A/N: Hello everyone! I finally finished this monster chapter (almost 5,000 words!) I actually started writing it before I posted the third chapter, but once I planned out the story more I realized I needed to change a few things and it took longer than I thought...but hey, this is more than 10 pages in Word. It's not like I'm slacking. :)
Anyway, from here on out, I'll be switching POV between major characters (Lloyd, Lynne, etc.) and, since it's third person, some characters will added their thoughts too, as a way for the story to flow better (in my opinion). I won't mention who's POV it is all the time, but the line break will take care of any major switches, so hopefully you guys won't get confused...:)
Enough of my babble, enjoy!
A special thanks to TiFu, DarkXFeatherdCosmic, and Strawberry Eggs for reviewing! Reviews motivate me to write faster XD And thank you to those who favorited/alerted this story. You guys make my day C;
Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia
Chapter 4: New Missions and Explanations
Lloyd's POV
The sun was shining brightly on the port city of Palmacosta. The sky was an endless blue, and the waves lapped up to the shore in a lazy rhythm that matched the slight breeze that fluttered through the city. For most people, sailors, merchants and travelers alike, this weather was perfect for their various activities. Not too hot, not too cold. Perfect.
However, for one person the constant sunlight only made him grow more anxious. She should be here by now! he kept thinking over and over. Everyone else had already assembled, except for those who had other duties to attend to, such as run a village hidden in the mountains or take care of duties in the royal capital or oversee a large corporation. However, she should've been there by now.
He felt a hand being placed on his shoulder, and he almost jumped and attacked the person out of sheer surprise. However, looking into the eyes of the person instantly stopped his reaction.
"Colette," he breathed.
She looked at him with worried blue eyes, eyes that always held compassion, eyes that he had fallen in love with. "Lloyd, calm down. She'll be here soon. I know it."
Lloyd smiled. Tenderly he held her hand between his own and kissed him, rubbing soothing circles on the soft skin. "Yeah, thanks Colette. I'm just nervous."
Colette's classic smile returned in full force. "Don't worry. I believe in you!"
The red-clad swordsman laughed. "I know," he said sweetly, kissing her on the lips this time. "I just can't help being tense."
The blonde angel opened her mouth to reply when another voice spoke up from across the room. "Don't worry about it Colette. Only idiots get nervous."
Lloyd looked up and glared at his best friend. Genis was standing there, lounging against the far wall, one hand in the pocket of his pants while the other was holding his spouse's hand. Presea, the spouse in question, was looking at the three old friends with mild interest and amusement, but she did not join the conversation.
The red warrior was about to retort when the other female in the room, a small brunette, put her hands on her hips and said, "Enough both of you! I'm sick and tired of hearing you throwing insults at each other just because you're bored."
The two men glared at the woman, who didn't flinch under their intense gazes. Colette just stared at them, blinking her blue eyes rapidly. Presea didn't move; her posture and facial expression one of disinterest. "Please, everyone, that's enough," a softer, shyer voice murmured. The three people glaring instantly replaced their angry expressions with ones of apology. "Oh, I'm sorry Emil! I didn't mean to upset you!" The brunette female gasped, instantly flinging herself into Emil's arms like she used to when she was younger. Emil grabbed her out of reflex, blushing immensely. "Marta," he complained, "aren't you a little old for this?"
Instantly, Marta's expression changed from one of love to one of fury. "Just who are you calling old Emil?" She said dangerously low. Emil gulped, backing up with his hands in front of him in the universal gesture of peace.
"Marta," he began hesitantly, but Marta cut him off. "Are you calling me old Emil Castagnier?"
"N-no Marta! I swear! I didn't mean –" once again, Emil was cut off, but this time by a silver haired female half-elf.
"That's enough, all of you. Just because you're tense does not mean that you need to start acting like children! Honestly, I can't take my eyes off of all of you for even a moment," Raine muttered as she walked through the door.
