And thus we have the second part of the prologue for this story up, and I am quite sorry it took so long for me to do it. To be honest, I have up to 4 chapters of this story pre-written on paper. Making the transfer however always seems to be the most strenuous part, either because of some mistakes I need to correct or some such things. (Shrugs) Ah whatever.
In any cases, here is part two of the prologue. Hope you enjoy!
Prologue part 2; The Next Job
Moorabella had always been a snow covered town. It had snowed gently nonstop since the day a student at a nearby Magick Academy, a young man that lived on to be a famous Magick Professor, had managed the impossible, changing the weather into what it was today. No-one who lived in Moorabella really minded since kids loved snow, and blizzards were few and very far inbetween. Speaking of which, though the hour grew past 7 PM, kids could be seen playing in the snow, throwing snowballs at each other, yelling, whooping having a grand old time...
However playing in the snow was the LAST thing on Gantz's mind as he zoomed out of the Serene Sprite restaurant, his boots kicking up fine white powder left and right. The kids yelled in protest as Gantz zoomed past, getting snow all over their jackets. "Sorry! Important Clan Highwind business!" A sorry excuse, but he didn't have time to say something a bit more sincere, pointing himself in the direction he hoped that Rosaline had run in. His mind raced at about the same speed as his running, if not faster, thinking back and trying to figure out why it was that she stormed off.
As he did, he remembered only a few minutes ago back in the Serene Sprite... That Request...
"A festival?" Gantz looked over the request sheet carefully, trying to find some sort of double meaning or hidden message in the papers. Upon finding none, the boy turned to Roland. "What sort of festival is this Roland."
The old Nu-moh smiled at the curious question. "The Great Land Festival is a summer event where the cities of Camoa and Muscadet celebrate the first settlers that came to this continent, the continent of Loar." He chuckled a bit, "In fact, if you recall from your history classes with me, Camoa and Muscadet were the first settlements built by the brave pioneers who chanced the trek-"
"Which was made so people could escape to a new land while the great hero Gaol and the Thirteen Knights of Aisen fought against the monster king and his forces during the 'Lich Wars'." Gantz finished the lecture for Roland, more then remembering the story. "Yeah, I remember that. So what?" He looked through the request once more. "This Great Land Festival is a big deal?"
Issac chose that time to walk forward, "Well... It pretty much IS the biggest party in Loar. Going there ensures a fun time." A small grin appeared on his face. "I know I wouldn't mind going."
"Going where, kupo?"
Gantz and the others looked to the remaining chair at the table where they saw they were joined by an odd looking creature. Looking to be of the Moogle race, the creature wore a light orange cap with a metal ring on top that allowed a skinny antennae topped with a red ball; the traditional Moogle pom-pom. Match that with small baggy pants and a light blue uniform, and you had a familiar figure. "Ah! Marco, there you are." came Roland with a smile. "Where have you been?"
Marco Stilzken, the moogle and founding member of Clan Highwind, just waved the question off. "Ah, just working on my guns was all, kupo." He pat the holster where he usually held his trusty Silencer, an accurate, single long barreled pistol. "So what are we talking about here? Did I miss anything, kupo?"
"Jussst lover boy sstriking out with Rossie." Gantz was sorely tempted to flip off Lukino, but kept himself composed.
Issac, meanwhile, turned back to the request sheets after glaring at Luk. "As it turns out, the Great Land Festival is in a week and the GLFC is looking for people to decorate Camoa." He smiled a bit. "Who knows? Maybe we can open our own stand and get some other jobs as well."
Curious, the Moogle looked over the request a moment... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... "KUPO!"
A few people jumped at this. "What? What is it Marco?" Gantz quickly looked over the request again. "Is something wrong?"
"Oh no kupo, it's not that something's wrong... It's that SOMETHING'S RIGHT, kupo kupo!" Marco eagerly jumped his short frame onto the table and pointed at the request. "See? I had heard from a reliable source that Clan 'Prima Donna' was going to perform at this year's 'Great Land Festival'! I was JUST looking for an excuse for the clan to attend and this reqest that fell in our laps is the perfect one, kupo!"
