Author's Note: Gomen nasai! Another chapter that took me forever to write... But my writer's block was quite stubborn. It insisted in taking a permanent residence in my mind. Luckily, I gave it the boot. So here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy! :) Oh, and please review. Arigatou!
*Disclaimer*: Xenogears does NOT belong to me. 'Nuff said.
Chapter Nine
Kislev had looked the same from a distance. Machine made and run. That cloud of black residue from the machines still hung in the air, but it had lessened considerably. You didn't choke on it anymore.
Margie looked around at the rebuilding that was going on as she walked towards the Central District with the others, and was surprised to see how many people had actually stayed behind to help with the repairs. Most of them had seemed like they didn't cared about the polluted city. But they were still here; rebuilding. Just like Rico.
She wanted to see the orphanage that was here in Nortune, since it _was_ a part of the Nisan Sect, but first things first. They had to go see Kaiser Sigmund, and, of course, Rico.
Kahr walked at the head of the group with Dominia right next to him. Margie absently wondered if he ever noticed how she never seemed to leave his side. She doubted it. Neither seemed to notice that they were never far from the other for long. They just took it as something that simply was. The rest of his 'troops' had stayed behind.
Margie noticed little things like their companionship a lot more now that she and Bart had come to an understanding. She was aware of the hidden looks Maria sent Billy all the time, the ones the young gunman didn't notice. And she saw the warm way Billy smiled at the girl when she wasn't looking. She must've been pretty thick to not have noticed that before.
Fei and Elly she had always known about. The first time she had seen those two together so many months ago, the connection had been almost tangible. There was something about those two that you could almost see and touch. Fate had entwined them so tightly, anyone could've seen it. Even her. Even Bart.
But now, she could see all the little silent conversations they had with each other. Just a smile, just a look, just a touch and they conveyed to the other their undying love. It was something so pure and bright, it gave anyone who knew them the hope that if nothing else was constant in this world, their love would be.
Margie smiled and looked away as Fei turned from where he was walking behind Ramsus and shot Elly one of those looks. Elly who walked next to the blushing Great Mother, returned it. Then Fei turned back to his discussion with Bart, who was walking beside him. The two were reminiscing about their past adventures and Margie couldn't help but smile when she saw them both start laughing, much to the irritation of Kahr who walked ahead of them.
She had been in part disappointed and in part cheerful when she had found out that they had arrived in Kislev as soon as breakfast was over. Disappointed because she and Bart hadn't been able to have any time alone. ~Bummer...~
She was pulled out of her thoughts when they arrived at the Central Administration District Building, which had been rebuilt to be a lot smaller than it had previously been. Under Rico's orders, no doubt. Everyone needed a roof over their heads and this was not the time to get extravagant with just _one_ building when who knew how many countless others were in desperate need of repair. Rico had always been the no-nonsense type.
The guards at the doors were dressed in the usual blue soldier uniforms and immediately moved aside to let them pass when they arrived. "The Kaiser and Lord Rico are waiting for you on the second floor in the Council Room," one of the guards informed them.
Kahr nodded, but didn't go in. Instead he turned and gave Fei a pointed glare. When Fei only looked at him in confusion, the Solarian huffed and crossed his arms. "You're supposed to go in first," he said, with obvious distaste. "As the leader and the one that's on personal terms with the Kaiser and his son, you go in first."
"Oh. Okay," Fei replied before shrugging. "Come on, you guys."
The others followed behind, entering the artificially lighted hallway. They climbed the stairs, their group being too big for the elevator and besides, it was only the second floor. Margie, Elly, Emeralda and Dominia were the only females who had come along; Margie and Emeralda because they had wanted to tag along; Elly and Dominia because they were expected to be there. The men consisted of Fei, Bart, Ramsus, Citan and Jessie. All of them were here because of their positions.
Margie noticed the looks they got as they made their way towards the Council Room. Awe was the word she thought of to describe the way the people who were working inside looked at them.
"Don't you ever get tired of it?" she quietly asked Elly who walked next to her.
Elly kept her serious look and nodded. "It makes me uncomfortable. I really wished they would stop," Elly whispered back. "But to them, we're the Heroes. In the flesh, right before their very eyes."
Margie nodded, wondering if the others ever got tired of the looks and whispers. She knew she sure would've. If Margie got annoyed about being called Great Mother all the time (as if she had lost her name or something by becoming the Great Mother...) she knew she would dread going out in public if people were going to act like that around her all the time. She did not envy her friends on this.
