Fanfiction by Irwin Kwan

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By Irwin Kwan, dem-admin@home.com
Deus ex Machina: The Xenogears Tale http://members.tripod~project_xat/

[Author's note: For those who aren't extremely versed in geology, beryl is a ver hard silicate of beryllium and aluminum. In other words, it's a gemstone. The common gems that are made from beryl are aquamarine and... *gasp* emerald! There's also another slight pun in the title, and most of you won't figure it out, but for those who know.... ^_^ ]

"Stories in Beryl"

"You go over to his place for dinner all the time?" my friend asked me, almost ripping her brown hair out in frustration. Underneath the sunlight, red highlights twinkled as she let her hand drop, coming the long strands with her fingers.

I grinned at her, looking up at her eyes. "Relax. That's why I decided to ask you to go this time. I mentioned it to him last time when I was over. I know just how much of a fan of Citan you are."

"Got that right," she said to me as we walked up the steep slope to his peaceful country cottage. Behind us, the wind blew at our backs, played with the blades of grass, and danced among the wind flowers.

"I'm surprised all of this managed to grow back in such a short time," I said as I passed the beautiful greenery. "It's been only three years since Deus wiped out almost everything on the planet."

My friend nodded. We had not known each other until recently, when Shevat crashed and we found ourselves to be among the few survivors. Since then, we had hung around each other. Although it seemed that we were totally different people: I was loud and vocal, very confident of my words, and somewhat eccentric, while she was quiet and reserved, solemn and reflective, we were close allies.

And Citan would probably get along quite fine with her.

"I'm nervous," she said as she saw the tall house over the horizon.

I grinned at her. "Don't be. Citan's a great host... or rather, his wife Yui's a great host." I winked. "But Citan will occupy you for hours with after-dinner talk. It's utterly amazing what he knows."

"I can trust that," my friend replied, breathtaken. "Imagine, to have lived what he went through..."

As we approached the small cottage, I saw Midori outside wearing soccer shorts and cleats. She had grown up quite a lot since we had last seen her in the Floating City years ago. Playing ball with her was a tall, willowy woman in her late teens. She was had tanned skin and long, graceful legs,, but her most unique feature was the emerald-green hair that shone like gems.

"Who is that with Midori?" I asked my friend, but she shrugged.

I knocked on the door to Citan's house, and, as usual, the good doctor promptly answered the door.

"Why, hello! You are just in time. Come in, come in!"

"Thank you, Citan," I stated casually. I stepped inside of the foyer and removed my hiking boots. My companion stepped inside as well. "It's a nice day today, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is very beautiful! Oh, I see you have brought your friend along." He stepped forward and opted to give her a handshake instead of some other gesture. That was one thing I liked about Citan; he treated everybody equally at first glance, basing everything only on their personalities, and not their physical appearances. "Greetings! I have heard an awful lot about you!"

My friend's eyes widened, and she jerked a thumb in my direction. "He hasn't been talking about me, has me?" My eyes widened and I looked toward the ceiling, feigning innocence.

Citan adjusted his glasses. "I am afraid he has. Frankly, however, you do not look quite as much as Elly as he would have me believe!"

She whirled on me, eyes stern, but mouth curled up in the slight traces of a smile.

"Anyway," said Citan, "Let us step within and sit down. Yui said a while ago that dinner was just about ready, so it should only be a few moments."

After the dinner, I felt satisfied, as usual. "Yui, your cooking was wonderful tonight... as it is every time I come over." She had cooked a Chinese dinner of soy chicken and stewed vegetables with beef.

"It's great. You must have the best home life, Citan,"my friend complimented.

Citan chuckled. "Yui just acts on her best behavior when you are around."

"Oh, cut it out, Citan. I think I spoil you too much," she jested, slapping him lightly from her spot at the table.

Midori was grinning at this banter as Yui rose to gather the dirty dishes. "Citan, how about you fix our guests up some tea and you can retire to the lounge?"

Citan nodded. "Certainly. Why don't you two head on over to the lounge first. I'll be by in a moment."

I nodded to my companion. "The lounge is over that way. I'm sure you'll love it. He not only keeps artwork and stuff there, but he even has artifacts from his journeys."

"Really," she breathed, filled with awe.

We walked into the room together. The room had a very Victorian feel to it, with oak furniture, statues and bookshelves, and cabinets. Over the fireplace, a scabbarded katana was hanging from the wall. I took my time to browse through his artifacts, as I always did when I arrived. I looked at mysterious relics, ranging from things as simple as a handful of sand from outside of Bledavik to a black box from his now-deactivated Omnigear, Fenrir. I looked at the glass-like shards of the now-destroyed Zohar generator, a bottle of gear fuel, one of Fei's hair ties, and a tattered piece of Elly's Solaris Uniform.

