Blind Traveler
"-We lived through it all!"
These were the first words to come to Anita when she gained consciousness. She felt solid, grainy ground beneath her. She bolted upright, only to find herself faced with pain in her chest from doing so. She sniffed the air, and the smells of Puck, Fratley, blood, and charred wood came to her.
"Hello," Puck said gruffly. "So you lived too."
"My chest hurts," Anita replied with a slight wince.
"Broken ribs. I suffered a broken leg. And Puck suffered nothing, lucky bastard," Fratley explained, clearly in a bad mood.
"Your shoulders gave me protection," Puck replied happily.
Anita sniffed the ground. The smell of Burmecians was faint, but blood, charred wood, and death were not. Anita sniffed the air once more, ignoring the smells of Puck and Fratley. She immediately caught the scent of charred wood, blood, and death once more. What had happened? Anita jogged her memory. She quickly remembered the screaming, the exploding sound, and the drop.
"What happened?" Anita asked, more to herself than to anyone else.
"Cleyra went boom, to put it simply," Puck replied. "Queen Brahne used Odin to blow the place up. I think we're the only survivors-"
"HUNGRY!"
The shout startled Anita into scrambling to her feet. She sniffed the air, and an odd scent came to her. It was the same scent she had detected before something rammed into her.
"Or maybe not," Puck was saying grimly. "Not a Qu!"
The ground began to shake slightly. Anita backed away and sniffed the air. The odd scent was closer, and the ground vibrations seemed to be coming directly at her. She couldn't waste time. Anita turned around and ran.
Anita heard the softer tap of footsteps behind her, but she didn't expect to feel sudden weight on her shoulders. She tried to adjust to it, but failed. She slammed into the ground, getting sand in her nose and mouth. She sneezed while the sudden weight left.
"Relax! What'd ya run for?" Puck asked, and his voice was directly above Anita.
The pain in Anita's chest had reached a crescendo due to the fall, and she didn't answer. The ground had stopped shaking.
"You have yummy-yummies?" asked an odd voice.
"No," Fratley replied.
"Who are you, anyway?" Puck asked.
"I Quina!" the odd voice replied.
The name seemed familiar, but Anita didn't think much of it. She rose to a sitting position, rubbing her aching chest. Fratley and Quina were still talking, but she wasn't focusing on it. The pain was dulling her senses.
"Here."
Puck's voice seemed faraway, but she felt something cold being held against one of her hands. Slowly Anita felt the cold object. It felt smooth and cold. She grasped it, feeling its shape. It seemed round. She held it to her nose and sniffed it. An odd smell came to her.
"It's a Potion," Puck said.
Though unsure of what a Potion was, Anita tilted the flask. A cool liquid entered her mouth. It had an odd taste, but it was not so bad as to make her gag. Anita quickly swallowed the liquid. At first she felt nothing, but then she suddenly felt extremely light. She dropped the flask and soon felt it in her lap. She felt warmth, then heard soft music, and suddenly the pain in her chest was replaced with only a slight ache.
"What was that?" Anita asked.
"I already told you, a Potion. It healed you," Puck repeated.
"Do you have any more?" Fratley asked.
"No. That was my only one," Puck replied.
"Damn," Fratley muttered.
"I hungry! You have yummy-yummies?" Quina asked.
"No, we don't have food! Go away!" Puck shouted.
"How am I supposed to move?" Fratley wailed. "We're going to be stuck in the middle of a desert with a Qu!"
"I guess Anita will have to carry you," Puck said teasingly.
Hearing these words, Anita slowly rose to her feet. She sniffed the air, and detected Fratley's scent. She heard his voice, and walked in that direction, sniffing the air. His scent soon was the strongest of all, though his voice had left. Anita knelt down and felt for Fratley. She soon felt fur. She continued to feel it, and concluded to have found Fratley's nose. She continued feeling, soon passing to his neck, then his shoulders, then his arms. She felt his body, down to his legs, where she felt him wince. After a few more seconds, Anita had concluded what she must do. She re-felt for Fratley's shoulders with one hand, then found his knees. She then scooped him into her arms with no problems.
"Wow," Puck said with admiration. "I didn't mean it, but you did that with no problems."
"You don't have to carry me," Fratley said.
"You're not heavy," Anita replied.
"Well, I guess we should figure out where to go," Puck said, and Anita heard something shift in the sand. "How about that way?"
"Puck, she's blind, remember? She can't see where you're pointing," Fratley groaned.
"Oops, forgot," Puck muttered. He then said in a louder voice. "We're going east, okay?"
Anita nodded.
"Can I come?" Quina asked.
"No," Puck snapped.
"He's going to follow anyway," Fratley moaned.
"All right. Hut, hut, everyone!" Puck shouted.
Anita heard something scrape against sand, and she felt slight vibrations. She began to follow these vibrations eastward. Behind her, she felt heavier vibrations, and concluded them to be Quina.
