"Okay, there are two passageways here. One leads to the room where we had the meeting earlier and the other towards the engine room. Cinna, you okay with taking the latter?" says Zidane, as both he and Cinna find themselves at a turn that goes both left and right to the aforementioned places, the meeting room on the left and the engine room on the right respectively. "Yeah sure, that's fine with me. Asides being the chef, I'm also the head engineer of the crew. Heh!" says Cinna, swinging about his hammer and then resting it upon his shoulder. "...Well that explains a whole lot." says Zidane, making a comical snide.
"!? W-What's that supposed to mean!?" says Cinna, outraged by the snide remark. "You know I've been wondering for a while now about the food that you've been serving everybody. It's...all store based from Lindblum, isn't it?" says Zidane, his words earning a certain response from Cinna, meaning that he had been figured out. "Sigh, I knew it. Because you work in the engine room also...you've always got constant soot on your hands. And because you never, ever want to let go of that hammer of yours. Not even to wash your hands...you buy all the food that we eat from the stores at Lindblum, don't you Cinna?" says Zidane, his words causing Cinna's heart to crack in a comical manner.
"...Y-Yea...please don't tell Baku, Zidane!" says Cinna, begging for Zidane to hide the truth. "Honestly Cinna, you and that hammer of yours is going to be the death of us one day. By either way of food poisoning or soot...sigh." says Zidane, shrugging his shoulders in exasperation towards his friend's antics. "L-Look I get it okay!? since the engine room is my speciality, I'll check there. If you DO find the princess, just make sure to make her feel welcomed. We don't want you scaring her away again." says Cinna, running down the path to the engine room. "I didn't scare her away the first time! you dolt! geez...no respect around here." says Zidane, rubbing the back of his head. "But more on that later...I've got to find her." says Zidane, as he proceeds to run down the opposite path towards the meeting room from prior.
He enters the room, to find it pitch black again. "Not again...since Baku destroyed the candle...guess I'll have to use a match alone." says Zidane, getting out a match from his pocket and lighting it. "She's got to be here somewhere...I know it." says Zidane, although having just a feeling on his part...he simply knew...that he could find Garnet here. "...You...do not give up, do you?" Zidane hears a both sudden and familiar, beautiful voice. It was...a dulcet tone to his ears, the mere sound of it a great pleasantry to him. Especially considering whom he knew the voice actually belonged to.
"Heh, well...I'm the type that just can't give up on a lady in need." says Zidane, smiling. Hearing his words and deciding to appear out of hiding...is the White Mage, "Sara". Holding a spare candle that she found within the room...making Zidane feel like a bit of a fool. "...Here." Sara places the candle on the centre table and signals Zidane to bring over his match, so that he could use it to light the candle. Doing so, the room feels just a bit more brighter and in terms of atmosphere too. "...I thought so." says Sara all of a sudden, confusing Zidane. "H-Huh? what? wait. You mean, what we did just now? yeah we make a great team I think. You the brains and me the brawn-" says Zidane, believing that Sara was talking about the candle that they worked together to light.
"Not that! you uncouth clod! honestly. I knew it...you're the type...that absolutely refuses to abandon others. Why, if I may ask?" says Garnet, realising this aspect about Zidane's Character. "...Do I need a reason...to help someone?" says Zidane, his words being his signature motto more or less. Greatly shocking Sara...she says in following reply "Sigh...I see. Even if a kidnapper chased the kidnapped after escaping all the way to a certain point. If faced with a life or death situation...the former would not make such a folly as to risk their own life, simply for the sake of their objective. Simply put, they would not endanger themselves for the life of a hostage target...if the latter was both willing and going to throw away their very life to run." says Sara, as Zidane remains silent and hears her words out.
"But you...without hesitation, you...did not back away. You did not even flinch once. I was...puzzled. At first, I assumed it was because of "your job". You...are actually a thief, are you not? rather...you and this whole performing troupe are a bunch of brigands. Having appeared under the guise of actors for the princess' celebratory event...in secret truth, to kidnap her. Whatever the reason being for that...if discovered by the queen, you would all be hanged for it. Because you seem to be the lead star of the show, I assumed that mother-! t-the queen had beckoned you because she was most impressed by your acting skills. That was the initial interpretation made..." says Sara, continuing her analysis of Zidane.
"...Buuut? then, what else?" says Zidane, curious to hear what was next. "!? W-Well...anyone would assume by your words of "your job" that you had meant being an actor. But...I myself, took them quite differently. If I was right to assume that you were NOT beckoned by m-the queen, the only way you would have been able to be at the staircase...was through the talents of thievery. I knew then and there just what of person I was dealing with...I couldn't believe at the time that I was actually talking with you-a brigand! I unknowingly even had the gall to call you a monsieur...how tactless of me!" says Sara, as she then puts up a sudden defense around Zidane.
