A/N: ALRIGHTY. So this is part 2 of a so-far-3-part thing I've got goin' on here. This takes place nearly half a disc after "Down By The Bay" so you'll want to read that if you want to get everything – not that you really need to, but there's some parts that make more sense after it. I split this up into two parts because I felt like it, so there.
Please excuse any Out Of Characterness there might be - I tried very hard to keep them in and it was difficult to do this without going into crazy OOC mode, so please let me know (after you've read everything) how bad it was.
Garnet doesn't understand.
No, no, she understands quite well, actually, because unfortunately she is used to hearing both sides of an argument.
Still, she just can't accept it, and she knows that no one expects her to. Zidane has gone so far over the edge – really, today of all days! One of their last days on Gaia, and he's messing around with the items shopkeeper! They might not even be alive soon and he's just being foolish.
Garnet's glad that they came to Daguerreo to stock up on supplies before heading to the Shimmering Island, even if it's only proving to give nothing but distractions to the group. Eiko and Vivi have run off to play among the shelves of books, while Steiner has taken it upon himself to update most of their defensive gear - Freya had gone with him to keep him from buying things they no longer needed. Quina had, in her own way, told them of her plans to catch fish in case their next destination had no food. And Zidane, of course, had offered to get the items. Which leads to Garnet's current issue – the blonde thief has made short work of the items keeper and has been mercilessly flirting with her in a way that showed Garnet he would probably be sleeping in her private quarters tonight.
That really annoys her, but she's not sure why.
The princess shuffles along the upper level and tries to get the pressure elevator to work, but it's being stubborn. She sighs and shakes off the idea of kicking the lever, opting to instead wander around the library on this side of the area. She doesn't want to pass by the items shop again.
There's something absolutely enchanting about this place – the feel of all these warm, worn books and the sound of soft, running water... It's all very relaxing, and she finds herself picking up a few books and settling down on a couch to read.
The first book she had chosen is actually rather interesting, discussing the symbolism of many of Lord Avon's plays, and she finds herself scanning over the metaphors found in I Want To Be Your Canary. Some of them she had seen herself, but others...
There's the hollow sound of heavy footfalls and she looks up in confusion – people don't seem to make a lot of noise here.
Amarant Coral stalks past the entrance of the library and makes a deeply threatening noise, fists clenching and unclenching. An old man hisses at him to be quiet, and the bounty hunter glares.
"Amarant," the princess calls softly, potentially saving the lives of a lot of innocent people. The redhead glares over his shoulder at his name, and then lets up a little and turns, crossing his arms and slouching over to the couch.
"Should've guessed you'd be here, of all places," he mutters.
She manages a small smile and a fairly casual, "I suppose," moving over on the couch to make more room. He notes the move with mild interest and then flops down into the couch, arms stretching out over the back of the sofa, and head tilting over to look at the small text in Garnet's book.
"Feh, what crap are you readin', princess?"
"The symbolism of Lord Avon's plays."
Amarant snorts and tilts his head back slightly, grumbling under his breath. She looks at him briefly and then feigns disinterest, casually asking, "What's the matter?" but not giving him much more than that.
"Damned thief down below was givin' me crap. Seen him around in Treno, and I guess he thinks we're rivals or somethin' now."
She nods at this and doesn't ask questions, so Amarant reaches over and grabs one of the other books Garnet had pulled off of the shelves.
"You don't read much of anythin' interestin', do you?" he asks casually. "No fantasy, no science..." He smirks at her sideways, "Hell, I don't even see any romance novels, and those are a staple in a girl's life."
Garnet blushes a little and looks up at him in annoyance. "Just because I don't read what you enjoy doesn't mean that these aren't any less interesting."
"You don't even have anythin' on the basic theories of physics," he groans. "It isn't interestin' if it doesn't have physics involved."
She blinks and shows more surprise than she had wanted to, "You read books on physics?"
"What if I do?" he asks, suddenly defensive. She realizes that he never talks about himself – she doesn't even know if anyone knows him, really. It's surprising that she could get him to say something – anything – about his hobbies.
She closes the book and puts it to the side, turning slightly and giving him the most inquisitive, innocent gaze she can. "What else do you enjoy reading about, Amarant?"
He raises an eyebrow and scratches the back of his neck, looking around in mild... embarrassment? No, someone like Amarant wouldn't get embarrassed over anything, especially about what kind of books he reads, or that he reads at all.
"I don't know," he mumbles. "Science, mostly. Tried to read some history books but they never really get interestin'. Uh," his eyes dart to see if she actually cares, and she does, so he adds, "Mathematics, to an extent. Some theology."
