A/N: I had far too much fun writing this one. You could think of this as a sequel to my first Leblanc/Logos fic, "Testimonial", or not. It could work either way, so you don't have to read it first or anything. (But you should anyway. :P) Puh-leez review; it makes me so happy. 3

---

Camaraderie

Logos tried not to grumble at the sting that shot through his abdomen with every consecutive step. It wouldn't do to complain in front of the boss; he was a man, after all, despite having nearly been… emasculated by that damned Ochu two kilometers back. What the bleeding hell had an Ochu been doing on the Highroad, anyhow? A stray from Mushroom Rock, perhaps. Whether or not it was the truth, it made him feel better to be able to trace its origins in a logical manner, as it had been the culprit in forcing them to walk in the first place. Really, didn't hover operators come equipped with a proper sense of adventure in this day and age?

And now, festering excruciatingly underneath his coat was a sizable lash in his side that sent a nigh-paralyzing shock of pain through his body every three minutes or so. And oh, what luck! There were no antidotes in sight. The boss had generously passed him potion upon potion to stave off the poison's effects ever since he'd found himself afflicted, but it was hardly a substitute, and now they were running out of potions. She finally let out a little frustrated noise and pushed on ahead, and Ormi looked back and forth between them in a tragic, indecisive manner before tentatively speeding up to walk between them.

"Ya feelin' okay, Logos?"

"Oh, absolutely—" he paused, muscles momentarily locking up around his rejoinder and barring its escape, then continued, albeit a bit breathier than before. "Absolutely wonderful. Splendid, Ormi. No, magnificent. I can honestly say that I have never before felt this good in my entire life."

For a second, Ormi's expression brightened like he genuinely believed Logos. Then the full effect of his tone sunk in and he sagged a bit, toeing at the dirt as he shuffled along. "Ya don't gotta say it like that…"

"Quiet, boys," Leblanc interjected, thrusting a hand out behind her to halt them in their tracks. "I think I hear a hover."

She was eager to get to the Youth League Headquarters in the wake of the three factions' speech in Luca, which she'd been sure to attend in hopes of talking to Nooj once again. The only problem was that he'd left before she could even bat an eyelash once it was over. The solution? Follow him back to Mushroom Rock. Logos was less than thrilled, but it was on the way back to Guadosalam in any case. Being poisoned left him feeling a little less than accommodating, though. Not that he'd ever dare object to the boss's decision.

She crossed to the side of the road and sat on a renegade piece of scrap metal. Logos's vision was not yet fuzzy to the point that he couldn't see the narrow triangle of her inner thigh flashing from his strategic vantage point directly in front of her. It sent a pleasant warm sensation spreading honey-like through his body. Almost a gentle numbness, that.

On second thought, he mused as he wobbled on his feet, it was probably just the poison.

"Honestly," she groused, watching him waver, "whose brilliant idea was it to not stock up on supplies before we came out here?"

"Boss—"

"And I think we'll be playing a little visit to that agency down the road! We're going to let them know that they need to get hover operators with a little spine."

"O-oh… Boss—"

"And is it getting cloudier all of a sudden? There'll be hell to pay if I get rained on! Logos, give me your coat!"

"… Boss, I-I'm blacking out."

He sagged even lower from his position on his knees before her, right arm stealing down to wrap around his torso in a futile act of instinct. Oh, Fayth, it felt like a Thundaga spell had localized itself underneath his ribcage and was firing away millions of tiny pinpricks of electricity into his entrails—!

"…oh."

"Hey, steady there!"

But Ormi's heavy arm colliding none-too-gently with his gut in his effort to keep him up was not what he wanted to feel at that particular moment, and he fully intended to rebuke him with "Watch where you put your hands, you clod!"

Instead it came out as something akin to "Aa-agh!" and he thought he maybe tasted blood somewhere in the back of his throat. At last he abandoned his pride and slumped over the proffered support in a way that he thought still held a modicum of dignity.

"Boss! We need to get to that travel agency soon!"

"Ugh, just perfect. Well, get him on your back, dammit! We—"

Logos fantasized a look of veiled concern on his boss's face, and the thought of it was enough to make him try, at least, to look up at her.

"Ah, how nice for the hover to come our way," she continued, obviously disguising her relief through a thin veneer of irritation.

