Chapter 15
Disclaimer: Yes, everyone knows as well as I do, that I do not own FF9. Just Ariana.
Author's Note - PLEASE throw apples and tomatoes at my head. I deserve it for being lazy. I'm the worst procrastinator in the world..but here it is, after like a year of no updates - ladies and gentleman: chapter 15.
Ariana sat up, panting, and Tuggle looked at her with a worried expression in it's beady black eyes. "Mew?" It offered, in a weirdly human way of comforting her. She patted it on the head, and laid back down. Why was she having such strange dreams? Who was that person that she felt so strangely attracted to. Everytime she thought of him her heart beat so quickly in her ribcage that she almost couldn't breathe. It was as if he was hers, and hers alone, and she wanted so badly to finally meet him, to touch him, to hold him in her arms as he had held her. Ariana's thoughts were interrupted as glanced across the room and saw Zidane sitting up in his bed, staring strangely at her.
"What?" she said to him, trying her best to act naturally.
He watched her for another silent moment before he answered. "Are you aware of the fact that you laugh in your sleep?"
She felt her face turn beet red, and reached down to pet Tuggle, shrugging it off. "Well, I guess I am now. Did I wake you up or something?"
"No," he responded, cautiously. "I've been awake since daybreak, just thinking about things." His voice drifted off as he looked out the window. Ariana heard birds chirping happily and the hustle and bustle of Lindblum's citizens doing their morning chores. The sunlight shown merrily through the sheer curtains, and she got up to open them, letting the morning light flood the inn room. She glanced over to her side to see Vivi waking up, stretching and yawning. The refreshed mage sat up, and looked around at Zidane and Ariana, blinking in the sunlight and smiling.
"Good morning, guys," he muttered, sleepily.
"Morning, Viv," they answered in unison. Zidane glanced at Ariana and smiled to himself.
Ariana caught the hidden smile and wondered what he was grinning about. She couldn't help but feel attracted to Zidane as well as the strange man in her dreams. Both were out of her reach, yet, though Zidane were more tangible, she didn't want to be another one of his conquests. She was determinded to follow Freya's advice, and not let him get to her heart.
With this in mind, she decided to ask about Lindblum, since she'd never been there before. "What type of place is this?"
Zidane answered her, "Well, People come here from all over the world. Some of them come here to become airship engineers, sculptors, actors..."
"Wow!" Vivi exclaimed, engulfed in what Zidane had to say about Lindblum.
Zidane nodded and continued, "Yea, I really don't remember why I came here for my first time, but sure enough I did, and I ended up working for Tantalus. That's where I'm heading right now as soon as I leave here. It's in the theatre district. Anybody wanna come with me?"
He looked at Ariana with hope at his last question, but seeing this, she shook her head and replied, "No, I think I'll walk around by myself for awhile." She saw that Vivi was torn between not wanting to leave her alone, but really wanting to see the Tantalus hideout, so she added, "Vivi, you run along with Zidane. I'd like to have a little time to myself to think about things."
Vivi covered up a sigh of relief, but asked her, "Are you sure, Awai?"
"Yes, Viv, now you guys go ahead and run along so I can get dressed." They did as she asked them and left the inn. Ariana sat on her bed stroking Tuggle's soft fur for a while, and soon summoned up the will to leave the inn and brave the busy world outside. She left the cozy room, and plodded down the inn stairs. She nodded to the innkeeper as she stepped outside into the bright sun. She shielded her eyes from the rays, and glanced around. A few people were chatting together, some were selling goods in the street, others just busily scooted about from one place to another.
Ariana stepped out onto the cobblestone road and joined the rabble of people. As she walked around, she couldn't help but feel excited and curious about the Lindblum citizens. They all seemed so different from people on Earth. Around here, everyone had a mission, they all had a reason to be here, and they all seemed so nice. She felt very comfortable and at home in Lindblum. She promised herself that she would return there someday. The interesting, tiny shops that surrounded every street sold things that didn't even exist in her world. Her pockets were still empty though, so she could not buy anything.
She visited each store just to look at its merchandise and talk to its owner. With each new person she met, she felt more and more determined to stay in Lindblum. She even rode an aircab around to see the different districts. After awhile of meandering aimlessly about the streets, her mind being wander again.
