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. On another note, I
apologize for the delay in posting and for the short length of this chapter; it's been a chaotic
week.
A Fine Mess - Chapter 6
by Makou
In the silence that followed Cadrin's inconvenient question, Amethyst had stepped out into
the hallway looking on top of things as per usual. If she had heard what the doctor said, it
would be almost impossible to tell; unlike Zircon, whose emotions, predictable as they were,
were written plainly across his face for all to see, she always appeared calm and composed, no
matter what she was feeling. More than a few castle employees found this slightly creepy.
Her blue eyes stared at the assembled group. Their collective eyes stared back.
Then Cadrin said, "Hello, Aunt Amethyst."
Unfortunately, everyone took this as a cue to start either talking or yelling to each
other. Eventually, they settled down enough so that one person could actually yell loud enough
over the ruckus that everyone could hear her.
"Quiet, everyone!" yelled Beatrix. They complied. Beatrix, even at her age, was still
quite formidable; if not with a sword, then with her tongue.
"So why are you talking about potions?" continued Beatrix in a suspicous tone as she eyed
Zidane. "Has the situation gotten worse?"
Zidane glanced at Cadrin. Should he tell his grandson about this? *Well, he is ten...
There's point sheltering him now, is there? Baku told me worse things when I was half his age.*
"It's bad," said Zidane. "Whatever the doctor just gave her is just going to help stop the
actual pain."
"What do you mean, grandfather? What else is going happening to grandmother?" asked
Cadrin.
"Nothing's going to happen to her, if I can help it." He turned to the doctor. "All we
have to do is get the right ingredients, right?" The doctor nodded. "See? She's going to be
alright!"
"Then why are you so worried?" asked Beatrix.
"I don't know who I'm going to send," Zidane admitted. "I want to go, of course, but I
doubt anyone would let me. And with me getting up there in years, I can't go sneaking out like I
used to." He looked to be very depressed over that last fact.
"Can't you simply send one of the soldiers down to town to find the ingredients? Someone
is bound to have some lying around."
The doctor stepped in at this point. "It happens that the items that we need are only
available in town through special order at the area botany shops. By the time the items arrived,
it would be far too late to do anything for the Queen." Another glasses adjustment followed his
announcement.
"Then send some soldiers to look for it town anyways and have another group look for the
ingredients."
"Hey, I like that idea!" said Zidane. "That way we'll cover more ground! And hey," he
continued, looking to the doctor. "You never know; someone around here just might have the stuff
we need!"
"I'll have Siria send some soldiers out immediately," said Amethyst.
"Yeah, do that, but just for the town. I'm still thinking about who to send on a world
tour."
"Certainly, father." Amethyst walked away in search of General Siria.
"Any suggestions, folks?" he asked those in his vicinity. "I'm open to them."
"You can forget about sending Zircon, if that's what you were thinking," snapped
Finnevere. "I haven't seen him for weeks and neither has his son, so send someone else."
"I wasn't thinking about that! He has to stay in town to deal with security!" said Zidane,
being a trifle dishonest. Truth was, he was considering Zircon, but judging by his daughter-in-
law's reaction at the mere thought of it...
"Anyways, whoever I send is going plain clothes. Country folk don't really like it when
soldiers come snooping around. And I want it to be somebody I know and trust." He turned to the
doctor. "Exactly what herbs do we need, anyway?"
"Thornwood, Dephilia Weed, Matoya's Bane, and Goriate Rose," said the doctor. "All of
which are indigineous to the Outer Continent."
"What we need... What we need... is a Black Mage." A bell tolled in the distance and he
added, "But I'll think of someone in a bit. I've got to get Dagger to the play."
"If you don't settle down right now, we're going straight back to the inn!" Parenthood was
getting on Kory's nerves. During this entire ordeal, all of his twelve children had taken it
upon themselves to be as hyper as humanly possible. It was enough to drive one mad.
Much to his relief, the children actually did quiet down a tad after he uttered his
threat. "Alright then. Roll call, everyone! Aki?"
"Here."
"Benny?"
"Here."
"Danny?"
"What?"
"Demi?"
"Here!"
"Emmy? Hoshi? Jacky? Lily?" The four responded with their own variations on 'here'.
"Mary? Mikey?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
"Sammy? Toby?" A pause. "Where's Toby?"
"H-here!" The twelfth of the twelve came running up from behind the corner, attempted to
skid to a halt, and crashed straight into Demi.
"Ow!"
"S-sorry..."
"Toby, where were you?" said Kory, worried sick over the thought that one of his family
could become so easily seperated from him.
"I-I-I saw someone selling action figures across the street back there and I turned to get
a closer look, but when I turned back around, you were all gone!" The child burst into tears.
"Hey, it's okay now! We're all here, we haven't left you alone..." Kory patted Toby on the
shoulder. "Stop crying now, okay?"
"O-okay..." The waterworks turned into an occasional drip.
"That's better," said Kory, smiling in relief even though no one could possibly see it.
"Now come on, everyone! We've got the get to the ticket booth!" Taking Toby by the hand so that
he wouldn't get lost again, Kory continued to lead the clan through the busy streets of
Alexandria. A bell tolled at that time.
"Oh no! We're late!"
"Preparations are complete, sir. Just give the order."
"Wait until the climax before setting it off. Dramatic effect does have its use."
"As you wish, sir."
"Has Nickel been released?"
"Yes, sir. He has been escorted to the city limits."
"Excellent. All you have to do now is wait until I give you the order."
"That I will, sir."
in Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. All other characters and locations belong to myself.
