Of Lies and Fantasies

by XtremeManiac33

[SI]. Blake has a broken hand and is the brains of the duo. Alyssa is capable enough to fight for the both of them. He only wants to go home through any means necessary. She wants to help her new friends in any way she can. "They" have other plans for the two of them. Zidane & the others don't need to know and are caught in the crossfire.

21. In Days On and Off

A/N: Wow, this is a much longer than the anniversary chapter. Apologies if this seems to be inappropriately long, but I kept thinking between cutting it into two before posting this and possibly prolonging the wait for the Festival of the Hunt. So I finally said, put it into a massive chapter so we can get the party started.

Not to make this any longer, all I'm going to say is drop a review about the chapter and you can expect me next month for the beginning of the Festival of the Hunt. Thanks for reading!

Of Lies and Fantasies
Chapter 20: In Days On and Off

-Blake-

Work just seemed to make time flow as a steady river that ends daily in an exciting drop worth about 350 gil, I counted the pouch Heath would refill each day to make sure the amount is the same, a very useful amount to someone with nothing to his name, until it would circle back up to the start where I'd all over again. The entrance to the theater would always be filled with the same fangirls that seemed to have no life aside from singing the praises of Lowell Bridges. As tiring as it is hearing their shrill cries, it must be as annoying for the apple of their respective eyes. However, that only motivated everyone else to be better for the next show with their improved handmade scenery and decorations.

With me getting used to my duties in the theater and those two days passing through, it seemed like I got to be less tired compared to the day before. My third day on the job concluded with me managing to get a decent meal after a shower. I crossed paths with Zidane on the way and he was surprised to see me be moving about. I had to use my 'other job' as an excuse, that I had been neglecting my clientele for a while that I had to act fast. He did point out that I was going to the Theatre District a lot the past few days. When did he see me there when I barely saw anyone from our group over there?

Whatever. I lied by telling him that my big-time client was really indecisive and I had to come over a lot so we could get business going. He gave a thoughtful hum before letting it go. Zidane's getting really antsy with all his questions. It's like he gets more curious with each passing day. I really should be careful. He's not as dumb as he looks.

Anyways, back to my theater duties. It seemingly increased the moment they became comfortable with having me around, which turned out to be the time I walked through that entrance a third time. They were waving me down, chatting a bit with me and I'd nod and smile until they let me know what I need to relay to the director or the props or the actors. I was actually given additional things to do, well more like asked as a favor, some a bit would be considered out of my job description. If it increased any chance I had at having more gil by the end of the day I did it.

One such example is providing a solution of escape. Remember those fangirls at the front of the theater? It is such a bother for a particular actor they idolize that he can't leave for the day without being swarmed. So when they heard my mutterings of an outlandish suggestion, which was feigning that Lowell had a medical condition and had to be rushed to a hospital, complete with two other people carrying him off on an improvised stretcher, they actually went with it and it was successful. Lowell's obnoxiously passionate advocates weren't at the theater most of the day too! I have other ideas ready for use in the future, like having an egg cart outside and have Lowell hide in an egg disguise as we can roll him to safety. Sounds like a lot of effort, but these girls require it in order to lose them.

Things have been going smoothly so far, everyone's all business today and all. The third act practice went so well they tried to get a dry run through the entire thing while the stage crew was on break. Costumes were basically gathered and completed, the ones in charge were making sure they label it correctly for each of the actors and actresses. Right now I was remembering to give the notes Lowell and a handful of others had for their costumes regarding their initial fitting earlier this morning. Once I was done, Katelin wrote them all down in bullet points and finally nodded.

"Alright Mr. Skylark, I'll run these through the costume department and make sure everything's all accounted for." Oh man, I sure like the sound of that. MISTER SKYLARK. I'm glad this pin offers a bit of rank around here. And yes, I finally managed to get my name mentioned between today and two days ago. "And can you remind Director Haverhill that he's yet to get measured for his tux. The guys from the tailor are gonna be coming by later."

"I'll be sure to run it by him." I nodded, Lightning chirped from my sling to add to my confirmation before walking off to find the director.

Since I have been exposed to the routines of the crew members, finding Haverhill would be easy if you try to listen for a booming voice hamming it up with only a few breaks between sentences. From what I am currently hearing, aside from someone from the set designers giving out instructions to carefully adjust the set pieces and a few laughs from the stage crew that are on break, Haverhill's voice is echoing backstage along with some of the actors working a scene.

I was about to go around a corner when I hear two voices talking about to do the same. I was readying a greeting in case they take a second to do the same when I stop on the spot upon seeing who it was.

A certain traveling elderly woman with her brown cloak folded up in her arms. Without it most of her mystique is gone and her age becomes a more prominent feature.

She and the guy talking to her see me and stop their conversation. He's part of the props group so he's a familiar guy around here. He nods over to me and smiles. "There you are, Blake. This lady's looking for you."

"Thank you, young man." Meguro bows a bit, making the props guy stutter a bit.

"It's no big deal, ma'am!" He laughed, trying to hide his surprise. "Blake is usually easy to find since he's just walking around. Sometimes it's easier to find him when you listen for his chocobo or someone muttering around the corner."

"Hey! Don't make me sound crazy!" I retorted, putting down my foot to stop him from saying anything else. "Alright, job well done. Now how about you check on those props and make sure they're in perfect condition. Go on!"

My demands weren't taken seriously as usual as he just nodded amusingly and walked off. Then I set my eyes on Meguro, who looked like she enjoyed seeing me in a different environment if that smile on her face had any meaning.

"Good to see you trying to fit in. I actually thought you would be cooped up in that little inn until your recovery." She takes a step forward and places a hand on my arm. Her hand was warm to the touch. "But it's good to see you are doing well." I backed up a few steps away from her in case she tries anything funny.

"This is temporary. I need the money since my funds were dwindling. But that's irrelevant right now!" I raised my voice while simultaneously keeping it down to avoid attracting attention, which made it come out as me shouting in a small voice. "I've been looking for you for some time now and you certainly appear out of nowhere on your own volition. I am tired of your Batman bullshit. You still owe me two questions!"

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, the concept of Batman was probably lost on her, but she nodded anyways.

She gestures for me to go ahead with my questions. As I am trying to get my questionnaire from my belongings, I can't help but realize that she does not deny that she appears out of nowhere. That is troubling. It's like she knows it and does not bother explaining it. I guess I should add that to the list of questions I should ask, file it under 'Mysteries about Meguro' category right beside the 'Important Questions' category. Speaking of which...

"I see you have put some thought into the answers you want from me." She sees the paper in my hand and smiles. Nothing particularly off about that smile, but I can't help but think otherwise.

Ignoring her comment, I go straight to the point. "You mentioned back in Dali that I shouldn't tell anyone about for some reason. Care to explain that to me?"

The cloak wearing traveler seemed somewhat disappointed at the question, but it was a question she had to answer since she is bound to her word. "Attention."

I tilt my head when I hear that single word being uttered. "Sorry, what?"

"As someone who inadvertently finds it easy to attract attention, I would have thought you already knew the importance of having less eyes analyzing every move you make."

"I don't get it." This isn't the first time I don't understand what's happening or being said. That stupid ticket is still in my pocket and I'm sure it's still changing back and forth between being an actual ticket to having a mysterious message and I don't have any clue why it does that when I show it to other people.

She takes a breath and adjusts the cloak in her hands. "The reason why I suggested, not outright expressed a desire to keep our meetings a secret, is because this will surely attract unwanted attention."

I am trying to wrap my head around this and the fact that me talking with this weird lady is somehow attracting attention. Is she saying someone is keeping tabs on her as well? "Hold on, that doesn't make sense."

"Remember your reasoning as to why you wanted to get away from the castle?" I only did that because I didn't believe I will be able to discuss otherworld stuff with Alyssa with people patrolling the hallways and having so much people around didn't make me comfortable to even mention private things. "Countless people walk and pass by you, glancing at your direction with every step you make in case you bring certain harm to their leader. It is similar to that, except they don't do it out of protection. The moment your friends know about our private meetings, a certain pair of eyes will divert their focus on you."

That sounded VERY ominous. "Just curious. Maybe you can expound on this 'certain pair of eyes' and what happens when they focus on someone. I really hope they don't kill or do something worse."

Her eyes darkened as she took a step closer. "You are vulnerable to many things, Blake. Death would be a relief than a threat if they are to focus on you."

Okay, TERRIFYINGLY ominous then. Lightning seemed to notice my terror as it nuzzled against the sling and my injured arm, a gentle tweet snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Follow my advice if you desire to live a normal life." Being in a different world is anything but normal, yet I couldn't help but nod in agreement. 'Death as a relief' is something I'd never want to think about.

There was something with how she said that I couldn't help but think that her choice of words were specific and weird at the same time. I'm thinking of a way how to interpret what she said when someone came along our little corner of the theater to interrupt our private Q&A. Heath and his trusty book stops by us and taps me on the shoulder. "Blake, Haverhill is looking for you. He says he wants to participate in today's escape plan for Lowell." That man is really just want to have fun at the most inappropriate time. Though I guess he's earned some time to slack off with all the work that's been done today.

"Fine, I'll run him through the plan. Can you tell him to meet me by the stage? I still need to remind him of his tux fitting." I told Heath.

"Sure thing. You finish up talking to your...grandmother?" Heath tried to guess, earning him a sigh from me and a laugh from the mysterious woman to my side as he left us alone. Once I'm sure we are a lone and that no one might not be listening in, I turn to her to ask my final question. I fully expected her to have vanished by then, and as it turns out she stayed there, finally understanding that she has to keep her word.

However, as I tried to analyze which question would be fitting for this third and final question, she places her hand on the paper and lowers it.

"I would suggest you ponder more on this final question I will be answering you. What is, in your mind, worth knowing the answer to?" What!? Are you seriously just doing this to make fun of me? What if I'm ready to ask that question now? "If that is how you feel then I would not hesitate in giving you what you desire."

Wait. Hold on, Blake. She's right in a way. Let's think about this for a second. Most of her answers have been borderline vague so far. What's stopping her in continuing that streak? I'll need some actual helpful answers if I actually want to learn more about her. With that I will need to think of how to broach the next question carefully. Approach it so no loophole can be used so that it will have to be answered directly and satisfactorily.

I finally agree to her suggestion with a cautious nod. "So how will I know where to find you?"

