Jack and Ariella both had no idea where they had ended up, but after the whole escapade with the zombies, they were too tired to care. Jack hoped that nothing else would come after him, at least for a couple of hours. He and Ariella just wandered for a while, trying to find somewhere to sleep, but they were both so exhausted that they gave up and slept on the floor. It was certainly colorful, like an endless sea of rainbow water, but Jack was surprised by how soft it was. The watery substance was not wet at all and didn't leave him drenched when he lied down. It washed up against him like waves on the shore. It had been a long time since Jack had felt relaxed, but the sound of the "waves" calmed his frayed nerves and lulled him to sleep.
Ariella waited for Jack to fall asleep, and she made sure his breathing was steady and even before she left. She didn't want him to wake up and find her not there, so she knew she couldn't take too long. But judging from what Jack had just gone through, Ariella expected him to sleep for a long time.
Ariella and ignored the looks directed her way. She was positively fuming after what had just happened—how dare those dreadful Ciasstolas do such a thing. Cruel, cruel and unnecessary; that's what it was. Ariella visibly hmphed and crossed her arms as she stomped up the steps of the gazebo. Her agitation was clear on her face and she made all the other Ciasstolas know it too, by glaring at anyone who dared to move. She circled the gathering of masked figures and sighed heavily when she noticed Mattrich was missing. That meant Ariella would have to wait amongst the others until she arrived, which she was loathe to do. She stood in a small clearing in the left corner edge and shot venomous glares at any Ciasstolas that looked her way. They all creeped her out with their eerie smiles and dark eyes, always watching. Like prey.
Ariella had to give Mattrich a report of her progress so that Mattrich could deliver the message to the Will of the Abyss. Ariella didn't really see the point in the whole system. Mattrich and the others had eyes all over the Abyss and the Will of the Abyss saw everything. This was her domain. Ariella was required to report periodically anyway, but she didn't really put much effort into it. The sinister atmosphere surrounding the Ciasstolas made her uneasy, which added to her displeasure. She could almost feel their eyes on her. Ariella hmphed again and narrowed her eyes at no one in particular.
"Looks like somebody is back from babysitting the bastard," Dietry laughed as she entered the circle. A few chuckles echoed around the group from various members.
"Why are you with him anyway? Must be so horrible, to spend so much time with that monster," one figure said, but there was no trace of pity for Ariella in his voice.
"Someone needs to lead Jack to the trials or he would never find them," Ariella stated flatly, not giving away that she genuinely enjoyed going on this adventure with Jack. Despite all the hardships they'd faced, she liked being there to support him. Ariella figured she was the only one who actually cared about him as a person. She couldn't admit that to her team because, no, that would be absolutely absurd.
"But why does it have to be you," a slender figure asked. Ariella recognized her as the Ciasstolas they called Liena. Ariella had never spoken to Liena, but if she was like any of the other Ciasstolas, Ariella didn't want to.
"I'm qualified," Ariella said simply, "and do any of you even know anything about him at all?"
Liena laughed sensuously. "Oh I know plenty," she ran her tongue lightly over her carmine lips and glanced upwards, like she was recalling a pleasant memory. "Jack was quite popular with noblewomen," she smirked, "I've seen all of him."
Ariella's lip curled in disgust at Liena's absolute ignorance. How could she possibly be so dense?
Liena bent down so she was eye level with Ariella, "you'll understand when you're older," she said and winked.
Ariella put her hand on her hip and smiled sardonically. "Oh I understand perfectly," she leaned forward to mimic Liena's condescending action, "you're a filthy whore."
Liena immediately straightened out and her eyes widened in shock at Ariella's audacity. Ciasstolas sitting around them hollered and laughed, and Liena shot them all a fierce glare. It didn't shut them up, and Liena crossed her arms over her chest, disgruntled. Ariella smirked, victorious.
"Now, now, Elizabeth, don't tease poor Liena. She can't help being stupid," Mattrich's voice came from above.
The Magjistarѐ stood on higher ground above the group of Ciasstolas like a queen ruling over her subjects. The laughter died instantly. Mattrich sauntered down to the masked figures and they parted to let her pass into the circle. She stood a good distance away from Ariella, but she could still feel Mattrich's cold chill on her skin. The woman always seemed to carry a chilling air with her wherever she went.
Ariella knew Mattrich wasn't referring to Liena's ignorance about Jack's true self, but a different matter that only she, Ariella, and the Will of the Abyss were privy to. Ariella didn't want to get into the details so she shifted the conversation before Mattrich could continue.
"I came to give you my report," Ariella snapped, nerves frayed with irritation.
Mattrich tilted her head to the side and crossed her arms over her chest, giving Ariella a bored look. Ariella knew it was a farce, Mattrich always enjoyed seeing Jack in pain. She hoped Mattrich wasn't planning anything new, but judging from the look on her face, it was going to be something entirely new and twisted that Ariella would have to deal with. She still ached to give her an earful about the last trial. She took a deep breath before beginning her speech, and hoped that they wouldn't put Jack even more through the wringer than he already was.
"Jack has been making great progress through the trials, but with all due respect, I think we should tone down their intensity," Ariella said with a strained voice.
"Well if they're working, I don't see any reason why we should stop," Mattrich said with a small, knowing smile. She knew perfectly well what Ariella was trying to do. "Don't you agree?"
"Yes, but—" Ariella started to say.
"The bastard deserves what he gets," Dietry piped in. Ariella shot her a glare and was met with a smug grin that Ariella would've loved to punch right off Dietry's face.
