Filling In The Blanks
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IX or any of its characters.
Chapter 69: Talks of the Future
After an eventful – and he really meant eventful – day of sparring yesterday, night was welcomed with open arms. Nobody slept badly that night, but with morning came the first harsh and hot rays of sunlight.
When Vivi first awoke, he could feel rain on the horizon. He glanced at the sky, seeing the sun just creeping over the tree line, its sticky rays already melting everything it touched. With a small stretch, he meandered over to where they had made a hasty house for Bobby Corwen. He chirped uncomfortably, eyes trying to tell Vivi something the black mage didn't understand.
"Hi little guy," he started shyly, placing his gloved hand in the dirt. Bobby Corwen chirped a little, before hobbling into his hand, fluffing his feathers and pecking at his leather gloves. "Are you hungry?"
He chirped greedily in reply, causing Vivi to let out a slight giggle. "Let's go find you some food and water!" And with that, the mage's day started.
It was a quiet walk to the lake, the frogs gossiping around him, while the crickets laughed from all directions. The trip was a good one, because the trampled path was under the cover of mossy trees and tall grass, sweeping in the hot breeze that made it so deep into the marsh.
He hummed a little as he walked, the newborn chocobo happily singing with him every once in a while. For some reason, he felt very at ease in the marsh. Maybe it was the fact that Kuja's forces hadn't ever bothered with the Qu marshes, and never would, or perhaps it was because there was an air of familiarity he couldn't quite peg.
But with that sense of ease, came the stinging memories of his grandpa, and the sad fact that he would probably never see the man again. When he was small, he looked up to him as a role model, and as his only friend. Quan had taught him everything he valued in life, and any morals he had developed. His heart ached for the old Qu, hoping – wishing that he would get to see him again, at least one more time.
With a sigh he tried to push his grandfather from mind's eye. Right now, he was doing something far greater than reuniting with his loved ones. While it sounded harsh in his mind, he knew that taking down Kuja was better for everyone, and that continuing on with finding his family and simply life in general would come after the evil lord was taken down.
He had so many other people surrounding him, and so many more people now that he could call family. Though he would never ever trade the mild memories he had with his grandfather for anything, there were so many more great people in his life now. He looked up to Zidane as a role model, Steiner, Beatrix, and Freya as protective older superior figures, Tantalus as the rowdy cousins, and Dagger and Blank as wise, and sometimes goofy, older siblings. Eiko and now Odin were his smaller siblings; he had a sense of protection with them that didn't quite measure parallel to how he felt he wanted to protect everyone else. Fratley was like an uncle to him – not as close, but always watching out for you, and Amarant? Yeah, Vivi supposed he could be an uncle too… Just the uncle that you're mostly scared of and everyone usually leaves out of things.
A wry smile overtook his lips. As Bobby Corwen tweeted happily in his hand the closer to the water they got, he realized that though he had tragically been separated from his grandfather, he had also gained the rest of his family…
Someday, he decided, he would be able to go back to his quest to find his grandpa. Maybe even with the help of his newer family.
A few hours later everyone was already up, and looking forward to their first day off from training since they'd arrived at the marsh. Lysandra had lived up to her 'war-leader' standard, and had trained them all into the ground. Even some from the Elite and Tantalus teams were exhausted – Dagger finally up to walk around after her sickness, while there was nothing anyone could do to make Cinna or Marcus want to get up.
Currently, Steiner and Beatrix were munching on a late breakfast, parchment strewn out all around them on the floor as they tried to figure out their next move. Cinna, Marcus, Ruby, and Blank were all leisurely laying, sprawled on the floor, while Quina danced around them, bringing them new concoctions of food to try; Ruby was the only one not bold enough to try everything – the boys made a whole competition about it.
Amarant was, to no one's surprise, out of sight, and mostly out of mind. Nobody needed to worry about him. Vivi and Odin were playing with the chocobo and used their black magic to make a sort of small firework show, entertaining the kids from Lindblum so their parents could have a break.