"Perhaps I will find you with my 'Batman bullshit'." Meguro answered, complete with air quotes, as she walks away. That's what I get when I call her out on her own shenanigans. At least now she gave me a heads up when she's about to leave.

-Alyssa-

Some of my friends think that the best way to spend the two days in the week you don't have to go to school is just stay in bed and laze around at home. The problem with doing that, as much as helpful the rest is, that the inconsistent schedule would mess with you. It's better to be moving around at a decreased rate compared to the weekdays.

Not a lot of my friends share the same opinion. Though they might have better productivity if they did, but that's beside the point.

Anyway, my suggestion to spend the first weekend and my first day off as a part-time employee is get to get used to Lindblum's streets and districts. My little tour wasn't enough since I only passed by each district for jobs a few days ago. Sure I'm only going to be here for a few more days until the Festival comes and probably a couple more when the Alexandrian air fleet comes by, but it sure would still help knowing my way around town.

I managed to get some decent sleep and went around the Business District for a good hour. Business is really good at the weekends, especially this early in the day. Most of the people around here probably prefer to buy early to get around the long lines and waiting times. When I was done with my breakfast, I explored the district and made sure to look for landmarks that I'll recognize. Don't want to end up getting lost like before.

Once I've felt like I got to see most of the district, I thought it would be good to include the other like Blake or Vivi, hopefully both, in my little adventure through town. It might do them good to take in more of Lindblum's culture, broaden their horizons and stuff like that.

I came back to the inn at 11 o'clock and tried knocking on Blake's door. There was no answer. I tried calling out through the door and still no response. I know things have been tense between us, our discussion gone badly about changing story events and even the lunch with Zidane, Vivi, and Freya went awry. He hasn't been around since three days ago. Is he avoiding us?

One more attempt and getting him to answer his door still resulted in silence. Even Lightning wasn't tweeting a bit. They're probably asleep. Lightning's slowly becoming like Blake if he keeps sleeping like that.

Fine then, maybe Vivi would appreciate what I'm doing with my time. Oh, if Zidane's up for it he can come too. Not sure if Dagger's willing to come out of the castle. I think she doesn't even leave Lindblum Grand Castle until the Festival is over. Well, I'm passing by the castle nonetheless to ask Vivi. It wouldn't hurt in asking her just in case.

The aircab to Lindblum Grand Castle arrived a few minutes after I started waiting at the station. It had a few stops on the way there, a good number of passengers hopping on and off the aircab at each stop. One of the new people getting in is one of the guys I am looking for. He found me waving at him to join me in my seat, which only took him a few seconds right before the cab left for another stop.

"Even on the weekends you're on the move? Rest days are used for, you know, resting." Zidane leaned back on the chair beside me, enjoying the aircab ride to the castle.

I smiled, appreciating his ribbing. "I've had a lot of rest already. Besides, what do you want me to do, stay in the inn all day? I'll probably go stir-crazy."

"Unlike someone we both know." It's not that hard to figure out who he's talking about. I could see him looking at me questioningly. "Have you talked to him recently?"

I shake my head. Strangely enough, since I gave him my part-time opportunities list I haven't really seen much of him. Not anywhere in the Business District, not anywhere Jenny wants me to go with her hunting outfits, or not in the inn as well. Though I could hear Lightning chirping in the other room in most nights, that's pretty much it. Was he avoiding us?

"Don't think about it too much. He's probably working too hard that he's forgotten about us." Zidane thought out loud casually.

"Yeah. Maybe." Honestly, he does things with a reason behind them. The last time we saw him was in that awkward lunch with Freya. Him bringing Vivi there was on him and he's probably kicking himself for doing that. As much as I want him to learn that he can't have everything follow how things should go, trying to follow how he wants it, going through that in an attempt to fix it was probably more damaging.

When the aircab stopped at our destination, Zidane told me in passing why he actually wanted to be here. He wanted to see Dagger for a while now to see how she is, but Steiner's been guarding her even harder than ever apparently. Like the man would shove him before he could even get a scent of where the princess is and turn him away. He's hoping that he can get a lucky break today. I'm all for trying to bond with the girl, and at least he's not being outright rejected, but the man sure has resilience.

Vivi wasn't that hard to find in the castle. We were directed to him by one of the guards and found him soaking in the view of the city from one of the bridges to the airship docks, holding on to his precious hat in case a breeze happened to blow by. He liked the idea of taking in the city's culture since Zidane just gave him a passing tour of most of the city.

Just as when we're about to go to the elevator to look for Dagger, we see Steiner frantically searching up and down the halls. He's quiet like he's trying to avoid suspicion, but was seriously struggling to avoid shouting. I had three guesses as to what's gotten him like this and one of the included a certain Alexandrian royalty. Zidane didn't have any time trying to think why he's acting this way when the knight started rushing at us. Zidane went to find a place to hide in case he gets an earful from the overprotective captain.

"Master Vivi! Did you happen to see the princess on your way here?" Steiner asked, falling to his knees so he can be eye level with the small mage. When he shook his head, Steiner almost as horrified as someone would once they realize they left their child in a car without any open windows.

"But we're about to go out to town!" Vivi excitedly announced. Then Steiner gave me a look, then turned back to Vivi, and finally one more to me. His eyes then went wide.

"Of course! She might have taken an aircab into the city. She has been in the castle for so long that she may have desired some time outside, looking for a breath of fresh air, so to speak." He muttered in realization.

Well, that's one way of looking at things. But if I remember correctly, Dagger might still be in the castle and simply out of reach if you're not a crafty thief.

He inched his way to me and took my hand. "Please let me come with you. We might be able to find the princess with more than one person looking out for her."

This was surprising because an older man with a rank in his country's military basically asked me if he can come along! He doesn't need to because he can just pull rank on me. Then my eyes turn to where Zidane's at. He's already seen what's happened and was giving me this pleading look. Puppy-dog eyes aren't that effective at that range! I want to help him out, but I don't think Steiner's gonna like it if he finds out I tricked him.

Looking at both men, I sigh give in to the older man's request. "It wouldn't hurt to try. But you know it's possible that she's still around here, right?"

"Eliminating the option with the most possibilities is a quicker way of getting results, Miss Forsyth." Steiner stated as he got off his knees. "Let us make our rounds over at the Residential District!" And with that, he leads Vivi into running to the aircab station.

"Good luck, lover boy." I silently utter to myself as I see Zidane giving me a thumbs-up before he made his way through the castle halls, the roguish thief off to find his princess.

I hope he thanks me properly for leading on an armed knight in a false search and rescue operation. Forgive me, Steiner.

Anyway, we reach the Residential District of Lindblum. I kinda understand that the original game didn't have to show the player where the citizens of Lindblum live when they only need to show the important parts that have uses for the player (the shops in the Business District) and establishing the city's character (the Industrial District showing the technological prowess of the city while showing a brief glimpse into a different industry in the Theatre District's entertainment focus). Since a different dimension doesn't have that kind of limitations, it's nice to see a different part of Lindblum I haven't seen in the game.

In my first time here, I was surprised to see how big the Residential District is. Sure majority of the place is dedicated to the average citizen's housing, but there's also a few places a family or a group of friends can go see and have fun in like the library, a museum, and a park to name a few. There sure are a lot of people around here, almost matching the streets of the Business District. That made Steiner's search a bit difficult.

I suggested we first go the museum, to which Steiner linked to his search due to Dagger's prowess in her studies to pursue informational learning through a different source. I just nodded because I couldn't think of a better reason why we should go to the museum aside from simply wanting to see it. There sure was a lot of history stored in that one building that it could match one of the national museums back in Earth. There were exhibits on the evolution of the airship, another on monsters used in the Festival, and one on the history of the Regents.

As I finished reading an entry on Cid Fabool VIII, I felt my throat dry up and my chest tighten suddenly. Just when I've gotten used to this kinda normal life, normal in the sense of getting used to the things around me that I've forgotten about the not-so normal stuff like having surprise breathing problems. It got me so bad that I almost fell into one of the Cid exhibits, but I realized I might damage it so I turned away from it as much as my body can. The second I got away from the exhibit my chest wasn't so restricted anymore, but I did bump into this other person.

I tried apologizing, but my lack of breath didn't help me properly make a sentence. He held me in place as I tried getting back my breath and understood the whole thing more than me as he shook his head, his long white hair following his motions quite smoothly, and only offered a chuckle as he apologized for wandering too closely to the exhibits. My eyes couldn't help but focus on his strange coat as he bent down to a bow, but I snapped out of it and did the same in case that was a culture thing.

With our apologies out of the way, he nodded and went on his way as I tried to think why I had another of those episodes. I'm a healthy and active girl before I got here in Gaia and I'm very sure of that. Something has to be causing this problem. My thoughts didn't last when I see Steiner talking very loudly with one of the museum staff.

After learning quite a bit in the museum and Steiner not finding any traces of Dagger in there (of course he won't), we moved over to the city's public library. The place could've ended up as a private mansion if it didn't have so much books. Speaking of which, there were three floors worth of books in there! Absolutely massive. I've never been to a library as big as this. I'm pretty sure if we didn't have the internet, all the libraries in Earth would have to be this big.

According to one of the people working there, the public library had a book in every single topic known to everyone in Gaia and that if you wanted to read every single one it would take 300 years. Thank goodness I'm not that interested in doing that. Just a little good would be fine by me.

While Steiner is busy patrolling every inch of the library, thinking that Dagger would be hiding away in some secret space to take in the knowledge she has yet to see in some of the books present, and Vivi found a recipe book that used an illustrated Qu in the cover, I was trying find an interesting category to dip my toes in, somewhere close to world history or self-defense books, when I heard a chirp beneath someone delivering a lecture. Something told me those two things were connected with people starting to leave this part of the library along with some "Shhhh!" in their wake.

Going around the corner to find where this commotion is coming from, I see someone in this tweed hat that didn't look like it fit with his lab coat. Right as he paced in front of the reading table in front of him I see a glimpse of a black feathered chocobo chick following his movement. Sitting there witnessing the whole thing happening in front of him with a resigned look all over his face was Blake trying to read a few books in front of him.

I'm surprised to see him out here, even more that he's in a library. I walk over to them as Dr. Thomas continued, not even noticing the number of people leaving their seats because of his noisy lecture and me creeping up behind them. My taps on their shoulders got two different reactions, one pounded their forehead into the table and the other just adjusted the glasses on the bridge of their nose.

