A Single Thread

[Twilight Path]

***From Fragments of Darkness***

Sarah could vaguely remember Acteur's voice as she fell into a corridor. He had sent her away, getting her out of whatever the binds had been. Why hadn't he come with her? She held tight to the piccolo, keeping it in her pocket as the corridor flowed to whatever destination Acteur had chosen for her.

Wherever she landed, something soft and tiny seemed to be beneath her. Not completely, but she had something living as a sign she was alive. She could tell there were many other people around, people in strange armor. Hadn't she seen them in the opera house?

She couldn't tell anymore. So many crazy things had happened in a row, all she wanted to do was sleep. There was still the dream she had...and that red road. She knew that she'd find Acteur again and continue down that path. Even if it took a little longer. She put her arms around the thing or human that she had fallen on and fell asleep. Certainly a bad idea in any situation.

[Vivi]

"I think so," said Ellis, keeping her eyes on Hyperspace, one scarred hand tightly clinging to the helm, her other holding onto a bruised shoulder.

"I see. Understood." The reply came from Sylvia, Head of Navigation who was being assisted by Vivi at the controls, re-wiring the system that Lilith had crashed into during her rage through the bridge. She swore under her breath, receiving a tiny jolt of electricity when the wires met briefly.

"Are you sure? I really wish Master Sai or Daphne were here to help...gah, ouch!"

The Red Rose' first mate sighed heavily, glancing over at the empty chair where the captain would sit, pondering the general's next orders. When would she come back to take control?

"I'm positive...but we're looking for them, so if Master Vivi's able to locate them, I'm sure we'll be able to patch up the bridge in no time."

Vivi's hand returned to the flat area of the controls that had scratched-in magic circles, runes and other such writing; it had been used in the older days when Kuja delivered the first Black Mages to Alexandria for weapon purposes...they'd had to equip each vessel with means for the mages to work their magic.

"Nowhere...The World that Never Was...is where I'm sensi--OOF!"

A moment later he was crushed beneath something that appeared overhead, and hs soon saw stars.

"Ow..."

"Master Vivi?" cried out Sylvia, who ran over to move the lumb of flesh and clothing off him. When she saw that it was Sarah, she gasped and backed away. "It's the general's former toy!"

[Ellin Destroix]

The last thing Ellin remembered was having the white mage in her arms, tending to her as best as she could, unknowing if what she was doing was right or wrong. The knight saw her heal in front of her, and smile, and be... "thankful." -- this made her glad, but then the innocent woman's attention went back to Lilith, and Ellin frowned for some reason or another-- she could not specify. So many emotions and feelings toward the white mage, that it was too much to simply decipher on the spot...and then... without warning...

...a kiss...!

The dark knight stumbled a little in place, twitching at the new feeling upon her cheek by Abigail, and her paleness was replaced by a bight red complexion. The thick black blood rushing to her face was a sign of happiness and... light's blessing! The edges of her lips began to twitch a little before stretching upward to form a smile.

"...e...eee..." she would sound pleased, covered by a warmness which wrapped her entire body that had been only exposed to the cold darkness, until she had met Abigail... and everything else seemed so distant, and pointless. Her eyes, which glowed a fearsome yellow realized and misted into those normal, human like, lavender hues.

She was elsewhere now... outside the hospital wing, standing by the door with that goody grin still from before. She could hear the voices inside, but none sounded as angelic as Miss Abigail, as she spoke about healing Lilith. It was about time to snap out of dreamland and try to help out the party. She thought hard about how a Vampire could be healed-- those who relied on blood to calm the urges of growing berserk... it was the opposite of Dark Knights, who had to GIVE blood in order to calm from a berzerk state. Ellin blinked at the realization that her services would be useful this time around!

The knight burst through the door and pointed at herself, "Miss Abigail, please use me!" she bluntly stated, unaware that the others were not on the same wavelength as her just yet, she blushed, "My blood-- We are both creatures of darkness-- um..I mean-- uh.."

Ellin shook her head, trying to place her ideas in order, " Lilith requires blood to remain sane, and I must use blood in attacks in order to remain the way I am-- She can use my blood and this process would help me too! A transfusion should work right? My pure dark mana should balance out the white mana of your blood and she should return to normal, yes??"

[General Beatrix]

After the whole ordeal on the surface of the Pride Lands calmed down Beatrix ushered her old and new comrades aboard the ship, allowed them to roam free and went with Abigail and Lilith to the infirmary wing to assist the doctors and mages, as well as keep an eye on Lilith while they found a solution for her problem.

At one point Ellin burst through the door making a ridiculously dramatic scene that made the general laugh inwardly. She bit her lip to keep from just falling on the floor and letting it all out. She'd been trying to make Ellin just tell the White Mage all night, and now the Blackest Knight was running around declaring it in seemingly-cryptic messages in an attempt to be helpful, not outright admitting.