"It's like we're not regular people anymore," Elly said softly, with a trace of sadness in her voice. Margie glanced at her in surprise as they continued walking. That was exactly how she felt...
They arrived at the door that led to the Council Room just as it swished opened. And there, looking as big and feral as ever, stood the reason for their visit. Ricardo Banderas.
Fei let out a yelp when the ex-Battling Champ came over to give him a bone-cracking bear-hug as a greeting.
"Fei, you moron, where have you been hiding yourself?" Rico asked with some affection in his gruff voice. But Fei couldn't answer because at the moment his breathing was cut off.
"Um, Rico dear," Elly interrupted as her mate's face began turning blue. "He can't breathe. You'd better let him go."
"What? Oh." Rico released him and Fei collapsed to the floor in a heap where he gulped in some much needed oxygen. Elly chuckled and gave Rico a brief hug before going over to kneel beside Fei.
"I tell ya, I leave him a couple of months out of my sight and he gets all soft on me," Rico muttered, shaking his head. Then he turned to the others.
Bart offered his hand right away when Rico got to him. "Heh heh, no need for a hug, big guy. I'd rather _not_ have my ribs cracked, if you don't mind," the young King said with a nervous smile. He then winced when Rico smirked at him and took his hand, giving it a tight, painful squeeze before letting go. Bart began rubbing his hand gently(which, by some miracle hadn't been broken), as Rico left to greet the others.
Citan and Jessie gave him firm handshakes, Jessie muttering under his breath about the advantage of size some people had while Citan smiled.
Rico gave Margie a sharp-toothed grin before saluting to her respectively. She grinned right back. She felt a stranged connection the ex-Battling Champ. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, though... Almost as if they were in the same type of situation.
Rico and Emeralda exchanged the same calculating looks as a greeting. They were the only ones of the team who measured around the same in physical strength. Both because of what they were. It gave them a certain edge over each other and Margie saw the challenging smiles they traded. These two were waiting for a battle. One that wouldn't include their Gears.
Rico gave Kahr and Dominia a nod that wasn't exactly friendly, but wasn't hostile either. Margie thought that was pretty good, considering Rico's temper. It could've gone worse...
Once the hello's were over with and Fei could stand up again, they followed him into the Council Room where the Kaiser was waiting.
Sigmund looked a bit older than when they had first met him. All that had happened within the past few months had taken its toll on him. His hair had more grey in it and he had a few more wrinkles in his face. He looked tired. Rico stiffened as soon as they went in and the others could tell that the relationship between father and son was still uneasy.
"Kaiser," Rico said in the tone of voice they were more used to hearing from him. Cool and harsh. "They are here."
"Yes, yes, I can see that," Sigmund snapped brusquely as he stood up, making Rico scowl. Then in a more solicitous voice: "Please, come in."
They stepped in as he came around the large table he had been seated at. It was a room much like the Council Hall in Nisan, Margie noticed, with maps on the walls and everything. As the Kaiser came to them to greet them formally, Bart reached back and took her hand, pulling her forward to stand next to him. She smiled up at him and he grinned, giving her hand a brief squeeze before letting go.
"It's good to have the Heroes here in Kislev," Sigmund said as he took each their hands and shook them. When he got to Bart, he stopped for a bit. "King Bartholomew Fatima," he said as he took the young King's hand and shook it firmly. "It's good to be on friendly terms with the Aveh Kingdom for once. It has made the people happier and put them more at ease."
"Yes, Kaiser Sigmund. It's done the same for the people of my kingdom," Bart replied just as seriously.
"And you brought the Great Mother with you, too. I hope today finds you and your city well, Mother," Sigmund greeted respectively, taking her hand too.
Margie smiled. "We've been doing quite well, Kaiser. And you?"
"As well as I can hope, Mother. My age is, of course, a factor in my health, but I find myself in good enough shape. I don't know for how long that will last, though. I don't know how long _I_ will last."
"Would you quit sharing your grievances with us, old man," Rico complained from where he was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "Knowing your mule-headed stubborness, you'll be here another couple of decades just to make my life harder than it already is."
"Hah! You just wait, Banderas! If I can help it, I'll be here another half-century if for nothing else but to make sure you don't destroy my Empire!" Sigmund retorted. But there was no venom behind any of the words these two exchanged. The others got the idea that this was the way they got along.