There was a chorus of "Raine!" and "Professor!" and one "Sister!" as the old friends moved to embrace their old mentor, their argument already forgotten. Raine smiled and said her greetings before getting immediately down to business. "Lloyd," she said curtly, interrupting Genis's rant of things she'd missed. "I have traveled a long way and I need to know why I have, if you please."
Lloyd shut his mouth and nodded, a serious expression replacing the elated one on his face. He motioned for everyone to sit down at the table in the middle of the room, which had been graciously been provided for them by the Governor-General. Lloyd rested his elbows on said table and folded his hands in front of his face, closing his eyes as he gathered his thoughts. The others waited anxiously for what he had to say – all of them except Colette, who just looked at Lloyd with concern.
With a heavy sigh, Lloyd began, "As you've probably already noticed, there have been several…incidents in the past few years. Everything from earthquakes to fights started over seemingly nothing have been occurring all across Aselia."
With that last comment, Raine couldn't help but remember the fights that seemed to happen more and more frequently between herself and Lynne, who had grown increasingly temperamental as time went on. With the new information, Raine couldn't help but consider that whatever forces were making these things occur were having a very drastic effect on Lynne.
"I have noticed that," Marta mused, "but what does it have to do with us?"
"Because…because the world is in danger again, this time from even stronger forces than before, and –"
"But what does that have to do with us?" Raine quipped.
"I agree. Why should we be the ones to endanger our lives, especially with our aging bodies and slower reflexes, when there are younger people more suited for the task," Presea said, voicing her opinion for the first time. The others, save for Colette and Lloyd, nodded their heads at her statement, looking slightly apprehensive. However, their expressions changed to one of shock when Lloyd pounded his fist on the table.
"Because when you have knowledge of something, you can't just ignore it!" Lloyd said, raising his voice so he was almost shouting by the end. His companions fell silent at his outburst, staring at him in shock. Lloyd's eyes widened and he took a deep breath, mentally willing himself to calm down.
"I agree," everyone's heads swiveled to look at Colette. "No matter the consequences, we cannot just stand by and do nothing when we have the power to fight it, or at least delay it. If no one steps up, then the world will definitely be doomed," she finished solemnly. The others looked at the ground in shame. After a minute of awkward silence, Emil timidly said, "Lloyd's right – we can't just ignore this. We need to do whatever we can to stop things from getting out of hand. Even if all we do is get others to help our cause, then we at least accomplished something."
The others reluctantly nodded, turning back to Lloyd once more. He smiled in thanks to Emil and Colette. "Well then, if that's settled, then we're gonna have to decide what we're gonna do about it."
"You mean our course of action?" Raine asked. At Lloyd's nodded she continued, "Well, I suggest we gather more information from several different towns and cities and try to pinpoint causes and areas that are the most affected."
"I don't know," Emil spoke timidly, "while we're doing that we could be attacked. We don't know how powerful this…enemy is."
"Emil's right," Marta said firmly, lacing her arm through her blushing husband's. "While Raine has a good idea, we need more information about this 'enemy' before we split up. We don't even really know what we're looking for! We might miss something crucial."
"Marta's right," Genis added, "we should probably stick together and be thorough rather than hastily jump in."
Raine sighed, acknowledging that they had a point. She had wanted Lloyd or Colette to go to Iselia to talk with Lynne, but it seemed as though she would have to wait. "Well then, let's start in this area, as it's one of the main ports, the people here probably have a lot of information, or rumors at least."
The group nodded and began to create a strategy to who would cover what, when they were loudly interrupted.
"Yo!" a familiar voice called, making all the adults' heads turn. There, leaning against the doorframe, was the infamous Zelos Wilder.
"Zelos!" Lloyd and the others cried happily, the former getting up to shake hands with his old friend. "I thought you wouldn't be able to make it?"
Zelos grinned. "And miss out on a chance to see my bud and my beautiful hunnies? Not a chance!"
"Even married you're still a pervert, eh, Zelos?" Genis jabbed.
"I heard that you brat." Zelos glared at Genis, who was now fuming. Before Genis could retort, however, he was cut off by a stern-looking Raine. "Well Zelos, as you're here you might as well be of use and join us."
