Makina stormed through the guildhall and up the stairs towards Cross's room. It was nearly noon and the idiot had yet to wake up. Normally this was not something that Makina would have concerned herself with, but the previous day he had promised, or more accurately she had ordered, him to take her somewhere nice to eat. Cross had chosen to buy her lunch and Makina was more than ready to be fed.

"Impudent moron," Makina muttered under her breath as she reached the hallway. "What kind of servant cannot even rise before dawn? I should be awoken to breakfast in bed and a bath drawn and waiting for me. He really is useless."

An open door caught the Goddess's eye. It was Lexi's room. Makina could hear the sound of movement inside. Curious, she decided to delay her smiting of Cross for the moment. She had not seen Lexi much the last few weeks. The shadow mage had taken a series of back-to-back requests, only stopping by at the guild to deposit her payment before taking off again.

"What are you doing?" Makina asked as she ducked her head inside.

Lexi looked up at Makina from beneath her scarf. An assortment of gear was laid out in front of her, with Nightmare in the center.

"Hello Maki," Lexi said, her eyes crinkled into a soft smile before she returned to her examination of the equipment as Makina stepped into the room.

Makina had only been inside once, and at the time she hadn't taken much time to look around. Now that she did, she could very decidedly tell it belonged to Lexi. Various weapons hung on the royal purple walls and a large bookshelf that Makina was slightly familiar with dominated one corner. The fact that a number of stuffed animals sat haphazardly on the bed was a surprise though. As were the color of the beddings. Soft, pastel blue sheets adorned with more pink, oversized pillows than anyone one person could ever need. Makina made a mental note to order Cross to get her more pillows. Big ones.

Lexi flipped Nightmare over and ran her eye carefully along the blade. "I have to take Nightmare in for an inspection later today. I am making sure he is prepared. A clean sword is a ready sword."

"He?" Makina peered at the weapon. "How do you know it is a he?"

"It is what my father told me when he gave me Nightmare." She laughed softly. "Though I suppose Nightmare could be a girl just as easily."

"Why must you prepare him? What is the inspection for? Are you going on some kind of mission?"

"No, not a mission." Lexi looked down at Makina. There was a glint in her eye. A glimmer of excitement. "The dance of blades starts tomorrow."

"Dance of blades?"

"It is a tournament. One that has been held here every year since before Voy was founded. Then, it was just a small gathering of each tribe's greatest warriors. Now, warriors from all corners of the kingdoms come to compete."

"And you are competing?"

"Yes."

"How does it work?" Makina plopped herself down on the floor, more interested in Lexi's answer than bothering Cross for the time being.

"The fighters that qualified din their local regions will gather today for the preliminaries. From that number they will reduce down to fifteen. I will be the sixteenth combatant.”

"You don't have to fight for your position?"

"No. I won the previous Dance of Blades. I also won the year before, and the year before that. The winner is given an automatic position in the final sixteen." There was unmistakable pride in Lexi's voice.

"Why must you have your weapons inspected? Are there rules about what you can use?" Makina glanced down at Nightmare, watching light reflect off the shimmering blade.

"Ranged weapons like firearms or bows are not allowed, but all others are considered fair game. If you wish to use a weapon, however, it must be bonded with an Obscuring Stone."

"Obscuring Stone?"

Lexi lifted up Nightmare with ease.

"This sword could easily cleave a man in two. To use it in a tournament would likely cause death, or at the very least a grievous injury. However, if you bond it with an Obscuring Stone, it loses the ability to kill."

"How so?"

"The blade will become incorporeal upon making connection with flesh. Well, so long as it is within the confines of the arena. Otherwise it will still work just like a normal weapon."

"Hmmm." Makina reached out and tapped the blade. "But won't that make fighters more daring? They know full well that they will not die no matter what risks they take."

"A little, perhaps," Lexi said with a small nod. "But the pain you receive upon being struck with the sword is still very much real. A kill strike will almost always cause the fighter to pass out. I've never seen anyone stay standing after a stab to the heart or head. Even having your arm cut through is nearly unbearable. It happened to me last year."

Makina's eyes widened. "You still won?"

