4. SHATTER AND SHIMMER
"MY turn!" Sheena squealed, bouncing in circles around the hapless red-headed Chosen.
"Oh, come on," he muttered back.
"My turn, my turn!"
"Hey, but wasn't it your—you cheated!"
"Myyyy turn!"
"But when you draw three times in a row, the rules of Rock-Paper—"
"It's MY turn!" Sheena sang, squaring off against him.
Zelos could only sigh deeply. Last night he'd endured dinner duty, dish duty, and laundry duty all because he mentioned the slight-possible-thought of going to the hot springs. So Sheena flipped out like she usually did, like he'd trick her into it, or something. Just because the last time they were there he tried to sneak a peek didn't mean he'd do it this time, he'd argued. He could have seen or done whatever he wanted when she'd been knocked out last week from that poison.
But Sheena couldn't just point-blank decide where to go because she didn't like the hot springs. The only clear solution was to leave it to a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. Damn, and he could have cheated his way into being rock-handed so easily…
"Stop being a sore loser," Sheena chirped. She undid a tie in the knapsack on Zelos's back and dug out a worn map.
"Yes, ma'am." Zelos didn't have to watch her finger scanning the page. Wherever it landed was certain to be super-outdoorsy, ceremonial, or completely boring. Or Flanoir. Oh, please, not Flanoir.
Sheena folded the map along its failing creases. "Don't be that way. I think you'll like where we're headed!" She gently thwacked the top of his head with the map before turning to face the road. "It'll be a change of scenery, though..."
He winced.
All right, it wasn't Flanoir. And with the sun shining on his face, Zelos was starting to feel like a human again. Sheena hadn't picked the worst place, but she did manage to find the one thing about Altamira that he didn't like: the amusement park.
Screaming kids to the left, tourists in gaudy t-shirts to the right, and in front of them, at least a dozen more rides that were sure to induce headaches. Having Cruxis-altered genetics doesn't compensate for rattling sinus cavities, after all. Even when Zelos was escorted here as a kid, he was more interested in the performers on the little stages than drops and dips of rollercoasters. Then again, Sheena probably hadn't been offered a pity trip to the amusement park when her father died. Or for her, that whole Volt thing, Zelos recalled. Making up for lost time.
Bah, sidetracking his brain wasn't going to make up for the dizzy feeling he got while disembarking the coaster car.
Sheena ran ahead to the exit. By the time Zelos wobbled over, she had already pulled out the park map. "Wasn't that awesome?" she exclaimed, not even bothering to look over at him. "Last time we were here, I don't think there were as many rides! Looks like even the amusement parks are prospering. Oh! What's this..."
While she rambled, Zelos pulled his ponytail tighter and used the moment to survey the crowds. The tourists were probably innocuous—safety in numbers—but Sheena wasn't making any effort to be inconspicuous.
"The Amusement Park shuts down all rides and games at 10 p.m. to prepare for the electric light parade and fireworks... Blah, blah, blah, Special event for couples... Damn! It's only during the summer. I can't believe we missed it! I wanted to see that," Sheena whined. "Didn't you, Zelos? Huh?"
The least she could do is act like she was there with him instead of going on her favorite rides; eating all this cheap, greasy food; games where all you win are hastily-sewn plush toys. It was a ruse, all of it. Just another reason to get people to stay at the resort. Why couldn't they take part in the relaxing atmosphere if they were only going to be here for a day?
"... Earth to Chosen!" Sheena shouted in his ear.
"Don't you 'earth to Chosen' me!" He crossed his arms defiantly in case she wanted him to hold that stupid map.
"Aww, did you want to spend your day in Altamira in some posh lounge with champagne and pretty girls in bunny suits?" she asked, grinning, lording it over him.
"Well if I could just walk with the girl that's already with me in a place that isn't full of nausea and brats..."
Sheena was about to shove him into the nearest light pole, but something caught her attention.
"Sheena?"
Both of them turned toward the source of the call. Someone in a suit was rushing his way nearer to them. "Ah! I knew it. It is you!" he called.
"Well! If it isn't—Regal, what are you doing here?" Sheena replied, relieved. Thank goodness it wasn't someone she knew from Mizuho, or heaven forbid, someone sent to kill the Chosen. That was part of the reason an amusement park aimed at children would be safe.
"It certainly is a pleasure to see you," Regal said. He bowed formally, and Sheena jumped to bow lower than he.
"Ah, no, no! The pleasure is ours!" she said. "Er—mine..."
Zelos tilted his sunglasses briefly and stood closer to the two of them. "Yo," he greeted.
"Chosen One!"
"Y'know, I'm still surprised by how easily some people are fooled when I pull my hair back," Zelos muttered.
"But hey, can you keep that on the D-L?"
"We're... uh... sort of undercover," Sheena explained. Regal nodded, raising an eyebrow.
"Understood. Why don't we take this somewhere a little more private? There's a back room of the cafe near the front of the park."
