A/N: Gah. I wish this plot wasn't in this fic – it'd be so much easier for me to write. HOWEVER this is how it works. Next chapter will have more Amarant and Kuja.
I'm so, so sorry for how this chapter turned out. It's not nearly as good as I wanted it to be, and stuff needed to change to make the whole fic work, so it went from neato to meh. BUT NO MATTER. Like I said, this fic's more for fun and closure than REVIEWS so it makes no difference, right?
Janelle loves nature; trees, flowers, animals, the sky, the grass. It all eases her away from the life she's come to realize as her own – silly little barmaid who gets good tips and doesn't have much responsibility because she's just so small.
It's not that she's abnormally short – people called her petite – but she was skinnier and smaller and weaker than most people were used to for a twenty-something girl. She still gets mistaken as a young girl sometimes – people who know her tease her and ask, "Are you lost, little girl?" when they see her wandering around the upper rings.
But in nature, no matter where, she feels a little less aggravated with her vaguely dissatisfying position in life and she just feels better.
Staying with Arok and Byrd, even if Arok's sister is around, makes her just a little more aggravated with her vaguely dissatisfying position in life, so she needs just a little more nature to fill her.
Treno has one forest next to it – a relatively large one, though some of it has been cut down for lumber. She does just this, trying to find the center of it, gauging just how deep she is by the sunlight and the moss and the footprints on the ground.
She finds a bush with sweet berries growing on them and grins, sitting and taking a few, popping one in her mouth and looking around. The berries remind her of when she lived in Alexandria with her family – her mother had grown bushes of these in front of the house and every season, she'd let the neighborhood kids come and eat all of them. But, there was always a bush untouched, just for the family.
She hears a branch crack and stiffens, continuing to chew and pretending like she didn't hear it. Maybe whatever animal it is will go away...
There's muttering, and she frowns, standing suddenly and turning on her heels, looking out into the forest in confusion. She's alone, isn't she?
Another branch cracks from above and she looks up. The tops of the trees are dense and she can only see shadows...
Hands grab her and she screams, loud and long, right into her assaulter's ear.
They shake her roughly and she snaps her eyes shut, about to scream again, but a hand loops over her mouth and she can hardly breathe, much less make noise.
"Following her around is a bitch," a voice growls from behind her and she winces. She didn't even notice!
"I wonder if that fucking bounty hunter is going to come for her, after all? I mean, she's just a little kid."
"Shut up," the first voice says, pulling Janelle tight against him. She grits her teeth and breathes hard. "Do you hear that?"
"I don't hear anyth-"
There is a crack and a solid thump as something – someone – hits the ground. The man releases Janelle, who quickly falls to her knees, covering her head.
"What the fuck is that-"
"Mission-"
There's another crack and a yell. Janelle covers her ears with her hands, refusing to look up. If I don't look up, she insists, begs, hopes, If I don't look up it won't come after me!
"Retrieve princess-"
Another crack and a scream, and then something acrid and disgusting sweeps by her, filling her nose and making her feel sick.
"Alive, eliminate-"
Hands are on her shoulders and she ducks her head, eyes shutting tighter.
"All."
"Don't hurt me!" she cries out, and the hands leave her shoulders suddenly. There's an awful cracking noise and she feels someone still too close to her. "Go away!"
Janelle's eyes open and she stares at absolutely nothing.
The two men who attacked her lay on either side of her, looking beaten and slightly charred but alive – barely. And there's the sound of more feet coming.
"Where'd they go?"
"I think they said she was over here-"
Janelle rises to her feet and steps back, hands over her mouth. More people are coming, and this is probably the worst place she could possibly be. She backs up and then turns, running in a direction she hopes leads to Treno. Once she gets to Arok, she'll be okay – once she gets out-
She trips and stumbles, falling to her knees. She makes a noise and gets up, pushing hair out of her eyes – she knows she should keep running but she knows that she has to look –
It's staring at her from the ground, red eyes glowing dimly from the shade of its huge mage's hat. Its clothes are tattered and dirty, and she swears there's mold growing on it – as if it hasn't moved in a very long time.
She puts her hands to her mouth again and stumbles back into a tree, staring at the thing in front of her. It makes a move to get up, and its back cracks horribly. Suddenly, she sees them – what first looked like a shredded cloak shudders and then rises – two wings reach for the sky and twitch, trying to move. Bone is visible and the wings look as if they've been stripped of all meat in most places.
"Oh m-m-my g-god..."
"Only... kill," the thing rasps, back cracking again, "Only...t..."
It gasps and stays still.
"I think I heard something over here!"