"What a party," Fratley muttered. "The Prince, a Qu, a memoryless Dragon Warrior, and a blind Burmecian. We're going to be a laughing stock of the world."
"We're alive, and that's all that should matter," Anita announced. "Quit complaining. You should be happy, Fratley. Happy to be alive."
Fratley was silent. In fact, the world suddenly seemed silent. Anita could only hear what she assumed to be sand shifting, and she could only feel the vibrations of footsteps. She suppressed a sigh. It seemed that this walk would be boring.
But at least you're alive, Anita reminded herself firmly.
Sad thoughts came to Anita. She remembered all the people who died, and she remembered Din. He had died saving her. He hadn't cared about his life. It was hers he had been concerned about. Then all the other Burmecians, some Anita didn't know. They had died saving people like her. They had died only to help innocents.
The Dragon Warriors. Were they gone? Anita sighed. She wished she knew the answers. She wished someone else were here.
She suddenly missed Din.
"All right, break time," Puck announced four hours later.
Anita had been feeling soft grasses beneath her feet for two hours. She was relieved to know they would take a break. Fratley had been getting heavy. She felt the slight vibrations from something dropping to the ground. She sniffed the air, and smelled wood. She walked over to the smell and placed Fratley carefully on the ground.
"Wish we had food," Puck muttered.
"I get some!" Quina announced, and Anita felt vibrations within the ground.
"Find some?" Puck asked with confusion. "Oh well, at least he's gone. I'm going to search for some flint an' stuff. Anita, stay here, 'K?"
Anita nodded and sat down. She felt the ground, and felt soft grass. She moved her hand along the ground until she felt something solid yet rough. She concluded it to be wood. She followed the wood until she met air. She then retreated her hand.
"A fireplace," Fratley said quietly. "Except it has no fire."
An inhuman scream came from the distance. Anita turned her head slightly in the direction it seemed to come from and sniffed the air. She then stiffened.
"A monster!" she declared.
"I heard it, but I don't see it," Fratley replied.
Anita sniffed the air again. The scent of the monster came again. She then sniffed the air near Fratley. She quickly compared the strength of the two scents.
"It's close," she said.
"How do you know?" Fratley asked.
"Its scent is fairly strong."
The inhuman scream came again, and this time Anita scrambled to her feet. The scream was much closer. She sniffed the air, only to find the scent was closer too. She soon felt vibrations within the ground - heavy vibrations, with a steady one-two-three-four rhythm.
"It's coming," Anita announced.
"From where? I can't see it. Damn you, Puck, for stopping in the darkness!" Fratley cursed.
"It's dark?" Anita asked.
One two three four.
"Very dark. My eyes don't want to work," Fratley said.
"Then stop using your eyes," Anita commanded. The vibrations kept getting closer.
"What?"
One two three four.
"Stop using your eyes!" Anita repeated. "Use your other senses! Pretend you're me."
One two three four.
The inhuman scream came once more. Anita immediately turned toward it. She held out her hand, and was shocked when she felt warm air push against it. She heard a snort before feeling this warm air.
"Fratley?" Anita managed to breathe.
"Yes?" Fratley asked.
"The monster is in front of me," Anita squeaked.
The monster's next scream made Anita's ears ring. She kept her hand out, and felt something push against it. She felt warm breath in her face.
"I see it," Fratley announced. "Stay perfectly still. Don't move."
Anita didn't plan on moving. She was frozen with the fear of a monster right in front of her. She could still feel it breathing on her, and she could still feel something furry push against her hand. She assumed it was the monster. Behind her, she heard something shift. She heard something scrape against the ground, and she assumed this to be metal. She felt slight vibrations behind her, and she heard the monster snarl.
"Fratley?" Anita asked.
Suddenly she felt a rush of air, and she heard something rip. The monster let out an angry scream. Anita then felt another rush of air, and she heard flesh hit flesh. She felt a vibration as someone hit the ground. She then felt something hit her hard in the face. Something sharp dug into her face and ripped at her face. Anita let out a startled scream as she fell onto her back.
Anita felt a rush of air, then a rush of heat that made her right cheek sting. She felt something slam into her stomach, with something sharp digging into it. She then felt it pull away suddenly, slashing her. Anita yelped with pain while the monster roared with pain. Anita scrambled to her feet and ran ahead. She tripped over the fireplace she understood Puck had set up. She slammed into the ground. Behind her, the monster screamed and she heard something cut open flesh.
One two three four. Vibrations traveled through the ground, and they seemed to indicate something leaving. Slowly Anita lifted her face and sniffed the air. The smell of the monster lingered, but it was slowly becoming faint. She could smell blood, however, and she felt a warm fluid sliding down her face. She soon felt the odd, abnormal one vibration that came from a person limping.
"Are you all right?" Fratley asked, and his voice was close by. "You're bleeding."
"How did you do that? Your leg is broken," Anita gasped, rising into a sitting position.
