Moi would have updated earlier, but for ze accursed project zat requirez mon constant attentionmente. But c'est la vie, non? Pleaze read and enjoy, mon cheri. (blows kiss in Serge's direction)
Serge: … (holds up restraining order)
Chrono Cross Switcharoo
Chapter Four: A Bellflower for Dario
Kid stopped short as a merchant stepped in front of her, one hand raised. "Don't be running around here!" the merchant reprimanded her angrily, setting her hands on her hips. "I have a very valuable collector's item under that glass, and you could have run into it! Try to be more careful, will you?"
"A collector's item?" Serge repeated. "Oh, puh-lease. I know you—ye're that merchant with the successful older sister, ain't ya? There ain't no way ya've got anythin' that great."
The merchant boiled. "Oh, yes I do! Look at this!" She pulled off the blanket over the glass to reveal a mermaid, her skin glistening in the sudden light. The mermaid shielded her eyes for a moment, and looked out at the two of them mournfully, pressing one hand against the glass.
Serge seemed to half-explode, but only on the inside. "Good ta know," he said darkly, and then pushed the tank over onto the ground, shattering it and sending water everywhere. The merchant let out a scream, but Serge was already moving, seizing the mermaid up in his arms and walking to the side of the road, which was spread across the water. "Hold onta yer fins, mate," he told her, and then released her into the water. She waved gratefully, and then was gone, swimming with the mermaid's typical incredible speed.
"How could you do that? Do you have any idea what that mermaid was worth?" the merchant demanded of him, seizing him by the front of his tunic. "I'm taking this to the authorities, mister!"
Serge pushed her away. "I don't care what that did to ya, but I know I hate it when animals like you take people away from their homes, away from their families…!" It seemed like a tear started in one of his eyes, but he blinked it back, and continued. "Ye're no more than a bloody poacher, ya hear me? That's why you'll never be as successful as yer sister! So you leave me alone about whatever that mermaid was worth in yer dirty money!" He turned his shoulders sharply, without taking his eyes off the flabbergasted merchant. "C'mon, Kid, let's get the bloody hell outta here."
"Wow, Serge, that was..." Kid shook her head, unable to express what she was trying to say.
"Foolish, stupid, childish, I know," Serge told her, leaning against the railing around the end of the road.
"No, Serge, that was brave," Kid told him. "I don't think I could've done that. You sure showed that idiot."
Serge smirked. "I did, though, didn't I?" he said slowly, rubbing his chin in thought. "I might wanna make that a habit..."
Kid elbowed him in the ribs.
"Ow!"
"You egotists and your swelled heads," Kid muttered, starting down the steps to the shrines.
Serge blinked. "What'd I say?" he wondered quietly, following.
But Kid stopped him before he could go much further. "Look—it's that knight again!" she alerted him, gesturing to the figures near a central gravestone.
Serge couldn't conceal a smirk. "And look who he's with! Let's get closer and see if he's tryin' ta—uh, why don't we see if we can help?" he said quickly, noting Kid's flat, unfriendly look.
"My sentiments exactly," Kid told him in a warning tone, continuing down the stairs.
"Hey—I'm getting a chill. Where are we?" the skull asked, trying to pop far enough out of Kid's pack to see.
"At the shrines."
The skull moaned slightly. "I've never felt comfortable around dead people." He paused for a while, but then noticed the look Kid was giving him. "Yes," he answered the unasked question, "I still consider myself as technically alive." He frowned then, or he seemed to. "This place seems familiar for some reason..."
"Maybe you lived here in Termina," Kid suggested.
"Termina? That sound familiar too...very familiar. Yeah, I seem to remember some things about it. Wait, stop!" the skull told her suddenly. Kid hesitated, looking around for whatever he might have seen. "This is where the priest sent my father out to the ocean," the skull realized, nodding in the direction of the ground to her left. "He died right after I finished school."
"We'll need to stick around here for a while," Kid told Serge when he caught up. "The skull remembers a lot of things from around here."