"Uh, sure," Zelos said, shrugging. "What's going on?"
Taking turns, Marta, Emile, Lloyd, Colette, Genis, Raine, and even Presea, explained the situation and their plan to Zelos, who, by the end, looked more and more thoughtful.
"I see…" Zelos murmured, for once looking and sounding serious. But that didn't last long. "I think the plan's alright…as long as I get to go with one of my hunnies!"
Raine sighed; Marta grabbed onto Emil tighter, glaring at Zelos; Genis stepped in between Presea and Zelos, shielding her; Lloyd narrowed his eyes; however Colette just looked perplexed. "But…but Zelos," she said, "Sheena isn't here." Everyone in the room shared a collective sigh – even after almost thirty years Colette still hadn't changed.
"Well then," Zelos said, leaning towards Colette, his eyes gleaming, "you're going to have to help me out with – OUCH!"
"She's going to help you out with what, exactly?" A familiar, violet haired ninja growled, her fist still clenched from hitting Zelos. Zelos, rubbing his head, turned towards the voice and paled. "Oh, heh, hi Sheena hunny. I wasn't expecting you to be here…"
"Obviously," Sheena said, rolling her eyes at her perverted husband. Then she turned towards her former companions. "Now, with that aside, what did I miss?"
After filling her in, the group split up: Sheena with Zelos ("I'm not letting you out of my sight!"), Genis and Presea, Emil and Marta ("I'm absolutely going with Emil!"), and Lloyd was going to go with Colette, with Raine going by herself, but Raine interjected, "I want to go with you Lloyd. There are some things I need to discuss with you."
Lloyd gulped in apprehension, but nodded nonetheless. Colette decided that she would go check in with Mrs. Dorr to let her know that they were done using the room. Then everyone parted ways, each going to check a different part of town and meet up at the port.
Lloyd and Raine walked in silence for a long time. The red-clad warrior was nervous and slightly fidgety, especially because the half-elven woman was betraying no emotion on her regal face. Whenever she got like this, Lloyd couldn't help but start wondering what exactly his old teacher wanted to say to him.
"Lloyd, may I ask you something…personal?" The half-elven woman started tentatively. Lloyd looked at her in surprise – this was not what he was expecting, if anything. "Of course Professor. What's up?"
Raine stared at her shoes for a long while. The two continued to walk and Lloyd casually looked around, giving her space to arrange her thoughts. Finally, Raine sighed and blurted, "Lloyd, I will be frank with you, as I'd rather not 'beat around the bush' with this subject. Why did you abandon Lynne?"
Lloyd choked on air, stopping in the middle of the semi-deserted street. Raine watched him patiently, her eyes never wavering from his form. After he had recovered somewhat, Lloyd asked, "What do you mean 'abandoned'?"
"Well, that's the impression you've left on Lynne and almost everyone else in the village," Raine quipped. "Was that not your intent?"
"N-no! I-I didn't mean it like that…" Lloyd whispered. "I never meant to…"
The Professor's gaze softened as she gazed upon the genuine shock and sadness in her former student's expression. For years she had figured that Lloyd had never meant to cause his daughter any pain, but confirming it made her feel a lot lighter.
She put a hand on Lloyd's shoulder, who looked up at her with horror now marring his features. "Lynne…she's…alright…isn't she?"
Raine nodded, "Yes, she's grown up quite nicely, you'd be proud of all she's accomplished in the village. She keeps it well protected from any unwanted enemies."
