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year 5, quarter 3
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Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
There was a monster rampaging through the countryside. Wasn’t there always? A “large, horned beast” that was racking up casualties faster than the villagers could keep up with them. Celes nodded her understanding, already a little more comfortable now that they were talking business. Her own slippery tongue couldn’t ruin a monster hunt, after all, and she felt far more comfortable wielding a sword than sitting through conversation.
“I’ve just been doing some reading on social customs that I seem to be missing,” he said, and Celes blinked in surprise. So he really was as clueless as he’d seemed last they’d met. The whole situation made her feel even worse about snapping at him, but a basic understanding of social norms wasn’t generally too much to ask. Her fingers tangled around themselves under the table as she wondered if he’d made any progress. ”It appears to be something that can only be experienced. Reliant on one’s innermost instincts and feelings.” Caius shrugged and set the book aside. ”Either way, I’m ready to ship off when you are.”
It was all so casual that Celes felt almost comfortable nodding a long, pushing her chair back and standing though she’d only just sat down. The less time spent here trying at small talk the less likely she was to make another mistake. ”Well, I’m ready,” she said and then cast him a sheepish smile. ”I don’t know about you, but I’ve always felt better fighting off monsters than I have sitting around and talking. That must be why Setzer’s been driving me insane.” She gave a little half-laugh like she was trying to seem friendly, but she doubted it came out right. Nothing ever did.
Celes pushed in her chair behind her and started towards the door before pausing, glancing back at him without making eye contact. ”I think it’s nice. That you’re trying to understand. By the way,” she said before shaking her head and quickening her pace. She held open the door for him when he got there, waiting without quite making eye contact.
”Well, lead the way.” The wind was brisk against her bared upper arms and she suppressed a shiver. ”I don’t exactly know where to find the thing, after all.”
you can technically have as many notes here as you want. go crazy.
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
It felt good to be in armor again, even if Celes didn’t much like her reason for using it.
She hadn’t honestly been expecting for Caius to follow up on his offer. To the contrary, she’d thought the man would have never wanted to set eyes on her again, but she’d misjudged him again, it seemed. One day after returning to the airship (such a gaudy disaster it was!), the front man pulled her aside and told her that someone had come in looking for her. A blonde man in a dark coat with a job offer.
Well, she had promised him her help, hadn’t she?
Her heels clicked on cobblestone streets as she approached their meeting place. Today, she was fully armed in her pauldrons, leotard, bracers, and cape. Her sword hung a comfortable weight at her hip, and her hair was tied back in its familiar bandanna. There were people staring at her of course, but in her proper attire, she could almost manage it without shrinking away. She was strong, she was confident, and she couldn’t wait to leave polite society behind her with a swing of her blade.
But first, she had to meet him. Part of her had hoped that he wouldn’t be waiting there for her, but of course he was -- leaning in a chair on the far side of one of the more popular inns. The air smelled of beer and humidity, and Celes resisted the urge to wrinkle her nose as she pushed her way towards him. It was a safe neutral ground, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t have preferred somewhere a little more open and a little greener.
”Caius.” She pulled out a chair as she approached and set delicately across from him with her legs crossed and her back straight. ”I got your message. You said there was a monster causing trouble?” For the first time, she really looked him over from his long blonde hair to the scruffy edges of his fading coat. Her eyes landed on something in his hand. A book.”Oh. What are you reading?” She pushed her hair back over her pauldron and then placed her hand back on her lap. Her fingers twisted together under the table. ”I wouldn’t have thought you the type.”
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
”Flirting," the man said slowly. "I know the word, I somewhat know the context, but I don't know a whole lot about it.”
Celes took a short breath. Was he making fun of her? She couldn’t know for sure, but she didn’t think so. Where had he even come from and how old was he? How could he even be real?
"I... Apologize, I guess? If I treated you too familiarly too soon?" It was like a man grasping at straws to find anything to pull himself back on track. Celes gave him a forced and nervous smile.
”Can we forget this ever happened? Please?” She looked away, biting her tongue. ”I’d certainly like to forget it.”
Between her magic and the potion, she felt better. Much better, but the residual pain and blood loss still made her dizzy in a subtle way that barely touched at her consciousness. Why hadn’t she used a curaga? Because she hadn’t thought she’d needed it, she supposed, and she didn’t. Not really when she didn’t expect anything else from the day but to slink home, rest, and pretend she hadn’t just embarrassed herself. Still, it would have been worth the extra effort not to seem to weak in front of a stranger.
