Disclaimer: I no own, you no sue.
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Author's Note: Okay, I think I'm going to stick with this divider, it seems nice enough and descriptive of my mood (I feel like astriks and apostrophes!). I apologize for the time lapses in the chapters to come. Although I'll try to keep it in somewhat of a consistent flow of events. It'll all make sense in time Reader-san.
'nother note of happy doom! We gots a new computer and the speakers are soooo fun! They sound better than my CD player and I am a happy pig!!!
And now a special contest! You won't win anything, but it's still fun. If you can pick out my Shakespeare allusion in this chapter and can state the play it's from you will get a pat on the back. Good luck!
~NeoNaoNeo
*`*`*`*`*`*`*
"Let's crack it open and see if it gots one of them super powered orphans inside!"~"My Life as A Teenage Robot" (I know, it's sad)
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Chapter 4: Six years Later
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"She's sleeping," Ipsen reported, squinting his keen eyes. "Yeah, Freya's definitely sleeping." Ipsen leaned back behind the trunk of the shady kupo nut tree, fumbling to fold his awkwardly large and downy wings on his back. A few stiff and almost ugly navy blue feathers jutted out from the white fluff, his wings molting for the first time.
"Are you sure?" a girl asked, hanging from the lowest limb of the tree, her chocalate brown tail hanging limply below her as she curled her legs up near her body. Her golden brown hair was done in a short ponytail, many strands escaping the oppressive tyranny of the scrunchie.
"Pretty sure," Ipsen replied. The girl hopped from the tree, throwing the stray hairs from her face and revealing a small yellow horn. She fingered a five gil note in her pocket and smiled.
"Okay, I'll go back to town and get the gyshal greens, you stay here and make sure Freya doesn't get up." Robin told him, summarizing a plan that they had discussed prior to this meeting.
"But what if something happens to you? Are you sure I can't come?" Ipsen pleaded, not wanting to be alone.
"No, if Freya wakes up then what are we gonna do?" Robin protested. It wasn't that she didn't want to be near him, she just thought it was more logical that one of them stayed behind.
"I know! I can't do anything if I'm here." Ipsen retorted. He then added pessimistically, "We're both gonna get in trouble anyway."
"Oh fine, we'll both go." Robin sighed. "Come on, she's not getting any sleepier."
"Okay," he nodded and joined Robin in the short walk back to their home town of Alexandria. It was a breezy, warm summer day, the plains outside the grand city were crisp and green, swaying rythmically back and forth. They were nearly to the gates of the city when Robin looked back and chuckled.
"Man, did we give her slip." she commented, entering the gates. Ipsen joined her in a small laugh and then resumed his usual steady, but not shy, silence. He was usually a very quiet and quick witted boy, but when him and Robin were together, the two always found someway to find trouble and mischief. That was how they recieved their pet names among the adults of the gang, Robin was often refered to as 'Goodfellow' and Ipsen was just 'Imp'. Garnet thought it was all the time Zidane allowed Robin to visit Blank and the other members of Tantalus, but he continued denying it.
The two children walked down the bustling streets of the city, looking about for the greens vendor. Both were hoping that if Freya did wake up and didn't find them out in the field, where she distinctly told them to stay, she would go easy on them, seeing how it was both their birthdays. Curiously, no one had said anything about a celebration and everything went on as routine, with the exception of Freya's visitation.
Ipsen sighed and looked up to the sky, not paying attention to a thing that was going on. All of a sudden, he felt a painful jerk and was pulled into an alley by a very tall and frightening looking thief. "H-help!" he shouted, but the man clasped a grungy hand over his mouth. He thrashed about, beating his wings for all they were worth and kicking his legs like no tommorrow, but the man had him too tightly. Another man with four arms came around and looked him over.
"Smoky, check his pockets." the four armed man ordered.
"Ipsen?" Robin asked, peeking her head around the corner of the alley. Ipsen tried to call out and warm her, but a third thief, a stout woman jumped out and seized the child. The four-armed man looked to Ipsen's gruff captor.
