Blank's Viewpoint
Chapter 1
Author's Note: I absolutely adore this pair, and I think the Blank x Ruby pairing deserve more love. This story will be about Blank's outlook on life and his experiences.
This chapter introduces baby Blank and his parents.
*Note: Because I think Blank is a bit of an offensive name to give to your child, I decided to alter his original name. His name will change into Blank at the end of this chapter. You'll see how it changes and why : )
Reviews are always much appreciated. Thanks for reading this, everyone!
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Final Fantasy IX, nor am I making a profit off of this story.
Blank's Birth
A beautiful woman lay on the bed, catching her breath and wiping the sweat on her brows. She pulled her long burgundy hair behind her ears and beamed as she cradled her newborn baby.
He was soundly sleeping; his head pressed against her bosom and his breathing slow and steady. She smiled at her beautiful baby. Though giving birth to him had been painful, she realized now that it had been well worth it.
He looked so at peace as she marveled at him. His thick, chestnut-colored hair gleamed as the sun leaked through the window, and his bronzed skin was so soft and creamy. He nestled closer to her for warmth and let out a long sigh of content.
She felt a large, warm hand placed on top of hers and looked up to see her beloved husband. He had stood by her side the entire time and allowed her to squeeze the life out of his hand while she was giving birth. The look in his eyes was unforgettable then; his eyes twinkled proudly as he admired his healthy son.
He kneeled down beside her and kissed her. "How are you feeling, my love?"
She smiled at his adoring gaze. "I couldn't be any happier, Ezra. I'm almost in tears now… To think…we would ever be blessed with such a miracle." She softly kissed the crown of her baby's forehead.
They had tried having a child for five years. On the fourth year, they had started losing hope. On the fifth year, they were crestfallen to realize Aurelia had still not conceived, and supposed they were not meant to have children. But on that special day when she had discovered she might be pregnant, and corroborated it by seeing a doctor, she rushed home to report it to Ezra and shed cheerful tears.
Ezra affectionately treaded his fingers through her claret hair. "I will get a cold washcloth for your head. That would probably feel much better for you, wouldn't it?"
Aurelia smiled at him. "That would feel wonderful, dear. And could you please open the window, too? It's so muggy in here!"
Although the nurse had treated her most hospitably in the small nursing room, Aurelia yearned to return home with Ezra and start another vicissitude in their life with their baby boy.
Ezra returned with the drenched washcloth and placed it across Aurelia's forehead. "You must be so exhausted…" He observed his wife: her sanguine cheeks, the tiny beads of sweat above her full, rosy lips, her magnificent burgundy hair plastered at the side of her face.
She still beamed at him despite her effeteness, but Ezra knew she was tired as he gazed at her usually glimmering green eyes. There was dimness to them, and he knew she eagerly needed rest.
"Yes, I could do with some rest." She finally answered.
"Yes, dear, you desperately need to rest up. But we need to do one more thing before you go to sleep."
"Name our child." She responded before he could say it. "I know just the name for him, too."
With his warm, hazel eyes, Ezra gazed at Aurelia, eagerly waiting for her to divulge the name to him.
Aurelia tenderly caressed their baby's cheeks. "His name will be Blake."
"Blake…" Ezra murmured. "I love it." He kissed the top of his son's forehead before returning his gaze to her. "Now, Aurelia, please rest well, for I know you are much overdue for some sleep."
He gently lifted the sleeping Blake from her arms and settled him beside her. "Sweet dreams…" He whispered in her ear before she drifted to sleep. He returned to his chair and discovered how tired he was, too. It had been a long day, but the ending was perfect. With his two most loved ones asleep, Ezra found himself nodding off with them.
Family
Ezra barged into the tiny house roaring with laughter, little six-year-old Blake thrown onto his shoulder. He threw Blake onto their dilapidated couch and started tickling him, bringing a fit of giggles from Blake.
"Hahahaha! Daddy! Daddy! That tickles!" He gasped through his giggles.
"Come on now, you two." Aurelia's voice came from the kitchen. "Settle down. Dinner's almost ready."
Blake jumped from the couch and rushed into the steaming kitchen to see his mother hurriedly chopping up vegetables for a salad.
"What's for dinner, Mama?"
She stopped her work and turned to face Blake. She kneeled down so she could press a kiss to his forehead and ruffled his thick mass of chestnut-colored hair.
"Why, that lovely fish you and your father caught yesterday." She answered.
Blake excitedly jumped up and down. "That was a huge fish! I almost fell into the water trying to reel it in! I'm glad you cooked that fish today, Mama; I'm starving!"
She chuckled at Blake's enthusiasm. "In a couple of years, a growing boy like you will probably be able to eat an entire fish all by yourself. Let's eat. Ezra! Dinner's ready!"
Ezra entered the kitchen and kissed his lovely wife. "Dinner smells delicious as usual, Aurelia."
Aurelia twirled a lock of Ezra's dark, curly hair around her index finger and planted another kiss on his lips. "How was hunting today?"
"Pretty exciting, especially with Blake's help. I don't think I would have been able to kill that beast if it weren't for Blake's incredible speed and strength." He beamed over at his son, and was thrilled to see Blake's radiating smile.
"We make a great team, Daddy, don't we!?" Blake was hyperactively bouncing in his seat as he retold the story to his mother about the encounter with the beast.
Aurelia and Ezra seated themselves at the table and amusedly listened to Blake's epic story as they ate. When Blake finished his dinner and ended his story, he couldn't suppress the large yawn that came from his mouth.
"It seems all that fighting and running has made you sleepy, now, Blake." Aurelia remarked as she noticed Blake's eyes begin to droop and his shoulders slag a bit.
"Not really…" Blake yawned again. "Okay, yes, I am tired. Maybe just a little nap would be alright…"
"Let's get you to bed."
Aurelia lifted him up and headed towards his room when Blake suddenly asked, "Mama, can you rock me to sleep?"
"Of course, sweety."
Aurelia remembered how difficult it was for Blake to stop sucking his thumb at the age of four. She had told him that big boys had to stop sucking their thumbs, or else their teeth would become crooked. She dreaded seeing little habits of his like those fade away. Of course, it was part of growing up, but she knew this would be the first and last time she would ever experience the little habits her son went through during his childhood. Aurelia wasn't very fertile, so Ezra and she considered themselves very lucky to have even had Blake. They wanted to cherish every moment they had with Blake because they knew he would be their only child throughout their lifetime.
