Chapter Thirty-one
Four Days Later; Burmecia
The storm made its way through the country, leaving around five feet of snow wherever it went. It made it to the mountains, where it gained strength and headed off to Lindblum, as was normal of the storms. Its progress slowed Fratley's progress down, but within two days he and his party moved again, until they had finally reached the gates of Burmecia. The two guards looked down at Fratley and his party curiously. They then opened the gates, seeing something in Fratley's blue eye that made them decide that questioning him would be a bad move.
The streets of the city where covered with a mass blanket of snow, yet that didn't stop Fratley from being able to run toward the castle, leaving the others behind. He had work to do... And something told him he knew exactly where Freya was. Something had happened while he was gone, and he knew the first place to check for her.
Fratley ran through the city, climbed up the stairs leading toward the castle, and soon reached the castle doors. Two guards stopped him.
"What is your business?" one guard asked, watching Fratley with curiosity.
"I need to get inside," Fratley said, taking a deep breath to try and keep himself from going completely insane. "My business is my own."
The two guards exchanged glances, then looked at Fratley. Fratley's hand hovered over his spear. Noting that, the two guards chose to move out of his way. Fratley entered the castle quickly, and by luck, Ebon was not in the throne room. Fratley padded in the direction of a large wooden door. He shoved it open, and found himself in a stone hallway. At the end of it were two more guards. Fratley could see the glint of metal – the key to the prison – hanging from the coat of one guard. Fratley walked over, and as expected the two guards blocked his progress to the prison.
"No one is allowed to pass," one guard said.
"Please leave," said the other guard.
Fratley looked between the two guards. He stared into the green eyes of the one with the key.
"I would like the key to the chains," Fratley demanded.
"You must think we're nuts," the guard with the key replied. "I can't give you that, nor let you through. Orders are orders."
"Calm down, Tor. We may have something here," the guard without the key said. He looked over at Fratley, who looked just about ready to kill something. "What brings you here, Fratley?"
"To free the prisoner," Fratley replied.
"You know who the prisoner is?" Tor asked with surprise, quickly relaxing. "Man, we don't. Doyle and I here just know not to leave our posts."
Fratley quickly relaxed, understanding.
"Well, it's Freya," Fratley said.
"So that's why no one spotted her around the city," Tor said with acknowledgement. "Most of the city is suspicious and pissed."
"Particularly the ones who got to witness the trial," Doyle said with agreement. He then looked over at Fratley. "So you're here to get her out?"
"Yes," Fratley said, getting rather sick of talking.
"Guess we have no reason not to let you, then," Tor said, taking the key from his side and tossing it to Fratley. "We'll stay here... Keep you covered."
Fratley caught the key and smiled, "Thank you."
Fratley shoved the door open and quickly closed it behind him. He quickly spotted Freya and frowned. She was leaning against the wall, staring at the ground. Half her face was covered in infected burns. Her hair was extremely dirty, and the ends were black and uneven. Her clothes were tattered and dirty. Her hands and upper arms were covered in infected burns, as were her feet and the tip of her tail. Her ears, which were missing tips, twitched when the door opened, but she didn't move.
"Freya," Fratley muttered, tears filling his eyes quickly.
Freya's head lifted upward in a start, her eyes widening slightly. Slowly, almost as if she was afraid it wouldn't be true, she looked in the direction of the door. She was quick, however, to notice Fratley standing there, as if debating if it was safe to approach. "Fratley?" Freya muttered under her breath, seeming shocked. Fratley quickly rushed for to Freya. Fratley swiftly unlocked the chains, which Freya quickly pushed off her arms. She watched the chains fall from her arms. She felt the tears forming in her eyes as she looked up at Fratley. "How?" she began in a tear-choked voice. "I don't know," Fratley quickly replied, shaking his head. Tears were forming in his own eyes. "All right then," Freya sighed. She shook her head, finding she couldn't question this crazy happening of events any further. She instead threw herself into Fratley, wrapping her arms around him in a massive hug. She buried her face into his chest as she made a desperate, and in the end failed, attempt not to cry. Fratley wrapped his arms around her, as he kept his own tears from falling. He was happy Freya was alive, but he was angry about her condition, and what had happened to know. He knew who did it. He knew that it was two people.
