Dart supposed it was good to see everyone again, and by everyone he meant the other dragoons who had helped to save the world.
Yeah, it was cheesy, but it had really happened and peace, prosperity and tranquility reigned throughout Endiness. Well, he rolled his eyes, the tranquility lasted until Meru started to complain that she wouldn't be able to dance in Donau's Flower Festival this year, very loudly, with rude gestures, in front of Queen Emille.
So instead of staying in Bale as was originally planned, the party moved to Donau. The defacto leader felt that this was just as well, with so many other people visiting the Flower City they could blend in and not draw too much attention to themselves.
"Oh my god! You expect me to pay what for your wilted flowers?" Meru shouted angrily, hands on hips, "Do you know who I am? I'm one of the dragoons who saved you and your pathetic weeds, and I have everyone else here to back me up!"
Heads turned, music stopped, and somewhere in Bale Albert sneezed. Dart sighed, blond spikes shaking along with his head, Shana smiling nervously from his side. Haschel smirked, flexing a bit for a group of young women, and waggled his thick eyebrows suggestively. Miranda glared, something she did often and was quite proficient at, daring anyone to say something. Kongol stood impassively, his presence enough of a deterrent for idle chatter.
A baby cried nearby.
And so that brings us to the present, with the legendary dragoons on the dry dusty outskirts of town, avoiding attention. Dart kicked a rock in exasperation, the projectile hitting Kongol's booted foot. The Giganto looked up from his seat and Dart waved an apology.
"Well, that plan is shot," Miranda said, pausing her restless pacing to wipe her brow of perspiration, "Any one else have any bright ideas?"
A group of Minitos crossing the road stopped at Meru's unladylike shriek of outrage, "What?! We can't leave now. Besides, who cares what they think?"
"Meru, someone asked you to marry him," Dart pointed out.
The Wingly girl smiled, "I can't help it if I'm irresistible."
Silence.
"Hmmph," she pouted, crouching with her chin in hands.
A hot wind blew in from the wastes outside of town, making the dragoon's situation all the worse. Dart was glad he left the armor at home, as he would have been baking in it. Relief came when Shana returned, carrying an armful of bottles.
Sweet, sweet water. He could taste it now, cool and refreshing, and just what he needed.
It happened in slow motion, Shana walking delicately across the cobblestone road, smiling angelically, her face brightened by the noon sun. And then a waist high blur slamming into her side, the force causing her to kilter in place before finally falling over, a shower of glass bottles flashing colors right before they smashed into the ground, the dry path drinking up the water like a thirsty man.
Shana sat on the ground for a moment, a bit dizzy and now covered in dust. Who had run into her, she wondered with a frown. She saw Dart coming and smiled to show him that she was fine, however she also noticed the shattered and spilt bottles around her. She opened her mouth to apologize but a high and squeaky voice shouted from her side, "What the hell, watch where you're going you stupid - why hello, Sweets."
He was a Minitos, short and wearing a red and blue overcoat even in this heat. His face was long and pointed with a shock of bright pink hair shaped like a question mark on his head. Shana inclined her head to greet him but was cut off by Dart, "Hey, Shana are you alright?" he asked, helping her up.
Shana nodded, patting the dust off of her light colored clothing. She was about to walk away when the Minitos spoke up, "The boyfriend shows up, figures."
Dart turned around to stare at the tiny man, and crossed his arms over his chest, "The husband actually, and what can I call the one who nearly ran down my wife?"
"No need to get so defensive," the pink haired man said while stepping back, "It was an accident," he paused, and looked over his shoulder, "The name's Chrys."
By now the rest of the group had wandered over, trying to catch some entertainment now that the refreshments were lost. Meru cocked her head to the side for a moment seemingly thinking hard, "Chrys isn't a Minitos name," she stated, clearly puzzled.
An eavesdropping Minitos woman spoke from a nearby pottery stall explained, "Oh, that's his nickname, it's short for Chrysanthemum."
"Shut up!" Chrysanthemum gritted from clenched teeth, his face red to the tips of his pointed ears.
Haschel guffawed, a large calloused hand holding his stomach. Miranda rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. Kongol blinked, then said, "Chrysanthemum pretty flower."
This caused Haschel to renew his laughter while the tiny Minitos glared up at the much larger Giganto, "Hah! Funny! It's not my fault we're named after flowers, and it's probably a better name than -" he stopped abruptly; he had noticed Miranda and eyed her up and down, "Hello there, Legs. Ever been with a real man?" Chrys asked, his voice smooth.
