The next day, Gaius stood in a loose circle with his comrades that had made this journey with him. His expression was grim as he read the paper in his hand; it was a hand-written receipt that someone passing through the village had forgotten. Upon it was the tally for chemicals...certain chemicals that could be used to make a certain gas...
"This again...when will they learn?" Valdeaulin said with a scowl.
"At least they lack the capabilities to mass-produce it. We saw to that." Gaius said.
"And there's no guarantee that they even know how to craft it properly..." Dyson, a bespectacled Au Ra said in a logical tone. "Even if they are to have the right chemicals, didn't you three already see to razing their facilities, and the proper notes detailing the production? This was a top secret project, wasn't it?" He adjusted his spectacles as he craned his neck to try and see over Gaius' shoulder.
"All that we could find...and between their alchemists choosing sides in this new conflict and various facilities being raided by common man, it comes to me as no surprise that more people would know about it now." Valdeaulin answered. Gaius clenched his hand, resisting the urge to crumple the paper in anger.
"You're sure this is an actual receipt, and not another forgery of information?" Gaius asked, looking over to the village leader. He stood some distance away, shifting nervously. He was a tall Garlean, taller than Gaius, but his expression gave away how intimidated he was by the other man. He nodded vigorously, and dug in the pockets of his threadbare, patched pants, and pulled out three coins.
"This currency was among that which he p-paid with, m'lord." the man stammered, holding out the coins. Severa stepped forward to take them, and after giving them a quick glance, tossed one to Valdeaulin.
"Rabanastran coin." she said, as Valdeaulin passed the piece of metal to Gaius.
"The man was part of a mercantile branch that is said to be large enough to rival those in Eorzea," the village leader continued, wringing his hands in front of him. "He was heading back to Valnain, right boasted about the sale he'd just delivered to a faction involved in the civil war, and how he let it slip to the 'right people' that the products were in certain 'other people's' hands..."
"Blood money." another Hyur, this one a short, red-headed man named Porfirio, murmured. "They'll raze each other to the ground trying to both destroy and gain those chemicals for themselves."
"All the better to hunt down the source so more of the same doesn't happen elsewhere, don't you think?" the Au Ra named Akane spoke up, her eyes fair gleaming with the prospect of adventure. Her sentiment was echoed amongst the rest, excitement rippling through them. Gaius shut his eyes as the trace of a smile drew across his lips, heartened by the eagerness of his comrades to set wrong to be right. They had been stationary for nearly a week, it was far past time for them to return to Terncliff.
"Oh and beggin me pardon m'lord..." the village leader piped up again, drawing everyone's attention back to him. He rummaged through a rucksack by his feet and pulled out a handful of stained, crumpled papers. "It wasn't the easiest to track down, but my girls have a few gentlemen callers who come here on occasion to get away from all the fightin'. One happened to work in the clerk's office and knew where this sort 'o thing was kept. He just delivered them to us early this mornin'." he held the papers out proudly, looking something like a ragged, skinny hound hoping for a treat. Gaius stepped forward and took the papers, flipping through them quickly.
"Yes thank you, this is exactly what I was looking for." he said, impressed that the village leader actually came through with not one, but two bits of information they could use. He folded the papers in half and tucked them into an inner pocket of his coat, then turned to Severa. "Could you bring our "guest" to me? It's time for one last talk before we go." Severa nodded, and departed for the gaol. To everyone else he said; "Make ready to break camp, we leave in the morning."
Valdeaulin remained behind as the rest departed, his mouth set in a thin line. Gaius regarded him without expression. "If you have aught to say to me, best come out and say it, we are on a timer now." Gaius said smoothly. Valdeaulin sighed heavily, his gaze drifting towards the makeshift gaol house.
"Is it really necessary to continue this game with that woman? I heard her tale as plainly as you, she clearly came here to kill you for her own boosted ideals of revenge. It just amazes me that she seems dumbly oblivious that the one she's after is the one she's been making eyes at when she thinks no one is looking." he said bitterly, folding his arms across his chest. He lifted an eyebrow as Gaius' expression faintly shifted to something he hadn't seen before. It was gone as quickly as it had appeared, however. Was Gaius feeling...warmth...towards that Vieran woman? Preposterous. They had no time for such frivolity.
"When she approached the camp, yes, without a doubt she had come to kill me." he said, his stance and voice once again giving nothing away of himself. "But if she had followed Severa and the others from the city, the question of why she was there remains unanswered. I have a suspicion as to her reasons, and as we will be parting tomorrow, I would at least like to leave her with closure, as it seems to me she did not find what she came searching for." he placed a hand over the papers tucked inside of his coat, "If my suspicions are confirmed with this last interrogation, I believe I have what she's looking for."
