Chapter Text
The first thing Phoenix realized, when he completely stabilized after being carried away by the Babylon candle, was that he was alive.
A great start, all things considered.
The second thing was that it was extremely dark.
The third was that he was completely soaked.
The fourth was an irritated yell coming from behind him.
“Where the stars did you take us?!” Miles shouted, taking Phoenix by the shoulders and shaking him.
And at that moment Phoenix realized the fifth thing, which was that they were both standing on a cloud, in the middle of the stormy sky.
Not exactly the safest place to take someone you were trying to save the life of, but in his defense, that wasn't where Phoenix wanted to take himself and Miles.
“I thought we would go to my father! Oh no! Does that mean he's dead and gone to heaven, that's why we're here?” Phoenix began to despair, looking around for another figure in the night. His eyes were beginning to get used to the darkness lightened only by the faint moonlight that was filtering through the clouds above them, and by the thunderbolts that occasionally pierced the sky. But there didn't seem to be anyone else besides them.
“Your… YOUR father?! It was him you wanted me to think about?!” Miles' voice rose an octave. Phoenix looked at him confused.
“Of course, who else…?” He began to raise his voice in turn, more moved by panic than anger.
“You said to think about dad. It is obvious that I have thought of mine! What kind of encrypted message was that?!” explained Miles.
Phoenix fell from the clouds… not literally.
“You have a father?! Wait, but then if I thought of mine, and you thought of yours…” he started putting two and two together.
“We are halfway between the earth and the sky! Simply put, you saved my life to make me die five minutes later!” Miles finished for him.
And Phoenix finally began to get irritated
“Oh, I’m sorry, your majesty that I tried to save your life! I thought it was obvious I was talking about my father! I didn't know you had one!” he defended himself. After all, he had saved his life, and Miles wasn't grateful at all. He could very well have left him to die and mind his own business. It wasn't his life purpose to be targeted by a murderous witch.
“You are the one who mentioned him first! I thought you meant him!” Miles objected.
“Mentioned? I never mentioned…” Phoenix had no idea where the discussion was heading.
Their yelling contest was interrupted when they were grabbed by a net, and dragged down from the cloud.
For a moment, Phoenix felt completely weightless as he fell back into the void.
And he almost spontaneously clung to Miles and held him close.
Then his feet, or rather, his knees, felt something solid again, much more concrete than the clouds where he was in a short balance just a moment before.
And he realized that he was practically hugging Miles, who was not making any attempt to free himself, and was looking around worried.
Phoenix did the same, as much as the net that was holding him to the ground allowed. And he noticed several figures in menacing black cloaks surrounding them with unsheathed swords and colored hair poking out of their hoods.
“Captain, we found two men in the middle of the clouds” one of the masked figures, who from the voice sounded like a boy with chords of steel, called a figure behind Phoenix, that the man was unable to see.
“Two men on the clouds. This is strange” commented a confident voice, approaching the two captured men, and leaning towards them.
It was dark, so his features weren't very clear, but he looked quite young, and he had a worrying smirk.
Unlike the others, he wasn’t wearing a hood, but a pirate hat, and his blond hair was tied up in a braid.
“G-Gavin…” Miles whispered, scared. So quietly that only Phoenix could hear him, thankfully.
“Tie them up and put them in the hold. We have work to do, and we can't let nosy people snoop around” the captain ordered, after observing them for a few seconds.
Phoenix did not know how to object and save himself, so he let himself be dragged downstairs, where he was tied to a chair with Miles.
“From the frying pan to the fire” Miles muttered, sighing, resigned to his fate.
Phoenix seriously began to regret starting that adventure.
Franziska woke up with a severe headache.
The furious voice of her father in her ear did not help her at all to stabilize herself, and she was on the verge of taking off the earring and throwing it into the still half-lit fire in front of her.
Wait a minute…
Fire.
The star!
She sat up abruptly, causing her headache to deepen, and she looked around trying to remember what had happened.
She had taken care of the brown-haired woman, but her partner had taken up the defense of the star. She had blocked their way, raised the knife, and… and then what?
