An AU Kuja fic, shonen-ai, language
It was hard not to be eye-catching, Laro realized, when walking into town with an eight-foot tall insect two steps behind him. Trying to explain to the Selwe exactly why he wanted to leave him behind outside the city had been an exercise in futility however, so in they had come. Laro at least stood ready to defend himself from sudden screams of 'monster' and 'run!' While they got stares aplenty, the townspeople seemed remarkably calm about the whole thing. He stood in the middle of the small road leading its winding way through the wharves and warehouses towards the city, half waiting for the screaming to begin, and dared to let out a weak sigh of relief.
The explanation as to why nobody cared about the overgrown wasp pricing out their wares, he soon realized, was that they weren't entirely 'normal' themselves.
A five-foot-three stork in top hat and tails nodded cordially at him as it stepped past, a recent passenger from a rather handsome ship docked down the row. It ruffled its wings as it adjusted its grip on a satchel full of papers. Another man - no, a walrus – dressed in overalls was sitting atop a ladder adding a fresh coat of paint to a pair of cheerful green shutters outside his storehouse. A little walrus-girl in a sundress was playing with a kitten on wooden deck alongside the building. Laro tried not to gape. There were humans too, walking towards the city along with him, hauling goods, or just strolling among the animals as they went about their daily business. No one else seemed to find anything amiss with the giant-sized beasts walking and talking all around them. It was all terribly disorienting.
"Laro."
At least the surly whisper of a voice was familiar. He turned around to see what the bug wanted. "Yeah?"
"I'm hungry." It pointed at the melon that a very very pink-skinned /something/ was trying to sell them. "The creature demands equal trade. Give it something so I may have food?"
Having no idea what counted for currency in their strange new city, Laro dug out a bag full of random trinkets he had prepared just in case. His fingers closed on a random gaudy ring, donated to the task by the old duke, and held it out for inspection. The fruit stand's proprietor, who was /not/ a frog but something very like one, gave it a moment's thought before loading them up with three melons each and waving them off with a smile.
Laro tucked his bounty against his chest, envying the way his chills-inspiring ally could re-allocate one of his four 'legs' to act as a spare hand so he could hold two and still have a limb free to eat. The large mandibles bit through the melon's husk with ease. He looked away, not thrilled to be babysitting the alien to begin with, certainly not willing to kickback and enjoy eating lunch with it.
Every time he caught a glimpse of the bug out of the corner of his eye he had to remind himself to not frantically grab for his weapon. The mentor wasn't the same creature he had fought years ago, as far as he could tell. Certainly they looked similar enough, but this alien at least had a far 'younger' feel than any of the other Selwe Laro had met before.
Then again, it could be exactly the same bug, just new attitude. How the hell is anyone supposed to know?
At least the alien showed no sign of interest in trying to dissect him the minute his back was turned. Laro found, despite his best effort, he was beginning to relax in its presence. It was simply too much to deal with. He had enough to worry him just standing in line between a trio of mice decked out like pirates, and a badger in a housedress with a basket of squash. Laro was willing to let his bug-related paranoia drop, at least until they were safely home among familiar places and things.
Using his height to his advantage, Laro peered ahead, following the line of traffic into an ornate building. People seemed to be queuing up for something popular. Looking back proved his ally was still busy devouring his sugary breakfast. There would be no help from that direction for a while. It left him with few options. He mustered his courage and tapped one of the lanky mice on the shoulder. "Um excuse me. I'm new to the city, but is this the way into town?"
"Yes! Don't worry, we were lost too on our first visit! You just stick with us and we'll point you in the right direction." The rodent's laugh had a definite chatter to it. His whiskers twitched as he spoke. "We all go through that door and ride the free tram through the tunnel and right into the heart of the city. It's terribly convenient!"
Laro tried hard not to stare. One of the stockier mice hovering near by had a scar across his snout rather like his own. Something had slashed the gray-furred creature an impressive wound once. He kept his eyes on the taller mouse and smiled gratefully. "Thank you for your hospitality."
"Nothing to it."
The train ride was brilliant. Laro almost forgot the hassle of trying to convince first the gate attendant, and then the conductor that his bug was both sentient and harmless enough to allow to board. The Selwe looked a little miserable to be crammed into the narrow bench, but bore up with it with minimal grumbling. Laro was too delighted to care once they got underway. So busy watching the scenery flash by that he almost forgot to eat he absorbed the chatter from his companions while he tried to look at everything without being obvious about it. He hadn't ridden a train since he was a child, the last of them having long-ago been dissembled for parts or lack of use.
The smooth roll of wheels along the track only served to remind him of how much had been lost since the start of the war. At least now there was hope that they could someday get it back again. For that, and much more, everyone had Kuja to thank. It served to remind him why he was here. Laro watched as they pulled into a large station. He only got a brief impression of the regal looking wooden ceiling and polished stone floor as he fought to keep up with his unlikely guides as they dodged the crowds towards the exit. Staggering out into the sunshine, Laro was surrounded by two long rows of stone buildings on either side of the street; shop after shop displaying their wares in the windows for him to browse. The wide boulevard had little gardens in the center, and dozens of people strolling to and fro to complete their afternoon errands.
"Well here we are, friend. I hope you have a good time in the city." The leader of the three mice waved at him. "We're off to the tavern for a drink or we'd offer a tour. You really can't get lost though, just stick to the main roads and hop the trains whenever you like, they're all free, even with the reconstruction."
"Wait," Laro suddenly had a thought. "Before you go, where are we?"