Her thoughts consisted of her feelings about Garnet. She still couldn't decide if she wanted to be friends with the Princess or not. She couldn't help but feel a little bad about the way she'd been treating her, but Dagger deserved a little making fun of. After all, Garnet was a Princess, and Ariana didn't like snooty people. But that was until she'd found out Dagger wasn't snooty, just a little too nice.
Maybe Zidane was attracted to the Princess because she was so unattainable. She'd heard once before that men usually went for the women that they knew they couldn't get. Why was she worried about him anyway? He had nothing to offer her but frustration. His flirtatious antics bothered her, but not when he was flirting with her.
Ariana concluded that she was just the jealous type, and thought nothing more of it. If Zidane wanted the Princess, then she was fine with it. So, since this wasn't Garnet's fault, Ariana decided she would try to be friends with her.
Before she realized it, she had gotten herself lost in Lindblum. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts, that she hadn't noticed where she was going. A strange smell was about the air, and Tuggle tittered nervously in her ear. Nobody was around, and Ariana felt a chill go down her spine. She shivered, and tugged her jacket tightly about her arms, as she walked forward. Her footsteps echoed loudly against the walls around her, and she heard the wind whistle loudly in her ears. Then she saw it.
A large, ferocious-looking Fang stood before, it's teeth bared as it growled and licked its lips hungrily at her. "Oh, no! The Festival of the Hunt!" She had forgotten about it completely. Tuggle, having noticed the savage beast, flew into a frenzy and clawed at her jacket to hide inside it. She felt the small creature shiver against her stomach, and she zipped her jacket up to free her hands. Ariana didn't dare move in fear of the beast attacking her, so she let her hand down cautiously, keeping her eye on the Fang, and reached slowly for her blade. It's dark, malevolent eyes watched her every move, and it growled even louder as it watched the blade glint in the light of the sun. It stepped forward.
Suddenly, it pounced on her, before she could do anything, and wildly pawed at her jacket. She pushed the heavy creature off of her, and stood up to face it. With her sword, she thrust into the beast's stomach, and she cringed with disgust as it fell on her, twitching and bleeding. Ariana sighed with relief, but looked up to see another, larger, more ferocious creature advancing towards her. She bolted down the street in search of a place to hide, but all door's were shut, and she found no safe nook or cranny in which to hide herself from the rabid beasts.
Ariana decided to fight for her life, and turned around to face the drooling, furious beast. It's red eyes glinted with hunger as it saw her stop and draw her blade. She ran at ir, her blood pumping, but before she could get to the monster, two people dropped down from the roof above her, and blocked her path. They attacked the beast, which was immediately demolished. The people turned around, and Ariana realized that it was Zidane and Freya.
"Oh!" she said, stunned. "Th-thank you." Ariana stammered, trying to catch her breath.
"You could've been killed!" Zidane exclaimed. "What's wrong with you!? I told you the Hunt was today! Now, get up. Time's wasting. Stay with me." At this, Freya flew off in search or more beasts to fight.
Ariana got up, not knowing what else to do, and stayed with Zidane as he fought several monsters, and finally, after killing many, the Festival of the Hunt was over and the winners were awarded their prizes. In the Lindblum throneroom,.Zidane happily received the first place prize of 5000 Gil and the Master Hunter. He winked at the Princess, and Ariana yearned to know what this meant, so she decided to ask him. She was about to tap him on the shoulder, when she noticed that a very broken-down looking person had just hobbled into the room. It looked like a male version of Freya, so he must have also come from Burmecia.
"Regent," the Burmecian said, cringing as though it were painful to speak. "Please forgive my intrusion. I bring urgent news... from our king."
Ariana ran to help the man support himself, and as she looked at him, she realized the poor man had been blinded due to an injury.
Regent Cid inquired of the man who was obviously a Burmecian soldier, "From the King of Burmecia?"
"Yes, our kingdom is being attacked by some unknown force! We are severely outmatched! Please send reinforcements immediately!" the desperate soldier replied. "The enemy looks like an army of mages wearing...steeple- crowned hats."
Both Vivi and the oglopish Cid sat up suddenly with surprise and fear in their eyes.
"The king and I are old friends. We will send reinforcements to Burmecia immediately," Cid responded.
The ragged soldier then managed to whisper a gracious thanks to Cid. "Thank you, Regent! The king...and all of Burmecia will be most grateful! I must...return now..." And with a last "...Ugh," the pitiful soldier collapsed in Ariana's arms.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, and felt a tear come to her eyes.
