Espoir Mansion

"Yeah, they're coming back. Dunno why they came to me, but here they are. ...Speaking of Blaster Blade." from the card case, he pulled out four copies of something else, placing them on the table. Thing Saver Dragon. The only reason he actually had them was thanks to when he was brought back to life, the dread dragon's light and Mordred became bound to the brunette... Allowing his life to resurface from the abyss of near death.

"Using the residual energy Ahmes left when legioning with Praesul's past, I could theoretically make a phantom Blaster Blade. It wouldn't be nearly as powerful as the original, but we need what strength we can get." he took a sip of the coffee, his face had a hint of a stoic coldness, though he was probably just putting on a mask. "I don't like it anymore than either of you, losing her. And I know what it feels like Haruka, believe me I do." he shot Rosalia a look for a moment. "That doesn't mean I'm mad or upset at you by the way, so relax before you think I'm either of those..."

Turning his attention back to Haruka, he leaned back in the chair. "You're our leader now. That means making difficult decisions. ...Starting with this issue. If you tell me not to try to bring a phantom copy of Ahmes into the mix, I won't. But on a personal level I'd advise against it. Since it goes back to the whole 'we need all the strength we can get'." he was speaking to Haruka more as an adviser than he was a brother, or grunt at this point... but he still addressed the point that Haruka was the commander, not himself.

Another sip of coffee as he retrieved the Thing Saver cards, and the Seekers. "If you can't handle it on your own, name a second in command. Someone that you personally think fits any standards you deem necessary for the position, leaving all personal connections out of it." he shut his eyes. "Make sure you also give yourself personal time to relax whenever you can. Don't kill yourself, or cause your heart to explode. I don't need another sibling dying on me." he made sure to drive that point home. He loved Haruka as the brother he truly was, but this harshness was coming from a very deep place in his heart... One with the desire to see as many make it home as he could possibly get... And the frustrations of losing one of the few people he actually looked up to, all of these feelings evidenced in the way he spoke... and the harsh reality that was their lives now.

Many thoughts raced through Haruka's mind as more and more decisions became apparent for him to make. His own being was a decision at this point, to live on with what purpose he can retain or end it all in the coming days. He made that decision once before, but it always seemed to loom as if he had to make it every day.

Bringing a phantom of Blaster Blade could mean a lot of things, good and bad. While it did bolster the forces of the Resistance by even the smallest margin, it was a forsaking of Cray rites to bring an illusion of a unit to materialization. Haruka was... Skeptical. He thought over another cup of coffee before standing up and walking towards the door.

"Under no circumstances should he been seen other than a dire moment. Illusions and phantoms of the past should stay to rest... But even I can't deny Ahmes' presence is invaluable, in unit form or other. Be extremely careful."

He placed a hand on the door handle, taking a moment to think of a good second-in-command. Seifer was an obvious choice, being one of Haruka's most trusted advisors and family, but being family was also all the more reason to keep him from being in such a dangerous position. Yukino was forgiving letting Haruka take a position in the army at all. He had the same ideal, in that respect.

Then there was someone like Haruto, who was young but ambitious and similar to Haruka in the way of loss, but having a similar youthful innocence as Sera. He didn't want the Hayato line to turn to ash so quickly...

Sera was one of the candidates thought of, but the Resistance would most likely have a majority disagreement over that sort of involvement. By the same token, Sera probably wouldn't accept the position anyways.

Who did that leave Haruka to pick...? Bashiro? Aoi? Carlos or Darren?

A thought crossed his mind. The remaining Beacon of Hope still stood live and well.

"Noel..."

He whisked out the door, leaving his family members with a swift,

"I think I have a perfect second. Also, prepare yourselves, you're all on-call in case of emergency."

Haruka threw on his boots, letting Seifer or Rose call any last second comments out before he left the house once again.

Short conversation, it was.

Well, obviously the pinkette would feel a tad guilty for disappearing on Seifer... twice... Even if it wasn't her fault, she still felt bad, though otherwise didn't speak up. This was a serious conversation between the guys, so she kept to herself and nibbled on one of the sweet treats that Butler-San had made to go with the coffee and tea. While listening, it was an interesting topic at hand. To have a second in command meant that Haruka would maybe be less stressed out. Almost anyone in the Resistance was a loyal ally, but it would take someone special to act as a leader.