There was a brief silence. Anita could feel vibrations coming from the distance. Something was returning. But the one-two, one-two vibrations came from a two-legged creature, not a four-legged monster.
"I had to," Fratley said quietly. "The monster would've eaten you if I hadn't moved. It was painful, but a small price to pay. Here."
Anita felt something soft being held against her nose. She took it and felt it. It seemed to be a cloth. Anita wiped at the warm fluid on her face until she could no longer feel any. Now the cloth was warm and soaked.
"Your stomach feel all right?" Fratley asked.
Anita nodded. She had felt a little warm fluid near her stomach, but not much. The vibrations were becoming rougher, and therefore the creature was coming closer. Anita sniffed the air nervously, but quickly relaxed when Quina's smell came to her nostrils. Puck's scent was also nearby, but she couldn't feel the vibrations from his walk.
"Quina?" Fratley asked.
"Yes?" Quina's voice replied.
"Oh, so it is you," Fratley said.
"I brought food!" Quina announced proudly.
Anita heard something drop to the ground. She rose to her feet and walked over to the location of the sound. She sniffed near the ground, feeling it with her hand, and soon felt something. She felt the material, and concluded it to be a basket.
"Where did you get this?" Anita asked.
"I carry everything you need for food!" Quina announced proudly.
Anita felt the insides of the basket. She felt something round and smooth. She picked the object up and sniffed it. It smelled like a fruit, and Anita began to eat it.
"You like fruit?" Quina asked. "That good!"
"What are you all talking about?"
Anita had been so busy eating she hadn't heard Puck arrive. She did, however, hear a soft clink, soon followed by a soft roar. Soon, Anita felt slight heat.
"You got a fire started?" Anita guessed.
"Yep," Puck replied proudly. "No monsters should bug us now."
"That's good," Fratley muttered. "I'm in no condition to fight."
"I fight!" Quina offered.
"No," Puck replied.
"He may be some use as a guard," Anita pointed out after swallowing some of the fruit. "Let him try."
"I see her point," Fratley commented. "Quina, you can be guard."
"Okay!" Quina said happily.
Anita finished eating the fruit. She had no more appetite, however. The pain in her stomach came from loneliness, not a need for food. She didn't know Quina at all, so he was no use for company. Fratley had changed drastically due to memory loss, so he offered no comfort. As for Puck. Puck never offered company. He was only annoying to most people.
Suppressing a sigh, Anita sniffed the air, and caught the scent of the fire. She moved in the direction of the scent, and soon found warmth. She curled up near the fire and closed her eyes. Though she had planned on feigning sleep, she soon found it wasn't need as her mind drifted into a world of dreams.
The smells of soot, cooked meat, and flowers were the first things to come to Anita's nostrils when Puck shook her awake.
"Quina caught some meat last night," Puck announced sleepily. "Would tell you what it is but it'd make you throw up so I won't say."
Anita slowly rose into a sitting position. She felt something warm being held near her hand. She took the item, sniffed it, and discovered it to be meat. Anita began to eat slowly. She could hear the rustling of grasses as the rest of the party evidently stirred. Anita ate the meat slowly, listening attentively for sudden sounds or vibrations.
"Today I'm sure we'll reach Lindblum," Puck announced.
"But don't we have a while to go?" Fratley asked.
"We'll make it. You just watch," Puck retorted.
"I'll be watching," Fratley replied.
Silence followed. Anita had finished the meat, and she put the remaining bone aside.
"Anyone have water?" Anita asked.
Anita heard something hit the ground near her. She felt for it, and soon picked it up. Careful feeling proved it to be a water flask. Anita felt for the top, and slowly opened it. She then took a long drink, closed the water flask, and put it aside. The silence that continued was getting uncomfortable, and Anita managed not to sigh.
"All right, in two minutes we leave," Puck suddenly announced.
Within two minutes, the party was on the move.
"All right, let's break."
Anita collapsed to the ground. She had been lucky enough to hand Fratley over to Quina an hour before, but that didn't mean she wasn't exhausted. Judging by the other vibrations she felt, she wasn't the only one exhausted.
"It's noon," Fratley muttered. "And I see Lindblum."
"We'll be there by evening!" Puck announced.
"How can you be so sure?" Fratley asked.
"Oh, you'll see. Hey, Anita, you okay?" Puck asked.
"Tired," Anita replied.
"You look pretty silly lying on your back like that," Puck told her.
"I don't care," Anita said with a sigh. "I can't see myself anyway."
"Good point," Puck muttered softly.
There was soft silence. Anita sighed, sick of silence.
"What's Lindblum like?" Anita asked.
"Oh, it's really big! And the architecture is really something to see! And the airships-" Puck began.
"Puck, in my terms, please," Anita interrupted.
