Being exhausted was an understatement to say the least. It seemed she had miss-calculated the way to Sarheed Camp and her journey through the barren and lonely desert lands of Heruin was taking much longer than she anticipated. A tired healer was never a good thing, an almost a useless thing at that. As some clerics, herself included, exchanged their own health and processed it into a sort of magical healing energy for the sick and wounded, a tired and worn down healer was seldom successful in helping others.

Wish stopped for a moment to take in a breath, her gossamer-like wings sore from flying and her legs aching from running when she needed to take a break from flying. It was in that breath that something vile was drawn inside of her and she felt herself collapse into the sand, first to her knees then onto her stomach, her body now curled slightly in a fetal position. Fingertips searched for something to grab onto, but only sand sifted through those digits of hers and she felt herself slipping off into first darkness and then, strangely, a well-lit ballroom.

It was as if she'd been in the ballroom for hours now and had never set foot in Heruin's desert. She remembered standing in the archway of the entrance to the ballroom waiting for something or... someone. The gown she wore, an earthy shade of dark evergreen and brown, flowed with every curve her body possessed. The fabric clung to her like a second silken skin, one she could not deny gave her a certain sense of intimacy. However, she was also aware that the gown was very high and low in areas; she wondered what made her ever pick such a revealing garment. With hands hidden beneath elbow length green gloves, she tugged at the neckline of her dress, trying to bring the thing up a little, which suffice to say, only raised the slit in the gown that went up to about her hip. There was no happy medium for the revealing parts of the dress, so instead she tried to just make sure she didn't flash any goods she didn't really want to.

The ballroom was definitely decorated for the holidays and immediately she thought of Yule. Garlands, ribbons and small bells were strung from tall vaulted ceilings and nearly in every corner flickering candles brilliantly lit up the room. Against the end of the room, a band played music for the holiday occasion, melodies of joy and happiness perfect for dancing and waltzing to. Her body urged her to join the others out on the dance floor, but the aromas of heavenly food also distracted her. Roasted meats and pastries filled the air; distinctly she could smell the pleasing scent of pumpkin, which she particularly liked. For some reason, she felt as if she'd been in the desert for days and didn't have a proper meal for a while now, surviving on things like dried fruit, jerky and water. That didn't make sense though. Wasn't she in this ballroom, waiting for someone, rather than traversing the desert for unknown reasons?

Gloved hands rubbed at her temples for a moment and her eyes closed shut tightly, as if Wish was trying to snuff out any confusion plaguing her mind. When her hands dropped and she opened her eyelids again, olive colored eyes spotted Victor Sage across the room. A light smile adorned his now clean shaven face and he mouthed something to her which she took as an invitation to dance. His appearance almost hinted that they hadn't been travelling in the desert for days, but then again, she started to wonder why she kept thinking they were ever in a desert since this ballroom and everything in it was real. Right...? For a moment, she turned her head towards the window of the ballroom and spotted outside in the darkness a city and a port. Wish recognized her location as Grand City, not the desert, and tried to remind herself she was in the city's castle.

She moved across the side of the dance floor towards Victor's open hand, trying to carry herself gracefully no thanks to the revealing dress and hoped the Sage wasn't gazing at anything her shouldn't be. Before Wish could even close that gap between her and Victor, she ran into an imposing tall figure, not unlike a wall that kept her from Victor. Steadying her balance, Wish lifted her vision skyward and was both irritated and horrified to find she had run into Six and on such an occasion that could have almost been a very lovely night.

There was no time to even think about making an escape. Six had her around the waist in a vice-like grip and was twirling her out onto the dance floor. Despite the situation, she had to admit the bastard was a good dancer and he was definitely leading her for the most part. Every turn she made was one that was an attempt to free herself, but one that Six managed to somehow change into part of the dance, as if she were willing to be there with him.

"Let me go now!" Wish hissed and raised a fist to punch him in the chest which had little to no effect. She became aware that the other dancers in the room didn't care that there was obviously some sort of forced activity going on here. They just swayed with the melodies, trance-like almost.

