Notes: Garnet, Zidane, Alexandria, and all other characters and locations originally mentioned
in Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. All other characters and locations belong to myself.
Questions, comments, and constructive critisicm are more than welcome.
A Fine Mess - Chapter 5
by Makou
Quimi and Quemi stood out in a crowd, to say the least. Qu clan members were rare enough
in the city of Alexandria, let alone two of them together. Especially two of them carrying a
sedan chair with two plump arms sticking out on either side.
Their appearance was also striking. Quimi was skinny and bore an incredible resemblance to
a beanpole. She wore a light yellow coat with a white apron tied around her waist and tight
white pants underneath, plus a light purple sombrero perched on her head. Quemi, on the other
hand, was as plump as could be. He had opted to wear a dark green button-up coat with a red
shirt underneath and a pair baggy purple pants. On his head was a traditional white chef's hat.
He looked horribly heavy and was probably the largest person in the city at that time.
With the exception of the pair's master, of course. It was his/her arms that were sticking
out of the sedan chair.
Quimi was in front and was clearly struggling with the extreme weight she was forced to
carry, but Quemi, bringing up the rear, easily held up his end high into the air. This made for
an extremely lop-sided ride for their master and Quimi had pointed this out, but Quemi continued
to hold his end as high as possible.
"Quemi! What you doing!? You hold chair too high!" said Quimi angrily, her end drooping
even lower.
"I sorry!" said Quemi, but he completely forgot to rectify his mistake.
"No fight you two!" rumbled a voice from within the sedan chair. "Good food always spoiled
by bad tempers!"
"I take your words to heart, Master Quina!" said Quemi. Quimi merely sighed and shifted
the weight of the chair to prevent lasting damage to her back.
"What wrong, Quimi? You sound unhappy. Are you hungry?" asked Master Quina. "Is plenty
food at castle. We hurry!"
Quimi sighed again. She never wanted to be a Gourmand! All she wanted to do was run a
business, it didn't matter what kind! *But mom and dad want me be like stupid Quemi. I too smart
to be like him.*
What she really wanted to do was to take her small savings and set up that business
somewhere in this city. Or maybe in Lindblum. But if she did that... How would Quemi ever get
Master Quina back to the Qu Marsh?
Her train of thought was interrupted by a misplaced rock which sent her flying. Thus, the
sedan chair fell to the ground and Quina and Quemi along with it.
"Owwww!" cried Quemi, clutching his face as he scrambled back up. "Face hurt! Face hurt!"
"Quimi! Quemi! Help me up!" Quina yelled, flailing his/her arms.
Quimi grumbled and lifted her head up from ground. It was going to be a long trip back to
the Qu Marsh...
*Where am I...?*
It was daylight, that much she knew. And soft sheets surrounded her. That must mean that
she was in her bedroom... But how did she end up here? Last she knew, she was drinking her tea
in her parlour.
"So there you are, Amethyst," said a voice. Zidane?
"I apologize for my late arrival, father," said Amethyst. "Where is Zircon? Was he not
supposed to be here?"
"He was, but something came up. He'll come back as soon as he can."
She opened her eyes slowly, but it was a few moments before she could actually see
anything as they were so blurry. But when she did, she could see her husband Zidane and her
daughter Amethyst standing by her bed.
"Hey," said Zidane, grinning. "Sleeping Beauty's finally woken up!" He knelt down to
Garnet's level. "How are you feeling?"
"Absolutely horrid," said Garnet without any hesitation. She had a headache, her chest was
in pain, she felt as if she were about to vomit, her legs felt numb, among other things...
"At least you're awake. That's a step up. Besides, the doctor's whipping up some kind of
potion to make you feel better."
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"Somebody poisoned your tea," answered Zidane. "Zircon's working on finding the guy who
did it, so don't worry about that."
The doctor tapped Zidane on the shoulder. Garnet could just see a vial of violet liquid
resting in his hand. "Your Highness, the potion is ready. Shall I administer it to her?"
"Go right ahead. Don't let me stop you." Zidane moved aside to let the doctor through.