"Oh. Yeah, sorry," Puck muttered. He took a deep breath. "Well, there is a lot of noise. The airships are really noisy. You've probably never heard them before so they may be a surprise. Oh, and the food smells really good! And thankfully it tastes as good as it smells. There are thousands of restaurants. The people are fairly nice, too. They try to help you. Well, most of them. They are all really different too. They all have funny accents and I bet they smell pretty weird too."
Anita was trying to imagine thousands of different smells.
"It sounds really confusing," Anita commented.
Puck laughed. "Newcomers always get lost."
"I hope I don't," Anita replied.
"I wonder if the Regent will even let you explore," Puck commented thoughtfully. "He's really nice to all newcomers. He may not let you explore for your sake."
"Oh, it's not that I don't want to explore. I don't want to get lost. I want to smell lots of smells," Anita immediately said. "Burmecia didn't have variety. All the smells on this crazy journey. Are you saying that I will smell many more at Lindblum?"
"Mmmm. Yes, lots more!" Puck replied after some thought.
"Wow," Anita said, surprised. "That's a lot to smell."
"It's a lot to see, too," Puck replied. "You don't know what you're missing."
"You're right," Anita said, but her voice held no regret. It was neutral. "I don't."
"I feel bad for people like you," Puck said.
"I don't need your sympathy," Anita replied. "I'm fine."
As Anita said this she rose to a sitting position, and looked in the general direction Puck's voice had been traveling from.
"How do you know I'm here?" Puck asked.
"I don't," Anita replied. "I just know your voice is coming from there."
"Well, you've found me. You're staring straight at me," Puck said. "It's spooky."
"I didn't mean to spook you," Anita said in apology. She then turned her head away, not knowing what she was looking at now.
"Hello," Fratley said, and his voice traveled from the direction Anita's head was facing.
"You aren't spooked, are you?" Anita asked, knowing Fratley was there.
"Not at all," Fratley replied, and Anita heard his smile.
"All right, all right, break's over," Puck said. "Time to get to Lindblum!"
"I feel silly making a request, but. Could you carry me, Anita? Quina's not exactly pleasant, his breath in particular," Fratley said.
Anita couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh fine. Your wish is my command," Anita replied.
Within a minute, Anita had picked up Fratley. Feeling rough vibrations in the ground, Anita concluded that Quina had already started off. Anita quickly headed in the direction the vibrations came from. Behind her, Anita could feel softer vibrations from Puck.
"I'm bored," Fratley muttered. "I think I'll try to explain something to you."
"What?" Anita asked.
"Colors," Fratley replied.
"Colors?" Anita repeated.
"Colors," Fratley answered, and Anita could feel his head shifting in what she presumed to be a nod. "You know the name of the color you always see constantly? It's called black."
"Black? People say lots of things are black. Why do they feel sorry for me when they see it too?" Anita asked, confused.
"Because you only see black. You don't see blues or purples or anything else. People don't like to think about just seeing black. Those who have become like you after being able to see usually go mad," Fratley replied. "Now, if you take black and make it as bright as you can, you get white."
"White?" Anita asked. "Bright? Fratley, I don't understand. What's bright?"
"Bright is making something lighter," Fratley explained.
"But what's 'lighter'?" Anita asked with extreme confusion.
"Well," Fratley began, now as confused as Anita was. "It's."
Fratley was silent as he tried to figure out how to explain white. He then sighed with defeat.
"I give up," he said.
"Well, I know black," Anita said with encouragement. "That's pretty good."
"I wish you could know what colors are," Fratley muttered. "They are so pretty."
"It's okay," Anita told him. "Smells are just as pretty."
"Smells? How can smells be pretty?" Fratley asked.
"Try closing your eyes and sniffing the world, and you'll see," Anita replied.
Silence soon came.
"Lindblum ho!" Puck suddenly shouted after a few good hours of walking.
"That's Lindblum, all right," Fratley said. "I'm surprised I remember it."
The vibrations in the ground had ceased, but now Anita felt soft vibrations coming toward her. Someone was approaching.
"Welcome to Lindblum," said a new voice. "Regent Cid is currently accepting all Burmecian immigrants. Please follow me."
"What about the Qu?" Puck asked.
"The Qu is welcome to enter," the voice said. "Follow me, please."
Anita followed the vibrations of the others, and soon she felt smooth ground under her. She sniffed the air, and was overwhelmed by so many different scents she couldn't separate any of them. As they continued walking, she heard a massive roar, and felt a rush of wind. She sniffed the air, only to find more scents. She heard a babble of voices rise above the roar, and another rush of wind came to her.
"Oh my," she whispered.
"I was right, wasn't I?" Puck asked, and Anita heard his grin. "Welcome to Lindblum, Anita!"
--------- *gasps* I actually updated! Heh, I thought it'd be interesting to have Quina around ;) Anyway, so they all reached Lindblum! I'm thinking of continuing this story to Anita's experience in Lindblum. Tell me your opinion! Thank you!
This story is copyright to me. Some characters, events, locations, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.