And when he finally found them, Ebon and Julius would both be dead.
A few minutes passed before Freya pulled away from Fratley's embrace. She looked around, then looked back at Fratley.
"Okay... Now how are we getting out of here?" she asked.
"Well, we could make a scene," Fratley commented. "But I have a better idea."
Fratley took off his pack and quickly searched through it. He soon took out a yellowish scroll bound by blue silk. Freya blinked with surprise as Fratley tied his pack shut and swung it back over his shoulders.
"Warp scroll?" Freya asked. "You didn't steal it like Amarant did, did you?"
Fratley chuckled. "No, I bought it... Damn, why didn't I use it to get here? I have another."
"Because you didn't think," Freya replied.
"Good point," Fratley muttered. He gently took Freya arm, opened the Warp scroll, and muttered the words on it. The two soon dematerialized, and their particles remaining of their bodies zoomed into the Underground Chamber. They rematerialized into a homey room complete with a roaring fireplace, and a small yet comfortable-looking bed. Freya looked around, examining the stone walls for familiarity.
"You're safe," Fratley said as he heard familiar footsteps.
Soon Freya was sitting on the bed, and only seconds later Meander entered. He shook his head, took a deep breath, and soon was shouting.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" he shouted angrily, seeming very exasperated.
"Relax, Meander," Fratley said immediately, startling Meander and Freya both. "How did you get here, anyway?"
Meander stood still, staring at Fratley for a few seconds. He then sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, staring at Fratley intently.
"I see you gained some of your memory back, at least. I came here with Freya. I'd like to know how she got back here," Meander explained.
"A little bit of compromising," Fratley replied, holding up the keys in his hand.
Soon Meander was shoved out of the way by Kitski, startling Freya and making her fur bristle. Kitski sighed and walked over to her in three quick strides.
"I'm here to help you," she said quickly. "I'm Kitski, a healer."
Freya looked up at Fratley, who nodded.
"You can trust her," Fratley said with reassurance, turning his gaze to Kitski.
"Where is Amarant?" Freya asked softly, looking over at Meander.
"Elsewhere is all he would say. At this point, I'm not sure I want to know where he is..." Meander said grumpily.
"So, who else did you bring?" Freya asked, looking over at Fratley. "Clearly you brought a crew."
"Plenty of oddities," Fratley replied. "I've got this healer, Rose, Wanderer, Cleo, and Vivi."
"Vivi?" Freya asked. "Where is he?"
"In there," Meander said, motioning to the other room.
"A-Actually, I'm right here," Vivi suddenly said, appearing from the shadows. "I j-just didn't approach yet..."
"Hello," Freya made an attempt to say, though it was hard to speak since Kitski was applying burn salve to her face.
"H-Hello," Vivi said, smiling beneath the shadow that hid his face. He found he had little else to say at that moment.
Freya didn't have much to say either. She was still nervous from the sudden fly from prison to freedom. She lied down on the bed, causing Kitski to mutter curses due to her sudden movement. Freya closed her eyes, suddenly tired, and despite the group of people and Kitski's treatment, she soon fell asleep.
Freya's recovery was slow. First off, she had to be forced to eat, though she drank on her own. She said she wasn't hungry, that she didn't feel right enough to eat.
"Maybe it's because you haven't eaten?" Meander had growled.
That caused Freya to reluctantly begin eating once more. Kitski seemed pleased with this, having noted that Freya was underweight, though how she had figured it out no one really knew. Yet Freya's recovery was also slow simply due to too many burns and not enough healing power. Regen and Cure spells simply did not work efficiently against Freya's burns. The third-degree burns were too fierce for the spells, and the spells were the only ones Kitski seemed to know. Regardless, Kitski's skills seemed to do a good job. After watching Freya's progress over a week, Kitski made announcements on Freya's to-be condition, and as was her nature, was right to the point.
