(Author's note: Sorry this took so long to get up, I've been quite distracted lately, and it had nothing to do with video games. I work like a dog! But, I will make an effort to get the next chapters out sooner, and I apologize again for the delay. Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing!
Oh, and here's your disclaimer for those who say I never use them. I don't own any of these characters EXCEPT for Kodi. Kodi is my dog. I financed her; I have the papers to prove it. Err…so I guess she's really not a character as much as she is a living breathing Siberian Husky. For those of you interested in adopting/buying a Siberian Husky, I hope you have a lot of time and patience they are extremely high maintenance. They love to dig, and chew, and run, and they have an uncanny knack of problem solving…opening gates, latches, sliding glass doors, refrigerator doors, cupboards, figuring out the button that opens the garage, etc. Also, they aren't very loyal. Friendly, yes. Loyal, no. You could raise the little whelp by hand every day of her life and she would still abandon you for the next-door neighbor with the slice of pizza. They also make extremely poor guard dogs. Some more fun facts! Yay!)
Clyde had decided many years ago that he hated Chocobos. The noises they made grated on his nerves bit by bit, and he swore they had a distinct stench that made him nauseous. Locke claimed that they did not stink, and that they were easy to care for and ride, but Clyde maintained his position.
Perhaps he just felt stupid riding on a big yellow bird that ran with its pointy tongue lolling out.
Interceptor loped alongside the birds easily, making it seem as if they were slowing him down, and they probably were. The sun was riding low in the sky, and the winding road was bringing them towards their destination.
Locke, for one, was just happy to be done with the sea part of the voyage for now. He was thoroughly shamed for his actions on the ship, though Clyde was not the type to keep rubbing his face in it. Although his companion was quiet most of the time, the thief did get the impression he was being given plenty of consideration, perhaps even kindness.
"We should see the town once we get over this hill," Locke remarked as he felt the bird slowing its steady pace as they began climbing a large, gradual slope. Kodi was nestled on the bird between the saddle horn and Locke, nodding off occasionally until a jolt or an interesting smell roused her again. Occasionally the puppy would whine, wanting to be on the ground with Interceptor, but with her stubby legs she would never keep pace.
I remember, Clyde thought to himself, nodding in acknowledgement. Outwardly he was the epitome of calm and collectiveness he always was, but inside was a different story. For someone who considered himself a master at quelling his emotions, the sudden onslaught was almost unbearable. He would not back down, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to seeing Relm. Perhaps Locke was right, and it would be easier now that she already knew the truth, but what if it wasn't? What if she hated him? What would it feel like? He could only imagine, and his dreams hadn't painted the scenario kindly of late.
Clearing his throat, the treasure-hunter spoke as they neared the hill's crest, reining in his Chocobo to give it a break. He knew they were not in any real hurry, perhaps stalling just a little bit to give Clyde time to collect himself. "You know… it's always better than you imagine it'll be."
For a moment the other considered playing dumb, or deliberately misunderstanding Locke, but at the last moment he reconsidered. "I know. Maybe that's why I imagine the worst, so I'm not unpleasantly surprised."
Locke nodded slowly, seeing the landscape unfold before him as they started the decline down the hill. The road ahead wound through the smaller emerald-green hills, and at this distance the grass that covered them looked deceptively velvety and soft. The setting sun created a scene that was heart achingly beautiful, like one of Relm's paintings. The peaks of Thamasa could be seen in the shadow of an ominous mountain, wisps of smoke rising from the chimney's smacked of a warm and cozy atmosphere.
"It never changes much."
Clyde uttered those words in a husky voice, drawing his mount to a slow pace that it was grateful for after the steady climb. It had almost taken his breath away this time, as it did every time. This was the way he had come into Thamasa the first time, and even after the world had been ruined, it still stayed the same. He had not expected the mere sight of the place to effect him this much, bringing back a flood of memories unbidden that were bittersweet and sick with nostalgia.
