Chapter 15
Disclaimer: FF9 is not mine.
Author's Note: Enjoy!
When Ariana woke up again, she was lying in a small bed. Her eyes came into focus, and she looked around her. Nobody was in the room with her except for Tuggle, and she felt desperately alone. "What a strange dream...." she whispered to herself. Tuggle's eyes flickered open, and sat up yawning.
A wave of heat went through Ariana's body as she sat up. Her stomache growled with hunger. She hadn't had a decent meal since she'd been home. On Earth, away from talking oglops, annoying monkey-tailed thieves, princesses, mages, and stupid, blabbering, overprotective knights.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and stood up. Her knees suddenly buckled, causing her to fall to her knees. She finally gave in to the urge to cry, and the tears streamed down her face. Ariana sat like that for a long time, sobbing silently to herself. Finally, she wiped away her tears and stood up. She heard a knock at the door, and a maid came into the room with silver platter full of delicious looking food. Her stomache growled again as she thanked the maid, and ate until she could eat no more.
Now, Ariana felt stronger, and attempted to walk around. She found a few chests with items she thought might be useful for her mission, if that's what it was called. Then she walked down a set of stairs, and left the room. After walking through the Lindblum Grand Castle halls for half an hour looking at pictures and marble statues, she decided to enter the city to do some exploring. Nobody stopped her when she left the castle, so she concluded that she wouldn't be missed.
The sky outside was bright blue, a beautiful day for looking around a city. Tuggle sat atop her shoulder as usual, sniffing the strange scents of the city of Lindblum. People were walking all around her, talking to friends and family, or bargaining for an item or two. She'd never seen such a variety of humans and creatures. She smiled, watching little kids running around chasing their pets, balloons in hand. Giant memorial statues were everywhere, and shops lined the streets. The thought of staying here almost made her forget about Earth, but then she remembered the warmth of being at home. She sadly shook her head, but was interrupted when one of the children running around came up to her and tugged on her shorts.
"Hewwo! I've never seen you before, where do you come from?" The little boy asked her, his eyes sparkling blue.
She smiled at him, and got down on one knee to speak face to face with him. "I'm from a place called Earth. Have you ever heard of it?"
He looked confused, but then grinned at her. "Nope, but, I think you're very pwetty. Here you go!" He shoved his balloon into her hand, and skipped off.
Ariana laughed, and stood back up. She tied the balloon to her wrist, and started to walk again. She watched as a bent old woman tried to sell putrid-smelling pickles. (Gysahl pickles!! Get your gysahl pickles cheap!) She went over to examine them, and reached into her pockets. The emptiness there suddenly reminded her that she had no money, whatsoever. Not even an American penny! Ariana thought about going back to castle to find some, but she decided to look for Zidane, to see if he had any.
She turned away from the pickle cart and headed toward some shops. A weaponry shop's door was open, inviting her in to see the vast display of newly crafted blades and rods. She looked inside to see if she could spot anyone she knew, but saw no one. Ariana kept walking, glancing in door shops, looking for a sign of anyone. Finally, exhausted she decided to stop at a bar for some rest.
The bell on the door clanged as she went inside. She quickly found an empty seat at the bar, and when the waitress asked her what she wanted, she simply replied, "Water, please." Ariana scanned the customer's of the bar, and spotted a red mage, a few normal-looking humans, and a strangely pretty rat-like girl. She even had a tail, but Ariana couldn't see much of her face because it was hidden beneath some sort of hat. Finally, her water arrived, and she drank it heartily, a few dribbles of it slipping down her chin, and when she was finished she slammed it down on the bar. Ariana felt bad knowing she had no money to tip the waitress with, but she got up to leave anyways.
Halfway way to the exit, she looked up to see Zidane push the door of the bar open and walk in as if he owned the place. He saw her standing there and exclaimed, "Oh! Hey Ari. Feelin' better?"
"Yeah, what happened?" she asked him, as they walked back to the bar together. She sat beside him, and he ordered some type of drink she'd never heard of.
He got his order and focused his attention on her again. "You just sort of got knocked out. We tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't budge, so we put you upstairs to sleep. We were really worried about you." Then he hesitated a moment before he added, "Especially Dagger."
Ariana rolled her eyes and muttered, "Yeah right."
Zidane shook his head and said, "No, we really were." He sipped at his drink, and continued. "Vivi was really scared that you were sick, and stayed in there with you for hours. Dagger finally had to go up there and carry him out, 'cause he'd fallen asleep on the floor."