"Why this is the Market district, can't you tell?" The cheerful creature pointed up the street, that way lies the old church, or the main industrial area which is well worth seeing if you never have. Head down the steps if you have some spare coin and want to catch an evening performance. Otherwise head back into the station and follow the signs for a tour of the castle's lower levels. If you're really lucky you might get to see one of the prototype dirigibles!"
Trying to digest the flurry of directions, Laro frowned. "But what city is this?"
This time his question got him a set of stares from his guides. "Strange sort of traveler if you can get to Lindblum and not even know you're there. This is the biggest city on the continent you know!"
"Probably the biggest city anywhere, since Cleyra was flattened." Another agreed.
Laro had no idea what they were talking about, and wasn't sure he wanted to ask. He tried to repeat the name to himself, but it had no meaning. Lindblum, it was certainly a giant city. Judging by the skyline his own modest capital could fit inside this tiered metropolis easily twice over. Looking uphill towards their tavern, and then downhill, he opted to explore the market first, wondering where he was supposed to start looking for a single man in a city of tens of thousands.
Somehow the humans seemed the most approachable, perhaps simply because they were the least alarming to look at. Choosing from among those available, he found a woman dressed in a rather exotic looking belled-dress, holding a parasol to ward off the sun as she walked her dog. Laro decided to try his luck. "Excuse me... I'm looking for someone..."
The woman walked past without ever bothering to acknowledge him. Laro frowned, knowing he didn't look his best after his unexpected swim but not accustomed to being completely snubbed. It took a moment to remember that he was a complete unknown in this city. He couldn't rely on any of his past reputation to help him. As far as the nobles shopping around him knew, he was just another drifter.
Deciding to aim a little lower in hopes of a warmer reception, he tried a cheerful woman taking a break outside a florist's shop. "Excuse me madam, do you know a man named Zidane?"
"Know Zidane? What is this, some sort of joke?" She laughed loudly and shook her head. "Go on, go hang out with the rest of your felonious friends down by the theater and stop trying to trick us poor shopkeepers into giving you freebies. Gratitude only goes so far you know!"
"But I was actually-" Laro sighed as the woman disappeared back into her store. Confused by her comments, he followed the paved road down several boulevards and came to a flight of stairs. The view from the top was lovely, roves and crisscrossing streets leading into the distance, and finally down again into the harbor. It would have been a long walk had he done it on foot.
In the distance he could hear the rattle of the tram as it whirred over and through the city. Artfully decorated with wood and brass, the car rumbled by on a track suspended above the street. Laro resisted the urge to stare at the amazing sight.
Signs at the bottom of the wide staircase proclaimed in faded gold paint that they were entering the theatre district. Laro thought several of the larger buildings along the street had the look of old performance halls, but it was hard to say which were still in business during the lull of late afternoon. Some were in obviously better repair than others. The large buildings were interspersed with some rather tumble-down looking apartments and rattier versions of the shops he had walked by before. All in all giving the area a rather softer, if more well-worn aspect than the carefully manicured streets one level up.
I think I've found my way onto the 'other' side of town.
Wandering down the walkway, he passed a set of neglected looking shops. A pair of child-sized ravens kicked a battered looking ball in one of the alleys. They stopped and stared as he and the Mentor strolled by.
It was strange to see that despite the wide variety of beasts and birds represented in the city, there was nothing remotely like the Selwe to be found. Laro couldn't help but be a little comforted by the fact. He wasn't sure how well he'd be able to cope with the sight of a small swarm of the mantis-like creatures sitting around one of the open-air cafés sipping coffee. He pushed the disturbing thought from his mind, noticing instead that they were approaching a broad porch on a particularly graffiti-covered old playhouse. The wide steps leading out and down to the street sported five or six young men dressed in an assortment of furs and homemade outfits. His first instinct was to call them thugs.
Suddenly wanting the vague assurance of an ally near by, he looked over his shoulder and sighed. The Mentor was half a block back, staring at a small girl skipping rope. She looked human enough, not as well-to-do as her neighbors several blocks away, but round faced and pigtailed, her little shoes clattering on the stones as she hopped up and down in steady rhythm. Laro wondered if he should be worried at the interest the bug was taking in her play, but the child didn't seem frightened, and the alien acted content to just watch, so he had decided it was probably safe enough. War crimes aside, he was learning that the Selwe seemed a race of nosey, grumbling, rules-obsessed, nitpickers with a mother-complex. It didn't make his memories any less disturbing, but it reminded him that the present was what it was, and the past might just be well enough left behind.
Motivated, Laro cleared his throat and tried the chubby-looking man on the lowest step. The young man sported a rather scraggly looking beard, and didn't seem to like being interrupted as he picked his teeth. Laro wasn't sure why he bothered, acting on instinct. Often times it was the less desirables' in a society who knew the most about what was going on. He was willing to take a chance that the trend held true even in this strange city. "Excuse me... Can you tell me if you know of someone by the name of Zidane?"
"'cuse me? What do I look like, stupid?" The man scratched his belly beneath where his too-short shirt cut off. "Everyone knows Zidane! He's like, famous and shit. Are you trying something funny or what?" Laro backed up a step as the man grabbed for a large hammer. Decidedly round around the middle or not, the man looked capable with the odd weapon. He didn't want to be taken by surprise by the business end of the mallet.
"I didn't mean to upset you. I didn't know he was famous."
"Where have you been living, ol'man, under a rock?" One of the others spoke up.
"Under the sea, more likely. Look, there's seaweed dangling out of his boot." The biggest of them spoke the softest, but Laro didn't mistake the tone for friendly. Glancing down he saw there was indeed still a sprig or two of the irritating beach-debris attached to his leg and plucked it off with a sigh.
The fat one resumed his chiding, "Everyone knows Zidane is famous! He's Zidane!" The man's chest puffed up in pride.
