Chapter 10: Interesting Times
Yuffie shot up, a wide grin on her face. "Hi Elena! This is Cressida. She's Tifa's friend."
"Um… hello," I managed to get out, all the while looking for the nearest escape route. This is not good. Not good at all.
Elena finished approaching us and looked closely at me. "Have we met before?" she inquired.
I shook my head. "No, no, I don't think so," I lied. This is going to bite me in the butt. I know it.
Elena cocked her head. "Well you know you look familiar… on second thought you look like that flo…"
"Don't finish that sentence," I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. I swear I'll kill the next person who says that…
'Violence doesn't suit you,' Adrammelech commented.
I ignored him and concentrated on the conversation in front of me.
"So what brings ya here Elena?" Yuffie asked perkily.
"Rufus ordered us to patrol the festival. He doesn't want anything to go wrong." Elena tilted her head. I cocked my ear. Was that screaming I heard?
"What can go wrong? I mean, it's not like Sephiroth or one of the Remnants is going to pop up and start destroying everything," Yuffie stated. I peered around. That was definitely screaming… Where was it coming from?
"Yuffie, I hate to put a damper on your optimistic outlook, but I'm afraid we have company." Elena commented pointing towards where all the screaming people were. I turned my gaze to the epicenter of the problem.
"Zombies?? Isn't this a bit clichèd?" Yuffie asked,
but she pulled out her shruiken anyways. Elena withdrew a gun. I glanced around. I still hadn't found a replacement staff to fight with. I had only my glyphs. And I didn't want to summon as it might remind Elena of where she met me. Yeah. Not a good idea.
Looks like I'm fighting with my hands. Shit. I never was very good at doing that. I'm going to die aren't I? Faram, what the hell did I do to deserve this? Wait, never mind.
While I had been thinking, Elena and Yuffie had charged forward to attack the 'zombies', leaving me in the dust.
"Hey! No fair!" I called at them, charging after them, my hero complex kicking in. As I approached the zombies, I realized they weren't zombies. They were men in really weird black suits with electric blue accents. Wielding guns. Joy. I'm so dead.
I picked up the pace, but I still got hit a few times. I caught a vague glimpse of Yuffie and Elena, fighting their way through the ranks. It would really help if I had something besides my fists to fight with since I can't fist fight very well.
A staff, a staff, my life for a staff! DAMN IT!!
Ow. That hurt. One of the soldiers flung me into a fair booth. And the stupid thing collapsed on me. I floundered as the canopy entangled itself around my limbs. The soldiers started to fire at me, but paused for some odd reason. I don't really care why they stopped, I just want to get untangled.
At least until somebody grabbed my braid and pulled me up. My poor scalp. I'm in pain, and this bad situation is getting worse. I just want to get free now. Screw being a hero. I'm going to die if I stay here any longer.
Random thought- the guy who had a firm grasp on my braid was wearing more armor than the others. Perhaps he was of a higher rank then the others. They were all wearing masks so I couldn't tell if I knew them or not. Or if they were even alive at all.
They were all staring at me. At least I think so. I couldn't tell as their faces were covered. So I stared back. "Let me go," I demanded, trying to wiggle so the man would release my braid. Which wasn't doing much good. All the wiggling just served to irritate my scalp farther. The only good thing that was happening was that the canvas from the fair booth was starting to slip off my form.
The man made no response to my demand, but he seemed to be conferring with the others on what to do. Capture seemed to be high on the list. You know, I don't really like where this is going. Capture usually equals cages and I'm allergic to cages. Time to try Escape Plan A. I was almost untangled. Just a few more wiggles… Yes!! Good-bye confining canopy.
I twisted and stomped hard on his foot. The man flinched slightly. Thankfully enough for me to pull my braid out of his grasp. I did the smart thing. I ran like hell.
I fled blindly. I didn't look, just followed my instincts. Which led me into a dead end alleyway.
"No way. Why Faram? Why?" I moaned as I twisted around. I was already bleeding from several gunshot wounds. They were coming. Screw Elena seeing. I began to fumble in my pockets for a glyph.
Several shots rang out. I retreated farther into the alley, pain blossoming from my shoulder. I ran regardless. Faster and faster, not watching my step.
And hit my head hard on a metal ladder. I winced. My fingers' connected with something. A glyph! Elated, I pulled it out. The correct incantation flowed into my muddled mind, and I managed to mumble it, albeit my fast descent into unconsciousness. 'I will myself to stay awake,' I promised myself, attempting to blink the black spots out of my eyes. I barely saw what I summoned. I had sunk to my knees. I was… so tired. My eyes were sliding shut. No! I can't fall asleep… I saw a flash of black and silver and heard a blade cutting through flesh.
My world turned black.