”Well. Good luck, I guess. This world it’s...Well, it’s easy to get lost in. I know that better than anyone.” She pushed a loose lock of hair behind her ear. It was even easier to lose those you cared about. ”Maybe I’ll see you again.”
Deep down, she hoped not. Not after that shameful display, and he seemed like just the right amount of hard-headed and oblivious that didn’t mesh quite well with her. Still, a familiar face was better than an unfamiliar one, and she doubted she’d lose anything from another meeting.
Still, she couldn’t help a sense of revulsion at her own impulsive actions. Had she been completely out of line or had his unbelievable ignorance been the cause of it all? She didn’t know and that was the worst part of all.
”Goodbye then. I can get back by myself.” She glanced at him one final time before sighing and crossing her arms. ”And...thanks, I guess. For the potion.” She left then with a feeling both of anxiety and shame. There was something about Caius that she couldn’t quite pin down -- something brash and casual and completely impossible for her to understand. It sets her nerves on edge, wondering what he was thinking. Maybe they were just from too different of environments. Maybe her own experiences had done something to her that she couldn’t take back.
As she turned the street corner, her stomach twisted with revulsion -- though for who she couldn’t say.
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
The first thing Celes noticed was the smell. As soon as the door swung open, it wafted out to greet them in a noxious wave, and Celes nearly gagged where she stood. With a brief, doubting glance at Caius, Celes sighed. Unpleasant or not, they had a job to do. Though what that job was she still wasn’t entirely clear about.
”Thanks, Terra.” Celes steeled herself against the revulsion rising in her throat as she started forward. The air was worse inside. Stale and fetid and damp, Celes could taste the rot on her tongue even as she determinedly refused to breathe through her nose. A shaft of moonlight revealed the silhouette of a kitchen long abandoned. There was an old stove, a collection of dusted pots, and out on the counter….
”Oh.” Celes touched her mouth in disgust. The counter was laden with what might have once been food but now more accurately resembled a kind of chunky black slime. Whatever had happened here, it had happened suddenly and without warning.
There was a creak behind them and Celes jumped as the door slid shut. The moonlight faded to a mere sliver and then was lost, leaving them in abject darkness.
”Really?” The blonde boy -- Prompto -- said it before she could. Celes let out a slow breath. They should have expected this, really. Should have propped open the door to keep it from being blown about by the wind. Now they stuck in darkness as thick as the smell, and without a way to lessen either.
”We’ll just need to prop it open,” Celes started. ”It was probably just the-”
BOOM
”Eek!” Celes leaped back from the sudden and violent crash in front of them. Her heart was racing in the dark, her hands outstretched and threaded together for a spell. She waited, tense and ready, but nothing came. Nothing but…
Laughter. Celes shivered at the sound. Or was it breathing? Just the wind? Celes closed her eyes in the darkness and tried to steady herself. It was just the sounds of an old house creaking from its age. Nothing more. And yet, in that brief moment, she could have sworn she’d heard…
A wicked face painted in stark colors, twisted in cackling laughter.
There was a click and the room was lit in shadows. ”We need more light.” Prompto was standing across the room, peering at an open door leading to darkness. There was a small lamp attached to his chest, giving off a weak but helpful glow. ”Any of you guys have some?”
”I…” Celes took a steadying breath. There was nothing in the room with them. Just must, rot, and things long forgotten. ”Terra and I can use magic. She’s better with fire, but I know it.” With that said, she rethreaded her fingers, muttered the spell, and felt the awakenings of magicite in her blood. Ifrit, lend me your aid.
A small flame cradled in her palm. It wasn’t much more light than the boy’s lamp gave, but it was something at least and two sources of it were distinctly better than one. She glanced at Prompto before looking about the room again. To one side, there was a door that was caved in as though kicked with pieces of itself littering the floor. To the other was a gaping maw of darkness leading vaguely down. Prompto was lurking around that one.
”I suppose going down is as good a place to start as any.” Celes spoke without really believing it. There was something about that staircase that made her want to bolt in the other direction. ”If we’re here to investigate then we might as well check everywhere.”
