I'm sorry for the lack of previews last chapter. I'll make up this time.
22222222222
Chapter 20: The Intrepid Party
22222222222
"Your buddies sure know how to sleep," Palom noted. It was 10:36, and the only two non-Mysidian people awake were Cecil and Rosa.
"We fought hard and played hard," Rosa informed, sounding sturdier after a filling breakfast. "If Edge, Rydia and Kain were awake now, I'd be pretty surprised."
"So then, the green-haired lady was Rydia?" Porom asked hopefully.
"I can't wait to meet her! We should go jump on her and wake her up right now!" Palom suggested excitedly.
"Wouldn't recommend it," Cecil warned. "Even when she was little, she would cast a spell on you if you bothered her sleep. And with her arsenal of summonable monsters and her current level of magic…" he trailed off, leaving the ending to Palom's big, wild imagination.
"Oh… Maybe that won't be such a good idea," he agreed after a minute.
"But there is a lot you can learn from her," Rosa added. "She is a black mage, like you."
"Cool. I wish she was awake now."
"I wish they all were awake," Cecil said, casting an impatient glance at the door. "…Except for Kain…" he added under his breath.
"What was that, love?" Rosa asked.
"Oh, nothing."
"I wonder what all we've missed while we were in Baron," Porom mused. "Where did Dharma and Sheila go?"
"Dharma's in the study upstairs," Rosa informed, nodding at the door. "He said that he's got things to look up."
"For what? Is something else happening?" Palom interrupted.
"Not really a concern for anyone just yet," Cecil answered. His answer came just quickly enough to make it sound like he was trying to hide something; something that he would say they weren't old enough to know, or that it didn't concern them. "As for Sheila… The last time I saw her was last night, late. I haven't seen her this morning. I suppose she's decided to make herself scarce today."
"I wonder why?" Rosa wondered. "She seemed pretty nice, but then I was practically asleep on my feet."
"Well…"
It was strange, now that Palom thought about it. Whenever Cecil didn't want to answer a question or a question made him uncomfortable, he stalled by mumbling "Um…" or "Well…" or something along those lines. Palom wondered what was bothering him. However, finding Rydia was way more interesting than trying to pry into Cecil's mind.
"Let's go talk to Dharma, then," he suggested to his sister.
"He may not want us to bother him," Porom countered.
"Not want to see us? We've been gone for more than half a year! Of course he'll want to see us!" He jumped down out of his chair and dashed for the door. Porom rolled her eyes.
"I'm sorry about him," she said, an embarrassed excuse which seemed to be directed mainly at Rosa. "Palom! Wait for me!" she called, scampering after him. They were about to race up the stairs when they saw someone else coming down.
It was the young woman with the green hair from the day before: Rydia, the Summoner. Her hair, which looked as if it had a messy nature when brushed, was tousled and full of tangles, as if she had just gotten out of bed. Dressed in a slinky nightgown of bright green and a silky, pale yellow bathrobe, she looked like some kind of exotic flower. She rubbed her eyes drowsily, perhaps still half asleep, and regarded the twins, six feet below her on the ground. At first, her gaze was lazy, relaxed with drowse; as her great blue eyes adjusted under her fist, her eyes seemed to clear and brighten, as if ice were melting from them. Her expression changed from disoriented and tired to alert and slightly amused.
"Good morning," she said sweetly, waving to them. "Sleep well?"
"Uh… Sure," Palom agreed. He felt like someone had knocked him on the floor. Rydia was standing in front of him; she was right there! Rydia, who was supposed to have died in a shipwreck! Rydia, the summoner who could kill him with a sweep of her hand if she so chose. Rydia, who had just woken up and greeting him like he was her… peer. Porom seemed too stunned to say anything yet.
"I've heard a lot about you," the green-hair woman said good naturedly. "You're Palom and Porom, yes?" she asked, pointing to each of them in turn.
"Yep; that's us," Palom agreed. "You're... you're Rydia, right?"
"Summoner extraordinaire, that's me," she said with a grin. "I've been waiting a long time to get to meet you two."
"So have we," Porom said shyly.
"Yeah.... You're a lot older than we thought you'd be," Palom added.
