004; video

[mistyarc]

[Asbel and Hubert are at the barracks, working through a battle routine to improve their coordination in battle. Towards the end of a joint attack consisting of Mirage Dragon and All the Way, someone's heel or another kicks at one of their journals on the side, flipping it over and open with enough force to create an accidental feed. The journal is

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[asterism_angel]

A-Asbel! Hubert!

[Her friends may already be taken by the time she gets there, but that won't stop Cheria from hurrying over to the barracks to see if there's anything she can do. Anything at all.l]

[seleniahymn]

[Cheria will find herself joined shortly by Tear, who arrived as fast as she could even though she had been nearly on the other side of the village. Even though she knows it's a fruitless effort in the end, she couldn't just stand by and do nothing.]

[asterism_angel]

[Cheria was already glancing around helplessly by the time Tear arrives. Oh no, it's Asbel's ex-wife... She can't be surprised that Tear showed up. If they were married, she must care about Asbel too. And Hubert, who would be her in-lawed brother.

Except, Cheria isn't supposed to know about this relationship and so she has no choice but to bluff.]

A-ah... Miss Tear! Why are you...?

[seleniahymn]

[It catches her by surprise that Cheria is there, also searching for them from the looks of it. Did she also know Hubert and Asbel?] Miss Cheria? Asbel and Hubert are friends of mine, but...

[Why is she here?]

[asterism_angel]

["Friends of mine"... Tear must be a very discreet person. Cheria folds her hands together, her gaze straying to the ground for a moment. She can't even keep that strained smile up for much longer.]

... We were too late. I hope... the Malnosso won't be too hard on them.

[seleniahymn]

I do as well... [She walks over to where it looked like one of the two had been hit, inwardly wincing. What had the droids done to drag them off in such a way?]

Then I assume you know them as well?

[asterism_angel]

[Cheria continues to watch Tear as she makes her way across the room.]

Of course. Asbel and Hubert are from my own world. We've known each other since we were children.

[seleniahymn]

You have? [Strange, she's never heard anyone of that house mention Cheria before.]

[asterism_angel]

[Cheria's already deduced that nobody ever bothered to tell Tear about her and she isn't too happy about that.]

... Yes.

thanks a bunch for letting me crash the party, gals~

[lightningcute]

[Don't look now, but here comes another girl worried about the fate of these two boys. Well, okay, Pao-lin only knows Hubert and has no idea about his connection to Asbel. But if the two were together, then they must be friends, right? So Pao-lin can worry about Asbel too for Hubert's sake, at least.

As she runs into the barracks, she stops at the sight of Cheria and Tear. She opens her mouth to say something, but she's not really sure what to say. What is there to say, really? There's nothing any of them can do at this point but worry.

So instead Pao-lin just gazes around the place, taking in the signs of a scuffle. She can only hope that they weren't hurt too badly, and that the Malnosso would take it easy on them.]

o/

[seleniahymn]

[Tear glances up at the arrival of this new person, unable to recognize her. But if she came all the way here, that meant she also knew one or both of the men that were taken.]

Who might you be?

\o

[asterism_angel]

[Cheria has also never met Pao-lin. She glances at the girl rather curiously, but doesn't speak. Tear already voiced the question on her mind rather nicely, after all.]

\o/!

[lightningcute]

Ah, I'm Pao-lin. Hubert's a friend of mine. [They've only talked about three times thus far, but they hit it off oddly well.] I just wanted to...check on him... [The friendly smile on her face fades. This is the first time she's had to deal with personally knowing someone who's gotten kidnapped.]

[seleniahymn]

I see... [It seemed like today was all about getting to know people Asbel and Hubert did. Not that she minded, but she would have preferred it be under different circumstances.]

The Malnosso sent for him, we... [Oh how much she disliked them right now.]

[asterism_angel]

... We can only wait for them to return. Isn't that correct?

[It bothers Cheria that her friends are in need and there's nothing she can do to help them. They're out of sight and out of reach until the Malnosso finally see fit to return them to the village.]

[lightningcute]

[Pao-lin nods.]

Um...can I ask who you two are?