Chapter 3- Lutia and the Thesis Hunt
I plopped two mugs of beer on the table; one for Lui, and the other for me.
"Where'ssss my drink?" joked Ramsey.
"I didn't get you one." I said, knocking a gulp of chilled beer down my throat.
"And just why not?" Ramsey replied, knowing I was going to think up some half-assed punchline.
"Because you're not seductively beautiful." I retorted, grinning. Apparently the people at the table didn't think it was half-assed; everyone near me was in choruses of laughter. Even timid Lizzo laughed in her corner.
The laughter was cut short just seconds later, when the doors were thrown open, making a large crashing sound. Everyone turned to see who it was.
A fencer stood in the doorway. And only vieras can be fencers, mind you. And the moment she realized everyone was looking at her, well, she just turned around with a nervous laugh and said:
"Umm... wrong place, I guess..." in this little, sweet voice. The barkeeper acted first.
"No, no deary- it's just a clan hangout. Really- you belong here." He said, almost ecastically. A murmur of agreement spread through the pub.
I think it was the stupidest moment the bar ever had.
The viera quickly ducked into a crowd, if you could even call it that. If six bangaa discussing the amount of yellow flan in Ivalice is a crowd to you, then there you go- a crowd.
She emerged from the bangaa's dull conversation, which had turned into Couerl breeding, a moment later, heading towards Marche and Montblanc, who were probably discussing something equally as boring. I stood up, wanting to be the first to Marche to greet Ms. Fencer. I was successful.
"Hello, dear, this is Marche, leader of clan LightWater. Would you like to join? I'm working on applications, but I'm not done, so I'll let you in, just because you're prêt-"I was cut off by a kick in the shins from Marche.
"Actually, yes, I was thinking of joining. I'm Lutia. Nice to meet you, Marche. You must be Montblanc- you're on the bar's Hall of Shame. And... umm..." she looked at me as Montblanc rushed off to the Hall of Shame.
"Rayton." I said, answering her questioning look.
"Rayton, good to meet you too." "Welcome to the clan!" I said with a cheesy grin. I slung my arm over her shoulders and dragged her down the stairs to the 'LightWater and friends' table.
"This is Lui, that's Ramsey, and that one- in the corner there, deary- is Lizzo. And those are loads of people I don't know." I said, all in one breath. "All of you, meet Lutia."
"Hello Lutia." everyone at the table chorused. Lutia giggled nervously and waved. I smiled.
"Hey, Lutia, can I but you a drink?"
"It's freezing." Lutia murmured as we made out way for her namesake, Lutia Pass. I moved behind her and slung an arm over each of her shoulders. I held my hands together, so that they formed a 'V' over the front of Lutia's chest.
"I appreciate the sharing of body heat, but please, get off me." The fencer snapped at me. I chuckled.
"What happened to the shy, timid girl I met yesterday?" I said, raising an eyebrow. I wasn't able to keep a straight face and started laughing again. Lui and Lutia both trembled as a large gust of wind blew our way.
"I wish I was back in the inn with Lizzo..." she said, her face falling into a frown.
"We're almost there. Y'know, people say the thrill of battle heats you up." I said, smiling. A cheesy smile. Lui slapped me.
"Hey... what did I do?" I said, falsely confused. She shook her head at me. "Moron."
"Hey, Montblanc?" Marche could be hard saying a bit ahead of us.
"Kupo?" A normal response moogle response was given by Montblanc.
"Why would bandits be interested in a thesis, anyway?" Marche asked. Quite rightly so.
"Kupopo? Maybe they're nerdy bandits?" That was all I heard of Montblanc's response before I started laughing. Everyone but the two speaking- Marche and Montblanc- laughed.
"I wanted Coleman's thesis, not Dalilei's!" came a voice from the top of the hill.
"We got you a thesis, just like you asked." another voice said, clearly taken aback.
"Well, I can only give you half of your fee, then." the first voice retorted.
"That's not an option, gramps. Pay up!" the second person, who I could see was a thief, snarled.
"Hah. Gramps." I said simply. Lui snorted. It was a hysterical noise and I was forced to hold in laughter. Eventually I started doing very girly giggles. The next thing I heard was Marche yelling:
"Hey, you! That thesis is stolen property!" I swore, pulling my bow off of my back. I strung up a few arrows along with it. There was a short argument between Marche and the thief before the thesis stealer whistled and out of the bushes came two soldiers, another thief, and an archer.