She was relieved to know, however, that Blake still insisted on being rocked to sleep. He always had been cuddly, and Aurelia could never find it in herself to say no to his little request. After all, a child of hers could never be too big to sit on her lap and be rocked to sleep. She remembered how Blake had giggled incessantly when she had told him that.
"Mommy!" He had exclaimed back then. "What if I become the size of Daddy one day? Would you still rock me to bed?"
"Absolutely!" She had answered. "You'd still be my little Blake."
Aurelia currently sat on the rocking chair and began to sway back and forth. Blake curled up on his mother's lap and rested his head on her chest, as he had always done ever since he was a newborn baby. His mother's humming vibrated from her chest, soothing him, until he started to fall asleep.
An hour later, Ezra came into the room to find both Blake and Aurelia sleeping in the rocking chair.
Loss
Six-year-old Blake apathetically pulled weeds in his mother's vegetable garden. The sun's blazing rays had darkened his skin to a deep russet. He glanced at his mother beside him and noted her fair skin was turning red.
"Mama? Are you okay? I think you're sun burnt." He treaded over to his mother and wrapped an arm around her comfortingly.
Aurelia placed two kisses on either of his cheeks. "I'll be fine, honey. We have to make sure these vegetables live, so try and pull as many weeds as you can, okay?"
Blake grumbled. "How do you have the patience to do this all the time?"
She chuckled. "When it feeds your family, you'll do anything to maintain it, no matter how harsh the weather or how tedious the work."
Blake had always been flabbergasted by her statements of 'feeding the family.' She acted as if they were poor. He looked around his yard. Their yard stretched far and eventually led to the gate of Alexandria. He always loved how large their yard was, and he always played the best games with his friends whenever they visited him. Then he observed his house. It was a tiny house, with furniture that was starting to fall to pieces, but he had his own room, and he was fed three meals a day with a possible dessert. They had never gone starving before, so he didn't understand why he always heard his mother and father discussing how to 'keep food on the table.' He was oblivious to his parents' struggle to save money.
Blake's pensive thoughts were interrupted when he heard his mother wince. He looked at her and noticed she was rubbing her arm. When she moved her hand away, he discerned a blister beginning to form on her arm.
"Mama, is the hot sun burning your skin again?" He asked worriedly.
"Mama's fine. Don't worry, Blake. My skin is just a bit sensitive to this stifling heat."
Blake had always hated seeing his mother in pain, and so he gallantly said—
"Mama, go in the house. I'll finish weeding the garden."
He could tell she was thinking it over, because she finally said—
"Are you sure, honey? I don't want your skin to get burnt, either."
Blake puffed up his chest proudly. "I've got Daddy's skin. I don't get sun burnt. Besides, there isn't a lot left to do, so I don't mind."
Aurelia hugged her son before laudatorily admiring him. "I've raised such a little gentleman. Once you're finished, I'll buy you an ice cream down the street. Is that a fair compensation?"
Blake's energetic bouncing was answer enough. "Thanks, Mama! I'll do a great job!"
He sedulously worked on the garden while his mother rested and tended to her blistered skin. When the sun just started to sink behind Alexandria's steep cliffs, Blake finished the garden work. He went inside to get a cool glass of water, and noted his mother and father lying on the couch, completely exhausted. He sighed, a bit disappointed. The ice cream was going to have to wait. But he didn't mind much; his mother always kept her promise. He decided to go back outside to play in the fields, but his mother awoke and rose from the couch.
"Blake?" She called with a yawn.
Blake rushed back to her. "I'm right here, Mama. I'm all finished with the garden."
"That's my boy. Now how about we wake up your lazy father and go get us some ice cream?" She suggested with a bright smile.
"YEAH! I love ice cream!" Blake immediately pounced on top of his father. "Daddy! Wake up! We're going to get ice cream, but you have to pay for it!" Blake tugged on his father's curly hair until he rose up to sitting position.
Groggy-eyed but smiling, Ezra playfully tackled Blake on the couch.
"And who says I have to pay for it?" He teased, tugging on Blake's hair and tickling him.
Blake escaped from his father's grasp and stood up. "Mommy says so! She says your left over money should pay for the things we want. And we want ice cream now, so you have to pay for it!"
"Ah, Mommy said that, did she?" Ezra glanced at Aurelia with a smirk on his face. She tried to put on the most innocent face she could muster. Of course, she didn't need to try hard to melt Ezra's heart. "Well, whatever Mommy says, we have to do, right?"
Blake nodded excitedly. "Yeah, so let's go!" He raced out of the house and onto the main road leading to the small ice cream shop.
Before Aurelia left the house, Ezra playfully smacked her on the rear. "So I'm obliged to pay for anything you two want? Interesting theory to teach Blake." He jokingly grumbled in her ear.
She giggled at his lightheartedness. "I have to make sure he grows up to be a wonderful gentleman like you."
He chuckled. "Of course. Now, let's go before Blake has a heart attack."
After they purchased their ice cream, the three decided to walk along the cobblestone streets as they ate their cones. The weather was cooler, and they decided that the sunset would look marvelous outside of Alexandria. They passed the two Alexandrian guards at the front gate and heard them shout their usual warning: "Please watch out for all the fiends!"
Blake plopped himself between his parents on a field just outside of Alexandria's gates and licked his ice cream. They all gazed at the beautiful sunset over the Alexandrian cliffs. When they finished eating, they decided to take a stroll through the cool fields.
"Those Alexandrian guards always give Daddy and me that same warning!" Blank exclaimed to his mother. "But we're really strong and can kill all the fiends out here, right Daddy?"
"That's right, Blake." Ezra responded. "We're an amazing hunting team."
"Yes you are." Aurelia agreed. "Especially after you defeated that wolverine beast the other day."
"Yes," Ezra started, "but we need to be a bit precautious for a while; I've heard a dragon's been sighted a distance away from Alexandria. I don't think even Blake and I could conquer a dragon, so let's stay near Alexandria for the time being."