"Hey, I think I might need a little better distinction than that," the skull told her.
"We could call ya Skull, or Skully, or Skeleton..." Serge mused as they walked along the dry land to a place where they could better view the two figures. "I know! Let's call ya Skelly, short for Skeleton."
"That sounds familiar for some reason," Skelly told him.
"Small wonder."
"Shhh!" Kid hissed at them. Riddel, as Kid surmised the woman beside Glenn must be, had been silent for a time.
"So she was out of bellflowers," she said in a quiet, velvety voice. There was a touch of sadness on her features as she straightened the green dress that made her look very much like a bellflower herself. "That is unfortunate. But let us pray, nevertheless, even without them."
Glenn had been feeling uneasy for a short time, and now he was certain he could feel another presence behind them. "Hmmm...?" he murmured, his light-colored brows creased in a frown as he turned to see the two teenagers. He walked up to them, noticing the flower in Kid's hands. "Is that a bellflower you have there?" he asked her, taking a closer look at it.
"I think so," Kid replied.
"What's it ta you?" Serge asked in an unfriendly voice. Kid frowned at him.
Glenn looked confused for a moment. "I...did not wish to upset you," he said to Serge. "I will leave you alone if my presence bothers you."
"Well that's good, 'cause accordin' ta me, you can go stick your face in a—"
Kid stepped on his foot again. Hard. "You'll have to excuse him," she said to Glenn sweetly, casting a side glare at the grimacing Serge. "Did you need something?"
"Begging your pardon, would you be so kind as to give up that flower to us? We need one for our prayer," he explained. "I will pay you for it, if you so desire."
"No, you can take it," Kid told him. "I just found it not too long ago. If it's more important to you, then go ahead." She held out the flower.
"Are you sure?" Glenn asked her. Kid nodded. "I thank you deeply," he said to her, taking the flower delicately and returning to Riddel.
"Please let me offer my gratitude as well," Riddel told them, her eyes glistening with a sad kind of happiness. "The souls that rest beneath this sword loved this flower in life. That is why we always bring some when we pray here..." She took the bellflower as Glenn handed it to her, and bent to place it carefully on the gravestone. "Dario," she began, her eyes filling with tears, "here is a bellflower—that you used to love so much. Soon—" her voice cracked slightly, and she swallowed a moment before continuing, feeling the lump building up in her throat. "Soon, the flowers seeds shall sprout, grow leaves, and bloom flowers everywhere. And we shall age yet another year, while you remain the same in memory..." Her voice broke and she stood, brushing back tears. Glenn set a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she gently pushed it away. The hurt in his eyes was almost more than Kid could bear.
"Father...brother..." he murmured slowly. The words seemed to fit in with their mood, but they also seemed to hold some kind of weak plea, as though for strength, or for something else.
"It is such a mystery," Riddel said finally. "The sword never seems to rust, even when left in the rain. It is as though the souls of its masters live within it. Do you not think so, Glenn?" She turned to him with those words, her eyes holding an opaque hope.
Glenn's face was a mask of silence, as though he knew what she meant by that question. "Yes," he told her in what seemed to be a flat voice. "I have engraved in my memory the lives of my father and brother, who had both wielded the sacred sword, Einlanzer..." 'Or perhaps they have engraved them for me,' he thought to himself.
"Let us hope that is true..." Riddel whispered, placing her hands on his arm, as though for comfort.
Glenn gave her a surprised look. "What do you mean by that? Miss Riddel, I cannot allow you even to—"
"Do you not think there is something odd about the dragoons of late?" Riddel cut him off, spearing him with a penetrating look. Glenn's eyes dropped from hers. "Daddy's face shows such anguish," Riddel continued, "and even Karsh was saying he went out on a 'ghost-hunt.'"
Kid shivered, her stomach plummeting in realization.
"Miss Riddel..." Glenn began a second time, but it was clear that he didn't know what to say.