Had they disappeared into thin air?
But how was that possible?!
Stars didn't have that kind of power, and the other guy looked like a total fool, completely devoid of skills or magic.
His hair wasn’t colored, after all.
And in general no one could teleport, not even her father.
The only way was by using a Babylon candle, but it was not possible that...
“Damn it!” Franziska complained, furious for having missed such a golden opportunity.
“Ah, you finally woke up! You let the star escape! How could you let it slip away and pass out like this! " her father complained, finally hearing auditive feedback from her.
Franziska ignored him, and looked around for the magic knife she needed to tear out the heart of the star in a neat and tidy way, but she found it nowhere.
It couldn't have broken or disappeared. It had to be somewhere.
She got up with some difficulty and began to look around.
Sobs coming from the basement caught her attention. It was where she had left both the Kitakis and the brown-haired woman.
And also all her things, which she necessarily had to recover.
Probably by then the Kitakis had woken up, and perhaps they were desperate for the situation in which Franziska had put them.
Luckily, she'd made sure they didn't remember that she'd put them to sleep, so she could go to the basement without fear of repercussions and pretend she was just a confused guest who had stumbled upon their same sleepy fate.
She set off, making sure she was looking hurt and confused to better sell off her innocence, even if it was costing her a lot to pretend to be weak and in trouble.
She was an incredible witch, after all, the best after the great Manfred von Karma!
Once in the basement, however, she was surprised to notice that the Kitakis were still asleep.
And sobbing, next to the brown-haired woman's sleeping body, was a girl of about her age, with long black hair and rather elegant clothes despite being covered by the hood.
Franziska was sure she had never seen her, because she would have remembered such a cute girl.
Wait, like… Franziska was sure she was not an inn client who she had put to sleep, so she was an outsider who had come in after Franziska herself had fainted.
Maybe it was that young woman who had stolen her magic knife.
Before Franziska could decide what to do —and she was inclined towards retreating and waiting for the girl to leave before continuing her work— the girl seemed to notice her presence, and with unsuspected reflexes, she turned around pulling out a sword from nowhere, which she aimed at Franziska's throat.
Wow...
Um, well… er, WO! How dared that beggar point a sword at the great Franziska von Karma!
"Kill her!" came a voice to her ear.
Franziska ignored her father's usual and banal suggestions. It was quite difficult at the moment to kill a person who was pointing a sword at her throat.
Though, well, maybe it would have been less difficult than it seemed, because the girl's eyes were wet with tears, and her hands were slightly shaking.
Her facial features were as familiar to Franziska as those of the brown-haired girl and her spiky-haired companion had been, but unlike the latter, Franziska felt not revulsion looking at the girl in front of her, but fascination.
She was really fascinating.
Um, er, like… dangerous!
Ugh, it was the headache that was confusing her thoughts!
“What happened here? Speak, sorceress!” the girl ordered her, in a surprisingly firm voice.
Franziska decided to play the part of the innocent victim.
“I-I don't know! I stopped at this inn, and I wanted to spend the night here, when suddenly I fell asleep. I think someone put a spell on me, but I'm really confused. I just woke up. I heard sobbing and headed here to make sure no one was hurting themselves” Franziska lied, innocently, showing herself to be much more helpless than she was.
It would have been easy to take her whip and disarm the girl. Even easier to knock her out like her sister.
But she couldn't do rash gestures.
The Kitakis, after all, were about to wake up, and although they were lesser wizards, there were three of them.
Combined with the girl, who emanated strong spiritual power, they would be four against one.
And yes, Franziska could easily have knocked them out and run away, but she still had a severe headache, and also she could use the situation to her advantage, somehow.
The brown-haired woman was a dangerous liability, but Franziska still had enough time before she woke up to work out a strategy.
“What's the last thing you remember?” the girl insisted, pointing the sword more at her neck.
“I... uh, I remember a…” Franziska tried to work out a strategy on the spot, but stopped when she noticed the sleeping woman behind the black-haired girl.
Because she was no longer asleep.
She was dead.