"Leave me alone..." Blake groaned into the table and was quickly followed by a chorus of "SHHHH". Lightning tried to comfort him by nuzzling against his hair.

"Ah, Miss Forsyth! Nice to see someone else take delight in learning through the means of pages in paperback and hard cover." Dr. Thomas announced and was on the receiving end of a chorus of frustrated library-goers demanding silence. Blake stiffened when he heard my name and it looked like he wanted his face to burrow into the table deeper. "I was just regaling young Skylark here about the anatomy of chocobos, but it looks like I have gotten out of hand."

"That's one way to say it." Blake's mouth has not yet left the table.

"Long story short, you have been travelling with a male baby chocobo." The doctor summarized, much to the relief of Blake.

"Great. Makes choosing a name easier." My injured friend sighed as he pulled himself off the table and was now leaning back on his chair with a single book in hand. It had the word 'baby names' in big, bold letters.

"So what other names do you have in mind for Lightning?" I asked, getting the little bird to stop kwehing up a storm. Petting it sure did help calm it down. Is it just me or it's getting bigger and slightly heavier? I noticed Blake giving me a careful glance before flipping through some pages.

"There's a lot of interesting ones. Actually I'd renamed him to Tuft just this morning. Now his name will officially be Nero." He finally found the page he was looking for, his finger directing my and Dr. Thomas' attention to the name his chocobo now has.

"It is derived from the name 'Raniero' which means 'wise warrior', or from older text could mean 'black'. How it would live up to his new name lies on your shoulders. "The older man read for us in a considerably lower tone before putting a hand on Blake's shoulder." Anyways, I've only come by to check if they have a copy of 'Root of the Stars'. Good to see both of you doing well. G'day." A bow, a flourish, and a tip of his hat later, the Grand Castle's medical expert walked away with the some charm and cheer in his step.

That left me alone with Blake and the newly renamed Nero in a somewhat empty corner of the library. I backed off his chair and thought it'd be better if we finally get the elephant out of the room. So I sat down beside him, only for him to turn the other way.

"Good to see you out of the inn." I tried easing our way into that lunch topic.

"I can't hole myself in there forever," he says as he tries to open a different book.

"A change of pace is good for everyone." I comment, eyeing the baby names book as Nero walked around the books placed messily on the table. The chocobo stopped when Blake hit the table with his hand.

"Seriously? You really can't let that go, can you?" His face twists into a bitter glare when he begins to turn in his seat.

"Whoa, whoa, I'm just trying-"

"Trying is always the functional word with you. Trying to help, trying to make things better. Can't you just focus on the most important thing we have for us and just let everything else go!?"

"I wasn't talking about that. I'm trying to through what happened at lunch the other day!"

Both of us were bombarded with an even louder wave of "SHHHH!" from an increasing number of people. Blake leans back into his chair, still irritated about what he thought I was talking about, probably mistaking it for our last big disagreement almost five days ago, but I guess he feels the same about both times.

"I had to do what I had to do. It was my mistake and I had to fix it." He gives me a short look, one of disappointment. "Besides, you didn't do anything to help me there. It looks like I can only rely on myself on leading on everyone around us."

He's right on that one. I didn't offer much to help that time because it happened so fast. The moment we heard the question I just couldn't think of anything. When he mentioned the zoo part, my mind also went blank and didn't have any idea how to expand on it. Now we're just hoping that it didn't damage any of the continuity he wants to leave unchanged.

Apologizing about it won't make it go any better now that it's all in the past. Just forget about it for now and relax on your day off, Alyssa. Since I was just doing that with Steiner and Vivi, I might as well extend the invitation to Blake.

"Might as well. These people sure don't appreciate my presence here after all the noise we've been making." He gathers Nero into his sling as well as the books he has used in his other hand, not even asking for my help to put them back. "I'll be at the entrance in a minute." That's kinda cold.

Let him be, Alyssa. He's still sore about everything so far. Let him sort it out if he doesn't want help. He knows I'll be here when he needs my help in case he needs it.

Finding Steiner and Vivi took about a few minutes. The black mage didn't move an inch from the spot I left him, and was now looking through unusual Qu recipes when I told him we're going to a different place. Steiner was just about to be thrown out by the staff for his 'searching methods' when I had to apologize on his behalf before getting out of there in case the knight wants to argue some more. Blake followed just a few seconds later, looking amused at what Steiner's antics.

Of course, Steiner pointed a blaming finger at him the moment he heard him "You! Where have you put the princess, you cretin!"

"Captain, please contain yourself before you fling wild accusations at me." He held up his hand defensively. Nero agreed with him by tweeting at the armored man. "I'm not like Zidane. Or maybe she just wanted a stroll without you looking over her."

"Can we all calm down, guys?" Vivi told the two as he adjusted his hat.

"Yeah. We might find Dagger at the park. That's a good place to take a stroll." I suggested to the tense knight. He agreed and let Blake off the hook, walking ahead of us despite not knowing where the park is.

The Residential Park was surprisingly big when we got there. It reminded me of Central Park with what they had here, but Residential Park was only like a fraction of it. It had three types of terrain all separating the park into parts: one with the grassy, flowery, meadow-type with small hills, wooden benches, and a nice open area, one forest-y type that had a jogging/walking area with a small pond in the center, and one filled with brown and red tiles for floors, stone benches, some gazeebos, and a fountain.

Everyone had their favorite part of the park where they want to spend time in. Vivi wanted to run through the trees and see the pond. Steiner continued his search by following his Master Vivi first. Blake wanted to take a seat in one of the gazeebos and Nero just chirped with him since he can't decide for himself just yet. Mine was to take it easy by wandering by the hill.

-Blake-

Wandering past individuals and couples waltzing through the park, I tried to find a nice place to sit down and not think about anything. It was hard finding such a spot in a park, despite the open spaces and large area this place covered. If I am not trying to avoid people my age or older just standing around doing nothing, I have to keep a look out on nosy kids wanting to pet Nero. If they want to touch a chocobo, go to a zoo or hatch your own. This one is too young to be surrounded with nuisances.

Eventually I find a nice spot near one of the gazeebos that has no kids around, open enough to put Nero down so he could walk around, and with enough shade from said gazeebo to cover us from the heat of the sun. He enjoyed the feeling of dirt under his tiny chocobo feet as it circled around the initial area I put him down. Chirping at me, I give it a nod to acknowledge him, though I'm not sure if it understands human body language. Well, probably not yet.

Looking around the park, I could see a lot of people casually spending their time together with their loved ones. I can't help but feel envious and regret even going out of the inn and getting roped into going here. Those kids running around their parents lovingly holding each other in their arms, those teenagers having a laugh by the fountain, or that elderly couple just gazing at the scenery before them. They all have someone important to them right beside them while I don't have anyone aside from a baby chocobo who thinks I squatted and pushed out his egg.

I've never been away from home this long since that week-long vacation I spent with some of my cousins, and at least then I was with people I've grown up and spent time with. Even then Nina would be there with me spending girl time with the girls around there. One of the most prominent incidents during one of those vacations was me tearing a massive hole in my leg after a biking accident. Nina was extremely annoyed and made me know about it as we hastily rode to a hospital.

How she's coping with me getting struck by lightning and possibly in a coma is something I can easily imagine being similar to that biking accident. The jury is still out how I think my parents would react to it.

Maybe I should've pushed to stay in the library to avoid this environment, just stick my nose into a book or two to pull my mind away from thinking about work or the future I have to keep track of. That or sleep all day and night today. What were the odds of me being found by Dr. Thomas and Alyssa in the same ten minute timeframe?

I lie down on the grass to relax, turning my head where Nero was bumping into my shoe and chirping with each nudge he does. I slipped off the sling and cradled my injured wrist against my chest, making sure it was secure from anything around me that could intentionally and accidentally harm it, keeping an eye on the small chocobo and my environment.

"If you keep looking like that, you won't be able to relax." My ears pick up on a pair of feet crunching the grass beneath them approaching as my eyes follow to the source. One glimpse of a flowing brown cloak made any interest in finding out who it was die out as I dropped back down to the ground.

"We really should stop meeting like this. We've met in person four times already and I can already tell you're not the scheduling type. Maybe you're the kind who likes to surprise people?" I questioned, though it seemed like it didn't register with her as she took a seat on the grass beside me.

"Sometimes I like to keep people guessing." She answers with a hint of playfulness in her tone. I rolled my eyes at her attempt to lighten the mood, but I preferred to be direct to the point, especially with Meguro and her surprise antics.

"If you were wondering, I've already given thought to my final question. That is if you want to be here to hear about it." I wave the folded paper I just pulled out that contained my thoughts and other listed questions for her to answer.

Meguro simply nods, gesturing me to go ahead. The list was necessary at the start, but now I had the question I had to ask in my mind since yesterday. Anyway, I don't bother opening it and recite my main final question.

"I'd like some clarification about something you mentioned before. You mentioned back in Dali that you can help me. What do you mean? I mean, you look like you hardly can take care of yourself in a fight. No offense."

One simple shake of her head let it pass. "It's alright. It's unavoidable especially with how I look. Everyone sees me as a dusty, old lady who shouldn't be outside city borders by her lonesome. Regarding your question, there are multiple ways of helping. Like right now we are exchanging information."

"Too bad the way you're "helping" right now isn't exactly worth much." I crossed my able arm under my injured one as I made my point.

"Trust remains to be a big factor for you, I see."

"Well of course it is. You're this stranger I keep running into who likes to serve more questions than answers. You walk around as if you're shrouded in a mist of secrets." Aside from that the fact that you aren't also in Final Fantasy IX makes it harder for me to trust you.

"Let's see if I'll be able to get a fraction of your trust today." That smile of hers come out again. It's like she knows something but really enjoys keeping it to herself until the exact time she wants to reveal it. I felt even wearier as I watched her take out something from her pockets. "You dropped this in your wild chase in Alexandria."

In her palm rested a small square object with a color similar to her hair enveloped in jumbled wires. A single look at it and I immediately recognized it. It was my mp3, a small device that held almost 500 of my songs that has carried me through days and nights back at home. Seeing it right in front of me sparked this feeling of happiness, but I stopped myself from reaching for it in fear of revealing one of my secrets. So I kept my mouth shut about knowing what it is. I can feign ignorance on it and say there was a crowd present during that whole debacle so it could have been dropped by anyone else.