"Oh! The one with the Katz! I remember that from when we came in."
"Sounds like a plan. Shall we reconvene in fifteen?"
Zelos rolled his eyes. "Nice rhyme. Yeah, we'll freshen up and meet you there."
"Indeed." Regal walked a short distance and emerged from a bush with a golf cart-like vehicle, speeding away through the crowd and looking like security.
"Hey, that's not fair!" Sheena shouted.
"Totally not fair," Zelos echoed. But Regal had disappeared as hastily as he had found them.
Sheena sighed through gritted teeth. "Well, we'll have to start walking if we wanna get there in time."
Zelos sank into the chair across from Regal. For as kitschy as the cat-person–themed cafe seemed out front, the back room was fairly well-furnished. Mahogany lacquer covered actual wooden chairs; fine tablecloths rested on sturdy tables. Regal probably took a lot of his business here, eh?
"It has been too long," Regal announced, pouring the travelers each a glass of wine. Zelos couldn't have been happier to see wine, at this point. Hopefully being tipsy meant that there would be no more gallivanting around the park.
Sheena took a polite sip. "You look well, Regal!" She lifted her glass for a small toast, and the host obliged. One had to admit, when Regal ditched the handcuffs and the ratty prison garb, he cleaned up nicely. But he maintained that tall, restrained posture regardless. At the moment, he was particularly restrained.
"So, I've heard the rumors about the conflict in Meltokio," Regal said. Sheena's face lost some color. "It seems that the random terrorist attacks were put to an end."
"Uhh—yeah! Those! Right! Right, yeah, those were, ah... Those were certainly put to an end right away!" Sheena stammered. She took a strong gulp of her drink, and Zelos did the same.
Regal stared down Zelos. "I suppose we'll have to keep it a secret that you're the one being targeted."
"I guess so," Zelos remarked. Was it that obvious? He had taken precaution with his disguises. Hell, it wasn't like he was the one trying to bring danger to Altamira. It was all Sheena's fault! She was the one who decided...
Then again, it was easy to blame, but when it came down to it, being the Chosen in a united world was little different from being the Chosen in a prospering world. He still couldn't change the fact that he was a figurehead for every wrong the Church had ever done. He was still the target of hatred despite having done largely nothing—or perhaps because of doing largely nothing. He still would have preferred if Seles were the Chosen. No matter what happened from here on out, whether or not Sheena chose where they ran, he was the one making it unsafe.
Zelos's throat tightened and he burned to think of the mess he'd create wherever this crazy journey ended.
"... Will it be it a problem?"
"No, no, not at all!" Sheena interjected directly at the president. "And by the way, that suit fits you, really, quite well!"
Regal shook his head. "Not at all, it's quite old."
"Don't be modest. You're the president of the Lezareno company! You should look like a high-rank noble. I feel like the two of us are out of place," Sheena gestured between herself and Zelos, "what with our travel-worn clothes in a place like this..."
"It is pretty awful, Regal," Zelos interrupted, raising his glass but not drinking from it.
"What are you talking about?" Sheena asked frantically, throwing a furtive glance.
"The sleeves and shoulder lines aren't crashing the right way. All the softness has gone out of the neckline, and your tie," Zelos emphasized, "it doesn't swell."
"But—"
"Not terribly fitting for a man of your rank, and don't think I didn't notice!"
Sheena punched Zelos's arm flatly. "Don't be so rude!"
Regal simply laughed. "Well, I could never pull the wool over your eyes, Chosen One."
"What?" Sheena was genuinely confused—why wouldn't Regal be offended?
"Unlike Little Miss Culture Shock, I had a good upbringing!" Zelos grinned. But instead of receiving another hit to his arm (or chest, or face), he was met with Sheena's knotted expression.
"What's the joke that I'm missing, here?"
Regal sipped from his own glass. "Lately, the Lezareno Company has seen some... troubling times."
"Troubling...?" Sheena prompted.
"We're being forced to economize, cut down expenses and the like. As president, it is my duty to demonstrate the best of those efforts; recycle old suits like this..." Regal noticed Sheena still staring at him. "What? Compared to the prison clothes I used to wear, this is top-notch!"
"Ah ha," Sheena snorted idly.
"If the great Lezareno Company is downsizing, what exactly... what's going on with you guys?" Zelos steered.
"I thought you'd noticed," Regal countered. In the ensuing pause, the space was filled with the sounds of crowds walking past the cafe and toward the exit. "The park isn't doing spectacularly well, lately."
"It didn't seem much like it."
"Wait, think about it. We didn't really wait in line very long to ride the rollercoasters, did we; even if there were more of them?" Sheena asked Zelos. Perhaps that explained the constant nausea.
"There's a sense of unease all around. I wonder if people aren't thinking that it's not safe to be in crowds, no? I'm fairly certain it has to do with the terrorist bombing attempt. Not much to do on my part. I can't change the general consensus. But the visitors are decreasing, and we can't increase security. Right now, the amusement park is Lezareno's biggest burden."
