She was waiting for him. It didn’t surprise him much, that she was waiting for him instead of Cecil; and he only just now remembered why. He couldn’t face her yet, and it slipped his mind as he tried in earnest to slip by. But he couldn’t outright ignore her... hurt her like that. All it took was for her to call his name; he was caught with a chain around his heart.

Waiting, counting her soft footsteps on the flagstones, all he could think was that he couldn’t speak to her. But she spoke to him, and he couldn’t remember where he was going.

"Did you talk?" she asked, hesitant.

"What?" He faced her, perplexed, and remembered when they were standing on the parapet... weeks ago. Of course she would be waiting for him instead of Cecil.

"About... us," she elaborated, missing the recognition in his eyes, "about the three of us; did you talk to him?"

"Yes," he replied curtly, "Of course I did."

"And? What did he say?" He had to leave. He couldn’t talk to her now. "Kain?"

"He said...." The dragoon tried to think. He was tired, and it seemed like he hadn’t quite left all the fog behind in Mist. "Yeah, he was fine with it."

The bright smile that lit up her face warmed his heart, and filled him with the darkest dread. "That’s wonderful."

She threw her arms around his neck; he couldn’t bring himself to return the gesture. Instead, he pushed her away, holding her at arms’ length.

"I have to go," he excused himself, and hastened away. Pausing, he turned and smiled back, even though hers had faded in her confused. "Rosa... I’ll talk to you later, I promise."

It was an oath for his benefit, as well as hers.

Cecil was different, of course... but lighter, somehow; it made her glad. Catching her when she leapt for him, he laughed for the first time in a long time and paraded her around the courtyard until she was giggling along, almost forgetting to breathe.

"Did it go well?" she managed at last, dizzy as the courtyard spun around them.

"Yes." Cecil paused, but the near and far walls still appeared to move with a will of their own. "I thought I told you not to worry."

"How silly of me," Rosa amended. "Kain said you talked."

"Mmm," the knight admitted cryptically. Setting her down, he smiled and ran his fingers through her hair. "But I think we should take that up with him, shouldn’t we?"

"You aren’t going to tell me, are you?"

"Later," he promised; suddenly he was walking away from her, just like that. Rosa blanched, feeling her chest tighten with familiar foreboding. Having lost exact count, she remembered it best from when her father died, and when Kain snapped his leg on a training mission... most recently, when her two best friends had left for Mist. Desperately ignoring it, she hoped that later was a good thing.

They were always busy, and almost always together. Although Cecil was always happy to accommodate her presence, in the rare moment she caught them away from the throne or the training yard, Kain never so much as looked at her. Once, so long ago to memory, she might have coaxed a smile out of him; now, she wondered if she had, in some way, made him unhappy. She loved him – nothing had changed there – but it seemed, at best, as if he simply didn’t want her anymore.

In the glow of the lamplit Baron night, amongst the crickets and the peepers that dared come to the edge of the city, she danced in an effort to let the frustration go. It was an art, much the same as magic... although she was more talented with the latter. Aiming for neither aesthetics nor lasciviousness, she danced the line between for pure joy.

Her veil caught; she twisted, mystified, and cried out in surprise. She was found.

"I have to talk to you." Kain said. Anger replaced her fear, and she snatched her veil from his hands.

"Damn, you," she snapped. The dragoon wasn’t wearing his armor, and was almost unfamiliar without. Arbitrarily, and in spite of herself, she decided he didn’t dress down enough anymore. "You... you scared me."

"You should leave Baron."

"What?" It didn’t make sense, and she noticed how… worn, she thought. How worn thin he sounded.

"You must leave," he urged. Since catching her attention, he hadn’t moved. Once she realized, it became obvious that something had terrified him.

"What’s wrong with you? You’ve been...." She trailed off, trying to find the words. But she didn’t know what, only when. "Ever since you got back."

"Please."

Something powerful... she thought, stopping lest she conjure it out of the dark.

"No."

"Please."

"No," Rosa insisted, with more bravado than she felt, "I’m not leaving you, and I’m not leaving Cecil. Whatever it is, I can help."

He set his jaw and abruptly vanished, high into the air. She heard him land in the trees, and the telltale crack of his jumping again. It was only in afterthought that she managed to wonder if he were crying....

Decisive, she set out to follow; she had to know.

