A/N: This chapter proves why you should always think about your actions
BEFORE you commit them. Oh, and please review! Good, bad, ugly, I don't
care! I also don't care if you've review before—do it again! Then I at
least know someone's reading my fic!
Chapter Seventeen
Ambermist stumped over to her friends' table, feeling like her head was going to explode. Slumping in a chair, she blinked at them blearily.
Jea looked at her. "You might want to pack your stuff. We're leaving."
"Why?" she asked grumpily.
"Because…" Jea said slowly, "…we're going to a city eight times as big as this one…"
Ambermist's eyes lit up. Without a word, she dashed upstairs to pack.
Jea looked at Laguna. "Gee, that was easy." He grinned back at her.
* * * * * *
They managed to get moving by noon, heading west, towards the Nyr Dyv, the great inland sea. Laguna did remember to purchase a new horse, this one named Sentret. The road was remarkably clear; they went on for two and a half, three weeks without problems.
About three weeks into the trip, something interesting occurred. Both Jea and Ambermist woke up feeling poor.
Jea woke early, as usual, and she stretched luxuriously in Laguna's arms. The two had taken to sharing a tent, not wanting to give up the special attachment they'd formed.
She winced in minor pain. Laguna had apparently done a number on her the night before; her breasts hurt like crazy. Getting up, she went over and stirred up the fire, putting breakfast on to cook. When she reached for her bag, a quiet voice said, "Hey, Jea?"
Turning, Jea looked up as Ambermist came over and sat down. "What's the matter?" she asked, the healer in her noting the pale complexion so unusual to Ambermist's dark skin.
"I think I must have eaten something bad, 'cause I feel kinda sick. I was wondering if you had something for it?"
Thinking for a moment, Jea noted a slight queasiness in her own stomach. Reaching again for her bag, she began pulling out various herbs. "I'm wondering if we ate some bad fruit, Ambermist. I'm going to make some tea good for settling stomachs down. Wake the guys, will you? Breakfast is almost ready."
Ambermist silently complied, trying to dismiss a strange, unknown nagging thought in her mind.
* * * * * *
The tea Jea made, however, did absolutely nothing. In fact, the two women had barely finished drinking it when they ran to the bushes to puke their guts out. Laguna and Dumbugg watched in concern.
"Boy," Laguna commented when the two had a chance to rinse out their mouths. "I don't know what you two ate, but it must've been a doozy! Are you going to be okay?"
Jea looked at him sharply. "What do you mean? Don't you feel sick at all?"
Laguna shook his head. "No. I feel fine."
"Dumbugg?"
"I fine."
Jea thought for a minute when Laguna commented, "As a paladin, I am immune to all natural poisons….."
—Wait a minute!…I'm both ranger and druid! I'm immune to ALL poisons—especially natural! I shouldn't be sick!— Drawing on everything about healing and illnesses she knew, she tried to decipher possible causes. All of a sudden, her eyes widened as she reached a most disturbing conclusion.
Ambermist reached that same conclusion a minute later, and her eyes widened in shock. Quickly she did some mental calculations and realized she was late—VERY late. "Shit!" she spat.
Jea looked at her, suspicions confirmed. "'Shit!' is putting it pretty mildly, doncha think?"
Laguna looked at them in confusion. He had no clue what they were talking about. Guessing they'd explain soon enough, he said nothing.
Dumbugg, on the other hand, somehow figured it out—a rare moment indeed. He did not have the same amount of self control that the two females did. "You're pregnant," he said abruptly.
The two women were fuming. Ambermist made a vow to castrate Goldleaf when she saw him again. Jea was frowning, lost in thought.
Laguna took a moment, letting this info sink in. Looking at the two girls, he said, (somewhat stupidly I might add.), "Congratulations."
Both females looked at him, eyes cold. "Congrats? Congrats?!" Jea snarled. "You've got to be kidding!" She opened her mouth to say something else, but her anger drowned out her words. She screamed a bellow of rage and stormed into the woods.
Wolf snarled in Laguna's direction, and walked over to his boots. Still watching the paladin, he calmly lifted his leg and pissed in the boots. Afterwards, he disappeared after his mistress into the woods.
Laguna looked at Ambermist. "What did I do?" he asked in confusion.
