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āA second return, but what for? And for whom was I brought back?ā
ćÉĪ¹Ī±ĘĻgĻ Ń cĻĘĻŃ:#0C94CC ā ŃŠ½ĻĻ gŠ½Ń cĻĘĻŃ #CC0C2Eć
|| Azalea|| Nano.ripe ||
ćÉĪ¹Ī±ĘĻgĻ Ń cĻĘĻŃ:#0C94CC ā ŃŠ½ĻĻ gŠ½Ń cĻĘĻŃ #CC0C2Eć
|| Azalea|| Nano.ripe ||
Elise stared in confusion at the ride in front of her. This was not a hovercar, or even a hoverlimo. It was small, compact, and nearly open to the elements. "Here, put your helmet on. Gotta follow the rules after all. We're going to Carter's place tonight." She blinked, looking at the contraption. "A hoverbike? Why can you not afford a hovercar at least?" Even Serenity had a hovercar working a modest job as a nutritionist. "Well excuse me, but maybe because I know how to live life." He put his helmet on but Elise could hear the arrogant grin behind the visor. "Hop on behind me and hold tight, this is going to be great." Elise sighed and obeyed, putting the straps on so that she was secure on her seat. The bike began to hover up off the ground and Ezra began to move.
"Hoverbikes are allowed to go higher than cars, because we're lighter and easier to manuever." Ezra explained as Elise let go of his waist, spreading her arms out to enjoy the air and the speed. They were already up in the air, above the city's skyline. The evening moon was looking down on them, peeking out from the clouds above. "The anti-gravity rotors are more precise, I do know. I studied electronics, after all." Her cloak billowed widly in the wind, almost looking like white wings spreading out from behind her as they soared through the skies. "Here, watch this." Ezra looped them underneath an overpass, between two high rise buildings, and even ducking in the middle of traffic, finding a gap to speed right between two hovercars. One driver even shook his hand angrily at them, yelling expletives. The whole time Ezra was laughing wildly, like the animal he used to be and Elise felt the thrill in her heart. This was what she was craving. "Oh, you've seen nothing yet!" Ezra took her through more stunts, each one highly illegal.
Breaking all the rules. Having no regard for anything that was supposed to be and focusing only on what they wanted. "Try that. Can we do a nose dive from that thermal?" A thermal was rising air caused by heat on the pavements making the air go up. It helped them gain more altitude and then Ezra had them swooping all the way down, plunging from the clouds nearly all the way to the cold hard ground when he swerved at the last second. "It's not quite like the battlefield, but there's a certain charm to this, isn't there?" Elise was breathless, her fingers tinging from the speed of the air ripping through. Would she ever get to do this again? To experience this kind of joy?
"Here we are." The gate opened and Elise, her face red and her hair a mess, returned to the ground, once again chained to reality. "Thank you. And that was nice. But it can only happen once." Ezra frowned, sighing. "Who knows what the future holds? You should have seen your smile. I've never seen you so unrestrained." He bid farewell then, since he did have work in the morning. On the ground again Elise felt weak and dizzy all over again. She barely even hid her bruises as she tred to reorient herself as Carter and Winter escorted her inside.
There was a lot to say. Carter was trying not to look at her, knowing what had happened between her and Ezra. "Winter, your last performance was wonderful. My apologies for not attending the last moments... I was abducted by Serenity." She sat down, her feet trembling. Was it from excitement or from her weakness? "Here, a drink. Will this help?" Carter already had one mixed and ready for her. It tasted awful but it helped clear her mind a little bit. "Winter, what is your plan? Will you be staying here another day? Or are you returning with me to the Boundary?" Her ruby eyes focused on Winter, wanting to know what her friend would do.
"I will open the way back... I just want to make sure it works." She did not want to leave yet. She still needed to stay if only for a little bit longer. "When is your time limit? You can't let yourself go over, okay?" Carter sounded worried, even she reached her arm out. A rip in time was created, something all Servants could do, they could open a way back that only they could access. Winter no doubt had her own way of returning, or Yuuki would open one for her using Elise's portal generator. But then something was wrong. "It..." The portal was supposed to lead them to the Boundary. It was supposed to show her room at Olympia, in Zed's palace.
It was blocked off. "No, no, this is not right." She tried again. Again, wearing herself out more each time. "Take it easy!" Carter hissed, grabbing her arms. "Stop trying, just close them for now." There was something very wrong, somethngi that should not be happening. "Winter." Elise's voice was serious as she gestured to the portal. "You know what this is." There was something cutting off the Boundary from the Near Shore. A rainbow seal, impossible to break through. "Something is wrong in Olympia. Arke seems to have made her move."