Rydia laughed merrily; her laugh had a strange, magical quality, like faraway bells on the wind. Because she was so powerful? Because she had been exposed to such strange creatures, grown with them, learned from them, gained their strength? Because she was so charming? Because of a combination of them all? Who knew!
"I guess I did grow pretty fast," she admitted, looking herself over bashfully. "It happened slowly, like in real time, but I feel so out of place!"
"You're beautiful…" Porom breathed.
"Oh, thank you," Rydia smiled, coming down to the floor and patting her on the head. "And you're very cute, yourself."
Porom looked like she would faint.
"Is anyone else awake?" she ventured. "Kain…?" she asked aloofly, as if his presence made no matter to her.
"No, ma'am. Just Cecil and Rosa, in the kitchen," Porom answered shyly and quickly, nodding at the kitchen door.
"Why all the fuss about this Kain guy, anyways?" Palom asked, feeling a little impatient.
Rydia rolled her blue eyes like she was royally annoyed with hearing his name. "Trust me; when you meet him, you'll understand," she answered dryly. Her tone of voice changed so quickly and sharply; Palom was a bit frightened.
I had almost started to feel at home with her, he thought, feeling shaken. I forgot how dangerous she is!
"Never mind him," she insisted. "If you see a guy with white hair and a scarf wrapped around his face and he asks for me, tell him I'm eating my breakfast without him, okay?"
"Sure, okay," Palom agreed instantly while Porom nodded wordlessly.
Rydia winked playfully at them, the storm gone for now, and walked in the door with a cheery good morning to her friends as the door closed behind her.
The twins were silent for a minute.
"……She was amazing," Porom whispered.
"You should have told her so," Palom insisted. It dawned on him suddenly that her was still wearing his white nightshirt and shorts and felt a little silly.
"We're still in our pajamas," he said pointedly. "We should get dressed."
"I don't mind," Porom said sweetly, swishing the long skirt of her white nightgown. "I feel pretty in this dress."
"You wear it to sleep."
"So?"
"…Never mind. I want to get dressed before I see Dharma; I feel silly."
"The others didn't seem to feel silly; Rydia certainly didn't."
"But she's hot."
"What did you say?! When did you learn to talk like that?"
"From Leon, the pilot."
"Don't let mom catch you talking like that, or she'll never let you hang out with him again. Just say that she's really pretty, okay?"
"Whatever."
"Yo down there!" someone called from the top of the stairs. The twins looked up to see who was there. Another one of Cecil's friends they had seen the day before. His hair was snow white, and he had a light blue scarf tied around his face so they couldn't see what his face looked like. Aside from the scarf, the only clothing he wore was a pair of loose-fitting pants made of what looked like blue silk. He stretched his arms wide, every visible muscle of his incredibly toned body flexing under his tanned skin.
"Have either of you seen a really cute girl, 'bout this high, green hair, can't miss her?" her asked, leveling his hand at his shoulder.
"Yeah, we saw her, like, half a minute ago," Palom agreed.
"She said to tell you that she's eating breakfast without you," Porom added.
"Dang, that really stings," the man said sadly, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. His grey eyes wandered into the rafters. His eyes seemed to express his emotions without the help of his mouth. If he didn't even have a voice, they would have spoken every word for him.
"Oh well," he said, brightening ever so slightly and walking quickly down the stairs. "Rydia can be kinda irritable in the mornings; give her a few hours to wake and she'll be all over me again."
"…Huh?" Palom asked, tilting his head to one side.
"Oh… Ah, I'm sure you kids'll understand in a few years; don't worry about it." When he reached the ground, he knelt down in front of them and extended his hand to Palom. "The name's Edge, prince of Eblan. How're you two doing?"
"Good," Palom answered, shaking the prince's hand. "Just trying to get upstairs."
"Oh yeah, you met up with Rydia, eh? Bet that slowed you down," Edge agreed, playfully punching Palom in the shoulder.
"Yeah, I guess," he agreed, rubbing his shoulder. He left tiny and insignificant next to Edge, who was at least four times his size. He wondered hopefully if he could ever be that big and impressive one day.
I've seen Sheila get all mushy over big guys like him, he thought. Would girls feel the same way if I were… Oh geez, what am I thinking? Girls like me? Me like girls? Gross!