"Everything but romance novels," Garnet quips and is surprised when he chuckles a little.
"Yeah, everythin' but." He rolls his eyes and groans, "Look at that. This is probably the second time you've gotten me to talk, and this time it isn't even about your boyfriend. Amazin'."
"Zidane is not my boyfriend," she replies, somewhat too vehemently.
Amarant makes a noise and says, "So, guessin' you saw that little play goin' on over there, then."
Garnet sighs and shakes her head. "It doesn't matter. He's just..."
"Horny as a dog in heat," Amarant cuts her off, "What a fool."
The princess makes a noise and looks back at her book. "Do you have to be so vulgar?"
"Oh, grow up, princess. It's not vulgar. And I can't help it if it's true." He sighs. "Sorry that it is, for your sake, but you really can't expect much else from him."
"I can expect much more from him!" she exclaims, and the old man at the head of the library gives her a glare.
"You really shouldn't," Amarant shrugs, looking around. "This place reeks of musty old books. There isn't even a bar."
"The inn has food. I suppose it has alcohol too."
He looks at her. "Really. Well, then..." He pushes himself up and stands, crossing his arms and looking at Garnet mildly. "Come on, princess."
"Excuse me?"
"You're gonna need a drink, since your boyfriend's being none too loyal."
"He isn't...!"
Amarant doesn't listen and simply starts off towards the circle and, probably, towards the inn. Garnet looks at her small stack of books and decides that really, maybe she could use a drink. Then again, she hasn't really had much more than wine...
She gets up and follows the bounty hunter.
"Am I not obvious enough?"
Amarant chuckles into his drink and tries to be completely nonchalant about this entire situation, but it's rather humorous to him that his last day on Gaia is going to be spent with Princess Garnet in a bar in Daguerreo. It's a damned big turn from being a lowlife bounty hunter, that's for sure.
"You're bein' plenty obvious," he says by way of consolation. "He's just not the brightest."
"I've seen that!"
The girl is slightly hunched over a mug of lager, lightly flushed and looking at the tabletop in mild consideration. She's not quite drunk yet – he should probably take that drink away before she slides from tipsy to black-outs and swaying.
Then again, this is the princess. He'd be an idiot to pass up the opportunity to see her drunk. Besides, he can handle his drinks plenty well. Nothing will get out of hand.
"I just figured," she sighed, "I don't know what I figured."
"That he actually meant anythin'?" Amarant offers.
"Well, this is what I get for that," she grumbles, and lifts the mug with both hands to take a deep gulp.
He runs a hand over his dreads and looks around mildly. He's pretty sure that other than the punk down on the other level, there aren't any thieves here. Most of the people here are old and only have books as a way of money – therefore, they're utterly useless to thieves.
Garnet suddenly makes a noise and sinks down in her seat. "Oh, no," she mumbles.
He looks over his shoulder to the entrance of the inn, and smirks. Freya and Steiner, laden with new defense gear and their own weapons, enter.
"They can't see me! I'm too..."
"Sit up straight and act the princess," he tells her lowly as Freya makes eye contact with him. She raises an eyebrow but he simply shrugs and turns back to the princess. "You're your own person. Who cares if they find out you've been drinkin'?"
"It's not proper for a princess to..."
"Preconceived notions aren't always true."
She blinks and then nods, sitting up straight and putting her hands in her lap and looking almost perfectly normal, except for the flushed face. Steiner and Freya come over to them.
"Hello," the Burmecian says, smiling completely benevolently and looking around. "Is it worth getting a drink around here?"
"I guess," Amarant shrugs.
Steiner is looking over the situation and Garnet keeps her eyes focused on the table. Amarant sighs and leans a hand on the table, looking at the knight in annoyance. "Your eyes are gonna fall out, old man."
"O-Old!" Steiner exclaims, eyes moving from Garnet's drink to Amarant. "I'll have you know..."
"Steiner," Garnet suddenly asks, "Did you find everything we'll need?"
"Yes," he responds, squinting in confusion at the lager in front of his princess. "...Princess, have you been-"
"Steiner, I do believe you owe me a drink," Freya cuts in, easily pushing the knight. "Let's put these things away and then you can treat me, hm?"
The knight is easily persuaded away to the rooms that they had rented, and Amarant looks at Garnet easily.
"See?"
Garnet sighs and puts her head against the table. "Freya's the only one who would do that."
"I doubt it," he drawls, taking a drink and then looking at her. "What's the matter with you – you haven't had that much to drink."
"Everyone keeps treating me like a princess," she sighs against the wood, "I hate it."