Rico scowled and looked away and Sigmund returned to greeting the rest of the group, hesitating a bit over Ramsus and Dominia. But he greeted them as if they were part of the group anyway, causing them to blink in surprise. Their reaction brought a smile to Margie's face. It never ceased to amaze her how knowledgeable those two were about some things, and how innocent they were about others.
"Please sit. Make yourselves comfortable," Sigmund instructed them as he went back to his chair. "My old bones need to rest and if you're going to be here long, I need to sit."
"You have to lay it on thick, don't you, old man," Rico grumbled as he went over and sat down on the chair next to his father. Sigmund glared and was about to retort again, but stopped when they heard Jessie chuckling. Everyone turned to the gunman questioningly.
"What's so funny, old friend?" Citan asked.
"Nothing really. It's just seems remarkable to me that Sigmund and Banderas squabble about as much as Billy and I do," Jessie replied, shaking his head. "I know exactly how you feel, Kaiser. Fool boy doesn't stop baiting me, either."
Rico frowned and was about to give a sharp reply, but Sigmund spoke first. "Yes, well this is what they do to prevent themselves from getting close to us," Sigmund sighed. Rico glared at him.
"I suppose so," Jessie agreed. "It's the way they punish us for not being there before."
"Yes, but I hardly believe Rico should punish me harshly. I never knew he had been born," Sigmund said quietly.
Rico pointedly looked away.
"Ahem." They all turned to Dominia, who had cleared her throat rather loudly to grab their attention. "Excuse me Kaiser, but we had originally decided to gather here to discuss diplomatic business, not to converse over parental issues," she reminded them, her eyes cool and detached.
Giving the others an apologetic glance, Kahr grabbed her hand and pulled her back down to sit. His pale brows were furrowed in disapprovement, but she just shrugged at his sharp look. "Hey, they needed to be told. This was starting to sound like a therapy group."
That broke the tension a bit. The group got comfortable in their chairs while the Kaiser straightened the small stack of papers he had in front of him. Then he cleared his throat. "The lady is right. You are my guests and I believe you have come here with a purpose. What have you come to discuss?"
They had decided that Fei would be the one to make the announcement. He stood up and cleared his throat. "Kaiser, we have recently been informed by Kahran Ramsus that he is on a mission to contact Queen Zephyr of Shevat. He is on confidential business and we agreed to take him to Shevat under the condition that we could bring our allies along. He agreed to this and since his private business with Queen Zephyr could concern us, too, we wanted you to send Rico with us as your representative for the Kislev Empire. King Bartholomew Fatima is going for Aveh and the Great Mother Marguerite Fatima is going for Nisan. We would like your Empire to be included, too."
Margie inwardly smiled at his wording. ~Perfect, Fei. You've been learning.~
The Kaiser looked thoughtful as Fei sat down. "Well, this is certainly something. Young man," he said to Kahr, "you wouldn't be willing to share with us what this confidential business is all about, would you?"
Kahr folded his hands in front of him and began in his serious, tactful voice: "I'm sorry, Kaiser, but I was clearly instructed to bring this news to Queen Zephyr. Neither you, nor the Great Mother, nor the King of Aveh were included in my orders. The only way you can find out is if Queen Zephyr gives the permission to let you be there when I tell her or if she decides to tell you herself. After I give her my message, my mission is over and it's up to her who she wants to share the information with. Other than that, I can't tell you anything."
"Who gave you these orders, exactly?" Sigmund asked.
"I cannot say."
"Hmm." Sigmund sat back in his chair with a frown. His fingers idly played with the surface of the table as if his hands itched to be over the keyboard of the organ he used to play. Margie guessed that playing his music had helped the old man strategize. He finally sighed. "So be it. Rico, you will go with them to find out what this whole business is about. Fei is right. This message could concern all of us."
Rico nodded. "Okay. But what about Norturne? The rebuilding plans still have to be revised and new orders have to be given out to all the new refugees who showed up and-"
"I can handle it, Banderas!" Sigmund interrupted heatedly. "What? You think that just because I'm old, I can't run an Empire?! Let me tell you something, you upstart, I was handling this Empire just fine years before you came along and just because you're here helping with a few things now doesn't mean I'm suddenly senile and decrepit and everything will fall apart if you leave! I'll be just fine, thank you very much!"
Margie bit her lip to keep herself from laughing as Rico stood up from his chair and flared up right alongside his father. Those two were so alike and they didn't know it. It was hilarious. She could see the others thought the same because they all looked at each other and came to a sudden decision. Since their argument was nothing to be alarmed about, they all stood up and quietly walked out to let them finish.
