Of Lies and Fantasies
Chapter 52: Peace in the Quiet
- Alyssa -
I stare at the dark and empty room right before me with tired confusion.
I thought I'd get a chance to have the rest of my day end up normal. While walking around with Freya, stretching her legs after spending too much time on a bed, I catch sight of Regent Cid and Dagger looking rather down as the elevator went up towards the top level. Didn't see me though. They probably had a little reality check or caught some bad news around the castle. If it's something important they will probably bring it up later or tomorrow.
After that I head back towards where we're all rooming, I thought I'd check on Blake and see if he's feeling any better. Everyone feels better with a good nap. Well, that's what I originally thought after knocking on his door. The door immediately moved back at first contact with a creak that reminds me every horror movie I've seen before. And once again, just because I'm in the safety of the castle, I didn't bring my sword. Fighting off would-be ghosts and lurking monsters in the dark would be really easy with a sword at hand. But no… I had to leave mine in my room. Good job.
But anyway, the door moved. Meaning it was unlocked. Double meaning, part 1, something happened in here. Double meaning, part 2, Blake was or could still be in danger. Side note, I don't hear anything inside, but I'm still worried about what I find inside Blake's room.
My worries in fighting off an intruder go away when I found an empty room with no sign of a struggle or panic. Hence the confusion.
I could've sworn I left Blake here to rest when he looked way out of it. He even looked like he didn't want to talk with anyone at the time so I just let him be. I know it was a few hours between then and now, and something happened to make him leave so suddenly. So I rushed out of the room and tried to find the nearest guard I could find. Maybe they'll know what happened.
"Someone left in a hurry?" One of the guards in blue repeated my question while scratching their chin. He was patrolling the halls when I nearly ran into him.
"Yeah. Guy as tall as me, black hair, half of his right arm wrapped up, probably frowning and talking to himself. Oh! Has a small black chocobo following him or on him." I hoped my description would jog his memory if he had seen him.
The guard hums while racking his brain of any answer that might give me a lead. But he shakes his head in the end. "Sorry. I don't think I saw anyone like that leave in the last few hours."
My posture gives out when I hear that. Dang. Maybe someone else saw him or heard-
"Hold on! You know what, I just remembered. Something did happen around here!" As he was turning around, he had an eureka moment and nearly dropped his long axe. "I just wasn't around since I was patrolling the lower floors until a few minutes ago. My other buddies told me about it. You might be able to make sense of it."
"Sure, go ahead." I'll get anything I can get.
"So my buddies were just patrolling close to the rooms in case someone gets the bright idea of sneaking in here to kidnap Alexandria's new queen since it's happened before. Unofficial queen, and kidnapped from her home, but you know how it is. Anyway, they hear a woman shouting from one of the rooms. Lo and behold it's Princess Garnet! The guy's walking away from her in a hurry. They follow and eventually hear the regent's voice. He's stopped the guy and they're talking about something. Eventually the princess joins them and something she says shut him up. Then he just took his pet bird and left, disregarding anything else they were saying and left on the elevator. That's...uh, that's pretty much what they told me."
Pet bird! That must've been Nero! FInally something I can work with!
So Blake was here, but was talking with...Dagger and the regent? I guess they needed to ask him a few things, but why did he suddenly leave? He's wasn't in the mood to talk when I left him back there so the nap probably didn't help him after all. What makes me curious is what they were talking about. It's probably bad enough that he just tuned them out and left without another word.
Wait, is this connected with how Regent Cid and Dagger looked when I saw them on the elevator? It must've been something major then. On the flip side, Blake doesn't really like talking with anyone else, so that brings the possible topics he doesn't want to touch with a 10-foot pole to still quite a handful.
Sighing, I thank the guard for the lead and head towards the elevator to grab all of my stuff before I leave. I'll have to apologize to the minister and regent in another time. While I don't know what they were talking about, I do have an idea where Blake could've gone. Lindblum is a big place, bustling with plenty of people in its time of need. Blake's bound to stick to familiar places. Meaning I'm just one aircab away from getting to him. I just need to get to the station-
Escape from the real world.
Only a hindrance.
Stay focused.
Fight it.
- OLaF -
"Hey, Alyssa? You alright?"
The sudden voice startles me to attention. I drop into a stance as my eyes scan around for the source. Nothing was touching me at the moment and I don't see anyone on the floor. Thank goodness for that. I thought I had thrown a poor soul to the ground again.
*poke*
Looking up I see Zidane standing like six feet away from me with a sword sheath in his hands. And it was poking me. HE was poking me with it.
"Gaia to Alyssa. Hello?" He spoke up again after another poke.
"Stop that!" I swatted the sheath lightly before giving the thief a frown. "What's that all about?"
"You were staring into nothing for the past ten minutes. Didn't even know you were here until Genero started panicking about a stalker outside." He explained, casually pointing a thumb over his shoulder. I could see a few people looking through the doorway, one of which wearing a gas mask. Marcus gave a wave, Blank nodding at us before nudging a sleeping Baku with his foot, and the three gas masked brothers cautiously peering out at us.
Still though… "That doesn't explain why you're poking me."
"The last time I tried to get your attention, you threw me to the ground so hard I thought I bounced." Zidane answered, putting down the sheath. My mind immediately flashes back to that time before the Festival of the Hunt and he caught me off-guard, making me cringe at the imaginary sound of his back hitting the ground.
"Yeeeeaaaah. Sorry about that." I said, rubbing the back of my head.
He waved me off, not thinking much of the situation before and now. "So what are you doing here in this part of town at this time of day?"
True enough, the sky's getting darker than the last time I found myself outside, probably a shade lower when I was going to the station. To think that a few minutes between then and now had that big of a change in the tone of the sky-
"Hold on! I wasn't even supposed to be here!" I realized, my hand going to my face just for thinking about it too late. Zidane looked at me like I had left the oven on at home, begging to be given the opportunity to ask the question. "I meant to find Blake, but instead I found...myself...here."
How did I get here anyway? I know I was walking briskly towards the aircab station back in the castle because Blake can't be left unsupervised. Then I suddenly snap into attention with Zidane here in front of me. Even if I did miss my stop I wouldn't just simply be standing in front of Tantalus' hideout in the Theatre District. It requires minimal effort to get here from the station.
Don't tell me my brain short-circuited again like last time! That was just hours ago! Huh...guess I'll have to get that checked. Dang it, another trip to the infirmary. Maybe I'll go later or tomorrow or something. But first Zidane might need an explanation before I go see Blake.
He scratches the side of his head after he hears it. He's not a doctor so any opinion he has on this, aside from trying to see Dr. Thomas, was all subjective. "You didn't eat anything weird back in the ship, right? Like a fish that's too fresh. Or drink a lot of water from the sea?"
Aw, c'mon! Like I'd do any of that on purpose! The people in the regent's ship made sure everything was good to eat. Besides, if there was a problem with the food then I shouldn't be the only one having these problems. And upon saying that to him, he shrugs before looking back to his hideout.
"Well, just get that checked tomorrow. Don't want to hear how you found yourself sleeping at the top of Lindblum Grand Castle." Zidane slightly joked, but the concern was obviously there.
"As if sleepwalking and what's happening with me is the same!" One of them happens while asleep, the other, apparently, happens randomly while I'm awake. Yeah, gonna need an official diagnosis on that.
"I'll come along, if you want." Zidane assures me with a nudge of his elbow. "Just to make sure you get there without any problems."
"I appreciate it, Zidane." I nod and lead him to the aircab station.
He asks why Blake's out of the castle while we wait. It's a short wait, but I do tell him some of my thoughts about it while being clear that we can get the answers from the source. Well, one of the potential sources. Finding him means he's safe. I know I'll have to talk with the Regent about not taking his hospitality twice. Maybe apologize for Blake as well. It's nothing personal too. I just hope they'll understand.
A minute after we get to the Business District, we enter the Bobo Bird Inn and ask the guy behind the counter if someone like Blake had taken a room. He actually sounded a little excited. "Yes, actually! An hour ago a man of that description asked for a room. Hasn't left since. You can find him in Room 4."