"Get that bitch, look what she did to-"
"-How'd she do it?"
"Looks like a lightning spell-"
"Find her!"
The thing twitches and then suddenly lurches up onto its knees, staring at the ground it had been occupying in dull acceptance. "Only to kill."
"W-W...What...?"
It looks at her and she can see dark skin, "...go," it hisses.
She can't move as it stands and stalks towards her; her legs refuse to move.
"There she is!"
She turns and backs into the thing, yelping and spinning to face it. She's stuck – the men are coming straight from behind her, how'd they get there? And now she has this thing blocking her path.
"There- what in the name of god is that!"
There's the sound of thunder and suddenly a lightning bolt cracks down onto one of the men. The three remain standing as their fourth falls, eyes rolling and no, he's not going to survive.
"Oh my god!" Janelle cries, covering her eyes.
"Get it!"
Another crack and another falls. "Only to kill," it mumbles, holding out a hand – a hand more like a claw – and sending a rumble through the air, "Run and dance and skip-"
Crack.
The thing makes a noise and its eyes dim to near black, stumbling forward and hitting Janelle, who screams.
"I think it's dead!"
"Grab the girl, let's go!"
One reaches out to grab Janelle, who looks at him – she sees anger, he blames her for the deaths – and suddenly two clawed hands grab her shoulders. Eyes, flaring red, lock onto the man, who stops in mid-pace, staring at the thing in terror.
"STAY AWAY."
Its wings fan out as best they can, and it snarls, causing thunder to roll and shake the very earth.
"Run, you idiot!" the third calls and the fourth man backs up, before turning and scrambling away.
It falls to its knees and lets go of her shoulders, chest heaving. The eyes dim again and he looks at her.
"Safe... princess. Safe now."
"I..." She looks around, eyes wide. She has no idea where she is – this isn't good. She ran in a direction she can't remember, and everything looks the same – the shadows are getting larger.
"Sleep... Can I?"
"What?" She looks at the thing and it stares at her blankly; she can see the tip of his nose and some hair around his face. He looks a lot like the black mages that she saw in Lindblum almost a year ago and she bites her lip. "Are you... okay?"
"Retrieved the princess," it mumbles, "Sleep?"
"Where do you live?"
"Sleep?"
"Are you from around here?"
"Saved princess." She bites her lip and shakes her head.
"Are you from Treno?"
It jerks its head up and stares at her. "...Alexandria...?"
"Is that where you're from? We should try getting you home."
"N...No home." It looks at her, eyes dim. "No home."
It starts to laugh, "You're not... not the princess."
"...N...No, I'm not..."
"Saved you for nothing," it giggles. It cracks its back and wheezes, eyes blacking out for a moment.
"You need help," she murmurs because she doesn't leave people – things – that need help.
"Need to sleep. Hut's that way." It points vaguely east, and then staggers to its feet, stumbling through the brush and leaning on trees.
Morbid curiosity causes Janelle to follow the thing; she's lost, and it seems to know where it is in the forest. Maybe it will give her some direction, or at least a hint.
"Following?" it asks, looking over it's shoulder as it leans on a tree for a moment.
"...Well, yes."
"Fine." It continues and finally they reach a clearing. Janelle stares in confusion at the naturally made hut that the thing is heading towards. It's very small – only about ten feet wide – but very tall, due to the trees, which are tilted violently inward, because of soft soil and the contours of the land, all pointing their branches up and creating a dome of sorts. The gaps between the trees are covered by thick saplings, stacked up and bound with vines and makeshift ropes, and the only entrance is what looks like a large blanket tied to a thick branch.
"W...What is this?"
"Place to sleep," it mutters, and enters the natural hut. Janelle follows, quickly, pushing the flap to the side and entering.
The ground inside is smoothed out dirt, and there's a stump off to one side that serves as a table. The center of the hut has an open hole in the ceiling, and a ring of large rocks that surround a pile of branches, which the thing is hovering over. There is a crack and lightning hits the wood, igniting the pile.
The thing looks at her for a long time, and then goes to a pile of hay. It's covered with a thick skin – some furred animal, probably a bear, must have gotten on its bad side.
"Um," Janelle begins, and the thing looks at her for a second before sitting on the hay, focusing on her fully. In the light from the fire, it's eyes are even brighter than before, and it looks... alive. Unlike before. Its wings stretch and it shrugs its shoulders.
"Can't help you."
"I just wanted to know... do you know which way Treno is?"
The thing sighs and looks around, before pointing off to the left. "That way. Two miles, perhaps."