"Everyone has been acting oddly, ever since that beastly guest arrived at the manor," Riddel pressed on, her voice growing more fierce.
Serge took an involuntary step back, and shook his head firmly. No. That was not true. It had to be someone else at the manor—there were plenty of wealthy, influential demi-humans...
They hesitated a moment. "Glenn, promise me to always keep the unclouded truth in sight. Do not be swayed by the masses. The splendor of the Einlanzer must not be tarnished," Riddel told him, her eyes on the sword before them.
Glenn watched her for a moment. "As you wish," he promised solemnly, his eyes also resting on the sword.
Riddel kept her determined expression a few moments longer before her eyes filled with mirth and her lips quirked in a smile. Glenn looked at her swiftly as she let out a light, bell-like laugh. "Miss Riddel?"
"Forgive me," Riddel told him, controlling her laughing for a moment. "I just found it a little funny to hear you say such words." Then it was back again, the tinkling laughter that had adorned Glenn's childhood for so long, only this time filled out with the maturity of a young woman. He watched her again for a moment, his eyes twinkling softly and his lips turned in a quiet smile. But then he recalled his place, and cleared his throat officially.
"Miss Riddel, a chill wind has risen. Shall we return to the manor?" He offered her his arm.
"Yes, of course." The couple passed Kid and Serge on their way out, and Riddel nodded to them in gratitude.
"Uh—Miss Riddel, please go on ahead. I will catch up to you within a moment," Glenn told her. He turned to Kid and Serge when the lady of the manor was safely out of earshot. "You...weren't watching that, were you?" he asked them.
"No, no, of course not," Kid assured him. Glenn seemed doubtful, but he nodded to them in farewell, and followed Riddel out of the shrines. Kid frowned when they were both gone, folding her arms. It was pretty clear that Glenn was smitten with Riddel, but it was doubly clear that Riddel was either ignoring or discouraging his attempts to...was it...to take someone else's place? Kid wondered about that, but it was none of her business, so she soon discarded the idea. She turned back to Serge, who was watching the place where the mysterious couple had turned a corner.
"So dragoons're capable of compassion, too," he said slowly. "That's not a bet I would've taken."
"And who's going to make another foolish bet?" came a voice from nearby them. They turned to see a masked man with long, violet hair descending the steps to the house in the shrines.
"Guile!" Serge called to him, hopping over the small stream of water and going to his old friend's side. "Long time no bet, mate! How've ya been?"
"Fine, for the most part," Guile replied. "Winning a bet here, casting a trick there, and generally making enough money to live off of."
"Kid, this is Guile. He's an old friend of mine," Serge introduced him as Kid walked around to them. "Guile, Kid. We're travelin' tagether since some blokes from Viper Manor've been on her arse a little while."
"Viper Manor?" Guile repeated. "That's some coincidence; I'm also seeking something at Viper Manor, myself."
"Oh?" Serge prodded.
"Well, it has to do with a bet with the fortuneteller that...I'm not winning right now," Guile confided. "There's a certain item in Viper Manor that I'm expected to find by the end of the week. If I don't, then, well..."
Serge was smirking now. "If ya don't?"
Guile sighed. "I have to show my face to the fortuneteller."
"I wanna be around for that!" Serge told him. "This might just work out for us, if we can find a dependable boatman ta get us there."
"Maybe I can help you," someone said from behind them. It turned out to be a redheaded girl of about sixteen, with large green eyes and clad in a typical Guldove fashion. "I'm not exactly a boatman, but I've got a boat I can letCHA use." She turned to Serge. "I saw the way you let that mermaid go," she told him, putting her hands behind her back and twisting her shoulders nervously. "That was real brave of ya!"
"Thanks," Serge said to her. Kid shot him a surprised look, but he didn't see it. This was bad. Sure, Kid hadn't really thought about it, but she realized again that Serge was a good-looking guy. She might have to be more careful, unless she wanted to end up losing him to some blond-haired bimbo. 'You ARE a blond-haired bimbo,' her conscience reminded her. Kid began to develop a sour mood.