"-We lived through it all!"
These were the first words to come to Anita when she gained consciousness. She felt solid, grainy ground beneath her. She bolted upright, only to find herself faced with pain in her chest from doing so. She sniffed the air, and the smells of Puck, Fratley, blood, and charred wood came to her.
"Hello," Puck said gruffly. "So you lived too."
"My chest hurts," Anita replied with a slight wince.
"Broken ribs. I suffered a broken leg. And Puck suffered nothing, lucky bastard," Fratley explained, clearly in a bad mood.
"Your shoulders gave me protection," Puck replied happily.
Anita sniffed the ground. The smell of Burmecians was faint, but blood, charred wood, and death were not. Anita sniffed the air once more, ignoring the smells of Puck and Fratley. She immediately caught the scent of charred wood, blood, and death once more. What had happened? Anita jogged her memory. She quickly remembered the screaming, the exploding sound, and the drop.
"What happened?" Anita asked, more to herself than to anyone else.
"Cleyra went boom, to put it simply," Puck replied. "Queen Brahne used Odin to blow the place up. I think we're the only survivors-"
"HUNGRY!"
The shout startled Anita into scrambling to her feet. She sniffed the air, and an odd scent came to her. It was the same scent she had detected before something rammed into her.
"Or maybe not," Puck was saying grimly. "Not a Qu!"
The ground began to shake slightly. Anita backed away and sniffed the air. The odd scent was closer, and the ground vibrations seemed to be coming directly at her. She couldn't waste time. Anita turned around and ran.
Anita heard the softer tap of footsteps behind her, but she didn't expect to feel sudden weight on her shoulders. She tried to adjust to it, but failed. She slammed into the ground, getting sand in her nose and mouth. She sneezed while the sudden weight left.
"Relax! What'd ya run for?" Puck asked, and his voice was directly above Anita.
The pain in Anita's chest had reached a crescendo due to the fall, and she didn't answer. The ground had stopped shaking.
"You have yummy-yummies?" asked an odd voice.
"No," Fratley replied.
"Who are you, anyway?" Puck asked.
"I Quina!" the odd voice replied.
The name seemed familiar, but Anita didn't think much of it. She rose to a sitting position, rubbing her aching chest. Fratley and Quina were still talking, but she wasn't focusing on it. The pain was dulling her senses.
"Here."
Puck's voice seemed faraway, but she felt something cold being held against one of her hands. Slowly Anita felt the cold object. It felt smooth and cold. She grasped it, feeling its shape. It seemed round. She held it to her nose and sniffed it. An odd smell came to her.
"It's a Potion," Puck said.
Though unsure of what a Potion was, Anita tilted the flask. A cool liquid entered her mouth. It had an odd taste, but it was not so bad as to make her gag. Anita quickly swallowed the liquid. At first she felt nothing, but then she suddenly felt extremely light. She dropped the flask and soon felt it in her lap. She felt warmth, then heard soft music, and suddenly the pain in her chest was replaced with only a slight ache.
"What was that?" Anita asked.
"I already told you, a Potion. It healed you," Puck repeated.
"Do you have any more?" Fratley asked.
"No. That was my only one," Puck replied.
"Damn," Fratley muttered.
"I hungry! You have yummy-yummies?" Quina asked.
"No, we don't have food! Go away!" Puck shouted.
"How am I supposed to move?" Fratley wailed. "We're going to be stuck in the middle of a desert with a Qu!"
"I guess Anita will have to carry you," Puck said teasingly.
Hearing these words, Anita slowly rose to her feet. She sniffed the air, and detected Fratley's scent. She heard his voice, and walked in that direction, sniffing the air. His scent soon was the strongest of all, though his voice had left. Anita knelt down and felt for Fratley. She soon felt fur. She continued to feel it, and concluded to have found Fratley's nose. She continued feeling, soon passing to his neck, then his shoulders, then his arms. She felt his body, down to his legs, where she felt him wince. After a few more seconds, Anita had concluded what she must do. She re-felt for Fratley's shoulders with one hand, then found his knees. She then scooped him into her arms with no problems.
"Wow," Puck said with admiration. "I didn't mean it, but you did that with no problems."
"You don't have to carry me," Fratley said.
"You're not heavy," Anita replied.
"Well, I guess we should figure out where to go," Puck said, and Anita heard something shift in the sand. "How about that way?"
"Puck, she's blind, remember? She can't see where you're pointing," Fratley groaned.
"Oops, forgot," Puck muttered. He then said in a louder voice. "We're going east, okay?"
Anita nodded.
"Can I come?" Quina asked.
"No," Puck snapped.
"He's going to follow anyway," Fratley moaned.
"All right. Hut, hut, everyone!" Puck shouted.
Anita heard something scrape against sand, and she felt slight vibrations. She began to follow these vibrations eastward. Behind her, she felt heavier vibrations, and concluded them to be Quina.