"...Thank you." She starts backing up to the door, when it shakes its head.
"Not tonight. Never make it tonight."
"...What are you-"
"Bandits made a home out that way. They want you, they'll look for you. Walk right into them."
"I..."
"Stay. Promise I don't bite. Mostly shock. Shock, appall, amaze." It yawns, suddenly. "You tire me."
Janelle doesn't know what to say. The thing tilts its head to the side and stares at her for a while. She fidgets, and suddenly it laughs.
"What?" she asks, feeling caught between fear and annoyance.
"Funny humans." It shrugs and then, with no ado, takes off its hat.
She puts a hand to her chest and stares, unabashedly. Its skin is black – pitch black. She had thought it was the shade of its hat... Its hair is ratty and reaches its shoulders, also black, and its nose is curved and pointed. It frowns – she can see the contours of its lips now that some light is reflecting onto them – and crosses its arms. "Staring makes me angry."
"I didn't mean to," she apologizes, "I've just never... seen a black mage without its hat before."
The thing scoffs. "Black mage, no." It grins, and she sees yellowed teeth, "Black Waltz."
"What's that?" she asks, blinking.
"Bigger, better, faster." He points at her, scowling, "And not an it, neither are black mages. He's, most of the time."
"Oh... I'm sorry." She tilts her head, "What happened to your wings?"
He glares at her and she closes her mouth. "None of your business. Best be quiet."
"Sorry," she murmurs again.
"Get angry when I'm fighting," he mutters, waving a hand. "Stop seeing black and white and only see gray." He twists and lays on his side, staring at her and propping his head up on a clawed hand. "Start mixing things up, like princesses and paupers. Get confused, and then more angry." He closes his eyes – there's a difference between when he closes his eyes and when they go dim, she realizes – and adds, "Make me mad, I fight, make me fight, I go mad."
"That's... um..."
"Not gonna hurt you," he drawls, "Wouldn't bother. No meat, no food; no fur, no warmth. No annoyances, no anger, no madness." An eye opens, "Get it?"
She pales. "I wish I didn't."
The fire dies down as the night progresses, and Janelle stares at the embers in contemplation. She came out for an hour, that was it, and ends up getting caught up in a whole load of bad things.
"Arok, I am going to kill you," she mutters.
"Hm?"
The waltz looks at her idly, and she shakes her head. "Nothing," she murmurs, "Do you know... those bandits, will they leave by tomorrow?"
Yellow teeth bared in a grin, and then, "Won't be alive tomorrow morning. Beast's been wandering, probably got them by now."
She gulps, "A...A beast?"
"No," he sighs, "The beast. Only one in the forest I won't kill, that's him. Probably ate them by now." He rubs his stomach, "Too bad, would've been good."
She gulps, and he looks at her curiously.
"What, not good enough for you?" he shakes his head, "Might be tough, but food is food."
"I'm not a cannibal!" she exclaims, pale, "That's sick."
"You never eat people, because you have chocobo and beast." He points to himself, "I eat what I want. I don't say eating a chocobo is sick, you shouldn't say the same about human."
"But... It's just, would you eat a black mage?"
"No, they taste horrible."
She makes a noise and stares determinedly into the fire.
"Tomorrow morning, leave and go straight from the door and continue that direction. Treno is there."
"...Thank you."
"I eat lots of things," he growls, "But I don't like people who devour." She stares at him, uncomprehending. "People who want to devour other people are like me, and I don't like me."
"What do you mean?" She frowns, "Why don't you like yourself?"
"Meaningless things annoy me, and I am meaningless." He closes his eyes, looking tired, "I exist only to kill. My duty cannot be fulfilled, therefore I am meaningless."
"That's a morbid way of looking at things."
He chuckles, "I eat people."
"Yes, well, that's morbid too." She looks around. "I don't see people come to this forest often. Where in the world would you find people to eat?"
"I'm looking at one," he drawls, and she gulps.
"...If... Why did you save me, from those bandits?"
He shrugs. "Don't like people who devour. They wanted to devour you," he grins here, and she feels cold seep into her stomach, "So did I. Much more literal sense, in my case. But you looked like..."
"Your princess?" she offers when he's silent. He shrugs.
"The queen. Thought you looked like the queen and I forgot that she didn't need to be retrieved anymore."
Janelle blinks. "Wait... You wanted to retrieve Queen Garnet? When?"
"She left, my master ordered me to get her, I went. Didn't get her, monkey-tailed thief stopped me, tried again, rusty armor stopped me. Hid, forgot, hunted, remembered, traveled, mourned," he ticks them off on one hand, "Didn't think much, thought too much."
