[Sigmund just gives off that vibe, man.]

I don't see why not. And I don't think Albert will have any objections, either. [He may or may not be aware that he's going with him yet.] Where is it?

[Oh god, that means he has to wa- I mean.]

Right. We'll be there in a little while. [Or however long it takes to convince Albert that both of them going together is clearly the best idea ever. Whenever he gets that out of the way, though, the two of them will be moving in that direction, heading toward Sigmund's house, just like he asked. Hopefully, they weren't already bickering, but I make no promises.]

[Sigmund can have that effect on people. He'll meet them on the porch, looking... well, looking as serious as usual.]

Thank you for coming. [And then he turns and opens the door for them. Apparently Albert isn't the only person who's not much for small talk.]

[Oh Caesar. Albert nods in greeting as he follows his brother inside, allowing Sigmund time to come in before he gets right down to business.]

You wished to have a word, Sir Sigmund?

The battle itself? [He tilts his head. Hmm.] As well as it could have gone, I suppose. As usual, our numbers were limited and we didn't have much information to work with until we got there, but we were still able to avoid casualties and even serious injuries. [And that was really the only reason he'd gone along, so to him, it was successful enough.]

How successful do you believe we were? [Something about his tone suggests that in his view, this isn't really a question of casualties or injuries.] Did we gain nothing?

What that mission provided was another source to cross-reference what we already know -- a way of knowing that what we are told by our other sources is in fact true. The General did in fact return after our battle last year. The Third Party does attack continue to attack settlements beyond Luceti. The public is aware of our existence, but they are split between freeing us from our "imprisonment" or having the Organization bend us completely to their will.

I would say that we gained confirmation that we are not being entirely lied to. That, of course, may not satisfy many. [He thinks of Guy's speech over the journal network.]

[That was an interesting question. It felt sort of odd to be answering it in front of his brother, but that wouldn't change how he answered it.]

I guess it's necessary until we come across anything more useful. But as long as everyone else is willing to fight, they're going to need someone to help keep them on track and out of trouble. I can do that much.

I agree. We're at a disadvantage, whether we wish to face that or not. I believe we should cooperate... until it benefits us more not to.

It's almost certainly going to take awhile. But our condition has improved from how it was three years ago. [Which is more than could be said about those who were experimented on before them.]

Precious little, then. If you learn any more, I would like to be informed. [After all these months, something has finally lit a fire under Sigmund and got him motivated again. Shocking.]

I'm concerned this will cause a rift within our own, as well.