So, here's the next chapter. Thanks to my one-and-only reviewer, you get another chapter, you lazy readers. IF you're reading this at all. You know who you are. Now, you all get a summary, so hold your horses while I ramble. Rambling makes me happy, you know. I deserve to be happy, too.

…I don't know what to say, so I'll stop.

…I find myself listening to the song from Tsubasa: Resevoir Chronicle. I'm…not sure why. Shuffle.

Reviewer: Of course I'll include the God-Generals. They deserve some fun too, right? And since I'm writing this story, and I say there's no timeline, they can be there. I think I'll have to throw in everyone else, too…the more the merrier. Just…not all at once. That would be serious chaos.

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss. It belongs to Namco. Yay. Carrying on…

Chapter Summary: Florian's quest for the kitty continues, but a little problem diverts our little hero from his task…brigands, anyone?

Walking through the narrow street, buildings towering together on either side, Florian peered into windows, looking for the white kitty. Several people glanced out their windows when he passed. They would later swear that they had seen the ghost of a little girl wandering the streets, and "she looked so durned cute! I was terrified!"

Florian himself was getting a bit terrified. He no longer knew where he was, for the small streets seemed to endlessly branch off, and there was still no sign of the little white kitty. Finally, he just stopped, sitting down against a wall and beginning to sob.

"Maestro Tritheim!" Florian wailed, huddled up against the wall. "Anise! Anise!"

Anise, however, was miles and miles and miles away, trying to sneak a peek at Jade's hand during a rousing game of Go Fish. Florian was on his own.

Florian looked up for a moment, tears rolling down his cheeks, and happened to notice an open door across the way. And…was that the smell of…cookies?

Tears forgotten, Florian scrambled to stand up. All the cookies he'd ever had had always been made by the nice lady down in the kitchens. Maybe the person in the house would help him! Someone who made cookies couldn't be scary, right?

Peeking his head through the doorway, Florian glanced around. He didn't see anyone around, but…yes! There, on the table! Lo and behold, a plate of fresh cookies!

Forgetting his manners, Florian hopped joyfully inside, happily picking up a warm cookie and taking a bite. It was as glorious as he'd hoped, and Florian just had to have another.

Soon enough, most of the cookies were gone, and Florian was standing by the table, happily nibbling on another cookie.

Suddenly, a door in the back door flew open, causing Florian to jump.

"Hey, Bilbo," came the gruff and terrifying voice. A giant, hulking man backed out of the room, carrying an entire table by himself. "Are you sure this thing is valuable?"

Florian stared. Never before had he seen a man so…huge. Standing there, staring up at the man, Florian was quite dwarfed, being the little thing that he was. And if that weren't exciting enough, another voice piped up through the door, through which came another, even bigger man!

"Of course it is, Bilby!" said the bigger man, who was assumedly Bilbo. His voice was a bit grating, but Florian was floored rather than frightened.

"Well, it's certainly a good thing you managed to get into this place unnoticed, Bilbo," said the smaller gigantic man, who was probably Bilby. And then he turned around, and his eyes fell on little Florian.

Florian stared up at the giant man with his innocent green eyes, speechless from amazement. Bilby stared back, equally amazed, but quite a bit less speechless.

"Cor, Bilbo!" Bilby shrieked. "What's the runt doin' in here?"

Bilbo turned around, almost knocking a vase to the ground with the chest he was carrying in this ginormous arms.

Bilby continued to freak out. "Bilbo, there ain't supposed to be no little girl in here!"

At that, Florian's voice returned. "I am not a girl," he said indignantly.

Bilby and Bilbo looked at each other for a minute.

"Well," said Bilbo, "We can't really just leave him here to alert the authorities."

Bilby scratched his bald head. "Right you are about that, Bilbo. Here I am, thinking we ought to take the kid with us."

Florian watched this exchange with interest, wondering what exactly they were talking about, and where exactly they were going with that furniture, which he asked them, garnering glares from Bilbo and Bilby but, alas, no answers.

"We'd better just take her-"

"Him," reminded Florian.

"Whatever," said Bilbo, irritated at being interrupted in the middle of his scheming. "We'd better just take him along with us unless we want him blabbing to those Daath idiots."

Florian stuck out his tongue in concentration. Did this mean he was going on a grand adventure? Would he get to see wonders never before seen by his young and impressionable eyes? And what about that white kitty?

Before Florian was entirely done pondering these questions, however, he was suddenly and roughly picked up and thrown over the shoulder of the larger man, Bilbo.

Florian accidentally squeaked as he was tossed about like a sack of potatoes. He wasn't used to being manhandled in such a way, and had the breath knocked out of his poor little lungs.

"Wait!" cried Florian. "Put me down! Please!"

"Pipe down, pipsqueak," said Bilbo, picking up a wooden chest sitting next to the front door. "Or we'll just drop you into the ocean and be done with it."

At this, Florian wailed piteously. He had never learned to swim. Actually, he'd never even been near the water, and the prospect of such a field trip pushed the dropping-in-the-ocean part completely out of his mind momentarily, until they felt the need to mention it again after he kept wiggling.

"Besides, kiddo, if you're good, you can be our swabbie," Bilby added as he walked past and out the front door. He was followed by Bilbo and Florian, whose leg was falling asleep.

"E-excuse me," squeaked Florian, "But…um…m-my leg is falling asleep…"

Bilbo shook Florian in a very inconsiderate and bone-rattling way. "That's not the only thing your leg will be doing if you don't shut up, princess."

So Florian had no choice but to stay glumly quiet and painfully limp as he was bumped and jostled all the way down the narrow alley toward their destination.

Well, there you go. I hope it isn't too short…I could keep writing forever, but then it'd get too long, and I'd run out of material for chapters. Then who would keep reading? Anyway, please, please review. It's probably the only thing that will help me remember this story…I'm sort of forgetful? That, or just lazy