Noel? Well, she and Haruka have been named heroes of the Resistance ever since the tournament. The Jewel Knight Vanguard could be a likely option. Of course, than also meant that yet another family member would be positioned at the front lines, not that Noel hasn't done her part already by attacking the Reapers head on.

Haruka was out the door though just a few moments later. The thought of being on-call for emergencies wasn't exactly a warming thought. Rosalia was still unsure about Seifer and his recovery, but there wasn't much else they could do... especially when the lights flickered before going out. At least for a moment, though she expected the Espoirs to have back-up generators. "That... can't be good... I don't think there was supposed to be a strong storm coming....." she sighed, glancing at her phone before looking to her fiancé. "Even the phone service is messed up. Aren't cell towers and everything powered by a big, ya know, tower? Think something happened to it?... ...How much you wanna bet that Harbinger or her Drones are messing with us..."

Seifer stood sighing and looking to the side. His blood sister was chosen. Of course. It wasn't even a matter of putting her in a position "over him", since in reality he'd do what he wanted anyway. That aside, she was still his blood. At the mention of an emergency, he walked toward the door to follow Haruka.

"I'm going this time. I'm well enough to fight, and I'm not taking a no as an answer from either of you."

The pinkette glanced at her Reality Bangle when Haruka's warning came through. Crap, she was right. She really hated being right. But, Seifer was getting up already, Rosalia standing as well to follow her fiancé out the door. "Let's get going then. I know I can't stop you, but I can at least keep you alive as much as I can."

The day was wrought with hell and despair. Daily in the life of Haruka, and all those who walked in his steps. He proceeded to depart from the tower with Seifer, directly towards the mansion. He had to speak with the father of the hold, but as soon as his presence reached the gate of the abode he was stopped.

"... Butler-san? Something the matter?"

He only held up a white glove to shush the boy, and pre-emptively quiet Seifer as well. His grey hair was frazzled, perhaps there was an issue inside? He took the boys in through a side entrance, reticently mentioning there has been a bit of an issue concerning the staff. Most have been on the fritz noticing many of the abode have been missing, only now coming to their senses. Both of Mister Espoir's precious children were loss to prophecy, and Haruka had a hand in both of their lives, as did Seifer prominently later. They were now his sons, albeit sons-in-law or adoptive, but they were also his children. Losing them was not an option now.

Haruka took the sentiment mentally, nodding to Seifer as they approached the kitchen, warning Butler-san of the condition at the Tokyo Tower. His face was grimace, but not torn. He had lived a long time, he experienced loss before. He told the story briefly to them of his own loss of his wife and son to a tsunami that struck the country thirty-some years ago. He was distraught and lost in his way, but regained himself over time. This was less of a message, as it was an "I understand."

"Seifer, dear, take a seat on the couch in the living room. I will bring you a cup of coffee and some pastries. You must rest afterwards, so I will be looking after applying a maid with medication to your service. Now... Haruka."

After Seifer was asked to be dismissed, whether or not he took his leave of the vicinity, Butler-san provided him with a silver deck case and cards. He pressed his hands firmly on Haruka's holding the case, looking him in the eyes.

"I too, have experienced loss. You have experienced it, and so have many others. But do you know, what we do when we experience loss? We live on for those who cannot, in their stead. So live on in her stead, in their stead."

He gave a grin, nodding to the white-haired commander, who was now sitting in moral shock. He was his mentor, so it was of course far less grating to be told to fight the pain by him. Haruka opened his mouth, seeking to pull a card out and look at them.

"... Raizers?"

"They're like you Haruka. They fight, and they fight, and the stand and they fight some more. Take this, too."

Cat Butler. The card looked just like Butler-san, aside the feline characteristics. The monocle, the bow, the suit even. It was like he was exemplified into a card. Haruka placed them in the deck case, and breathed out.

"I'm off then, Butler-san."

"Do us proud. Do all of us proud."

He nodded, his eyes now glowing to a capacity. He was finally able to regain some of his senses. Okuri, Cero, Butler-san and many others were sitting on the shoulder of Haruka to see  what he would do next. How would he put himself as a variable into the equation?

