Wow, it's been a long time. Sorry it's been so long since I posted a new chapter, but I have my reasons. Anyway, on with the show. Here's…

Chapter 20

It was getting late as the cart rolled into Erebi. The sun was setting beyond the open plains to the west and an orange glow lit the horizon as a multitude of stars lit the dark blue hue above the adventurers who were preparing to take their rest in the small town.

"Are we there yet?" Lani asked, for the forty-somethingth time. Mist had lost count a long way back.

"Please stop that," Rigby pleaded, having turned upside down and resting in what must have been a very uncomfortable way in the corner of the cart. As a matter of fact, Mist was quite uncomfortable herself, having been in the cart most of the day bar their lunch break.

They hadn't encountered any creatures on their trek, and no bandits either. They may not have been willing to attack a group as big as six people, or perhaps the events of two days past had made their way to other bandits. Mist didn't believe that their reputation, if one existed, would protect them.

The town seemed so quiet. People were closing their stalls, a few locals were out taking a walk or chatting but a lot of the streets they passed were already empty. The smell of food wafted from the windows of houses where dinner was being prepared. It was a very tempting sensation, and Mist was looking forward to Guiness' generous offer to put them all up for the night and even provide dinner. Mist had been adamant at first that they would be fine to stay at the inn again, but Guiness insisted.

Something caught Mist's eye down one street, and she began to stand up. The cart shuddered as it ran over a large stone on the worn dirt road, and Mist tripped on a misplaced Blitzball uniform. She landed, in an inelegant plop, on Zan's lap.

"Uhh, sorry…" Mist muttered as she tried unsuccessfully to right herself, slipping with every new bump in the road. Lani was barely containing her giggles, and not doing that consistently.

"Would you like a hand?" Zan offered with a stifled laugh. He placed a hand on Mist's back and held her hand as she stood. Mist turned her head to the side slightly to avoid the possibility of Zan seeing the rosy glow growing in her cheeks. Once upright, Mist hesitantly held onto Zan's hand as she used it to stabilize herself on her way to finally reach the front of the cart.

"Guiness," she called forward.

"Something amiss?" the Bangaa asked, turning his head slightly back to show his interest, but keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

"There's something I want to do," Mist replied, "I'll meet you and the others back at your house when I'm done, if that's ok."

"Of course," her cheery companion replied, "Don't be too late though, or you'll miss dinner."

"Where are you going?" Lani spat out as Mist turned around.

"There's just something I wanted to check out back there. Don't worry. I'll be just fine. I'll see you guys really soon, ok."

Guiness stopped the cart for Mist as she hopped over the side. She had been sitting uncomfortably all day long so she was quite relieved to be able to stretch her legs.

"Don't you want us to come with you?" Zan asked as he half stood, preparing to follow Mist out of the cart.

"Oh, you don't have to," Mist replied, "It's nothing big, and I'm sure you guys are hungry."

"You can say that again," Lani cut in. All that was missing was a loud groan from her stomach.

Mist held her hand over her mouth to cover a giggle. "I'll be fine, guys. Really."

"Alright," Zan replied, a little reluctantly, "We'll meet you back at Guiness' house for dinner. Don't be too long."

The cart began rolling down the road once more, as Mist turned back towards her destination. She then realized that it was now quite a distance away. All that commotion in the cart had prevented her from stopping Guiness closer, and now she'd have to walk all the way back. At least it was a pleasant evening.

A gentle breeze carried a leaf or two along the hard-packed dirt road, and the warm glow of sunset rose from the horizon ahead of her. She started to casually walk along the main road through town, passing a handful of shops that were still open. The owners were often talking in depth with a customer. In a small town like Erebi it was quite possibly a good friend of theirs, and they were probably unaware of the time.

Eventually, Mist found herself back at the right street. Sitting along the side of the road outside the inn were half a dozen familiar young faces, all staring at the ground in front of them.

"What's the matter?" Mist asked them in her kindest tone.

The children looked up, a little surprised to see someone. A young elfin girl eventually broke an uncomfortable silence.

"Missy died," she said flatly. The children all returned to staring at the ground, and a human boy began to sob. Mist was quite worried before she caught sight of a red collar in one child's hand.

"Missy was your cat, wasn't she?" Mist asked. The children all nodded in unison, the sobbing boy began crying a little harder.

"I'm so sorry," Mist added, not knowing what else to say, "How did it happen?" She realized immediately after she said it that it was a stupid thing to ask. That point was made even clearer when a second child began crying.

