Fandom Final Fantasy: The Age of Ophiuchus [Closed]

[Lucyfer]

The door was opened in a timely fashion, and Zariel was able to walk in and give the room a once-over. It was, as it always was, impeccable – except the place where Lixue was working. That was usually a mess of papers, books, and other odds and ends – whatever he was working on at the time.

Zariel allowed just the hint of a smile to touch her lips at the polite offer.

Most days, she didn’t even humor it, but on this account, Lixue was right: it had been a long day. “I can get it myself,” she did know where the drinks were kept, and it would keep them moving on the more important subjects, as she made her way over to the side of the room to grab a bottle of amaretto and pour it straight it into a glass.

No ice, no additional flavoring.

“We’ve ignored the viera and other sentients too long, it seems,” something now glaringly obvious, “not to mention the various fiends that roam and seem to be increasing in number,” the reason for that was hypothesized by both of them as being Ophiuchus’s doing, even if they had no way of proving that.

Just the ties with the Mist, which was still, mostly, an assumption.

“The surveys in Escander and the other territories will only do so much while they remain voluntary,” as he no doubt understood, the survey in Escander, put forward as a lottery, was voluntary. They would enact other surveys in other territories, “While Cleon is on the run, we can enact a survey of sorts that is not voluntary in Ucantis with the reason of searching for him.”

She swirled the liquid in her cup, before bringing it to her lips, to drink, “This will help with most sentient species, but the viera are another matter,” a sigh, “I don’t honestly believe there is another method beyond burning their woods, but I have to think they’d be prepared for something like that, as well.”

Her gaze lifted from drink, to Lixue.

It was his turn to offer what he’d considered on this new problem, and if it could be as straightforward as either of them were considering.

 

[Arcanist]

Lixue only nodded at her acceptance of the offer and that she would get it herself. He had poured his own glass of merlot earlier but left it sitting by the mound of papers. He had maybe only taken a few sips from it at best. He'd finish it, eventually, when important matters were dealt with first.

And it seemed they had quite a few to be dealing with. "It was foolish of me not to spot it," Lixue admitted, walking over to his desk and leaning against it. "It makes our job more difficult, but at least we're not combing through humans and scratching our heads as to why no more Zodiacs have turned up." And the monsters cropping up all over the continent was an even bigger problem. "I've heard reports that more of them are growing more aggressive too. At least if you travelled and you did find some, some would have left you well alone. Now it seems no one can get anywhere without trouble." If they were getting so bold as to attack trading routes, or travelling mercenaries and soldiers, they would only set their sights further.

He truly did wonder if Mist was the perpetrator in such growing, aggressive numbers.

Lixue recognised that gaze, one asking if they should reconsider, if there was something that they were missing. It's what he had been doing in the period of solitude he had. "Perhaps burning their woods isn't an option then," he told her, folding his arms. "But they still have to be driven out. If not by fire, then would you consider Mist?" Lixue asked, looking to her. "I know it comes with its associated risks. Viera going berserk, some of our soldiers at the receiving end of the violence...but if it really is so dangerous to them, then they'll do anything to avoid it."

Mist was a dangerous thing, one that no one understood about it yet. Whether it caused the swelling numbers of fiends and monsters or if it truly did send Viera into a manic state if they made contact with it.

"Wherever Mist goes, I'm sure the viera will turn tail and run the other way. At least then we could be stationed somewhere so that they run into us. We might lose some souls out of it, but would it really be any different if we were to burn them out?"

"As for the survey..." Lixue rubbed his jaw, thoughtful for a moment. "Making it mandatory is an idea. Though, do you really think people would be so willing to take part in it for that reason?" Sure, Ucantis would be desperate to find their prince, the darling son of their late and honourable Queen Inara. "I doubt people will be so eager for us to find him after Inara's murder. Which poses yet another problem," Twelve, the problems just kept mounting, "the situation surrounding her death. If anyone finds out how her death came about, I doubt they'll be so helpful on us trying to find Cleon."

 

[Lucyfer]

It was foolish of both of them not to spot it, but nonetheless, they were here now, to deal with it.

Zariel let Lixue speak without interruption. There was no need of such a thing as he went through the myriad of new problems in front of them, and considered what they may or may not be able to do. He considered fire was, possibly, too risky as well. Viera were likely prepared for a mundane disaster that was likely to occur under regular conditions.

Mist was another matter, and Zariel did arch a brow to it. They had the means to trap Mist and use it. It could cause them problems, but it was a way to clear the woods that the Viera were likely not prepared for – and it may help to show how Mist was tied to fiends, if used in such an amount. ‘Interesting.'

Then came the survey.

“With regards to the Mist, I think that may be a better route. It isn’t difficult to surround a forest, nor difficult to begin spreading and releasing Mist within it. I don’t think Mist is going to care much about avoiding what magics the viera may have – it should pass through it, and drive them out.” Ideally, anyways. They would see how it went in practice. “I’ll have the measurements taken for the Juniper Woods,” one place they knew viera to be, even if accessing them was difficult, “We’ll start there.”

If it went too wrong there, they could adapt for others.

“As for Inara, I see two possible routes,” Zariel said, taking a sip from the amaretto, “One, we claim she committed suicide and was unwilling to work with us. It’s not ideal,” this entire situation wasn’t ideal, “the other, we claim that Inara was willing to work with us, but she was killed by her own guard for just that reason – Ucantis loyalists who didn’t want to see the Empire takeover, or some such.”

She waved off the full rationale of what a rebel might say about the Empire, and why they wouldn’t them present.

No matter what, they had to present themselves as wanting to find peaceful terms, no matter how things had progressed. If they continued to act in a beneficial way to Ucantis, they might even come to believe it.

It wasn’t as if Zariel actually cared to harm any of the territories. That was never her goal, or purpose.

 

[Arcanist]

It seemed that Mist hadn't been considered as an option, but then again, he had known why. Whether it would attract more fiends or create them, it could go wrong for them. But what was life without taking a few risks? Calculated ones, at least. At least they wouldn't have to raze an entire forest. Catch a few viera, and potentially catch a few fiends alongside them.

Lixue nodded through her opinion on it. Obviously, she had considered it to be a better idea. It made more sense in his opinion. Like she had said, the viera wouldn't be prepared for it, not unlike fire or any other kind of attack. And of course, it gave them the opportunity to test any theories they had already had on Mist. He already worked with theories and hypothesises on a number of occasions. He nodded once again. "I look forward to hearing more on it."

