I stared at the man who sat across from me. "So let me get this straight. ALL the Judge-Magisters who died are alive?"
The blonde man who sat across from me nodded yes. I studied his features again. Yep, the neat blonde hair, the blue eyes, and the scarless visage of Gabranth, or Noah fon Ronsenburg -- the judge who had once been Vayne's biggest supporter and who had eventually helped us kill Vayne -- sat across from me. One who I had seen pass into the grave in the arms of his twin brother, my companion Basch. I shook my head. "Anybody else?" I asked weakly. Maybe this was what Aerith had meant by the fact that her world was in trouble.
Gabranth shifted into a more comfortable position. "Dr. Cid is alive as well. Plus a few characters who died in this world." he stated. My nose started twitching. Gabranth continued, headless of my escalating anger. "I know that you are probably shocked..."
"Shocked!!" I shrieked, surging to my feet. "I thought you all were dead. And now I find out that the people I fought against, the people who I helped to kill are ALIVE. And you think I'm merely SHOCKED!!!!" Luckily there was nobody nearby to hear my outburst.
It seemed to be the slow period for the cafe where we were sitting so there were no other customers around. I rubbed my forehead and sighed. "Sorry. I guess I am kinda shocked." I said, slipping back down onto the chair.
"It is all right," he said. "But I would like your help."
I paused. "What do you need me to help for?" I asked.
Gabranth looked at me. "You did not die. And yet you are here. I have an idea that what will come to occur in the coming time will have something to do with you."
"Why? And how did you know that I hadn't died?" I asked.
Gabranth smirked. "I did not. You just confirmed it."
I grumbled, calling him son of a b&$h in my head. "Why do you need my help?" I persisted.
"Miss Cressida, I will be quite frank. Out of the resistance, you were one of the most powerful magick users with your espers and your white magicks. You may be one of the weakest in regards to your physical strength, but your use of magicks and your knowledge of the mist and the ancient espers are extraordinary, to tell the truth."
'I am NOT ancient!' Ultima stated crossly.
'Don't be vain,' I thought to her. I waved a hand. "Continue. I'm listening," I said to Gabranth.
He nodded and continued. "We are investigating the connection between the Mist and a similar material called Lifestream. To get back to Ivalice, we suspect that we will have to discover the connection between the two."
During the explanation a terrible memory arose in my head. "Vayne," I said. "Is Vayne with you?" I asked urgently, leaning forward. I could still remember the man, and his last actions on the Sky Fortress Bahamut still managed to give me nightmares.
Gabranth shook his head. "No. We have neither seen nor heard anything of Lord Vayne or the Occuria known as Venat," he reassured me.
I sank back into the chair with relief. "I doubt the other Judge-Magisters or Dr. Cid will enjoy my presence. I was part of the group that killed them, as you probably remember," I smiled coldly.
"They will not have a choice. You cannot please everybody. I know you can help us. If even half of the things Lord Larsa told us about you were true, then you will be an asset to our cause."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Gabranth." I thought about the situation for a minute. I was in a strange world, and although I wanted to be left alone for now, I was in a vulnerable postion. I knew nothing about the creatures or the places I would find here. It was always best to stick with what you knew. We had been enemies in Ivalice, but I knew Gabranth was a good man. He had a strong sense of honor and he had helped our group in the final struggle against Vayne and Venat. I knew I could trust him. But another reason kept me thinking. Aerith's last words echoed through my head. "Follow your heart and you'll know what to do." And my heart was being very clear on this matter. It was telling me to help Gabranth and the other Judge-Magisters. Even Dr. Cid, however much that bastard creeped me out.
"I'll accept. On one condition. I would like to explore this world. I find it very fascinating and have discovered a desire to explore it a little," I replied.
Gabranth smiled. It was very weird to be able to see the emotions on his face. Back in Ivalice, the Judge-Magisters of the Archadian empire had worn full armor, including helmets that masked their faces.
"I think we can handle that," he answered, holding out his hand.
I grasped it. "Deal," I replied, glad to be on another adventure. But, unbidden my mind wandered. What would Violet say about my deal with the Archadians?
Disclaimer: I still own nothing. I will never own either FFVII OR FFXII. Alas.
A/n: I am sorry that you havn't seen much of the FFVII crew. They will appear more often very soon. You have to remember that Cress is actually from the FFXII world so it stands to reason that she wouldn't know any of them and thus pay less attention to them. They will appear soon. I promise. I know a few are showing up in the next chapter. If anybody has any questions about the espers/FFXII Characters/or any other questions, feel free to PM me. I would be happy to answer any of them.
I would like to thank Lady Karai and Sulhadahne. They are currently my own reviewers. THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING!!!!!!!!! They both recieve a Marlene plushie. And to Sul, maybe. Or maybe not.
All RIght!! All of the people who review this chapter recieve a Gabranth plushie. So REVIEW PLEASE!!