Lloyd: Write more about -me-.
Ferret: ~twitches~ Lloyd. I'm warning you. Back off. I'm sorry, but everything can't always be about you.
Rose: For some strange reason, the thought of you knowing what is going through my mind is very disturbing.
Ferret: Tell me about it.
She watched them silently, looking at their faces. The expressions ranged from fear, to worry, to anger. Old memories flashed through her mind, an old pain tugged at her heart. If only, if only she had someone been able to hold on to him, to keep him from being born down by that spell, then none of this might have happened. Zieg would not have been possessed, and she would not have...
She stopped herself there, for she suddenly realized that if she had not spent eleven thousand years destroying the moon child, then there would most likely no longer be a world to defend. If Zieg had not fallen, she never would have continued on for so long, she would have never had that determination. Perhaps there truly was such a thing as Fate, for not even the most cynical of people could deny that the series of events that had taken place were uncannily linked, even to the very beginning of the entire mess.
Her violet gaze settled on him, Zieg's child, but not hers. That knowledge had hurt, ripped at her soul, threatened to tear her asunder. He had lived, and he had been freed...but not once had he ever tried to find her. Instead, he had found solance, found love, in another woman, even while all emotion in her had withered away. She was surprised...she had expected to see fear in his eyes, to see something that might hint at his nervousness, to hint that he knew the risks, and the consequences of being defeated...but she saw only determination.
'So brave, so willing to rush headlong into the face of danger. And not for glory. Not for reward, but because he knows he must, for Shana, for his friends, for his world, those that have been, those that are, and those that will be. So courageous Dart, and what tales you will have to tell your grandchildren. I only hope that you live to see them.'
Her gaze darted away then, to settle on another one of her companions, Albert, the king turned Dragoon. He had changed much in their short time together, they all had...even she had. In bringing the Seven together, she had felt a part of her open itself up to the light, open itself back up to -life.-
'And you...you whom Lavitz died defending. What will you do, when this is over? Why are you here? You have your country to run, to defend, to piece back together. But you were committed to this quest from the beginning, no matter where our path carried us, you stood behind us the entire way. And now, in the face of so great an enemy, will you stand beside us?' she studied him a moment or two longer, 'Yes...I think you will. You all will.'
Of course, she wasn't so sure about herself. There was something tugging at her, some sense of warning that if she entered this battle she would not return with the others. She was not afraid. In her mind, she had lived long enough. She would make sure that Melbu Frahma was completely destroyed this time, and then slip into death, smoothly, and nobly, to join her comrades of old.
'And Meru...so young, and yet so bold. You were unshakable in this quest. You abandoned all you knew, to follow Dart and the others to this place. There were times when you were afraid, and yet you plunged forward relentlessly. In this, you have helped to heal a rift that has stood for over eleven thousand years. You have been brave beyond all others, not knowing what you might face around the next corner. Stay brave Meru.'
Her gaze passed across each in turn, her own expression carefully blank. Once again she found herself wondering what her comrades were thinking, what was running through their minds and hearts in this, what might be their final hour. She was ready, fully prepared to face the onslaught of this monster again, and this time, this time he would not live, would not survive to take another. Her hand tightened around the hilt of the Dragon Buster, the Wingly Lloyd's parting gift. It was time to end this, once and for all.
Ferret: ~twitches~ Lloyd. I'm warning you. Back off. I'm sorry, but everything can't always be about you.
Rose: For some strange reason, the thought of you knowing what is going through my mind is very disturbing.
Ferret: Tell me about it.
She watched them silently, looking at their faces. The expressions ranged from fear, to worry, to anger. Old memories flashed through her mind, an old pain tugged at her heart. If only, if only she had someone been able to hold on to him, to keep him from being born down by that spell, then none of this might have happened. Zieg would not have been possessed, and she would not have...
She stopped herself there, for she suddenly realized that if she had not spent eleven thousand years destroying the moon child, then there would most likely no longer be a world to defend. If Zieg had not fallen, she never would have continued on for so long, she would have never had that determination. Perhaps there truly was such a thing as Fate, for not even the most cynical of people could deny that the series of events that had taken place were uncannily linked, even to the very beginning of the entire mess.
Her violet gaze settled on him, Zieg's child, but not hers. That knowledge had hurt, ripped at her soul, threatened to tear her asunder. He had lived, and he had been freed...but not once had he ever tried to find her. Instead, he had found solance, found love, in another woman, even while all emotion in her had withered away. She was surprised...she had expected to see fear in his eyes, to see something that might hint at his nervousness, to hint that he knew the risks, and the consequences of being defeated...but she saw only determination.
'So brave, so willing to rush headlong into the face of danger. And not for glory. Not for reward, but because he knows he must, for Shana, for his friends, for his world, those that have been, those that are, and those that will be. So courageous Dart, and what tales you will have to tell your grandchildren. I only hope that you live to see them.'
Her gaze darted away then, to settle on another one of her companions, Albert, the king turned Dragoon. He had changed much in their short time together, they all had...even she had. In bringing the Seven together, she had felt a part of her open itself up to the light, open itself back up to -life.-
'And you...you whom Lavitz died defending. What will you do, when this is over? Why are you here? You have your country to run, to defend, to piece back together. But you were committed to this quest from the beginning, no matter where our path carried us, you stood behind us the entire way. And now, in the face of so great an enemy, will you stand beside us?' she studied him a moment or two longer, 'Yes...I think you will. You all will.'
Of course, she wasn't so sure about herself. There was something tugging at her, some sense of warning that if she entered this battle she would not return with the others. She was not afraid. In her mind, she had lived long enough. She would make sure that Melbu Frahma was completely destroyed this time, and then slip into death, smoothly, and nobly, to join her comrades of old.
'And Meru...so young, and yet so bold. You were unshakable in this quest. You abandoned all you knew, to follow Dart and the others to this place. There were times when you were afraid, and yet you plunged forward relentlessly. In this, you have helped to heal a rift that has stood for over eleven thousand years. You have been brave beyond all others, not knowing what you might face around the next corner. Stay brave Meru.'
Her gaze passed across each in turn, her own expression carefully blank. Once again she found herself wondering what her comrades were thinking, what was running through their minds and hearts in this, what might be their final hour. She was ready, fully prepared to face the onslaught of this monster again, and this time, this time he would not live, would not survive to take another. Her hand tightened around the hilt of the Dragon Buster, the Wingly Lloyd's parting gift. It was time to end this, once and for all.