She glanced to Caius and Terra, trying her best to hide the nerves that set her body alight like electricity. ”What do you think?”
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
It was then that Caius did something completely unexpected. He yelled back at her.
He told her that he didn’t get why she thought he was treating her differently. He told her that he wouldn’t exactly stand back and let someone suffer when he had a potion on hand, and he demanded she take it immediately. It was all so hostile that Celes could only blink back at him, anger overtaken by the shock of his own hostility.
"Honestly, I don't understand why people think a date is such a big deal,” he continued. ”A date is just time taken out to go on an extended excursion with someone that you trust and are partial to, no? It sounds like it's just a team building exercise. I don't understand why people think it's such a big deal.”
”Wait. You don’t know...?” Celes gaped at him, eyebrows raised in shock. She’d never heard of anyone so sheltered as to not know what a date was, but she didn’t have any other explanation for it.
”Though I've never had someone treat it like the person bringing it up, joke or not, is the fucking devil,” he spat out before pausing. ”... Is there a date devil and I just don't know about it?"
Celes stared at him. She stared and she wondered and then, after moment of thought, she touched her forehead and burst out laughing. This was all so absurd!
”You’re…” she started and then shook her head. ”You’re serious?” She tilted her head and gave him an odd look. ”You really don’t know what a date is?” Then she laughed again, touching at the bridge of her nose. It felt like pressurized air escaping pipes fit to burst. Her shoulders were already less tense than before.
”I didn’t know,” she said, ”I thought…” But how could she explain herself if he didn’t even know what she was talking about? She froze at the thought. If he hadn’t even known what he saying, then she must have looked like…
...Like the most volatile, unreasonable woman in the world. Her cheeks burned again.
”I didn’t mean...It was just what you said.” Celes pushed her loose hair behind her ear. ”Most men would be flirting if they said something like that. Or trying to make fun of me.” She bit her tongue. Why was she telling him this?
Because she’d just attacked him. This discomfort was her punishment for that.
”In the army, there wasn’t much room for a woman, let alone a young one in a position of power. The soldiers would always try to...Oh, I don’t know. Imply I should stay in my place as something to ogle. And it wasn’t much better when I joined the rebels. The men there were always trying to protect me and keep me from sleeping on floors like everyone else and the flirting!” Celes let out a short breath before glancing at him and smiling sheepishly.
”I suppose I’m not used to dealing with honorable men,” she said with a weak laugh. ”Not in the field of battle anyway.” She shook her head and straightened again. ”And for your information, a date isn’t a 'team-building exercise.' It’s...something romantic. Between two people with...physical intentions generally.” Her cheeks warmed again. ”Just so you know.”
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
"You sound so taken aback,” Caius said, a hint of laughter tinging his voice. “It's not like I'm offering to take you on a very long date.”
”What?” Celes felt heat rise to her cheeks as she stood, frozen, mouth agape. Had she heard that right?”A...date?” The words came out as barely a squeak and she coughed to clear her throat. It didn’t work.
”O-oh…” She tried again before she swallowed and her tongue caught up to her again. ”Well of course not!” She turned to face him, cheeks still blazing with the same fire that was in her eyes. ”And I didn’t mean-! Well of course I didn’t-! I’m here to fight! Not to-!” She abruptly clenched her mouth shut before she could embarrass herself anymore and crossed her arms tightly, cheeks still burning with heat.
Why had he said that? Did he think…?
”Aye, I'm fine to work together at some point in the future. I'm sure I'll find you again eventually and you can decide then.”
”Fine!” She didn’t quite look at him nor did she uncross her arms. ”I’ll fight with you! Just come by the airship! I’d love to help!” Her voice came out half an octave higher than she’d meant it to. Tense and sharp and aggressive. She couldn’t help it.
Why had he joked about something like…?
”Here.” He pulled something from his bag and offered it to her. A glass vial glinted in the sunlight. A potion. ”If you do not have the energy right now to cast another spell to fix that properly, then hurry up and take it. I'm not leaving you like this."
