Arius wore casual clothes. The disarray of his attire was contrasted with the prim and proper military garb that he had worn yesterday. By some of the tangles in his long hair, it was obvious that he had made no attempt to brush it from the events of yesterday. Clearly, he had gotten dressed and left the bedroom in a hurry.

At the same time, Evalaite dashed after him. Her hair was falsely tousled up to simulate the night that she had supposedly shared with him. Instead of her revealing dress, she had stolen one of Arius's shirts, and only a shirt. The thought flitted through Val's mind if she would ever see Evalaite fully clothed like a respectable member of society, and a goddess on top of that.

"Where are you going?" her shrill voice called as she followed Arius.

"I am just going to get some fresh air," he said with a thumb back to the cave.

"Did you not sleep well last night?"

A conflicted look crossed his face as his eyes darted to the side. "No... I didn't. I had nightmares, but not the usual ones." Arius paused for a long time, scratching at the back of his head.

Those false memories had been embedded into his mind, but he could clearly sense that something was off. The moment of his confusion passed, dismissed because he had no reason to doubt the recollection of his own memories.

Quickly, he rushed out to say, "By no means, do I intend offense to you or anything! You were amazing last night. Only, I do not sleep well around anyone aside from Urru." With a hand at the back of his neck Arius added sheepishly, "My role as the god of war definitely seeps into my personal life. We have just met, and it bothers me that I cannot Read your Intentions."

Before he could turn his back to her and walk outside, those manipulative lips of Evalaite pouted. "I should have known that I would be nothing but a prize to you."

"No! Look, last night…." Arius trailed off. His face scrunched up with visual frustration as he put a hand to his brow. "It was a mistake on my part. I had no intention of bringing you here to make a move on you. I really thought that I was going to crash as soon as I stepped foot inside of the cave. Clearly I was not in the right frame of mind last night, and for that, I am genuinely sorry."

That was stunning, hearing that much of a heartfelt apology from Arius. Val would have whistled at his speech, but even in her physical body she could not whistle. Arius certainly upheld his other attribute as a god of love, and it only made his situation that much more tragic. While he had been a demon on the battlefield against Tavras, he seemed like a nice enough person on a personal level.

"You are supposed to be the god of love," Evalaite whispered in a hoarse, broken voice. Likewise, she ducked her head and sniffed. It was all part of her act, because Val did not think that she was capable of feeling anything aside from lust and greed. "I thought that you were the hero who had saved me. You were supposed to be a safe person for me to share myself with, especially after everything that has happened." Her voice dropped down to scarcely a murmur. Meanwhile, her fingers fumbled around with the hem of Arius's shirt which came down to her thighs.

"I, uh, think that there was a misunderstanding between us. Clearly, we come from different times with different expectations." He raised a hesitant hand out, and Arius tried to back away.

"All I am asking is for you to take responsibility for your actions!" Evalaite cried, darting forward to cling onto his side. "That is a timeless request."

Arius let her latch onto him and he tilted his head up to the stone ceiling, as if looking for help up there.

At least in regards to this, Val wished that she could help him oddly enough. Since when did she become so soft-hearted towards Arius?

Just as well, she wished that Urru had not died and Tavras had not lost the battle. If anything, Arius was all the more despicable because everything happening right now had been his fault for attacking Tavras over the sea. While she tried to steel herself against Tavras's enemy, nothing could erase the sympathy that she felt for the way that his mind had just been violated.

Rote and indifferent, Arius spoke to the wall. "I think that after what you went through, you are predisposed to toxic or dependent relationships. You ought to take some time to yourself and heal." With a tight swallow, he continued, "My behavior last night was predatory, so you should not associate yourself with me for the sake of your own self-worth."

Again, his sensitive side as the god of love was definitely shining through. Having said his piece, Arius tried to pull away, but Evalaite clung onto him more desperately.

"Please," she whispered. "I feel like I cannot take one more thing going wrong in my life. Could you just stay by my side for a time?"

Arius heaved a sigh. "No. That wouldn't be right—"

"Please!" Her nails bit into the skin of his arm as she begged. "You're right. I need to recover on my own, but you had fun last night, didn't you? I know that I had fun." Her watery eyes pinched up in a sultry way, despite the more innocent aura that she had been trying to portray.

"I-I have always been comfortable in my own skin," she admitted. "Remember that I willingly took seduction as my attribute. I see no reason why I should suddenly change my personality because of what has happened. The only man that I hold a grudge against is Tavras, and you are not him!"

Slowly, Arius let his hand fall around Evalaite's shoulders. His face contorted in a pained way. "The last thing that I want to do is cause you more strife. It's just... I do not date, and I will not make an exception for you."

Evalaite pouted. "That's rich, coming from a god of love."

Apparently her influence over Arius ran deep, because she had gotten him to make that exception at some point. At least, Val assumed that they had made their relationship official by the looks of their dynamic in the present day.

Arius looked around like he just wanted to escape already. "Let's be honest. I did that for the buff in my cognitive abilities. I like to Read Intentions. It serves as a means to an end for my real attribute: war."

Val could sense a lie there. Either he actually did like being the god of love based by his earlier dialogue, or having that attribute had changed some of his psychology. Clearly, being the god of love did not enhance his mental faculties enough to keep him from becoming a slave to Evalaite's whims.

"Well," she said with a chuckle, "what better way to train those abilities than to keep the company of a lover who could mentor you?" Her fingers trailed down his chest and rubbed a circle there. "I could help strengthen your Mind Shield and your other abilities. Maybe you can even get a read on my mind if you train hard enough." Evalaite winked to Arius.

A sideways smirk pulled up one corner of his lips. "You do know how to appeal to me. It looks like you are a demigoddess of seduction indeed." Arius tilted his head down to Evalaite and began to kiss her tenderly at the underside of her neck.

Ew, was all that Val had to say to that. She did not want to see this.

In accordance with her act, Evalaite tipped her head back as if in pleasure. Since Arius had his head buried in her neck, her face was free to contort up in a wince of distaste. After a moment, a wicked smile curled to her lips as she let a hand rest at the back of his head.

He pulled away from her neck and stroked some of her hair. A content smile climbed onto his face as he gazed upon her. "I want to check on Urru and see how he is doing. Then, we can figure out what we are going to do with you, next."

Her eyes narrowed then closed as she moved to receive Arius's kiss on the lips. Much more composed than before, Evalaite returned his affections, and she did so passionately.

They sucked each other's faces much to Val's disgust. She shifted her vision over to the wall so that she did not have to watch.

Once they finished, Arius headed to the main cave, but he lingered in the doorway. He looked back to Evalaite with a last glance and a sweet smile. When he turned his back to her, he let the full extent of his grin peel onto his face.

Whatever lies had been put into Arius's mind, he seemed to find them to his liking at least. He looked happy. When she tried to view it from his point of view, Val supposed he had every reason to be happy. Arius had just arisen victorious against the Sea Itself and had the future goddess of sex as a new lover.

Soon, his world would come crashing down around him.

A crunch sounded beneath his boots, and Arius looked down at the ruby shards he had stepped on. Unmoving, his eyes trained down at the ground.

Though Val did not see the shift, his eyes had turned to their reddened hue. In kind, red haze seeped from his body as he stood there, shaking from anger. Apparently Arius knew what those shards meant.