She just looked at him for a long moment. —You've got to be kidding! No one can possibly be THAT dumb!— "AARRGGHH!!!!" She stalked to the other side of the clearing, taking her frustration out on a tree.
Laguna, still not quite sure why they were so angry, climbed on his horse to stand guard.
* * * * * *
Jea ran through the woods, setting a breakneck pace to rid herself of her returned paladin genocide desires. Her mind was moving even faster than her body, and long before her physical self was out of energy, her mind caused her to halt. She collapsed wearily against a tree as the full implications of her present….situation hit her full force.
She burst into angry tears, furiously pounding her fist against the trunk of the tree. —This can't BE happening! It can't! I will NOT end up like Papa! I refuse to!! I must be dreaming—that's it, this is a nightmare! If I pinch myself, I'll wake up—OUCH!! Dammit!!!!!! Why me!! I lose control for the first time in 27 years of life and I get kicked in the ass immediately with consequences! What if Laguna does like my good for nothing mother? Oh, goddess, PLEASE don't let that happen! I don't wanna end up like Papa!!!—
Her mind continued this roundabout train of thought, even after Wolf showed up. He tried his best to comfort her, pressing his furry body next to hers, whining and whimpering his sympathies. It took all day for it to work, and when it did, her tears dried up—but her anger didn't. Wolf prudently made his exit as Jea's mind clouded over with an almost berserker like Rage.
* * * * * *
The day passed slowly. After a few hours, Ambermist got tired and ran out of tree. She went over to get something to eat. Dumbugg sat around, eating, sleeping, and getting bored.
Evening came and Wolf returned alone. By now Laguna was slightly concerned. Jea had been missing all day and the stupidity of his comments was beginning to dawn on him. After all, Jea's present predicament was half his fault too.
Night fell, and now Laguna was worried. Suddenly, Ambermist stood up. "I hear a noise."
Laguna perked up—he heard the noise too. It sounded like a large animal. Sliding down from his horse, he motioned for his companions to follow him to investigate. They crept through the woods, following the noise. Laguna was highly concerned for their missing friend, considering the noise was coming from the same general area where she disappeared.
A hundred yards into the forest or so, they found the source of the noise. A large grizzly bear was making it's own clearing, shredding trees to splinters, pulling saplings out by their roots, and hurtling rocks. It did not appear wounded or ill, yet Laguna noticed it was being unnaturally destructive. Suddenly an idea wound its way into his mind. —I wonder if…— He looked closer at the beast and found what he was looking for. —It's Jea. Okay.—
He motioned to Ambermist, who'd also figured out the animal's identity. "C'mon, let's go back to camp." He led Dumbugg away. Ambermist stayed crouched in the bushes. After a few minutes she moved to the clearing behind Jea, deciding to take out some more anger on a tree.
The sound of broadsword on wood sunk into the ranger's mind. Stopping, Jea turned around to look at Ambermist. Turning back into a person, she looked sheepishly at her toes. "Ah…sorry…I was…um, annoyed…."
Ambermist waved her apology away. "It's okay. It's okay. I understand. But perhaps we should head back to camp. It is getting late."
Jea nodded and the two fell into step, heading back to camp, talking about their new predicaments. Ambermist remarked, "Ya know, I really have this desire to HIT Dumbugg. I can't believe he did what he did!!"
"I can't believe he figured it out, period," Jea commented. "Besides, the one I want to hit is Laguna. I can't believe him! 'Congratulations.' The nerve of him! It's his fault too! Dammit!"
Ambermist nodded sympathetically. "Men!" both spat.
"Ya know, maybe we should hit them…I have some mallets I use for tent stakes…Whaddya think?"
(A/N: Yes! It's the infamous BAKA Mallets of Anime! See? This is what happens when Otaku play D&D over the telephone on the weekends! It gets ridiculously silly!!)
Ambermist gave Jea a feral grin and held out her hand. Jea passed the wooden mallet over. "I'll take Dumbugg—I imagine you would like Laguna?"
"Oh, yes. Leave my lover to me."
They crept into the clearing, mallets ready. The men had their backs to them, eating. The two women snuck up behind them and simultaneously hit Laguna and Dumbugg. Dumbugg went sprawling—Laguna went flying.
