Just want to say thanks to all those who keep reviewing and sticking to the story even after I take forever to write it. I love you all!
Aika1- Eh? I do leave a space between my paragraphs... is Fanfiction screwing with my story? Grrrrrrrrrr ------ Vyse smiled at the happy couple. "Ah, love. Beautiful, isn't it Aika?"
"Yes, it is," Aika replied giggling. She was too busy smirking at the blushing two to notice the look that Vyse sent her. By the time she looked at him, the moment had already passed by.
Enrique blushed, looking away. "Come on, you two..."
Vyse patted Enrique on the back. "Just some harmless teasing, nothing more," he said, accidently letting his sleeve slip down his arm. He had removed the bandages on his arm the night before, and had been disappointed to see that the ropes left a scar in an obvious weaving pattern. More disappointing was the fact that he could do nothing about it, and that it could be observed by anyone who happened to look at his arm. He quickly removed his arm from his friend's back, tugging his sleeve down, but it was already too late.
"Vyse, where those burns on your arm?"
He winced. "Yeah," he groaned, putting on his best act yet. "I had a little incident with the kettle... hot water spilt on my arms, but it's nothing bad. It's pretty close to healing right now."
"Maybe I should get someone to look at it, just to make sure."
"No!" Vyse exclaimed, drawing attention from all that were around and in hearing range. 'Great job, genius,' he though, resisting the urge to punch himself in the gut repeatedly. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "It's not worth it. Just a few burns, I'm sure there is at least one dying person out there, why distract the doctor's attention from them to me?"
Enrique winced. "Even still..."
"I'm fine, don't worry about me." He smiled at Moegi. "So, Moegi, do you and your husband plan to go to your homeland any time soon?"
Moegi nodded. "Yes. I wish to visit my brother and father."
'Great,' Vyse thought bitterly. "When?"
"Hopefully soon. About a week or two from now, depending on how everything works out."
'A week or two... doesn't give me much time'
Enrique looked at Vyse, tearing his eyes from his wide blue sleeve that concealed the burns. "What about you? What will you be doing next?"
Vyse shrugged, leaning back against his chair. "I dunno. Probably go back to the Isle. I wanna get The Gypsy checked out, she's not turning as smoothly as she usually does."
Aika snorted, rolling her eyes. "The day that The Gypsy doesn't turn smoothly is the day Pow learns to fly. It's just your imagination."
"Hey, I'm the one who steers, I can tell when there is a difference."
Aika stuck her tongue out at him, ignoring Moegi and Enrique's laughter. Vyse smirked at her, knowing that he'd won the very brief argument. She changed the subject smoothly, making sure that she brought up a subject that wouldn't hurt her in any way shape or form. "Where's Fina?"
Enrique and Moegi looked at each other. Enrique shrugged, blinking a few times. She shook her head, concern starting to appear on her face. "Vyse, do you know where Fina is?"
"She didn't tell me anything," Vyse said with his eyebrows raised.
Aika bit her lip, trying to remember if Fina had said anything that may have hinted as to where she may be. But as far as she knew, the Silvite had the exact plans she had, with no other changes to the schedule. Worried, she said, "Maybe she's gone missing..."
"Fina has Cupil," Vyse stated matter-of-factly. "She could take care of herself in a dangerous situation. Let's not start worrying too much until she doesn't show up for a long time."
"I should send out some people to search for her just in cause," Enrique suggested.
"That's probably a good idea."
Enrique nodded, standing from the table. He gave everyone a quick bow before leaving the room. Aika looked at Vyse, latching herself onto his arm. "Vyse, do you think she's alright?"
He shrugged, biting his lip. "I don't know. I hope so." Moegi clasped her hands together tightly, lips pursed. She murmured a quick prayer under her breath, praying for Fina's safety. "Maybe we should return to our rooms. She could be there."
"Okay..." Aika reluctantly let go of Vyse's arm, looking at Moegi. "Thanks for having us over."
"Aika, don't thank me. This home can be considered your homes, too. I'll also help with looking for Fina."
Vyse smiled. Moegi had put together an elite spy system that rivaled none. There wasn't anything that could escape the eyes of her spies. "Thanks, Moegi." He stood from the table, waiting for Aika to stand before nodding at Moegi and leading Aika out of the room.
-
Fina didn't know how she should feel. Angry or sad? Unable to come to a conclusion, she decided on a happy medium. Her face had an expression of agitation and determination, yet tears streamed down her face like a river. She was laying on her stomach, her wrists tied together behind her back, and her ankles also tied. She struggled futilely to free herself from her bonds, though, like the other fifty times she had tried, they remained tight.