"Well, if it's upstairs you're going to, you'd better get going," Edge said finally and stood back up. "You kids have fun… upstairs," he said dumbly and walked to the door. He ran his fingers through his short hair as he walked and then disappeared into the kitchen with a, "Tada! Ninja in the house!" and a groan from everyone else.
"He was really weird," Porom said after another pause.
"Yeah," Palom agreed vaguely. "Come on; let's get up there before someone else wakes up."
22222222222
Porom had forgotten how much fun it was to be dressed in white and red-striped clothing. It happened to look very good on her, and she hadn't worn any of her own clothing in a long time. The dress she had been petrified in was old and worn, and covered in stains and rips. The warm green coat that Cecil had bought for her was also in bad condition from the trip through the Waterway, and Georgette had to toss it out. Even worse, her wonderful feathered hat had been lost somewhere and no one could find it. Her wardrobe in Baron had been mostly of solid colors and plain design, and it had gotten her down.
So she was very happy to slip into a pretty white-red-striped spring dress that still fit her. Very few of them still did, after so long.
I've really grown, she thought to herself, twirling in front of her mirror. She wilted a little, still sad about the disappearance of her feathered hat. I wonder if I have enough to buy a replacement… Oh, I finally got that hat so that it fit my head perfectly! I want my hat back!
She walked back out of her room, feeling more like her old self than ever before, and scanning the hallway for her brother. He wasn't there, so she walked over to his bedroom door and knocked.
"Are you dressed yet?"
"Give me a second, Porom!"
She looked at the clock at the end of the hall, which read 3:46 in the afternoon.
Sheesh; how long does it take to get dressed?!
Palom came out a minute later in a white-green striped shirt and brown shorts. He had even remembered to comb his hair today. One long lock of brown hair hung down a little past his shoulder, free of tangles.
"Has mom taught you how to make a braid yet?" he asked.
Porom shook her head. "A basic braid; I don't know how to do yours. Your braid is special."
Palom pouted and wound the lock of hair around his finger a few times.
"Mom can do it; don't worry," Porom said, taking him by the wrist and hauling him into the kitchen. "Mom? Mom, can you—"
They both stopped dead in their tracks, utterly surprised by what was happening. Mira and Jackie were together in the kitchen, and were dancing together; it looked like some kind of waltz. They both seemed so happy; Mira was actually laughing. They had never heard their mother laughing like this before. She didn't even seem to have heard Porom calling her. They had no idea what to do, and remained standing there in the doorway watching their parents spinning around and around.
"Let's go ask someone else," Palom suggested. "Mom's not the only one on the island who knows how to do my braid."
"You're right. Let's go."
They started for the door, not disturbing their parents at all with a good-bye. Porom was just about to go out the door when Palom stopped her and pointed up on the coat rack.
"Porom! Look up there!"
She looked up and, to her joy, was her old feathered hat, perched on the lowest peg. She snatched it off the peg and looked it over, glowing.
"Ooh, what's this?" she said, looking inside. There was a note on white paper inside her hat. It read:
Hey, kid! Rydia found this, forgotten in a corner a few months ago. She showed it to Cecil and he said that it was yours. I'm not sure how anyone was able to miss it, but I guess you're way more important than a hat. (No matter how fine it is!) Anyways, here it is; I'll bet it looks great on you. Can't wait to see it! Enjoy!
—Edge
"He really is weird," she said, placing the hat on her head. She sighed contentedly. Now everything was as it should be.
"I…feel…….great."
22222222222
They careened into the tower, anxious to see their new friends.
"I can't wait to show Edge my hat, like he said in the note," Porom said, slowing down.
"I want to talk to Rydia about her magic; Rosa said she's a black mage, remember?" Palom added.
"Oh, they only just got back! And we've never even met most of his friends! There's so much I want to talk with them about," Porom said excitedly, clapping her hands together spasmodically.
"I sure hope they're not busy," Palom mentioned, looking around. "I don't see anyone. It's so quiet."
A door slammed nearby and a man appeared form the kitchen with a glass of milk in one hand and a plum in the other. His long blonde hair fell in his face so that the twins couldn't see his face from where they were.
"Excuse me?" Porom asked, and the blonde man turned to face them He looked surprised to see them.
"I didn't hear you come in," he said in a deep but flat voice.
