We Need to Talk

"Basic training?" a puzzled Flare asks Boyd. 

"Yes, basic training. I completely forgotten about it since I thought we could get a straight ticket to Atlis. Due to that, I just thought you the more sophisticated version of Magic," Boyd apologizes to Flare for his ignorance.

"No, no. I don't mind. Instead, I am grateful you decided to teach me about it."

"…But…why the sudden conversion? And something is bothering me…" 

Flare turned to look left and saw someone standing there, observing them while eating a cupcake. 

"Why is he here?" Flare rasps, pointing at Jojo, who is casually standing there. 

Boyd just looks down, a bit depressed. 

"See, Big Sis Solaris nagged at him yesterday for failing to teach you the basics of Magic. She also burned out all the drinks he had bought and threatened to burn him. It was quite funny, watching him dancing around the flames," Jojo laughs as he explains it Flare. 

"…My footplates are charred, and I have scrubbed it all off," Boyd mumbles, still depressed. 

"That explains why you are barefooted today," Flare huffs, looking at Boyd's well-groomed feet. 

"Still, his feet are squeaky clean. Kind of something you wouldn't expect from an old man!" Jojo touches Boyd's toenail. 

"Oi!" 

Boyd lightly kicks Jojo's hand away, annoyed by Jojo's teasing. 

"And…"

Flare slightly raised her head and saw Marcia hiding in the bushes. 

"Yeah."

"Anyhow, I also wanted to train my circuits a bit. Since I saw Solaris 'wooshed!' him yesterday, I thought I could join this lecture," Jojo explains his attendance. 

 The four of them are in the forest, a clearing that Flare found so that she could train her rapier and eastern blade techniques. It has been around twenty days since Flare was introduced there after her defeat against Solaris. This morning, she got her second win against another contender with little effort. Weiss had won three, Solaris had three wins, and Jojo scored four. The news surprised everyone, and everyone congratulated the kid. Isaac and Roland's status is unknown. 

"Shall we begin?" Boyd asks Flare after sitting on the ground. 

Flare nods and sits in front of him while Jojo rushes into the jungle for his training. 

"The basics are divided into three. It is a Strength, Control, and Balance. Humans call it Ki, Elves call it Chakra, Sylphs call it Karma. I call it Augmenting."

"Augmenting?" 

"You know some of these principles already, do you?" Boyd suspects Flare of hiding secrets. 

"I do, but I never had a more…graphic explanation," Flare answers. 

"Hmm…Really?" Boyd asked her again. 

"Yes," Flare nods. 

"Okay."

"Strength is what it is. Your physical Strength combined with the Strength of your circuits. That is what Strength is. Strength for offensive power, defensive blocks, powerful lunges, that sort of thing," Boyd oversimplifies it to Flare. 

Flare stares at him, not understanding a word. 

"Hmm…Ah!"

"Do you remember when you were fighting Solaris?" Boyd asks. 

"Of course I do. She gave me a broken arm," Flare sassed, rubbing her left arm. 

"When you were fighting her, her punches were powerful despite her size. Well, she is quite muscular," Boyd comments before suddenly shivering in fright. 

"Huh, come to think of it, yes. The thought crossed my mind when I fought her," Flare remembered. 

"I thought she was just that strong, physically."

"She IS strong physically. She did knock you out, remember?" Boyd sasses back. 

"…But the kick that made your arm broke, without a doubt, that is added with some magic for some augmented strength. As for her speed, well, you have to figure it out yourself," he smiles. 

"No fair…"

Boyd continues. 

"You do notice sometimes that people can use Magic without activating their circuits completely like you did. When battling against Solaris, you used the Earth without completely activating your circuits. That is a subset of Control."

"Control controls your magical energy, whether mental, elemental, or arcane. Controlling the necessary output of energy to make sure you use it sparingly. When you swim, unnecessary movements like flailing can cause fatigue. Although you won't drown, that fatigue can lead to death when fighting an opponent."

"So if you use all of your energy, you die?"

"No, no, no. You will experience extreme fatigue, but you will not die. However, if you are fighting, that fatigue will give an opening to your opponent to land a lethal blow."

"Hmm…I see," Flare nods. 