"First off, you're going to live," Kitski said that morning, sitting on the floor next to Freya's bed. "Second of all, the eyesight in your left eye is not going to get any better, nor worse. You'll have to get used to it. Third, your tail may grow to normal length. Fourth, any fur lost will not grow back."
"That all?" Freya asked, stress evident in her voice.
"Yep," Kitski said, looking over at Fratley, who was standing nearby. "Unless you have something to add?"
"Besides the fact that I've been busy trying to get Freya's life back together? Nothing," Fratley replied.
"How so?" Freya asked, immediately interested.
"Lots of stuff," Fratley said. "First off, the tailor is making you some new clothes, since your current ones aren't suitable. Second, the weaponsmith is making you a new weapon. Your health issue is self- explanatory, and well, other things."
"Thank you," Freya said.
Fratley smiled. "No need to thank me."
"How is Amarant, by the way?" Freya suddenly asked.
"If he can get any grumpier, I'd be impressed," Kitski said with a snort.
"Well, that's Amarant," Freya replied, rolling her eyes. "But how is he?"
"He'll be fine," Kitski replied. "Nothing was wrong with him anyway..."
Freya nodded as she laid her head down against the pillow. Kitski rose to her feet and left the room. Fratley and Freya both watched her leave. The room became quiet as they turned to each other.
"Everyone is trying to help. Everyone keeps getting hurt," Freya muttered.
"Not ye fault," Fratley replied, walking over. "If everyone else wants ta help with somethin' dangerous, what can ya do ta stop them?"
Freya did not seem surprised that Fratley's accent had returned. When she first heard it again a week ago, she had been shocked but happy, thinking the old Fratley was returning. Now, she knew he was returning, if slowly.
"Perhaps that logic is true enough," Freya said. She then snorted. "If only I could take care of myself."
"'Ow? We're faced with a man who 'as been killin' Burmecians for who- knows-how-long. Ya need help. Anyone would in this situation."
"I suppose so," Freya replied. She sighed. "Well, enough of me and my worries. What do you suggest we do?"
Fratley leaned back, exhaling softly as he stared at the ceiling. "Well, first off, I say we stay 'ere. With Ebon king an' all e's going ta want us all dead. So if we stay 'ere, we're safe."
"But we can't stay in hiding forever," Freya pointed out.
"Right, that I know. So once we're all recovered, we can 'ead out into the city, and someone can kill Ebon," Fratley explained.
"So you want to break the law too," Freya muttered.
"Do we 'ave much of a choice?" Fratley asked, looking at Freya sternly with his single blue eye. "Even if we could keep Ebon alive, what would it do for us? The only solution ta some o' the problems we 'ave is killing Ebon."
Freya opened her mouth to speak, but Fratley held up his hand. He smiled.
"I know what you're thinkin'... And we don' 'ave ta be seen ta kill Ebon, right? I'm sure there are plenty o' ways we can make it look like some freak accident... Like tossin' 'im into the lake."
Freya shook her head. "Fratley, don't forget that Ebon knows how to swim."
"Well, scratch that, then. We'll poison 'im instead. But whatever we'll do, 'e'll be gone, and it'll be easier ta concentrate on Julius."
"Perhaps Julius will not stalk me any more, Fratley, once Ebon is gone. He may be being bribed to attack me."
Fratley sighed. "That, I feel, is a false 'ope."
"Why so?"
"Look at it this way: Julius is the leader o' a mass organization that 'as so much power it can mine its own gems, and make its own scrolls. It sells these scrolls for big prices because they are so powerful. The COL probably makes at least 5000 Gil per year just on scrolls, while they spend less than that on maintenance."
Freya stared at Fratley with shock as the information slowly sank in. She swallowed hoarsely, then spoke.
"Julius doesn't need the money, then."
"Exactly," Fratley said. "Even if Ebon is dead, I don' think Julius will disappear. 'E's after ya for who ya are, and e's persistent for somethin' else."