Cue me quickly running up the stairs and suddenly stopping in front of the room. A quick burst of knocks later, I could hear someone groaning inside. It takes half a minute of silence for the lock to be disengaged and the door to be pulled back.
A familiar sneer greets my eyes. "Great. More people to talk me into it."
Not exactly sure what he's talking about, but Zidane's the first to greet him as he takes a pot beside me. "Someone ought to hang your picture here that say 'Prefers this inn than the luxury that is the Lindblum Grand Castle.' The staff probably gets tingles knowing that."
"I like my privacy. Now what do you want?" He haughtily answers.
"I found your room empty and I thought you were kidnapped. A guard filled me in and realized you just moved out like before. And now here we are." I told him the very short version that lead to this moment. "At least next time tell me where you're going before leaving like that."
"As if I had the time to find you while being pressured like that." He briefly turns away and mumbles this. "So you found me. Congratulations. You want a prize or are you two just going to bother me all afternoon?"
"I guess I really do have to get out of the castle…" I mused, thinking of how to say this to the regent and the minister. I could feel the curious stare of Blake. "So I can keep an eye on you."
"Do I look like I need a babysitter!?" He asks, incredulous. "I'm not going to trip and break my neck when no one is looking! Nothing is going to kill me in the safety of isolation. Not that anyone cares-" He stops and hangs his head, taking in a breath while nudging the door with his forehead. After five seconds of silence and concerned looks, he releases that breath and shakes his head. "Whatever. I'm too tired to argue with anyone. Do what you want."
He closes the door with no further argument. Yeah, that's very concerning. I know Blake's very stubborn with a lot of things, past arguments between us as proof, but seeing him just relent with little resistance was a surprising first for both Zidane and me to see. Better not look the gift horse in the mouth and let this happen before he thinks otherwise.
I thank Zidane as he leaves, his mission to help a girl out finally done before I turn to the guy at the counter to request a room of my own. Immediately I knew something was wrong when he grimaced.
"I'm...sorry, ma'am. I'm afraid we don't have any rooms left." He then further explained that most of the rooms here were being used by some of the construction workers from out of town and that Blake managed to snag the last one earlier. That means I have nowhere to go but go back to the castle, which I can't do because Blake is insistent he stays away from the 'prying eyes' of everyone there.
So with a sigh, I climb the stairs and knock on Room 4 again. A pained sigh echoed from the room, footsteps dropping lazily until they stopped in front of her. The door snaps open and a tired glare welcomes me back.
"What?" He flatly asks.
"There's a bit of a problem…" I fiddle with my fingers and hope he hears me out.
"You want to share a room?"
"Uh…"
"No." The door closes hastily before I could even try and stop it.
"Aw, c'mon Blake! You know I can't just leave you alone. Plus, you know it'd be safer if you have someone around in case something bad happens." I knock again, desperately this time. I don't even know if there's other places I can afford. Appealing to his paranoid side might help though.
Another muted sigh stops my knocking. "Ugh, fine! But you're sleeping on the floor! And you're paying for half of the room!"
It's better than nothing, I guess.
- Blake -
I hoped the next day would be back to something akin to a regular day, whatever it might be that can pass as regular for me. A long break is something I deserve after going through days of adventuring, especially getting lost in an underground cavern, and fighting people and monsters.
And somehow my first day on a regular bed inside an actual building starts surprisingly normally.
*Snore…*
Well, I'll take 'sleeping girl on the floor' as normal as well.
I just stay on the bed as my eyes start to unblur and focus on the ceiling above me, not moving in case any sound could wake Alyssa or Nero or both at the same time. Drawing in my first calming morning breath and then exhaling to further relax. The curtains are drawn in so I can't tell how early it is, but the activity outside could be heard well enough to guess that it was around 8am or 9am. Honestly, I can just lie here and fall back to sleep in silence, to revel in the peace in the quiet and let it sink in. However, I have plans for today. Nothing grand or anything, but I'll have to get up now before I lose any motivation to do it.
Besides, if keep being lazy in here I wouldn't be able to afford this space.
"Your conclusions always end with something terrible happening to everyone and everything." The regent's voice rings in my head. I ran away from the castle to get away from being pressured, but it's like my mind is being haunted by the Regent's lecture.
I shake my head and get up to check over my clothes in front of the only available mirror in the room was my first task. Being too mentally worn out made me skip dinner and made me not care about switching to any sleeping clothes. Not that the latter would matter since I've slept in this set of clothes Fossil Roo. Though I might consider getting a new set if my funds are enough. But for now I'll just have to shower and smooth my attire over.
One ten minute shower and a two minute drying attempt of my growing hair among a lot of things later, I step out of the single bathroom in this inn and head back to my room. I quietly open the door, only to stop mid-step when I see Alyssa had already woken up. She's staring right out of the window by peeking through the curtains. Whatever it is she's looking at or what she's thinking, it's all lost when she hears the soft click of the door when I try to sneak my way inside the room. Her head turns and this smile comes and greets me like she had not just woken up.
"Good morning!" Yeah, a little too cheerful for the morning.
"Morning." I say as I fold my towel and hang it on the nearest chair. "Bathroom's ready to be used if you want. You may want remove some of that eye gunk you left in place and then freshen up before getting breakfast."
And for some reason that smile got brighter. "You're treating me to some food? Aw, Blake! You shouldn't have, but I'll take it."
"Don't assume too much." I scoffed while walking towards the bed. "You're already mooching off my current living space, which I allowed yesterday from the generosity of my heart. Breakfast is not included to that agreement."
She wilts once the idea of a free breakfast is off the table, only to shrug off the disappointment and walking out to use the bathroom. Since most girls take a lot of time there, it should give me enough time to wake up Nero and decide where to eat. Not that there's a lot of cheap places to pick. I might even just buy some raisin bread or cupcakes for breakfast and lunch. I survived my previous school year on bread, I can do it here too.
Speaking of bathroom time, Alyssa proved me wrong by coming back almost eight minutes later as Nero tried to jump and glide around the room for morning practice. I was hoping she would be there longer so I can just lock up and run. Anyway, she joins us hunting a place to eat at, suggesting a few places that she remembers from before the Festival of the Hunt. Each suggestion is met with my question of, "How expensive is it?" and it would make her falter.
Not my problem that we're living on a limited budget. I even told her she can go back to the castle and live a life of limited luxury, but she's really intent on keeping an an eye on me. This woman...really. Hopefully by the end of the day she would be less of a hassle to deal with or my budget gets an increase. In a perfect world I would get both, but seeing as how things are I doubt I'll have that kind of luck.
Breakfast wasn't that all too interesting. The place I got gave us one serving of toasted bread, scrambled eggs, and rice. My kind of a regular breakfast. Sure Alyssa blanched at the scrambled eggs and Nero ate one and a half of my bread, it still ended up filling me up with enough energy for half the day. Then we went our separate ways. Well tried to.
"I'm gonna go resume my job at the theater. I'll need all the money I can get." I told Alyssa when she tried to stop me going to the aircab station. "You should find a new job or pursue your old one if you want to help."
"If they're still hiring." Alyssa groans, probably something about her old part-time job made her think of something that she would not look forward to. "Is there a chance that the theater's gonna need another pair of hands?"
"I doubt it." I instantly answered. There's no need to have her in the same place as me all day. Being stuck to the hip with her is the last thing I need. I dig into my satchel in an attempt to help her. "Why not use this if you want to find a better job?"
She takes the paper from my hands and unfolds it. It only took her a glimpse at the paper before looking back at me with a sarcastic laugh. "Ha ha, very funny. My old list."
"What comes around, goes around. Better make use of that and be actually useful." I shrugged happily as I continued on my way.
"Do you find yourself incapable of caring for those same life constants because you're in a different world, that you're better off than everyone else because you happen to know a thing or two about the future?" Something I said reminds me of the regent's words, making me stop mid-step. I try to shrug it off and attempt to replace it with happier thoughts or just ignore it when Alyssa came back to pester me some more.