I fired my arrows as I headed up the hill. I wanted to take down the white mage who had struck the deal with the thieves first.
"Oy."
I turned around. One of the soldiers had his sword out.
"Damn."
I stood back, firing a couple of arrows. One went through his hat, but that was it. Lui then fired from behind. I laughed as the soldier turned, only to realize that Lutia had come too. The fencer stabbed his sword arm and I unleashed a last arrow. The soldier fell.
"Let's keep moving."
I went uphill a little more. The archer fired three of his own arrows at Montblanc. Lutia sprinted by me, landing a volley of shots to unknowing archer. I smiled at Lui, and we both fired a single arrow, sending the archer tumbling down the hill. I cracked my knuckles. We were in clear sight of the mage.
I fired an arrow with too little power and it simply landed in the hill. The Mage noticed, however, and came our way.
"What's he gonna do to us? Heal? Oh, no!" Lui joked. I laughed and readied another arrow. It hit the Mage right in the wind cage. He stumbled, then raised his arms to heal...
Lutia leapt, hacking at the mage furiously.
"No one heals on my clock." She snapped, then put her blade back in its sheath.
Bad idea.
We hadn't noticed the thief there with us. He sliced at Lutia, sending her stumbling down the hill...
I dashed forwards, grabbing Lutia's hand just before she fell.
"There's a foothold right here. On the count of three, pull really hard." she told me. I nodded.
"One... three." I yanked as hard as I could. Lutia went flying over my head, tumbling into the thief. I could only stand there and laugh.
Montblanc and Marche had done their work against the other two enemies. In other words, we were done.
"You guys, go back to the inn, kupo. Me and Marche will get the thesis." Montblanc said, pointing to the 'master' thief, who was currently unconscious underneath Lutia.
"More then happy to." I said, offering Lutia a hand. She accepted it. The moment she was up, she tackled me.
"That's for throwing me into him!" she yelled. I laughed. Ramsey came up to us, glaring menacingly.
"It'sss cold. Let'sss go before I freeze." He said, looking down at us viciously.
"I always thought lizards were cold-blooded." I said innocently enough. He extended one claw and shook his head.
"Let'sss go."
I plopped two mugs of beer on the table; one for Lui, and the other for me.
"Where'ssss my drink?" joked Ramsey.
"I didn't get you one." I said, knocking a gulp of chilled beer down my throat.
"And just why not?" Ramsey replied, knowing I was going to think up some half-assed punchline.
"Because you're not seductively beautiful." I retorted, grinning. Apparently the people at the table didn't think it was half-assed; everyone near me was in choruses of laughter. Even timid Lizzo laughed in her corner.
The laughter was cut short just seconds later, when the doors were thrown open, making a large crashing sound. Everyone turned to see who it was.
A fencer stood in the doorway. And only vieras can be fencers, mind you. And the moment she realized everyone was looking at her, well, she just turned around with a nervous laugh and said:
"Umm... wrong place, I guess..." in this little, sweet voice. The barkeeper acted first.
"No, no deary- it's just a clan hangout. Really- you belong here." He said, almost ecastically. A murmur of agreement spread through the pub.
I think it was the stupidest moment the bar ever had.
The viera quickly ducked into a crowd, if you could even call it that. If six bangaa discussing the amount of yellow flan in Ivalice is a crowd to you, then there you go- a crowd.
She emerged from the bangaa's dull conversation, which had turned into Couerl breeding, a moment later, heading towards Marche and Montblanc, who were probably discussing something equally as boring. I stood up, wanting to be the first to Marche to greet Ms. Fencer. I was successful.
"Hello, dear, this is Marche, leader of clan LightWater. Would you like to join? I'm working on applications, but I'm not done, so I'll let you in, just because you're prêt-"I was cut off by a kick in the shins from Marche.
"Actually, yes, I was thinking of joining. I'm Lutia. Nice to meet you, Marche. You must be Montblanc- you're on the bar's Hall of Shame. And... umm..." she looked at me as Montblanc rushed off to the Hall of Shame.
"Rayton." I said, answering her questioning look.
"Rayton, good to meet you too." "Welcome to the clan!" I said with a cheesy grin. I slung my arm over her shoulders and dragged her down the stairs to the 'LightWater and friends' table.