"The mage ain't got nothin' Jack," he reported. Jack looked to the woman.
"She's got five gil."
"Man, you'd think a couple of freaks would have more cash." Jack said, putting his top set of arms behind his head. Robin continued struggling against the woman's grip, when she finally sunk her teeth into her captor's arm.
"Ah! You little bastard!" she cursed and reached for Robin again. The girl ran away from her, only to discover Jack was blocking her only way of escape, both sets of arms open and ready to strike. She dove at the man holding Ipsen, savagely biting and butting him with her sturdy horn, until he finally relinquished his prey. Ipsen stood up after the fall, somewhat shaky. He looked to Robin then to the gang of thieves surrounding them.
"Now what?" he asked, half out of sarcasm, half out of fear.
"Your dads been teaching you how to do magic, right?" she asked out of the corner of her mouth, the thieves merely watching the two children intently, waiting for the right moment to spring.
Ipsen nodded.
"Well, then do some magic!" she whispered bitterly.
"B-but I..." Ipsen whispered back, unable to find a good excuse not to. He sighed and added with a small chuckle, "Okay, but I'm not responsible for any third degree burns."
The small mage held out his palms and murmured an incantation, its words sounding mysterious and dream-like. And in a moment, flames burst out around two of the thieves ankles. They cried out in pain and shot past Jack. He grumbled at their cowardice and turned to the kids. "Your little fireworks don't scare me." he murmured and took a menacing step toward them.
"Okay, now would be a good time for another spell," Robin suggested as the space between them and Jack got smaller, even as the backed away.
"I can't, I'm spent for magic." he shrugged.
"What do you....ah!" Robin started, but was interupted by Jack suddenly grabbing her by the tail and holding her. Before Ipsen had a chance to react, the thief grabbed him by the underside of his wing.
"I'll teach you two runts to mess with Alleyway Jack," he said as he dropped Ipsen on the ground forcefully. Once again, he was too quick for the boy to react, and put a foot on Ipsen's back. He then grabbed Ipsen by a handful of feathers and yanked, causing the small mage to cry out in pain.
"Leave him alone you four-armed freak!" Robin demanded, trying to take a swing at Jack, but, of course, missing. He raised her up to eye level.
"You want a turn?" Jack asked, a twisted grin creeping across his face. He gave Ipsen's wing another violent jerk. The mage cried out in pain again, salty tears stinging his eyes and streaming down his cheeks. "Let me finish with this runt...."
With one final jerk, the handful of down was torn from their anchored pores with a sickening ripping sound. Jack laughed when the mage cried out again in pain. He whimpered in surprise when the clank of a spear sounded behind them.
"Leave them alone," said Freya, pulling her spear from the dirt and pointing it at Jack.
The four-armed man choked to find words, but merely grumbled and dropped Robin and the handful of feathers, walking out of the alley nonchalantly. Freya looked to the two youths on the ground, Robin rubbing her bottom as Ipsen sniffled and inspected himself.
Freya came over and looked at Ipsen's wing, touching the tender spot where all the down had been jerked out, the painful, raw skin exposed, slightly bleeding. Freya bit her lip and looked at him. "Are you alright?"
He sniffled and nodded. "And you?" she asked, looking to Robin.
"I'm fine."
"Good, you two are in alot of trouble." she reported sternly, glaring at the two of them. "I told you two to stay in the field."
"But we were just..." Robin started out, but was interupted by Freya.
"Goodfellow," she said the girl's nickname with unbending sternness. "I'm not in the mood. Come on, you still have a few hours to play." Robin gave an exaperated sigh and began walking out of the alley, Ipsen still sitting on the ground. "You too, Imp."
Freya said as she began walking away.
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"I guess we're not gonna our chocobo," Ipsen sighed, looking to Robin.
"Guess not," she groaned and put her arms behind her head.
"Is THAT why you two snuck off?" Freya asked, looking back.
Robin decided it was already too late to hide their scheme. "Yeah, we were gonna buy some gyshal greens and try to lure a chocobo into a trap." she explained.
