Chapter 19: Uh…Research in Burmecia? Tristan going soft? I DON'T KNOW!
"Find anything yet, Miranda?"
"Sigh…nope, nothing yet Chris."
The group had divided into smaller groups to make the search go along faster. Everyone was surprised that Tristan didn't try to team up with Miranda.
"All for the best I say," Kristin had said, stealing a sly glance at Chris and Miranda, who had already teamed up.
They continued searching through the titles of the seemingly endless rows of books.
"I never imagined that there would be so many book in a library," Miranda said exasperated.
"No kidding," Chris agreed while flipping through pages of a sports book.
"Hey!" Miranda whacked him on the head with a thick, hardcover book. "You're supposed to be looking for anything that would help us find this Systania place!"
"Ow!! Sorry! Sorry!" He rubbed his head and looked at her. "You didn't have to get a thick book." He blinked then looked at the title. "Hey! I think you found somethin'!"
"Huh…" Miranda looked at the book. " 'Legendary Places of Gaia from before Alexander I'…sounds pretty good!"
Miranda sat down and Chris looked over her shoulder. "Hey! There's something about that Democlese dude," Chris pointed out.
"Seems that he took to the dark magic arts when he was eighteen and tried to take over the throne several times," Miranda read. "We should get the others."
"I'll get them. Just keep on reading!" Chris took off in search of the others.
I wonder when he'll be back…Miranda thought as she glanced around her. "I can't even see any other people…giving me the creeps…" She shuddered then continued reading.
At the other end of the library, Altea had appeared and was talking to Tristan.
"Tristan go! She's alone now!!!"
"I can see that," he said shooting her a look that said that she should be quiet.
"Then go!" she hissed. "This is your chance! Go!!" And with that she pushed him out from the aisle.
He stumbled and silently cursing he walked toward Miranda. "What are you reading there? Looks like a pretty good book."
Miranda jumped in her seat and looked around, relaxing when she saw that it was just Tristan. "I found a good book about Systania! Even has the history of the Alexandrian kings and their families. Chris had gone to find the others."
"Oooh…can I see?" He looked over her shoulder.
"Yeah, they even have a portrait of the families. Here's Democlese." She flipped back to a page showing the portrait.
"He certainly looks scary!"
Miranda blinked and looked down to find Vivi trying to look at the picture. She smiled and picked up him placing him in her lap. "Well, you better be good, or he might come out and get you!"
"NOOO!!!"
Tristan moved and leaned over the table, looking at the picture. So that's what he looked like…yeesh…talk about a major make over…if they could see what he really looks like now…hehe…He glanced over at Miranda showing Vivi all the different kings and queens. Well…looks like a blew this chance…but there will be others…but she looks happy…He quickly looked up and saw Altea watching from the second floor. "Uh…I'll be right back," he said smiling and left.
"Uh…oookay…hey guys!" Miranda greeted the others as they appeared from the other end of the aisle.
"So you found a good book?" Freya asked.
"Yep! Thanks to Chris, lol."
He smiled a little and rubbed his head. "That book is hard I can tell you that!"
"Aww…it the little baby hurt?" Miranda teased him.
"I am NOT a baby!"
"Then take it like a man!"
"Oh you want to take this outside?"
"I'm ready to take you on anytime!"
Kristin stepped in between them. "Ok, enough you two. You're starting to act like a married couple."
"WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!!!!" they yelled.
"Hey! You over there!" shouted a librarian. "This is a library!! Don't you know the rules?!"
"Sorry," they whispered.
"Well she started yelling, too…" Chris grumbled.
"Where's Tristan?" Mikoto asked after looking around.
"He went off somewhere. He already came by,"
"Oh, ok."
"Anyway, check this out!!" Miranda said, bringing them back to the book. "It has all the kings, the history, the legends, blah blah blah…"
* * *
"You blew it!!!" Altea screamed in Tristan's face.
"Hey! You two over there!" shouted another librarian. "This is a library!! L-I-B-R-A-R-Y!!!! KEEP IT DOWN!!!!"
"Yeesh…speak to yourself…" Altea grumbled.
"Well what did you want me to do in front of that black mage? We can't have anyone witnessing you know," Tristan said leaning against the bookshelf.
