The Lost Piece

Chapter Ten

Zanita glanced around the room. "Jack's been gone a long time, I can't even see him anymore!"

"Maybe Jasper actually showed and pulled him off somewhere." Akil shrugged. "Don't worry about it so much."

"I'm not worried," Zanita rolled her eyes. "Just curious."

"What happened today at the ceremony was pretty.. interesting to say the least." Velk spoke up and the two bickering blondes turned to him. "What happened when you were announced Death Shard, Akil."

"Oh, you mean what Alpha Civilis did?"

"Yes."

Akil pursed his lips together. "Yeah, it was a little odd."

"Oh, I remember that, I was next in line so I had a clear shot." Zanita said. "Alpha Civilis forced him to the ground, I've never seen her angry before but man, I never thought such a small lady would look so terrifying."

"I-It wasn't a big deal guys," Akil shrugged. "I think Alpha Civilis overreacted a little bit."

"Akil," Zanita sighed. "Alpha Civilis forced a man who disrespected you to get on his knees and ask for your forgiveness, that is a big deal."

"Do things like that happen often?" Velk asked.

"Huh?" Akil turned to him. "Do you mean when people yell things at me?"

"Yes."

"Well yeah," Akil nodded. "Wait, do you not know?"

"Know what?" Velk asked.

"About that big case of treason maybe seven years ago," Zanita replied. "It was lead by Akil's mother and Isa's father. They caught Akil's mother but not Isa's father. I thought everyone knew about that?"

"After my parents were forced out of their house and killed in the street, I stopped paying attention to who got executed and when." Velk shrugged his shoulders and hearing this caused Akil to choke on his drink and turn to cough to the side. "What is it?"

"Yo-You said it so casually!" Akil shouted. "I didn't know that something like that happened, when did it?"

"Hm," Velk pursed his lips together. "Well, it was before my sister died, so --"

"You're sister too!?" Zanita was wide eyed, maybe they had a hard time understanding how Velk was so casual about the entire issue.

But the reality of it is he had a lot longer than they did to process the death of people he cared about it.

"Yeah but she died serving Aka," Velk replied. "She was a Crimson Shard."

"Did she die in that big fight against Zaru?"

"Ah, no," Velk shook his head. "I believe it was against Kictara but I don't remember."

"Kictara?" Zanita questioned. "When did we last go to war with them? Haven't they been in anarchy since.. Well forever?"

"They weren't always an anarchy, Zanita." Akil shook her head. "They just have been for a long time."

"I think they were in anarchy at that point," Velk hummed. "Honestly, I don't remember."

"So.." Zanita dropped her voice down to a whisper. "All of your family is dead?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't seem to be uncommon," Velk shrugged. "It always surprises me when I see Jack with his brother or talking about him. Since it seems like so many Shards don't have families left."

"Yeah, or they all fight, like Elias' family." Zanita added.

"His grandfather was a great warrior," Velk smiled in almost a way that showed fondness. Zanita and Akil exchanged looks with one another.

"Did you know him?"

"Briefly," Velk shrugged. "People pass quickly."

"Huh," Akil replied. "This is one of the only times I've heard you talk so much, and I honestly don't know if I want you to stop talking."

"Trust me, I'm not here to entertain you." Velk chuckled before taking a sip of his drink. "Gah, ale is always so weak."

"If you get to the stuff stuck to the inside of the barrel, I'm sure that'll be good for you." Zanita snorted at the thought of Velk getting close to vomiting at consuming the slime that stuck to the inside.

"I bet if you lick it, you'll get drunk," Velk replied and Zanita let out a loud whining noise.

"Don't be rude."

"Don't take two sips to get wasted."

"I can't help it!"

"Then drink less."

"Gah," Zanita scoffed. "No fun, no fun."

As Akil rolled his eyes at their small little debate her turned his head to see the twins walking towards their table. "Hey guys," Lara replied as her sister stood beside her, knocking elbows together. "What's going on?"

"Just enjoying each other!" Zanita smiled. "Take a seat."

The two took a seat on the opposite side of the table from Zanita and Akil, making them share a side with Velk who scooted down to their presence.

"Have you seen Aylild at all?" Minna asked the group who shook their head. "I asked Deirdre earlier and she said she took off to the Saint Shards barracks."

"Well," Akil sighed at the girl. "Don't listen to the nonsense that Deirdre tells you."

"Minna, I told you to stop talking to her." Lara shook her head at her sister. "She only gets you into trouble."

"I like her," Minna shrugged. "I think she's fun."

Akil mentally was slapping himself in the face, if anything he hated people who were unnecessarily ditsy or more specifically, were a dumber version of Zanita. Stupid sweet, he called it. The twins -- more so Minna -- matched perfectly up with that description. However, just as he was going to excuse himself to get away from the two, he remember what Lara had previously told him and it made him look up to meet her amused eyes.

"Are you alright?" She smiled at him and he nodded his head. "You know, watching Alpha Civilis stand with you today was kind of funny."

"I didn't know someone could be shorter than Akil!" Minna giggled in response.

"I think she was taller." Velk joined in and Akil groaned loudly as his head fell back. Sure, he was short but there was no way that he was shorter than Attia was.

"You both are like the same height as me!" Akil grumbled as he looked at the giggling redheaded twins.

"Well, Lara is taller than me, so that means that you're shorter than her if you're the same height as me!" Minna was all smiles and giggles as she watched Akil slam his head down on the table.

Zanita constantly made fun of Akil for being shorter than her, and he didn't need the Terrell twins to jump on that bandwagon. "Is Akil the shortest Death Shard?" Zanita asked with a sip of her drink. "You went from shortest Dragonfly to shortest Death Shard! What a promotion."

"I am not the shortest!" Akil shouted and it only forced the group to erupt into laughter.

They were quite the scene of bubbling positivity, and maybe it was due to the constantly shifting dynamics that the group presented. Either way, it felt like the Death Shards might actually stand a chance together if there wasn't such a divide between them and the rest.