Dawn and Twilight
A/N: And we come to the next chapter. Like it yet? This chapter, while it may not get the Adepts very far along in the story, is quite worth your while. And it should explain a few things I left out.
Griffinkhan: Well, you said you understood it, so I'll take that and run with it. …Speaking of Conservato…he'll come into play soon enough.
Midnight C: Well…they'll mention Picard a couple of times in later chapters. Kraden's an easy target? Yeah, they thought so too…whoops, I shouldn't be mentioning *that*…
Akiko and Elena: Sorry Aki, she beat you to first review. Both of you do me a favor, go get Triad, VI and Kadevi and make them read this. …Pretty please?
Onward and…downward, I suppose. Upward would, in this case, be backward.
Chapter Two: Issues Worth Discussing
Teleporting back to Lalivero was the easy part. Using Hover to maneuver the ship back into the ocean was only slightly more difficult. Checking a map (the battered old Vale version, which had been drawn on and marked to no end, had its own place on the wall of one room of the ship—this map was newer, and looked less like Swiss cheese, post-Garet, and more like an actual map) and making sure they were headed in the right direction was moderately difficult, but only because it was noon and they had to rely on the coast of Angara.
No, Isaac mused, the real difficult part about the journey was Kraden.
Originally, the four Adepts had left Kraden in Lalivero, where they figured he'd have a good time doing whatever it was he did around Babi Lighthouse. Besides, Isaac knew that if Kraden's information proved false, or got them into a mess it was difficult to get out of, Garet would completely lose his temper. Thinking about it, Isaac couldn't say that he'd be able to control his own, either.
But discovering that Kraden had, in effect, stowed away and waited until they were a good distance from Lalivero before revealing himself had quite a negative effect on all of the Adepts. Mia was in a positively ferocious mood, and had planted herself quite immovably at the stern with a thick book on some topic no one had dared ask about.
Garet was in a rotten mood anyway, because they were on open water now, with the southern edge of Angara just barely visible on his left. He realized that this may have accounted for about one-third of his discomfort and turned around, in the process slamming his forehead into the wall-type thing he had been leaning against. He still didn't know what to call this…sort of small upper deck that came out of the actual deck. He did know it wasn't a mast.
Well, he knew that it wasn't a mast when he was capable of coherent thought. At the moment he was preoccupied with why everything was sort of crooked and how he was going to get rid of what was rapidly becoming a pounding headache.
Sheba, herself the sole occupant of that upper deck sort of thing that no one could really put a name to, sighed in resignation. While it was obvious that facing the back of the boat, and therefore having the sensation of traveling backwards, probably wasn't a good idea for a Mars Adept on an ocean voyage, she did have to admit that the klutziness accompanying such a situation would have been much better off if left for appropriate moments.
"Waft!" Sheba said in a worn voice, and the Djinni sprang from her hand and circled lazily around Garet's head. Still leaning against the side of the deck thing, he slumped into sleep.
"Mia owes you," Waft said in his perpetually sleepy voice, reappearing on Sheba's head in the process.
"I would wonder why, but I've wondered so many times the answer isn't important to me anymore," Sheba muttered.
"Wonder why Mia owes you?"
"No, wonder why Djinn love Adept heads."
"Oh."
"Isaac's theory is that its been ingrained in you since the dawn of creation," Sheba continued, and it was a mark of how desperate she was for conversation that she was holding one with a half-awake Djinni.
"Theory. No basis in fact." As was usual, Lull had to come out and state her opinion on whatever was happening. Ivan had once commented that Lull and Luff were nearly identical, aside from physically, only Luff had more of the personality of a hardened old man, and Lull was more like a gossipy old woman.
Equally as annoying, though, as all Djinn must be.
"A theory yet to be proven," chimed in Aroma.
"Also yet to be disproved," Blitz remarked. Room atop Sheba's head had suddenly become quite rare.