"It has changed… hard to tell from here, but you'll see when we get closer," Locke frowned after he said that, thinking it sounded lame, but Clyde did not seem to notice he had spoken at all. The assassin had a haunted expression on his face that was more than a little chilling. "Clyde?"
"It'll be night by the time we get there. Let's stop, we'll ride into town in the morning." He said suddenly, tugging on the reins to halt his Chocobo, dismounting in a smooth motion and cursing because his knees felt suspiciously weak. It was from the ride, he told himself.
Interceptor had stopped and watched them over his shoulder with large ears at attention. Slowly the limber animal turned back and loped over to them with his head down and eyes forward on his partner. "Clyde, are you sure? Putting this off may not be the best thing, but if you need time…"
"Just a little time, Pup." He responded, drawing a deep breath and turning his gaze to Locke. "Just for the night."
It was almost disturbing to see Shadow so visibly shaken, but Locke supposed he could understand. After all, he had a past to confront and a partner to say goodbye to. For a man like that, change must not be easy. It didn't make sense to stop, it would be early evening when they reached the town, but Locke understood it was his place to be agreeable at the moment. "Sure, that's fine by me."
"Let's find a suitable place to stop, then."
Nightfall was as spectacular on this island as sunset. It was balmy and warm; it smelled like fresh tilled soil and sweet grass, and the fireflies were countless drifting over the hills like ghostly stars.
This area was not as heavily wooded as he was comfortable with, he felt exposed and out in the open in the field they had camped in. Their fire could probably be seen from the town, but no one had come to investigate. Why was he being so paranoid? This was his daughter he was going to see, this wasn't a job. The gnawing doubt and worry made his light meal sit badly in his stomach, adding to his already sour mood.
Behind him, at the bottom of the small hill they had camped at the base of, Locke and Interceptor were trying to get Kodi to sit, and unsuccessfully by the sounds of it. Clyde chuckled despite himself, letting his eyes drift closed as he listened to Locke alternate between frustrated cursing and hearty laughter. It was good to know that the young man was not wallowing in grief and self-pity. That did not surprise Clyde so much; Locke was made of stronger stuff.
A new scent had permeated the air in the last hour, the smell of rain. By the way the clouds had rolled in to obscure the starry sky, he knew that it was not far off. It started as a few droplets he felt on the backs of is hands and increased to a misty spring shower in less than a few seconds. Clyde turned his face up towards it; the cooling sensation was not altogether unpleasant.
Locke cursed the rain that was dousing their campfire, which amused the assassin even more. Lowering his head, he licked the rainwater from his lips and blinked it out of his eyes, looking over his shoulder to the man and two dogs at the bottom of the hill. Locke was scrambling to roll up his sleeping bag and put away the clothes he had set out by the fire to dry from being washed in a creek earlier. Yapping gleefully, Kodi was scrambling around the dying campfire, chasing Interceptor who was not even pretending to dislike it.
It was a peaceful moment, and Clyde always secretly cherished moments like these. Life did not have to be complex to be full, which was a lesson he had learned many times over and still refused to abide by.
While watching the comical scene beneath him, he caught a flicker of motion in his peripheral vision. It was just a flicker, and it was easy to miss with the way the rain and gentle breezes were stirring the grass, but he had been trained to notice things out of place. There was something crawling in the grass towards the camp, and by the direction he guessed it was coming from the road.
Clyde did not rise up; instead he remained sitting in his hunched position. With no moon and his dark clothing, he knew that a person crawling through the grass on his or her belly was not likely to even notice him sitting atop the hill. Narrowing his eyes, he watched carefully, trying to determine if this was a person or an animal.
"Interceptor, you have an incoming. To your right, in the grass." Even Interceptor must have let his guard down, because Clyde saw the way he suddenly stopped and casually kicked off the puppy chewing on his leg.
Tilting his head, the dog-fae scented the air, but the wind was not on his side. "I'll investigate."
