in her chair, her eye wide; the scarred-over side of her face did not move.

"Wh-who is there," she said aloud, a hand on her right cheek as she looked around the room. She saw no one, save herself in the mirror. "I asked who is there?"[/glow]

"Who? Only your better half. What, you go off and fool around, making supposed friends, and you forget me so easily? Me, who made you what you are today? I, whom dawned you the titles which you so gallantly call out in your introductions?"

[glow=red,2,300]Beatrix gasped as the voice spoke again, ringing clear in the depths of her mind; the manifestation of her inner darkness, the enemy she fought every day.

"I...must forget you, lest you separate and become your own entity, which clearly I've neglected to do..."

She heard the voice speak highly of its work, and growled at her reflection. "I am not like you...you're just a poison what afflicted me in the corrupt halls..."[/glow]

"Tch." The voice called out, before giving a snort similar to Beatrix's own, " Of course you will never be like me, not with this petty attitude and softness that you've become." the voice laughed, speaking in a soft, condescending voice, " You can never forget me. You'll fail, and fail again for you are nothing more but a lost lamb in search for your true path, and I am your Shepperd. You were stupid enough to fall for that Knight's lies, but worry not, I shall not let you fall to the wolves. I am not your poison, but your elixir to wake you of this pathetic dream. I, dear General, am you. I stand for what you TRULY are! I am General Beatrix Lillian Flint, the Merciless!"

"...and you can never forget yourself!" "

[glow=red,2,300]"No!" she roared, sweeping her arms across the vanity, knocking away several perfume bottles, brushes and other cosmetics; she slammed both fists down hard, her teeth clenched as she stared with utter hatred into the mirror.

"You are nothing...but an infestation, reborn from that witch. I am nothing like that!"

She breathed heavily after spitting out her final sentence, and thought hard on what she'd said about the 'knight' and her 'lies'.

"What do you mean, lies..."[/glow]

"...Hahahah...." the voice cackled, "You mean you didn't fall for her lies deliberately? Oh, shame, General... you used to be much sharper then that!

"Honestly, do you believe she can fall in love with a black sheep, such as yourself? Do you honestly believe her, even as Gilgamesh stated: the incompetent knight, can live up to your expectations? She FEARED us, and knew she couldn't win against us. She used that serpentine tongue of hers to turn you away from what you truly are, just to keep you in check! Like a dog.

"We all know we could of taken her, and killed her on the spot, but then she opened up that lying mouth of hers, and you fall and stick to it, like a man in the gallows...hanging on her every deceitful word."

[glow=red,2,300]"I..." she lurched forward a bit, ready to vomit after hearing these words. Her vision blurred slightly as tears would come into view through her reflection.

"Like a dog..." she repeated, and choked a bit at last bit, and sobbed quietly. "I...refuse to believe these words; you call it serpentine, what would you defend your language with, then, if not serpentine, as well? You are a poison!"

Again she slammed her fists on the table and grabbed hold of a stray brush which hadn't fallen off the last time. She gripped it tight and growled at the woman in the mirror, its amber eye clearer now through the blinding tears.

"You speak lies...lies..."[/glow]

"So attached to her are you? Tell me...where is she now? Actually, were HAS she been since you woke up? Ah, that is right, with that Abigail girl. How interesting. Lately, they have been spending a lot of time together, haven't they?"

[glow=red,2,300]Gritting her teeth, the hold on her hairbrush tightened again, the fibers at the end bending due to the immense fury radiating from the general. "She has been with Lady Abigail because I have been too selfish with other things around the ship and working to arrive at the castle..."

Was this true? She thought as much; but what if there was some truth in her darkness' words?

"Please...just leave me alone, for...I can't stand to believe what you say might be true...you are not even real, and yet you hold so much sway. It's difficult to fight you. Why do you bother me so!?"[/glow]

"Because you are weak, and you need me. You need the Merciless, you NEED the DRIVE that only I can offer for you to continue, Beatrix. I am you, and you are me, similar to a coin. One cannot exist without the other, and you certainly can't think this world is sweets and tea. I am here to remind you of that.