Despite the distance, it was impossible to mistake that, since her heart was ripped out of her chest.
But it didn't make sense.
Franziska was sure she had only put her to sleep. She hadn't killed her.
She had never killed anyone in her life.
The horror on her face must have been evident, because the girl lowered her sword.
“She was my sister” she explained, in a broken voice, trying in vain to hold back the tears “And I won't stop until I find out what happened to her! So speak!” she then ordered, hardening her tone and gaze.
Franziska was silent for several seconds, devising a possible plan.
She didn't have a clue what happened after she passed out, and couldn't give answers, but perhaps now that the only person who had seen her use her powers was dead, she was much more likely to successfully exploit the situation to her advantage.
“There was a man…” she whispered, quickly elaborating a new strategy “Or maybe there were two... I didn't see well. But I saw that one had black hair, spikey. I caught only a glimpse of him, but I think he was the one who put a spell on everyone” she decided to direct the anger of that young girl towards an enemy of hers. Who knows, maybe she could have joined her and have an ally for a while, to quickly find the star and then run away in a hurry while the other two were battling each other.
“How did he put the whole inn to sleep if he was not a sorcerer?” observed the girl, glancing at the still sleeping Kitakis, who, however, were barely starting to move awake.
“Maybe he was a lesser wizard, like them... I don't know. I’m only reporting what I have seen. And I can… can I get closer?” Franziska pointed to the deceased sister of the girl in front of her, and started to approach her.
The girl let her, still keeping the sword firmly pointed at her neck.
Franziska knelt beside the body, looking for some clue as to what had happened after she had passed out.
The murder mystery was a mystery to her too, after all, and she had every intention to uncover the truth.
“The knife…” she whispered, mostly to herself, recognizing the traces of her magic knife. Whoever had killed the woman was also the person who had stolen her knife. That’s how they managed to take her heart out so swiftly.
“What?” inquired the girl, leaning towards Franziska, suspicious.
“A magic knife was used to rip out her heart. The person who killed your sister must be very powerful and resourceful and surely they are also a man and very old, because no helpless young girl like me could ever have access to this type of weapon” she stated confidently, hoping to have given herself a good alibi.
“Morgan... she must have hired a powerful hitman” the girl muttered, believing Franziska’s story, and lowering her weapon.
“Thank you for the information” she hinted a slight smile towards Franziska, her eyes still veiled with tears, and she leaned towards her sister to offer her a last farewell.
Franziska was really surprised that the girl was trusting her so easily. She was a witch, after all. Nobody trusted sorcerers.
"Now that she has lowered her weapon, kill her!" her father suggested in her ear.
Franziska had a better idea.
“I can come with you, and help you avenge your sister” she offered, hoping to get two birds with one stone.
A human shield to use in case of need, and an ally against the star and the foolish fool who tried to help it thinking it was human.
"What are you doing! You can't trust her!" her father exclaimed, advising her against the deal.
To be fair, the girl couldn't trust Franziska either, but it seemed that at the moment she had put hostilities aside.
Besides, she was a really cute girl… uh, er, like… she looked cool… in the sense that she was tough!
And determined.
Franziska could have worked with someone like her.
“Why do you want to help me?” asked the girl, eyeing Franziska again with suspicion.
Maybe it was risky to join her, to be honest, but it was a really good opportunity, and Franziska couldn’t just let it slide.
“I know what it means to lose a member of your family. My parents were killed when I was very little, victims of the destruction of my entire village. I know what it means to desire justice and to fight for it with everything you have” she found herself revealing an event from her past that she had tried to overcome, but which still made her blood boil at the thought.
She was too young to remember the details, but she knew that if it weren't for her adoptive father, who had saved her from the burning remains of her old home, she would have met the same fate as her parents.
All because of the royal family, the Feys.
After obtaining the star and delivering it to her father, making him recover his youth and energy, Franziska was gonna go to the palace, and get her revenge.
“My father also died when I was little, and my mother disappeared years ago. I only had my sister, and my little cousin, and now…” the girl was doing everything to stay strong, but it was clear that her sister's death was really breaking her spirit.