"This is Lui, that's Ramsey, and that one- in the corner there, deary- is Lizzo. And those are loads of people I don't know." I said, all in one breath. "All of you, meet Lutia."
"Hello Lutia." everyone at the table chorused. Lutia giggled nervously and waved. I smiled.
"Hey, Lutia, can I but you a drink?"
"It's freezing." Lutia murmured as we made out way for her namesake, Lutia Pass. I moved behind her and slung an arm over each of her shoulders. I held my hands together, so that they formed a 'V' over the front of Lutia's chest.
"I appreciate the sharing of body heat, but please, get off me." The fencer snapped at me. I chuckled.
"What happened to the shy, timid girl I met yesterday?" I said, raising an eyebrow. I wasn't able to keep a straight face and started laughing again. Lui and Lutia both trembled as a large gust of wind blew our way.
"I wish I was back in the inn with Lizzo..." she said, her face falling into a frown.
"We're almost there. Y'know, people say the thrill of battle heats you up." I said, smiling. A cheesy smile. Lui slapped me.
"Hey... what did I do?" I said, falsely confused. She shook her head at me. "Moron."
"Hey, Montblanc?" Marche could be hard saying a bit ahead of us.
"Kupo?" A normal response moogle response was given by Montblanc.
"Why would bandits be interested in a thesis, anyway?" Marche asked. Quite rightly so.
"Kupopo? Maybe they're nerdy bandits?" That was all I heard of Montblanc's response before I started laughing. Everyone but the two speaking- Marche and Montblanc- laughed.
"I wanted Coleman's thesis, not Dalilei's!" came a voice from the top of the hill.
"We got you a thesis, just like you asked." another voice said, clearly taken aback.
"Well, I can only give you half of your fee, then." the first voice retorted.
"That's not an option, gramps. Pay up!" the second person, who I could see was a thief, snarled.
"Hah. Gramps." I said simply. Lui snorted. It was a hysterical noise and I was forced to hold in laughter. Eventually I started doing very girly giggles. The next thing I heard was Marche yelling:
"Hey, you! That thesis is stolen property!" I swore, pulling my bow off of my back. I strung up a few arrows along with it. There was a short argument between Marche and the thief before the thesis stealer whistled and out of the bushes came two soldiers, another thief, and an archer.
I fired my arrows as I headed up the hill. I wanted to take down the white mage who had struck the deal with the thieves first.
"Oy."
I turned around. One of the soldiers had his sword out.
"Damn."
I stood back, firing a couple of arrows. One went through his hat, but that was it. Lui then fired from behind. I laughed as the soldier turned, only to realize that Lutia had come too. The fencer stabbed his sword arm and I unleashed a last arrow. The soldier fell.
"Let's keep moving."
I went uphill a little more. The archer fired three of his own arrows at Montblanc. Lutia sprinted by me, landing a volley of shots to unknowing archer. I smiled at Lui, and we both fired a single arrow, sending the archer tumbling down the hill. I cracked my knuckles. We were in clear sight of the mage.
I fired an arrow with too little power and it simply landed in the hill. The Mage noticed, however, and came our way.
"What's he gonna do to us? Heal? Oh, no!" Lui joked. I laughed and readied another arrow. It hit the Mage right in the wind cage. He stumbled, then raised his arms to heal...
Lutia leapt, hacking at the mage furiously.
"No one heals on my clock." She snapped, then put her blade back in its sheath.
Bad idea.
We hadn't noticed the thief there with us. He sliced at Lutia, sending her stumbling down the hill...
I dashed forwards, grabbing Lutia's hand just before she fell.
"There's a foothold right here. On the count of three, pull really hard." she told me. I nodded.
"One... three." I yanked as hard as I could. Lutia went flying over my head, tumbling into the thief. I could only stand there and laugh.
Montblanc and Marche had done their work against the other two enemies. In other words, we were done.
"You guys, go back to the inn, kupo. Me and Marche will get the thesis." Montblanc said, pointing to the 'master' thief, who was currently unconscious underneath Lutia.
"More then happy to." I said, offering Lutia a hand. She accepted it. The moment she was up, she tackled me.
"That's for throwing me into him!" she yelled. I laughed. Ramsey came up to us, glaring menacingly.
"It'sss cold. Let'sss go before I freeze." He said, looking down at us viciously.
"I always thought lizards were cold-blooded." I said innocently enough. He extended one claw and shook his head.
"Let'sss go."