"What a party," Fratley muttered. "The Prince, a Qu, a memoryless Dragon Warrior, and a blind Burmecian. We're going to be a laughing stock of the world."
"We're alive, and that's all that should matter," Anita announced. "Quit complaining. You should be happy, Fratley. Happy to be alive."
Fratley was silent. In fact, the world suddenly seemed silent. Anita could only hear what she assumed to be sand shifting, and she could only feel the vibrations of footsteps. She suppressed a sigh. It seemed that this walk would be boring.
But at least you're alive, Anita reminded herself firmly.
Sad thoughts came to Anita. She remembered all the people who died, and she remembered Din. He had died saving her. He hadn't cared about his life. It was hers he had been concerned about. Then all the other Burmecians, some Anita didn't know. They had died saving people like her. They had died only to help innocents.
The Dragon Warriors. Were they gone? Anita sighed. She wished she knew the answers. She wished someone else were here.
She suddenly missed Din.
"All right, break time," Puck announced four hours later.
Anita had been feeling soft grasses beneath her feet for two hours. She was relieved to know they would take a break. Fratley had been getting heavy. She felt the slight vibrations from something dropping to the ground. She sniffed the air, and smelled wood. She walked over to the smell and placed Fratley carefully on the ground.
"Wish we had food," Puck muttered.
"I get some!" Quina announced, and Anita felt vibrations within the ground.
"Find some?" Puck asked with confusion. "Oh well, at least he's gone. I'm going to search for some flint an' stuff. Anita, stay here, 'K?"
Anita nodded and sat down. She felt the ground, and felt soft grass. She moved her hand along the ground until she felt something solid yet rough. She concluded it to be wood. She followed the wood until she met air. She then retreated her hand.
"A fireplace," Fratley said quietly. "Except it has no fire."
An inhuman scream came from the distance. Anita turned her head slightly in the direction it seemed to come from and sniffed the air. She then stiffened.
"A monster!" she declared.
"I heard it, but I don't see it," Fratley replied.
Anita sniffed the air again. The scent of the monster came again. She then sniffed the air near Fratley. She quickly compared the strength of the two scents.
"It's close," she said.
"How do you know?" Fratley asked.
"Its scent is fairly strong."
The inhuman scream came again, and this time Anita scrambled to her feet. The scream was much closer. She sniffed the air, only to find the scent was closer too. She soon felt vibrations within the ground - heavy vibrations, with a steady one-two-three-four rhythm.
"It's coming," Anita announced.
"From where? I can't see it. Damn you, Puck, for stopping in the darkness!" Fratley cursed.
"It's dark?" Anita asked.
One two three four.
"Very dark. My eyes don't want to work," Fratley said.
"Then stop using your eyes," Anita commanded. The vibrations kept getting closer.
"What?"
One two three four.
"Stop using your eyes!" Anita repeated. "Use your other senses! Pretend you're me."
One two three four.
The inhuman scream came once more. Anita immediately turned toward it. She held out her hand, and was shocked when she felt warm air push against it. She heard a snort before feeling this warm air.
"Fratley?" Anita managed to breathe.
"Yes?" Fratley asked.
"The monster is in front of me," Anita squeaked.
The monster's next scream made Anita's ears ring. She kept her hand out, and felt something push against it. She felt warm breath in her face.
"I see it," Fratley announced. "Stay perfectly still. Don't move."
Anita didn't plan on moving. She was frozen with the fear of a monster right in front of her. She could still feel it breathing on her, and she could still feel something furry push against her hand. She assumed it was the monster. Behind her, she heard something shift. She heard something scrape against the ground, and she assumed this to be metal. She felt slight vibrations behind her, and she heard the monster snarl.
"Fratley?" Anita asked.
Suddenly she felt a rush of air, and she heard something rip. The monster let out an angry scream. Anita then felt another rush of air, and she heard flesh hit flesh. She felt a vibration as someone hit the ground. She then felt something hit her hard in the face. Something sharp dug into her face and ripped at her face. Anita let out a startled scream as she fell onto her back.
Anita felt a rush of air, then a rush of heat that made her right cheek sting. She felt something slam into her stomach, with something sharp digging into it. She then felt it pull away suddenly, slashing her. Anita yelped with pain while the monster roared with pain. Anita scrambled to her feet and ran ahead. She tripped over the fireplace she understood Puck had set up. She slammed into the ground. Behind her, the monster screamed and she heard something cut open flesh.
One two three four. Vibrations traveled through the ground, and they seemed to indicate something leaving. Slowly Anita lifted her face and sniffed the air. The smell of the monster lingered, but it was slowly becoming faint. She could smell blood, however, and she felt a warm fluid sliding down her face. She soon felt the odd, abnormal one vibration that came from a person limping.
"Are you all right?" Fratley asked, and his voice was close by. "You're bleeding."
"How did you do that? Your leg is broken," Anita gasped, rising into a sitting position.
