Fandom Final Fantasy: The Age of Ophiuchus [Closed]

[Lucyfer]

Reva had certainly wondered about Leviathan and his presence, but she wasn’t even certain he was aware. If he was, he felt no need to tell her anything more than they had a bond that was not breakable. He did not tell her if there was a purpose for it, or much more. It was frustrating when she thought of it, but that was not often.

She would imagine them fortunate, but she was not certain it was coincidence that brought them together. ‘Indeed, who can be certain what the Empire is doing with those with marks….’ Although it seemed they did not have most of them together, which was good for them. For now. It would be in their interests to keep on top of this.

Reva and Didymus did both nod, “But we must continue towards Rozari,” Reva reminded, “This is not something we need focus on right now.”

“Says the awakened one,” Didymus countered, though not seriously. It still earned him a glare. He looked down, looking apologetic.

“We do not know what these are, this is true, but we know we are not safe in Ucantis. In Rozari, the Empire has not spread. We will do better there.”

“But we might not find answers!” Didymus protested, “The people in Rozari probably don’t know about this, either! I didn’t.”

“And you are from Escander, am I correct?”

“Yea—”

“And living under the Empire, you did not know about this?”

Didymus frowned. He couldn’t argue that. Damnit. He wanted to stay in Ucantis so he could get them all kidnapped, and then ask Zariel what the hell! ‘Maybe if you tell them that, and promise to help them escape – which you wouldn’t – they’d take the idea? Tell them you know someone in Zariel’s army and you could do a trick….’ Yeah, no, that wasn’t going to work.

But now he really was curious.

Gemini was the Twins.

And he was a Twin.

Was his spirit-helper his Twin? Was that even possible?

 

[Arcanist]

Cleon and Kikiti both nodded at Reva's insistence that they not forget what their focus was. Of course, Rozari would be the end-goal. The other stuff they could keep in mind along the way!

Kikiti couldn't help but snicker a little at Didymus' hurt, apologetic look. What Reva said was true but seeing the man with that look on his face - since he had been so unapologetic about everything else - was quite amusing.

"Oh," Kikiti turned to Reva and Cleon, suddenly reminded of something she had meant to ask them. "You never told me why we were heading to Rozari. Well, apart from it being the only other place the Empire hasn't touched," she said, smiling.

"Oh, right," Cleon turned to Kikiti, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I mentioned it to Didymus, but I guess I forgot to tell you. My mother told us to meet with a man named Elcid, an old friend of my father's. He should be able to help us." How yet, as he told Didymus the night before, he wasn't so sure of. That, and he didn't know much of who he was either, other than that he knew his father. Most likely his mother and Reva by extension too.

"Ah, right..." Kikiti did raise her eyebrow at 'should'. He didn't sound overly confident in that regard. She wondered who this 'Elcid' character was. Perhaps a friend of the family. But then Cleon didn't speak of him fondly as if he was a family friend. In fact, it sounded as if Elcid hadn't any contact with the Bandoethels in a rather long while.

"We'll find him, I'm sure," Cleon reassured her, though, whether he was assured of that fact himself was debatable. "We just need to get to Rozari first." He smiled when he Kikiti just nodded again.

He hoped the Empire hadn't reached Rozari before they did. They had held out for this long against them with Ucantis, until it fell. It just needed to stay standing long enough for their arrival.

And perhaps someone, either there or along the way, would have the answers to the questions they sought.

Cleon looked to the others in turn. "I suppose we should look for the rest of the packs, see if they have anything that would be useful to us."

 

[Lucyfer]

As Kikiti was filled in, Didymus couldn’t help but wonder if he might find ways to distract them, or get the information from the other soldiers they might run into. Would they know? ‘Jagger might.’ Jagger worked closer with Zariel, maybe she understood this? ‘Yeah, and how are you going to reach Jagger?’ Maybe he could send a letter in the next town.

He’d need gil for that, though.

“Yeah, we should see if they have a map or anything,” Didymus agreed, and went to ‘his’ chocobo to start picking through the pack, seeking out any item that could be useful, and hoping there wouldn’t be. Any excuse to go towards a town.

