Now that that's said, do go on and have a look. Please?
Gemini
The Shrine Knight was praying when Malak woke.
He sat with his legs outstretched and his head tilted forward, and his hands would likely have been clasped before him if they were not tied behind him. His voice was low, insistent, persistent - not a shout by any means, but something that was heard. Malak realized, to his annoyance, that the Shrine Knight's voice, not the hint of a rising sun, was responsible for his waking.
Snow fell from the edge of the tent when Malak yanked open the flap and stepped out - it was the only snow that fell, for now, and sunrise was hours away yet. One of the ninjas stood a few feet off on watch duty; he turned at Malak's curse. "Something wrong?"
Malak waved a hand. "No. Nothing…" With some of his functions still bleary and the darkness not helping in the least, he guessed, "Keath."
"Yeah, that's my name, congratulations," Keath sniped, and returned to looking at the distant lights of Goland as Malak went back into the tent.
Keath had shared with him tonight, and their traveling packs slumped in a corner. Ramza Beoulve's sister curled up in the corner opposite, thankfully silent. If the Shrine Knight had noticed Malak's waking and departure, he gave no sign.
After the interrogation was done and the Zodiac stones were found and duly removed from the girl's pockets, there had been dissent. Keath and Matsumoto favored cutting the Shrine Knight's throat and dumping him in the woods to join the other ghosts, but Bascomb advocated keeping him as additional leverage, given his prominent churchy family. Malak had sided with Bascomb; the point was excellent, to be sure, but there was no teaching the dead.
Though as to why he would want to teach this prattling annoyance anything, he no longer had any idea.
"- O holy Ajora in heaven, who shall deliver the innocent and condemn the unrepentant-"
Calling on Saint Ajora. That's rich. If he couldn't save himself how is he supposed to save the innocent?
"Who protects the children and -"
"Quiet."
The Shrine Knight looked at Malak; his expression showed all too much of fear. Then he shook his head, resumed his position and continued.
Trying to make me go and join the penitent at Orbonne, are you?
Malak laughed, provoking another quick glance from the Shrine Knight.
No, wait - your crew's already killed everyone there. My mistake.
Not that Malak was any paragon of virtue himself. But something within him continued to snarl at the thought of people mouthing holy platitudes and proceeding to skewer their own people on their bloody holy swords. "Don't they teach Zodiac Braves how to be quiet, then?"
The Shrine Knight turned around completely this time. His eyes were wide but his voice retained its evenness. "Why should I be?"
Because some of us need sleep. "Well, don't they? Or is everyone in Murond used to your babbling?" A laughable attempt at a cool glare answered him. "No, I forgot. They all babble away same as you. No wonder they wouldn't care."
"Do you never pray, then?"
"When I did, I had the decency to keep it down."
Malak produced a dagger and began to sharpen it. He wasn't sure which irked him more, those who spoke of God's justice while having seen the lack thereof dealt out all over Ivalice, or those who spoke of it and had not seen. The Shrine Knight before him, being Vormav Tingel's son, would have been safely cloistered in Murond or Bervenia, playing with toy swords. He would never have searched garbage for bits that were somewhat less inedible than the rest. He would never have run toward a group of half-drunk knights to kneel and plead for admittance to a sanctuary it was rumored Riovanes castle offered. He would never have been in danger.
Now that the younger Tingel had left his haven, blinded by faith and armed with the pretty title of Zodiac Brave, it would all be downhill for him.
Malak tested the dagger against his thumb and waved it at the Shrine Knight, who jerked back and promptly fell over, before sheathing it. "You didn't give us your first name," he noted, reseating himself by the Shrine Knight's head. "For curiosity's sake, what is it?"
A look at the sheathed dagger. Then, "Izlude. It's Izlude."
"Malak. Malak Galthana. If you care to remember."
"I'll remember."
"Hah. I'm sure you will."
"I will."
"If you say so, then it must be truth." There was no reply for a minute, and Malak began to entertain the thought of going back to sleep.
"Why are you doing this?"
He had asked this before, Malak recalled, during the interrogation. It had been ignored. "If all you're going to do is try to make me feel sorry for my sins I shall have to gag you."
"But why?" Izlude struggled to sit up. "We're trying to save Ivalice! Why do you oppose-"
The girl stirred in her corner and muttered something. Malak gave her a cursory glance. "Save Ivalice? Ivalice is beyond repair."
Izlude shook his head. "With the aid of God, anything-"
Malak grabbed him by the collar and dragged him forward, till their faces were inches apart. "It's a little late for God to be sending aid, isn't it?"