Gantz rolled his eyes at Marco's fandom rant, but appeared half as excited as the moogle was. Clan Prima Donna was a famous group of Songstresses that traveled the lands of Ivalice, delivering supposedly spectacular concerts where-ever they perform. So popular was this clan in fact that their merchandise was delivered to stores all over. From mugs, to Shirts, to caps, to banners... Hell there was even Prima Donna UNDIES if such was to be believed. This sheer number of merchandise was one of the main reasons Prima Donna was one of the top 5 richest clans around, with a very expansive fan following.
"So let's see, fixing up a festival for cash, getting to take in said festival and have fun, and topping all of that, a performance by a widely popular group of musicians." Naming these pros on his fingers, Gantz grinned. "So far I don't see a downside."
"Let'sss not forget," Chimed in Lukino, "That clanss from all over will be attending asss well." He grinned widely, "That could include Chita, that famousss weaponssmith."
"And of course, attending will be good for Gantz." Luna siddled into the conversation with a smile. "It will be a good cultural experience for him since this will be his first Great Land Festival."
Looking amongst the clan members, Roland nodded his head. "In that case, it is decided." He took the sheets in hand. "I shall sign our clan signature to this, pay for the request and we shall leave for Camoa first thing in the morning."
A few of the clan members celebrated at this, more then obviously enjoying the idea. "Sweetness!" Went Gantz as pumped a fist to his side.
"Hey Jarvisss!" With the order official, Lukino returned to the front bar with a grin. "Cancel that nexxxt order of Chocobo Jerkey! We've got sssome packin' to do!"
"Screw you Snort Luk! You know I hate that stuff!"
As that went on, a clearing of a throat caught Gantz's attention, making him turn to Roland. "Gantz, I do not mean to interupt your enjoyment of this whole thing but... Rosaline?"
...
Gantz was quick to excuse himself and even quicker to rush out the door. Though Rosaline was long gone by the time that meeting ended, he already had a fair idea about where she was and ran through the snow towards there at a breakneck pace. Nearly mowing down pedestrians and slipping on ice three times in total, he crossed the necessary seven blocks, took a left, and found himself at a street lined with shops, shopping stalls, and the like.
Walking down the street, he soon found himself standing before what appeared to be a general store, that the clan normally frequented for supplies for their multiple trips out of town. As Gantz remembered it, it was also well known for holding rare winter flowers up for sell as well.
Walking inside the store, Gantz took a quick look around and found that there was a few customers around, looking amongst the various merchandise, ranging from food, drink, potions, and even a few garden variety tools. However, that wasn't what Gantz was looking for, as he quickly turned to the other side of the store. He smiled when he saw the flower selection there...
Along with Rosaline, whom appeared to be looking through the various flowers as if seeking solace from them. Along with her was another young woman, a viera by the look of her, wearing clothes that looked rustic, dirt covered, and other wise very earthy. He was sure he saw a twinge of the color pink in them however.
"I'm sorry to hear about what happened Rosie. How are you?" She said sweetly to the gria girl, her rabbit ears twitching a tad.
The gria let out a big sigh. "I'm fine, miss Gains." She looked up, taking in the various flowers on the higher shelves. "I mean, it's not really his fault-"
"Then I hope that means your not mad at me."
Rose and miss Gains turned to find Gantz, whom looked hopefully to Rose. "Look, Rose. I don't know what it is I said back there, but I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." He held out a hand. "How about we take a walk? Then we can talk, like you wanted."
Rose and Miss Gains looked to each other. "Well..." After a second, Rose turned back to Gantz. "Gantz, I..."
Smiling, Miss Gains gently elbowed Rose. "Oh come on, Rosie." She motioned to Gantz. "Okay yeah, he made a mistake. But if girls gave up on their loved ones after a single mistake, there wouldn't be any successful relationships." She giggled. "Besides, count yourself lucky, this guy certainly looks like a 'Mr. Personality' to me."
A giggling fit took place between Rosaline and Miss Gains, as if laughing at a little injoke, leaving Gantz quite confused. "Uh... Am I missing something?"
"It's nothing Gantz." With that said, Rosaline walked up to the boy, smiling up to him. "Come on, let's go." The young paladin couldn't question any further, as Rose guided him out. "I hope your date goes well Miss Gains! Bye!"