"Your Highness," said the doctor to Garnet. "It will be difficult for you, but try not to
force the potion up once you have drunk it." Before she could say anything, however, the doctor
had already poured it down her throat.
It tasted so... dreadful! She couldn't remember tasting something so rancid as this. She
felt very tempted to ignore the doctor's words... But as soon it began, it ended, leaving Garnet
in a coughing fit.
"Hey, are you alright?" said Zidane, pushing the doctor away.
"I'm *cough* fine," wheezed Garnet.
"Um, King Zidane, I need to speak with you alone for a moment..." said the doctor,
adjusting his glasses.
"Can't it wait?" asked Zidane.
"Unfortunately, it can't." It was obvious that the doctor was itching to do some serious
hand rubbing, but he was foiled by the empty vial. He settled for adjusting his glasses again,
and again, and again...
"I'll be back in a moment," Zidane said to his wife as he walked away.
"Go on ahead, father. I shall keep mother company," said Amethyst.
"That's my girl," was the last thing he said before he left the room with the doctor.
"What is it?" asked Zidane of the doctor once they were out in the hallway.
"The plant that was used to poison the Queen, the Rosary flower..." the doctor began.
"Yeah? What about it?"
"The symptoms the Queen is feeling now are only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak." Up
and down the glasses went. "The potion I gave her should take care of the physical effects, but
after a week or so, the Rosary flower will start to effect her mind. If left untreated, she
could become a raving lunatic within a month."
Zidane looked like someone had punched him. "Then treat her, damnit!" he yelled in anger.
"Don't just stand there wiggling your damned glasses!"
"It's not that simple," the doctor continued, after having jumped back a considerable
distance. "I don't have all the proper ingredients to make the correct potion."
"Then I'll go find them!" said Zidane. "It's better than staying here doing nothing!"
"Grandfather Zidane?" said a tiny voice behind him. He turned around.
Cadrin was standing there, his mother squeezing his shoulder and Beatrix trying in vain to
get Steiner to calm down. Zidane couldn't believe he hadn't noticed them.
"Why are you talking about potions?" the boy asked.
in Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. All other characters and locations belong to myself.
Questions, comments, and constructive critisicm are more than welcome.
A Fine Mess - Chapter 5
by Makou
Quimi and Quemi stood out in a crowd, to say the least. Qu clan members were rare enough
in the city of Alexandria, let alone two of them together. Especially two of them carrying a
sedan chair with two plump arms sticking out on either side.
Their appearance was also striking. Quimi was skinny and bore an incredible resemblance to
a beanpole. She wore a light yellow coat with a white apron tied around her waist and tight
white pants underneath, plus a light purple sombrero perched on her head. Quemi, on the other
hand, was as plump as could be. He had opted to wear a dark green button-up coat with a red
shirt underneath and a pair baggy purple pants. On his head was a traditional white chef's hat.
He looked horribly heavy and was probably the largest person in the city at that time.
With the exception of the pair's master, of course. It was his/her arms that were sticking
out of the sedan chair.
Quimi was in front and was clearly struggling with the extreme weight she was forced to
carry, but Quemi, bringing up the rear, easily held up his end high into the air. This made for
an extremely lop-sided ride for their master and Quimi had pointed this out, but Quemi continued
to hold his end as high as possible.
"Quemi! What you doing!? You hold chair too high!" said Quimi angrily, her end drooping
even lower.
"I sorry!" said Quemi, but he completely forgot to rectify his mistake.
"No fight you two!" rumbled a voice from within the sedan chair. "Good food always spoiled
by bad tempers!"
"I take your words to heart, Master Quina!" said Quemi. Quimi merely sighed and shifted
the weight of the chair to prevent lasting damage to her back.
"What wrong, Quimi? You sound unhappy. Are you hungry?" asked Master Quina. "Is plenty
food at castle. We hurry!"
Quimi sighed again. She never wanted to be a Gourmand! All she wanted to do was run a
business, it didn't matter what kind! *But mom and dad want me be like stupid Quemi. I too smart
to be like him.*
What she really wanted to do was to take her small savings and set up that business
somewhere in this city. Or maybe in Lindblum. But if she did that... How would Quemi ever get
Master Quina back to the Qu Marsh?