He did find some gil, which he set aside.

Reva was the one to find the map of just Ucantis, towns marked, and the borders indicated, with a compass rose in the left, bottom corner. Of course, it didn’t actually help them without an actual compass in hand to be able to keep track of the way they should be heading, to get where they needed to be, and Reva wasn’t digging up any compasses in the pouches.

Probably because the Arkidians were planning to stick to the main roads.

“Have any of you found a compass?” She did ask, at least.

“No, just gil, and some greens for the chocobos,” convenient, that. They would have some special food for the chocobos, though as he held it up, the chocobo he was near turned its head and tried to snap it out of his hands. He was just quick enough to keep it from succeeding. “No.”

“Kweh….” The bird did not sound happy. Just vengeful. It scuffed at the ground in agitation with one taloned foot.

 

[Arcanist]

Cleon nodded before he began to help Reva look for any supplies that would be useful. Reva had at least found the map, which was a good start, though when he was looking for some sort of compass, he couldn't seem to place his hand on one.

He shook his head at Reva, disappointed. "No compass here...some more gil and a few antidotes though," he shrugged. It was okay...still, not what any of them really wanted from hoking in the packs.

Kikiti sighed, pulling away from her pack. "None hiding in mine either..." She murmured, deflated. To think it had been going so well too. One of the soldiers must have had it on their person when they walked into Anina. Looks like another trip to a town might have been on the agenda after all.

When Didymus snatched away the greens from the chocobo maw that almost seized them, she pouted, putting a hand on the chocobo and stroking its soft feathers. She shot a look to Didymus. "Come on, can't you just spare a bit for him? Or...her? Whatever, they at least deserve a tiny piece for taking us this far!"

"Won't they have to take us further though?" Cleon asked, though, it wasn't a question that needed answer. "Surely they need all the strength it can get. Stuffing it with greens isn't really going to help it in the long run..."

Kikiti pouted again. "Well, yes, but..." She groaned, turning and patting the chocobo again. "I'm sorry, miss. Or...mister." She wondered if she should hazard a look to determine what it was, other than Chocobo, of course.

Cleon moved back to Zariel, looking at the map she had dug up. He knew it was Ucantis, for it was a map with locations and territories he was told to practically memorise. He had to rhyme off each town, what each provided, where it was in Ucantis, and so on, and so forth. He found it so monotonous, so droll.

But again, it was no use without a compass, which none of them could seem to find.

"The nearest town I can think of is Nurala, somewhere to the east," Cleon said, though frowned, glancing around them. "But finding out where east is..."

Kikiti looked to Reva, cocking her head to the side as she asked, "Wouldn't the environment or something around us be an indicator or something? It's not accurate, but it's better than nothing when you don't have a compass."

 

[Lucyfer]

Didymus offered the greens to Kikiti, “Maybe you can teach it to stoop with the greens,” he suggested as the matter of the compass was determined to be something they couldn’t come up. “If we keep these birds a while, it’d be a good thing for it to learn.” And there was that chance, chocobos had to eat more than the greens, right? Plus they were useful for long travel. "Try it."

Reva considered the map, moving her finger over where they had just been, and considering the next town of Nurala. She tuned out Didymus and Kikiti for the moment as she hummed, considering how they might find their way east.

“The sun still rises in the east,” Reva noted, “when it gets a little later, we may be able to tell what direction it is moving in, or how our shadow falls.” It was not a good place to look right now, given the forest, “We will need to clear the forest to get a good idea of that. I can lead us out.”

No matter what, she always knew how to get out of forests.

There were other possible ways to find east, but she knew the sun was fairly consistent in the direct it set and rose in, so it would be easy to follow that path once they were on it. Shadows would help, as well, if they got off track. “Sounds easy enough,” Didymus couldn’t really find fault in it, either. Minus the getting out of the forest and possibly being seen bit. “Though if that town is close do you think there’s already soldiers there?”

“The soldiers are likely soon to spread everywhere.” Reva said, “It will be hard to be ahead of them.”