"Why don't you intercept? Your name isn't Investigator."
"You're so funny…" Interceptor took a step forward but the needle teeth of Kodachi latching on to his back leg again halted him again. Growling in annoyance, he whipped his head to snap menacingly at the puppy, shaking her off a second time.
Clyde smirked and shook his head, rising from his sitting position without a sound. "I got it, partner, go play with your puppy friend."
The master assassin leapt from the top of the hill onto the slope, bracing himself with seemingly reckless care as the wet grass made for a perfect and treacherous slide down towards the campsite with little more than a whisper of warning. Clyde grinned, again, despite himself as he reached over his shoulder and drew his blade. Locke spotted him and blinked in surprise, taking a few steps back as the assassin's feet hit the ground at the bottom and he took off past the man and two dogs without so much as a word.
His mind spun when he was on the hunt, it was a beautiful thing he simply could not explain. It was like time slowed down, and he was able to focus on the tiniest detail, predict the exact point where he would strike even a moving target. Everything became like a tunnel, all focused on the point where he would hit.
The blade bit solidly into the wet ground with a whacking sound, halting the intruder, who let out a piercing shriek, freezing in place.
Clyde's senses returned to normal and he stared in astonishment at the face with wide dark eyes that gazed back up at him from her place on the ground. He had been so close that the little girl's fingertips just barely brushed the sword as she pushed herself up, mouth opening and closing as she tried to form words, which came out in a rough tumbling shout.
"What the hell are you doing?! You almost killed me!!"
"Relm!" Locke exclaimed, walking up to the pair with Kodi under his arm and Interceptor at his heels. The Chocobos 'warked' as they were startled by the shouting, and flapped their wings in agitation.
Clyde felt annoyed and startled at the same time. Annoyed that she had been sneaking through the grass and putting herself in very real danger; it was common sense not to try and sneak up on an assassin, and startled that she was out here in the first place. How had she known they were here?
Rising to her feet with Locke's help, the girl scowled at Clyde and wiped at the grass that clung to her, though it was ineffectual in soaking wet clothes. "What are you doing out here? You told me you were coming into town, and I waited and waited but you didn't show up! Then I saw your campfire from my roof and I came out here to give you a piece of my mind!"
Sheathing his sword, Clyde grunted lightly. "We decided to wait until morning. Why were you crawling around in the grass anyway? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"I wanted to make sure it was you!" Throwing her arms up in an animated and exaggerated manner, Relm stomped her foot onto the soggy ground before drawing a deep and calming breath.
Clyde arched a brow. "How did you know we were coming?" After his query, he sent Locke an accusing glance.
The thief cleared his throat, shrugging in a sheepish manner. "I sent her a letter from Maranda and told her to expect us…"
They were interrupted by another squeal from Relm as she lurched forward, lifting the squirming puppy from Locke and gasping in delight. Her eyes lit up, forgetting that her father had just come at her with a sword. "Oh! Is this the present you had for me?? Is it a boy or a girl? Oh, it's so cute! Look at those blue eyes! Thank you thank you so much!!"
Locke opened his mouth and started to say something, exchanging a look with Clyde. He scratched at the back of his head over his bandana, nodding dumbly. "Uh…yeah, I brought her for you… her name's Kodi."
"I just can't compete with cute…" Interceptor lowered his head, grumbling into his partner's mind as he watched Relm gush over the puppy, which gushed right back and attacked her face with a pink ribbon of a tongue.
Smirking, Clyde reached down to rest his hand on Interceptor's head, scratching fondly behind his ears. "Don't take it so hard, partner. She probably never guessed that you wanted to stay with her. She'll be twice as excited over you as she is over that stupid puppy, just you watch."
"Flatterer."
Relm tucked the puppy under one arm, giggling as Kodi squirmed, her attention sliding to Clyde for a moment and then to Interceptor. Holding out her free hand, she bent over as she walked to the large dog and smiled, speaking in a soft, but not a babyish voice. "Hi, Interceptor. Missed you, too. Don't worry, you're still my favorite dog-person."