Ariana smiled to herself, at the thought of the little mage she'd befriended worrying so much about her. It was quite a change compared to the way other people in this world acted around her. She looked up to see Zidane had turned away from her and was talking to the mousy-looking girl. Ariana stood up, and walked over to stand in front of them.
"Do you know her, Zidane?" Ariana asked him.
He looked up at her, noticing her presence and responded, "Yeah! Haven't seen her in years. An old friend of mine from Burmecia."
"Name's Freya," the woman said, holding out a furry hand for Ariana to shake. Ariana held hers out also, and they shook. "And who are you, if I may ask?" she inquired.
"I'm Ariana, also a friend of Zidane's. Let's just say I'm not from around here. What brings you to Lindblum?" Ariana asked her.
"Festival of the Hunt," she replied, taking a sip of her soup.
Ariana looked at Zidane, confused. "What's that?"
"It's a festival where they let out a bunch of creatures all over Lindblum, and the person who kills the most wins the prize of their choice. I did it one year before, but I came in 7th." He answered, cringing at saying "7th".
"Ouch," Ariana giggled, "Seventh? You?! Well, that sounds like something I'd want to participate in. Are you going to try again this year, Zidane?"
He looked bothered, but said, "Yeah, I guess." He tried not to look at her, as he drank from his glass. "So, Freya," he said, trying to change the subject, "are you ever going back to Burmecia?"
"I have no reason to go back," she responded, "There's nothing there for me anymore." Ariana sensed a quiet sadness about Freya, but couldn't quite figure it out. She guessed that the mere mention of Freya's home, of Burmecia, was the reason for the sadness, so she didn't want to ask her about it.
They talked for a while longer about the festival, and other things. Ariana watched Zidane and Freya catch up on old times, and any new developments in one another's lives. Finally, Zidane stood up, stretched, and yawned. Then, she noticed that they'd been talking all day and that the sky had turned dark.
"Come on, Ariana, let's go find somewhere to crash." He waved goodbye to Freya, and began walking out of the bar.
Ariana also waved to her, but Freya stopped her, and whispered something in her ear. "Don't let him play with your heart, Ariana. He's a good guy, lot's of fun, but I wouldn't trust him with my heart if I were you. I don't mean to be rude, but you're a beautiful girl, and I'm just trying to be helpful. You know?" Ariana nodded to her, smiled, and wished her good luck in the Festival of the Hunt. Then she walked out of the bar, and met Zidane outside.
The sky was a dark blue color, and the streets had emptied of the many people she'd seen earlier. He reached for her arm in the darkness, and grabbed her hand. They walked together toward an inn at the corner of the street. Zidane checked with the innkeeper, and they went up a set of stairs. They reached a hall full of rooms, and entered a door that lead to a room with four beds. One was occupied by Vivi, who was sound asleep.
She walked over to the bed beside Vivi's, slipped off her shoes, and climbed beneath the sheets. She heard Zidane crawling under the covers of a bed on the opposite side of the room. Ariana sat awake for hours listening to the sounds of her own breathing, thinking about what Freya had said. Ariana wasn't a fool. Zidane wasn't going to mess with her heart, and she would do everything she could to keep him from hurting her. Once again, her mind drifted the person in her dream. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought of the arms that had caught before she'd fallen. Ariana drifted off to sleep thinking of the silvery hair in her dream, wondering if she would ever find out who it was, or if he was even real.
~~~~~Ariana found herself searching through the halls of some sort of castle or mansion. Pictures were everywhere, framed in gold, yet no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make out the faces in any of them, but they all had long feathery hair. Finally, she ran into a dead end, but when she turned around, she wasn't in a darkened hallway anymore. Lights filled a brilliantly decorated ballroom, and when she looked down at herself, she wasn't wearing a shirt or shorts anymore. Ariana was now wearing a long, black and red dress that reached her ankles, and she was standing atop a marble staircase that led down to the ballroom floor. Placing her gloved hand delicately on the guardrail, she walked down the stairs and when she reached the bottom, a tall man stood waiting for her. She still couldn't make out his face, but his hair was long and silky. The silvery purpleness was so familiar to her, and as he stretched out his hand for her to take, she was magnetically drawn to him. Music filled her ears as he led her out to onto the floor. Ariana closed her eyes, placed her head on his chest, and they danced. As he twirled her about, she threw her head back and laughed, enjoying herself immensely. She couldn't remember when the last time she had felt so happy was. When she thought she could dance no more, she open her eyes again, and was alone. No tall man, no ballroom. Nothing. Just pitch blackness.~~~~~
And then she woke up.