Cecil was in his chamber. As was Kain, who had been strangely absent from his. Rosa would have asked, but she strayed too close to the shade knight, and was distracted before she had a chance. Ever cheerful, he dragged her onto his lap. She wondered, for the disparity alone.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Although she didn’t worry, not now, not yet, it felt too serious... was too serious, she corrected herself. But Cecil didn’t seem to mind, and grinned brightly at the question.

"You make a new man of me," he said softly. As if that weren’t enough, he kissed her that she felt it deep down... And the farthest from worry, it simply felt right.

"I love you," she murmured. Cecil tsked.

"You’re embarrassing Kain, dear."

Kain! Remembering, she followed his gaze to find that, to the dragoon, some invisible thing out the window was far more interesting.

"Kain?" In his stance, she remembered the outskirts of Baron, not two hours before. Cecil chuckled; the noise broke through Kain’s reverie, and yet he now stared past them, at the far wall.

"Join us?" Cecil offered softly, his voice thick against Rosa’s chest. Kain wavered for an instant, and mutely snapped. He stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him. Shocked, Rosa turned to Cecil, who smiled reassuringly.

"He’s just shy. I’ll have words with him," he promised, even a fresh grin crept across his face, "Later."

The aetherworld shifted strangely, waking her from a deep slumber. Cecil’s room – she was still in his bed, tangled in his sheets, and arms, and soft silver hair. She smiled to herself, content in the moment, but the thought of Kain made her frown. Slipping from her lover’s embrace, she found her dress and sighed. She would have to have words with the both of them – this couldn’t keep up forever.

Leaning to kiss the man farewell, she started backward, for in the darkened room it seemed he was not a man at all. Certain it was a trick of the shadow, she paused at the door, glancing nervously to the burned-down candle. Magic could be twisted in the middle-hours, and she chastised herself for being so easily swayed; bringing the light closer so that it didn’t happen again, she gasped. The candle dropped and sputtered out on the flagstones.

Weeks past her by while Rosa danced a thin line; simultaneously she sought to find time with Kain in secret, as well as excuse herself from ever being left alone with Cecil. But they were always together, and warmongering for the Lord of Baron more often than not. Whenever she thought she had a moment, it slipped through her fingers. In rightful conscious, she couldn’t even call for him. All she could do was wait.

At last she found her chance; before he met with Cecil, as he was leaving his tower, she caught up with him through the early morning haze.

"Kain!" Not knowing what to say, and wary of her time, she broke down and choked, "Cecil, he’s not... I...."

"Run," he told her, "As far as you can go."

"Not without you," she whimpered. She could feel the tears that pricked her eyes; she was outright terrified, but as scared as she was, there were some things she would never do.

"Rosa..." If there was something more he had wanted to say, he never got the chance. Cecil appeared close. Too close, she realized, to be unassisted by magic.

"What’s wrong, love?" he purred, feigning concern, "You’re so flustered."

"Get out," Kain interjected flatly. His words were for Rosa, but his eyes remained locked on the knight.

"Kain?" Cecil questioned, in the same lyrical voice, "So sad. I thought we had an agreement."

"Who...?" That same shift in the aether, and Cecil changed before her eyes. Although his armor obscured her sight, his face softened, now hauntingly familiar.

"Go!" Kain urged, launching himself at the deceiver. They grappled, and took to the air, leaving Rosa ample escape in the deserted courtyard. She pulled herself together, and answered silently, No.

It wasn’t Cecil... she couldn’t. But she could still save Kain. She could save them both, and she sought to get close to him, every time he was forced to land. When he finally took notice, he paused, shocked. It was almost long enough for her to weave.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Stay close to me!" she shouted, even as he vaulted again, "Kain!"

He looked back, and saw the devotion in her movements, and the aether called to light. The magic sparkled, taunting, and he could have laughed. If that was all it would take....

Twisting in midair, he fell towards her. Desperate, he was fast enough to feel her fingers as they vanished, and to see her tears. Valvalis crashed into him from behind, and they tumbled through the air Rosa had occupied moments earlier. Unable to move, unable to fight, he tried to catch his breath, tried to ignore the Elemental as she panted over him.

"That was very brave of you," she purred, "So foolish, it was wonderful. But she’ll be mine soon enough, as will you, as will he."

Like hell, Kain thundered. If only his mind were still his own.