When it came down to Inara, they had their two options. Suicide was almost always an option, but it made sense in her case. "A narrative would be easy to weave around that," Lixue told her. "Death's been following her all her life, it seems. Most of her family called their crypt home early on in her life. Her husband died suddenly, and her son has had his brushes with death too," he recounted, though, he knew Zariel would have known of these things. "The despair would have been building for all those years." Not in all cases, but it was a nice narrative to build on. To him, it seemed a testament to how resilient Inara was and had to be, but every human had their limits.

The Loyalist theory, however...

"It would cause some divide, some serious doubt among Ucantis," Lixue mused, rolling back his shoulders as if this were no more than two townspeople having a casual conversation. "It would make them more desperate to recover Cleon and have him restore order." Hence, the surveys came rolling in.

Both weren't foolproof and he was sure they both knew that. Not everyone was gullible enough to believe the Empire...but a majority would eventually have little choice but to give in. What were a few small voices against the chorus of the majority?

 

[Lucyfer]

Zariel would be sure that Lixue did hear about it. She considered observing it herself when it was put into the test. Someone needed to be there, besides a handful of soldiers and a few scientists. Oleander would be busy in Escander, Jagger was going to trail the prince, and Lixue still had projects relating to the zodiac.

Besides that, she might need at least a momentary break from Ucantis.

She’d consider who to pen in for that, later.

It wasn’t on the backburner, but it wasn’t a task for tomorrow, either.

Inara was the situation at the forefront, her death problematic in many ways, but most of all in winning over the trust of the Ucantis people. Another sip of the amaretto, and she considered what Lixue had to say about both. Inara’s history of loss would make her suspectable to suicide in such a trying situation.

It wouldn’t be as easy to win favor with that story, but it also didn’t create the divide that a Loyalist story did.

“Mm. Suicide it is, then, with an open offer for His Grace to return and be our governing officer for the Ucantis territories, of course,” more of a show for the people of Ucantis, of course. At this point, Zariel truly doubted they could come to that kind of agreement, though she had to hold out some hope that he could be reasoned with, told of the larger crisis, and come to see things from that side of things.

Hope that, somehow, the viera knew a little more from Leviathan.

Zariel had some doubts about it.

Doubts, as well, about the actual unity of the Zodiacs, and how seriously they took the problem of Ophiuchus.

 

[Arcanist]

Suicide it was. Lixue nodded, though, he did snort at the way Zariel put it. "I'm sure he'd be thrilled to hear that..." From what he could tell, the Ucantis people had an abundance of stubborn pride about them. He wondered if the man was the same, or if he would eventually see sense and relent, as many of the others had.

Surely a man wasn't so stupid to resist them at this late stage?

Then again, he'd seen and heard quite a few who had no qualms fighting them, even in smaller droves.

Anyway, victory wasn't assured, but they were well on their way towards success. It was what he assured himself of most days when research took its toll and conclusions seemed so far on the horizon. Cleon could run, but there was only so much of your life you could run for. Then, the guilt and homesickness would set in. Then, he'd have no choice but to return to his beloved home.

Lixue couldn't help but watch--no, study--Zariel's face. It was as if he was searching further for what they could speak of, what was left that the two of them needed to speak of. He leaned back further against the table, even if the edge pressed against the base of his spine, still watching Zariel.

"How much do you think they know?" Lixue asked, cocking his head sideways slightly. 'They' was a general term. It could have meant the prince, the viera, whatever was lucky enough to even possess a Zodiac. The quickest answer would have been, 'Not a lot'. "Maybe not about Ophichulus, but about themselves, about what's lying dormant, waiting for them?"

Granted, even they themselves knew very little. It frustrated Lixue to no end. He thought acquiring Shiva meant he would unlock all the secrets of the Zodiac. How foolish he was to believe so. He believed she had just forgotten what she was, why she had chosen Lixue, what they were meant to do. Other times, he believed she liked to toy with him, to wring irritation out of him like a wet dishcloth.

 

[Lucyfer]

Zariel smirked over the rim of her drink at Lixue’s assessment of Cleon’s feelings. No doubt, he’d hate it. If he were smart, he’d even understand why Zariel did it. Zariel had no idea how to judge Cleon yet, if he was intelligent, or wasn’t. She knew he was sheltered, so actual experience was likely not sufficient, but he may yet have plenty of book smarts.

Not to mention the viera.

‘And perhaps….’

That was the real question, though, wasn’t it?

Another sip of amaretto, before she swirled what little remained in her glass. Obviously, she considered both Cleon and the viera not to know nearly enough, or else they wouldn’t be fighting this foolish war. A Zodiac had to pick someone like Cleon, someone in a position of power who could truly help, and then…not let him understand the allies he had in the Arkidian Empire.

‘How different things could have been….’

Zariel sighed. “We know that Ucantis was aware of the importance of his mark, that’s why we know of it,” she said, “however, I do not believe they know anything else. Reva’s mark wasn’t known to us. They may have never connected the dots,” whether or not they would now was a mystery. “I’m not sure they truly understand there is more power to unlock in Cleon. It’s possible.”

Though no one understood how to unlock these powers.

They did not know how Reva unlocked hers, and Lixue? Well, Shiva wasn’t offering much confirmation on how much his own experimentation played a role, how much his stress did, or how much the near-death itself did. “We need to find out what we can about Reva,” that much was true, now. “We need to speak with her.”

Try to connect what dots they could about the Zodiacs, learn what her experience was, and how long she’d had Leviathan. “As for her knowledge…,” she hadn’t met Reva. She knew very little, other than that she served the royal family. Zariel shook her head, “Something tells me if she knew the extent of the situation, her own path would have changed a long time ago.” Viera did not leave the wood for foolish reasons. “She must suspect something, but I do not think she knows.”

She cast Lixue a side-long look, “It seems not all the Zodiac are fond of talking.”

Phoenix was the one they knew who started this.

And Phoenix did not speak to her.

 

[Arcanist]

"Of course not," Lixue nodded, though he already knew deep down that they had little knowledge beyond that. How they never made the connection with Zariel and her own marking surprised him, but then again, they had never seen her, only heard of the Empire as one entity, one monster ravaging the lands.