"All five of you," she said (Haze had appeared out of sheer habit), speaking in tones that would have felled trees in even the hardiest Apojiian forest. "Get. Off. Of. My. Head!"
There were five simultaneous purple flashes, and to Sheba's immense relief the conversation did not continue within the confines of her mind.
And Isaac, at the wheel, suppressed his thousandth (give or take) groan as Kraden made yet another comment on how he should adjust, modify, or correct his steering. Isaac found that it was quickly approaching impossible for him to hold his control. He had yet to be heading anything but due west and Kraden was only making him wish he'd left himself in Lalivero. Or better, let Kraden sit and wait in Apojii.
In fact, that gave Isaac what he felt was a rather marvelous idea. The very next instant, Kraden said, "More north," and Isaac happily obliged, turning so the ship was making straight for the nearest shoreline.
Champa, said Flint's voice in his mind. Good plan. The ruins there will keep him busy for a good long time.
Isaac, you are an idiot. That, of course, was Bane.
No he isn't! That insistent, definitely outraged voice belonged to Quartz. And if she was losing her temper, then Isaac was in a worse mood than he thought. Quartz was, with the possible exception of Ground, the most controlled and calmest of all his Djinn. He even believed she was somewhat sane.
He's a mastermind for how to rid himself of trouble, is what, Granite supplied. Then there was that one, Isaac mused, who had an unfortunate and often inopportune, but usually harmlessly mild case of hero worship.
He gets himself into the trouble, Vine argued.
Oh, stop it, you, Sap chided. Bane's only miffed because Isaac appears to have something against old men.
What does Bane care? Petra snorted. He's not a man, first off, and secondly he shouldn't be barging in on Isaac's thoughts.
Take it back, whippersnapper! Bane roared.
She will when you stop acting ancient! Quartz retorted.
He is ancient! Salt threw in.
So now you're on his side? Sap accused.
What? No! I just thought to point it out! Salt said defensively.
"All of you be quiet!" Isaac yelled. He realized that he had said this aloud when Kraden stopped babbling and joined Sheba and Mia in staring at him as though he had lost his mind.
"Yes well…" Kraden began, but at the sudden, intense glare coming his way from three directions he stopped. "I suppose I'll head on below now…" he said warily, wondering why he hadn't just stayed in Lalivero in the first place. Three sets of eyes followed him as he walked down the stairs, then two of those three refocused themselves on Isaac.
"Djinn," he offered as an explanation. Sheba, who had been having similar problems herself, nodded and went back to her silent pondering. Mia, however, who was quite unfamiliar with an all-out Djinn row in her mind, as usually the things they were interested in doing or thinking coincided with her own interests or thoughts, continued to stare Isaac's way.
Or Isaac thought she was staring his way, and was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable, not to mention he felt his face reddening. He thought this until Mia said, "How can Garet actually sleep, out here, on a boat in the ocean, in the middle of the day?"
"Well, you can," Sheba pointed out.
"Yes, but Garet's a Mars Adept."
"Yes, and so's Jenna, and right now I'm thanking Jupiter that she only ever got seasick in the Sea of Time and when it was seriously storming. Then again, we all got seasick in the Sea of Time, even Picard, and storming was never a fun time either."
"You're avoiding my question, Sheba. Deliberately, I might add."
"I am, yes. Garet was an oaf and knocked himself silly on the wall there, so I unleashed Waft on him."
"You wh—" Mia was about to yell, and had nearly switched over to the affectionately termed 'ice queen mode' when a quiet, calm voice spoke in her mind.
Don't be a fool.
What? Balm, I know that's you, only you could give me that sort of thing in straight tones.
It's absurd for you to become angry at Sheba when she was attempting to help, and without thinking through exactly why you're mad.
You know as well as I do that—
Sorry, no. She got Garet out of your hair, and as Waft said earlier, though you weren't listening, you owe her one.
Balm, if you weren't actually Picard's Djinni I might murder you.
You might try, thought Balm mischievously.
