Filling In The Blanks
Disclaimer: I don't own FFIX or any of its characters.
Chapter 121: Underestimated
The first rays of sunlight peaked just above the broken horizon line. His eyes stared out across the wasteland of a town, and he let out a sigh.
Quina was sad.
He couldn't sleep. Why?
Because he couldn't eat.
Of course, Quina didn't think he would be eating anything in particular, since he was a prisoner, but he thought that maybe they'd give him something. Delicious, stale bread – or maybe a moldy can of beans. Even though he could really go for a little frog snack right about then.
His transfer from Conde Petie was a pleasantly short one. Quina had wandered Fossil Roo too many times in the last year for it to be the preferable form of travel. If he was amongst squabbling enemies who weren't going to give him any yummy snacks, he preferred the fact they'd been picked up by a small aircraft and taken back to Alexandria.
It was like a celebration amongst the guards. People waited by the landing site and cheered when Quina was brought off of the craft, a rope like a leash tied around his neck. He stuck his tongue out and waved. Nobody had ever applauded his entrance before.
But the celebration didn't last long. When people watched him obliviously wander off the ship, disappointment sprayed the crowd, spreading quickly over their faces. He clearly wasn't a resistance member that would be able to promote much morale around the castle.
Quina was clever. That's what he wanted.
So naturally, the higher ranking guards were angry that the only member they could capture in the entire Conde Petie mess (or being up on the Outer Continent to begin with) was the 'stupid qu'. Quina didn't take offense to that though, qus could be pretty dense – he would know, he was one of them.
No one had wanted to deal much with him, and as he observed those around him, he noticed that the dungeon shift was the last position any of the guards or soldiers wanted to be in. Which meant a whole lot of passing the task of escorting the "stupid qu" to the dungeons off to other people.
This was his second day, still not brought anywhere but just inside the landing dock, tethered to a stone column. He was okay with this; Quina liked to watch the sunrise and he rather enjoyed the sunset the day prior. Kuja hadn't come to interrogate him, and he found that rather odd, considering how angrily Kuja questioned Zidane for who knew just how long.
It took a few hours into daybreak, and lower ranked guards peaking their head in to make sure the prisoner hadn't moved. He could guess that they were becoming slack with his guarding because he hadn't moved. But how could he, when he was just so hungry, he couldn't even take a nap?
However, after those few hours of patience, there were some voices outside the door. He creaked his head to the side, sighing and slapping his tongue on his apron dryly. Perhaps they were bringing him a yummy dish.
When the door opened, however, Quina decided, no matter how hungry he was, this was a much better surprise.
It was Avalanch who joined him in the room, locking the door behind him and looking menacing while the guards still loomed outside. In the presence of a dreamer, they had to look semi-productive.
The elf was silent as he approached, slipping a half loaf of bread out from the pouch hanging at his waist and gently placed it in the qu's hands. Slowly, Quina tore off chunks and tried to chew as quietly as he could.
"I am sorry for your capture."
"Quina not sorry. Quina been okay."
Avalanch wore what looked like a watery look. "You've done very well, not moving or speaking much. Your obliviousness relaxes the guards."
Quina nodded, "Not much for Quina to do anyways."
The elf nodded, his long, blonde hair falling over his shoulder, "Tell me, how is Zidane faring?"
"Last time Quina saw Zidane, Zidane good. Happy. Moving. Me sure he got out of city alive."
Avalanch closed his light-colored eyes, his shoulders slumping forward in relief. "I am glad I was able to help keep him alive."
The qu nodded, "Much help, Avalanch was."
He seemed startled that Quina remembered his name, but he chose not to comment. "I'm afraid I won't be able to release you so easily."
"Quina okay, so long as he has yummy food and the sun."
"That perhaps, I can arrange. It might not be here, but if you stay calm, I may be able to keep you from the dungeons. Kuja is hugely skeptical of how well the guards do down there, and the fact that if someone is lucky enough, there is an escape route through all of the tunnels."