"Or—! …—ut him do—…—hem over."

First he was moving, then he wasn't. Now he lay in what he thought was the grass, but the pleasant, warm softness under his cheek denoted otherwise. And in the midst of all this was an intoxicating, all too familiar scent…

"He-hey, wha—"

And the rest was silence.

---

"Ormi! Quit standing there slack-jawed and put him down so you can wave them over," Leblanc instructed. It was just one snag after another, wasn't it? That she was the least bit stressed out was an understatement. Nervous as she was, she did not need an incapacitated Logos, an additional hover charge, and the impending rain to deal with as well.

She was beginning to consider bypassing Mushroom Rock altogether, beginning to second-guess the whole thing, and she didn't like that one bit. She never second-guessed herself. But at the same time, something had changed since Vegnagun. Even if she wasn't sure what that something was. But for the first time, Nooj felt genuinely far away from her.

No. That wasn't it. It was the other…

Suddenly Logos's head was in her lap and Ormi retreated empty-handed to the middle of the Highroad.

"He-hey, what do you think you're doing?!"

Ormi gave her a completely innocent look. "Wavin' over the hover, like you said."

She rolled her eyes and decided it was totally not worth pursuing. That was when the first fat drop splattered right against the back of her neck and slid coldly down past her collar. She hissed, bristling much like an angry cat.

"Ormi!"

"It's comin', Boss!"

Logos stirred under the rain. His eyes squinted open (barely less than usual), took in the dark pink fabric less than a centimeter from his nose, and he smiled wanly.

"Boss," he ground out, tone tragic, subtly inclining his face against her thigh, "this could be the end."

Leblanc's hand twitched for her fan before she could stop herself. "You're damn lucky you're poisoned."

---

"Madam, if you would kindly lower your voice…"

"Do you know who you're speaking to, love? I am the great Leblanc! And as of right now, I am the great, wet, displeased Leblanc, and my subordinate here could be dead right now because you people don't have your act together!"

"Really, Boss. All this for me? You didn't have to."

"That's enough out of you! Quiet down and recuperate!"

Ormi watched the scene unfold over a nice bowl of fruit. The boss was fuming, that Rin guy was holding his ground, and Logos was sitting back against the wall looking a little too pleased for a guy who was recovering from an Ochu wound.

"—And now you're telling me that you don't have room for us?"

Rin shook his head, frowning a little. He looked slightly put out. "I did not say this. Simply that the only available room is a bit small for your party. If this does not bother you," he said, eyebrow raised, "you are welcome to stay there."

Leblanc huffed, the fatigue of the day beginning to get to her. Her clothes were soaked, her hair looked awful, and all she wanted now was a hot bath and a soft bed.

"It's better than nothing," she conceded, fishing a pouch of gil out from… well, Ormi didn't know where, and tossing it onto the desk nearby.

And with that she straightened, fanned herself a couple times, and sauntered off into the back. It looked like Logos was feeling better, because he rose in one fluid motion and followed on her heels. Ormi cast one more longing look to the giant peach in the middle of the bowl before snatching it and trailing along after, but he stopped in his tracks upon seeing both Logos and the boss blocking the doorway to their room. The boss looked really annoyed. Logos looked like he was thinking really hard about something.

"What's goin' on, guys?"

Leblanc glowered. "There are only two beds."

---

This was looking to be a problem. Well, a problem in that general sort of way that opens up opportunities to manipulate in one's favor. A problem that Logos was rather happy about provided he could, ahem, tweak the outcome slightly.

"Oh, Ormi," he began, ever nonchalant, "you look a tad fatigued. Perhaps you should… rest a bit."

The power of suggestion never failed with Ormi. He looked up from the unusually large peach pit that he studied so thoughtfully…

…And gave him a completely blank look, followed by a confused frown.

"Umm… Nah, I feel fine. I'm not tired or nothin'. But hey, thanks for askin', buddy." He seemed genuinely pleased at Logos's concern.

Logos blinked repeatedly. That wasn't how it was supposed to go at all.

"Are you entirely positive about that? I-I must say, these beds are superbly comfortable. Much better than what one might expect from such a rudimentary establishment as this."

A pause.

"Yes, thoroughly impressive."