As they relaxed and basked in what was left of the sun, Blake approached the steep cliffs Alexandria was built upon.
"WHOA!" He screeched as he looked downward. He had never realized how high above he was from the bottom of the Mist Continent. He discerned sparkling streams merging with a wide ocean that glimmered red from the sun's scarlet rays. The scenery below was so beautiful. He was mesmerized. What fiends lurked in those vast fields below? How soft and luscious was that grass down there? Did humans actually live there, so isolated from Alexandria?
He stopped musing when clouds covered the remains of the sinking sun, darkening the Alexandrian fields.
"Mama? Daddy?" He called, a bit frightened from the sudden shade engulfing the land. They had permitted him to travel a little away from their sight, for he had insisted on seeing the massive Alexandrian cliffs.
He frantically ran back to them, legs slightly quaking in fear. Why was everything so silent all of a sudden? He couldn't even hear the soothing chirps of crickets, or the euphonious melodies of the birds.
"Mama! Daddy!" He called, louder this time. He was panicking now. He never liked being alone, especially when he couldn't see so well.
He stopped suddenly, noting a grumbling noise a few yards away. He silently crept towards the sound, which sounded like his father's snoring.
"Daddy?" He whispered gently. Then, the roaring heightened to a strident screech. Blake cried out in shock, eyes wide and timorous. Something was approaching him.
He broke out in a run, desperately calling for his parents. "Where are you, Mommy and Daddy!?"
But before he could do anything else, something tromped before him and let out another piercing shriek. As he observed the massive entity before him, Blake started to holler aloud.
"Mommy! Daddy! HELP!"
The creature was no other than the dragon the Alexandrian guards had forewarned them about. Its legs alone were taller than he, and its tight, leathery skin managed to lightly glow in the darkness. Blake could see its large claws and fangs, and its mouth salivating, preparing to feast on him.
Blake burst into tears then, his view blurring. As he sprinted, he stumbled over an overgrown root and heard the beast marching after him. He tried lifting himself up, but to no avail; he was too panicked and wounded to do so. He shook uncontrollably as he saw the dragon approach him. It raised one of its razor-sharp claws and sliced across half of Blake's face. He cried out in agony as he felt his warm blood trickle down his cheek. He tried to crawl away, but the dragon clasped him tightly in one of its claws. Blake's cheek was stinging as he cowered at the dragon. Its claws were poisonous…
"MOMMY! DADDY!" He hollered once more, tears, blood, and poison mixing together on his face. The dragon was about to crush him with his fangs when suddenly it let out a hair-rising howl. Its grip on Blake loosened, and he fell to the ground whimpering.
"BLAKE!" He heard his parents call simultaneously. Blake opened his eyes to see his father intrepidly lashing at the dragon with his sword. His mother rushed over to him and pressed him against her chest.
"Blake! Ezra! We have to run!" She cried out desperately. But the dragon's strength and speed were leading to an ominous situation.
"Aurelia! Leave with Blake! I'll distract it!" Ezra called to her. The dragon pierced Ezra in the chest with a claw.
"EZRA!" Aurelia yelled, tears streaming from her eyes.
"You must…leave..!" Ezra panted, struggling to stand. Another blow to his chest from the dragon rendered him unconscious…
"EZRA!" Aurelia screamed, heart in her throat. Instinctively, she lifted Blake from the ground and started running across the fields shouting for help. The dragon gave chase.
Blake was struggling to remain conscious, but the poison corroding his facial skin started dripping onto his chest, his arms, his back… The pain, the wretched burning and throbbing... If only he could sum up the strength to protect his mother and father…
The dragon stopped in its treks and started an incantation of some sort. His mother continued to run, clutching Blake to her chest tightly. Her panting mingled with her weeping as she darted through the ongoing fields.
Before she could take another step further, the dragon directed a large bolt of lightning at her, striking her in the back, and she collapsed to the ground. With her last breath, she whispered—
"…Blake…I love you…"
Blake, numbed by the poison, the shock, the pain, managed to murmur—
"I love you, too…Ma…ma…" He felt another large tear seep out of his eye and onto his blistering skin. His mind was in a blur as each second elapsed. "I love you, too…Daddy…"
The last things he saw before his eyes closed were his mother's lifeless face, his father's stiff form from afar, and a group of Alexandrian soldiers swarming around the hostile dragon. Heart panging painfully against his chest and his eyes saturated with tears, Blake fell into unconsciousness.
Alone
The moment he opened his eyes, he was overwhelmed with trepidation. The first thing he realized was his distorted vision. His heart started racing as he tried opening both of his eyes, but could only open one. Panicking, he touched the unopened eye, only to discover that the eye no longer existed. Frenetically, he moved his hand all across the left side of his face, and felt a foreign material seamed onto it. His breathing quickened and a nervous sweat layered his skin. What was the matter with him? What happened to his left eye?
He looked around the room that was not his. Where was he? Everything here was so white. He tried getting out of the creaking bed he was lying on, but jolts shot through him and caused him to cry out in agony.
"Mama… Daddy…" He whimpered, lips trembling. And then he remembered—remembered all that had transpired yesterday. The ice cream, the strolling through the fields, the wonderful scenery, the…
"MAMA!! DADDY!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. He burst into tears, hopelessly waiting for them to come and cradle him. He stopped sobbing when he heard a jostled pair of feet approaching his room.
"Are you alright, dear..?" A soft voice came from behind the room.
Blake stared at the older woman entering his room. "Who are you?" He asked with tremorous lips.
The woman approached his bed and shed a tiny, pitying smile at him. "I'm one of the nurses of this small hospital, honey. How are you feeling?"
Blake felt nauseated as he recounted the incident with the savage dragon. How he had ached all over as the poison ate away at his skin… But he snapped out of his terrible recollection as he became more aware of his present situation.
"Miss Nurse, what's wrong with me?" Blake asked meekly, his lips pouting again.
She comfortingly placed a hand on his shoulder and fixed her eyes onto his single one. "Nothing's wrong with you, dear. You were hurt very badly from that nasty dragon. Alexandrian soldiers came and rescued you and brought you here. The dragon's poison did a lot of damage to your skin, but you're a lot better now."