It was a shame to see and hear how blind they had been.

And they would continue to be, which would make their acquiring of their prince and the viera, and what information they had, all the harder. Lixue was sceptical about it, and it was clear by the eyebrows raised at her. They'd have to find a way to make her talk when they came face-to-face with her. Perhaps he would be surprised. Reva may have been more useful to speak to than Shiva ever had been.

"Yes. I feel like you might be right on that," Lixue responded, sharing the same sentiment with her. Odd though, how she shunned her home, only to make it in another... He didn't think viera would have loyalty to many outside their wood. "Let's hope that Didymus fulfils his end of the bargain...else Jagger nets them both and drags them back."

Even with that sidelong glance of Zariel's, the immense disappointment that festered in her words, Lixue scoffed. "It seems so." He, like his Empress, craved answers. Seven years and he still hadn't any tangible answers out of Shiva. He knew she had to be aware of some things. She had chosen one before, and she knew the conditions needed to awaken her specifically. His patience walked a thin line with her.

Perhaps he was not ready for such knowledge. Perhaps none of them were. But they didn't have the luxury of time. Lixue believed he did deserve it, considering he almost died.

Though, when he looked at Zariel, who had potentially been on the cusp of it, who had almost had Phoenix at her back...he didn't feel so deserving of it.

"If there is a way to separate Zodiacs," Lixue began, taking his glasses off, and rubbing at his eyes, "you are more than welcome to Shiva's laughter and her own questioning." He joked. Or, well, joked, in the driest tone he had always had. It would take a lot for him to actually give up Shiva to anyone. And he knew plenty of people would take to Shiva, and the reason wouldn't be for pleasant conversation...

"I can't give you much assurance of when Phoenix will come," Lixue said, putting on his glasses once again, adjusting to the clearer vision he had of Zariel once again. "You know this. Only that it will because I won't rest until we know how to awaken it, and every other Zodiac." Every small detail was a breakthrough, but it could never be enough. This wasn't what either of them wanted to hear, but these terms were the cards that they were dealt.

 

[Lucyfer]

Zariel did not truly care how she acquired Cleon and Reva, so long as she did. She would try to trust Didymus, because Jagger did, and Jagger wasn’t one to let her down willingly. Jagger may not understand the full extent of things, but nonetheless, she was loyal to the coin, and didn’t seem to care that much about how shady things could get.

Zariel still wasn’t keen to let her in on too much and learn if she had a line.

The troublesome thing remained their own ticking clock, and how little they knew. That there were triggers to the Zodiacs, was obvious. What those were, remained unclear. Zariel had been in a rather similar position to Lixue, and she thought she had come close to bringing forth Phoenix – but it hadn’t come.

Instead, she had fire and holy at her beck and call, magics she practiced, and tried to improve upon, as if that would help her learn to draw forth Phoenix. So far, no luck. She hadn’t stepped so close to death again since that moment, and had little intention of it. It was one thing to be near death…it was quite another to cross the line. Zariel didn’t think she could go further than she had.

So far, Lixue hadn’t pressed for anything like that, either.

She did cock a slight smirk at his sentiment, “I think I shall leave Shiva with you a while longer. There are others,” Jagger and Oleander among them, Cleon and Reva as well, if they wouldn’t be cooperative, in the end. Perhaps there was an infant with a Zodiac. She’d rather retrieve it from an infant than wait for the child to grow up.

She finished her drink and set the cup back down, pushing away from the wall she’d taken to, “I know. Your methods are better than my late father, at any rate,” it wasn’t as if Lavi actually knew what he was doing, or had learned anything from Leander that was useful. He’d even failed at conquest. Lavi had several problems.

His only redeeming factor, in Zariel’s mind, had been favoring her.

And then he died.

Tragically.

And that was the story she’d always stick with, not Oleander’s confession of murder. “I’ll leave you to continue to work on these matters, though. Perhaps soon we’ll even have participants to test such things on.” She did not know how far along such things were, and likely, neither did Lixue. They required particular kinds of participants, after all.

Unless Shiva was whispering in his ear, there was likely little hope of knowing until it was tested.

She moved towards the door. “If you need to return to Amarun soon, you may,” she allowed, “I likely will not be back for at least a month,” but his labs, and their tower, were there. She’d understand if he had to leave earlier.

He at least had more freedom to make that decision than some others in her employ. Including Oleander.

 

[Arcanist]

"It was worth a try," Lixue murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. He wondered what the other Zodiacs were like. He asked Shiva this once, and though remaining vague, did comment that not all of them were one and the same. By that, she probably meant they were as diverse as mortals like them could be.

Perhaps there was something of a connection between a host and Zodiac that he had missed. He'd have to investigate that.

"A dead Zodiac host is of no use to any of us," Lixue commented, watching her push herself away from the wall. "Never the first option either." He, like several others, had his opinions and misgivings about Lavi. None were so bold to speak of them - at least, in earshot of Lavi or anyone who worked directly under him. His mother had frequently commented on how foolish the man was, and what blunders he had created, and Lixue was inclined to agree with him.

Prumoor was his costliest and bloodiest mistake, for one. At least Zariel followed in the footsteps of her grandfather.

And gave his departments the much-needed funding to carry out such research.

"Yes...hopefully." It had to be made all the more harder without some good participants. It wasn't worth it if none of them were suitable for the tests involved. Better one good participant than twenty shit ones.

Plus, they didn't have enough cells or rooms to throw them all into. He preferred to keep them out of graves until they really crawling their way into it.

People thought otherwise, with the state some of them were in after tests.

Lixue moved from the table, groaning slightly as the pressure on his spine was released. He massaged his lower back gently with two fingers, suddenly aware of the marking that had only been seen by him, and a select few others. Strange how such a marking of immense important would be stamped there of all places.

"Of course, thank you. Should I have any cause to depart early, I'll be sure to inform you," Lixue told her. He did miss the familiar scenery of the labs, but he realised he was here for a higher and more important purpose. He would stay as long as Zariel needed him. It had been his promise to her, after all. Testing couldn't be done here, but at least he could catch up on paperwork that piled up for weeks now.

It was never quite the same.