Ormi gave him a stare that he didn't approve of in the slightest.

"You… sure you's feelin' okay, Logos? Maybe you's the one who needs the rest, y'know?"

Logos's jaw nearly dropped. Ormi— was Ormi onto him? Surely not. It couldn't be. And yet…

"Just humor me and try it," he snapped.

"All right, all right," Ormi replied, dignity slightly rankled. "Ya don't hafta tell me twice…"

So Logos watched, pleased, as Ormi's considerable bulk came crashing down on the next bed. The man stretched languidly— or his own version of languidly, at least— and reclined back, folding his hands behind his head. Oh, yes. That was a brilliant save. He thought he'd lost his only chance a moment ago. That left only the final phase.

"Ya know, you're right! This ain't half bad! Mmmm, I could stay here all night."

"Well, what's stopping you?"

Lifting his head in the crook of his elbow, Ormi looked positively scandalized. "I couldn't do that! You's still recoverin' from your poison! And the boss goes without sayin'. Nah, I'll take the floor tonight."

Dear, foolish Ormi. But it pleased Logos to know that he didn't suspect a thing. It almost made him feel a little guilty, taking advantage of his naïveté so. Almost.

"'Sides, the boss is gonna be done with her bath real soon, and you can bet she's gonna wanna fall into bed pretty quick. That's the way she always is."

On second thought, not at all.

"Oh, for Yevon's sake, Ormi. I'm perfectly fine! Just stay there and I'll take care of the boss." And how! "You look positively exhausted."

"Nnn… No, Logos, I just can't!"

"Sleep, damn you!"

"N-no!"

"Do it!"

"Logos!"

"Do it."

Then Logos suddenly remembered the Dream Powder.

---

This was a tough situation. Not the one outside. That she could deal with. The one in her head? …Not so much. She imagined it wouldn't be as difficult if only she knew where to start, but when you didn't even know how you felt, how could you form a plan of action?

This indifference worried her.

But in any case, she was going to go see Noojie. Yes! She was going to see Noojie and tell him—

Tell him what? How much she adored him? That was old news. That she was so profoundly moved by his speech in Luca? Only a little. That she loved him and wanted to be by his side for the rest of her life?

After a long silence, Leblanc stood with a ripple of water, grabbed a towel, and smiled cynically to herself.

"Damn, you'd think going to the edge of the world and back was such a life-changing experience."

---

Logos could barely contain a smile as Leblanc glared daggers at Ormi's sleeping form.

"What's gotten into him, love?"

He feigned a sigh, leaning back and perhaps shifting a little ways over to emphasize the space left next to him. "Your guess is as good as mine. And he won't awaken for anything."

She poised her hands on her hips, pausing once to throw a damp lock of hair out of her face. Her tone was deadly sweet. She wore this little pink satin thing that made him not care in the slightest. "And where did you figure I would sleep after all this?"

The pat of his hand on the mattress did not amuse her.

"Go squeeze in with Ormi! If that doesn't work, try the floor."

Without warning, Logos emitted a gasp and clutched his side desperately.

"Ah—! Oh, Boss… it would seem that poison has had residual effects…! I must conserve my strength—"

"Shut up and move over."

The light blinked out, then a bit of weight settled beside him. He could just barely see the rising slope of her hip through the darkness, but he knew that to touch would only mean death. Logos rather enjoyed living.

"Good night, Boss."

She grumbled a reply.

---

"Mmm…"

He thought it was just a trick of the sleep-addled imagination at first, but then it happened again: a feather-light hum and a puff of air against his ear and a hand on his chest. His eyes opened vaguely after a few seconds and then struggled to focus on the wall-mounted clock. He'd only been out for an hour.

"Mm-hmm…" There it was again. It crossed Logos's mind after a moment of lucidity to turn his head and look for the source of the sound, and when he did he suddenly found himself much, much more than awake.

Leblanc was pressed flush to his side, palm and pads of fingers sliding resolutely over to his former Ochu wound and seizing the fabric there. She pulled until he was no longer on his back but rather facing her and her closed eyes and faintly smiling lips, and after that she finally let her arm slacken and drape loosely around his waist. And then she shifted closer. Logos believed very strongly that at that moment, his eyes were wider than they had ever been in all the whole of the rest of his life. He felt compelled to say something, to address her, but he couldn't. One of the many inevitable results of having someone else's tongue in your mouth.

