Night With A Jewel Chapter II – A Back Alley Bar
Okay, I know I said I was going to tell about the night scene and all, but I later felt I was rushing into that. Expect it later.
Zidane remained sulking in his lonely bar stool. "You okay, boy?" said the bartender once every quarter of an hour or so. Zidane would just let out a sigh and stare into the back of the bar where the bottles of alcohol were stationed. "Way to go, dumb ass. You follow a girl for months on end and look at you now! Sulking over an empty beer mug in a back alley bar." The familiar opening of a door behind him interrupted his thoughts. "Evening" greeted the bartender to his new customer.
"Evening" the guest replied and took a stool next to Zidane. "Funny how we keep meeting in these places, Zidane." announced the guest. Zidane looked over to his side. "Freya! Heh, I guess us nomads are just attracted to the dung smell of these places," he said. "You are no nomad any more, Zidane, and you know that. Why have you stayed here so long?" Zidane let out a sigh. "Ah, her. That is what we all figured." Zidane sat up straight. "Yeah, but it's no big deal. I got roots here now. The Tantalus boys an' all."
Freya wasn't surprised. She had known Zidane for years now and knew this part of his denial. However, what bothered her was that one girl could slow Zidane down. "So, what are you doing for money now days?" Freya said, hoping to calm him down. "The money from our journey so long ago has to be dwindling by now, especially since you gave much of yours to the rebuilding of Alexandria. "I do what I always have done," he began. "Bumming?" Freya said, jokingly. There was an odd silence.
"Why didn't Queen Gar-…err…I mean Dagger take you in?" she slowly asked. "Wouldn't let her." Zidane said a little too quickly. "Yeah, I gotcha." she said. "Poor guy," Freya thought to herself. "He is never this quiet and down. 'Hey, Rat Face.'…What had ever happened to that Zidane?" Zidane glanced back at Freya. "So, how are you and" he started. "He's dead." Freya said back without emotion. "Oh…" Zidane said. "Sorry to hear that." Freya let out a sigh and took a shot of the brandy she had just ordered. "Yeah, it's okay. Romance just isn't my thing, ya know?" "Totally." Zidane replied. A thought came to Freya's mind. She couldn't help but ask. "Where were you all those months, Zidane? I know I remember you saying that Kuja had died when you attempted the rescue. So what were you doing all that time?" Zidane focused straight ahead and appeared to ignore Freya until he spoke, "Nothing. Absolutely nothing." and there was again silence.
Zidane was lying to himself again. Why did he have to do that? He never knew. The room started to drift away from him. The memories of a few months ago came back to him, cluttered. An old back alley in Treno came to mind. It wasn't peaceful. Screams of pain and fear came from it. Zidane saw himself in flashes of lightning on a humid summer night. He had been driven to the brink and someone else was there. It was all so painful to try to remember. More screams of pain. He couldn't make out who they belonged to.
"Zidane!"
"Dammit!" he yelled. He was sweating and cold. Freya was kneeled down next to him. He was on the floor. "Zidane! You're okay, thank God." Zidane stumbled up to his feet. "What…what happened?" he quivered. "You went out cold and hit the floor, Zidane. You were just lost in thought and you fell. You hadn't even shown any signs of life until just now.
"It's getting worse," he thought to himself.
"You should really get back home, Zidane. You need some rest." she recommended. "Yeah, I'll be heading back that way now. I'll be seeing ya around, Freya." and with that, he left the bar. He began his journey back to the new permanent home of Tantalus a few blocks away. "It has never been that bad before…" he thought. He continued walking down the murky streets of Alexandria. It was near midnight, but there was still the occasional whore and thief who passed him. "Best to forget about her. I never thought it would come to this degree. Is it even her, though?" This wasn't even about Dagger anymore. It was about whatever had happened on that late summer night in Treno, the city of gambling, sex, and drugs in Gaia. He couldn't remember anymore than what were sent to him in these dreams. He did, although, remember something awful happening there and delaying his trip back to Dagger.
The rain started coming down as he came to the door of the Tantalus home. The door was open, of course. Why would such great thieves be afraid to? He had noticed that during his entire trip home he had not once thought about that girl in the window or her thoughts. He was in too much turmoil tonight to do such a thing. She probably hadn't given him a thought for weeks now, so why shouldn't he get a night off? He put it all out of his mind for the evening and allowed the alcohol in his body help him sleep.
Author's Notes: Well, now I think I'm getting somewhere with the plot. I'm pretty sure this will all be NC-17 soon. Tell me how I'm doing, please? I'll give ya a cookie!