Watching her walk to the door, he said, "I hope the funeral goes smoothly tomorrow." It needed too. He knew there was pressure there, a lot of it. But he had no doubt Ucantis would be eating of their hands soon enough, if fed enough lies.

 

[Lucyfer]

Although Lixue was not officially an advisor, so far as appointments went his position as a scientist took precedence, they both were aware it was unofficially Lixue’s position. It was why he was dragged from his labs so often, and put to work on smaller tasks at times – Zariel wanted him close at hand to run ideas by.

He offered an insight others wouldn’t.

Her consideration of suicide for Inara likely would have been brushed aside in creating the division of a Loyalist group. It gave them allies to suggest what Inara wanted, while it created enemies at the same time. Claiming Inara committed suicide did neither; but it gave them room to work with, and was in some ways, more believable with Inara’s history.

Not a forgotten history, but one Zariel didn’t give much thought to.

Inara’s life had been one tragedy after another.

She should have surrendered long ago.

“Thank you,” for informing her if he chose to leave. She did allow a slight scoff at the well wishes for the funeral, but sighed in the end, “It will be fine,” she would find an appropriate dress that fit Ucantis customs, she would make sure the funeral was up to par for Inara’s standing. She would have to speak to the people of Ucantis, and tell them what happened, and appear to grieve with them.

These were the things she was good at, though.

Putting on a show wasn’t hard. She’d been doing it her entire life.

“Try to get some sleep, Lixue.” Although she doubted he would, given he had new things to theorize on now. In either case, she would step out with a momentary inclination of her head, to return to her quarters where she could at least get a bit of rest, before waking up early and preparing to descend to Ucantis, and see the situation for herself.

To open herself to the people of it, and make sure to win them over, bit by bit.

 

[Arcanist]

"I have no doubts it will be," Lixue answered after her scoff. He wouldn't doubt how she could handle something as trivial as a funeral. She had been handled Escander with ease and had a firm hand on all of the other territories. It wasn't to say things hadn't been difficult, but Zariel always had the wits of her grandfather, unlike Lavi.

A month or two in Ucantis. Perhaps the time would fly in. Perhaps he would leave before the month was out. Either way, he would always be in firm contact with Zariel, whether he was beside her, or settled back in Amarun for a time.

And whether she wanted his input or not, he would give it. That had always been known, and he'd still continue to give it.

It was his turn to give her own scoff to Zariel's advice. Both of them already knew the little chance there was of that really happening. "I should be telling you that, Zariel." Lixue had always found it odd to use her name like that. Usually there was an Empress before it, or any other iteration of her title and position. In personal meetings such as their's, it was easier to simply address each other on first name terms.

Then, of course, when with others, it was always titles from then on.

"But I'll certainly try, at some point," Lixue told her, though, whether he would follow on it would be another matter. Lixue followed her to the door, watching her step out into the hallways once more, and he nodded. "Goodnight, Zariel," he murmured before shutting the door, listening to the fading footfall.

Zariel was right. Lixue had walked straight back to his desk, seating himself at it, and was pulling books out with the intention of looking through them, setting aside clean pages to scribble on. Better to write now while his thoughts were fresh in his mind than to lose them outright to sleep. He took a swig of the lonely merlot that had been sitting in its glass - extra stimulus, he believed, or at the very least to give his tongue something to taste - and began working once again.

He imagined he would fall asleep with his head on the desk again. Else, he'd close his eyes for just a moment in his chair, and awake with a stiff back in the morning.

But it would be worth it, if it got them closer to where they needed to be.

 

[Lucyfer]

While Zariel Arkidos was speaking to the citizens of the capital of Ucantis about the tragic suicide of Inara, and making every effort to seem open and willing to engage with them, while issuing orders for a survey to find their missing prince, Cleon, the prince himself reached the town of Anina, which was unaware of much that had happened in the capital.

Reva led them to it from the forest, and along the river which fed into Anina, and while not an idealistic, quaint and quite village due to proximity to the capital, it still had something of that feel with the many water wheels generating power to the town, and the boats that ran along it.

It was mid-afternoon by the time they had arrived, the town itself still quite active – enough were outside to stop and stare at the group of four as they arrived, the oddity of two humans, a lalafell, and a viera, not lost on them. Nor their condition – although their attire had been cleaned in a river, nothing about their appearance was perfected.

“Are we…gonna stay here?” Didymus asked hesitantly. Given they could have made the walk in a day, he thought to add, “I don’t think it’s safe.” Chocobos could travel faster than they could, and no doubt the Empire would soon be sending out scouts on chocobo, if they hadn’t already. Which, he knew, he should be glad for – yet he kept telling himself he had to play the role of being with this group, so there’d be no suspicion.

“We will decide, once we have gathered what we need,” Reva moved to reach for a cloth pouch of gil, and she considered what was there. ‘I should have packed more.’ But of course, gil weighed things down. She certainly had enough for a room, and they had discussed things they would need.

She split it, and held some out to Kikiti, “Go with Didymus. Find what is needed for food and for attire.” Kikiti could sew, and Didymus could cook, they could figure out how to split the funds around that.

She needed to find tents for shelter as they continued, and to get their stock of potions, antidotes, and the like up.

Splitting up would also help them not all be caught at once, as well as let them consider more about whether or not they wanted to stay in Anina.

 

[Arcanist]

Cleon had gone to sleep first, believing it was all a dream. When he awoke again at the sound of Reva's voice under glittering stars, he had realised how wrong he had been. It was then he realised he would wake up every morning, just like that, believing he was safely tucked away in Ucantis as he always had been.

So, for a few hours as Reva led them through the forest, he had been quiet. He hadn’t quite worked through all of his thoughts yet, and he doubt he would for some time. Still, it didn’t mean he didn’t try to make sense of everything that happened.

Anina had become their stop for supplies. Cleon, of course, had heard of Anina, and several other villages and towns within Ucantis territories. His mother made him rhyme off every one of them, where they were located, what their main source of income came from, what resources were gathered from them, and so forth. Here, unlike the capital, it was serene, untouched by the invasion. Cleon hated to think that would be disrupted soon.

