Cecilia was at first puzzled by what she heard. As she listened she dematerialized the restricted weapon and put it away in an inner pocket. It seemed impossible that two officials could ever be put against each other in the same current of official business. And yet the alternative, that Solias had lied, seemed similarly unlikely. What kind of a ruse would require one to continue to bluff in the face of confrontation? It seemed strange.

Her thoughts stilled when Solias offered the blade. She accepted it with two hands and studied it. In that moment, she realized a lingering hope for this soul had at last faded away in the wind. There was no doppelganger that fought alongside Ghost, and what had burned was real. Her brother was gone.

Beatrice, a few yards away, fidgeted anxiously. Her striking attention to detail, and ironically high resistance to the feelings of others, put her above her peers as a candidate for right-hand in her house. Something about the situation wasn't right, and other than a vague sense of malaise she couldn't articulate it. It wasn't the sensation of the unusual barrier in the surrounding region. It wasn't the aura of an exposed soul. It was something else. How long had it been like this? A few moments? She mentally kicked herself for not noticing sooner. At some point between their descent and this moment something went wrong. If she had any clearer sense of the problem she could interrupt her commander and Solias. Unable to do anything else, she stood down in the absence of a clear cause.

Cecilia finally sighed and put the blade away in a pocket that fastened tightly onto her person. She fixed her gaze once again on Solias. "Thank you." She was silent for a moment while the gears in her head began to grind again. "This is...awkward, to say the least, but I need to ask you for proof of official business. Here is mine," she added as she clicked something on her tech watch to pull up another hologram document.

"I will not question my superiors if it turns out we are both in fact on official business. However, I will need to inconvenience you with this due diligence before I return. Please forgive me for this rudeness, after all you have done for me today."


"Gah, I didn't realize..." Silas managed. He tried to see the options through to their natural ends, but the mess turned into an unsolvable nightmare in front of his eyes.

It hadn't occurred to him that energy flow could differ so greatly between beings of different origins. Worse, he didn't have the strength to make up for it. He was a pawn on someone else's chess board that tended to mortals, let them down, and then fought them when they became shinigami. When he wasn't confined to the capacity of a pawn he was weak and unable to help those he loved. In the end, there was nothing he could give or give up to make a difference.

How could he dare ask for more? He wasn't a god. It was gracious enough that there was even a chance of saving Arael. And yet the possibility of Arael suffering a taint unlike any other without a chance to say no was intolerable. Was that even preferable to death? And what was the deal with the side effects worse than being tainted??? Silas briefly closed his eyes and furrowed his brows.

In the time it had taken for Rei and Leah to get agitated about the situation, Gwen had inched closer and latched onto Seamus for a hug. It was a bit unusual, since Seamus was too tall, too cold, and not one to hug back, but Gwen needed a rock that wouldn't get involved in the upset, and she could tell at a glance that Mars was about ready to go over and hug those two anyway. Seamus patted her once gently and remained silent in deep thought. Meanwhile, Mars went over as Gwen had expected and took one hand each of Leah and Rei to squeeze them gently, in a "I'm here and we'll get through this together" kind of way. She shot a glance at Jason, like "You too bro even though I don't understand your deal yet."

"It may be necessary to try," Seamus said. She looked toward Silas. "You are here because Arael bears the legacy of his grandmother, right? About a crystal underground." Silas nodded, so Seamus continued. "If he is tainted for senseless reasons then what you seek beneath the waves may outright reject you. After all, the sea passed on a chance to drown you when you first arrived, and that is no coincidence. It may be necessary to try to protect him in this way. Lady Nerva may deny you in your cause, but I am willing stand with you in your request."

Seamus let go of her Gwen-pat and looked between Jason, Leah, and Rei. "What do you think?"