…..

"Woah…she's focused and pretty," Marcia says as she watches the two of them. 

"Oh, you're a new one. How old are you?" 

"Huh?"

Marcia turned her head and saw a figure standing there. 

"Heh…?" she exclaims, unable to say anything correctly. 

"Hmm?" Jojo mumbles as if he noticed something odd. 

"F-F-Fourteen," Marcia answers his question. 

"…Hmm…we're the same age," Jojo thought. 

"…"

There was an awkward silence between the two for a few seconds. 

"Are you an assassin?" Marcia asks abruptly. 

The question felt a bit unpleasant to Jojo, but he slightly nodded. 

"What makes you think that?" he asks. 

"While you were jumping around the jungle, I could barely hear your footsteps. Your speed and nimble movements also account for that," Marcia states. 

"But it is also quite the opposite compared to your lineage…"

"How so?" Jojo asks.

"The name Johannesburg also gives it away."

"…She's good…"

Quickly, he brushes his sense of admiration back to a more threatening expression. 

"Are you sure that is a good question to ask? I can just kill you right now for that, you know?" Jojo threatens with an intimidating voice, putting his hand on her neck. 

However, Marcia smiles at him and gently removes his hand. 

"Your palm is rough, and there are scars. Are you also perhaps…a ninja?" she asks abruptly again. 

This time, Jojo laughs. 

"I hope I am," the kid answers. 

"Why?"

"Ninjas can throw those 'pshiu' stars they call shuriken. They were black, and they were cool!" Jojo expresses his interests before suddenly realizing that he is just pouring it all out. 

"W-Wait, what?" 

"Now, I'm going to kill you!" Jojo threatens her again, this time with a red face. 

"You're not going to kill me," Marcia states, which surprised Jojo. 

"What makes you so sure?"

Jojo, again, puts his hand on her tiny neck. 

"I can just press it, and you will…"

"…Because your anger is directed at someone else," Marcia interrupts him before he can threaten her. 

"…?"

Her sudden warm touch caught Jojo off-guard. 

"I don't know who, per se, but that is what IT says," she adds. 

"It?" 

"Oh…Sorry, I…I probably said too much already," Marcia apologizes to Jojo. 

"Why?" 

"Well…"

"Normally, people don't like strangers knowing too much about their private business."

"What do 'normal' people say?"

"…Piss off," Marcia said with a straight face, and Jojo laughed when he saw that. 

"What's so funny?" she puffed her cheeks with crossed arms. 

"Funny? No, no, no. That…was just amazing!" Jojo praised Marcia for his bouncy attitude. 

For some reason, Marcia blushes. 

"No…do you think so?" she asks for reassurance. 

"Of course it was. It was…extraordinary, quite extraordinary."

"All my training as an assassin to read body language and facial expression, and you figured me out quicker than I do you. Are your eyes also covered? How could you accomplish that?" Jojo repeatedly asks barrages of questions. 

Marcia smiles awkwardly. 

"You could say that I have heightened senses, even though my eyes are folded…" 

Marcia loosens her bandana slightly. After that, she grabs the bottom right part of her bandana, which covers her right eye, and pulls it upward, revealing a closed eye. She rubs her right eye before opening it up, revealing her hazel-coloured eyes looking at Jojo. 

"I can still see you," she smiles, winking her right eye. 

Jojo's face suddenly flushed. 

"…S-Stupid! Cut that out! It's embarrassing," Jojo nags awkwardly at Marcia before suddenly disappearing. 

"…"

"Jojo, huh? Seems like I good person…"

…..

"So, basically, Balance is where you regulate between Strength and Control?" Flare asks Boyd, taking notes. 

"Hmm…maybe…I can't find the right explanation…," Boyd mumbles. 

"When you fought with Solaris, remember when she used her fireball as a final move before you were knocked out?" 

"You flung out of the ring, but she remained, even though both of your powers could knock a normal person out of the coliseum. Why?" Boyd questions Flare. 

"…"

"Best guess is she controls the amount of magical energy for her defense, while the rest is used for the final attack?" Flare answers, still puzzled. 

"Well, you're half-right."