"This is amazing," my friend said as she scanned the artwork and the relics. The artwork ranged from a replica of the portrait of Mother Sophia hanging on the wall (shrunken, of course) to a bronze sculpture of a hand that was none other than Fei's. My friend was a very good artist, but she was never proud of any of her works. One of her most amazing pieces (in my opinion) was a portrait of Elly, but she was even only remotely proud of it, despite the fact that Elly liked it very much. She eyed the picture of Mother Sophia, scanning the gentle brush strokes, the light application of paints, and the unfinished bottom corner. Next, she stood in front of the darkened fireplace, staring at Citan's katana and its elegant scabbard of red and gold patterns.

"I'll start up the fire," I declared as she went over to the back glass cabinets to look around further. As I stepped up to the mantlepiece, I noticed something I had not seen before. On the mantle was a light-green feather about the size of my hand. It was the colour of emeralds.

I proceeded to light the fire, making a mental note to ask Citan about the feather. Just as I finished, he walked in carrying a tray with three Chinese teacups and a steaming pot. "I made us some jasmine tonight," he announced as he set the tray down on a small table in between the three high-backed chairs surrounding the fireplace.

I sat down in one of the chairs, my friend sat in the one across from me, and Citan took the centre spot. He poured three cups of tea and handed the cup first to my female associate, then to me. I lifted it to my nose, breathing in the aroma of the sharp but fragrant jasmine before lifting the handleless cup to my lips and taking a sip. Citan picked up the cup and drank a small amount.

"Citan," I started. Most of the long conversations we had always started with a question that I asked. "What's that feather on the fireplace? I've never seen it before."

"That?" Citan said, pointing up to the large feather. "That is a feather from one of Crescens' wings. Crescens, Emeralda's gear."

"Strange," said my friend, "I've never heard of Emeralda before."

Citan pushed his glasses back onto his nose. "Not many people have, actually. She is sort of the unsung hero of it all. Although she has had her glory... especially in Nisan, she is really been a quiet and reserved girl, especially at first, when she joined our team."

"Tell us," I implored.

Citan smiled. "Emeralda was a girl from Zeboim. Four-thousand years ago, the people waged a lot of wars... and something happened to make them all sick. I do not recall at the moment..."

"It was nuclear war and chemical weapons," my companion declared as she leaned back in her chair, but then she tensed as she realised that she was correcting one of the most educated men on the planet.

Citan nodded. "Right. Things like that slip my mind at times. I am starting to feel old. Thank you for correcting me."

A blush rose to my friend's cheeks. It was rare for her to blush, and I let a hint of a smile come to my face.

"Anyway, Kim Kasim, a respected scientist of the time," Citan reported, "wanted to find a way to counteract all of the disease. He was an idealistic man who believed that it was possible to have a world without war and disease. He desperately wanted to find a way to put a stop to all of it. At the same time, he also wanted to have a child. He was married to Elly then... yes, one of Elly's past embodiments. She was a Nurse during those days, and was constantly being exposed to victims of radiation and biological weapons.

"Kim, though, found out that Elly was sterile due to the exposure to the radiation. So, in his quest to make the world a better place, he used his knowledge of nanomachines and created his daughter. He used a combination of his and Elly's DNA, so that the nanomachine colony would essentially be their child. And thus, Emeralda was born. She was named thus because her hair was the colour of emeralds, and shone in the sunlight."

"That was the girl I saw today?"

"Yes, if you passed a slender teenager today, then that must have been her. She came by today to play soccer with Midori and to leave me this." Citan rose from his chair and took the feather off of the shelf. He handed it to me, and I rotated it in my hands, admiring the intricacy of the feather. It felt natural in every way, and I found myself in disbelief about the fact that this came from a gear. I handed it to my companion and she took it, studying it as if it were a piece of art... which it was.

"Of course, how she was supposed to be the 'Last Hope of Mankind', I am not quite sure," Citan continued, pacing the room for a moment while we looked at the feather. "To me, Kim was too idealistic of a man if he thought that a race of nanomachine colonies would solve the world's problems. In fact, because Emeralda was different, she tended to ask a lot of questions about life and humanity... I think she truly wanted to be human despite the fact that Kim said it was a boon for her not to be. Well, Emeralda was locked away one day because the Government wanted to take her as a weapon." Citan sat down in his chair again. "I heard this from Elly one day when I asked her about it. "Kim locked her in a capsule and kept her in sort of a stasis. Elly was killed just as Kim was starting to get the locks down. Kim was killed soon afterward when he was trying to return to the surface.