"Mia?" Sheba asked, raising an eyebrow. "Were you saying something?"
"I…well…um…thanks, Sheba," Mia finished lamely. "Just, next time…at least get him out of the way first," she added with a grin.
"Like I can move him. I don't even know that Psynergy." Sheba grinned back. She turned to look at Isaac again, giving him a questioning gaze and at the same time inquiring, "Champa?"
"Champa," he confirmed with a grave nod. He was still staring at the open doorway where Kraden had disappeared down the stairs.
"Cham…er…why Champa?" Mia asked, recalling that she was sick and tired of repeating words in different voice tones until all avenues of speech were exhausted.
"Kraden will have fun there, is why," Isaac said, turning back to the wheel. "He can explore those old ruins and such. Though, Sheba, it would be a big help to the Champans if you'd go ashore and warn Briggs."
"Absolutely, captain!" Sheba said, suddenly in a much brighter mood.
"I'm not a captain, that was Picard's job."
"His favorite class too, if I remember right," Mia added thoughtfully. "Seemed to think it was some sort of funny joke."
"That's another idea," Isaac said, snapping his fingers. "Mia, could you…er…would you mind…"
"Finding out from Kraden exactly where it is we need to be going? Certainly, Isaac." With that, Mia set her book down, still open, and walked lightly down the stairs.
"How did…" Isaac trailed off. He was vaguely aware of Sheba coming to stand beside him.
"She knows you, is how. I don't know why you've got such a problem asking her to do something, Isaac. Especially something that will make it easier for us to get Kraden off this ship," Sheba added fervently.
"Don't act as though I should know. I start the sentence and it just…gets stuck."
"Is that perhaps like how Garet has the hardest time talking about anything that has to do with—" Sheba was cut off as the ship's forward motion came to an abrupt halt. They had reached Champa.
Mia quickly emerged with Kraden in tow. "Come on, old man," she was saying, in such polite tones that 'old man' didn't even sound insulting. Isaac shook his head in amazement. Only Mia could change moods so quickly and flawlessly.
"Aren't you coming, Isaac?" Sheba asked, pausing before leaving the boat.
"No, thanks. I figure Garet's gotta wake up sometime, and he'd flip if he thought we'd abandoned him in the middle of the ocean. Go on—warn that pirate about exactly what we're leaving on his shores," Isaac added with a sly smile.
"I would like the chance to see that woman, what was her name, now…Obaba, that's right! Perhaps she could tell me more about the Ankohl Ruins…" Kraden trailed off, muttering to himself.
"I have learned more about those blasted ruins than I ever wanted to," Sheba mumbled, and Mia laughed quietly. "Wasn't pretty, running all through there looking for some piece of a trident so we could get into the Sea of Time…and then the Lemurians just basically kicked us out again…"
"You don't usually complain this much," said Wheeze, in a voice that was the total opposite of what his name might suggest. "Today not windy enough for you or something?"
"Lay off," said Gasp testily. Both Djinn had appeared in the air directly above their Jupiter Adept ally.
"If the two of you or any of your look-alikes end up on my head, I swear I will invest in Djinn repellant," Sheba said, finding it quite hard to glare at the air above her head without actually tilting her face upwards. "Besides, we're in a city where people don't know that you exist, and you're not supposed to show yourselves."
"Champa's more of a town, really," Mia said, though her mind was obviously elsewhere, because she seemed not to have noticed the appearance, voices or disappearance of the Jupiter Djinn.
There was a brief half hour in which Mia dumped Kraden with Obaba, Sheba took off and left a message with Chaucha that warned Briggs of the impending chaos that instinctively followed Kraden, and Mia and Sheba met up again at the ship and discovered Isaac, Garet, and the nine Mars Djinn playing a game of rock-paper-scissors on the upper deck thing.
"One, two, three!" said Scorch, and Garet's hand showed scissors, Isaac's inevitably came up rock and there were nine 'foot' entries from the Djinn.