"Alright, imagine, if you can, your total energy is around 5000J…"

"Your enemy is attacking with an attack that is about 3000J. What should you do?" Boyd questions Flare again. 

"I should regulate 3000J for defending."

"What do you do with the rest?" 

"I'll use it to attack the opponent simultaneously."

"…What are complications?" 

"My attack could probably be less powerful."

"So, what should you do?" 

"Train more to use my magical energy better, and at least increase the amount of energy," Flare confidently answers. 

"Exactly, and all that is what Balance is," Boyd ends his lecture session. 

"See, not so bad, right?" he asks Flare. 

"Yeah, it's not that hard to understand."

"Good, good, good. Now, how about you activate your circuits," Boyd suggests. 

"Eh…it's okay?" Flare asks, hesitant to show it. 

"It's alright. The ones here are only me, Jojo, and Marcia. I am sure she will keep quiet about this, Your Highness," Boyd assures Flare. 

"…Okay..."

"Though I am not sure if I can just activate it like that after such a long time…" she says to herself, but her actions prove otherwise. 

Instantly, her golden circuits lit up brightly, bedazzling Jojo and Marcia once they saw the beautiful golden light she radiated. 

"…I did it!" Flare cheered. 

However, Boyd still needed to take it as a time to celebrate. 

"Now, remember, this is YOUR magical energy, Princess Flare," Boyd reminds her. 

"If it continues to escape, you WILL grow tired and fatigued, just like I said."

"Now, I want you to concentrate on keeping this energy inside your body while at the same time letting your circuits remain activated."

"…Eh…how?"

"Use any thought or stance that helps you focus. Then, visualize your energy flowing like blood throughout your body. From the top of your head until the bottom of your feet. This is the basics of Control."

"…and now visualize that flow beginning to ebb and hovering around your body…"

Before Boyd could finish his sentence, he smiled. In front of him, Flare had already managed to get her flow of magical energy throughout her circuits under Control. 

"…Princess, your talents are incredible but dangerous…" Boyd thought. 

"With minimal advice, you're already halfway around the basics."

"Magnificent, but terrifying."

"How do you feel?" Boyd asks about Flare's condition. 

"I feel like another layer of clothing is covering me," Flare answers, observing her circuits flowing and ebbing on her skin. 

"Good, now…I want you to remain like that while I throw rocks at you," Boyd instructs her. 

"Wha-…"

"Rocks?!" 

"Yes, of course," Boyd sasses her again. 

"Now, I want you to properly regulate your energy to the parts you want to use to deflect the rocks I throw. Of course, I would also use my magical energy to boost the power of my throwing," Boyd adds. 

"This concept trains your Strength and Control application, which will then achieve Balance!"

"Now, let us begin!"

Flare activates her circuits and gets into her stance while Boyd takes a few steps back with rocks and pebbles in his right hand. 

"First, let us test your Strength. I want you to follow my instructions on where to channel your energy, and I want you to react simultaneously. Are we clear?" 

"Yes!"

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Keep using your energy, and I will attack without any warning. Got that?"

"Yes, sir!"

"If I toss a pebble to your body, what should you do?" Boyd questions Flare. 

"…I'd say transfer the energy to the part I want to use to block your pebble?" Flare hesitantly answers his question. 

"Wrong, what else?"

"…Why?"

"If your opponent hits you in a place where you aren't guarding, you will sustain severe damage," Boyd advises Flare.

"…"

"Use it to cover my entire body?"

"Correct!"

"You defend yourself by shrouding your body in much more magical energy than usual. It is not great, but it is far more practical," the man explains.

"Now, I will add some of my energy to this rock. Protect yourself," Boyd warns Flare. 

Flare is already in her stance, waiting for the hard throw. However, she is puzzled when she sees Boyd toss the rock lightly without excess force. He tosses it over from his hip without arching backward. 

"So slow…" Flare comments, just watching the rock. 

She quickly covers herself with magical energy and prepares to catch the rock. The rock falls down to her hand, but suddenly, her hand swings backward without even seeing the stone. The force nearly dislocated her entire arm. Luckily, all she got was a sprain. Marcia and Jojo, quietly watching from the bushes, just dropped their jaw in shock. 

