It feels like ages since I've updated, but it's only been like 6 days.
Nino: Time is slowing down.
...That's a scary thought. Anyhow...
ChellTheGreenFairy – Thanks!
TheOneAndOnlyT – The orange banana thing is just a stupid thing that I randomly put into the story. But it ended up ACTUALLY having to do with the main plot of the story!! Well, you'll see later on what I mean.
potter29vo – I am going to keep indenting! My computer still won't do the spaces right.
Zero84 – Sorry, uh, I don't know where your stuffed tigers are...?
gentleness28 – Instead of making lines I use indents instead, so now ff.net doesn't delete them. I am glad the chapter made you happy!
Scarabsi – Thanks!
NOTE: Indent means NEW POV.
Chapter Seven
Sain was wandering around, trying to figure out something to do while he waited for Kent to return, when Pent came running over to him.
"Kent, I need you to go to the kitchen," he said.
"Why?" asked Sain.
Pent sighed, and explained, "My wife's orange bananas are missing, so I hired a detective. She wanted to ask everyone questions about the incident."
"She?" Sain said, perking up a bit.
"The detective is a girl, yes," Pent said. "In fact, it's your tactician, Ally...I don't understand how she does two jobs at once, she's barely out of school..."
"ALLY??" Sain cried happily. "I'll go right away, Lord Pent!"
With that, he dashed off to the kitchen, thoughts of the beautiful tactician dancing in his head.
"Where were you this morning around nine o'clock?"
"Um...I was...finishing up making breakfast," Lowen said, trying not to incriminate himself. "When I was done, I...went into the dining room to eat my own breakfast."
"Did you see any strangely colored bananas?" asked the detective-tactician Ally.
"N-no...Well, Lady Louise had a bunch sitting right there on the table, so...yes, I did," Lowen sighed, knowing he sounded incredibly guilty. "B-but I didn't take them! I swear! I would never – "
"Alright, Lowen, I understand," said Ally, trying to quiet him down. "I'm not saying you did it. I'm just trying to get as much information out of you as I can."
"Oh," Lowen replied, feeling a bit relieved.
"Did you see anyone else around here at that time?"
"Um...well, Rebecca was helping me make breakfast, but she left before I did," Lowen recalled. "Lord Pent came to check on his wife's bananas around that time. I don't think there was anyone else."
"Ok, thanks Lowen," Ally said. "Send the next person in."
Lowen bolted into the hallway as fast as he could.
Kent reluctantly knocked on Serra's door. As much as he didn't want to do this, he knew Sain would owe him later, which was a good thing.
"What?" yelled Serra's voice from the other side of the door. She did, indeed, sound very depressed.
"It...It's Sain," sighed Kent.
"What do YOU want??" cried Serra. "Come to lecture me more??"
"No!" cried Kent. "I, uh, wanted to, um, apologize."
All of the sudden, the door flew open.
"Y-you do?"
Kent saw a disheveled Serra standing before him. Her eyes were red and puffy and her dress was all wrinkled. Even her pigtails were uneven. He felt a bit of guilt, for he was the cause of all her grief, but only a little bit.
"Um, yes," Kent continued. "Um...this morning, I was in a bad...state of mind. Because...Kent was bothering me and...things like that. So I was a bit irritable. But now I see my mistake in yelling at you, and I am here to compensate for it."
"Um, Sain?" Serra asked tentatively.
"What?"
"What does compensate mean?"
"Oh, it, uh, means to apologize."
"Oh. Oh, then that's good!! Of course I forgive you!!"
Without warning, she threw her arms around him.
"Ah!" cried Kent. "That...hurts..."
"You're so sweet, Sain! I knew you weren't acting like yourself this morning!" Serra exclaimed. "Oh, this is wonderful! Now we can have a proper date, like you said we would!"
"I did?" Kent said incredulously.
Serra gave him a look. "Of course you did!"
"Oh, uh, that is correct...I did..."
"So, where do you want to go?" Serra asked. "I know this wonderful restaurant in Pherae! It's called Roland's Bar and Gill! Why don't we go tonight? Let's meet in front of the castle at a quarter to six! Is that good? Alright then!"
Not allowing Kent to get a word in edgewise, Serra went back into her room.