Quina nodded, "Me can stay dumb."
The elf let on a smile, though it was strained. His eyes looked much older, even since the last time they had seen him. Perhaps his change of heart was weighing on him.
"I feel as though I have made some leeway with the dreamers. At this point, with full-blown war looming so close to the surface, I cannot say all of them are willing to listen, but they are beginning to see their own memories. Kuja's spell that wiped our memories is sharply flawed – it will not last forever. Kuja is under high stress – he is beginning to show his true colors as well."
Quina blinked, a little shocked by the news. To hear that he was able to do so much in getting information was surprising. He wished there was a way that he could tell the others, but, he would just have to withhold the news and celebrate internally for the time being.
"We are not at a point that I believe many would turn against him in battle," Avalanch let out a sigh, "and I don't know how to fix that."
"Quina knows there is still time," he said, even though that time was dwindling. "Quina believe final battle might make a difference."
He nodded, cracking his knuckles nervously. From what Zidane had said about the elf from their past together, this seemed like an uncharacteristic gesture.
"I am not sure…" he tried to find his words, "how I will be able to fight against my friends. The dreamers are not bad people, just unlucky and misled."
Quina nodded, "Zidane had problem with this, too," he licked his fingers, the bread already gone. "In the end, Zidane could not hurt his friend."
Avalanch knew the event that his unlikely company spoke of. He remembered watching Elouise and Zidane before the genome's capture. He hadn't fought back at all, only tried to make her listen. She had screamed with rage, tears streaming down her face before the rain fell. Neither of them had been too sure about the whole ambush before the battle. It broke Avalanch more than he thought it would.
Maybe their life in Alexandria had been a lie, but lie or no, it was part of their life now. Zidane was very dear to his heart, even if he hadn't known the genome in his past. And he knew that this conflict was hurting Elouise just as much.
That was a line he wasn't sure how to cross. Avalanch had fallen quite easily into the role of confidant, even before his change of loyalties. When people felt fearful, they came to him, and when they began experiencing strange dreams, they sought out Avalanch. For the dreamers being the most powerful, he suspected that he was so easy to approach because everyone knew him. Elouise was one of Kuja's favorites, and while Avalanch was not in that direct line of favoritism, it made sure the others knew who he was, simply because they knew Elouise. If that wasn't enough, many of the dreamers recognized him from the Dream Alexandria. He was often picking up odd jobs with Griffon and Zidane, helping to run a garden shop and taught a couple of painting classes here and there. He was as gentle soul, despite his silent command for respect.
It was natural, drawing out people's uncertainties about Kuja, and the dreams they were experiencing. He would often tell dreamers about Zidane, though in a neutral way. There were a few of them who remembered him from the dream world as well. He let them come to their own conclusions, but gave them enough nudges to see that perhaps their Lord wasn't who he said he was. It was only when Avalanch was certain that Kuja's name left a bitter taste in their uncertain mouths that he would explain the situation fully – with Zidane's theory turned truth, though, he wouldn't necessarily tell them it was the genome who discovered it.
Of course, this had been a conversation with only a painstaking few. But that was better than none. Quina was right, despite how little of it might have remained, they did still have time.
"Do you think your friends will come looking for you?" Avalanch asked, uncertainty peppering his tone.
Quina shrugged. "Quina told them not to, said he would be okay. But they persistent friends. They make Quina happy."
At that, the elf's lips stretched into a very genuine smile. It made him feel at peace that there were people looking out for each other in the world yet. "I hope they listen to you, for I do believe Kuja's anger is enough that war would ensue, and I do not think they would come prepared for the final battle."
Quina shook his head, his tongue wagging and then flapping back against his front. "Friends mostly focused on getting friends back."
Avalanch chuckled. "So I've heard."
They sat in comfortable silence for a just a few moments more, before Avalanch stood. "I might not be able to see you again for some time, but I will make sure you get food and are not treated too poorly, so long as you cooperate."
"Quina be good," he nodded. "Quina like yummy treats."
