Inscription on the wall in the Temple of Wind: "Stands before the law court and gazes up at the power of the judge."
Interpretation: Copyright violation will be prosecuted.
Application: Be like me. Admit NAMCO owns TOS and you're not profiting from your stories.
Disclaimer: NAMCO Tales Studio, Ltd. holds the exclusive rights to all characters and story elements appearing in the video game Tales of Symphonia. The following story has been created for entertainment purposes only and no profit has been made by the author
The Swordsman and the Summoner
Chapter 9: Tag, you're it!
"Loople-do."
Most of the children in the plaza outside the Altamira hotel stared blank-facedly at the girl wearing the Klonoa costume. Her appearance fit the part perfectly. Pink haired with clear blue eyes, she was very cute. Her voice, though, could not have been more unsuitable. Her "Wahoo! Wahoo!" was dull and listless.
"Mommy, she's not as good as the Klonoa yesterday."
"Hush, Jo. You're being rude."
One child watched her as if in a trance, and as the crowd began to disperse, children tugging parents toward the railway—"C'mon, we gotta go to the 'musement park!"—he walked forward, hugged the girl and said, "I love you, Klonoa," before getting red in the face and running away.
Lloyd smiled broadly as he watched the scene from across the plaza. When the last child was out of eyesight and her duties as mascot were ostensibly over, Presea turned toward him, and returned his smile.
When he had closed the gap between them, she, with the barest hint of a blush, said, "Hello, Lloyd. How are you?"
"Hey, Presea. I didn't know you were still Altamira's mascot."
"I don't do it all the time. The usual mascot is sick, and I still have the costume."
"Not for long," Lloyd said. "Looks like you're already growing out of it."
"That is incorrect. I have grown only three centimeters since we last met."
"Oh, well, still..."
"But," she said, "I appreciate the sentiment."
Lloyd related to her an abbreviated form of yesterday's war council, leaving out Zelos's concerns about Regal, and speaking in a hushed tone. The plaza was not the best location for the transmittal of sensitive information. Her costume, too, was a problem, encouraging sporadic interruptions by children, arms outstretched, seeking hugs or parents gushing over her cuteness (But, woe unto the cheek-pinchers!).
To avoid further interruptions, Presea slipped into the hotel to change into her regular clothes. While she was gone, Lloyd realized that this was the first time he'd ever been alone with her. He'd talked with her privately on occasion and about fairly intimate subjects, his feelings about the women in the group, for example. But there had always been another party member (usually Genis) not more than twenty paces off. There were others in the plaza now, such as the aforementioned Klonoa fans, but they were strangers. Come to think of it, he'd never been alone with other members of the group as well: Zelos, Regal, the Professor until today. He'd been alone with Genis and Colette, but he'd grown up with them. So that didn't count. He'd been alone, truly alone, with Sheena a lot in the past year. The rheiards allowed them to journey from place to place quickly, so they could almost always reach an inn before nightfall. Sometimes, though, they camped to save money. It was nice. He liked it. Before he could think any more about it, Presea exited the hotel.
"The only assuredly private place in Altamira is Regal's Office."
"Good idea, Presea. Let's head there as quickly as possible."
As quickly as possible, it turned out, was nearly twenty minutes. Presea explained that the rail car was always packed after a mascot appearance. But the delay was time well spent. By the time he made it to Lezareno's main lobby, he had learned two interesting pieces of intel. First, the rebuilt Palmacosta, taking a nod from Luin, had placed in its center square three magnificent statues. The subject of one was Colette, the Chosen of Sylvarant having become a symbol of civic pride and ammunition for the heretofore friendly rivalry between Tethe'allans and the inhabitants of Sylvarant. Another statue was of Genis, who was an honorary student of Palmacosta Academy, a political advocate, and renowned for his conduct in resisting Desian Grand Cardinal Magnius's attempt to execute Cacao. A plaque at the base of this statue dedicated it to him and to the young man Magnius had murdered with his bare hands. Stanley had been his name. The final statue portrayed Regal sans shackles and Presea standing amid the rubble of old Palmacosta, tools in hand, helping to rebuild. The statue, she told him, was not symbolic. Every weekend for the better part of six months, Regal and Presea had worked hand-in-hand with common laborers to rebuild the city a brick at a time.