"I know you respect your privacy and all and left the castle like last time, but something tells me there's a bigger reason why you went out of your way to get out of there." So she finally picked up on that. "Not by observing you. Had to dig around and ask people."
Of course, ever the curious girl. Might as well get it out of the way. It took about a minute in vague terms in case anyone around us were spying on our conversation, but the long story short version of it is basically, "They were pressuring me like a girl on prom night about what we know."
"Please don't say it like that ever again." She shuddered at my metaphor. "But I understand where they're coming from. They just care so much, y'know? It can't hurt to have an idea on what to prevent."
Like us? I give her a short look that disagreed with her, but didn't speak up because I knew where this was going. I'd rather let this topic die before it ends with another screaming argument. We're already cheating just because of being here and now, as I feared, there's a party that wants to use it to their advantage. I told her it would happen, but did she listen to me? No. She chose to do it when I've already chosen to let the chips fall where they may. Now we are stuck in this dilemma, possibly because of my big mouth, but Alyssa shares the blame for other connecting faults of her own.
"Why do you think should your choices matter more than everyone else? Have we not put ourselves in this position on our own volition?" Okay, regent. I get it. I'm being painted as the bad guy for being rational. Get out of my fucking head.
"Maybe there's some way we can help that will make you happy. Not outright interference, but a helping hand or a nudge in the right direction." Alyssa insisted.
"If they're down to setting fire to Kuja's headquarters, wherever that is, I'd agree to helping them." I mumbled. Anything fire-related I could ever suggest would immediately shot down anyway, so any agreement will be a longshot.
"How about something less violent? Plus, Kuja's hideout is somewhere in the Outer Continent and Lady Hilda is there. We'll need to get her out of there first. Hopefully without getting trapped and going through Mt. Gulug. Hated that place."
"Whatever you do, just don't nudge them. Let them figure it out. Can't get the timeline or whatever it is fixed if we keep interfering." A member of the station staff just announced the aircab is nearby and we should take a step away from the edge. Finally, I can get to work. "Perhaps you should find a job here in the Business District to distract yourself from helping them. If the both of us are working, we can double our income-"
I turned to her in the hopes that she'll actually consider what I was saying, only to find her staring with the most neutral look I've ever seen on her face. The brunette wasn't even staring at anything and anyone in particular. Waving a hand or Nero in front of her face did nothing. Is she having another breathing problem and it suddenly made her brain freeze or something?
Before I could nudge her, she suddenly turns around and starts walking out of the station. No one else found it weird but me and even then she was long gone before I thought of shaking her out of it. That's not something you see every day, and believe me that's not normal. I live in the real world and...actually, that's pretty normal back there too.
Anyway, she's probably going to follow that list and find a job. If not she can help with the repairs in the town. Barriers can be good for that, right? She does like being helpful and we're in need of money. Hope she does alright.
Finding my way to the theater was uneventful for Nero and I. Sure there was this one ice glacier stuck near the station entrance and a few covering the stairs like a funhouse mirror room, but it wasn't that obstructive. A few people even used them to check on their appearances while going up and down to wherever they were going. I even recognized one or two people, but they were too busy with their reflection to see me walk by.
"What happened here?" That was my instant reaction upon seeing the theater. Of course I knew what happened, but it was just something that I couldn't help say in regards to the place's simultaneous luck and misfortune.
It looked like hail had targeted the building, almost covering the entire surface with shining bits of crystal. Not only was Shiva content with just that, there also happened to be this large block of ice penetrating said roof like a sword would to a wall made of simple drywall. And despite all of that the building is still standing. One can call that a miracle or a shining example of the strengths of Lindblum architecture and design.
"Hey, whatcha doing over there, kid? If you're here for Lowell then you're out of luck." I turn around and see a familiar face smoking in the hall while reading a couple of printed sheets while a younger guy followed him out of the shade and into the morning light.
"Unless he wants another improvised way of getting out of the theater, then yeah I am. But it looks like he doesn't need help right now." I said with a grin. "Good to see you again, sir."
"Wait. Who are you?" He looks surprised that I knew him. Then he turns to the boy beside him. "You know this guy?"
"That's Mister Skylark, sir. You hired him weeks ago to help coordinate between the staff." He answered. I think that's Carlton? Nice to see him looking well.
"Oh yeah! Skylark, yeah, I remember now. Though you haven't shown up for two weeks. I thought you died in the attack. Where you been?" The theater director asks.
"Had to handle a few problems out of town." I answered, the truth being more complicated than they know. "Just came back and found the town's been attacked."
Carlton looks up at the damage and hums. "It wasn't a fun time for everyone. We don't have a budget to repair the place for now, which is why we're working on a performance to help get some funding."
"Some of usual staff have their own problems at home too, like their roof or some walls coming down, part of their house frozen." Haverhill spoke like all of those things had directly happened to him. At this point, there's a possibility two of three had happened to him. "A few checking some relatives in to the hospital. Like Lowell, he nearly lost a foot in the attack. He's shaken, but that man's determined to make this performance a success. At least practice is going well for those around that care to show up. I'm just glad that a lot of people care enough to be here and work with the theater still looking like this."
"If you care so much, why do you hold back? And if you don't care, why do you still help us?" Dagger's words echoes in my mind. I shake my head just as I hear Nero tweeting at me.
Who does she think she is saying that? I care enough. I don't have to fully commit to the extreme of the spectrum. If I wasn't so helpful or thoughtful to them then things would be a whole lot different. If I cared too much, I would be a worse bleeding heart than Alyssa. If I didn't care at all then half of our party would be either fried by Black Waltz No. 3 or a full party wipe by Inoire's hands or the event at the Iifa Tree could have ended up worse. Too many 'ifs' for anyone to even consider. Dagger should be grateful that she, the regent, and everyone in our circle know that-
Okay, I really need to calm down. I'm going to pop a membrane or something if I keep thinking like ths. Just focus on what's in front of you, Blake. Focus on your goal for today and let everything else fade to the background.
I fully expected a fully working theater group when I got here, only to be proven otherwise. On the bright side, the place is still functional to a degree and there's still work to be done. Hopefully everyone else working here is thinking the same. I might as well get the same mindset. "Well, that budget isn't raising itself. If you'd still have me coordinate around, I'll be glad to lend a hand. Just one hand though."
Both of looked at the injured arm I raised and laughed. It felt like they needed a laugh and I'm glad they got it through my expense.
"Didn't know I hired a comedian!" The director patted me on the back hard enough to make me stumble a few steps and rearrange my shoulders. "Alright then, let's get to work and make this one a success!"
- Zidane -
After hearing about Blake 'being pressured' into things by the regent back in the castle, I decided to go see what's up with everyone over there. Sure Blake can exaggerate sometimes, but I can't help but think that there's another side to the story. Blake's really sensitive with his secrets. With it out in the open for a few select people, he's bound to be very cagey about what to do with them. Someone back in the castle ought to know a thing or two about this. If not, maybe they'll know someone who does.
Besides, this gives me a reason to go see how Dagger is. Things feel like they're back to normal, but I have a feeling that it's only temporary. She's gonna have to go back to Alexandria and handle things there and I don't know what the crew is gonna be doing. That is if they'll have me officially. Boss hasn't said anything official yet but they've let me hang around and do stuff for them like before.
While the gang's back together, they really don't have much going for them. I hope they weren't up to anything bad while I was away that could warrant them laying low like this.
Getting into the castle was the easy part, finding Dagger is actually proving difficult. Walking around didn't get me anywhere and asking some of the staff told me she's busy. I know she's not the kind to stay inside a room doing official business for long. This is the same girl that wanted to be kidnapped so she can get answers about her mom, so I find it hard to believe that she's busy.
Well fine. She can be busy for some time of the day, but not all day. One of the people who should know should be around here somewhere.
"Ah, Rusty! Just the guy I wanted to talk to!" The knight looks genuinely curious as I approached him as he comes out of the infirmary. "Infirmary, eh? Getting something checked like your blood pressure?"
"Just so you know, I am medically fine. I don't like what you're implying." He crosses his arms, indignant at my icebreaker.
"Good that you're healthy. Speaking of getting checked, I need to check on Dagger. You seen her around?" I asked with a soft nudge against his armor.