And another inevitable result floated unbidden from the corners of his body to pool, ahem, elsewhere, which he consented to be the logical reaction to such a… compelling situation. Oh, and her leg snaking over and half-straddling both of his own was helpful, too.

So, he felt fairly safe to say that his slapdash plan had worked out unexpectedly well.

This was… rather surprising, but oh, divine. Logos knew better than to ask questions and risk blowing the whole operation, so instead he wrapped an arm around the small of her back. That negligee of hers was as soft as he'd envisioned it to be. Yevon, when did he ever imagine he'd get to say that sentence? Leblanc let out a longing sigh past his lips, and he stole a sidelong glance to Ormi to reassure himself that he was still out cold.

She pulled away abruptly, sinking to the pillow below. A challenge, a tease! Her soft murmur faded away almost into nothing. Trying to stifle his zeal, his grin, and the private assertion that this was the best day ever, the hand on her hip stole just a fraction lower…

Leblanc snored. Loudly.

Logos froze. Completely.

"Ooh… Mmmn, Noojie…"

When Leblanc woke a few minutes later, the space next to her was empty. She stared blearily without really seeing, then put her head down and went back to sleep.

---

Neither Logos nor the boss looked too happy this morning. Leblanc, while dressed and looking pretty as usual, seemed too preoccupied to do much more than pick at her plate with her fork. And Logos… Logos slumped at the table, normally groomed dark hair in complete disarray (Ormi kind of wondered why he even bothered, since it was all obscured under his helmet in the end anyway), gazing off into space. He jumped a little every time Ormi said his name. It was kinda fun.

About half an hour passed. He'd had the best sleep of his life last night, himself.

"Somethin' botherin' yous guys?"

"Of course not!" both chorused. They stopped and looked at one another before Logos glanced away.

"That's enough," the boss said, smoothing the folds of her dress as she got up. "We have somewhere to be."

Ormi just watched Logos, worried. Did his eye twitch for a second, or was he just seeing things?

"Let's go, boys."

Rin gave the party a wan look as they paraded out the door.

---

That was terrible, Logos decided, eyes flitting over to his boss every so often. Of all the possible circumstances that he might actually get somewhere with her, he never counted on her being asleep for it. There was something vaguely insulting about that, wasn't there? Of course he would have been perfectly content to behave himself from the start, had she not pounced on him like that. Oh, but she didn't even know what she was doing! Last night had been little more than a fleeting taste to a man who wanted to devour, and it just wasn't fair.

Mushroom Rock was upon them, and so was Nooj. He hadn't been looking particularly forward to it from the beginning, and especially not now. Not that he was at liberty to say so, by any means. It also perturbed him to notice that Leblanc wasn't quite her usual spirited self this morning. She'd been brooding ever since they'd departed from Luca, and he would have thought their increasing proximity to Nooj might help that in some way. But not so. Odd.

"Boss."

"What?" She looked aggravated enough from being addressed alone. But even if he had to face her wrath, he would press the matter. It just wasn't normal. It was enough to make him forget his own dispiriting ordeal. At least for the moment.

"Are you certain you're not… apprehensive about something?"

"I'm thinking. It doesn't matter."

"C'mon, Boss… if ya don't tell us, who're ya gonna tell?"

The only audible sounds in the area for the next few moments were the crunch and grind of the path underfoot. Finally her pace slowed a bit, and she heaved a sigh.

"I don't know why I'm going to see him."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, we fought Vegnagun, and— on the Farplane, I— Noojie-Woojie is never— Oh, forget it! It's too hard to explain. I just…" A frustrated huff. "I owe him an apology, at least."

Ormi's "what for?" was cut prematurely short when Logos gave him a sharp nudge. "Let it be," he whispered. His sturdy companion looked troubled for a second longer, then nodded slowly and resumed walking in silence.

Somehow he'd gotten ahead of her in the past few minutes. She really was anxious, wasn't she, to be hesitating so. He stopped as they approached the side-path off Djose Highroad and offered a sweeping bow.

"After you, Boss."

She snorted. "Thanks."

It was only after she passed that he thought to wonder if her eyes hadn't stayed on his a little longer than necessary.

fin