I'm no good at this, Mist thought to herself. She stood there thinking, her hands fumbling aimlessly in her pockets, until…

She discretely pulled the silver token out of her pocket. Lani had been flipping it carelessly in the cart for quite a while before she had inevitably dropped it. It had rolled towards Mist, and she'd pocketed the token with a slight smugness, having predicted that Lani would eventually fail to catch the small piece of silver.

Mist turned the token over in her palm a few times, examining the helmet emblem on it as she did. "I'll be back in a minute," she announced.

As the cart rolled into the familiar back alley, Zan, Lani, and Rigby, jumped down from the back and knocked on the house's back door. Guiness' brother Krayl greeted the friends and invited them in. After a few minutes of talking with Krayl, Guiness and Kerta joined the group.

"Time for dinner, I think," Guiness announced, walking towards a door at the back of the house, "Make yourselves comfortable while you wait."

Zan looked around the room he'd only had a brief glimpse of when passing through days before. There were several comfortable looking armchairs along one wall, large with soft blue fabric, and a long wooden table on the other side of the room. Around the table were several ladder-back chairs, and a vase of flowers sat in the table's centre, though they had probably been there a while from the look of them. A few other small pieces of furniture filled out the room. A short bookcase in one corner near the door they'd come through was littered with little odds and ends. A painting of a beach scene warmed the wall with the comfy chairs, the sand in the painting complementing the sandstone walls.

Zan examined the bookcase while Krayl and Lani took places at the table. It seemed that Lani was attempting to teach Krayl how to play Fortuna, the new dice game they'd learned. In all likelihood, Lani would only disappoint herself by finding yet another novice who could beat her. Rigby was spread out on the cushion of one of the comfy chairs, apparently enjoying the greater space now available after their trip.

"So," Kerta began, apparently addressing all three guests, "I take it you're coming to Costa Porti to see the tournament? It's going to be grand, and we're finally going to win this year. I can feel it."

"Well," Lani began, "That wasn't our original plan, but since we'll be around at the time…" she trailed off, leaving her intentions plainly obvious, at least to Zan. When Lani wanted to do something there were only three things that could stop her. Death, her mother (and then only sometimes), or something more interesting. Her interests were fickle enough that the latter was quite a frequent occurrence.

"What exactly are we doing in Costa Porti, then?" Rigby asked Lani, with a near child-like innocence.

Zan noted Lani's reaction, specifically rolling her eyes, to Rigby's question. It was obvious to him that it had been a reaction mostly to the use of the word 'we'. Zan, too, was not entirely comfortable with the use of the word, as he was unsure how much they could trust their new travelling companion. He seemed fairly harmless, but being a thief he was likely to be skilled at deception.

"Well, I guess you could say we'll be sightseeing," Lani replied, quite accurately describing their intentions to those who wouldn't truly comprehend exactly what they were planning.

Zan thought to himself, though, that the way she'd phrased it left a lot to be desired. He was relieved that no one questioned the meaning behind Lani's words before Krayl managed to beat Lani in their first game.

"I swear," Lani grumbled, "It's always beginners luck."

Mist was getting used to early mornings. Everyone was up by sunrise and were packing their belongings again, preparing for the day's journey. Even Krayl was helping by making breakfast, although breakfast was a come-and-go affair. People stopped to eat a few bites before returning to the job of packing, and another person would stop for something to eat.

Eventually, the preparations were made, the cart was packed and the chocobos were harnessed. Guiness and Kerta bid Krayl farewell before mounting their chocobos, and Mist and the others said their goodbyes to the young Bangaa as well before reluctantly boarding the cart. At least the journey wasn't too far this time.

The warm glow of sunrise cresting the horizon washed over the cart as Guiness guided it onto the main street. Lani turned to Mist, glad to look away from the bright reminder of how early she'd been forced to get up.

"We're never going to have a chance to sleep in again, are we?" she asked her friend.

Mist only gave a soft laugh to her friend's sarcastic joke. "No," she replied, half distracted, "Probably not. At least not for a while."

"So," Lani began, as though starting the conversation anew, "Where did you go last night, Mist?"

"Oh," Mist sighed, smiling back over her shoulder, "Just for a walk. No place special."

As the cart rolled east out of town towards the rising sun and the town of Sandros, a group of excited youths ran through the streets, hot on the heels of a sprinting tabby cat.

Dedicated to my cat, Lucky

(1993 - 2006)

. . .

Finally, a new chapter is done! I'm sorry it's been so long, but I've been kind of distracted for a while now with one thing or another. My life has been both quiet and hectic at the same time. It's a really long story, and telling one long story seems to be almost beyond my abilities at the moment, so I'll try just sticking to this one.

Anyway, I know there isn't much in this chapter, but now that I'm back in a bit of a writing mood and I'm starting a new chapter, I can make something more interesting, and possibly more consistent.