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anneapocalypse · 2 years ago

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The Dragon Age: Inquisition short stories

and what they tell us about the agents of Corypheus.

Warnings: Discussion of fictional slavery, and plot spoilers for Dragon Age: Inquisition.

In 2015, BioWare released three short stories by Joanna Berry on the BioWare blog, about three side characters from Dragon Age: Inquisition. When I first read these stories last year, I assumed they'd been released before Inquisition as teasers for the game, but it turns out they were actually only released after the game. "Paper and Steel" was posted on April 30, 2015 to celebrate then-upcoming The World of Thedas, Volume 2. "Paying the Ferryman" was subsequently posted on June 2, 2015, and "The Riddle of Truth" on September 15 the same year. All three can now be read in their entirety on the Dragon Age wiki:

https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Dragon_Age:_Inquisition_short_stories

These three stories offer some background on three of Inquisition's minor antagonists: Samson, Calpernia, and Florianne de Chalons. I first read them last year as I was eagerly devouring all the Dragon Age media I could get my hands on (and highly appreciating all the reading material available when I needed a break from the screen). I took a lot of notes, but never got around to writing up a post, so I thought I'd revisit those stories now that I have a couple playthroughs of Inquisition under my belt, and have met all three characters in the game.

The time of publication is noteworthy, because at the time of the game's release, players did not have the benefit of any background information on these characters, beyond what returning players would remember about Samson from Dragon Age II—which, depending on how recently or often you'd played the game, might not be very much, as he's a pretty minor character in that game. I barely remembered who Cullen was when Inquisition first came out, and I'd played both of the previous games. I don't think Florianne is even mentioned in The Masked Empire, or if she is, it's blink-and-you'll-miss-it; she certainly has no part in that story. Calpernia is a completely new character.

The way Corypheus's generals are handled in Inquisition always leaves me a little dissatisfied, as it always feels like there must be so much more to their stories than we ever get to hear. We see one or the other (depending on whether the mages or the templars were recruited) very briefly at a distance during the attack on Haven, and then one of the advisers gives a quest line focused on finding that character's weaknesses and exploiting them, and learning what Corypheus had planned for them. We finally meet that character face to face in a fairly brief battle at the Temple of Mythal. Calpernia escapes or possibly falls to her death (though I highly doubt she's actually dead). Samson is captured and brought to Skyhold for judgment.

At the time of the game's release, these characters had to stand on their own—in contrast to, for example, the characters featured in Asunder and The Masked Empire which the game definitely expects at least some players to have read. These stories offer some new insights into three of Corypheus's most important agents, but they are supplemental to the game after the fact.

So let's see what they have to offer.

Paper and Steel

Samson's whole involvement in Inquisition was sort of a "Why?" to me. It always felt like one of the many cases of "People like to hear familiar names" in that game. It gives Cullen something to take even more personally about the Red Templars, assuming the Inquisitor recruits the mages, but I've never felt that Samson's presence in Inquisition follows from his brief role in Dragon Age II in any meaningful way.

In DAII, Samson is a lyrium-addicted ex-templar reduced to begging in Lowtown, and occasionally he helps runaway mages where he can. He has sympathy for mages, and resents Knight-Commander Meredith for throwing him out on the street after he carried a mage's love letters to his sweetheart in Kirkwall. He is also encountered briefly in Act III during "Best Served Cold," in which a group of mages and templars secretly band together to work against Meredith, but their plans go awry when one of their leaders turns to blood magic. Samson remarks that for all his dislike of Meredith, perhaps she has a point about the danger free mages pose.

Fast forward to Inquisition and Samson is now a general for Corypheus, leading his red templars. In just a few years he goes from begging coppers on the street for a lyrium fix to commanding an army of renegade templars on red lyrium for an ancient darkspawn magister bent on godhood.

It's... a bit of a leap.

And I do think this story helps to fill in that gap a bit. We get inside Samson's head here in a way the game never does, in a way that I do think follows from who he was in Kirkwall. Samson's deepest resentment is neither for mages nor even for Meredith, but for the Chantry itself, which in his eyes uses the templars until the lyrium they take steals their very selves from them, and then discards them when they are no longer useful. Corypheus has offered him a chance to fight the Chantry, to tear it down. Samson is aware that the red lyrium from which they draw their strength takes an even greater toll than the regular lyrium, but he considers their purpose worth the cost, and he is determined to treat his soldiers with dignity even as the red lyrium transforms them into fearsome creatures.

That last bit is, to me, the most compelling thing about Samson in this story. He is characterized not merely by his resentment nor even by his devotion to this new cause, but also by his compassion for the dehumanized. The red templars deep into their transformation barely look like people anymore, and yet Samson insists on looking them in the eye and speaking to them personally.

This is also reflected in Samson's treatment of Maddox, which does come up in the game as well. Maddox was the mage for whom Samson delivered love letters, which lost him his position in Kirkwall. Maddox, meanwhile, was made Tranquil for his transgression. After the collapse of the Kirkwall Circle, Samson found Maddox and looked after him, even before he was recruited by Corypheus. Many find the Tranquil unsettling or even horrifying, but Samson still saw Maddox's personhood, and cared about him, and wanted him to have a chance at life even if it could never be the life he once had.

The other aspect of Samson that stands out to me in this story is this:

Samson paid the stranger's price, would pay it forever, but he knew what he was buying.

He swallows the red lyrium and gives it to his soldiers to swallow, knowing what it will do to them, because he believes that it will buy them the power they need to create a better world, even if many of them do not live to see it.

A running theme among agents of Corypheus is the promise of power---whether power for its own sake, as in the case of Grand Duchess Florianne, power to restore lost glory as desire the Venatori, power to fulfill their purpose and protect their world as with the Grey Wardens, or power to right a great wrong. It is the latter that Samson s promised, and I think that the idea of being chosen appeals to him. But I think what makes him most vulnerable to Corypheus is the belief that he is already powerless, drained, "burned out" and used up. It leaves him willing to pay any price if he believes he might see justice done and the Chantry brought low in the end.

This story, I think, does a good job of illuminating Samson's motivations and why he has accepted Corypheus's offer.

The lingering question is why Corypheus has chosen Samson. He believes himself worthy of becoming a god; does not a washed-up lyrium-addicted ex-templar begging on the streets of Kirkwall seem a bit beneath his notice?

Perhaps this tells us something about Corypheus himself, not to mention the position in which he finds himself after he awakens from his centuries-long slumber.

