Kit stood at the window, watching the snow start to fall outside and sighed dreamily. Behind her, all the residents of the castle were toasting marshmallows over the fire. She watched the flakes drift lazily outside the glass, and then smiled as Rian came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

The image suddenly wavered, the glass of the window shattering, and bright orange light radiated around her. She screamed once as everything turned dark, and then blinked several times, her eyes fluttering as she realized she'd been dreaming.

"Hello, Sara," a voice said cheerfully, and Kit groaned, trying to get to her feet, only to find her hands bound with magical energy.

"Sage!" she said with exasperation. "What in God's name are you doing?"

"Oh, Sara, dear," she said with a smirk. "You should know by now that nothing stands in my way when I want something. And if you won't use your pull with the castle to get me that man, then I'll simply do it myself. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to dispose of that Syl girl before she gets to the shack."

She sauntered away from the large stone platform they were on, and into the trees around them. Kit sighed and immmediately tried to use her magic to break the bonds only to find it completely useless. Something to do with this platform...? It was still early, at least an hour before dawn, and she could think of only one other thing to do. Closing her eyes, she reached out with her link and tried to connect to the two people who might be able to warn her friends at the castle...

~Earlier that evening~

"If all you're going to do is bother me about this, then just go," Kit said in exasperation. "Whether or not you think I have pull, I don't control what goes in this castle."

"But Sara..."

"I can't make Sydney come here and play with you." She stalked out of the music room and through the grand hall, the girl with the long brown hair trailing her, anger beginning to boil.

"I heard he slept with Sylvia."

Kit turned around and narrowed her eyes. "It's none of your business if he did, and she's not going to tell you anything either, I can assure you."

"Come on, Sara," she wheedled. "I just want to know how to push his buttons, have a little fun with him...or at least you could summon him here. I know you can..."

"Leave me alone," she muttered, climbing the stairs to her room. "I'm tired and I'm going to bed."

"Ah well," she said, raising her hands, "I can see we're going to have to do this the hard way."

Flik stretched his arms out over his head and sighed, a hint of a smile passing over his face. Man, moments like these make me wish Vik and I could just laze around in bed every day...but nah, I'd get fidgety...I'm fidgety now... He leaned toward his friend, who was snoring like a buzz saw, and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. His snoring stopped for a moment as he mumbled and Flik had to resist the urge to laugh.

He rolled out of bed, slipping his pants and a blue shirt on, thinking he'd grab something to drink from the kitchen and go to the observatory. There was supposed to be the first hints of a meteor shower in the western sky tonight, he'd heard Sylvia tell Selphie and Astala at breakfast.

A few moments later he was climbing the steps of the observatory tower with a mug of hot chocolate in his hand - it was a brisk night for September, and he almost wished he'd brought a jacket. He realized as he reached the top of the stairs that someone else was there. "I'm sorry," he said, turning to go. "I didn't know anyone was here."

"It's ok," the voice sighed. "For once, and don't you dare tell anyone, I wouldn't mind the company."

"Well," he replied, crossing over to where she stood. "I would never have expected to hear that from castle loner Syl."

"Well," she said with a shrug, "I do have my moments." She paused. "They're usually in the middle of the night." She turned to smile slightly at Flik, and as she did, he could understand suddenly why so many people thought she was pretty. She is, when she's not scowling and acting like a bitch...

Flik laughed softly and nodded. "Believe it or not, I can relate...I've always been a night owl myself."

"I've noticed." There was silence for a moment and she pointed to the western sky. "Too cloudy to really see. I think the rain's going to start up again."

"Looks like it," Flik agreed, taking a sip of his hot cocoa. He offered the mug to her as well, but she shook her head.

"Are you going to ask me what happened?"

"It's your own business."

"Does Sydney love that Hardin fellow?"

It wasn't a question Flik was expecting, and he pasued a moment, considering. Sure, Hardin loves Sydney, but does it go both ways...? "Yeah...personally, I think he does."

"I don't really believe in love," she said. "That part of me died a long time ago."

"There's always another day to be lived," he pointed out, and she turned again to fix her dark eyes on him.

"I know...and that's why it bothers me to see Sydney screw up what he has...as much as to see you screw up what you have." Syl sighed.

"Sydney's a man...well, an immortal...I'm sure he can handle himself."

Sylvia shrugged. "True...but, as much as I hate to apologize, I really owe Hardin one. Perhaps if I swallow my pride for just a minute and tell him it was my fault, he'll not be upset at Sydney and things can go back to normal."

"How do you know he's upset with Sydney?" Flik replied curiously.

"I'll admit that I followed Hardin back to his shack last night, but I chickened out on talking to him. He seemed like such a kind man last time he was here, but last night he looked positively livid. Even if you didn't tell him, I think he knows what happened. Maybe I was afraid he'd kill me. "

"He wouldn't do that."

Syl laughed softly. "I can't say I'd deserve any better....hey, for all I know, Sydney returned home last night and they made up, and I'll only be making an ass of myself."

Flik turned to give her a bemused smile. "You'd do that?"

"I may prefer to keep everyone at arm's length and say I don't care about anything, but I do have somewhat of a conscience, and right now, it's telling me I owe that man an apology. Sleep well, Flik, and breathe a word of this to anyone and I will make your life a living hell." She smiled sweetly at him as she turned to go and he shook his head in amusement.

A moment later she was gone, and the first raindrops began to fall from the sky, accompanied by a loud crack of thunder. Will this rain never let up? A warm bed and a warm Viktor sounds good about now... He dropped his mug off in the kitchen and headed back up to his room with a smile still playing across his features. Maybe this will all be just fine...