"I'll keep that in mind," he nodded, before painting a stern expression on his face and marching back to the doors. He threw them open, as though in frustration.
"What happened in there?"
"The fool is still just too dense!"
Quina let on a smile of his own when he heard Avalanch's dramatic sigh from outside the door. If that was the one advantage Quina had to the rest of the resistance, it was that people greatly underestimated him.
"I think we must be taking the Iifa Tree off of our scouting routine," Freya shook her head. "There are soldiers there at least every other day."
She had just come back from a four-day recon mission with Ruby and a younger boy named Finn that had been picked up from Daguerro. The trio had just arrived on the plaza that held the dining table and kitchen that overlooked the water to report back to Cid when they saw a group of familiar faces with backpacks, ready to set out.
"But that can't include this mission. We have to get to the chocobos!" Eiko was being persistent, Mog and Mococo on either side of her, sporting small packs of their own.
"I believe it to be too risky," Freya shook her head. "We can wait until it dies down, and perhaps try to make a move then."
"Waiting too long to recruit might lose us our chance," Zidane tried to reason, also having been looking forward to recruiting the chocobos.
"Have you forgotten the mission we just came back from? The one where every single one of us was at risk for being killed?"
"We're at risk for being killed every single day," Blank shrugged, standing up from his chair. "It's now or never with these chickens. Our group is small, and we'll stay out of sight."
Cid wore a mulling expression. He wasn't sure what to do. Freya made a very good case – as was the point of her recon mission, but if Eiko and the moogles really could communicate with the chocobos, the rewards almost outweighed the risks.
"Cid, Darling," Hilda said, sitting next to him. "What will you do?"
He threw his hands up, "I can't agree with one of you more than the other," he stroked his beard. It was getting long and a little straggly, but he was still the most well-groomed resistance member by far. Still a regent. "Dagger should pick. Too often do we overlook that she makes the ultimate final decisions."
She blushed a little bit, but didn't stumble with her answer. "I'm sorry Freya, but I think that this is just too important of an opportunity. I'm willing to take the risk to find the chocobos. They sought us out, and I think it's important to remember that."
"You speak of these creatures as though they are our kind. Are mounts just as important as resistance members?"
"They could be. We won't know unless we go."
She sighed, running a hand down her face. The Bermecian glanced at the team who was ready to go. Mog and Mococo for the moogles, Eiko, Vivi, Zidane, Dagger, Blank, Cinna and Marcus. She supposed it could be worse. At least over half of them could move quietly.
"There is not one thing I can say to stop you?"
Cinna grinned at her, "We'll bring you back a riding chocobo."
She sighed, a little angry, but she did not stop anyone from moving around her to leave.
Blank stopped for a moment, grabbing Ruby's hand. She wore a muddled look. "Quick second?"
"What is it, sugar?"
"Don't call me that."
"Alright. What is it, Blank?" He made a face at her, but then reminded himself why he stopped her in the first place.
"I bet Amarant is going to get cranky lonely because Eiko is gone. Maybe you could go chat with him."
She gave him a sort of strange expression. "That is an odd suggestion, dear."
He shrugged, "Just thought you liked meddling in everyone's business, so it seemed right up your alley."
She slapped him on the arm, "Get out of here. Bring me back a chocobo."
He scoffed, "If any of them would even like a drama queen like you."
She glared, but soon her expression softened and they shared a gentle look before Blank turned away and hurried to catch up with the others. As she tried to process his words, she heard Cinna cooing and then yelping and she assumed it was from the smack Blank probably laid on him for teasing.
Ruby turned to see Freya sigh dramatically again, "I cannot believe that Steiner would allow this."
"He's been with Beatrix all day, darling," Hilda said with a small smile, "I'm not sure he even knew they were going."
"And you let them go!" Ruby turned and hurried away from the area, just as Cid let out a laugh.