Corypheus and his fellow magisters bought their passage into the Fade with the blood of slaves. For as highly as he thinks of himself, he knows only how to prey on the more vulnerable. Not to mention, he would be hard-pressed in the south to find agents who wouldn't flee at the very sight of him. Knowing his true identity would only repel them further. He can control and command Grey Wardens through their tainted blood, but to succeed in his ambitions he needs servants who are loyal. Given his nature and his history, this requires lies. And it requires choosing from the subset of people who won't take one look at him and see an horrifying blighted monster fit for a Grey Warden's blade, or a nightmare out of Chantry tales told to frighten children. The pool of candidates is rather small. In other words, he probably has to take who he can get, though he would be loathe to admit it.

The real question, for me, isn't why Corypheus chooses Samson. It's how he tricks Calpernia.

Paying the Ferryman

Of the two generals, I do find Calpernia quite a bit more interesting than Samson. Her role in Inquisition is sadly quite limited; if you choose the mages to recruit, you'll never even hear her name spoken. Frankly she's one of the best reasons to play "Champions of the Just" from a purely game experience standpoint, because what little you get about her and her background is so tantalizing.

This story is an excellent and much-needed addendum to her brief role in the game.

"Paying the Ferryman" alternates between past and present, showing us Calpernia's early life as a slave, interspersed with her preparations to leave Minrathous and enter the Elder One's service as a free woman. We see her making her very first purchase with her own money: "She'd never owned anything before." This purchase is incense, an offering to the mysterious figure of "the ferryman," finally revealed to be a statue of Archon Darinius, founder of the Imperium.

This story is also our first glimpse of Marius, who is enslaved by Magister Erasthenes along with Calpernia and with whom she has a relationship until he is suddenly sold and vanishes from her life. (Marius later appears in Magekiller and other comics, but that's another post!) Erasthenes himself pays only enough attention to Calpernia to teach her how to control her magic when it manifests, while she longs to amount to something more.

Calpernia takes a particular view of slavery which is... critical of it as an institution in Tevinter but which I'm not sure can quite be called abolitionism. Her position isn't so much that every person has a moral right to freedom, so much as that enslaved people constitute wasted potential that could benefit the empire if they were only given the freedom to aspire and achieve. She feels this way even before her own magic manifests, which is rather late—it seems to be well into her teenage years, after her sexual relationship with Marius.

Calpernia isn't even necessarily against blood sacrifice, as she tells Marius:

"The empire used to be different. When a person's life was spent, it meant something—it bought something. If slaves had a voice the Archon could hear..."

To me, there is an inherent contradiction in that line, and it illuminates what I see as the primary dissonance in Calpernia's motivations. With nowhere to direct her power, she reads widely in Erasthenes' library and becomes obsessed with Tevinter history and what she sees as the empire's lost glory. Even her name, Calpernia, is one she chooses herself, after the priestess of Dumat who raised Archon Darinius, the founder of the Imperium.

But surely someone as well-read as Calpernia must know that the empire, past and present, was built on the blood of the enslaved, right? Well, the thing about this is we haven't yet seen nearly as much of Tevinter as we have of the south, and we can gather from the dialogue of our few Tevinter characters that the history of the Imperium as told within the Imperium is probably a bit different than the history of the Imperium as told in the south—particularly in Ferelden and Orlais, the birthplace of Andraste and the home of the Andrastian Chantry, respectively.

I don't necessarily mean that Calpernia doesn't know about the massive blood sacrifice used to, for example, breach the Veil and enter the Fade. I do think she romanticizes the ancient empire as a time when blood sacrifice "bought something," when it brought about achievements she considers meaningful, as opposed to the petty power-play of nobles in the present day, which infuriates her.

You're mages! Calpernia wanted to scream when Erasthenes invited visiting scholars or his peers over to drink fragrant tea, play chess, or gossip. The ancients built the greatest empire in Thedas with wisdom and conquest. Now the only ones who must sacrifice for Tevinter are slaves, while you spend all your time on... frippery!

Calpernia does not, in other words, see any inherent problem with empire and conquest. What she despises is the complacency of the powerful, and the wasted potential in their decadence.

Where I see a great dissonance is in Calpernia rhapsodizing about how life sacrificed once meant something, followed by "If slaves had a voice the Archon could hear..." Because the one thing really doesn't follow from the other. I think it's safe to say that the enslaved of Tevinter had no more voice when magisters spilled their blood in ancient times than they do in the present.

In this, the most direct statement of her motivations, I think we see the error in Calpernia's thinking and the reason she is vulnerable to Corypheus.

Both Samson and Calpernia see people being exploited by the powerful, and they both see wasted potential in the exploited that could, they believe, be put to better use. Both are willing to spend lives for some greater purpose. The biggest difference between them, I think, is that Samson is driven in large part by his cynicism—he understands the cost but believes it is the best the templars can do to strike back against the Chantry. Calpernia, on the other hand, is driven by a misplaced idealism—a romanticized view of ancient Tevinter, and a mistaken belief that Corypheus will empower the powerless to restore that lost glory. She needed little more than that promise of restoration and the power required to agree to follow Corypheus. Never mind that the magister once called Sethius had pursued his own ambitions fueled by the blood of countless slaves. In the story's final scene, Calpernia vows that she will see the enslaved of Tevinter walk free.

I have to wonder when, if ever, Calpernia even realizes who Corypheus is. His name is never actually mentioned in this story, and many of his followers refer to him only as "The Elder One" in the game. Perhaps she doesn't find out until much later, when too deeply invested in the cause to be easily turned away. The Inquisitor's investigation reveals, however, that she does not fully trust the Elder One.

Given her ambition, it is unsurprising that Calpernia is the one to escape capture or death at the hands of the Inquisition. If Corypheus's intent to bind her after she drinks from the Well of Sorrows is revealed to her, it is not difficult to persuade her to turn on him. Either way, she has no confirmed death in the game, and I think it's safe to say Calpernia's story is not yet over.

Of the three, her short story is my favorite. It's very thematically strong, and there's a lot of beautiful and evocative imagery.

The Riddle of Truth

"The Riddle of Truth" is a story about Grand Duchess Florianne de Chalons, and unlike the previous two, it is told in first person from her point of view. In it, the Grand Duchess speaks to the reader as a charming companion with whom she converses in "the mansion's gardens" and shares several riddles.

It is fitting that this story comes to us in Florianne's voice, because it reveals to us the way she thinks about herself. She drops hints as to her intentions to undermine her brother Gaspard, later to be carried out at the Winter Palace in the game:

"A chevalier might be as the hawk—perform mighty deeds and be showered with glory��only to find that a subtler fellow at home has nibbled away at his influences at court, with sweet gifts and sweeter promises."