Celes closed her mouth and then closed it. She shouldn’t be mad. It was a kind gesture and surely didn’t mean any harm, but paired with that comment from earlier…
”I’m not just some silly girl with a sword, you know!” She spoke abruptly and with an edge as sharp as her tongue. ”I used to be a soldier. A general, actually! And despite what was popular belief, I’m more than capable of handling myself!” She felt her lips purse as she twisted her hands together again. ”And I’m not interested in dates.” The word felt almost dirty. Tainted, somehow. ”For your information.”
The wind brushed across the damp blood stains in her jacket, and she shivered. What was she doing? Yelling at a man in the middle of the street for offering her a potion? Her throat closed as she tried to swallow, but she couldn’t do anything for her own violent blushing. How many times had she been dismissed for her gender alone? How many times had she suffered the jokes and quips of young soldiers telling her exactly where they’d like to take her or that she should “calm her pretty face?”
’It’s not like I’m offering to take you on a date.’ It wasn’t an offensive jest, but the punchline was the same. She doubted he would have ever suggested such a thing to a man.
”Well. Thank you. At any rate.” She took the potion without looking at him, unfastening the top with one thumb, and then downing it with barely a grimace. It burned like whiskey going down and warmed her considerably. It wouldn’t do much, she knew, but it would help keep her steady until she could get home and finish the job with her magic. ”I owe you, I suppose.” She still couldn’t bring herself to look at him. ”If you ever need help.”
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
It became quickly apparent that this woman, for all of her dangers, was not out for blood. Celes eyed her suspiciously once more before slowly lowering her sword to match the state of the woman’s own. This woman had been acting in self-defense. A woefully uncalled for amount of self-defense, but it had been reactionary nonetheless.
Not unlike Celes in her first days. She hadn’t been expecting a world of such unskilled bandits and incompetent guards. Add in a little panic, and it was a recipe for disaster.
”No, that’s...That makes sense,” Celes said. ”You’re not the first to draw blood here and you won’t be the last. But if you’re new, you have a lot to learn about…” Her eyes were drawn to a new figure that came running behind the swordswoman. She seemed a little older than Celes, but had a youthful glow about her that gave the impression of a young girl. Her eyes were bright with conviction as she stepped forward and made her plea.
“I’d like to see this end peacefully as well. You acted in self-defense. There’s no fault in that. I thought if we helped each other out we could make sense of this place. I didn’t mean to be rude, Miss… “
The swordswoman was visibly annoyed by the girl, and from the sound of it, had already told her to leave more than once. Celes glanced between them, a little wary at their obvious conflict. There was something about the pink-haired girl that seemed familiar in a way. Something about that look in her eye or the way strong, but delicate way she carried herself. Celes couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
"Still,” the swordswoman went on. “My actions should not cause consequences you should unfairly bare. And you may call me," she hesitated as though searching for the word. ”Amalia,” she finally decided before turning to Celes decisively. ”I amend my statement. I shall only accept your help if you should provide safe passage for us both."
”Fine,” Celes said though there was something about the woman’s tone that bothered her. Perhaps it was her sharp eyes or just the air that she had a right to give Celes orders. Still, Celes forced herself to take a breath and gather the last reserves of her patience. Hadn’t Celes been worse than this when she’d been in her shoes? ”Just follow me…Amalia.” She spoke the name with the same level of hesitance that Amalia had herself. No one had to pause that long to remember their own name. ”And you.” She gestured towards the excitable girl before sheathing her sword. ”The guards are coming for you and while they’re not much of a threat, they’re not terrible people either. Facing you would be a bloodbath.”
Not long ago, Celes would have blamed her adversaries for picking a fight they couldn’t win. Too many times she’d seen the tragic results of rebels and lawmakers and thugs trying to get the best of her, but she knew now that it was her own responsibility to show self-restraint. The blood on her sword was hers to bear.
”Come on.” She turned and started back the way she’d come. The storm was a blessing and a curse in one. The rain was an obstruction and as they slipped out from the alleyway into the city’s wider streets, it provided them some cover from prying eyes. Celes couldn’t be truly grateful for it, however, when it pressed down upon her in oppressive sheets -- drenching her to the skin and bringing with it an almost deathly chill that brought her to shiver. They needed a safe haven with a roof and a fire. Somewhere that suspicious guards wouldn’t go asking too many questions.