Following his brother from the remains of the previous battlefield, Seifer's limp had disappeared by the time they reached the game, though his eye remained shut from the streak of blood and the stinging sensation still lingering under his eye lid. He remained silent on the trek to home, unable to really say anything considering their current predicament. Being met by Butler-San at the gate was both surprising and alarming, but he stayed hushed as the elder man motioned to do so. Following both Haruka, and Butler-San, he listened quietly then did as he was mentioned to, quietly finding a place on the couch but not before nodding at Haruka. "If you need me, call me. I'll be there." he made a promise, though maybe it was hollow considering his current condition. Placing his hand over his right eye again, he flinched. Something was seriously wrong now, so he tried opening his eye revealing... just darkness.

Seifer blinked once, twice... three times. Nothing changed. He tried rubbing his eye as it closed, and nothing changed other than blood coating his knuckle. He was blind in his right eye. Quietly, he muttered a string of curses before rising off of the couch, and making his way into a nearby bathroom, quietly rooting through the cabinets to find gauze, and something to clean himself up with. After creating a slight mess, mostly just a few balled up bloody tissues, the brunette had applied the gauze over his eye, coming up with medical tape to fasten it in place... a makeshift eye patch. The thought made him grimace, being reminded of Bashiro as he strode from the mansion long before he could receive medical aid.

Satoshi's meditative wandering led him to the Espoir household, mostly due to the fact that the winding path leading up to the manor was one that allowed quiet reflection. Subconsciously, the decision to wander this path was based on past history of going here in times of trouble to seek guidance or regroup.

He also really wanted some Butler-san coffee.

The whole time his wandering took him to the kitchen to receive a cup of coffee, even with a brief nod to Butler-san who presented his usual greeting, Satoshi was fighting an internal battle, a mental battle, that kept him focused on removing conflict and replacing it with emptiness. The conflict was simple: his failures were making him question his value to anyone more than perhaps Mizumi, who even then he was unsure of. His loss of Neo Nectar units to the enemy, the curse of the Black Witches player, even his simple failure in tournament...all of those had finally begun to pile up.

Seph telling him that Yukino was now with the enemy was simply icing on the depressing cake, but he couldn't let that fly. This wasn't a time to be sad. But with how things were playing out...this wasn't a time to be anything, really.

Satoshi let out a soft sigh as he took in the scent and flavor of the coffee, sitting in the kitchen.

Through the gate he came crashing.

More literally, through the front door he stumbled, using the wall as a steady guide for himself. His breathing was entirely out of whack, now missing most of its vigor and its honed preciseness. The Triad's agility was faltering as it entered the household. Behind him was the newly empowered Karin, her spirit burning with enough energy for both herself and Haruka to sustain normally. As they breached the inner household, Haruka told her to head into the kitchen.

"Look... Butler-san should be able to... get you comfortable. I'll be down, in a bit."

Haruka detoured out right up the head honcho he had to see by taking the staircase. Little did he know a visitor was awaiting him within the kitchen, he had news that was meant to be delivered at least three hours ago now. Though it took this long for him to trek up the felt staircase, using the railing religiously to keep his frame from taking a collapse. He made it to the Father Espoir door, grandiose in all its glory. He placed his knuckles on the door, and feebly knocked.

Once, twice, thrice. No one stronger nor weaker than its predecessor nor ancestor.

Upon the arrival of the new commander and a companion, the latter was immediately recognized as one of the traitors where several soldiers loaded their guns and several maids prepared multiple knives inbetween their fingers. Luckily, the fact that she was standing with the commander and how her energy emitted no hostility kept them from attacking. The Espoir service forces stayed their hands, a number of them going to continue tending to Satoshi. "Sir", the maids and butlers aside from Butler-san welcomed Haruka with pleasing smiles and grins to create a more joyous atmosphere. More importantly, with respect beyond that they would give to a co-worker. Though he works here, he was officially acknowledged by Father Espoir awhile back, and he took up the mantle as the new acting leader for the Resistance.

They were all ignored as Haruka rushed upstairs to Lord Espoir's office though.

He wasn't in, as no one responded to Haruka's feeble knocking initially. However, the giant lion of a man approached, his heavy footsteps in the hall noted as he took a sip of his tea in hand with two servants accompanying him.

"Hey", the stoic gent greeted his... urgh... future son-in-law. "You look like a train hit you."

