Whee! I'm really having fun with this story. I hope everyone likes this chapter. Please R&R. Pleeezzzeeee??!! Do it for me.
Chapter 6 - Visitation
It looked like the skoll had already had its breakfast. There was a bloody, dripping carcass on the ground. It looked like a human, but was covered in seaweed, so I couldn't tell for sure. I wanted to know, so I got up, walked to it, and flipped it over. It was a human, but there was a mixture of seaweed and blood covering the face, so I cleared it off. I kneeled and stared so long that Tidus strutted over, and asked me if anything was wrong. I pointed at the face. He, too, just gaped at the sight of Trau's battered face and body. But now, no longer stricken with grief, but instead with worry, I was galvanized into action. I tried to lift his body from the ground. I was about to open my mouth to ask Tidus for help, but he beat my words to the action, and took Trau's other arm. We both dragged him, with the party following, to Bevelle to see if anyone would help. When Yuna realized that we were going to take him past the city gates, she ran to catch up, and told us that we had all been banished from ever entering Bevelle.
"But someone has to help him!" I demanded, at a loss as for what to do now.
We set up camp for the third time on the Calm Lands, and Yuna and I did our best to clean him up. We washed and dressed all the wounds, and scrubbed away the blood that he was covered in. We were startled when he opened his eyes, and said,
"Moon...shine..."
He fell back down and started snoring.
"What does he want?" I asked Yuna.
"Must be that Gagazet moonshine he made yesterday. Does anyone know how to make it?"
Everyone shook their heads. We all sat in silence wondering how to find some.
"Wait, so where would we need to go to get the recipe?" I queried.
"It old Ronso recipe. Kimahri think you ask Ronso." Kimahri said gravely.
"But we can't go into Bevelle!" Rikku said.
"I can go! They don't know who I am! And besides, I know people in Bevelle!" I said excitedly as I jumped to my feet. I put a hopeful expression on everyone's face, and my feet flew toward the great arch leading to the city once again. As I had hoped, the guards didn't even flinch when I passed them, and now I had the daunting task of navigating the massive city. Walking through would take at least a day and a half, so I stopped at a small diner to get myself some food. I sat down at one of the bar-style stools, and the man behind the counter handed me a menu. I looked it over, and when he came back, I ordered my nourishment. Or maybe it wasn't. Barbecued condor wings. I gobbled them ravenously, and slurped down he water that I had gotten to wash them down. I waited for the bartender to come back so I could give him the owed gil, anxious to get on my way. He seemed to have disappeared off the face of Spira. I had been trying to avoid conversation, but a woman sitting next to me asked me,
"Excuse me, but didn't I see you with that heretic summoner and her guardians?"
"No, I'm afraid you are mistaken." I said, trying to sound as sincere as I could. But I knew it hadn't worked, for she didn't look satisfied with my reply, and I could feel my face getting hot. I knew it was as red as a flame flan.
"You were, weren't you? Why aren't you in the Via Purifico? Did you lie like that to the Maesters too?" she said accusingly.
Not knowing what else to do, I flung the gil that I was holding on the counter and ran as fast as my legs could carry me. But the slapping of soles on the ground coming from behind me told me that she was giving chase.
"Stop her! Heretic! She lied to clergy! Where are the city guards when you need them?!" she was shouting.
My cloak was flapping wildly behind me, and I thought that I could run faster without it, so I unbuttoned the clasps, and it flew backward. I looked back, and the woman was running blindly with a cloak covering her face, and I stifled a laugh. I was beginning to reach the part of the city that I had called home for the past sixteen years, and in the course of those years I had learned all the shortcuts there were to know. I weaved and dodged through the myriad of pedestrians that were massed on the walkways and streets. I was sure I would get away, but then I heard,
"Oh thank goodness, there are some guardsmen. Constable! Constable! Stop that girl! She's guilty of hearsay against the inquisition!"
I dared not look back, even at the sound of rifles being cocked. Before I got to the alleyway that I had been looking for, people dove to the ground, and the wall that was next to me was torn to shreds by the gunfire. I saw pieces of wood and concrete flying everywhere, and my ears were deafened by the incredible racket. I kept trying to hide in crowds, knowing that the Bevelle guards, corrupt as they were, wouldn't massacre innocents just to get me. They hadn't even verified whether the woman's accusation was true or not, but I knew that hearsay was quite the touchy subject in Bevelle, especially in these times of chaos and disorder. I was about to collapse from running, but I finally saw the alleyway in front of me. I dove into it and disappeared before the guards could notice where I had gone. I hid behind a trash can, and watched them run by, followed closely by the woman from the bar. After I was sure that they had gone far enough down the street, I went further down into the alley, and lightly rapped my knuckles on a wooden door that was set into a gray stone wall, hoping that my only remaining friend that hadn't gone to Kilika was home. I was overjoyed when she opened the door a crack, and when I was recognized, she flung the door wide open, and wrapped her arms around me.
"Jo! I thought you went with Chadda and Brakk to Kilika! Why didn't you tell me you were still here?!" she said, a little too loudly for the circumstances. "Come in, come in! We have a lot of talking to do!" she added with a wink.
------
Well, my idea is now exhausted, so I'm done with this chapter! Hope you enjoyed it. I know I enjoyed writing it! So what will Jo do now that she's stuck with a gossipy friend, and the city constables after her?