This led to the second piece of intel. "Altamira to Palmacosta is a long journey by foot. Does that mean," Lloyd asked, "that you still have rheiards?"
"Yes," Presea said, "two of them."
As the elevator gate clicked open on the President's office, Presea noticed Regal's appearance. His hair was matted down and sweat-slicked. It had been tied back earlier when she had found him praying at Alicia's grave. Now it flowed freely, having been taken down, if his expression were any indication, in frustration. Papers were thrown about haphazardly on the desk and piled in crates on the floor. He was staring intently at one paper and tapping it with his pen, while mumbling to himself, "If I balance it with last quarter's expenditures, then our profit margin...Yes, that's the key."
Presea entered cautiously so as to avoid interrupting his concentration. She was about to advise Lloyd to do likewise when he called out, "Hey, Regal!"
Regal's pen and mouth dropped. "I...just forgot everything."
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After seeing Lloyd off, Sheena had not returned to the village. She didn't want to speak to anyone, especially Colette after their little "arrangement" that morning. Instead, she walked along the path toward the Martel Temple. She made no noise as she walked, more out of habit that any concern for safety. Monsters were now rare on this path, but she had brought a holy bottle just in case. So far, there had been no need to open it. She thought about seeing if Verius would appear to her in the temple. When he was Corrine, Verius had been the one person with whom she could talk about anything. He was the one person she could talk to about the conflict presently in her heart. But she passed by the temple steps without hesitation. With the renovations in full swing, she'd have to converse with a handful of people before she reached the seal room. She might go in on her way back, but for now she had another purpose in mind. She was going to make a wish tag.
Like most Mizuhoan traditions, the wish tag dated back thousands of years. Whenever a member of the village had a very important wish, he could inscribe it upon a small wooden tag, which he would pray over, and then carry until the wish came true or was denied. Afterwards, he would break the tag and cast its halves into a stream or creek, whose running water symbolically carried his thanks to Mizuho's god. If he kept the tag with him, he would be visited with bad luck.
When she reached the small grove of trees a quarter mile past the temple stairway, she drew a hatchet from her bag and set to work removing a chunk of the wood. She then used a pocket knife to fashion it into a wooden tag. The short sword she received as village successor was not meant for hatchet work. "Better to save swords for flesh and bone than dull them on wood," someone once told her. Had it been Kratos? It didn't sound like something Lloyd would say. Lloyd. She supposed she could have gotten him to create the tag when he got back. But he might be too curious. Plus, she didn't want him going through the trouble of crafting something she'd someday break. He had been practically heartbroken when Presea had broken the wish tag he made for her.
She had struggled long and hard with what to put on the tag. She thought about variations on, "Give Lloyd to me," or "Help me win his heart," but they all seemed too selfish. Besides, she didn't want to force Lloyd to love her. At last she settled upon the appropriate prayer, one that expressed the true intentions of her heart. She began carving on the tag's face. M-A-K-E L-L-O-Y-D H-A-P-P
As she was tracing the "Y" the knife slipped and sliced into her forefinger. The cut wasn't deep, but she tasted a fair amount of blood when she put the finger in her mouth. No matter. It was nothing to waste a gel over. Anyway, she needed to finish the tag if she expected it to be effective. As she took up the knife to finish the carving, she noticed some of her blood had seeped into the lettering. She recalled an old superstition. When one was especially earnest about a wish, he could take a blood oath by smearing his blood upon the wish tag. Once he did so, he was bound to work for the completion of the oath no matter the personal cost. It appeared she had unintentionally made this oath.
But, wait. No, she hadn't. The "Y" was unfinished, and she had yet to recite her prayer. If she wanted, she could still cancel the oath.
...What if Colette can make him happy? You'd be bound—...
I know. I'd be bound not to stand in their way.
...You'd be bound to help them get together...
It would tear my heart out.
...Don't do it. Think about yourself for once...
Love does not seek its own. The thought reverberated in her mind, stronger than the voice of Mithos, stronger even than her own uncertainties. I love Lloyd. And no matter what, I want him to be happy. Dying for him would be easy. Then I'd always have a place in his heart, a place no one could supplant. But could I live without him?