She rubbed her neck, trying to massage out her stiff shoulders. It felt good to be back from that mission. While she liked having something to do other than training with their companies every day, she had to admit that it had been rough recon. Freya was on edge the entire time they were out, and Finn had mentioned something about Fratley very early on. That put their mission leader in a horrible mood the entire time they were out.
Maybe talking to Amarant would get her mind off of her mission.
Then again, he was probably just as crabby as Freya had been.
Ruby wondered why in the world Blank would want her to talk to him. She thought he didn't even really like the guy himself – there wasn't enough room for two big fat jerks on the team. She puckered her lips. Maybe he was up to something.
As she continued to ponder this, she took a seat at the broken fountain in the plaza. Ruby smoothed out her skirts, staring at the green material. It had certainly seen better days. Maybe Sally could fix it up.
Stretching out her legs, Ruby positioned her hands behind her and dipped down onto the broken stone inside of the fountain. She stared up at the cloudless sky, hair falling behind her shoulders and tickling her arms. It was getting long.
"That's a pretty weird place to pick to sit."
Her head snapped up, seeing Amarant with his arms crossed just a few feet away.
"I didn't even hear ya come up," she said, lifting herself back into a sitting position.
He gestured to her backpack that was slumped over by her feet, "Did you guys just get back?"
She tilted her head to the side, almost delusional with exhaustion. She nodded before adding, "You'll awful chatty today, darlin'. Got somethin' on yer mind?"
He huffed, jerking away and staring to the side with a scowl on his face, "Why is it any time I'm trying to be nice, everyone assumes that I want something?"
She puckered her lips. "Well, do ya?"
It took a moment for his stiff stature to unravel, but he relaxed, staring at her again with the strangest expression.
"Can we talk?"
Her head jerked back a little bit and her eyebrows lifted, creasing her forehead. "Sure, sugar. Come take a seat."
He awkwardly joined her at the fountain, unsure if he should put one leg up on the fountain and face her, or stare away from her with two feet firmly planted on the ground. He fidgeted, settling for something that looked a little awkwardly in the middle of the two choices.
"Do you remember on our way to Madain Sari when I told you what I was doing when this whole war really started?"
She looked down at the ground for a moment, tucking her loose hair behind her ear as she thought. "Oh yeah, you were lookin' for yer sister, right?"
He nodded. "I searched all of Treno and I never found her. I never knew what I was looking for, or what I would do when I found her, realistically. Who would want a random asshole showing up at their door and claiming to be their brother?"
She let on a light smile, but stayed silent for him to continue.
"Everything that's happened in the last few days has told me that none of us have much time left in this world."
"Pardon?"
He shook his head. "There is going to be a lot of death at the end of this war. Most of our close friends? They'll be okay. The elites, Tantalus, we're all fighters and have been for a long time. But new recruits? Some will be lucky, but a lot won't."
She furrowed her brow, not liking the direction he was taking with this. "Where ya goin' with this?"
He sighed, "I wasn't sure if I wanted to say anything, but one disaster after another on our way back from Conde Petie's training run told me that I ought to just say it."
"Say what?!"
"Blank told me that he met your mom in Treno."
Her cheeks went red. What a way for the conversation to turn! "Wha –"
"Let me finish before you get angry at him."
She clipped her teeth shut and stared at him, hard.
"He didn't go into detail about why, but they did have a conversation about your father." He paused for a moment, braving a look at her face. He found thick confusion before he quickly flitted his eyes away again. "Amant Coral. That's the name of your father."
She spluttered, whirling off of the fountain and staring at him.
"The reason you're hearing this from me instead of Blank is because, well…" he shrugged, a little helpless, "Amant Coral was my father, too."
She stared at him without speaking for what seemed like a lifetime. He wasn't sure if he should say anymore, so he waited for her to talk, but grew impatient. The looming threat of rejection clasped his heart, and the longer she was silent, the harder his gaze turned. He should have known – why would he think she wanted to know about this long-lost family member?
He turned away from her, glaring at the ground. He stayed like this a little longer because he knew he couldn't get up and leave quite yet. It was probably a big shock for her, and even though Amarant was rude, he wasn't that rude.
