Step Four

"By this time, you should be rather well respected by the clan and, hopefully, by the target. The time is now to start getting to know her a bit better. While the clan is at a pub, or just walking around Ivalice on a vacation-type thing, or any situation where you have some free time to spend with the target. Don't sound pompous or full of yourself, because that's what she'll expect of you since you're pretty important to the clan. She'll probably be surprised and may even find it sweet that you're a rather modest guy when you're not fighting."

Phoenix grinned. "Alright! All of this hard work will finally start paying off! This is the moment I think we've been waiting for, boys…"

"Whaddya mean WE?"

"It's not like we're the ones trying to capture her heart, kupo…"

"But… we're buddies, aren't we? We're all in this together, right?"

"Dependsss on what you're planning to do with thisss aforementioned heart."

"Oh come on, guys! You're still raggin' on me about that?"

"YESSS!"

"Why?"

"Kupo! It's just not morally right, kupo! Think about it… having this Jullianne fall in love with you, only to have you dump her after you get it on, kupo! Kupopo, don't you see anything wrong with that?"

Phoenix hesitated. "… No…"

"ARGH, KUPO! WHAT don't you see morally wrong about breaking another person's heart, kupo?"

"Umm… the ends justify the means?"

"But the 'ends' of this plan of yours involve her becoming seriously hurt emotionally, kupo. I've only known her for a few weeks, and I think she's great, kupo! I just don't understand how you can even think of betraying her like this, kupo."

"Look… can we move on?"

"Move on to what, exactly?"

"Umm… planning on how… I can impress her?"

"You won't be impresssssing anyone by ditching them after a one-night ssstand…"

"I SAID CAN WE MOVE ON."

"… Fine…"

Phoenix was whole-heartedly regretting ever saying he wanted to nail her. But regret can't change what's already happened, and so he just had to deal with it and move on.

(Insert scene change here)

Crack! BAM!

… That Malboro was history.

"Nice Sidewinder, buddy!"

Phoenix grinned at Dave's compliment.

"I think that clears the mission, right?"

"Well, the fighting part. We still need to find that new species of desert flora for Professor Auggie to examine. Let's get searching, then!"

'Now's a good time to talk to Jullianne…'

So Phoenix walked over to her, she who was actually doing what she was instructed to do and scouring the sand for this new desert plant. Auggie and described it to them very specifically, so it was near-impossible to miss.

"Wanna look together?"

"Sure." Came the response, eyes still trained on the sand.

So a silence followed for a while as the two walked around, looking for a specimen. Phoenix, of course, was getting rather bored rather quickly, so he tried again at conversation.

"What do you think of me?"

"I think you're an obnoxious jerk."

Pause.

"… Seriously?"

"No."

"… You're not being very helpful."

"Look, can we keep searching without talking?"

"Just answer the question, and I swear I'll shut up."

For the first time in their conversation, Jullianne looked up. Hands on her hips, she looked him right in the eye.

"To be honest, I don't know what to think of you. You seem pretty nice, but your little comment still jingles in my mind whenever I start thinking about you. Is that good enough for an answer?"

"Yeah… I gue-"

"Then get back to looking."

"Alright, alright…"

By now, Phoenix thoroughly loathed those words he had said in the pub that fateful day he started step one.

(Insert scene change here)

The party eventually found the fabled specimen and had started the trek back from Jeraw to Cyril. The hike back wasn't one to be laughed at (heck, the hike TO Jeraw wasn't one to be laughed at…), and come nightfall, they were nowhere near Cyril. Dave had wisely decided they should camp for the night and start bright and early the next day. They chatted and laughed during a dinner around a campfire, Phoenix pitching in with an amusing account of Yuwain's reaction to a mouse looking him in the face one morning while sleeping at an inn, much to the subject's dismay.

"Well, what would YOU do if you sssaw a little rodent ssstaring you down when you woke up?"

"I wouldn't scream like a girl, that's for sure."

"Watch it." Euphem, the Elementalist gave Phoenix a warning look.

"Sorry… but Yuwain's scream WAS rather earsplitting."

"Are you saying females give out earsplitting screams? That's unheard of!"

"You've obviously never met my sister…"

"Well… humans are a different story. You'll never hear Viera letting out a high-pitc-AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! WHAT IS THAT THING?"

Everyone turned in the direction the now-scarlet Viera was pointing. Upon closer inspection (after a well-cast Stop spell by Mack), the thing turned out to be a rather startled Panther. After it had been restored to normal time and scared off accordingly (as if it needed any incentive after Euphem's scream…), everyone gave the Elementalist an amusing look.

"You were saying about Viera…?"

"I wish you would all spontaneously combust right now."

After that little fiasco/event, Dave decided that now would be a good time to hit the sack… the party did.

(Insert scene change here)

Phoenix woke up with a start due to a rather dim-witted fly buzzing into his ear.

