Lepant chuckled. "I think all countries have their share of commanders they're less than proud of. My only worry would have been if he was a competent spy."

There was a short silence. "Why don't you tell the terms of this proposed treaty."

"Basicly, we want Toran to stay out of the Highland-Jowston war altogether. This means no military assistance to either side, but it will not interfer with trade. When the war is ended, Highland will send an embassidor for more formal and permanent agreements."

Lepant sat in thought for a few moments. "I'm afraid I cannot promise that much. A number of Toran citizens are in Jowston and Highland, investigating current matters in those areas. I cannot vouch for their actions nor contact them quickly. But what I will say is this. The Toran Republic is a relatively new country and not yet established enough to commit itself to another's way. Unless a move is made against us, we will remain neutral."

Jillia smiled. "Thank you." This was all she had wanted, actually. As long as Ruka did not gain assistance on his sick crusade, perhaps he wouldn't get too far.

Lepant beckoned to a guard, who had just entered. "How is Sir Rowd feeling by now?"

"Well, he's awake, the last messanger reported, but he isn't entirely recovered. He's, um, talking to himself, sir."

Jillia raised an eyebrow. Oh right, he was probably talking to the dead guy, Frank or whatever. Stupid ghosts, they were about as persistant about not passing over as vampires, except they couldn't do as much.

"Maybe we were just hearing things! Yeah, yeah that must be it!" said Rowd, pacing back and forth.

"Ha! So you're proposing that we both heard the same thing at the same time?! I knew you were slow, but I didn't think you were an complete moron!" Frank said. Rowd knew this was true as well, but how is it possible? How could Jillia have seen and spoke to Frank?

"You know, it's really not that big of a deal! Really!" said Frank, encouragingly.

"Oh really?" Rowd said with little emotion, "what if she tells Ruka?! He'll think I'm cursed and lop off my head over this! That guy's not right Frank, he's just not right!"

Frank stared blankly at his panicking older brother. Sweat formed all over Rowd's face, and he was twitching nervously. Poor dumbass. Poor, poor dumbass...

"I suppose he'll need a bit more time before he's travel worthy," Lepant told her. She was inclined to agree.

"When was the last time you came to toran?" Lepant asked. "I know it hasn't been since the fall of the scarlet Moon empire, but I'm sure there was some time."

Jillia thought back, "I suppose it must have been the year after the War of Succession. I was rather young at the time. I think his Highness wanted my brother and I to see outside of Highland."

Lepant nodded, "I simply wondered if you would have known the Scarlet Moon Empire well enough that you would be biased against the Rupublic for overthrowing it."

"I've heard that the Emperor changed over time," Jillia replied. "People can change for the worse, that is something I know fairly well."

"Frank, you're right." Rowd exclaimed after a long period of awkward silence.

"Am I?" Frank responded, as though he allready knew this.

"Yes. This isn't a big deal at all. Seriously! But you know what, all of this 'Jillia: Ghost Communicator' talk is getting me hungry. Why don't you walk us through this wall here? You are a ghost, so let's do it!"

Frank smirked. "Yeah, brother, let's do it. Heh heh." The two of them held wrists and walked towards the wall. Frank went right through it, while Rowd smashed his nose against the wall, causing it to bleed all over the place. Rowd screamed some words involving Frank, Son of a, and Mother. Who knows what he was yelling about?

Frank glided down the narrow hallway towards the meeting hall where Lepant and Jillia were having their negotiation. "MMmmmm," Frank thought to himself, "she's so beautiful. Yet, how can I feel like this when I, myself have no heart! What kind of woman is she?

"I stayed in gregminster for about a month with my mother and for a shorter time Ruka and the king. I briefly met quite a few people who turned out to be quite important in the Scarlet Moon War. Alen and Grenseal, for instance, who were only squires at the time."

Lepant smiled at the thought of those two at such an early age. But there was one person he wondered about before the time of the rebellion. "Did you meet Lady Windy during your stay?"

"Of course," Jillia answered quickly.

"Tell me, what was she like before the war?"

"Well," Jillia paused. "She was very nice to me, though I got the impression that was a rareity. I called her 'Aunty Windy' as if she really was my aunt after less than a week in Gregminster. I made her promise to visit Highland, but she never did."

Lepant didn't seem quite so happy with that answer, for whatever reason.

Jillia arrived at the little guest room Rowd was locked in. She'd need to get back to Highland soon, and she certainly couldn't leave him in Toran. In some flux of niceness, she brought with her a serving girl with a small tray of food. The pig general hadn't eaten since getting himself into this mess, and she didn't want a repeat of his earlier actions. That chief was probably still screaming obsenities in French.

The first words Rowd said were something along the lines of, "Mph umph umph," since he'd immediatly started to munch on one of the food items on the tray.

She sat down in one of the room's chairs. "You know, if you stopped talking to ghost-boy, maybe the guards would think you sane enough to let out," she said.

In, or rather in the air above, another of the chairs, Frank sat down (as well as the intangible can). He looked at her with an odd expression before asking, "Why can you see me?"

Jillia liked the sound of perplexed dead guy more than she probably should. Serves the dead right, if they stick around the world of the living, to

still not know everything. Too bad he knew as much on that subject as she did. "Why are you still not in the afterlife? A lot of the most interesting questions in the world don't have answers."

Frank frowned. That was _not_ the answer he wanted. Something like she had some form of second sight, or she was secretly a necromancer bent on the destruction of the world would be much more comforting.

Rowd swallowed a mouthful of food before trying to speak again. "Please don't tell Ruka. He'll kill me."

Jillia rolled her eyes. "He'd find some way to use both of you to his advantage, and _then_ kill you. But I won't tell him anything as long as he doesn't find out about my ability."

Rowd and Frank both nodded.