Zidane and Dagger were soaking up the sun from a tree not too far away, the genome trying to impress the raven haired girl by swinging from branch to branch with his tail, until one snapped and he torpedoed towards the ground at an almost alarming rate. But the girl's bright smile and dazzling laughter echoed in the air, and that's all he cared about.
As for Freya and Fratley – they were in the midst of sneaking away unnoticed. Most everyone had their own thing going on, and didn't realize when Fratley lead an unknowing Freya into the weeds, finding a more secluded area of the marsh.
They walked for awhile, mostly in silence, except when Freya occasionally asked where they were going. Fratley was back to his younger self, hopping around excitedly, that goofy smile never leaving his face. He was jumpy and his voice was animated as he all but bounded through the thicket. In the distance, Freya could make out some small, abandoned ruins, and she wondered if perhaps it was Fossil Roo that he was aiming for.
"Fratley, where are we going?" She asked, completely exasperated, once again.
"You'll just have to wait and see, my dear Freya!" He chuckled, clutching her hand firmly. His heart felt like it was leaping out of his chest, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't swipe the smirk off of his face.
"Why are you doing this?" She groaned, trying to plant her feet firmly enough on the ground to get him to slow down. He didn't.
"Why are you such a fun-sucker?" He asked, feeling proud of himself for using one of Cinna's most frequent phrases.
"Fratley really –"
He finally stopped when the weeds thinned and the dirt became soft. They were in a shaded area, the ruins looking more architecturally appealing the closer they were. "Are they not impressive?" He asked after a moment of silence.
"They are beautiful," she decided with a small shrug. What did he want her to look at?
He watched her observe the ruins, being able to observe how much she'd grown. When they first met, neither of them were that big – only a few feet high. She was already matured in ways that would take him years to understand, simply because of her different and rougher upbringing, but even before he came to that point, they had a chemistry that no one could deny.
She had stayed with them for a long time after her father had been killed. Since he had been her only family, Fratley's parents had been quick to realize that the poor man who'd lost his wife and became an alcoholic had a daughter who needed more attention than he could give her. Even though they had never dreamed she'd be with them so permanently because something happened to her father, they wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
They helped her grow in ways that she hadn't ever experienced, and soon, she was opening up – but really only to Fratley. The two were almost inseparable, teaching each other, and learning as they went. Only a year and a half after Fratley had started training to be a Dragon Knight, Freya followed suit, determined not to be left behind.
"Freya? What are you doing here?" He tipped his hat up, staring at her with dark, curious eyes.
She shifted, uncomfortably averting her gaze. "I am here for my test."
"What?" He asked, though he had heard her very loud and clear. At this point, the younger Bermecian stood tall, a twinkle of determination evident in her eyes.
"I'm here for my enrollment test to train under the Dragon Knights," she explained, her tone simple.
He spluttered for a moment, glancing at her, and then back towards his colleagues. They shrugged, indicating that Freya could indeed do this, and she was doing this. "Wha-"
They had just sparred last week, Fratley easily knocking Freya onto her back within a matter of minutes. He didn't think that she would take that as a sign to follow Fratley into his work. He had been improving at a quick rate since he'd joined the guild, but for Freya to test her luck?
"Good, you've arrived!" Somebody called from behind Fratley. Everyone turned to see a green Bermecian, flipping his long ponytail over his shoulder arrogantly. "And right on time I might add!"
Freya and this man stared at each other for a moment, before the woman's lips quirked up into a taunting smirk. He narrowed his eyes, his face twisting into a scowl. "Begin!" He commanded.
Fratley's teammates all scattered, shooting in all different directions as he stood, staring baffled at the girl. This was how all placement and enrollment tests went. Every knight would attack the newcomer spontaneously, and they would be ranked on how well they faired. But he couldn't… Freya was just too – he knew her every move… It wasn't fair. He should have been exempt from the fight.