"Oh really?" Freya said, bemused. "And what trap would that be?"
"I don't know, we haven't made it yet." Robin shrugged.
Freya chuckled. "Alright, you two stay within earshot, we're going to be heading back to the castle in another hour." she told them and went under the tree she had been sleeping under.
"OKay," the two chorused and went off to find something to amuse themselves with. Robin hopped up in the nearest tree and called down to Ipsen.
"Come up here!" she said.
"Why?" Ipsen asked, watching an ant hill.
"Just come up here," Robin said, "There's a bird nest and it's cool!"
"Okay, hold on," Ipsen said and kicked the ant hill, sending the small insects flying. He went by the tree Robin was in and looked up, trying to find a decent bough to get himself onto. He heard Robin trying to hold back fits of laughter, for some reason unknown to him. He shrugged, grabbed the lowest branch and scrambled up the trunk. "OKay, where's the bird nest?" he asked, looking up to his friend, who was sitting on the branch above him.
"There is no bird nest," Robin giggled playfully.
"Then why did you..." Ipsen started out, but was interupted by Robin jumping from her branch and on him, nearly knocking him out of the tree. "Hey, what gives?!" he said, clinging to the trunk.
"You're it!" she said smugly and jumped to the next highest branch. Ipsen gave her a wide-eyed look.
"Th-that's not fair!" he exclaimed, standing on the branch.
Overhead, Robin shouted, "All is fair in love and tag!"
Ipsen grumbled and clambered up the trunk, in a clumsy and awkward fashion, slipping up every so often. Whenever he came within reaching distance of the girl, she would slip away, jumping to another branch. He grumbled again as he caught onto the next branch and pulled himself up, Robin already on the branch he was just on. Getting bored with playfully teasing Ipsen, Robin scrambled down the tree and landed on the soft, green grass with a thump and dashed across the field. The mage realized this and quickly followed her, falling out of the tree and, after a few moments, continuing the chase.
Finally, the mage jumped on Robin, knocking her over. "I got you!!!" he said between breaths, still keeping the genome girl pinned. Robin laughed and, with a swift but struggled motion, she knocked Ipsen off and pinned him on the ground.
"Now you're it!" she laughed. Ipsen rolled her over, using his weight to keep her down.
"Got ya!" he said. They continued the pattern of pinning one another to the ground, laughing and shouting the periodic, "Pinned ya!"
It was beginning to get on in the afternoon when Freya pulled them away from one another and began walking back toward Alexandria.
"OKay, well, I'll see you later." Ipsen said as he broke off from the group and began walking toward his house.
"Where on Earth are you going Imp?" Freya chuckled. "All of us are going to the castle."
Ipsen gave the Burmecian an inquisitive look and then shifted his glance to Robin. She shrugged.
*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`
"It's dark in here," Robin said as they entered the usually brightly lit entrance room of the castle. Ipsen edged close to Freya and grabbed her tail insecurely. He hadn't inherited his father's fear of heights, but was terrified of the dark, even though he could see very well in the dark.
"Well then why don't we find some light?" Freya suggested. At that word, all the flame torches and the chandiler lit up, revealing Zidane, Eiko, Amarant, everyone from the travels.
Garnet ran up and gave Robin a fond embrace and a kiss. "Happy birthday sweetie," she said in the girl's ear. Garnet then bent over and gave Ipsen a peck on the cheek. "You too."
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Author's Note: Whoo whoo! I was planning on finishing this yesterday or earlier today while my little brother was away, but I had to pick up on HIS chores as well as mine so it didn't happen. Unfortunatley, I won't get as far as I had hoped with typing up new chapters. Today is Nov. 8, so I don't know when I'm gonna post this. probably next weekend, just to keep you guys squirming.... o EVIL!!!
BTW (eh, acronyms) I will give you the solution to the allusion I made in this chapter in refrence to Shakespeare at the end of next chapter so....HOO CHYA!