"But you're not a doctor, Zidane." Vivi said with clear confusion.
"And even if he was, I'd never let that happen. What motive are you hiding?" He leers at me in the hopes that he'll uncover what I was thinking. Good thing I didn't really mean that as an innuendo.
"Just wanted to see her is all. Probably related to the two people that moved out of here, but mostly just to check with her. It'll do her some good to see us once in a while after what happened in the Outer Continent." Even if it's going to be her duty as next in line for the throne, no one wants to sit in a room negotiating or working out the details all day. She's gonna have to eventually step out for a breath of fresh air.
"Blake and Alyssa left again?" Vivi asked. I confirmed that they're staying at a different place while being vague about it. They didn't specifically say they don't want to be found, but in the off chance that Blake doesn't then I might as well play it safe. "That's why they weren't around at dinner last night and breakfast earlier."
"And like last time we don't know the reason why. It could just be a personal problem." Steiner wonders out loud. That sounds like Blake pretty much, but who don't know the whole story anyway. That's why I'm here. "In any case, they shouldn't have gone far. And as for you," he points a finger at me while going back to his leering, "I don't know what you're planning, but you should leave the princess alone. She is very busy."
"You three are blocking the entryway." A firm voice interrupts us. Vivi jumped and quickly moved out of the way since he was closest to the door. When we look at who spoke, I'm pleasantly surprised to see someone up and about.
"Freya! Good to see you're on your feet!" I exclaimed, nodding to the dragon knight standing before us, noticing the grip she had on her spear as she leaned on it. "Going on a walk?"
"Was just checking who these familiar voices are making a ruckus in the infirmary. The patients here don't appreciate the noise this early in the day." Freya replies. "But yes, I have been feeling well enough to walk."
"Say, has Dagger stopped by here earlier?" If Rusty ain't helping me then I'm gonna ask someone who can.
"She did, along with Eiko. Just as I was eating breakfast. Chatted for a few minutes to check with me and then left to get some fresh air before this meeting with the minister." There's not a lot of places that can be used to get away from others and just have some time for yourself around here. She's either hanging around at the station or upstairs.
"Huh. Well, that's better than nothing. Guess I'll go Dagger-hunting then. Wish me luck!" I waved at the others as Steiner sputtered and tried to give chase. We all know I'm gonna leave him in the dust and he knew that too as he basically gave up around the corner. Plus, even if he tried, he's not gonna stop me.
Now knowing Dagger, if she's gonna want some privacy and a little break, she has to consider the possibility of being interrupted. There's only one place that not a lot of people know about or even think about going to. With that in mind, I press the 'up' button on the elevator the moment I get on and wait until I'm at the top floor.
Jogging past the mechanics and the gears they are maintaining, I reach the doorway leading outside to the top of the castle. It's the same as before. The view is great, except for a few giant icicles in the town, but some of them made parts of the city sparkle in the morning light. Like dew resting on the grass in the early mornings.
Walking up the path to the very pinnacle I could see Dagger sitting beside a pillar close to the telescope, her eyes closed like she was taking a nap. I didn't want to disturb her if she really was napping, so I snuck my way close to her and sat across from her. What kind of thief am I if I get caught flat-footed in broad daylight?
She looks peaceful. Like how often did she even get some any real rest after we stopped her mom? As secretive Blake and Alyssa were, Dagger hid her worries about her family more than them. At least we can coax it out of her and help her out, and we did. Now that we're done with that, what do we do now? What is she going to do now? Taking Brahne's place is going to be top priority. That's an obvious one. But what about everyone else? How is this going to affect us?
We might not stay together at this rate, but I do hope she knows that everyone's going to support her decision. Being queen won't be easy. That's why she has her friends to help her.
"What with that smile?" I hear her speak up. She's sitting straight now, one eye openly staring at me before the other blinks open as well.
"You're cute when you're peaceful, you know?" I smiled and winked as I stood up. She rolled her eyes, but the chuckle it came with meant there was fine with a little teasing. "So what are you doing up here all alone?"
"Clearing my mind." She simply answered, standing up as well and approached the telescope. "We have prevented a disaster and overcome a big hurdle a few days ago. Things are changing and I'm afraid I'm not ready to take on the tasks that will be put onto me. And we clearly still have trouble coming our way. Trouble like Kuja."
Yeah, he's still out there. We put a stop to his plan by stopping all of the Mist from going here. He's weaponless, but that doesn't mean he's totally out of the picture just yet. He's definitely waiting for the perfect time to poke his head out and cause trouble. "If he comes back, we'll find a way to finish the job and finally take him down."
"He has to be stopped. With no more connection to a powerful kingdom and an important material to his weapon making taken away, he had possibly hidden himself to plot another way to wreak havoc. We either find him or he finds his way back to us."
I nod. "Is that why you're talking to the regent recently?"
"Yes, well, among other things." She turns as she puts her hands together to stop them from fidgeting. "His advice is tremendous and helpful, but there are things that even a regent can't know."
"You mean Alyssa and Blake." My conclusion gets a nod as she sighs. Alyssa's told me before that she knew almost everything about the future. Almost everything. "Alyssa told me before that she everything she knew has been affected by what's happened recently. Her advice is not to rely on what they know because we might get derailed or be fed the wrong info."
I could see a little frown gathering right on her eyebrows. "I've argued with Blake about this and all he did was brush me off and refuse to help. I did not ask for the entire spread of their knowledge. All I asked was advice on what we should do next."
Hopping up on the small ledge to our side, I walk over near the edge of the tower just underneath the telescope. "Think of it as like knowing the summary of a play, but the details ain't exactly explicitly mentioned. If they did, that would be a hell of a summary. Might as well read the script instead. And since Blake's been tight-lipped about everything until now, there's probably something holding him back from helping."
"His selfishness, that's what." I give her a dissatisfied look for her comment. "That's what he said."
"Well. You picked the wrong person to ask advice for."
"Clearly."
"They're around here somewhere and they're bound to come by so you can get another try."
She takes a seat right beside the telescope with a slightly frustrated breath. "While Lindblum is in repair, my uncles are helping me go through what needs to be done to take the throne in Alexandria. I am taking too much of their time, but I appreciate all the help they are giving me."
"And I bet there's gonna be a big event when that happens."
"There will be. Alexandria cannot be leaderless for long." Her gaze goes past me and goes towards the direction of the kingdom she grew up in. "I will have to correct the mistakes mother has made, fix the damage this war has done to the continent."
"You won't be alone with that." I tell her as I drop from the ledge and sit beside her. "You're the most qualified person I know to lead a kingdom. You got that determination, the worldly wisdom; you've traveled far and proved you can fight with the best of them. And if you're lacking anywhere else, you have shoulders you can lean on and people you can trust. Like me." To emphasize, I dust off my shoulder and grin at her.
She good naturedly chuckles, shaking her head before looking away again. "Thank you, Zidane."
I can only give her my best smile and a nonchalant shrug. Even the best thieves can spend some time under the brightest light. They just have to know which light is worth getting caught in.
"There you are!" Both of us jump at the sudden high pitched shout coming from the bottom of the stairs to our right. The owner of said voice stomped up and revealed to be Eiko. How she found us is gonna be irrelevant if the look in her eye is supposed to mean something. "I've been looking for you all morning! Vivi mentioned you were around and I just couldn't miss the opportunity to ask for your help!"
"Good day to you too, Eiko." I greeted as she stood to my side. Then she suddenly grabs my hand and pulls me away from Dagger.
"Show me around town! This is the first time I've been to a place like this." Wow, she's really strong for someone her size and age! "A gentleman shouldn't leave a lady hanging, y'know?"
"Uh…!" I was torn between letting Eiko drag me away and spending time with Dagger. I mean it's rude to let Eiko down like this, especially when she's new in town and I'm basically the expert on the lay of the land. On the other hand, I was just getting into the groove with Dagger while she was confiding in me. "Is there a chance to do this both?"
"Nope! It's my turn for some Zidane quality time!" She denied me a little too enthusiastically, further dragging me down the steps.