"Do not go easy on me!" She commanded, before disappearing from sight as well, leaving a dumb-struck Fratley staring slack-jawed at the spot she was standing only a moment before.
To say his moves after that were sloppy would be an understatement. He was hesitant when he had any chance to take her down, and he decided that he was her handicap. If this was what she wanted – joining the Dragon Knights – he wasn't going to be the reason she was rejected.
"Fratley!" Their green-skin commander barked, his hair flying as he gave silent orders to the Bermecians under his command. "Get it together! Start fighting like a knight!" He instructed harshly.
He winced at this, realizing that if he didn't want to get chastised and punished, he would need to start doing something. He took his time circling the curved building, knowing right where she was, but giving her time to think up a strategy. These knights were brutal, and they wouldn't go easy on her because they knew she was Fratley's lover.
As he ran, he thought about what sort of a future this would bring. With an evident tension in the air with the stirrings of a war, if the two of them were in the Dragon Knights together, what could happen? Would he get sent away when she was cooped up here, destined to find out that he had perished in battle? Or worse…
Vise versa?
Could he do his duty without a biased opinion, or without acting out rashly because she was in trouble? Suddenly, he was starting to think that maybe he wasn't her handicap, but that she was his.
His thoughts were interrupted by the faintest of springs from a tree branch above him. He must have been running longer than he thought, his body on autopilot as he pivoted through brush and the moist atmosphere caked with mud and damp leaves. As he turned around, a sharp blow connected with him, causing him to topple over. He slid through the mud before leaping up, spear at the ready.
Freya was in front of him, her chest rising and falling quickly, mud and grime spread over her clothing and dirt. Her hair was a little frazzled, and she was wilder looking than he'd seen, compared to her normally reserved and composed figure. He realized with the smallest twinge of pride that she had been fighting his teammates well and winning.
But he couldn't quite get around to congratulating her. With frightening speed, the Bermecian was upon him, swinging her spear wildly. It was a little sloppy, but her speed made up for it. Fratley was dodging the best he could – wincing when the very tip of her weapon sliced his clothing and scratched his tough skin. She seemed just as shocked as he when she landed a hit on him, but she recovered faster.
Leaping forward, she swept her feet underneath him, flipping backwards and forwards, overhead and rolling under just to get the upper hand, and quite frankly, it was working. It was as though Freya had just been pretending with him before – either that or she was just that determined not to be left behind by him when he left.
Her reasoning for joining the knights suddenly became clear in his mind. While Freya always had a sense of nationalism and loved the idea of protecting Bermecia and making a difference, there was nothing that bothered her more in the last year and a half that Fratley had been a part of the brigade, and she not, than the fact that he would have to, someday, leave on a far-away mission without her and she could not handle that.
It wasn't that she was clingy, or that he was really even annoyed by her persistent nature. It was more the fact that Fratley and his family were all she had, and unlike her parents who both slipped out of her hands before she had time to grasp them and hold on tight, she would fight with everything she had to stay a part of their life.
Just when it looked like she would win – whether by luck or skill, neither were really sure – his teammates pounced on her, appearing from the bushes rapidly, and pinning her to the ground. He backed up, staring wide eyed at the sight of his love bucking and throwing punches, fierce until the end.
When they finally pulled her up, the woman too tired to continue her fight, a sigh escaped her lips. "You have always been two steps ahead of me, Fratley…" She gave a slightly disappointed smile, and he could tell she had been optimistic about winning.
"Perhaps I have no advanced as much as you think… Maybe I've fooled you into thinking that."
"How could you do that?" She demanded, out of breath.
He walked forward, pulling her from the firm grasp of his teammates into an embrace. "Because I have friends who help me do so…" And from that statement, she knew he was proud of her… and from the look on everyone's face, both of them knew that Freya's wild skill would be added to the Dragon Knights soon enough.