In fact, I'm not convinced the unnamed "you" to whom the Grand Duchess speaks is meant to be real, this conversation actually and literally taking place. Florianne's companion seems to flatter her rather extravagantly, and her narrative voice sometimes phrases things as hypotheticals:

"No one would ever lay such deeds at your door," you assure me. "The very idea. You of all people are above reproach!"

Because we are such very good friends, I might smile, and lean in for a confidence.

This whole story is Florianne reveling in her own cleverness, and so I think it's entirely likely we're meant to see it as simply a flight of fancy, taking place in her own imagination.

And this, of course, perfectly illustrates why Florianne was vulnerable to Corypheus's offer: her own vanity. I doubt he had to do much more than flatter her and offer her power. While this is quite evident in the game itself, this story explores that in an interesting and entertaining way, delving into Florianne's inner world in a way the game can't give us, and I enjoy it for those reasons.

Having read them a few times now, I think these particular short stories are among the better ones that the series has produced, certainly a step up from the DAII character shorts which I found to be less interesting. I also think it's kind of a shame these weren't released before Inquisition, as the stories of the generals in particular bring some much-needed depth and motivation to those characters. I would definitely recommend checking out all three if you find these characters even remotely interesting, or want more about them.

Crosspost. Originally posted on Dreamwidth on 04/23/21.

#calpernia #samson #florianne de chalons #dragon age inquisition #dragon age meta #dragon age short stories #anne does dragon age #blunders of thedas #dragon age

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rosykims · 6 years ago

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DRAGON AGE QUESTIONS

tagged by: @nordxz thanks so much !!! *heart emoji*

favourite game of the series?

origins! although inquisition is very close as well. inquisition was my favourite for a very time, but like midway through last year i replayed origins and it just felt.....so good. i really struggled with enjoying dao because of the clunky fighting system but an amazing mutual introduced me to a mod that lets u skip fights basically lol, so i was just able to focus on the story/characters/exploration of the game, which just....made me realize how immensely beautiful the game actually is, and i fell in love all over again aaaaa

how did you discover dragon age?

i was a huge mass effect fan ! mass effect was the game that motivated me to make this blog, actually, and obviously through following people i saw a lot of posts from the da community as well. so i bought origins and inquisition (i had NO idea there was a da2 until half way through awakening lmao) and tried to play origins but HATED it gtrhutgrhugtr and then eventually gave it another try like a month later and completely loved it and now here we are

how many times you’ve played the games?

not as many times as some people on here have - i would say origins maybe four times, da2 maybe twice, inquisition three times. but that also doesnt count all the timesw ive created new games and then abandoned them lol bc theres too many to count

favourite race to play as?

love me some elf booty ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

favourite class?

at first it was rogue dual wielder ! i played as a rogue in every single first-time playthrough and idk i felt that class has always been the easiest/most op. but in the last maybe 2 years it’s changed to mage. ive always been super intimidated by magic classes in every game i play but i LOVE inquisition’s mage classes/specializations and i can never go back now

do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time?

im so so so bad and i usually end up making very similar choices, but usually bc i just......replay the same characters every time hgtuhgtruhgtrui. i REALLY need to make more da ocs to explore more choices but....i dont want to lol i already have to many. i still havent sided with the templars in a playthrough like i just cant do it

go-to adventuring group?

i always bring my characters love interest with them no matter what, just bc its cute, but usually i try to evenly cycle the other characters around that. i always try to have a warrior/rogue/mage in every party. but sometimes i’ll go warrior/warrior/mage/mage especially if i need to focus on straight damage and a LOT of healing lol

my favourite parties would probably be:

dao - alistair + zevran + wynne (wholesome and also funny)

da2 - anders + fenris + merrill (SO much chaotic energy)

dai - solas + cassandra + cole (i just love them ok)

which of your characters did you put the most thought into?

ashara lavellan, my canon inquisitor who was never supposed to be canon tghtgurhtrg. my original canon inq was a trevelyan rogue, who was super nice and good. i made ashara so that i could actually play as an evil/mean character without feeling bad lol, oh and i also wanted to see what the deal with solas was bc i had heard his romance was good ;;;;) anyway that backfired and i ended up completely falling in love with her, and i STILL couldnt make the tough choices with her so i was like ok maybe she isnt THAT evil and now shes just..... the way she is now i guess lmao

favourite romance?

trhhtruih okay u guys KNOW its solas. u know. i dont even have to say anythiing about it bc...u fucking know

(alistair’s is very close tho)

have you read any of the comics/books?

i havent :(((( im such a bad fan but i cannot deal with ordering online and thats the only place ive been able to find them. im planning on reading asunder and the masked empire as soon as i get the chance (and the money) tho !!

if you read them, which was your favourite book?

nope

favourite DLCs?

trespasser ! its pretty simple and very plot-driven like u didnt have to worry about side missions as much as u would with other dlcs so idk that was... refreshing. but obviously i loved it just bc it was so beautiful and intense and sad (since my chara romanced solas obviously) and that music score????? unbelievable i’ll never be over it

things that annoy you.

can i say the fandom trghuitgrhutrhui

mostly the thing that pisses me off the most is the grey morality. writers trying to make everything deep and Thought Provoking like..... no jerry, slavery IS bad theres no alternative viewpoint lol??????? also the fucking whitewashing makes me see red.

orlais or ferelden?

ferelden!!!!! (*blows a kiss* for highever)

templars or mages?

mages <3

if you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one?

i only have like 3 protag da characters and they’re all canon, although emeraude is an au. so ella is my canon warden and ashara is my canon inquisitor, but emeraude does exist in that universe, bc i hc she befriended the warden and alistair when they visited the alienage, and she was very outspokenly angry and didn’t really give a shit that alistair was going to be heir. which alistair really,,, appreciated i guess? so emeraude is made his official elven adviser after his coronation but she also kinda helps out as a royal protector because she’s one of the only people in court they both trust completely lol. also she is....stronk.

and the only other characters i have for da are obviously side characters who are related to my canon protags so. they’re all canon as well lol

what did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc)

ella named her dog ser bark gthutgrhutghruihtr she thought it was cute ok

emeraude just went with barkspawn since alistair came up with the idea as a joke but she thought the joke was so bad she made them keep it as punishment vjhuightui

i dont really have a hawke oc but.....he named his dog shepard in my playthrough ! like from mass effect ;;;;)))

have you installed any mods?

origins is modded to hell and back and i genuinely couldn’t play the game without mods at this point. inquisition is slightly modded but im in the process of removing them all, and only keeping a few because my game runs pretty terribly with them installed

did your warden want to become a grey warden?