"That's not mine. I have no idea what that object is." From the look on her face, she found my words hard to believe.

"I can sense the tension in your body, my child. But don't fret. This is what I meant. You can keep your secrets and I can aid you in doing so." I'm not sure what she interpreted when I stumbled on my words and failed to make a coherent sentence, but she did continue speaking. "Not every traveler must be easily read like an open book."

I point at the mp3 in her hands after finally finding my voice. "Okay, so let's say that this thing is isn't mine, even though it's definitely not. Hypothetically speaking, what would you do with it then?"

She shrugged as she placed the object back where she took it from. "Then I would make sure this is yours. If not then I will hide it away until I find the rightful owner." She then examines the mp3 closely, looking impressed at the tiny device even though she didn't know what it can do. "It would be such a shame if such a device were to be lost to its owner." Then I noticed her eyes glint almost slyly at me with her next words. "However, none such individual exists because this kind of technology doesn't exist yet. Such a sleek and simple device would take numerous iterations to make. Our technology is...cruder and bulkier and inferior to this one."

Great, she's well-versed in technology as well. She honestly doesn't look the part but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. She just keeps getting weirder and weirder the more she speaks. There's going to be a point where she reveals that she's actually Gaia's oldest 'Renaissance Woman'.

What if she actually knows that this is mine and knows that the mp3 wasn't made here? She can already tell it looks out of place. Then the question will be, what are the odds of her knowing I also look out of place? Still I can't admit that that thing is mine. Too risky. She may have been spying on me, but she does not know the full story yet. Besides, I may be able to use this to my advantage just a little bit. Let's see if I can play her game.

I dug through my own stuff and got my wallet. "You know I think I found that certain individual's other belongings as well."

The contents weren't all that important, just some various pictures of solo headshots of me and other shots of my family in different sizes, coins, paper bills, arcade cards, coupons, and my school ID. That last one I was thinking of keeping in case I die and someone has to find an object that may tell of my identity, however that ID doesn't belong in this world and would only create more questions than offer answers, so I kept it in and presented the whole collection to Meguro.

"That person may be looking for this as well. Couldn't help but think they're out there wondering who got their stuff."

She takes the wallet and weighs it in her palm. "So you do understand what I mean."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. We are only talking about hypothetical situations." I crossed my arm and continued to play coy. Her laugh doesn't ease the tension between us, yet she does take the wallet into her pocket without any objections.

I know that someday someone would be curious enough to sift through my stuff. Removing anything that doesn't belong to this dimension would decrease the chances of that person looking into me more. Might as well do that now while I have the chance. I'd advise Alyssa to do the same if she has any on her.

"Very well." She's pretty accepting of this. I wonder if she expected this outcome or she just manages to roll with the punches easily.

"So you really are fine with helping me."

"An odd statement, especially coming from someone who didn't trust a word I said the last time we spoke to each other."

I shrug and eye her carefully. "You keep offering, but I still can't find it in my heart to trust what you're saying."

The woman nods and places a hand under her chin. After a brief silence between us, she keeps position but mentions something. "Well, if that's the case then I should just ask something from you in order to understand how I can truly help you." Her eyes then look me up and down for a few seconds, something with how her eyes moved was different from how she would look at me before and it makes me uncomfortable. "I've seen how you act around your friends. One can't help but wonder why you would continue to associate with them if you tend to hold them farther away from an arm's length despite their acceptance of you."

I raised an eyebrow at her supposed observation. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Perhaps you're not comfortable being around them." That's kind of true since I always have to be alert whenever Zidane and the others are around. I need to be aware of everything I say around them because one wrong line might cause them to dig into our backgrounds. That would mean discovering that we're not who we say we are and that is something I would rather not happen. "My guess would be you would like to never worry about them."

"Never worry about them how?"

"Your discomfort comes from being around them. You should feel better if you were to be some place...familiar."

"Alright, you're going into vague territory. Can you talk in words easier to comprehend?"

"A place familiar like home."

I sit up and look at her, trying to understand what she is saying. She only brings up an eyebrow, silently asking if I got it or not. "You're going to have to explain what you meant." I turn to her and almost expected to vanish like the two previous times, but surprisingly she remained there with a smile across her face.

"Like I said before, what I said can be taken at face value. All I need is a little trust."

"I hope you're saying what I think you're saying." I narrowed my eyes on her. This is something she couldn't mess around with. You do not bring up or imply something like that and not have a way to bring it to the table. But if she really us serious then I have no idea how she can actually go ahead and do that.

"We'll see. You just might need to prove to the world you are worthy of help."

"Don't you mean prove to you?"

"Not to me. You've already proven it to me." She gently places a hand on my sling. It almost felt like she wasn't touching me, but the presence was there. "But the crystal."

…What? What in the hell is she talking about!? What crystal?

The silence between us is comparable to a stare down in a library, just plain people moving around you in their own bubbles and words being held back in our throats in case we gave away the secrets we don't intend to spill. But at that point I've already lost as I've turned away from Meguro in case she sees the reaction my face went through, from questionable curiosity to horrified shock. Apparently this is what she expected as a response when she stands up and dusts the blades of grass that got on her cloak.

"How you will prove your worth is up to you. It does not have a definite will, but it will surely feel the results of your actions." Her words register a blank in my head as I stand up from the grass.

One of her hands reaches behind her right under the cloak and brings out this small object. It was covered in multiple layers of cloth and an oddly designed purple handle. She takes my hand and puts the strange object in my palm. It was light and felt familiar. Is it a weapon?

I look up to her, trying to understand what was happening and failing incredibly. "What do you mean by that? Why did you bring that up? What is this?"

Meguro only looks at me warmly as if she is trying to quell my curiosity. "You wanted help, I have brought help to you. It just comes down to how you choose to interpret the information you have now and introduce it to your plan of action. But that should be all for now." She sets up her hood and begins to walk away. "All I can hope for is that you are successful. Until then."

"Hey wait! I'm still talking to you, damn it! You can't just drop the mic like that and walk away! There's no mic to fucking drop! Hey!" People were starting to stare because of the unexpected profanity, but I could not care any less as I tried to get after her once I picked up Nero from my feet.

I picked up Nero into my hand and ignored the sling hanging off my arm, trying to run up at the elderly woman and stop her. She proved to be surprisingly faster than I imagined. It might be because of the people walking and running around I had to stop in order to not collide with everyone around me, which made it harder for me to reach her. My hand desperately attempted to catch her cloak, thinking that I can pull her to a stop, but it seemed that the wind sided with her as it fluttered away from my fingertips as she increased the distance between us faster than I thought was possible for someone her age.

Before I knew it, she vanished in between the passing crowds near the entrance of the park in front of me. I tried looking around, away from the sudden crowd that formed and could find no trace of her. I cannot believe it. She managed to leave me in a closed room and in an open area as well. I stomp my foot at the ground in frustration as I let my anger stir. Nero could tweet all he wants in the sling but his untranslatable words were no comfort to me.

It is just as I feared. Meguro may have answered my questions, but her constant need to be vague and unbelievable ability to provide more questions as she answered them made it all the more frustrating. Now there's nothing I can't do about it unless she appears beside me to provide more context for them. My head could not help but turn to both of my sides in case she was there. It was all for nothing as all I could see are random people walking in and out of the park, passing me to get to their preferred destinations.

All I have now are vague answers that I need to interpret, her suggestion, possibly to mess with my head or a genuine way to hold my hand at this mystery she left on my lap.

How to interpret the crystal's will and impress it? How in the world can I do that? That sounds clearly insane. Where do I even begin? There's also the question if she knows I'm not from here or not. That's an easier question to answer, but it'll take her appearing and getting her to talk to have that answered.

Something touched my shoulder and I could have sworn I left my mortal body for a few seconds.

"Blake?" Standing behind me was Alyssa. There was something in how she stood made me think she was tired. Of what, I could only guess. "You're very twitchy right now. Something's not right."

I tried to shake off the surprise and get myself presentable, hiding the item Meguro gave me by placing it in my pocket. Forget about what Meguro said for a few minutes and analyze it later.

"The reason why I'm twitchy is you caught me off-guard. Hard to see you coming when I'm deep in thought and surrounded." I insisted, brushing off the last of grass on my back. As I was inspecting my clothes, I see her look over her shoulder when I notice a red-attired foreigner from a rainy city standing there like a guardian angel. "What is she doing here?" I asked Alyssa.

"Leaving, actually." Freya answered for herself. "If you were aware, panic was in the air after our brief exchange with some monsters in the street."

Wait hold on. Did I hear that right? "Monsters?"

- Alyssa -

Just a few minutes ago…

You know what would make this whole thing better? A parade.

Not that I decided then and there that the city should have a parade. I wouldn't know how to organize one if someone asked me to. But the city surprisingly made an impromptu one when I heard some of the children call their parents to see the animals in the parade. Since I didn't know there was one, I thought I should go and check it out.

And what do you know, it looked like a parade but it was more of transporting that somehow people enjoyed like a parade. Monsters locked in cages were rolled through the street by adult chocobos, guardsmen armed with lances and swords stood by each cage politely telling the residents to move to the side and let their entourage of soon-to-be prey for the hunters in the Festival. The monsters growled and roared and snarled at the human and animal population looking at them, scaring some of the kids and surprised adults, but majority were staring in awe at the captive beasts.

It was interesting to watch, but it's the first minute that you need to see because it doesn't get that much different afterwards. Once people gather around to see the mean monsters locked up, you soak it in and move on. The monsters just roar and growl, but not much else aside from those. Sure there's like two or three that get testy and act up in their little space, yet there's nothing it can do but hit, scratch and bite the bars.

I shrug and enjoy what I see and thought that would be the end of it. I hear a bunch of metal clanging against each other. "No sign of the princess- What are they doing showcasing monsters like a bunch of variety floats!?"

"I dunno what the harm is. This just how they transport them, I guess?" I tried to make a reason. Steiner might be right on some level though.

"Nonetheless, they should be hurrying more than this casual pace they are on." He said a bit too loudly, the guards doing their jobs not appreciating the added criticism.