"This is getting rather complicated," Freya groaned. "and the situation is complicated enough already."
"But there are solutions to the problem," Fratley replied. "Not very hopeful ones, but solutions nonetheless. We only 'ave ta wait for ya to recover."
"Who knows how long that will take." Freya sighed, rubbing the fabric of the sheet on the bed against her fingers. "I'm tired of just laying around."
Fratley chuckled softly and kissed Freya on the cheek. "Sometimes ya just 'ave ta lie around... You'll be movin' around more in the long run. Trust me."
Fratley rose to his feet and turned to leave, but Freya had one more comment in store for him.
"Perhaps you and your coma are a good example?" Freya asked, smirking slightly.
Fratley stopped walking forward. He turned slightly in Freya's direction, smiled, and winked. Somehow, the wink still held its same loving quality even when Fratley had only one eye.
"Well, I am movin' around more, right?"
"So, how is she doing?" Meander asked when Fratley entered the main entrance to the underground passage.
"A mix between stress and depression," Fratley replied, taking a seat on the floor. "She still has a bit of a guilt problem, thinking that this is mainly her cause."
"Damn it, I wish she would get over that!" Meander growled.
"Don't blame her, blame Ebon. He's probably the one who got her into this state," Kitski growled.
"'Likely' is the better term, not 'probably'. Anyhow, she also still doesn't agree much with the idea that we should kill Ebon," Fratley continued
"Damn it, why? We don't have much of a choice!" Meander snapped.
"She's afraid of going to jail again, you ass," Kitski spat at Meander.
"Well said," Fratley told Kitski, nodding. "She also doesn't see what we will gain."
"Perhaps Julius leaving her alone?" Meander growled.
"Doubtful. The COL doesn't need the money Ebon offers. There's something else... What, I don't know," Kitski said, shaking her head.
"Wow, the smart-ass doesn't know something," Meander said in mock awe, drawing a nasty glare from Kitski.
"Let's not provoke each other right now," Puck announced suddenly. He had been standing quietly near Kitski, but now felt that speaking up seemed best. He turned to Fratley. "As you were saying?"
"There's one more thing that Freya isn't happy about," Fratley said, relieved to be able to continue speaking. "She's tired of lying around."
"She doesn't have much of a choice!" Meander snapped. "How does she expect to recover?"
"She's probably had to just 'lie around' for quite some time now," Kitski snorted. "It gets aggravating to a devoted warrior after a while."
"Is that it, Fratley?" Puck asked, turning to Fratley.
"That's it," Fratley said, nodding.
"Good," Puck said. He then turned to Meander and Kitski, who had been bickering silently. "IF YOU WANT TO ARGUE, YOU CAN GO OUTSIDE, GOD DAMN IT! GO DRAW A CROWD!"
Meander and Kitski stared at Puck with slight surprise, his sudden bellow cutting them off mid-bicker. Kitski's ears flattened slightly while her blue eyes narrowed. Without another word, she turned around and left through the corridor leading to the main rooms of the underground chamber. Meander's eyes narrowed, while the irises began to turn reddish. With a powerful lash of his bulky tail, he headed outside.
"I do hope he isn't going to draw a crowd," Fratley muttered.
"You never know with Meander. I've learned that one quick," Puck muttered. "Well, we've learned all we need. Now it's time to continue with our dull lives. ANITA!"
Suddenly Anita rushed into the room. She soon slowed down and sniffed the air. She then turned in Puck's relative direction.
"Now what?" she asked.
"Off to work," Puck said. "You ready?"
"As ready as I can be for this job," Anita replied with a slight smile.
"Then let's go," Puck said, heading for the exit of the underground chamber.
"Good luck," Fratley told Puck and Anita. Then, without waiting for a response, he headed back toward Freya's chamber.
--- Rewrote THIS chapter too. Er... Yay? LOL, well, everyone's back together again! Now they can concentrate on more important matters... Well, eventually...
I think I caught all the errors in this chapter... But probably not since I skimmed it... Oh well!
This story is copyright to me. Some characters, locations, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.