Her train of thought was interrupted by a misplaced rock which sent her flying. Thus, the
sedan chair fell to the ground and Quina and Quemi along with it.
"Owwww!" cried Quemi, clutching his face as he scrambled back up. "Face hurt! Face hurt!"
"Quimi! Quemi! Help me up!" Quina yelled, flailing his/her arms.
Quimi grumbled and lifted her head up from ground. It was going to be a long trip back to
the Qu Marsh...
*Where am I...?*
It was daylight, that much she knew. And soft sheets surrounded her. That must mean that
she was in her bedroom... But how did she end up here? Last she knew, she was drinking her tea
in her parlour.
"So there you are, Amethyst," said a voice. Zidane?
"I apologize for my late arrival, father," said Amethyst. "Where is Zircon? Was he not
supposed to be here?"
"He was, but something came up. He'll come back as soon as he can."
She opened her eyes slowly, but it was a few moments before she could actually see
anything as they were so blurry. But when she did, she could see her husband Zidane and her
daughter Amethyst standing by her bed.
"Hey," said Zidane, grinning. "Sleeping Beauty's finally woken up!" He knelt down to
Garnet's level. "How are you feeling?"
"Absolutely horrid," said Garnet without any hesitation. She had a headache, her chest was
in pain, she felt as if she were about to vomit, her legs felt numb, among other things...
"At least you're awake. That's a step up. Besides, the doctor's whipping up some kind of
potion to make you feel better."
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"Somebody poisoned your tea," answered Zidane. "Zircon's working on finding the guy who
did it, so don't worry about that."
The doctor tapped Zidane on the shoulder. Garnet could just see a vial of violet liquid
resting in his hand. "Your Highness, the potion is ready. Shall I administer it to her?"
"Go right ahead. Don't let me stop you." Zidane moved aside to let the doctor through.
"Your Highness," said the doctor to Garnet. "It will be difficult for you, but try not to
force the potion up once you have drunk it." Before she could say anything, however, the doctor
had already poured it down her throat.
It tasted so... dreadful! She couldn't remember tasting something so rancid as this. She
felt very tempted to ignore the doctor's words... But as soon it began, it ended, leaving Garnet
in a coughing fit.
"Hey, are you alright?" said Zidane, pushing the doctor away.
"I'm *cough* fine," wheezed Garnet.
"Um, King Zidane, I need to speak with you alone for a moment..." said the doctor,
adjusting his glasses.
"Can't it wait?" asked Zidane.
"Unfortunately, it can't." It was obvious that the doctor was itching to do some serious
hand rubbing, but he was foiled by the empty vial. He settled for adjusting his glasses again,
and again, and again...
"I'll be back in a moment," Zidane said to his wife as he walked away.
"Go on ahead, father. I shall keep mother company," said Amethyst.
"That's my girl," was the last thing he said before he left the room with the doctor.
"What is it?" asked Zidane of the doctor once they were out in the hallway.
"The plant that was used to poison the Queen, the Rosary flower..." the doctor began.
"Yeah? What about it?"
"The symptoms the Queen is feeling now are only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak." Up
and down the glasses went. "The potion I gave her should take care of the physical effects, but
after a week or so, the Rosary flower will start to effect her mind. If left untreated, she
could become a raving lunatic within a month."
Zidane looked like someone had punched him. "Then treat her, damnit!" he yelled in anger.
"Don't just stand there wiggling your damned glasses!"
"It's not that simple," the doctor continued, after having jumped back a considerable
distance. "I don't have all the proper ingredients to make the correct potion."
"Then I'll go find them!" said Zidane. "It's better than staying here doing nothing!"
"Grandfather Zidane?" said a tiny voice behind him. He turned around.
Cadrin was standing there, his mother squeezing his shoulder and Beatrix trying in vain to
get Steiner to calm down. Zidane couldn't believe he hadn't noticed them.
"Why are you talking about potions?" the boy asked.