Zelos tapped his fingertips on the table. "Couldn't you just... build a new ride or make the old ones better?"
"It has come up in shareholder meetings, however, there are many who would oppose. Even worse, there are many who believe the best outcome would be closing the park. But I can't afford to think like that," Regal continued. "We only have so many public properties, and I believe that the amusement park should serve as a... a sort of symbol of... ah..."
"For peace? For prosperity?" Sheena floundered.
"That's it! Peace and prosperity," Regal confirmed.
Zelos sipped the last of the wine and placed his glass on the table. How could a theme park represent something like that? Come to think of it, there wasn't much of a theme. The biggest news in the past year had been the uniting of the worlds. Something had to be gained from that.
"I suppose I'll save business proposals for the board room. Say, do the two of you need a place to stay this evening?" Regal offered.
Sheena almost jumped out of her seat. "Oh, we wouldn't want to put you out!"
Zelos grinned at her. "I thought you were happy with staying at an inn outside of town, Hoi Polloi."
"It's no trouble," Regal said quickly. "Although with the downsizing..."
"... Uh huh?"
"I hope you wouldn't mind, but I'm afraid you'd have to make do with a king-sized bed. We can't spare two rooms on the house."
"No worry at all!" Sheena said.
"You don't mind sharing with the Chosen One?" Regal clarified.
She found both Regal and Zelos were gazing at her intently. "Um, no, it'll be fine," she said, blank. "What?"
Regal lifted a hand to his chin. "So... could it be that the reason the two of you are traveling together...?"
Zelos swung his arm around Sheena's shoulders. "Tell him, huuuunny!"
Sheena struggled and pushed him away. "Oh, you—! It isn't like that, Regal!"
Zelos gave a rollicking, high-pitched laugh. "It's just too easy, oh man—!"
"I see. Well, I apologize for my imposition," Regal said stoically. "I suppose it's none of my business."
Zelos's hand lingered upon Sheena's back, pressing gently toward her breathing lungs. She wasn't pushing away. She wasn't protesting wildly. That thing, earlier, about the light parade for couples. And the fact that it could even occur to Regal; well, perhaps it did seem like a honeymoon thing to do for a couple of kids who went through hell for a tree. But Regal never would have said anything if he weren't at least a little suspicious.
Maybe he should let her win Rock-Paper-Scissors more often.
"'Make do.' And here I was thinking we were gonna get some shabby room!" Zelos exclaimed. Their room with "just" a King-sized bed was actually the size of a suite. Large windows on two sides, desk set with amenities, gigantic bathtub. Just like on the Regeneration tour. Zelos flung the overstuffed travel rucksack to the side of the door and ran to the bed. With great gusto, he flopped onto the comforter face-down. "It's been ages since I've slept on a real, cushy bed! Gotta love civilization."
"Let's not forget that if it weren't for my decision, you wouldn't be enjoying civilization right now," Sheena called, closing the door and kicking off her shoes. She walked over to the bed with hands on her hips. "Your attention, please!"
"Hm?"
"This pattern right here, see? The black line? If I find even one finger over it, I'll kill you. Got it?" she demanded.
Zelos gave a sore look. "Aw, come on, it's not like I'm some stranger!"
"Pff. You're stranger than most."
He rolled onto his back and mimed. "'It'd be so nice to share a room with the Great Zelos!' You said it yourself!"
"I said it was fine, not nice!" she squawked. A blush flourished on her cheeks but there was no use hiding it. "Don't you get the wrong idea. Regal's letting us stay here for free and we can't be rude!"
"But look, Sheena," Zelos began in his smoothest voice. He rolled off the bed and landed next to one of the windows. "Isn't the night sky so... romantic?"
"M-my, my, where has the daylight gone!" she shouted, rushing over to the rucksack.
"Oh, calm down. It's not like I have any time to mess around tonight, anyway," Zelos muttered. He went over to the desk and pulled one of the drawers open. Perfect—the books he'd asked Regal for when they were leaving. And the full ream of paper, and several pens.
"Uh... what?" Sheena turned around with toothbrush in hand and confusion on her brow.
"Look over here for a second. I've got some books, I've got some paper, I've got some pens. What do you think I'm about to do?"
"... trace the pictures and send them home to your Butler so he can hang them on the refrigerator?" she deadpanned. Zelos scowled. "Or you're writing a novel, I dunno."
"Bingo!" He cracked open the book on the top of the stack.
"Well, I, for one," Sheena announced, "am going to sleep, so don't you get any weird ideas. And that light had better be off in a half hour!"
Zelos hunched over his books studiously, not saying a word.
After attending to teeth-brushing, Sheena climbed into bed next to the far wall so that the light wouldn't bother her. But though a glow did seep through her closed eyelids, Sheena managed to drift off fairly quickly and soundly.
"What time should I wake you?" Zelos said quietly when he suspected she was about to fall asleep. The girl groaned at him vaguely, stirring. He repeated, "Sheena? You need to wake up any certain time?"