"Better late than never."
"You blissful ignorant." Malak released him. "Better late than never? Better never than time wasted too late." He got no answer and pressed on, ignoring any and all restraint he might have once maintained regarding the matter. The words came, and they were spoken. "Did God come and tell you how it is where you haven't seen? Did he tell you it's not too late for them?"
Izlude began to propel himself backward with his legs, while Malak stayed where he was and continued his tirade. "Do you have any idea? Have you ever lived in the Ivalice you say can still be saved?"
"No! I don't, I haven't, and I wish I had! I wish I knew!"
Malak straightened at the sudden cry, looked at the tent flap to confirm that nobody attracted by the noise was about to enter, and returned to the present matter. "You wish you had? You actually wish -" He shook his head. There is absolutely no understanding some people.
"Even if some things cannot be undone," Izlude went on, the strength in his voice leaving as quickly as it had come, "why are you adding to them? Why is it so important that Grand Duke Barinten gain power?" He was backed up against the tent wall now, with his knees drawn up to just under his chin. "What good does it accomplish?"
"I'm sure all those people at Orbonne would like to ask the same thing."
"You're changing the subject!"
"When I die and God asks me, I will happily answer. Now be quiet." Izlude obeyed, apparently remembering his position. Malak lay down and pulled the blanket over him, shutting his eyes as he did.
They would reach Yardow in the next couple of days, he would meet up with Rafa, and from there it would be a quick trip through the woods to Riovanes, where their prisoners would be turned over. I wonder if the entire Church really is running about over that children's story, or if that's just a cover they give to idiots.
Wait. The Zodiac stones - he denied it until we found the two on the Beoulve girl. In the pockets of your captive - an odd place to keep something so valuable. It could be that he really didn't know of them.
Twelve Braves for twelve stones. I remember that much. Then perhaps… he has another?
He could hear voices - likely Keath talking to the next in line for watch duty, preparing to switch places. Malak got up and walked over to Izlude, who was still against the wall. "Say, if you're a Zodiac Brave -" He did his level best to avoid the sarcastic intonation, and did, he thought, a passable job. "- which of them is yours? Scorpio or Taurus?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"Ah. I thought as much. Good night."
By the time Izlude seemed to have worked up the nerve to respond, Keath had entered and Malak was back on the floor, already half-asleep.
It's not like we need more anyway. Two should be enough. They'll take it off him at Riovanes if they want another. Anyway, this isn't the kind of thing I ought to be doing in the middle of the night.
"Are you Rafa Galthana's brother?"
He swung himself around on the branch. "That would be me. Ah, sorry, I didn't catch your first name." That was true enough. When Ramza had gotten the group together outside Limberry to make introductions his mind had latched onto the word Tingel and associated memory, to the exclusion of everything else.
"I'm Meliadoul," she said as she seated herself at the bottom of the tree. He saw her again standing on a rooftop in Bervenia, brandishing her sword and shouting Izlude, who you killed at Riovanes, was my brother!
Meliadoul continued, "She said you'd met Izlude just before… you know."
He knew, and he rued the day he had confided anything about that incident to Rafa. Some words in Yardow before she held up a hand and said I need to tell you something, and now they had returned, and turned on him.
He went along. "Actually, it was a bit more than 'met.'"
"Was it?"
"We were traveling to Riovanes together."
Malak knew his fate was sealed as soon as she looked up with that expression. She was too damn sharp to take the bland statement at face value. Or Rafa had told her already. No, Rafa wouldn't have told her everything. "Traveling in what capacity?"
He wondered for a moment how many pieces he would end in once she had heard everything, and how many of those pieces the others might find. Only for a moment. "It's a long story."
"There's plenty of time."
"We met up in the woods," he began, with the distinct feeling of jumping off a cliff, "between Orbonne and Dorter. He was leaving a raid on Orbonne, and he had Ramza's sister with him."
"Go on."
He told her the rest.
A few ending self-indulgences here -skip if you wish:
So one day I was wondering what happened between Izlude leaving Orbonne with Alma and showing up in Malak's company at Riovanes. I settled on the theory that he was intercepted by Malak between Orbonne and Dorter. That led to wondering about what might have happened between them on the way to Riovanes. Not to mention why Malak didn't find Pisces if he found Scorpio and Taurus. And so what you see above you was born. If you're wondering about the title - Izlude and Malak's zodiac signs are both Gemini, so... yeah.