4: The Mysteries and Stories in a Deck of Cards
Setzer stood just outside his ship and stared at the little town of Thamasa. He crossed his arms with a slight narrowing of his eyes, and he closed them when a gust of wind from the coast lifted his hair to dance around his face. 'I love it when your hair blows.' Setzer released a deep breath and opened his eyes to move with purposeful steps toward the town's entry.
Relm had set up her easel in the cobbled square to paint a family of squirrels in the tree nearest her. She looked up from her painting to send him a smile and a wave, which resulted in a splatter of green falling from brush to forehead. She didn't seem to notice, and her 12-year-old brightness glowed because of it. As he approached, she wiped off her brush and set it carefully aside, next covering her picture to protect it from the sun and the wind. Then she hurried toward him with paint-decorated arms extended as her lips danced with a smile and her eyes twinkled with welcome.
Setzer smirked as he enfolded her in an embrace.
"Hiya, Setzer," she told him in her clear and vivid tone of youth and excitement. When he pulled back, she held his gaze. "Please tell me you brought me something."
Setzer laughed. "Yes, I've brought you something. From Terra and the children, in fact. Some pictures and stories they've done for you. They're on the Falcon."
"Rad!" And Relm gave an accompanying squeal of gladness. Then her face and eyes were pure business. "You've come for the supplies to the party and the wedding, right?"
Setzer's eyes twinkled, but he feigned seriousness to suit her fancy. "Yes. Edgar also sent along some things for you and Strago, as well as some knickknacks to sell."
She gave a curt nod and headed toward the ship. Setzer dutifully followed behind. "When're you leaving again?"
"Not for a few days. There are quite a few things to unload."
"Days? Really? Rad!" Relm's mind and eyes filled with the possible adventures she could have onboard his ship, escaping the over-protective hand of her grandfather to do what she pleased and when she pleased to do it.
Setzer chuckled. "Before you've ensconced me and my ship in adventures that no sane person would do, we can't do anything aboard the Falcon until she's unloaded."
"Aw," Relm protested with a sullen glance toward him. "You're no fun."
"I'm all the fun you could possibly need, Relm, only not until the Falcon's unloaded."
She stuck out her tongue and wrinkled her nose at him.
Setzer laughed. "None of that."
"I'll do what I please," she retorted.
Setzer chuckled again and reached out to grab the beret from her tousle of blonde curls. "Fine. So will I."
"Hey! Give me back my beret!" Relm swiped at it, but Setzer switched it to his other hand. "Setz-zer! Give it back!"
"Not until you promise to behave a little better than you did when you were ten. You're 12 now, Relm, and should act like it. Don't you think so?"
"I won't promise anything until you give me back my beret," she snapped hotly. Relm made another swipe behind Setzer's back for the hat, but he lifted it above his head. "Setzer, no fair! You're bigger than me," she whined.
"Now that's not very attractive," he told her, laughing.
"I don't care. I want my beret!"
"Oh all right," Setzer said with a mock frown as he tossed it at her.
Relm caught it, pulling it firmly onto her head with another tongue sent his direction. Setzer made a movement to grab her it and she jerked back, tightly pressing her lips together with a wrinkle of her nose at the gambler. Setzer laughed.
"It's a good thing my pictures don't come to life anymore," she told him with a menacing gleam.
"I'm quaking in my very boots."
Relm slapped at his arm with a tell-tale twinkle in her eyes and put her fists on her hips. "You'll get yours, you big meanie."
"I'll be sure to tell you when I do. I wouldn't want you to miss the chance to relish your victory."
Relm tried to hold it back, but the giggle broke through and danced across her face and into the air. She wrapped her arms around his. "I missed you, Setzer."
Setzer tugged at the top of her beret, loosening it against her hair so that it wouldn't look so ridiculous. "Thank you, Relm. I've missed you, too. We should all make a point to visit each other more often, don't you think?"
"We'll be able to see everyone at Celes and Locke's wedding. Right?"
"Yes," he said slowly. "Are you plotting something?"
Relm shook her head. "No. I'm just looking forward to it, is all. Geez. Don't be such a fuddy-duddy."
Setzer smirked. He'd been accused of much worse. "I'm sorry, Relm. I'll do better next time."