Disclaimer: Yes, everyone knows as well as I do, that I do not own FF9. Just Ariana.
Author's Note - PLEASE throw apples and tomatoes at my head. I deserve it for being lazy. I'm the worst procrastinator in the world..but here it is, after like a year of no updates - ladies and gentleman: chapter 15.
Ariana sat up, panting, and Tuggle looked at her with a worried expression in it's beady black eyes. "Mew?" It offered, in a weirdly human way of comforting her. She patted it on the head, and laid back down. Why was she having such strange dreams? Who was that person that she felt so strangely attracted to. Everytime she thought of him her heart beat so quickly in her ribcage that she almost couldn't breathe. It was as if he was hers, and hers alone, and she wanted so badly to finally meet him, to touch him, to hold him in her arms as he had held her. Ariana's thoughts were interrupted as glanced across the room and saw Zidane sitting up in his bed, staring strangely at her.
"What?" she said to him, trying her best to act naturally.
He watched her for another silent moment before he answered. "Are you aware of the fact that you laugh in your sleep?"
She felt her face turn beet red, and reached down to pet Tuggle, shrugging it off. "Well, I guess I am now. Did I wake you up or something?"
"No," he responded, cautiously. "I've been awake since daybreak, just thinking about things." His voice drifted off as he looked out the window. Ariana heard birds chirping happily and the hustle and bustle of Lindblum's citizens doing their morning chores. The sunlight shown merrily through the sheer curtains, and she got up to open them, letting the morning light flood the inn room. She glanced over to her side to see Vivi waking up, stretching and yawning. The refreshed mage sat up, and looked around at Zidane and Ariana, blinking in the sunlight and smiling.
"Good morning, guys," he muttered, sleepily.
"Morning, Viv," they answered in unison. Zidane glanced at Ariana and smiled to himself.
Ariana caught the hidden smile and wondered what he was grinning about. She couldn't help but feel attracted to Zidane as well as the strange man in her dreams. Both were out of her reach, yet, though Zidane were more tangible, she didn't want to be another one of his conquests. She was determinded to follow Freya's advice, and not let him get to her heart.
With this in mind, she decided to ask about Lindblum, since she'd never been there before. "What type of place is this?"
Zidane answered her, "Well, People come here from all over the world. Some of them come here to become airship engineers, sculptors, actors..."
"Wow!" Vivi exclaimed, engulfed in what Zidane had to say about Lindblum.
Zidane nodded and continued, "Yea, I really don't remember why I came here for my first time, but sure enough I did, and I ended up working for Tantalus. That's where I'm heading right now as soon as I leave here. It's in the theatre district. Anybody wanna come with me?"
He looked at Ariana with hope at his last question, but seeing this, she shook her head and replied, "No, I think I'll walk around by myself for awhile." She saw that Vivi was torn between not wanting to leave her alone, but really wanting to see the Tantalus hideout, so she added, "Vivi, you run along with Zidane. I'd like to have a little time to myself to think about things."
Vivi covered up a sigh of relief, but asked her, "Are you sure, Awai?"
"Yes, Viv, now you guys go ahead and run along so I can get dressed." They did as she asked them and left the inn. Ariana sat on her bed stroking Tuggle's soft fur for a while, and soon summoned up the will to leave the inn and brave the busy world outside. She left the cozy room, and plodded down the inn stairs. She nodded to the innkeeper as she stepped outside into the bright sun. She shielded her eyes from the rays, and glanced around. A few people were chatting together, some were selling goods in the street, others just busily scooted about from one place to another.
Ariana stepped out onto the cobblestone road and joined the rabble of people. As she walked around, she couldn't help but feel excited and curious about the Lindblum citizens. They all seemed so different from people on Earth. Around here, everyone had a mission, they all had a reason to be here, and they all seemed so nice. She felt very comfortable and at home in Lindblum. She promised herself that she would return there someday. The interesting, tiny shops that surrounded every street sold things that didn't even exist in her world. Her pockets were still empty though, so she could not buy anything.
She visited each store just to look at its merchandise and talk to its owner. With each new person she met, she felt more and more determined to stay in Lindblum. She even rode an aircab around to see the different districts. After awhile of meandering aimlessly about the streets, her mind being wander again.