Four Days Later; Burmecia
The storm made its way through the country, leaving around five feet of snow wherever it went. It made it to the mountains, where it gained strength and headed off to Lindblum, as was normal of the storms. Its progress slowed Fratley's progress down, but within two days he and his party moved again, until they had finally reached the gates of Burmecia. The two guards looked down at Fratley and his party curiously. They then opened the gates, seeing something in Fratley's blue eye that made them decide that questioning him would be a bad move.
The streets of the city where covered with a mass blanket of snow, yet that didn't stop Fratley from being able to run toward the castle, leaving the others behind. He had work to do... And something told him he knew exactly where Freya was. Something had happened while he was gone, and he knew the first place to check for her.
Fratley ran through the city, climbed up the stairs leading toward the castle, and soon reached the castle doors. Two guards stopped him.
"What is your business?" one guard asked, watching Fratley with curiosity.
"I need to get inside," Fratley said, taking a deep breath to try and keep himself from going completely insane. "My business is my own."
The two guards exchanged glances, then looked at Fratley. Fratley's hand hovered over his spear. Noting that, the two guards chose to move out of his way. Fratley entered the castle quickly, and by luck, Ebon was not in the throne room. Fratley padded in the direction of a large wooden door. He shoved it open, and found himself in a stone hallway. At the end of it were two more guards. Fratley could see the glint of metal – the key to the prison – hanging from the coat of one guard. Fratley walked over, and as expected the two guards blocked his progress to the prison.
"No one is allowed to pass," one guard said.
"Please leave," said the other guard.
Fratley looked between the two guards. He stared into the green eyes of the one with the key.
"I would like the key to the chains," Fratley demanded.
"You must think we're nuts," the guard with the key replied. "I can't give you that, nor let you through. Orders are orders."
"Calm down, Tor. We may have something here," the guard without the key said. He looked over at Fratley, who looked just about ready to kill something. "What brings you here, Fratley?"
"To free the prisoner," Fratley replied.
"You know who the prisoner is?" Tor asked with surprise, quickly relaxing. "Man, we don't. Doyle and I here just know not to leave our posts."
Fratley quickly relaxed, understanding.
"Well, it's Freya," Fratley said.
"So that's why no one spotted her around the city," Tor said with acknowledgement. "Most of the city is suspicious and pissed."
"Particularly the ones who got to witness the trial," Doyle said with agreement. He then looked over at Fratley. "So you're here to get her out?"
"Yes," Fratley said, getting rather sick of talking.
"Guess we have no reason not to let you, then," Tor said, taking the key from his side and tossing it to Fratley. "We'll stay here... Keep you covered."
Fratley caught the key and smiled, "Thank you."
Fratley shoved the door open and quickly closed it behind him. He quickly spotted Freya and frowned. She was leaning against the wall, staring at the ground. Half her face was covered in infected burns. Her hair was extremely dirty, and the ends were black and uneven. Her clothes were tattered and dirty. Her hands and upper arms were covered in infected burns, as were her feet and the tip of her tail. Her ears, which were missing tips, twitched when the door opened, but she didn't move.
"Freya," Fratley muttered, tears filling his eyes quickly.
Freya's head lifted upward in a start, her eyes widening slightly. Slowly, almost as if she was afraid it wouldn't be true, she looked in the direction of the door. She was quick, however, to notice Fratley standing there, as if debating if it was safe to approach. "Fratley?" Freya muttered under her breath, seeming shocked. Fratley quickly rushed for to Freya. Fratley swiftly unlocked the chains, which Freya quickly pushed off her arms. She watched the chains fall from her arms. She felt the tears forming in her eyes as she looked up at Fratley. "How?" she began in a tear-choked voice. "I don't know," Fratley quickly replied, shaking his head. Tears were forming in his own eyes. "All right then," Freya sighed. She shook her head, finding she couldn't question this crazy happening of events any further. She instead threw herself into Fratley, wrapping her arms around him in a massive hug. She buried her face into his chest as she made a desperate, and in the end failed, attempt not to cry. Fratley wrapped his arms around her, as he kept his own tears from falling. He was happy Freya was alive, but he was angry about her condition, and what had happened to know. He knew who did it. He knew that it was two people.