ella did ! but it was kind of,, a naive childhood dream, she had a really romanticized view of the wardens and she wanted a life of excitement and bravery and adventure, not really taking into consider all the bad things about it (and obviously not knowing the full truth about what it means to be a warden)

emeraude did NOT want to be a warden. she basically had to be dragged out of the alienage because she wanted to stay and protect her community. she never really enjoyed being a warden, although her friendship with alistair was its one redeeming quality

hawke’s personality?

uh i cant remember the colour/personality thing but he was a combo of funny/ethical. mostly there for memes tho.

did you make matching armor for your companions in inquisition?

for origins i do ! i always make sure alistair and ella wear the grey warden armour, as well as every warden in awakening. thats like, all theyre allowed to wear lmao.

if your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change?

ella would obviously change her family’s murder lol, and emeraude would at least try and change what happened at her wedding, to prevent shianni and the others from being hurt.

ashara would change romancing solas :((( she was so angry at herself after discovering who he was, and she felt weak and foolish which she HATES more than any other feeling, so she definitely wishes she had never met him for a long time. after she kind of processes it though, and learns to deal with her anger, her answer would be that she wishes she had saved the chargers. it’s the one move she made that actually keeps her up at night sometimes.

do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon?

ghuitrhuigtrhugtr so many. canon? dont know her.

the biggest example would be that i hc king!alistair was at the winter palace during the wicked hearts level. because uh..... celene and the fereldan monarchs had been corrosponding for over 10 years, trying to build up rapport, of COURSE the king would be there to see who the potential ruler/s of orlais would be and whether or not he ought to be worried. like. im sorry but alistair was there lol you can’t change my mind. i also hc he helps ashara with information about the grey wardens during this chapter, because ???? it just makes sense??? im so angry i wish this was canon

are any of your characters based on someone?

ok it was unintentional but ashara reminds me of an english teacher i had in highschool who was very scary but also....really cool and i loved her. it was an accident but,, still counts.

who did you leave in the fade?

gtiturghtugh okay at the risk of pissing off EVERYBODY who reads this, i left hawke in the fade, even though it was a toss up between hawke and stroud. it was ashara’s fault tho !!! she would have 100% prioritzed an alliance with the grey wardens over like,, some guy. it broke my heart but yeah That happened.

favourite mount?

i like all the elk mounts mostly ! but i never use them bc they sound ugly af

tagging : @trvelyans @f3nharel @allisondraste @ensevens @tethraas @talizorah @fereldun if u are up to it <3 and whoever else wants to do this !

#/ long post #sorry this is so long i got carried away oops #dai #dao #da2 #personal

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momorabu · 6 years ago

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Code Realize Playthrough - Chapter 5: Vampire Requiem

Sorry for the delay for this chapter’s playthrough to be released~ I actually finished playing this chapter around 2 weeks ago, but it turned out to be quite long and thus took quite awhile to be written. Will be playing the next chapter soon so hopefully, another post of Code Realize will be written this month~ ^^

This chapter greatly focused on Van. I’m actually surprised this arc was in the common route as I thought it may only be available on his route when I watched this part of the story in the anime. It’s a sad and depressing arc though, I’m not good at dealing with serious arcs TWT

Life was back to normal when the group continued to stay at Saint’s mansion. During breakfast one day, Impey noticed that Sisi had really warmed up and gotten close to Cardia, and she replied that they’ve gotten close to the point that they’re sleeping together~ That made Impey jealous as he wanted to be a dog instead just to be able to be close and sleep with Cardia ^^; (You pervert Impey XD) He grumbled at Sisi to get out of the way, but he bit his hand instead XD

Lupin complained that they’re noisy and asked them to tone down. Yep, nothing much changed for the last few days ever since they’ve failed the kidnapping mission. They had not landed themselves in any danger (not yet), and luckily Twilight didn’t find out where they’re located (for now)~ Cardia remembered back to the incident where she met Twilight’s leader - Finis, who claimed to be her brother. He was also the person that Van was looking for and mentioned about before. Adding the mysterious Finis to ponder about, Cardia had more to think about regarding herself and her past. She had realised the Horologium in her heart had gotten hot when she met Finis, but now it had gone back to normal which made her wonder what is it about.

Lupin was also thinking about the failed kidnapping mission at the moment, sighing and remarking that why had he not suspect that the information he had gotten was a trap itself to led them to the train. Van seems encouraging when he said that they should not keep themselves wrapped up in the past, to which Saint pointed out that Van was being oddly calm, seeing that the person he’s looking for was the Twilight leader himself. Van admitted that Finis was indeed the person he was looking for, and murmured to himself that he would make sure Finis dies the next time they meet. Cardia wondered how he was feeling since he looks calm but also felt like a string that might break anytime... She thought back to the old man she met on the train next to Finis, who had called Van by his first name (Abraham) and talked to him in a way that they seem to know each other. Unfortunately, the others did not know about this man and Cardia just could not find the right time to mention about him to them.

The group fell silent as they found themselves feeling heavy about the failed mission from the other day, and Cardia noticed that Fran was having an extremely gloomy look and clutching his head. She asked him whether he was feeling bad about the failed mission and the others tried to encourage Fran to cheer up too, but turned out that it wasn’t the reason why Fran was being gloomy and sighing. The real problem was... he doesn’t have any more money!

(It took him quite awhile to spit this out though since he was really troubling whether to talk about it. ^^; In the end, he decided to since he felt it’s not a problem he should be tackling by himself, and after Lupin getting frustrated about him taking his time ... ^^;)

Fran had taken upon himself to help to manage the group’s finance since in the past they just put all the money in a pile and took whatever they need anytime. Van was disappointed in Fran that he could make the group broke and lectured him that he has very bad financial management skills. Lupin dissed back at Van for always going to Fran for a payout whenever he needs money.

Fran revealed a very shocking truth on what he realised on the day he started managing the finance... they didn’t have any money to manage to begin with!

(I admit I started roaring with laughter when I heard this though XD Sorry guys but this is just too funny for me XDD)

Saint remarked that he had thought that was it since he had noticed Fran was sighing almost everytime when he opened the wallet. Fran felt that Saint was taking this information too easily since it would be bad if they do not have any money, as that would mean that they would not even have food soon. Impey was shocked and commented out loud that he greatly suspect there was embezzlement going on in the group (not good to start suspecting and breaking trust here, Impey...), but Fran reminded him that Impey himself had requested a large amount of money before to maintain the Ornithopter. Lupin blamed Impey but got nagged at by Fran next for using three times the amount of money he originally requested OWO” Fran later nagged on Van too for using an even larger amount of money than Lupin or Impey on bullets, but when Cardia asked Fran whether he had not used any money at all from the funds...