"It was my left arm, luckily," Lexi said as she mindlessly rubbed the nonexistent wound. "It was extremely painful and I very nearly lost, but my opponent was badly injured as well. It came down to the last strike. I expect this year will be the same. Of the fighters that reach the final sixteen, any of them have a chance to be the victor. Just as with any battle, you cannot risk taking an opponent lightly. Even a Goddess would do well to remember that."

Makina rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, I will do my very best."

Lexi blinked. "You know, it is very nice that the stones are reusable, so the tournament has functioned like this for many years. I am hopeful that we can acquire some for the guild. While they were all but impossible to make before, the return of magic should see their numbers increase. They would be invaluable for education. I'm sure it would be most helpful for your eventual training. A little pain goes a long way."

"I'm afraid I will have to pass on that," Makina mumbled. She cast an eye over the rest of the gear, ready to change the subject. "You're going to wear armour? I don't believe I've ever seen you wear armour before."

"Some," Lexi admitted. She picked up a leather gauntlet and ran her finger along the metal studs embedded in it. "This is different than hunting. Speed and stealth are often my most used tools when I hunt. Wearing armor slows me down, and makes it easier for others to detect me. Stealth will do me very little in the arena. The added protection is necessary, especially in the later matches, when exhaustion starts to set in and mistakes are made. I will likely go with gauntlets, a spaulder, and a light chest piece. It's what I wore last year and it seemed to work well. Anything more and I may be weighed down too much and grow tired too early. It is all about finding the perfect balance."

"Well, I shall cheer for you. Though I doubt you will need it. I have seen you fight before and I have no doubt you will win."

"Thank you, Maki."

“As a matter of fact, go ahead and kneel.” Makina lifted herself up to her full height, pushing her shoulders back and lifting her face high. “Hurry now, I do not have all day.”

Lexi tilted her head, a small smile on her face. She waited a moment before slowly lowering herself down to one knee before the Goddess. “Yes?”

Makina reached out and delicately placed her hand upon Lexi’s head. “May good fortune come to you in the coming battles. There, you have been blessed by Makina, Goddess of the Northern Winter Winds. It is not possible for you to lose now. You may rise.”

Still smiling, Lexi did as she was commanded. “Thank you, Maki.”

“Think nothing of it, but do try your best not to waste my gift.”

“I shall do my best.” She down looked at Makina. "You know, I have some time before I need to check in. Have you eaten yet?"

"No, I have not." Makina's face lit up. "But I know just the person to see about that!”

Lexi watched the young Goddess bound out of the room. In another moment there was a loud shout as Cross was pulled from his bed and blasted with a frigid gust of winter air, courtesy of Makina.

Lexi hid a laugh behind her hand before heading off to join the pair.

xXx

Cross was torn as he returned to the guild from his midday meal. The meal itself had been excellent, and despite her often-annoying behavior, he appreciated Makina's company. That aside, most of all he had been glad that Lexi had gone out with them. He had been worried about her. Since Sammir had left, Lexi had really thrown herself into work. It wasn't something that was uncommon. Lexi would often increase her workload when she was troubled. Still, it gave Cross a great sense of relief to see her interacting with members of the guild. Though it didn't escape his attention that she was wearing a scarf tight around her face again, only removing it for the briefest of moments while they ate.

It also did not escape his attention that he had somehow ended up paying for his own meal, along with Lexi and Makina's meals, complete with dessert. He was unsure how this had happened so easily, but Makina seemingly had a way with convincing him to part with his money.

Lexi's eyes, shining with silent laughter, did not help either.

"Welcome back," Servilia called as Cross entered through the threshold. "Where are Alexis and Makina?"

"Makina is tagging along with Lexi. She wanted to see the arena."

"Ah." Servilia nodded. "It's much larger than last year. All of the local hotels are filled up. We have actually received a contract to do some security. Interested?"

"Not in the least." Cross waved his hand. "I'm on hiatus after the last one."

"About that, the Mistress would like you to give your report to her directly." Servilia looked at him knowingly. "Not that you have started the report in the first place."

Cross gave her a guilty grin. "Yeah, I'll go talk to her."

"Actually, that will have to wait. She just left to see the Master. She should be back before the tournament tomorrow, though. She is very excited to see Alexis compete this year. It will be very impressive if she is able to hold her title another year.”

Cross nodded and a thought popped into his mind. "Have you finished grading Lexi's performance yet?"

"Yes, actually we have," Servilia said before she turned back to her desk.