Sheena turned her face to the ceiling and squinted her eyes open. "Forget it. I wake up earlier than you most days, anyway," she mumbled. She closed her eyes again and rolled to the side farther from Zelos.
"Not true. I won't even tell you what I've already gotten away with while you were sleeping!" With no response to his joke, Zelos looked over his shoulder. She'd heard it before. "You must need that beauty rest."
"Zelos, not in the mood."
He waved his hand at her. "Eh, you're no fun. Sleep already."
Nothing.
Well, Altamira needed a hero, and for as much as he wasn't allowed to show his face, Zelos wanted to be that hero. On paper. Under a pseudonym. He picked up the pen and continued to scratch away. With a pair of glasses, he imagined he would look somewhat like Yuan—always crafting something secret.
Through the wee hours, Zelos took brief breaks from birthing the script to page through some of the company history Regal had loaned him. Lots of business jargon. That wasn't something for which he was particularly gifted. He could charm the pants off almost anyone but if he had to read about management terminology it would dumbfound him. It reminded him of the angelic scripts they'd use in Church of Martel ceremonies. Most people didn't even know what it meant by the time Martel got her new form, and in a way that was a good thing. Maybe just skip over the Cruxis stuff. Give him a complicated mathematics figure, even, and he could untangle its meaning. This business boost was kind of a shot in the dark.
When he completed the first rough-as-hell draft, it was about three a.m. Time to call it quits if he was going to pitch successfully. His brain fried from the continual focus. He sighed and rose from the desk chair.
Goddammit.
He'd promised Sheena he wouldn't violate her space, but by now she was sprawled across most of the length of the bed. And while the bed was a King, he wasn't a triangle, nor was he about to take the floor.
Yeah, it would come down to making her move over. This was the second time she'd taken up the only bed in a given space without other options—but at least she didn't wrap herself up in the blanket like a burrito fortress.
"Sheena?" he whispered. He turned out the light and she did not so much as stir. With a shrug, he stripped to undergarments and threw the rest on the chair behind him.
Gently, he peeled back the duvet and tried to settle in beside her. As far as he could tell, her limbs were spread in an impossible configuration. She seemed harmless enough, but he planned to move defensively in case she woke and wanted to punch him in the jaw.
He began with her right arm. First, he barely touched her skin with his finger to test for a reaction. Surprisingly, not a thing. He was sure her body was set at least to stun on autopilot. Cupping her upper arm, he pushed her leftward and inched into the new space. Still not quite enough. Maybe Presea could have fit in the gap her arm left, but not a full-grown man.
He reached farther down to her knee and gently placed it to the side.
Finally, Sheena moved.
It was a little bit of a snap, as though suddenly her instincts were kicking in. Zelos removed his hand. Her knee moved back to where it was before, dead weight. Begrudgingly, he shoveled her leg into his hand again and tried to move it. This time when Sheena moved, she rolled across to her other side. Well, thanks.
Zelos stretched his legs out and settled into the pillows, although they puffed up just a little too high for his taste. He'd have to tell Regal for the next time they waltzed into town. But for now, he let his breathing slip into rhythm with Sheena's before falling asleep.
In the morning, Sheena awoke to perfect silence. No yapping Chosen, no running water; no birds, even. She stretched cautiously, then threw off the covers. Nope, nothing weird so far. In fact, the only difference was that along with Zelos, the pile of books had disappeared. The ream of paper had been replaced with a single sheet.
"Oh, good, someone's finally taken him for ransom," she thought aloud, prepared to accept her status as worst bodyguard in the history of the new world.
Wasn't that technically what she was doing—accompanying him to make sure he didn't make any poor wagers with the terrorists? So far, she succeeded just about as well as she had in assassinating Colette. Getting poisoned and not even taking out one of them; falling asleep so soundly that she hadn't noticed when Zelos had woken up earlier. She could only hope there was some reason for her being there, some skill only she possessed that would be able to prove she was... well, using her time wisely.
She wandered to the desk, where the sheet of paper had a couple of lines scrawled across it.
"Meeting El Presidente to discuss the day's plan. I think it'll go swimmingly. Call down to the lobby when you wake up. XO The Great You-Know-Who," Sheena scoffed. Zelos had some of the girliest handwriting she'd ever seen, but then, she wasn't used to writing in cursive the way they did in Meltokio.
Nevertheless, she combed her hair up into its unruly ponytail and rung the lobby.
"We're sending your package immediately," the bubbly receptionist replied.
"A package?" Sheena said. "You're sure you have the right room?"
"Name here says V. D. Banshee..."
Sheena sighed heavily. "Yeah, that's gotta be for me." As though Regal would have called her that—!
"Well, it'll be there post-haste! Thank you," the receptionist said. The tone clicked before Sheena could ask any further questions, and before long, the door sounded with a few short raps.
Gingerly, Sheena answered it. "Hello?"