After a few quiet moments, he felt gentle hands in his, pulling him up from his sitting position. His head whipped back around, and he stared at her wide eyed.
Ruby's eyes were sparkling with tears, but there was a huge grin on her face. Her delicate fingers had wrapped around his rough hands, holding them in front of her gingerly as she stared up into his unsettled face.
"I have a brother!" she breathed, a laugh hiccupping her words. She was at a lost, unable to get out all of her thoughts.
He wasn't sure what to say either.
She shook her head, her blonde hair splaying all around her face and slinging itself over her shoulders again. "And he's a good guy, and he's alive, and he's part of the resistance and he's here!" She laughed again, a few tears spilling down her cheeks. "He's you."
Amarant let out a laugh. He couldn't remember the last time he laughed genuinely and fully, without spite. The cord that had begun wrapping itself tightly around Amarant's chest with a horrifying feeling was loosening, the longer he stared at Ruby's brightened face.
"I can't believe I wasted all that time lookin' for a father when I had a brother!" she told him, her eyes searching his face. "You found who ya have been lookin' for," she whispered.
"I…"
She let go of his hands and motioned for him to sit back down. He did so slowly, but she had never seen him follow a command or even a suggestion that well before. He stared at her, still mildly gaping, blinking sluggishly at her. Her excitement swirled in an ungraspable cloud; neither had any idea what to say.
"Your mother was right to keep you away from that man," he said after a long while. "Amant was nothing but an abusive, alcoholic thief," he shook his head, "not even the nastiest of men had any respect for him."
Her face smoothed out, the grin turning into seriousness. "All this time, I've wanted to know so much 'bout him…"
Seeing an opening to speak about anything other than his own emotions, he delved into detail. "Amant was always careful to leave when things got too hard. I have to admit, he stayed with your mother a lot longer than plenty of other women –" she cringed, "- and the time I met her, she seemed like a nice lady, though I wanted nothing to do with anyone my father was seeing."
"Y-ya met my mama?"
He nodded, not offering anymore details.
"Tell me 'bout yer mama," she said, her tone just hard enough that he couldn't argue.
"I don't remember a lot about her, to be honest. My mother and Amant were friends for a long time and hung out with the same crowd. Some people told me when I was young that Kristine was the only woman Amant ever really loved."
"Kristine," Ruby sighed, "what a lovely name."
"Surprisingly enough, he stuck around for a few months into my life. But having to take care of a child before himself made him bitter, and he left. Their friends were really angry about that; Kristine did everything she could to help me, though she had a tough love regimen that alienated me from her sometimes. I was four when she died; she was stealing from some rich doctor in Treno when his security detail caught her. She took down two of them before they finally killed her."
Ruby flinched, her eyes squinting at his story. This wasn't what she expected to hear from him.
"It was their friends that made Amant take me; they weren't going to stand for Kristine's son to not have a family because she died and he left. When he found out she had died, he was never quite the same. He had always been a real prick, I guess, but the alcoholism started after that. He hated me; I reminded him of Kristine. He always told me I couldn't be a proper thief because my red hair made me too recognizable. I think that was always an off-handed comment about the way she died because she had hair as red as mine. He left Treno when I was six or eight, I don't remember, but it was after he got your mother pregnant. He wasn't going to be stuck with another child everyone was pressuring him to take care of."
He watched for her reaction. She blinked for a while, shocked. Though he wasn't sure if it was from the amount he had opened up to her or what he had said that warranted that reaction.
Ruby sighed, leaning back in the fountain like she had been when Amarant had showed up in the clearing. He noticed how long her blonde hair was, even lighter now from being out in the hot sun every day. She wasn't so pale anymore, though tan was probably the wrong word to use as well. As he studied her in this new light, he realized she had the same hard jawline as he and his father did, though hers was smoother and more delicate.
"I'm glad I never found that man, it sounds like."