"You must have relaxed a bit when you saw how slowly the rock falls in your direction," Boyd comments. 

"If you didn't use any magical energy, the rock might pierce through your hand and land on your body and will injure you."

"That was the power of Strength alone. I channeled it into a rock, and you got blasted backward," Boyd informs Flare. 

"If I arched back and threw the rock with full force, packed with dense energy, it becomes much stronger. Dozens of times stronger," he adds. 

"Apply heat to that sprain, but keep using the energy. I'll throw more rocks without telling you."

Flare channels some magic to her hand, warming her palm. After that, she presses her hand on the sprain while waiting for the second attack. 

"…"

"…"

She remained there for 3 minutes, but Boyd still had not thrown any rocks at her. Before she realized it, she suddenly felt exhausted and stopped using her energy to defend herself. 

"Hmm…mmm…"

"Mmm…mmm…"

"That was almost four minutes," Boyd records Flare's performance. 

Flare took deep breaths after removing her hand. Her sprain is slightly better, but she still feels exhausted. 

"I had no idea it could be this hard to keep using up my energy," she thought while taking short breaths. 

"You need to be able to sustain Strength for at least thirty minutes, or you will not stand a chance in a long fight."

"We will continue to do this for four days straight!"

"JOJO!" Boyd suddenly calls out. 

Jojo slowly walked out of the bushes.

"Since you are here, then you help me out. Solaris sent you, didn't she?"

"Huh? Why do I have to help you?" 

"That's why she had you come over. If she wants to check out on her, she can check her back at your cottage."

"What if I am her enemy?"

"Now you are just being childish. You already had four wins, and I know you have another match with some contender four days from now. Flare didn't apply for matches after her win before our training."

"…S-Seriously? Who do you guys think I am?"

"What? Aren't you Solaris's errand boy?"

"….Or maybe…"

Boyd places his head next to Jojo's ear. 

"You are into older women…"

"How mortifying!" Boyd teases him while poking his cheeks. 

Jojo's face turned bright red when he heard that. Boyd kept on poking his cheek before the boy just smacked his finger away. 

Just like that, Jojo became Flare's teacher for four days straight. Slowly, Flare held her energy for Strength longer under Jojo's tutorage. On the third day, Marcia herself decided to join in on training. While Flare focuses on enduring her exhaustion, Jojo trains Marcia about the three principles of Ki. When they finished their session for the day, they ate dinner together before returning to their cottage. At the same time, Flare and Jojo invited Marcia to stay inside with them until the fighting season was finished. Due to some constraints, Marcia sleeps in the same room with Flare instead of Jojo. When Marcia decides to sleep, Solaris proposes that she sleep in the same room with either Flare or her, which slightly infuriates Jojo. 

"…Am I getting in the way here?" Solaris asks them, who have looked at each other since Marcia came in. 

"Yeah," Jojo hums. 

"O-Of course not!" Marcia mutters with a red face. 

"Wait…I said that out loud," Jojo suddenly realizes his mistake. 

However, it was already too late when he suddenly received two hits on his head by Solaris and Flare. 

"Who says 'yeah'?!" the two of them scolded him simultaneously. 

"W-What was that for?" 

"Shut it!" the two of them silenced him before hitting him in the head once again. 

"Stop it…"

"No can do!"

"He is dense for an assassin," Marcia giggles. 

Four days have passed, and Boyd returned to check on Flare's progress. To his surprise, he saw Jojo training Marcia, and before they could explain anything, he teased the two of them about being boyfriend and girlfriend. This, of course, triggers a response with the two of them chasing him around the forest to hit him in the face. Flare watches with awe and awkwardness. The same question lingers in her head. 

"How can that old man run so fast in that armor?" she wonders. 

After spending fifteen minutes playing around, the two kids finally gave up, and Boyd puffed his chest with pride. 

"You are far too young to win a game of cats and mice against me!" he states, laughing. 

"Is that something an old man should be proud of?" the two simultaneously yelled at him. 

"Hgnh!" 

…..

"Anyway, today we begin the second phase, Control," Boyd announced. 

"Activate your circuits."

Flare follows his instructions and activates her golden circuit, again capturing Jojo and Marcia's awe and attention. 