"Watching you struggle is... oddly pleasing for me, Fina."
She looked up at him through her tears, glaring. "How could you do this?" She sobbed. "I thought we were friends."
He pulled a knife from his pocket, twirling it between his fingers. "We are friends," he said easily. His eyes rested on the blade, watching it flash in the dull lighting. "But you were getting in the way."
"In the way of what?"
"Fina, Fina, Fina, do you really think I would tell you? After all of this planning? What if you should escape? Though there is a very slim chance, why would I have you blabbing my secrets out to everyone and ruin it all?"
Her eyes darted to Cupil, who sat in a burbly mass. He followed her gaze and laughed sharply. "Don't even think about it; the poison I slipped him will last for a very long time, I'm afraid. Poor Fina, it looks like she's caught like a fly in a spider web."
She growled, blinking away tears. "Once I get out of these, the first thing I'm going to do is take that knife and plunge it down your throat!"
"Oh, harsh words. What happened to the sweet innocent Fina I used to know?" He laughed again, taking a firm grip on the handle of the knife. "Such a shame, beauty is wasted on the foolish." He drew the knife back, readying for a throw. Fina shut her eyes tightly, sobbing once again. A loud thunk near her made her open her eyes. He had thrown the knife into the stone floor, at least one inch deep. 'How did he do that?' she thought, looking up at him.
He shrugged, looking away. "I suggest that after your cut your ropes, that you lay low for a while."
"Why would I do that?" she asked, more curious than angry.
"I'm just looking out for your best interest. Or would you like your flesh slowly burned from your bones?"
She shivered at the expressionless way he said it. Just looking at him made her heart ache, so instead she looked back at the knife. The blade was still exposed, and at the perfect height for sawing through ropes. 'He wants me to escape,' she realized, putting things together in her mind.
"Fine," she finally said. "Seems like I have no other choice, do I?"
"Well, you could stay in here or either starve to death or get eaten by a monster, but I don't think those were the kind of choices you were talking about."
"Why are you doing this?"
He sucked his teeth, rolling his eyes. "Do we have to go over this again?"
"No, why are you giving me the opportunity to free myself?"
"Ask me no questions, Fina, and I'll tell you no lies. After you've cut your bonds, go that way." He pointed to a tunnel behind Fina. "Take the first right, whatever you do, don't go to the left. You'll find everything you'll need there. Okay?"
She nodded, looking at his feet. "... Will you explain afterwards?"
"Maybe. I have to leave before they get suspicious." He turned, walking away. Fina grunted, trying to worm her way to the knife. "Oh, and Fina?" She made the mistake of looking up at him, and tears began to flow anew. If he saw the tears, he ignored him, though it was dark down in the catacombs, so maybe he couldn't see them? "This is all for your own good."
After that, he left, his footsteps echoing even after he had turned the corner. She sighed, waiting a minute before trying to crawl to the knife again.
-
"Aika, look at this."
Aika turned, looking at Vyse. He was holding a piece of paper in his hands, looking down at it. A frown rested on his lips, drawing worry lines on his forehead. Aika went over to him, looking over his shoulder. "What is it?" she asked, reading the paper.
'If you ever want to see your pirate friend again, you'll pay 100,000,000 Gold. Don't go to the empire, or else I'll slit her throat before you even get to see her'
Her hand came to her mouth, partially covering it in her shock. "This is horrible! Vyse, how are we going to get that much money without going to Enrique?"
He groaned, running his fingers through his hair. "This is madness. Who in the world would do something like this?" Angrily, he threw the paper on the ground, stomping on it repeatedly. Aika rested a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down. 'Wow... I've never seen him react like this before, not even when Fina was kidnapped by the Empire'
"Even if we rob the riches of people, we would never get this much money," she muttered, leaning against his back. "What are we going to do?"
Vyse sighed, looking down at his hands. "... We'll have to do it somehow." He turned to look at her. "Let's go back to Crescent Isle so that we can think about it. Have to get The Gypsy checked out, too."
Aika nodded, holding back tears. "Okay," she choked, an a tear accidently slipped down her face. She ducked her head, hoping that Vyse hadn't seen her crying. 'He'll think that I'm weak,' she thought desperately.
Too her surprise, he pulled her into a tight hug, and his voice sounded like he was close to crying, too. "We'll find a way, Aika. It'll take time, but we'll do it."
She nodded, letting the tears fall freely now. She sobbed uncontrollably into Vyse's chest, too caught up to notice the extremely passionate picture they made.
-
Here it is. You know, I didn't mean for this to happen when I first thought of the story. But Fina is just so annoying... I had to get rid of her. I think we'll be starting the second half of the story at this point. Is anyone confused? Heheh.... I love this job.