Another laugh bubbled unexpectedly out of Amarant then. He leaned back into the fountain as well, mirroring her movement and realizing it was more comfortable than it looked from a distance. His eyes cast over the bland landscape in front of him, listening to himself breathe.
"Tell me about your childhood," he asked, a little gruffly. He obviously hadn't had any practice trying to get to know someone else.
She let out a remembering sigh and smiled a little up at the sky. "Oh it was sure a hoot. My mama was an actress; she was always doin' somethin' or another. I tagged along; I was the 'lil girl of the showgirls. They had me dolled up in makeup and glittering outfits, doin' my hair and gossipin' with me… I had lotsa women who I felt like I could look up to, but at the end of the day after I wiped all the makeup off and took the pins outta my hair, I wished I could find my daddy, to see the other side of my life.
"My mama was always real uptight 'bout that. She'd be howlin' at me, sometimes cussin' if I caught her in a bad mood. She was gentler 'bout it, avoided the question more when I was young, but when I got older and kept pesterin' her, she'd get mad. If yer ever wonderin' where my temper comes from, that's it. She didn't understand why I needed to know my daddy when I had her and all of the other ladies' love. It's funny too, 'cause Asher was always 'round. He was my mama's best friend. He treated me like a daughter in every way that counted, except bein' my blood."
Amarant was quiet, waiting for her to continue as he kept his gaze on the landscape. His shoulders were still tight in anticipation.
"Even before ya just told me what I've always wanted to know, I wished I coulda gone back and fixed my attitude towards him. I didn' deserve what he gave me, and I wish I coulda loved him better."
"Well… Blank met up with them recently enough – that means they're still alive. There's always time to go back and fix things."
She shrugged, "Maybe. If this war ever ends."
"I can't believe you were in Treno the whole time I was looking for you," he shook his head in disbelief. "Right under my nose…"
"Funny how I've been under yer nose for the last two years, too, huh?"
If Amarant ever had the capability to blush, now would have been the time. "I guess you could say that's funny."
She let out a laugh, her accent thick even in the way she chuckled.
"I'm glad my sister turned out to be tough," he blurted before he really realized he was saying it. He felt her shift and look at him, but kept his eyes trained forward. "A fighter, you know? Take care of herself instead of making everyone do it for her."
Ruby smiled, letting out a little hum. She let him collect his thoughts again before she spoke. "Ya got all wrapped up in workin' for Kuja… What was that like?"
He shrugged. "People respected me. Plenty of Kuja's soldiers were slimy and liked me maybe cause I was a little slimy too… but the others were mostly just civilians, roped into fighting because they were afraid for their families, or that most of the royalty and governing families had been smoked out and they were scared of the future. Kuja promised stability, though he certainly doesn't have anything to show for that promise yet. I lost myself out here on the Outer Continent. My drive to find my sister – well, you – was so high when I met Kuja. The longer I worked for him, the more my purpose started to drain. Maybe that's what happens to a lot of guards. Who knows."
"What about that woman?"
"You mean Lani? Her and I were the same rank for a long time, but she had a lot more anger and aggression. She moved up much faster than I did; I guess I didn't have the personality for it. She was young when she lost her family… I think being lost really did her in. When you start with no purpose, and then you're given one, you really take it to heart. I don't think Lani was evil, but the power and the purpose have driven her kind of insane."
"Do you miss her?"
He sighed, "Lani and mine's relationship was odd. Maybe there was a time that I cared for her, maybe I loved her. I don't know. I know she felt the same way, whatever that feeling was. But we never quite connected in the end. There was no defining moment, and in the end, she wasn't enough to make me stay. But I know she was angry at me for going."
"Angry 'cause she loves you?"
"Maybe that, and maybe because she's crazy now," he cringed, hearing himself say it. "Corrupt, vengeful and hurt," he patted his side, "probably why she stabbed me in Bermecia."
Ruby blinked, "I didn' know that."
He shrugged, "Dagger and Eiko took care of me before we even had to leave the city. I guess it never came up."