He ended up being the person who used the most money. (Oh gosh, Fran... =w=“ I actually find this expression of him pretty funny XD)

Impey immediately shot back at Fran for scolding him when he was the one who used the most out of the funds. Fran apologised and said that he had made too many flash bombs and since Lupin asked him not to worry about the finances, Fran went carried away making them since he felt that he was creating something useful. Lupin immediately rebutted that he’s not taking the blame XD

Fran revealed more on where the money went from the funds, Lupin had taken a huge amount to use it to gather more information (he’s using it to bribe people I bet), Impey had asked Fran to create supplementary fuel for the Ornithopter which took a part of the funds as well. Van had also requested Fran to make something for him, though the way he asked it was like... well just like how Fran had described it. Van got scolded by Cardia that he was threatening others to get what he wants.

The group realised that they’re in a very bad situation, since they may not have enough money for food. Van was also running low on ammunition, which Fran suggested that perhaps he could use his guns to hit people rather than shooting them. Impey isn’t allowed to tinker with machines and parts anymore, giving him a huge shock as tinkering was like breathing for him =w=“ Fran was also giving up his daily research in order the save funds, which means the daily operations of the group would be winding down. That’s even worse than what they had imagined since, at this rate, the group might not be even to defend themselves if Twilight were to show up here one day since they do not have food, bullets, machines or chemicals to fight them on.

Impey tried to ask Saint to lend a helping hand to them in terms of providing funds, but Saint refused, saying that he doesn’t want to a part of their “unpredictable expenses”. Impey asked Saint not to be cold to them and suggested that he sell some of his antiques to get some money for their expenses. Saint smiled and replied that if Impey ever do that, he would be prepared to get a “suitable punishment”, which sounds pretty scary and one can sense he’s angry even though he’s smiling his usual smile OWO” Lupin quickly stopped Impey before he says anything more and gets himself thrown out of the mansion.

In the end, Saint advised them to work and earn their money, by using their talents. Van immediately proposed that Lupin shall steal from riches who obtain their money illegally, but Lupin refused, saying that would be a crime. As much as theft is a crime himself, Lupin had his principals such that he would not steal for his own personal gain. He usually earns by taking a small amount of “handling fee” after punishing the bad guys and returning the money to their original owner. Van asked him to quickly steal from rich people and collect these “handling fees”, but Lupin refused, saying that that would sound like he’s acting for himself. (That may be weird, but Cardia actually finds Lupin cool in that way +W+)

Fran said that it would be too inefficient if everyone were focusing their efforts on earning money, and wondered if there can just be one big job that pays alot in a short time. The casino used to be a great option, until Lupin revealed that the group was blacklisted since they’ve won an insane amount the last time (or say Lupin had won an insane amount the last time.) Just then, Van pointed to an ad he had spotted on the newspaper, Cardia thought he was referring to one that was looking for a teacher at an all-girls school, which Impey immediately jumped onto it, wanting to do the job. (The others immediately dissed him that he would get rejected because of unpure intentions.)

Turned out the ad Van was referring to was another one - one that stated that the Adele and Brutus Firm was planning to capture a thief who had sent in a note that he/she was going to a valuable pendant “Nosferatu’s Saber” at the year’s annual outdoor auction. Lupin clarified that he’s not the thief they were looking for, claiming that he doesn’t resort to vulgar violence which is what the thief did at other auctions. There’s a reward of 10 million pounds for those who managed to capture the thief, which gets Van excited as he confidently said that the group would just greet the thief there, grab him and get the reward money easily. Fran didn’t really like this idea as the group would be in contact with the Adele and Brutus Firm, and they were known as an organized crime ring. (Not good to associate themselves with the underhand world D:) He also felt that this mission would be too risky, which Saint agreed as well.

Impey was alright with it since they’ll earn from it, and Van would go and capture the thief himself even if the group is against it (So Van is going no matter what then... =w=“).

(Hmm... This was hard for me to choose... but I really hope there’s another way...)

Cardia (or say I) revealed that she felt uncomfortable having to make such a dangerous decision, which gets Fran’s agreement. However, Van made a point that they would have to do dangerous or illegal things if they ever want to make a large amount of money in a short time... which Fran immediately shot it down by saying “Ilegal is not good!” (Van is seriously showing a bad example here ><”)

Cardia was convinced though and felt that this may be their only option (so we’ll just have to accept this job no matter what I guess =w=“). Van suggested that they’ll head there and take a look at the situation there before making a decision on whether to take on that job, which was finally something everyone was able to agree on. He seems very interested in the pendant, but when Cardia asked him about it, he replied that he’s just saying that the pendant looks beautiful (really...? *shoots suspicious look at Van* =w=“)

And thus the group head off to the auction site, which is located in the same area as the casino. As Van had caused a scene here before, Fran was worried whether the group would get kick out from here, but Van had already gone off and had a talk with the event’s host to make he’s alright to come in. (Impey took this time to diss whether Van had gotten scared and run away though ^^;)

The group went to a large tent where the auction was taking place. Even though there were alot of elegant people here, Cardia noticed that there’s a group of fierce-looking man gathered in a corner. These were actually bounty hunters who were interested in the reward money too and had gathered to capture the thief. Cardia was quite afraid of them but Van assured her that they’re not really strong and even she can easily handle any one of them. (Really? o.O)

And among the crowd, there’s one very familiar person...

Lupin realised that Cardia had noticed him too and they wondered why he’s doing here. Fran recognised the man as the Imperial Guard Captain Leonhardt (omg I totally forgot about his name until Fran mentioned it) and asked whether Cardia knew him. Cardia mentioned that Leonhardt and his army had tried to kidnap her before, which worried Impey as he suggested that they leave here in case they’re landing her in danger by staying here. Lupin assured him that it’s dark here in the tent and Leonhardt won’t recognise them since they’re dressed differently from the last time they saw him. The bounty hunters recognised Leohardt as one of the imperial guards (not sure if they knew he was the captain though) and started messing around with him. Saint remarked that it’s Leonhardt’s fault for not dressing appropriately for the occasion. (I guessed he must stick out like a sore thumb~)

Suddenly, the person in charge that posted the ad showed up and started to explain the terms of the bounty payments. Cardia and the group began to walk over to the bounty hunters in order to hear the person in charge better, but nobody dared to mess with them as they steered clear of Van since they had heard of how powerful he was, being able to bring down the entire vampire lair with just him and another partner. (I wonder who is the other person? He must be really strong too O.O”)

The person in charge relayed the information to them, Adele and Brutus Firm had received a letter that stated that the crime will start place at 10am when Nosferatu’s Saber will be shown as it was put up for bid. Since the firm wanted to make sure that their customers do not experience any interruption in the auction, they asked for the bounty hunters to capture this thief, regardless of whichever method they use... even if the thief dies. (Yikes!)