"Pretty…" Marcia comments. 

"For example, in your current state, the energy surrounding your body for attack power and defense is 2000J, so you have around 3000J more reserved energy inside. That is 1000J for defending and 1000J for attacking. If you fight in this state, you won't be able to deal much damage. What do you do?" Boyd questioned. 

"…Transfer your reserve energy to the part you want to use to attack?" Flare asks. 

"You know, you should be more confident in your guesses, Flare," Boyd scolds her for some reason. 

"Yes…"

"Transfer your reserve energy to the part you want to use to attack. For example, transfer the energy into my punch when I want to attack my opponent," Flare confidently states. 

"You're half-correct!" Boyd answers. 

"Heh?"

"Sure, you can pull out the reserved energy from your circuits, but…well, what is the downside?" 

"…Hah! I know. Shorter longevity!" Flare guessed again. 

"Correct!" Boyd pats her shoulder. 

"You have to decide at the beginning of the fight how much energy the opponent uses so you can successfully block and attack the opponent while at the same time conserving energy. It's also so you can survive longer in a dragged fight."

"So, besides using your reserved energy, how do you increase your Strength input for offense and defense?" Boyd questions Flare again. 

"…"

"Ah! You transfer the magical energy that you already use to the body part that you want to use for an attack!" Marcia answers after remaining silent for a while. 

"Brilliant! You can have a cookie, my little potato!" Boyd praises the little girl. 

"Potato?"

Marcia suddenly turned silent after hearing that word as if a thought crossed her mind. The three of them, Flare, Boyd, and Jojo, noticed this but continued like it didn't happen. 

"From your 1000J energy state, at the moment of attack or defense, you shift 1500J energy to the body part you want to use, and the rest of your body will turn 500J."

"The principle of Control is to alter your energy depending on your situation."

"It doesn't matter if you have 100000J of energy for attack and defense. In that 50000-50000 state, you shift, say…45000J to your attack, leaving you with a margin of 95000J for attacking and 5000J for defending."

"This is Control!" Boyd announces. 

"Now, let's not waste any time, my potatoes."

"Let's get started!"

Flare activates her circuits, followed by Jojo and then Marcia. When Marcia started her circuits, this time, Flare and Jojo were wonderstruck by Marcia's circuits. The two looked in awe as her pure white circuits gleamed on her skin. Everyone is…except Boyd, who stares at it. Unfortunately, no one can determine his impression under his helm. However, Flare did notice his shoulders slightly tensed up. 

"Hoh, you already know the first principle. Good for you, Marcie," Boyd praises him. 

His tensed appearance is entirely gone for anyone's eyes to see. 

"I want you to use only 200J of energy today. In that 100-100 state, right-hand 150J, rest of the body 50J!" 

Flare and Marcia punched the air and tried to shift their energy to their right hand. Jojo, on the other hand, does it quickly. 

"It doesn't have to be precise, but you have to try it," Boyd reminds the two of them as they slowly shift their energy according to his instructions. 

"Right leg to 125J, rest of the body to 75J!"

"…"

"Stomach to 180J, rest of the body to 20J!"

"…"

"Do this thrice daily, and add it to your training regime."

When the sun begins to set, just about when their training is finished for the day, Boyd instructs Flare to spar with Marcia. He tells them that they can start slow in the first spar without really using their physical Strength. 

"When you are defensive, determine your opponent's attack power before defending with your energy. For today, we use around 500J, so reserve the rest of it for later. Then, slowly, we'll increase the amount by training day," Boyd stated. 

"Begin!"

"So, I'll begin first, okay?" Marcia announced. 

"Okay."

Slowly, she motions her right arm and swings it at Flare, slowly. 

"Right arm, 290J," Marcia thought while channeling her energy to her right arm. 

Flare observes her arm, trying to determine the energy. 

"Right arm, 300J," she determines by observing it. 

"Left arm, 300J."

Flare shifts her 50J of energy in her 250-250 state to 300J in her left arm. She raises her hand slowly and blocks the attack. At that moment, the two of them felt something. 

"…It feels like..." Marcia mumbles.

"Nothing…" Flare mutters in her head. 

