Chapter 2

"Hah! I win! Now gimme that Cactuar, eh?"

"Aw, no, that's my only good card!"

"Shouldn't have lost then, huh?" Zidane leaned over the table, gloved hand held out and waiting.

His opponent, a scrawny kid with a mop of dark hair, relented with a heavy sigh. The frown on the young man's face deep enough to leave a permanent mark.

Once the prize was in hand, Zidane pulled back and slid the new addition into his deck, standing from the table with a soft smile. He felt for the kid, he really did, but that didn't mean his victory was any less sweet. "Hey, it ain't so bad, really. It's just the way of the game. Do you know how many times I've lost good cards too? Just hang in there, all right? Someday you'll get better, and perhaps even someday you'll win this one back."

"I just didn't want to lose on my first round at my first tournament." The kid sighed again, pushing his cards together into one neat pile and putting them away. He looked up at the blond, startled to see the other smiling at him almost fondly.

"Trust me, I know how bad it sucks. My first tournament here was a joke. I didn't have any good cards on me, and let's just say I didn't make it past the preliminary rounds." Zidane laughed, pocketing his own deck and moving around the table. "Stay in good spirits and you'll win champion one day. I'm sure of it."

"Thanks." The kid bobbed his head, shuffling off to spectate the remainder of the event as Zidane moved to see who he'd be playing next.

He hadn't known the Tetra Master Card Tournament was happening when he'd made the hurried decision to visit the nighttime city. He'd wanted to escape, but now he could escape and enjoy one of his favorite pastimes while he was at it. It was a win-win.

The remainder of the tournament continued with Zidane climbing the ranks to champion, but when he came up against his last opponent right before the final, he choked and lost that newly acquired Cactuar card. He let out a frustrated grumble, hands flying to his head in exasperation as he stared at his opponent's side of the field with a frown. "I guess that's what I get for being cocky. Karma can sure be a bitch, eh?"

"Ya played good though. Made it far before ya fell, but gettin' cocky ain't gonna make ya champ." The man he had faced against grumbled a laugh, the large smile on his face friendly. He was a stocky gentleman, dressed like a commoner instead of one of nobles that frequented Treno.

Zidane didn't like the nobles. They were, mostly without fail, snooty pricks who looked down on anyone they deemed less than them. It irritated the blond, and only reminded him, again, of his current predicament—being hopelessly in love with a queen.

The young man laughed too, that previous frustration morphing into an exhausted smile. "Yeah, you're right. Well, good luck with the champion."

"Thanks." The man stood, folding his cards into a pile and departing.

Zidane took his sweet time, releasing another heavy breath as he stacked his deck and pocketed it. He didn't plan on staying for the champion round, so he made his way to the door only to stop at the sight of two familiar faces: a red coat paired with an elongated muzzle and a shorter head topped with a drooping, pointed hat.

What the hell were Freya and Vivi doing in Treno?

The blond didn't want to find out. He was here to collect his thoughts, not entertain company.

Quickly, he darted behind a plump gentleman with a massive styled mustache taking up roughly half his face. He huffed at Zidane's erratic behavior, giving the young man a pointed look but earning only a shrug in response before the blond flitted away again.

Did they somehow know he was back? Was he spotted in Alexandria and then followed to Treno? He wouldn't be surprised. The security at Alexandria could be lax but given all the things that happened he doubted the guards were as lazy as they used to be. For Zidane not to have been spotted, and recognized, while he stood on the dock and stared longingly at the castle or sat in the same tavern in the same seat every night drinking himself into a stupor would've been the real surprise.

Curiosity getting the better of him, the young man danced around the stadium until he was adequately hidden yet within close enough proximity to hear what the two familiar faces were saying.

". . . Dunno. I wish I had known though so I could have come prepared." Freya frowned, one long, clawed hand rising to rest at her chin.

"I was never very good at Tetra Master. The rules were always, uhm, confusing." Vivi shook his head, then reached up and grabbed the brim of his hat, pulling the sides downward and making adjustments.

"It takes a lot of practice. I'm not too good myself, but it's still fun. Perhaps you and I should play some friendly matches. Get better acquainted before we risk losing our better cards."

"Yeah. That sounds like a good idea." The black mage bobbed his head, then looked around the stadium. "Do you really think he's here, Freya?"

"I know he's here."

"You sound so certain."

"Because I know Zidane. He talks a big talk about sticking together and doing things as a team, but he always tries to go off on his own. He thinks he has to deal with whatever it is alone or that he's doing what's best for everyone." Freya balled her hands into fists and turned to face her shorter companion, the little mage staring up at her with wide, yellow eyes. "The only place close enough for him to run away to is Treno, and besides, he's always been drawn to drinking, cards, and women even if he isn't as big a player as he pretends to be. What better place than here?"

Vivi shrugged. "You got a point. Uhm. I don't see him though. Do you think he . . ."

But Zidane was too far away now, slipping behind them and through the entrance of the building. He began his short trek back to his motel room, a shady joint on the bad side of town where the room was cheap enough and the drinks at the bar below were better after you drank three in a row.

He was tired suddenly. Seeing his old comrades stirred unwanted emotions he had been trying to suppress. He just wanted a break to clear his thoughts, but now even here wasn't safe.

He'd have to face the music sooner or later, but he'd rather it be later.

Author's Notes:

I guess it's only appropriate that I finally update this story exactly a year after I first posted it haha What are the odds that I get the urge to work on this again and can finally update on the exact day I first posted it? Anyway, I actually had this chapter written out for a long while now, but for some reason lost momentary interest in it. I only have one chapter left, which is already partially written, so hopefully I won't wait another year to post on December 19, 2019 haha