Miranda raised an eyebrow, and then she raised her hand to strike him. She connected with a loud smack, "If you ever speak to me like that again, you won't qualify as a man when I am done with you."
Chrys rubbed his cheek and backed away, "Damn, note to self: Leave ice queen alone." He was then picked up bodily by Kongol, his arms and legs waving wildly, "What are you doing? Let me go!"
The Giganto frowned, "Like annoying gnat."
"Ah, leave him be, Kongol," Haschel said, "He just made the mistake of pursuing a woman based on looks, it happens to the best of us."
Meru smiled and elbowed the martial artist in the side, "Speaking from experience old man?"
Haschel declined to answer.
"Anyway," Dart changed the subject, "Chrys, I believe you owe us for the goods you ruined."
Face appalled and outraged, he replied, "That's appalling and outrageous! It was an accident, and wouldn't have happened if Sweets hadn't been there."
"First of all," Dart pointed out, "Her name is Shana. Secondly, it is your fault. And third, if you don't agree we'll leave your fate to be decided by Miranda."
At Chrysanthemum's confused expression, Dart gestured towards the blonde woman cracking her knuckles and smiling ferally with white teeth showing. He gulped fearfully and nodded in agreement, "Alright. But if I'm going to treat all of you to drinks I had better know who to send the hitmen after."
Kongol set him down, and he made a show of adjusting his mishandled clothing. Motioning to each in turn, Dart introduced the legendary dragoons to a flirty Minitos, "I'm Dart and this is my wife Shana. This is Haschel, Kongol, Miranda and Meru," the wingly girl did a spin, "And to make up for making us stay out here in the heat, we need a decent drink."
"Why do those names sound so familiar?" Chrys asked suspiciously.
Dart shrugged, and answered before Meru could blow their cover again, "How should I know?"
He glared at the group, "Then come on, I don't have all day," he smiled at Meru, "Except for you, Dollface."
If nothing else could be said about Donau, it certainly had decent taverns, Dart mused. He nursed a drink called Dragon's Breath, the only spirit without a flower name, a cinnamon flavored liquid that came to him on fire.
Shana sat next to him at a low lit table, her drink bright orange and the sugar rotting his teeth from two feet away. She sipped it delicately, content to people watch from their vantage point near the north corner of the building.
Haschel and Kongol had went straight for an ale popular in Rouge, drinking it out of large tankards at the bar. The martial artist laughing and joking with the redheaded barmaid that periodically refilled their glasses. Miranda sat on the other side of Kongol, a short glass with a clear liquid slowly disappearing in front of her. She talked quietly with the Giganto, his head nodding or shaking in response to her queries.
In Bale Castle, Albert sniffed and swirled his wine before drinking it, wondering how the trip to Donau was going. Only briefly though, as Emille came from the other end of the long table to come sit on his lap and sip from his goblet.
With only two party members missing, one would think that their presence may not make much of a difference on the situation described. However, that assumption would be wrong.
While the trip to the tavern was mostly uneventful - merely Meru vocally expressing her lack of appreciation of Chrys' nickname- the commotion once the group entered was only exasperated by a, now absent, dark haired barmaid coming up to the Minitos and slapping him hard before leaving entirely.
He tried not to think about it because truthfully, Dart really didn't want to know.
Well, by promising the bartender plenty of patronage, the party was able to secure a few hours of relaxation...
...well, relaxation is relative.
A tiny Minitos dallying with fellow patrons or barmaids constantly was rather distracting. Especially when said man got a drink flung into his face, an alcoholic drink, in his eyes. Eventually the screaming and flailing stopped long enough to flush his eyes with water, at which point he proceeded to only cheer on Meru's dancing.
Meru was a dancer by trade before she met Dart and the others, in this very city as well. And there was no doubt she could move gracefully when trying to. However, wherever she had learned those moves she now exhibited was most likely somewhere she shouldn't have been allowed into.
Several pairs of eyes watched her from the seats surrounding the small stage, with more joining them by the minute. Between the skimpy clothes she wore and the suggestive moves she was executing, Meru was gaining quite the fanbase and quite a bit of attention. The Wingly girl smiled, twirling with one leg held up while Chrys cheered her on, "Way to go, Dollface! Lift it higher!"
Several catcalls followed and innocent Meru heeded their suggestions, each raunchier than the last. Dart sighed, knowing he would have to play the overprotective brother and get Meru out of here before she got all of them into trouble.
