Disclaimer: FF9 is not mine, just Ariana. Thank you, come again.
Ariana walked around the airship's deck for a while, enjoying the cool breeze. She thought about Zidane, and how confused he made her. She felt jealous because she wasn't of high royalty like the princess, and that Zidane was more likely to love Dagger anyday over her. Ariana's mind flowed with these thoughts, and she stopped when she came across Vivi, Dagger, and Zidane talking.
"Come on, it's not like I did it on purpose," she heard Zidane say.
"Please, enough," came Dagger's voice in reply.
"There's that royal tone in your voice again," Zidane said. Ariana saw him to turn to the young mage and ask, "...Are you okay, Vivi?"
"Feels like I'm going to get sucked into the sky," Vivi's mesmerized voice replied.
"Let's go inside, Vivi," Dagger beckoned. Ariana watched as Dagger and Vivi went indoors, and she heard the princess say, "I trust you, Zidane."
Ariana was just about to speak when she heard Zidane talking to himself. "I get the feeling she doesn't quite trust me yet. Maybe she'll reward me with a kiss or two if I try hard enough."
"Hmph!" Ariana sighed loudly. Zidane spun around, and had a bewildered look in his eyes. His expression then changed to an I-wonder-if-she-heard- that kind of expression. Ariana turned on her heels, crossed her arms over her chest, and trooped quickly to the other end of the ship. When she glanced over her shoulder to see if he was following her, she noticed that the ship was being turned, and Zidane was nowhere to be found. "Hmph!" she repeated to herself. Tuggle mimicked her, with his own cute little high- pitched "Hmph!"
Suddenly Ariana heard blasts of lightning, and ran to the front of the ship. To her horror, she saw an even larger Waltz than the previous two throwing bolts of hot light at dozens of smaller black mages. Quickly she ran to where Dagger was trying to comfort Vivi, who seemed to be struck with both terror and sorrow.
She looked at the cruel Waltz who was now firing lightning bolts left and right. Black Mages were being hit and killed. A bunch of them went flying off the airship. Barrels of Black Mages were thrown off, exploding in mid- air, as pieces of wood flew about. Ariana, Zidane, Dagger, Vivi and Steiner then looked forward at the villainous Black Waltz No. 3, whose arms were crossed and eyes glowed red.
"W-what cruelty!" Steiner yelled, in awe.
Then Vivi quickly stood, and in a furious rush of adrenaline-based rage, ran with all his might toward the evil Waltz.
"I shall assist you!" Steiner bellowed, following the infuriated little mage.
"Hey, you guys!" Zidane yelled after them. Ariana looked at him, and thinking of Vivi, ran off to fight with Steiner and Vivi, Tuggle in tow.
"Dagger," Zidane said.
"Y-Yes?" she stammered.
"We'll take care of the Black Waltz. You steer the ship. Things are gonna get even more dangerous from here on. It's not too late to turn back. You can go back to the castle or cross South Gate into Lindblum. It's your choice!" Zidane said, giving her the choices.
Dagger nodded.
"I'll be with you either way! But try not to crash the ship!"
She nodded again, turned to leave, and yelled, "Be careful!"
Zidane quickly said, "I'll be fine, now go!"
He hurried to where the rest of his friends were now facing Black Waltz No. 3.
"How could you do that?" Vivi was asking it, "Aren't they you're friends?"
"You fool. Do I look like a lowly Black Mage soldier? Kwahahaha! Worry not about them: many more are being produced even now!" It snapped, in a sinister voice.
"What are you?" Zidane asked the frightening winged creature.
"It wouldn't do you any good if I answered, since you're all going to die! Kwahahaha! I will eliminate any who stand in my way!" It replied.
Immediately it began casting spells on them. Ariana slashed at it with her blade, while Vivi cast spells, Zidane stabbed it, and Steiner cut the Waltz. After many rounds of frenzied attacks, the Waltz fell, defeated, to it's hands and knees.
"Y-you scum! I exist only to kill," the Waltz choked out. It then drew up whatever strength it had left, and flew away.
"How many more of those do we have to fight?" Ariana panted, doubled over in exhaustion. "This is becoming ridiculous!" Inside though, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the pathetic beast. It lived only to kill. Somewhere, some evil person was making these mages whose only purpose in life was to carry out the malevolent deeds of its creator.
"I think that was the last one," Zidane replied.
Steiner looked at him accusingly and said, "How do you know?! Are you..."
Zidane shook his head and said, "He said he's Waltz No. 3 right? Don't you think that he would be the last one then?" Zidane looked around and said, "I can see South Gate! She's going for it!"
Zidane walked back to the bridge, and Ariana looked over to see Vivi looking at one of the Black Mage's hats, sitting on the edge of the airship. She walked over to him, and put her arm around him. "I'm sorry Vivi," she said, in an effort to comfort him. Tuggle crawled from its hiding place in her jacket, and nudged at Vivi's hand, sensing the mage's sadness. The little mage leaned against Ariana's shoulder, and shook with silent sobs.