Her path changed, routing an almost instinctual course for the place where this had all begun for her. To the inn that another kind woman had led her to when Celes’ blade had been slick with unrightful blood. The thought of it turned her stomach as she reached for the door, pulling on it once and then twice before the wood gave way and the hinges creaked open. The inside was cramped and humid. These were more Setzer’s type than hers with a hint of Shadow thrown in for good measure. There were gamblers and mercenaries and doubtlessly thieves among them, huddled at rough wooden tables that smelled of sweat and liquor. It wasn’t the kind of place Celes would come to willingly, but it was the kind of place that wouldn’t answer questions if they came calling. Celes glanced at the two behind her. ”It should be safe here,” she reassured them before heading to the counter herself. The manager didn’t seem particularly interested in the three harsh, foreign women drenched in rain, and Celes didn’t say anything more than she had to. She slipped a few coins across the counter, grabbed a key, and led the others upstairs after her.
The stairway creaked under her weight, and her heels wobbled on the sagging wood. It had been a long time since she’d last been here, and yet, it seemed like very little time at all. Years, maybe? Time was hard to tell in this place.
Celes unlocked their designated door and led them inside. It was cramped. Just one bed, a couch, and a washroom, but she didn’t expect they’d stay long. ”Just a place to wait out the storm,” Celes said as she waited for them to join her. ”If you have any questions, I can try to answer them. I’ve been here a while. Too long, though I don’t know where else I’d go. If this is all real then it’s about the best I could have hoped for.” Celes bit her tongue, wondering why she felt the need to share so blatantly, before closing the door behind them and crossing her arms to face them.
”I’m Celes, by the way. And I can almost guarantee no one will know you here if that’s what you’re worried about.” Her eyes darted to Amalia. ”No one's recognize me, and I have more than a few enemies who’d know my name.”
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Both Terra and the blonde boy (Prompto! That was his name!) were absolutely terrified. Celes let out a breath and glanced at Caius before looking back at them again. It seemed she’d be taking charge of this little expedition.
”We’ll send Terra first. She can handle herself.” She looked at Terra directly. ”If you can’t find an obvious way to open the door, let us know and we’ll send Prompto. If there’s not a key in the room, I’ll come after you too. There can’t be anything inside that you haven’t dealt with before.”
She glanced at Prompto and then at the house before giving him an almost nervous smile. ”Though I’ll give you that. It is creepy.” She suppressed a shudder before shaking her head. She wasn’t sure if it was the atmosphere of this place or just a chain reaction from the two beside her, but Celes couldn’t help a shiver just looking at the manor. It felt like she was being watched.
”Here. I’ll help.” Celes threaded her hands together and started a short magical chant before touching at Terra’s shoulder. The float spell left her lips and enveloped Terra until the girl was nearly weightless and hovering above the ground. ”Do you think you can handle the rest, Caius? I’ll give you a hand if you need it.”
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
The woman hadn’t left yet as it turned out. Celes hadn’t expected her to, but from that cold introduction, she couldn’t be sure. The woman was smiling was she approached, and while Celes appreciated the gesture, it felt somehow wrong with her stern expressions and the harsh cut of her hair. ”Aye I am still here. Apologies to how I acted earlier maam.”
”Hm?” Celes blinked at her. ”Oh, no. It’s-”
”I was still inside of my mindset whilst I fight. Sometimes soldiering never really leaves you no matter how long it is that you have travelled without their company. Without your assistance I feel there might have been more blood upon these streets then I care to imagine.” The woman spoke softly, and she was almost hard to hear between the rustling of trees and the sounds of refugees behind them. ”I am Meliadoul Tenguile,” the woman finished, and Celes tried her best to smile back.
”Well. That’s easy enough to understand.” She started a nervous laugh, but it sounded so awkward that she choked it back almost as soon as it came. What was she supposed to say?”I’m Celes. I used to be in the military myself so I get it. I was a general, actually.” She paused. Her time in the Geystahlian army wasn’t exactly her proudest of moments. No, she’d far preferred tearing it all down even if it had ruined her in the process.
”You don’t have to thank me,” she said even though the woman hadn’t technically thanked her. ”I heard what was happening so I came. I’m not the kind of person that can look away during a disaster.”Not anymore, at least. Disasters were a lot easier to help end when she wasn’t the one starting them.
”We should probably go together back to the city. Once we’ve found everyone we can, it would be safer there and we’ll want to make sure they aren’t attacked again. And going separately would just leave us open for an ambush.”