"I must get ready! I'll see you later, Sain!" she called.
Kent couldn't believe it. Now he was stuck on a date with Serra! And it was in a mere six hours. If only he and Sain could get their normal bodies back by then. If they kept looking, perhaps they would find someone who could help. But that was what they had thought hours ago, and it hadn't gotten them anywhere.
Kent sighed and went to go find Sain.
"Ally!!"
"Oh, hello, Kent," the tactician said, smiling slightly. "It's nice to see you again."
"It's nice to see you, too!" cried Sain. "In fact, it's more than nice! It's wonderful!"
"Well, you seem a little excited this morning...must be the coffee," Ally replied. "I remember that weird coffee Lowen makes...That's why I stick with tea! Now sit down. I need to ask you a few questions regarding the incident."
"Anything for you, beauteous tactician!"
"Beauteous tactician?!?" cried Ally. "Why the heck did you just say that? Are you on drugs?"
"NO! Drugs are bad for you!" Sain exclaimed. "I...am just happy to see you!"
"Whatever," Ally rolled her eyes. "Now...first question. Where were you this morning around nine?"
"Hm...let's see...Ah, I know!" Sain began. "First, I was running away from Pent and K – um, Sain. They were really mad at me because...um, well, I don't remember why, but no matter! Then I came to the dining room and – "
"Alright, so you weren't in the kitchen at all," Ally interrupted.
"No, I don't think so," Sain said.
"Oh...did you see anyone else around the kitchen?"
"I heard Rebecca and Priscilla talking in the dining room, but I didn't see anyone else," Sain said, thinking back.
"I already talked to them, and they were clear, so I suppose that's all I need to ask you," Ally said, checking his name off in her notebook. "You're free to go, Kent. Maybe you could send Sain in next? If you can't find him, just send someone else in."
"Sure!" cried Sain. "It saddens me that I must part from your company, but I know it is your duty to stay here!"
"Um, ok, I seriously think Sain drugged you or something," Ally said, raising her eyebrows. "Or...IS it the coffee? Because it did smell kinda weird."
"I'm fine!" Sain called as he ran out the door. The first person he found outside the door was Fiora.
"Tactician Ally wants to talk to you!" he cried, then began to run off to find Kent. He wanted to know what had happened with Serra.
"Kent! Wait!" called Fiora. But it was too late. He was gone.
Fiora sighed and went into the kitchen.
"Is it just me, or is Kent acting REALLY weird?" asked Ally upon seeing Fiora enter.
"So you noticed too?" cried Fiora. "Oh, it's been going on all morning!"
"Tell me about it!"
Fiora explained everything that had happened from the beginning.
"That IS weird..." Ally thought allowed. "I never heard Kent say anything like that, not even in his support conversations with you!"
"Support...conversations...?" Fiora appeared to be confused.
"Never mind," the tactician said hurriedly. "Well, as soon as I'm done asking people about this banana thing, I'll help you figure out what's wrong with Kent and Sain. There are only five people left – you, Sain, Rath, Isadora, and Hector."
"I see," Fiora nodded. "Thank you for agreeing to assist me! Now what is this about orange bananas?"
Louise was laying on the bed moaning.
"Louise, dear, I know this is hard for you, but please try to be a bit more quiet," Pent said.
He was secretly extremely annoyed. He had almost thrown his book at the wall. Twice.
"I...I can't help it!!" cried his wife. "I brought so many boxes of those bananas, how did they all go missing?"
"Wait," Pent said, making a realization. "You brought BOXES of bananas? When I checked this morning, I only saw a few bananas lying on the table."
"Of course I brought boxes! I run out of bananas fast," Louise said. "Oh, I can't bear not having any bananas!"
It hit Pent that the information he had give to Ally was all wrong! The boxes had to have been stolen either early in the morning, or in the night, which meant...all of the people who had been interviewed were giving the wrong information! And that there were two SEPARATE banana thieves!
"I'll be right back," he told Louise, and ran for the kitchen.
Oh, a twist!!
Nino: This was all part of your evil plan, wasn't it?
Heheh, kind of...but why's my plan evil?
Nino: I dunno...but whenever you see the word 'plan', you see the word 'evil' before it.