Warrigan, leaning on Dietry, scoffed. "That monster doesn't deserve redemption. We're giving him far more than what he deserves."
"Don't you think you're being a bit too harsh? These trials are taking a terrible toll on him," Ariella tried to argue. "And that last one…you could have seriously hurt him! What were you all thinking, sending a billion zombies after him? And making him climb that vile mountain? You can't do something like that…" Ariella trailed off when she noticed the faces of the Ciasstolas and realized she was shouting.
Mattrich waved her hand, dismissing her rant. "Oh, hush up. They weren't real zombies, just some illusions cast by chains. We gave them physical form with a little bit of magic. Jack was never in any real danger."
Ariella looked incredulous. "How dare you—" she started to say, but was silenced by an intense glare from the Magjistarѐ that meant the end of her side of the argument.
"Besides, they're working. That's what matters," Warrigan retorted.
"And Jack has taken a terrible toll on us. Don't you think we should get him back for all that he's done to us? To the whole of Sablier?" Dietry added.
"And what makes you think he can even be saved? Huh, Elizabeth?" Mattrich asked, annunciating her name. Her voice was the same volume as the rest, but way more powerful.
The question rang in Ariella's ears, mostly because she wasn't completely sure of it herself. As much as she hated to admit it, she didn't know if Jack could be saved. She wanted, oh she wanted so desperately for him to be saved, for him to be able to save himself, but she didn't know if he could. He was too broken to do it himself. He was showing progress; Ariella had never lied in her reports (at least, not about that). But she had never known a time when Jack wasn't obsessed with Lacie. She didn't think she ever would. Ariella wanted to believe in him, but everything was so up in the air that she didn't know what to believe in.
Nevertheless, she would have faith in him.
"I will do everything in my power to make sure that he is," Ariella said and gave a curt nod.
She turned her back on all the white robed figures and stalked off without another word. She needed to get back to Jack before he woke, and he would never know that she was gone.
Jack stood at the edge of the cliff overlooking the chasm. A rather precarious looking bridge extended from one side to the other, but Jack was wary about crossing it. It looked rickety at best, with old worm-eaten boards held together by fraying rope and rusty nails. It was thin, only one person would be able to move across at a time, and it was such a length that Jack doubted being able to cross it before it collapsed under him. He looked over his shoulder at Ariella, who stood a few feet behind him.
"Absolutely not," Jack said incredulously.
Ariella shrugged, not at all apologetic or worried. "It's the only way across unless you suddenly sprout some wings."
Jack laughed, despite his apprehension. "You and I both know that I'm no angel," he said with a smirk.
He turned to stand at the edge of the bridge and Ariella clapped her hand on his back. He almost shrieked in terror as he was pushed forwards a ways, obviously not expecting Ariellas surprise. He gripped the two wooden posts on either sides of the bridge and Ariella had to laugh at the expression on his face.
"Not a monster either," she giggled, but she was serious about what she said.
Jack inhaled and let go of the wooden posts holding up the bridge. He looked to the side at Ariella giving him that little smirk and he wondered how she could have possibly said something like that. He had murdered her, hadn't he? And here she was, standing there as his friend and joking with him. She believed in him; that he had a soul and could be saved and was somehow still human. It was a strange feeling, but Jack liked it. He had gotten so used to the hatred of the masses—because he agreed with them. But now here was someone who didn't look at him with hatred. This was new. Jack didn't know how to react to it, and he certainly couldn't believe it.
"If only that were true," he said with a wan half-smile. The laughter in Ariella's eyes dimmed.
Jack took a deep breath and looked down at his feet as he took his first step onto the bridge. It shook ever-so-slightly and Jack grasped the handrails like his life depended on it—which it probably did—and he took another step. The bridge seemed to be holding his weight so Jack continued moving forward, slowly, centering his body so he would not disturb the fragile equilibrium he maintained over the gaping chasm. He didn't dare look down, but he knew it was a long drop; one he was not in the mood to accommodate himself with.
"Hurry up, slowpoke, we haven't got all day!" Ariella called from behind him.
Jack growled low in his throat. "Don't rush me, brat."
Ariella guffawed at his response. "And we were getting along so well."
Jack laughed at her mocking tone, but stopped immediately when he felt the bridge shake. The thing seemed hundreds of years old, he didn't need it collapsing underneath him.
He continued moving, brushing his hands along the rope handholds and cautiously testing out each step. He moved slowly, as much for safety as to piss off Ariella behind him. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't heard her make another comment since they left. It wasn't like her, she was always making casual jabs at him or complaining about something. She was hardly ever silent, that is, unless she was nervous. Jack wondered if she was afraid of heights. They never seemed to bother her before, but Jack couldn't be sure with her. He looked behind himself to see if she was alright, and he saw that she wasn't there at all.
"Ariella!" he shouted, but all he got back was an echo.
Jack looked rapidly to either side of him, his braid slapping his shoulders. There was nothing around for miles. The chasm seemed endless, stretching off into the distance until it was little more than murky fog that he couldn't see past. Jack looked down at his feet. The bridge was thin, barely giving him enough room to pass through, and it was terribly wobbly, so it was entirely possible that Ariella had fallen off. Fear gripped Jack heart and he hoped that wasn't the case. Ariella was his only chance at saving Lacie, and the plucky blonde was starting to grow on him. He looked behind him again, gripping the ropes on either side to steady the swaying bridge.
"Ariella!" Jack screamed. It echoed in the distance.
"Ariella!" he tried again.
No reply but the echo.