Contemplation in Cleyra
"I think I'll stay here and have her give me another tour." Replied the small black mage, Vivi.
Zidane shrugged. "Alright." He casually turned to his right and walked up the steps. Maybe it's a good thing everyone is doin' something else. Leaves me time to think.
Zidane came up to the market in the middle of Cleyra. The tour guide said it wouldn't be busy, but Zidane saw an old woman with a blanket full of different little trinkets, all laid out for potential customers to see. Zidane smiled and leaned in, taking a look at what she had to sell.
"I have many jewelry items that might suit the maiden you seek." The woman said, almost knowingly.
Zidane gasped and his head shot up from the blanket. "W-what did you say?"
"You heard me, young lad. Every man who comes by here as a special someone they think of. I'm sure she'd love any one of these items that I have here." The woman replied. "Each stone is rare and comes from distant lands."
Zidane raised an eyebrow. "You're surrounded by the largest sandstorm in Gaia, you're town is located in a tree, and you tell me you got these gems from far distance lands?"
The woman winked at Zidane and shook her head. "If you wish to know how I obtain what I do, that my friend will cost you a lot more than what you carry now." She smiled and bent over to carefully pick up one of the delicate items. "I believe this selection would best suit the lady that has caught your eye."
She handed him the necklace and Zidane gasped at the sight.
It was a beautiful, silver necklace; its chain was three smaller strings of silver interlaced and intertwined. In the center of each overlay, was embedded a small red garnet gem. The piece was so small it would probably fit more like a choker, but even knowing this, Zidane could perfectly see Garnet wearing this with one of her royal dresses. It would set off her eyes perfectly.
"I see from your smile, I was right." The woman said.
Zidane looked up suspiciously. "How is it you know so much about me and the one you say I have my eye on?"
Holding up one finger to motion Zidane to wait a moment, the woman began shuffling through her bag, which was placed at her side. She slowly pulled out a deck of cards, with a strange symbol on their tops. "These are Tarot cards. They tell me who I will meet and what fate will send them next."
"You're a fortune teller?" Now Zidane was even more suspicious. He knew all too well the ploys back alley people could pull, mostly because he'd pulled them off himself.
The woman nodded. "The lady you care for, who holds the name of the rare ruby's cousin has set off on a long and painful journey. She will need you in order to take her rightful place in life."
Now Zidane was really freaked. The rare gem she talked of, the ruby, was connected to the garnet stone because they were both gemstones, in a sense. That would also kinda make them cousins. But was what she said about Garnet being in trouble true? Would it interfere with her taking place as queen many years from now?
"You're cards told you this?" Zidane asked.
The woman didn't reply for a while. Instead she laid out the cards in a diamond figure and flipped over the top card. "Fate brought you together and it is fate you will have to fight to stay together." She replied.
Zidane watched intently as the woman flipped over the next card. "Confusion of feelings, brought on by outside forces has broken you two apart. You must seek her out."
Zidane shook his head. "I've been trying to, but even if I did find her, it wouldn't work out." He admitted. And I'm telling her this, why?
The woman shook her head. "It does not matter where in life you are or where in life people place you. If it is true love, then the half of the soul that you have will reunite with her half and you two will be together forever."
Zidane wasn't buying it and shook his head. "Look, lady, it's been nice, but I gotta fly." He handed her back the necklace, but she shook her head once more.
"Keep it. Give it to her as a present."
Zidane shrugged and began to walk towards the observation area. What a weird lady…
Once he was gone, the woman smiled and said this just loud enough for Zidane to hear. "Though she may be queen someday, she will still need you by her side, Zidane."
Zidane gasped and spun around, only to find a black spot where the jewelry and blanket had just been. "What in the world?" He looked all around him, but she was no where to be seen…
Zidane jumped up and used his tail to wrap around the top of the plant-covered tent and flipped upside down. He now hung upside down by just his tail…doing nothing but thinking.
He took out the garnet necklace and stared at it. He began thinking about Garnet and noticed just how much he missed her. Why did you run away from me? Can't you understand that I care too much about you to let you get hurt? Now we're apart by a distance only the gods know of and all I want now is to be by your side.
"Though he may be queen someday, she will still need you by her side Zidane." The woman had said. Her words echoed in his mind.
Why would she have use for me? I don't have enough money to give her, nor a good household or even a decent future. She has all that back at the castle. That's where she probably is right now. Back on her royal duties: running Alexandria. Once I got her out of there, she probably got home sick.
"I don't mean anything to her." But when Zidane looked at the pendant, he thought differently. "It might not be much, but I want to give this to her…if we ever meet again."
"You will…"
Zidane was so surprised that he lost his grip with his tail and fell face first into the floor. He immediately got up and pulled out his dagger. "Who's there!?"
But no one replied.
"Answer me! If it's you again witch, I'll make you sorry you ever gave me this stupid necklace!" Zidane challenged, but still nothing showed itself.
You may be able to deny it now, but as time goes on the feelings you hold for her will grow as well. Caution and good luck to you, young warrior…
Zidane whipped around several times to try and see who was talking to him, but suddenly rammed into a large apron.
Falling backwards on his bottom, Zidane grimaced and looked up to see Quina's large face looking down on him. "There are no good yummies in this town!"
Zidane sighed and jumped up, brushing off his pants. "Geez, Quina, you could have at least given me a warning."
"Quina sorry."
"Yeah, yeah, come on, let's go find the others." He walked past her and back towards the main part of Cleyra. The sooner they left Cleyra, the sooner he could find Garnet and find out what she really feels.