"He's Our Zidane, to be precise." The drawl from the young man with a leather bandana on the top step made Laro wish he was still in his army so he could chew the kid out for disrespect. It wouldn't do to piss of the locals. There were a lot more of them than there was of him. "Who are you, anyway? Your clothes look funny, and frankly, so do you."
He couldn't discipline them, but he could stare at them until the weakest of the bunch flinched. It was childishly satisfying in its way. "I am General Laro Nazer. I have come from a rather long way away, to find someone named Zidane. I'm assuming it's not a common name?"
"There's only one Zidane." The redhead with the bandanna agreed, chewing on a stalk of something as he considered his answer. "Well, to be fair, I'm sure there are a lot of young mothers naming their son's Zidane now, but those are just kids. You'll want the real thing I wager."
Success, after an afternoon of being snubbed and stared at was a welcome relief. At least the odd little group was willing to talk to him about Zidane, although he wasn't sure if he trusted them to be completely honest with him. "Please, where can I find him? My business is rather urgent."
"Is that your pet?" The young man ignored his question, pointing behind him and down the street. Laro turned, suddenly aware he had forgotten to baby-sit his alien. The giant insect now had the jump rope and was trying unsuccessfully to coordinate a 'hop' while various children watched. Frustrated, it shook out its wings and lifted itself a few feet off the ground with a loud droning noise in order to untangle its legs from the pink cord. The girl closest to the bug was blown backwards against her door with the strength of the downdraft.
"Oi!" Laro shouted to get the Selwe's attention. "Knock that off, you're too big to fly in these alleyways, you'll hurt someone!"
Somehow he must have been heard above the sound of wings because the Selwe settled back onto the paving stones, looking vaguely guilty as it handed the rope back to its owner. The little girl seemed more interested in the translucent membrane of the bug's wings than her toy. Laro waved at the insect to be sure he had its attention. "Come over here before you get into trouble."
"Sorry." The Mentor hissed as it shuffled over to join him. That seemed to impress the rogue's gallery more than anything he had tried yet. Laro felt vaguely vindicated at having the alien in tow.
"I don't think you can play that game with four legs anyway." He consoled the bug. It tilted its heart-shaped head to consider the problem, compound eyes revealing nothing of its thoughts. Turning back to the lounging crew on the steps, he tried again. "You said 'our Zidane', do you know him well?"
"Sure thing, mister, he grew up here." He watched the group exchange an amused look. "Bastard doesn't here anymore though. Could be anywhere."
Pointing at his chest with his thumb, their de facto leader finally introduced himself. "I'm Blank. The idiot with the hammer is Cinna." He reached down and playfully punched his round friend in the back of the head, knocking his hat off before pointing to the largest of the group sitting next to him. "This is Marcus."
"Nice to meet you." Laro tried hard not to stare, but it was still a challenge. While Cinna and Blank looked mostly human beneath their odd costumes, Marcus' face seemed to be mostly chin with some prominent teeth peeking over his upper lip from where his jaw didn't line up. He didn't look as much an animal as the trio of drunken possums Laro had passed earlier, but he wasn't anything close to human either.
Apparently ordinary humans were the minority in this place. Someone like Kuja would have easily blended into the crowd on the streets, tail and all. For the first time, Laro felt he had a vague idea of what it had to be like for Kuja stick out like a sore thumb back at court. Between his own unusual clothing and the Selwe at his back, he was more likely to draw attention than his lover would in this strange place.
Thinking about Kuja reminded him that despite the wide variety of animals, men, and things that fell between, he had seen no one yet that looked anything like his kitten. Feathers he had seen a plenty, but their owners tended to be covered in them, and sporting bird feet as well. There had also been plenty of tails, but they had always been attached to an equally furry body. That strange combination of lovely boy and unlikely appendages remained a unique item on his list. He wondered what it meant. If there was Kuja, and if there was a brother, than certainly there must be more of them. It only remained to find out where.
"What do ya wanna see Zidane for, anyway?" Blank asked with bland curiosity.
"I have a message for him."
"Mail him a letter." The young man offered unhelpfully. "There's always a moogle around somewhere. It doesn't cost much of anything to use MogNet you know, and it's probably the easiest way of getting a hold of him if he's off dicking around in the wilderness."
"This isn't the sort of message I can just write down." Laro winced at the thought.
His final conversation with Masa had been rather short, but his kitten had bothered to repeat himself over two particular details. He could now see why he didn't need to worry about people knowing Zidane. His lover had actually laughed at his worries, barely a breath of sound, but a genuine moment of amusement. Masa had been entertained by his doubts that he could find one person on an entire planet.
Apparently it was impossible to /not/ know Zidane. He hopped getting his hands on the man was equally simple. The second point Masa had stressed was to never use his real name except to Zidane himself. Laro was still puzzling out the reason behind that one, but trusted it would make sense in time. Kuja's directives were often riddle-like in their delivery, but never wrong.
Since detailed explanation of his motives seemed to definitely count as 'don't use my name, it'll only get you into trouble', Laro was left with having to find the man and explain in person. He wasn't surprised when his answer did little to endear him to the odd crowd at his feet. Half of them took the opportunity to joke about how Zidane must have misplaced a bastard son by one of his illicit lady-loves. The other half was musing that he was on a mission of revenge by the husband of some lady-love. Laro couldn't help but wonder just what sort of man this Zidane would end up being. Either the crew of bandits was masters of exaggeration, or Masa's brother was a very interesting character.
Blank shook his head, overruling both camps. "It's probably both."
"Does Zidane have those sorts of problems often?" He hated to ask.
"Not that we know of," Blank drolly replied. "But there's a first time for everything. God knows enough women throw themselves at him."