"My name's Mel," the boatgirl told them, extending her hand to Serge in greeting. "I'm pretty good at boating. Just don't ask me to fish, or I might hafta hurtCHA."
Serge looked up at the darkening sky. "Looks like we only have a few more hours of daylight, mates," he told the others. "We'll wanna leave tamorrow," he explained to Mel. "We're a little roughed up, and we need ta rest up some."
"Okay," Mel agreed. "I'll be right here by the shrines if you need me," she told him, waving.
"This spot looks kind of familiar," Skelly told them as they passed Lisa's shop. "It seems like I remember playing here..."
"A talking skull," Guile mused. "How very interesting."
"Yeah. That's Skelly," Serge told him. "We picked him up in Fossil Valley. He seems ta think Kid's dead like him 'cause...eh, well, I'll tell ya later when we have more time."
"Let's check the residences," Kid said to Serge. "There's still some light out. Someone should be up."
They checked the door to their right, and were greeted by a young woman who looked something like a nurse. "Well, yes, I care for the old woman who lives here," she answered Kid's question. "She lost her son a few years back."
Kid's pack shifted slightly, and she thought she heard a surprised cry.
"I didn't know him too well," the woman continued, her eyes strangely distant, "but I seem to remember he was a very happy man. He loved to laugh. I think he went away to be a clown." She shook her head. "I'm not really sure why I'm telling you this, though..."
Kid took a moment to consider that. For some reason, people seemed comfortable telling her about their dead. There had been Leena, Riddel, and now this woman. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that she was out of place here, almost like an extra piece to a jigsaw puzzle. A piece that didn't really belong anywhere.
The woman frowned then. "I didn't talk to him much, but I think his name was Skelly."
"Wow. What're the odds?" Serge was saying several moments later, as they had bid the woman goodbye and started for the inn. "How often do ya find a skull, nickname him Skelly, and then find out his real name is Skelly? That's some coincidence. And after all, who names their kid something like—"
"Shut up," Skelly told him sourly. Serge did so, realizing he had touched on a nerve, and the rest of the short walk was spent in a thoughtful silence.
"You're in luck," the innkeeper told them. "We have one extra room. Just don't be frightened if you hear anything from the Porre in the room next to you."
"What do you mean?" Kid asked.
The innkeeper sighed, mechanically wiping off the countertop. "They've been gibbering on about that so-called hero living up at the blacksmith's. Even learned some special greeting from him. All they can do is bother me all day with it." She set a motherly hand on Kid's shoulder. "Just don't listen to either of them, dearie. There are some people in this world who couldn't recognize talent if it bit them on the nose."
The four of them entered the indicated room to find three, nicely kept beds and a surrounding countertop. "This is perfect," Serge told them, setting his pack down by the door. "Guile can take one bed, Skelly can take the other one, and Kid and I—"
"Don't even think about it," Kid told him sharply.
"That wouldn't work anyway," Skelly explained to him, having calmed down enough to be agreeable again. "All I need's a pillow. Are there extras?"
"Wait here," Kid told him, setting the pack down on one of the beds. "I'll ask the innkeeper."
It wasn't long before they were settled in, with Skelly turned toward the window on the pillow that he had requested to be placed on the windowsill. Kid slowly began to drift off, the rush of the waves against the beach echoing in her ears as seagulls circled above, cawing soothingly...
Author: Anozzer day, anozzer chapter. Mon intentionmente iz to continue in zis fashion of a chapter every ozzer day until such time az moi reachez chapter sept (7), by which time moi hopez to have prewritten chapterz for ze sake of convenience.
Review Replies:
Dai: (snatches pillows) Ne touches pas! And do not speak such of mon Serge comme ca! It iz MON mind which iz dirty. XD Moi haz reviewed ze new chapter, quite extensivemente if moi iz to say, so be satisfied wit' zat much for ze time being.