"The door slammed and we were yelling and everything," Palom insisted, as if he were assuring the stranger that he could be louder, if he wished.
"Palom!" Porom hissed, threatening to hit him. She turned back to the stranger and asked, "Do you know where everyone is? They don't seem to be around, and…"
Something in the way the man looked at them made her feel like she was being scrutinized in a sinister way. She felt like she was being bullied by someone. She knew what it felt like to be afraid of something, and it wasn't like this. It was more like… intimidation. She almost felt that he disapproved of every word that she said, and that each word only made him hate her more somehow.
"No one's here but me and the white mage," the man informed.
"Rosa?" Palom guessed.
"No, the Elder's assistant."
"Oh, that's Sheila," Porom offered. "She's our… teacher." She trailed off again, remembering that this man hated it when she talked.
"Hm. She seems nice."
"You bet she's nice," Palom agreed. "She's one of the best teachers ever!" He didn't feel afraid of the man at all; as far as Palom could see it, the man was just a guy with big eyes and a deep voice.
The man was silent for a moment. "I don't know exactly where everyone went, but I think you'll find Rydia in the garden; and wherever she is, Edge usually isn't too far behind." He said this last remark with the slightest trace of a grimace, as if he didn't approve.
Porom still felt pretty intimidated, but Palom was happy for the man's help. "Thanks a lot, mister!" he said cheerily, taking Porom's hand and dragging her back to the door.
"The name's Highwind, by the way," the stranger called after them. "Kain Highwind."
The twins felt their hearts stop harshly and they quickened their pace without fussing at each other. They ran back behind the tower, where a flower garden was kept, and didn't stop until they were well away from the door.
"That was the Kain that everyone's so upset about?" Palom said incredulously. "He didn't seem that bad."
"You didn't look that scared a minute ago," Porom pointed out.
"The way that some people talk, I thought he was a big scary guy. I thought I would know him when I saw him."
"I knew right away that something was wrong; he sure seemed scary to me."
"Who's there?" called Rydia's voice from nearby. She appeared from behind a tall shrubbery like a playful spirit, looking curious. When she saw the twins, she smiled her bright, girlish smile.
"Hi, you guys," she said. "It's good to find you again."
"We were looking for you," Porom informed.
"Rosa told me that you can teach me stuff about black magic," Palom added, suddenly growing shy again.
Rydia looked pleased. "I'd love to. Would you guys like to walk with me?"
They immediately recovered from their encounter with Kain and ran to join the Summoner, deciding not to mention it.
"I see you got your hat back, Porom. It looks good!" Rydia noted.
Porom beamed, happier ad prouder than ever of her feathered hat. "Edge wrote a note saying that he couldn't wait to see it."
Rydia rolled her eyes again. "Sounds like something he would say, alright. You know, when he lets you get past his huge ego, he's really quite the charmer."
She sounded like she was about to say more, but she was interrupted by someone leaping out of the bushes and shouting, "Aha! I knew it! You admitted that you like me!"
Rydia smacked her forehead and growled. "Edge! You're following me again!"
"What can I say? We're both very attractive people, you know," the ninja said innocently, stepping out of the bush and swaggering toward Rydia.
"Stay away from me," Rydia said defensively, putting her hands up to block him.
"What? I haven't done anything... yet, anyway."
"Edge, there are children here!"
"There are—" he said, looking down and noticing the twins. "Oh; sorry, everyone. Hey, you got your hat back!"
"Oh, yeah," Porom said proudly, adjusting her hat. "Thanks for bringing it. I came to show you, like you said in the note."
"I'm glad you did; you look adorable."
Porom beamed again and blushed.
"You sure shaped up," Rydia noted. "Maybe we need to keep a few kids on hand and see if it improves your bad attitude."
"I like kids; what? Don't you?" he asked suggestively. Rydia scowled a warning and he changed his tone. "Uh, mind if I, er, tag along for a bit?" She looked like she was about to say no, but he added quickly, "I'll behave; promise!"
Rydia rolled her eyes again. "Oh, alright. So long as you promise not to talk too much."
I think he really like her; how cute! Porom thought, trying not to smirk at her idea.
He must be in love with her. Gross! Palom thought, trying not to grimace.