Lloyd felt relief wash over him. Lynne, his daughter, was alive and thriving. He felt a surge of pride at the mention of her physical feats as well. For the first time since this conversation had begun, he felt a smile light his face, but it was quickly replaced with a frown. "I…my intent was never to abandon her. I just…when I had been looking into this…danger for a long time now, and when I felt it start to…awaken, I just…left. All I could think about was trying to stop it, and, no matter what, I didn't want Lynne to get caught up in it. I thought…I thought she'd be safer in the village, with you and Dirk and Noishe and all the villagers to look after her. I never, ever abandoned her, not that I thought anyway. But maybe…maybe, without realizing it, I did anyway, and hurt her in the process…"
"Lloyd." The dual swordsman looked at Raine for the first time since he began speaking. Her gaze softened into a smile. "If you really feel that way, then all you have to do is tell her. She's hurt, and yes, she harbors some ill feelings towards you, but more than anything she loves you. If anything, all those feelings of hate and sadness only prove it more. Please, for both your sakes, talk to her, and soon, before this rift between you grows any bigger."
Lloyd smiled. "Yeah, I will, thank you, Professor."
"Do not thank me," Raine said, turning so she was facing forward, "I am angry at you as well, and I have several words that I would like to say to you when we get back to the inn, in private."
The brunette gulped and took a step away from his old teacher. "Uhh…why in private, Professor?"
As Raine turned her head back towards him, Lloyd paled at the devious smile on her face. "Because, Lloyd Irving, they are not very nice words that most people would not like to hear."
Letting his instincts take over, Lloyd sped his pace until he was practically running from the Professor and her serious promise. Raine, however, just smiled after her student. Lynne, she thought, do not worry, I promise that you and your father will make up. I'll make sure of it. You deserve this happiness. And, with that thought in mind, Raine, the ever tactful, returned to the mission, with only a few sidetracks along the way.
"Oh, this old pot is simply MARVELOUS! From the old Sylvarant Dynasty ruins, you say? I MUST examine it!"
"Professor…"
"We…finally…made it." Gina sighed as she crumpled to ground, exhausted.
Lynne couldn't help but agree with her friend. They had made it to Triet within a day with no problems except a couple of over-eager monsters that the two girls easily disposed of. From there, however, was when things went downhill. First they left town in the wrong direction and ended up at the Triet Ruins instead of the Ossa Trail, and then when they were trying to find the latter they ended up getting lost in the desert for days before finally reaching it. Then it took a day to cross the trail itself, and another day to get to Izoold, which is where they were at the moment. That combined with all the monsters they had to fight in the desert and on the trail had left the two girls very, very exhausted.
"Let's get to the inn," Lynne suggested after she recovered somewhat.
Gina nodded and the two girls hurried to the, thankfully, nearby inn. Once there, they paid for a room and gratefully sank down onto the soft beds, falling asleep almost immediately.
Several hours later, the two girls roused themselves from their slumber, feeling refreshed and back to full power. With all the recent battles, their stock of supplies were running low, so they agreed that they would need to restock before going anywhere. To that Gina asked, "So, where are we going anyway?"
"Meltokio," Lynne responded immediately.
Gina's eyes widened. "M-Meltokio?" She spluttered. "Why there?"
Lynne hesitated. She didn't want to blurt out everything in the crowded inn, but she didn't want to hide anything from her best friend. She had already resolved herself to telling Gina anyway. "Not here," Lynne said, continuing when Gina opened her mouth to retort. "Later, I promise. How about you go get the supplies while I go get a ship, and we'll meet back here?"
"Fine," Gina snapped. As she stormed away, the young quarter elf silently promised that she would get everything, and she meant everything, out of Lynne, and she would let no one stop her.
Lynne sighed as her best friend walked angrily away. She knew that she'd hear about it later, but she didn't want to disclose this information just anywhere. She couldn't take any chances. "Sorry Gina," she muttered, even though the silver-haired girl couldn't hear her. Then, shaking her head to clear it, she left the inn and headed towards the boat docks.
Over the last couple decades, Izoold had grown from just a small fishing town to having a port that rivaled the size of Palmacosta's. After all, it was more convenient to travel to Flanoir from there rather than Palmacosta, and it was a good place for ships going to and from Palmacosta to refuel and resupply themselves. As a result, Izoold had quite the selection of available vessels, but Lynne needed to find one that wasn't making any side trips. She couldn't afford to waste any time.
