A/N: Spoilers up until after the Isle of Feres and the fonic sight sidequest.

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Sight

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"So we're heading for Cheagle Woods..." Natalia sighed, as the group stepped off the bridge from Grand Chokma and crossed the smooth grassy area Noelle had used as the Albiore's landing pad. The entry ramp lowered as the group approached and they marched up it, shoes echoing off the metal surface.

"I wish we didn't have to fight Arietta," Luke agreed. "But, it's up to Anise..."

"I told you, I have to do this," Anise replied, hands on her hips. "It's something she's decided for herself. I owe it to her to encourage that."

"You know, everything seems to be moving so fast lately," Luke said, as he stepped into the cool, darkened interior of the ship. "Mohs, that floating island, the God-Generals, and even that man in the city. I can't help but feel bad for him..."

"You mean Casim?" Tear asked, stepping inside herself. "The one who was trying to give himself fonic sight?"

"Yeah." Luke ran a hand through his hair as the rest of the party climbed aboard. "I mean... it has to be terrible to be blind. At least he's alive, but I wish we could have done something more..."

"Well, it was the fault of his own stupidity," Jade said offhandedly, pressing the button to close the hatch. Fon machines in the Albiore's walls whirred to life as they began to withdraw the ramp and seal the entrance.

Natalia put a hand on her chin. "It does show how dangerous fonic artes can be without training. I suppose it's a testament to the Colonel's abilities that he was able to implement his own fonic sight without blinding himself."

"Why, thank you, Natalia," said Jade pleasantly. "I believe I was nine when I did that." He ignored the odd looks from the rest of the party.

"You know," said Guy, as the door finished closing, "I have to say, Jade... I was a bit disappointed to find out that you only wear those glasses because of your fonic sight."

"Oh?" Jade asked, raising an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"Well... having bad eyesight made you more... human," the swordsman answered carefully.

"Yeah, now he's just a creepy old man with weird magical powers," Anise said, sticking out her tongue.

Jade smiled, pushing the glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "Well, I do have a reputation to uphold."

Natalia folded her arms. "If we're done discussing this, then, I'll go and give Noelle our heading." She started off down the corridor toward the stairway to the bridge.

Guy put his hands behind his head. "I think I'll go check the engine room," he said, in an overly casual manner. "Make sure everything's running smoothly, you know."

"Just don't disassemble anything this time, Guy," said Luke with a sigh. "We need this thing to stay airborne."

"I'm going to the lounge," said Anise. Turning, she gave Luke her most adorable face. "Why don't you and Mieu come too, Luke?"

"Oh... all right," Luke replied, and Anise cheerfully grabbed his arm and pulled him off around the corner.

This left Tear and Jade alone in the corridor. The woman turned to follow Luke, but then stopped, glancing back at the older man. The colonel was looking at the floor, one finger tracing the frames of his eyeglasses. "...Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Oh, I was just thinking," Jade replied, looking back up with his usual smile fixed on his face. "I suppose I should have told them that it's only because of the fonic sight that my eyes are decent."

Tear tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"When I was a very young boy, I had to wear glasses about a third of an inch thick in order to see anything at all." His smile widened. "They were rather stigmatizing... I blame them for my poor social skills, youthful delinquency, and development of various technologies that are now endangering the world."

"...If you say so, Colonel," said Tear.

"They were one of the reasons I hung around Dist, too," said Jade, spreading his arms with a sigh. "We misfits had to stick together. One of the first things we collaborated on was an arte to work instead of our glasses. I later made it permanent when I applied my fonic sight. It's a bit sad, isn't it, how the smallest things can make huge differences in our lives..."

Tear shook her head slowly. "No, I think that's a good thing."

He looked at her questioningly. "What do you mean?"

She blushed slightly. "Well... if you hadn't befriended Dist and invented everything you did, Luke wouldn't exist," she explained. "History would never have deviated from its preset path... and we would all still be enslaved by the Score."

"We still don't know for certain if that would have been a bad path to take," Jade reminded her.

"Perhaps not," Tear replied. "But... I think... I'd rather have a future of my choosing than one filled with unstoppable calamities leading to some distant promise of prosperity."

His face was unreadable. "Rather bold words for someone formerly in the Order of Lorelei."

"Maybe," said Tear. "But regardless... it is good that small things can make a difference. Otherwise... the six of us wouldn't have a chance."

Jade paused momentarily. "...Possibly," was his eventual noncommittal response. Then he brushed some imaginary dust from the front of his uniform. "Well... I suppose I should go make sure Guy isn't tinkering with something to make us crash into a mountain again. I'll see you later." He headed for the engine room, footsteps quickly fading away.

Tear watched him go, a small smile forming on her face. He had gone to great lengths to hide it, but she had noticed the softening of his eyes behind the glasses that showed her words had touched him. Somewhere deep within his undoubtedly somewhat twisted brain, he now agreed with her, at least a little. He would never admit it, of course; but knowing the idea had been planted there was enough for her.

She knew that Jade realized he was originally responsible for many of the crises the world was facing. It would be a difficult burden for anyone to bear, and she could tell it weighed heavily upon him. He liked to keep this hidden, though; only in rare unguarded moments showing that he was actually just as overly remorseful as Luke.

...Or perhaps she was just imagining things and he was completely apathetic to the whole situation. It was really rather difficult to tell...

Tear shook her head, her long hair rippling with the movement. Trying to psychoanalyze the Colonel would get her nowhere. There was only one thing that truly mattered, she decided – that despite the biting sarcasm, constant jabs, ambiguous alignment on the side of good, and fonic artes-enhanced eyes, Jade was her friend. And that was enough.

...At least, that's what she hoped.

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