Babette was already seated in the chair when Gaius finally entered the shack. Severa, who had been standing against the wall closest to the door, bowed her head respectfully as he entered, and then left them, taking up her post outside the door once again. Gaius walked around the desk slowly, taking the papers from his inner pocket and placing them on the splintered wood.
"You look confused, Babette." he said, noting her expression. She looked at him suspiciously, as if unsure of what he wanted from her. She shifted in clear discomfort, her shoulders likely sore from her arms being cuffed for a third day.
"I thought you would have gotten all the information you wanted of me yesterday." she said, watching him with an unblinking stare. He gave her a wan smile and tapped the papers with his fingertips once, then came back around the desk to take up his usual spot leaning against it.
"Not nearly, there were three explanations I requested of you, remember?" he said, placing both hands on the desk at his sides, completely opening up his stance. It was a test, completely letting his guard down with her to see if she truly recognized him only as the Garlean that facilitated her revenge for her mother. He knew enough about ninja to know that the two blades that had been lifted from her were not the only weapons she had hidden on her person. To his pleasant surprise, she made no movement to come at him, and the air around her only seemed to shift from suspicious to a kind of tense Gaius knew there was no time for, in this place.
When she only continued to stare at him, he held up three fingers. "Your opposing citizenships. You have sufficiently explained how you are both Dalmascan and a citizen of Garlemald, but you have not explained Doma." Surprise washed over her, and her mouth dropped open in a small 'o' shape. She blushed fiercely and looked down, looking the most flustered he'd seen of her yet. She took a breath and after a moment composed herself, returning once again to the dark place where the memories resided.
"When Viera come into pubescence, we mostly enter our adult bodies within a little over a fortnight. Our height is usually the last to complete. I was ten and five when my body matured, and according to father, I had become an 'old-fashioned Dalmascan beauty'. I was, in fact, a late bloomer as far as Viera go, but it caused a new worry to spring to life in him." Once again Gaius was thrown off by the frankness on which she delivered intimate details of herself, but he let it not show, "He feared the same fate would befall me that did mother, if our adopted countrymen were to see what I'd become."
"I had not been trained in combat. This was something I would've traditionally learned from mother, but she had been able to do little more than teach me how to use a blade properly while hunting food. We had been visited by a Centurio not long after mother passed away, who offered me a place in the combat academy, saying it had come to their attention that I had raw potential. Father refused, not wanting me to sell my soul as he had, knowing full well that I would fare little better there, even if I were being trained to fight."
He was a smart man... Gaius thought, appreciating that the man had not fallen into desperation to impress his superiors. It was Gaius who had sent the Centurio. Babette's display of natural dexterity and strength was something that he had felt would have benefited the empire at that time. He had not started fostering orphaned children at that point in his life yet, but he did feel responsible for Babette, and wanted what he had thought best for her at that time. How lucky for her that her father was fiercely protective of her in that regard. Distracted by other duties, when his offer was refused, Gaius simply went on with his life, and had lost track of the Vieran girl.
"After mother..." she hesitated, and then skipped over the rest of her thought, "Father never let me leave the house without some sort of disguise. I was made to wear a heavy hooded cloak to hide my ears, as no hat could comfortably contain them. If I were approached by anyone I did not know, especially a soldier, I had been given routes, and escape plans to avoid contact at all cost. We were not entirely alone in the city, father had made a few friends sympathetic to our plight. They made themselves into a safety net for me as well, escorting me when I needed to go to the market, or even when I wanted to take a walk." a bitter smile formed, "I felt suffocated."
"As youth is wont to do, I became rebellious and careless. At first all I did was merely test the resolve of my safety net; hiding from my escorts or letting one of my ears peek out from beneath my hood for a moment while in the market. But soon I grew bored of these small acts, and wanted to do more. I wanted to disrupt the lives of the self-important sods who sought to make anyone lacking a third eye, miserable."
"It was yet another military parade, this one showing off the might of the Garlean army as they were readying themselves to leave and secure Doma for the Empire. The adolescent sons of one of my safety net escorts had gotten a hold of harmless noise caps that would snap and flash light when dropped with force or stepped upon. I had stolen a handful from them some time before, and on that day brought them with me as I made my way to the front of the crowd watching the procession. My plan was simple. I would drop the caps into the street and back away to wait for one of the marching soldiers to step upon them. I had hoped they would react with exaggerated alarm, embarrassing themselves in front of their Legatus."
"But this time my carelessness got me caught. The moment I stretched my hand into the street, a soldier caught sight of me. He grabbed me by my wrist and pulled me into the street with the procession, the caps dropping from my hand and snapping loudly, startling those around us. He shook me angrily, admonishing me for such a stupid prank in the presence of the Legatus of his legion. His efforts were my undoing; my hood fell from my head, and the crowd was astonished to see a Viera after three years of not."