222222222222
The way that Dharma explained it to them was supposedly the short version, in a nutshell. Even so, it made no sense to the twins:
For starters, Cecil had an older brother, which was mind-boggling by itself. Furthermore, their father was something called Lunarian; apparently, it was a race that dwelt on one of the moons. (Which moon exactly, Dharma hadn't mentioned.) The old guy who had been on the Whale was also a Lunarian, though he had yet to make an appearance.
Cecil's brother, Theodore, had been going by another name lately: Golbez. Yes, the same Golbez that Cecil had been tying to get rid of for the past several months. Yes, the same Golbez who kidnapped Rosa. Yes, that same guy was Cecil's older brother. How, you may ask?
Well, there's this evil Lunarian, named Zemus, who decided to brainwash Theodore; the boy disappeared and became Golbez. However, the old Lunarian on the Whale had but to whack him over the head a few times and he came to. Golbez and the Lunarian had taken off to stop Zemus before the Giant collapsed.
They were supposed to have defeated the villain. But Cecil, all his friends, and Sheila had had horrible visions last night: Golbez and the old Lunarian were in trouble. They were getting clobbered by Zemus and needed help.
I short, Cecil was leaving yet again. This time, the likelihood of his return was dismally low; lower than it had ever been before.
"From what I understand," Dharma was concluding, "Cecil, Edge, and Kain are going alone and making Rosa and Rydia stay behind."
Palom and Porom sat there, trying to figure everything out. Cecil had a brother? An evil brother? And evil moon people brainwashing humans? It sounded like a story; a quickly, shoddily collaborated story.
"All that stuff can't be true," Palom insisted, shaking his head vehemently. "It's too crazy."
Dharma hung his head sadly. "It's all true. You can go and ask someone yourself."
Without a word, the twins jumped up and ran out of the library. They dashed down the stairs and out the tower door. They nearly crashed into Rosa and Rydia, sitting on he front steps, just out of the way of traffic. Rosa had her face buried in her hands, sobbing quietly, and Rydia was pouting beside her. The summoner looked up at the twins and tried to smile.
"Hey, kids," she said sullenly. The twins knelt beside them.
"We heard some pretty crazy stuff," Palom informed, coming over to Rydia and snuggling up against her. She put her arm around him and gave him a squeeze.
"What did you hear?" she asked, trying to sound neutral.
"Dharma was telling us this weird story about Cecil and Golbez being brothers," he answered.
"Oh really?"
"Yeah. He said that there's a new evil guy on the moon," Porom added. "He also said that Cecil's gonna go fight the evil guy and leave you and Rosa here. Like that would ever happen!"
Rosa brushed tears out of her eyes and managed an incredibly weak smile. "Is that what they told you?"
"Yeah; it's wild, huh?" Palom said calmly.
"You didn't believe it?" Rosa asked.
"Nah; do you know if Dharma had any brandy today?" Porom asked.
Rosa and Rydia both laughed suddenly.
"I don't think so," Rydia answered. "You guys... Dharma wasn't kidding. This is all really happening."
The twins regarded her as if she had one insane. "Were you drinking brandy too?" Palom asked, sounding a little worried.
Porom felt herself beginning to panic. Everything that Dharma had said—most importantly about the moon trip—was true? Cecil and Edge and Kain were really going alone, without any other help? Were they insane? She felt overwhelmingly distraught and almost as indignant.
"They should have asked us," she said, feeling tears stinging her eyes.
"You mean 'us', us?" Palom asked, pointing to himself and his sister, looking startled.
"Of course."
"What could we do?"
"Help them stupid!"
Palom's violet eyes grew wide and he seemed to shrink away from Porom. They had called each other stupid in the past, but never like that before. Before, it was established that the name calling was just a joke; Porom seemed to really mean it this time. In fact, she punctuated her statement by jumping up and storming away. Palom ran after her.
"Porom, wait! What did I say?"
She didn't answer, but kept walking away with her back turned to him. Palom got the feeling that he should give her a lot of space, so he continued to follow her from a distance.
If there's one thing I think I know pretty well, it ties between the Fire spell and Porom, he thought. But she keeps changing; every time I think I know her perfectly, she does something new. It seems like I see her angry more than ever these days. But she's never just angry. Usually there's at least one other feeling mixed in there, and it's stronger than her anger... I'll bet that it's sadness or even despair right now.