To be continued... (real soon, I promise!) ^_^
*Remember to review!*
*Disclaimer*: Xenogears does NOT belong to me. 'Nuff said.
Chapter Nine
Kislev had looked the same from a distance. Machine made and run. That cloud of black residue from the machines still hung in the air, but it had lessened considerably. You didn't choke on it anymore.
Margie looked around at the rebuilding that was going on as she walked towards the Central District with the others, and was surprised to see how many people had actually stayed behind to help with the repairs. Most of them had seemed like they didn't cared about the polluted city. But they were still here; rebuilding. Just like Rico.
She wanted to see the orphanage that was here in Nortune, since it _was_ a part of the Nisan Sect, but first things first. They had to go see Kaiser Sigmund, and, of course, Rico.
Kahr walked at the head of the group with Dominia right next to him. Margie absently wondered if he ever noticed how she never seemed to leave his side. She doubted it. Neither seemed to notice that they were never far from the other for long. They just took it as something that simply was. The rest of his 'troops' had stayed behind.
Margie noticed little things like their companionship a lot more now that she and Bart had come to an understanding. She was aware of the hidden looks Maria sent Billy all the time, the ones the young gunman didn't notice. And she saw the warm way Billy smiled at the girl when she wasn't looking. She must've been pretty thick to not have noticed that before.
Fei and Elly she had always known about. The first time she had seen those two together so many months ago, the connection had been almost tangible. There was something about those two that you could almost see and touch. Fate had entwined them so tightly, anyone could've seen it. Even her. Even Bart.
But now, she could see all the little silent conversations they had with each other. Just a smile, just a look, just a touch and they conveyed to the other their undying love. It was something so pure and bright, it gave anyone who knew them the hope that if nothing else was constant in this world, their love would be.
Margie smiled and looked away as Fei turned from where he was walking behind Ramsus and shot Elly one of those looks. Elly who walked next to the blushing Great Mother, returned it. Then Fei turned back to his discussion with Bart, who was walking beside him. The two were reminiscing about their past adventures and Margie couldn't help but smile when she saw them both start laughing, much to the irritation of Kahr who walked ahead of them.
She had been in part disappointed and in part cheerful when she had found out that they had arrived in Kislev as soon as breakfast was over. Disappointed because she and Bart hadn't been able to have any time alone. ~Bummer...~
She was pulled out of her thoughts when they arrived at the Central Administration District Building, which had been rebuilt to be a lot smaller than it had previously been. Under Rico's orders, no doubt. Everyone needed a roof over their heads and this was not the time to get extravagant with just _one_ building when who knew how many countless others were in desperate need of repair. Rico had always been the no-nonsense type.
The guards at the doors were dressed in the usual blue soldier uniforms and immediately moved aside to let them pass when they arrived. "The Kaiser and Lord Rico are waiting for you on the second floor in the Council Room," one of the guards informed them.
Kahr nodded, but didn't go in. Instead he turned and gave Fei a pointed glare. When Fei only looked at him in confusion, the Solarian huffed and crossed his arms. "You're supposed to go in first," he said, with obvious distaste. "As the leader and the one that's on personal terms with the Kaiser and his son, you go in first."
"Oh. Okay," Fei replied before shrugging. "Come on, you guys."
The others followed behind, entering the artificially lighted hallway. They climbed the stairs, their group being too big for the elevator and besides, it was only the second floor. Margie, Elly, Emeralda and Dominia were the only females who had come along; Margie and Emeralda because they had wanted to tag along; Elly and Dominia because they were expected to be there. The men consisted of Fei, Bart, Ramsus, Citan and Jessie. All of them were here because of their positions.
Margie noticed the looks they got as they made their way towards the Council Room. Awe was the word she thought of to describe the way the people who were working inside looked at them.
"Don't you ever get tired of it?" she quietly asked Elly who walked next to her.
Elly kept her serious look and nodded. "It makes me uncomfortable. I really wished they would stop," Elly whispered back. "But to them, we're the Heroes. In the flesh, right before their very eyes."
Margie nodded, wondering if the others ever got tired of the looks and whispers. She knew she sure would've. If Margie got annoyed about being called Great Mother all the time (as if she had lost her name or something by becoming the Great Mother...) she knew she would dread going out in public if people were going to act like that around her all the time. She did not envy her friends on this.
"It's like we're not regular people anymore," Elly said softly, with a trace of sadness in her voice. Margie glanced at her in surprise as they continued walking. That was exactly how she felt...
