Chapter 7

"I don't know if this is helpful or not, but while I was waiting tables this morning," Candi started, "I heard some of the officers complaining about how being in this city is 'like falling off the edge of the world'. From what they say, they're getting no responses to orders that have been sent out to other cities."

"Well, that gives me confirmation that one inconvenience I've set in place is working," Locke said. "But this problem will likely correct itself in the near future. As more carrier pigeons are brought into the city, they'll start getting their messages to the correct places. I'll have to sneak back in the post office and mix things up from time to time."

"Ohhh, I see," said Lori as she put it all together in her head. "You've scrambled up their ability to talk with the other troops by switching the carrier pigeons around. Very clever!"

"Thank you," he replied. "Now, was there anything else that either of you heard the soldiers talking about that we could use?"

The two ladies thought for a minute before Candi finally spoke up. "Well, there is this soldier that's always trying to flirt with me."

"He's not really a soldier," Lori countered.

"Okay. So he's not exactly a soldier, but he wears a uniform and works in the 'Imperial Army mess hall'."

"Whoa, did you just say this boyfriend of yours has access to what the soldiers eat," Locke asked with obvious interest.

"He is not my boyfriend," Candi said forcefully with a look of disdain crossing her face. "But, yes, he told me that he helps prepare the food for the soldiers. He said we ought to 'get together and compare recipes sometime'. What a cornball!"

Locke thought for a minute before he finally spoke. "Cornball or not, this guy could give us the ability to cripple the forces stationed in and around South Figaro."

"What are you thinking," Lori asked. "Get him to willingly poison all his comrades?"

"No, I don't know of any Imperial soldiers that have enough brain or courage to turn on their Emperor," Locke replied. "But if I could just switch places with this guy for ten minutes, I could do a lot of damage."

Lori's head suddenly popped up as she exclaimed, "I've got it! I know how we can get in there." Then she turned her head toward Candi and added, "But your not going to like this."

Though the plan was set in motion immediately, it was the next day before it was actually executed. Locke was amazed at how quickly the two ladies had got the ball rolling. Lori had made a stop by Geylinn's item shop to order a few pounds of geshyal powder, a mild toxin that did little more than give stomach cramps and cause severe nausea.

Candi was having her own bout with nausea, brought on by the fact that during lunch the next day, she had invited the Imperial cook to her house for the evening. She didn't really want to be around him, and she certainly didn't need him in her house making unwanted advances, but in the end, she had decided that some sacrifices were worth the results.

Locke showed up, an hour before the soldier arrived, to help Candi finish preparing for the evening. "I know you're nervous about having him in here, but I'll be here with you."

"I know," she said dejectedly. "I just don't even want to see him. I'll be glad when it's all over."

Locke pulled a small vial of white powder from his pocket. "This powder is what you need to put in his drink. This'll keep him out for the rest of the night."

"How quickly does it work," she asked.

"According to Geylinn, it should take effect in a couple of minutes."

"Good, because if it doesn't work by the time he starts talking about his job, I'll probably be the one put to sleep."

Locke chuckled to himself as Candi maintained her scowl and continued setting the table. Once he was sure that everything was in place, Locke wished her luck, headed back to the bedroom, and hid in the closet.

About a half an hour later, there was a knock at the front door. Candi looked up from the table and steeled herself for what was to come. She left her chair and put a pleasant smile on her face as she walked to the front door.

When she opened the door, there stood the Imperial soldier with a box of chocolates and a bouquet of flowers. With a sweep of her arm, she stepped aside and said, "Hello, Robert! Won't you come in?"

"These are for you," he said in a quiet voice.

Contrary to all his blustering and obvious flirting in public, Candi realized that he was actually quite nervous. "Oh, how thoughtful of you! These flowers are so beautiful, and chocolates too!"

She took the chocolates and flowers and headed toward the kitchen to find a vase, but stopped before she reached the doorway. The soldier, who had been admiring her from behind, was shocked when she turned to him and said, "Don't think I don't know what you're doing."

"What? I…I don't think I know what you mean," he stuttered.

"You're giving me chocolates to fatten me up so the other soldiers won't look at me," she said with a teasing smile. "You're a smart one. I'll have to keep my eye on you."

Robert visibly relaxed as she turned and headed on into the kitchen. "Is there anything I can help you with," he asked as he began to follow her.

"No, just come in and have a seat at the table. Dinner is ready, I'm just pouring us something to drink."