Aika1- Eh? I do leave a space between my paragraphs... is Fanfiction screwing with my story? Grrrrrrrrrr ------ Vyse smiled at the happy couple. "Ah, love. Beautiful, isn't it Aika?"
"Yes, it is," Aika replied giggling. She was too busy smirking at the blushing two to notice the look that Vyse sent her. By the time she looked at him, the moment had already passed by.
Enrique blushed, looking away. "Come on, you two..."
Vyse patted Enrique on the back. "Just some harmless teasing, nothing more," he said, accidently letting his sleeve slip down his arm. He had removed the bandages on his arm the night before, and had been disappointed to see that the ropes left a scar in an obvious weaving pattern. More disappointing was the fact that he could do nothing about it, and that it could be observed by anyone who happened to look at his arm. He quickly removed his arm from his friend's back, tugging his sleeve down, but it was already too late.
"Vyse, where those burns on your arm?"
He winced. "Yeah," he groaned, putting on his best act yet. "I had a little incident with the kettle... hot water spilt on my arms, but it's nothing bad. It's pretty close to healing right now."
"Maybe I should get someone to look at it, just to make sure."
"No!" Vyse exclaimed, drawing attention from all that were around and in hearing range. 'Great job, genius,' he though, resisting the urge to punch himself in the gut repeatedly. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "It's not worth it. Just a few burns, I'm sure there is at least one dying person out there, why distract the doctor's attention from them to me?"
Enrique winced. "Even still..."
"I'm fine, don't worry about me." He smiled at Moegi. "So, Moegi, do you and your husband plan to go to your homeland any time soon?"
Moegi nodded. "Yes. I wish to visit my brother and father."
'Great,' Vyse thought bitterly. "When?"
"Hopefully soon. About a week or two from now, depending on how everything works out."
'A week or two... doesn't give me much time'
Enrique looked at Vyse, tearing his eyes from his wide blue sleeve that concealed the burns. "What about you? What will you be doing next?"
Vyse shrugged, leaning back against his chair. "I dunno. Probably go back to the Isle. I wanna get The Gypsy checked out, she's not turning as smoothly as she usually does."
Aika snorted, rolling her eyes. "The day that The Gypsy doesn't turn smoothly is the day Pow learns to fly. It's just your imagination."
"Hey, I'm the one who steers, I can tell when there is a difference."
Aika stuck her tongue out at him, ignoring Moegi and Enrique's laughter. Vyse smirked at her, knowing that he'd won the very brief argument. She changed the subject smoothly, making sure that she brought up a subject that wouldn't hurt her in any way shape or form. "Where's Fina?"
Enrique and Moegi looked at each other. Enrique shrugged, blinking a few times. She shook her head, concern starting to appear on her face. "Vyse, do you know where Fina is?"
"She didn't tell me anything," Vyse said with his eyebrows raised.
Aika bit her lip, trying to remember if Fina had said anything that may have hinted as to where she may be. But as far as she knew, the Silvite had the exact plans she had, with no other changes to the schedule. Worried, she said, "Maybe she's gone missing..."
"Fina has Cupil," Vyse stated matter-of-factly. "She could take care of herself in a dangerous situation. Let's not start worrying too much until she doesn't show up for a long time."
"I should send out some people to search for her just in cause," Enrique suggested.
"That's probably a good idea."
Enrique nodded, standing from the table. He gave everyone a quick bow before leaving the room. Aika looked at Vyse, latching herself onto his arm. "Vyse, do you think she's alright?"
He shrugged, biting his lip. "I don't know. I hope so." Moegi clasped her hands together tightly, lips pursed. She murmured a quick prayer under her breath, praying for Fina's safety. "Maybe we should return to our rooms. She could be there."
"Okay..." Aika reluctantly let go of Vyse's arm, looking at Moegi. "Thanks for having us over."
"Aika, don't thank me. This home can be considered your homes, too. I'll also help with looking for Fina."
Vyse smiled. Moegi had put together an elite spy system that rivaled none. There wasn't anything that could escape the eyes of her spies. "Thanks, Moegi." He stood from the table, waiting for Aika to stand before nodding at Moegi and leading Aika out of the room.
-
Fina didn't know how she should feel. Angry or sad? Unable to come to a conclusion, she decided on a happy medium. Her face had an expression of agitation and determination, yet tears streamed down her face like a river. She was laying on her stomach, her wrists tied together behind her back, and her ankles also tied. She struggled futilely to free herself from her bonds, though, like the other fifty times she had tried, they remained tight.
"Watching you struggle is... oddly pleasing for me, Fina."