 

[Arcanist]

Kikiti looked to Didymus, narrowing her eyes for just a moment. He wasn't...mocking her, was he? He didn't look like he was. Though, he certainly knew her difficulty with trying to get it to stoop in her past attempts. "I suppose you're right..." She ventured before she took the greens off him. "Alrighty! Training starts now!" She said with vigour, and the chocobo certainly perked up when they saw Kititi possessed the greens.

She held the greens far enough away from the chocobo to try and start training it. She bent down, moving her hand with the greens down in a sweeping motion. "Okay, dowwwnnn..." Though, she frowned when the chocobo just lowered its neck. "No, no, your whole body..."

Thus started an interesting training session, of Kikiti repeating, "Dowwwnnn..." and moving her body as such. She was no expert in training chocobos, or any other creature for that matter.

Cleon had been distracted by the antics of the young girl trying to train that chocobo, though his attention snapped back to Reva when she explained how they might be able to get to Nurala - and in the right direction. "Right...yes, that makes sense..." Of course, the forest had blocked any chance of that, but he knew that Reva knew her way around and out of forests.

Kikiti sighed at the chocobo, who was eating a little bit of the games she begrudgingly gave it. She'd train that chocobo yet, she'd make everyone mark their words! She did turn her attention back to Didymus and Reva as they spoke of the soldiers, how they probably covered a lot of ground by now.

"Well...what if me and Didymus just went into the next town on our own?" Kikiti suggested, who earned a horrified look from Cleon.

"You can't be serious."

"Ahuh," Kikiti nodded. "They don't know that us two have the markings. I doubt they'd bat an eye at the two of us if we were to go in, grab supplies, come back out again, while you guys find somewhere to lay low." Though, there could be problems with that, such as if those soldiers mentioned the prince running with a Lalafell...

"Worst case scenario..." Kikiti looked to Didymus. "Didymus could go alone?"

 

[Lucyfer]

Didymus was tempted to put his weight on the chocobo, and press it down, but he didn’t. The futility of Kikiti’s attempts were too amusing right now. Perhaps later they could talk about how to train it – not that he had any idea how to go about it, either, but people started figuring this out without instructors before!

For now, though, it was more important to get to Nurala.

‘Wait they’d let me go alone?’ Didymus considered jumping at that, but held back, offering, “I could do that, if we needed to.” He couldn’t sound too eager, right?

“It may be better to go with Kikiti,” Reva said, though she was keen on staying apart, she understood why it may be necessary. After all, they were looking for her and Cleon, and she knew she was still fairly distinctive. Even among viera, she had been distinctive. “Though they may be aware that a lalafell helped us, they are unlikely to know distinguishing features.”

Except, perhaps, that Kikiti was taller than some of them, but Reva doubted this was understood from what little they saw of Kikiti.

‘Damnit.’ Didymus couldn’t argue it, though, and so he nodded. “That sounds good,” he said, “though if we have any issues, we’ll leave, and I’ll plan to go on my own next time.” What should he hope for, then?

Probably complications. Immediately.

“Then that is settled,” Reva nodded, “We will find a place to be outside of Nurala, and let you two go into the town to secure a compass, so we may find our way to Rozari.” Reva stated, as if it were that simple.

It was, of course.

And it wasn’t, with all the unknowns ahead. She was good, at least, at keeping on task.

 

[Arcanist]

“Hmm...maybe you’re right...” Kikiti murmured, rubbing her head. Though she hated it, she could easily use her being mistaken as a child to some advantage. “Most who don’t know me think I’m a human child...granted, I can understand why...” If she had to use that to their advantage, well...she supposed she would have to do so begrudgingly.

Kikiti nodded then, on Didymus’ decision to go along later, should anything happen with her. “I suppose that’s a fair enough trade,” she said. She turned to the chocobo and said with conviction, “More time to train you!”

The chocobo couldn’t help but cock its head in a confused fashion before shaking itself out. Kikiti sighed.

One day.