Fratley's mind wandered past her initiation battle to the two times he (with his parents and by himself) had decided to leave Bermecia. Once to help out with war efforts when they were still very young, and the other to see the world and scope out Bermecia's next move in the war, and both times she had waited shyly at the gates, staring as he left. Freya never went with – Bermecia was too strict about non-family members leaving with groups in fear of another incident like the Cleyra Bermecians and their departure. It was almost as though she would revert back to her old self – never speaking out and saying she wanted him to stay, and never begging to go with either.
"Fratley?" She broke him out of his reminiscing thoughts gently, taking his arm and tugging him forward. "Why are we out here?"
"Freya, love… You mean more to me now than life itself, you know that, right?"
She nodded, unsure where he was going with this…
"I will do anything to protect you, and give you the life you deserve after this war is over… That is a promise I'm making to you now…"
"Why are you –"
He sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets, taking a step away from her. "We have put our life on hold too long… I do not like that we constantly put off what was meant to happen, simply because Kuja has a strong hold over the world." He raised his hand to stop her, before she even started cutting him off. "But ever since the day I met you," he shrugged, completely aware that he was being off-balance and putting himself out there, sounding cornier than he could have imagined, "I knew that our destinies would be intertwined forever."
"What are you saying?" He was happy that no matter how intelligent Freya was, she was entirely dense when it came to expressing emotions.
"Freya Crescent," he grinned, slipping the ring out of his pocket, and falling to his knee, completing his long list of human-clichés he swore he would never do, "I would like for you to wear this ring and acknowledge that no matter what happens, we will be together forever…" Her eyes were wide, and two hands slowly slipped over her mouth. She tipped her head down, her hat strategically covering her eyes. Her body quivered – she was unsure what this feeling was: confusion? Embarrassment? Happiness? She couldn't be sure…
"Love, will you marry me?"
Many thoughts ran through her head at that time. But with Fratley's open-ended question hanging in the air, she couldn't quite grasp any of them long enough to bring them into focus. Why hadn't he done this sooner? Because both agreed that the war effort and keeping the King safe was most important. But now what? Now that they were with the resistance full-time… did that mean that their agreement was void?
Was he really asking her to spend the rest of her life with him, when they were balancing on a beam where falling meant certain death? Was he asking in front of some abandoned ruins in a sticky marsh, the sun beating down uncomfortably on both of them, the rest of their team only a mile away?
"Yes." It was so simple, and it shocked both of them at how quiet but confident it sounded. Fratley always thought, from the moment he started looking for a ring all those months ago, that she would argue with him. He thought she would argue that she did want to spend her life with him, but that she was already his, and this wasn't the appropriate time to ask such an infinite question.
And yet here her answer was, so plain and short. He was unsure he had heard her right, tilting his head when she didn't move.
But finally, she raised her head, standing confidently, tears glistening in her eyes. Her lips twitched, and finally, after some movement, broke into an unbelievable grin as she toppled forward, tackling Fratley to the ground, crushing him in a hug.
"Yes," she hiccupped, the tears spilling over the brim of her eyes. "Yes, Irontail Fratley, I will marry you."
He laughed. He sounded breathless and nervous, but before he put that ring on her finger, he hugged her back as tightly as he could, never wanting to let go.
"We might not have a lot of time left," he started as they sat back up in the soft dirt, both staring at the ring as he started to slide it on her finger. "But the time we do have, I want to spend putting you and me first. You have been second behind my duty for so long, I think it is time you deserve a spot in front."
She scrutinized the ring, so simple, and yet so familiar. Finally, she gasped. "This ruby –"
He nodded, "It was Zidane's idea really – he gave it back to me from his dagger –"
"Then this is your mother's –"
"The ruby from my mother's engagement ring," he grinned, "and it's the same exact design of her ring as well. At least, what I remember of it."
"Oh Fratley –" she sighed contently, holding him tightly again. "I love you, I love you with every part of my heart."