There was a brief silence. Anita could feel vibrations coming from the distance. Something was returning. But the one-two, one-two vibrations came from a two-legged creature, not a four-legged monster.
"I had to," Fratley said quietly. "The monster would've eaten you if I hadn't moved. It was painful, but a small price to pay. Here."
Anita felt something soft being held against her nose. She took it and felt it. It seemed to be a cloth. Anita wiped at the warm fluid on her face until she could no longer feel any. Now the cloth was warm and soaked.
"Your stomach feel all right?" Fratley asked.
Anita nodded. She had felt a little warm fluid near her stomach, but not much. The vibrations were becoming rougher, and therefore the creature was coming closer. Anita sniffed the air nervously, but quickly relaxed when Quina's smell came to her nostrils. Puck's scent was also nearby, but she couldn't feel the vibrations from his walk.
"Quina?" Fratley asked.
"Yes?" Quina's voice replied.
"Oh, so it is you," Fratley said.
"I brought food!" Quina announced proudly.
Anita heard something drop to the ground. She rose to her feet and walked over to the location of the sound. She sniffed near the ground, feeling it with her hand, and soon felt something. She felt the material, and concluded it to be a basket.
"Where did you get this?" Anita asked.
"I carry everything you need for food!" Quina announced proudly.
Anita felt the insides of the basket. She felt something round and smooth. She picked the object up and sniffed it. It smelled like a fruit, and Anita began to eat it.
"You like fruit?" Quina asked. "That good!"
"What are you all talking about?"
Anita had been so busy eating she hadn't heard Puck arrive. She did, however, hear a soft clink, soon followed by a soft roar. Soon, Anita felt slight heat.
"You got a fire started?" Anita guessed.
"Yep," Puck replied proudly. "No monsters should bug us now."
"That's good," Fratley muttered. "I'm in no condition to fight."
"I fight!" Quina offered.
"No," Puck replied.
"He may be some use as a guard," Anita pointed out after swallowing some of the fruit. "Let him try."
"I see her point," Fratley commented. "Quina, you can be guard."
"Okay!" Quina said happily.
Anita finished eating the fruit. She had no more appetite, however. The pain in her stomach came from loneliness, not a need for food. She didn't know Quina at all, so he was no use for company. Fratley had changed drastically due to memory loss, so he offered no comfort. As for Puck. Puck never offered company. He was only annoying to most people.
Suppressing a sigh, Anita sniffed the air, and caught the scent of the fire. She moved in the direction of the scent, and soon found warmth. She curled up near the fire and closed her eyes. Though she had planned on feigning sleep, she soon found it wasn't need as her mind drifted into a world of dreams.
The smells of soot, cooked meat, and flowers were the first things to come to Anita's nostrils when Puck shook her awake.
"Quina caught some meat last night," Puck announced sleepily. "Would tell you what it is but it'd make you throw up so I won't say."
Anita slowly rose into a sitting position. She felt something warm being held near her hand. She took the item, sniffed it, and discovered it to be meat. Anita began to eat slowly. She could hear the rustling of grasses as the rest of the party evidently stirred. Anita ate the meat slowly, listening attentively for sudden sounds or vibrations.
"Today I'm sure we'll reach Lindblum," Puck announced.
"But don't we have a while to go?" Fratley asked.
"We'll make it. You just watch," Puck retorted.
"I'll be watching," Fratley replied.
Silence followed. Anita had finished the meat, and she put the remaining bone aside.
"Anyone have water?" Anita asked.
Anita heard something hit the ground near her. She felt for it, and soon picked it up. Careful feeling proved it to be a water flask. Anita felt for the top, and slowly opened it. She then took a long drink, closed the water flask, and put it aside. The silence that continued was getting uncomfortable, and Anita managed not to sigh.
"All right, in two minutes we leave," Puck suddenly announced.
Within two minutes, the party was on the move.
"All right, let's break."
Anita collapsed to the ground. She had been lucky enough to hand Fratley over to Quina an hour before, but that didn't mean she wasn't exhausted. Judging by the other vibrations she felt, she wasn't the only one exhausted.
"It's noon," Fratley muttered. "And I see Lindblum."
"We'll be there by evening!" Puck announced.
"How can you be so sure?" Fratley asked.
"Oh, you'll see. Hey, Anita, you okay?" Puck asked.
"Tired," Anita replied.
"You look pretty silly lying on your back like that," Puck told her.
"I don't care," Anita said with a sigh. "I can't see myself anyway."
"Good point," Puck muttered softly.
There was soft silence. Anita sighed, sick of silence.
"What's Lindblum like?" Anita asked.
"Oh, it's really big! And the architecture is really something to see! And the airships-" Puck began.
"Puck, in my terms, please," Anita interrupted.