"When we found her again, it was under the Ethos Headquarters. At the same time, we met up with the two Elements, Sepharita and Tolone... but that is a different story. Anyway, Bishop Stone abducted her and took her away to Krelian."

"I do not know exactly what happened to her when she was under Krelian's care. Apparently, Krelian built Crescens for her. Emeralda never really talked about her life under Krelian, but from what I understand, she was not seriously harmed in any way. Krelian was tough with her, rebuking her when she made mistakes and shouting at her when she didn't do something right. Elly maintains that Krelian really tried to do his own form of goodness for humanity. Although I am not as forgiving as she is, I can understand where she is coming from. Krelian only wanted to make a god who would serve the people in need... an outlet for those who had lost their own hope.

"But I digress. Krelian made Crescens for Emeralda... out of nanomachines and metal. The nanomachines were on her wings and also lined the cockpit. The wings (which were built on her head) could morph during battle. Crescens was deadly, yet graceful. It was breathtaking to watch Crescens fight because it looked almost like the gear was dancing as it delivered its blows. Of course, no one will be able to see that again, with Zohar gone.

"Emeralda joined us when Krelian abandoned her. She was guarding the last Gate Generator for Solaris but was defeated in combat by Fei, myself, and Billy. We took her aboard the Yggdrasil, where she recognized Fei right away, calling him Kim, over and over and over again. Of course, at first, we had no idea what 'Kim' meant. I thought that it was a word for 'father'. Very few Zeboim texts remain so my guess was as good as anyone's. We also noticed that she didn't seem to like Elly very much... maybe it was because she didn't trust the Solaris uniform, or that her relationship with Elly in the past was not well-founded. Emeralda never talked about this much either. Now, her relationship with Elly is excellent. They're like a true mother and daughter, and I don't think Emeralda remembers it in any other way.

"We found her annoying at first. Yes, even I managed to get impatient with her. She had no idea how anything worked, what we were fighting for, or why Fei and Elly were rejecting her. She would always go to Fei, calling him Kim, utterly desperate for attention. Once, she nagged him to the point when he lost his temper and snapped at her. She seemed to be extremely needy and dependent on others. Now that I think back on it, it must have been the long wait in the capsule. She was in there for a long four-thousand years, and Emeralda said that, on more than one occasion, she woke up and had to sit there, with nothing to do and nowhere to go. After being all alone like that, no wonder she was always wanting to be around other people.

"Her initial fear of Elly wore off in a while and she did not feel afraid to pester Elly like she did Fei. She talked to her, asking if she wanted to play soccer or write stories. Now, Elly now says that she USED to do all of those things, one time or another, but at that time, she was only a Solaris soldier, and had little background or interest in other fields. She told me that she would have played with Emeralda if only she knew exactly how soccer was played.

"Overall, though, Emeralda found out soon enough that her whole life was in a shambles. The people she recognized did not know who she was and what she was like, and everyone else was a complete stranger to her. She was often in her room, in tears, trying to deal with the fact that neither Fei or Elly knew who she was, even though she recognized then and remembered them clearly in her mind.

"I think dealing with this rejection was a lot tougher than anything she would have experienced under Krelian. Despite this, none of us understood her. I think we were more used to mature kids like Maria and Marguerite, who had seen hardship and had to face responsibility. Rico said, once, as a joke, 'Can't we kill her?'

"It was not until Maria found her sitting down in front of Crescens and talked with her, that we learned more about how her mind worked, and acquired a higher level of respect for her. She overheard her talking about how Krelian was nice to her, even though he got impatient easily, and that all she wanted was to have someone remember what she did or what she is now, something like that. Maria and Emeralda, they both had a habit of talking to their gears when they were in some sort of trouble. So Maria found Emeralda just as she was trying to sort out her own problems in life. Basically, she boldly walked up to her and talked to her. Maria said to her, well, as Maria remembers, 'Why don't you try to reach out to the others, if Fei and Elly don't know you that well?' I mean, I'm around, so is Citan and Billy and Priscilla and stuff.'

"Emeralda replied, 'I not know who they all are. They different than me, in all ways. Even you different from me. Fei and Elly, they are me... they my father and mother.'