Disclaimer: FF9 is not mine.
Author's Note: Enjoy!
When Ariana woke up again, she was lying in a small bed. Her eyes came into focus, and she looked around her. Nobody was in the room with her except for Tuggle, and she felt desperately alone. "What a strange dream...." she whispered to herself. Tuggle's eyes flickered open, and sat up yawning.
A wave of heat went through Ariana's body as she sat up. Her stomache growled with hunger. She hadn't had a decent meal since she'd been home. On Earth, away from talking oglops, annoying monkey-tailed thieves, princesses, mages, and stupid, blabbering, overprotective knights.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and stood up. Her knees suddenly buckled, causing her to fall to her knees. She finally gave in to the urge to cry, and the tears streamed down her face. Ariana sat like that for a long time, sobbing silently to herself. Finally, she wiped away her tears and stood up. She heard a knock at the door, and a maid came into the room with silver platter full of delicious looking food. Her stomache growled again as she thanked the maid, and ate until she could eat no more.
Now, Ariana felt stronger, and attempted to walk around. She found a few chests with items she thought might be useful for her mission, if that's what it was called. Then she walked down a set of stairs, and left the room. After walking through the Lindblum Grand Castle halls for half an hour looking at pictures and marble statues, she decided to enter the city to do some exploring. Nobody stopped her when she left the castle, so she concluded that she wouldn't be missed.
The sky outside was bright blue, a beautiful day for looking around a city. Tuggle sat atop her shoulder as usual, sniffing the strange scents of the city of Lindblum. People were walking all around her, talking to friends and family, or bargaining for an item or two. She'd never seen such a variety of humans and creatures. She smiled, watching little kids running around chasing their pets, balloons in hand. Giant memorial statues were everywhere, and shops lined the streets. The thought of staying here almost made her forget about Earth, but then she remembered the warmth of being at home. She sadly shook her head, but was interrupted when one of the children running around came up to her and tugged on her shorts.
"Hewwo! I've never seen you before, where do you come from?" The little boy asked her, his eyes sparkling blue.
She smiled at him, and got down on one knee to speak face to face with him. "I'm from a place called Earth. Have you ever heard of it?"
He looked confused, but then grinned at her. "Nope, but, I think you're very pwetty. Here you go!" He shoved his balloon into her hand, and skipped off.
Ariana laughed, and stood back up. She tied the balloon to her wrist, and started to walk again. She watched as a bent old woman tried to sell putrid-smelling pickles. (Gysahl pickles!! Get your gysahl pickles cheap!) She went over to examine them, and reached into her pockets. The emptiness there suddenly reminded her that she had no money, whatsoever. Not even an American penny! Ariana thought about going back to castle to find some, but she decided to look for Zidane, to see if he had any.
She turned away from the pickle cart and headed toward some shops. A weaponry shop's door was open, inviting her in to see the vast display of newly crafted blades and rods. She looked inside to see if she could spot anyone she knew, but saw no one. Ariana kept walking, glancing in door shops, looking for a sign of anyone. Finally, exhausted she decided to stop at a bar for some rest.
The bell on the door clanged as she went inside. She quickly found an empty seat at the bar, and when the waitress asked her what she wanted, she simply replied, "Water, please." Ariana scanned the customer's of the bar, and spotted a red mage, a few normal-looking humans, and a strangely pretty rat-like girl. She even had a tail, but Ariana couldn't see much of her face because it was hidden beneath some sort of hat. Finally, her water arrived, and she drank it heartily, a few dribbles of it slipping down her chin, and when she was finished she slammed it down on the bar. Ariana felt bad knowing she had no money to tip the waitress with, but she got up to leave anyways.
Halfway way to the exit, she looked up to see Zidane push the door of the bar open and walk in as if he owned the place. He saw her standing there and exclaimed, "Oh! Hey Ari. Feelin' better?"
"Yeah, what happened?" she asked him, as they walked back to the bar together. She sat beside him, and he ordered some type of drink she'd never heard of.
He got his order and focused his attention on her again. "You just sort of got knocked out. We tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't budge, so we put you upstairs to sleep. We were really worried about you." Then he hesitated a moment before he added, "Especially Dagger."
Ariana rolled her eyes and muttered, "Yeah right."
Zidane shook his head and said, "No, we really were." He sipped at his drink, and continued. "Vivi was really scared that you were sick, and stayed in there with you for hours. Dagger finally had to go up there and carry him out, 'cause he'd fallen asleep on the floor."