Chapter 6 - Visitation
It looked like the skoll had already had its breakfast. There was a bloody, dripping carcass on the ground. It looked like a human, but was covered in seaweed, so I couldn't tell for sure. I wanted to know, so I got up, walked to it, and flipped it over. It was a human, but there was a mixture of seaweed and blood covering the face, so I cleared it off. I kneeled and stared so long that Tidus strutted over, and asked me if anything was wrong. I pointed at the face. He, too, just gaped at the sight of Trau's battered face and body. But now, no longer stricken with grief, but instead with worry, I was galvanized into action. I tried to lift his body from the ground. I was about to open my mouth to ask Tidus for help, but he beat my words to the action, and took Trau's other arm. We both dragged him, with the party following, to Bevelle to see if anyone would help. When Yuna realized that we were going to take him past the city gates, she ran to catch up, and told us that we had all been banished from ever entering Bevelle.
"But someone has to help him!" I demanded, at a loss as for what to do now.
We set up camp for the third time on the Calm Lands, and Yuna and I did our best to clean him up. We washed and dressed all the wounds, and scrubbed away the blood that he was covered in. We were startled when he opened his eyes, and said,
"Moon...shine..."
He fell back down and started snoring.
"What does he want?" I asked Yuna.
"Must be that Gagazet moonshine he made yesterday. Does anyone know how to make it?"
Everyone shook their heads. We all sat in silence wondering how to find some.
"Wait, so where would we need to go to get the recipe?" I queried.
"It old Ronso recipe. Kimahri think you ask Ronso." Kimahri said gravely.
"But we can't go into Bevelle!" Rikku said.
"I can go! They don't know who I am! And besides, I know people in Bevelle!" I said excitedly as I jumped to my feet. I put a hopeful expression on everyone's face, and my feet flew toward the great arch leading to the city once again. As I had hoped, the guards didn't even flinch when I passed them, and now I had the daunting task of navigating the massive city. Walking through would take at least a day and a half, so I stopped at a small diner to get myself some food. I sat down at one of the bar-style stools, and the man behind the counter handed me a menu. I looked it over, and when he came back, I ordered my nourishment. Or maybe it wasn't. Barbecued condor wings. I gobbled them ravenously, and slurped down he water that I had gotten to wash them down. I waited for the bartender to come back so I could give him the owed gil, anxious to get on my way. He seemed to have disappeared off the face of Spira. I had been trying to avoid conversation, but a woman sitting next to me asked me,
"Excuse me, but didn't I see you with that heretic summoner and her guardians?"
"No, I'm afraid you are mistaken." I said, trying to sound as sincere as I could. But I knew it hadn't worked, for she didn't look satisfied with my reply, and I could feel my face getting hot. I knew it was as red as a flame flan.
"You were, weren't you? Why aren't you in the Via Purifico? Did you lie like that to the Maesters too?" she said accusingly.
Not knowing what else to do, I flung the gil that I was holding on the counter and ran as fast as my legs could carry me. But the slapping of soles on the ground coming from behind me told me that she was giving chase.
"Stop her! Heretic! She lied to clergy! Where are the city guards when you need them?!" she was shouting.
My cloak was flapping wildly behind me, and I thought that I could run faster without it, so I unbuttoned the clasps, and it flew backward. I looked back, and the woman was running blindly with a cloak covering her face, and I stifled a laugh. I was beginning to reach the part of the city that I had called home for the past sixteen years, and in the course of those years I had learned all the shortcuts there were to know. I weaved and dodged through the myriad of pedestrians that were massed on the walkways and streets. I was sure I would get away, but then I heard,
"Oh thank goodness, there are some guardsmen. Constable! Constable! Stop that girl! She's guilty of hearsay against the inquisition!"
I dared not look back, even at the sound of rifles being cocked. Before I got to the alleyway that I had been looking for, people dove to the ground, and the wall that was next to me was torn to shreds by the gunfire. I saw pieces of wood and concrete flying everywhere, and my ears were deafened by the incredible racket. I kept trying to hide in crowds, knowing that the Bevelle guards, corrupt as they were, wouldn't massacre innocents just to get me. They hadn't even verified whether the woman's accusation was true or not, but I knew that hearsay was quite the touchy subject in Bevelle, especially in these times of chaos and disorder. I was about to collapse from running, but I finally saw the alleyway in front of me. I dove into it and disappeared before the guards could notice where I had gone. I hid behind a trash can, and watched them run by, followed closely by the woman from the bar. After I was sure that they had gone far enough down the street, I went further down into the alley, and lightly rapped my knuckles on a wooden door that was set into a gray stone wall, hoping that my only remaining friend that hadn't gone to Kilika was home. I was overjoyed when she opened the door a crack, and when I was recognized, she flung the door wide open, and wrapped her arms around me.
"Jo! I thought you went with Chadda and Brakk to Kilika! Why didn't you tell me you were still here?!" she said, a little too loudly for the circumstances. "Come in, come in! We have a lot of talking to do!" she added with a wink.
------
Well, my idea is now exhausted, so I'm done with this chapter! Hope you enjoyed it. I know I enjoyed writing it! So what will Jo do now that she's stuck with a gossipy friend, and the city constables after her?