"Well, forgive me for pointin' out the obvious, but you are a princess."
"They don't treat Zidane as a thief..."
"Yeah, well, you can't steal much if we give it all to you willingly." He leans back and puts his arms over the back of the booth. "They treat Steiner as a moron, and Vivi as a kid, and me as an ignorant murderer. Do you expect preferential treatment?"
Garnet sits up and looks at him in exasperation. "Vivi is a child! And neither you nor Steiner make any attempt to change our impressions."
"Firstly," Amarant sighs, "Vivi might be a child, but he's also one of the more mature ones in our group. And maybe I don't want to change your impressions of me. Maybe it's easier that way."
"Well, it's too late," Garnet says smugly, "You've already changed mine. Really," she leans forward, forearms on the table, "Physics, Amarant?"
"What of it?"
She shrugs and slides down a little in her seat, finishing off her drink and impressing Amarant mildly. "I don't know." She frowns at him curiously, "Why don't you ever talk about yourself?"
"Why don't you?"
Garnet tilts her head to the side, "Well, everyone knows me. I'm just the princess. There's nothing special to talk about."
"I'm just a bounty hunter," Amarant tells her.
"But – you're interesting," she says plaintively, "I've never met someone like you – maybe you interest me."
"Did you ever consider that I've never met a princess before?" he responds easily, "Maybe you're interestin' to me."
"No, I hadn't thought about that," she concedes. "Very well, I suppose... Do you actually want to know anything about me, or are you just trying to prove a point?"
Amarant thinks about it for a minute. He could very easily get some useful information on this girl right now... but that seems kind of underhanded. Then again... Maybe it would be good just to know something about her. After all, she's not so bad, for a little princess – maybe that's just because she's a little drunk.
"What do you like to do, exactly?" he asks, leaning forward and putting his elbows on the tabletop. "I never could figure what royalty did in its spare time."
She blushes and looks around a little, and then mumbles, "Well... I like to read."
"I think we covered that one, princess."
"...I used to take ballet," she confesses, "When I was younger. I like ballet," she decides to say, and then adds, "And, mm, I sing a little."
"So that's you in the middle of the night, is it?" he asks, because that's been driving him crazy for a while now.
"Oh!" she exclaims, "You hear me?"
"I sleep outside. There's nothin' I don't hear."
"Well, it's my turn to ask the questions, anyways. What do you like to do?"
"Do you really care?"
"Yes."
The princess answers truthfully and so Amarant sighs and decides to entertain her. He's got no weaknesses, after all. "I like fightin'."
"That can't be all you like!" she reprimands, "You must have other things you like to do."
"...I like gamblin', to an extent. Mostly card games. I... hrm. I don't like talkin' about myself, kid."
"I'm not a child," she responds, "And I don't understand why – is it simply because you want to be so enigmatic? And can I have another drink?"
He raises an eyebrow. "Sure, if you really want one..." He waves over a waiter and asks for another round and then, after the waiter leaves, says, "I guess I just don't like thinkin' there's someone out there who knows me, really."
"Well, it's too late for that. The princess knows you," she smiles, "Or, I'd at least like to. We're friends, Amarant. I'm not going to use anything you tell me against you."
"I suppose you won't," he agrees, but doesn't return to the topic at hand.
"Well, you like science," Garnet says finally, after a long silence, "Don't you like any art?"
"I don't like paintin's and stuff."
"Art isn't just paintings. Books, plays, music..."
He tilts his head to the side in consent, "I enjoy music."
She smiles largely and waits until the arriving waiter puts down their glasses and leaves again before saying, "I thought you would."
"Not the kind of music you like, princess," he says uneasily, looking around in embarrassment again.
"Don't be so embarrassed," she tells him and takes a drink. "How do you know?"
"Have you ever been in Treno after dark, when the nobles go home and the thieves get too drunk to rob them?"
"...No..."
He sighs, looks away, "Then you don't even know the kind of music I like."
"Well, when we're next in Treno, you'll have to introduce me to it."
Amarant looks at her in confusion. They're... they're not going to come back to Gaia, he's almost sure. Hell, they might even die in the process of getting wherever they're going.
But Garnet looks completely content and her eyes seem to say, "Don't worry; I know what I'm talking about."
So he nods. "When we're in Treno."
About half an hour later, Amarant's feeling more comfortably light with two beers in him, and Garnet's starting to look a little more than tipsy. Two drinks were probably a little too much for someone who's only had light wines.
"I think we should get you a little sobered up, princess."
"What's taking Steiner and Freya so long?" she asks, ignoring his statement and looking around in confusion.