She finished the "Y," smeared blood across the rest of the letters, and prayed. "I want Lloyd to be happy, no matter what the cost. And I will do everything I can to see it happen." She held the tag close to her heart. "And if it's not too much to ask, let me have some measure of happiness, too."
Mithos had fallen silent again, and a warmness filled Sheena's heart. She wrapped the tag in a cloth and tucked it into her bag. She had been walking back toward the village for some time, taking it rather slowly, when a barely audible whirring came from overhead. She looked up to find Raine headed toward Iselia. When the half-elf noticed Sheena, she landed, putting her rheiard away. The women embraced, and walked the final quarter mile back to the village together, conversing the whole way. Sheena would see Verius another day. She didn't mind. Her need to talk to him was no longer so pressing.
■□■□■
Besides the pleasant surprise of seeing Lloyd again, Regal was glad for an excuse to put aside his work for an afternoon. The upcoming reunification festival was costing more than he had anticipated. And his company's resources were stretched dangerously thin due to the controversy surrounding his very public refusal to deal in Exsphere-related ventures and the massive expense of rebuilding cities damaged during reunification. Business partnerships had been made in these cities, but they were long-term investments which had yet to yield returns equal to the expenditures. The merchant fees from the festival would help the company just about break even. Next year would be better. He was certain.
"I'm sorry, Lloyd," Regal said after the swordsman had explained the situation. "I have been too occupied with company business to pay much attention to court politics. I have failed in my vigilance."
"I didn't come here to blame you, Regal."
"Ah, of course not. What would you like me to do?"
"All right," Lloyd said, "I knew you could be trusted."
"My trust was in doubt?"
"No, well, not by me anyway. Zelos just mentioned, since you were a duke and all..."
"Zelos...hmm. Did you remind him he was of a higher nobility than me?"
"I think I did." Lloyd scratched his head.
"And did you question his loyalty?"
"I don't...he, that is...the king signed his death warrant..."
"I see." Regal had closed his eyes, and was rubbing his chin. That was much better than the piercing gaze he was directing Lloyd's way only moments ago.
"And I never doubted you, Regal, not for a second."
"That is good to hear." Regal sighed, "Zelos is right, though."
"You're not going to try to capture me, are you?" Lloyd asked. He eyed Presea warily.
"What?"
"Uh, never mind."
"I cannot help you openly. Any visible support would jeopardize the safety of the cities the Lezareno Company has helped rebuild. Unless..."
Lloyd nodded. "I'm disappointed you won't be joining us, but I understand your reasons." He shook Regal's hand before turning toward the elevator.
"Wait, Lloyd," Regal called out. "You didn't let me finish. While I cannot help you directly in a confrontation with the king, I can provide support and whatever supplies you need for your resistance."
Presea said little during the meeting, preferring to listen. Quietness was her nature, after all, and offering her opinion would have been pointless. Her course had been decided when she heard Lloyd's brief explanation on the way to Lezareno. She would not abandon her friends in their time of need. She owed them her life and would gladly give it should the debt be called due.
While she was absorbed in her thoughts, Lloyd and Regal finished talking. Lloyd offered his thanks, and strode past her to the elevator. She called out to him, but he didn't notice. That was just like Lloyd. Once he determined a course of action, he immediately set out to do it, ignoring everything else. Zelos would call that thickheaded. Presea called it dedicated.
She heard the elevator go up to the roof, Lloyd curse, "Damn, wrong button," and the elevator go back down to the lobby. She watched Regal closely, trying to determine what he was feeling and how he would react when she told him she was leaving. It was no good. How could she detect another's feelings, even a friend's, when she was just learning to detect her own. And, make no mistake, Regal was her friend. And the best connection she had to Alicia. She had learned so much about the final years of her sister's life during the previous months. There was much more she wanted to know, but she had to go.
"Regal I—," Presea said.
"I know, Presea. Go after him. Take one of the rheiards."
"Thank you, Regal."
"You'd better hurry."
As he watched Presea go, he smiled. Alicia always looked up to you, Presea. She would be proud. Good luck, and good luck to you, Lloyd.
■□■□■
Last Modified: 06 October 2006
