Fuu: -singing- Look for a skyyyyy of bluuuueee!
Balthier: What is the young lady doing now?
Fuu: I'm in a musical back at my school!
Balthier: Muse…sick…all?
Yuko: I like musicals! Which one are you performing?
Fuu: Little Mary Sunshine!
-Silence-
Yuko: Never heard of it…
Fuu: It's actually not bad!
Yuko: What part do you play? Mary Sunshine?
Fuu: A very important role, actually…
Yuko: Yes? Yes?
Fuu: I'm in the orchestra, bitches!
-Another silence-
Balthier: I don't know what that is, but by the silence I heard previously, its probably something that ruined the moment…
Yuko: Balthier wins.
Fuu: W-w-what? The orchestra is the KEY to musicals! The flipping KEY!
Misa: Fuu doesn't own Final Fantasy XII. She owns her stupid self, Yuko-chan, and Fini and myself.
Fuu: I ain't stupid, Misa!
Going Into IvaliceChapter 13: Takin' it to Golmore!
Tea. I smelled tea when I woke up in Jahara. Like everyone does sometime in their life, I had no idea where in the heavens I was. Then I remembered yesterday. I was in the tent, with Yuko, Fran, and Penelo. Ashe was probably whining about something outside of our tent (Princesses were always such spazzes! I just noticed that! Even in Disney films, they spazz out about something!)
"Morning." I mumbled, combing out my hair with my fingers.
"Good morning, Fuu-chan!" Yuko greeted cheerfully. Obviously she was happy about being with her brother, Larsa. They really DID look like siblings, but I never paid any attention to it since she told me about their related blood relationship back in Rabanastre.
"We made tea!" Fini said in her high-pitched voice. Misa and Fini attempted to carry the heavy teapot over to me…but they managed to spill the hot water all over my lap…
"Oh, my!" Yuko screeched. I sat there, feeling the burning hot water sizzle on my lap and through my once-comfortable blanket.
"H…h…." I muttered angrily. Misa and Fini looked nervous and apologetic, but that didn't stop me from my anger. "HHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!"
…………………………………
"We'll be leaving in five minutes." Fran said to me. I just learned that we had to go to Mt. Bur-Omisace, a snowy, holy place that had more keys and wisdom to Nethicite. Ashe wouldn't shut up about that, either.
"Hey, Fuu!" Yuko called over to me. "Can you dress me?"
"Sure thing, kiddo." I stated. During the night, we all got this really comfy sleepwear that the Garif made for us. They were probably made of some kind of animal fur (I didn't want to think about that, really) and they smelled just like pine. It made me sleep much better than previous nights on Ivalice. I slept in a prison, a couple of airships, and in a crappy little tent. Now, I slept in a coolish hut, with sleepwear, too!
"Fuu, I forgot to tell you! Larsa is happy that I'm alive and healthy!" Yuko said, talking about the conversation she had with her big brother last night. I acted like I heard the story for the very first time, even though I eavesdropped on their little chitchat. I pulled her red and orange striped shirt over her head, her oversized sleeves drooping down past her hands. She looked like some kind of fictional manga character come to life. She was just so adorable!
"One minute, you two!" Fini said as she spotted everyone else waiting for Yuko and me. I finished putting on my own clothes and met up with my friends outside.
"Lets a-go-go!" I said happily, putting my backpack on. We were leaving for Mt. Bur-Omisace until Supinelu ran towards us.
"Here is a gift for you." He said. Of course, he handed it to me. A bow and some onion arrows! Of course, I didn't need them, Fran did.
"Thanks, Supinelu." I nodded my head in gratitude. He nodded back and bowed at us before trotting away. "Happy birthday to Fran." I stated, handing Fran the items. I heard her sigh in a 'can't-she-carry-all-of-this-crap-on-her-own?' way.
"Oh, waaaaaaiiittt!" Supinelu's voice returned. Honestly, I would've never though that he would've been someone to shout "waaaaaaiiittt!" it was somewhat unexpected.
"What's up?" I asked him.
"You can also ride those chocobos! They're free!" Supinelu said. He ran off once more, saying about a dozen more farewells. He needs to take chill pills.
"Chocobos? CHOCOBOS!" I squealed excitedly, rushing over to where I saw the cute little moogle selling the chocobos. Without hesitating for a moment, I climbed up the chocobos (which must've been painful for the poor bird, because I was doing a poor job of climbing…) and sat nicely on its back near its neck, where I stroked it gently. The chocobo purred like a kitten.
"I wanna ride one, too!" I heard Yuko say. I also could've sworn that I heard Larsa chuckle…
Oh, Larsa? What was he doing in our group? Well, he decided he wanted to go to Mt. Bur-Omisace, too…for another one of his 'businesses'.
Yuko got a smaller chocobo, perfect for her petite size, and had to get Basch's help to get on its back. She looked too cute to be true on the chocobo.
"Ready for takeoff!" She said with full happiness.
We were finally off to snowy land!
We headed out of Jahara and had to go through the Ozmone Plain again. It was another beautiful, sunny day. It felt like one of those days where it had been 10 degrees for so long, and then it suddenly turned into 50 or 60-degree weather. Absolutely perfect!