"Or try to." Marcus chuckled. "That Garnet's can be scary when she feels someone's messing with her man."
"She'd have to be. I always said it would take a hard sort of woman to put a leash on that boy." Blank agreed. "Best thing for him, he won't cheat on her without thinking twice first. He knows she'd have his balls in a vice the moment she found out."
"Who'd want to cheat on her anyway?" Cinna sighed. "She's gorgeous! Not to mention Rich!"
Blank snorted. "A little too preachy for my tastes."
"We all /know/ your tastes, Blank."
Laro simply listened to the banter, trying to follow what they were talking about. "Excuse me, who's Garnet?"
"That's Queen Garnet to you, bub." The chubby one tapped his hammer against the steps for emphasis. "I don't know who's general you're supposed to be, but only her friends can call Garnet, Garnet." He paused, confusing himself.
"Way to go, dumbass." Marcus shifted forward a little as if to confide a secret. "Queen Garnet, you see, is Zidane's wife if you didn't know. Surely you've heard of Queen Garnet of Alexandria?"
Laro shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I'm really not from around here."
"You must be from the friggin' moon, mate." Blank shook his head. "How'd you get here anyway?"
Looking over his shoulder, he could see the Selwe raise two of it's hands in a rather human gesture of defeat. "Teleportation?" It offered the single word as if unsure how it would be taken.
Marcus scratched his large chin. "Isn't that how the black mages got around back during the war? You know, when they'd hop in those jars and come out as soap bubbles right where they needed to be to attack?"
"Gah, don't remind me of that!" Cinna cringed. "That was creepy as hell, the way they'd just appear in mid air."
Blank studied Laro closely. "You don't look like a black mage. Besides, those teleportation jars were all smashed, and only that poncy-evil-bastard-Kuja knew how to make them in the first place."
It was all he could do not to jump at the familiar name spoken so far from home. Almost stuttering in his surprise, Laro tried to school his shock into something a little more subtle. "And Kuja is?"
"Was. He's dead and good riddance." Blank made a sour face. "You don't even know about Kuja? Hell, you really are from the moon."
Hesitantly picking his words, Laro tried to learn more. It was strange that there was such clear animosity towards his kitten. Most of him wanted to smack the man's head into the steps for the obvious disgust with which he said the name. Somehow he played along, keeping his questions innocent. "Now that you mention it, I think I did hear about him. He was a mage, wasn't he?"
"A mage? He was like a living breathing Armageddon!" Cinna wailed. "Sure a couple of years have gone by, but you can still see the damage he did to the city if you look, and we got off really light compared to all of the others."
"Between him and Brahne, half the city was on fire at one point." Blank sighed. "They made real big mess. I'm sorry for Garnet and all, but that woman was a complete nut. Deserved what she got if you ask me."
"Regent Cid was an oglop for a year and he was /still/ saner than she was." Marcus agreed.
There were simply too many names to remember all at once. After the tiring trip through the void, the unexpected swim, and having walked around town for the better part of the afternoon, Laro dearly wished he could find someplace quiet to rest his head on his knees and gather his thoughts. He wondered if the ragged group of young men would mind if he borrowed a corner of their porch for a while. It only took a moment to reconsider. They'd probably pick his pockets if he dared to take a nap.
"Look," Laro raised his hands to try and forestall any further chatter. "I hate to interrupt, but I really do need the information. Can you help me find Zidane?"
"How much?"
He blinked. "What?"
"How much you willing to pay?" Blank looked bored. "I mean we charge the usual tourists 500 for a tour of all Zidane's old haunts in this neighborhood, but what you're asking is a little more involved, ya know? There's going to be travel expenses, labor, food, the occasional bribe, not to mention guard-service for you when we're out in the wild. We don't come cheap, ya know?"
Laro frowned. "I was rather hoping you could just tell me where to go, and I'd find my own way."
The young men laughed at his proposal. "Even information is worth something, besides, you don't even know anything, you probably don't even know how to get to Alexandria on your own!"
Cinna grinned, revealing a set of bad teeth. "You'd try and walk there and get lost in the mountains, or eaten by something big and nasty in the woods."
"I dunno." Marcus temporized, "I mean look at his friend. It almost looks like it belongs back in the forest. Never heard of one of the plant-monsters learning how to talk though."
"Pretty nice spear on his back too." One of the quiet ones spoke up, "What are you, a dragoon?"
Laro shook his head, "I'm not familiar with the word."
"Only people from Cleyra can be dragoons, idiot." Marcus answered for him before giving him an appraising look. "Bit of advice, general. You're better off hiring us than going it alone, even if you think you can handle it. The fact is, my blind old auntie could get to Alexandria faster than you probably could, and if you're in a rush, you'll need all the help you can get to run the little runt down."
Noting how the others were nodding sagely, Laro hoped he wasn't being royally rooked but some opportunistic young thieves. Still, if they really were friends of Zidane, the opportunity to quickly complete his mission was too good to miss.
I can always run them down and shake out their pockets later if they try and double cross me, I guess.
He was willing to give himself good odds against most of the group. Only Marcus' bulk worried him should he have to take on the gang in a fight. Laro was vaguely glad though that he had thought to hide an assortment of his 'trade' trinkets in his pockets rather than produce the whole pouch in front of them. If it looked like he was scrounging for funds, they would be less tempted than if he produced an entire bag of easily-to-steal baubles.
"I suppose you're right." He bought some time as he dug around in his jacket and produced a kerchief with three rubies. "I'm afraid I don't have any local currency, but perhaps we can exchange these for a fair amount of coin?"