As soon as the two was gone, Miss Gains looked back to her flowers. "Heheheh, young love." With that said, she reached up and plucked a few flowers out of the selection, putting them in a basket. "Well time to go out and advertise the store."
Out on the snowy streets of Moorabella, Gantz and Rose continued down the main street. All around them, people were retreating into their homes for the night. The couple could tell why as well, the chill the night brought with it combined with the chill of the winter air, making the peaceful little town even chillier then ever. As the two walked on, they stayed side by side, trying to keep each other warm.
"Gantz..."
The young man turned to the gria, tilting his head curiously. "Yes, Rose?"
She was silent a moment... "I'm... Sorry... For snapping at you earlier." A small sigh escaped her systems. "I... wasn't sure what to do..."
... A thankful smile passed the paladin's face as he let out his own breath. "Well... I'm glad you don't hate me at least." With that said, he looked to Rose curiously. "But seriously Rose, what was it I said that ticked you off so much anyways?" The curious look turned into one of concern. "Come on, tell me for my sake, please?"
... And to think he was usually so clever... Rosaline turned her head, blushing. "It... It's nothing."
Gantz's eyebrow raised, "It sure doesn't sound like 'nothing' to me." He placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Rose, look. If there's something I need to remember not to say, I want to know what it is." He smiled as he held out a hand. "Rose, I don't want to upset or hurt you again, okay? And I did just that today. So... Can you tell me please? Wouldn't want to do it again."
Rosaline looked to the two hands, before looking back to Gantz's face. She smiled at the look of earnesty on his face, feeling a sort of warmth and kindness from it... Smiling back, she opened her mouth to say something... ... ... However, for reasons beyond her, she closed it, and turned away. "I... It... It's nothing... Don't worry, I... I just over-reacted."
"Oh come on Rose. Over-reacted to what?"
"It's nothing I said!"
The two had stopped when that little reaction got shouted out... The paladin seemed unconvinced that there was nothing wrong, but a second later, he let out a defeated sigh, deciding that Rose wasn't going to say much else. "Well, if you say so..." Shaking his head, he looked back to Rosaline. "Just be sure you let me know, if I say anything wrong next time, please?" He tried for a grin. "I'm not a mind-reader, no matter how much I'd like to be in situations like this."
To be honest, it looked like Rose would've wanted Gantz to be a mind-reader in these sort of situations too. Disheartened, she nodded, "O-okay... I will." She so wanted to say what was on her mind... but... How could she? She let out her own defeated sigh, defeated by her own shyness. "I... I'm sorry..."
Gantz smiled kindly to Rose, as he patted her on the back. "Hey don't apologize okay? If anything, I feel like I'm at fault. Sorta sucks since I don't know why, but I'll be sure to choose my words carefully in the near future." Rosaline looked thankful for that, awkward as this response may have seemed. "But in other news..."
The gria's expression perked up a bit, partially thankful for the change of subject. "There's news?"
"Yeah! We've got us a new job!"
A raise of the eyebrow followed this. "Oh, we do?" Gantz's giddy little smile returned in full force after a moment.
"Yep! We're gonna help fix up the Great Land Festival!" Gantz put his hands behind his head, looking quite laid back. "It's starting next week in Camoa you see. So we're gonna go over, set up the booths, decorate the town, all that great stuff. We'll get to enjoy it too!"
... Rose almost looked surprised (Well more surprised then she usually would have been) when she heard that. "The... Great Land Festival?"
A quick chuckle escaped Gantz's systems. "Yeah! We're heading out to Camoa first thing tomorrow! Sounds like fun don't it? The festival I mean."
Gantz grinned even wider when Rosaline's expression went giddy... Though he failed to notice that it seemed a bit too giddy. "Yes! Yes it does! It sounds wonderful!" She bounced up and down. "We'd better go and get packed up right away! This is so exciting!"
Gantz seemed quite proud of himself since Rosaline was getting more excited by the second, likely forgetting about what had happened. 'Cool! She looks all cheered up now!' he thought to himself with a smile. "Okay cool. Oh, something else, once I get packed I'll be going to the stables to hitch up the chocobos." The paladin grinned at his own cleverness, "Your welcome to join us when you get done, Rosie."
Just as he expected Rosaline smiled even wider, holding in a squeal. "Okay! Thanks for letting me know!" She looked up. "Oh! We're back at the base!"