We followed Balthier's handy-dandy map…all the way to the entrance of a rather creepy looking area. Golmore Jungle.
"Yuko, be careful," I said, getting off of my chocobo, letting it rest by the save crystal we stopped by near the entrance of the jungle. "This place is pretty dangerous, I don't want you to get lost or hurt."
"I won't, I promise you!" Yuko winked. I glanced over at Misa, who was giving me a suspicious stare.
"Isn't Yuko acting a bit TOO happy lately?" She asked me quietly. I glanced over at Yuko, and then turned away to whisper more to Misa.
"A bit. She's probably just happy because of Larsa and stuff." I responded. Misa nodded.
"I'm just afraid that she's gonna completely forget the situation we're in now. She might get ahead of herself." Misa said. I blinked.
"What do you mean by that?"
"She might be too happy about Larsa's acceptance and might completely forget that he's apart of the Imperial army…and Vayne's younger brother." Misa stated softly.
"Yuko's not like that," I began. "She'll be just fine, I bet."
"Stop muttering to yourself and let's go." Balthier said to me as he walked right into the shadiness of the jungle. I gave him a scowl and followed him, Yuko grabbing hold of my hand as we entered in the jungle.
It was probably the most humid place you'd ever imagine.
Thank the Lord for not having my hair defy my flat iron and go crazy and curly, because it does that when humidity is in the air. The ground was this ancient looking stone like primordial parts of Machu Picchu in Peru. There were all sorts of exotic looking plants and flowers that would look good in any girl's hair. I had to take a purple lily-looking flower and stuck it behind my ear. I also gave Yuko a pretty yellow flower that was looked like a poppy but smelled like bananas. She liked it very much.
The first thing we saw in the jungle, besides all the gorgeous plants and the strong humidity, were purple-furred panthers. Excellent.
"Stand behind me, Legend." Basch said, acting all macho and protective for me again. He immediately stuck down a panther. Whoa…
The panthers were simple to take down, but man, did they growl like crazy! They were like roaring lions with a megaphone right near their mouths! Yep, it was very audible…
We continued walking through the jungle. We'd turn one way…but it was blocked by a wall of magick…poopie…
"The Jungle denies us our passage." Fran said to all of us.
"But what have we done?" Ashe asked her.
"We? Not we. I." Fran stuttered, but walked away ultimately, completely dropping the subject.
"So, how are we supposed to get through here?" Vaan asked. I saw Balthier and Fran walk away down a small set of stairs. I followed them, of course.
"Whatcha doing?" I asked them. Being rude as they sometimes are, they ignored me. Fran was busy drawing some sort of symbol into the air as Balthier carefully watched her fingers trace the shape. Then, suddenly, a green path appeared out of nowhere!
"Whoa, coolness!" I exclaimed, watching as tiny white flowers also appeared onto the grassy path. I knew where this path went. Eruyt village: Fran's home.
"We need the aid of the Viera who dwell ahead." Fran said to me.
"Will they be happy to see you after so long?" Penelo suddenly came up and asked Fran. However, after Penelo asked that, Fran looked solemn.
"I am unwelcome here." She said softly, but loud enough for all of us to hear. Fran sighed, then went upon the green path and started walking towards the village. I glanced at Yuko, and she returned the look of 'let's just move on'. Balthier and Basch followed Fran, then Ashe, then Vaan and Penelo, and then Yuko and me, Fini and Misa following us. We entered the village after about three minutes of walking on the magical green path. The village seemed like a place out of a fairytale (although this whole story seems like it was pulled out of a fairytale, so, I have no reason to really say that). We spotted a save crystal, replenished ourselves, and we looked at Fran.
"The viera we're searching for is Mjrn." She said to us. I nodded my head.
"Come on, Yuko, let's go." I took Yuko's tiny, pale hand and we walked. Viera were staring at us. I never really thought that bunny people would think that I was so interesting, because bunny people are far more interesting than regular human beings. I suddenly saw a rather large group of Viera whispering to each other.
"Let's ask them where Mjrn is." I said. Before I even took a half step, Fini pulled my hair to stop me from walking ahead.
"Fuu, are you sure that these Viera want to talk to you? They don't look exactly…pleasant." Fini pointed out. I lightly flicked her away from my hair, where Yuko caught her with both hands.
"Fini may be right about this," Yuko said anxiously. "They don't look too euphoric."
"We'll just get them to talk." I stated, winking at them. I tucked back my hair and walked up to the group of Viera. They all stared at me like I had fifty-six arms on my head.
"Er…howdy." I said, waving my hand awkwardly. "We're looking for a Viera named Mjrn. Has anyone seen her around here?"
No response. Just more awkward staring…
"Uh…" I began, clearing my throat. Maybe they didn't understand basic vocabulary. I cleared my throat a couple more times to think of much bigger words. "I hath to locate Mjrn. Hath any individual discern the whereabouts of this cerebral Viera?" I sounded like a damn dictionary on drugs.