~NeoNaoNeo
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Author's Note: Okay, I think I'm going to stick with this divider, it seems nice enough and descriptive of my mood (I feel like astriks and apostrophes!). I apologize for the time lapses in the chapters to come. Although I'll try to keep it in somewhat of a consistent flow of events. It'll all make sense in time Reader-san.
'nother note of happy doom! We gots a new computer and the speakers are soooo fun! They sound better than my CD player and I am a happy pig!!!
And now a special contest! You won't win anything, but it's still fun. If you can pick out my Shakespeare allusion in this chapter and can state the play it's from you will get a pat on the back. Good luck!
~NeoNaoNeo
*`*`*`*`*`*`*
"Let's crack it open and see if it gots one of them super powered orphans inside!"~"My Life as A Teenage Robot" (I know, it's sad)
*`*`*`*`*`*`*
Chapter 4: Six years Later
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"She's sleeping," Ipsen reported, squinting his keen eyes. "Yeah, Freya's definitely sleeping." Ipsen leaned back behind the trunk of the shady kupo nut tree, fumbling to fold his awkwardly large and downy wings on his back. A few stiff and almost ugly navy blue feathers jutted out from the white fluff, his wings molting for the first time.
"Are you sure?" a girl asked, hanging from the lowest limb of the tree, her chocalate brown tail hanging limply below her as she curled her legs up near her body. Her golden brown hair was done in a short ponytail, many strands escaping the oppressive tyranny of the scrunchie.
"Pretty sure," Ipsen replied. The girl hopped from the tree, throwing the stray hairs from her face and revealing a small yellow horn. She fingered a five gil note in her pocket and smiled.
"Okay, I'll go back to town and get the gyshal greens, you stay here and make sure Freya doesn't get up." Robin told him, summarizing a plan that they had discussed prior to this meeting.
"But what if something happens to you? Are you sure I can't come?" Ipsen pleaded, not wanting to be alone.
"No, if Freya wakes up then what are we gonna do?" Robin protested. It wasn't that she didn't want to be near him, she just thought it was more logical that one of them stayed behind.
"I know! I can't do anything if I'm here." Ipsen retorted. He then added pessimistically, "We're both gonna get in trouble anyway."
"Oh fine, we'll both go." Robin sighed. "Come on, she's not getting any sleepier."
"Okay," he nodded and joined Robin in the short walk back to their home town of Alexandria. It was a breezy, warm summer day, the plains outside the grand city were crisp and green, swaying rythmically back and forth. They were nearly to the gates of the city when Robin looked back and chuckled.
"Man, did we give her slip." she commented, entering the gates. Ipsen joined her in a small laugh and then resumed his usual steady, but not shy, silence. He was usually a very quiet and quick witted boy, but when him and Robin were together, the two always found someway to find trouble and mischief. That was how they recieved their pet names among the adults of the gang, Robin was often refered to as 'Goodfellow' and Ipsen was just 'Imp'. Garnet thought it was all the time Zidane allowed Robin to visit Blank and the other members of Tantalus, but he continued denying it.
The two children walked down the bustling streets of the city, looking about for the greens vendor. Both were hoping that if Freya did wake up and didn't find them out in the field, where she distinctly told them to stay, she would go easy on them, seeing how it was both their birthdays. Curiously, no one had said anything about a celebration and everything went on as routine, with the exception of Freya's visitation.
Ipsen sighed and looked up to the sky, not paying attention to a thing that was going on. All of a sudden, he felt a painful jerk and was pulled into an alley by a very tall and frightening looking thief. "H-help!" he shouted, but the man clasped a grungy hand over his mouth. He thrashed about, beating his wings for all they were worth and kicking his legs like no tommorrow, but the man had him too tightly. Another man with four arms came around and looked him over.
"Smoky, check his pockets." the four armed man ordered.
"Ipsen?" Robin asked, peeking her head around the corner of the alley. Ipsen tried to call out and warm her, but a third thief, a stout woman jumped out and seized the child. The four-armed man looked to Ipsen's gruff captor.