She shook her head. "Yer real good for Eiko, ya know that?"
"What do you mean?" he looked at her finally, and she had moved, balancing cross legged and fiddling with the frayed hem of her skirt. Her eyes were protective. "I've seen ya together. She really looks up to ya, and ya'll have a tender spot for her, too."
"I do not," he crouched.
She raised her eyebrows and nodded. "Ya definitely do. Eiko needs a big brother type, and it can't be Zidane with her profession of love fer him fer awhile there."
He chuckled. "I guess she's irritating enough to like having around."
"I think yer irritated by people ya like, 'cause ya don't wanna like anyone."
Amarant rolled his eyes, trying to keep the smirk off of his face. He understood why someone as grumpy as Blank got along so well with Ruby. She threw the sass right back.
"I'm glad ya told me," she said suddenly, her tone turning heavy so fast that he had to look and make sure she was alright. "I wouldn't want ya to keep that from me. Not about our daddy, but… you and me. I'm glad I know. And I'm glad you know now too."
He nodded, "I was afraid," he admitted, "that you wouldn't believe me… or something stupid like that."
"Darlin', anythin' in this world can happen. Just 'bout nothin' surprises me anymore."
He shrugged at her and picked up her bag, standing tall as she peered up at him. "Let's get you unpacked, and maybe we'll catch lunch."
"I bet if we go ask Sally, she'll make us somethin' better than that grey shit we've been eatin' lately."
Amarant shook his head, "I don't understand why Sally isn't on cooking duty anyways. I respect the moogles but… we have such better cooks."
She nodded, "We're basically the same person already!"
Marcus rubbed his forehead before adjusting the bandana that was tied around his head. "Are we lost?"
"No," Zidane answered immediately, sounding a little too defensive to be believable. "It just takes a long time to get there."
"Zidane," Vivi squeaked, "we might be lost."
"What?! You too, Vivi?"
Dagger sighed, halting at the front of the group. She bent forward and put her weight into her heels, stretching her back as she clutched the straps of her pack. "It was easier to find before because we found Vivi in that light."
"There's definitely no light down here now," Cinna gestured around. "Why would the chocobos hang out somewhere as dark and dank as under the roots of the Iifa Tree?"
"Would you hang out here if Kuja was after you?" Marcus asked, his voice suggesting an added eyeroll, but it was too dark to see for sure.
"Kuja is after me thankyouverymuch," Cinna put his hands on his hips, "and I'm not down here."
"Kuja could care less about you, Cinna," Blank barked at him. "He cares about these chickens a lot more."
"How do you know?" Cinna whined, feeling as though they were ganging up on him.
"They're more useful," Blank muttered, igniting laughter from Zidane and Marcus.
Dagger smiled, but didn't turn to share the laugh with her friends. Her eyes scanned the darkness in front of her, hoping to see some sort of a sign. Eiko and the moogles were oddly quiet; she figured if they knew where to go, they would have offered directions by now.
"See anything?" Vivi asked quietly next to her.
The sounds of their friends bickering melted into the background as she and the mage concentrated harder on the darkness in front of them.
"I just wish we knew what to – there!" everyone went silent as her yelp.
"What is it?" Zidane asked, his tone immediately serious.
"There was a gleam up ahead! Maybe like eyes!" she began rushing forward, but Zidane pulled her back. Her feet kicked up in front of her as her shoulders were beckoned, but he caught her before she fell.
"Hold your horses," he suggested. "We want to make sure it isn't something that's going to eat you."
She opened her mouth to argue, but clipped her teeth back shut when she realized how right he was. They still needed to be careful, even if no enemy would think about coming down here. Blank moved to the front of the group as the torch barer, his discolored dagger out in front of him in the other hand.
Dagger realized after a moment that the rest of the thieves had already pulled out their weapons; in that moment, she felt her staff sitting heavily against her back between her jumper and pack. It made her feel a little more secure.
