Eiko wore a satisfied grin as she leaned against the wall of the alley. In the back of her mind, she knew something was wrong with what she was doing, but her curious nature made her consistently wonder 'what if?'. She had convinced everyone that she had given up her chase. She had even convinced herself, for a short while. Mog had been pleased with that, to say the least, but she couldn't wear that mask any longer. The temptation to tear it away was far too great.
As of on cue, the one she sought appeared at the top of the stairs. "Hey, Eiko. Ruby said you were looking for me?"
"Yep!" She said happily, grabbing his hand and dragging him out of the alley. "Come and play a game of cards with me, Zidane!"
"Cards? Uh... sure... I guess..."
She led him to a secluded spot where a table and two chairs presented themselves. She looked over her cards and
picked the strongest. She had been practicing all day, not to win in this match against Zidane, but to make it last longer. She didn't want to lose before her true purpose was fulfilled. As he concentrated on selecting his cards, making mindless conversation, she focused on him, letting everything else slip past her.
'I wonder how Dagger is right now. Maybe I shouldn't be wasting time here... Ruby did say she needed help for the next show... and Blank was so far gone... who knows if work will ever get done... it
definitely won't if I sit here...'
Eiko's eyes widened at what she had heard but Zidane had not openly said. It had worked! It wasn't what she wanted to hear... but it had worked!
'That's mean, though... damn... when did I get so mean? Eiko's a friend. She just wants to play a game of cards. What's wrong with that? I can put aside everything else until later....'
"I'm glad you think that, Zidane..." Eiko nearly purred.
He looked up. "Huh? Did I say something?"
"Nope."
A confused look fell upon his face, but he forced it away, pulling a coin from his pocket. It fell on red, and he placed one of his cards atop the table. Eiko, however, took a much longer time considering her move. Instead of placing a card right next to the one he had placed, she set it down on the far corner, as far away from his card as she could get.
'Jeez... that must be some kind of new strategy. Hmm... never hurts to try something new...' Zidane placed a card nowhere within the vicinity of hers.
Eiko smiled. Her cat and mouse game was working perfectly, not to mention the new skill Mog had taught her. Soon, she would discover Zidane's deepest wants, needs, and secrets. The thought made her smile grow even larger.
"And you say there's no way around this?"
"No, My Queen. I heard it with my own ears. Neither side wishes to relinquish their position."
"What has Uncle... Regent Cid said of this matter?"
"It's embarrassing to Lindblum, but he feels incapable of handling it alone."
"Very well. Steiner, you will accompany me?"
Normally she would have asked him to stay behind and watch over the city, but there were several people capable of doing that, and in his current state, she knew his
lack of concentration would not allow it.
"Of course, My Queen."
"Without engineers there would be no city!"
"And without merchants paying taxes who would provide your commission?"
"You're useless! No one goes to Linblum to buy goods anymore!"
"And no one goes for repairs when they can simply purchase something new!"
"Stop this at once!" Regent Cid descended the stairs, a concerned look about him. "Now, explain the full problem to me."
"There would be no problem if he would keep his nose out of my business!" The two men exclaimed in unison, pointing at each other.
"Alright... perhaps... one at a time..."
"Then the only way out is by foot?"
"Yes, ma'am. The engineer's strike has prevented travel by air. No one else is qualified to run the docks."
"I see."
"The inn is open, however, if you wish to extend your visit to Lindblum. Though, due to the innkeeper's strike, they've raised their rates... quite considerably."
"Is the whole city on strike?"
"Most of them... that's why the regent asked for assistance from Alexandria."
"Alexandria?" Beatrix asked suddenly, a slight fear slipping over her.
"Yes. A few of our men were sent to address Queen Garnet."
"Will she be coming here?"
"She should be arriving shortly."
"But I thought the air docks weren't working."
"The regent made an exception."
"Thank you..." She said before nearly breaking into a run down the stairs. She didn't feel like venturing out of Lindblum, but perhaps the theatre district could conceal her. She reached Tantalus' hideout, and, seeing no one around, crept inside to try and ease her fears of her disguise faltering around the queen. In a few moments, she fell into the dreamless sleep she had avoided for the past few days.
AN: I know it's short, but it's kind of like a filler chapter. Thanks for the great comments on chapter one! Keep them coming, and I'll probably be inclined to release the next chapter a LOT sooner. Oh... and by the way... once everyone manages to get into Alexandria, things are going to get much more humorous, what with Eiko's newfound ability. ^_^