"But why can't I see with my left eye? And why is half of my face covered in weird stuff?"
She sighed, her eyes sagging more from weariness. It had been a long night for her. It hurt her so much to see a little boy suffer so. She deliberated on what to say to him so that he would understand.
"We had to sew you up. You were bleeding so much, and the poison was hurting your skin. We needed to stop it somehow, so we cleaned your skin and placed fabric over your terrible injuries to keep you from losing anymore blood and skin."
"D-do you have a-a mirror? I want to see what it looks like…"
The tired nurse sighed, heart wrenching as she looked at the hurting boy. "Sure, honey. Come here."
She lifted him up, brought him to a large mirror, set him down, and braced herself for the oncoming tears that would come from him. Just looking at him now, she wanted to burst into tears herself. But she knew she couldn't, because she didn't want to worry or stress him anymore than he already was.
As Blake gazed at the reflection staring back at him, his mouth opened in horror. He stroked the left side of his face where the material was stitched to. A disgusting, deep-brown mustard fabric was etched from the top of his forehead and treaded down diagonally across his left eye; it stopped a bit past his jaw line. Mechanically, Blake treaded his fingers downwards and stopped at his chest. Again, the stiff, leathery material enveloped the right half of his chest and stopped before his navel. He turned his back to the mirror and gasped when he saw another large patch of stitched material in the middle of his back. He paused and brought his right arm to his face. Yet another large square of the dreadful textile covered his wrist to his forearm. He was unrecognizable…
"What am I..?" He whispered quietly.
Blake stumbled backwards and fell to the floor. He felt the tears burning his eyes again and bawled loudly. The old nurse rushed over to his side and embraced him. He sobbed into her uniform and clung to her neck.
"I look like a monster!" He wailed.
The nurse soothingly rubbed his back and rocked him back and forth on the floor. She stroked his wet cheeks and crooned calming words into his ear. "You do not look like a monster, honey. Don't cry now… Don't cry…"
She hated seeing him undergo all this pain. She didn't want him to bear any other burden on his shoulders. She felt tears trickle down her cheeks, but she hastily wiped them away before he could see. She needed to be the strength to hold him together. If she wasn't there for him, then who would be?
When his sobs quieted to mere sniffles, and no more tears stained his cheeks, Blake looked up at her beseechingly.
"Miss Nurse..? Where are my mama and daddy? I really would like to see them now. I hope they aren't too hurt from that dragon…" He looked around the room, half-expecting to see them there already.
The nurse desperately searched for the right words to say to him. But how could any word be right when both of his parents were…
Dead…
It had been too late when the Alexandrian soldiers found them. The only one still breathing at that time had been Blake. He had been unconscious when they found him, his blood glistening under the foreboding moon.
She glanced down at his one existing hazel eye. Such a horrible shame… An innocent little boy should never have to endure so much. If she had to see any more tears trickle down onto that cherubic face, she would break down herself.
She closed her eyes for a brief moment and inhaled deeply. She took him in her arms again and kissed the top of his head.
"Well, honey, your parents…" She took another deep breath. "Your mommy and daddy…have gone to heaven."
He glanced up at her again, puzzled. "They went to heaven…?"
She nodded, a weak smile forcefully stretched across her face.
Blake bowed his head down in deep contemplation.
"But…why didn't they take me with them? I want to go to heaven, too…" Tears began to soak his cheeks again.
She heaved another heavy-hearted sigh. What could she say to him to make the dismal situation seem slightly better?
"Because, darling," she finally said, "they wanted you to enjoy life down here before you go to heaven. Don't you want to play with your friends and have a wonderful time in Gaia before going to heaven? Heaven's a wonderful place, but life on Gaia comes first."
"I like playing with my friends…" Blake said through his sobs, eye twinkling with desire. "But I'd like it better if I were with my mommy and daddy. Now I'll never get to see them again until it's my turn to go to heaven…"
"That's not true, Blake. Your mommy and daddy will always be with you in spirit."
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion again. "They're here in spirit right now..?"
The nurse nodded excitedly, thrilled to see relief in his eye. "Yes! Do you know your mommy and daddy can hear you speaking right this moment? Imagine that! They're so high up in the sky, and they can still hear you talking. And they see you very clearly, too."
This new discovery must've been very impressive to Blake, for the nurse actually saw his lips crack into a tiny smile.
"Whatever I say, they can hear me? Even if I whisper?"
The nurse smiled, widely this time. "That's right. Because their spirits are in you, they can hear everything you say. Blake, your parents will never leave you."
Thrilled by this unearthing, Blake raced to the window and stared up at the clear sky. Even if his mother and father were miles above him—or perhaps millions of miles above Gaia itself—Blake was ecstatic to know they could still watch over him. And so, with this new revelation, Blake whispered to his parents—
"I love you Mommy and Daddy. One day, when I've had enough fun in Gaia, I'll come up to heaven with you, just like what you wanted me to do."
New Home… New name?
The nurse cried when she took seven-year-old Blake to his new home. She didn't want him to leave her, but she told him boys and girls whose parents weren't in Gaia any longer had to live in this new home. Blake understood she was doing it for his own good; after all, who would cook him breakfast, lunch, and dinner if his mother wasn't on Gaia anymore? And who would teach him how to fend for himself if his daddy wasn't here, either?
So Blake had complied and traveled to his new "home." It seemed to Blake that it was more of a school than anything—with a lot of children in patched-up clothing, food served at specific hours, and a possible educational game for all the kids to play.
Blake wanted to be happy with his new home in Alexandria, but he couldn't help feeling homesick. He loved his tiny house and immense yard with blossoming trees and blooming flowers. He missed the sweets stores and ice cream parlor that were nearby his old house, and even missed the annoying Alexandrian soldiers who would warn them regularly about the dangerous fiends outside Alexandria.
Blake sighed as he reminisced those wonderful days.
Currently, he was leaning against a wall, watching the dirty children pass a mangy ball to and fro. He felt so lonely…
He had once asked a group of older boys if he could join in, but the moment they turned to look at him, they had gaped at him and cackled.
"What's the matter with your face!?" One had ignorantly spat out that day.
"Sorry, but we can't play with someone who's more likely to shred to pieces than to throw a ball." Another one had criticized.