The soldier came into the kitchen and took a seat across from the window as Candi put the chocolates on the counter and pulled a vase from the cabinet. After she had arranged the flowers, she turned her back to the seated man and dumped the full vial of powder into one of the glasses on the counter and then poured wine into them both.

"This will be quite different," he said as she sashayed over to the table with the two glasses. "I'm not used to having someone cook for me."

"Well, it's not much, but I hope you enjoy it," she replied as she sat the glass in front of him.

The soldier took a long look at the glass in front of him before he finally said, "If you don't mind, I'll just be having water tonight."

Candi's heart skipped a beat. "Water?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I should have told you. The General sent down an order that none of us soldiers are to have alcohol within twenty-four hours of our next shift. We've had to drag too many hung-over soldiers out of the gutter after they've missed their report time."

Candi's mind was quickly racing to find some way of getting him to drink the sleeping powder. "But I bought this special for tonight," she said as she began to tear up.

A pained expression came across Robert's face as he saw the tears forming in her eyes and watched as her lower lip began to quiver. "I'm so sorry, but I can't disobey a direct order."

A single tear trailed down her face before Candi turned away from him. She was panicked. The only thing she could think to do was get to Locke.

Robert stood, causing his chair to squeak as it slowly grated backwards across the wooden floor. "I've upset you. Maybe I should just go."

Candi composed herself before she replied, "No. Please don't. I'm not going to let something silly like this ruin the rest of the evening."

She wiped her eyes with her apron and then turned to face the soldier. Robert looked as if he were torn between staying and leaving. Finally, Candi said, "If you'll excuse me, for a moment, I'd like to go freshen up."

"Of course," he replied. "Take your time. I'll wait."

She went to her bedroom and shut the door. "Locke," she whispered. "Where are you?"

Locke peeked through the slightly cracked closet door before he opened it. "How are things going in there," he whispered back.

"Not good," she replied as her eyes began to tear up again. "He won't drink the wine, and I put all the sleeping powder in it."

Locke closed his eyes and breathed a heavy sigh. "Well, I guess that leaves us no choice," he whispered as he pulled a small container from his pocket.

"What are you going to do," she asked.

"Nothing, I'm afraid. You're going to have to do this," he replied while unscrewing the top. "Geylinn made this concoction as a back-up. You'll need to apply this to your lips and be careful not to get any of it in your mouth. Don't even brush your tongue over it."

"Oh, no you don't. I see where you're going with this."

"Candi, it's the only way. The other sleeping powder is gone, and we need to do this tonight while most of the soldiers are still out of the city hunting down rhinotaur."

She stood, unmoving, trying to figure out some other way to accomplish the task. Finally, she relented and took the canister from Locke. "Do I have to kiss him on the lips?"

"Yes, and the deeper the kiss, the quicker he'll be out. Just be sure and don't get any in your mouth, or you'll be out too."

Candi took a deep breath and then began to smear the concoction on her lips. It had a pleasant rose smell, and when she looked in the mirror, she saw that it was even the right shade. "Wish me luck," she said as she turned to leave.

"Do a good job," Locke said.

Candi left the bedroom door slightly ajar so that he could hear what was happening. Locke moved up to the door and listened intently. After about a minute, he heard a loud thump and knew that the soldier was probably out cold. He waited for Candi to come back and tell him that the coast was clear, but after another minute had passed, he heard a second loud thump.

After waiting, but hearing no other sound in the house, Locke moved silently down the hall and peeked into the kitchen. Both Candi and Robert were sleeping peacefully on the hard wood floor. Both had smiles on their faces.

Locke picked Candi up and carried her over to the couch. She had done her job; the least she deserved was to sleep comfortably. He headed upstairs and placed a lantern in the window facing the western side of the city, and then he went back down and stripped the soldier of his clothing and put it on. After adjusting the uniform, he grabbed Robert's helmet and pulled it low on his head. Gazing in the mirror, he looked just like any other Imperial cook. Locke checked the uniform pockets to confirm he had a key to the mess hall, he stuffed the bags of geshyal powder into the empty pockets, and then headed back upstairs to place a second lantern in the window before leaving.

It was a short walk through the deserted streets to his destination. As he rounded the corner by the mess hall, Locke noticed that the guards had left their post. They were a few blocks down the street where a chocobo drawn carriage had broken down. The old driver was doing his best to fix the wheel, while the guards attention was firmly riveted on the gorgeous red-haired woman leaning out the carriage window.