Blank picked one of the small gems off the cloth and held it up appraisingly before passing it to the man on his right. The other thug gave it a similar inspection, obviously getting more out of it than his friend. "It's good quality and cut, nothing magical though."
Looking down at the other two, Laro was faintly glad they /weren't/ magical, he had had the set rattling around in his breast pocket all day and didn't want to think about what might have happened if one had decided to randomly 'go off' on its own. The young men however seemed to find the lack of mystical properties to be disheartening. Laro's ears were good enough to catch the faint, 'well we could always lie about it when we resell them…' and he fought the urge to smile.
Blank finished his consultation and at length, reached out to claim the other two as well. The stones were passed along to join the other, and all three disappeared into the amateur jeweler's pocket as the youth darted off with them. Hoping to get some return on his investment, Laro felt relieved when the redheaded leader stood to shake his hand. "Well that will certainly be enough for transportation to Alexandria, we'll arrange the tickets but the next ship won't be until tomorrow morning."
"I thought you said it was over some mountains." He countered guardedly.
"It is." The younger man gave him a bored look. "We'll be taking an airship, of course."
"He's never been on an airship, has he?" Marcus chuckled quietly from his perch on the steps. "He really is my old auntie."
Blank snorted but otherwise ignored the commentary. "Where will we find you in the morning? You have a hotel?"
"Not exactly." Looking around at the long shadows, Laro wasn't thrilled by the idea of having to find his way back through the city after dark. The sun had slipped steadily lower as he has walked around, and now it was low enough to hide behind some of the taller buildings. "I'd be open to suggestions if they are reasonably clean and quiet."
"Since you don't have any currency that could be a trick. Not to mention your friend there might scare a regular hotel owner something fierce." Marcus mused. "Tell you what, you throw us another bauble like those stones, and we'll give include meals and a room above the theatre into the deal. You'll have to negotiate how much it'll cost to search for Zidane with us once we get to Alexandria, otherwise you're welcome to go it on your own."
Too tired to argue with the logic, Laro simply produced a thick gold coin and held it up for inspection. "Will this do?"
Blank snagged it and grunted appreciatively about rare antiques. Marcus nodded and silently gestured that they were to follow him around the side of the building and up a long set of steps to the roof.
"Wake up you lazy crooks! Baku is home!"
"Hey boss, welcome back!"
"How was the council meeting? Cid up to his old tricks?"
Laro woke with a jolt as a door one floor below him banged open with enough force to collide loudly with the wall. The booming voice floating up through the floorboards was as good as any alarm clock, although he sleepily wished it could have held off for another hour. The gang of self-confessed thieves and con artists had kept him up later than expected with their food and stories, both equally interesting to a newcomer. The wine at least had a markedly better flavor than any from home, and the meat, while unrecognizable, was tasty too.
He wished he had been paying more attention to the dishes, still soldier enough to recognize a good meal when he had one, but the yarns they had spun about Zidane's youth had been entirely too funny. The stories, one on top of the next, had allowed him to forget for a while how gloomy he had been in the past months, and after hearing only a few, he thought he might finally understand why Kuja always had a rather irritated yet wistful expression when talking about his brother.
Masa did say that they were raised apart. I can't help but imagine what he might have been like had these rascals been responsible for him as a child.
If his kitten's youth had been spent in training and study, his brother had learned most of his skills on the streets of the world. It was hard to imagine that the man was now consort to a queen. Laro reasoned that Alexandria must be a very liberal sort of country. When he had said as much, however, the thieves had only laughed at him. Apparently the queen herself had a lot to do with Zidane's luck; that and the fact that he was some sort of globally known war hero.
"Damn! It looks like you guys were really having a party last night!" The booming voice was loud enough now to be crystal clear despite being on the ground level. "What have I told you idiots about spending Tantalus funds without me?! I want to party too you know."
"Don't cry Baku, we left you some pie, and two drumsticks too!"
"Two drumsticks for your leader after you've eaten three roasts by yourselves!? You dog!"
"But boss! We've got a customer!" Cinna's whine was recognizable even with the clatter of movement in the gang headquarters. "A real paying customer! And the job's a cinch!"
"A customer? What does he want?"
"You'll love this, boss. He's paying us to take him to Zidane. We're talking, all expenses paid travel to Alexandria, and all we have to do is run the dumb blond down at Ruby's dinner theatre and sit on him for five minutes so this guy can deliver a message!"
"And what if the boy isn't /in/ Alexandria, have any of you thought that far ahead?"
"Relax, old man, think of your blood pressure." Laro smirked as he lay in bed, acknowledging that the redhead's insolent tone was likely to have the opposite effect on his superior. "We got it all planned out, he pays in stages. So we've got ourselves covered through tonight with getting there, and tomorrow we'll get an audience with Garnet and see if she knows where her boy-toy is. If she says he's in the city, great, if not, we'll tell the poor schmuck that our new asking price for finding Zidane is something insanely high, and let him take it from there."
"Clever. And where is our customer now?"
"Oh, right upstairs." Laro got another grin at the way the new voice sputtered and cursed. Deciding it was as good a time as any to get up; he stretched and padded over to the water bowl and pitcher at the washstand. Refreshed, he stuck his head out the little window and caught sight of the Mentor dozing in the early morning sunshine. The alien had decided that the roof was a more comfortable perch than anything in the room, when they had settled for the night.
Shaking his coat to work some of the stiffness out of it before pulling it on, Laro mourned that his first encounter on this world had to be with a large body of salt water.
Maybe I should see if I can afford a more local costume, if they're right about Zidane being off on some trip is true, I may be waiting a while for him to come back.
Such things could be dealt with as easily in any city as they could in this one. So long as he wasn't actually indecent, he didn't mind looking a little outlandish if it helped his cause.