And when he finally found them, Ebon and Julius would both be dead.
A few minutes passed before Freya pulled away from Fratley's embrace. She looked around, then looked back at Fratley.
"Okay... Now how are we getting out of here?" she asked.
"Well, we could make a scene," Fratley commented. "But I have a better idea."
Fratley took off his pack and quickly searched through it. He soon took out a yellowish scroll bound by blue silk. Freya blinked with surprise as Fratley tied his pack shut and swung it back over his shoulders.
"Warp scroll?" Freya asked. "You didn't steal it like Amarant did, did you?"
Fratley chuckled. "No, I bought it... Damn, why didn't I use it to get here? I have another."
"Because you didn't think," Freya replied.
"Good point," Fratley muttered. He gently took Freya arm, opened the Warp scroll, and muttered the words on it. The two soon dematerialized, and their particles remaining of their bodies zoomed into the Underground Chamber. They rematerialized into a homey room complete with a roaring fireplace, and a small yet comfortable-looking bed. Freya looked around, examining the stone walls for familiarity.
"You're safe," Fratley said as he heard familiar footsteps.
Soon Freya was sitting on the bed, and only seconds later Meander entered. He shook his head, took a deep breath, and soon was shouting.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" he shouted angrily, seeming very exasperated.
"Relax, Meander," Fratley said immediately, startling Meander and Freya both. "How did you get here, anyway?"
Meander stood still, staring at Fratley for a few seconds. He then sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, staring at Fratley intently.
"I see you gained some of your memory back, at least. I came here with Freya. I'd like to know how she got back here," Meander explained.
"A little bit of compromising," Fratley replied, holding up the keys in his hand.
Soon Meander was shoved out of the way by Kitski, startling Freya and making her fur bristle. Kitski sighed and walked over to her in three quick strides.
"I'm here to help you," she said quickly. "I'm Kitski, a healer."
Freya looked up at Fratley, who nodded.
"You can trust her," Fratley said with reassurance, turning his gaze to Kitski.
"Where is Amarant?" Freya asked softly, looking over at Meander.
"Elsewhere is all he would say. At this point, I'm not sure I want to know where he is..." Meander said grumpily.
"So, who else did you bring?" Freya asked, looking over at Fratley. "Clearly you brought a crew."
"Plenty of oddities," Fratley replied. "I've got this healer, Rose, Wanderer, Cleo, and Vivi."
"Vivi?" Freya asked. "Where is he?"
"In there," Meander said, motioning to the other room.
"A-Actually, I'm right here," Vivi suddenly said, appearing from the shadows. "I j-just didn't approach yet..."
"Hello," Freya made an attempt to say, though it was hard to speak since Kitski was applying burn salve to her face.
"H-Hello," Vivi said, smiling beneath the shadow that hid his face. He found he had little else to say at that moment.
Freya didn't have much to say either. She was still nervous from the sudden fly from prison to freedom. She lied down on the bed, causing Kitski to mutter curses due to her sudden movement. Freya closed her eyes, suddenly tired, and despite the group of people and Kitski's treatment, she soon fell asleep.
Freya's recovery was slow. First off, she had to be forced to eat, though she drank on her own. She said she wasn't hungry, that she didn't feel right enough to eat.
"Maybe it's because you haven't eaten?" Meander had growled.
That caused Freya to reluctantly begin eating once more. Kitski seemed pleased with this, having noted that Freya was underweight, though how she had figured it out no one really knew. Yet Freya's recovery was also slow simply due to too many burns and not enough healing power. Regen and Cure spells simply did not work efficiently against Freya's burns. The third-degree burns were too fierce for the spells, and the spells were the only ones Kitski seemed to know. Regardless, Kitski's skills seemed to do a good job. After watching Freya's progress over a week, Kitski made announcements on Freya's to-be condition, and as was her nature, was right to the point.
