Longer drabbles than usual.

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Drabble Collection 4

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There were some lines Chase wasn't even going to think about crossing. Not when he had first hand experience with how easily fate gave in to temptation. He may have had a good reason for going through Letha's bag without her permission, but that didn't mean he'd take advantage of her absence any more than necessary.

When the pink haired princess had looked up from the phone in Karol's hands, the boy excitedly scrolling through the archive of pictures they had discovered, she had gone and practically invited one of those dangerous tempting fate moments by bringing up one of the last things he'd expect.

"I just realized!" her excitement pealed out. "This has all those ancient letters Letha taught me on it! Does that mean they're actually from your world?"

"Ancient letters..." he'd repeatedly brilliantly. "What are you-that's just the plain English alphabet. Everyone on Earth uses it." Oh, wait, no... "Er, besides the Japanese and Chinese..." Hold on now... "And Koreans? Oh, and the Russian alphabet..." Come to think of it, there were probably even more than that. He'd never been all that great at languages, so sue him.

"So does that mean you'd be able to read what Letha keeps scribbling in that book of hers?" Yuri posed the question, teasingly adding, "Estelle always refuses to read it for us."

While Chase wondered just how it was the princess had learned to read Earth's English, the young girl flushed a bit in embarrassment. "W-well, from what the first page said, I really don't think that would be a good idea."

That caught his curiosity. "You mean you did try to read it?" Estelle turned a little pinker. "Well, what did the first page say?"

The noble girl smoothed her skirts a little before primly reciting. "'Since there aren't many people who can understand this, I've got a few things to say to anyone who can. Firstly, Estelle, I'm not mad at you but please just stop here.

"'Secondly, to any of the butterfly brained meddlers, who I won't believe for even two seconds can't read this, and Chase: Read any further and The Grudge will seem like Disney's watered down version of what will happen.'"

"..."

The collective silence was broken when Raven looked around and asked, "I don' really get that last part, but does it remind anyone else o' the threats she made in Keiv Moc? About usin' centipedes in pranks on her?"

Yuri shrugged a shoulder. "Doesn't that just make it sound more interesting?" The other swordsman turned to Chase and tilted his head in a how about it? gesture. He didn't need to think about it twice.

"Here," Chase dumped Letha's bag into Estelle's hands. "You keep this. Don't let him talk you into reading it. Ever."

The girl nodded at him, both ignoring the grumbled, "Stick in the muds," from across the table.

x x x

One of the best places to kick back and relax was on top of the Fiertia's cabins. When he could convince himself it would be worth the effort to actually climb up there, of course. He could lie back and just glory in the warm sunlight up there, and never worry about getting "accidentally" stepped on or told off for lazing about with a fireball or punch to the head. Nah, he'd still get told off, but he was out of reach of the other things.

He should probably be concentrating on the events of the night before and all the revelations that had come in the morning, but there was a whole week at sea with nothing else to do for that. And, old age or no old age, it had all been more than enough that anyone would want a break. It would keep a bit longer.

Knight's persona grudgingly receding, Raven let himself relax. He dozed in and out of sleep for some time, blocking out everything but for the roll and crack of the breeze in the sails and rigging and the lapping of water against the boat's hull.

"Wait, I'm not sure I heard you guys right," a voice drifted up from over the cabin's edge.

The Child of the Earth, the analytical and observant part of his mind identified it, lacking inflection even in his own thoughts. Or "Earthling."

Raven cracked his eyes open. That kid, Chase.

"I thought you said... Your names are Biggs and Wedge?" The boy sounded like he was really hoping someone would tell him that was wrong.

"Yeah, that's us," Wedge answered. "You heard right the first time."

"Something wrong with that?" Biggs almost sounded like some tavern brawler, deliberating between letting an honest slip of the tongue go or whether an insult needed some heads to be knocked together.

"N-no, not at all," Chase assured them. "Just, they're sorta...uncommon, if you know what I mean, and, uh, I actually happen to used to know a couple of other guys with those names..."

The tension was diffused when Wedge laughed. "Not as uncommon as you thought, right?"

"R-right."

"Don't worry about it, we're used to it. No big deal. Right Biggs?"