Looking around he supposed it was probably for the best that they leave soon, Shana's face was turning red and she had started to giggle. Haschel sported a fresh handprint on his face, visible even over his dark skin. And Kongol and Miranda had been behaving themselves but now had drawn a crowd watching their drinking contest, it seemed as if the Sacred Sister was winning.
Dart maneuvered out of the booth and over to the stage, but was cut off short of reaching Meru by a large man with one eye standing in his way.
"Excuse me," Dart said, trying to get past the man, but being blocked whichever way he went, "I'm just going to get my sister."
"No you're not," was the only warning the man gave before he swung a meaty hand at Dart.
The dragoon was thankful that his opponent had only one eye, his punch missed, the swing coming up short. However, Dart didn't have that problem, and while hand to hand wasn't his preferred style, a quick jab to the solar plexus sent the man down breathing heavily.
That should have been the end of it, but in a room of drunk people, nothing is more entertaining than a bar brawl. And so everyone got into it.
Patrons jumped over tables at each other, sending drinks scattering and causing the tables themselves to split in half. Some unlucky sop was thrown through the dingy window out into the street, and Dart swore that he saw someone swinging from the candle chandelier kicking anyone within reach.
Meru shrieked at the first blow, but soon was caught up into the violence as she hit an advancing man with a nearby wooden chair. Shana had stopped giggling, and now hid underneath the booth's table, still sipping her orange drink. Miranda took one sweeping look around her, snatched up an empty wine bottle and smashed it on the edge of the bar, breaking it and brandishing it like a sword. Kongol picked up anyone nearby and sent them sliding along the bartop, eventually shooting off the end and hitting the wall. Haschel grabbed the barmaid he had been flirting with and showed off what he was best at, beating people up with his fists- the barmaid seemed impressed, either that or paralyzed in fear.
Chrys had joined in wholeheartedly, his tiny size and quickness making him hard to fight against. His main tactic seemed to be feigning attacks and dodging away while his opponents either missed, hit something else, or hit someone else. Dart was holding his own, putting to use what Haschel had managed to teach him over the years.
Even though the fight for our heroes had been going well, fate intervenes.
The door to the tavern was flung open, the harsh daylight causing everyone to pause and blink to clear their vision. In that hesitation, the city guard filed in one after another and started restraining everyone present.
Dart cursed, desperately trying to think of a way out of this mess without being incarcerated. However, he wasn't quick enough and hadn't formed a plan by the time someone hit him in the back of the head and everything went dark.
He was on his back when he heard someone calling his name. Dart opened his eyes to reveal Shana smiling at him, looking none the worse for wear.
He sat up and took in his surroundings, he was in a bleak cell, thick iron bars separating him from the others. Shana and Chrys were in the same cell with him, Miranda, Kongol, and Meru in the next by themselves, and Haschel with his barmaid and several other nameless faces across the hall.
His head ached, and with a thick voice he asked, "How long have I been out?"
"I'd say three hours," Chrys answered, "The captain should be here soon to talk to us."
Shana sat on the cot next to him, rubbing his back. Great, he thought to himself, a simple trip to a festival that ends us up in prison. It was a cold and dingy prison as well, with all the sights and sounds and smells associated with such a place.
Meanwhile, Albert reclined in a comfortable chair in front of a warm fire, the sight of Emille in front of him.
"This place is soooo dirty," Meru complained, tapping her foot impatiently, "When are we getting out of here?"
"Not soon enough," Miranda muttered under her breath, sitting on a cot and crossing her legs.
Kongol watched between the two women, uncertainty clearly written on his face. However, that got Dart to thinking, "How did they manage to get Kongol in here?" he asked to no one in particular.
Haschel answered, "Too much booze isn't good for Gigantos, and besides," he waggled his eyebrows and leaned forward against the bars whispering, "He didn't want to leave a certain someone rotting in prison, now would he?"
A quick glance to the next cell, showed Kongol standing stiffly and facing the wall. Dart shrugged internally, he supposed that Haschel had some insight he didn't and intended to ask him later. It wasn't often enough he got good information of the normally stoic warrior.
Voices down the hall gained Chrys' attention, the Minitos shouting, "Hey, Captain! It took you long enough!"
Footsteps and then the rugged face of the Captain, "Chrys, I should have known," he sighed, looking down at the smaller man, "A bar brawl this time?"
"Things came up," Chrys replied nonchalantly, "But, I don't suppose you can't let me out of here, can you?"
"Hey," Meru shouted, quite rightly, "What about the rest of us? I'm too young and beautiful to be in prison!"