"Oh. Yeah, sorry," Puck muttered. He took a deep breath. "Well, there is a lot of noise. The airships are really noisy. You've probably never heard them before so they may be a surprise. Oh, and the food smells really good! And thankfully it tastes as good as it smells. There are thousands of restaurants. The people are fairly nice, too. They try to help you. Well, most of them. They are all really different too. They all have funny accents and I bet they smell pretty weird too."
Anita was trying to imagine thousands of different smells.
"It sounds really confusing," Anita commented.
Puck laughed. "Newcomers always get lost."
"I hope I don't," Anita replied.
"I wonder if the Regent will even let you explore," Puck commented thoughtfully. "He's really nice to all newcomers. He may not let you explore for your sake."
"Oh, it's not that I don't want to explore. I don't want to get lost. I want to smell lots of smells," Anita immediately said. "Burmecia didn't have variety. All the smells on this crazy journey. Are you saying that I will smell many more at Lindblum?"
"Mmmm. Yes, lots more!" Puck replied after some thought.
"Wow," Anita said, surprised. "That's a lot to smell."
"It's a lot to see, too," Puck replied. "You don't know what you're missing."
"You're right," Anita said, but her voice held no regret. It was neutral. "I don't."
"I feel bad for people like you," Puck said.
"I don't need your sympathy," Anita replied. "I'm fine."
As Anita said this she rose to a sitting position, and looked in the general direction Puck's voice had been traveling from.
"How do you know I'm here?" Puck asked.
"I don't," Anita replied. "I just know your voice is coming from there."
"Well, you've found me. You're staring straight at me," Puck said. "It's spooky."
"I didn't mean to spook you," Anita said in apology. She then turned her head away, not knowing what she was looking at now.
"Hello," Fratley said, and his voice traveled from the direction Anita's head was facing.
"You aren't spooked, are you?" Anita asked, knowing Fratley was there.
"Not at all," Fratley replied, and Anita heard his smile.
"All right, all right, break's over," Puck said. "Time to get to Lindblum!"
"I feel silly making a request, but. Could you carry me, Anita? Quina's not exactly pleasant, his breath in particular," Fratley said.
Anita couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh fine. Your wish is my command," Anita replied.
Within a minute, Anita had picked up Fratley. Feeling rough vibrations in the ground, Anita concluded that Quina had already started off. Anita quickly headed in the direction the vibrations came from. Behind her, Anita could feel softer vibrations from Puck.
"I'm bored," Fratley muttered. "I think I'll try to explain something to you."
"What?" Anita asked.
"Colors," Fratley replied.
"Colors?" Anita repeated.
"Colors," Fratley answered, and Anita could feel his head shifting in what she presumed to be a nod. "You know the name of the color you always see constantly? It's called black."
"Black? People say lots of things are black. Why do they feel sorry for me when they see it too?" Anita asked, confused.
"Because you only see black. You don't see blues or purples or anything else. People don't like to think about just seeing black. Those who have become like you after being able to see usually go mad," Fratley replied. "Now, if you take black and make it as bright as you can, you get white."
"White?" Anita asked. "Bright? Fratley, I don't understand. What's bright?"
"Bright is making something lighter," Fratley explained.
"But what's 'lighter'?" Anita asked with extreme confusion.
"Well," Fratley began, now as confused as Anita was. "It's."
Fratley was silent as he tried to figure out how to explain white. He then sighed with defeat.
"I give up," he said.
"Well, I know black," Anita said with encouragement. "That's pretty good."
"I wish you could know what colors are," Fratley muttered. "They are so pretty."
"It's okay," Anita told him. "Smells are just as pretty."
"Smells? How can smells be pretty?" Fratley asked.
"Try closing your eyes and sniffing the world, and you'll see," Anita replied.
Silence soon came.
"Lindblum ho!" Puck suddenly shouted after a few good hours of walking.
"That's Lindblum, all right," Fratley said. "I'm surprised I remember it."
The vibrations in the ground had ceased, but now Anita felt soft vibrations coming toward her. Someone was approaching.
"Welcome to Lindblum," said a new voice. "Regent Cid is currently accepting all Burmecian immigrants. Please follow me."
"What about the Qu?" Puck asked.
"The Qu is welcome to enter," the voice said. "Follow me, please."
Anita followed the vibrations of the others, and soon she felt smooth ground under her. She sniffed the air, and was overwhelmed by so many different scents she couldn't separate any of them. As they continued walking, she heard a massive roar, and felt a rush of wind. She sniffed the air, only to find more scents. She heard a babble of voices rise above the roar, and another rush of wind came to her.
"Oh my," she whispered.
"I was right, wasn't I?" Puck asked, and Anita heard his grin. "Welcome to Lindblum, Anita!"
--------- *gasps* I actually updated! Heh, I thought it'd be interesting to have Quina around ;) Anyway, so they all reached Lindblum! I'm thinking of continuing this story to Anita's experience in Lindblum. Tell me your opinion! Thank you!
This story is copyright to me. Some characters, events, locations, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.