Laguna sat up and rubbed the swelling on his head. "Ow." Suddenly a furry weight hit him and Wolf was washing his face with a rough tongue. When Laguna tried to push him off, Wolf snarled. So Laguna lay there until a whistle called him off. Picking himself up off the ground, he Dumbugg looking at the two women.
"Owie…" Dumbugg said. "What you do that for?"
The women looked at each other and then smacked Dumbugg again. This time, he was knocked unconscious. Laguna decided to say nothing, and looked at Jea.
She glared hard at hi, eyes blazing. "I'm tired. I'M goin to bed." With that, she spread her own blankets out and crawled inside.
Laguna took the hint that she wished to sleep alone. He leaned up against a tree to sleep. Ambermist went to bed, and Wolf sat awake, guarding.
* * * * * *
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Laguna was awakened by the scream. On his feet in an instant, he realized it was Jea, having another nightmare.
The scream had woken both Dumbugg and Ambermist. They scrambled up, ready for a fight. After a moment, the thief realized it was just a nightmare, and returned to bed.
Dumbugg, however, didn't clue in. He was looking around for stuff to kill. Laguna told him to go back to bed. "It's just a nightmare," he explained. It finally sank in and the half-orc wandered back to bed.
Laguna crouched down next to Jea, hugging her gently. "Calm down, Jea. Wake up. It's just a nightmare."
She managed to wake, and, in the aftermath of such a horrendous dream, clung to him, crying and quivering.
Laguna sent out a silent plea to his god. —Great Goku, what can I do to help her? Can You banish these dreams?—
He was shocked when he heard a reply. *Hello, Laguna Kimsteed. I regret to tell you I cannot help her.*
—Lord Goku? Why not?—
*Because she is not of My faith. But you can. You must discover the cause of her nightmares, and understand them. Only then will you be able to drive them away. Good luck.*
—Lord? Goku?— But there was no response. Laguna hugged Jea closer, making soothing sounds. After a while, her weeping stopped, but when he moved to leave, she whimpered.
Laguna looked at her. "Would you like me to stay with you?" he asked, earnestly concerned—speaking as both FRIEND and lover.
She nodded vigorously. Laguna crawled into the blankets next to her, holding her trembling form against him, both slipping slowly into sleep.
Chapter Seventeen
Ambermist stumped over to her friends' table, feeling like her head was going to explode. Slumping in a chair, she blinked at them blearily.
Jea looked at her. "You might want to pack your stuff. We're leaving."
"Why?" she asked grumpily.
"Because…" Jea said slowly, "…we're going to a city eight times as big as this one…"
Ambermist's eyes lit up. Without a word, she dashed upstairs to pack.
Jea looked at Laguna. "Gee, that was easy." He grinned back at her.
* * * * * *
They managed to get moving by noon, heading west, towards the Nyr Dyv, the great inland sea. Laguna did remember to purchase a new horse, this one named Sentret. The road was remarkably clear; they went on for two and a half, three weeks without problems.
About three weeks into the trip, something interesting occurred. Both Jea and Ambermist woke up feeling poor.
Jea woke early, as usual, and she stretched luxuriously in Laguna's arms. The two had taken to sharing a tent, not wanting to give up the special attachment they'd formed.
She winced in minor pain. Laguna had apparently done a number on her the night before; her breasts hurt like crazy. Getting up, she went over and stirred up the fire, putting breakfast on to cook. When she reached for her bag, a quiet voice said, "Hey, Jea?"
Turning, Jea looked up as Ambermist came over and sat down. "What's the matter?" she asked, the healer in her noting the pale complexion so unusual to Ambermist's dark skin.
"I think I must have eaten something bad, 'cause I feel kinda sick. I was wondering if you had something for it?"
Thinking for a moment, Jea noted a slight queasiness in her own stomach. Reaching again for her bag, she began pulling out various herbs. "I'm wondering if we ate some bad fruit, Ambermist. I'm going to make some tea good for settling stomachs down. Wake the guys, will you? Breakfast is almost ready."
Ambermist silently complied, trying to dismiss a strange, unknown nagging thought in her mind.
* * * * * *
The tea Jea made, however, did absolutely nothing. In fact, the two women had barely finished drinking it when they ran to the bushes to puke their guts out. Laguna and Dumbugg watched in concern.