"Slouch not... you have much planning to do. Get to it."

[glow=red,2,300]"Just...leave me alone!!!" she tossed the brush into the mirror and threw her hands up to protect her face as it shattered.

She leaned a little too far back, though, in her retreat and one of the chair's back legs snapped, causing her to tumble backward, the mirror shards cascading off the frame and bouncing down from the table's surface. "Ahh!"[/glow]

"...Graceful... That knight has changed you with her words... I see no General, but a bumbling girl being walked around in a leash-- Her true potential shrouded, while the underling plays Master. Tell me, oh great one, what shall you do next? Sit? Stay? Once around the circle? " she voice sounded commanding, "How about grow a spine, and take back the title before your own soldiers see how WEAK you've gone!? Letting some woman change you into this... this-- THING you have become... letting her PLAY with you in front of your OWN army like some doll! Stand, and take your rightful place! Stand and declare yourself the master!"

[glow=red,2,300]She struggled to rise, brushing away the glass blanketed on and around her. She glanced down at a rather large shard and saw that amber eye staring right back at her; she turned away in disgust and held onto her heart; the darkness she could feel coursing through her body took a firm hold on her mind, and she was caught once again, falling back on the security of its embrace once more.

She blinked once, and the rightful blue eye melted away, revealing a pure, amber gem in its place.

"..."

She brushed herself off another time to be sure she was free of any fragments and swiftly grabbed the eye patch before turning and exiting the room.

"I am General Beatrix Lilian Flint...the Merciless Black Heart," she said to herself as she marched down the broken halls of the Red Rose, making her way to the conference hall. Of course there was still that lingering light...something that would try to peek its little head in at every opportunity...[/glow]

[Abigail Crescentlight]

Abigail blinked a little when suddenly she was alone with Agrias, a fact she very much enjoyed. However, when the woman turned to her and asked how she wished to spend the day... she couldn't help but blush a little. Agrias... wanted to spend time doing things she liked?? She had heard of something like this before... some people called it a "date". She smiled, quietly reminding herself not to get ahead of herself.

"What do I want to do, Lady Agrias?" she asked, crossing her arms and lifting a finger to her chin in thought. "Well..."

She didn't get to finish. Sai had just walked up, and she looked over to him, blinking. Then, Nexus greeted them, which prompted Abigail to politely smile and bow in kind. "Greetings!" she said happily, then looked to the Nobody. "Well... we did speak with Prince Adam and Princess Belle... I think it should be, okay?" she said, glancing to Agrias in kind.

Immediately, she had an idea of what she wanted to do. It was too late in the day for her Chocobo lesson, but maybe there were lessons that could yet be taught? She reached over and slipped a hand into Agrias', tugging her lightly to the side of the Lobby. "I think I know what I want to do now!" she said, then lead the woman (not without saying her goodbyes to Sai and Nexus) to a nearby, open parlor with a warm fire, big, comfortable rug, and a general, cozy atmosphere.

She giggled, walking inside before setting down near the fire to grab a poker and make sure it was properly airating. She looked over to Agrias with a smile, and patted the spot next to her. "Sit..." she requested, though there were large seats that seemed comfortable in the room. "You still have that book, yes? Let me share my faith with you..." she said with a bright smile. She seemed so happy to share the word of Cosmos with Agrias. It seemed to help the woman, and that made all the difference.

[Agrias Oaks]

Agrias watched the small woman with a bright smile, though her attention was taken by the dragon hunter and nobody. She looked to them before nodding politely, "Greetings." she whispered, examining the strange boy before her hand was tugged, "Ah..!"

"I think I know what I want to do now!" Abigail spoke eagerly, and the knight could only oblige in following. She would wave to the two men before following the white mage into the room. Looking about at the comfy-ness, and sighing happily. No mechanisms in sight, other than the familiar grandfather clock. She felt she was in her time again.

She was told to sit, and she did so-- taking a seat in front of the warm fire, right next to Abigail. When asked about the book, she reached into her pocket and reciprocated it, handing it to Abigail with a soft smile.