Okay, I know I said I was going to tell about the night scene and all, but I later felt I was rushing into that. Expect it later.
Zidane remained sulking in his lonely bar stool. "You okay, boy?" said the bartender once every quarter of an hour or so. Zidane would just let out a sigh and stare into the back of the bar where the bottles of alcohol were stationed. "Way to go, dumb ass. You follow a girl for months on end and look at you now! Sulking over an empty beer mug in a back alley bar." The familiar opening of a door behind him interrupted his thoughts. "Evening" greeted the bartender to his new customer.
"Evening" the guest replied and took a stool next to Zidane. "Funny how we keep meeting in these places, Zidane." announced the guest. Zidane looked over to his side. "Freya! Heh, I guess us nomads are just attracted to the dung smell of these places," he said. "You are no nomad any more, Zidane, and you know that. Why have you stayed here so long?" Zidane let out a sigh. "Ah, her. That is what we all figured." Zidane sat up straight. "Yeah, but it's no big deal. I got roots here now. The Tantalus boys an' all."
Freya wasn't surprised. She had known Zidane for years now and knew this part of his denial. However, what bothered her was that one girl could slow Zidane down. "So, what are you doing for money now days?" Freya said, hoping to calm him down. "The money from our journey so long ago has to be dwindling by now, especially since you gave much of yours to the rebuilding of Alexandria. "I do what I always have done," he began. "Bumming?" Freya said, jokingly. There was an odd silence.
"Why didn't Queen Gar-…err…I mean Dagger take you in?" she slowly asked. "Wouldn't let her." Zidane said a little too quickly. "Yeah, I gotcha." she said. "Poor guy," Freya thought to herself. "He is never this quiet and down. 'Hey, Rat Face.'…What had ever happened to that Zidane?" Zidane glanced back at Freya. "So, how are you and" he started. "He's dead." Freya said back without emotion. "Oh…" Zidane said. "Sorry to hear that." Freya let out a sigh and took a shot of the brandy she had just ordered. "Yeah, it's okay. Romance just isn't my thing, ya know?" "Totally." Zidane replied. A thought came to Freya's mind. She couldn't help but ask. "Where were you all those months, Zidane? I know I remember you saying that Kuja had died when you attempted the rescue. So what were you doing all that time?" Zidane focused straight ahead and appeared to ignore Freya until he spoke, "Nothing. Absolutely nothing." and there was again silence.
Zidane was lying to himself again. Why did he have to do that? He never knew. The room started to drift away from him. The memories of a few months ago came back to him, cluttered. An old back alley in Treno came to mind. It wasn't peaceful. Screams of pain and fear came from it. Zidane saw himself in flashes of lightning on a humid summer night. He had been driven to the brink and someone else was there. It was all so painful to try to remember. More screams of pain. He couldn't make out who they belonged to.
"Zidane!"
"Dammit!" he yelled. He was sweating and cold. Freya was kneeled down next to him. He was on the floor. "Zidane! You're okay, thank God." Zidane stumbled up to his feet. "What…what happened?" he quivered. "You went out cold and hit the floor, Zidane. You were just lost in thought and you fell. You hadn't even shown any signs of life until just now.
"It's getting worse," he thought to himself.
"You should really get back home, Zidane. You need some rest." she recommended. "Yeah, I'll be heading back that way now. I'll be seeing ya around, Freya." and with that, he left the bar. He began his journey back to the new permanent home of Tantalus a few blocks away. "It has never been that bad before…" he thought. He continued walking down the murky streets of Alexandria. It was near midnight, but there was still the occasional whore and thief who passed him. "Best to forget about her. I never thought it would come to this degree. Is it even her, though?" This wasn't even about Dagger anymore. It was about whatever had happened on that late summer night in Treno, the city of gambling, sex, and drugs in Gaia. He couldn't remember anymore than what were sent to him in these dreams. He did, although, remember something awful happening there and delaying his trip back to Dagger.
The rain started coming down as he came to the door of the Tantalus home. The door was open, of course. Why would such great thieves be afraid to? He had noticed that during his entire trip home he had not once thought about that girl in the window or her thoughts. He was in too much turmoil tonight to do such a thing. She probably hadn't given him a thought for weeks now, so why shouldn't he get a night off? He put it all out of his mind for the evening and allowed the alcohol in his body help him sleep.
Author's Notes: Well, now I think I'm getting somewhere with the plot. I'm pretty sure this will all be NC-17 soon. Tell me how I'm doing, please? I'll give ya a cookie!