Cleon nodded to Reva’s confirmation of their plans. “Alright. We’ll try that then.” Though he was concerned about Kikiti and Didymus travelling into the town together, and alone, they didn’t have very many other options to consider. Either wander blindly, or have a stab at the chance to walk with some indication of where they were going.

Cleon would much take the latter as a chance.

“I guess we should start to get going then,” Cleon said, looking to Reva, almost as if he was asking permission for them all to move ahead.

After all, she was their guide out of this forest.

 

[Lucyfer]

“Great, I’ll just claim you as a kid sister or something, then,” Didymus said with a shrug, figuring that would be easy enough, even if it didn’t solve his problem of wanting to do this alone. Damn the luck. It was so close. Maybe he should have advocated towards going alone in a non-suspicious way.

‘Too late now.’

They all began to mount up on the chocobos, and Didymus would help Kikiti get up again since they didn’t have time to train the chocobos right now. Reva would signal to Cleon that it was indeed all right, before she would once again return to the saddle, and manage to direct them out.

By that time, it was indeed easier to tell which way was east, the sun already starting to move down and towards the west. Thankfully, the trip to Nurala on chocobos would not take too long – they really did improve the travel time, though no doubt shops were going to be closing soon. They would not have the comfort of a forest to hide in, but they had found a bit of a hilly area of Ucantis where they could make their camp at the bottom of a hill, and hopefully go unnoticed.

“We will prepare camp while you two are away,” Reva said, once they had dismounted, and she was starting to tie off her chocobo. She intended to do the same with Didymus and Kikiti’s chocobo, as Didymus began to pocket some of the gil for use in the town. Even if he wanted to just steal a compass, if he planned to send a letter, he knew he couldn’t very well steal that.

He learned not to challenge the Moogles.

“Thanks,” Didymus said, “I’ll be awake enough to cook something, promise – but if you can gather foodstuff, that would be helpful,” he said, “especially to cook something for you,” he knew Reva had to be starving by now.

She gave a simple nod, before Didymus turned to Kikiti. “Ready?”

 

[Arcanist]

Though being claimed as a kid sister wasn’t ideal and Kikiti made to pout at it...she relented, again, telling herself this was for the greater good. She had to play the part. She just hoped Didymus didn’t revel in it too much. “Alright. Kid sister. We got this...”

After Kikiti was helped onto their chocobo, and Cleon had mounted his and Reva’s, the four were off once again, the journey much quicker, and less of a strain on all of their feet. They had found a hill nearby Nurala that they could camp and set up at.

Kikiti turned back to Didymus and with a nod, said, “Ready!”

“You two be careful over there,” Cleon told them. There was no telling if it would go successfully, if they would be picked up by soldiers...

“Oh, don’t you worry! We’ll be right as rain and back as soon as you know it,” Kikiti reassured him, even if she wasn’t so sure of how things would pan out herself. She turned and gestured for Didymus to follow.

“Let’s go, before the shops close."

Kikiti and Didymus did eventually make it to Nurala, even if their camp was settled a bit away to avoid any onlookers.

The town, though not filled with water wheels and boats or a lot of fancy restaurants like Anina, was known for its expansive greenery and plant life. Often you would find vines growing up the side of houses and shops, moss peeking up from the cracks of cobblestones, and occasional potted plants of flowers and all sorts sitting around the town. It would never quite reach the height and the fame of Rozari’s floral displays and plant life but it was a spot that made Ucantis just that little bit more brighter.

As the two walked into the town, there were several carrying baskets and bags full of groceries or work tools, intending to go home and settle for the evening. From what Kikiti could see, there were still a few shops open, though, for how long, she couldn’t be sure.

“Let’s get to it,” Kikiti said, looking back to him as she walked on, “we’ve only got so long until--” Without looking where she was going, she walked into the leg of a man, carrying a sack full of groceries. Though he managed to retain his balance, she did not, and landed straight onto her rump.

“Ow...” Kikiti frowned, rubbing her behind before glancing up at the man. “What’s the big idea?!”

“Oh, hey, I’m sorry, sweetheart,” the man squatted down, genuinely sympathetic to being the cause of the girl’s fall. From what it seemed, he didn’t think the girl was almost an adult, by Lalafell/Human standards anyway, and he tutted. “You haven’t hurt yourself, have you?”