"I love you too, Freya… more than you will ever know." He kissed the top of her head, rocking her back and forth. It was probably the cheesiest moment of his life, but he couldn't have asked for a better outcome. For the first time in their long, war-ridden lives, their love came before their duty…
And that's all either could ever ask for.
Quale sat on the steps to his dwelling, watching as more and more city folk gathered around the mages, juggling harmless fireballs in their hands, the children clapping, and people whispering about the two black mages.
His eyebrows were knit together, wondering if he should interrupt them, or wait until Vivi was by himself. He watched the way that Odin mirrored his movements, trying to move freely on his own, his mind no longer held captive. The old Qu decided that it would be a long time until Vivi was by himself again, and he argued that the unsettling feeling he got when he thought of speaking about Quan wouldn't go away, until he actually talked to the mage.
So he ventured closer step by step, trying to look inconspicuous. The whole race of the Qus might not have been bothered by the way people viewed them, but he didn't want to be obnoxious about the whole thing. He had met such a shy Vivi when he was very small, and cringed when he thought about how awful the situation would go if he were to make it obvious in front of his unknowing team.
"Vivi come gather food with me?"
His eyes were sparkling with distraction, and he figured if he could have seen Vivi's face, there would have been a smile there. He nodded and stood shakily from the ground, dusting off the back of his pants as they started down the path.
"What are we having tonight?" The mage asked conversationally.
The qu didn't answer, only continued to walk, tongue hanging out, but not waggling all over the place. Vivi noticed this, having much experience from Quina's mood swings, and how his tongue could say a million things without him actually speaking.
"Is everything alright?"
"Quale know Vivi."
"Of course you do," he let out an uncomfortable laugh, clutching his hat like a safety blanket. "We're walking together right now, right?"
"Quale know little Vivi. Pre-war Vivi."
"Wh-what?"
"Quale know Quan," he said simply, trying to be as clear as he could without sounding harsh.
The mage stopped then, staring curiously at the Qu who had just spoken. He turned, his green tinted stars soaking in Vivi's body language, hoping to get a good read on what was going on. "Quina too," he decided to add so he didn't sound like he was hiding things.
"You both knew my grandpa?" His voice had a twinge of sadness, and a sense of protection welled up from Quale. He strung an arm around Vivi's tiny shoulders and led him forward, continuing their walk into the shaded weeds, whispering in the wind.
"Quale teach Quina, Quan teach Quale," he said simply with a nod, tongue flying up then flopping back down into place.
"Quan Master Chef before Quale," he nodded, speaking in Vivi's silence. He hoped the little mage knew what he was talking about, and that his broken English wasn't too much of a language handicap in his story. "Found Vivi and decides to retire."
"Found me?" The mage parroted, biting his lip. He didn't remember meeting Quan – just the faint memories that he had remembered since he'd woken up from the dream world. "You were there?"
"Quan say want to give Vivi good life," Quale sat down on a rock, his feet dangling in the pond, ignoring the delicious looking frogs hopping not too far away. "Leave hot marsh, Quan cook in own dwelling."
That was something he remembered for sure. The amazing assortment of scent-arousing spices, colorful pots, and the sizzle of hot food always warmed their dwelling and made it feel like home. The balcony to watch the sun set every night with dinner. There was a hot spring in their basement, and beautiful grass on their front step. That was the home he was longing for, and it made sense to him now why his grandpa was such a chef. He trained Quale, who eventually trained Quina.
It was sad listening to stories of his grandpa when somewhere in his mind, the pessimist inside of him said he would never see the qu again. But it was also fascinating. Even if he hadn't been kidnapped, he would have never learned these stories. Quan never talked about himself – only focusing on the future and what was ahead of them, teaching Vivi right from wrong, and about the world – knowledge that he's now glad he has.
"Vivi kidnapped, Quan came here…" Quale said quietly, eyes a million miles into the past.
