Twisted Temptations

Story by: Kidria

Title Ownage: Celos

Disclaimer: Vana'diel and such belong to SquareEnix, the characters' personalities belong to them and myself, the story belongs to me, title to Celos. Do not steal. I have no rights to Vana'diel, San d'Oria, or any areas/elements belonging to SquareEnix.

Rating: PG-13 for violence, language mostly.

Chapter 7: Smile

"What?" Celos dropped the mithkabob she was snacking on to try and settle her stomach. "Takmir was blamed for the murders?"

Fxeni frowned deeply. "I guess it would make sense," the Taru said. "He did just appear after…" he shot a look at Daleth, who was not paying attention to them, but to Kidria, worry in his eyes when she looked away. "…you know what happened. But I'm not exactly blaming him either."

Celos looked over at Kidria, who laid on her stomach on the floor a ways away from her and the Taru, Daleth sitting next to her. Kidria laughed madly at something, and Daleth pretended to understand and pretended to laugh as well. Fxeni sat in the nearest chair he was able to climb into and began to think. Takmir wouldn't ever kill anyone, but how the hell could they get him out?

Chase walked through the door then, followed by Ithuthus. Kidria looked up, analyzed them, then looked back down at the figure Daleth was drawing on a piece of paper. She hummed to herself as the two Humes plopped down next to Celos.

"Well," Ithuthus said. "I was able to talk to Takmir. He's pretty pissed. He freaked out when I knocked on the bars though. I don't blame him. Either way, I surveyed the place for you, Fx-man." He handed a map over. "Whatever you need it for, here. The patterns of the guards are on the back."

Chase and Celos stared as Fxeni took the map without a word, only a nod. The monk leaned forward slightly.

"What is that?" she asked, slightly accusing. Fxeni only smiled and folded his small arms in stubbornness. Before Chase could speak, Kidria's voice piped up.

"Dally, I wanna go out!" she latched onto his arm, and Daleth cringed slightly at the sudden contact. He covered it up with a smile.

"Sure." He glanced at Celos.

She frowned, obviously not liking the idea, but shrugged. "Just…don't…" she sighed. "You know the damn drill." She stood. "Just don't let her out of you…oh, fuck it, Daleth! You know you have to keep her on a chain!"

Daleth smiled. "I know."

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Amelin pawed at the bars of the cell. "Takmir…" she whined.

The Summoner reached out and scratched her ears. "Hey kitty. Nice to see you." He smiled.

Her ears flattened slightly. "What's going to happen?"

Takmir winced slightly, his brow wrinkling. "I don't know…but listen to me," he stood fully and grasped one of her hands seriously. "I can't joke in a place like this, so you're about to see a totally out of character moment for me."

She nodded. Takmir took a breath and went on.

"In case I get executed—no, not a word til I'm done—I want you to go with the others and get the hell out of here. Jeuno is definitely a place to leave and avoid right now. I don't know where you can go… San d'Oria, Bastok, Windurst, I don't care where. Just leave." He paused. "You know, I change that a bit. Get everyone out tonight."

"But I—"

"Amelin. This is between life or death. We don't want anyone else dead, do we?" Takmir rested his forehead against the metal bars. "Do we?"

She looked away, her hand still in his. "No."

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Daleth did not want to stay outside of the safety of the mog house with Kidria for long. He made up all sorts of excuses to go back, but did not force her. Soon, however, Kidria complained that he hated her company and stalked back to the mog houses herself. He checked in with Fxeni, and the Taru dutifully said that she made it fine. He felt guilty, but he was far too jumpy and shaken inside to protect her should they run into trouble.

"Tell her I said sorry?" He had asked Fxeni through their linkshell.

"She's pissed at you, man." Fxeni replied.

"I'm almost tempted to say it's not really how she feels, given her situation."

"That was cruel."

"I know. I don't mean it, though." Daleth sighed. "Take care of her."

"Don't say words like that," Fxeni said. "Sounds like you're saying goodbye."

"Who knows. We all could be." Daleth replied, almost coldly. "Take care of her."

"…I will. Get back soon." Daleth heard a bit of shouting on Fxeni's ending and almost smiled when he heard Kidria loudly complaining. "So far, I think she's recovering. She might not be this way forever."

"I hope not."

Daleth cut the conversation then. He quietly and without thinking walked aimlessly around Jeuno. He didn't at all think the murderer would target him next, despite the tight feeling in his chest and stomach, as if something inside of him was about to burst out of him. He could almost see the bloody mess all over the ground around him. He grasped his chest and stopped. Thinking these things…

Kidria…or whoever may be speaking through Kidria…told me to be calm and rational. I need to be. Daleth thought. He sighed, dropping his hand. Why the hell me?

Good question. Why him? Why Kidria? Why his friends?

Daleth was climbing up the stairs to the Gardens as he thought, when a thick smell of blood slapped him. His eyes widen and ran out the stairs, and saw the once white stone covered in red blood. Bodies were scattered all over the place, in pieces. The only thing he could make out was that one of the victims was a paladin. When Daleth didn't move to touch the white armor remains, some sort of force caused the body to roll over off it's delicate balance on it's side, and it faced Daleth. There was no face. The skin was peeled off, the eyes spooned out, the jaw removed and the tongue cut out. Pieces of muscle were still there, but really, it was just a void and the skull was almost clean.

Daleth gagged, and felt like passing out.

My name is Marzinquan.

I'm a monk friend of Celos', some consider me her student. We're usually found joking around together and generally having a good time.

But not this time.

I woke up with a broken arm and covered in blood. I was in the Gardens, on my way to see Takmir, when something…something happened. Something behind me exploded and I hit the wall. That's all I remember. Then I wake up to Daleth shaking me and praying to Altana so rapidly I thought he was speaking a different language. I couldn't move my arm and Daleth had to carry me to the nearest safest place. Ducal guards were everywhere and we managed to sneak by. If we were caught, the Duke would assume we all did it.

Daleth had set me inside my own rented Mog house instead of the large one we all decided to rent and stay in. As soon as I asked why I felt stupid—there was a perfect reason. If Kidria saw me covered in blood, she'd flip out even worse. He called Fxeni on our linkshell and I waited there for heals. Soon everyone was coming back from where they were, Ithuthus and Chase casting heals on me as I waited for Fxeni with his stronger Cures. I told them all I could, but I saw nothing of who did it.

Luckily I had gotten clean and fixed up when the guards came pounding in, demanding things. We answered the best we could, lying a little when we said we were all here. Soon they left us, but I knew that more guards would be around Takmir's cell.

I jerked at that thought. I told Celos, who was closest to me, that it could have been the murderer and they were after Takmir. She and Ithuthus sped away to go see. Daleth was talking on the linkshell to Amelin, who called in and was desperately demanding if Takmir was okay. Chase knelt next to me and told me all the victims in the Gardens were cleaned up and buried, and only two were identified.

I can imagine everyone in Jeuno to be freaking out. Chase told me the two dead victims but I didn't hear their names. I don't remember them.

When Chase started to leave I told him to stay. He looked at me odd but I smiled bitterly at him and told him what was going through my head.

"Celos might be next. Help me protect her."