Ariana smiled to herself, at the thought of the little mage she'd befriended worrying so much about her. It was quite a change compared to the way other people in this world acted around her. She looked up to see Zidane had turned away from her and was talking to the mousy-looking girl. Ariana stood up, and walked over to stand in front of them.
"Do you know her, Zidane?" Ariana asked him.
He looked up at her, noticing her presence and responded, "Yeah! Haven't seen her in years. An old friend of mine from Burmecia."
"Name's Freya," the woman said, holding out a furry hand for Ariana to shake. Ariana held hers out also, and they shook. "And who are you, if I may ask?" she inquired.
"I'm Ariana, also a friend of Zidane's. Let's just say I'm not from around here. What brings you to Lindblum?" Ariana asked her.
"Festival of the Hunt," she replied, taking a sip of her soup.
Ariana looked at Zidane, confused. "What's that?"
"It's a festival where they let out a bunch of creatures all over Lindblum, and the person who kills the most wins the prize of their choice. I did it one year before, but I came in 7th." He answered, cringing at saying "7th".
"Ouch," Ariana giggled, "Seventh? You?! Well, that sounds like something I'd want to participate in. Are you going to try again this year, Zidane?"
He looked bothered, but said, "Yeah, I guess." He tried not to look at her, as he drank from his glass. "So, Freya," he said, trying to change the subject, "are you ever going back to Burmecia?"
"I have no reason to go back," she responded, "There's nothing there for me anymore." Ariana sensed a quiet sadness about Freya, but couldn't quite figure it out. She guessed that the mere mention of Freya's home, of Burmecia, was the reason for the sadness, so she didn't want to ask her about it.
They talked for a while longer about the festival, and other things. Ariana watched Zidane and Freya catch up on old times, and any new developments in one another's lives. Finally, Zidane stood up, stretched, and yawned. Then, she noticed that they'd been talking all day and that the sky had turned dark.
"Come on, Ariana, let's go find somewhere to crash." He waved goodbye to Freya, and began walking out of the bar.
Ariana also waved to her, but Freya stopped her, and whispered something in her ear. "Don't let him play with your heart, Ariana. He's a good guy, lot's of fun, but I wouldn't trust him with my heart if I were you. I don't mean to be rude, but you're a beautiful girl, and I'm just trying to be helpful. You know?" Ariana nodded to her, smiled, and wished her good luck in the Festival of the Hunt. Then she walked out of the bar, and met Zidane outside.
The sky was a dark blue color, and the streets had emptied of the many people she'd seen earlier. He reached for her arm in the darkness, and grabbed her hand. They walked together toward an inn at the corner of the street. Zidane checked with the innkeeper, and they went up a set of stairs. They reached a hall full of rooms, and entered a door that lead to a room with four beds. One was occupied by Vivi, who was sound asleep.
She walked over to the bed beside Vivi's, slipped off her shoes, and climbed beneath the sheets. She heard Zidane crawling under the covers of a bed on the opposite side of the room. Ariana sat awake for hours listening to the sounds of her own breathing, thinking about what Freya had said. Ariana wasn't a fool. Zidane wasn't going to mess with her heart, and she would do everything she could to keep him from hurting her. Once again, her mind drifted the person in her dream. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought of the arms that had caught before she'd fallen. Ariana drifted off to sleep thinking of the silvery hair in her dream, wondering if she would ever find out who it was, or if he was even real.
~~~~~Ariana found herself searching through the halls of some sort of castle or mansion. Pictures were everywhere, framed in gold, yet no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make out the faces in any of them, but they all had long feathery hair. Finally, she ran into a dead end, but when she turned around, she wasn't in a darkened hallway anymore. Lights filled a brilliantly decorated ballroom, and when she looked down at herself, she wasn't wearing a shirt or shorts anymore. Ariana was now wearing a long, black and red dress that reached her ankles, and she was standing atop a marble staircase that led down to the ballroom floor. Placing her gloved hand delicately on the guardrail, she walked down the stairs and when she reached the bottom, a tall man stood waiting for her. She still couldn't make out his face, but his hair was long and silky. The silvery purpleness was so familiar to her, and as he stretched out his hand for her to take, she was magnetically drawn to him. Music filled her ears as he led her out to onto the floor. Ariana closed her eyes, placed her head on his chest, and they danced. As he twirled her about, she threw her head back and laughed, enjoying herself immensely. She couldn't remember when the last time she had felt so happy was. When she thought she could dance no more, she open her eyes again, and was alone. No tall man, no ballroom. Nothing. Just pitch blackness.~~~~~
And then she woke up.