"Father panicked. Everything he'd done to secure a life for us and keep me safe after mother's passing was threatening to crumble apart simply because of my immature desire to rebel. Worried that soldiers would come for me, either to execute me for insubordination, or because of what I was, he rushed to make plans. Within two days I was being smuggled out of the city by mercantile airship. Father was sending me to an old associate who still operated out of Rabanastre. While he had lost contact with the man over the years, he hoped some portion of the man's business would still be active. He gave me a carefully penned letter that requested this associate, or heir apparent, to take me in as an apprentice so that I could make a life for myself somewhere far from the empire city. He asked of me only one thing...to live."
A sentimental smile paused her story for a moment. Gaius felt that he had his answer for why she was in the city, and it was exactly as he had surmised. She sighed lightly, and then continued with her tale.
"What I was told later was that the route the airship would take was frequently plundered by bandit Dalmascans, most of which were made up of Bangaa and Viera. I believe father had hoped that, even if I did not make it to Rabanastre, that I would be taken in by my own kind. But the kami were not on his side that day. The ship was purloined and flown off course, but not by Dalmascans."
"Their pride wounded and the fires of vengeance burning brightly following the Garlean conquest of their nation, a group of Doman shinobi had infiltrated the ship while it was docked to refuel after the journey across the Burn. They set about to killing everyone on board, not bothering to check to see if they had a third eye, or were even citizens. "
"I hid myself in a luggage cabin as soon as I realized what was happening. I found a perch on top of a stack of trunks, piled just behind the door to the room. Amongst the belongings stowed away in the cabin, I found simple cutlery. I armed myself with a knife serrated on both sides of the blade, one used for paring fruit. Although not intended to cut anything more than the soft flesh of bitterfruits, I discovered that day that it could be used efficiently to carve other fleshes as well. "
"A shinobi entered cautiously, his approach would have not been heard if I had not been waiting for someone to enter. Even the door was silent as it swung open, giving nothing away. As soon as he was clear of the door, I leapt from my perch and clung to his back, slicing the knife haphazardly across his face. I managed to cut him quite badly, enough for him to fall to the ground, shrieking in pain. Replacing my knife with one of his blades, I spun quickly, just as a kunai was thrown at my neck, barely dodging the blade. Another shinobi stood in the doorway, ready to fight me. I was no match for this one, and soon found myself pinned to the wall of the cabin by my throat, one of the shinobi's feet lifted and pressed against my wrist, pinning the dagger I still held, uselessly against the wall. With his free hand the shinobi drew his blade back, ready to strike..."
Babette closed her eyes as she remembered, the scene playing out in her mind.
"Yamero!" a commanding and deep voice came from the doorway. The shinobi froze, then released Babette as an older man entered, his stance not quite as straight as the others. The shinobi bowed deeply and backed away as the older man approached her. He scrutinized her with narrowed eyes, then grabbed one of her wrists and inspected her hand before she pulled it back defensively.
"You are not a warrior, yet you fight with the will of one." the old man said, his Doman accent thick. He looked her over, his eyes locking with hers. "You have a fierce will to live, this I must respect. The kami have blessed you this day girl, we will allow you to live." he turned away from her. "We will have you bring a message to your Garlean masters. Tell them..."
"I am servant to no one, especially not a Garlean." Babette spat, resentment coursing through her. The old man looked at her, one of his heavy eyebrows lifted in interest.
"Then why do you fly upon their ship? Why do you dress in their robes?" he gestured to her dress, which Babette reached up and tore the sleeve off of, her face contorted in disgust.
"Circumstance. I am no more loyal to them than I am to you." she snarled, holding her head up defiantly. The old man was silent for a long while, but then let out a sharp bark of laughter.
"This one has fire in her eyes and holds her head high with pride! I like you, ojo-san, you amuse me!" he let out another laugh.
"Then take me with you. I would learn from you." she said firmly, keeping her head high. The shinobi that had bested her stepped forward with this, his hands clenched into fists.
"How dare you! Do you not know to whom you speak, ihojin?" the shinobi shouted, enraged. The old man held up his hand; a silencing gesture. With difficulty, the shinobi backed down once more, his head bowed in respect, but his fists still shook with fury. The old man shut his eyes for a long moment, as if having an internal conversation. When he opened them again, he held a hand out towards the door.