The diversion had worked according to plan, and Locke was able to quickly find the correct key and get inside. He headed to the storage room and found a couple of large barrels of flour. After putting on an apron, the dumped the geshyal powder into the barrels. The powder blended in beautifully with the flour, and Locke used a long wooden spoon to mix them together.

After placing everything back in order, Locke left quietly through the unguarded front door. Once Fredrick saw Locke disappear around the corner, he made quick work of getting the carriage repaired and on its way. His last duty of the night was to drop Lori at Candi's house and then head back home.

Locke and Lori, however, still had a job ahead of them. By the time Lori arrived, Locke had changed back into his cloths and was attempting to get the soldier redressed. When she came in and saw Candi on the couch, she said, "What happened here? Did she get the glasses mixed up?"

"Not quite," Locke replied. "It was just a series of unfortunate events, but that's not important at the moment. We need to find some way to get her awake."

For the next three hours, they tried a myriad of things to get Candi awake. In all their attempts, the best they could do was get her eyes open long enough to drink some black coffee, but even that couldn't keep her up. In the end, they decided to seat Robert on the couch and sit Candi cuddled up next to him. When the pair came awake, it would look as if they spent the evening cuddling by the fireplace.

Lori left to get some sleep before she had to start her shift at the Morninglory. It would be a rough day since she would most likely have to cover Candi for part of their shift. Locke decided to stay and wait for the pair to wake up. He found a spot in the hallway closet and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Sometime, shortly after light began to warm the horizon, a rustling sound brought Locke out of his slumber. He peeked out of the closet door to see Robert trying to extricate himself from his situation. The soldier managed to get himself untangled from Candi and then he paused at the front door to take one more look at her before rushing off to get breakfast started.

Locke waited for a few moments before he left his hiding place and bolted the front door. Candi was still fast asleep, so instead of disturbing her, he headed upstairs to the spare bedroom to take a nap. Even though the wicks had already burned down, Locke moved the lanterns out of the window and then crashed on the bed.

Around noon, a pounding at the front door brought both Locke and Candi out of sleep. Locke moved part way down the stairs and listened as Candi stumbled to the door and opened it. Two soldiers were standing there, and one of them handed her a sheet of paper while the other one declared in a loud voice that 'by order of General Kefka Palazzo, the entire town was to be locked down'. An immediate curfew was in effect, and no one was to be on the streets unless they were merchants authorized by the Imperial Army.

The two soldiers left as promptly as they had come, and Candi turned to see Locke padding the rest of the way down the stairs. "Ugh, my head. What happened last night?"

"You did a great job, girl. We were able to get the powder mixed into their supplies. Unfortunately, you knocked yourself out too."

"Now I'm starting to remember," she said with a slight blush. "Robert's a better kisser than I expected. I think I might have gotten a little carried away."

"Well, whatever the case, it's all over now. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if that boy tries to pursue you a little more fervently now. You'll have to figure out what you want to do about it."

Candi nodded her head as she stared at the paper in deep thought. "Well, what are you going to do about this," she said as she handed it to him.

"It looks like I've probably overstayed my welcome here. With the Imperial's clamping down on the city, there will be little that I can do. I need to get back to the inn and get my things."

"If you're leaving, then what are we supposed to do," Candi asked.

"My advice, and be sure and tell the others, would be to lay low and try to abide by their rules for now. We've given them enough problems to keep them busy for a while."

"Alright, Lance. You be careful out there," she said as she gave him a hug. "Thanks for helping us."

Locke returned the embrace before heading through the kitchen and out the back door. The alleyway that he found himself in emptied out on the eastern side of the city. He would have to make his way around the southern side of the city and back in.

As he drew near to the end of the alley, Locke heard a violent retching noise coming from around the corner. When he rounded the corner, an Imperial soldier looked up at him briefly before turning his attention back to the ground to vomit once again. "Are you gonna' be okay," Locke asked.

The soldier kept his attention focused on the ground and replied, "Yeah, I think I'll make it, but I'm going to have to arrest you and take you in for breaking curfew."

Locke knew that being caught at this point was not an option. As the soldier staggered to his feet, Locke took off out of the alley. The soldier gave a half-hearted attempt to chase him, but was in no condition to keep up with Locke. The geshyal poison had already worked a number on his system, and he was too weak.

The soldier finally slowed as the man he was chasing turned a corner about a block away. By the time he reached that same corner, Locke was nowhere to be seen. Later that day, the soldier would file a report of the man he had been chasing along with a detailed description. However, even with the large influx of reinforcements, that man would never be found again.

It was as if he had simply vanished into mid-air.