Unaccustomed to such hostile treatment, Blake had opted instead to ask a few girls his own age if he could jump rope with them. Once they had seen him, however, they all shrieked and ran away.
He had heard one of them scream out, "Rag doll!"
It had been six months since Blake had come here; and he had loathed it from the beginning. The moment he walked through the door and all eyes swept onto him, he was instantly stigmatized as the "broken one," the "rag doll," and from the older kids, "the half-artificial boy."
It broke his heart whenever he smiled at someone and only received a look of disgust in return, or worse, a frightened glance. Was he really that scary looking? Just because of his scars? He had to admit, though; he was quite shocked when he first saw himself, too. But still…
The insults, the teasing, the awful loneliness…Blake couldn't take it anymore. He wanted someone to accept him for who he was on the inside. He was tired of seeing someone briefly glance at him, and then blatantly turn around to gape at him with wide eyes and an opened, shocked mouth afterwards. He should've been adapted to the manifest, revolted faces he received everyday from the Alexandrians by now, but it still troubled him that no one wanted to talk to him just because of his distorted appearance. So what if he looked different, or like a "freak" as some had called him? He had always been nice and courteous, and a bit of a mama's boy. He was even cuddly, but nobody—and he knew it was wishful thinking to even hope for this, but he yearned for it, anyway— would ever muster up the courage to hug him nowadays.
For six months, Blake had not spoken to or played with even one of the children from the orphanage. Ostracized, Blake was left with nothing to do except walk around the shabby hallways, or practice fighting in the open fields alone.
He had grown quite reticent because of it, and learned that not saying anything at all would at least prevent others from bullying him relentlessly. Even with adults, Blake found himself automatically bracing himself for an onslaught of contumelies, even though the adults treated him kindly. It was an instinctive reaction after all the verbal abuse Blake had endured so far from the cold-hearted orphans.
But Blake was fatigued from all of the offensive remarks. He wanted to be in a friendlier environment. He would rather have to fend for himself than deal with these nasty kids. And so, after dinner that day, he decided he would run away and search for his old home again.
As nighttime fell, Blake furtively crept out of his "room"—though he shared it with a dozen other boys—and escaped the despicable orphanage.
The night's breeze was cool against his skin, and the lights glittered through all of Alexandria. The enormous Alexandrian castle looked ethereal from all the dazzling lights reflected from the giant sword.
Blake was overwhelmed with decisions as he ventured through the vacant streets. Where would he go? He had wanted to return to his home, but didn't know if he would be able to find it. Should he ask somebody? His mother had always warned him about talking to strangers, but perhaps they could help him. He raced through neighborhoods, he passed a tavern with inebriated men, and he explored the center square where most of the citizens spent their days shopping. Most of the stores were closed; he had never seen the center square so lifeless before.
Blake yawned once his heavy panting mitigated. He was exhausted from all the running and decided it would be best to rest for now. He lay down on the nearest wooden bench and fell asleep.
He awoke the next morning with the buzz of all the citizens in the center square. He arose from the bench and discovered he was famished. He fished through his pants pockets in hopes of a few gil being there, but was crestfallen to realize he had nothing. His heart started palpitating quickly.
It hadn't occurred to him until now that he was completely responsible for all of his well-being. If he was hungry, he needed to pay for his own food. If he needed rest, he would have to ascertain how many hours of sleep he should get. The list went on and on as he thought it over. All those responsibilities were now laid on him. In just one day alone, he had gone from being provided for by the orphanage, to being utterly alone and self-reliant. How would he survive?
For the rest of the day, Blake searched the cobblestone streets of Alexandria for any gil that might've fallen from the citizens' pockets. He even went as far as to solicit adults for money. But, as usual, most of the children and adults he encountered merely gawked at him and turned in the other direction, whispering to each other about the "scarred boy." Even the gentle-hearted people who offered him a gil or two couldn't help but stare at the scars.
Blake, too preoccupied to care much, ignored the stares and scrounged a total of 10 gil by evening. Having not eaten that day at all, Blake sped to the nearest food market in the central square and purchased two meat and cheese kabobs for a whopping 6 gil. Distressed because he had spent all day begging for most of that money, and also because he was still hungry, Blake sat down on a bench dishearteningly. He didn't know what to do. A boy of seven couldn't earn any money without begging for it on the streets.
Ravenous yet enervated from such rigorous activity, Blake took a small nap.
When he awoke, nightfall was upon Alexandria again. His stomach growled painfully. Not many people were out in the streets now… Blake sulked as he realized he wouldn't be able to receive as much gil now.
He looked around the square and focused his attention on a peculiar gang across from him. They were huddled in a corner, two tiny forms and an enormous, bulky one. They looked as if they were plotting something. Strange… He had never seen those people in Alexandria before. He noticed the large man entered a hotel from the front, while the two smaller ones snuck in from the back of the hotel. When the two small children—Blake assumed they were children since they were the same size and build as he—returned to the front, the large man was already there, expecting them. In their hands, the two children carried two large bundles of something. Blake hid behind a wooden post as they passed by him and heard—
"…loads of gold in there, boss!"
"…definitely come back here!"
The "boss" barked aloud in laughter. "We'll be stayin' here for the night, boys! Good job!"
Thieves. Blake sighed. If only he could have that much money. How had they managed to steal so thoroughly and quickly? It bewildered him, and yet…inspired him.
Certainly he could emulate them in their antics and aptitudes? Even if he had to go so low as to steal, it would benefit him in the end. How else would a seven-year-old keep his belly full, anyway? And besides…they didn't need all of that money. What difference would a gold coin mean to them? Blake decided to follow the thieves surreptitiously.
The coterie plopped themselves on a small patch of grass off a side-road and started counting their loot. Blake studied the gang and the surroundings. A few bushes were near them; he could hide behind them and quickly snatch a few gold pieces from their bag and be off. Slowly, Blake crawled behind a bush where one of kids was sitting in front of. It was conveniently dark out; none of them would be able to see him when he mugged them. Heart racing and blood pumping wildly with nervousness and anxiety, Blake patiently waited until the smaller of the two boys brought out a large, glimmering jewel and presented it to the boss. The moment the fool left his bag open and unprotected, Blake lunged forward and grabbed a handful of coins and fled.