As a result, no one seemed to recognise Cleon, despite the intense stares. Not that he expected anyone too. He never ventured far out from the city, and the only real giveaway to his place of birth was that mane of his. He couldn’t help but think of Diddy’s words from the night before, wondering if he really should shed it, if he wasn’t to be caught and shipped back to the Empire…

Cleon wasn’t so sure if they should have stayed here, after Didymus asked. Though, Reva hadn’t dismissed the notion yet, deciding they would see after they had gathered supplies. It had reminded Cleon that he had barely anything on his person, and well, supplies cost gil. He wish he had the sense at the time to have had at least something of worth on him.

If push came to shove, he supposed he could sell something of his jewellery on his person...but he hoped it hadn’t come to that. Especially those with sentimentality.

Kikiti willingly took the gil, smiling at her and nodding. “Don’t worry, I’ve gotten bargains before when it comes to materials and other old clothing. We’ll figure out food too.” Out of the corner of her eye, she couldn’t help but notice the few townsfolk who had paused, and stared at the oddities of their group setup. Though she knew it wasn’t entirely focused on her, she had been used to stares and sneers before. Didn’t make them less easier to contend with, but she had gotten used to them nonetheless.

“Oh, before I forget! Should we meet somewhere and regroup after we’re done?” Kikiti asked. She figured just here would be a fine place to meet up, though, she worried about how out in the open it was, how easy it was to be spotted...but then again, it wasn’t as if Anina had so many nooks and crannies, not like the city had.

 

[Lucyfer]

‘And I can steal anything we might need and can’t otherwise get.’ Didymus thought, but didn’t say as much. First they’d need a bigger bag to get anything like pots and pans, which should probably be on their list of things to get – a bag. One that would be able to carry plenty, and not get too in the way. So, really, probably multiple bags, one for each of them to carry more than what they were carrying now.

His small bomb-case wasn’t about to carry pots and pans.

“We should meet at the inn,” Reva said, “even if we choose not to stay,” she gestured towards the wooden sign outside, hanging over the door of one building that had an additional floor to it, and was notably larger than many of the others.

“That’ll work,” Didymus said, “Is there a time we should try to be back at?”

“A check in after two hours at least,” Reva indicated. They could see what was found, what was still needed, if anything, and be sure that everyone in the party was okay. “Food can wait, it is something we can find while we travel, do not make that the initial priority.” Reva advised. Of course, she knew they were all likely thinking of food. They had not yet eaten much since moving from their campsite.

Still, Reva would rather spend money on those things which were harder to acquire in the wild.

Didymus nodded; he understood, and had proven capable enough of cooking with what was around. So long as Reva could keep him from grabbing something toxic, it should be okay to continue hunting. “All right, Kikiti and I will find what we need. First we’ll get some bags,” he said, glancing around, before gesturing to the right, “I think we can start over that way?”

He wouldn’t order Kikiti.

He’d already learned she had quite the mouth. And attitude.

 

[Arcanist]

Kikiti looked to the inn's sign as did Cleon, even though Reva would most likely lead him back herself. She nodded again to the plan. "Back there in two hours, gotcha." Though, she couldn't help but silently despair that food wasn't a higher priority. Surely they needed to keep their energy up, else they'd use it all running from the Empire, right? And wasn't hunting difficult, especially with her tiny legs? Kikiti didn't want to argue with Reva on the matter though. That could come at another time.

Bags were a great idea, especially if they were going to gather a lot of supplies. Kikiti followed Didymus' gesture to the right, and taking a peek down that way, said, "Sounds good. We can start searching down there then." She chirped. Without waiting, she started to wander down there, unworried about Didymus not catching up to her. He had the legs, after all. It would have been different, had it been the other way around.

"Don't be late back!" Kikiti shouted back to Reva and Cleon, giving them a wave on her departure.

Cleon gave something of a small wave back, unable to help but smile a little. He could appreciate her enthusiasm, and her positivity, in an otherwise terrible situation. He then looked to Reva, confirming what they were grabbing. "So, uh, tents...potions...antidotes, right?" He would have prided himself on remembering that list, but it was a pretty simple one, in all honesty.

Better than beating himself up for what happened.

"I guess we'll head, uh..." Cleon searched for a moment, before he nodded in front of him. "Straight down then." Though, he did wonder, when he said that...

Where exactly did all these people sell these kinds of supplies anyway?

 

[Lucyfer]

Didymus followed after Kikiti, but he didn’t mind staying a few steps behind her as they moved further from the river, and into the town proper, following the cobbled paths and making their way into an area that seemed more ‘local’ and not so much for outsiders. The typical adventuring gear would no doubt be sold closer to the inn, but what they were looking for wasn’t necessarily standard.

Well, bags might be, and he took note of some of them along with a merchant who had meters upon meters of cloth and thread visible from a window. He poked the top of Kikiti’s head, “This one,” he suggested, as he gestured towards it, taking just one step away from her in case the whole poking thing upset her.

It probably did.

He still kept a smile on his face as he turned towards the woman who was within, humming a tune to herself. “Oh, I’m just about ready to—oh,” she blinked a moment, clearly not expecting them, “Oh sorry, I thought you were someone else,” she chuckled, “Are you customers?”

“Yup,” Didymus answered, “As you can see, I really need some new clothes.” He tugged on his tunic.

~***~

Reva nodded.

Forward was as good a direction as any, all she really knew from her ventures was that potions and antidotes were usually near the entrance of towns. If towns had multiple entrances, as plenty did, that usually meant some wandering, but Anina couldn’t be that big, so Reva was not worried about it.

They could go forward first.

“Many towns advertise potions and travel essentials with signage that has a bottle on it,” Reva noted as they began down the forward path, which did open up into more of an area meant for those passing through. There were diners and taverns, which no doubt locals enjoyed, but as it remained along the main thoroughfare, she suspected was more for those coming through on their way to, or from, Ucantis.

The scents coming from the taverns was intoxicating, promising food that even made Reva’s stomach growl.

She was hungry. She hadn’t eaten any of the meat, and had little of her own to eat since getting on the road.

‘Later.’ She chastised herself, keeping her eyes peeled for the kind of place she was looking for.

Life continued here as if nothing had happened.

 

[Arcanist]

Kikiti, on her walk ahead, peered in at shop windows, trying to spot something they were looking for. She wasn't a total stranger to Anina. Her papa would still hop from place-to-place in Ucantis on trading rounds, and he had stopped by here before. She frowned in some thought, wondering how that would change for him now with the Empire occupying the city. No doubt there would be a tighter restriction on those kinds of things...