"You /idiots/ he's heard every word we've said!"
"Probably." Baku was not only audible from the roof, but on the stairs leading down to the alley as well. Laro shook his head in wonder as he knocked on the front door. Blank didn't even bat an eye as he invited himself in. "Ah, and here he is, right on schedule, Baku, may I present General Laro Nazer, although general of what, and from where, we're still a little hazy on."
Laro nodded towards the large man at the center of the room out of habit, glad the gesture had been beaten into him long ago because otherwise he would have been caught staring once again. Of the whole troupe only their leader stood tall enough to look him in the eye. Baku was also the most alarming looking of the lot. Between the purplish beard, the pig nose, and the tall pointed ears, Laro was forced to not focus on the man's head at all, choosing instead to focus on a more polite point a few inches above his shoulder to keep from making an idiot of himself. Certainly the man's clothes were in better shape than his subordinates' but the rest of him was simply strange.
Apparently, the gang boss was equally alarmed by the look of him and his trailing companion, hopping backwards in fright as the massive insect slipped through the door. "Some kind of Mist monster?! What were you idiots thinking!"
"There aren't any Mist monsters anymore boss. They all went away when the Mist did, remember?" Marcus sighed.
"Mornin' general, how do you like your eggs?" Cinna bustled around the little stove with a wave for him as he got ingredients out of the cupboards. "I'll have something ready for you in just a sec, then we'll stroll over to the airship docks."
"Thank you." Laro was torn between wanting to see how the man's boss would deal with his presence and the happy possibility of breakfast. The sooner they got under way, the sooner he could see about finding a cure. There just wasn't any time to spare.
Baku seemed to be deep in thought, chewing on his leftovers and grumbling to himself as everyone else ate and packed. It wasn't until Laro set his plate aside however that the giant man finally spoke, "Exactly what business do you have with Zidane, stranger? You don't look quite right to me. I'm thinking that you're actually some sort of sneak, trying to use us to hurt Queen Garnet, are you?"
Laro hesitated, thrown both by the sudden accusation and the chorus of annoyed groans that came from the thieves. Looking to them for guidance earned him a shrug from Blank and encouraging waves from the others. He cleared his throat. "I have a very important message that I can only share with Zidane."
"What sort of message?" The bearded man asked suspiciously.
"A personal one."
Seeming annoyed by his refusal to be more forthcoming, Baku inhaled as if to start shouting again. Laro held up his hands for a moment of his attention. "I can promise you that my message is just that. I do not intend to harm him or anyone in Alexandria, I am simply in urgent need to speak with Zidane and perhaps ask for his help with a problem."
"hmmmm"
Baku's thoughtful noise only made his gang groan again. Two of them opened the door and started carrying their bags out onto the porch as the others disappeared outside with mutters about clearing the street. Done with his new set of ruminations, the boss gave Laro an appraising glare. "Tell you what, stranger. If you truly are on a quest as you say you are, you will accept my challenge to a duel. For know, that only the truest hearted warriors have the strength to defeat me, Baku in single combat! That way I will know for certain that you are worthy of Tantalus' help."
"Jeez Baku, give it a rest already will ya?" Blank sighed as he stole the last biscuit from the tray. You wanted to spar with him the minute you laid eyes on him, admit it. You don't want to admit that he's as tall as you."
Laro watched the older man fume at his gang member with interest and almost jumped when a hand landed on his arm. "You're best off just accepting, it's a bit of a bother, but if we want to stay on schedule we can't have the boss trying to throw a wrench in things."
Marcus guided him outside and looked him over thoughtfully. "This will be a barehanded match, so if that's not your thing I recommend you just give it a go for a few swings and then let him land you one somewhere that looks like it hurts. Once your down Baku will take pity on you and we'll be on our way."
Feeling more than a little silly, Laro could only nod in agreement. By the time he had handed his coat over to Marcus for safe keeping the rest of the gang had formed a loose ring on the street to mark the boundary of the fight. It all had the sort of aura of a schoolyard bullying contest, and left him wondering just what exactly he was getting into. Turning to the square jawed thief he hissed, "Are there any sort of rules I should know about? Hitting below the belt or anything like that?"
"Stick to the basics," The quiet man advised, "No hair pulling, kicking or dust slinging, Baku hits hard but he's not too creative, you know?"
"Thanks." Turning back to the fight, he was startled to see that the gang leader was already stripped to the waist, and flexing in the middle of the ring. His purple colored beard was entirely natural it seemed. It matched the pelt of hair on his chest and forearms. Laro quietly hoped that appearance aside, he would fight like an ordinary guy. The testing-sort-of punch he received to the shoulder set most of his worries aside.
He threw a punch of his own, not surprised for the hesitant gesture to be deflected. Baku might be heavyset but he moved quick enough when it suited him. The second hit he took from the man had some definite strength behind it; Laro opted to dodge the third.
"You going to fight me or what?!" The man's challenge was a fair question. Reigning himself to a short brawl, he went for the thief's abdomen and got another knock to the shoulder for his effort. There was a certain appeal to ending the silly fight as soon a possible. There was always the chance that it would backfire and end with him on his back, but with valuable minutes ticking away before his ship left, he didn't want to risk not being on it.
"Just getting warmed up, Mr. Baku." He offered the man a smile, dodging a cut to his head for his efforts. Marcus was right about the boss being low on strategy, single strikes he could dodge but he was hopeless against combinations. Sternly telling himself that it was for the best, Laro closed for two low jabs, drawing Baku's eyes away from the inevitable upper-right to his jaw. It felt like he was punching the side of a house, but thankfully the blow had the desired effect.