Franziska could take advantage of her mental state.
“Let me come with you and help you. I also have an account to settle with that man, and if I were to meet him, I'm sure I would be able to recognize him” and she probably would have perpetuated her first murder if she had seen that porcupine head again.
“Okay, deal. Two more hands are handy, as you might say. My name is Maya” the girl introduced herself, offering her hand, and trying to joke a little to regain her mood.
It was the first time that Franziska had been treated with such tranquility, without her witch status making her unreliable by default.
Maya was a fool.
…But it was also a pleasant feeling, to not be judged, or frowned upon.
“Franziska” she introduced herself, shaking Maya’s hand.
This alliance was gonna be really interesting.
And dangerous for both parties.
Phoenix and Miles had been tied to chairs and left in the hold, with no idea what was gonna happen to them.
Phoenix had never been an expert on ropes, but he was still trying to break free somehow.
“Forget it” Miles advised him, who on the contrary had a tone that meant he was resigned to his impending death.
Phoenix wasn't going to give up. He had to believe he was gonna survive, and return home, to his mother. Besides, he still had to find his father! And he had promised Gregory that he would help Miles, not that he would get him into even bigger danger.
Oh, and then he had to go back to his Dollie and marry her.
For a second, the love he felt for the young woman was overshadowed by everything else, even by Miles.
But Phoenix was too focused on trying to free himself to realize his forgetfulness.
“I’m almost there, some more effort and I will have a free arm. And then the other, and then I'll free my legs, and I'll free you too, and we'll run away!” He illustrated his brilliant plan to a disillusioned Miles, who sighed, shaking his head.
“And then, once you are free from the ropes, how do you plan to escape, from a ship high in the sky? Flying? Can you fly?” Miles broke his dreams with a metaphorical reality punch, stopping Phoenix’s movement.
“No, I don't know how to fly, but we will find a way. We just have to improvise. We can build a parachute or something. Maybe using sails” Phoenix tried to suggest. He wasn't the type to think long before doing things, but, at the same time, he had his mind always on the go and ready to improvise.
“And how do you plan to steal a sail without anyone noticing? We are on a ship of pirates armed to the teeth, many of whom, you probably did not notice, are sorcerers” Miles pointed out, downcast.
“Yes, I noticed the colored hair. I learned something about this world thanks to Mia. I wish I knew how she’s doing. I hope that the witch did not harm her” Phoenix sighed sadly thinking about his companion from which he had sadly had to part, unfortunately without knowing her sad fate.
“I wouldn't keep my hopes very high. Sorcerers are without principles and especially without heart. That’s why they steal them from stars” Miles objected, always the optimist.
“Miles, stop it! You’re starting to make me fear from my life” Phoenix complained, looking around worried that magic pirates armed to the teeth and without a heart could spurt from the walls of the ship like Pirates of the Caribbean. Not that Phoenix knew Pirates of the Caribbean because, let's remember, movies weren’t invented. But you understand the concept.
“You must fear for your life! This is the ship of Kristoph Gavin, the most dangerous mercenary in the sky, who also makes several crimes on earth. He is cruel, unscrupulous, and kidnaps and enslaves sorcerers to work under him, using their powers to get rich, raid and kill anyone who stands in front of him. Once he finds out that I am a star he will steal my heart and keep it for himself, or sell it to the highest bidder, and you are already practically dead” Miles explained, very melodramatically, the future that awaited them.
“He seems like a dangerous guy... another reason to run away as soon as possible” Phoenix, however, did not want to give up, even if the hand he was trying to free was starting to tremble.
“I never wanted to fall from the sky. It's not my fault that a necklace got to me. I just wanted to continue observing humans with detachment, without getting involved in any way” Miles' resigned voice took on a desperate note, and Phoenix realized that he was not only pessimistic, but he was actually hopeless now, and he was terrified of the future that he considered inevitable.
The man felt guilty.
And he began to lose hope as well.
After all, what could he actually do to get out of that situation?!