Already, being regarded as a child had irked Kikiti already, and she made to shout, “I’M NOT--” Though, remembered. She had to keep up the act and not completely spook the man. She cleared her throat, somehow, managing to make her voice that teeny bit higher, and responded, “Oh, no, I haven’t mister. I’m super clumsy. I bump into people all the time~”

Ugh. Gross. The sooner they got out of here, the better.

The man just laughed and Kikiti tried not to cringe. He held out his hand to Kikiti to help her onto her feet. “It’s alright, sweetheart.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Didymus couldn’t help but kind of gawk at the quaintness he’d been seen throughout Ucantis. Even in the capital, it all seemed so quaint, as if it came from a century behind. Perhaps he was just so used to how things were in Escander…and the Empire-ruled realms. ‘How much is Ucantis going to change? How quickly?’ He didn’t know, Escander was already a capitalistic hell-hole before the Empire that thrived on innovation.

Perhaps its one, and only, good thing.

Of course, he was tall enough that most people instinctively moved around him if he stood to gawk for too long, or walked awkwardly because of it. Kikiti, on the other hand, was not – and Didymus couldn’t help but laugh when she ran into someone. He was quick to join her side, though, as the other person began to patronize her, already assuming she was a child.

“Hey, sorry about that!” Didymus said to the man as he approached, “she wasn’t watching where she was going, we’re a bit new in the area. This place is so different!” He said, putting on that awe-struck traveler voice of his, “We’re needing to restock a bit, we’re on our way to see our grandparents. Do you know where we could find some rations?”

That wasn’t what they needed, but rations, potions, and the like were no doubt near a compass.

“Of course, sonny – you’ll want to just head down that road a bit, and take a left. Keep down that and at the end of the path, you should find a good place to restock. Also a nice inn. You two should take a load off here for a bit, it’s gonna be night soon.”

“Thanks – we probably will,” Didymus gave an awkward smile of appreciation and put a hand behind his head, “C’mon, Kiki, we should hurry before they all close. Thank you, sir!” She probably didn’t like ‘Kiki’, but he didn’t think calling her by her full name was the best idea, either.

They may not be known yet, but…well, anything could happen.

And he didn’t believe this idyllic looking place was clear of Arkidian soldiers just yet.

 

[Arcanist]

Didymus’ laughter didn’t help Kikiti feel any less embarrassed about the whole situation. She would have turned and whacked him with her staff if she could, but keeping up the pretence of a young girl was more important than that. So, she bit her tongue, played along with Diddy’s awestruck traveller act.

It was the least she could do so they could keep their heads down.

Kikiti glanced in the direction that the man had pointed in, saying they would find rations, potions, all sorts they needed for their journey to their...grandparents. She would admit, it was a good cover. Very believable that they would be travelling to them.

Didymus either had a knack for coming up with details on the spot, or he had done this before. Something told her it was the latter.

The girl looked to Didymus, confusion crossing her brow for a moment, until that confusion morphed into a smile, and she nodded. “Okay! Bye-bye, mister~!” She chimed, and the man smiled, waving at her as she walked off with Didymus.

As soon as they were far enough, she huffed, “Kiki? I guess it works, but...” She wasn’t fond of it. It didn’t...sound right.

But she didn’t have another cover name, so Kiki would just have to stick for now.

Following the direction the nice man gave them, the two finally found themselves at the general shop that would hopefully have their compass. On the way inside, voices from the other end of the shop carried towards them.

And red appeared in their vision.

“You’re sure you haven’t seen anyone like that?” The first of two soldiers asked. He stood at the counter, arms folded, though, remarkably patient looking, while his partner browsed the general wares.

“I’m sure,” the woman behind the counter frowned, shaking her head. “If I had, I would have told you the first time you asked me.”

The soldier hummed, unfolding his arms. He was doubtful, but he’d let the woman off with it. If she wouldn’t tell him, someone else in this town was bound to.

