A/N: Hey all! Just wanted to chime in here with some points. This series of short stories will be an experience in new writing types for me, mainly shorter stories. They'll all be individual scenes that are really as long or short as they end up being; whatever feels right. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VI, its characters, or lore.

Edgar's Desert Dilemma

You'd think, with all the fancy machinery and gadgets in Figaro castle, that they'd have created an effective way of keeping the building cooler. The place was situated out in the center of the desert, for gods sake, so why did they have nothing more then a bunch of noisy fans that did little more then blow the absurdly hot air around?

The blond man sighed at the thought as he sat upon the throne, listening to the problems and issues of the kingdom as the people lay them out before him. Edgar Roni Figaro, merely called Edgar unless in trouble with his Chancellor and staff (an event that happened more then you'd think of a king), struggled to keep his attention on those speaking, as he truly did value their input... but really, he was well aware of their concerns already, and as more beads of sweat rolled down his back, he felt less and less regal by the moment. Now, if they really wanted his attention, they'd bring up the very issue currently bothering him and force that old Chancellor to give him the time to work on it, but no, it seemed everyone was simply accustomed to the heat, and spoke no more of it. His past attempts to bring it up merely earned him disappointed looks as they told him to pay attention to 'duties worthy of a king'... whatever that was supposed to imply. The people's comfort seemed worthy enough to him.

Oh, but they wouldn't be able to stop him forever. He wasn't just the king, he was also the kingdom's lead engineer. He learned how to make an entire castle move beneath the ground itself! How hard could it be to simply lower the temperature of the air?

Well, hard apparently, as he'd yet to succeed. Not that he'd had as much time to try as he'd like, but still, he was annoyed with himself. The problem rose before him once again, formulas and mechanics dancing through his mind as the issue pulled him in, consuming him entirely.

"King Edgar?" The call shattered the pictures in his thoughts. He blinked a few times before shifting his gaze to the speaker, all the while fighting down a blush of embarrassment at being caught unaware in front of the assembly. Still, he hadn't been king over these years for nothing, and no sense of distraction appeared upon his face. Only those that knew him best would recognize his lapse for what it was, though sadly, that would be enough for him to hear about it later, that much he knew. The speaker continued, "Would you care to deliberate on the issue further?"

Edgar glanced at the person currently on the floor before him, remembering what he knew of the man and pulling together bits and pieces from the previous minutes before he'd inadvertently stopped listening. The king of Figaro wouldn't be an engineering genius without being intelligent, and he demonstrated it again then by swiftly grasping the topic and its resolution without allowing the silence to become stifling.

"No," Edgar said as he leaned forward in his chair and smiled at the man before him "we'll do this..."

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It's amazing how tired a person can get by sitting in a chair for hours. Edgar stretched and rolled his stiff shoulders as he made his way through the castle halls, finally released from the daily tasks of managing a kingdom. As much as he really cared about the kingdom of Figaro and its livelihood, even a king needed a break now and then, and if there was one thing Edgar was good at (aside from mechanical development), it was knowing how to make good use of free time. An excited glint came into his eye as his strides lengthened; he had a goal in mind, and nothing and nobody was going to deter him now.

Almost no one.

"Oh, King Edgar!" A soft, female voice halted his steps instantly as he turned smoothly toward the source. Before him stood a lady of the castle, smiling shyly his way. She was not of his direct court, nor did he know her name, but that didn't stop him, not even close. Ever the gentleman, he was in a half bow before her within moments, holding her hand in his and giving her his most dazzling smile.

"My lady," he greeted kindly. "What may I do for a beautiful girl such as yourself?"

Her cheeks tinted as a giggle escaped her lips, giving hint to her stature: no longer a girl, not yet a woman. "I was merely wondering, my Lord, if you'd care to join me for a meal? I was on my way to such, you see, when I saw you just now, and I thought, well, perhaps..." Her words trailed off, getting quieter as she continued speaking, and Edgar inwardly smiled, truly smiled, at her innocence. Being held in high regard by his people was a constant source of joy for him and never failed to brighten his mood.

Especially coming from beautiful young ladies.

Debonair smile in place, he raised her hand to his lips, silencing her instantly. "I would love nothing more, dear lady."

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Evening found Edgar alone at last, sequestered away among the bits and pieces of machinery scattered around the room he used specifically for inventing and creating new devices... or 'toys' as his less accepting advisers referred to them. Wires and scrap metal littered the floor in great amount, be they parts unneeded in a previous project or the remains of failed ones, the latter of which did occur fairly frequently. Even for a great mechanical mind like Edgar's, no creation came without trial and error, success and failure, and he'd long since learned to accept it all as part of the process and never let it get him down. One success made everything worthwhile.

