"Babus??? Babus, please!!!"
"Your Highness! What has happened?"
The instant the Nu Mou appeared within his chamber, Mewt uncurled from bed, tear-streaked face guilty as he rose shakily to his feet. "...I-I'm sorry, Babus. I didn't....mean to scare you. Just...."
"No apologies are needed or wished for, Highness." Willing himself calm for the Prince's sake, Babus looked up in sympathy as he approached, taking a sleeve gently in his pawhand. Even though a lad, Mewt already towered over his retainer. "Another bad dream...?"
Misery met his eyes, the Prince's own blinking back fresh tears. "Everything's a bad dream. I've made everyone hate me again....why can't I ever make it right...?"
"My Prince, I cannot let you say that. Your mother and father love you....as I do, too. Of all that burdens you right now....this should not. You earn such love."
"But...."
"Shh. It is truth. Would you like me to fetch your mother....?"
"N-no."
Babus's white brow raised at the decided tone and shake of the boy's head. "....no....? Very well...."
Biting his lip, Mewt knelt down to the Nu Mou's slight height, but avoided his eyes. "M-Mama doesn't....understand everything. Papa never has....b-but you always do."
Babus smiled faintly. "I always will try, my Prince."
The distraught youth looked no less loss as he studied the tiles of the floor. "....even though I hurt you too...."
Babus cocked his head in bewilderment, leaning to the downcast eyes of the young lord. "Hurt me? You cannot, Lord Prince."
"....when Ezel went away."
//"....Ezel...."
The bright burst had flared and faded as the card's magic was spent, but the hot tears soaking his pale fur did not as he furrowed his short claws into the floor.
"Damn you...!"//
"No." His paw left the delicate lace cuff to coax the lad's chin. "You did not hurt me then, Highness. You said I understand you....believe I undertand you now. I know why you wish the laws stronger. I do not know yet what hold this boy has on you....but we will break it, my Prince. You will know yourself again....and you will be happy. I promise you that with my life."
//"Ezel...."
Another card bested him, this time from the hands of the outlaw Radiuju. Now, those tears burned again as he trembled in rage, fists clenched, alone on the field of engagement.
"What price is too high?" he screamed to the wind.//
"....Marche....he cut another thread, didn't he."
Babus's eyes closed, his long, red-furred tail flattening against the floor.
"I failed you, Highness. The Divine Guardian was already gone by the time I discovered him."
Another gentle touch he would not feel on one ear. "Don't ever say that, Babus. ....I wish Marche could be a friend. But....I'd lose everything again...."
"And you should not have to, my Prince. Do not blame yourself. This lies squarely on that reckless, selfish boy."
//....and that reckless, selfish bastard I was fool to love.//
* * *
His entire world was black, and rightfully so. Considering it was about 1 o'clock in the morning, it WOULD be dark, wouldn't it? The hours of whittling away at school and at work were over, and the long, blissful weekend was ahead of Ian, as he lay awake that night, staring blankly up at his ceiling, thinking to himself, 'I want to SLEEEEEEP!' Whoever was listening to his mind up above either completely ignored him or started pointing and laughing at him from above. He made a mental to find whoever it was that WAS depriving him of sleep and throttle them. ...No, maybe just smash them in the face with a golf club.
After about another half hour of unsuccessful sleep, Ian sighed and rolled out of bed, glancing at the clock. 1:30. AM! He was not happy, to say the least. Slipping on a pair of sweat pants, a t-shirt, and a pair of sandals, he opened the door of his room and exited. His house was dark with the night, and quiet, save for the little bit of scampering done so by his numerous cats. However, he ignored them to the best of his ability as he stepped through his dining room and exited through the door onto his back porch.
It was a relatively cool early spring evening. It wasn't the warmest of nights, nor was it a winter night, either. Perfect. However, he didn't dwell on it long as he slid down onto a porch chair. This was something he often did when sleep escaped his grasp, basically just relax on the porch with his Gameboy Advance.
It was then he winced. His GBA. He forgot his GBA. Damnit. ...Ah, well. He doubted, highly, that those in Ivalice would miss his bumbling presence... TOO much. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance was a good game... a weird game, but a good one nonetheless. Though he had yet to get his mind around the motivations of several of the characters, Ian considered it quite worthy of an FF title.
'Whoops.' He thought to himself, 'Guess that doesn't matter now... I feel a nap attack coming on.' His eyes slowly closed, not even making any motion to move to go back inside. In only another few moments, he was slumbering quite contentedly. Told you the night air did him good. He finally achieved a deep sleep. No, not even the bright white light that engulfed him completely awoke him...