I hope all this angry-sad-upset stuff is just a phase. Why can't girls ever feel one feeling at a time?
It was a long time before Porom wanted to talk again. He followed her into the square, which looked peacefully and disturbingly normal in light of the imminent danger hovering over the world, and she sat down on the rim of the little fountain. Cautiously, afraid that she might snap at him, he eased himself down beside her. Porom didn't seem to notice him right away; she was absorbed in her red- and white-striped lap.
Well, I don't care if she doesn't want to talk right now, Palom thought stubbornly. She's my sister, and I'm not going to leave her. He settled himself and braced himself to remain seated on the edge of the fountain for a good long time.
They stayed there for almost an hour; Palom mall-watched, smiling to everyone who looked his way. They all smiled and nodded back, as if they had barely noticed his absents or the fact that his sister was obviously depressed.
"I can't believe that he's going away again," Porom said finally. "This time, we're probably never going to see him again."
"Is that why you're upset?" Palom asked. He knew it was a pretty dumb question, but he knew that asking dumb questions could get her to open up a little.
"Of course that's why!" she agreed. "There's got to be a way that we can help him..."
"All we can do this time is...pray, I guess," Palom said, once again remaining as calm as he could.
Porom stomped her foot angrily. "No! We can help him more than that!"
"It's not we were the only ones who aren't going," he pointed out.
"It bugs us too," someone behind him said. He turned to look and saw Rosa and Rydia standing over him.
"If Cecil thinks he can beat Zemus with only Edge and Kain, he's dead wrong," Rydia said stoutly.
"Oh," Palom said, noting the full backpacks both women had slung over their shoulders. He rested his hands casually on the back of his head and grinned mischievously. "Sneaking off, huh?"
"Stowing away in the cargo hold, to be exact," Rosa added. "Don't tell anyone, okay?"
"Sure thing, Rosa."
Porom straightened a little bit. "It's good to know that they won't be alone."
"I'll say," Rydia agreed, sounding peeved. "Without Rosa's white magic and my summoned monsters, they'll barely make it through the front door. I hate it when Cecil has to be mister noble..."
"That resolve never lasts long," Rosa added. "All we have to do is ask really nice and pout a little; it works every time."
"Why?" Palom asked.
"You'll have to be at least 14 before you understand," Rydia informed. She looked toward the sea at the sun, which was beginning to descend rapidly. "The Whale leaves at dawn; we'd better get going if we're going to sneak on unnoticed. Palom, Porom... you'll be good for us while we're gone, right?"
Rydia sounded nervous, and the twins didn't blame her. He jumped up from the fountain and hugged her around the waist, which was about as high as he stood. He thought he was going to cry.
"I'll be good," he promised. "I'll be the best! I'm gonna work really hard and become a great black mage, just like you!"
He wasn't sure why he said that last part. He had felt so confident at first that Rydia would definitely be returning. But the fear in her voice... If she wasn't confident about her safe return, why should he be? Maybe he wouldn't get to see her again; he had to let her know how cool she was.
"I thought you'd be sticking around for a long time," he sobbed into her belt. "I thought you could be like... my big sister, sort of."
Rydia knelt down to match his height and squeezed him tight. "I would have loved to be your big sister. You're an amazing kid; I wish I could have spent more than just a day with you and Porom."
Porom was still seated, feeling a little alone as she watched he brother.
"Porom," Rosa asked, holding her arms open, "do you need a hug?"
Porom started to cry and ran into Rosa's arms, sobbing. "I'm so scared! What if you don't come back? What'll we do?"
"We haven't died yet," Rosa pointed out solidly. "We may yet meet again."
"They don't seem to think so," Porom said petulantly, meaning Palom and Rydia.
"We haven't even left the Blue Planet yet. Rydia may be a Summoner with powerful magic, but she's no mystic; she doesn't know what will happen, and neither do I. And I doubt your brother knows either."
Porom sniffled. "You and Rydia will take care of Cecil, right?"
"You'll take care of everyone here, right?"
"Yes, I will," Porom agreed resolutely.
Rosa smiled benevolently. "Of course we'll take care of him; we'll take care of all of them." She released Porom and regarded the child's little face. "You look so much like your father... Whether we come back or not, you'll grow into a beautiful young lady one day."