"Here it is, Lady Abigail." she spoke, facing the woman, and seeming a tentative student, she stayed quiet, to listen to the words of Cosmos, spoken through the girl.

[Abigail Crescentlight]

Abigail smiled again, taking the book and laying it on the ground before them, using the fire as her light. She opened it up to the Book of Cosmos, Chapter 1, page 1. She scooted a little closer to Agrias, only as tall as the other woman's shoulder even when seated, but was still quite content.

"My religion... is one of balancing forces. Light and Dark, Hope and Despair, Harmony and Chaos..." she explained, looking to the other woman as she touched the texts. "These writings come from a time far removed from our own. Only a handful of the original texts still exist, I believe. This is of course a copy... but the words are still original." She smiled now, looking into Agrias' eyes.

"The world is a confusing, and chaotic place. This is pretty much undeniable as fact, but it's the word of Cosmos that gives us hope, gives us some kind of order in the maelstrom of madness that the universe challenges us with. In these words, one can find a safe haven from which to face the dark, armed with a heart full of light." She now looked to the book.

"Chapter 1. It describes a world where the four elements' power is held within four crystals, which over the past two thousand years... have gone dark..."

And so the White Mage became lost in her teachings, so thrilled to share them with Agrias, and completely...utterly... losing track of time...

[The Alexandrian Army]

Just as the castle's evening bells rang out throughout the premises, the Red Rose began its slow, cautious descent upon the world, landing delicately on the long, wide connecting bridge that allowed passage from the quiet village to the west past the Wilde Forest, right into the castle grounds. The many propellers slowly died down, the loud whirring sound, alongside the rumbling of the engines ceased and the long process of setting up prep work was greeted with the shouts, cries and orders of the all-female army of Alexandria.

"I need you three over there on the right wing!" called out one of the captains, directing a circle of women gossiping about something, or other, who quickly jumped to work a split second later. "The General needs someone to unload those crates! You there, go fetch Master Vivi--we haven't seen him since Twilight Town, but Her Excellency was sure we'd find him somewhere!"

The soldiers, hard at work and slightly confused with their new orders--soon to be realized some time later--did their job diligantly; a handful of the more-experienced crew members were ordered to stay aboard to work with the ship's maintenence while the better soldiers were sent into the castle grounds, to discuss assimilation with the castle guard. Their expertise would definitely be taken with glee, for the protection of Prince Adam's castle was now fully ensured.

Many crates and an array of concealed items were removed from the cargo hold, and taken to certain areas spread throughout the castle; the identity of this secret shipment would become apparent some time later.

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Daphne, no longer wearing her armor but nonetheless carrying it on her person in a leather backpack toddled off the ramp leading out from the cargo hold, a buckler strapped to one of her bag's strings, the same with her sword. Instead of armor now she wore simply a clean, ironed labcoat, buttioned up to the neck, a blue rose tucked in the pen-carrying pocket just over her left breast.

Her hair was mostly down, but there was a ponytail pulled up slightly above, no longer a tangled, sleepy mess; she wore her glasses down on the end of her nose, and carried two books and a clipboard. Two other scientists followed behind as she made her way to the grand foyer of the prince's castle. When she saw Sai her heart reeled, and she almost fainted at the sight.

"Sai," she said aloud, unsure what next to say. She simply liked saying his name, addressing him, even if there was nothing apparent she had to discuss; she instead opted to improvise:

"I would like to assist you with your research until you've completed; if you will allow it, I heard that you might leave this place to go abroad, and have been given permission by General Beatrix to accompany should you seek my assistance." Of course she hoped that it wasn't only her assistance he would ask for, but being a Nobody she couldn't hope for much.

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Linda, Maria and some of the other soldiers marched through the halls and spoke quietly, carrying a large crate down to the lower levels of the castle; they admitted their discomfort with the general's recent changes in moods, but remembered their sworn loyalty.

"I mean, who are we to judge her actions, really? Perhaps this is a strategy?"

"Well I don't think it's a wise decision, but you're right: she is our general, and she's never led us astray...well, we can not blame her for Queen Brahne's evil orders, nor the black witch's...it's not like the general could do much."