She was thrust out of her thrusts at a head poke, and she turned, already pouting at Didymus, who quite rightly took a step back to avoid her upset. "You can just call me, you know!" She rubbed her head as if the poke had caused some damage when really, it had caused her a great deal of irritation.

She sighed, still rubbing her head as she trailed her gaze to where Didymus had gestured to and had gone over to the window first, glancing in. Cloth, thread, needles, plenty of sewing materials for any occasion. As much as she hated to admit it, Didymus did some good with spotting this shop before she did. She wandered over to beside Didymus, who had struck up a conversation with the humming woman inside.

"Desperately needs some new clothes," Kikiti added, glancing back at Didymus' tunic. "Got more holes in them than cheese," she mumbled, unable to help herself but make a jab at him. Of course, it was for the head poke. He would soon learn he detested head pokes, head pats, hair ruffling...the list goes on. She turned back to the woman again, smiling, "Oh, and some sewing supplies and materials too."

Her own clothing could do with a touch-up, and desperately.

~***~

Cleon took a mental note to look out for that kind of signage. "Seems simple enough..." Though, what seemed simple to just about everyone else, was probably the complete opposite to the prince. Most of his shopping had been done for them, so it wasn't as if he had to worry about that. He hadn't gone farther than the city walls before, other than maybe for a Chocobo ride, but even at that, those were regulated too.

He had often wondered if his mother did far more than he ever did. If she regularly walked the streets or went to places in the city, before she started ruling it, of course.

He had also wondered if it would have been different if his father was still alive. Maybe then he could have roamed just as freely as she did.

As they passed by some diners and taverns, he did spot some souls drifting around or in them, but otherwise, they hadn't been at the peak of business times just yet. He realised these were more places he hadn't ever been in his time. He could only dream of what the energy was like in them. All Cleon ever heard of was stories of long nights of drinking, brawling, amongst some other things, that usually ended up with someone being thrown out onto the street.

It didn't seem so bad for that here, or so Cleon naively thought. It seemed a quaint little place, of course, much smaller than the city. But then anything was quaint compared to the size of the city.

Cleon heard a growling beside him, and looking over, realising it had been Reva's stomach. He frowned, remembering that she had hardly eaten anything, and already was insisting upon fixing that. "Are you sure food isn't a higher priority?" Though the aromas of food drifting from the taverns made Cleon's mouth salivate, he had said it more for the benefit for Reva. "I mean, there has to be somewhere we can get you something small, right?"

Carrots came to mind, though, he wasn't sure if Reva would really be keen on walking around, munching on one.

 

[Lucyfer]

‘Nope.’ Didymus decided he was going to poke Kikiti in the future based on her reaction. Did it make him a shithead? Probably. But it had been amusing enough, even if he should know better than to question the power of a tiny person’s anger. He knew enough short people – not as short as Kikiti – who could put the hurt on.

From what he’d seen, though, Kikiti just had a staff.

Well, and words, though Didymus didn’t take much offense as he offered a cheesy grin when Kikiti insisted how desperate his situation was, “We didn’t have a good time coming here,” he admitted.

“Oh dear, travelers? Where are you heading towards?” the woman asked, though already she had begun rifling through her threads, looking for one of the thicker ones that would hold up better on the road for repair work.

Didymus, meanwhile, moved by the bags to assess them, noticing a few had drawstring ends, and a strap they could use to carry. He grabbed four of them and brought them up to the lady, “We’ll need these, too,” it’d be impossible to hide those, but some thread? Needles? Didymus figured he could take some of those when she was distracted by Kikiti’s requests.

~***~

Reva’s cheeks darkened as she realized Cleon had noticed the sound, embarrassed by it immediately. She was quick to shake her head, cursing her own need to eat right then. It could wait. She wasn’t going to collapse anytime soon, she was certain of that, at least. “I will be okay,” she said, “food can be found, we need to acquire those things we cannot find.”

They had made do the night before, but with pots, pans, and tents, things would go a lot smoother, even in the cooking department. They would eat better in the long run. She would eat better, in the long run.

She tried to continue to ignore the scents, taking note both of chocobo stables, and then a shop nearby it, suggesting the more usual entrance into the town of Anina. “Here,” she pointed towards the shop, “we can gather supplies for the road there,” and perhaps consider how much a chocobo or four would cost. Even one could be useful for carrying their supplies.

Reva wouldn’t head that way.

Chocobos would be a luxury at this point.

 

[Arcanist]

Unfortunately for Kikiti, Didymus hadn't even reacted to the insult chucked his way, and pouted. She'd have to think of something more creative, something that would get under his skin. For now, though, she turned back to the woman, smiling as she watched her go through some threads, reaching ones that were far thicker and sturdier for some on-the-road fix-me-ups.

"Yeah," she nodded. "We're hoping to head to..." She paused. Though this woman certainly couldn't have been a spy, or someone with nefarious intentions, she didn't feel comfortable spilling that they would be travelling the whole way to Rozari. Anyone could have asked her and anyone could have easily followed behind them, right? But she couldn't think of a town off the top of her head, made up or otherwise.

Diddy had acquired some bags they could use. They looked sturdy enough to carry what they needed, which Kikiti was glad he had the sense to be able to know. Though, he wondered how far he had travelled before, what with him going from capital to capital to get up to...well, thieving.

Remembering her pause though, Kikiti let out an, "Oh, yes, cloth! I completely forgot I needed some. Can you let me see some? I'm awfully picky about what kind I buy..." Kikiti, obviously, was not, considering she made her dress out of curtains, but anything to give her some time to think of somewhere they may or may not have been going.

~***~

Cleon frowned, clearly believing otherwise. However, he didn't push Reva any more on the matter. He supposed it was better to grab everything they needed first before thinking about food as much as he was hungry too. "Alright..." She was right. It was probably easier to find food in the wild. A tent, or a pot, or something else, was another matter.

Cleon, of course, had noticed the sign that Reva had noted would belong to the shop they were looking for, and also noticed the chocobo stables nearby. He would have gone first into there, if not just to see the steeds themselves, though, he resisted and nodded. "Let's go grab what we need then." He had to practically force himself to walk past the stables. Mind you, on the way past, he was glad he wasn't going into them. They weren't exactly the cleanest places, and this one didn't seem any different with the smell that wafted from it...