Whatever, Nino. Please Review!
Nino: Time is slowing down.
...That's a scary thought. Anyhow...
ChellTheGreenFairy – Thanks!
TheOneAndOnlyT – The orange banana thing is just a stupid thing that I randomly put into the story. But it ended up ACTUALLY having to do with the main plot of the story!! Well, you'll see later on what I mean.
potter29vo – I am going to keep indenting! My computer still won't do the spaces right.
Zero84 – Sorry, uh, I don't know where your stuffed tigers are...?
gentleness28 – Instead of making lines I use indents instead, so now ff.net doesn't delete them. I am glad the chapter made you happy!
Scarabsi – Thanks!
NOTE: Indent means NEW POV.
Chapter Seven
Sain was wandering around, trying to figure out something to do while he waited for Kent to return, when Pent came running over to him.
"Kent, I need you to go to the kitchen," he said.
"Why?" asked Sain.
Pent sighed, and explained, "My wife's orange bananas are missing, so I hired a detective. She wanted to ask everyone questions about the incident."
"She?" Sain said, perking up a bit.
"The detective is a girl, yes," Pent said. "In fact, it's your tactician, Ally...I don't understand how she does two jobs at once, she's barely out of school..."
"ALLY??" Sain cried happily. "I'll go right away, Lord Pent!"
With that, he dashed off to the kitchen, thoughts of the beautiful tactician dancing in his head.
"Where were you this morning around nine o'clock?"
"Um...I was...finishing up making breakfast," Lowen said, trying not to incriminate himself. "When I was done, I...went into the dining room to eat my own breakfast."
"Did you see any strangely colored bananas?" asked the detective-tactician Ally.
"N-no...Well, Lady Louise had a bunch sitting right there on the table, so...yes, I did," Lowen sighed, knowing he sounded incredibly guilty. "B-but I didn't take them! I swear! I would never – "
"Alright, Lowen, I understand," said Ally, trying to quiet him down. "I'm not saying you did it. I'm just trying to get as much information out of you as I can."
"Oh," Lowen replied, feeling a bit relieved.
"Did you see anyone else around here at that time?"
"Um...well, Rebecca was helping me make breakfast, but she left before I did," Lowen recalled. "Lord Pent came to check on his wife's bananas around that time. I don't think there was anyone else."
"Ok, thanks Lowen," Ally said. "Send the next person in."
Lowen bolted into the hallway as fast as he could.
Kent reluctantly knocked on Serra's door. As much as he didn't want to do this, he knew Sain would owe him later, which was a good thing.
"What?" yelled Serra's voice from the other side of the door. She did, indeed, sound very depressed.
"It...It's Sain," sighed Kent.
"What do YOU want??" cried Serra. "Come to lecture me more??"
"No!" cried Kent. "I, uh, wanted to, um, apologize."
All of the sudden, the door flew open.
"Y-you do?"
Kent saw a disheveled Serra standing before him. Her eyes were red and puffy and her dress was all wrinkled. Even her pigtails were uneven. He felt a bit of guilt, for he was the cause of all her grief, but only a little bit.
"Um, yes," Kent continued. "Um...this morning, I was in a bad...state of mind. Because...Kent was bothering me and...things like that. So I was a bit irritable. But now I see my mistake in yelling at you, and I am here to compensate for it."
"Um, Sain?" Serra asked tentatively.
"What?"
"What does compensate mean?"
"Oh, it, uh, means to apologize."
"Oh. Oh, then that's good!! Of course I forgive you!!"
Without warning, she threw her arms around him.
"Ah!" cried Kent. "That...hurts..."
"You're so sweet, Sain! I knew you weren't acting like yourself this morning!" Serra exclaimed. "Oh, this is wonderful! Now we can have a proper date, like you said we would!"
"I did?" Kent said incredulously.
Serra gave him a look. "Of course you did!"
"Oh, uh, that is correct...I did..."
"So, where do you want to go?" Serra asked. "I know this wonderful restaurant in Pherae! It's called Roland's Bar and Gill! Why don't we go tonight? Let's meet in front of the castle at a quarter to six! Is that good? Alright then!"
Not allowing Kent to get a word in edgewise, Serra went back into her room.
