~a/n~
May the will of the great Aleister Crowley be realized.
Disclaimer: I own only the plot. All else belongs to square enix.
~end of a/n~
Our adventurers had no problem getting to the city, though they were a bit perplexed as
why random soldiers were saluting them and civilians kept getting out of their way, until they remembered the whole business with the monoliths.
Saving the world did have its effect on society, after all. But, that is not what happened.
I absolutely hate that guy on the street (1)…
-Memoires of Emperor Larsa of Archades, 23: 19
Lowtown was not a place one would expect to find someone who had saved the world twice in a row… let alone two of them. But these two lived there for quite some time, and yet both Vaan and Penelo still had the problem of random passers-by figuring out who they are, getting out of their way, and if not that, giving Vaan a pat on the back and congratulating them both. When they finally made it to Old Dalan's, their confusion had not only returned, but had tripled. Vaan opened the door, the two of them walked in, and…
"well if it isn't Vaan Ratsbane, and I see you brought your wife!" Vaan and Penelo both noticeably cringed. "so…you heard about that?" Vaan replied. While Old Dalan was old (as his name suggests), and older than Ondore at that, he was not yet senile. Perhaps it has something to do with elevation? "of course, child. Who hasn't heard about the senior moment my old friend Halim had? Wise I may not be, but well informed and connected I…wait isn't that the same question you asked me before your first adventure began?"
Vaan's cringe turned to a look of nostalgia upon the question. "yeah…I guess it was…good times…good times…anyway, down to business…" he said. "Vaan and I have been thinking…" Penelo began. "since Penelo and I have been going out quite some time prior to the 'incident'…" Vaan continued. "and we don't want to 'tarnish' Ondore's name more than it's already been…" Penelo continued. "the both of you want to make it official." Dalan finished their idea for them. Vaan and Penelo jumped in surprise at how the old coot managed to figure out what it was they were trying to say, followed by their faces turning a shade of red that would beat that of a certain mega-shy ninja.
(somewhere in another universe altogether)
Hinata Hyuuga: ACHOO!
(back with us)
Old Dalan started laughing at their startled behavior. "Vaan, my boy, you're like a son to me. I can read ya more easily than a book left open on the table. Don't worry, I will most certainly find you a minister worthy of Vaan and Penelo Ratsbane!" he said, then started to once again chuckle. "by the way, you should pay Megello a quick visit. That old privateer owes me 1000 gil (2)." Vaan and Penelo suddenly had one of the most shocked expressions one could ever find on a pair of youths entering their early twenties. Not just at Old Dalan having an out-of-character moment, but also (and more heavily on) Megello's former job status.
"MEGELLO, THE SHOPKEEPER WAS A PRIVATEER!" both Vaan and Penelo's shocked voices could be heard all the way from the upper city, though not clearly. Old Dalan, however, seemed unaffected by the loudness of their shout. Instead, he took his own hand, stuck a finger in his ear, twisted once, pulled it out, and mumbled something about how loud young people could be and why he did not see this coming as he got older… he looked up, only to see that the two that caused the loudness had already left, some paper and dust made airborne from the speed of their departure…his confusion was replaced with a combination of nostalgia and a VERY small amount of envy. "aahh to be young again…" he sighed out as he went back to petting his hare…
~a/n~
Well…I have had my fair share of problems lately…such as lack of an internet connection during the time this was written, and also, weird things happen all the time.
This is a reference to "the grand list of role-playing game clichés". This particular one states that no matter how fast you travel, news/rumors of your exploits ALWAYS travels faster, even if there were no witnesses to tell of it.
This one is a reference to a title you get in the "Sky Pirate's Den" in the Clan Primer that you get early in Final Fantasy XII, as the title that Megello was labled as was "Privateer".
~end of a/n~