Final Fantasy

CHAPTER 19 - ARC 7: EX MACHINA

"We can trust her," Conner nodded stoically. "Like Emily said, she has a crystal." He eyed the Black Mage over his shoulder. "What's your name, friend?"
"... Ava."
She didn't say more than that.

"... You didn't hesitate with me," Ava said softly. "There wasn't a doubt in your mind. Because of that, the people of Cornelia trusted me too. They didn't look at me like a monster..." She turned back to Conner. "I trust you."

Ava was silent, gaze fixed on the flickering glow in the clouds. On occasion, even during storms, there would be clouds thin enough that the moon almost shown through them.
"What's on your mind?" Conner asked.
"It's not Elvish," Ava answered.
"... The moon?" Conner looked up at it. "No, I don't suppose it is."
"It's not magic either," Ava continued. "And it's not for the others."
Conner realized what she was talking about. "That treasure you found."
Ava nodded slowly. "It's... a gem. I like how it looks."
"Well it's all yours," Conner chuckled. "We won't even ask the Elves about it."
Ava pulled the little box out of her pocket. For a moment she just stared at it, then she held it out to Conner without saying a word or even looking at him.
"... You've lost me again," Conner said awkwardly.
Ava forced it into his hand and walked back to the others.
"Oh," was all Conner had time to say before she was gone.
Conner waited until she was far enough away before inspecting the box. Inside was a smooth black sphere with some kind of red liquid petrified within it. It sat on a folded piece of black cloth, woven with an intricate web pattern in a dark violet.
He felt like an idiot for not having seen it sooner. Any time Bruce started a fight with him, Ava was the first to come to Conner's defense. Any time Conner made a decision, or offered an opinion for what the group should do, Ava was the first to side with him. He'd thought it was just a matter of her having the same opinion as him, but clearly there was something else to it.
How deep of a hole... did I dig myself this time?
Conner pocketed the box.

Ava stood at the front of the ship, looking out at the shadowy sea. Awkwardly, Conner walked up beside her, careful not to look directly at her.
"... I--"
"You don't need to explain," Ava said quietly. "I'm difficult to talk to, and we were busy running from monsters."
Conner scoffed. "Nah talking to you is the easy part," he leaned over the rail, looking down into the murky depths. "Sorting myself out... That took a minute."
Ava waited. "... And?"
Conner smiled. "After spending a great deal of time yelling at myself for being blind, I figured why waste more time?" He turned around, perching precariously on the rail of the rocking ship as he looked down at Ava. "We could die any minute, and you know how I feel about the whole 'not-speaking-your-mind' thing."
Ava raised a hand to her mask, as if for a brief moment she forgot it couldn't be removed. Or maybe she didn't forget, and she'd intended to rip it from her flesh anyway. Before she could make up her own mind about it, Conner grabbed her arm.
"Don't hurt yourself," he told her, stepping down from the rail.
"I hate this face," Ava said.
Conner looked her over, lifting her chin up. "You've got two eyes--" he lightly tapped the space between her eyes. "You've got a little nose--" he tapped her nose. "You've got two ears--" he moved her short black hair out of the way a bit. "And you've got a mouth with surprisingly nice teeth--" he tapped her chin. "You look perfectly fine to me."
That was the only time Ava had been thankful for the mask, simply so no one could see how hard she was blushing.