"Over here," said Beatrix, waving the knight over to where she sat by Lilith.

"You can come help me with the transfusion here."

It was times like these when the general wanted simply to crawl somewhere dark...with the absence of Agrias lingering in the air...

Before they'd set off Masheck went to follow Wall-E after his request to the general, and was met by Culaki at one point, nodding to him as they began walking together down into the cargo hold, where the sorcerer's eyes met the most odd sight: a chocobo! He saw Wall-E roving over to it and was about to warn it to be cautious around large chickens, but the automaton seemed to be determined to examine it.

Next Oeilvert looked to Culaki, hoping that he'd keep calm seeing a large...well, dinner, before his eyes.

[Lilith]

the vampire was forced to move from her spot on the floor by the general... she didn't say a word... she didn't really care.

she was taken to the med room, the staff was cleared out, only Abby and Beatrix remained to watch over the vampire, the vampire didn't move, she stayed in the exact same position that she had been put down in.

Lilith's head was a blur, the constant flow of memories of her victims the more recent one being more vivid. she could see and feel what her victim saw and felt.

this wasn't the first time she had lost control, but this time was worse, she had a connection to the people she had killed the people that accepted her, appreciated her and she repaid them with a brutal, dishonourable what cant even be called death, as her victims were forced to live inside the mind of the monster.

she laid there, in the bed, motionless, staring into nothingness.

[Abigail Crescentlight]

A lot had happened since liftoff. They had moved Lilith and the victims, and gotten everyone onboard and airborne. She herself was sitting at Lilith's bedside, preparing some rites for a very difficult process. When Ellin burst in offering help, she'd smile and hold a hand over her lips. It was sweet of her to offer, but the simple fact was that this wasn't what Lilith needed at the moment.

"Girls..." she said softly, shaking her head in a sweet yet understanding way. "You misunderstand. By accepting and forgiving her, I already removed the pain of my light entering her form. What she needs now isn't a transfusion... it's an extraction..."

She lifted a hand, placing it gently over Lilith's forehead so that her thumb and middle fingers rested on her temples. "I can see them... voices and souls in her mind which scream out for release. Each victim of the vampyre stays with it for all eternity, unless proper rites are conducted to free them, and by extension her, from their pain..." She stood up, holding her Book of Cosmos close. "If anything... I need help purifying the bodies of the lost ones, so that their souls can leave Lilith and find peace. Afterwards, I need to set up some kind of funeral for them... I already have an idea for how to conduct services..."

She looked down, realizing how easily she was discussing the final arrangements of close friends, colleagues, and allies. She sighed a little, shaking her head. As a priestess, it was her duty not only to Cosmos, but to them to remain calm and collected and give them some dignity in their passing. "Ellin, you can help me with the purity rituals, seeing as you're a fellow disciple of Cosmos..."

Looking to Beatrix, she nodded softly. "This might take some time... but when it's done, I'll need your help preparing a ceremony for them. Do you have a way to jettison caskets or emptied capsules? I think a 'burial at space' slash 'cremation by ultimate light' would work best for everyone..." She meant of course that after they had said their goodbyes, they would launch the bodies into a nearby sun. She couldn't think of a better way to 'go to the light'.

"In the meantime..." she added, sighing. "There's another lost member of our crew that we need back. I thought we could afford to let her go on her journey, but with the Black Sun upon us... we need her strength now more than ever."

She closed her eyes and bowed her head. "One way or the other, we must find Agrias. That has to be your priority while Ellin and I handle things here..." she said to Beatrix, then slowly turned back to Lilith, placing a hand over her heart.

"We can't afford to lose any more allies. Let's get back the ones we still can... then go after that monster for everything he's done to this world!"

[General Beatrix]

Soon Beatrix' mind began swimming with the memories she'd shared with several of the soldiers murdered by a rage-blind Lilith, as well as those taken away at the Naught Castle rescue. Many of the Alexandrians lost their lives in the line of duty at both Beatrix' command, as well as their own stubbornness she'd taught them.

Feeling terrible, she frowned, standing up and moving away from the machine that would serve to transfer blood from one point to the next. Apparently this was needed no longer, as the White Mage was preparing a special ceremony for mental healing.

It had been only an hour since the general arrived back to assist here in the medical wing, having spent her time carrying bodies to a special chamber in the lower decks for preparation of burial.

"...Do you have a way to jettison caskets or emptied capsules? I think a 'burial at space' slash 'cremation by ultimate light' would work best for everyone..."

Her swimming mind came to a slow halt and she returned to the real world halfway through Abby's speech and, when she realized she was being addressed she shook her head.

"Y-yes, I believe the torpedo launchers would be appropriate for just such a rite," she said, barely a whisper, but then cleared her throat for emphasis to the soldiers around she wasn't going soft.