She sniggered. "Yeah right. Marée says that too, but she never does. She always treats me-- What's your problem?"
Setzer had halted and turned toward Relm with a shocked expression. "What did you say?"
"I said that you'll just treat--"
"No. What name did you say."
"Name?" Relm screwed up her face in a frown of confusion as she shrugged. "What? You mean Marée? She's just a sea ship captain that comes by every once and awhile. What's the big deal?"
"Has she been here recently? Yesterday? Today? Last week?"
Relm crossed her arms as her frown became annoyance and aggravation. "Geez. She stopped by a few weeks ago to load up some things. It's not like it's against the law, Setzer. You do it all the time."
Setzer waved her comment aside as he crossed his left arm across his chest. He rested the elbow of his right into his left hand and stroked his chin with his right. "What would she buy in Thamasa that is worth anything?" he mumbled.
"Well that isn't a very nice thing to say. We've got plenty of stuff that's worth money," she protested.
Setzer focused his eyes back on her. "What did she buy? Books?"
Relm made a face as if to say "duh" and then replaced the frown. "They were just books from the Empire. It's not like they were--"
"From the Empire?" Intrigue and curiosity soared to the clouds and didn't return.
"Stop interrupting," Relm protested. "That's not very polite."
Setzer reluctantly smiled down at her. He touched her on the nose. "I'm sorry, Relm." He set the questions and queries aside for a later time and motioned to the ship. "Why don't we get you those pictures and stories and then say 'hello' to your grandfather?"
"Ugh," Relm said as she fell into step beside. "Alright, but I'm getting lost from here to the house. Just so you know."
Setzer laughed.
» § «
The days passed with no sight, sound, or scent of Marée to tempt him. Relm showed him a portrait she'd painted of the female captain, promptly giving it to him as a going away gift when she saw how he reacted to the full body painting.
Stupefied wonder at Relm's ability to capture the woman's spirit and passion in eye and body.
Then, while unloading the knickknacks for the Item Shop owner, Relm regaled him with stories of Marée's kindness, her wild sense of humor - which included practical jokes of their design - and her tales of adventures on the sea surviving on nothing but her own wit and ability. The stories of pirates Setzer took to be specifically for Relm's young heart and her appreciation of adventure. But those stories of overlords that held power within their control and abused the tender-hearted, those he believed. Hadn't that been Kefka? And Gestahl before that? And perhaps, like Leo, she'd been trapped into the service of this overlord?
Again, he needed to see her again to make sense of it all.
So once the Falcon was unloaded and Relm had been appeased with a long turn at the wheel - under Setzer's careful eye - he departed for Doma. While it wasn't a favorite stop for traders, merchants, and vessels of sea and air, it was a necessary one. Due of course to Cyan's dogged determination to build it to its former glory. Because of that, the castle attracted a reasonable amount of attention.
Setzer's included.
While the trip itself was uneventful, Setzer caught sight of a cargo vessel bound for Nikeah. He filed the information with what had been gathered from Relm and then pressed on toward Doma instead of taking a closer look. Upon arriving at Doma, he found the castle to be a mass of activity.
Setzer anchored his ship and disembarked, mulling through the crowds with one purpose: to find Cyan. The Doma swordsman wasn't so easily found. While he was in the direct center of the bustle, that fact alone forced Setzer to be patient and wait his turn. After an hour of waiting, Setzer contented himself with catching Cyan's attention and gesturing to his airship beyond. Cyan briefly nodded before having his attention again distracted by the roofer.
Setzer strode away; impatience and something dark bit at his heels.
A ship without a captain. A captain without a ship. A ship without manifests. A captain with a past involving the Empire. Frequent stops to Thamasa, one being to buy books originally from the Empire libraries. A surprising stop at Kohlingen's small port, the only port nearest where Edgar most frequently kept Figaro Castle moored, and thereby making it extremely useful to procure machinery and whatnot.
But it was all so… weak. All the information, when kept separate, didn't amount to even a blink of notice. As Edgar had said. Even viewed as a whole Setzer was hard-pressed to make anything out of it. As Relm had said, buying and shipping books wasn't against the law. Neither was procuring machinery from Figaro. But something just wouldn't let him leave it alone. Something kept pushing at him, dogging him forward, irritating his sense of curiosity with questions that wouldn't stay silent.