He had tried to help Miles, and it had only ended up making things worse.
He stopped trying to free himself, and lowered his head.
“I’m sorry, Miles. I'm sorry I dragged you on this stupid journey to please my girlfriend. I had no idea it was so dangerous. Until a few days ago I had no idea that flying pirates, sorcerers and magic could even exist. I guess I am the worst travel companion and savior that you could have gotten” he apologized for having dragged them into that disaster. He should have been more careful, more responsive, or given clearer information about the place he wanted to go to with the Babylon candle.
A few seconds of silence followed Phoenix's statement, before Miles broke it.
“If it can console you, I'm not that great of a travel companion either” he admitted, in a whisper, starting to open up a little to Phoenix “You think the witch was my karma for stealing your bag and leaving you?” he added then, sighing in resignation.
“No, not karma... von Karma” Phoenix joked, trying to ease the tension, remembering the name the witch had said while claiming to be powerful and indestructible.
Brrr, she was scary.
“…I hate you” Miles muttered through gritted teeth, shivering at that pun.
Phoenix turned serious.
“You're excused. I mean, you just fell from the sky, you probably don't have great walking skills and knowledge of human ethics” he justified his behavior, choosing to forgive and forget the fact that Miles had abandoned him despite them having a deal.
“But I know that stealing is wrong, and promises shouldn’t be broken. I want to thank you for trying to save my life despite the risks and my bad behavior” Miles was determined to apologize. He should have remained faithful to his principles and not been guided by irritation and instinct. His father had educated him better than that.
“It was the right thing to do. And I couldn't disappoint Gregory” Phoenix smiled, thinking back to that gentle ghost that had guided him. If he had made it to the inn in the first place, it was all thanks to him.
“How... how do you know that name?” Miles asked, uncertain, not knowing if he really wanted to know the answer to that question.
Phoenix did not realize the uncertainty in his tone.
“Oh, right, I didn't tell you. I kinda have some sort of spiritual power, and when I touch my father's brooch this power is expanded in some way, and I was able to talk to a ghost, I believe, named Gregory. He was the one who told me how to find you, and that you were in danger. He watches over you, and he told me to give you a tight hug from him. Do you know a certain Gregory?” remembering that he had never talked about him to Miles except in general, Phoenix explained his brief but fundamental meeting, and delivered to his travel companion the message of the ghost, who must have really cared a lot about him.
There were several seconds of silence.
Miles didn't know how to take the words that had just been said to him.
One side of him was adamant about not believing those words. Phoenix was probably putting up that show to manipulate him and get Miles to trust him using his father's name.
But another side, a hopeful and optimistic side that Miles no longer believed he possessed, suggested that he could open up to Phoenix. That he was as honest and good-natured as he appeared.
And in the end, despite logic always telling Miles not to trust anyone, he decided that with Phoenix he could try to.
That man had fought the rain, a witch, and he seemed willing to even take on the pirates to help him. It couldn't have been a trick or a manipulation. He had just literally saved Miles’ life, after all.
To make him die a few hours later, but it was the thought that counted, right?
And if they were gonna die together, Miles could reveal a little of his life to him in their last moments. He didn't have much to lose anymore.
“Yes, he... he was my father” Miles admitted in a whisper, pained at remembering the most important person in his life and the only family he had ever had.
“Oh!” Phoenix looked quite surprised at the revelation. Then he seemed to fully understand what it meant that Gregory the friendly ghost was the father of the star “Oh... Miles, I'm so sorry!” he exclaimed, with participation. He couldn’t even imagine how Miles was feeling at the moment.
“Now I understand how we ended up here with the Babylon candles” he added then, having finally a clear picture of the situation.
“I don't even know why I thought of the sky. My father isn't up there anymore, after all” Miles sighed, feeling like an idiot.
“You relate your father to your house, and your house to the sky. It’s understandable” Phoenix didn't consider him an idiot, and took advantage of having one arm almost free to reach for Miles' shoulder and give him a comforting pat.