"Boy," Laguna commented when the two had a chance to rinse out their mouths. "I don't know what you two ate, but it must've been a doozy! Are you going to be okay?"
Jea looked at him sharply. "What do you mean? Don't you feel sick at all?"
Laguna shook his head. "No. I feel fine."
"Dumbugg?"
"I fine."
Jea thought for a minute when Laguna commented, "As a paladin, I am immune to all natural poisons….."
—Wait a minute!…I'm both ranger and druid! I'm immune to ALL poisons—especially natural! I shouldn't be sick!— Drawing on everything about healing and illnesses she knew, she tried to decipher possible causes. All of a sudden, her eyes widened as she reached a most disturbing conclusion.
Ambermist reached that same conclusion a minute later, and her eyes widened in shock. Quickly she did some mental calculations and realized she was late—VERY late. "Shit!" she spat.
Jea looked at her, suspicions confirmed. "'Shit!' is putting it pretty mildly, doncha think?"
Laguna looked at them in confusion. He had no clue what they were talking about. Guessing they'd explain soon enough, he said nothing.
Dumbugg, on the other hand, somehow figured it out—a rare moment indeed. He did not have the same amount of self control that the two females did. "You're pregnant," he said abruptly.
The two women were fuming. Ambermist made a vow to castrate Goldleaf when she saw him again. Jea was frowning, lost in thought.
Laguna took a moment, letting this info sink in. Looking at the two girls, he said, (somewhat stupidly I might add.), "Congratulations."
Both females looked at him, eyes cold. "Congrats? Congrats?!" Jea snarled. "You've got to be kidding!" She opened her mouth to say something else, but her anger drowned out her words. She screamed a bellow of rage and stormed into the woods.
Wolf snarled in Laguna's direction, and walked over to his boots. Still watching the paladin, he calmly lifted his leg and pissed in the boots. Afterwards, he disappeared after his mistress into the woods.
Laguna looked at Ambermist. "What did I do?" he asked in confusion.
She just looked at him for a long moment. —You've got to be kidding! No one can possibly be THAT dumb!— "AARRGGHH!!!!" She stalked to the other side of the clearing, taking her frustration out on a tree.
Laguna, still not quite sure why they were so angry, climbed on his horse to stand guard.
* * * * * *
Jea ran through the woods, setting a breakneck pace to rid herself of her returned paladin genocide desires. Her mind was moving even faster than her body, and long before her physical self was out of energy, her mind caused her to halt. She collapsed wearily against a tree as the full implications of her present….situation hit her full force.
She burst into angry tears, furiously pounding her fist against the trunk of the tree. —This can't BE happening! It can't! I will NOT end up like Papa! I refuse to!! I must be dreaming—that's it, this is a nightmare! If I pinch myself, I'll wake up—OUCH!! Dammit!!!!!! Why me!! I lose control for the first time in 27 years of life and I get kicked in the ass immediately with consequences! What if Laguna does like my good for nothing mother? Oh, goddess, PLEASE don't let that happen! I don't wanna end up like Papa!!!—
Her mind continued this roundabout train of thought, even after Wolf showed up. He tried his best to comfort her, pressing his furry body next to hers, whining and whimpering his sympathies. It took all day for it to work, and when it did, her tears dried up—but her anger didn't. Wolf prudently made his exit as Jea's mind clouded over with an almost berserker like Rage.
* * * * * *
The day passed slowly. After a few hours, Ambermist got tired and ran out of tree. She went over to get something to eat. Dumbugg sat around, eating, sleeping, and getting bored.
Evening came and Wolf returned alone. By now Laguna was slightly concerned. Jea had been missing all day and the stupidity of his comments was beginning to dawn on him. After all, Jea's present predicament was half his fault too.
Night fell, and now Laguna was worried. Suddenly, Ambermist stood up. "I hear a noise."
Laguna perked up—he heard the noise too. It sounded like a large animal. Sliding down from his horse, he motioned for his companions to follow him to investigate. They crept through the woods, following the noise. Laguna was highly concerned for their missing friend, considering the noise was coming from the same general area where she disappeared.
