********** VII – The Mime **********

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To all my friends,

I know that you will not understand, but I need to go away to sort things out. I apologize for not telling this to you in person, but I just thought that it would be better this way. I have hidden many things from you, not out of malice but out of friendship.

And out of shame…

I will be back in a few days, but for now I am safe with some good friends so do not worry about me. Beware that I will not come back to you right away, and that I beg of you to respect my wish. All will be made clear to you in good time.

To Squall, please forgive me. It was never my intention to hurt you, but people change and what we've been through has made me realize many things. You will always have a special place in my heart, and I ask of you too to wait for me to come to you.

I love you all,

Rinoa

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was early morning, and several people were reunited in Squall's office. Selphie was wriggling her hands nervously - she could not hide her anxiety at Rinoa's disappearance. Were also present Quistis, Fujin, Seifer, Irvine, Zell, and the Commander.

After Irvine had left for his tour of duty at Garden, Selphie had waited for her dark-haired friend to come back. Concerned, she had gone to look for Rinoa and found the letter at the hotel's reception desk.  It had been so peculiar that she had decided to report it immediately. Quistis was studying it now, and when she spoke they all froze at her words.

"Rinoa did not write this."

"What do you mean, Quistis?" Inquired Squall.

The instructor was a specialist in analyzing handwritings, and she spotted the inconsistency immediately, "It is a good forgery, but look at the way the lowercase 'o's are written."

"What about them?" Inquired Selphie.

"Rinoa was raised in Deling," explained Quistis, "and there the people start their 'o's at the left-top and go counterclockwise. All the 'o's in this letter start at the right top and are written clockwise, as is evident from the pattern the ink made." - It really wasn't evident to anyone, but they knew they could trust the blonde woman's judgment in this matter.

"She lived in Timber for a while, can't she have changed her way of writing?" Offered Irvine.

"Certain things become second nature, and the way you learn to write is one of them." Lectured Quistis "Furthermore, the tone of the letter is impersonal, while she is an emotional person."

"And she wouldn't be asking for my forgiveness." Added Squall, "I am the one who broke up our engagement."

All faces turned to the Commander, but none commented on it. "I don't think that we should publicize this, it may put her life in danger." Reflected the dark-haired guy.

Zell suddenly spoke, "Listen, we should talk about this to some of her old friends. They are used at gathering information and can probably help."

"That is risky, we don't know who we can trust." Said Squall, "Zell and Selphie, try to find out who was the last one to see her yesterday night."

After the two energetic SeeDs had left, the Commander gave precise orders to everyone present, "Seifer, you and your team will investigate the candidates, because this is too big to be a coincidence. Quistis analyze the envelope, the paper, the ink and whatever you think can tell us from where this letter originated. Irvine, you're with me. Dismissed!"

They all saluted and left to take care of their assigned tasks. And there would be hell to pay for whoever was behind this. That was a vow that they all silently made.

---------- ---------- ----------

Rinoa slowly came back to consciousness. After that blow she feared that she would have a major headache, but it wasn't as bad as she had anticipated. She also heard singing; actually it was more a humming with deep notes flowing into an intricate pattern.

She tried to sit, but firm hands kept her down. "Please, don't try to stand just yet," said a feminine voice "You have been unconscious the whole night. Here, have some water."

A small cup was put to her lips, and she drank gratefully. Her right eye refused to open, but she managed to make the left one obey and immediately recognized the other woman.

"Kathrya?"

"Yes. Now, let me finish." Answered the young woman, and resumed her humming.

Rinoa touched her lips, and winced at the swelling on the left side of her mouth. The hazel-eyed woman returned her attention to her companion, and noticed that Kathrya's eyes and hair were darker. There even was the silver streak on the right side of her head; they looked in fact even more alike than before.

As the singing gained in intensity, Rinoa felt the headache and some of the pain ebb away. This went on for a few minutes, and then the tone became more soothing before ending altogether.

"You heal by singing?" Asked the sorceress.

"We're together in this, so I guess I'll have to trust you." Replied the artist after pondering for a moment, "I am part Bard, I can persuade your body into healing itself but my talent is limited."

"Bard?" Said Rinoa surprised "I thought that only men could be Bards, and that they had been extinct for centuries."

"Men made more powerful Bards, that's why women usually didn't delve in the art." Explained the singer, "My father comes from a long line of them, and has some measure of the talent. I also inherited part of it."

"Where are we? And why are you here?"

"I am not sure where, I was blindfolded when they brought me." Answered Kathrya, "And Chrislen wants me to take your place."

"He also kidnapped you?"

"Yes, and I thought that he was a friend…" Said the singer with fury in her eyes.

The sorceress eyes also flared, "He is going to pay for this!"

Rinoa called on her powers, and the stones on the bracelet she was wearing burned with an inner light. The sorceress felt pain throughout her body, and Kathrya covered her ears as she felt more than heard a distressing disharmonic vibe.

Panting, the dark-haired woman lifted the gems to her good eye, and suddenly realized that she was helpless. This was the same bracelet she had tried to coax Edea into wearing, and it completely inhibited any sorceress's magical abilities. It was uncomfortably tight, and biting cruelly into her skin – Chrislen certainly took no chances.

"The bastard!" Exclaimed the raven-haired woman, "How did he get a hold of this?"