Ariana walked around the airship's deck for a while, enjoying the cool breeze. She thought about Zidane, and how confused he made her. She felt jealous because she wasn't of high royalty like the princess, and that Zidane was more likely to love Dagger anyday over her. Ariana's mind flowed with these thoughts, and she stopped when she came across Vivi, Dagger, and Zidane talking.
"Come on, it's not like I did it on purpose," she heard Zidane say.
"Please, enough," came Dagger's voice in reply.
"There's that royal tone in your voice again," Zidane said. Ariana saw him to turn to the young mage and ask, "...Are you okay, Vivi?"
"Feels like I'm going to get sucked into the sky," Vivi's mesmerized voice replied.
"Let's go inside, Vivi," Dagger beckoned. Ariana watched as Dagger and Vivi went indoors, and she heard the princess say, "I trust you, Zidane."
Ariana was just about to speak when she heard Zidane talking to himself. "I get the feeling she doesn't quite trust me yet. Maybe she'll reward me with a kiss or two if I try hard enough."
"Hmph!" Ariana sighed loudly. Zidane spun around, and had a bewildered look in his eyes. His expression then changed to an I-wonder-if-she-heard- that kind of expression. Ariana turned on her heels, crossed her arms over her chest, and trooped quickly to the other end of the ship. When she glanced over her shoulder to see if he was following her, she noticed that the ship was being turned, and Zidane was nowhere to be found. "Hmph!" she repeated to herself. Tuggle mimicked her, with his own cute little high- pitched "Hmph!"
Suddenly Ariana heard blasts of lightning, and ran to the front of the ship. To her horror, she saw an even larger Waltz than the previous two throwing bolts of hot light at dozens of smaller black mages. Quickly she ran to where Dagger was trying to comfort Vivi, who seemed to be struck with both terror and sorrow.
She looked at the cruel Waltz who was now firing lightning bolts left and right. Black Mages were being hit and killed. A bunch of them went flying off the airship. Barrels of Black Mages were thrown off, exploding in mid- air, as pieces of wood flew about. Ariana, Zidane, Dagger, Vivi and Steiner then looked forward at the villainous Black Waltz No. 3, whose arms were crossed and eyes glowed red.
"W-what cruelty!" Steiner yelled, in awe.
Then Vivi quickly stood, and in a furious rush of adrenaline-based rage, ran with all his might toward the evil Waltz.
"I shall assist you!" Steiner bellowed, following the infuriated little mage.
"Hey, you guys!" Zidane yelled after them. Ariana looked at him, and thinking of Vivi, ran off to fight with Steiner and Vivi, Tuggle in tow.
"Dagger," Zidane said.
"Y-Yes?" she stammered.
"We'll take care of the Black Waltz. You steer the ship. Things are gonna get even more dangerous from here on. It's not too late to turn back. You can go back to the castle or cross South Gate into Lindblum. It's your choice!" Zidane said, giving her the choices.
Dagger nodded.
"I'll be with you either way! But try not to crash the ship!"
She nodded again, turned to leave, and yelled, "Be careful!"
Zidane quickly said, "I'll be fine, now go!"
He hurried to where the rest of his friends were now facing Black Waltz No. 3.
"How could you do that?" Vivi was asking it, "Aren't they you're friends?"
"You fool. Do I look like a lowly Black Mage soldier? Kwahahaha! Worry not about them: many more are being produced even now!" It snapped, in a sinister voice.
"What are you?" Zidane asked the frightening winged creature.
"It wouldn't do you any good if I answered, since you're all going to die! Kwahahaha! I will eliminate any who stand in my way!" It replied.
Immediately it began casting spells on them. Ariana slashed at it with her blade, while Vivi cast spells, Zidane stabbed it, and Steiner cut the Waltz. After many rounds of frenzied attacks, the Waltz fell, defeated, to it's hands and knees.
"Y-you scum! I exist only to kill," the Waltz choked out. It then drew up whatever strength it had left, and flew away.
"How many more of those do we have to fight?" Ariana panted, doubled over in exhaustion. "This is becoming ridiculous!" Inside though, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the pathetic beast. It lived only to kill. Somewhere, some evil person was making these mages whose only purpose in life was to carry out the malevolent deeds of its creator.
"I think that was the last one," Zidane replied.
Steiner looked at him accusingly and said, "How do you know?! Are you..."
Zidane shook his head and said, "He said he's Waltz No. 3 right? Don't you think that he would be the last one then?" Zidane looked around and said, "I can see South Gate! She's going for it!"
Zidane walked back to the bridge, and Ariana looked over to see Vivi looking at one of the Black Mage's hats, sitting on the edge of the airship. She walked over to him, and put her arm around him. "I'm sorry Vivi," she said, in an effort to comfort him. Tuggle crawled from its hiding place in her jacket, and nudged at Vivi's hand, sensing the mage's sadness. The little mage leaned against Ariana's shoulder, and shook with silent sobs.