When Gantz looked up he noticed that they had indeed walked themselves back to the Clan Highwind base as they had talked. It was a relatively tall building, maybe up to three stories tall, with a domed roof, that looked vaguely arena-ish. A sign was hung over the front door that had three white streaks painted on it to look like gusts of wind. Ah the Clan Highwind HQ...
"Hm, so we are." Gantz smiled to Rose as they stood in front of the entrance. "Well, I guess we'd better get to work then, and get ready."
A nod was the response. "Right." She took a step toward the entrance. "Well let's get to it then."
She opened the door of the base and walked in, Gantz following behind her. Closing the door behind him, Gantz took in the lobby, a homely look on his face. The lobby of the building was something of a mixture between business office and living room, with a front desk at the back of the room, a staircase to the left and right of the desk that lead to the upper levels of the building, a door way at the far left of the room that lead to the dining room, and another door to the far right that lead to the rooms below the building. Hanging on the walls was what appeared to be decorative weapons, paintings of the clan in various exploits, and tapestries that bore the clan's emblem. Behind the desk a billboard was posted, and hanging on it were various pieces of paper that told of various factors, whether they be for missions or records held by the clan.
Gantz let out a sigh. "Home sweet home." Stretching a bit, he looked back to Rosaline, whom turned to go upstairs... A second passed as Rosaline started up the stairs. "Rose... Wait."
The gria turned to look at him from the stairs. "Yes, Gantz?"
... A few seconds passed before... "Are..." Gantz took another breath... "Rose?" The Gria nodded in confirmation. "... Are your sure your okay?" That concerned look came to his face once more. "I know we sorta shrugged it off back there but... I... I just want to know that you'll be okay."
... Needless to say, Rosaline looked a bit surprised at this. A moment or so later however, she smiled a kind little smile. "Oh... Don't you worry about me okay?" She looked him right in the eye. "I'll be alright."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
... It took half a minute, but Gantz nodded. "Okay." He allowed a smile onto his face. "That's good. I'm relieved to hear that. You don't know how much." Sighing out his relief, he walked up the steps after her. "Well... In that case, I'll head to my room and pack up." A playful wave followed this, "See you later in the stables Rose."
"Right... Until then." Came her response.
The two accompanied each other upstairs until they found themselves in front of a door on the second floor, Rose gave Gantz a quick wave, before she opened the door and retreated inside. Gantz smiled a bit, until he walked down the hall back towards the stairs.
Inside the room, obviously Rosaline's bed chambers, she sunk to the floor, her back against the door. "So he really does care... Thank Ramuh." She said, placing her hand against her rapidly beating heart, a lovestruck smile on her face.
Her room was a relatively simple space; with a queen sized bed covered by a brown blanket, a nightstand off to the side holding a lamp, a few book cases against the wall which stocked a few books and the occasional plush doll and a window opposite of the door with a clear view of the snow covered town. On the nightstand along with the lamp was two pictures that caught attention. One of them was a photo of everyone that was a member of clan Highwind, all of them smiling for the camera. The other however was different, in that it contained Rose and Gantz herself. Looking at the picture, Rosaline smiled as she recalled that day.
It was the very day when the Redwings, the clan controlling Clan Borozoi, was defeated. The picture itself was taken at a celebratorial ball held in Clan Highwind's honor inside Dalmasca Castle, a ball held by Queen Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca (Or Ashe for short) herself. In the picture, Rosaline was decked out in a beautiful, strapless brown dress, dancing with Gantz, whom, rather uncomfortably, wore nobleman looking robes. Both of them appeared to be laughing and having a grand old time...
Present day Rose took in the picture a moment, before turning to her closet, the memory still fresh in her mind. Her smile just refused to leave. "And just wait until the festival!" She giddily said as she pulled out a suitcase, placed it on her bed, and opened it up. "It'll be there that I'll finally tell him! I know I will this time!"
Rose spent the next few minutes deciding which of her outfits would be best worn at the Great Land Festival, smiling to herself as she pulled out what she liked, giggling like a little school girl all the while.
Any reviews you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated. I do greatly enjoy writing this fic, and it would be nice to hear what you all think. Constructive Criticism is welcome.