"The mage ain't got nothin' Jack," he reported. Jack looked to the woman.
"She's got five gil."
"Man, you'd think a couple of freaks would have more cash." Jack said, putting his top set of arms behind his head. Robin continued struggling against the woman's grip, when she finally sunk her teeth into her captor's arm.
"Ah! You little bastard!" she cursed and reached for Robin again. The girl ran away from her, only to discover Jack was blocking her only way of escape, both sets of arms open and ready to strike. She dove at the man holding Ipsen, savagely biting and butting him with her sturdy horn, until he finally relinquished his prey. Ipsen stood up after the fall, somewhat shaky. He looked to Robin then to the gang of thieves surrounding them.
"Now what?" he asked, half out of sarcasm, half out of fear.
"Your dads been teaching you how to do magic, right?" she asked out of the corner of her mouth, the thieves merely watching the two children intently, waiting for the right moment to spring.
Ipsen nodded.
"Well, then do some magic!" she whispered bitterly.
"B-but I..." Ipsen whispered back, unable to find a good excuse not to. He sighed and added with a small chuckle, "Okay, but I'm not responsible for any third degree burns."
The small mage held out his palms and murmured an incantation, its words sounding mysterious and dream-like. And in a moment, flames burst out around two of the thieves ankles. They cried out in pain and shot past Jack. He grumbled at their cowardice and turned to the kids. "Your little fireworks don't scare me." he murmured and took a menacing step toward them.
"Okay, now would be a good time for another spell," Robin suggested as the space between them and Jack got smaller, even as the backed away.
"I can't, I'm spent for magic." he shrugged.
"What do you....ah!" Robin started, but was interupted by Jack suddenly grabbing her by the tail and holding her. Before Ipsen had a chance to react, the thief grabbed him by the underside of his wing.
"I'll teach you two runts to mess with Alleyway Jack," he said as he dropped Ipsen on the ground forcefully. Once again, he was too quick for the boy to react, and put a foot on Ipsen's back. He then grabbed Ipsen by a handful of feathers and yanked, causing the small mage to cry out in pain.
"Leave him alone you four-armed freak!" Robin demanded, trying to take a swing at Jack, but, of course, missing. He raised her up to eye level.
"You want a turn?" Jack asked, a twisted grin creeping across his face. He gave Ipsen's wing another violent jerk. The mage cried out in pain again, salty tears stinging his eyes and streaming down his cheeks. "Let me finish with this runt...."
With one final jerk, the handful of down was torn from their anchored pores with a sickening ripping sound. Jack laughed when the mage cried out again in pain. He whimpered in surprise when the clank of a spear sounded behind them.
"Leave them alone," said Freya, pulling her spear from the dirt and pointing it at Jack.
The four-armed man choked to find words, but merely grumbled and dropped Robin and the handful of feathers, walking out of the alley nonchalantly. Freya looked to the two youths on the ground, Robin rubbing her bottom as Ipsen sniffled and inspected himself.
Freya came over and looked at Ipsen's wing, touching the tender spot where all the down had been jerked out, the painful, raw skin exposed, slightly bleeding. Freya bit her lip and looked at him. "Are you alright?"
He sniffled and nodded. "And you?" she asked, looking to Robin.
"I'm fine."
"Good, you two are in alot of trouble." she reported sternly, glaring at the two of them. "I told you two to stay in the field."
"But we were just..." Robin started out, but was interupted by Freya.
"Goodfellow," she said the girl's nickname with unbending sternness. "I'm not in the mood. Come on, you still have a few hours to play." Robin gave an exaperated sigh and began walking out of the alley, Ipsen still sitting on the ground. "You too, Imp."
Freya said as she began walking away.
*`*`*`*`*`*`*`
"I guess we're not gonna our chocobo," Ipsen sighed, looking to Robin.
"Guess not," she groaned and put her arms behind her head.
"Is THAT why you two snuck off?" Freya asked, looking back.
Robin decided it was already too late to hide their scheme. "Yeah, we were gonna buy some gyshal greens and try to lure a chocobo into a trap." she explained.