FF7FF12FF7FF12FF7FF12FF7FF12FF7FF12FF7FF12
I groaned and opened my eyes. I immediately slammed them shut. Faram, the light hurt.
"Are you awake?" a polite voice inquired. I twisted my head towards the voice's origin and cracked my eyes open. A black haired man sat in a chair that was next to where I was lying… wait lying? Last thing I remember was the alley… how'd I get here?
"Obviously," I croaked. "Where am I?"
"The Healin Lodge," the man responded.
"Who're you?" Faram, my whole body hurt, from past wounds and those I had just acquired.
"My name is Tseng. Perhaps you've met a few of my associates?"
"Depends. Who're they?" I shut my eyes again. I'm regretting the fact that I woke up now. Come back sleep!
"You met them in the Shinra building."
"Oh. Them. You their boss or something?"
"Yes."
"Joy," I mumbled sarcastically. Out of the frying and into the fire. Faram, what did I do to deserve this?
…Never mind.
"What is your name?" Gods, he's asking questions. Well, I'm in no position to lie. Or do much else to be honest.
"Cressida," I mumbled almost, inaudibly.
"What?"
"My name is Cressida," I ground out. Damn it, I want to go back to sleep.
"Do you have a last name?"
"Used to. Don't remember it." That was true. I hadn't used the stupid thing in so long, it's lost to the sands of time. In the streets, we only use first names, or nicknames. Likes Kytes. That's his nickname. His full name is Kyteskall. Yeah. Moving on.
"Hm. Age?"
"Is this an interrogation?" I tried to raise myself onto my elbows. Oh the pain… I hissed and sank back onto my back. All right memo to self: Do not move. On the pain of death. Do NOT move.
The man didn't even twitch a muscle. "Yes. You present an interesting problem to the Shinra Company. So, how old are you?"
"Seventeen," I got out. I looked towards the door. Please, somebody come in. I don't want to answer anymore of this bastard's questions. Please somebody come stop him… he's going to start asking more personal questions soon. Knowing my luck nobody will come, but Trickster, Faram please. Please I swear I will never take your names in vain again. Please Faram.
"You look older."
"Thank you?" God, somebody give this man a news bulletin: you do not say a woman looks older than she is unless she's under ten. Then you lie and say she looks like a teenager.
"Now, Miss Cressida…"
"Mister Tseng, I told you to come get me when the girl woke up." a woman bustled into the room. Thank you!! I'm saved!! Hallelujah! Praise be to Faram! I sent up several more prayers of thanks to Faram and the Trickster as the woman came over towards me.
"You poor dear, you look like you're in pain. Tseng, how could you be so cruel? Deary, I'm going to give you some more painkillers, and then a sleeping draught. You still need rest. Rest you won't get while you're conscious." She shot a glare at the man, who's name I gathered was Tseng. "I'll be back in a minute," she patted me on the head and exited the room.
"We will continue this conversation later, Miss Cressida," Tseng informed me, and he left. I stuck my tongue out at him as I sighed in relief. I really don't like that man. I began to study the room I was in more closely. It was white. White walls, white bed sheets, white curtains, white window trimmings. A tad boring. My eyes traveled down my body, to my left arm. There was a needle stuck in it. It led to a pouch. Why hadn't I felt that before? I reached to pull the needle out and flinched in pain. I moved top much. I was trying to figure out how to get the needle out without causing myself pain when the woman reentered.
"All right deary, have a nice nap." She grabbed the line that connected the pouch to the needle and injected something into it. I suddenly felt woozy and I slipped back into the now familiar oblivion.
Dream
A thin blonde girl ran through the back alleys of the royal city of Rabanastre, alleys that led to the merchant's quarters. She ran quickly, rarely pausing, humming all the while. It was when she approached the exit to the plaza that she heard the plaintive cries. The girl, ever curious, followed the cries to their source.
She stopped, startled when she saw the cause. A small red haired child kneeled over the body of a woman. To the blonde, seeing the ravages on the woman's body explained what the woman's fate was. The other child didn't realize it, but the woman was dead. The child was picking at the woman's clothes, calling out plaintively, "Mommy, mommy, wake up! Wake up!"
The blonde cautiously approached the child, trying to ascertain that the child wasn't suffering from the plague, like the child's mother was. Had.
Once she had made sure that the other child was all right, that she wasn't sick, the blonde sidled up to the child and put a hand on her shoulder. "C'mon. It's no use."
The younger child jumped and twisted away from the blonde. "Leave mommy and me alone," she cried, moving in-between the body and the blonde.
"Kid, your ma's dead. It's no use. You need to get away before you get the sickness too," the blonde explained, grabbing the child's arm and trying to pull the child away from the body.