"You mentioned something earlier." Turning my head slightly, Dagger is following us with an amused smile. "Made me think that you knew where Alyssa and Blake are. One of the guards said Alyssa left and I saw Blake leave after our talk. Think you can maybe point me in the right direction?"
Now this is going to leave me in quite a pickle. I do know where they are since I walked with Alyssa to find Blake. The problem with that is if it's okay for me to tell. Like Blake said, he likes his privacy, and letting Dagger know might compromise that. On the other hand, I'll be helping Dagger out and helping her out puts me closer to her. Even if I tell her, what's Blake gonna do to me? Sic his chocobo at me? Alyssa might not like it though and I hate it when a girl is angry at me.
"I don't know where they are right now!" The panic building up in me with this moral dilemma made me blurt that out.
Dagger pauses mid-step with an inquisitive look in her eyes. I nearly stumble when she goes out of the edge of my vision, making Eiko stop for a moment. The younger girl makes a noise that was close to a grumble before continuing dragging me inside.
"So you know where they will be later?" Dagger calls out by the doorway, making me, Eiko, and the mechanics below look at her.
"I-I didn't say that! Definitely did not say that!" Any protest I could make falls on deaf ears as Eiko gets me inside the elevator. The last thing I heard from Dagger was a little laugh impeded only by her glove. But it was a delight to see her laugh like that.
I sigh to myself, not knowing if I let Alyssa down with that slip-up or impressed that Dagger managed to pick up on that. I guess I'll find out what comes out of that later. For now I have to figure out what happens to me in the next hour or so. So I look down towards Eiko, who was hopefully staring at me until I caught her and she switched to looking at the elevator control panel as we went down a few levels.
"So Eiko, what do you wanna check out first?"
- Eiko -
This day couldn't get any better! I have some needed alone time with my lovely thief!
Took some time to find him, especially when yesterday I was planning something romantic with candle light and a freshly made full course meal. He did say he would be staying out of the castle, he didn't really say exactly where so it made finding him too difficult. Plus, we were all tired from sailing. That really derailed everything.
So now I'm trying another idea. One of the stories I read on the boat had this guy showing girl around town because she's new around there and didn't know where the important things are. That started their romance. And here I am trying to spark that romance now that we have some time.
Zidane had thought about his answer when I asked him where we're going first. "Probably not the best place for a first-timer, but it's good to get the feel of most of the places in town just in case."
Grandpa did say that if things don't start off the best, it can still go up from there. Not a bad thing. We're just gonna have to work our way up.
I asked Zidane a few questions about himself and the city while we waited for this thing called the 'aircab'. I haven't really taken a step out of the castle since we got here, 'cause I know I'd get lost on my own. And I don't wanna waste everyone's time to go find me just because I was feeling like going on a little adventure.
He'd only answered one of my questions, one about how long he's lived in Lindblum, when this big metal orange thing the size of Amarant stops at the station. Zidane's kind enough to help me get on and sit in one of the available chairs. The doors close as someone announces our next stop to be the Business District, making Zidane lean back comfortably.
"We have some time to kill until we get to our stop." He tells me, his eyes looking over me to the window next to me. "It's always nice to see the city pass by like this. Sometimes Blank and I just ride the aircab all over the city in early mornings to watch the sunrise." He let out a nostalgic sigh before nodding out of the window. "And then he picks out which poor guy we're gonna steal from the moment we get out. Always gotta have an exciting start to our mornings."
I look out of the window and see the city as we zoom over parts of it. Maybe its the ice crystals everywhere, but it's like most of it is shining even if a lot of it is broken down. If what the others told me are right, this town was attacked by that woman we stopped a few days ago. This place sure looks good even if it was attacked.
I kinda wish my village could be the same. It's not easy to rebuild it since I'm pretty much the only person there living with a few moogles. I wonder how they are now…
The aircab slowly stopping shook me out of my head enough to look at Zidane. I didn't know how long he was staring at me, but I tried to play it off with a smile. "Is this our stop?"
He stands after nodding and I follow his lead out into the station and up the big staircase going outside. Lots of noise coming out of that doorway that I had to cover my ears. The first thing that takes my eyes of Zidane is this massive statue at the center of the plaza. It's like as big as the Leviathan statue in the Iifa Tree, but smaller than the Eidolon Wall drawings. Zidane explained that it was some guy before his time that ruled the city. Strange, this guy isn't an oglop. Guess they weren't all oglops.
Zidane shows me around the place, careful to avoid the wrecked areas. Two interesting places this place had was a station under construction and this thing called a 'pub'. The first one had this machine being built to travel without using Mist. Dagger did tell me that a lot of the things in this continent runs on Mist. With it gone it's gonna be hard to get around. Problem for them right now is that the place was busted in the attack. So not only are they trying to build that machine, they're also trying to fix the place its in.
The other place wasn't so much more interesting, being a place to eat and drink. Zidane did tell me I couldn't drink whatever those yellow fizzy drinks the people there were serving because I wasn't old enough. Uh, hello? Survived in a village for years with moogles. I think I can handle a cup of that. But whatever. We did eat a meal because it was getting close to lunch time. Mog had a meal of her own too. I appreciate Zidane ordering for us since we didn't know what's good.
After that we went to the Residential District. A much quieter place that had nice houses. The dwarves over in Conde Petie would LOVE to have a place like this. Their own places instead of living in that temple between the mountains. But what if I had a house of my own? And with Zidane! Oh that would be the dream! Just the two of us living our lives comfortably together with nothing to worry about. Ah...
Who am I kidding? I can't leave Madain Sari alone. That's MY home. Rebuilding the place is a great idea, if only I can get some help in doing that. All that rubble cleaned up and neat buildings around the place. Clean roads and people walking around the village. Grandpa would talk about how nice the village looked before that fire happened. He would always tear up when he talked about those times. Maybe one day I'll have the village rebuilt when everyone's not busy. Not anytime soon though if the busy talk in the castle was a sign.
There's this museum Zidane pointed out before suggesting if I want to go there, but I said no since it looked like we'd get lost inside. He told me it's kinda like the Eidolon Wall, but with a lot more stuff to look at but was less of a place of prayer and more to learn about the city and the world. Well, that is interesting, but I'm more interested in knowing more about Zidane than the world. So we passed that and the library.
Instead, we decided to take a walk around the park. It's a nice place to relax and unwind. Plenty of people walking, running, and playing around. Of course, there's still some debris from the invasion, but it's not in the way as much as other places. I find a good spot right under a tree. I turn to Zidane and find that he's disappeared. Running around the tree didn't bring him back. I was just about to bring out Mog to help find him when I heard rustling above me.
"Apple?" The fruit dangles in front of me, a hand holding onto it. Its owner is hanging from one of the tree's lower branches with a smile. He had another apple in his hand while tail held on to the branch.
"Thanks." He drops the apple into my hands.
"You wanna join me up here? It's got a nice view." I do, duh! Nodding excitedly, I put the apple in my pocket and jump up, one hand catching mine as he swings up and helps me sit on the branch before properly joining me.
We eat our fresh fruits like that for a minute just hanging around with a comfy feel around us. Then he nudges me and points over to that small house-like thing where a lot of people are before recalling a memory. It was the first time he'd performed in front of a crowd as a member of Tantalus. No schemes of stealing from people, it was just something their boss thought of doing that week. He was nervous at first since he'd only practiced with them before, but having his friends there with him made it all easier. I could sit here and eat apples with Zidane forever. Just imagine a lifetime like this with Zidane. Not literally on this branch, but still! It wouldn't last though since we couldn't eat all of the apples in the tree.
"Someone's bound to notice and we'll get in trouble." Zidane said cheekily. As if getting caught was gonna happen to him. That or he's been caught lounging here enough times to know when he should leave. He's the first to jump off, landing with a neat roll. "Jump! I'll catch you."
And he did. It's like the first time we met back in Conde Petie, a bit longer than that time, but he eventually puts me down so we can walk out of the park with one more apple for the both of us.