The group talked about how this bounty was a “dead or alive” type of bounty, and it seems like the firm values their reputation very well, and thus they were even willing to give such a huge reward to capture the thief. Saint guessed that Leonhardt was here to oversee what will happen, and he might personally capture the thief himself and send him to the authorities rather than handing him over to the firm.

The person in charge continued by adding on an additional 10 million pounds to the bounty if anyone were able to catch the thief alive, which makes it a whopping 20 million. Van explained that catching the thief alive would be more to the advantage for the firm since they would torture the thief before killing him and using him as an example to show this will happen to other thieves if they ever plan on robbing the firm. (Woah... That sounds scary D:)

Obviously, Cardia doesn’t feel good about it after hearing that, stating that she didn’t want to earn money at the expense of someone’s life. Saint announced that they shall quit since he doesn’t like how the firm thinks either, remarking that if they make any money from this, they will be tainted by blood (since either the thief would die in their hands or die later on in the hands of the firm... ><”) However, the group still needs money... so Saint decided to lend a loan to them, until the day they were able to earn enough to repay him~ (Thank you Saint!) But there’s still a condition to him approving this loan, which is that they would still have to participate in this hunt and capture the thief. The only difference would be turning him over to Leonhardt instead after that anonymously so that he can bring the thief to the authorities. Van wondered why Saint was suddenly being so generous, which Saint replied that he just thought of it on a whim, though he looked over at Cardia and added that his decision might have something to do with her looking sad. (Aww~ That sounds abit like Saint was concerned about Cardia +/////+)

(Kind of random but it’s not easy to get a close up on Saint usually ^^;)

The auction started, and it was rare that Van and Impey had the same thought that auction was just an event for the rich to show off and compete with each other on how rich they are ^^; (But Van took back what he had said when he realised Impey thought the same as him, hurting Impey’s ego Orz Van really doesn’t like praising or being on the same page as Impey that much... ^^;)

Finally, after a long wait, it was the time when the main item of the auction - Nosefaratu’s Saber was put up on the auction. It was a really beautiful pendant, which even Saint was considering on bidding for it if it only costs a few million. (I’m amazed that he said it like “only” a few million O.O” Saint is rich alright...) It was stated that this pendant was a priceless antique worn by Delacroix, the leader of the vampire forces. That was a legend that the belongings of vampires had special powers so the powers may be passed down to the wearer of it. The person in charge boasted about the pendant even more and talked about its craftsmanship and etc about it.

(Saint was really interested in the pendant that Impey remarked that this is the first time he had seen Saint being greedy. This was a really unexpected side of Saint I guess?)

Just then a voice rang out, shouting at everyone not to touch the pendant. The voice belongs to a young boy which announced that he would be taking back what belongs to him as stated by his notice.

The bounty hunters were surprised by his appearance and didn’t feel that he was the master thief since he’s just some kid to them. That pissed the boy off as he asked whether no one had gotten his letter. One of the bounty hunters approached him to ask him to go away but since the boy didn’t listen, the man decided to punish him by attacking him.

Cardia was worried and sub-consciously moved forward as she wanted to help the boy, but Van held onto her shoulder to stop her, telling her that it’s dangerous. She thought that he meant the boy would be in danger, but Van was serious as he answered it was the man instead who was in danger. As Cardia’s attention was taken away from the boy for just a short moment, she didn’t realise what happened when she saw the man was high up in the air. The crowd was shocked when they saw the boy easily threw the man up in the sky to fling him away.

Van told the group that the boy was a vampire, which is a sub-race that possesses extraordinary physical capabilities that humans could not match. (Not sure whether they drink blood or not though =w=“) Impey found that the boy was just too strong, believing that just being a vampire can’t have given him such a strong advantage in beating a physically strong man. Van knew the reason though, but he can’t give them a detailed explanation now as there isn’t time for this now, as the boy once again announced his presence in the auction tent.

(I’ll just let him introduce himself here~)

The crowd ran away after hearing his name, and Saint explained that rather than being afraid of him, people were afraid of vampires as a whole. He talked about how humans had decided to get rid of vampires a few years ago, after finding out a way of doing so and thus launched into the purging of the vampire race, which was known as the Vampire War. Even when the war is over, the people were still living under the fear though... (Were they worried that the vampires would come and take revenge someday? like... now?)

Delacroix had grabbed the pendant away in the meantime, and the bounty hunters were all ganging up to capture him together. They shot at him, but he’s totally not wounded at all since he actually moved at a fast speed and was able to evade all of the bullets OAO The boy started fighting and in just one stance, all of the men but one had all fallen to the ground.

Delacroix announced that the vampires would never forgive the humans and planned to launch their anger and pain on them as revenge. Cardia could see the hatred in his eyes when he said that and felt suffocated to witness that. Delacroix escaped from the venue after that, with Van following soon after, saying that they had to stop him before he starts attacking other humans suddenly. Cardia tried to follow Van too but Lupin told her to calm down as there’s no way for the others to run and catch up to Delacroix’s speed. Lupin had noticed that Van was unlike himself to get this heated but assured Cardia that he won’t abandon him and will try to get ahead of both of them by taking another route.

(Van sounds like he knew this boy from his words...)

The group ran to a nearby forest, which just nice, was the same place where they met Van the last time. Lupin deduced that the boy was working alone, so he knew that he won’t be able to outrun a large firm with them on his heels. The best plan for him was to hide somewhere first and wait until it’s safe to leave, and in Lupin’s eyes, this forest is the most accessible area around (since he picked this spot to escape the last time too ^^;)

As expected, Delacroix ran here and was shocked to find them there. He asked them whether they had followed him and expressed that he was impressed that they were capable to keep up with him. He’s not giving back the pendant nor letting them capture him though, which Lupin said he won't since he knew that pendant belongs to Delacroix’s father, and they actually didn’t want to hand him to the firm either (since they would torture him to death ><”) Fran told Delacroix II that he wished that Delacroix would turn himself into the yard and explain about the situation, but of course Delacroix won’t and showed a stance that he’s about to attack the group since they were just in their way.

However... Cardia had an idea~! (Of course, I don’t think they can capture him so I chose a more... less violent choice?)

Cardia tried to persuade Delacroix, telling him that they’re not going to hurt him and was on his side, but Delacroix doesn’t believe in that since he doesn’t have any trust in humans and thus decline the offer.