“He fell a long time ago, and he was... killed by a very dangerous and powerful sorcerer, who wanted his heart” Miles opened a little more, recounting an event that had happened years ago, but was still imprinted in his memory.
He had watched helplessly from billions of miles away as his father was killed without anyone doing anything. As if it were an object.
Stars were just that, for men, and above all for sorcerers: mere objects to make them live longer, just like aromatic herbs or ingredients for their potions.
“Why this hatred towards the stars?! How can people be so cruel?!” Phoenix exclaimed vehemently, disgusted by the idea that someone could kill another person and steal their heart for whatever reason.
For a second, Miles felt something move in the pit of his stomach, a dormant emotion he didn't think he could feel. His figure began to emit a faint glow. He didn't expect Phoenix to get so bothered about stars’ rights.
But then he remembered that the young man's words came from ignorance.
He had no idea how powerful a star was. If he had known, surely he would have thought twice before saving him.
It was imperative that he wouldn’t find out.
Yet… perhaps his impending death was affecting him, but Miles found himself talking about it.
"You really don't know the power of a star's heart?" He asked, to be sure, even though the answer was obvious. But part of him still feared it was all a trick to make him let his guard down and then calmly rip his heart out.
“Whatever it is, it's not worth killing someone for it” Phoenix didn’t hesitate a second, firm on his ideals.
And Miles found himself revealing his deepest, darkest secret. The one Phoenix shouldn’t have ever found out. He was probably gonna die soon, anyway. He had nothing much to lose.
And he preferred not to die under the illusion that Phoenix was perhaps a really good person and not an opportunist like everyone else.
Miles of the constellation Edgeworth preferred facts and the truth.
“Immortality, Phoenix. Consuming the heart of a star grants you eternal life, and youth” he explained, direct, closing his eyes to prepare for the metaphorical beating that would come with Phoenix’s reaction.
The man, however, remained silent for a few seconds, carefully pondering the words that Miles had just said.
“I would never kill anyone for eternal life” he finally muttered, in a firm tone, even though it was evident he was quite surprised.
So Miles didn't believe him, and sighed, dejected.
“And I certainly would never hurt you. I promised your father to protect you, and I will. Although I can no longer honor our agreement, since I no longer have a Babylon candle to offer you” Phoenix insisted, setting the record straight, and returning to the agreement they had made at the beginning of that adventure... less than twenty-four hours before.
Wow, time passed slowly when it came to talking about Dahlia and risking death.
“Do you still want to deliver me to your girlfriend for her birthday?” Miles asked, surprised that even while one step away from death, Phoenix was thinking about birthday gifts.
And even more surprised that he didn't want to use Miles’ heart for himself, but was thinking of something else entirely.
Maybe he could really trust him. Phoenix had his father's blessing, after all.
“Well… I would like that, but I do not expect you to agree to do so, now that I can no longer assure your safe return to the sky” Phoenix shrugged, disappointed but resigned.
Miles hesitated a little.
“I… I guess you saved my life, so I don't feel like I can refuse. I mean… you did kinda do something pretty important to me already” admitted Miles, deciding that after the way he treated him, and after what Phoenix did for him, he owed him a favor. He didn't like being in debt. It made him feel weird.
“Really? You mean it?!” Phoenix turned his head towards him, with difficulty, surprised and hopeful.
“And it's not like I have many other places to go” Miles avoided his gaze, blushing slightly, and shrugged.
Better to follow that idiot who didn't want him dead than to stay put and wait for someone to take him out.
If they had survived the pirates.
Which was unlikely, anyway.
“So you will accompany me to Dollie for her birthday?!” Phoenix repeated, assessing the situation.
“If I am not killed first by sorcerers or pirates, and if I do not find a Babylon candle before arriving at Wall” Miles made his intentions clear, opening up to the idea but emphasizing that he was not yet fully convinced.
“I consider it a good 70% chance that you will come with me” Phoenix smiled, invigorated.
“You're foolishly optimistic” Miles sighed, but he appreciated this optimism. It was refreshing.
