More Raine Stuff

"I finally found them...after all these years..." murmured Raine. Her hand grazed against the stone.

Raine might've been down, but as soon as Clementine left the rheiard, she was a picture of excitement. She bounced around and struck poses every once in a while. "Significant, yes? Sounds sentimental! Clementine wonders who made them. But as history dictates, this spot travels to Sylvarant! Light comes down and then BAM! 'Nother place! Just like that!"

"Wh-what? To Sylvarant...Then, I'm right after all. To think this was the place, eleven years ago..."

"Specific date? 'Leven years ago? Tell Clementine! She'll write it down for her textbook!" exclaimed Clementine.

Raine laughed softly and sat down. "I don't think you'll want this in any textbook. It's not that important."

"Nonsense! Your group is fighting for something right? Way Clementine sees it, you all gotta be villains or heroes! So you're gonna be famous no matter what. Tell me?"

Raine shook her head sadly. "Genis and I were abandoned here by my mother, to go to the 'legendary Slyvarant.' We were cast aside, neglected...I've been searching for this place all my life, and I finally found it."

"So how do you FEEL about that?" asked Clementine, though one would say her tone was highly irritating at this point.

"How do I...feel?" repeated Raine.

"Yeah, yeah! Better? Like a goal's been completed? Success? Victory?"

"Worse," stated Raine. "It is a reminder that everyone hates half elves. That we don't belong anywhere."

Clementine didn't even have a chance to reply. There was a sound of rheiards landing behind them, and Lloyd, Genis, and Mithos ran up to them.

"Raine! We were so worried!" exclaimed Genis.

"Half-elves shouldn't go off on their own...We have to stick together," added Mithos. "Don't go again by yourself, okay?"

"I'm glad you're okay too, Clementine," said Lloyd. In response, Clementine flashed a smile and winked at Lloyd.

"Clementine on duty! Raine's a-okay! Nothing's gonna happen with me around!" elaborated Clementine.

"So cheery..." muttered Lloyd. "Why'd you come here, Professor? I doubt this was Clementine's idea."

Raine explained her sad past again. HA! Like I was going to waste MY time re-writing that.

And when she was done, the Papal Knights rushed into the scene! With Kuchinawa as head!

"Kuchinawa! It's me you want, isn't it? So leave everyone else alone and kill me!" exclaimed Sheena, about to sacrifice herself.

"Sheena! What are you doing?" yelled Zelos.

"Oh my! Oh my! An impasse! Surrounded, surrounded. Hath Clementine met her end? Tragic, ohh the agony!" exclaimed Clementine, the magnitude of the situation reaching her. Kinda late, anyway.

Everything immediately silenced, and all turned to her.

"What's this? An audience? Well, a star can't fail to impress, that she cannot..." And Clementine flipped and did a handstand. Then she reached up into her tattered clothing and pulled out a match and three small torches.

"What's that crazy half elf doing?" asked one of the Papal Knights.

"Who knows," said another one. "But this beats patrol duty."

Clementine stuck the edge of the match into her mouth and balanced on the floor with one hand. Then she lit the match, and threw up the torches and the match. Somehow the act pulled itself together and the torches became perfectly lit. She juggled the matches with her feet, and moved around while she did so.

"Is that normal?" Mithos asked himself quietly.

The Papal Knights clapped their hands as Clementine began to dance to her own beat. She even sang a cheery song.

"Let's capture her and bring her back to Meltokio. I'm sure she'd bag quite a sum," said one of the knights.

Kuchinawa turned around angrily. "No you idiots! That's not the plan! We're supposed to capture the Chosen! No matter how...flashy this girl is."

Light started to come down into the ruins.

"Kuchinawa! Your opponent is me and me only!" interrupted Sheena.

"Sheena! What the hell are you doing?" said Zelos loudly.

Clementine caught the torches with her feet, and then threw them into the air as high as she could. She flipped, caught them in her arms, then threw them up again. She took out something from tattered pockets again, and tossed them at the torches. "BANG! BANG! BANG!"

A finale of fireworks lit the sky at the same time as the light reached the ruins.

"Let's go!" called Lloyd. Zelos grabbed Sheena, and Mithos and Genis made a joint effort to drag Clementine into the ruins, since she was busy bowing and waving.