He chuckled at the surprising steel in the ship hand's voice and at how his comrade quickly agreed, "Right, like you said, no harm an all."

After a moment of silence, during which he imagined a lot of interesting expressions were being shared in silent conversation, Chase forged ahead again. "So, uh, would either of you happen to know a girl named Jessie?"

"Can't say that I have. Biggs?"

There wasn't an answer, at least not a verbal one that he could hear. But Chase spoke again, seeming somehow relieved. "Ah, okay, just wondering. I didn't think it was likely anyway."

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The sun was setting in the horizon, more or less off over his right shoulder. Karol sat on the back of the Fiertia with the fishing pole Biggs had loaned him in hand. And this time he had tied himself to the rail with a spare piece of rope. Next time he caught something big, he wasn't about to lose it because it pulled him into the water!

It wouldn't have been able to if you were bigger or stronger, a voice that sounded an awful lot like Nan whispered in the back of his mind. "Not if it was something as big as-as big as that dragon Judith rides!" he argued back. Yeah, you got that much right. But it probably wouldn't even notice your added weight! "Shut up!"

"I didn't say anything..." Karol's head snapped up as he realized someone had come up behind him when he wasn't paying attention. Harry was standing nearby, shoulders hunched slightly and hands thrust into his pockets.

"S-sorry," Karol rubbed his head, embarrassed. "Just thinking out loud." The man's face cleared a little but there was still an unhappy crease in his forehead. He never seemed to fully relax, and Karol had begun to wonder if Harry's face had actually frozen to look like that.

"What are you doing?" the blond asked.

Karol blinked, "I'm fishing?"

The scowl started to come back. "I know what you're doing, I meant, why are you doing that now? Shouldn't you be trying to do something about your guild members?"

"Oh..." The boy's shoulder's sagged a bit and he turned to stare at the bobbing red piece of cork trailing from his line. "I don't know what to do about that yet... I really have been thinking a lot! But..."

Wood creaked as Harry fidgeted in place. "They broke your guild's laws, didn't they? No matter why or how close you guys are, guild law demand you punish them somehow."

"I know!" He gripped the pole in his hands tightly. "That's what I always thought too! But I've been thinking, wouldn't it be better to figure out how to keep them from breaking the laws in the first place? Instead of just waiting for someone to do something bad, and then punishing them?"

Harry sat down next to him, but with his back braced against the railing he wasn't facing the ocean. "That's what the point of punishing law breakers is! Because people don't want to be punished, they don't make mistakes in the first place."

"Yeah but... What if they couldn't help it?" They didn't even know what Letha or Judith had been trying to do. It had seemed like both of them had reasons for their actions, and they'd looked real sorry about hurting the rest of them in the process of doing all that, so maybe they hadn't had any choice? He didn't know that for sure, since neither of them had told anyone anything... And maybe Yuri had been too drastic in-in killing Ragou (and Cumore? No one had brought that up again yet...), but it had stopped the corrupt man from hurting more people. It would have been better if they could have brought him to justice some other way, but...

"So what? You're not going to punish them?" Harry scowled more. "You can't give anyone special treatment. If you let someone slide just because they had an excuse, more people will think they can get away with breaking the rules. They might not even have good reasons, just some sob story they made up to get out of the responsibility."

His friends wouldn't do that! But...thinking that way was the kind of special treatment he realized the man meant. And even if his friends were the only other members of Brave Vesperia for the time being, they still had to set a good example if they wanted the guild to amount to something one day. "I don't know what I want to do... That's what I need to think about some more."

Harry didn't say anything to that. Time stretched on, the two of them sitting in silence as the fishing line trailed out behind the sailing ship. Finally, Harry spoke again. "Your hands are too close together. If you don't widen your grip, you'll just get pulled into the water."

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The heels of his boots clacked with each step, echoing both before and behind him down the stone corridor. He could have chosen to move silent as a night breeze, or even fly to his destination, but it was more satisfying to let the footfalls ring out and warn everyone of his ill temper. No wonder to him that mortals and other wingless beings favored pacing when aggravated.

Not that he was likely to even run into anyone that would require such warning. The Underhills had been cold stone for so long that he'd almost forgotten what it was like to see them filled with his Folk. Will o' the Wisps carried by attendant sprites and familiars lighting the way for lords and ladies traveling between revels. Or impish children squealing in delight as they chased each other through halls and twilight shadows, darting out into mortal lands to play hide and seek or tease the dullard humans.