Celes ran a hand through her hair and glanced at the woman again. ”Is that alright?”
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Celes grit her teeth as the wagon gave a particularly rough jerk. Their route wasn’t exactly comfortable and it wasn’t exactly dignified. Celes sat with her knees drawn up to her chest crammed between two bales of a hay and sitting in something vaguely damp that stained her cape a dusty brown color. She kept her eyes straight ahead, jaw clenching harder with every jostle, rut, and tremor that the wagon gave.
Why, oh why had they been late?
Celes blamed Caius. Of course she’d come along when she’d heard that Terra was going on a dangerous mission, and she owed Caius a favor as well. Celes glanced at Terra every now and then but then looked away just as quickly. She’d always been a little awkward with Terra. They were both products of the empire, afterall, and not particularly like-minded ones at that. Terra had a certain energy to her that Celes had always lacked. She was kind-hearted and gentle and never had to work hard for affection. Celes on the other hand…
“Son of a-!” Celes nearly bit her own tongue in half as the wagon gave a particularly violent jerk and she was sent barreling shoulder first into one of the bales of hay. She winced as the straw scratched at her neck and cheek then pushed herself away, letting out a short breath before working to pick the miserable things out of her hair. She locked eyes with Caius the whole time.
He was the one who’d heard about this job. He was the one who’d taken an interest, and she could only assume that he was the reason they turned up over an hour late. Of course, Celes could only blame herself for going along with it or for being here at all so she knew better than to complain, but still…
The wagon slowed as they neared their destination -- a particularly ominous section of wood that seemed just as likely to disorient its victims as it was to devour them with monsters. Before them was an overgrown garden full of winding vines, nettles, and dead grass. Beyond that, a house loomed before the rising moon. The manor might have once been beautiful if not for the sagging siding, the filthy windows, and the distinct grayness of it all now that the paint had faded off. As it stood, the whole property screamed “danger,” “bad idea,” and “condemned.”
”Alright, out with ya!” The sudden shout almost made Celes jump as her fingers curled around the hilt of her sword. She let out a breath when she realized it was only their driver who was apparently quite done being helpful. ”Good luck! Now if you’re scared, I could be persuaded to take you back…..for a fee.”
”That won’t be necessary.” Celes couldn’t help the sour note as she rose unsteadily to her feet. The night wind bit at her exposed skin. Her armor was practical for battle with her thick pauldrons and steadying bracers, but it did little to protect against the elements and Celes couldn’t help a shiver. ”We didn’t come all this way for nothing.” She shot Caius a challenging look as though daring him to prove her wrong before stepping carefully out the wagon. The heels of her boots sunk into the damp earth.
The blonde boy was bounding ahead of them before she could steady herself. He was the only other one that had come so late, and they’d apparently both been after the same thing. He seemed like a well-meaning, if flighty kind and Celes didn’t particularly dislike him even for all of his nervous fidgeting. While Celes took in the front of the house (locked, naturally, though she wondered if she could break through it if she tried) she heard him call out to them from the back.
”Looks like we can go through here. It's our only way in. It isn't very high up too."
Celes blinked and followed him to see for herself. Sure enough, above a crumbling porch and over another sealed door was a small, square window that was already open. Celes stared at it for a moment before giving it an odd look.
”Did someone break it?” She gestured towards it sharply. ”Why would anyone have opened a window that tall? They’d need a ladder just to try!”
She let out a short breath. ”But I guess that’s not really the point.” Celes looked from the blonde boy (did his name start with a P?) to Caius and Terra. ”We’d be best off sending the lightest person to drop in from above to unlock the door. A float spell will help, but we’ll still need a boost. At the very least, one person will have to stay out here.”
The blonde boy seemed to be about her own height, and while Celes guessed that he weighed a tad more than she did, her heels and armor likely put her at a slight edge in both. Terra was far shorter than any of them and lightly built at that. Meanwhile, Caius towered over them all by a longshot. Celes nodded thoughtfully.
”Terra’s the obvious choice to send in first. Then…you.” She gestured at the blonde boy a little sheepishly. ”Sorry. I don’t remember your name. Then me. Then Caius...Well, you’re obviously the best to help us up.”
Celes turned to face them all decisively. ”Any objections?”