"Ok, not fair," Garet said, though not because he had lost to Isaac. "What beats 'foot'?"
"My foot beats Fever's foot," Forge said quickly.
"And why?" Fever asked.
"Because I'm sensible enough to dislike water," Forge replied in a dignified voice, "and you are not."
"Oh yeah? Well my foot beats your foot, Forge!" Ember said hotly.
"My foot beats everyone's foot!" said Torch. "I'm the oldest here!"
"My foot is bigger than yours, though," said Flash.
"You all have the same—" Isaac attempted cautiously, but he was silenced with a chorus of, "Shut up Venus Adept!"
"My foot is hotter than yours!" said Corona to Flash.
"Not hotter than mine," Scorch put in smugly.
There was a flash of movement from Isaac's general position, and as one the Mars Djinn yelped.
"My rock beats everyone's feet, and Garet's scissors as well," Isaac said in a threatening tone, rubbing his semi-toasted fist. "Therefore, Garet, you are staying down below until we reach Hesperia."
"What if we have to Hover?" Garet asked as the Mars Djinn vanished one by one.
"I'm certain the three of us can handle it," Sheba said, agreeing with Isaac. "Garet, you're dangerous on open water."
"Garet is dangerous everywhere," Mia added.
"Come on, you guys are picking on me," Garet muttered. Still, he had fairly lost the game, and dejectedly headed down the stairs.
"Isaac just doesn't want Mia wigging out on Sheba for trying to help," said Flash consolingly. "She almost did, earlier. It's a good thing Jenna didn't give you Spark or Tinder—they would have just popped out themselves and yelled at Sheba."
"What did Sheba do that was so terrible?" Garet asked, digging around in his bag and coming up with several Psynergetic items. Among them were the Douse Drop, Frost Jewel, Pound Cube and Tremor Bit. "Does Ivan know he's left all his Psynergy stuff on the ship?"
"I don't think he does, and Sheba unleashed Waft on you," Flash said, perching on Garet's head to study the large quantity of Psynergy-granting things spread on the table. Flash was probably the only Djinni present that Garet didn't really mind in his hair, considering how many times she'd saved his skin. "He even left the Cyclone Chip, and you know how much fun he had with that thing, so I doubt it was his intention."
"There's an issue worth discussing," said Forge, appearing on Garet's shoulder. "The names of these things. For example, Douse Drop I understand—look at the thing, it's shaped like that big blue rock on Apojii. And Frost Jewel works, too, and Orb of Force is properly mysterious for an Element-less Psynergy. Things like Carry Stone and Grindstone and Cloak Ball are pretty self-explanatory. But really…Cyclone Chip? Chip of what? I know you can't just hit a cyclone with a hammer and get a piece of rock that creates a Whirlwind on force five."
"Actually," remarked Coal, sitting on Garet's other shoulder, "I think it might be a piece of one of those giant tornado statue things, like the ones at Air's Rock. And the Douse Drop might be taken from one of those Aqua Rock stones." At the mention of Air's Rock, the three Djinn and Garet involuntarily shuddered, though they had never actually been there. Coal, originally allied with Jenna, knew about the Air's Rock experience, and, through a complicated chain of memory, so did all of Garet's Djinn and Garet himself.
Of course, Aqua Rock produced a much worse effect than Air's Rock did.
"And then you have Lash Pebble," continued Forge. Garet was vaguely aware of the ship beginning to Hover, and guessed that Isaac would sacrifice Psynergy for faster, battle-less travel. "What are the chances that someone just randomly stumbled across a pebble that gave an Adept a rope-tying Psynergy?"
The three Djinn vacated Garet's immediate self and clustered around the small pile of stuff, still talking. Garet, however, laid his head down on the table and for no apparent reason fell asleep.
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Hm. What is there to say after this? I hope you're all laughing. It was supposed to be very funny. Other than that…well…FFTA comes out on Monday/Tuesday! (It depends.) I can't wait, that I can't!!
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