An attendant held out a brown cardboard box for her. "For you, Ms. Banshee."
Sheena looked at the man sideways. "Who is this from?"
"Lezareno Company, compliments of Mr. Bryant," the attendant replied, thrusting the box at her.
"Th-thanks," Sheena said, accepting the box and retreating into the room.
Upon ripping off the tape, she spied a large foam head, black leotard, pair of tights, and a pair of too-sparkly shoes. On top of the pile, there was an envelope stamped with the wax seal of the Lezareno Company.
"This isn't actually from Regal, right?" she asked herself aloud.
Ripping the envelope open revealed a letter that was, in fact, from the desk of Regal Bryant.
"Hello,
"Someone told me I could reach you if I addressed you like that. I apologize if it is beyond my bounds.
"That someone and I have conspired to create a children's show advertising the theme park. I'm afraid we'll need help your help advertising for it. Is that all right?
"I've prepared a costume for you here. Someone said you wouldn't like to be a true bunny girl, so I've modified it a little to conceal your identity. He also gave your measurements to my seamstress, but you have my word that they will not be shared.
"You'll find your companion waiting out front by the time you get this package. I think his performance in particular shall be ribbit-ing!
"Thank you for understanding. —President Bryant."
"My god," Sheena said. "Is Lezareno this desperate?"
She gave a strained look toward the costume, then looked at the letter that had been written so formally. Back to the costume. Back to the letter.
She sighed. It was for the kids, right? The letter flew onto the bed, and she grabbed the contents of the box.
A quick change later, she found herself staring in the mirror at a mascot-headed bunny girl. Regal was right about the leotard. Instead of the usual neckline, the top connected to a band around her neck. It was modest, but still showed her bony shoulders. For not having much notice, it didn't fit too badly. Just where had Zelos obtained those measurements, anyway? She jotted a mental note to ask whether last year's ballroom attire had anything to do with it.
Picking at the bodice, Sheena modeled in the mirror. Hopefully it would be camouflage enough.
Sheena took a quick trip down the elevator, wobbling somewhat with the weight of the rabbit's-head mask. Finally, she spied her "companion" across the street, wearing a similarly ridiculous mascot costume. Some kind of frog? Ah. Ribbit-ing. Regal was quite the punster after all.
Zelos crossed his arms. "Well, well, I never thought I'd actually see you in this outfit," he said, muffled through the foam head.
"It's for kids, you jerk," Sheena huffed. "And for Regal, and the good of Lezareno. We really owe them for what they've done for our country."
"Maybe we should have made you a mother hen! At least your proportions would make sense," Zelos mocked, laughing.
Sheena's eyes rolled emphatically behind her mask. "You'd better not be so crude when we get inside the park! If Miss Bunny murders Mister Frog, I think we might upset some parents."
Zelos-with-the-head-of-a-frog looked quizzically at her. "So you're not going to punish me for that?"
Sheena's hands flew to her hips. "Don't make me beat you up. The children," she emphasized.
"I'm just sayin', it's not every day I can get away with appreciating your body without injury."
The rabbit headpiece somewhat hid Sheena's reddening face, but she crossed her arms and turned away from Zelos. "It's not a compliment when you say it like that. It's just—ugh!" she blurted.
"Hey, come on, I'm just fooling around. I won't slip up around the kids. Besides," he said, "despite my relationship with Seles, I'm actually not bad with kids!"
Sheena looked up at him. "Seles, huh? I wouldn't have thought."
"Gee, thanks." He shuffled a booted foot. "We should get on the ferry if we're going to get there in time, though."
"Come one, come all! Free tickets, today only!" Sheena shouted through her rabbit helmet. Small families walking by, errant children, flippant teenagers—she advertised to everyone and anyone who passed through the gates of the park. She stood on one side of the entrance, while frog-Zelos manned the other. "Free show for children on the main stage! All you need is your passport to fun!"
Just then, a girl in a hot pink skirt and cowboy boots ran up to Sheena at full speed. "BUNNY LADY!" she squealed, and patted at Sheena's leg. "Bunny Lady, can I have a ticket?"
"Here's one for you," she replied, shuffling out a couple. "Give one to your mommy, too!"
The little girl ran off without so much as a thank-you, but the look on her mother's face was grateful enough. At last, the tickets were finally beginning to fly out of her hands. Something about the bunny getup, maybe, made her approachable? But looking over toward Zelos's selling antics, it was easy to see that she was more popular.
She liked kids, anyway. Always had. Or at least, they seemed to like her. They didn't hold grudges as much as adults. Their assumptions were crystal-clear. Maybe they looked up to her, although she couldn't imagine why.
Ah, but she had a job to do. She puffed herself up a bit. "Gather round! One o'clock! At one o'clock on Altamiraland's main stage! Watch the President of Justice, Regal Bryant, as he stops the evil-doers who threaten the world!"
A few heads turned, and another child ran up to her knee. "He's got exploding kicks of justice! PRESIDENT'S KICK! And show your ticket to the stand for a free Drink of Justice!"