Papers lay haphazardly across the worktable at which he sat, notes and diagrams scribbled over their surfaces as he worked over them, his mind a flurry of ideas, problems and solutions. Beads of sweat occasionally crept down his brow, serving only to remind him of why he was so determined to design this new creation. With a sigh though, he leaned back, exasperated.

"It always comes back to the same thing... how do I create cold air out of nothing?" He forced himself to his feet, rocking and nearly knocking over his chair in the process before pacing around the room, nimbly avoiding the scrap upon the floor. "There's nothing but hot air here, and in abundance! But if I 'had' any cold air, I wouldn't need this thing in the first place!" Frustration, as he'd learned in the past, was never a good friend, and so, once again he forced himself to stop, take a deep breath, and step back from the problem. The solution was all that mattered, not the problem. "Think of the solution..." he muttered to himself, calmer now as he moved around the room, eyes only half seeing the things in front of them. "What things can cause air to cool? And how do they do so?" Living his life in a desert kingdom, even as a king and inventor, he wasn't really around cool or cold things much, but at the same time, by living in such heat, the people valued the cold all the more. Things like the cool waters of an oasis, or the way the night breeze's would occasionally seem to pull the heat from the very stones of the castle.

"That's it!" Edgar nearly shouted, suddenly focusing on all the random items he'd previously been ignoring. Here and there, from one corner to the next, he was suddenly scanning the room with the intensity of a starving hawk. "I'll need one of those parts from that thing, some tubes from there... some of that..."

The next morning...

To say the Chancellor was annoyed would be a mild understatement. He was to meet with the king that morning to discuss with his Majesty numerous details of the kingdom, yet the regular morning meal had come and gone with no sign of him. Such was not precisely an unheard of occurrence, but after venturing to the king's chamber, it appeared that he was not to be found there either. Which only left one other likely place.

And it was not the Chancellor's favorite place.

It was not so much that he begrudged the king his enjoyment in the activity, nor that he dismissed the benefit it had thus far brought to the kingdom, it was merely that he believed the king tended to mix up his priorities when it came to new machines.

That, and they were so very, very dirty. Were he the king's tailor, he was sure he'd faint dead away at the sight of the black, greasy stains that often made their way onto the man's royal garments.

Regardless, the king's tendencies did at least make his easier to find at times like this. He simply thanked the stars that there were to be no public gatherings that the king need attend anytime soon. Still, as he came upon the room in question, he wondered if he would find the king asleep or awake. He honestly wasn't sure which he would prefer.

Loud clanging as he open the door answered the question for him, and the king shot to his feet just as the Chancellor entered the room, holding some sort of bulky new gadget in his arms. The Chancellor merely sighed at the sight. "Your Majesty, I see you've been at it again."

Eyes that shone with far too much energy for the bags beneath them snapped up to his own. "Chancellor! You're just in time, I've just completed it!" Edgar swung it around within his arms, situating it in his grasp as one would a weapon, which it vaguely resembled. This, also, failed to surprise the Chancellor. "Look here! This device can actually produce cold air! I finally figured it out, though I thought I'd go mad doing so!"

One eyebrow raised as the Chancellor smiled at his king's sheer enthusiasm. "So, you've been up all night making something that blows air? Sire, we already have fans for that all around the castle."

Edgar gave a quick shake of his head, grinning widely. "No. No. Those only push around the same hot air that we already have. 'This' though, this actually takes in air, of any temperature mind you, cools it, and blows it back out that way: cold! We'll finally be able to beat this sweltering desert heat!" The king looked so delighted with the whole prospect that the Chancellor simply gave a small chuckle and shook his head, with not the heart to chastise him... but Edgar wasn't finished yet. "Here, let me show you..."

Instantly, the Chancellor's face went slightly pale, remembering that the king had only just finished as he got there. He waved his hands out before him as Edgar prepped the machine, revving it up. "T-that won't be necessary, my liege. Perhaps a test first... away from us..."

"Nonsense!" Edgar comforted as he fiddled with the controls. "Ah! Got it." Taking aim at his Chancellor, Edgar pulled the handle. "Here we go!"

Bursting forth from the front opening came a veritable frost cloud of white air. So frigid was the air that after its short burst the machine froze itself over, the entire front end going white with frost as icicles stood straight out from the edges. Edgar's smile froze as well, becoming stiff as he looked upon his Chancellor, who's sleeves had frozen straight out after being pushed by the initial air blast. Ice coated his attire from head to toe, flecking apart on his lashes as he opened his eyes to reveal an annoyed gaze.

"N-now then, your m-majesty, I w-will meet you a-as planned after I f-freshen up." Shivers stuttered the poor Chancellor's words and ice cracked and splintered from his clothing as he bowed before turning to leave. Thankfully, there was no lack of heat to be had.

Alone again, Edgar turned to peer down as his creation, now hopelessly frozen over. "Hmm," he mused, "a bit too much power perhaps..."