Vivi spluttered, not believing what he had just heard. "Quan came to you after I was taken?"
"Said search for Vivi and travel for yummy food."
Something inside of the mage snapped then, and he shuttered, tears blocking his vision. His eyes misted over and he collapsed on the ground, suddenly tired. "He's been looking for me?" His grandpa set out to find him when he was only some odd miles away in Alexandria… He continued to search while Vivi had been living underground, on the run and on the move.
"Quan not mind," he decided, glancing back at the mage with pity. Vivi rubbed at his eyes, sniffling. The weight of losing a loved one pressed down on him hard and Quale wasn't sure what to do. He was always tough on Quina, berating him for ridiculous recipes and wasted ingredients, but to lose him? That would be too much. "And Quale think Quan still searching, happy."
"You think he really is happy?" The amount of hope in his little voice was enough to break a heart.
"Finding yummy recipes and searching for Vivi? Yes, happy," he explained. "Quale know Quan well enough to know that."
Well, at least, even though he was searching for Vivi, he wasn't a total wreck. It went without saying that Quale didn't know if Quan was still alive, and he wasn't going to make the qu even more uncomfortable by asking him to explain his theory on Quan's whereabouts. It was probably hard enough for Quina's advisor to seek him out and tell him all of these things.
"Thank you," Vivi struck out on impulse and wrapped his small arms as far around the old Qu as they would go. He only got about half way around Quale's stomach, but the gesture was returned as though he hadn't even noticed.
"Vivi go to Quan's Dwelling?" He tilted his head at the surprise on the mage's face – as though he hadn't thought of that before.
"That's actually… That's a wonderful idea!" He cried out, stepping back. "I could go with Tantalus to Treno and –" He stopped. That wasn't even the sure plan yet. "Thank you for telling me all of this," he backtracked, deciding he didn't need to share all of his future ideas with someone who had wished for a relatively simple life outside of the war (for the most part).
"Glad Quale could help," he started up the path, feeling lighter than he had before telling the mage. At least he wasn't mad about it – upset was already heartbreaking enough… mad would have been too tough to handle.
"I have to go talk to Zidane and Beatrix!" The mage suddenly yelped, tripping over himself in all of his haste to get back to their camp. He gripped his hat so it wouldn't fly off and stumbled away, Quale watching on in satisfaction.
"Vivi grown up… Quan would be proud…" He let on a cheeky, intense grin, wobbling his tongue before taking off at an awkward hobbling skip, picking up small ingredients to whip up a supper on his way home.
The mage stumbled through the grass, eyes wide with bewildered anticipation. He clutched every solid thing he could to push off of, trying to get a boost in his run. Even though he knew they still had at least a few days before they left the marsh, onward to the next phase of their mission, he needed to demand his idea right then.
There was no waiting – Zidane would stick up for him no matter what, and that's what he was basing this whole thing off of. If the blonde was behind him, nobody could really argue.
He burst into the camp site again, seeing that it was relatively unchanged. Most parties were still doing the same thing as before, except maybe they were shifted a bit.
Good, he thought with a puff of lost breath. He hurried inside, pushing the door open with all of his might, and stumbling in. Beatrix and Steiner barely looked up, their expressions telling onlookers they'd just discovered some big catastrophe with their plans.
Even their obvious do-not-disturb expressions couldn't keep him away at this moment, however. "Beatrix! Steiner!" He burst, his voice shriller and louder than it normally was.
"What is it, Vivi?" They had never quite seen this crazy look in Vivi's eyes before.
"You have to let me go with Tantalus to Treno!"
Steiner spluttered. He definitely wasn't planning on hearing that.
"But –"
"My grandpa's dwelling is only a mile out from there… I have to go, because I have to see if maybe he's there, or he left some indication of where he was – where he is now!"