"Her arm is hitting me, and I can sense the energy from her arm."

"…Our skin is touching each other, but I feel no pain at all."

"My turn…"

"Right leg, 405J!" Flare declares in her head while shifting her energy to her leg. 

It is Marcia's turn to observe her attack. 

"Left shoulder, 405J!" 

Again, their attacks cancel each other. 

"If they can keep this up daily, for a month, they'll be able to fight at full speed while using the two basic principles of Ki," Boyd deduced. 

"(Although…Your Highness doesn't have a month.)" 

"(I just hope she doesn't fight anyone that mastered these basics, since she is still a novice.)"

"But…"

The old man smiles. 

"(I have the feeling she'll do it anyway.)"

"By the way, Uncle Boyd…," Flare calls out. 

"Hmm?"

"What about that lightning attack I used back when we…Weiss fought the Executioner?" Flare asks. 

"…"

"That is a pretty good question," Boyd utters. 

"Come to think of it. I completely forgot to teach you how to control and transform your energy into another form of energy," he adds. 

"…Indeed, you're right!" Flare gasps, suddenly remembering it. 

"But I thought you had known about it since you already managed to use lightning, wind, and earth elemental magic," Boyd steps in, surprised and shocked to hear the same reaction he had in Flare's expression. 

"No, I didn't…" Flare responds right back. 

"…"

"…"

"I have to say, you may be a natural-born talent, Your Highness," Boyd mutters, almost as if he is angry when he hears her response. 

"Nevertheless, let us extend this training method for another two hours. Is that all right?" he quickly retorts after collecting himself. 

"Understood. Thank you for having me," Flare nods and bows respectfully, like a student bowing to her teacher.

"Very well, let us begin!"

…..

And soon, when the session ends, the four of them return to their cottage, except for Flare. She talked with Boyd for a while before getting a pat on the head, exchanged good nights, and told them that she had some other business to do. 

 * * * * *

"Of all the places you choose here to conduct your experiment?" Flare asked. 

"Wounds on a corpse can help me determine the nature of my opponent's powers and abilities. Although I have observed most of them, I still need to examine it," Weiss answers. 

 The two of them are inside a room beneath the coliseum underground. Flare had been searching for him ever since she finished her other business. She met Roland while searching for Weiss, and the jester told her his location. When she came in, she nearly vomited because the underground room was a crematory. There are corpses of dead contenders covered with cloth, and currently, one corpse is about to be cremated. Weiss asks for the cremator's permission to inspect some of the dead bodies before doing it. Although he got his permission, Flare still thinks that it is pretty disrespectful to treat dead bodies like this. When she got in, Weiss was inspecting a wound on a corpse that died that afternoon. 

"By the way, what in the world are you doing here anyway?" he asks, puzzled. 

"I came here to talk to you…"

Suddenly, she felt a chill in the air. Weiss's puzzled eyes turned severe, and veins appeared on his arm. 

"If you came here to persuade me out of it, don't bother. I don't need this sentimentality right now," he warns Flare before she can finish her sentence. 

"…B-But why?"

Weiss paused for a few seconds. 

"Stop now, Captain."

"Stop?"

"Stop digging."

"Ah…" Flare smirks. 

Flare takes a deep breath in a damp morgue before continuing. 

"You ever killed someone, Captain?" Weiss questions her. 

"No."

"Yeah, then don't talk about it. Don't dig," he warns her again. 

"I've been in some fights," Flare utters. 

"Sure you have."

"Almost had Solaris beat."

"Yeah, that…"

Again, the two of them give the other the silent treatment. 

"I know one thing," Flare declared. 

"What?"

"You change when you kill someone."

Weiss remained silent, still inspecting the corpse. 

"Sometimes they see things they can't un-see. Come home to find the home's not there anymore. It changed. Or maybe they did…"

"Yeah, fair enough," Weiss responds. 

"I'm just saying I know it can be hard," Flare tries to provide comfort. 

"Do you?" Weiss asks. 

This time, Flare turned silent. 

"You know it can be hard? You live in a palace with your silk pajamas and a tiara, not even been in shit you haven't been," Weiss continues. 