Karin nodded to Haruka before splitting paths with him and heading to the kitchen- Only to notice a large number of armed guards trained on her, ready to strike her down in an instant. Carrying both swords of the Overlords probably only made her seem more suspicious, but... None of them seemed like they intended to attack. Perhaps they were noticing the distinct lack of Sovereign's unique aura. No matter the reason, Karin was relieved to be free from the enemy's clutches.

Stepping into the kitchen, she left her twin swords leaned against a wall before taking a seat in a nearby chair. Then, she noticed Satoshi. That man who Karin had been suspicious of on their initial meeting- Here in this very room, actually.

Suddenly the atmosphere in the room got significantly more awkward.

"Oh. Um... Hi."

After the events at the park, Seifer had lingered for several moments longer before returning to the mansion. He enjoyed the few quiet moments at the park alone, but now he had to actually get real medical attention, and something a bit better suited to be an eye patch instead of gauze and medical tape. Walking inside, the air felt heavy, at least to him. "Seems dad and Haruka are talking..." he made light of it, but opted to not actually go there as they most likely needed time to talk, man to man. Instead, he chose to go to the kitchen. Coffee right about now sounded great. Walking in on Satoshi and Karin being there however, he stopped in his tracks... thanking the fact he'd gotten used to the loss of his depth perception before hand as he'd of tumbled straight down in the floor having stopped so suddenly.

Satoshi totally hadn't noticed most of the guards in place at the mansion, probably because they didn't consider him a threat. In fact, as far as they were concerned, he was still an employee of the Espoir family like Haruka had been, so he had free passage in and out. That said...even in his deep thinking state, his eyes moved over to Karin.

The last time they had been in this room together, she had confiscated the Regalia of the Fool in an effort to defend Yukino, only to discover the gun wouldn't fire in the first place, like he had explained. Then, it had been incredibly awkward, especially for a first meeting. Now...now was no different, as far as he could tell.

Satoshi nodded once to her, as well as to Seifer, who had chosen an interesting moment to show up, then resumed taking in his coffee. Despite wanting to say something, the words would not form. He was too deep in reflection, thinking of how the failures could affect others around him, these acquaintances included.

The silence was... awkward, but nothing short of what Karin had expected. Only minutes ago, she was a traitor set on erasing the entire world. Now, she was reborn as an Overlord herself, willing to fight for all of humanity once again. It only made sense that he'd have nothing to say to her. It's not like they'd interacted much anyway.

And so she remained still, next to her swords, patiently waiting for Haruka to finish his business.

Very awkward indeed. Seifer, still frozen in mid stride finally relaxed his stance. He already knew that Karin had returned, most likely stronger than ever. However, Satoshi had been rather under the radar as of late, and that had made the brunette worry. Given Satoshi's current deep thought look however, the adopted Espoir turned his attention to Karin, who seemed to be waiting for Haruka to be finished with Father Espoir. Scratching the back of his neck, Seifer decided to end this awkward silence. It was to quiet after all, and the quiet made him feel far to tense. "It's good to have you back Karin, though I wish the circumstances were... Better." he opened his mouth to speak again, shutting it rather quickly afterwards. He started to realize now that he hadn't made much conversation with Karin in the past, only working with her under Yukino's command... and then fighting her earlier in this conflict. The truth made him feel... disappointed in himself. He realized the reason behind it was that he was also so hung up over his failures, and inability to protect what he held dear.

Karin's gaze shifted towards her brother-in-arms. Seifer... They both walked alongside Overlord in the past, and he had even earned the grace of Nouvelle herself. But that was clearly no longer the path he walked- Karin had seen him alongside the Shadow Paladins a number of times, just as Yukino had sometimes been. Though, with Karin practically being a part of the family now, they were essentially adoptive siblings now, too.

"It's good to be back. But, um... We can discuss everything once Haruka's all freed up."

That was the simple and honest truth. Karin had a lot on her mind, and a lot she needed to tell... well, everyone. It needed to be made known she was on their side once again, that Yukino and everyone else who had been deleted could still be saved, and that the Reapers were-

...Where were they?

Karin put a hand to her head, feeling a twinge of pain run across it. The cave that all the Reapers and their drones gathered in- She couldn't remember its location... Perhaps that had been a final parting gift from the Seed, or a natural side-effect of breaking free of their grasp. Either way, she supposed, it might not even matter in the end. Chances were, it wouldn't be too long before they launched their next attack. Even somewhere far off, in the distance, Karin could feel two familiar powers swelling up. She glanced out a window.