He had to talk to Marée.
Setzer strode aboard the Falcon with a dark look, slamming doors and pushing chairs out of the way as he went. He slammed into his office and threw himself onto the couch, kicking his boots up onto the arm as he put one arm behind his head and one over his eyes. Marée. What adventure have you wrapped around that quick mind? What poor fool are you using for your own private amusement?
Dullness and Boredom were frightening things for a person familiar with adventure and action. The fear of that dullness could often make a thrill-seeker do unwise things. Hadn't he joined up with Edgar and his troupe because of his own boredom? It made him afraid for Marée. Afraid that she'd embroiled herself in an adventure that she wouldn't want to leave because of the constant and addicting thrill.
Setzer lowered his arm from his eyes, looking to his right where Marée's portrait leaned against the wall. Her aquamarine eyes sparked with laughter and a dare. Her lips were caressed with a rebellious smirk that seemed to declare life held nothing but amusement for her. Her left hand rested on a rounded hip as her right fell straight at her side holding her uniform coat. Hair swirled about shoulders and face as her very stance defied anyone to withstand her charm.
Setzer stood to slowly make his way to the portrait. He stared down at it for a long silent moment before taking it up, holding it tightly between his two hands. The ship Relm had painted in the background was named the Ace of Diamonds.
A knock sounded. Setzer raised his gaze to the door as he lowered the portrait back to its original position. "Enter."
Cyan opened the door, closing it behind him. He greeted Setzer with a slight smile and a firm clasp to the hand. "Thy presence warms this heart, Setzer."
"Good to see you, too, old friend." Setzer gestured to the chair opposite his desk as he made his way around to sit at his office chair. He kicked his feet up onto his desk as Cyan lowered himself into the offered chair. "Edgar wanted me to get a list of supplies from you that will help with your current project."
Cyan nodded. "Yes. I had known to expect such a request."
Setzer smirked at the stoic, stalwart warrior. "I've some things for you from Terra and Relm as well."
Cyan's face softened. "Be so kind as to inform Terra and Relm I am pleased they continue to think of me. I shall do my best to invite them to see the progress made thus far."
"Do you think it might be completed before Locke and Celes' wedding? I don't think they will mind a relocation of events."
"While the thought had also occurred to me, I do not believe such is a possibility. There is too much yet needing to be done."
"Too bad." Setzer lowered his attention to the cards on his desk. He cut it before taking the top card. Jack of Hearts. "Have you noticed anything odd about Edgar lately, Cyan?" Setzer raised his eyes to meet those of the Doma swordsman.
"To what might thee refer?"
Setzer again lowered his eyes to the deck. He tapped on the top of the deck before taking the next card. Deuce of Hearts. "About bachelorhood not agreeing with him as well as it did at one time."
Cyan shook his head and crossed his muscular arms. "No. Pressing this matter would be unwise."
"Why?" Setzer drew the next card. To his surprise, it was the ten of Hearts. Ten… Ten… Of course. The children. He smirked and replaced the card.
"They are not yet ready. Hearts must be whole before joining."
Setzer raised his eyes to meet Cyan's. "When did you know?"
Cyan shook his head again. "While I know nothing for certain. I have observed many things, as have thee. The knowing must be their decision."
"Bah," Setzer grumbled as he tossed the cards to the desk. He crossed his arms with a scowl at the toes of his boots. "Arrogance and Naivety seldom find a home together."
"Yet the choice must be theirs."
Setzer looked away as he adjusted his crossed arms, his gaze drawn by Marée's portrait. His frown lightened. "Cyan, what have you heard of a sea captain by the name of Marée?"
"Marée." Cyan lowered his head in concentration before giving a slow shake. "I have heard naught of this name." He raised his eyes to meet Setzer's. "Why?"
"Curiosity," Setzer said in a dismissive tone. "Curiosity. Don't concern yourself."
"I shall inform thee if I do indeed hear the name mentioned."
Setzer gave a nod. "Thank you, Cyan."
Cyan stood. "Dinner shall be served within the hour. I would be honored if thee joined me."
Setzer nodded again. "I'll be there."
Cyan left the room, again closing the door behind him. Setzer lowered his head for another intense examination of the portrait as his brows drew together in a frown. The scar over his left eye twitched.