"You walk around in the palace, talking to nobles that may court you, then you sleep at night, right?"

"You think you can convince yourself that it wasn't you who raged at the ship; maybe somebody else. You think you can convince yourself you are better because you don't hurt anyone?"

"Well, see, I don't get that kind of privilege," he states. 

"You know what I think?" Flare asks. 

"What's that?"

"You are at war, Weiss."

"Oh, for crying out loud. Stop!" 

The two of them turned silent again. 

"The thing you are thinking inside your head there, Captain, doesn't work. Did you know that?" Weiss asserted. 

"Oh, what you are doing is better. Vengeance here and there, you think that is better?" Flare raises her voice. 

"What I do, I just do. It's out of necessity."

"Oh, come on. You know you're not the only one, right?" Flare sneered.

"Who did you lose? Huh? Was it someone you loved?" she continues on sneering. 

Weiss remains silent. 

"Well, boo-hoo. Let me tell you this, buddy! Everybody's lost someone, it doesn't mean you have to do this," Flare mocked. 

"Well, the loss doesn't work the same for everybody, Captain," he responds. 

"Yeah, it's not working on you-…"

"Maybe not. But so are you, Flare," Weiss cuts her words short. 

"What?"

"Why'd you want the throne back, huh? I remember hearing you say you want it back. I am asking you why?" he questioned. 

"Power? Revenge? Monarchy? Pride? Because you're of royal descent?"

Flare turned silent. 

"We don't get to pick the things that fix us, Flare. Make us whole! Make us feel purpose!"

"My moment of clarity? It comes from the strangest of places."

"I mean, why? I killed people; is that what makes you think you are better than me?"

"Is that why you think you're a big hero in this story?" Weiss asked. 

"It doesn't matter what I think or what I am. People don't have to die," Flare debunks him. 

"Come on, Flare. Do you believe that?"

"I believe it is not my call, and it ain't yours either!"

"Somebody asks you to retake that thrown you wanted, or you take it upon yourself?" Weiss suddenly shouts at her face. 

Flare remained silent, although it is clear now that she is furious about him. 

"You know what I think of you, hero?" Weiss sneered. 

"I think you're a half-measure. You are someone you can't finish the job. I think that you are a coward, Flare."

Flare's hands are shaking. Her fists clenched. 

"You know the one thing that you just cannot see?"

"You know you are one bad day away from being me," Weiss stated. 

Suddenly, Flare swings her arm and punches Weiss in the face. The sudden attack was too sudden for Weiss; he did not manage to evade it, so he took a clean hit. He reversed backward, a bit shocked, but he did not get any injuries, not even a minor one. 

"Hoh…the kitten has grown fangs, doesn't she?"

"Kitten or not. I'll drag it away from you!" Flare stated. 

"Drag me from what?" 

"…From revenge."

"There's no need for that, Flare. We have gone way past that stage."

"Then, I'll drag you back from you are to this stage," she adds. 

"Then, you'll die," Weiss states, a bit tensed. 

"Do you remember what you said to me back then at Talbot's house?" Flare asked. 

Weiss remains silent. 

"…Don't try to shoulder the burden by yourself, and don't be a stranger."

Flare looked at him, didn't care whether or not he was listening. 

"Weep and ask for help. Lean on us with a runny nose…" 

 "Cry when you feel like it. Laugh when you feel like laughing…"

"When you are tearing up, crying alone with an ugly face, I'll give you a good cry with an uglier face and cry with you," Flare repeats the exact words Weiss told her before. 

"Do you remember that, Weiss?" she asked. 

He is still silent. 

"So, I will drag you back, even if it means fighting you," she adds. 

This surprised Weiss. 

"What do you mean?"

Flare points her finger at Weiss.

"Weiss, six days from now. That's the date!" 

"For what?"

"…"

"…"

"It is the day I will battle you in the ring!" Flare issued a challenge as a fellow contender. 

"W-What do you want, huh? Why the hell are you so fixated on me, woman?!" Weiss snarls, his teeth gritting in anger. 

However, instead of anger, Flare smiles and says,

"What kind of queen I would be, what kind of captain I am, what kind of person I am if I can't save one lousy person I call a friend."