Thanks to celebistar (AKA TFRiD Queen) for beta-ing this and coming up with the plot! We were at a restaurant and I was saying I wanted to write a BK fic, but I couldn't think of anything. "I keep drawing a blank." I told her so she finally said, "Well, you keep drawing a blank, right? Why not make the story about that? Blank magnus cards?" And so this story was born. There's no romance in it, although I put in some Gibari/Savyna hints since they remind me so much of Lulu and Wakka from FFX. This story was written when I had just gotten to Mira, before you get Mizuti, for those of you interested in the timeline. I don't own Baten Kaitos, so please don't sue!
Drawing A Blank
"Hellfire!" Kalas shouted as the Devilish Hands were consumed by the orange flames. It struggled to stand, but keeled over as the fire got the better of it. Kalas sighed in relief. He thought he was going to have to use another card, but it appeared that Hellfire was enough.
"Nice job, kid!" Gibari slapped him on the back as they collected the loot. Kalas staggered a bit under Gibari's congrats, but he didn't show it. After all, what kind of warrior would he be if he couldn't even handle a little weight?
"It was nothing." Kalas shrugged it off. He'd been in plenty of battles. It was natural.
"Modest, eh? Well, either way, you're turning out to be quite the swordsman."
The party talked quietly as they headed toward Reverence, the Storybook Village. Xelha was discussing things with Lyude, and Gibari having a friendly conversation with Savyna in an attempt to get to know her better. Only Kalas was silent, but he didn't mind. Around them, the trees swayed gently in the breeze, some of them odd varieties that could only be found on Mira. Kalas was familiar with them though. It was where he had grown up after all.
"Hey, look! Is that Reverence up ahead?" Xelha's shout brought Kalas out of his thoughts. Sure enough, the wacky, cel-shaded village began to appear in front of them. After making their way through the town's strange assortment of denizens, the group managed to book a night at the inn, after a brief drawing of straws to determine rooming arrangements.
"I'll be in my room if you guys need me." Lyude announced, and closed his door.
"Why don't we all go to our rooms and take a rest? I think we could all use one." Xelha suggested.
"Good idea! I think a little shut-eye is just what we all need." Gibari agreed, and the group went their seperate ways.
-
"I'm bored." Kalas announced as he flopped onto the inn bed. There was really nothing to do until dinner, which wouldn't be for a while. Everyone else was resting in their rooms, but he didn't feel tired.
'Why don't we go explore the village then?'
"Hmm? Well, I guess. Got some time to kill anyway." Kalas shrugged as his spirit guide, Talis made a suggestion. Talis was good for advice, although he didn't like it how she sometimes talked through him at times... He headed out of the inn and into the brightly-colored village of Reverence. While it was true that he'd grown up in Mira, he had lived in Balancoire, and Reverence's all-out wackiness was starting to get on his nerves. The townspeople (Kalas wasn't even sure what they were) loitered around, with few "normal" people in sight. Heading into a building they had passed by earlier, Kalas was greeted with flashing lights and loud music.
Fun fun we hit the step step
Onaji kaze no naka we know, we love oh
'Ooh! I love this song!' Talis exclaimed as they stepped inside. All around them "people" were dancing and generally having fun. Curious as to what this place was, Kalas tapped one of the patrons on the shoulder. Instead of turning around like he expected, the dancer merely continued dancing.
"It's no use to try to talk to them. They won't respond." A voice in a corner said. Kalas turned around to see a young girl sitting in the corner, looking bored.
"Yeah, I kinda figured," Kalas grumbled, feeling a bit ticked off. He wasn't used to being ignored, but he figured that these "people" didn't have enough brains for conversation. He was on his way out when one of the dancers bumped into him. "Hey, watch where you're going!" Kalas yelled, annoyed that the person hadn't even bothered with an 'excuse me'. "Hey, you hear me! Watch where your damn feet are going!" Kalas was really pissed now. He'd had just about all he could take of this place. The sooner they left here, the better. He started stalking out the door when he was suddenly blocked.
"Hey, let me through!" Kalas tried to get around the guy but the round body pretty much filled up the entire doorway.
'Uh oh. Maybe you shouldn't have yelled at him. He looks mad!' Talis whispered in his mind, as if afraid that the cel-shaded roly-poly man might hear.
"How can you tell! He doesn't even have a face, much less an expression!" Kalas whispered back.
"hUmaN, YOu haVe GREAtly insUlted Me. APOlogIzE aND i ShaLl Let YoU pASS."
"What! He's the one that should be apologizing. Not me!"
'Just do it! I just want out!'
But Kalas ignored Talis's plea. "Oh yeah? Well I don't think so!"
'Oh boy. Here he goes again. sigh The life of a spirit guardian.'
The person's face started to change color, first going to a purple then green, and finally red. Kalas didn't know if this was a good thing or not, but he was past caring. If need be, he could always pull out his sword, although Xelha wouldn't like that...
'Kalas, no! We're supposed to be keeping a low profile! Don't make a scene!' Kalas didn't have a chance to answer as the person had started to speak again.
"foR yOuR ImpuDEnce, I SHAlL cURSE YoU! pErHAps yOU wiLL leArn fROm YoUR exPeriENce. OnjaLla moNJallA, KoomPAh!" The person began hopping around and waving his arms. Suddenly, there was a "poof" and a cloud of smoke engulfed Kalas. By the time the smoke cleared, he was gone. Kalas blinked.