Where was Victor? She felt was spinning so fast and she couldn't find him. Wish would have thought Six would have taken a beating to the back of his head with Victor's staff already, but nothing. Instead, when she finally did find Victor, she was mortified to see a swarm of zombies coming up behind him, grabbing at his shoulders and legs and pulling him down to the ground. Why wasn't anyone doing anything?

"Victor! Victor, look out!" Wish screamed. Nevertheless, the music was suddenly too loud and her words - her frantic shout - had fallen on deaf ears. In desperation to do the rescuing now, she tried to wrench her body away from Six but was diverted when he yanked her tightly against his chest. Shivers ran up and down her spine as the demon leaned in, whispering sensually into her ear like a lover would, convincing her to turn her line of vision back to Victor. When she did no such thing, a free hand had grabbed her chin and turned her olive hued eyes in that direction.

"No...!"

It was the only futile protest she could manage as Victor was ripped into shreds limb by limb and devoured by the swarm of zombies. There was blood all over the place; the shoes she had been wearing were soaked in it as well as the dress. Wish was also aware that some particles - pieces that had once been Victor sage - were covering her skin as well. If seeing Victor mangled wasn't enough, Six had leaned down and licked a piece of her traveling companion's remains off of her cheek. Shortly after, Six's once jovial attitude turned venomous and his words were warnings; the next time they met, it would be more brutal and vicious and it would be her blood spilt instead...

Wish's body, in response of everything, had grown slack in Six's arms. The demon might as well been dancing with a corpse. Even when his attitude had changed back into a strangely cheery one, her dancing with him was lifeless. This didn't bother Six one bit as he swayed across the dance floor with her, telling her to have fun and enjoy the party. How she could ever imagine to do that when the other people in the room had turned to the living dead and when the food that once filled the ballroom with salivating aromas was now rotten and maggot ridden to the very core?

All the twirling and the spinning about the room had finally stopped. Wish lifted her head ever so slightly and her eyes gazed above at the ceiling to find a strand of mistletoe hanging there. The sight of that green plant was replace by Six's face, a mock look of surprise upon it. He dared to kiss her and though every part in her body wanted her fist to connect with Six's face, she couldn't manage to do that a second time. Instead, Six's lips were on hers, his tongue sliding deep into the warmth of her mouth. His tongue almost became alive and felt similar to a snake as it slithered down her throat and choked her. Wish gagged, tried to breathe and just as she felt like dying within the demon's grasp, she woke up.

In her passing out, she had switched positions and awoke lying on her back in the sand, staring at the night sky. The ballroom, the one that had been both elegantly and horrifyingly decorated, was just part of a dream. It had felt so real, so concrete, that it left Wish thinking she'd never been in the desert at all. This made her recall Alexien Kincade's words; if Six was constantly reaching her through her dreams and now making them feel life like, she was in a heap of trouble.

There was something she had noticed though, a random tidbit she suddenly remembered from the dream. Six's hair had changed. It wasn't the crimson red it used it be; it was slightly washed out... almost faded. Then she cursed at herself figuring it was stupid to worry over something as silly as a hair color change.

Wish sat up, a dizziness overcoming her. She could still see Victor dying and the decayed zombies dancing about the ballroom. The rotten food, fresh within her memory, lingered in her sense of smell. All of this, as she moved, made her lean over and vomit into the desert sands of Heruin, away from her body and clothes. Part of her wanted to cry and laugh, but when she lifted the back of her hand to wipe her mouth, she noticed a few specks of blood on it. Wish stopped and was silent for a few moments before speaking.

"Victor, please don't be dead..." she whispered although she was very much alone.

With that feeble prayer, she pushed herself up and managed to head off in the direction of Sarheed Camp. This time she walked as if she didn't care if Six caught up with her or not. Morning would eventually come and perhaps that light would open brighter options. Or perhaps not. In any case, all she heard as she continued her journey was Six's vile laughter and his voice declaring whispers of "Happy Yule..." in her head.