When they entered the shop, their arrival was signalled by a tinkling bell above them. There was a boy, barely a teenager, on a stool rearranging a myriad of colourful shaped bottles on the shelves at the other end of the small shop. He glanced over his shoulder so casually that it appeared he had done this before. "Hey," he greeted, though, it probably wasn't the most mannerly greeting - which the boy's father had no doubt pulled his ear on several times - but continued nonetheless, "what can I do you for?"

"Oh, uh..." Cleon cleared his throat, awkwardly ambling into the store. "We were wanting to stock up on some potions and other things for our..." Imminent escape from the Empire. Our forced exile. Roadtrip to Rozari. "...trip."

The boy hadn't taken note of Cleon's hesitance and instead sighed, shaking his head. "After I shelved a bunch..." As if that was his biggest inconvenience of the day. Though, nonetheless, he would comply with what the customer wanted. "What do you want? We got a deal on; buy three potions and I'll knock some gil off an antidote for you."

"Uh..." Cleon stared agape at the boy for a moment, who just drummed his fingers on his arm, waiting patiently for an answer. Was that supposed to be a good deal? How much even were potions and antidotes? Did people usually do deals like that? He turned to Reva, trying not to seem like a poor confused prince with no knowledge or common sense of how transactions worked, and asked, "How many do we need...?"

 

[Lucyfer]

Didymus managed not to facepalm at Kikiti’s obvious pause. Clearly, she hadn’t traveled much at all. He knew that, but it was so painfully obvious now. Maybe that was why Reva stuck him with Kikiti? He didn’t know why she opted to divide things, really, except that she wouldn’t want to part from Cleon.

“Oh, of course, let me show you some of our sturdier weaves,” the lady said, and moved from her shuffling of supplies to take Kikiti over to where plenty of plain, monotone clothes were, mostly cotton or wool, or blends of either. Nothing silk or satin – those weren’t good for travel, and nothing terribly decorative.

As the lady began to show Kikiti the options, Diddy looked back at the thread left out and, well, swiped it.

Swiped a few needles.

Swiped a thimble, a pin cushion that already had pins in it, and the scissors nearby.

Thankfully, the woman was well engaged with Kikiti, “…if you’re going north, you’ll really want some of the wool, it gets quite cold up there, don’t let their weird clothing fool you – they layer it up well, even though it looks light and not nearly enough!”

Diddy managed not to roll his eyes.

~***~

Reva took a look around the shop at what things were easily accessible. The potions were obvious, along with antidotes. Some other interesting tinctures were scattered about, and she considered them in turn. She doubted they would be so lucky to find elixirs or remedies in a place such as this, and none caught her eye.

“We are looking for two to four tents, and then potions, antidotes, echo herbs, and other manner of supplies for our journey,” Reva answered. “If you happen to know the cost of a chocobo, I would also be interested in that.”

Although she still suspected those were way out of her price range for right now, perhaps down the road it would be feasible. Obtaining gil would be difficult, but there were some beasts that could be parted out and sold for profit. Reva didn’t necessarily want to run into any of those things, but nonetheless, she would have to consider it.

“I think we have a couple of tents in the back,” the boy said, “Let me check,” and with that, he did move around the counter, and through another door, though he left it open as he vanished through it, leaving Reva and Cleon to wait on him to return.

 

[Arcanist]

Kikiti, though still smiling, couldn't help but relief wash over her. She hadn't noticed - at least, she seemed like she didn't - but if she just kept her cool, and acted as if nothing was wrong, surely she wouldn't have suspected anything of them. She happily followed along, keeping up the facade.

Of course, whilst Diddy was swiping in the background, neither Kikiti or the woman had noticed. Kikiti was much too focused on keeping up appearances with the woman, nodding and taking in every bit of advice she could. "Ah, it's so sturdy too...and comfortable..." Kikiti murmured, feeling her way through the different fabrics, and most importantly, taking note of the attire they would need up further north.

The plain clothes would work just as well too. Made them stand out slightly less than they already did. The Lalafell and the Viera clearly brought a lot of attention to their rag-tag group after all.

It wasn't long before Kikiti was picking out shirts, and pants,things she could easily sew into scarves, ooh, perhaps even a nice pair of gloves! Though, she had to limit herself before she got too carried away. She ended up buying some shirts, pants, a dress and pants for herself... she was sure she'd find plenty more on their travels, and even if they were too big, she could tuck them in according to size. Better to get something too big than to have to deal with something too small.

Once she was done, the woman helped her carry what Kikiti had picked up back to where her thread was...though, noticed it had gone missing.

"Didn't I set some thread out here...?" The woman wondered aloud, putting a hand to her head. "I could have sworn I did..."

Kikiti's stomach lurched. She looked to where the thread had been, to Diddy, and she didn't even need to think twice. She was struggling not to explode with fury, to accuse him of such criminality. She knew it was wrong, horribly, terribly wrong.

Yet, she couldn't decide what to do in that moment.

"Ah, I'm sorry my dears," she shook her head, starting to organise through their purchases. "My age is showing. I'll get you some now."

Whilst her back was turned to gather some more thread, Kikiti shot a glare to Didymus, before mouthing, "Put it back."

~***~

Cleon silently breathed in relief at Reva's intervening. Better to have her deal with the business side of things than him...though, he noted that was something he still should have had experience in.

Was shopping really this hard?

As the boy went off to find some tents that were hopefully in the back, Cleon stood, thoughtful for several moments. "Two to four tents..." He mused. If they could get the four, or even the three...wouldn't two of them each have to share one? He'd never shared a tent or a sleeping space with anyone before. In fact, when he thought about it, he didn't share much with anyone. Except his vegetables for Reva as a child. Though, he willingly gifted her those when his mother wasn't watching, so he wasn't sure that was really the same thing.

"You're in luck!" The boy grunted through the other door before appearing once again with two tent kits. "Found two of them for ya. When it comes to the chocobos, they're a 100 gil a go. Trust me, it's a better deal than what you're getting anywhere else." He reassured them. "I hear in Amarun they're charging up to 500, hells, even more. Something about their 'unique breeding' or something silly like that."

Amarun...the Empire's capital. Cleon's nose wrinkled at the mention of it.