"I highly disagree," said Maria, kicking open the slightly ajar door leading into one of the many dungeons; she led the women into the room where they set down the massive crate and then stood up, folding her arms. "I am sure her motives will become apparent later on, though I do fear for this place."

"Best not to dwell on it."

"Yeah..."

"Perhaps, but..."

The soldiers were stuck at a stand-still, but there was nothing they could do but wait for things to unfold.

Linda stepped forward and let out a long sigh. "I've said it before and I'll say it again: it's as if we've opened Pandora's Box."

The room fell silent as they felt a sudden familiar air about them.

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[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]Beatrix followed very slowly behind Daphne and her assistants after she finished with the soldiers at the conference hall; the Red Rose was now set down for repairs, and the soldiers were assembling to rest, set up and await their next orders.

She returned to the castle and stepped up behind Daphne as the younger woman made a fool of herself before the apathetic Nobody and the mysterious newcomer. With a hand resting on her hip she looked around the main foyer and tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear; her eye was shaking somewhat, and she turned to Sai and spoke quietly, but quickly:

"Have you seen the Ladies Agrias and Abigail?"

However, before the Nobody would answer Mrs. Pots would appear from across the large room and call the party to supper.[/glow]

"The prince and princess-consort await your arrival at the dining halls, dearie," she said, and left with both smile and bow, before moving on to find Agrias and the White Mage.

[glow=red,2,300]"Thank you, ma'am," said the general, nodding her head as the woman took her leave. She turned back to Sai and put up a hand. "Never mind, I will see them at dinner, then. If you'll excuse me, I am going to go freshen up before I take a seat."

She walked off, heading into the castle to find a wash room.[/glow]

[Agrias Oaks]

"I see..." said the knight after listening to the summaries of the first chapter. She was leaning over, while resting a hand upon her cheek in amazement. Religion was always fascinating for her, especially when it was new. Her brown eyes looked through the first chapter, before looking to Abigail, " So, as the crystals remained dark, the world was also blackening? So, do the crystals represent the purity of the elements of fire, air, water, and earth?"

Agrias leaned back, resting against the head of the sofa in thought. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes in a pensive look, " ... Cosmos set out the warriors of light-- or, more so, gathered them in order to restore the lost power of the crystals..." she paused, " Seems history tends to repeat itself in more ways than one..." she thought out loud, her mind momentarily elsewhere.

It was then when the old, round woman came about, with a gentle smile and called to the two, " Supper time, cherubs. The prince, Miss Belle, and your friends will be in the dining hall." she waved lightly with her tiny fingers, and left to tell the others.

The blond woman grinned a little, looking to Abigail, and waiting for her to stand, so as to do the same, "Seems that we will have to go into Chapter 2 some other time, Lady Abigail." she turned to walk along side the mage toward the dining halls. She whispered, so as to not carry their conversation in echoes, to not disturb, " I am really enjoying hearing you speak of your beliefs, it is rather fascinating! Still, if still day outside, after supper, what say you we go Chocobo riding? Even get some supplies for the soldiers at town, and maybe check the sites?"

Agrias pulled down on her vest a little, smoothening out the small wrinkles it had under the armor, and entered the dining room, of course, not until she let Abigail take passage first.

[Sai]

Sai nodded as the two Sisters of Light walked off. Apparently, he had leave to check the library, which was preferrable. He was just about to take a step in that direction when a familiar voice called out his name. He turned to look, seeing Daphne approach with a couple of her fellow scientists. And while this would seem to make the job go quicker, Sai couldn't help but find this something of a hinderance. After all, because of physical factors, Daphne would prove to be a distraction while he was working.

However, when she offered her help, he couldn't resist nodding. Maybe if she had the others there, it wouldn't be so bad? A team working on a common goal tended to be more effective than a single person, so who was Sai to argue? He gestured for them to follow him to the Library, when he was stopped yet again by another voice he knew.