Although the words sounded a bit goofy coming from her mouth, she smiled nonetheless and handed out a few more tickets. She looked across the way and saw Zelos hopping in desperation toward a group of teenaged girls.
"At the end of the show, you can shake the President's hand!" he called toward them. The girls giggled, then walked past, rolling their eyes.
By then, Sheena had run out of tickets, so she sauntered over to the frog who couldn't seem to get rid of his.
"Hey, you. Give me those, I'm out of mine," she said.
"Whaaat? How did you give all of yours out already?!" Zelos sulked.
Sheena shrugged and grabbed the tickets from the gloved frog hand. "Maybe I'm better with kids than you are," she teased.
"You just hid them all in your cleavage!" he accused.
"No way. Watch this!" Sheena jogged a little into the crowd and waved the tickets in a demure way. "Free tickets for the children's show today! President of Justice!" One by one, children grabbed the tickets and parents nodded wearily. She even gave the last little boy a high-five.
With empty hands, Sheena returned to Zelos's side.
He crossed his arms. "Aw, man. How the heck did you do that?"
"Just face it, Mr. Upbringing. You're not so great without your face and your body showing!" Sheena gloated.
Zelos deflated for a moment, but soon burst back up at her. "That makes me the prince waiting for my kiss to turn me back into the world's sexiest man!"
Even through the frog head, he gave puppy eyes.
"Knock it off, you idiot," Sheena laughed, giving him a small shove.
From their right, a young, gangly kid in park worker attire approached the pair. "Excuse me," he said.
"Can I help you?" Sheena asked, stepping forward.
"Did you really get the boss's permission for this?"
"Well—yes, yes we did," she replied.
The kid seemed unfazed. "I don't get paid enough for this," he grumbled, walking away toward the front of the park.
"Neither do we," Zelos whispered in Sheena's direction, but it wasn't loud enough to get through the mask.
"Let's go backstage. It's gotta be at least 12:30," Sheena suggested.
The pair strolled to the center of the park, where the crowd had grown so thick they could hardly see the stage. Above the many heads boasted a sign that read ALTAMIRALAND. It wasn't bad for an in-park theater, aside from the fact that the seating wasn't raised and the curtains looked a little sun-blanched. In the back, several kids sat on the shoulders of their parents.
It was easy for them to slip by relatively unburdened. Somehow, nobody seemed to notice their mascot heads until they had already passed through the crowd. They snuck around back to the stage door.
Once inside, Sheena extracted herself from the rabbit head. "I didn't think it'd be so hot in there!" she howled.
"Try wearing the full-body costume that doesn't breathe," Zelos replied. "It's a good thing it's getting autumnal." He removed his own frog head and set it down next to the rabbit.
"Come to think of it, it is a little chillier than I thought it would be," Sheena pondered. "To be honest, part of the reason I chose Altamira was for the weather! It's always warm here."
Zelos shrugged. "You weren't gonna let me go to the beach anyway."
A hand rested suddenly on his shoulder. He turned to see a rather trussed-up Regal, sans handcuffs and, it seemed, confidence.
"'Sup, my main man?" Zelos greeted. "That getup fancy enough for you? I guess it isn't long now!"
Regal's hair had even been loosely braided to complete the heroic look. But his face was laced with solemnity.
"Chosen, could I speak with you for a moment?" Regal asked quietly. He looked at Sheena. "Sorry."
"It's fine, I'll be up there." Sheena waved her hand before walking up a flight of stairs to the backstage area. She didn't bother looking as she trotted and ended up running headfirst into one of the actors. "Oof!"
"Watch where you're going!" the actor hissed. "The show's about to start!"
Sheena watched as the actor shuffled her way to the wing. Seconds later, the actor burst onto the stage with her mic booming.
"Come one, come all!" the actor cried.
Sheena crossed her arms. "That's my line," she said under her breath. But what was she thinking? It's not like she was a born actor. She'd just tripped up the stairs as gracelessly as ever. Though, she realized Zelos had written the script, and Zelos had also advised her on what to say. Only he would have thought to say something so tacky. Yet somehow, the crowd cheered. A grin weaved its way onto her face.
Meanwhile, the actor continued her opening monologue. "Where are all the kids out there? Hi kids!"
A unanimous, squealing, "HI!" rang out in the air.
"Thank you all for coming to see our one-time only show: The President of Justice, starring Regal Bryant!"
The children cheered and clapped before she continued. "As you all know, Master Regal is both a duke and a hero of Regeneration! He even…"
"Yo!" Zelos poked Sheena's back, and she whipped around.
"Shh!"
He leaned forward between the curtains. "Ah, we've got a full house! Can you believe it?" he whispered with a spark.
Sheena gave an unsure smile. "That lady's a little over-the-top, isn't she?" In fact, the actor was demonstrating some sort of imaginary action scene, complete with battle noises. She wasn't even doing it convincingly, just with gobs of fervor.