"I must get ready! I'll see you later, Sain!" she called.
Kent couldn't believe it. Now he was stuck on a date with Serra! And it was in a mere six hours. If only he and Sain could get their normal bodies back by then. If they kept looking, perhaps they would find someone who could help. But that was what they had thought hours ago, and it hadn't gotten them anywhere.
Kent sighed and went to go find Sain.
"Ally!!"
"Oh, hello, Kent," the tactician said, smiling slightly. "It's nice to see you again."
"It's nice to see you, too!" cried Sain. "In fact, it's more than nice! It's wonderful!"
"Well, you seem a little excited this morning...must be the coffee," Ally replied. "I remember that weird coffee Lowen makes...That's why I stick with tea! Now sit down. I need to ask you a few questions regarding the incident."
"Anything for you, beauteous tactician!"
"Beauteous tactician?!?" cried Ally. "Why the heck did you just say that? Are you on drugs?"
"NO! Drugs are bad for you!" Sain exclaimed. "I...am just happy to see you!"
"Whatever," Ally rolled her eyes. "Now...first question. Where were you this morning around nine?"
"Hm...let's see...Ah, I know!" Sain began. "First, I was running away from Pent and K – um, Sain. They were really mad at me because...um, well, I don't remember why, but no matter! Then I came to the dining room and – "
"Alright, so you weren't in the kitchen at all," Ally interrupted.
"No, I don't think so," Sain said.
"Oh...did you see anyone else around the kitchen?"
"I heard Rebecca and Priscilla talking in the dining room, but I didn't see anyone else," Sain said, thinking back.
"I already talked to them, and they were clear, so I suppose that's all I need to ask you," Ally said, checking his name off in her notebook. "You're free to go, Kent. Maybe you could send Sain in next? If you can't find him, just send someone else in."
"Sure!" cried Sain. "It saddens me that I must part from your company, but I know it is your duty to stay here!"
"Um, ok, I seriously think Sain drugged you or something," Ally said, raising her eyebrows. "Or...IS it the coffee? Because it did smell kinda weird."
"I'm fine!" Sain called as he ran out the door. The first person he found outside the door was Fiora.
"Tactician Ally wants to talk to you!" he cried, then began to run off to find Kent. He wanted to know what had happened with Serra.
"Kent! Wait!" called Fiora. But it was too late. He was gone.
Fiora sighed and went into the kitchen.
"Is it just me, or is Kent acting REALLY weird?" asked Ally upon seeing Fiora enter.
"So you noticed too?" cried Fiora. "Oh, it's been going on all morning!"
"Tell me about it!"
Fiora explained everything that had happened from the beginning.
"That IS weird..." Ally thought allowed. "I never heard Kent say anything like that, not even in his support conversations with you!"
"Support...conversations...?" Fiora appeared to be confused.
"Never mind," the tactician said hurriedly. "Well, as soon as I'm done asking people about this banana thing, I'll help you figure out what's wrong with Kent and Sain. There are only five people left – you, Sain, Rath, Isadora, and Hector."
"I see," Fiora nodded. "Thank you for agreeing to assist me! Now what is this about orange bananas?"
Louise was laying on the bed moaning.
"Louise, dear, I know this is hard for you, but please try to be a bit more quiet," Pent said.
He was secretly extremely annoyed. He had almost thrown his book at the wall. Twice.
"I...I can't help it!!" cried his wife. "I brought so many boxes of those bananas, how did they all go missing?"
"Wait," Pent said, making a realization. "You brought BOXES of bananas? When I checked this morning, I only saw a few bananas lying on the table."
"Of course I brought boxes! I run out of bananas fast," Louise said. "Oh, I can't bear not having any bananas!"
It hit Pent that the information he had give to Ally was all wrong! The boxes had to have been stolen either early in the morning, or in the night, which meant...all of the people who had been interviewed were giving the wrong information! And that there were two SEPARATE banana thieves!
"I'll be right back," he told Louise, and ran for the kitchen.
Oh, a twist!!
Nino: This was all part of your evil plan, wasn't it?
Heheh, kind of...but why's my plan evil?
Nino: I dunno...but whenever you see the word 'plan', you see the word 'evil' before it.
Whatever, Nino. Please Review!