"...Your master? Do you mean Queen Brahne?"
"No," he chuckles, "She was a puppet too."
"Then who?"
"Man. Silver hair, small, never told me his name, just told me orders."
She bites her lip and looks away. "You don't know his name?" She thinks, maybe, she does. She wouldn't believe it, but maybe.
"No. Died, anyway. Heard it from the queen." She looks at him and his wings flap a little, "Have ways of finding things. He died, so now I have no master to serve and no purpose to fulfill. Meaningless." He grabs the bearskin and throws it to Janelle, who catches it, confused. "No matter, drifting is interesting. Sleep, you're tired. I won't eat you tonight."
"I'm sorry, but that doesn't make me feel much safer."
"I said I won't eat you, even though I'm hungry. That means I really won't." He tilts his head up to look at the hole in the roof, then back at her, grinning again. "Cross my heart."
"...Okay..." She leans against one of the trees and wraps the blanket around herself, closing her eyes.
She just barely hears him mutter, "If I had organs like a heart," but she's too close to sleep to really care.
It's freezing when Janelle wakes up, and still dark, though she can tell from the hole in the roof that it's almost dawn. The embers are dead and she feels a little disoriented – she had been watching them one moment and now...
She stands and stretches – in about a half an hour to an hour, she estimates, she can leave and follow the Waltz's directions. Speaking of which...
She doesn't know why she feels the need to watch over things and take care of things. Until she was sixteen, she insisted that all she wanted was to be left alone, and that she didn't care for things in the way girls should.
There was something, when she was seventeen, that must have changed her, but damned if she can't remember it.
She wraps the blanket over herself as she walks around the dark hut, remembering that the fire pit is in front of her and the table is behind – she moves around without feeling anything but the floor.
He's laying on his side – back to the rest of the hut – and his arms are wrapped around himself. His wings lay almost flat, occasionally twitching, and something... Something doesn't seem right.
She touches his shoulder – it's cold. Leaning over him, she looks down and feels something grab her throat.
His eyes are open, but they look as if the color has almost completely faded out – he's staring straight ahead and his mouth is open, slack.
"Oh no," she murmurs, quickly putting the skin over him, "Wake up!" She shakes his shoulder.
"...hm..."
"Are you alright?" she asks, looking at him nervously, "Are you okay?"
"...hn... s-s-stupid human," his teeth rattle and his voice is soft, "Y-y-you c-c-can go n-n-now. The b-bandits are g-g-gone."
"You're freezing," she exclaims quietly.
"N-Not cold. J-Just dying."
She pulls away quickly and stares at his back for a long while. "What do you mean, dying?"
"One foot in the grave," he mumbles, pulling the skin tighter around himself, "W-We don't have a long lifespan. I am the oldest alive. Gotta die sooner or later."
"Well, don't die now," she exclaims, "Do you need anything?"
"A hole six feet d-deep."
She sighs and sits on the hay, watching his eyes dim and brighten – not very much, but still noticeable – and looking at his wings. They looked like they had been burned...
The sun rises – she stretches and rubs her arms, because now it'll be warm. She watches the Waltz slowly stop shaking and finally, he shifts, sitting up slowly and twisting so he can sit up properly.
"What are you still doing here?" he asks, looking at her with eyes that burn red and don't look dim at all.
"Watching." She feels... somewhat responsible for him, as she always tends to feel – He's just like Arok, she groans inwardly, I'm going to be fawning over him now, too.
"Go away. I told you how to go to Treno, go."
She shifts, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "Don't you want company?"
"Why would I want the company of a scrawny human I can't even eat?" he grumbles, and she flushes.
"I don't know – I just thought you might..."
"Might? Not much I might do." He gets up and she moves out of his way – he pulls his hat on and turns to face her. "Wander, wander, bored to tears. Meaningless means no meaning, means I don't give purpose to anyone. Now, go, before I revoke my statement about not eating you." He points at the door, just to prove his point.
"...Alright," she frowns, standing. "But... I work at the inn in Treno. If you need anything, come tell me. I'll help you."
He stares at her for a long while, eyes narrowed, before dropping his hand. "Fine."
"Thank you for helping me yesterday," she adds, and pushes the flap to the side.
The Waltz shakes his head. "Funny humans."
Janelle shakes her head and starts in the direction he told her to go, crossing her arms. "Funny mages."
She can smell Treno now, which tends to smell like stagnant water and rich foods, and smiles. Arok is going to be worried sick.
A pair of hands reach out.
She doesn't scream; it all goes black.
Istanbul, not Constantinople.