"C'mon Steiner, let's look by the gazeebos. Maybe Dagger's relaxing there or something." I said as I tried to lead the knight away from getting the guards ticked off at him for slinging unwanted critiques and back to his 'mission'.

What got him to plant his feet down into the grass and dirt was when he heard a few people gasp.

He was looking at one of the cages at the back and it looked like the trio of Fangs they managed to lock in a single box were getting very rowdy to the point of biting and scratching at each other. The force of their attacks on each other played against the size of the box containing them, so picture the faces of the citizens watching that the wheeled cage is rocking back and forth. Everyone who wasn't armed was being told to get away from the cage as they tried to contain the monsters by clanging against the bars and hitting them with the blunt side of the their weapons.

That didn't prove to be enough as it pissed off the monsters even more. The Fangs then directed their anger from each other to the stick whacking them. They probably thought it would work since they did it, but there was something wrong about the Fangs when they looked at the guard hitting them. One of the Fangs blinked and I could've sworn it had something bright green in its eyes before it charged the bars.

In one pounce, one of them caught the lance of the offending guardsman and wouldn't let him go. The others kept pouncing against the bars, the force of their attack against it caused the wheeled cage to teeter to the side on two of its wheels. The guard realized what was happening and tried to escape, but was too late when the cage leaned too far and fell down on his back.

The civilians nearby moving away from the street as more of the guards moved in. Steiner jumped the fence dividing the park and the parade to assist. However, they didn't really pay attention to the ruckus caused by this one cage to the others. It's like it awakened the others. A lot of barking and roaring filled the street and it gave me this bad feeling in my gut, the noises starting to scare the chocobos pulling the parade.

Instinctively, I tried feeling for my sword at my hip, then I realized I left it at the inn thinking my rest day wouldn't involve possibly fighting monsters in a busy street. Annoyed of my current circumstances, I hopped the fence to join Steiner in helping with the man under the cage. The fall bent some of the bars out of their straight positions and this sight of loose openings made the Fangs desperate to force their way through. With how close the guards helping the wounded guy out, they might be in danger of getting attacked.

"Come on and pick up the pace! Lift like your lives depend on it!" Steiner shouted at the guards as they concentrated their efforts at lifting part of the cage. They heaved and managed to start pulling out the guy. His legs were scratched up by the Fang and I'm not sure about his back, but at least he's alive.

Finally the Fangs managed to squeeze through the bars and immediately went for the closest person's shoulder. The attack, as well as the pained scream of their comrade, caused the lifting guards to seize up. The brief distraction made them drop the edge of the cage back on their buddy and sent some of them down to the dirt. Steiner had his hands caught and struggled to lift it alone with the scrambled attention of the guards around him.

Just as another Fang joined its monster buddy in the street, the other parts of Lindblum's forces tasked with handling the monsters tried to quell the unleashed beasts. Unfortunately that combined with making sure the other cages don't rattle enough to free more monsters, calming their chocobos, and ensuring the safety of the civilians proved that their numbers weren't enough to help Steiner. So I did the only reasonable thing I had in mind.

I ran to Steiner and took his sword just in time to stop the other Fang from getting to him. The monster's mouth was filled with steel, biting down on the weapon keeping it from getting its claws and fangs on me and Steiner's back. I struggled a bit against the captain's armor in trying to adjust my stance, but a helpful nudge from the knight gave me the boost to kick away the Fang. It landed against the other one, freeing the guard fighting it off so he can seek his weapon and fight back.

"Sorry, I hope I can borrow this for a while." I apologize to him over my shoulder as I adjust my grip on his broadsword. Again, the sword was heavier than the one I had in the inn. Why do the knights in Alexandria carry heavier weaponry anyway?

"Are you sure you will be fine on your own, Miss Forsyth?" He responded with a grunt. There's other guards around, but they're making sure the public don't get hurt and that other monsters don't get loose. The guy who was initially attacked looked like he was not able to fight, but at least he got away before any major damage happened to him.

As if to make things worse, the chocobos were sent into a panic and the cage tied to them started to veer away from the road and collided with the corner of a building when both of them tried to run in two different directions. The large birds were jerked back and down to the ground due to the force. This gave the three Mus in them a way out through the loosened bars and an easy pair of prey to feast on.

The Lindblum guards in charge of them gathered and tried to contain them in their own fight away from us. It looked like they had that in lockdown for a while, but I need to focus on the two in front of me. While Steiner and the others are trying to get the guy under the cage out, I'll just have to put these Fangs down or hold out long enough for the others to be in the okay and give me a hand.

"I hope I am." I reply, keeping track of both monsters in front of me.

Both of the Fangs pounced at the same time. Blocking both would only result in me getting hurt so I rolled to the side and put up my sword defensively in case they followed up. When they didn't, I went on the attack with an overhead smash with the blunt side of the sword. It connected with the back of a Fang, but it was heavy and going for another attack took half a second to adjust, but it was enough for the other Fang to jump in with its claws. With no other item to use defensively, I pulled the sword up as fast as I can to block, only for my forearms to catch most of the damage.

Jenny was going to ask a lot of questions why her employee has cut on her arms and her newly-bought clothes. I set the thought of her curiosity and the pain of the marks on my arms starting to drip with blood aside as I tried to counterattack. A direct stab made both Fangs move away, but one of them went for another claw cut at me and didn't expect me to redirect my footing so I could spin in a circle, extending the blade with a long circle slash.

The Fang was sent rolling back, its attempt at getting back was met with stumbling and shaking its head as blood ran down its face. I think I managed to nick it in the eye, seeing as one of them was closed and bloody. The other tried to avenge it fellow escapee by running at me with its mouth open. Once I again I put the sword between me and it, and this time it wants me more than the last time as it pushed it with all its might. I tried pushing the edge of the sword into its jaw. It worked and cut through its skin until I hit bone, but it proved resilient when it roared through the sword and bit at me, only covering the sword with more of its blood and further injuring itself, while desperately pawing at me with its front legs.

I had an idea on how to get away and it involved a bit of rolling, and I was stopped from doing so when I saw the other black-furred beast starting to charge at me. My mind tried to thinking of another way of getting both of them down, but I guess I wasn't thinking fast enough that it already was in the air, its jaws wide open to take a chunk out of my body.

Suddenly something collided with it in midair and a second later found itself solidly planted into the ground. It took me a second to realize that a spear from the heavens had saved my life. Then someone in red landed beside it to retrieve their weapon from the dead body of the beast.

"You can finish off that one at your pace." Freya turned and spoke to me.

Snapping me out of my shock, I turn back to the Fang in front of me, grip my sword with both hands and use the monster's force against it by rolling backwards and keeping the sword in its mouth. We completed the roll and I managed to find myself on top of it. Then I plant my elbow between its eyes, a wild yelp leaving its injured mouth, and I got the sword against where its throat should be and cut it. The Fang convulsed momentarily before lying limp with blood gathering on the floor. I stand before it could dirty Steiner's sword any more, shaking a bit after seeing the life of the Fang drain away from its eyes. I know it's still a monster, but maybe I should've picked a less brutal way to beat it.

"Thanks for covering me." I call out to Freya, my voice a bit shaky. She used the fur of the dead Fang to wipe off the blood it had on the blade. "Your aim…Wow!"

She nodded as she walked towards me. "You're welcome. The Dragon Knights of Burmecia are trained in the arts of spear-wielding, whether it may be on land or in the air. Our effectiveness is only sharpened by dedication to our training. You were not bad yourself."

I swallow and calm down a bit from her compliment. "Could be better if I had my sword. I didn't really think I'd need to fight today."

With one more collective grunting and heaving, Steiner and the merry band of Lindblum's finest finally got their friend out of the hot zone and carried him to the nearest medical facility. The other group managed to keep the Mus at bay and under control without having to kill them. Guess they're better at this than I am if they can do that. Obviously they are. Though looking back at the Fangs, I can't help but feel I missed something.

A scream echoed in the air from the park and my head turned to it. In the distance, people were running away from a loose Fang, the third one from the same cage the first two was from. I kept my hold on Steiner's sword as I jumped the fence and ran towards it, shouting at everyone to keep away from it.

It stopped and threateningly growled at this older lady. She backed up one step and it followed her with two of its own. My shout got them to look at me, the Fang shooting me a dangerous glare as I interrupted it from picking out its meal. Freya and Steiner stopped beside me when the Fang barked before rushing us, not understanding that it's outnumbered. Freya stepped up and spun her spear above her and brought it down with precision right on its head, flooring the wild beast.

"Leave this to us. Please escort this woman away from the violence." Steiner asked of me as he took back his sword. I agreed and ran around the fight to get the elderly woman away by the hand, not dragging her behind me but gingerly directing her to safety.

"I can't thank you enough for saving an old lady like me." When we were away and safe, she could only give me this warm smile as she held my hand with both of hers as I make sure that she's alright. No bites or claw marks on her clothes, which was weird that it looked almost as old as her, no offense to her look though. How she managed to follow me without tripping proved she might be more active than the usual older person.

I shook my head and return the smile. "It's fine, ma'am. Everyone has their duty. I just thought it'd be nice to help out."

I didn't have to look over my shoulder to see that both the Burmecian and Alexandrian worked together effectively as they didn't let the Fang move in an inch as they systematically beat it. No one probably could've imagined both of their home countries waging war with each other in a couple of days. Anyone watching them would've been impressed if they weren't scared and going to a safer place from the park and the street where the monsters came from.

She starts digging around her pocket. "Here. Please take this as a token of my gratitude." Eventually she pulled out this thick necklace made of stainless metal with a purple jewel as its centerpiece. She gently gathered it in her palm, gave it one more look before extending her hand to me.

"I can't take this. Please, you don't really need give me anything..."

The lady held my hand and placed the necklace in my palm. "I certainly insist. This was a gift long ago I received from aiding an old friend. Now I pass it on to you and hope it protects you as it did me."

I saw how she looked up at me and how thankful her eyes seemed. As someone who didn't know what was gonna happen at that street, I guess I understand how she feels to have someone be there for her. Finally I let her close my hand around the necklace in it and allow her to let go of it, patting it one last time before stepping back. She seemed to brighten, her eyes seemed to widen with happiness after I accept it.

"Thanks..." I say as I examine the necklace. It was light to the touch except for the jewel, which felt as heavy as a small pebble. The whole thing was beautiful, making me wonder why she'd part with it, but I guess she's sentimental enough to pass it along like her old friend.