We want back to the station and went around the Business District next. He showed me a bunch of places to go if I need certain stuff like potions and remedies, clothes, restaurants, and other stuff if the endless generosity of the castle isn't enough. Having options is nice. Mog even came out and walked over to one of the food stalls because it smelled so good.
Just as I was pulling Mog away from one of the stalls, someone bumps into me, making it easy for Mog to slip out of my hands and return to the stall and getting the attention of the guy in charge. Turning to the person that almost knocked me off my feet, I shouted, "Hey, watch where you're goin'!"
"So much food…" The person groaned in delight as they looked around, not even apologizing to me. I was dusting myself and was about to give this one a piece of my mind, only to stop when I looked up.
"Quina?" The Qu Zidane traveled with didn't even hear me as she rushed to another stall. Zidane's quick to help me with Mog by picking her up and giving her to me.
"You okay?" He asked, to which I nodded. "Quina's a bit reckless and gets distracted easily by delicious food. He/She didn't mean to hurt you." I bet he/she doesn't mean it. I've only talked to him/her a few times back home and it was always while we were cooking. He's/She's always excited when it comes to food and made great food when he/she did.
Whatever. Eventually he/she comes back our way and actually stops this time when Zidane calls out to him/her. One greeting later and he/she is walking with us, pointing out the stalls that had caught his/her interest and describing why. Plenty of food to go around and they come kinda cheap, meaning people have to be creative and actually good to have them sell fast. Quina even bought like three things from three different stalls, eating them within a minute with a satisfied smile.
Then he/she just stops in her tracks and pointed past the crowd. "Is that sword girl?"
Zidane and I have to look around him/her just to see what the fuss is all about. Then we see someone familiar in a a half-buttoned hunting jacket with a dark shirt, shorts that would be too big on me but were still too small on her, a straw hat, and a spear in her hands marching towards one street being hassled by a couple of guys.
"Whoa!" Actually, used to be hassled when one of them got too handy and got thrown to the ground for their troubles. Anyone else trying to follow her stumbled backwards after she glared at them.
"Alyssa?" Zidane called out, half of his voice sounding on the verge of laughter. "Guess she's working right now, but let's see if she needs some help."
We walk over to her as the crowd starts to get thin around her. She looks at us like she's caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I know how that feels. Morrison would always scold me for trying to sneak a snack before we actually eat. It's that for Alyssa, but ten times worse when her face becomes almost red.
"Uh, h-hey guys. Didn't think I'd run into you...or anyone...around here...darn it..." She was holding her spear in front of her like it was going to let her hide behind it.
"That spear ain't letting you hide. Like that outfit you have right now." That got a rise out of her when she tried to swing at Zidane, making him duck under it. "Hey, I was just joking! Geez..."
"It's already embarrassing as it is! You don't have to make it worse!" She cried, pointing the sharp end at him.
Alyssa explained that she was working for Endless Color shop a few streets away and she was modeling their summer huntress line-up to get interest going. It wasn't her first choice for a job, but when she found herself there and they were willing to hire her again, it would've been a waste to just walk away. And now she's walking around town promoting their sale in those clothes and the prop spear. Yeah, it wasn't even a real thing. Probably explains why she swung it like a sword.
"Clothes not good on sword girl." Quina commented.
"Thank you!" Alyssa said. "I told them, but they insisted I wear this one. Could've went with pants or a full bodysuit instead, but no! Jenny wanted me in these shorts. In this weather no less! Okay, the bodysuit might've been worse, but still this is not for me."
Zidane shrugged. "It's a waste not to use good assets."
That only got his foot poked harshly by the prop spear, the owner staring down the thief like she was waiting for his move. "Choose your next words carefully, Zidane, or I'm going to take two steps forward, knock your ass to the ground, and tie your hands and feet behind you with your tail."
Oh, I don't like that mental image, especially because that's Zidane he's talking about. Quina and Zidane both shudder at the thought too and my crush easily backs down from teasing Alyssa. Before anything else is said, she finally excuses herself to change out of her outfit before she embarrasses herself even more.
That pretty much completes our tour of that district as we say goodbye to Alyssa. Quina insists to come with us to see if there's other places for food in the Theatre District. When Zidane says the last district is gonna have his hideout, I suddenly got excited. Since he's a thief and an actor, he's probably hanging around in a big place of his own! Probably a lot of souvenirs he's taken from people and bought from places he's traveled to!
I was basically dragging Zidane out of the aircab when a guy there announced where we were. We get to the bottom of the stairs as Zidane points out where the place is. It was underneath this clock building thing and inside had a lot of gears keeping the thing working. Not a great place for a hideout, but it's not like everyone was trying to find them right now. Going in proved that it was bigger than I expected. And his friends were in here too.
"Hey there, little girl. You got lost or something?" One of them with a headband and scar on his face spoke up, making everyone else look at me. Then he looks up to Zidane with a grin. "Just because Ruby is in Alexandria doesn't mean we have to replace her, Zidane."
"We still have an opening though." Another guy in a light blue shirt and a bandana on his head added.
"We starting an orphanage, boss?" One of the masked men to the side turned to this big guy covered in hair...fur? That's a lot of fur.
"Hey, Eiko's not here for that. I'm just showing her around. And I'm irreplaceable." He punches the bandana man's arm lightly before stepping beside me. "She's a friend from the Outer Continent. Helped stopped Brahne and can summon eidolons. You know, like the one that helped save the city."
The big guy walks over and puts his hands on his hips. "That's there fine and dandy and all, but the real question is...are 'ya good at actin'?"
Acting? Oh yeah, Zidane did say they put on performances. But if I'm gonna be honest, I don't really have any experience on that. "I'm fast on my feet and I got quick hands. Stole some food before and was never caught!" Yeah, those dwarves in Conde Petie never got me because they were too scared going on that path.
"Until I did. Literally." Zidane corrected. That day was like fate. "Anyway, this is the Tantalus Theatre Troupe. That's Blank, Marcus, Benero, Genero, and our boss Baku." He pointed to each person and they nodded or waved or winked at me after their intros. "Some of us are somewhere else like Ruby and the Nero's other brothers, but this is pretty much us. We travel all over the continent to act and trick a bunch of people away from their money. Been my home for a few years now and there's no place like it anywhere else."
"When did you get so sentimental?" Blank teased again before turning to me.
"Hope he's behaved while he's around you, kid. Don't wanna hear how someone from our group ain't up to snuff just because I wasn't around to knock sense into 'im." Baku chuckled, knocking lightly on Zidane's head before patting him on the back hard enough to knock him down to one knee.
"Gee, hold your punches, why won't 'cha?" Zidane groaned a bit and shook his head, taking the hit in stride as everyone else chuckled. "I'll just finish showing Eiko around and escort her back to the castle. She's enjoying the tour so far, so I might as well take her to see actual professionals practice their craft."
"Hey, we take offense to that." Marcus said with a slightly hidden smirk while Zidane wasn't able to hide his amusement.
"Nice meetin' you guys!" I waved back at them as we get out and turn towards the place my kind tour guide was talking about, which was just a bridge and a few feet away from where we were now. I turn to Zidane for a sec. "Real nice guys. Maybe they'll tell me stories of your adventures?"
This theatre Zidane says where the professionals are staying at really could look better than it is now. It's still standing, but it kinda looks like a big breeze would make a wall fall. Not that it matters to everyone there when we get inside. Plenty of people walking around with costumes, some on a stage doing things with this one person talking them through it. Zidane says they're practicing and it's kinda like crunch time for them since they're planning on doing some play next week to help them repair the building.
I just couldn't help but stare and watch at the people on stage. Weird how we didn't have this kind of thing back in the Outer Continent. I guess the dwarves aren't that interested in acting, but they sure love it when people do that ceremony of theirs. Some of them get really emotional about it too. Like when I saw Zidane's group doing it, a couple of the dwarves were crying. Openly weeping happily for people they don't even know. Weird traditions are really weird.
Just as I was about to ask Zidane if he's practiced with these guys, I spot something by the edge of the stage. Something small was jumping up and down on someone's head. It didn't help that it was kinda dark over there. This thing was also dark colored too that I can barely see what it is. It's almost half the size of Mog too. Is it...trying to signal me or something?
