"Ah, you need not worry," Arion sighed, turning to look at Reios as he walked. Then he grinned almost maliciously. "But I would also warn you not to relax. I am taking you up to the conference room, to see if Seeker is finished with Nimbus. Then he will decide what to do with you all."
As the group began to ascend the stairs, Nemo said, "Listen. That blue-haired girl? Mizu? When she decided to take me captive, she had been suspecting that I was in possession of something important. You wanna search me now, so I can go free?"
"Hmm, it actually appears that that boy Nimbus has what we're looking for. And not you," Arion said, reaching for the door handle before him. "So...Yes, you may very well be dumped off in the ocean. I sure hope you can fly." With that said, he chuckled lightly.
"I choose not to sprout my wings. But that's not important right now," Nemo began. "What exactly is it that you all are looking for?"
"The Sacred Skyrunes," Arion answered truthfully. But then he turned to give Nemo a cold stare. "However, our intentions for collecting them will remain a mystery to you. We currently have one of them, and I believe Nimbus is in possession of the second."
As the group reached the main floor once more, another group could be seen standing outside of the meeting room. Arion recognized only the male figure Din. However, there stood two more males and a female, all of whom Arion did not recognize.
"Interesting...Even more stoaways..." Arion said softly, stopping in his tracks. Arion and the young men, however, stood quite a distance from the new strangers. Perhaps they would not be seen...
******
Seeker ignored Din as he stood up to leave, still concentrating on Nimbus. He and Mizu both were still awaiting a response from Nimbus. Would he agree to join Tsunami? Or would he fight against them for a futile attempt to save his life? He would be a fool to throw his life away and fight if he was given the chance to live.
"So what will the decision be?" Seeker said, quite impatiently, as if he couldn't wait to kill Nimbus for the stone.
Nimbus had been thinking the entire time; he valued his life, and was sure that if he opposed Tsunami, he would be forced to fight Seeker, Arion, and maybe even the Wrath officers. Would Nimbus even stand a chance? He did not even know where his allies were. Somewhere in a cellar? Or were they even alive anymore? Nimbus began to feel ill in his stomach.
But on the better end, if Nimbus joined Tsunami, he could get to know Mizu a lot more. That is, if he was allowed to speak to her. And at least then, he would be allowed to keep his necklace. It truly was a gift from his mother that meant a lot to him. And besides, Nimbus would be an extra inch closer to Din, which meant a chance to get revenge for his loss.
"Fine then," Nimbus finally spoke, causing everyone to look at him. The sudden attention didn't cause him the slightest bit of nervousness. "I'll work for you guys. But only if I may keep the...'Sacred Skyrune'..."
Mizu nearly smiled, quite glad the boy wasn't about to oppose the forces of Tsunami. Seeker simply nodded, sitting quite straight in his seat.
"Understood," Seeker said, with quite an emotionless tone. "You may then keep your Skyrune, and will become part of our forces."
Nimbus and Mizu caught the eyes of one another. Mizu could tell Nimbus was relieved, and that he would be satisfied with his "new home". Nimbus saw relief in Mizu's eyes as well, and a strange welcoming glow.
"...But under heavy restriction," Seeker continued. "Since we cannot ensure your loyalty entirely to Tsunami, I must put you under direct supervision of our very own Lady Mizu here."
Nimbus nodded, quite alright with this conclusion. Mizu, on the other hand, felt immediately burdened with the idea. She had to admit, she cared for this boy's fate, but she didn't want to be in charge of him!
"Seeker, that's ridiculous!" Mizu outbursted, causing Nimbus to give her a confused look. "Can't we just put him under soldier supervision?"
"No, Mizu. You wanted this boy to stay, so he is yours to take care of."
Mizu once again felt speechless. Were her feelings imprinted right on her forehead or something? How had Seeker known this? She sank back into her seat, suddenly feeling like she had been slapped.
"Boy," Seeker said to Nimbus, who turned to face him once more. "What was your name?"
"I am Nimbus Hestias," he replied, quite proudly.
"Well, then, Nimbus," Seeker said. "You must from now on recognize our Wrath allies as your very own allies, regardless of what grudge you may now hold against them." Seeker gestured towards Myra, though it was clear that he was referring to Din.
Nimbus found it difficult to even look at the young woman, let alone befriend her. He slowly turned to face the woman who was part of the association responsible for destroying his home, then held out his hand in a reluctant manner.
"What is your name?" Nimbus asked her. Her demonic-looking red eyes sort of frightened him, but there was a sort of beauty to her face.