"Oi!" He heard the other boy shout. "Boss! Another thief has stolen from Cinna's bag!"
"There he is!" The boss bellowed. "After him!"
Without looking back, Blake ran through the ongoing fields, pocketing his reward. What ashame, though, that his life was now at risk. He definitely had not planned it to end this way. One boy was close behind him and seized his arm.
"I got him, boss! I got him!"
But after he had said that, Blake used his strength acquired from two years of practice out in the fields with his father, and shoved him to the ground.
"Whoa! He's tough!" The young thief of the gang remarked.
"Separate and surround him!" The boss commanded. His bulky physique was most unbefitting for running, as his voice was the most distant from them.
Blake darted across the streets and between two houses. The other boy was pursuing him closely behind. He needed to get rid of the boy somehow… An idea sparked in his head when he saw an empty cardboard box beside a house. He took the box and hid behind a tree in someone's yard. The moment the boy neared him, Blake rapidly lifted the box above his head, and brought it down over the boy's entire body.
"Ahhh! Boss! I can't see anythin'!" He hollered imbecilely.
"Argghhh! You two…MORONS!" Came the Boss's clamorous voice.
Blake continued to run for a long while after, making certain he lost the gang. Relieved and drained, Blake fell onto his knees in front of the Alexandrian gates. Had he really run so far?
Blake slipped underneath a house's porch and took out his handful of money. He marveled at his treasure. Tomorrow, he would have a full stomach again. Blake closed his eyes after a while, and deemed it safe enough to rest.
Unexpectedly, Blake was hurled up from the ground and thrown over a large, meaty shoulder.
"GOTCHA! You li'l thief!" The large leader of the thieves had found him. "Did ya honestly think I wouldn't find ye? Sorry, boy, but I've been doin' this for a while. Now gimme back what ya stole!"
Blake squirmed around, trying to loosen up the boss's grip on him, but to little avail. Desperately, Blake did the only thing possible in the position he was in: he sunk his teeth into his shoulder.
"OWW!!!" The boss shrieked. He dropped him from the sudden jolt of pain, and Blake made a run for it.
Blake didn't get far, however, when the two others blocked his path. The boss hastily joined them in a circle surrounding Blake.
"You're surrounded." The boss stated. "I must say, boy; you're pretty damn good! You're a fine young thief. You'd make an outstanding thief in our group. Whaddya say?"
Completely upset with the outcome, and also inclined to reticence, Blake refused to open his mouth.
Indifferent to Blake's silence, the boss continued. "What's yer name, boy?"
Blake bowed his head down, refusing to look at him, even if it was already too dark to see him in the first place.
The boss took a step closer to him. "Did ya not hear what I said?"
Still, Blake remained silent.
The boss started puffing loudly, apparently perturbed by Blake's refusal to speak. "Boy, you're really testin' my patience. Now for the last time, what is yer name!?"
Blake promptly broke out in a run then, but the attempt was futile. The boss swiftly grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder.
"There's no point in tryin' to escape, m'boy. We got ya now. But I like you. Ya got talent. You'll make a great thief in our band. Whaddya think, Cinna and Marcus?"
"I think it's a great idea, boss! He throws a great punch! My stomach still feels a bit off!" Cinna replied.
"Yeah, but let's just go to our ship now. I'm tired, boss." Marcus said.
"Alright! We'll get him situated in the mornin'."
With Blake on the boss's shoulder, the four entered a ship. Once Blake was placed on the ground, he looked around the ship in both awe and terror. The ship was amazing, every boy's dream. Its spacious rooms were both comfortable-looking and refined. Though a bit bleak from lack of lighting, Blake knew it was a classic. He had always dreamt of soaring through the sky in an airship, but he never knew he would be presented with such an opportunity in this manner!
As for the fear, Blake fretted over what the thieves would do to him. The boss said he 'liked' him. But how 'liking' him would be presented by the boss was another question altogether. For all Blake knew, a thief 'liking' someone could mean enslaving them.
"Damn. What the hell happened to yer face, boy?" The boss exclaimed. Although dim inside the ship, Blake was now visible.
Shamefacedly, Blake bowed his head to the ground.
"Ah well, no matter. If ya don't want to tell us, then that's okay. Besides, nothing's as bad as Cinna's face. Ain't that right, Cinna?"
"Hey!" The uglier of the two boys shouted. "That's not nice to say, boss!"
Cinna was a rotund, beady-eyed boy with no hint of muscle tone on his flabby body. His shirt was tightly fitted to his gut, accentuating his all-too visible muffin-top. His face was pinched up in a displeasing manner, looking as if a pile of stank was under his nose. Even his hair looked slovenly; it was disheveled and it seeped out from under his hat. His pug nose and mushy lips weren't anymore appealing to look at.
Blake smirked at the boss's statement. He had to admit, Cinna was pretty ugly.
When Blake looked up again, he saw the other boy, Marcus, trailing his eyes from his face down to his chest and arm where the stitching was exposed. Though Marcus was kind enough not to make any remarks, Blake always felt self-conscious whenever he discovered someone staring at him.
Finally, Marcus said—
"Well, it's not as bad as my face."
Blake looked up at Marcus in surprise. Marcus was cursed with a conspicuous under bite. Two fairly sharp teeth jutted out of his lower lip, giving him the appearance of some sort of wolverine beast. His eyes were puffy and mostly concealed under a bandana, and his nose was rather sharp and wide. Though not as repulsive as Cinna, Marcus wasn't blessed with good looks, either.
Then Blake turned to face the boss. Even in the light, the boss looked formidable. His gut protruded from his shirt and his legs and arms were thick with muscle and fat. Even his head was incredibly solid and immense. He was a broad man through and through.
"So, do ya like yer new home, boy?" The boss's vociferous voice boomed against the polished, wooden walls of the airship.
Baffled, Blake couldn't help but gape at the boss.
"What?" The boss asked, equally as baffled. "This is yer new home. You were out alone on the streets before, young thief. Don't ya want to live here and learn how to be a pro at thievery? Though you're a natural, ya still got a lot of learnin' to do. Besides, it's better than scavengin' for food in the garbage for the rest of yer life."