Finally, after several minutes of desperate searching, she came across a smaller, non-commercial vessel that would suit her needs. Putting on her best no-nonsense face, Lynne walked up to the man currently fiddling with the ties holding the boat to the dock.
"Excuse me, good sir, but I would like to ask for your assistance," Lynne asked formally, deciding that in this situation the more formal and polite the better. The man looked up from his fiddling to Lynne, who was now only a few paces away from him. He scrunched up his face, appearing to be concentrating on something. After a few moments of his scrutinizing, Lynne opened her mouth to ask again, but the man cut her off.
"Do I know you?" He asked, bringing a look of confusion to Lynne's face. That was not what she had expected. She shook her head, but the man's frown only grew more pronounced. "Really? I swear I've seen someone like you before…"
Lynne, growing decidedly uncomfortable, said, "Well, that aside, I would like to ask for passage for myself and my friend."
The man finally stopped staring at her as a whole and focused on her face instead. "Oh? And where do you want passage to?"
"Meltokio, sir," Lynne said, crossing her fingers that he'd say yes.
"Meltokio? You've got to be kidding! I ain't going there! Not with all the earthquakes and typhoons happening around there!" The man said, backing away from Lynne with a fearful expression on his face. "Not to mention all the monsters popping up in the area!"
Lynne frowned. This was not looking good. She didn't want to take a big commercial ship with lots of passengers; otherwise she wouldn't be able to tell Gina what was going on. That and it would inconvenience her for the delay. "Please sir," she tried again, "my friend and I really need you to take us, so if you would please –"
"Didn't I say no already? Now shoo! Be gone with you! I don't have time for a brat that won't listen!" The man turned his back on her and began to walk away, but Lynne, acting on reflex, reached out and grabbed the man by the back of his shirt, spinning him around so they were facing again. The man had a mix of fear and anger on his face as he started to protest, but was cut off by the shout of, "Lynne! I got the supplies!" as Gina ran towards her friend.
Both the young warrior and the man looked up as the silver-haired girl approached. Lynne smiled at her friend, happy that Gina wasn't too mad, judging by the fact that she had called to her. However, the man gasped, his eyes fixated on Gina. As she approached, they only got wider and wider until Lynne was worried that they would fall out of his skull. Once Gina was within a few paces of the two of them, she stopped, finally noticing the look on the man's face. Immediately, she got defensive. "What?" She barked. "What'cha staring for?"
"You…" the man said, almost in a trance. Both girls looked worriedly at the man (Gina deciding by his words that he hadn't reacted that way out of disgust). "Hey, are you alright?" Lynne asked after a moment. That seemed to bring him back into focus, for he suddenly rounded on Lynne, making her flinch slightly. "You! Both of you! What are your names?"
Both girls stared at the man in slight shock. Lynne recovered first, replying, "My name is Lynne Irving. My companion is Gina Sage." The man's eyes widened once again, this time looking back and forth between the two girls. After several tense moments, Lynne was about to speak up again, but she was cut off once more when the man proclaimed, "I knew it! I knew you two looked familiar!"
"Wha-what do ya mean?" Gina finally asked, still staring at the man in shock. The man looked between them once more before explaining, "My name is Max. Almost thirty years ago I ferried both of your parents to Palmacosta. This was before the two worlds merged, mind you," the man – Max – clarified. Both girls stood frozen for a few moments, but then Gina looked at the man with wonder, while Lynne's face hardened slightly. "Really?" Gina exclaimed. "That's so awesome! Right Lynne?"
"Yeah," Lynne said, not very enthusiastically, but Gina was too caught up in the new revelation to notice.
Max nodded. "Yeah, I still remember those guys. Haven't seen them in years, though."
"Which is why we looked familiar, but not exactly," Gina chattered, her eyes alight. Suddenly, she rounded on Max, her face beaming, making him take a reflexive step back. "So, would you mind taking us, Mr. Max, sir? We really need to get to Meltokio, right Lynne?" Gina looked to her friend for confirmation.