"You could have eliminated the problem," Altea said, her teeth clenched. (poor Vivi T_T)
"I know I could have…but I couldn't…"
Altea looked at him, and eyebrow raised. She then grinned. "Is my big brother in L-O-V-E love?"
"I-I am not!" he said turning away. (quick personality change o.o… I can never be consistent .;;;)
Altea kept teasing him. "Yes you are! Admit it!"
"…"
"Come on!!"
"And what if I did?"
"Then it would make this stupid mission so much easier! I mean it shouldn't have been this hard to begin with!" (she's starting to sound like the boss now…*looks back at chapter 17 and notes this is not how they acted before* o.O well Altea maybe .;)
"How so?" (look at chapter 17 . j/k *wonders if the readers understand that point…*)
"Well…when she's in Systania…she could be all yours…"
"…"
Altea patted him on the back grinning. "Think about it, bro. There would be no one in the way…er well I might try spoiling any moment but anyway, you two could be alone whenever and wherever you want."
"…" (dots…the wonderful world of dots .)
"Don't tell me you've gone soft, brother!!" She slammed him against the bookshelf. "You have to take her back home you got it?? The boss won't wait any longer. And if you don't do anything, I will. And it wouldn't be very pretty on the way I would handle it." She took out her knife and twirled it and grinned. (violent girl…o.o;;;;)
"Altea, you're being an idiot again," Tristan said pushing her off him. "The boss wants her unharmed, UNHARMED. You always leap before you think. Think for once Altea. I can handle this on my own. I already have a new plan anyway."
"You do?"
He grinned. "Just trust me."
* * *
"Well, now we know where we need to go," Freya said smiling. "Good job you two."
"T'weren't nuthin," Chris said.
Miranda whacked him. "We're in the fantasy section, not western."
"Ow! Yeesh…"
"They look so CUTE together!" Kristin said starry-eyed.
"WE DO NOT LOOK CUTE TOGETHER!!!" they yelled. (strong denial o.o; bold, caps, and underline o.o…*adds italics* .)
"HEY YOU!! I TOLD YOU TO KEEP IT DOWN OVER THERE!!! DON'T MAKE ME COME OVER THERE!!!!!!" a librarian shouted. (these people scare me o.o)
"Eep…sorry!" they whispered.
"Kids these days…" the librarian grumbled.
Freya coughed. "At any rate, we should head to Lindblum and then check up on Garnet and the others."
"YAY! I CAN—" Everyone clamped Eiko's mouth shut and looked at the librarians. They hadn't noticed so they released her mouth. "Ow…that hurt…anyway, I get to show Miranda my castle!"
Miranda smiled and picked Eiko up. "I can't wait! Hope you don't give a big tour…"
"Nah, we now have a chocobo riding tour."
"Whoa! Really?!?! I wanna ride a chocobo!!!" Chris said, nearly jumping up and down.
Miranda grabbed his shirt and slammed him into a chair. "You were starting to look like an idiot…" (Miranda: *sweatdrop*)
He coughed. "Excuse my childish behavior."
"Don't act like an aristocrat either!" she said whacking him on the head.
"Well how do you want me to act!?!" He said nearly yelling.
"Just act your age!"
Freya whacked them both on the head with her spear. "Ahem…I think we should be going now before we get kicked out of the library."
"Could have poked an eye out…" Chris grumbled as they walked out of the library.
Tristan was already there waiting for them. "Those librarians are pretty loud themselves if you ask me. I could hear them shouting all they way from over here."
"So where were you?" Mikoto questioned.
"I was just looking around the library seeing if there was any books I would want to bring for the trip. Get some reading done, you know."
"Hm…" I don't believe him…Mikoto watched them from behind and looked at Tristan suspiciously. The regular novels were on the opposite side of the library…he was at the black arts section…what could he have been doing there…?
"Did you find anything interesting?" Miranda asked him.
"Well, I did find a book on how to counter black magic. It should help with the final battle with Democlese I think."
"That's a good idea, Tristan!"
"You think?" he asked smiling.
"Yea! Can I see it?"