“Now, if you excuse me, I have other work to be tending to...” She glanced to the two new faces that appeared inside and smiled. “And customers! What can I do for you today?”

The conversation was well and truly over.

Though, Kikiti froze, unsure of whether to turn and walk back out, or continue as normal. They’d look suspicious if they did the first, though, what if they matched the descriptions the soldiers most likely gave?

The young girl swallowed back and before she could seem more suspicious than she already was, she rushed behind Didymus. “You tell her...big bro...” Ugh, even those words wanted to make her cringe. She hid behind him, hoping that would throw them off any suspicions they may have had.

Who would bother a shy girl and her big brother, after all?

 

[Arcanist]

Didymus’ laughter didn’t help Kikiti feel any less embarrassed about the whole situation. She would have turned and whacked him with her staff if she could, but keeping up the pretence of a young girl was more important than that. So, she bit her tongue, played along with Diddy’s awestruck traveller act.

It was the least she could do so they could keep their heads down.

Kikiti glanced in the direction that the man had pointed in, saying they would find rations, potions, all sorts they needed for their journey to their...grandparents. She would admit, it was a good cover. Very believable that they would be travelling to them.

Didymus either had a knack for coming up with details on the spot, or he had done this before. Something told her it was the latter.

The girl looked to Didymus, confusion crossing her brow for a moment, until that confusion morphed into a smile, and she nodded. “Okay! Bye-bye, mister~!” She chimed, and the man smiled, waving at her as she walked off with Didymus.

As soon as they were far enough, she huffed, “Kiki? I guess it works, but...” She wasn’t fond of it. It didn’t...sound right.

But she didn’t have another cover name, so Kiki would just have to stick for now.

Following the direction the nice man gave them, the two finally found themselves at the general shop that would hopefully have their compass. On the way inside, voices from the other end of the shop carried towards them.

And red appeared in their vision.

“You’re sure you haven’t seen anyone like that?” The first of two soldiers asked. He stood at the counter, arms folded, though, remarkably patient looking, while his partner browsed the general wares.

“I’m sure,” the woman behind the counter frowned, shaking her head. “If I had, I would have told you the first time you asked me.”

The soldier hummed, unfolding his arms. He was doubtful, but he’d let the woman off with it. If she wouldn’t tell him, someone else in this town was bound to.

“Now, if you excuse me, I have other work to be tending to...” She glanced to the two new faces that appeared inside and smiled. “And customers! What can I do for you today?”

The conversation was well and truly over.

Though, Kikiti froze, unsure of whether to turn and walk back out, or continue as normal. They’d look suspicious if they did the first, though, what if they matched the descriptions the soldiers most likely gave?

The young girl swallowed back and before she could seem more suspicious than she already was, she rushed behind Didymus. “You tell her...big bro...” Ugh, even those words wanted to make her cringe. She hid behind him, hoping that would throw them off any suspicions they may have had.

Who would bother a shy girl and her big brother, after all?

 

[Lucyfer]

Didymus gave a shrug, “I blanked, okay,” he admitted as they walked along to the store, about ‘Kiki’. It didn’t sound right, though, he’d give her that. That off-putting nature of it might be just enough to keep the Arkidians off their trail, though. Which, it seemed, they were going to walk right into that trail as they came into the shop.

‘Welp.’

Didymus smiled at the woman who was eager to have their attention to take away from the Arkidians. The one who had been questioning her sighed and stepped back, but not away, eying the newcomers for a moment. “Uh, yeah, we need a compass,” Didymus said, “the one we had before fell into the river some ways back and we need to get ourselves oriented again.”

“Where are you heading?” The Arkidian was the one to ask.

“Just to see our grandparents,” he said, “why, are there some bad fiends on the way towards Mirstone?” It was a town in Ucantis he knew of, and so he threw it out on a whim, trying to look innocent and worried about what may be ahead.

“No, no,” the Arkidian shook their head, “we’re just looking for a dangerous viera and her companion,” the Arkidian, strangely enough, didn’t name the companion, “the viera’s unusual even for her kind, black skin and red eyes. You seen her?”