Due to his insecurity, Blake continued staring at him without speaking.
"Arrgh, boy! Why won't ya say anythin'? Ya know how to talk, don't ya?"
"Maybe he's just really shy…" Cinna suggested. "It's okay, boss. We'll make him feel at home, right Marcus?"
"Yeah, we'll make Blankie feel real comfortable here." Marcus agreed.
"Eh? What's that ya said, Marcus?" The boss asked. "Ya called him…Blankie? Is that his name?"
Marcus grinned. "Nah, but we might as well call him that. He doesn't speak at all, so he is pretty blank, right?"
"I like that name!" Cinna piped in. "Hey Blank! How are you feelin'?"
The boss broke out laughing. "That's a very suitable name for him." The boss slapped "Blank" across the back. "Hello there, Blank! Welcome to our home. The name's Baku! But ya gotta call me 'Boss.' Well, I'll see ya in the mornin'. Maybe then you'll feel like talkin'?"
But before Baku could leave, a small, gentle voice called from above the spiral staircase of the ship.
"Uncle Baku..?"
"Ah, we woke up Ruby!" The boss guffawed. "Well, Ruby, ya might as well come down here and meet our new friend!"
"Blank" looked towards the spiral staircase to wait for the girl to come down.
"Awright, Baku. I'm comin' down now." She had a very strong, country accent that amused "Blank." He had never heard such an accent before, and it sounded even more peculiar with her light, velvety voice.
Quietly, young, little six-year-old Ruby descended from the staircase. When she reached the lower floor, she approached the rest of the band.
"Blank" couldn't help gawking at her as she neared him. Unlike Marcus, Cinna, Baku, or he, Ruby lacked any flaws on her facial features. She had a blossoming, heart-shaped face as smooth and white as a china doll. Her large, blue eyes, silken, gold hair, and full lips just added to her angelic appearance.
"Ruby, come meet Blank." Baku beckoned to her. "He's gonna join Tantalus in treasure-hunting."
Blank automatically lowered his head in attempt to conceal his blemished face. But Baku forcefully snapped his head back up.
"Be polite, Blank." Baku chastised. "Ruby wants to meet ya. Ruby, this is Blank."
Ruby came up close to Blank and curtsied to him. Each terribly long second, Blank waited for the moment to come where she would notice his wretched stitches and shriek and run away, just like every other girl he had met before had done. He felt himself tense in preparation the moment she met eyes with him, and stiffened as she…
But she never shifted her gaze from his eye. Blank loosened up again. Ruby wasn't looking at his scars; she was looking into his eye. A newly discovered surge of emotion rushed through him then. She was the first person, ever, to look at him straight in the eye without tracing her eyes onto his tarnished features. Her eyes locked onto his one, and she smiled. There was no look of abhorrence, no sickened expression drawn onto her immaculate features. Nothing but a sincere, bright, and cheerful grin that lit up her full features all the more.
"Nice to meet ya, Blank. Kinda funny name, but I s'pose all of our names are kinda funny soundin'." She giggled and extended a hand out for him to shake. Blake promptly grasped her hand and shook it with delight.
"Sorry to have woken you up, Ruby." Baku said with a yawn. "But don't bother tryin' to have a conversation with him; he doesn't talk. Now let's go to bed. Marcus and Cinna, would ya like to show Blank his new room?"
"I'll do it, Uncle Baku!" Ruby offered before the two could even say anything.
"Err, okay, Ruby. If that's what ya want…" Baku merely shrugged his shoulders. "Well, let's get ready for bed, everyone."
Ruby abruptly clutched Blank's hand in hers. "Come on, Blank! I'm gonna show ya your new room!"
She squealed joyously and dragged him to the left of the spiral staircase into another section of the airship. She opened a door and hauled him into an airy room. She closed the door behind her and plopped herself on the large, feathery bed.
"This is your room!" She exclaimed excitedly. "How do ya like it?"
Blank shifted his gaze to the floor and let out a sigh.
"…Thank you…Ruby…" He finally said after a while. For six months, he had not spoken a single word to anybody after the ball incident with the older boys from the orphanage. It felt so unusual to move his mouth again. But he felt the need to thank her for what she had done for him. She had provided him with reassurance that perhaps not everyone was repulsed by him. She, the only one so far, had accepted him for who he was.
Ruby gasped. "You do talk! I knew it!" She giggled again and bounced a bit on the plushy bed, her golden curls springing up and down in unison.
"Yeah…" He said timidly.
Ruby motioned for him to come over and sit next to her, and he obeyed.
Bashfully, Blank turned to bear his eye into one of her big, glassy blue ones. They even sparkled like a china doll's eyes.
"Y-you're…not scared of me..?"
Ruby furrowed her eyebrows. "Why would I be scared of ya?"
"Because…I don't look real…" The last part of that sentence came out in a gentle whisper, barely audible.
Ruby pouted her lips in agitation. "That ain't true, Blank. You look perfectly fine to me."
"But…what about my face?" He trailed his fingers across the rough material forever engraved to his face. "And look; my arm, my chest, my back—they're covered with them, too."
"So? You just got a few scars. It's not like people have never had a scar before."
"…You were the only person to…look me straight in the eye without looking at my scars once… Thank you…"
Ruby smiled at his diffidence. "Well, now ya gotta pay me back." She giggled.
Blank immediately rummaged through his pants pocket and brought out the handful of coins he had stolen from Baku, Marcus, and Cinna.
"H-here you go…"
He didn't know why, but Ruby started laughing ceaselessly until tears streamed from her eyes.
"Oh, you're a silly thing! I don't want ya to pay me in gil!"
Puzzled, Blank asked—
"…Th-then what way do you want me to pay you?"
He didn't think there were other types of currency out there besides gil…
Laughter stifled, Ruby wiped away the two tears on her face.
"I want you to be my friend."
Heart dancing in his chest, Blank actually broke out into a beaming smile. "R-really…?"
"Yeah! I like havin' a lot of friends!"
"Okay..!"
Blank felt an unusually warm sensation sweep through him then. Was it excitement? Relief? Jubilation? The again, it was probably all three of the emotions amalgamated together.