"Tantalus has such a different fighting style, Vivi… You wouldn't blend in at all," Beatrix tried to be gentle, but this was when the mission got most dangerous. They were looming ever closer to Alexandria, and the team was splitting up. The Elites would go to Bermecia, and perhaps make a stop in Cleyra depending on just who was running the city when they passed.
Tantalus was supposed to deal with the city that never slept because their rugged stealth would let them blend in. Vivi's being there would shatter the whole illusion.
"I have to go! And if nobody will let me go, I'll go alone…" His voice was quiet, failing in confidence with every word he spoke. Maybe he should just wait… he could always come back to it…
But then a new resolve exploded in his eyes as soon as Zidane stepped in the door, Dagger in tow – both curious as to what was going on.
"Zidane! Take me with you to Treno!"
He blinked, unprepared for such a random question. "Why would we do that?"
"Tantalus' arrival in Treno will bring him within a mile of his old home and he would like to go visit," Beatrix explained simply, unsure of what Zidane would do.
The genome bit the inside of his cheek. This mission was going to be a dangerous one, and he really thought Vivi had a better chance with the other group. Neither him nor Vivi had been training with Tantalus, and if it hadn't been for Zidane's fresh flash backs, he wouldn't be able to keep up either. But Vivi was asking to find his grandfather and Zidane, once upon a time, had promised to try and reunite the two.
He recalled that despite Vivi's obvious fear of danger and gloomy places, he had accompanied the group to Alexandria to rescue him and Blank when Zidane had insisted on finding out if Elouise and his other friends were real or not. Blank had been there to support him then, and Vivi was turning to him for the same thing now.
What kind of person would he be if he said no? Without glancing at anyone else, incase he got a blatant expression saying 'no, he can't go', he nodded. "You can come with…"
The mage was in mid-whoop when the blonde interrupted. "If you let us put some stipulations on this…"
"What kind of stipulations?" Beatrix asked, genuinely interested. She cocked her head to the side, large curls falling over her shoulder.
"You have to train with us for awhile… That's a given," the blonde nodded, wondering if it was okay that he was making the rules. Some part of his mind said that maybe Baku should be doing this, but he ignored it due to the lack of interruptions. "If we tell you something is too dangerous, you have to listen… Even if that includes going into your grandpa's dwelling."
Vivi's breath hitched in his throat, but he was never one to argue with instructions, so he hesitantly agreed.
"I'm sure there are other things…" Zidane mumbled, his eyes finally sweeping the rest of Tantalus in the room. Luckily, nobody seemed to disagree with his decision.
"We'll talk about more rules later," Baku said, speaking up from the corner. Zidane cringed; he hadn't even noticed the man when he walked in and started making rash decisions. "Right now, all of you bastards better get out there and help Vivi become one of us!" He whooped, a stupid grin on his face.
Cinna and Marcus groaned. "Seriously? It's our day off!" They whined together.
"Well it ain't anymore!" He answered gruffly, running a hand down his beard. "Let's get a move on, idiots!"
Zidane shot an apologetic grin to the others as they filed out, mumbling almost-inaudible complaints. Then he turned and threw the same look at Dagger. "Lunch a different time?"
"I'll be here," she promised with an understanding smile, waving off the blonde and wandering over to the now-small group clustered over the map.
Part of her protested however. Vivi's sudden outburst revealed the curtained realization that they wouldn't be in Qu's marsh forever… and when they left, there was no telling if she'd ever see some members of Tantalus again…
No telling if she would ever see Zidane again.
A/N: Next chapter, you guys are going to love. It's kind of interesting, and a few questions everyone might have touched on before, will get answered. Yay!
I hope the part with Freya and Fratley wasn't too corny. It all seems a little too human for the Bermecians, and I would have changed it to a necklace instead of a ring, but I had already put it in there a long time ago that Fratley was looking for one.
I honestly don't know how a marriage proposal can be not cheesy, but bear with me anyways. I hope you enjoyed the brief flashback on our two favorite Bermecians as well!
Please review!
-zesty-