Caught off balance by the previous two swings, the bearded man caught a fist full across the cheek. The force of the blow left him tottering backwards, and then surprisingly, down. Laro watched in disbelief as the large man lay sprawled on the dusty street, fairly certain he hadn't hit him /that/ hard. Thankfully Baku simply looked stunned, blinking up at the sky as and wheezing as he recovered from the sudden shock.Laro watched him a moment as the others clapped and hooted, but when Blank checked the older man over, he only shook his head and laughed. "Crazy old coot. You'd think he'd learn. You should have seen the way Zidane laid him out, and that was /before/ he became all super-powerful and shit." Grinning at him, the redhead patted him on the shoulder. "You've got some good moves there, general. Next time I'll know where to bet my money."
"Hey Marcus, I'd like to see your blind old auntie try to do /that/." Cinna sniggered as he collected some coins from the loose crowd, including the larger thief.
"Very funny." The thick-jawed man sighed as he parted with his money. "Now stop wasting time and someone get a bucket of water to wake the boss up with? We've got a ship to catch."
If anyone had told Laro a week ago that he'd be traveling to a strange world and riding across country in a ship that traveled through the air with the aid of a large balloon, he would have seriously doubted the person's sanity. Now that he was actually doing it however, he had to admit, the view was breathtaking. They were traveling high enough to slip over the mountains, the valleys below just blurs of green and brown far far below.
The others had gone into the interior cabin shortly after takeoff, complaining about the wind. The Mentor in particular had felt the chill of the higher altitude and taken shelter in a warm corner indoors. He couldn't help but be captivated despite the brisk cold on deck, admiring the blue ribbon of a distant river, and the small specks in the air that were other airships cruising through the sky. Laro was certain no one back home would believe him. Well, Kuja would, when he was recovered enough to hear the whole outrageous story. But his kitten had lived here after all, things like airships and city trams had to be commonplace to him.
Of course there was always the simple fact that Kuja might never get well enough to hear the silly story of how he'd been challenged to a fist fight by a den of thieves. Even more likely, he'd never even find a way home again, or take so long in doing so that cures wouldn't make any difference. Laro almost wondered if he might cry, suddenly and painfully aware of the risk he had chosen. To stake everything on a faint hope, that was what he had done, Masa's life, his own, he couldn't pretend to seriously worry about the Selwe who had accompanied him. The insect had its own logic and reasoning for coming, but it had no personal stake in things. To the bug it was simply another order to be followed, handed down from on high.
I will get back there. With the cure. In time to use it. Laro let the absolute nature of the plan steady his nerves. It's as simple as that, really.
He knew he was lucky. He knew that he was incredibly lucky to even have gotten this far, to have found guides and transportation? On his very first day, it had to be fate kindly lending a hand. Laro could only hope that it wouldn't let him down before the end.
Some things are just meant to be, aren't they? If you want them badly enough, if you sacrifice enough, things have to happen, don't they?
"Excuse me. May I join you?" Laro was completely thrown by the polite interruption, his thoughts scattered into the wind as he automatically turned to great the person standing next to him at the rail. There was a moment of confusion as the wind swept his braids across his face with a stinging slap, but once his hair was tamed he found he still plenty to startle him. Beside him stood a little man who was composed of little more than an immense straw hat, an oversized blue coat, and clownishly large white gloves that almost had to reach up to hold onto the railing.
"Hello." His companion waved cheerfully at him. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"
Laro blinked, very aware of the fact that the only part of the short man's face he could see over the high collar and handkerchief was covered in heavy black cloth. Cheerfully glowing yellow lights served in place of his eyes. Swallowing his alarm, Laro found his voice. "Um, hello."
"My name is Mr. Two-Seventy-Three." The friendly little thing volunteered. "I come to this city once a year to buy supplies for my village, and see many amazing things every time I come."
"Ok." Laro tried hard not to stare.
"I've never seen anything like the insect before. I was talking to it in the cabin, and it said it was traveling with you." Mr. Two-Seventy-Three looked over at where the door into the ship was shut tight against the cold. "He isn't a Mist construct or anything else I've ever seen, but he didn't seem interested in talking very much, so I was wondering, where does he come from?"
"Far far away," Laro almost laughed. "We've both come a long way to visit this city, although we aren't coming for the markets."
"Amazing." One oversized hand reached up to scratch beneath the dwarfish man's hat. "Are there more like him back at home?"
"Many more," Laro replied. "But I don't think any of them will ever travel this far again."
"You're Adventurers then!" Mr. Two-Seventy-Three bounced a little where he stood. "How exciting. I love to hear about adventures. Zidane always has the most marvelous stories to tell when he comes back from his travels. When he comes to our little village he always makes sure to tell us everything he's seen and done."
"Does he? Does he visit your town very often?" The soldier paid more attention immediately, curious about anything to do with the Masa's mysterious brother. The more he heard about the man, the more he wanted to meet him for himself.
"Oh yes, at least once a season." The little man bobbed to and fro with excitement, obviously eager to continue on the topic. "He comes to check and see how we're all doing, since the war we've been trying hard to learn about new things.
"Mr. Zidane likes learning new things too, that's why he wanders around so much, we think. We really admire him for that. And now I'm wandering too!" Adjusting his hat nervously, Mr. Two-Seventy-Three laughed. "But only once a year."
"Do you know if he's in Alexandria right now, I'd really like to meet him?" Laro couldn't help but be buoyed by the little fellow's enthusiasm. It was clear he was talking to a Zidane-fan. He couldn't help but see how much the oddly dressed man knew.
Mr. Two-Seventy-Three shrugged cheerfully. "Hard to say, maybe so, maybe in Treno, maybe Daugerro. He wasn't at my village when I left, but that was two weeks ago! Wouldn't it be funny if he was there and I was here?"