They arrived at the door that led to the Council Room just as it swished opened. And there, looking as big and feral as ever, stood the reason for their visit. Ricardo Banderas.
Fei let out a yelp when the ex-Battling Champ came over to give him a bone-cracking bear-hug as a greeting.
"Fei, you moron, where have you been hiding yourself?" Rico asked with some affection in his gruff voice. But Fei couldn't answer because at the moment his breathing was cut off.
"Um, Rico dear," Elly interrupted as her mate's face began turning blue. "He can't breathe. You'd better let him go."
"What? Oh." Rico released him and Fei collapsed to the floor in a heap where he gulped in some much needed oxygen. Elly chuckled and gave Rico a brief hug before going over to kneel beside Fei.
"I tell ya, I leave him a couple of months out of my sight and he gets all soft on me," Rico muttered, shaking his head. Then he turned to the others.
Bart offered his hand right away when Rico got to him. "Heh heh, no need for a hug, big guy. I'd rather _not_ have my ribs cracked, if you don't mind," the young King said with a nervous smile. He then winced when Rico smirked at him and took his hand, giving it a tight, painful squeeze before letting go. Bart began rubbing his hand gently(which, by some miracle hadn't been broken), as Rico left to greet the others.
Citan and Jessie gave him firm handshakes, Jessie muttering under his breath about the advantage of size some people had while Citan smiled.
Rico gave Margie a sharp-toothed grin before saluting to her respectively. She grinned right back. She felt a stranged connection the ex-Battling Champ. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, though... Almost as if they were in the same type of situation.
Rico and Emeralda exchanged the same calculating looks as a greeting. They were the only ones of the team who measured around the same in physical strength. Both because of what they were. It gave them a certain edge over each other and Margie saw the challenging smiles they traded. These two were waiting for a battle. One that wouldn't include their Gears.
Rico gave Kahr and Dominia a nod that wasn't exactly friendly, but wasn't hostile either. Margie thought that was pretty good, considering Rico's temper. It could've gone worse...
Once the hello's were over with and Fei could stand up again, they followed him into the Council Room where the Kaiser was waiting.
Sigmund looked a bit older than when they had first met him. All that had happened within the past few months had taken its toll on him. His hair had more grey in it and he had a few more wrinkles in his face. He looked tired. Rico stiffened as soon as they went in and the others could tell that the relationship between father and son was still uneasy.
"Kaiser," Rico said in the tone of voice they were more used to hearing from him. Cool and harsh. "They are here."
"Yes, yes, I can see that," Sigmund snapped brusquely as he stood up, making Rico scowl. Then in a more solicitous voice: "Please, come in."
They stepped in as he came around the large table he had been seated at. It was a room much like the Council Hall in Nisan, Margie noticed, with maps on the walls and everything. As the Kaiser came to them to greet them formally, Bart reached back and took her hand, pulling her forward to stand next to him. She smiled up at him and he grinned, giving her hand a brief squeeze before letting go.
"It's good to have the Heroes here in Kislev," Sigmund said as he took each their hands and shook them. When he got to Bart, he stopped for a bit. "King Bartholomew Fatima," he said as he took the young King's hand and shook it firmly. "It's good to be on friendly terms with the Aveh Kingdom for once. It has made the people happier and put them more at ease."
"Yes, Kaiser Sigmund. It's done the same for the people of my kingdom," Bart replied just as seriously.
"And you brought the Great Mother with you, too. I hope today finds you and your city well, Mother," Sigmund greeted respectively, taking her hand too.
Margie smiled. "We've been doing quite well, Kaiser. And you?"
"As well as I can hope, Mother. My age is, of course, a factor in my health, but I find myself in good enough shape. I don't know for how long that will last, though. I don't know how long _I_ will last."
"Would you quit sharing your grievances with us, old man," Rico complained from where he was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "Knowing your mule-headed stubborness, you'll be here another couple of decades just to make my life harder than it already is."
"Hah! You just wait, Banderas! If I can help it, I'll be here another half-century if for nothing else but to make sure you don't destroy my Empire!" Sigmund retorted. But there was no venom behind any of the words these two exchanged. The others got the idea that this was the way they got along.
Rico scowled and looked away and Sigmund returned to greeting the rest of the group, hesitating a bit over Ramsus and Dominia. But he greeted them as if they were part of the group anyway, causing them to blink in surprise. Their reaction brought a smile to Margie's face. It never ceased to amaze her how knowledgeable those two were about some things, and how innocent they were about others.