“It is the only way to survive! Thanks, Miles. You know, if we don't find a way to take you home, you could always stay in my village, on the other side of the wall. I can't promise you that everyone will be nice, but I assure you, no one will try to rip your heart out or kill you. Otherwise, they would have done it with Larry and me years ago” Phoenix went back to trying to free himself, and started to talk about his life.
“Don't get too excited” Miles stopped him immediately, not wanting to hear more things about Dahlia Hawthorne.
And Phoenix fell completely silent, taking the hint.
The silence was worse.
“Who is Larry?” Miles then asked casually, not wanting that silence to persist.
“Larry Butz, my best friend, in a way. He gets entangled in a lot more trouble than I do. If something smells, it’s usually the Butz” Phoenix explained, chuckling at the thought and rolling his eyes.
"It doesn't make me want to stay in your village" admitted Miles, who didn't want to imagine what kind of trouble this Butz was doing if he was worse than Phoenix.
“But everything else is pretty nice. My mother is a fantastic woman! And then there is Dollie! She's so perfect, and…” Phoenix broke off “Sorry, I suppose you're tired of hearing about her”.
At least he had understood that. He was more perceptive than he looked.
“It's not that I dislike when you talk about her…” it was also that “…it's just that you keep repeating the same things over and over. I can't understand what's so special about a girl who needs you to buy her love” Miles justified the hatred he felt towards Phoenix's descriptions of the girl he loved. He couldn't really understand what was so great about her that Phoenix was risking his life to give her a gift. It felt a bit like a one-sided crush. And pretty superficial.
“No... it is not! I'm not buying her love! It's just a way to consolidate it” Phoenix immediately got defensive, slightly uncertain but determined to justify his romantic gesture.
“A risky way of showing that you love someone. What is she doing to consolidate her love for you? Is she going to Japan to recover the Steel Samurai’s long-lost spear? Because in that case I would gladly follow you just to see it up close” Miles provoked him. The star had observed love from the sky, and it had seemed very different to him.
But maybe on earth the rules weren't as they seemed from above.
“It's a birthday present. I don't need anything in return” Phoenix objected, a bit troubled but trying to not let it show.
“I see” sensing his discomfort, Miles decided to let it go “Well, I don't know anything about love, but she seems like a lucky girl. I hope she deserves me” Miles decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“She does! When you’ll get to know her, you will understand. She is so perfect, and kind, and... er, she is fantastic!” Phoenix did not know in what other ways to describe her, to be honest. But he was convinced he loved her. And that she loved him.
Theirs was a fantastic love that Miles could not understand.
He was a star, after all. What did he know about love?!
“Getting to know Dahlia, being tortured by pirates, having my heart ripped out from my chest by a sorcerer… I must admit that I can't choose which of these perspectives is the least worst” muttered Miles, thinking about his immediate future.
Phoenix tried to shove him a little, to express his disappointment, but he also smiled a little at the sarcasm. Who knew stars had a (questionable) sense of humor?
“We’re gonna make it! Kristoph Gavin can't be that bad. Maybe we can get a deal. We could tell him where the witch is. You said he takes sorcerers captive” Phoenix tried to find solutions, determined to get Miles out of there.
"He wouldn't let us go anyway, and the witch would immediately say I'm a star, and, not to brag, but I’m way more precious than a mere witch” Miles shook his head, finding a flaw in his reasoning.
"Maybe we could..." Phoenix's new idea was cut short when the door opened, and the captain entered.
After Miles' explanation, and the vision he had had in the rain, Phoenix was expecting a terrifying person.
Instead in front of him appeared a little boy, who looked younger and shorter than he had appeared on deck.
His braided hair was now dry, his clothes elegant, too elegant, and he was wearing lots of shiny jewels.
“Forgive the wait, we had a lot of work to do. Are you ready to be questioned?” the captain took a chair and sat beside them, drawing his sword, which he kept low.
“He doesn't seem so bad” Phoenix whispered to Miles, feeling calmer.
“It's much scarier up close” Miles retorted instead, retreating in fear.
Phoenix was ready to unleash all his speaking skills.
He would soon realize that he didn't need to, at all.