The whole monster commotion was finally put to rest when more of the city's guardsmen came in to control the unsettled chocobos and hostile monsters. One of them didn't look like he could swing a mace around, but whatever he sprayed at those monsters made them go from very agitated to very docile in a matter of minutes. All of them were lying on the floor, staring into the distance which made for an easier escorting experience. Thankfully none of the civilians in the park or in the street weren't hurt, only the two guards caught off-guard at the beginning were injured and brought to nearest hospital.

We were thanked by the guards for our efforts. They didn't seem bothered that we killed those monsters. Heck, they were almost glad to be rid of one pack of Fangs to carry back to where they're storing these things for the Festival. Glad we're not getting scolded for killing the event's prey and partially ruining the Festival. Once everything was under control again, things seemed to have went back to normal. People were still tense as the "parade" started to leave the area, but at least there weren't any monsters on the loose anymore. Well, until the actual Festival, that is.

"You handled yourself well there." Freya observed once her, Steiner, and I were alone.

I rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment. Who knew I'd be getting praise from one of Burmecia's best? "Well, I could've panicked like the rest, but Steiner was having a tough time getting that cage of that guy. Might as well stop the Fang from getting to him before things got worse."

"She is more capable than she looks, which I can attest to witnessing first-hand on our initial meeting." You too, Steiner? This day just keeps getting better and better.

"Aw, you're making me blush, guys! I was just trying my best. I couldn't have gotten out there without a scratch if Freya didn't jump in. Literally."

"One of the many virtues my dragon knight brethren have lived to personify is help when and where you can. Most of them are duty-bound to this belief. I would like to believe that I can embody such a virtue myself. If we fail, all we can hope is inspire those around us." There was a proud note in her voice as she spoke about her fellow dragon knights while I stared at her in awe. I guess the titles may be different but they still function to be these people you can look up to.

All I managed in response was a weak but still amazed, "Wow..."

"Nonetheless, you're good with a sword. Have you thought of giving the Festival of the Hunt a try?" Freya rested her spear on her shoulder as she presented me with a thought.

"Well... I'm not really in the competitive field of killing..." Besides, I really think there are more people who's fit to be in the Festival than me. I wouldn't want to take a spot from someone who wants it more. My answer before was I'd only get in the way of more competitive people who want to be known as the better hunter.

Freya nodded understandingly, but continued to speak. "Yes, it is a competition for most, like me. Although there are some who use this opportunity to hone their skills, to build upon the foundation of their abilities and improve. I see potential in you and it would be a waste if you let it flounder without any significant training. And besides, there are no limits in entrants in the Festival."

A lot of good points, can't argue with her since she's the one with a hell of a lot of fighting experience over me, but it's something for me to think about. Nothing's really stopping me from going in art this point after knowing there's no limit.

Okay, there's still something I would have to keep in mind. One, the monsters will really kill if they get the chance. There's no load game option to save me from failing. All I can do is rely on my own skills and items if I do choose to enter. It's every person for themselves in the Festival, the individual with the most points win.

"I'll think about it."

The Alexandrian knight gave our surroundings a sweep and sighed with relief. "Now that everything is back to normal, I must say I'm glad I did not see the princess in this area."

There was a brief, subtle tilt in Freya's head when she heard that. "Princess?"

"Uh...it's a long story." I stammered, not sure if I had Steiner's permission of honestly answering that or not. "Maybe we should head back and check with the others. Meet back here in a few minutes?"

Steiner nodded and directed his attention to where Vivi was, saying he was a bit worried that his master might've noticed the panic in the park. Freya accompanied me to where Blake was. Not that I didn't mind her being around. I just thought she had important places to be. Her reason for sticking around was that I was still shaking a bit from the adrenaline. Guess the sharp aim goes well with sharp observations.

Something from what she said earlier stuck in my mind. We've been quiet on the walk there so I thought it'd be nice fill the silence with a brief question and some of her thoughts.

"Hey, there's something you said earlier. About dragon knights being duty-bound to help." I paused briefly just to make sure Freya heard me, her hum acknowledging my statement. "Do you guys travel the world and do that stuff wherever you go?"

"Some of us do, but the majority of us stay in our homeland to serve our land and king." She responds proudly.

"...So you're saying that those who traveled the world have done a lot of positive stuff in the world? Like help those in need, protect the weak, and whatnot."

A nod follows her next answer. "I'm confident they have. Whether it may be big or small, they have contributed their best efforts and intentions. I know of one who is still traveling and I would like to believe that he is still out there doing what he can with his abilities. Though I pray he comes home unscathed."

Ah yes, Sir Fratley. That…uh…gonna be a painful topic in the future. But she sounded hopeful right now. "Sorry if I'm being too question-y about your culture, but I was just wondering, hypothetical scenario, don't need to be a serious answer, but if you know that this place is in danger in the future and you can aid them now at a great risk, would you still go there and help out?"

"Without a question, I will still offer aid." She replied in an instant. "Personally, the risk does not matter if the results end in the positive."

I stop for a moment to turn to the red-clad woman, somehow my investment in the hypothetical interested her enough to get an answer like that, "But what if there's a chance it ends in the negative?"

Her face was unreadable because of her hat tilted down. Even so I could feel how her dedication in her work carries through her voice. "Then that's a risk I'm willing to take."

I nod as I let her answer sink in. She's really the type to work as a knight for the people in need. I thank her for her answers, real ones and hypothetical, though it looked like she honestly didn't mind, as we continue through the park.

Only a minute of walking got us to the park's tiled section. Beautiful center fountain, sizeable gazeebos, and overall a nice place to hang out in like the rest of the park. He wasn't in the immediate area, which was a bit confusing since I know he'd rather be in a single place. It was hard trying to find Blake out of a moving crowd, yet it looked like Freya had something to go by as she homed in on a single direction.

"I can hear a young chocobo nearby." Freya picked up a noise I couldn't hear with all the people around us.

She leads me to one of the nearby exits where the word about the monster parade has just passed through leading to a lot of people moving away from the park. Might as well get to safety in case it happens, I hear some of them saying as we pass them. Not a bad idea to make sure they're safe. There's some of the city's guards patrolling the area now as a precaution.

The dragon knight tapped me on the shoulder, taking my attention away to point at the sidewalk just out of the park. Standing there looking left and right furiously was Blake. He looked tense and mad, his mouth was moving as if he was having one of his moments, with a faint kweh coming from his direction. His back had some grass on it and his sling wasn't worn on properly. He was probably relaxing before he went for a walk? I dunno.

I walked over to him and called his name. My hand was on his shoulder for just a second when he suddenly turned around, eyes a bit wide at the sight of me. He had something in his hand, something with a purple color he tried to hide behind him.

"You're very twitchy right now. Something's not right." I stated. He backed off a step and tried to fix himself, avoiding eye contact for a few seconds as he dusted off the grass and fixed his sling.

"The reason why I'm twitchy is you caught me off-guard. Hard to see you coming when I'm deep in thought and surrounded." His dismissal wasn't that believable after seeing his jumpy shock a few seconds ago. I could see Freya giving him her own look, which he caught the moment I glanced over my shoulder. "What is she doing here?"

"Leaving, actually." Freya answered, tapping her spear on the ground. "If you were aware, panic is in the air after our brief exchange with some monsters in the street."

"Monsters?" Complete confusion filled Blake's face.

We had to give him the long story short about the parade sailing by the street for the hunt, a complete thing I didn't expect to happen. As we told him what happened, he let it sink in for a moment before aiming this accusing glare at me, making things as tense as our introduction with Freya a few days ago. She noticed it too, but didn't exactly show that she did. I didn't know what I did to get that look. All I was doing was relaying what happened.

"So, what made the situation change?" The emphasis and the glare made the accusation more obvious. Somehow, someway, he thinks this might've been our—no, MY fault.

"As far as I could tell, the monsters just started acting erratically. After that, a brief time of chaos in the street." Freya responded with what she and I saw before everything happened. He didn't appear satisfied with the answer, but from everything that's happened between us he's not all that pleased with everything.

"Well whatever. At least it didn't go for too long. All's well that ends well, I guess." He shrugged, walking past the two of us accompanied by Nero's chirps in his sling.

"Hopefully that will be the only unexpected fun this town gets until the actual event." Freya addressed the thought everyone had regarding this whole thing.

"Yeah, hopefully." Blake repeats with another look at me. With a breath he changes tracks and smiles. "Thanks for looking out for my friend here. Sometimes she jumps before looking. A pretty dangerous habit, if I do say so myself. I, on the other hand, have to leave and go sleep off this stress. No need to cut your 'day off' short on my expense." He didn't even wait for another word out of us as he turned around, waved, and left for the aircab station.

Freya could only shake her head at Blake's attitude. I couldn't help but agree and pinch the bridge of my nose a bit. He's not the one who fought off two Fangs and rescued this old lady today. I should be the one who should sleep off stress. Also, I didn't need his glares and looks too! That whole parade thing wasn't my fault. Well, not that I know anyway since I've yet to find any connection to what we've done so far to it happening.

Except the Fang having green eyes for a second. That was suspicious.

Now that I've made sure Blake is okay, Freya had accompanied me enough. I thanked her for her time and for her help again and she accepted my kind words with a single nod before leaving. Her reason? "To train for the Festival," she said before jumping off to where her training is happening. She soared in the air with a grace only a dragon knight in this world can have.

I met up with Steiner and Vivi afterwards. The black mage wondered what the commotion was earlier, but didn't actively chase it when he was distracted by this family of swans gliding through the pond. He said they all looked very pretty and watched them as an elderly hippo couple feed them bread. Steiner had to end his princess search and relented that she might still be back in the Grand Castle.

"Do you have another place you want to visit, Alyssa?" Vivi asked me.

I shook my head. "I think that's enough sightseeing for me, Vivi. Might use this time to relax and get some dinner."

"We've taken in enough of Lindblum culture from what we've seen and done today." Steiner felt pleased with his experience despite not finding Dagger.

The three of us then took the aircab back to our respective rest places, the Grand Castle for them and the Business District for me. I waved them goodbye for now as the aircab started moving and picking up speed to its next stop.

"Note to self, always carry sword."

