"The Tower," breathed Clive. He stared at her, his eyes widening. "Elza, if we walk into the Tower we're both dead. Or worse. I don't know what it is the Elders want you for, but if we're caught inside it..."
He trailed off. The candle guttered, making shadows dance up the inn room walls.
Clive's hands gripped into fists. "And he's there too," he said darkly. "I don't know how he survived, why he's not dead, but... are you sure you want to face him again?"
"Clive..." Elza's voice trailed off. He was worried about Kelly, same as she was. There was no telling what would be found once they went there and the unknown always carried a certain amount of trepidation. "All of the answers are there. Not just my answers...yours, too. We have to figure out why they did this to...us. Besides, there's nothing that place can do to us that it hasn't already done, right? And if we don't do something about it, everything that we've known and grown to..." Elza paused, searching for the right words to explain how she felt. "...care about will be destroyed in their wake. We can't take back our pasts but...we can try to do something to make sure that history doesn't repeat itself." Elza finally let her gaze drift away from him and onto Sturm, as if she needed something else to focus on.
The long rifle that had once refused to fire against her lay propped against the bed beside Clive's leg, silent and grim. He rarely let it leave his side.
Clive said nothing. He ran his hand back through his hair and gripped the back of his head. His face had grown pale, though his expression was bleak.
After a long pause he finally looked up again and met her gaze.
"It's a long way to the Tower from here," he said. Each word was slow and measured. "We have to get to the border first. And then there's Harmonia to pass through. If they discover we're coming we're gonna be hunted the whole way. And we'll have to kill them if they come after us. What would Master Sauro have said about that..."
"You sound as if you don't want to go, Clive." Elza's voice was equally as slow and equally as measured. "We don't have time for excuses, we only have time to either decide to do this, or not do this. And it sounds as if you're laying out reasons to not do this." She carefully stood up and adjusted her cloak. "If you don't want to go, then you don't have to but know this - with or without you, I am going." She turned and reached for the doorknob of Clive's room.
Clive hastily stood from the edge of the bed. He reached around and grabbed at his own cloak, which flared out as he threw it roughly around his shoulders.
"I'm going," he said. "I'm not letting you go alone."
"But we're gonna need some sort of plan," he added a moment later. He picked up Sturm and held it by the barrel, the stock braced at his feet. The uneasy look that had been in his eyes was gone, replaced with an expression that was now dogged. Evidently Elza's determination had banished his own doubts. "The Guild's seeking us out, so we're gonna have to dodge them the whole way. What route are we gonna take to avoid them? There's a lot of towns between there and here."
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(OOC: Woot, back from vacation! So glad I don't have to drive or fly anywhere anymore XD)
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He trailed off. The candle guttered, making shadows dance up the inn room walls.
Clive's hands gripped into fists. "And he's there too," he said darkly. "I don't know how he survived, why he's not dead, but... are you sure you want to face him again?"
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Clive said nothing. He ran his hand back through his hair and gripped the back of his head. His face had grown pale, though his expression was bleak.
After a long pause he finally looked up again and met her gaze.
"It's a long way to the Tower from here," he said. Each word was slow and measured. "We have to get to the border first. And then there's Harmonia to pass through. If they discover we're coming we're gonna be hunted the whole way. And we'll have to kill them if they come after us. What would Master Sauro have said about that..."
Reply
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Clive hastily stood from the edge of the bed. He reached around and grabbed at his own cloak, which flared out as he threw it roughly around his shoulders.
"I'm going," he said. "I'm not letting you go alone."
"But we're gonna need some sort of plan," he added a moment later. He picked up Sturm and held it by the barrel, the stock braced at his feet. The uneasy look that had been in his eyes was gone, replaced with an expression that was now dogged. Evidently Elza's determination had banished his own doubts. "The Guild's seeking us out, so we're gonna have to dodge them the whole way. What route are we gonna take to avoid them? There's a lot of towns between there and here."
----
(OOC: Woot, back from vacation! So glad I don't have to drive or fly anywhere anymore XD)
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