Miranda ignored the Wingly and appealed to the Captain directly, "This is a misunderstanding, we had nothing to do with the fight, we were merely bystanders."
"That's not true!" a voice from across the hall shouted, "You threw a plate of cashews at me!"
Shouting started back and forth, but the Captain would have none of it, "Enough! All of you! You are all being held for public fighting, and will be tried in the morning after the festival. So relax, you'll be here all night."
As he left, Meru stuck out her tongue at him and huffed, "Jerk! Who does he think he is?"
"Obviously he thinks he is the one with the keys to our cells," Miranda replied, flipping her hair back with one hand, "But he obviously doesn't know that we can get out without keys."
She looked pointedly at Kongol, and the Giganto stared back for a moment before catching on and smiling. It was a simple matter for the muscular man to spread apart the bars separating his and Dart's cells, and then separate the bars leading out into the hall. They couldn't leave Haschel behind, so he did the same for that cell as well, letting out the thankful patrons who had been gathered up along with our heroes. The martial artist kissed the hand of the barmaid before she sped away, a shy smile on her face.
And so the legendary dragoons plus a few others escaped from Donau's prison. The sun was nearly set and lighted lanterns lined the lanes, leftover from the festival still going on. They made it to the edge of town for the second time that day, exhausted from running.
"Well, that was interesting," Miranda snorted, breathing heavily and using an arm to prop herself up against Kongol. The Giganto seemed unaffected from their flight, even carrying Meru about half the way after she tripped.
Shana held a hand to her chest, trying to catch her breath, and Dart stood nearby, grimacing at the sharp pain in his side, "I don't think we were followed," he announced, "But, I do think it would be a good idea to leave."
"What?!" Haschel and Meru chorused in unison, looked at each other and then spoke at the same time, "We can't leave yet!"
"We got a mob after us, started a bar brawl, and escaped from prison," Dart countered angrily, "We are not staying here."
"It would be best to leave," Miranda agreed, standing up straight, "We have drawn far too much attention already, especially for- what are you still doing here?" she asked to a cheekily smiling Chrys.
"Following you, Legs," he said, showing no sign of a run through the city, "Something interesting is bound to happen soon if I stick around you all.
"Besides," he continued, a suspicious glint in his green eyes, "For some reason you seem familiar."
"No, you are just delusional," Miranda snapped, walking over to glare down menacingly at the Minitos, "Especially if you think you can get away with that insulting nickname-" she cut herself off as a glow shone through her clothing.
Now everyone's eyes were on her as she reached into her tunic and pulled out her dragoon spirit, the white stone glowing brightly in her hand. Chrys asked, his curiosity peaked, "What is that? Some kind of magic?"
Miranda's wasn't the only one as a golden, purple, and blue light shone in the descending darkness around them.
Dart was about to ask what was going on when his red and divine dragoon spirits started to glow. He had taken to wearing the red stone as a memento from his father, but it hadn't shone since Zeig had wielded it against Melbu Frahma.
He also carried the black spirit, but it lay lifeless, "What?" he whispered, pulling out both glowing spirits and holding them in front of him. Shana looked to him in worry.
"Ha!" Chrys exclaimed, "Now I know where I heard your names, you are the dragoons aren't you? Who would have ever thought you'd end up in prison, eh?"
"Would you shut up?" Miranda hissed, and then spoke to Dart, "What is going on? I thought the spirits only did this when they found one another."
"As far as I know they do," Dart answered uneasily, wishing not for the first time that Rose was here to give her insight.
"But all of the spirits have been together!" Meru said, "I mean first we all met up in Bale, but then left, we left Albert behind, but that's never caused the stones to glow before, and we were together all day-"
"-Red stone glow," Kongol interrupted her with his deep voice, "Only glow when someone worthy comes."
"Worthy?" Haschel asked, disbelievingly, "But who here is worthy..." he trailed off, his gaze going to the confused but excited Minitos.
"Hey, what's going on?" Chrys wanted to know, "For a bunch of heroes you guys aren't very impressive you know that? I mean who just stares at a Minitos like a gaping fish? Shouldn't you be solving world hunger, or something?"
"You have got to be kidding," Miranda sighed.
Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Dragoon, scary and frightening things would happen if I did.
AN: Well, this is my first attempt at a Legend of Dragoon fic, hopefully making fun of some of the cliches involving new dragoons. Besides, who wouldn't want a Minitos part of the main cast? Especially a blatantly flirty one that caused more trouble than he was worth?