"Alright. I shall go speak to Captains Sharon and Maara about readying the launch chambers at once."

Turning on the ball of her heel she stopped briefly to salute to her comrades, and began walking off, thinking hard about the last words spoken by the White Mage.

"In the meantime...there's another lost member of our crew that we need back. I thought we could afford to let her go on her journey, but with the Black Sun upon us... we need her strength now more than ever."

Her head hung now as she left, her hands shaking while she marched her way to the bridge, keeping quiet and only nodding to passing soldiers. A journey? Is that where she was? A trip? Not taken away? A sigh.

We must bring her back, thought Beatrix, when something else came to mind. What if Agrias did not WANT to come back? Did she leave to escape the wicked general?

Arriving on the bridge her dark presence nearly terrified the soldiers as much as when Sarah dropped from seemingly nowhere in the air.

"General!" cried Sylvia. "Look, look! It's the phantom piper!" she directed the general's gaze towards the young lady lying atop a lump of what Beatrix could only guess was clothing. Her eyes narrowed as she moved close, knelt, and rubbed the girl's shoulder gently.

"Miss--" What was her name, again? Oh, yes! "Miss Appleton?" she whispered, shaking her again. "Is everything alright? Lily, would you go grab a wet cloth and a glass of water, please? Rachele, I need you to run down to the infirmary and grab bandages...she could be hurt. Miss Appleton, please, I need you to wake up."

The soldiers' protests she ignored, knowing full well this girl was not here for any villainous reasons. After a long, enlightening conversation with the piper's master Acteur, at the Opera House, she had come to a better understanding of both he and Sarah Appleton.

Why was she here, though?

[Lilith]

the vampire felt Abby routing through her head, it felt odd, you can understand why Lilith wouldn't want sweet little Abby rummaging though her memories.

Lilith felt the mage's hand on her chest.
"their souls can leave Lilith and find peace."

the vampire shot upwards, still sitting in the bed, she grabbed the girls arm, probably a little harder than she should have.
"Abby... no... I understand what your trying to do, but... I need this, without their memories, I don't know what would happen..."

she stared right into the mage's eyes, her look was deadly serious.
the thing the vampire didn't like to let on was that most of Lilith's talents, knowledge and, in general, power came from the souls she had stolen.

[Twilight Path]

"...iss Appleton?" A hand on her shoulder, a moan to answer whoever it was. Her body was tired, her mind mentally wanting to return to the comfortable darkness of rest. Her brain had been working overtime since the Opera House incident with the crazy man calling her Maria. Then had been those stone creatures and then the teddy bear and coat racks... Acteur! She didn't want to think of him back there, why had he sent her away and not followed?

"...pleton, please, I need you to wake up." Who was waking her up? Why did they seem to care if she was awake or dead asleep? She needed to rest in order to find Acteur again. Find something that made sense in the sequence of events. She slowly let go of whatever she was holding, her gloved hands coming up to her ears to cut off whatever was talking to her.

'I'm exhausted... I can't even tell where I am or why things have just happened. Stop waking me up...' Her eyes remained closed, as if the darkness and the silence she tried to create would delay her having to try and make sense of what was going on again. 'Acteur... Why are you doing this to me? Even though we're supposed to walk together...' She knew her beloved must have good intentions, sending her somewhere even she didn't know. Still, it felt like she was being pushed beyond her mental and physical capabilities. She doubted she could even play her piccolo to defend herself right now. She knew she could be strong, but right now her mind was exhausted beyond comprehension. Anymore push and she'd probably cry out in desperation just to rest.

[Ellin Destroix]

"You misunderstand. By accepting and forgiving her, I already removed the pain of my light entering her form. What she needs now isn't a transfusion... it's an extraction..." said the sweet one, and the knight's cheeks acquired a crimson color...

Ellin's ears were next to turn a dark red as she saw everyone looking at her blankly. She even saw Beatrix trying to hold on to her seriousness instead of bursting out with laughter. How emberassing... was this not what was needed? Did she mess up? Again? Ah well...

"Ellin, you can help me with the purity rituals, seeing as you're a fellow disciple of Cosmos..." she heard the mage speak, and this caught the knight's heart to flutter within that dark cavity in her chest.

"Y-yes, Miss Abigail." she'd mutter quietly, etching closer to look at Lilith curiously. She wasn't certain that they were going about this the right way, she thought, giving them a proper ceremony was nice, but... it was different, how dark creatures handled their kills-- Some anyway... and that is when she heard Lilith speak, "...I need this, without their memories, I don't know what would happen."