"First off, you're going to live," Kitski said that morning, sitting on the floor next to Freya's bed. "Second of all, the eyesight in your left eye is not going to get any better, nor worse. You'll have to get used to it. Third, your tail may grow to normal length. Fourth, any fur lost will not grow back."
"That all?" Freya asked, stress evident in her voice.
"Yep," Kitski said, looking over at Fratley, who was standing nearby. "Unless you have something to add?"
"Besides the fact that I've been busy trying to get Freya's life back together? Nothing," Fratley replied.
"How so?" Freya asked, immediately interested.
"Lots of stuff," Fratley said. "First off, the tailor is making you some new clothes, since your current ones aren't suitable. Second, the weaponsmith is making you a new weapon. Your health issue is self- explanatory, and well, other things."
"Thank you," Freya said.
Fratley smiled. "No need to thank me."
"How is Amarant, by the way?" Freya suddenly asked.
"If he can get any grumpier, I'd be impressed," Kitski said with a snort.
"Well, that's Amarant," Freya replied, rolling her eyes. "But how is he?"
"He'll be fine," Kitski replied. "Nothing was wrong with him anyway..."
Freya nodded as she laid her head down against the pillow. Kitski rose to her feet and left the room. Fratley and Freya both watched her leave. The room became quiet as they turned to each other.
"Everyone is trying to help. Everyone keeps getting hurt," Freya muttered.
"Not ye fault," Fratley replied, walking over. "If everyone else wants ta help with somethin' dangerous, what can ya do ta stop them?"
Freya did not seem surprised that Fratley's accent had returned. When she first heard it again a week ago, she had been shocked but happy, thinking the old Fratley was returning. Now, she knew he was returning, if slowly.
"Perhaps that logic is true enough," Freya said. She then snorted. "If only I could take care of myself."
"'Ow? We're faced with a man who 'as been killin' Burmecians for who- knows-how-long. Ya need help. Anyone would in this situation."
"I suppose so," Freya replied. She sighed. "Well, enough of me and my worries. What do you suggest we do?"
Fratley leaned back, exhaling softly as he stared at the ceiling. "Well, first off, I say we stay 'ere. With Ebon king an' all e's going ta want us all dead. So if we stay 'ere, we're safe."
"But we can't stay in hiding forever," Freya pointed out.
"Right, that I know. So once we're all recovered, we can 'ead out into the city, and someone can kill Ebon," Fratley explained.
"So you want to break the law too," Freya muttered.
"Do we 'ave much of a choice?" Fratley asked, looking at Freya sternly with his single blue eye. "Even if we could keep Ebon alive, what would it do for us? The only solution ta some o' the problems we 'ave is killing Ebon."
Freya opened her mouth to speak, but Fratley held up his hand. He smiled.
"I know what you're thinkin'... And we don' 'ave ta be seen ta kill Ebon, right? I'm sure there are plenty o' ways we can make it look like some freak accident... Like tossin' 'im into the lake."
Freya shook her head. "Fratley, don't forget that Ebon knows how to swim."
"Well, scratch that, then. We'll poison 'im instead. But whatever we'll do, 'e'll be gone, and it'll be easier ta concentrate on Julius."
"Perhaps Julius will not stalk me any more, Fratley, once Ebon is gone. He may be being bribed to attack me."
Fratley sighed. "That, I feel, is a false 'ope."
"Why so?"
"Look at it this way: Julius is the leader o' a mass organization that 'as so much power it can mine its own gems, and make its own scrolls. It sells these scrolls for big prices because they are so powerful. The COL probably makes at least 5000 Gil per year just on scrolls, while they spend less than that on maintenance."
Freya stared at Fratley with shock as the information slowly sank in. She swallowed hoarsely, then spoke.
"Julius doesn't need the money, then."
"Exactly," Fratley said. "Even if Ebon is dead, I don' think Julius will disappear. 'E's after ya for who ya are, and e's persistent for somethin' else."