"'You won't make it through life trying to rely on those who are the same as you,' Maria replied. 'You mentioned Krelian... is he the same as you? You seemed to like him.'

"'He not too bad, but I often get in trouble from him. He is like me because he lonely, and no one understand who he is. Even the girl he is with, Miang, treats him badly. He lonely, like me.'

"'You don't have to be lonely if you try to reach out to other people,' Maria replied. 'Let's go get something to eat. Want to come?'

"Apparently, Emeralda agreed to that, and the two connected. They looked of the same age, and although Maria was a lot more headstrong than Emeralda they seemed to be a good pair. Watching Emeralda and Maria interact with each other taught me a heck of a lot more about the green-haired girl than anything else. In a way, I envied their close relationship, and admired that even though they seemed to be complete opposites, they got along so well."

I glanced up at my friend, and she hid a slight laugh as a wide smile came to her lips.

"They always asked each other questions, about life and each other," Citan went on. "They always found someone to talk to about something. But something interesting about the two of them was Emeralda's knack of asking tough, challenging questions about humanity... it seemed that Maria did not have many questions before she met Emeralda, but after they knew each other, the inquisitiveness of this fascinating girl rubbed off on Maria. Emeralda was more philosophical and reflective than many of the others. Bart had said about Emeralda, on more than one occasion, 'That girl thinks more than the rest of us combined.'" Citan paused, then he grinned and added, "Okay, he said, 'Everyone except for Citan.'"

I smiled at his little joke as the doctor sipped at his tea to hide his composure. Despite his strict, analytical attitude, Doctor Uzuki did have a sense of humour.

Citan took a breath. "I think the questioning of humanity was due to her relationship with Kim. Fei told me that Kim was bitter and cynical... but yet, optimistic. I know this is an oxymoron, but it is quite true, in a way. Kim apparently complained a lot, but he loved his family and was often hoping for something better in the future. Anyway, he was probably so bitter about humans that it left Emeralda wondering about humanity in general.

"When Emeralda started to join Maria for our little social gatherings on the Yggdrasil, I think the rest of the crew began treating her a bit better... well, not much better, but at least they did not ignore her. I remember the one time that Jessiah and Bart tried to get Emeralda drunk. They had already plastered Sigurd and had him lying on the floor. They managed to shove enough vodka down her throat to kill a person, and yet, she was not drunk at all. I had a bit of a laugh at this one and Jessiah thought twice next time about wasting so much alcohol just for his own entertainment. I arrived only after they finished but I laughed all the same.

"I do not think we really started to respect her until Old Maison started to speak highly about her. It was about the same time she befriended Maison that she also started to get along better with Elly. I think it was something dealing with her questions asked, but I am not quite sure. You usually have a tough time recalling exactly how you first made friends with someone, after all. I am not quite so sure why that is."

My friend offered her input here. "Maybe it's because we don't want to remember a time without that particular person," she said.

"Or maybe we take our friends for granted," Citan added. "I found, though, that Old Maison began to talk to her more often. At the same time, Emeralda did not bug the rest of us quite so often, so it calmed the nerves of people like Rico, Jessiah, and Bart, who were not really into those sorts of challenging conversations. However, her sudden 'disappearance of questions', if you will, sparked curiosity in my mind, and I decided to take some time to find out why I found it so interesting. I wanted to learn more about Emeralda's past and her current life. Although my first inclination was to go to Fei, I decided against it and went to Maison instead.

"He spoke very highly of her, as I said before. But more noticably, I think he was sort of getting lonely, missing the older days when he had to take care of Bart as a child. Not that it is really a bad thing, because we all get lonely at one point. For instance, even I am lonely when Yui and Midori are out to town or something. But there are times when we all need a moment to ourselves. Now, I enjoy the time I have by myself, but I don't think it's healthy never to be around anyone, ever.

"Old Maison is not a nostalgic fellow by nature, but he really wanted to be a 'father figure' again. Me, I could understand his position totally. I was only twenty-nine then, and my daughter was still young, but as I quested with Fei and the others, or, to put it impolitely, but accurately, spied on Fei and the others, I realised how much I missed my wife and child. In Emeralda, he saw someone that he could once again teach, but in a different way. Maison had told me once that he did not want to be a knight, actually, but a philosopher, and when he spoke with Emeralda and Maria, he had someone to talk philosophy with, even as young as they were. Although there are many viewpoints on life, I don't think Maison's are wrong, nor is he doing anything bad by telling his viewpoints to the kids.