(Saint, you are not helping the situation by threatening to capture him if Delacroix murders a human ><”)

Just then, Van showed up and called out to Delacroix, referring to him as the “son of the dragon”. Delacroix was shocked when he first saw Van but told him that he already forsook that name and had now taken the name of his father - Delacroix. Van seems to call him in his real name instead, Dracula, which made Cardia wondered they knew each other when Delacroix started attacking Van. (Van, you seems like you had alot of acquaintances ^^;)

Delacroix started shouting at Van for even daring to show himself in front of him, while Van told the boy that he would fall into the darkness if he keeps hating humans, and would end up just like Van himself. (Van... TWT) Delacroix yelled that he would kill Van, but Van cooly answered that he can’t die yet currently. The other bounty hunters turned up so Delacroix had to escape, leaving behind a word to Van that he would be waiting at the place where Van had murdered his father, even threatening to hunt him down and killing him and everyone important to him if he doesn’t turn up. (These bounty hunters... way to ruin a reunion =w=“)

The group returned to the mansion after that. With Delacroix successfully escaping without being caught, the firm placed an even greater bounty on him, which was good news for these greedy hunters =w=“ Van said that he needed some fresh air when they returned, and head outside to get away from the group. Everyone fell silent as they started thinking about the same thing, what did Van do in the past? Did he really kill Delacroix‘s father?

Just then Saint spoke up and said that group must come to a decision together. Should they confront him and urge him to change his mind? Or... make sure he doesn’t come and harm them in the future... which may mean that they might have to kill him from Saint’s tone... OWO” Impey expressed that he can’t bring himself to attacking him since he’s just like a kid to him. (Asking Impey to beat a kid up would be impossible ><”) Cardia agreed with him too and remarked that the poor boy seems to have his own reasons for doing all this, as much as they’re considered crimes. Lupin decided that the group shall start finding his lair the next day since they can’t just wait around to be killed. Impey wondered how they’re going to go there though since Van seems like the only place who would know where the place was located, and Saint wondered whether Van would let them accompany him. They have no answers for that though, so Lupin decided that they shall just head to bed instead as it was getting late.

Cardia didn’t want to sleep though and stayed in the living room. Guess who came and paid her a visit?

It’s Fran~! (I didn’t choose any options beforehand so this was a surprise that he turned up ^^) Fran revealed that he was also thinking about Van and Delacroix , and had also done some research on him, and knew that all the objects which Delacroix had targeted were originally part of his family’s fortune. So in a way, one could say that Delacroix wasn’t stealing, he was just taking back his vampire fortune that was stolen from him and mementoes of his people. Fran guessed Van would know better about the extermination of the vampires than him since he was the person who was in the operation after all.

Cardia asked Fran whether he knew Van well, but Fran only knew Van from what he had heard about him. Van was a hero in the Vampire War two years ago and it was said that his actions had brought an end to the war quickly with the army only suffering from a few losses. The war pretty much ended when the vampire king, Delacroix was killed along with his entire clan, other than a few stragglers who had escaped. The reason why the Vampire War was proposed in the first place was that the humans were told that vampires were trying to wipe out humanity, though Fran wasn’t sure now on how much of that was actually true...

(Fran is someone who really doesn’t like the war at all. I do agree with him that it really causes alot of murder that was stated to be “needed”. Welp, this topic is depressing as a whole D:)

Cardia could sense that Fran seems to take the Vampire War very close to heart, but he claimed that he’s only feeling very personal about it since he used to be a royal alchemist. Someone Cardia felt that he’s not telling the entire truth from his tone... (... I keep feeling that I’m very tempted to want to know more about Fran each time he avoids talking about himself ><”) Fran continued on that he doesn’t think that Van could be someone so cold that he could casually kill someone since so far they didn’t see him use real bullets and hurt people D: The conversation with Fran ended here as he turned and went up to bed.

(Bye bye Fran and good night~)

Cardia went outside of the mansion since she still could not sleep, and had seen Van outside through the window earlier on. She saw him standing there in the darkness, seeming in a sorrowful state and hesitated on approaching him. But then Van noticed her and asked her whether she had wanted to come and ask him about his past.

(This would be a good chance to know more about Van actually, but... I’ll leave this chance to the time when I’m planning to go on his route.)

Cardia decided not to since she knew that she could not do anything even if she knew the truth. Van told her that he’s going to look for Delacroix tomorrow, which Cardia took it that Van was willing to either kill him or get killed instead, as Delacroix had already vowed to end everything and kill him there. Van then heads back to bed and asked Cardia to sleep too.

(I really like what Cardia thought as the night ends... She wondered what burdens she actually has, since she had lost her memories and doesn’t know about them.)

The next day, everyone decided to head to the place where Delacroix was waiting for them together. (It’s actually quite far that they had to take a train there OWO”) Cardia wondered whether Van and Delacroix were going to fight each other until one of them collapsed over there. She thought more about Van and Delacroix and realised that she was actually staring at Van as she did so. Van noticed her gaze, and she explained that she was just wondering whether he’s alright since it doesn’t seem like he had gotten much sleep.

(Van was actually quite nice here since he advised Cardia to rest instead. ^////^)

They arrived at the station after a long ride, but there’s still a long journey ahead... by foot D: It’s a two-hour walk but finally, they reached the destination. (Beautiful scenery though it looks abit scary and sad.) The group started talking about the mansion’s history as well as remarking on how it looks like. All Cardia could think about was Delacroix who was waiting all by himself in his mansion that used to be stand with such dignity in the past...

They head inside, and Van decided to answer Impey’s doubts about why Delacroix was so strong - Delacroix is a pureblood vampire. The vampire race was initially very reclusive, but since they were very similar in nature to humans, they could not remain completely detached from the human society. Some of the vampires deepened their relationships with humans and thus their blood began to mix. (I guess that means they gave birth to half vampires/half humans?) There were still a group of vampires who were against of relations with humans and was considered the minority in the vampire race. These vampires possessed the incredible physical abilities that vampires originally had and was called the “pureblood vampires”. This was why Delacroix was so strong, he doesn’t have any human blood in him.

The group walked further into the mansion, and they finally reached a room where Delacroix could be seen waiting for him, the place where Van had killed his father - the Vampire King Delacroix. Van said that he would handle the situation by himself and didn’t want the group to help him since after all, this is his problem to deal with. Delacroix smiled and said that he doesn’t mind if they group up and attack him though since he would just have more dead bodies to clean up afterwards. (Scary! D:) He told Van that he had been training endlessly ever since to get stronger so as to ending Van’s life by his own hands, and will be avenging his father’s regret, his mother’s misery, and all of his people’s anger here now at this very spot.