"Oh really?" Freya said, bemused. "And what trap would that be?"
"I don't know, we haven't made it yet." Robin shrugged.
Freya chuckled. "Alright, you two stay within earshot, we're going to be heading back to the castle in another hour." she told them and went under the tree she had been sleeping under.
"OKay," the two chorused and went off to find something to amuse themselves with. Robin hopped up in the nearest tree and called down to Ipsen.
"Come up here!" she said.
"Why?" Ipsen asked, watching an ant hill.
"Just come up here," Robin said, "There's a bird nest and it's cool!"
"Okay, hold on," Ipsen said and kicked the ant hill, sending the small insects flying. He went by the tree Robin was in and looked up, trying to find a decent bough to get himself onto. He heard Robin trying to hold back fits of laughter, for some reason unknown to him. He shrugged, grabbed the lowest branch and scrambled up the trunk. "OKay, where's the bird nest?" he asked, looking up to his friend, who was sitting on the branch above him.
"There is no bird nest," Robin giggled playfully.
"Then why did you..." Ipsen started out, but was interupted by Robin jumping from her branch and on him, nearly knocking him out of the tree. "Hey, what gives?!" he said, clinging to the trunk.
"You're it!" she said smugly and jumped to the next highest branch. Ipsen gave her a wide-eyed look.
"Th-that's not fair!" he exclaimed, standing on the branch.
Overhead, Robin shouted, "All is fair in love and tag!"
Ipsen grumbled and clambered up the trunk, in a clumsy and awkward fashion, slipping up every so often. Whenever he came within reaching distance of the girl, she would slip away, jumping to another branch. He grumbled again as he caught onto the next branch and pulled himself up, Robin already on the branch he was just on. Getting bored with playfully teasing Ipsen, Robin scrambled down the tree and landed on the soft, green grass with a thump and dashed across the field. The mage realized this and quickly followed her, falling out of the tree and, after a few moments, continuing the chase.
Finally, the mage jumped on Robin, knocking her over. "I got you!!!" he said between breaths, still keeping the genome girl pinned. Robin laughed and, with a swift but struggled motion, she knocked Ipsen off and pinned him on the ground.
"Now you're it!" she laughed. Ipsen rolled her over, using his weight to keep her down.
"Got ya!" he said. They continued the pattern of pinning one another to the ground, laughing and shouting the periodic, "Pinned ya!"
It was beginning to get on in the afternoon when Freya pulled them away from one another and began walking back toward Alexandria.
"OKay, well, I'll see you later." Ipsen said as he broke off from the group and began walking toward his house.
"Where on Earth are you going Imp?" Freya chuckled. "All of us are going to the castle."
Ipsen gave the Burmecian an inquisitive look and then shifted his glance to Robin. She shrugged.
*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`
"It's dark in here," Robin said as they entered the usually brightly lit entrance room of the castle. Ipsen edged close to Freya and grabbed her tail insecurely. He hadn't inherited his father's fear of heights, but was terrified of the dark, even though he could see very well in the dark.
"Well then why don't we find some light?" Freya suggested. At that word, all the flame torches and the chandiler lit up, revealing Zidane, Eiko, Amarant, everyone from the travels.
Garnet ran up and gave Robin a fond embrace and a kiss. "Happy birthday sweetie," she said in the girl's ear. Garnet then bent over and gave Ipsen a peck on the cheek. "You too."
`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`
Author's Note: Whoo whoo! I was planning on finishing this yesterday or earlier today while my little brother was away, but I had to pick up on HIS chores as well as mine so it didn't happen. Unfortunatley, I won't get as far as I had hoped with typing up new chapters. Today is Nov. 8, so I don't know when I'm gonna post this. probably next weekend, just to keep you guys squirming.... o EVIL!!!
BTW (eh, acronyms) I will give you the solution to the allusion I made in this chapter in refrence to Shakespeare at the end of next chapter so....HOO CHYA!
~NeoNaoNeo