A dark knight was not so different from a vampire, she thought, since they both rely on blood in one way or another. Lilith's kind kills in order to survive; to drink their blood to keep among the living, just as her clan killed in order to stay alive. What was a dark knight, but a weapon where she came from? Where the number of kills marked your usefulness in the clan? The lesser you killed, the more worthless you were... and the more they starved you, and pushed you, and forced you with a stick to do your duty... to kill. The victims of the Dark Knights were their currency, the number of lives dictated your own value and richness.

Ellin was not rich, for she had never killed, she was worthless-- instead of following her right, she ran away from such a Clan with the purest of all dark mana bloodlines, and never looked back. The blackest knight frowned at this, looking to what was happening around her-- at the grieving faces of the other Alexandrian Soldiers there. She was witnessing the other side from which her clan had taken so many... where dark creatures kill many of the light. Oh, how she wanted to change this image of melancholy.

Slowly, she knell next to the Vampire, and tilted her head to the side with a small smile, "... Miss Lilith... you are not alone... if anything happens-- We will be there for you, alright?"

If I was given a chance so long ago to prove myself...., the knight thought quietly, before speaking, " You'll have a chance with us."

[Culaki]

Culaki had followed Wall-E and the Green Mage around until they found what they were looking for. He stopped, sniffing curiously as the scent of something, well, fowl, caught his attention. A giant yellow bird was suddenly in front of him, but a small figure was there as well...

Culaki sniffed at it, and as it was brought back to the attention of Beatrix and the others, he simply laid down on the floor, out of the way of everyone but ready to lend a hand if need be, and began to wash himself.

[Abigail Crescentlight]

Abigail gasped a little when Lilith suddenly grabbed her. She blinked, listening as she explained that she needed the memories. In return, Abigail would gently shake her head, and offer a motherly smile. Ellin stepped up and tried to console Lilith as well, to which Abigail nodded her agreement.

"She's right, Lilith... have a little faith in us?" she asked sweetly. She placed a hand over Lilith's heart, smiling to her as she did everyone she wished to heal. "You're in good hands, Lilith. Ellin and I know what we're doing, and we'll make extra-sure that nothing bad will happen to you..."

Looking up, she nodded to Ellin to indicate it was time to get started. They'd be working on the bodies of the dead, not Lilith (as doing so might do her damage). Looking back down a moment, she bushed the woman's hair softly and laid her back down properly. Pulling a blanket over her form, Abby whispered. "Just relax here, alright? Get some rest and let your mind wander. When you feel their spirits leaving you, don't fight them, okay?" She paused, considering if she should say this next part. "As their friend, it's only fair that you let them find peace."

She hoped that didn't come across badly... I anything, she just wanted to give Lilith the courage to let go. Once she was sure the woman was comfortable though, she'd walk with Ellin to the next room where the bodies of the victims all were. Eleven all together. Some among them were familiar...

With a sigh, Abigail rolled up her sleeves and started filling a bin with water. "Lot of work ahead..." she whispered, knowing she'd have to clean the bodies before the rites could be read...

[General Beatrix]

She was being stubborn...

Beatrix' eyes narrowed on the seemingly childish attitude displayed by the phantom piper. Pulling away her hand she slapped herself in the thigh and took a glass of water from the returning soldier.

"Miss Appleton, this is General Beatrix Lilian Flint, and I order you to please wake up...or you won't get to take a sip--I'll pour it on you." The soldiers nearby shuddered, having been woken up with similar tactics by the general in the past.

"It would be for your own good...wake up, please; I know you must be tired, hurt and upset, but we're trying to help you. I'm sure you're here for a reason better than an assault. Now," She began tilting the glass, allowing only a single drop to fall into the girl's hair as a warning.

[Vivi]

Crawling out from beneath her legs Vivi rose to his feet, brushing himself off in a dizzy manner, using his Pluto Staff as a support so his wobbling would not launch a signature Vivi-trip.

His head tilted while he watched the very motherly approach taken by Beatrix and chuckled quietly, backing up to watch the events unfold.

"Hey, Sarah..." he called, hoping she would recognize his voice. "That's your name, right? It's me, Vivi. Are you okay?"

[Twilight Path]

Sarah's mind couldn't find a way to shut out the strange notes of noise she heard. Everyone had a specific scale it seemed that they spoke in. The person talking to her had a minor scale at the moment, she could note from being quite annoyed at the behavior she was displaying.

"...Beatrix Lilian Flint, and I order you to please wake up-" Her body slowly rose up, having a hard time staying up. It was the weird general that seemed to not stay on one side? Why would Acteur send her to such a person? "...I know you must be tired, hurt and upset, but we're trying to help you." Help her? How did they know the crazy adventure she had been on? Her hands moved from her ears pulling the hat so it wouldn't show her crying.

"...me, Vivi. Are you okay?" As if answering Vivi, rather than Beatrix, she shook her head from side to side, letting herself cry silently beneath the witch hat. Her glasses were shadowed over, gloved hands holding the masking object with a death grip.