"Well, I guess that fool screwed up or something. C'mon, let's get back to the inn. I'm getting hungry anyway."
'I just hope we'll be able to make it out of here without you creating another scene again.'
"And what's that supposed to mean!"
A sigh. 'Nevermind.'
-
"Ah, Kalas, there you are. We were just about to come looking for you." Lyude greeted him as they stepped into the dining room.
"Come on you two. Let's get going before Gibari eats all the food." Savyna came from behind and pushed them along.
"Gee, Savyna. I didn't know you were so worried about eating." Kalas commented.
"You will be."
"I'm so hungry I could eat a pow!"
"I see what you mean. " Lyude sweatdropped as Gibari rushed ahead of them. Xelha had already saved a table for them, and they all sat down.
"So, what's our next move?" Kalas inquired.
"I believe if we head for the capital, Duke Calbren might be able to answer our questions." Xelha answered.
"I wonder if Mira will agree to help us?" Lyude wondered.
"They might be persuaded to stay neutral, but Mira has close ties with the Empire. I doubt they'd take up arms against them." Savyna replied, then calmly speared a piece of salad with her fork off of Gibari's plate. Gibari yelled in protest but Savyna ignored it.
"This is for you snoring the whole afternoon." she shot back. Savyna wasn't even sure WHY she was rooming with Gibari. The entire group had drawn straws to see who would be sharing a room and who would be getting their own. The inn only had three single rooms and one double left. Savyna would've protested on the terms of it being improper for a man and a women to share a room when they weren't married, but she didn't really have much regard for those things. Besides, she didn't want to come on as being picky or weak, so she stuck with it. It was a good thing that the beds were at the opposite ends of the room, with a curtain between for privacy. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to stop Gibari's snores during his nap. Savyna hadn't been able to sleep a wink and was seriously considering just sticking it out in a tree tonight. However, just as that thought left her mind, a downpour started outside. Savyna twitched.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
"Don't worry Xelha! With me and my paddle by your side, nothing we'll get us down!"
The rest of the group laughed quietly at Gibari's statement. Savyna couldn't resist a small smile forming on her lips. The man was cheerful at the very least, she'd give him that.
-
After dinner, the group split and went back to their rooms. Outside, the rain dripped from the roof and onto the ground.
"It's a good thing we're staying here tonight, right Meemai?" Meemai squeaked in reply and Xelha patted the cute Greythorne on the head. "Let's get some sleep. Hopefully we'll be able to get out of Mira without stirring up trouble. Little did she know of Kalas's encounter that afternoon...
-
"Ow! Quit throwing pillows at me!"
"Sorry, but it's the only way to get you to stop snoring." Savyna replied, crossing the room to pick up her pillow. Gibari grumbled, but handed her pillow back.
"Well next time don't throw so hard, will ya?"
-
Lyude panted from exhaustion. He'd been running for what seemed like an eternity and yet that stupid Fluffpup was still at his heels, barking. He'd tried to shoot it with his sound shock gun, but the darn thing kept evading! And so he had no choice but to run, only now he was at the edge of a cliff, and the Fluffpup was slowly advancing on him.
"Stay back! Go away!" Lyude attempted to shoo it away but it just kept coming, growing larger and larger, and it's fangs started showing, and it leaped!
"AAH!" Lyude bolted upright, panting. All was quiet, except for the sound of raindrops hitting the roof. "Thank goodness it was just a dream." Lyude sighed and curled back into the covers. "I hate Fluffpups..."
-
Kalas lay in the darkness, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. It was one of those nights when the memories of Fee and Gramps kept him awake. He sighed. Even though he was adopted, he loved them like his real family. He and Fee were always playing together and getting into some kind of mischief. Those were some good times...
'You still awake? We've got an early start tomorrow, you know.' Talis's voice sounded in his mind.
"Yeah. Can't sleep though." Kalas turned on his side and listened to the sound of raindrops on the roof. He remembered that Fee was always terrified of thunder, like many kids were. He remembered how Gramps would always tell them stories when it stormed, to get their minds off it.
'Thinking about Gramps and Fee?' Kalas paused for a moment. Even though it was in the past, he still couldn't forget about the way Giacomo had murdered them. He swore he'd get revenge, no matter what the cost...
"...yeah." Another pause. It felt as if Talis seemed a bit apologetic for prying.
'Ah. Well, try to get some rest at least. Can't have you falling asleep on the job!' The spirit managed to end cheerfully.
"I will. Good night."
'Good night, Kalas.'
-
A/N: Yay! My first Baten Kaitos fic is finally underway! I originally planned this to be a one-shot, (since I have better luck with those than chapters) but as I started writing it, it became clear that a one-shot wouldn't be enough for all the details I wanted to put in. As for the "curse", yes, I did get them from Hollo in Wind Waker. I kinda forgot how the exact thing went, so I went by my best judgement. I don't own Zelda, so don't sue! So hopefully I'll actually finish this one (unlike my other fics...) and I hope everyone likes it!
P.S. Points to those who know where the song lyrics (the place where Kalas bumped into the "person") came from!