Distractions abound! Now the General wanted to know where her fellow fighters were. Sai was just about to open his mouth to tell her when Mrs. Potts arrived to announce dinner. He merely sighed, finding this string of interruptions somewhat tedious, and allowed the woman to walk off for preparations. Looking to Nexus, he nodded a bit. "You might as well prepare as well..." he finally spoke.

Then his attention was solely on Daphne. Though he could not emotionally care for her, it was obvious there was chemistry between these two science-minded individuals. He lifted a hand, looking as though he was asking for hers, but his words would abruptly change that image. "Did you bring the book along? While you and the others dine, I should set about repairing it. That was, after all, the payment agreed upon for the General's Keyblade Notes..."

[nexus]

The hustle and bustle of everything happening, caught Nexus off guard, this wasn't his first time in a castle and he knows how fast things move sometimes. He had been to many castles back where he came from , most looked almost alike, and most had the same people living there. The high and mighty royalty, most that he had met, he could tell, thought they were better then everyone else just cause they were a King or Queen.

He and his teacher had been called to Courts a number of times to handle this kingdoms , or that kingdoms dragon problem. There were some occurrences, not alot, but some, that he did happen to meet the royalty of the castle and they weren't sooty . Nexus looked around the lobby and wondered "What type is the royalty here"

The woman coming in telling them about dinner instantly reminded nexus about how hungry he was, it's been awhile since his last good meal and he was starving. He dusted off his armor a bit and moved toward the dinning hall, but stopped and turned, Sai had caught his attention yet again "Keyblade notes,......" he looked back and forth between the two "That one i gave you was not the only one?......you mean there are more?" nexus asked

More notes meant that there was more to this story then Nexus had known and now he wanted to know more. If the Keyblade Masters weren't the ones the destroyed his home, but it was the heartless that did, maybe he could learn more about all this, maybe he could find a better way of destroying them. The idea had made Nexus smile, hunger almost forgotten. " Sai just how many of these notes are there?" nexus asked as the moved to the dinning room.

[Abigail Crescentlight]

Abigail was so happy. She could have spent days like this and never known. "Exactly! This first chapter is setting up the conflict we ourselves face. Some people even interpret it that this world represents us, and that the Warriors of Light represent the active forces we must put forth to purify ourselves..."

She would have and could have gone on, but she when she was about to, Mrs. Potts would show up again and alert her to dinnertime. She smiled and stood up, giggling a little that Agrias seemed to wait for her to stand before doing so herself. She blushed lightly, feeling like the woman was really treating her like royalty when she didn't have to. It was very sweet of her.

When Agrias spoke of going over Chapter 2 together, Abigail was quite enthusiastic, and nodded happily. "Of course, Agrias!" she said with a giggly smile.

"I am really enjoying hearing you speak of your beliefs, it is rather fascinating! Still, if still day outside, after supper, what say you we go Chocobo riding? Even get some supplies for the soldiers at town, and maybe check the sites?"

Abigail blinked, then blushed a little. Her heartbeat increased a little as well. It was like Agrias was asking her on... a date, almost. She was quite happy! She grinned from ear-to-ear and nodded energetically. "Of course! I'd love to!"

They entered the Dining Room, which was adorned with a very long table to accomodate many guests. Each spot was labelled, and to Abigail's great delight, she found that she was seated to Agrias' immediate right. She reached up to touch Agrias' shoulder lightly, now that she knew where they were to dine, and where her spot was. "I'll be right back..." she whispered, then gestured lightly with her hand. "I need to go freshen up..."

With that, she waved to Agrias and walked off to a nearby washroom where she could wash her hands and face. She had no idea who she'd meet there or what would come next...

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]Beatrix had just finished washing her hands when Abigail entered the room; she only glanced quickly, without turning her head before grabbing a white cloth off a silver rail and dried off her smooth, creamy hands and wrists.

Satisfied, she returned the wash cloth to its proper place and reworked the leather parts of her gloves, tucking the metallic bits into a slip on her belt; after all, she wouldn't need to wear that to supper.

She took a look at herself in the mirror and used two fingers to grab a stray eyelash off her cheek; furrowing her brow she brought it to her lips and blew it away, but not before turning on the young White Mage.