Her thoughts consisted of her feelings about Garnet. She still couldn't decide if she wanted to be friends with the Princess or not. She couldn't help but feel a little bad about the way she'd been treating her, but Dagger deserved a little making fun of. After all, Garnet was a Princess, and Ariana didn't like snooty people. But that was until she'd found out Dagger wasn't snooty, just a little too nice.
Maybe Zidane was attracted to the Princess because she was so unattainable. She'd heard once before that men usually went for the women that they knew they couldn't get. Why was she worried about him anyway? He had nothing to offer her but frustration. His flirtatious antics bothered her, but not when he was flirting with her.
Ariana concluded that she was just the jealous type, and thought nothing more of it. If Zidane wanted the Princess, then she was fine with it. So, since this wasn't Garnet's fault, Ariana decided she would try to be friends with her.
Before she realized it, she had gotten herself lost in Lindblum. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts, that she hadn't noticed where she was going. A strange smell was about the air, and Tuggle tittered nervously in her ear. Nobody was around, and Ariana felt a chill go down her spine. She shivered, and tugged her jacket tightly about her arms, as she walked forward. Her footsteps echoed loudly against the walls around her, and she heard the wind whistle loudly in her ears. Then she saw it.
A large, ferocious-looking Fang stood before, it's teeth bared as it growled and licked its lips hungrily at her. "Oh, no! The Festival of the Hunt!" She had forgotten about it completely. Tuggle, having noticed the savage beast, flew into a frenzy and clawed at her jacket to hide inside it. She felt the small creature shiver against her stomach, and she zipped her jacket up to free her hands. Ariana didn't dare move in fear of the beast attacking her, so she let her hand down cautiously, keeping her eye on the Fang, and reached slowly for her blade. It's dark, malevolent eyes watched her every move, and it growled even louder as it watched the blade glint in the light of the sun. It stepped forward.
Suddenly, it pounced on her, before she could do anything, and wildly pawed at her jacket. She pushed the heavy creature off of her, and stood up to face it. With her sword, she thrust into the beast's stomach, and she cringed with disgust as it fell on her, twitching and bleeding. Ariana sighed with relief, but looked up to see another, larger, more ferocious creature advancing towards her. She bolted down the street in search of a place to hide, but all door's were shut, and she found no safe nook or cranny in which to hide herself from the rabid beasts.
Ariana decided to fight for her life, and turned around to face the drooling, furious beast. It's red eyes glinted with hunger as it saw her stop and draw her blade. She ran at ir, her blood pumping, but before she could get to the monster, two people dropped down from the roof above her, and blocked her path. They attacked the beast, which was immediately demolished. The people turned around, and Ariana realized that it was Zidane and Freya.
"Oh!" she said, stunned. "Th-thank you." Ariana stammered, trying to catch her breath.
"You could've been killed!" Zidane exclaimed. "What's wrong with you!? I told you the Hunt was today! Now, get up. Time's wasting. Stay with me." At this, Freya flew off in search or more beasts to fight.
Ariana got up, not knowing what else to do, and stayed with Zidane as he fought several monsters, and finally, after killing many, the Festival of the Hunt was over and the winners were awarded their prizes. In the Lindblum throneroom,.Zidane happily received the first place prize of 5000 Gil and the Master Hunter. He winked at the Princess, and Ariana yearned to know what this meant, so she decided to ask him. She was about to tap him on the shoulder, when she noticed that a very broken-down looking person had just hobbled into the room. It looked like a male version of Freya, so he must have also come from Burmecia.
"Regent," the Burmecian said, cringing as though it were painful to speak. "Please forgive my intrusion. I bring urgent news... from our king."
Ariana ran to help the man support himself, and as she looked at him, she realized the poor man had been blinded due to an injury.
Regent Cid inquired of the man who was obviously a Burmecian soldier, "From the King of Burmecia?"
"Yes, our kingdom is being attacked by some unknown force! We are severely outmatched! Please send reinforcements immediately!" the desperate soldier replied. "The enemy looks like an army of mages wearing...steeple- crowned hats."
Both Vivi and the oglopish Cid sat up suddenly with surprise and fear in their eyes.
"The king and I are old friends. We will send reinforcements to Burmecia immediately," Cid responded.
The ragged soldier then managed to whisper a gracious thanks to Cid. "Thank you, Regent! The king...and all of Burmecia will be most grateful! I must...return now..." And with a last "...Ugh," the pitiful soldier collapsed in Ariana's arms.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, and felt a tear come to her eyes.