"Shame we can't go out there and show them what's what, eh?" Zelos lamented.
When Sheena inspected his still-frog-clad figure, she had to stifle a guffaw. "You, fighting the noble Regal Bryant, wearing that? I'd pay to see!"
The actor's voice echoed as she stepped backward and looked into the wing. "How about we try calling Master Regal onstage right now? I need your help… One… Two—"
Zelos waved his arm up into the air at a group of young men who seemed to be loitering backstage.
"You guys, your cue!" he jockeyed.
The men gathered and pushed past Sheena, onto the main marley. They jumped like apes around the hapless actor.
"Stop right there!" one of them called. He was wearing a terrible curly wig with red frizz that created a halo around his head.
Two of the men seized the actor and held her hands behind her back. "Oh, no! It's the terrible archenemy, Magnius!"
Zelos chuckled offstage.
"Wasn't he one of those Grand Cardinals?" Sheena asked.
"Tch, yeah, he was. Never did like me," Zelos rambled, "which is odd, because, who doesn't. Used to make fun of my hair like his was so much better…"
Sheena squinted at the wig on the fake baddie, then eyed Zelos. "Don't tell me you wrote this about him because he insulted your hair."
The look on his face remained curious. "You know he murdered a whole bunch of Sylvaranti, too, right?"
"That, too," Sheena echoed emptily.
Meanwhile, the baddies were scouring the audience for little kids to take on stage. Regal finally took his cue from the rafters. Still holding the script, he boomed, "I order you to stop!"
Regal's voice was not quite as loud as the screams of the kids, but luckily, Stage Magnius acknowledged the line and let out a blood-curdling, "Whaaaaat?!"
"As the symbol for peace and prosperity," Regal paused. He took a deep breath. "I cannot permit this to go on in the peaceful town of Altamira!"
"Show yourself!" Stage Magnius growled.
At that time, the curtain between the actual proscenium and the ALTAMIRALAND logo began to open. Regal scrambled with the script and finally threw it stage left as the curtain revealed him, causing him to strike a strong pose. The gaudy cape behind him even fluttered with the wind.
"I SEE HIM! I SEE HIM!" one of the kids shouted.
"Whoa! He's so cool!"
Regal continued. "For the good of the people, for the sake of Altamira, I have come to fight evil! They call me… THE PRESIDENT OF JUSTICE!"
Whether it was a modicum of added confidence from the kids or just the way he did things, Regal bounded down from the rafters and onto the stage quite gracefully.
"Ah, but we have hostages now!" Stage Magnius continued. He pointed to one of his baddies, who had captured a young boy in the audience.
Regal looked stern. Then concentrated. Then frustrated.
Zelos jumped desperately backstage. "REEGS! The line is about DEFENSELESS CHILDREN!" he whispered hoarsely.
"He's just a little nervous," Sheena consoled.
Onstage, Regal straightened up. "I won't allow you to harm these defenseless children!"
"Get him!" Stage Magnius ordered.
In that moment, it became like battles in the Regeneration days. Regal deftly maneuvered between the baddies and knocked them over with effortless choreography. "REGAL KICK!" The shockwaves of accompanying cymbals resounded through the air, soon to be replaced by hollers and cheers of audience members. Regal, though overdramatic as he seemed, provided just the right balance of character as he fought. They ate it up.
"I can't believe this is actually working!" Sheena giggled.
"Duh, it's working. After all, I was the one who stayed up all night slaving over it!" Zelos boasted. "Goes back to the idea that for whatever you wanna do, you've gotta involve the public…"
He tilted his head back, smiling at himself. When he opened his eyes, something wasn't right. The platform Regal had been standing on before began to sway. He looked at Sheena, then to a pair of stagehands nearby who had a similar countenance of panic.
"I don't want anybody to get hurt, especially the President!" one whispered.
Zelos strode toward them. "What the hell's going on?"
Sheena snapped her head. "Did I hear something about 'getting hurt?'"
"N-no?" the whisperer said.
"Actually, the beams that are being used to support the walkway… They're a bit old, you know, a bit rusted… and we think when the President jumped off it, it might have… er… It might have… caused a disturbance?" the accomplice squeaked.
"So they're in danger?" Sheena incised. She looked up at the stage's catwalks to see everything swaying. "Immediate danger!"
"I—I thought it would hold out for just this one show, and… Oh no, I'm really sorry!"
Sheena's eyes shot desperately at Zelos. "What are we gonna do?!"
"Dammit, there's no way we can stop it now," he replied, peeking through the curtains to see the show still active. Sheena placed her hand on Zelos's shoulder to stop him from checking.
"Guys, can you tell me if there's one side that's worse than the other?"
"W-well, there's a central beam that crumbled before we even started. It may… hold up the sign…?" the initial whisperer said, barely.
Sheena's grip on Zelos's shoulder tightened. "We have to stop the show," she urged. In her eyes, something primal flashed. "It would be a tragedy. Those kids! And Regal!"