She looked up at him through her tears, glaring. "How could you do this?" She sobbed. "I thought we were friends."
He pulled a knife from his pocket, twirling it between his fingers. "We are friends," he said easily. His eyes rested on the blade, watching it flash in the dull lighting. "But you were getting in the way."
"In the way of what?"
"Fina, Fina, Fina, do you really think I would tell you? After all of this planning? What if you should escape? Though there is a very slim chance, why would I have you blabbing my secrets out to everyone and ruin it all?"
Her eyes darted to Cupil, who sat in a burbly mass. He followed her gaze and laughed sharply. "Don't even think about it; the poison I slipped him will last for a very long time, I'm afraid. Poor Fina, it looks like she's caught like a fly in a spider web."
She growled, blinking away tears. "Once I get out of these, the first thing I'm going to do is take that knife and plunge it down your throat!"
"Oh, harsh words. What happened to the sweet innocent Fina I used to know?" He laughed again, taking a firm grip on the handle of the knife. "Such a shame, beauty is wasted on the foolish." He drew the knife back, readying for a throw. Fina shut her eyes tightly, sobbing once again. A loud thunk near her made her open her eyes. He had thrown the knife into the stone floor, at least one inch deep. 'How did he do that?' she thought, looking up at him.
He shrugged, looking away. "I suggest that after your cut your ropes, that you lay low for a while."
"Why would I do that?" she asked, more curious than angry.
"I'm just looking out for your best interest. Or would you like your flesh slowly burned from your bones?"
She shivered at the expressionless way he said it. Just looking at him made her heart ache, so instead she looked back at the knife. The blade was still exposed, and at the perfect height for sawing through ropes. 'He wants me to escape,' she realized, putting things together in her mind.
"Fine," she finally said. "Seems like I have no other choice, do I?"
"Well, you could stay in here or either starve to death or get eaten by a monster, but I don't think those were the kind of choices you were talking about."
"Why are you doing this?"
He sucked his teeth, rolling his eyes. "Do we have to go over this again?"
"No, why are you giving me the opportunity to free myself?"
"Ask me no questions, Fina, and I'll tell you no lies. After you've cut your bonds, go that way." He pointed to a tunnel behind Fina. "Take the first right, whatever you do, don't go to the left. You'll find everything you'll need there. Okay?"
She nodded, looking at his feet. "... Will you explain afterwards?"
"Maybe. I have to leave before they get suspicious." He turned, walking away. Fina grunted, trying to worm her way to the knife. "Oh, and Fina?" She made the mistake of looking up at him, and tears began to flow anew. If he saw the tears, he ignored him, though it was dark down in the catacombs, so maybe he couldn't see them? "This is all for your own good."
After that, he left, his footsteps echoing even after he had turned the corner. She sighed, waiting a minute before trying to crawl to the knife again.
-
"Aika, look at this."
Aika turned, looking at Vyse. He was holding a piece of paper in his hands, looking down at it. A frown rested on his lips, drawing worry lines on his forehead. Aika went over to him, looking over his shoulder. "What is it?" she asked, reading the paper.
'If you ever want to see your pirate friend again, you'll pay 100,000,000 Gold. Don't go to the empire, or else I'll slit her throat before you even get to see her'
Her hand came to her mouth, partially covering it in her shock. "This is horrible! Vyse, how are we going to get that much money without going to Enrique?"
He groaned, running his fingers through his hair. "This is madness. Who in the world would do something like this?" Angrily, he threw the paper on the ground, stomping on it repeatedly. Aika rested a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down. 'Wow... I've never seen him react like this before, not even when Fina was kidnapped by the Empire'
"Even if we rob the riches of people, we would never get this much money," she muttered, leaning against his back. "What are we going to do?"
Vyse sighed, looking down at his hands. "... We'll have to do it somehow." He turned to look at her. "Let's go back to Crescent Isle so that we can think about it. Have to get The Gypsy checked out, too."
Aika nodded, holding back tears. "Okay," she choked, an a tear accidently slipped down her face. She ducked her head, hoping that Vyse hadn't seen her crying. 'He'll think that I'm weak,' she thought desperately.
Too her surprise, he pulled her into a tight hug, and his voice sounded like he was close to crying, too. "We'll find a way, Aika. It'll take time, but we'll do it."
She nodded, letting the tears fall freely now. She sobbed uncontrollably into Vyse's chest, too caught up to notice the extremely passionate picture they made.
-
Here it is. You know, I didn't mean for this to happen when I first thought of the story. But Fina is just so annoying... I had to get rid of her. I think we'll be starting the second half of the story at this point. Is anyone confused? Heheh.... I love this job.