“. . .”

“. . .”

“. . .”

“. . .”

Cross broke first. "And?"

"You know that is confidential.”

"Just tell me."

"You will know soon enough." Servilia looked at Cross. Her face betrayed nothing. "The Mistress will tell Alexis the results after the tournament. Please refrain from mentioning this to Alexis. It could adversely affect her ability to compete."

"Right, then." Cross sighed. "I'm going back to sleep.”

"You've slept long enough," Servilia tutted. "Besides-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Still going to sleep." Cross cut her off with a wave of his hand and slouched up the stairs.

Servilia watched him go with a small smile. Perhaps she should have mentioned… Oh well, he would find out soon enough. With a soft laugh to herself she continued to file away requests.

As he ascended the stairs, Cross knew Servilia was right. He had slept more than enough and while his body may have rested just fine, walking the Void had left him completely exhausted mentally. Resisting the Void took a greater toll on him than he had expected. It had taken almost all of his energy just to go out and eat with Lexi and Makina. He just needed to get a few more hours of sleep and he would be fine. Sleep uninterrupted by Makina, or anyone else for that matter.

Maybe he would talk to Banksy about getting one of those fancy magical locks installed.

Yawning, he stumbled into his bedroom, slammed the door shut, and immediately noticed something was wrong. The air was thick with steam. Had he been so tired that he left the shower running before going to lunch? No. That wasn't possible. He hadn’t taken a shower this morning, he’d taken one the night before.

A scent wafted through the air, mingled with the steam. It was sweet. He felt a wave of nostalgia well up inside his chest. He knew this smell. It was…

Vanilla…

Vanilla and….

The bathroom door opened.

"Cinnamon," Cross said softly as a young woman stepped out of his bathroom clad in only a towel. Her long, black hair was still wet, sending water droplets cascading down to the floor. She stared at him through glimmering, moss green eyes.

"Hello Cross." She smiled at him warmly. "It's been a long time."

"Alice," Cross breathed.

"Well, are you going to stand there and stare? That's rude. I know I taught you better than that!" Alice laughed. When Cross made no effort to move she rolled her eyes and crossed the distance between them, stopping only inches in front of him.

She was shorter than him, now. He actually had to look down to meet her eye. But when she smiled at him, the edge of her mouth just turning up with amusement, Cross suddenly felt so very small.

"Not even a hello?" she said expectantly.

His throat felt like it was suddenly too tight. He choked on his words. "H-hey.”

"You got tall." Alice reached out and ran her hand along his cheek, tracing his jaw. "And so handsome. Where did my little Cross go?"

Her touch was enough to break Cross's stunned silence and he took a step back, mentally giving himself a shake.

"Alice, what are you doing here?" He was just barely able to keep his voice level.

"I guess Servilia didn't tell you?" Alice shook her head and gave off a light laugh. The sound rang like music in his ears. "I should have known. That is just like her. I'm sure she is laughing right now."

"Tell me what?"

"I'm going to be staying here for a few days. I didn't realize the tournament would be this week and all the hotels are filled. Servilia was nice enough to lend me a room."

"Oh." Cross didn't know what else to say.

"The town is so different now. I almost got lost trying to find the guild. A lot has changed." She winked. "A lot."

"Yeah… I guess."

"You're not as talkative anymore, are you?" Alice put her arms behind her back and leaned forwards, staring up at him inquisitively. "What else about you has changed, I wonder." She laughed when Cross gave no answer and popped back up to her full height. "We have so much to talk about. You're not busy today, are you?"

"I…" Cross was still too stunned to fully formulate a proper response. Alice was here. How? Why?

Alice tilted her head and stared up at Cross's eyes. He could feel his heart begin to beat faster. "You'll make time for me, won't you Cross?"

"Y-yeah."

"Alright, then! I'll go get dressed. Oh, I cannot wait!" Alice beamed. "I hope you don't mind me using your shower. I almost forgot this wasn't my room anymore. Hopefully I won't get confused tonight. We wouldn't want to cause a scene, would we? Not that it would the first time we shared a bed, though now we might not fit as well. Well, not unless we got really close, right?”

She disappeared back into the bathroom and clicked the door shut before Cross could respond.

"Right, then," Cross murmured as he fell back against his door and reached up to rub his temple. "Right, then."