Zelos tried to shake her. "What are we going to do about something that's probably rusted over? It's gonna fall anyway, so we should just warn Regal to step back or—"
The air thickened with the sound of metal on metal, shearing ever so slightly. Everyone backstage and onstage paused for a moment.
Except for Stage Magnius. "Now is my chance! My master arte, HELL'S BOMB!" he shouted.
The light cue for his spotlight was instead directed at Regal, who responded with the long-awaited, "PRESIDENT'S KICK!"
The noise of the metal rang out louder; the ALTAMIRALAND sign lurched forward. Not even a half a second later, Zelos dashed to the middle of the stage, pushing Sheena with him. They shared a brief glance before settling into an old battle pattern.
Zelos shed half of the frog costume before unleashing his sword. Kicking upward, he shouted, "Victory Light Spear!"
At the same time, Sheena leapt into a forward roll to the front row of the audience. She whipped around and pulled a card out of thin air. "Guardian Seal!"
Zelos's arte hurtled up to the arch and blasted the sign upward into pieces. Letters scattered and flew across the crowd and onto the stage. But Sheena's seal had created a barrier around the crowd and actors. The damage done, Zelos landed back on the stage. It was over instantaneously.
Sheena knelt, letting the seal dissolve.
"That was close," she gasped. Surrounding her, children screeched and cried. She could already see parents taking their children's hands and dashing for safety. Desperately, she searched for the actors.
"Regal, are you all right?" Stage Magnius asked. He was premature in his dramatic death pose, but was unhurt.
"I'm fine. But the show is…" Regal began. He stood to brush himself off.
While many of the actors struggled to recover from the shock, Zelos struck a proud pose, still half in his frog suit. Sheena rolled her eyes as she made her way back to the stage.
From the crowd, several of the children had noticed the new swath of red hair.
"Mommy! Mommy, it's the Chosen One!"
Slowly, there were more voices raising in the din.
"My, is it really him?"
"The Chosen saved them!"
"Did you say the Chosen?"
"It's the Chosen One!"
"My!"
Now hands came together in applause; now Zelos took a step forward with practiced humility.
Sheena, unrecognized, turned down her lips. "Really, of all the…" So now the Chosen had actually proven useful, if not to his own constructed plot? This was the place he'd find his redemption? Just the one time wouldn't be good enough. It would, however, be a good way for the terrorists to find out where they were…
But what if it weren't just one time? That Magnius actor with the awful red wig could look more convincing in a tamed one.
She sidled over to the President of Justice. "Hey, Regal… Do you think maybe this could…?"
Knowingly, he nodded. "Indeed, it could work."
Zelos continued to wave and smile somewhat sheepishly. For the kids, he'd say later, but he really hadn't been met with this much praise outside of an all-female party in… well, ever. He milked their enthusiasm.
"Well, I'm glad we've gotten out of this dilemma, but," Sheena scolded, "it's about time to go, don't you think?"
When Zelos didn't move, she tiptoed beside him. "Hey, the terrorists… Zelos!"
"Aw, just a little more?" he pleaded.
"Um, no!" She began to drag him by the ear to the tune of a couple laughs from the audience. The cast bowed, the audience went wild, and that was it.
Later—of course, after the frog and the rabbit were returned to the Lezareno Company—Zelos and Sheena snuck out of the city limits. The sun drooped in the sky. It was enough light to carry them to the far, black-sanded beach.
"That was… something, huh?" Sheena remarked.
"I have a feeling we're going to need to lie low for a bit," Zelos replied. "I actually showed my face out there, y'know."
He shrugged the rucksack from his shoulder and let it fall to the sand.
"Actually, I think you pretty much guaranteed your safety," Sheena said. "They're all expecting you to return, so they'll have to let one of those actors play you."
"Ugh! One of those actors?" he recoiled. "Please! None of them could pass for the manliness that is the Great Zelos Wilder."
Sheena glared with a grin. "Nope, still an idiot."
He swooped in closer to her. "So you're saying there was doubt?"
"… Nope!" she feigned, still smirking.
"Not even with that ingenious play I wrote?" He pouted, dropping to the ground.
"Nope."
"Not even when I saved the whole audience from being hit with that sign?"
Sheena sat down next to him. "You didn't do all of it. I was the one that guarded them."
He raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I know why I'm an idiot now! I didn't make you keep that bunny suit," he laughed.
Sheena shoved him with her foot. "Aaaall right."
"Heh. I knew there was a reason I kept you around," Zelos resigned. His eyes traced to the clouded sky, which glowed in the distance from the lights of Altamira. "I guess you are pretty good with kids, though."
"Don't get any weird ideas!"
Zelos's laughter rang out into the clear, brackish air. "I think my creativity's all used up. I'm just a no-good, wild horse."
He laid back into the sand with his arms outstretched.
"A wild horse."
Credit as usual to all of the enabling parties, including Winged Dancer!
More to come soon.