Just as the light was reaching where she had seen the gleam, they heard a squawk.
Blank nearly leapt out of his skin as he stumbled backwards, almost dropping the torch. But there was little time to be frightened as Mococo and Mog hopped forward, making kupo noises of excitement.
"You found them!" Eiko translated, her voice ringing out high. Dagger realized then how long it had been since she'd heard the young girl talk. She raced forward, excitement bounding in her footsteps. "Mog! Mococo! Wait up!"
Her enthusiasm turned contagious as they all sprung forward, nervous and exhilarated at meeting the beasts that had communicated with them over a week ago.
When the fire finally lit up the creature, they realized it was just two adults, staring intelligently at the rowdy group in front of them. Once they reached the birds, everyone stilled and quieted.
For a few long moments, both parties stared at each other, taking in each other in a slow, almost awkward kind of way. "Soo…." Blank mumbled.
Mog bounced forward, producing a smoothed stick from who-knew-where in her fur. She blinked at the chocobos who blinked right back, before she began scribbling in the dirt, her pom pom bouncing.
Eiko took a seat, "It's probably going to be awhile until we're part of this talk," she warned, "you might as well get comfortable."
Marcus sighed, feeling irritated before reminding himself of the situation. They really weren't needed; it was the moogles who would be doing all of the bargaining and speaking. Eiko was there to translate for them, and the others were really there just to make a team of people to recruit these creatures. And maybe ride one. Hope rooted in his gut. He really wanted to ride one, though he would never admit it.
The rest of the team watched the two scratch symbols back and forth for a few moments. But without Eiko to tell them what was going on, as her interest had delved into relaxing while they waited, the others grew bored quickly and made themselves at home in the dirt.
"I take it back," Cinna said, "it's kind of nice down here."
"Cool out of the sun," Zidane commented, laying back and crossing his arms behind his head. "If we spend much more time in Madain Sari, I think all of my skin is going to flake off from always being in the sun."
"I second that," Cinna agreed with a sleepy nod. "Usually it's the warmth that makes you tired, but when you're sweating balls all the time, a break from it all makes me kind of want to sleep."
"You've probably got time to do so," Eiko nodded, laying back herself and crossing one ankle over her thigh, bouncing it slightly. "The moogles will let us know when it's time to meet the crew."
"How many do you think there are?"
Eiko shrugged, "Mog told me that last time they were in contact with the chocobos, there were enough probably for a few teams of the resistance. At least, the ones on the Outer Continent. Who knows how many there are on Chocobo Island!"
Cinna blew raspberry, "That place is definitely a myth!"
"Is not!" Eiko sat back up, staring forward across the torch at her teammate. "That's where the chocobos come from! And then they move to different places in the world to live depending on where they want to be. They're quite smart."
"If it is real, then they're awfully private beings for most of the world believing their home is a myth," Dagger mused, just thinking out loud.
"People think the resistance is a myth," Blank said, though they weren't sure if that was matter-of-factly, or his attempt as humor.
"Probably not anymore with all of the trouble we've stirred up in the past year," Marcus chimed in, his ears twitching.
"Great times," Cinna chuckled, almost dreamily.
It was the humming of their quiet conversation and the cool air that helped them fall into a light slumber or a deep thought, waiting to see what in the world moogles and chocobos had to talk about.
It wasn't for some time in the stillness of the air that the scratching in the dirt stopped and Eiko was shaking them all awake.
"They're coming! They're coming!"
"Who?" Dagger asked groggily, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.
"The rest of the chocobos!"
A/N: Well it wasn't as painfully long of a wait this time. I really enjoyed Ruby and Amarant's talk. It was the type of thing I've been waiting to write for a long time.
You guys may or may not ever get to hear what the chocobos and moogles were talking about, because I kind of have no idea either. I just imagine both races being the type of polite creatures to catch up and update each other on their worlds before getting down to business.
I mostly have no idea where I'm going with the chocobo story line yet, but it is kind of fun, isn't it?
Till next time!
-zesty-