Questions, comments, and constructive critisicm are more than welcome. On another note, I
apologize for the delay in posting and for the short length of this chapter; it's been a chaotic
week.
A Fine Mess - Chapter 6
by Makou
In the silence that followed Cadrin's inconvenient question, Amethyst had stepped out into
the hallway looking on top of things as per usual. If she had heard what the doctor said, it
would be almost impossible to tell; unlike Zircon, whose emotions, predictable as they were,
were written plainly across his face for all to see, she always appeared calm and composed, no
matter what she was feeling. More than a few castle employees found this slightly creepy.
Her blue eyes stared at the assembled group. Their collective eyes stared back.
Then Cadrin said, "Hello, Aunt Amethyst."
Unfortunately, everyone took this as a cue to start either talking or yelling to each
other. Eventually, they settled down enough so that one person could actually yell loud enough
over the ruckus that everyone could hear her.
"Quiet, everyone!" yelled Beatrix. They complied. Beatrix, even at her age, was still
quite formidable; if not with a sword, then with her tongue.
"So why are you talking about potions?" continued Beatrix in a suspicous tone as she eyed
Zidane. "Has the situation gotten worse?"
Zidane glanced at Cadrin. Should he tell his grandson about this? *Well, he is ten...
There's point sheltering him now, is there? Baku told me worse things when I was half his age.*
"It's bad," said Zidane. "Whatever the doctor just gave her is just going to help stop the
actual pain."
"What do you mean, grandfather? What else is going happening to grandmother?" asked
Cadrin.
"Nothing's going to happen to her, if I can help it." He turned to the doctor. "All we
have to do is get the right ingredients, right?" The doctor nodded. "See? She's going to be
alright!"
"Then why are you so worried?" asked Beatrix.
"I don't know who I'm going to send," Zidane admitted. "I want to go, of course, but I
doubt anyone would let me. And with me getting up there in years, I can't go sneaking out like I
used to." He looked to be very depressed over that last fact.
"Can't you simply send one of the soldiers down to town to find the ingredients? Someone
is bound to have some lying around."
The doctor stepped in at this point. "It happens that the items that we need are only
available in town through special order at the area botany shops. By the time the items arrived,
it would be far too late to do anything for the Queen." Another glasses adjustment followed his
announcement.
"Then send some soldiers to look for it town anyways and have another group look for the
ingredients."
"Hey, I like that idea!" said Zidane. "That way we'll cover more ground! And hey," he
continued, looking to the doctor. "You never know; someone around here just might have the stuff
we need!"
"I'll have Siria send some soldiers out immediately," said Amethyst.
"Yeah, do that, but just for the town. I'm still thinking about who to send on a world
tour."
"Certainly, father." Amethyst walked away in search of General Siria.
"Any suggestions, folks?" he asked those in his vicinity. "I'm open to them."
"You can forget about sending Zircon, if that's what you were thinking," snapped
Finnevere. "I haven't seen him for weeks and neither has his son, so send someone else."
"I wasn't thinking about that! He has to stay in town to deal with security!" said Zidane,
being a trifle dishonest. Truth was, he was considering Zircon, but judging by his daughter-in-
law's reaction at the mere thought of it...
"Anyways, whoever I send is going plain clothes. Country folk don't really like it when
soldiers come snooping around. And I want it to be somebody I know and trust." He turned to the
doctor. "Exactly what herbs do we need, anyway?"
"Thornwood, Dephilia Weed, Matoya's Bane, and Goriate Rose," said the doctor. "All of
which are indigineous to the Outer Continent."
"What we need... What we need... is a Black Mage." A bell tolled in the distance and he
added, "But I'll think of someone in a bit. I've got to get Dagger to the play."
"If you don't settle down right now, we're going straight back to the inn!" Parenthood was
getting on Kory's nerves. During this entire ordeal, all of his twelve children had taken it
upon themselves to be as hyper as humanly possible. It was enough to drive one mad.
Much to his relief, the children actually did quiet down a tad after he uttered his
threat. "Alright then. Roll call, everyone! Aki?"
"Here."
"Benny?"
"Here."
"Danny?"
"What?"
"Demi?"
"Here!"
"Emmy? Hoshi? Jacky? Lily?" The four responded with their own variations on 'here'.
"Mary? Mikey?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
"Sammy? Toby?" A pause. "Where's Toby?"
"H-here!" The twelfth of the twelve came running up from behind the corner, attempted to
skid to a halt, and crashed straight into Demi.
"Ow!"
"S-sorry..."
"Toby, where were you?" said Kory, worried sick over the thought that one of his family
could become so easily seperated from him.
"I-I-I saw someone selling action figures across the street back there and I turned to get
a closer look, but when I turned back around, you were all gone!" The child burst into tears.
"Hey, it's okay now! We're all here, we haven't left you alone..." Kory patted Toby on the
shoulder. "Stop crying now, okay?"
"O-okay..." The waterworks turned into an occasional drip.
"That's better," said Kory, smiling in relief even though no one could possibly see it.
"Now come on, everyone! We've got the get to the ticket booth!" Taking Toby by the hand so that
he wouldn't get lost again, Kory continued to lead the clan through the busy streets of
Alexandria. A bell tolled at that time.
"Oh no! We're late!"
"Preparations are complete, sir. Just give the order."
"Wait until the climax before setting it off. Dramatic effect does have its use."
"As you wish, sir."
"Has Nickel been released?"
"Yes, sir. He has been escorted to the city limits."
"Excellent. All you have to do now is wait until I give you the order."
"That I will, sir."