"...! Now hold on, there's just one part I'm missing from that. You said...you KNEW what kind of person you were dealing with...if. If you already knew that I was a thief...then, why did you risk your life with that acrobat display back there? you must have been terrified of wits when you first did that...but you did it anyways." says Zidane, catching Sara out on her words. "!? T-That's..." says Sara, unable to think up a proper reply right away. "...Is it...cause you were hoping...that I would somehow catch you? I'm sorry. But at that distance, even I-being a monkey can't perform long range miracles." says Zidane.
"!? THAT'S what you actually believed!? f-f-fool! that was NOT my intention at all! I was daring to think if you would give chase or not! regardless of being an uncouth monkey! you-" says Sara, not knowing how to take a joke. "Whoa whoa! easy there! it was just a harmless joke, harm-less!" says Zidane, copying Baku's expression. "Then...did you do it because...you wanted to be free? from the castle...me thinks?" says Zidane, catching out Sara once more. "...I...I have never experienced a "thrill" before. No one at the castle would let me...I...wanted to try one, at least once." says Sara, as she holds her arms. Hearing these words...Zidane cannot help but burst out into a pleasant laughter.
"W-What's so funny!? I nearly died back there! be it from shock or otherwise!" says Sara, unbelieving at Zidane's "mean" demeanour. "Sorry, sorry. I couldn't help it...gosh. You really are...one HELL of a woman, your majesty." says Zidane. "!? W-What are you!? what do you...mean...by that..." says Sara, trying to pretend at this point but knowing it was to no avail, since Zidane had already caught a glimpse of her face. "Sorry, guess I am an insensitive jerk. Maybe...even a sexist pig like Ruby and Blank called me as such." says Zidane, as he looks down towards the ground. "W-Wha!?" says Sara, caught off by the sexist pig comment that Zidane spoke about himself.
"I don't mean to look down on women, in fact, I absolutely love the ladies! I admire their strength, their beauty, but...most of all? their dedication. The kind of courage that only they and they alone can possess...that no man could ever measure up to, even if it took them a thousand years of training. Seeing you now princess? right here in front of me? ... I'm greatly reminded of that. To be honest, I had forgotten that for a while...but. You helped remind me. I promise, here and now. No...let's make this oath instead. If you wish to leave this place...I will aid you. If you had a reason to flee the castle like you did, then...even as a thief of Tantalus. I can't take away your freedom like that, no one has that right, not even us. I'll get an earful from the boss and my Tantalus brothers...but so be it! if you want to escape now then please do so! I'll figure up some excuse." says Zidane, willing to discard the entire operation altogether...if it meant that he could "save" Sara...
"!? What's...what's with you!? aren't you a thief!? and don't thieves...steal away their "prizes"!?" says Sara, absolutely flabbergasted...by Zidane's kindness. "But first and foremost, I'm a person. And every person...is entitled to live a life of their very own making. Both me...and YOU, your highness." says Zidane, those words...serving as the final straw. Greatly shocked and taken aback, Sara...has no words to return. She nearly tips the table with the candle on it. "! Watch out!" says Zidane, as he pushes the princess out of the way before the candle could catch fire to her White Mage cloak. As a result, the cloak's hood falls off...and Zidane's suspicions were indeed suspected true. Sara...was in truth...none other...then the princess Garnet of the kingdom of Alexandria herself!
Eye to Eye by JSF Music-da:embed id="xC5Fiw7Yi80" height="315" width="560" profile="youtube"
"!? OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! HOT! HOT! HOOOT!" Zidane could feel the burning flames in his hands, as he reacts to the burning itself in a very comical yet also very painful way. He tries to blow on his hands whilst jumping up and down like a real monkey, in an attempt to put out the candle which had just hit the floor. "!? O-OH NO!" says Sara, reacting to the situation in an also somewhat comical manner. After Zidane successfully manages to put out all of the candle fire on the floor, he tries to cool his hands off. Sara approaches him, seeing what she could do to help. Unfortunately, she trips right over him, just as the room returns to being pitch black again...
"AH!" says Sara, as Zidane says at the same time "OOF!" the room remains in pitch black for a good few seconds...until Cinna appears! holding a spare candle already lit. "Hey Zidane! did you find the prince...ss...yet? ! !?" Cinna was flabbgastered himself, to see that Sara whom looked just like the princess Garnet...was atop of Zidane! "O-Oh, hey there Cinna. Mind lending us a helping hand? ... oooh! wait, scratch that. So squishy..." says Zidane. "ACK!? WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TOUCHING!? YOU-YOU-YOU-YOU PERVERTED APE!" shouts out Sara at the top of her very lungs before giving Zidane a well earned heavy smack, right across the face. "OOOWWW!" says Zidane, as he starts to feel rightous retribution...Cinna merely sighs at Zidane, bringing this upon himself.
TO BE CONTINUED.