"I have conferred with my ancestors, ojo-san, and although you are ijin, and will never master our art, they feel you will be a boon to our clan, and to our people." he said in a gentle tone. The shinobi behind him protested in the Doman language, but the old man silenced him again with a swift glare. "They tell me you have already seen much in your short time, and more yet awaits you. If you think yourself strong enough, ojo-san, then...we shall welcome you." He turned away and walked through the door. Babette stayed rooted to her spot, stunned by the old man's speech. The shinobi next to her glared at her hatefully, taking a moment to sheathe his daggers on his hips before following the old man through the door. Only when two more shinobi came in to retrieve their wounded comrade from the floor did she manage to pull herself together. Squaring her shoulders, she made sure her head was still held high, and followed the others off the ship, and to her future.
Babette opened her eyes, the tale having taken longer than she expected, to tell. She glanced at Gaius, but he said nothing, his expression still unreadable. "Life was not always kind with my new clan," she said, "I had to fight for respect among the more traditional-minded elders and youths. There were plenty that would provide me succor and warmth, but for every one of them, there was two that would try to discourage me, to drive me away...to break me."
"Those foolish enough to dare, there were some that waited until a moment of weakness to overpower me. These I never forgot the faces of. The moment they were in a state of weakness themselves, I granted them succor...at the end of my blade." Babette's face was dark. Gaius watched her for a moment, waiting to see if she had more to say. She remained silent, however.
"And so you came to this camp to 'grant succor' to the one that began your sorrow?" he stated more than asked, shutting his eyes and standing upright. He turned his back to her to lift the papers from the desk.
"It was an option, but I see none of you are loyal to Garlemald. I have begun to wonder if I misunderstood...or if your people are hiding something from you." she glanced over her shoulder to the door, seeing the shoulder of Valdeaulin just past the broken door frame.. She narrowed her eyes as she glared swords into his form. Gaius drew her attention back with a heavy sigh.
"Am I correct in assuming that you were in the city to begin with, to find your father?" he asked, his back still turned. Babette's lips parted in shock, impressed that he'd figured that much out, when she was certain she'd given nothing of that away. Gaius glanced at her over his shoulder, her stunned expression giving him the answer. He turned and held the papers in front of her so she could see, and her eyes widened. "It appears he remarried, and that he and his new bride relocated to Radz-at-Han, where he set up shop as a merchant once more. This was surprisingly not long after he sent you off. I suspect living in Garlemald was too much for him by that point."
Tears sprang unbidden to Babette's eyes, and she looked back up at Gaius. She smiled gratefully, the first unguarded expression she had made since being caught. Gaius' lips parted in another unreadable expression for a moment, but as before, it was gone as quickly as it had shown. He turned away from her and placed the papers on the table again. Now came what was unexpectedly becoming the hard part...
"We have gathered everything we need from the city. We will be leaving in the morning." he said, his voice emotionless. "We have a new mission, and our journey back to our base is long overdue. We have paid the villagers to come release you from the gaol after we are a sufficient distance away. You are free to live your life as you choose, but I would advise that you not follow us. Our fight is not for you; you should continue looking for your father. Don't do as I did and neglect your family...he thought to himself.
"Is that all?" her voice was hard, and it unexpectedly made Gaius tense with guilt.
"No..." he took a quiet breath and turned back around to face her. She glared at him angrily, her face angled towards the floor. "The Black Wolf you seek is dead, aye, but I'm finding that my old pelt is harder to bury than I had originally thought." Near immediately Babette's eyes widened to their fullest size, and a shiver coursed over her. A tear escaped her eye as she searched his face, seeking some sign of a lie. "Yes, Babette Roda, I am Gaius Baelsar, former Legatus of the XIVth. I am also the man that arrived too late to stop your mother from suffering so tragic a fate. There was a time not so long ago that I would perhaps have allowed you to seek your revenge upon me for my transgression, but that time has past. There is something important that I promised to achieve, and I cannot rest until that dream is realized. All I can ask you for now is for your forgiveness, and your understanding."
Babette cried out in despair and rage before he finished speaking, jumping out of the chair. Her arms still bound behind her back, she kicked at him once. He stepped out of reach of her, but instead of trying to kick him again she spun, and caught the oil lamp upon the desk with the top of her foot and launched it at him. He instinctively blocked it with his bandaged arm, the lamp glass shattering, flaming oil tracing a line down his arm and onto the floor. Severa and Valdeaulin raced in as she kicked the lamp, both restraining her as she shouted in wordless rage at Gaius. Tears streamed from her eyes and she struggled against them in earnest. That one profound moment he had given her as a child, the ideal she'd built of her 'guardian' from that moment was shattering to pieces, a childhood dream lost.
Gaius slapped the flames away on his arm, then stamped out the burning oil on the ground, thankful the floor was dirt instead of wood. Severa and Valdeaulin looked at him as Babette finally sagged towards the ground. He gave them a grim look, and with a voice hoarse with regret he said, "Take her back to her gaol."