Solis, Yukino, and even...

"...Sharyu..."

She muttered the name to herself, almost completely inaudible. Sharyu, the name of the Overlord who willingly held her in the Reaper's servitude. The Overlord that took her dependency on him and abused it at every turn. And, in the end, Sharyu was the Overlord to willingly betray her, and enter Solis' hands instead, leaving Karin to become Sovereign's slave.

There would be a score to settle in the near future.

Satoshi gulped a bit more coffee. He couldn't really stay silent, no matter how much he wanted to. Technically, he was around other people, so it wouldn't be fair to them if he simply stayed silent without expressing some form of gratitude for their presence.

"I'm...glad you're both fending better than expected, considering what everyone has been going through." His mind was still distant, but the Guardian at least expressed his willingness to speak, if only a little.

Karin spoke saying they should wait for Haruka, and she was right. Maybe they should. Leaving Karin to her thoughts, and stopping only to thank Satoshi for what he said, Seifer turned on his heel leaving the kitchen. He'd show back up when it was time to meet. For now, the one-eyed brunette wandered the halls of the mansion, taking care to avoid Father Espoir's office, ending up at his room. Letting out a soft sigh, he opened the door, entering, leaving the door wide open.

The room was empty, devoid of even light as the curtains were drawn close. What did he even think would be here? Walking along the side of his bed, it was expertly made as expected of the staff. He let out a gentle sigh, walking over to the curtains and pulling them apart... letting what light there was outside flood in. He was alone, and depressed yet again. Why was it so hard for him to be happy? Well the Reapers were standing in the way of that, taking his friends and family. Moving to the bathroom connected to his room, he flipped the light switch and moved in front of the mirror taking in his tattered appearance. His coat was frayed, ripped and torn, dirt covering his sleeves and tail coat.

Pulling the coat off, he hung it up on a nearby rack intended instead for towels, but he wasn't bothered in the slightest. Stepping fully in front of the mirror he removed a single card from his deck box, one that was gone... the unit upon it shrouded in the black that signed deletion. Setting it on the counter for now, he turned his gaze to the mirror, removing the bandaging over his right eye, tossing it into the trash nearby. Opening it up, he was once again met with darkness. From the side that he could see out of, staring at his broken reflection, he noted that the eye had already clouded over. Accepting this truth, he shut his eye again turning his attention to the card he'd placed down on the counter just a moment ago.

"Not that long ago, you came to me offering your power. You helped me overcome much of my own weakness, and allowed me to form more bonds. Become more confident in my own strength... And yet here we are now." he sighed. He was just talking to nothingness at this point. Even if he could talk to his units normally, this one was lost to him. And yet he continued, turning around and leaning against the counter. "I'm a disappointment to everyone. I failed my fiance, my sister... my family. I can't protect my friends. They say a man's worth is measured by his deeds. Well, what's my worth? My victories are few and far between. I'm unable to contribute much to this fight, unlike Haruka, Darren... and now Karin. I'm still far to weak..." shutting his one eye open eye he shook his head. "And it's not like I can go about moping. Everyone's lost something, someone. ...So I just hold it inside. I hold it inside, and let it crush me... But what can I do? I don't feel like I'm allowed to show my anguish." sighing, he leaned his head back, opening his left eye again to stare at the ceiling.

Karin almost scoffed at Satoshi's words. "Hah, speak for yourself..." She said in a hollow tone. Fending better than expected? If only that were actually the case. It was true Karin can managed to break from Sovereign's clutches... But not without a price. A part of her had been lost in exchange, a price for her mistakes, a punishment for her sins. Despite being "back to normal", Karin doubted she'd ever be her full, complete self ever again. There would always be that little bit of her, still tangled in the seed's roots.

...But, that was something to be discussed with all accounted and present.

"...Y'know, I never did learn your name."

She raised a hand and gave Satoshi a quick wave. "Karin, by the way. We met here once before. I mistook you for someone trying to get at Yukino.

The harshness of her initial response made Satoshi skeptical as to whether it was appropriate to say something, but in the back of his mind, he noted this was likely due to something that happened he had yet to hear about. Someone would speak about it eventually. Probably. He simply didn't feel like it was his place to ask just yet.

"Satoshi." He extended a hand to shake. "It was a weird day, for sure, but not any weirder than what's happened since then, right?"