“No, I haven’t. I’ve never seen a viera with anything but pale skin, and that was pretty rare,” he said, bluffing terribly well.

“And her companion then – male, tall, long brown hair – like down to his hips long.”

Didymus frowned, “You might want to be more specific, it’s not that uncommon here for nobility to keep their hair long,” at least Cleon had given him that insight. “I haven’t seen anyone like that recently, but I’m sure I’ve seen a few when I passed through the capital.”

 

[Arcanist]

Kikiti followed behind Didymus, occasionally stealing a glance at the two soldiers. The Empire was quick but then she'd be concerned if they weren't determined to cover every part of Ucantis. She stayed silent as Didymus asked about a compass they could purchase, though, was ready to jump in should Didymus need her.

It hadn't been the case. She didn't want to admit it but Didymus' bluffs were great. Somehow, he made their travelling siblings story even more believable. Even the mention of Mirstone was a nice touch. She hadn't even been sure if he knew many places in Ucantis.

Didymus kept his cool through it all, giving the soldiers little ammunition for them to play with.

The second soldier turned from the potions on the shelf he had been looking at, raising an eyebrow. "Nobility? We didn't mention anything about nobility," he pointed out.

Kikiti tried not to swallow back. Of course, they just categorised them as a Viera and a male. Never a prince. She still wasn't sure if the news had reached beyond Ucantis' capital. She cleared her throat, and mustering her most timid voice, started speaking.

"But so many men keep their hair long up there! And the ladies too! It’s so pretty~...” Kikiti attempted her best doe-eyed look after making the comment.

The second soldier looked over to the first, who shrugged, before he sighed, “I dunno about that, kid...but whatever makes you happy, I guess.”

The first soldier looked back to Didymus, asking, “Did you pass through the capital long ago?” It was posed as a question of curiosity, rather than something of interrogation, though, it certainly danced along the lines of it.

 

[Lucyfer]

Didymus shrugged at the statement about nobility. He rolled his eyes at Kikiti's doe-eyed fascination, but it fit, "Yeah, exactly. They're the ones who make a point of showing it off." It was why Cleon would stand out, after all. Men here perhaps kept it longer than in other places, but he didn’t see too many with hair as long as Cleon. Probably the day to day life, along with the cost of upkeep, kept it mostly a thing of nobility.

As for the capital bit, he did nod, “Yeah, about six days ago,” well out of the time the Empire was there. He thought that would help with his story about considering nobility and long hair, while avoiding the timing of the arrival of the Arkidian’s arrival. “Why, what’s up? Seriously, if there’s something going on, on the way to Mirstone—”

The soldier lifted his hands, giving a calming gesture of sorts, “Nothing terrible, we’re just looking for a few missing people, and the viera’s a bit touchy. What were you doing in the capital?”

“It was on our way,” Didymus sighed, finally starting to look exasperated and annoyed while the clerk in the background was going to get a compass for them. “It’s been a long trip.”

“Where from?” the second soldier chimed up.

Well, Didymus knew plenty of places in Escander and Prumoor, but not so many in Ucantis that would feasibly move them through the capital. He was really hoping that Kikiti could come up with something...and also hoping that the Arkidian soldiers didn't know Ucantis that well. That was more likely, right? He could probably just throw a name out there, and they wouldn't be sure if it was real or not.

 

[Arcanist]

Thankfully, the Arkidian soldiers were willing to at least move on from the whole long hair and nobility issue. Didymus, once again, smoothed things over rather effectively. She did nod in agreement with Didymus' statement on nobles showing off their locks to further keep up the pretence.

Then came more questions. How long it had been since they travelled in the capital, which Didymus had managed to deflect once again and come it with a pretty astute lie - sorry, twisting of the truth. Next came what they were doing in the capital, which Didymus seemed less than pleased with the question coming up.

The next one was where they were from. Didymus found that a little harder to answer - at least from Kikiti's point of view. He probably didn't know Ucantis as well as he thought he might of...but she figured the same of these soldiers. She doubted they got a huge geography lesson in the years leading up to this and what each town was, and so on, so forth. So, she came out with another town.