"They went through here a while ago," he tells her. "Come on, you should probably get some sleep."
"I'm not tired," she mumbles. "I need to move."
"Fine then," Amarant sighs, getting up and crossing his arms. "Let's go walk, okay?"
It's his fault she's so out of it – the least he can do is stay around until she sobers up.
"Alright," Garnet agrees, sliding out of the booth and standing up. She's not completely balanced but she won't fall over, so he puts some gil down – hopefully enough for the drinks and probably over the bill – and looks around.
"It's pretty late," he mutters, seeing that the once fairly full restaurant is empty, and the bartender is one of the last people there, other than a busboy.
"Not that late," she grins, and walks forward boldly. Amarant shakes his head and follows her. They get out to the ring and Garnet crosses her arms behind her back, slowing a little so Amarant can catch up. "So, Amarant," she starts, and he knows something inherently embarrassing is going to come to pass. Her voice is too damned mischievous, and she sounds very... "Do you dance to the music you like?"
He knew it.
"No," he responds quickly, too quickly, and she knows very well that he's lying. Unfortunately for him, she's not exactly subtle at the moment.
"We both know you're lying."
She was obviously telling the truth about the ballet, because she's dancing now to some random, invisible music, even though she's lurching a little and swaying more than in artistic expression, spinning and humming out some weird little tune. She stops her spin to face him, with a childish grin that reminds him a little of Eiko, and bows to him.
"I hope you're not inviting me to dance, you little drunk."
"I am not drunk. And I wouldn't think you'd join me, even if I asked."
"You are drunk, and don't spin around so much. You'll not like the results."
She sticks out her tongue and he almost laughs, almost, because that's just an image he had never thought he'd see. He wonders if she and Eiko are related, somehow, as she spins and does a few more complicated moves as she comes back towards him.
Her foot catches the stone wrong and he knew something bad would happen, so he reaches out and grabs her shoulder, catching her against his chest when she slams face first against him.
"Ow," she mumbles, and looks up. "Sorry."
"It's okay," he responds easily. "Told you-"
He sees her eyes dart to the side and widen, and knows instantly that there's going to be something very bad happen in this instant.
Garnet pushes herself up onto the tips of her toes and throws her arms around Amarant's shoulders, giving him a relatively convincing kiss and not enough time to look the same direction she did.
He knows his eyes are bulging and he knows that he's got a chocobo-frightened face on but Garnet's kissing him so hey, he has every right!
"Wha...-?" comes a voice from the left.
She pulls away and gives Amarant this smirk – imagine, a princess like her smirking at him! – and he realizes he's just been used for a woman's vindictive agenda.
He follows Garnet's gaze to Zidane and feels like he should be doing something other than smirking in a goddamned self-satisfactory way. He knows, though, exactly what Garnet's doing and hey, he's never going to get in trouble with royalty again, with this little bit of blackmail.
"Oh, hello, Zidane," Garnet says innocently, her eyes getting a little big as she looks at him in surprise. The girl on Zidane's arm seems to get that she's been pulled into something because she looks as uncomfortable as Amarant feels right now.
"Uh... Hey, Dagger."
The princess looks up at Amarant with her hands still on his shoulders and says in that too-innocent voice, complete with batting eyelashes, "Weren't you going to show me how to play poker?"
"...Uhm, yeah. Yeah, I think I know who we can get some cards from..."
Garnet stands to his side – away from Zidane – and puts her hand on the small of his back, smiling saccharinely. "I hope you got everything you needed," she tells the blonde thief, "Goodbye."
She pushes lightly so he takes the hint and starts walking, focusing very hard on the fact that he's walking, instead of the fact that Garnet is using him for nefarious purposes.
They go through an archway and Zidane and the girl are gone so Garnet steps away and starts giggling a little.
"I'm so sorry," she says honestly between laughs, "I don't know what came over me. It was just there and..."
"Don't worry about it," Amarant drawls. "You'll probably be gettin' a visit from him later on, though. Hope you're prepared for that."
Garnet looks up at him and asks, honestly, "Are you sure you're okay with what I did? I didn't mean to use you like that. I honestly don't know what I was thinking."
"Nah," he waves a hand, "You had a lot to drink for your age and stature. I don't really care, anyways. Anythin' that shocks that monkey is fine with me."
She smiles. "You're not a mean person, Amarant. I'm very glad at least one of us isn't."
He doesn't understand what that means. "I'm not nice, kid. You're just lucky I like women."
"You don't have to be nice to not be mean. Now... Weren't you going to teach me poker?"
Don't blame it on the sunshine, don't blame it on the moonlight...