For a moment an indulgent smile stole across his face as he recalled the olden days. Once, there had even been a time when mortal bards and heroes of reknown had walked these halls, either all up in arms over a trifle like a stolen lover or child, or marveling at the rare beauty and honor they'd been gifted. Some of the more upstart ones were sent back after outwitting the Fae who had "wronged" them, but often returned to their homes with more "reward" than they had bargained for. Or the ones who truly deserved it went away with a boon, selected to grant them aid if they were clever enough to use it properly. Fame and fortune had been made on many a Fairy's favour.

Or...

Alastor shook his head, wondering at his wool gathering. Perhaps he'd caught some of the habit to reminisce from the humans he worked with, walking their lands under their terms. Those times are long past, even if the Halls were restored to their customary splendour. Heroes on quests and Ladies willing to be enchanted, or to free their True Lovers from enchantments, haven't tred these places for many turns of the centuries. Even if we turn a year or two around on itself, the time has long past.

And it wasn't just the adventurous mortals these walls missed: the number of Fae had dwindled as well. And of those that remained...many slept. The remaining feared they would never awaken.

His boots clacked with greater urgency as renewed vigour entered his step.

He needed to speak with Sybelle Bianca. Something had been troubling her the last time they met, never a good omen. And then contact from her had ceased entirely. What is she up to this time? It could be anything with her...but this time he held hopes that it may prove related to the issue of the human lad's location. "At Sea" was the best he could manage on his own, but if she knew then Alastor wouldn't have to wait for the boy to disembark.

If, however, she was worried over another matter... There were too many possibilities that he didn't wish to contemplate.

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What Happens Next?

Estelle: Excuse me, Chase? Can we ask you something?

Chase: Sure. Something else you wanted to know about Earth?

Estelle: Something like that...

Karol: What happens to the Serenity? What happens after Captain Mal beat Atherton and got that smuggling job with the cattle?

Estelle: And Companion Inara, he defended her honor in that duel!

Chase: ...Come again?

Rita: It's just some stupid story Letha's been telling them. Something absurd about people riding ships through space. Like that could happen.

Chase: Ah ha haa...

Rita: ...Can it happen?

Karol: Jeez, Rita, you wanna hear the next part just as much as we do!

*Rita punches Karol*

Rita: Of course that's not it! Don't be ridiculous!

Chase: Uh, sorry, but...I don't think I know anything about a ship called Serenity or a Captain Mal.

Estelle, Karol, & Rita: Awww...

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First: Addresses how some people realized Estelle would be able to recognize the writing on the cellphone, and also the fact that they all could, you know, have read Letha's journal while she was gone. That would have seemed likely, since they wanted answers but had no idea of how long it would be until they saw her. I thiiiink, however, that with a warning like that Estelle and Chase would have let it be. And none of the others could do anything about it without at least one of those two cooperating. And all of them seem to be overlooking the case with Sophia's notes in it (which I forgot to mention when listing items in Letha's bag). They probably assumed it's still sealed shut. When did Estelle get the chance to read the first page of Letha's journal? Beats me!

Second: I still try to keep the POV ambiguous when I write from Raven/Schwann's perspective. But, as you might catch if you're looking close, I'm letting this gradually shift into something else. Though it threatens to sound like he's got some split personality disorder at times... And then I played some more with my inside joke of borrowing two staple Final Fantasy names for Tokunaga's helpers. If anyone's wondering why Chase asked about a girl named Jessie, it's because in Final Fantasy VII the members of the group AVALANCHE are Tifa and Barret (main characters, whoo!), Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie.

Third: It strikes me that Karol get's really hung up on the issue of having to punish his own friends. It didn't seem to me like there was much for him to be thinking over for as long as he did, so I tried to see what happened if I let him and Harry talk about it.

Fourth: Al being a fairy. Does any more need to be said?

Fifth: Sorry kiddies, Uncle Chase ain't all that great of a storyteller. He might have watched the movie Serenity or known someone who was a fan of the Firefly series back on Earth, but that would be only passing familiarity.