-FF FF FF-

Something in the air felt like things didn't go back to normal after that parade in the park. Sure the air feels a bit electric with all the excitement for the Festival of the Hunt. There's been an increase of visitors from the neighboring cities in town, along with more people coming by Endless Color and Jenny pushing for more aggressive marketing. The Business District's basically bustling with potential customers left and right and I'm sure the next few days are going to be good for every business in town until the Festival finishes.

That doesn't mean things can't be on the bad side of not being normal.

Normally I'd be focusing on doing my (part-time) job to get people to come and see what Endless Color has in stock by parading in Jenny's chosen outfits like a mascot. But what Freya said back then in the park, about her duty and my skills, it kept coming back to mind whenever I'd have a calm moment like right now when I'm travelling to the Industrial District via aricab. I do appreciate her compliments about my fighting ability, bolsters my confidence in it since not a lot of my friends appreciate self-defense, armed or not, and the basic fact that only enthusiasts care about swords back in Earth. She even went on to say I should try out in Lindblum's annual exclusive event.

It's hard not to think about joining in on it since almost everyone in town is talking about it. Zidane's excited about it for personal reasons, Freya wants to test her skill, and a lot of people want to prove themselves in it. Thinking about being part of the festivities like that with monsters roaming every corner in a contest of pride and ability is kinda nerve-wracking. Yet she's not wrong.

I'm not worried about that. It's just that I don't know if I should.

What I'm actually worried about is Blake. He's just been all over the place since we got here, acting up and being unnecessarily testy with me and Freya. I can believe that meeting people in the mood he is right now isn't really the best time. They probably just don't seem to mix together all that well if that first meeting's going to show something. I just hope he'll be fine and back to his kinda annoying and weird, normal self when things start picking up again.

An announcement by the aircab driver that we've arrived in the Industrial District gets my attention. A lot of workers shifting out were waiting at the platform patiently for those stepping out. I join those disembarking and step to the side, trying to get my outfit straightened out. There's a bunch of guys getting on the aircab passing a glance at me, causing me to sigh. It's not every day they see a girl with a hat and poncho straight out of a spaghetti western (that I'm okay with), a normal set of gloves, boots, and button-up shirt, but the short shorts and chaps were the eye pleasers (and the part of this outfit I can do without, thank you very much).

"If you like, maybe you can go to Endless Color for more variety in hunting outfits." I suggest to them, throwing in a wink as well- hoping it would be passable enough to please the Jenny in my head (curse her for making me wear this).

Ignoring the comments of the other men there, I left as the aircab started to drive it way out of the platform. My annoyance distracted me enough that I didn't notice this person wearing a white hood when I finished walking up the stairs, causing in a little collision that thankfully didn't end up in both of us on the floor. We were both apologizing at the same time that I didn't notice anything off about this person, but they did when they looked up at me.

"Alyssa?" A familiar tone of royalty came out of the hood. There were only two people I knew who were in line with royalty and one of them wasn't as small as this girl.

"Dagger?" Her pulling down her hood only confirmed my guess. We were happy to see each other out of the castle, but I couldn't help but wonder where her rusty bodyguard was.

"I hope you can keep this as our little secret. Steiner has been trying to relax and I know he can't relax when constantly keeps an eye on me. So I snuck out, as one might say." She explained her presence here in a bit of a whisper.

"Guess it was only a matter of time that he'd drive you crazy in that castle." I joked. "Also, props to consistency." I help straighten out her hood. We share a good chuckle for a bit before moving over to somewhere we can stand without blocking everyone's way.

I ask her how she's been during her stay in the Grand Castle. Dagger shared how good it was to be in the company of people she loves, how comforting it is to be around her uncles as busy as they are with the upcoming city-wide event. That was one of the reasons why she was out here today. She'd already taken a lot of their time, she believed so anyway, during the past week so now she is stepping aside for them to focus on the Lindblum and their various responsibilities.

Aside from that, I asked if she's had any notable experiences while we were here. There was a noticeable pause between us with a hint of a smile across of her lips. Can't help but think of that thief we both know. He was working his magic as usual, but Dagger was not the type to admit so she vaguely answered but specifically mentioned a desire to visit the Theatre District.

"Well I think you might have a hard time getting in the theater itself since the city's most famous actor has fangirls always blocking the way." I said as leaned on the wall to get in the shade the wall offered and away from the sun's brightness.

"Darn. I would have enjoyed experiencing what a play in development looks like from the inside." She huffed as she joined me in the shade, leaning on her arms and hands against her back.

"I'm sure if you say that you're the princess of Alexandria they'd instantly part like the Red Sea and present the way."

"What do you mean by 'part like the Red Sea'?" Her head tilted to her right when she asked me. I slap myself mentally when I realized what I had said.

"Sorry! Figure of speech!" I waved the question off, trying to get past it as fast as I can. "I mean disperse! Unblock the way, um, step aside, you know." Thinking about it, Red Sea was kinda appropriate with all the fangirls being there. God now that's a dumb mistake and an even dumber joke!

The princess nodded once I was done explaining in a panic. "It shouldn't be necessary for me to use my title like that. I, for one, loathe the use of rank and title as an advantage."

Well that's something I can admire in her. Something else I can admire her for is her knowledge of plays. I haven't really went out of my way to see one, but a friend of mine took me to LES MISERABLE once a year ago in the summer. It was awesome. Dagger listed a lot of plays she has seen like Sins of the father, The Devil's Tears in Purgatory, Long Lost Sailor, Road to Nowhere, A Duelist's Fire, and The Lawful, The Chaotic, and The Hideous were the ones I manage to catch, but let me tell you her list is way too long for someone her age.

"That's sure a lot..." I commented. Thank God she wasn't interested in novels. If she liked novels as much as she did plays then we might be here all day sharing stories about them.

"Majority of the plays I have seen are tragic. Doomed love, forbidden romances, and the like often appear to be major themes in them. I do, however, like to see ones where love triumphs all, where the heroes rise to the occasion and ends on a happy note.

"Don't we all in general." I say, nodding in agreement. There's always an audience who loves to see that kind of stuff. Ending with happy endings seem to resonate with audiences faster than the tragic ones.

"I wish I could say the same for my country." She hangs her head as I hear this from her. "All I can hope all is well with mother."

"Hey, things'll work out. They always do." I tried to assure her, but that wasn't true at all. Still, I offered a hand on her shoulder, silently telling her it will be alright. But would it…?

"We're in a dangerous world right now and we know what's going to happen to it."

I understand that. All I know is that everything is still on course to get worse and honestly telling her that wouldn't cheer her up, yet there's still something I can do about it. 'Can' and 'will' are two different things though. And if I even think about it there's this thought that guiding them by using what we know or changing parts of the story will have unpredictable changes, that it might render our efforts to naught.

"Don't you understand? There are consequences, big and possibly fatal consequences, if we try to play hero out there."

It wouldn't be 'playing' hero if there are actual lives on the line. We might not belong to this world, but their lives still matter to someone here and that's enough for me to know that they all matter. Sure it's reckless to depend on the change we cause, but didn't we used to live in a world where the future's uncertain. There are a lot of people out there who would still think of the same things I do and also want to change things for the better. We only fear change because of the future we'll no longer see what's ahead of us.

"Those are mistakes…I don't plan on making more."

Change involves risk and playing that risk means we understand the result of our actions. Blake argued that we're only alive because of what we know, that once that's gone we're gonna be easy pickings. I don't want to believe that.

"Dagger," I finally speak. "If you had the power to make things better, even if it's just a little bit, would you do it?"

She looks up at me with curious surprise. Once the question sinks in she nods, that resolve I saw in Freya also rang through her voice. "Absolutely. I am hopeful for bright future like most people. But the journey there would perhaps prove perilous."

"Nothing's always easy." I agreed.

"What made you ask that?"

I shrugged and tried to smile. "Just a hypothetical question." I pause for a second to bask in the bright sunlight of the day. "If you're wondering what my answer is to that, if it's the right thing to do, I'll do it too."

Blake may believe that lending our knowledge would be a major risk, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. Well if we come and find out that it was a mistake then I'll accept it. I knew the risks and I still went through with it because I believed it's a right thing to do. Besides, waiting for a way to bring us back home isn't really doing us any favors. Maybe changing things up would give provide us some opportunities to find out how and why we're here.

I guess the only thing I need to figure out is how to do this without giving myself away. I'm not ready to reveal where I'm really from just yet.

"You know, there's someone there I know and I might be able to help getting you in and see what a play in the works looks like." I nudge her a bit, remembering that this girl likes plays while trying to lighten up the mood.

She did lighten up, but became hesitant a second later. "I hope that is not Zidane you are talking about." I shake my head with a smile.

"Nah. It's someone you wouldn't expect."

I was about to take her to the Theatre District so we can speak with this guy I was hinting at, but I stopped when I saw that very person walking up the stairs from the aircab platform. He looked down on his sling and spoke to the black-feathered chocobo in his sling before walking off to who-knows-where.

"Was that Blake?" I hear Dagger ask by my shoulder. I nod and prompts her to ask another question. "Why is he here?"

"Let's find out then." I tell the princess, waiting for Blake to get deeper into the street past the plaza, but not enough to lose him, before getting on his trail.

He entered a street that had a lot of factory buildings set side by side with each other. I didn't bother looking at what kind of factory they were or what they were making since I kept my eyes glued on the injured teenager who is supposedly working at the theater right now. Maybe it was his break time? If that's the case then why is he out here? I'm sure there are better places to spend 20 minutes of free time in.

It looked like he reached his destination when he stopped by a door on the left side of the street. Said door was part of a factory, details on what kind was scarce since Dagger and I hid in an alley to keep an eye on Blake but didn't have a view into the building. The person who answered the door was massive and he looked down on my friend with a scowl. Blake reached into his pocket and handed something to him, which made the doorman's face lighten up with his eyebrows still knitted together before he closed the door.

The black-haired 'salesman' looked around the crowd behind him, then left and right, as if to make sure he wasn't being followed. Is he taking part in espionage? Sure he was a bit paranoid when he moved out of the castle, but this was a kinda too much. Plus, how did this fit in with his work anyway?

My questions seemed to pile on when the same doorman came back out and this time handed Blake a bag. A big one at that. He tried to open it in one hand, only to struggle with it and had to put it down to examine the contents. That was when Nero became like a kid in a grocery store as he jumped down from the sling, landed on the bag, and ran past the doorman's legs. Blake panicked and immediately went after his beloved pet, much to the chagrin of the burly man who made chased after the two inside.