"After this, I began to talk with Emeralda more. Not much, of course... we mainly stuck with conversation that was purely business, or small talk. We really did not start to know each other well until we had to escape from the Soylent System in Solaris. Fei, Emeralda and I were in one of the teams together, and she was a very fast, effective fighter. Despite this talent, I found that she was always very sad when she had to fight. Like she was mourning each one of her opponents. I wanted to know why she cried like that." Citan glanced around the room, spying the feather on the mantlepiece.

"I did not really remember to ask her about what her views on fighting were until after Fei and Elly were shot down in Weltall. During their time of recovery, Emeralda was deeply worried about them. She would insist on staying on Taurus' island with them, and volunteer to camp outside if it meant she would be around them. I did not want her to be the only one, so after our short search for Fenrir, I decided to stay with her. In one way, it was to understand Emeralda. In another way, it was to make sure I was there when Fei and Elly woke. But I also had other, more selfish reasons... it was because I wanted to learn from Taurus, and I wanted to be there, sort of to make up for... for how I spied on Fei for the Emperor."

Citan stopped, interlocking his fingers in front of his face and placing his chin on them. He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, and just when I was about to inquire about his condition, he leaned back, finished his tea, and poured himself a new cup.

He nodded at me, and at my friend. "I am all right," he said reassuringly. "Anyway, I noticed that Emeralda looked at the tubes curiously and kept on asking Taurus questions that he would refuse to answer in detail. I think she saw a relationship between the capsule that she was created in and the capsules that Fei and Elly now drifted.

What I found most curious, though, was that when we were outside one day, having some breakfast, she spoke to me and asked me a question. Normally, Emeralda would keep quiet and not speak at all unless spoken to. Although I could tell she appreciated my company, she never spoke to me. But that day, she asked me, 'What's Kim... I mean, Fei like?'

"I could only look at her at first. I was tempted to ask, 'What do you mean?' but I knew that I would only get a roundabout answer from her. So I said, 'I see him in my own way. To me, he is a friend. A companion.' But the entire time, I was worried about how Fei would feel. I never wanted to desert him. At first, it was just a duty... watch him, keep track of what he does. But then, he became my friend. However, I knew I could not relinquish my duty." Citan looked away distantly. "I could... never could hold friends over... over..." He looked as if he were about to cry, but he removed his glasses, dabbed at his eyes, then replaced them. "It is all over. I do not see why I should..."

"The past hurts," my friend whispered. "People say you should learn to deal with it. However, no one truly is able to eliminate it. You can suppress it. But you won't ever be able to destroy it."

"That is right. You are very right. It still hurts. I will not deny that. But it is not so bad. He is still my friend." He took a deep breath, trying to recall his place in his story. "Emeralda then said to me, 'To me, Kim was my father. And Elly was my mother. But Elly is woman. Grown-up, beautiful. I never will be able to be like Elly.' I found that statement sad. Emeralda truly would not be able to age. She would stay young her entire life. I said to her, 'Does it matter if your body doesn't grow? If the mind matures, is that enough?'"

"'I do not know,' replied she. 'It be too confusing to me... to live in a body that be young when I be adult in mind.'

"That's why, when we reached the Zeboim Lighthouse and went into the sunken downtown area, it was the greatest revelation one could ever witness. When we went to the lighthouse, it was almost a year after that conversation outside of Melchoir's, but I could recall it as clearly as yesterday. The moment was magical. She walked to the side of the balcony. Her mind seemed to wander. She began to talk with Fei, and exchanged words in a language that I didn't understand. I think it was Old Zeboim. Now that Fei found himself, he was helping others find their true selves too... the memory of Kim must have helped Emeralda.

"But, somehow, I don't think it was just magic that Emeralda grew into an adult. I think it was... more like her body reflects her mind. The more nature her mind is, the more her body grows. In Nisan, she learned a lot about herself. But she still didn't know what all the answers were. The present was there. Her future was set. But she did not know her past, who she truly was, where she came from.

"I guess the thought of asking Fei about his life as Kim didn't come to her until we saw the ancient square under the sea. By the time Fei awakened, Emeralda was independent and strong. She was still in the guise of a little girl, but she could fight her own battles, make her own way, and defend her own views in life. In many ways, she was more mature than the rest of us. But the link was made when she connected with Fei... Kim... once again."

Citan stopped. "I wish that Elly would have been around to see her daughter. Although I would call it 'grow up', it wasn't truly that. Long before Emeralda ever reached that lighthouse, she was grown-up. Now, here she is. She loves herself just the same as before. But to the rest of us, we see her as more complete. Somehow, I think that if Emeralda had never grown into a new body, she would not have changed a bit in mind. The only thing is, we would have continued to treat her as a child." Citan stopped, then placed a finger on his chin in thought. "I do not know what else I could tell you."

