Disclaimer: I don't own FFXII

The Royal City Of Rabanastre, Year 706 Old Valendian

Vaan saw Migelo waiting outside his shop and walked toward him, somewhat reluctantly.

Migelo looked happy to see him, or rather, an errand boy. "Ah, Vaan, I was waiting."

Obviously. "Penelo said you needed something?"

"Apparently some package is supposed to arrive by courier, in the morning. Eh perhaps he ran into some trouble out in the desert. Now I've no food stuffs to prepare for the banquet tonight."

Shouldn't he have done something about this hours ago? The morning is half over. "So you want me to find this courier? Hey, no problem." Maybe he'd get to run a fun errand for once.

"No problem? The desert teems with trouble! I'd be sending you to an early grave, my boy. No, I've arranged for some replacement goods from Tomaj over at the Sandsea."

Nevermind, still better than his usual chores from Migelo, though. "So you want me to go to the tavern to pick 'em up."

"Actually I asked Kytes to do that."

So what exactly, did Migelo want him to do?

The bangaa continued, "Would you know he's gone missing on me too. Bah! I can't leave my shop and I've Penelo on another chore at the moment you see. What I want you to do is run over to the Sandsea and fetch Kytes back. What do you say?"

There we go, a boring chore. As usual. He sighed. "Sounds wild."

Migelo must have finally picked up on Vaan's unwillingness to be there. "It's easy work and you'll thank me for it someday."

Vaan didn't respond, he just headed toward the Sandsea. The sooner this was done, the better.

He looked around and spotted Kytes standing by the Notice Board, staring at it almost reverently. He shook his head and walked over. "There you are, Kytes. Stop loafin' around!"

The boy paid the rebuke no attention. "Look, Vaan, look! This is it! This is why Migelo's courier didn't get here on time!" He was practically bouncing with excitement.

He looked at the Notice Board. "Creature spotted in the Estersand." He payed closer attention to the picture. "What is that thing?"

Tomaj called from the bar, "Ah, Vaan!" The man walked over to the boys. "Migelo sent you too did he? He's a busy man these days, that Migelo, if I dare say so myself. I don't envy him the work though, not a bit. Quite the affair, throwing a banquet to welcome the Imperials, eh?"

"Welcoming? We should be-" Tomaj was trying to rile him up. Vaan calmed his temper. "Whatever. Say Tomaj, what's this?" He looked pointedly at the Notice Board, specifically the newest mark.

Tomaj looked at the mark with disgust. "Ugh, don't remind me. Got some nastiness out there in the Estersand what's stopping our couriers. And that, means shortages all around. Thought I'd put up a bill. Offer a reward to anyone who can knock that nasty back in it's place. Hmph!"

A gleeful grin made it's way onto Vaan's face. "Now that's work. Sounds ten times better than running errands for Migelo." Or one hundred times better. At least.

Kytes was his ever faithful supporter. "That's right! Vaan, you should give it a shot!"

Vaan dismissed the suggestion. "And you should be getting back to Migelo. Now, Kytes. He was waiting for you."

The boy looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh! Right, right." He ran off without another word.

Vaan sent the Notice board a lingering glance before following him. He'd be back, that Mark was as good as dead.

"You there! Let's see some papers, boy. No public passage on account of the Lord Consul's parade."

Why were guards always in his way? Damn things, keeping him from his beloved desert.

He spoke to the guard with the calm and suave tone of a fast talking manipulator. "Oh, that's too bad. Y'see, it just so happens that your provisioner for the fete tonight, he sent me to pick up a few choice morsels for the, uh... Consul's dining pleasure. He wants 'em quick. I've got the Writ of Transit right here." He showed the bemused guard the signed paper. Tomaj certainly had his uses. "Y'see, signed Migelo. I'd just hate to see the Consul upset because his food wasn't ready on time. And I'd sure hate to see him take it out on you."

The guard puffed up like a cockatrice. "The Lord Consul is a great man, and not one to... take offence at such, uh... trifling matters." Vaan dismissed this; the guards were duty bound to defend the Archadian nobleman. Apparently Vayne in a temper was a scary thought because the guard looked at another and they nodded at each other. The guard turned back to Vaan. "Move along, boy. Wouldn't do to keep the Consul waiting. Right, gates are closed after this." The guard shifted uncomfortably as the gates opened behind him and Vaan was allowed through.

Vaan flipped through his Clan Primer to the 'Marks' section. Under the mark titled Red and Rotten in the Desert, he wrote 'Rogue Tomato Vanquished'.