It was no use thinking about it. Peeling his gaze away from the ceiling, Seifer picked up the card from the counter, walking out of his room and up to one of the maids, holding the deleted card out to her. "When you can, can you take this to Karin downstairs? Yes, yes I understand she used to be our enemy. No, I don't care about my eye." he quickly cut the maid off at every chance she tried to speak, forcing the blank card with a small letter wrapped around it upon the maid, leaving her there dumbfounded. Exiting the, mansion, the brunette shoved his hands into his pockets making his way to... somewhere away from here.

The maid who he had entrusted with the card and letter stared at both with a puzzled expression before hurrying downstairs, giving the card and letter to Karin (or rather leaving it nearby to indicate it was for her), then scurried off. Visibly scribbled on the piece of paper was 'Read at your leisure.'

Karin took Satoshi's hand and gave it a firm shake. Things were still a little awkward- Karin didn't know if Satoshi knew about her situation or not, but he seemed to understand she wasn't the enemy any longer. That was a good sign, at the very least. "I guess so..."

"A train, huh?  Thought we were looking at maybe an oncoming taxi..."

Haruka tried to crack wise with the head of the household, but he immediately felt the guilty sensation hit his insides harder than usual. How was he going to break the ridiculously untimely news about his daughter to him now? What was there even to say about it other than, 'oh yeah, your daughter was erased from existence but then brought back as a Reaper super weapon sir!'

As if he could put it that simply. It made sense in his head, and saying that was ultimately within the boundaries of correct. Though, would any father want to hear that kind of news? Would anyone want to hear that news at all? Especially if that daughter happened to be the key to humanity's survival for the most part? His apprehension was well-deserved.

"Can we talk... in your office, preferably."

Haruka nodded his head lightly to the right, holding his gut as if any second his insides might come pouring out of his stomach. Before the father might even think of requesting any medical attention, Haruka was preemptively waving it off in favor of getting this discussion out of the way. He wanted to be the least mentally sober he could be when saying this. The less pain he could feel, the better.

Father Espoir looked down at the exhausted man before him, and was about to joke over how train may not be enough to describe how he looks, but opted against it. ... Probably because he had a good idea of what he was going to say. It was bad news for sure if he looked like this and came to talk to Lord Espoir. Giving a sigh, it was for the best they talk this out. He told Yukino he'd accept this boy, even if he didn't like the thought of them together. The lion turned to a servant, leaving them with the cup of tea, and silently motioning they depart. The boys had a girl to discuss privately. And a little more than that, depending on how bad everything's gotten beyond Father Espoir's knowledge.

With another heavy sigh, he reached for the doorknob to his office. Only to be stopped by--

"We know."

A tall woman, much more dainty, lean, supple then Father Espoir and not superhumanly sized spoke, approaching the men. She wore a plain business outfit of a black jacket, skirt, and white buttoned blouse nearly tucked in. Her hair was long, flowing and silky and... navy blue colored. It was reminiscent of the princess.

It was Hana's hair.

Mother Espoir was speaking to them with a stern, yet obviously pained-racked face of puffy eyes from crying.

"... You should-"

"I'm... I've done enough of my time in the dark." Mom cut off Dad, and his expression was a little taken back, mouth slightly open with a visible wince of pain. "Now... both of them are gone... Right?" Mother Espoir asked Haruka, not being informed entirely of the truth of Nemesis or having any hint of her existence. As far as she knew, she outlived both of her children.

Karin stood up from her seat, glancing out the near window. In the distance, she could feel that faint, familiar energy that was signature of the reaper drones. It was that, and...

...She could sense both Nemesis and Solis very clearly, the two of them giving off a new, unknown power. Something big was about to go down.

Casting a quick look at Satoshi, snatching up the letter that the maid had left for her, and grabbing both of her swords, she stepped towards the door. "Trouble's going down, gotta run." Karin said as she was about to move leave, ready to bolt out the door. But, she remembered a very similar scene playing out the last time they had met. Only, things were different. She and Satoshi weren't at arms, Haruka wasn't around, and Yukino-

"...Tell Haruka to check in with the Resistance. Both of you should probably come help out."

Setting the memories aside, she left Satoshi with those words, and ran out the front door. On her path, she took a moment to open up the letter Seifer had left her, taking the card from it and instinctively slipping it into a side slot in her deck box.