"This is fascinating," I murmured. "Why is it that I haven't heard of her before?"

"Emeralda keeps a low profile. She is still a quiet, reflective person, and she still thinks about her past. Although Fei and Elly have Kim and Elly's memories, to Emeralda, they really are not the exact same people. So, in a way, she has had to deal with the deaths of her family... like we all do, at some point or another."

"So she thinks about her family a lot?" inquired my companion, whose eyes went up to the feather again.

"I do not know for sure, but I think she does," Citan replied, folding his hands together. "You cannot easily replace family. You never can replace family. But you do have the chance to learn about other things, like good friends, and lifelong companions. Share love. Let the heart open up to everyone, and share it. Don't just take. That's selfish. Don't just give. That's futile. Share. Let there be a balance."

"That's good advice, Citan, from the heart."

Citan shook his head. "Emeralda was the one who said that."

I glanced at my female acquaintance, who glanced back at me, eyes wide.

"I think this would make a fascinating story. A girl who asks her questions... would there ever be a time I could meet with her, and ask her a few things about herself?"

Citan shrugged. "Now, I don't see why you shouldn't try. She stops by here quite often to play with Midori and the other children. She also has dinner with Yui and I. I am sure I can arrange it so that you two can meet."

"I'd like to meet her too," said my friend. She faced me, placing a slender hand on my arm. "Hey, do you think she would let me draw a portrait of her...? Maybe, one where she's thinking about... life. Or her family. Or..."

"You'd have to ask her," I replied. "I find it sad that such a beautiful story isn't written in words, and is left forgotten."

Citan nodded, rising from his chair. "Acutally, I find it rather sad too," he replied. "The rest of us are either too busy, too unmotivated, or too lazy to do it. Me, I know Emeralda like the back of my hand. I do not see any reason for me to write anything down. But others, like you, like those who live in New Lahan, like those in Bledavik... none of them know who Emeralda is. All they know is Fei and Elly, Bart and Sigurd, Billy and Rico..."

"And Citan," piped my friend, giving him a large smile.

Citan winked. "Yes, I must certainly not forget myself."

"You better not!"

The doctor chuckled. "Anyway, it is getting a little late, so perhaps you should start heading home before the darkness falls completely over the mountainside. It was great to have you two over. I will be sure to give you a call so you can meet up with Emeralda."

"All right," said I, giving a wave. "Take care of yourself, Citan."

"Bye, Citan!"

"Citan's cool!" said my friend brightly as we descended the mountain slope.

"Of course he is," I replied. "He's such a dynamic fellow, and he know an insane amount. He's utterly fascinating. So, are you really going to draw Emeralda if you get the chance?"

"Well, I'd like to learn more about her... maybe you should talk to her, write your story first, or something... and then...."

Citan began to pick up the tea, and he brought them into the kitchen and emptied the pot. As he was coming back to put out the fire, he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," he called, thinking it was his guests, who have forgotten something.

"Citan?" said a female voice. "It's Emmy." The voice had only a slight trace of an accent, and spoke the Ignatian tongue with smooth fluency.

"Emmy! This is a surprise!" Citan said. "My guests and I were just talking about you. Sometime, they would like to meet you. One of them wants to draw you and the other wants to write about your life."

Emmy shrugged and played with her thick, green hair. "Well, it is all right with me. But I'd like to meet them first. Citan, I just came back because I realised that I forgot my cloak here a few days back and I decided that I should get it now before I forget for another week."

Citan snapped his fingers and nodded. "Right, I had it here by the coat rack. There it is. By the way, Emeralda, thank you very much for the Crescens feather. It's a great archive to add to my 'History of the Fifth Age'."

"No problem. Anytime."

"Do you have to leave right away, or can you stay for a while?"

"No, I have to be going. I said I would go to Elly's tonight and help her with her garden tomorrow morning."

"That is no problem. If you are free, just call me. I'd like you to meet two of my friends so we can probably arrange a meeting soon."

"Okay, Citan. Bye-bye!"

Citan closed the door behind Emeralda as she disappeared into the dark night. He looked around the archives that he kept in his little museum. They were all testaments of the past. Only one object symbolizing Emeralda was in the museum right now, and that was the feather. But, hopefully, he would be able to add a portrait and a story to the history soon.

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