"Yes, we do," Lynne stated, her voice still hard. This time, however, the young half-elf noticed, scrunching up her nose in confusion. "So, if you would please –"
"Of course, of course – as long I get paid, mind you."
"Fine," Lynne snapped, "let's just get out of here." Pushing past Max, Lynne stepped onto the ship and stormed over to the bow, resting her forearms on the railings.
Gina apologized to Max, who waved it off and began making preparations to set sail. Gina frowned after her friend, thinking that she was probably the cause of her distress. I should go talk to her, when she's cooled down some, she thought, and with that in mind she decided to sort through the new stuff she bought. After a few minutes, Max set sail, and soon they had left Izoold behind.
A few hours later, after Gina had deemed Lynne to be sufficiently calmed down, she went over to her friend and stood beside her. Neither girl made a move to say anything; they just stared out at the endless expanse of the ocean.
"I'm sorry," Lynne finally said, startling Gina a little. "I shouldn't have acted like that. I don't know what came over me."
"I'm sorry too," Gina said, looking up at her friend, who was looking down at her. "I shouldn't have said what I did – I know it's a sore subject for you."
Lynne smiled, embracing her friend in a make-up hug. Gina smiled as well. If there was one thing she could count on, it was Lynne's friendship.
The young elf cleared throat. "Umm Lynne? I know this might be a bad time, but, as your friend, I want to know why we're going to Meltokio, of all places. I think I have that right, at least."
Lynne sighed heavily, but smiled at her friend. "Of course you do Gina. I just didn't want to say it in a public place."
Gina's eyes widened. "Is it that secret?" Her voice automatically lowered to just above a whisper, her eyes darting to the steering wheel, where Max was currently whistling. She knew that when Lynne said something like that, she meant it.
Lynne nodded. "And it's gonna have to stay a secret, especially to our parents. Do you understand?" When Gina nodded, Lynne took a deep breath and began her long explanation. As she went on, Gina's eyes continued to widen and by the end her jaw was hanging open as well. "Do you have any questions?" Lynne finally asked.
"Several," Gina muttered, before speaking to her friend once more. "So you're saying that we're really going to Mizuho?"
"Sort of," Lynne explained. "First we're going to Meltokio to speak with Mizuho's chief's daughter to find out the location of Mizuho, because, frankly, I have no idea where it is."
"Wait, let me get this straight," Gina said, holding her hand up in the universal "stop" sign. "Because we don't know the exact location of Mizuho, we're going to go ask the chief of Mizuho's daughter who lives in Meltokio to help us." Lynne nodded. Gina's brow knitted in confusion. Why would the chief of Mizuho's daughter be in Meltokio? Then she remembered. "Which means that we're going to visit…Selera?"
Lynne grinned. "Yes Gina, we're going to pay a visit to Selera Fujibayashi-Wilder."
"Well, well, well, would you look at that?" A high voice trilled in the shadows.
The two shadows next to the one that spoke both looked at the first. "Look at what Miss?" One asked.
The first shadow smirked. It was a delighted smirk, one that a predator wore when it cornered its prey. Mentally, the two others shivered at the sight, but they had learned by then to keep quiet. "Oh boys," the girl tsk-ed. "We have finally found what we have been looking for."
The two boys looked at each other, then back to the girl. "What do you mean?"
The girl sighed. Idiots, she thought. "Use your eyes! What do you see?"
The two boys squinted at the scene below them. "Umm…the hero Lloyd and his companions, talking?"
"Planning," the girl corrected, her tone harsher than before, making both boys flinch. "Planning another hero mission to save the world." The girl said mockingly, and then suddenly smirked again, the same predatory grin as before. "Only this time, I'll make sure that they won't succeed."
A/N: Ohhh! Raine confronted Lloyd, Lynne and Gina are headed to Meltokio, and there are new foes on the horizon! O.O Next chapter will focus more on Lynne and Gina, and there will be new characters! Yay!
As always, please, please, please review! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll write! Seriously, any and all reviews are welcome! I'll see y'all again soon!