"Like you?" Porom asked hopefully.
Rosa grinned and laughed softly, then gave Porom a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'm sure of it, dear." She turned to look at Rydia and Palom, still clinging to each other and crying softly. "Rydia, it's time to go."
Rydia inhaled shakily and rubbed her eyes with her fist. "We'll both be okay, right?" she said to Palom.
"Right," he agreed, sniffling loudly.
"Until we meet again then, sport."
She and Rosa hurried down the street together, leaving the twins alone in the square.
22222222222
Oh wow, this chapter was fun to write! I wish that I could have had more down time to work on it. But with end of last semester, beginning of second semester, Driver's Ed, a revived interest with The Sims, and the DS re-release of Dragon Warrior IV, I've had a lot to do. XD
The chapter seems long only because of the dialogue; it's 11 pages long, but only because of the conversations; space-wise, it should only be about seven or eight pages.
Now, how about some previews, since I forgot them last chapter?
In the next chapter...
What despair! Palom and Porom were under the impression that they were going to rejoin Cecil and his friend on the adventure. (Even though we all know the party can only have FIVE members!) Left behind o the Blue Planet while their friends run off to certain doom, how can they be of any help now? Well, there is a way after all...
Porom felt dizzy all of a sudden. The world was spinning around her and there was this loud ringing in her ears. She clapped her hands over them to try and block out the ringing, but it did no good. The ringing suddenly started evolving from a pointless noise to something intelligible. Familiar voices were calling her name, asking for help.
"Porom, Porom! Gather the others! Lend us your strength! We can't... We're falling... Help us, please!"
The ringing stopped as suddenly as it had started and she collapsed on the floor, feeling a little nauseous. There was a new voice, much clearer than the ones in her head; crisper and closer.
"Porom! Porom, are you okay?"
Oh; it was just Palom. She struggled to sit up, but fell back again. Her twin caught her head in his lap before she hit her head on the stone floor.
"Palom... Get every else and bring them here," she groaned, wishing the room would stop spinning. "I think Cecil's in trouble... He needs our help, now!"
It's time to come together with old friends and new friends—and even a spirit or two—to swoop in and save the Warriors of Light from the supreme evil one, Zeromus! Can the twins make one more sacrifice for their dear friends? Of course they can!
"Of all of us," Edward was saying respectfully, "I think the two of you have sacrificed the most. Yet you would give more?"
"You're just a couple of whelps; you're kids!" Cid added. "You've done more than your share. Leave the rest to us."
"Whelps are puppies," Palom said indignantly. "Dogs can't do any of the stuff Porom and me have done."
"And we're not done yet anyways," Porom insisted. "Everything that's happened," she said, counting on her fingers, "The raid last year, going up Mount Ordeals and Scarmiglione, Devil's Road, the Waterway, beating Cagnazzo, turning ourselves to stone, the Giant—it's all come down to this! Everything that's happened to us happened to bring us here, for this very moment."
"And everything that happened to you guys brought you here for this too. It's our destiny; not just yours, 'cause you're all grown-ups. It's ours too," Palom added. "We're all Cecil's friends. Let's help him together!"
What kids; they must have spent a lot of time with Rydia, Edward thought.
Those two have changed. They are so full of resolve; they both seem to glow as angels. They've grown up, Yang thought.
Those little punks... One more word out of either of 'em and I'm gonna start cryin' like a baby! Cid thought
Almost at the same time, all three of them thought, They're absolutely right. Let's do this together!
Stay tuned! The Faraxhae Family Circus will return after this short break!
Brought to you in part by...
CrazyTwins Productions Online! Now, for the first time, we offer web-comics, advice on story writing, and lessons on how to develop your very own monsters!
(Well... Not really.)
With the Giant defeated and Golbez brought to his senses, it's time to take a well deserved break, reunite with old acquaintances, and meet some new allies.
But Cecil's battle isn't over yet! And this time, there's nothing that the twins will be able to do for him!
Stay tuned! The Faraxhae Family Circus will return after this very short break!
Brought to you in pat by...
Final Fantasy XVIII, the 18th installment of the extensive Final Fantasy series! Relive the excitement of the classic RPG gameplay as ever before, with bold new graphics, new weapons and armor, and 400 new monsters to slay! Not coming in fall of 2010!