"Please sit. Make yourselves comfortable," Sigmund instructed them as he went back to his chair. "My old bones need to rest and if you're going to be here long, I need to sit."
"You have to lay it on thick, don't you, old man," Rico grumbled as he went over and sat down on the chair next to his father. Sigmund glared and was about to retort again, but stopped when they heard Jessie chuckling. Everyone turned to the gunman questioningly.
"What's so funny, old friend?" Citan asked.
"Nothing really. It's just seems remarkable to me that Sigmund and Banderas squabble about as much as Billy and I do," Jessie replied, shaking his head. "I know exactly how you feel, Kaiser. Fool boy doesn't stop baiting me, either."
Rico frowned and was about to give a sharp reply, but Sigmund spoke first. "Yes, well this is what they do to prevent themselves from getting close to us," Sigmund sighed. Rico glared at him.
"I suppose so," Jessie agreed. "It's the way they punish us for not being there before."
"Yes, but I hardly believe Rico should punish me harshly. I never knew he had been born," Sigmund said quietly.
Rico pointedly looked away.
"Ahem." They all turned to Dominia, who had cleared her throat rather loudly to grab their attention. "Excuse me Kaiser, but we had originally decided to gather here to discuss diplomatic business, not to converse over parental issues," she reminded them, her eyes cool and detached.
Giving the others an apologetic glance, Kahr grabbed her hand and pulled her back down to sit. His pale brows were furrowed in disapprovement, but she just shrugged at his sharp look. "Hey, they needed to be told. This was starting to sound like a therapy group."
That broke the tension a bit. The group got comfortable in their chairs while the Kaiser straightened the small stack of papers he had in front of him. Then he cleared his throat. "The lady is right. You are my guests and I believe you have come here with a purpose. What have you come to discuss?"
They had decided that Fei would be the one to make the announcement. He stood up and cleared his throat. "Kaiser, we have recently been informed by Kahran Ramsus that he is on a mission to contact Queen Zephyr of Shevat. He is on confidential business and we agreed to take him to Shevat under the condition that we could bring our allies along. He agreed to this and since his private business with Queen Zephyr could concern us, too, we wanted you to send Rico with us as your representative for the Kislev Empire. King Bartholomew Fatima is going for Aveh and the Great Mother Marguerite Fatima is going for Nisan. We would like your Empire to be included, too."
Margie inwardly smiled at his wording. ~Perfect, Fei. You've been learning.~
The Kaiser looked thoughtful as Fei sat down. "Well, this is certainly something. Young man," he said to Kahr, "you wouldn't be willing to share with us what this confidential business is all about, would you?"
Kahr folded his hands in front of him and began in his serious, tactful voice: "I'm sorry, Kaiser, but I was clearly instructed to bring this news to Queen Zephyr. Neither you, nor the Great Mother, nor the King of Aveh were included in my orders. The only way you can find out is if Queen Zephyr gives the permission to let you be there when I tell her or if she decides to tell you herself. After I give her my message, my mission is over and it's up to her who she wants to share the information with. Other than that, I can't tell you anything."
"Who gave you these orders, exactly?" Sigmund asked.
"I cannot say."
"Hmm." Sigmund sat back in his chair with a frown. His fingers idly played with the surface of the table as if his hands itched to be over the keyboard of the organ he used to play. Margie guessed that playing his music had helped the old man strategize. He finally sighed. "So be it. Rico, you will go with them to find out what this whole business is about. Fei is right. This message could concern all of us."
Rico nodded. "Okay. But what about Norturne? The rebuilding plans still have to be revised and new orders have to be given out to all the new refugees who showed up and-"
"I can handle it, Banderas!" Sigmund interrupted heatedly. "What? You think that just because I'm old, I can't run an Empire?! Let me tell you something, you upstart, I was handling this Empire just fine years before you came along and just because you're here helping with a few things now doesn't mean I'm suddenly senile and decrepit and everything will fall apart if you leave! I'll be just fine, thank you very much!"
Margie bit her lip to keep herself from laughing as Rico stood up from his chair and flared up right alongside his father. Those two were so alike and they didn't know it. It was hilarious. She could see the others thought the same because they all looked at each other and came to a sudden decision. Since their argument was nothing to be alarmed about, they all stood up and quietly walked out to let them finish.
To be continued... (real soon, I promise!) ^_^
*Remember to review!*