And, again, there was no response. More staring, though…perfect…
"Uhh…" I felt a drip of sweat form on my forehead, which was probably a sweat from awkwardness. Maybe they didn't understand me? Maybe Viera had this special language of their own? And if that was so, how did Fran understand my language? That was a whole different story, though. I immediately began thinking of what to say now. I cleared my throat and began speaking as clear as I could to the group of discontented Viera. "Me find Mjrn. You know Mjrn?" I asked, sounding like someone talking to a foreigner.
Now they stared at me with expressions like 'This-girl-is-retarded' or 'Why-are-we-getting-treated-like-retards-ourselves?'
"You must leave at once." I heard a voice up ahead. Another bunny girl! She didn't look too happy with my presence, though. But then again, none of the Viera here did.
"How come?" I asked her.
"Humes like yourselves are NOT allowed to walk on these grounds." She glared at me. I suddenly remembered this Viera's name. Jote.
"Listen here, Jote." I stated. "We really need help. Sure, we might be Humes and crap, but, still—."
"My name." She interrupted me, her face going from rather stunned, then returned to her angry expression. "You know of it? How?"
"Fuu-chan here is Raithwall's Legend!" Yuko said to her, who looked rather annoyed for some reason. "Got a damn problem with that?" YUKO SWORE? I guess I better control my language more often. Jote blinked a few times, her face expressionless. She wasn't all too surprised by my being, and she was probably the first person to not give a crap about me being the Legend.
"This foolish youth can't be. She is too foolish for that power." Jote said, glancing at me.
That's why she didn't start bowing down like everyone else I met; she didn't believe that I was the Legend! She thought I was too stupid to be it!
"You're starting to tick me off here, lady!" I snapped. "I really AM Raithwall's told Legend! You better believe it!"
"I do not concern if you're the Legend or a pauper, leave at once, Humes." Jote said.
"Why you—" I muttered angrily. Jote was probably the most irritable person I have EVER met in my life. I was cracking my knuckles, but before I said anything else, Fran and everyone else in my group came up from behind me.
"I heard the voice of the Wood," Fran said. "It states that Mjrn is not in the village. Where is she, Jote?"
"Why do you ask that?" Jote stated. "The Wood tells us where she has gone to. Or can you not hear it?" Fran was silent. Jote walked up to Fran as we watched Fran feel awkward in this whole situation.
"You cannot, can you?" Jote continued. "Your ears are dulling from all the harsh words the Wood has spoken to you. You are no Viera for leaving the Wood. Mjrn has left their embrace as well."
"And yet you forsake them in turn?" Balthier suddenly asked.
"It is the will of our village. Viera must always live in the Wood. It is the Green Word, and our law, as well." Jote said.
"Then keep your laws," Vaan spoke up. "But just stay out of our way. We'll find Mjrn ourselves."
After Vaan said that, a rather powerful wind surrounded Jote, and she closed her eyes as she was probably speaking to the Wood. It was actually a pretty cool sight, to tell you the truth. Besides, I needed something amusing to calm me down from this irritable and petulant Viera priestess.
"Mjrn has left the Wood and she has gone west. She is somewhere where men are in cold iron armor. Thus to me the Wood has spoken." Jote said, a small hint of softness in her eyes, but not enough to get me to be nice to her from now on. She began to walk away.
"Viera may begin as a part of the Wood, but it is not the only end that we choose." Fran said to Jote, who stopped her in her tracks.
"The exact words I heard fifty years ago." Jote said as she continued walking away. I looked at everyone.
"Translation from big vocabulary?" I asked them, since they were the experts of solving puzzles and stuff.
"The Henne-Magicite Mines is what she meant." Larsa said to me. Great, that's just what I needed. More mines… "They lie south in the Ozmone Plain. Unfortunately, it's Archadia property. That means there would be soldiers."
"Is that really a problem?" Balthier asked him. "Let's go."
Leaving the village of awkwardness, we went past the save crystal…when Vaan suddenly stopped the group from moving forward any farther.
"Hey, Fran!" He shouted. Fran turned to look at him.
"Yes?" She asked him, the slight tone of impatience found in her voice.
"What Jote said, you know…about how you said the same thing fifty years ago…?" Vaan stated, a look of confusion spread on his face. Uh-oh, I began fearing the worst of where this question was going…
"Your point?" Fran wondered.
"Uh…how old did you say you were again?" Vaan finally let it out. I was correct. That question went terribly wrong. There was an awkward silence in the air as Fran looked very offended by the question, walking out of the village.
"Nice, Vaan." Balthier said sarcastically, following Fran out of the village.
"Try to grow up please." Penelo said, walking past Vaan. Ashe also walked by in silence, but was probably thinking the same things.
"Surprisingly rude." Larsa exclaimed as he also walked past Vaan. Basch followed Larsa, as it was just Vaan and I left standing there, Yuko also walking out of the village. I sighed.
"Vaan, you're an ass sometimes." I said, trying to hide my chuckles as I followed everyone out of the village. Vaan slowly followed behind me.
We were off to find Mjrn and get some more answers.
To be continued…