"I suppose so."
"He could be anywhere. He wanders a lot, you see." A white gloved hand patted his arm sympathetically. "I want to see him too, I have many stories from just traveling this far!"
Laro was going to ask the roly-poly little man more, but was completely distracted as a distant twinkling resolved itself into an improbable sight. Directly ahead was a shelf like swath of meadow along the mountainside, resting at the center of the grassy field was a white city with a lake and twin waterfalls. "Is that Alexandria?"
"Oh! Yes! Isn't it pretty?" The little man sighed happily. "From this far away you can't tell it was even attacked."
"Was it damaged during the war?" Laro was curious about the battles that seemed to all have taken place some years ago, apparently the scope of the fighting had been immense.
All I really seem to know was that somehow Masa was involved.
He could still remember his lover's calm expression when he had confessed he was no stranger to battlefields. He hadn't pursued it at the time, thinking it was just bluster, but now he really wondered. Having seen what Kuja was capable of, he couldn't imagine what a world with several such men would suffer if countries decided to battle each other.
Nobody really seemed interested in talking about their recent history with him however. The thieves seemed to find the topic depressing and didn't go into details, and now the little man standing next to him looked uncomfortable as well.
He tried asking anyway. "What happened? I'm afraid I'm a complete stranger to this place."
Mr. Two-Seventy-Three fussed with his hat again, a nervous fidget. "Well, the previous queen of Alexandria, Brahne, decided to try and conqueror the- well, the world, I guess, some years ago. People say she wasn't entirely right in the head after her husband died. I don't know about that. All I know is that she thought she had allied herself with a powerful mage in order to wage war with a lot of people. But really, he was only using her, and when her armies began to loose, he betrayed her too. He tried to destroy Alexandria too, but Princess Garnet and Zidane stopped him before he could finish. A lot of people died. It was very sad."
"How long did the war last?" Laro hated to ask for more, seeing how upset his companion was, but with magic involved he couldn't imagine the conflict had lasted long.
"Not long, only a year or so. But it was very fast, and very vicious." The short man confessed. "Her mage and armies were so much more powerful than anything anyone had ever seen. She could destroy entire cities in less than a week."
Again, Laro was reminded of the amazing power Kuja had wielded against the enemy. Yes, he could believe it might destroy a city, and very easily too. Why would Masa do such a thing though? To betray a Queen, however unstable, and then lay waste to her city? It didn't sound like his kitten at all. Certainly he could be cold and calculating, but he had never seemed the type to willfully kill without cause. Saddened, he watched as the city grew nearer.
Kuja never talked about his past. But I never doubted it was an unhappy one. Now I begin to see a little of why.
Gradually he could make out a swath of remarkable damage in the castle wall and surrounding urban sprawl. It looked almost as if a giant had collapsed over half the city, crushing a corner of it as it fell. The dense little kingdom was bustling with life however, new construction evident in many places, wrapped in scaffolding and tarps. He finally understood what the thieves had meant by Lindblum having gotten off lightly. If even after five years, they were still making slow inroads into the worst damaged parts of the city, Alexandria must have been hit very hard indeed.
And this was a /failed/ attack, he says? I'd hate to see a successful one.
"It looks as though the repairs are coming along well, doesn't it?" He spoke more to cheer his unlikely little friend up than for any other reason. Mr. Two-Seventy-Three continued to tug on the brim of his hat a moment before perking up a little.
"Yes, yes you're right. Queen Garnet is very thoughtful. She wants her people to be happy."
Laro was going to say something else to prompt the little man to explain more about the queen when his eye was caught by a bright sparkle at the top of the castle. Half shrouded in a gigantic scaffold was what once had to be a Tower-sized white crystal obelisk. Half of the giant shard lay horizontally on the roof of the palace broken into large chunks, but the base was still firmly upright, gleaming in the afternoon sun despite the network of timbers surrounding it.
"That crystal is enormous!"
"That is Alexandria's namesake, the crystal Alexander. It's supposed to be ancient, older than the city itself." Mr. Two-Seventy-Three spoke softly, also impressed by the massive shards. "When it stood tall you could see it for miles. It possessed a powerful guardian spirit, who could be summoned forth during the city's hour of greatest peril."
"What happened?"
"Princess Garnet summoned Alexander when Kuja came." The little man sighed sadly. "Kuja summoned Bahamut, and the two spirits fought. In the end Kuja won, but Alexander was still able to protect most of the city before the crystal was broken."
"So Alexander is dead?" Seeing the giant shard laid waste was disheartening.
"Maybe. The people of Alexandria believe that if they can repair the crystal, than Alexander will return to them, that he will heal when the shard does."
Laro nodded. "That seems a good hope."
"Queen Garnet has her workers lift the pieces back into place one by one, and Zidane works his magic to reattach them to the base, but the work tires him a lot, so he can't do it very quickly. My village tried to help once, but it was too hard for us."
"Zidane must be very powerful then." He mused as he felt the ship descend out of the sky.
"He defeated Kuja." Mr. Two-Seventy-Three stated as if that somehow said it all. The little man then dusted himself off and bowed politely. "I need to go get my bag, we'll be landing soon! Good luck finding Zidane!"
Laro watched the large hat as it disappeared around the edge of the door and let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.
I wish I could talk to you, kitten. I have so many questions, and I worry that I won't like the answers.
I didn't mean to have a goofy Laro vs Baku fight in this, but the thief refused to take no for an answer.
Next up. Laro vs. Zidane. Booh yeah. No, not with fists, Zidane would win by sneezing, sadly. Blond-boy is too strong for his own good. --Lunar