A hundred yards into the forest or so, they found the source of the noise. A large grizzly bear was making it's own clearing, shredding trees to splinters, pulling saplings out by their roots, and hurtling rocks. It did not appear wounded or ill, yet Laguna noticed it was being unnaturally destructive. Suddenly an idea wound its way into his mind. —I wonder if…— He looked closer at the beast and found what he was looking for. —It's Jea. Okay.—
He motioned to Ambermist, who'd also figured out the animal's identity. "C'mon, let's go back to camp." He led Dumbugg away. Ambermist stayed crouched in the bushes. After a few minutes she moved to the clearing behind Jea, deciding to take out some more anger on a tree.
The sound of broadsword on wood sunk into the ranger's mind. Stopping, Jea turned around to look at Ambermist. Turning back into a person, she looked sheepishly at her toes. "Ah…sorry…I was…um, annoyed…."
Ambermist waved her apology away. "It's okay. It's okay. I understand. But perhaps we should head back to camp. It is getting late."
Jea nodded and the two fell into step, heading back to camp, talking about their new predicaments. Ambermist remarked, "Ya know, I really have this desire to HIT Dumbugg. I can't believe he did what he did!!"
"I can't believe he figured it out, period," Jea commented. "Besides, the one I want to hit is Laguna. I can't believe him! 'Congratulations.' The nerve of him! It's his fault too! Dammit!"
Ambermist nodded sympathetically. "Men!" both spat.
"Ya know, maybe we should hit them…I have some mallets I use for tent stakes…Whaddya think?"
(A/N: Yes! It's the infamous BAKA Mallets of Anime! See? This is what happens when Otaku play D&D over the telephone on the weekends! It gets ridiculously silly!!)
Ambermist gave Jea a feral grin and held out her hand. Jea passed the wooden mallet over. "I'll take Dumbugg—I imagine you would like Laguna?"
"Oh, yes. Leave my lover to me."
They crept into the clearing, mallets ready. The men had their backs to them, eating. The two women snuck up behind them and simultaneously hit Laguna and Dumbugg. Dumbugg went sprawling—Laguna went flying.
Laguna sat up and rubbed the swelling on his head. "Ow." Suddenly a furry weight hit him and Wolf was washing his face with a rough tongue. When Laguna tried to push him off, Wolf snarled. So Laguna lay there until a whistle called him off. Picking himself up off the ground, he Dumbugg looking at the two women.
"Owie…" Dumbugg said. "What you do that for?"
The women looked at each other and then smacked Dumbugg again. This time, he was knocked unconscious. Laguna decided to say nothing, and looked at Jea.
She glared hard at hi, eyes blazing. "I'm tired. I'M goin to bed." With that, she spread her own blankets out and crawled inside.
Laguna took the hint that she wished to sleep alone. He leaned up against a tree to sleep. Ambermist went to bed, and Wolf sat awake, guarding.
* * * * * *
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Laguna was awakened by the scream. On his feet in an instant, he realized it was Jea, having another nightmare.
The scream had woken both Dumbugg and Ambermist. They scrambled up, ready for a fight. After a moment, the thief realized it was just a nightmare, and returned to bed.
Dumbugg, however, didn't clue in. He was looking around for stuff to kill. Laguna told him to go back to bed. "It's just a nightmare," he explained. It finally sank in and the half-orc wandered back to bed.
Laguna crouched down next to Jea, hugging her gently. "Calm down, Jea. Wake up. It's just a nightmare."
She managed to wake, and, in the aftermath of such a horrendous dream, clung to him, crying and quivering.
Laguna sent out a silent plea to his god. —Great Goku, what can I do to help her? Can You banish these dreams?—
He was shocked when he heard a reply. *Hello, Laguna Kimsteed. I regret to tell you I cannot help her.*
—Lord Goku? Why not?—
*Because she is not of My faith. But you can. You must discover the cause of her nightmares, and understand them. Only then will you be able to drive them away. Good luck.*
—Lord? Goku?— But there was no response. Laguna hugged Jea closer, making soothing sounds. After a while, her weeping stopped, but when he moved to leave, she whimpered.
Laguna looked at her. "Would you like me to stay with you?" he asked, earnestly concerned—speaking as both FRIEND and lover.
She nodded vigorously. Laguna crawled into the blankets next to her, holding her trembling form against him, both slipping slowly into sleep.