In the days since the battle, when Idrialite had learned that the most important person in his life stood on the other side of the war, he had been reckoning with the consequences of this knowledge. But that was the thing. If he thought about it long and hard enough, he knew that there was only one answer. There had, truth be told, been only one answer since the day that Cinnabar had shoved her hand into his chest.

(Cinnabar who was gone. Cinnabar who was allegedly a traitor.)

But the thing that had always held him back was the question of abandoning his life as Tobias. He would have to become someone brand-new,. someone who barely knew himself, in order to be freed of Chaos. And he would be putting himself under the eyes of an organization not exactly well known for being positive on treason.

Now, though, he had an answer. Finally, the benefits of leaving outweighed the costs. And the fear.

And so he waited, with Dunwich, for the Princess she said she'd met. The one that had the power to finally get him away from Metallia's cold, poison grip.

It wasn't often, as Idrialite or Tobias, that he was afraid. Actual fear had long since died into banal; frustration about his work for the Negaverse. But there was an edge of it now, because it was hard to know what purification would take for him. And even with the loose ends tied up--even though the Negaverse shouldn't come looking--there was always a chance. Always a risk.

And yet, the risk....the risk was, Idrialite believed, worth it. It had to be.

"Thank you, love," Idrialite told Dunwich, softly, "for finding someone who can help us."

Kaefaux
Sunshine Alouette