"This is getting rather complicated," Freya groaned. "and the situation is complicated enough already."
"But there are solutions to the problem," Fratley replied. "Not very hopeful ones, but solutions nonetheless. We only 'ave ta wait for ya to recover."
"Who knows how long that will take." Freya sighed, rubbing the fabric of the sheet on the bed against her fingers. "I'm tired of just laying around."
Fratley chuckled softly and kissed Freya on the cheek. "Sometimes ya just 'ave ta lie around... You'll be movin' around more in the long run. Trust me."
Fratley rose to his feet and turned to leave, but Freya had one more comment in store for him.
"Perhaps you and your coma are a good example?" Freya asked, smirking slightly.
Fratley stopped walking forward. He turned slightly in Freya's direction, smiled, and winked. Somehow, the wink still held its same loving quality even when Fratley had only one eye.
"Well, I am movin' around more, right?"
"So, how is she doing?" Meander asked when Fratley entered the main entrance to the underground passage.
"A mix between stress and depression," Fratley replied, taking a seat on the floor. "She still has a bit of a guilt problem, thinking that this is mainly her cause."
"Damn it, I wish she would get over that!" Meander growled.
"Don't blame her, blame Ebon. He's probably the one who got her into this state," Kitski growled.
"'Likely' is the better term, not 'probably'. Anyhow, she also still doesn't agree much with the idea that we should kill Ebon," Fratley continued
"Damn it, why? We don't have much of a choice!" Meander snapped.
"She's afraid of going to jail again, you ass," Kitski spat at Meander.
"Well said," Fratley told Kitski, nodding. "She also doesn't see what we will gain."
"Perhaps Julius leaving her alone?" Meander growled.
"Doubtful. The COL doesn't need the money Ebon offers. There's something else... What, I don't know," Kitski said, shaking her head.
"Wow, the smart-ass doesn't know something," Meander said in mock awe, drawing a nasty glare from Kitski.
"Let's not provoke each other right now," Puck announced suddenly. He had been standing quietly near Kitski, but now felt that speaking up seemed best. He turned to Fratley. "As you were saying?"
"There's one more thing that Freya isn't happy about," Fratley said, relieved to be able to continue speaking. "She's tired of lying around."
"She doesn't have much of a choice!" Meander snapped. "How does she expect to recover?"
"She's probably had to just 'lie around' for quite some time now," Kitski snorted. "It gets aggravating to a devoted warrior after a while."
"Is that it, Fratley?" Puck asked, turning to Fratley.
"That's it," Fratley said, nodding.
"Good," Puck said. He then turned to Meander and Kitski, who had been bickering silently. "IF YOU WANT TO ARGUE, YOU CAN GO OUTSIDE, GOD DAMN IT! GO DRAW A CROWD!"
Meander and Kitski stared at Puck with slight surprise, his sudden bellow cutting them off mid-bicker. Kitski's ears flattened slightly while her blue eyes narrowed. Without another word, she turned around and left through the corridor leading to the main rooms of the underground chamber. Meander's eyes narrowed, while the irises began to turn reddish. With a powerful lash of his bulky tail, he headed outside.
"I do hope he isn't going to draw a crowd," Fratley muttered.
"You never know with Meander. I've learned that one quick," Puck muttered. "Well, we've learned all we need. Now it's time to continue with our dull lives. ANITA!"
Suddenly Anita rushed into the room. She soon slowed down and sniffed the air. She then turned in Puck's relative direction.
"Now what?" she asked.
"Off to work," Puck said. "You ready?"
"As ready as I can be for this job," Anita replied with a slight smile.
"Then let's go," Puck said, heading for the exit of the underground chamber.
"Good luck," Fratley told Puck and Anita. Then, without waiting for a response, he headed back toward Freya's chamber.
--- Rewrote THIS chapter too. Er... Yay? LOL, well, everyone's back together again! Now they can concentrate on more important matters... Well, eventually...
I think I caught all the errors in this chapter... But probably not since I skimmed it... Oh well!
This story is copyright to me. Some characters, locations, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.