 

[Lucyfer]

Didymus shook his head as the woman asked about thread, brows knitting together in confusion, as if he didn’t know there had been thread left there, at all. Of course, Kikiti remembered, and Kikiti was clearly suppressing her anger at him for swiping it. He heard it in her tone as she addressed him, and he did roll his eyes then.

As the woman’s back was turned, he only took out one spindle of thread, and pretended to be reaching across the counter as he said, “Wait, is this what you meant?” and the woman looked back at him as he set it on the counter, “I saw it over by the gil box, it must have rolled over there,” he said.

“Oh! Yes, this is it exactly, it’s a thicker thread, it may be harder to work with, but it’s not going to break as easily,” she said, setting it down, and then motioning for Kikiti to put what she’d found on the counter so she could sort through it.

Didymus would help if she needed it. The counter was, well, human-sized, after all. “Let me just get this all tallied up.”

‘We could have had some free thread!’ He didn’t vocalize his complaint, obviously.

His attention was distracted by movement outside, though.

Chocobos.

Imperial red. ‘Shit.’

~***~

Reva wasn’t surprised that chocobos in the Empire were more expensive. They used them more frequently, and in matters of war. Even if they likely had far more chocobos than Ucantis, they still marked them up. She knew 100 for a chocobo also was not a bad price, but she wasn’t sure if they’d manage it.

“How much are the tents?” She inquired.

“They run about 50 gil a piece.” The boy said, and Reva considered the gil she had. She set down 100 of it, “And then we should have 12 potions, and 4 antidotes,” she had an idea of what those would be, and the boy quickly went over to grab the amount requested.

“Any echo herbs?”

She considered, “4, as well,” Reva determined. They were likely not so useful as tools for Cleon or for Didymus, but for herself and Kikiti, they would be useful if they felt their connection suddenly broken with their magic.

 

[Arcanist]

One spindle. Who knew how many he had swiped when their backs were turned. She was seething, and she could have exploded at him then, but she couldn't. Not when he tried to 'return' it. Kikiti had to force a smile when the woman turned back and had seemed to relieved at the item being 'found'.

Damn that Didymus. She'd give him a good thwacking later for it.

Kikiti, just imagining the pleasure she'd get out of teaching him a lesson later, kept up her smile. Stubbornly, she got on her tiptoes, and managed to reach up enough for the woman to lift up the rest of the clothing from her.

She'd be damned if she let that thief help her. That, and she was an independent woman who didn't need the help. She was perfectly capable of doing such things on her own.

Kikiti was about to turn and give Didymus another damning glare, until she noticed him staring at something. "What?" She asked, looking in the direction Didymus was staring in. She froze, feeling the blood rush down from her face. They had caught up to them, and in no time at all.

Oh no...

"Dear?"

Kikiti jerked, looking around at the woman. She had been looking at the Lalafell-mix expectantly. "Oh!" She laughed nervously, reaching for the gil Reva had put in her pouch. "S-sorry, how much was that again?" She gathered up the right amount, with shaky fingers, trying not to seem so nervous.

They didn't know who they were. They would just be looking for Cleon and Reva. Where a Viera was, Cleon would be right there with her. There was no mention of a thief or a Lalafell yet...was there? They didn't know for sure. She put the gil on the counter, taking the clothes with a muted, "Thank you." Though, she would look to Didymus, with a clear question of what they were going to do.

They had to find Cleon and Reva. And quickly.

~***~

In the meanwhile as the boy gathered what potions and the like they needed, Cleon juggled the numbers in his head...only to realise, again, he didn't know what the prices of such concoctions normally were. He sighed quietly to himself, looking around other parts of the shop as he waited.

He wished he paid more attention during his studies.

The boy returned to Reva, setting down the potions, antidotes, and echo herbs. "Alright. So, 12 potions at 15 gil...then you got all the antidotes for 20 'cause of the deal...echo herbs at 30..." He was counting on his fingers, totalling up all the items in his head.

Cleon decided in the meanwhile at least to make himself useful and gather up the things that they needed. He lifted his head though at the sound of voices, what sounded like confusion from local townsfolk outside the shop. Something knotted itself in Cleon's stomach, and he glanced to Reva, wondering if she had the same feeling, or if she heard anything at all.

The boy seemed unaware of such anxiety, and was continuing to count up the total. "And then if you factor in the two tents as well, that's 100, so altogether that's, uh, 330."

 

[Lucyfer]

Didymus shifted his gaze momentarily as Kikiti seemed to lose track of the situation, unaware she’d tried to shoot him a glare. His own posture had remained relaxed as he watched outside, but he shifted from that as Kikiti got her bearings and offered up the gil she had, which was thankfully enough for their supplies.

They still needed to go find some cooking supplies, though.

The Empire nuisance was also a problem. “Thank you,” Diddy echoed as he took some of the bags, and helped put their things into bags, “Do you know where we might find a shop that sells cookware?” He asked.

“Oh – yes, actually, the blacksmith,” the lady chuckled, “he makes plenty of everyday things with his forge and usually has some available. He’s around the corner,” she made a gesture in the general direction they should go, and Didymus nodded.

“Thank you,” he repeated, before looking down to Kikiti, “Let’s get that way,” he knew they had a duty to Reva and Cleon, but they also had to finish up their preparations. Not to mention it would help him a bit if the situation grew more chaotic, but he wasn’t going to say that as he stepped out of the building, and took note of where the armored soldiers were.

They were ahead.

On the path they were going.

He figured it’d be easy enough to just walk by them and act natural, so, well, that’s what he did.

~***~

Reva could hear the confusion outside. Not the typical confusion of those who spotted a viera for the first time in their life. She tried to make out the words through the walls, but the walls did a fair job at muffling it. Not to mention, her attention was taken by the boy and the amount she needed to pay.

She did offer it up, noting it didn’t leave them enough for more than one chocobo. It might be enough to buy a room at the inn for all of them, though. They would have to consider what they preferred, if a chocobo as a beast of burden was a good idea, or if they should consider something other.

“Thank you,” she gathered the supplies, placing them as well as she could into her pouch, before looking to Cleon and offering him what remained. She slung one tent kit over her shoulder, and figured Cleon could do the same with the other.

As she slid that over to him, she heard a raised voice.

“What do you mean we have to pay to stable our chocobos here?”

A look outside revealed a couple of Arkidian soldiers, who hadn’t spotted them through the window yet.