"Any clue or guesses what that was about?" I turn to Dagger, who was already pondering possible reasons in her mind.

"Perhaps he was making another customer for his profession." She suggested. "He did mention this is hometown, then it would be right to assume that he is merely making an honest day's work." Something felt like this was not part of his 'honest day's work', but if he's going this far to sell his backstory then kudos to him.

Whatever he was doing here, it didn't feel right. Dagger was the one who suggested to catch him where he was working to surprise him, an idea she got from one of the plays she'd seen before, one that she said focused on a mystery. I'd be stupid to not take her up on her idea, so I suggested to take the next aircab to the Theatre District, sidestepping some of her questions on how I knew he'd be there by saying he's been around there constantly for the past few days.

We only waited for a few minutes until Blake arrived there, only a full aircab ride separating our time of arrival between us. He bowed courteously to Dagger when he spotted us. Aw, no special greeting for me? Surprisingly, he didn't have that mystery bag he had earlier, only that item satchel hanging off his shoulder.

"Where you'd been? We've been looking all over for you!" I asked as I waved for him to come closer.

"Lunch break," was his simple excuse. Could be true, but he sure wasn't spending that time eating.

"And where did you go to eat for your break?" It was Dagger's turn to question him.

He quirked an eyebrow at the both of us but couldn't help grin. "There is this small family place by the station in the Residential District. 'Right on Track' was the name of the place. Pretty quaint, affordable, and delectable. You should try it sometime when you're not hiding out in the Grand Castle. Heard the guy in charge was Alexandrian until he married. He might like a visit from the princess one of these days."

I could see Dagger trying to discern what could be lies from his statement, but this is Blake. He covers his tracks like his backstories, makes sure that no one would ask any more questions about them. It was clear we weren't getting anything out of him, as clear as his belief in change. What he wants is what he gets.

The sling-wearing teenager then changed tracks by suggesting he show Dagger around in the theater, obviously trying to steer her attention away from the important questions. She looked at me, hoping I'd have any more ideas to get him to spill the beans. Again, he's tight-lipped until he wants to be, so I just shrug and basically tell her to have fun with a nod.

He might think he's in charge of this whole 'being from a different reality/dimension' and doesn't take suggestions from anyone else involved (and I'm the only one involved with him in this), but not this time. It's time to share the responsibility and I want to make life better here in Gaia. This is bigger than just us

Figuring out how to do that may need some thinking.

I hear someone whistling a tune around me and notice this little girl skipping over to this cylindrical shape in the corner. She opens is and drops this letter in it.

Lightbulb!

- FF FF FF -

The day has finally come.

I examined the light-colored envelope in my hands, huge capital letters spelling out 'URGENT' on the back side, making sure that it's sealed properly so the letter inside wouldn't drop out and get whisked away by the wind. After pouring out my thoughts in one sheet of paper and trying to get all the important details down and then condensing all of them in an easily understandable explanation and lastly making sure it didn't give me away, I finally have this to help Lindblum and possibly Burmecia as well. I literally burned through a candle getting this done the other night and I had to read it the morning after to make sure it made sense.

Once I was done inspecting it, I reminded myself to find a good place for this letter as I gently put it in my satchel and walked into the Grand Castle.

The day I got the idea on how to do this was also the same day I decided to enter the Festival of the Hunt. I think it was the adrenaline after convincing myself how to get this letter out that got me brave enough to put my name into this annual competition. I don't really have anything to prove in this event, but I'm in it to prepare for the fighting that's soon to come afterwards. Not really aiming to win, doing well on the other hand is a goal.

Not dying is also a big goal. Don't want that to happen, especially when we're still so close to the beginning of the game's story.

One of the guards direct me to one of the castle's conference rooms where the rest of the participants were waiting with their plus ones encouraging them and pumping them up. A few of them near the door looked at me, scanning me for a second as if trying to gauge if I'd be a threat. Don't worry guys, just a casual entry!

To the right was Vivi talking with Dagger and Steiner. The princess of Alexandria was observing the room with concern, probably not hard for her since these people would be putting themselves in danger to bolster their pride and win their named prize. Steiner, on the other hand, was keeping idle conversation with the black mage beside him, who was wondering where a specific blond thief was.

I walk over to them while the air is filled with various conversations from the others.

"Man, I can't wait to get out there and kill monsters!"

"I must focus…"

"Here's hoping I don't choke unlike last year."

"Here's to another victory this year."

"Where's Zidane?"

"Please princess, you might actually enjoy it."

"...Okay."

There was quite the number of people in here for the Festival as they either tried to pass the time. Some of them were visibly shaking in anxiousness or they were pacing to keep their nerves in check or they were being silent and observing their competition, just like what Freya the Dragon Knight was doing in her side of the room. Most of the people here I saw while I toured the town in the behalf of Endless Color, busily preparing their things and making sure they had everything they needed.

"Hey Vivi," I greeted the black mage. He looked up to me and greeted me back, happy to see someone me. "You excited for the Festival?"

Vivi nodded, having to adjust his hat after doing so. "Yeah. I can't wait to see the animals!" well that answers the question if he's figured it out already. I guess I'll be the one to do so.

"Well, about that..." I was just about to tell him when the doors opened to reveal Zidane entering the room. The eyes of his fellow competitors fell on him momentarily at that particular moment, slightly interested, which his only reaction was to smile to himself, before they went back to doing their own thing. He eventually spotted us and made his towards us.

"Hey guys. Sorry I'm late." Zidane said. I could see Zidane and Dagger share a silent moment of eye contact with each. I bet he's still thinking of that airship cruise he promised Dagger and the fun they'd have. He grinned when his eyes turned to me. He barely looked surprised at my presence, probably expecting me all along to come. "See. I knew you'd come," he said with his hands on his hips along with a smile on his face.

"Freya got me to enter. She has her way with words. Besides, you were gonna enter me anyway!" Yeah, he was there when I entered for the Festival and was actually thinking about putting two other names there, the first one being mine, without our permission. Good thing I resolved to be part of it.

He rubbed the back of his head, Dagger giving him a sharp look. "Nah, what are you talking about? I wouldn't do such a thing. Anyway, you'll do great in there. You might even win if you focus."

"That's pretty optimistic of you." I've thought about it and the chances of me winning is pretty much the same as me winning the lottery. That needs a whole lot of luck, which is why I'm not thinking about winning.

Someone outside our little circle of conversation joined in when I felt someone walk up beside Zidane and I. "You sure took your time getting here." It's kinda hard to see who she was looking at with her white hair and part of her hat blocking my view of her eyes so I really couldn't tell.

"At least I'm here, aren't I?" Zidane grinned at the knight. Freya turned her head to me and Vivi, an actual sign of her looking at me. We exchanged nods before Zidane put his arm over Freya's shoulders, directing her attention to the two Alexandrians with us. "Oh yeah, you might've heard of these two."

"Yes, Princess Garnet till Alexandros XVII. Pleasure to finally meet you." She bowed to each of them while keeping her tone soft so the people around us wouldn't hear, while the two appreciated the gesture, despite Steiner keeping a glare at Zidane. "Captain Steiner, on the other hand, I've met during a little incident in the Residential District a few days ago."

Zidane was surprised to hear that, but shrugged it off a few seconds later after Steiner explained what happened.

You get that feeling that you want to cut the waiting time already and just get to do it? Yeah, well that's starting to get to me that I started hopping from one foot to the other to avoid thinking and just keep an empty mind. Just fight monsters, prepare for any actual fighting after this, and survive. Points aren't important, but it'd be nice to keep score just to see how I'd do.

"Nervous?" Freya was observing me, yet I couldn't help but nod. "Don't worry. By the time you start fighting the monsters, you will be running on adrenaline and all your worries will disappear. But do be careful. There have been casualties in this festival before." She advised.

"Gotcha. I'll take that to heart."

I felt someone nudging me by the shoulder and heard Zidane whisper, "Don't let her scare you. You'll do fine."

"It must have been irritating travelling with this guy and his constant harassment." I'm guessing she's talking about Zidane's penchant for hitting on girls.

"So far it's been subtle," I answered with a smile. But now that she's said it, Zidane's probably gonna go to the next level of flirting when Dagger's not around. I wonder how he manages to keep it in his pants through all of his adventures.

"I'll give you all support when I watch the entire thing," Dagger said, looking at me, Zidane and Vivi a determined look.

"Good luck, Master Vivi," Steiner bowed to the young black mage as he said this.

"Uh, thanks..?" Vivi managed to say, still a bit uncertain with the knight's worship of him and his power.

The door opened once again to welcome the other arriving participants. I would've finally told Vivi about the truth about the Festival when the new entrants caught my attention. There were two of them, an older man with a talkative guy walking beside him as they took a spot on the far left in the back.

First off, it looked like the older man didn't mind the ongoing one-sided conversation happening to his side, his straight, white hair reflecting his patience. A dull silver coat covered his body from the neck down to the toe with dark gloves and boots dressing his hands and feet. The way he walked made it seem like he was hovering off the air because of how he took each step. His eyes never left the floor as his head was tilted a bit to the ground, but despite that he moved like he's seeing perfectly. Something about him was familiar though.

I immediately noticed something about the second person. The man beside him had this confident grin on his face that didn't look too cocky but had this loose air about him. His hair is extremely dark and probably long without the tied ponytail behind his head. That wasn't it. I realized it when my eyes caught his attire. His jacket had the weird designs, the maroon color theme. From an angle, his boots had the striking dark green camouflage on them.

It was MJM from Dali!

The smell of chloroform and the unwelcome darkness of the underground facility in Dali came back into mind along with the image of Maroon Jacket Man. I don't know if this is the same guy or not, but I haven't seen boots of the same color since that day. Though I'm not sure if the same of kind of footwear is hard to come by or not. But this sense of familiarity that's sticking out of my mind is sending very bad vibes to my core.

"My, you look like you've seen a ghost."

And the surprises just keep on coming. We all turned to the source of the familiar voice.

"BLAKE!?"

Standing before us is the injured 'travelling salesman' with his splint, and black-feathered chocobo in his sling. But he wasn't dressed normally. Strapped over his button-up shirt was a metal chest piece while his left arm and legs were dressed in simple armor as well.

Please no more surprises...