Then my eyes slightly go down to what its jumping on.
"Blake!? What's that jerk doing here!?" I blurted angrily.
"Oh yeah, I kinda forgot that he used to work here before." Zidane mumbles. Does that mean...he's a professional actor too? If he is then he's better than Zidane!? Oh no, buddy! No one is better than Zidane!
"I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind. Thinking he can be a professional more than you. Not possible! That can't happen." I pull up my sleeves and start walking down to the stage and getting past some people surprised to see me.
Blake was talking to a group of people by the edge of the stage close to the curtains. He handed each person some papers and signalling something for a few that was beyond his reach, making a few nod their heads before they went off somewhere. One of them saw me storming my way to them and pointed me out. Blake didn't notice as he went on whatever it was he's talking about.
"Let's make sure the second act stage sets are done by today since we're behind on that. Set aside some of the costumes for the main cast so it doesn't get lost on the week of. Nothing else seems to be troubling us aside from time itself, but what can we do about it?" He says like he's making a joke, and it works with some of them. The laughing stops when I stop by him and glare up to him. I could see the chocobo on his head looking down at me, but my main focus was the guy he was standing on.
"Uh...Mr. Skylark?" One of them speaks up.
"Anything to add, Carlton?" Blake asks, but then he snaps his fingers before facing everyone else again. "Oh yeah, before I forget. Does Haverhill already get his tux fixed? The man has to look respectable so his theatre can look respectable as well in the future."
I grab a handful of his pants and pull at it. That instantly catches his attention as he finally looks down to see me. "What do you think you're doing here!?"
A frown looked down on me at an instant, only to go away as fast as it came and was replaced by a raised eyebrow. He then straightens himself and clears his throat.
"Excuse me, there seems to be a missing child in the premises. Will their parents please come and retrieve them." He announced rather loudly. He's mocking me. This jerk is just making fun of me! His snickering was interrupted when I hit him in the knee. "Hey! Stop that. I need that for adventuring."
"You know this kid, sir?" The guy called Carlton asked again.
"Unfortunately, yes." He answered with a sigh.
"What do you mean by unfortunately!?" I yelled.
He just points at me with a deadpan stare. "That's why."
"You're annoying!" I jabbed a finger into his leg, making him step back.
"You're annoying." That jerk repeated in a stupid voice while making a stupid face. My fist misses his knee when he moves away again, this time circling behind me so I couldn't try that again.
"What's the ruckus over here?" This other guy, someone older than Blake and Zidane combined, carrying a bunch of papers and made everyone else flinch when he came over stood between us. He was scratching his chin like he was trying to think of something. "Who brought a kid in here without telling me? I could've set up a room in the back for her to play in or something."
I glared up at the new guy and pointed at him. "Hey! I'm not just some useless kid! I'm a summoner and I can-"
"Sorry about this. I brought her here. Was just visiting a friend." Zidane suddenly appeared at my side and stood between me and whoever I was shouting at. All while giving his best winning smile. "Hey Blake, how's theatre work?"
"It's good. Lively atmosphere, not really physical for me aside from walking around, plenty of free time when I'm done with my duties, no unnecessary pressure to do unnecessary work. You know how it is." He shrugged nonchalantly. Something he said made the thief hum in thought and it was probably on purpose too. "Zidane, this is Director Haverhill. We're working on a play to help fund the repairs here."
"You're one of those Tantalus folks, 'innit? From across the street." Haverhill said while looking Zidane up and down, prompting the thief to nod. What's it to him if he is? "Ya guys busy or anything in the next week or so? We're looking to get more folks involved with the play. That is if you guys ain't busy."
"I'll bring it up later with the others." Zidane replied, interest showing in his voice. "We don't have much going on right now so it'll be something to think about."
"Don't have enough girls to impress?" Blake wagged his eyebrows when he spoke up again.
"Not just to impress. And I don't get tired of impressing anyone." He winked back at him.
"You know four already and you seem to be doing pretty well with them."
"As if he needs to impress anyone else." I stuck my tongue out at him. But he does have a point. I just need to up my game so he can just focus on me.
"You don't count." He bluntly countered.
"Say that to my face!"
Shrugging, he slightly leans down to make eye contact and gives me this annoying smirk. "You. Don't. Count."
I rushed him with arms swinging all over, and I would have hit him if he didn't stop me with just a single hand on my head. I never got the chance to take his hand off my head and hit him when I got lifted off the ground.
"Okay, that's enough arguing." Zidane's voice rang close above my head. I was about to argue that I needed to hit Blake at least one more time for being a jerk when I realized Zidane was the one that lifted me. I was in his hands just so he can separate me from Blake. More importantly, he was holding me.
Ahhh...Please never let this end!
"I'm sorry that my dad is being like this."
I open my eyes and see the small chocobo standing on Blake's head. How Nero kept his balance and stayed up there all this time was a mystery, but I knew it was talking to me while Zidane is trying to make Blake apologize. He was just looking at him with bored eyes while everyone else had moved on to do something else. Still there it was looking at me and chirping with words I can fully understand.
"Dad likes messing around with people and he doesn't mean it. Sometimes..." Well of course he would say that because he's biased for Blake. Still, hearing him say 'dad' meaning 'Blake' doesn't stick with me so well. I just give him a look of disbelief like he's gonna sway me into forgiving Blake.
The little thing actually jumps off, alerting Blake and making him look up, only to glide towards me and stay there for a second until he started hovering down until he lands on my hands.
"Nero says he feels bad that you're treating me badly." I told the two while holding up the chocobo towards them. "Don't you feel bad for making him feel that way?"
That causes Blake to look at me and the chocobo in surprise like he forgot I can talk to animals, before settling for a defeated sigh. He extends both hands as Nero jumps from mine to his. "Fine. I'm sorry," he starts before turning away and lifting up Nero, "For letting you see such a scene. I swear the children here are much more behaved than her. This is what happens when not enough discipline is administered. Not that Nero needs any because he's been such a good boy!"
His chocobo cooing was seemingly endless as he stalked off past the curtain, ignoring us as if we're the ones that left the scene looking like a crazy person. I could even feel Zidane gaping at what he'd just seen. Nero looked over Blake's shoulder, tweeting loudly so I can hear over the busy theatre noise:
"I'm sorry!"
No worries, little guy. You're not the one at fault.
"Well," Zidane finally broke the silence between us and sadly put me back down on the ground. "This was really an eventful day."
"Y-Yeah. Sure was." I agreed.
"What do you say we cap this tour off with some ice cream?" Zidane suggested with a casual shrug.
"Ice cream?" It's the first time I've heard of that. What the hell is ice cream?
"It's this cold and sweet treat that's the newest craze. Apparently the invasion gave this guy an idea and he started making the treat after plenty of tries. And there's a lot of flavors to choose from so it's always different when you try it out..." He happily described it as he leads me towards the exit. I was about to ask him about what kind of flavors and if Mog can have some too when he stumbles to a stop and turns his head away from the exit.
"Zidane? Something wrong about this ice cream you're talking about?" I asked, pulling on his hand. That snapped him out of it as he shrugged his shoulders and finally looked back at me.
"Nothing. I thought I saw something for a sec there." He answered before walking again. "Anyway, we'll just take an aircab back to the Business District and we'll get some big cones."
- Meguro -
Stepping away from the shadows, I watch the one of Garland's genome creations walk out of the theatre with the summoner. Only a chance glance got him close to noticing, but thankfully his mind was concerned with something else. It had been like that for a while now despite the girl's attempts to make him look at her like an adult. It matters not if they caught a glimpse of me or not, all I am doing is checking up on one of my favorite people in this world.
Technically, they are not of this world. They are only here because of a mistake I made. One that I have yet to make amends. The difficulty of fixing this seems to be increasing the longer I try to look for a solution. If this goes on longer I might have to resort to desperate measures.