"Stupid bugs… woke me up…"

Looking around, he first noticed it was still dark, though he could see fairly far into the night, since the fire had burned out so it wouldn't ruin his night vision. The second thing he noticed was a lone Viera Sniper sitting in a tree.

Getting up quietly so as not to disturb anyone else's sleep, he walked over to the base of the tree and looked up to see Jullianne indeed sitting there, her knees drawn up to her chest, staring out into space, her attention obviously in the bowels of thought.

"What's on your mind?"

Her attention obviously left the bowels of thought and had focused on Phoenix.

"Ironically enough, you."

"Good thoughts, I hope?"

"Sort of…"

She gracefully jumped down from her branch, landing silently on the ground.

"… How'd you do that?"

"Let's just say that I've picked up a few things being a Sniper."

"That was really cool… wish I could do that."

"Ah, it's not so hard. Maybe I'll show you how it's done one day."

Phoenix smiled. "Sounds good to me. But now… what were you thinking about?"

"Well, when we were talking today, it stirred up thoughts in my head about you."

"Again, good I hope…"

"Again, sort of… You see, first impressions tend to stick, right? Well, we both know your first impression wasn't exactly that great."

"Sorry about the stuttering… honest."

"Not that, you dork. I was referring to your comment."

"Oh… Sorry 'bout that, too."

"Well, it's not that easy. You see, that had me worried. Sure, you sounded like you were saying it just to impress your friends. For the record, it's not very impressive, either."

"Yeah… I've come to discover that. My friends have been giving me a tough time about it since the day I said it."

"Good, 'cause it really was a horrible thing to say."

"I know."

"Anyway, my mind was just thinking about that, compared to how you've acted in the clan. You seem to be a studious, hard-working, and motivated member of the clan. Now, as for your motivation, I wouldn't know-"

"You."

Pause. "Now, I don't know whether that should be taken as a compliment or as a hint you were serious about your comment. You see, my mind's worried that even though you said you weren't serious, you could have just said that to put me at ease…'

'Damn, she's good.'

"… So it's a bit of a paradox, here. Do I trust the part of my mind that says you're a liar and you just want me for what I am? Or do I trust the part of my mind that says you sincerely didn't mean that and you care about me because of who I am?"

"When did I give you the idea that I care-"

"You obviously care if you're trying so hard to get me to believe you don't just want my body. Not to mention what you gave for your motivation."

"I blame my idiocy on my guy genetics."

Jullianne gave a small snort of amusement and continued on. "So, to put it simply after all this explanation, my mind has been reeling about which half to believe."

Phoenix nodded. "I see…" That was all he said.

"… Isn't there anything else you want to tell me?"

"Huh?"

Jullianne sighed. "I was hoping you'd tell me that you didn't mean it and that you really do care about me as a person."

"Oh… Yeah, that would've been a good idea. However, since you've already said it for me, it would be kind've an insult to just repeat it and think it'll count just as good."

Again, Jullianne sighed, put her head in her hand, and closed her eyes. Much to Phoenix's horror, he saw a tear escape her eyelids. Acting swiftly, he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and used the thumb of his free hand to wipe away the tear.

"Don't cry… please, don't cry."

"You're scaring me, Phoenix, you really are. The problem for me is that since you're in the clan, I can't very well ignore you. I don't know if I need to keep my guard up when you're around or trust you."

"Man, I SO wish I never said those words. I had no idea they'd put you through so much stress, Jullianne. If I could take them back, I would in an instant. No! No, don't cry… stop crying… please?"

"It's just that, when I think I've got you all figured out, you say or do something that shatters my impression of you. I just don't know what to think anymore."

Without thinking, without any contemplating what the end results would be, without ANY planning at all, Phoenix wrapped Jullianne in a tight hug, rocking slowly back and forth.

"Hey… It's gonna be alright. I swear to god it'll be alright. Just please… don't cry." Phoenix could hear sniffling coming from the vicinity of his right shoulder. "Shhhh… hush… there's no need to cry. You're a sniper! You're a strong girl, Jullianne! Hey, look at me."

Phoenix broke the hug and tilted her chin so she was looking at him.

"I, Phoenix Felor, swear that I will do no act to intentionally hurt you. I mean, it, Jullianne, I won't. Do you have any idea how horrible I feel because I know it's because of me you're crying?"

Jullianne smiled. "Thanks, Phoenix. That really means a lot to me. Good night, then."

She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek -God, her lips were soft!- and walked back to the rest of the clan to go back to sleep.

Phoenix himself had some thinking to do in the meantime. Did the question of whether or not he truly cared for Jullianne torture her so? Was she going to lose more sleep because he was apparently contradicting himself all the time?

"I can't believe this is happening… Why… WHY?" He muttered to himself.

He couldn't do it. He just WOULDN'T. He already promised he wouldn't. Phoenix told himself very sternly that he would not break Jullianne's heart.

Now, there was just the problem of giving her the right impression…

A/N: Just so you know, the next chapter's also about Step Four. Step Five is a little farther off, unfortunately.