That wasn't hard at all. The hardest part was keeping up with the fanged fruit.

He began to head back toward Rabanastre but stopped upon spotting a splash of red against the sand. "Galbana Lilies?" He walked over to the beautiful flowers. He was fond of them. Not only did they flourish in the harsh desert conditions, the smell reminded him of Reks and their childhood. They usually grew in the Westersand. "Never thought I'd see 'em growing out here." He picked a flower. "This'll make a perfect souvenir. Time to call it a day."

The East Gate was a mass of people and confusion. Not that he'd expected any less. Damn Imperials.

One thing he hadn't expected was for Kytes to squirm out of the mass and run over to him. Kytes seemed pretty relieved to see him. "Ah, Vaan! I guess I'm not the only one who got locked out of the city! I told Penelo about the mark you were going after, and I guess I got her worrying. So the two of us headed out here to find you. As soon as I stepped out, the guards closed the gates and things got crazy. I haven't been able to find her since."

Before Vaan could respond, an Imperial started yelling. Apparently the brute was trying to control the crowd. "Stand back there, back! This gate's closed until the festivities are over d'ya hear?"

Of course. He could blackmail a guard into letting him out of the city but not back in. Just his luck. He sighed to himself. "Now what?" A regal black chocobo brushed past his shoulder, startling him from his thoughts. "Huh?" Chocobos? Where had they come from? Why had they brought in fancy chocobos for a measly parade?

Upon seeing the chocobos among the Dalmascans, a guard immediately yelled for the gate to be opened. He started rudely telling people to get out of the bird's path.

Vaan ran in front of the chocobo, blocking it from entering the city. He was outraged! "Wait a second! How come you let these chocobos through the gate and not us?" He already knew the answer. In the eyes of the Empire, the people of Dalmasca were no better than vermin; dirt.

The Imperial looked as if he'd rather spit on Vaan than talk to him. "What of it? This here's a Pedigreed Parader, boy."

Another Imperial backed him up. "Cost tens of thousands of Gil, this one did. A prettier price than a hundred of you Provincials'd fetch!"

Vaan snarled at the two and he could see the others bristling and growling in fury. Why didn't Penelo understand that he stole from these guards, not the half decent ones?

The first Imperial seemed to understand that it hadn't been wise to provoke a crowd of people who were not hospitable toward them in the first place. "Keep your distance, we don't want the chocobos stinkin' of peasant, heh heh!"

Or maybe not. Arrogant swine. "What'd you say?"

Vaan was not deigned with a verbal response, just a shove. "Step aside," he barked. The man then gestured grandly toward the chocobos. "Move 'em in!"

The shove from the Imperial had caused him to drop the Galbana Lilies in his hand. Vaan watched the chocobos trample the flowers in disgust. "Ugh, that does it!" He started toward the Imperials.

A voice from beyond the gate stopped him.

"Ho ho! A fine, fine chocobo you have there! Yes, Tchita Downs stock if I'm not mistaken. Change the soil, change the chocobo, am I right?" Migelo walked through the newly opened gate, distracting the guards with his chatter. Penelo followed him and took the opportunity to dash to Vaan's side. Migelo continued talking. "Different soil means different bouquet too." He offered the guards a bottle. "Take a Dalmascan Marose wine. It may lack the flavour and depth of some of your Archadian wines but it has a certain strength of character. It's not bad really, once you get used to it. Care for some, sirs? There's more than enough for all to cool their throats of course."

One of the men took the bottle and turned to another guard. "You let these carts through and close this gate as ordered." The fact that the Dalmascans would also pass through the gates went unacknowledged. "My mail's choked with this sand." The man walked off to drink his bribe.

As the crowd steadily trickled through the gate, Migelo had turned his attention to Vaan. "Don't give me a scare like that! Ha! You're lucky that ended where it did!"

Penelo cut him off before he could even open his mouth. That was probably for the best. "Right, now's our chance to go through!" They heard the clock strike the hour.

Migelo spoke. "Ah, the ceremony will be starting soon. I'd best be hurrying."

Penelo felt the need to reply with more than a nod. Why were women so talkative? "Okay well-"

Vaan didn't hear anymore of Penelo's reply because he'd run through the gate with nary more than a gasp. He'd been waiting to see this so called Consul. There was no way he was missing this parade.

Penelo called after him. "Vaan!" She began running after him. "Wait! What is it? Vaan!"