"Awright!" Ruby exclaimed. "Now we gotta talk and learn 'bout each other, friend!"
She leaned her back against the bedpost and Blank copied her.
"Um…what do you wanna know about me?" Blank asked gently.
She put a finger on her chin and began tapping it, apparently contemplating on what to ask him. She drew in a deep breath excitedly once she had her first question in mind, and clutched Blank's arm.
"Tell me how Alexandria was like, Blank!" Her eyes glistened with animation. "Were there lots of nobles there with pretty dresses and fat purses? Did they wear those funny hairdos that could reach the ceiling of a house?" Her mouth opened in a wide "O." "And how was the castle?" She wore a dreamy expression on her face.
"Uh, well the castle is really big…and has this gigantic sword in the center that reaches the sky."
Ruby's eyes widened at the picture forming in her head. Delighted by Ruby's enthusiasm, Blank started jabbering on about all of Alexandria: the poor towns, the rich areas, the haughty aristocrats that visited daily, the large shopping center, the Alexandrian guards—whom Ruby found absolutely fascinating after Blank told her that mainly girls joined the Queen's army—and also about the orphanage and how badly treated he was there.
After spewing out a lot of nasty names about the orphans—such as "scalawags," "rascals," and "good-for-nothings," names of which Blank had never heard of—Ruby calmed down and asked another question.
"How old were you when your mama and papa died..?"
A long moment of silence…and then—
"…When I was six."
Blank let out a long sigh. On the first day of his life in the orphanage, Blank had discovered that "gone to heaven" meant "died." That day, when Blank was making mud pies outside, a callous, thirteen-year-old boy had ruthlessly satirized him.
"I guess looks really can kill, considering how your ugly, scarred face had to have killed your mother and father."
Blank had looked up at him with resentment. "My mommy and daddy did not die! They went to heaven!"
The boy had crowed mockingly. "You idiot! That means they're dead. Geez, you're dense on the outside and inside!"
He remembered how crushed he had felt that day. There was no word better to describe how he had felt at that time than hopelessly crushed. It was as if the world had come crashing down on his shoulders, as if his heart had shattered into millions of pieces from an inordinate amount of pressure, as if the largest burden had been placed on his shoulders and he had been struggling to stand up on his own two feet.
Blank had run past the small meadow and behind a large tree, and had shed the most tears then that he had ever shed before.
"Mama! Daddy!" He had cried out. "I'm sorry! I didn't know!"
Finally, when supper was ready for all the children, an adult had taken the responsibility to go searching for Blank. She found him behind the tree; it had been fairly simple, considering how loud his sobs and wails were at that time.
"What's the matter…?" The woman had asked stiffly.
"My mommy and daddy…are dead!!" He had wept.
"There, there… It's okay…" The woman had rigidly held him in her arms.
Blank had wanted to scream at her at the time. 'Okay?' How could it ever be 'okay' when his parents were dead and he alone? He had wanted to shove away the woman's uncomforting arms; she was as sympathetic and comforting as a rotting log.
"Come now… You need to eat your dinner, Blake…" And that had been it for the 'soothing and consoling' treatment.
Blank was jolted awake from his pensive thoughts when he felt two, tiny little hands delicately patting his back. His face was hot and wet with tears.
"I'm awful sorry, Blank!" Ruby cried. "I didn't want to make ya cry…"
Blank hastily wiped away his tears. He didn't want to upset his new friend, especially when she was the first person to treat him civilly for the first time in six months.
"…Sorry. I'm better now."
Ruby shook her head. "I'm done askin' questions for the day. Now it's your turn. Is that awright?"
Blank smiled and nodded. "Okay… How about this: why do you have a…um… a different accent, Ruby?"
She started to giggle. "Cinna and Marcus asked me that, too! It's 'cause I'm from a different...region? I'm pretty sure that's what Uncle Baku said. Yeah, I come from the Village of Dali, so they got a different accent over there. But I like it. Don't you?"
"It's funny sounding…" Blank chuckled. "I really like it. Why do you call the…the boss Uncle Baku? Is he really your uncle?"
"Naw!" Was Ruby's reply. "He was really close to my parents before they died from an illness. They asked him to take care of me before they died."
"Oh…I'm sorry…"
"Ah, it's awright. I was only a li'l baby. I don't remember them much. But I like it here! It's so much fun. You're gonna have a great time here with us."
"I can't wait."
And Blank truly meant it. These four members, these thieves, had been generous enough—ironically— to offer him a new home provided that he joined their band. Even though Marcus, Cinna, and Baku had reacted to his scars, they still welcomed him to a new home. He would be forever in their debt for treating him so nicely.
And he would repay them by becoming a fantastic thief.
But, he was most grateful for meeting Ruby. She had comforted him in ways nobody else had done for him before. He would always remember this day—this day when Ruby greeted him without even looking at his scars, and beamed at him, as if he was actually valuable.
"Um…Blank?"
"Hmm?" Blank snapped out of his musings.
Ruby nervously twisted her fingers together. "I'm getting' a bit tired. Is it awright if ya take me back to my room? I'm kinda…scared of the dark…" Her cheeks flushed red at her last words.
"Sure… But would it be better, maybe, if you just stayed in this room with me? There's lots of room…"
"Oh, really!? That's a great idea! Thanks, Blank!"
She slipped under the covers and sighed in relief.
"Marcus and Cinna always make fun of me 'cause I'm scared of the dark. But I can't help it…"
"It's okay… I used to be scared of the dark, too. But there's nothin' to worry about, Ruby."
"Thanks, Blank." She let out a long yawn before closing her eyes. "G'night, Blank."
Blank closed his eyes, too. "Good night Ruby…my friend…"
Though he would be stealing for a living now, and he would live with a band of thieves for probably his entire life, Blank could not have been happier at that moment. He would be exploring the world on an airship soon, he would be fed regularly, clothed, and sheltered, and, most importantly, he had people who didn't care what he looked like. He actually had friends…
Therefore, Blake finally accepted this airship as his new home.
And he loved it here already.
Author's Notes: And so that is how Blank got his name, and how he joined Tantalus, according to me : )
Thanks, again, for everyone who has read this. I hope you all enjoyed! Please review; I'd love to know how you felt about this!