[It's been two weeks since the incident with Arietta, and there was still no sign of Anise in the village. They never even had a chance to speak before she left for a mission, likely in an attempt to put some distance between herself and Ion after their argument. It's strange to think that the last time they went this long without speaking to each other by choice was around this same time last year, though for a very different reason. He's been so caught up in dealing with all of this that he actually let the anniversary of the day he first confessed his feelings for her pass by without a single thought!]

[It was strange to think so much time had already passed. He wasn't entirely sure how to feel about it really.]

[But sometime in the late afternoon, he opens his journal. There's no need to bother with a filter while Anise is still out of the village, and it isn't as though Arietta is the one he's trying to reason with here. Her anger is easier to understand and deal with. There's an uncharacteristic hint of exasperation in his voice when he speaks, having spent the last week and a half mulling over this without any obvious solution coming to mind.]

How do you stop two people who hate each other from continuing to hate each other? [Not a very eloquent way of asking, but it's the simplest way he can think of to explain the situation.]

Though this isn't the sort of problem I'm expecting an easy answer to, I was hoping someone might be able to offer some suggestions. Or perhaps if anyone's had any experience in dealing with a situation like this, it might be of some help.

[And regardless as to whether he's heard any solutions to this problem or not, he'll be spending the remainder of the evening in various places around town. He spends about an hour at the library, not quite able to concentrate on his reading. Giving that up, he goes for an aimless walk, lingering on the various bridges around town for a few minutes before moving on again. He probably looks more spaced out than he usually is, and the cold chill in the air probably isn't helping matters. By the time he arrives back home, it's been dark for awhile and he's shivering quite a bit. He probably should have worn his winter coat today.]

[Those paying attention to the journals may notice a rather sudden THWACK ringing out from one of the pages. The reason? A certain someones journal has just become an impromptu weapon against a nearby Tease. Unfortunately for Ion, he only noticed Allen's entry after deciding to read a book with the window wide open in his bedroom. Before getting even halfway through reading the PSA, a small group of the butterflies in question had fluttered into the room! This had been just a bad month all around, wasn't it?

The journal falls open to the ground as the boy rushes over to slam the window shut. Immediately after, occupants of House One will find Ion checking all the rooms in the house to be sure the windows are tightly closed, and all the while a small trail of blood is flowing unattended down his cheek.]


[After some time passes, Ion returns to his discarded journal and picks it up with a heavy sigh. First burning trees fell from the sky and now... biting butterflies! Not to mention Anise was still kidnapped... while she didn't have to deal with all this, staying with the Malnosso was no picnic either. In a moment, he speaks.]

Is this the Malnosso's doing? Or does no one know for sure yet?