"Your Highness! What has happened?"
The instant the Nu Mou appeared within his chamber, Mewt uncurled from bed, tear-streaked face guilty as he rose shakily to his feet. "...I-I'm sorry, Babus. I didn't....mean to scare you. Just...."
"No apologies are needed or wished for, Highness." Willing himself calm for the Prince's sake, Babus looked up in sympathy as he approached, taking a sleeve gently in his pawhand. Even though a lad, Mewt already towered over his retainer. "Another bad dream...?"
Misery met his eyes, the Prince's own blinking back fresh tears. "Everything's a bad dream. I've made everyone hate me again....why can't I ever make it right...?"
"My Prince, I cannot let you say that. Your mother and father love you....as I do, too. Of all that burdens you right now....this should not. You earn such love."
"But...."
"Shh. It is truth. Would you like me to fetch your mother....?"
"N-no."
Babus's white brow raised at the decided tone and shake of the boy's head. "....no....? Very well...."
Biting his lip, Mewt knelt down to the Nu Mou's slight height, but avoided his eyes. "M-Mama doesn't....understand everything. Papa never has....b-but you always do."
Babus smiled faintly. "I always will try, my Prince."
The distraught youth looked no less loss as he studied the tiles of the floor. "....even though I hurt you too...."
Babus cocked his head in bewilderment, leaning to the downcast eyes of the young lord. "Hurt me? You cannot, Lord Prince."
"....when Ezel went away."
//"....Ezel...."
The bright burst had flared and faded as the card's magic was spent, but the hot tears soaking his pale fur did not as he furrowed his short claws into the floor.
"Damn you...!"//
"No." His paw left the delicate lace cuff to coax the lad's chin. "You did not hurt me then, Highness. You said I understand you....believe I undertand you now. I know why you wish the laws stronger. I do not know yet what hold this boy has on you....but we will break it, my Prince. You will know yourself again....and you will be happy. I promise you that with my life."
//"Ezel...."
Another card bested him, this time from the hands of the outlaw Radiuju. Now, those tears burned again as he trembled in rage, fists clenched, alone on the field of engagement.
"What price is too high?" he screamed to the wind.//
"....Marche....he cut another thread, didn't he."
Babus's eyes closed, his long, red-furred tail flattening against the floor.
"I failed you, Highness. The Divine Guardian was already gone by the time I discovered him."
Another gentle touch he would not feel on one ear. "Don't ever say that, Babus. ....I wish Marche could be a friend. But....I'd lose everything again...."
"And you should not have to, my Prince. Do not blame yourself. This lies squarely on that reckless, selfish boy."
//....and that reckless, selfish bastard I was fool to love.//
* * *
His entire world was black, and rightfully so. Considering it was about 1 o'clock in the morning, it WOULD be dark, wouldn't it? The hours of whittling away at school and at work were over, and the long, blissful weekend was ahead of Ian, as he lay awake that night, staring blankly up at his ceiling, thinking to himself, 'I want to SLEEEEEEP!' Whoever was listening to his mind up above either completely ignored him or started pointing and laughing at him from above. He made a mental to find whoever it was that WAS depriving him of sleep and throttle them. ...No, maybe just smash them in the face with a golf club.
After about another half hour of unsuccessful sleep, Ian sighed and rolled out of bed, glancing at the clock. 1:30. AM! He was not happy, to say the least. Slipping on a pair of sweat pants, a t-shirt, and a pair of sandals, he opened the door of his room and exited. His house was dark with the night, and quiet, save for the little bit of scampering done so by his numerous cats. However, he ignored them to the best of his ability as he stepped through his dining room and exited through the door onto his back porch.
It was a relatively cool early spring evening. It wasn't the warmest of nights, nor was it a winter night, either. Perfect. However, he didn't dwell on it long as he slid down onto a porch chair. This was something he often did when sleep escaped his grasp, basically just relax on the porch with his Gameboy Advance.
It was then he winced. His GBA. He forgot his GBA. Damnit. ...Ah, well. He doubted, highly, that those in Ivalice would miss his bumbling presence... TOO much. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance was a good game... a weird game, but a good one nonetheless. Though he had yet to get his mind around the motivations of several of the characters, Ian considered it quite worthy of an FF title.
'Whoops.' He thought to himself, 'Guess that doesn't matter now... I feel a nap attack coming on.' His eyes slowly closed, not even making any motion to move to go back inside. In only another few moments, he was slumbering quite contentedly. Told you the night air did him good. He finally achieved a deep sleep. No, not even the bright white light that engulfed him completely awoke him...