"Lady Abigail," she said coldly, giving mixed signals as she put on a chipper smile. "It is truly a wonder to see you alone for once lately."

She clapped her hands together once and moved forward. "So I think you should come see me after supper, or whenever you're finished with other things, and we'll talk about your night-time visitor, yes?"

This was good, since the "teddy" sought to take the girl away to teach her magic, which would give Beatrix something of a slight break. One down, and the others would follow.

"Sounds good. Well, I shall see you at dinner." When she reached the door and began walking out she momentarily paused, and turned around once to finish her thoughts.

"And it is so nice of you to tend to Lady Agrias while I have been busy; you may take a break whenever you'd like, however, since we are basically on vacation here."

With that she exited the wash room and left for the dining room; just her luck she was seated directly accross Agrias, and she sat down quietly, greeted by both master and Princess of Heart, as well as some of the staff.

"Hello, Lady Agrias," she said, picking up her utencils and staring down at the meal. "Ah, an old-fashioned meal...nostalgic, is it not?"[/glow]

[Agrias Oaks]

Agrias would stand there, looking at her gloves before removing them, and flexing her fingertips against the air-- She reached down and rested the battle gloves at the curve of her belt, and cracked her knuckles quietly by herself. She noticed where she was to sit, and sat. Her eyes rolled to the side to see Abigail was to sit next to her, and she smiled softly. She then stared forward to see Beatrix was to sit opposite of her, and she tensed.

Badum...badumbadum....badumbadumbadum....

The knight took a breath to calm, 'Gods... why am I acting this way...?' she would think, reaching down to rest a glove less hand over the cold metal of her chest plate, ''Tis Beatrix after all... mine Ally... mine..' she paused herself, '...mine...' she blushed, shaking her head and closing her eyes.

When she'd open them, she would look up to see Beatrix in her seat. Agrias parted her lips to say something, but no sound would come out.

'W-when did she...?' she would ask herself, before even her thoughts were interrupted by the Tuscan-haired woman.

"Hello, Lady Agrias, Ah, an old-fashioned meal...nostalgic, is it not?"

The blond woman cleared her throat, her eyes glowing a soft amber before they would slowly make eye contact with the General, "A-ah, Hello Lady Beatrix... oh- oh, it does bring back memories." she felt herself gripping tightly at her fork, her heart was going wild within her chest plate, "...indeed."

[Abigail Crescentlight]

"Oh! Hello, Miss Beatrix!" Abigail would sound when she noticed the woman, only to receive silence for a long while. She blinked, then set about cleaning her hands and touching up her make-up. When the other woman finally turned to face her, Abigail felt as though she had done something wrong based on the other's tone... but she was smiling... She was so confused!

"Uhm... alone?" she asked with some confusion. However, when Beatrix continued, she smiled a bit. "Of course! Agrias will be teaching me to ride Boco after-" but she was cut off by Beatrix adding, "Sounds good. Well, I shall see you at dinner."

"Uhm-alright..." she whispered, a bit concerned she had insulted the General. She sighed when the woman left, then looked at herself in the mirror. "Abigail... do you really fit in here?" she asked quietly, then leaned over the sink to finish cleaning herself. She didn't want to look a mess in front of royalty, after all! She sighed, drying herself off once she was done.

Stepping into the dining room now felt like stepping in the middle of someone's business. She took her seat quietly, glancing between Agrias and Beatrix as the knight finished her statement. Abigail looked down and picked up her fork to begin as well, but secretly reached over to tap Agrias' side. She whispered to her, because she didn't quite have the courge of her convictions enough to speak too loud.

"Uhm... Miss Agrias... is that what you're going to wear?" she asked softly, finding it a tad odd that she would go to a formal dinner looking ready for battle. She could get away with her normal attire because... well... she didn't exactly look ready to charge down the heartless, did she? Frankly, she was surprised Beatrix hadn't changed either.

Maybe it wasn't a formal dinner? She quickly brought the fork to her lips to silence herself before she made herself sound even more stupid than she felt.