"no! I have to stay with mommy! And I'm not 'sposed to talk to strangers." The child tried to wiggle out of the blonde's grasp. The blonde grasped the child's arm harder.
"Here, I'm Violet, Vi for short. And you are?" Violet was starting to get exasperated with the child.
The child pushed a strand of fiery red hair out of her face and stood up proudly. "I'm Cressida. Cressida Vyda," she introduced herself with a slight curtsey. She was evidently proud of who she was.
"Well Cressida, we're not strangers anymore. So we can talk. Now c'mon. I'll take you to Migelo." Violet said suavely.
The young Cressida perked up. "You know Mr. Migelo?"
Violet grinned slightly. "Yes, I know Migelo. Now c'mon. We'll come back for your mom."
"Will I get in trouble?" Cressida turned her green eyes up, towards Violet's face.
Violet glanced at the body that lay behind them. "No," she responded. "I don't think you will." And with that remark, she ushered Cressida away.
End Dream
The next time I woke up, it was Drace who sat by my bedside. I smiled wearily at her, and moved to sit up. She placed a hand upon my arm and pushed me back down.
"I wouldn't move if I were you," she chuckled. "You were hurt quite badly."
"No shit, sherlock," I groaned, the pain returning to nip at my body. "How badly?"
"Besides the gunshot wounds? You've had parts of your hair pulled out, a large contusion on the back of your head, as well as acquiring bruises all over your body. We found you in an alley, bleeding to death. It's a wonder you're still alive. Any later and we would be holding a funeral instead of racking up hospital fees."
"I'm sorry that I'm so expensive," I groaned facetiously. "I feel like a Wild Saurian ate me and then spat me back out."
Drace laughed. "Where did you come up with that analogy?"
"I was just describing how I felt…" I protested. My mind returned to the man who had come earlier. Tseng, I think his name was.
"What was with that prick earlier, interrogating me like that?" I was more than a little upset. I mean come on, what kind of jackass interrogates a helpless, bedridden little girl?? A.K.A. me.
"Tseng? He interrogated you?" Drace asked sharply.
"Tried," I mumbled. "He didn't get that far."
"He was in charge of finding our purpose too. He didn't believe us at first, our claims of another world. The nethicite helped, along of the reports of a woman summoning a strange creature." Drace smiled at that.
"I'm here three days, and already I'm spreading rumors," I giggled slightly.
Drace shook her head. "You're an odd child, Cressida of Dalmasca."
"Whoever said I wasn't?" I asked innocently.
Drace full out laughed. I smiled, before my mind took a different route. "Drace. Do you think there are Occuria here??"
Drace became silent, staring unseeing at the wall. "Perhaps."
We stayed silent for the longest time, lost in our memories. I remembered my journey. The pain and the joy. The life and the death. Vayne and Venat. I shivered. Time may pass, but the wounds remain. "I hope not." I murmured eventually.
Drace cleared her throat. "In other matters, the doctors say you are not to move for at least a week."
"A week?!?!" I shrieked. "But I can heal faster with my magicks…"
"You aren't to use your magicks. Whatever you summoned, it drained you dry, depleting even your reserves."
I paused, looking down on my hand. "Shit."
"Yes. Indeed. Shit. Has anyone ever told you that you have an interesting way of expressing things?" Drace responded dubiously.
I laughed. "Living on the streets always gives one an interesting perspective. By the way, have you seen my stuff?"
Drace smiled. "Yes. It is currently being held by the Shinra Company. Do you want me to get it for you?"
"Yes!" I exclaimed vehemently. I want my book back!
Drace laughed. "All right. I'll bring it to you next time. For now you should sleep."
"But I'm tired!" I protested, stifling a yawn.
"Good night Cressida."
"Whatever," I yawned, my eyes drifting shut.
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Disclaimer: I own diddlysquat.
Author's Note: Um… hi! How is everybody? Long time no see, eh? I'm really sorry. This story kind of died, and it wasn't helped that the story was put in a Mary-Sue forum, which did not help my ego at all. So, um yeah. I'm back. Hopefully, next time it won't take me like six months to update. (Oh, the unspeakable shame.) But there really is no excuse, because this chapter has been half typed for about a month. Yeah. Bad Moony. No food for you! (Is squirted in the face with a water bottle.)
Now on to my lovely reviewers!! I would like to thank YinYangWhiteTiger, Skipper1313, Sahxyel, Lady Karai, and Proud Bishonen Whore for reviewing my fic! Yuffie plushies complete with pickpocketing action for you!! Now whoever reviews this chapter will either get a Tseng or an Elena plushie. Or both if you like that pairing… Review please!! (Even if it's only to rant at me for taking so long… I'm really desperate… and a tad pathetic……)