"What is it?" Inquired Kathrya.

"It's an old artifact my group managed to acquire, it keeps me from using my sorceress's powers."

"Is there a way to take it off?"

Rinoa sighed in exasperation, "No, I need the proper tools and a ritual has to be performed. Any attempt to take it off will only make it tighter."

She then checked their surroundings for a means of escape. They were in a room about 8 by 6 feet in size, made of sturdy concrete. There was a heavy metallic door in one of the shorter walls, two small bunks on either side of it, and a dirty toilet bowl and rusty sink at the back.

Suddenly, they heard steps outside of their cell and the door's lock being opened. Kathrya grabbed Rinoa by the shoulders, and whispered to her with alarm in her voice.

"Listen, whatever happens you have to promise to act as if you're still unconscious. Your life depends on it, just trust me."

The Sorceress nodded her approval and prompted herself back on her bunk. She managed to keep her eye partially opened in order to see what would happen. As expected, Chrislen Khosgrove entered with a man she recognized as being Lorgon Seldon.

The Sentry-Foxes' ex-leader sported a broken lip, and a bandage on the left side of his face. He looked at both women with anger, but did not notice Rinoa's partly open eye.

"Well, Kathrya," Said Chrislen, "I see that you have the eyes and the hair. How long for height, voice and memories?"

"I told you already!" Spat the woman, "I can't absorb memories, and it'll take several days to get all the physical traits."

"No need to be so rude, my darling." He replied menacingly, passing his hand through his short-cropped sandy blond hair, "And don't lie to me or there will be consequences. The election is but two weeks away, so you have four more days."

"That is not enough time!"

Chrislen backhanded Kathrya hard, and she was thrown onto the empty bunk. He bent down and grabbed her hair brutally, forcing her to face him. Rinoa was seething, but knew that she didn't stand a chance. She felt weak, and by the sounds of it there were more men with Chrislen and Lorgon.

"Kathrya, do NOT play games with me! You know what the consequences will be! Understood?"

She lowered her gaze, "Understood, I will do as you say…"

"Lorgon!" Ordered Chrislen, "Give them food and water, and meet me in the control room."

After the men had left, Rinoa stood up and addressed Kathrya, "Are you all right?"

"Yes, don't worry." Replied the woman, "Now he thinks that he has me properly scared, and that you're out of commission. At least we'll have surprise on our side."

"What did he mean about consequences?"

"He said that if I don't comply, he would hurt my family."

"I am sorry, Kathrya."

"No, this is not your doing." Continued the singer, "But I know that he plans to kill you, once I look enough like you. I am also sure that he'll dispose of me before the deception can be uncovered."

"What do you mean by looking enough like me?" Asked Rinoa, thoroughly puzzled.

"I am also part Mime, Rinoa." Explained Kathrya, "I can't absorb all of a person's abilities during battle like Mimes of old, but the capacities remain with me longer. Chrislen noticed it when my family helped him a few years ago, I wasn't careful at the time and showed him some of my talent."

"And so he plans to replace me, and try to win the election that way…" Concluded the raven-haired woman.

"Yes, and he has the financial backup from that Seldon guy. They plan to declare martial law, and impose a dictatorship with ties to Galbadia."

"How do you know all this?" Inquired Rinoa.

"I lied to Chrislen." Said Kathrya with a grin, "I can absorb some memories by direct contact, and furthermore the men who brought me here talk too much."

"Direct contact?"

"Yesterday night he tried to seduce me, in the hopes that I would cooperate freely even after being brought here forcefully." She explained, "He kissed me, there was blood involved, and when that happens memories of the person just flow into me. When I refused to help, he hit me and threw me in here with you."

"He certainly likes to hit women, that cowardly bastard!"

Kathrya actually smiled, "I guess that he didn't like me biting his lip, or scratching his face. He's not one for aggressive and independent females, I guess."

At the thought Rinoa grinned back, "Can you absorb some of my magical abilities?"

"No, it's too risky. I could probably mime some of them but I don't have the experience to control them, and I can't absorb that like a real Mime."

"Are you sure you want to fight Chrislen? Even if he threatened to harm your family?"

"He'll hurt us and my family, whatever the outcome." The Mime then looked straight into Rinoa's face, "You have the means to protect my loved ones, if you promise to do so I'll get us out of this cell."

The sorceress was really astounded at her companion's behavior. The woman obviously was not a fighter, but she was showing surprising courage. In the past she had met with people who had panicked in less threatening situations, and had expected her companion to be the same. This gave them a chance to turn the tables around on Mr. Khosgrove.

"I promise." She replied, "But how are we going to escape?"

"The door's locking mechanism is voice controlled." Said Kathrya in Chrislen's voice.

Rinoa smiled, ignoring the pain it caused her bruised face, "Lets eat first, and then we'll have to come up with a plan."

"Listen, I am no fighter but I'll do what I can." Continued the Mime, "How about you? What can you do without your powers?"

"The big mistake everybody makes, is to think that I'm defenseless without magic." Answered the hazel-eyed woman, "I learned how to fight long before I became a sorceress, and our friend Chrislen is in for a big surprise."

"An unpleasant one, I hope." Added Kathrya.

"Yes, a really unpleasant one…" Agreed Rinoa, narrowing her good eye.

********** ********** **********

~ To Be Continued ~