Taking a few more quiet steps, I trail behind a group of carpenters talking about stage sets, my magic helping me blend seamlessly behind them as they lead me deeper backstage. No one would be able to bat an eyelash at me due to the fact that I am temporarily invisible to the average citizen of this reality, only when I will it to be that I can be seen. Perhaps walking to my destination might be considered impractical as I could just make myself appear where I want, but enjoying the little things in life make every minute spent more meaningful. As such taking in the scenery, watching at these artists and performers mold the world they plan to show and evoke when the time comes.
Ah, to be simple and blissfully unaware. Perhaps someday I will be able to live like that. For now that will have to be a distant dream.
I find Blake in a room backstage with a small group of people. The frown on his face as he wrote down something on his clipboard while simultaneously listening to them. Something about what to celebrate with and what kind of food they should get once the play is a success. He stops writing, like the previous statement had triggered something in him, and he fixes the group with a cold stare.
"Why won't you just focus on the now instead of planning that far ahead!?" He bluntly told them, annoyance clear enough to make the enthusiastic grins of the staff tremble. Regret comes through a long blink and he tries to salvage it with a sigh. "There's still a bunch of stuff to do, way more priorities than that. If you want to plan something, plan for what to do today. You can celebrate when you can see the audience give a standing ovation."
They stand there a little affronted that their planning had been shut down just like that. However, that simmers immediately and is replaced by relative surprise.
"Didn't know you could be so wise, Mr. Skylark." One of them said with a grin, causing a few chuckles to echo in their group.
"Yeah, well, I have my moments." Blake didn't know whether that was an underhanded compliment or not and just decided to go with it with a shrug. "And just so you know, I'm just as young as everyone here! I'm just...going through some personal stuff right now."
Curious questions and teasing remarks follow, which Blake deflects into focusing back on their work before leaving the room and going back to his clipboard. Peering over his shoulder, I could see that some of the items on his list have been crossed out and even then there's still more to do. Tons of work to do for everyone. I back off when he suddenly stiffens and looks around.
"Did you feel that, Nero?" He asks the bird nestled on his head. It returns a chirp as Blake scans his seemingly empty surroundings. "Something felt...off. To be honest, being here has always made me feel off, but for a second there it felt even worse…?" Another chirp gets him to nod. "Probably just me."
With that self-imposed conclusion, he continues down deeper into the backstage hallway with Nero's tweets echoing around them.
I'm glad that he has found some sort of comfort in his attempt to step away from his responsibilities. Responsibilities that were not for him to hold, yet burdened onto him by my own actions. No amount of apologies would make amends, only the act of bringing him home would be enough. But alas, talking to him now would not help either of us.
Turning away from his retreating, the world twists and turns until I am somewhere else. A much more occupied space with people preparing to leave their stalls and businesses for the day. One business in particular that had my attention opened its door and out came a very familiar brunette looking less flustered back in her more comfortable outfit. Breathing a sigh as she checked the pouch in her hands, it looked like she was conflicted about what had transpired.
"Day's not over yet. Gonna have to hop on over to the castle and see Dr. Thomas." Alyssa notes as she heads towards the aircabs. I follow her as she boarded the next aircab and eventually hopped off when it arrived in the Lindblum Grand Castle station.
When she gets to the infirmary, she is greeted by nurses before bumping into the doctor she is looking for. They trade some cheerful greetings and banter for a minute until she mentions trying to solve a recent problem with medicine. The doctor agrees, guiding her into his office so they can start by getting the needed details as well as taking note of certain oddities in Alyssa's system.
The interview catches all what the doctor needs. How long has she noticed this? Does anyone else know about this? How often do these happen? Did she do anything untoward during these segments? How much time does she think has passed between each blackouts? So on and so forth.
Information stored and noted, he was about to begin some practical examinations when he noticed her go still for a second. Alyssa wouldn't respond to his calls or touch on her shoulders. She just kept staring forward with a blank look on her face like her mind had taken a sudden leave of absence. And then she turned around and started walking.
With how sudden it is, Dr. Thomas trailed her with notebook and pencil in hand while trying to discern what is going on, concerned about his patient, but curious as well as to what may be wrong with her. This will take a few minutes to pass, so I might as well see what the others are doing.
I turn around and see a much more regal room with a long table in the center. Map of the city on the center with parchments filled with designs of buildings, weapons, and vehicles surrounding it along with official documents of Alexandrian nature. Pacing on the table is the regent of the city in his cursed insect form while his right-hand man and the heir of Alexandria watched close by.
Lines of worry littered the face of the heir as she scanned the documents, trying to understand the procedure of what will change her future forever. Meanwhile, the leaders of Lindblum were deliberating on whether or not they should go ahead with building an airship not dependent on Mist, a factor that their heroes had shut down in the Iifa Tree. Not an easy task if their brilliant mind and engineer is cursed. If this world's history would have been the same as the original, this would be a worse scene to see. Emotions would have been higher, tears would be openly spent, and the princess' uncles would be helpless in her current state.
But that's a different reality from this one. Thankfully.
While their own worries may not be that grave now, it still has the possibility of getting worse. If she does not control her thirst of knowledge, that possibility will become a guarantee. It would be a point of worry for everyone later while it is one that is currently a constant thought in Blake's mind due to his paranoia. He, sometimes, is ahead of the times.
Wishing the best for the princess-soon-to-be-queen, the scenery changes once again to a place more ornate, one that is not easily seen unless its owner wants it to be seen. Deep inside this palace in one of its many rooms, two people were conspiring about the fate of this very world. Both men were standing and only one of them was pacing around with an expression never seen on his face before. Concern? Irritation? This did not happen when things went according to plan. Recently, things were not going the right way.
The other? Perfectly neutral and calm. Like he had seen this all before numerous times, but not with the same person.
Inoire only watched Kuja as he tried to string together a plan fit for what he has in store for the new queen of Alexandria. She and her friends had stopped him from taking out the former queen and preventing him from taking Bahamut from her. Thus they should be punished for derailing his plan. He needed to fix his time table and get everything back in order. If not, all his crucial planning would be wasted.
"It seems my advice went seemingly ignored the last time I gave you counsel." The otherworlder finally broke their silence. "Underestimating your 'brother' would have been fine and all, but you went out of your way to ignore the two I told you about."
"My 'brother' is the least of my problems!" Kuja snarled. The mere mention of their 'bond' was a topic barred to be brought up so casually. He takes in a breath to calm himself, that small, polite smile of his finding its way back on his face. "Indeed I underestimated them. When you described them of their plainness and surprising 'energy', I believed you were simply overexaggerating. The show must go on, however, we must fix this derailment one way or another."
"I'm sure things will find itself back in its rightful place." Inoire nodded. "While we are waiting for our subordinates, mine for his recovery and yours from their scouting, I do have something in mind." That gains the attention of Kuja before he could begin pacing once again. He gives him a look, the kind where all the gears are turning in place perfectly and he has the right words to explain it all.
As Inoire starts to explain, his gaze slightly wanders past Kuja's shoulder and over to me. He offers the slightest of nods despite his concentration all focused in his explanation. Unsurprised that he can notice my presence, I return a polite one to him, despite the glare I have presented him, before turning away to disappear from the palace itself. It would have been rude to eavesdrop any further.
Oh my, everything seems to be moving swimmingly in Gaia. Save for the few alterations here and there, but overall things are going towards the right way for now. My little accidents have been surviving pretty well and Inoire is still a horizon away from his goals. He'll have to acknowledge that things are not going his way and finally let it go. Eventually.
But for now it might be best to let the chips fall where they may. Who knows what else might happen in the next few days or weeks?
A/N: We keep on building up that tension! Hey guys and girls. Hope the new chapter is to your liking. Happy Valentine's Day to everyone whether you're celebrating with your SO or just by yourself. I'm going to be celebrating continuing to 100% Kingdom Hearts 3. My childhood feels complete now with that game finally out. Anyways, hopefully this chapter doesn't seem filler-y with how its just character centered like the previous ones since Disc 2 ended. We're getting close to the end of this arc. Speaking of that, I still feel like I need to get back my writing groove and its threatening my updating pace. Might have to slow down updating if that happens. We'll see.
Thanks for everyone that recently reviewed, followed, and favorited! I'll see you all again in the next update.