"Sure." He gave her the book and she flipped through the pages. Heh…not only does it say how to counter it…but it also says how to cast the spells…He put his arm around her waist. "Just stick with me, and you'll stay safe from –"
Miranda blinked and looked at him on the ground with a bump growing from his head. She then looked up and saw Chris standing there with a broken mallet in his head panting. "Chris…?"
"That…little…"
Miranda laughed. "Were you jealous?" She looked at him.
Chris blinked startled. "Uh, me? Jealous? Naaahhhh! I just thought it was inconsiderate of the guy grabbing you like that without asking and, uh, I was not jealous!"
"He's blushing," Eiko whispered to Miranda.
"I am not!!!" he yelled.
"Well you look kinda red…are you sick?" Vivi asked.
"Maybe he ate too much…" Kristin muttered.
Miranda smiled at the look on his face. "Well I thank you, Chris. To be truthful I didn't really like being that position. But…where did you get that mallet?"
"Huh?" He looked down at the broken mallet. "Oh…I have no idea…"
"Kupo!"
"Mog!!" Eiko huggled her little moogle. "You came back to visit!!"
Mog flew around them saying 'kupo' over and over. She rested on Chris's head.
"I think she likes you Chris," Eiko said laughing.
"Just what I need…a passenger on my head…and she's heavy!!"
"KUPO!!!" she whacked him repeatedly on the head with a small mallet.
"OW! I'M SORRY!!"
Miranda took Mog off his head. "There, there, Mog…he didn't mean it."
Mog looked at Miranda. "Kupo…?"
She smiled and gave Mog a kupo nut. "Here you go."
Mog did a flip in the air and ran around Miranda saying 'kupo' repeatedly.
"She definitely likes you Miranda," Eiko said giggling. (giggle…such an…odd word…)
"I feel glad," Miranda laughed. She picked Mog up and held her in front of Chris. "Now make up and be friends.
Mog glared at Chris and crossed her arms. "Kupo."
"Me? Apologize to that thing?!" Chris said incredulously.
"KU-KUPO-PO!!!" Mog hit him on the head again, but with a bigger mallet.
"You're upsetting the poor moogle, Chris. Go ahead and apologize," Tristan said after recovering. Who hit me…?
Miranda looked at Chris. "Come on, she's nice! And she's not heavy either," she said smiling as she huggled the little moogle.
"Kupo!" Mog huggled back.
"Awwwwww," everyone said. (you have to say it, too, you readers .)
Chris smiled a little then laughed. "Alright, alright…Mog…will please forgive me?"
Mog looked at him then turned away crossing her arms. "Kupo."
"Please? I'm begging for you forgiveness! I'm on my knees for crying out loud!!" he said. "And…I have something you might liiiike…"
Mog glanced at him. "Kupo?"
Chris took out a kupo nut and sighed. "Shame…where can I find someone who will want this last kupo nut of mine…"
"KUPO!!!" Mog leaped out of Miranda's arms and jumped onto Chris. "Kupo…kupo…"
Chris laughed, sitting on the ground and holding the little moogle. "Am I forgiven?"
"Kupo!" Mog huggled Chris and he huggled back.
"Awwwwwwww," everyone said again. (say it o.o)
Miranda smiled. "Now that wasn't hard now was it?"
"Heh," he smiled back and stood up, placing Mog on his head. "I suppose I could give you a ride."
"Kupo!!" Mog jumped up and down happily."
"Hey ow…quit ow…that ow…" Chris said cringing.
Mog settled down and sat on his head calmly.
Miranda walked next to them. "You look so cute!!" she said smiling.
Chris gave her a small smile. "The things I do…"
Everyone reassembled and walked out of the Burmecian area.
"Aaahh…no more rain!" Kristin said happily. "I'm glad I'm out of there!"
Kuja placed an arm around her. "I guess…but that will always be my favorite place."
Kristin looked at him to find him looking at her. She gave him a soft smile and moved closer to him. (oh gag x.x)
"Kristin and Kuja sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!" Chris, Miranda, Eiko, and Vivi sang.
Author's Note: Weee…I'm back in my writing groove yea! Aaah…the beach…that's where I am now! Can see the ocean waves crashing into the sand…anyway, hope you like this very weird story with the character personalities changing left and right….;;;; *coughs* anyway, onto chapter 20! :D