Now it was the dog-fae's turn to be surprised, and he exchanged a look with his partner. He was certain Relm had not been listening in on their conversation, but he had forgotten what a perceptive child she was. Stretching his neck, he licked at her hand and when she crouched down for him, he leaned in to stroke her face with his rough tongue until he knocked her back onto the grass.
Clyde felt left out of the scene, but he understood if Relm didn't feel warm and fuzzy towards him. Why should she? He was a stranger to her. At least Interceptor's feelings were salvaged. Thankfully, it was Locke that interrupted the moment.
"Well, kid, since you're here, why don't we take you back home?" He suggested, still scratching at the back of his head, not quite sure why he hadn't told her that Kodi was his dog. Maybe seeing how excited she got had made him bite his tongue, he didn't have the heart to disappoint her.
Relm looked up to Locke from the ground with Kodi crawling over her lap and Interceptor lavishing her with attention. She grinned a bit, nodding. "Yeah, okay. We have the guest room set up for you guys, hope you don't mind sharing a room."
"That's fine," Clyde spoke quietly, aware that there was already awkwardness between himself and the girl. He gestured towards the Chocobos. "Come on, you can ride with me… or with Locke, if you want."
The spitfire shrugged as if it didn't matter, speaking in an offhanded manner. "I'll ride with you."
"Yeah?" He was admittedly surprised, arching a brow and looking to her over his shoulder as he started off towards what was left of their watered-down campsite to start gathering up their belongings. He also noted that her hair had been cropped short and wild, which meant she probably wouldn't have any use for Terra's ribbon.
"I said so, didn't I?!" Relm shot back, scowling again.
"Easy there," Locke patted her on the head as he passed by to help pick up camp as well, grinning. So things hadn't gone as planned, but still, they seemed off to a good start. He, for one, was looking forward to getting dried off and eating a hot meal.
Clyde wasted no time in gathering up his things, secretly pleased that the dreaded reunion had gone off so easily, with the help of a cute puppy and a cute dog-fae of course. At least Locke had claimed responsibility for the gift of Kodi, he didn't want it to seem as if he were trying to win the girl over with gifts… though, wasn't he? No, his offer was not an attempt to win her over, he told himself.
Relm looked like a lost waif in her soaked shirt and overalls, blonde hair clinging damply to her brow as she wandered between the two men and eventually ended up near Clyde as he secured his pack. Sniffling a bit, she adjusted the puppy in her arms and glanced over her shoulder to see if Locke was out of hearing range before she spoke.
"So, you'll be staying for a while, then?"
"No, I can't stay long," He responded shortly, straightening and walking over to saddle up his mount, wincing at the strong repugnant odor of wet Chocobo as he lay the damp blanket carefully over its back.
Relm's expression hardened as she glared at Clyde's back. "You have more important things to do than visit me?"
It was hard to believe she was just eleven years old with that attitude and tone, and the assassin looked to his estranged daughter with more than a hint of incredulity. It was a rare person indeed that could make him falter, but he did. "Of course not…"
"Then you'll be staying?" Relm pressed, her tone booking no argument. "You owe me, and I have a lot of questions."
Clyde went on the defensive naturally, securing the straps of the Chocobo's saddle and glancing to her out of the corner of his eye. "How do you fig-" he stopped himself. Snapping at Relm was not what he came here to do. "I can't speak for Locke, but if you want me to stay, I will."
The girl nodded; satisfied that she had gotten her way. "Good. Locke? Are you going to stay for a while, too?" Shifting her gaze to the thief, that had been pretending not to hear the exchange of words.
Locke tried to look innocent, but from Clyde's dark look and Relm's expectant expression, it was pointless to pretend he had been oblivious. "Uh… sure, kid, I'd love to…"
Hugging Kodi lightly, Relm nodded again and smiled tightly. "Good. Let's get going, then."