(Off topic - Van’s sudden close up sort of surprised me for a second, but he looks so good here >///< *Stops random fangirling*)

As Delacroix attacked Van, Van just seems like he’s receiving all the attacks and doesn’t even attack back. That pissed Delacroix as it seems like Van was belittling him since Van doesn’t even take out his guns. Cardia was amazed that Van was actually blocking the attacks easily and wondered how he was able to take so many hits from Delacroix, even if they aren’t direct hits. Saint helpfully answered her question though ^^;

(Erm... I think Van is still considered a human right? He’s not some supernatural human being I thought?!)

Cardia suddenly remembered her past of being called as a monster and being hated by humans and felt that this scene of the two people fighting out their lives looks really sad to her. She wanted to step forward and help but Lupin told her to stay out of it, telling her that they should wait for now. If Van was really in need of help, the group would still sweep in and save him, since Lupin definitely isn’t going to abandon him.

(Aww, Fran seems so encouraging here~ I wonder how they can be so positive when someone else is fighting over the other side OWO”)

Suddenly, Delacroix lost his balance, causing a stop to his attacks. Van took this chance to deliver a blow to Delacroix ’s head with his elbow (sounds painful ><”), took out his guns and pointed them at Delacroix.

Delacroix isn’t scared though and even taunted at Van to shoot at him. Van told Delacroix that he’s way weaker than his father so Delacroix could not defeat Van. He asked Delacroix to surrender himself as he didn’t want to harm him in the first place. That ended up causing Delacroix to shout back at him why didn’t he shows such mercy to them two years ago at the Vampire War since if he had done so, his parents would still be alive by now.

Van ended up shooting at Delacroix, but there isn’t any blood on him. Van didn’t want to kill Delacroix at all, and thus loaded the gun with rock salt just to stop his movements if needed.

Delacroix painfully stood up and refused to give up though, bellowing that he would kill Van and also everything that’s important to him. Van shot at Delacroix again, but Delacroix forced himself to get up, talking about how he would get his revenge as he will never forgive Van ever...

Finally, Cardia could not take it and asked Van to stop, which Van listened, and just told Delacroix that he’s no match for him, and he should stop stealing treasures in case he gets caught, since.. humans can be more cruel than what Delacroix might have thought. (Just imagine what the firm would do to him scares me... D:) He also told Delacroix to give up trying to get his revenge on the entire human race, but instead take it out on him instead. He’s willing to be killed by Delacroix, but not now as there’s something that Van still wanted to do. Therefore, he proposed that Delacroix would kill him when Van had done what he must do, but on the condition that his death would put an end to Delacroix’s quest for revenge.

Delacroix didn’t understand why Van was saying all this and asked him whether he was just trying to atone for his crime. He doesn’t approve at Van’s action, saying that he’s pretending to be good after doing all these horrible things to him. Instead, Delacroix would rather to be killed by Van than to accept his sympathy and shouted at Van to kill him.

(Cardia’s thoughts seriously summed up the sad depressing feelings I’ve been feeling when reading this part...)

Cardia thought about Delacroix living in this huge mansion who had gone to ruin for two years by himself all alone. It was just like her when she was in Wales, and she knew that he must have suffered more than her since there were hatred and anger in his heart that he can’t do anything about. She stepped forward and asked the group whether they could bring Delacroix back to stay with them, which pretty much shock everybody. Impey and Fran felt that it would be too dangerous since Delacroix even declared to kill them earlier on (and he could if he tries...) Lupin, however, was calmed as he asked Cardia for her reason in suggesting so. (Damn, I keep liking Lupin more and more when he does such actions, it’s not like he’s siding her, but more of like... he’s respecting her decision and is willing to understand her thoughts, and I really like this side of him ^^)

Cardia answered that she felt that it must be very lonely for Delacroix to be staying at the mansion by himself. She didn’t think that being lonely was bad initially as she was used to it and felt that it was natural, but after knowing these guys and enjoying her life now, she looked back to her old life and realised that those years when she was alone were a very painful time in her life. (No one likes to be alone if there’s a choice to be happy and surrounded by people you like TWT) She felt that Delacroix won’t be able to see or understand alot of things if he continues to stay here, and thus she wanted him to come with them, telling Delacroix that he would definitely see the world differently with a change of scenery. (Cardia is such a kind-hearted lady~ She doesn’t have much, but she cherished the people and moments she had and was willing to share them with Delacroix ^^)

Delacroix was wary and asked Cardia why she was so desperate to help him since she doesn’t even know him before. Cardia explained that she knew a little bit about loneliness as much as her life might not be as hard as Delacroix ’s, and thus she wanted to do something to help. Delacroix shut her out though, claiming that he had to stay here as a keeper for his family’s tomb.

(You know... Even though Delacroix’s a kid, his thoughts about his family sounds mature to me... TWT)

Van asked Delacroix to keep an eye on him for the sake of the dead, just to make sure that Van doesn’t change his mind and ran off when his said mission was done. Even Van realised his own crime and knew that his death will atone for what he did, but that’s pretty much all he can offer at this point in time. In the end, Delacroix decided to come with them... (Yeah! Welcome, Delacroix to our party~! So now we have a phantom thief, an ex-vampire hunter - or so I thought, an alchemist, an inventor/mechanic, a... rich man? and a vampire boy~ ^^)

The scene changes to somewhere else, where Finis was at and he felt that he was communing with his father whenever he is here. Aleister showed up with a report on the location of what Finis was looking for. (I think he’s looking for Cardia and the gang if I’m not wrong.) Finish remarked on how inefficient the Twilight is, thinking that they may be understaffed (so please hire more, boss?). He isn’t pleased that the report just states that they’re somewhere in London (cause’ that’s really not helpful information at all =w=“), reprimanding Aleister about it.

(I would have the same reaction as Finis if someone gave me such a vague report seriously Orz)

Aleister explained about their difficulties since they’re facing a master escape artist (Lupin) after all, and also mentioned about “something” opposing them. That pissed Finis though as he thought that Aleister was just giving excuses, and asked them to work harder.

(Erm, is Aleister working part-time on this job? He’s also working as a teacher, which ironically seems like a 180-degree change from this job =w=“)

Finis called Aleister out for sparing Van’s life on the train, (and as I thought, the two knew each other, Van was Aleister’s apprentice when they were in Twilight) but Aleister merely stated that he had lost sight of Van when he was taken aback by the fireworks. Finis doesn’t sound like he's convinced =w=“ He complimented Aleister for not being completely heartless, but warned him that he won’t be giving him any more chances. Finis seems to be in a good mood and doesn’t mind Aleister’s blunder on that day since he looks forward to meeting his sister soon and becoming one with her...

(Welp, way to end off the chapter sounding like a creep, Finis =w=“)

#code realize #common route #otome game #playthrough #cr:playthrough

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