"Kincard. There aren't very many easy ways to get to it. It's quite solitary actually. Surrounded by huuuuuge mountains! You have to pass through the capital to get in or out!" Thank goodness for that bit of knowledge. She had never been personally, but he had relayed a story about being stuck up there because of a vicious storm, one that managed to cause several blockages in the rocky mountain pass leading to and from the capital. It took weeks for it to be cleared and for him to return home.

"Kincard. I see. I believed I've heard of there before..." the first Arkidian soldier raised his eyebrow, trying to feign some sort of awareness of the town, though, clearly had not.

The second soldier approached the other soldier, rolling back his shoulders. "Can we get going? It sounds like no one here in this place knows where they are or have even seen them." Clearly, the man's patience for idle chitchat and questioning was wearing rather thin.

"We still have ground to cover here in this town," the first soldier told him. "But I do agree we've exhausted these people enough with questions they can't answer." He turned to the shopkeep, who had paused in looking for the compass, and nodded. "Thank you for your time." He then turned back to Didymus and Kikiti. "And you two, safe travels. I hope it isn't long until you're reunited with your grandparents."

Kikiti managed a smile and nodded. "Hope you find who you're looking for soon!~"

She didn't, of course. She hoped they never did.

 

[Lucyfer]

Didymus was indeed relieved that Kikiti came up with an apt lie about where they came from, explaining it away to the Arkidians who seemed to grow tired of questioning these people. Didymus didn’t let his relief show, though. “Thank you,” he said to the soldiers as they wished them well, though he held on to some of that exasperation.

His gaze followed them out, before he returned to the shop and the moment.

He shook his head as they left and walked up to the counter then, “What’s going on?” He asked the woman.

Even she shook her head, seeming annoyed, “I don’t know, they’ve been going around town asking about these people but not explaining the situation. I don’t even know why we have Arkidians here who think they can just walk about and do as they please – aren’t we at war with them?”

So, news wasn’t being spread here just yet.

Didymus shrugged. He wouldn’t claim to know much about what was going on. She sighed, but put a compass up on the counter, “Here, does this compass look like it’ll work?”

Didymus nodded, “Yeah, I think so.” It pointed north, he assumed that was all it needed to do, “How much?” She gave them the price, and Didymus began to count out the gil, and set it there, before asking, “Do you know if there’s a moogle post in town? I’d like to send a letter back to our parents to let them know we’re okay, in case they’re seeing the same thing back home.”

It played with the idea, right?

Maybe Kikiti could use it as a way to write home, too.

She might appreciate that.

 

[Arcanist]

Kikiti had smiled and waved to them walking out of the shop, and tried not to let her smile drop when they left. They didn't want to raise any suspicions about them from these townsfolk after all.

When Didymus asked, to keep up their act, about what was going on, the woman couldn't seem to answer that. Kikiti tried not to frown at that. She wasn't sure them hearing about Queen Inara's death and the Empire's takeover would be well received, but then again, to leave these people in the dark, while they knew - or at least, Cleon, Reva, and herself knew, seemed cruel.

But it didn't seem something that any of them were going to discuss.

The woman gave the compass and its price over to Didymus, and Kikiti figured that was that. Though, he asked about a moogle post, because the both of them had to send a letter to their parents.

Was that...part of their cover? She had assumed so, though she couldn't help but feel how specific that was. On thinking about it though, she could use that to her advantage. Her parents must have been worried sick about her. And she missed them terribly…

"Ah, yes," the woman nodded, "if you walk out of the shop and take a right, and keep going, you should see a sign for the inn. The moogle post should be just beside it." She smiled.

Kikiti smiled up at her. "Thank you!"

"Any time," the woman smiled back, taking the Gil that Didymus had counted out, and slid the compass towards him. "Now, you two be careful travelling to your grandparents, okay?"

Kikiti nodded. "We will, promise!" She looked up to Didymus, almost as it to ask if they should go, if they had everything, that was.

 

[Lucyfer]

“Thank you!” Didymus was glad to hear where the post was, and played up that with a chipper disposition. After all, he was just there with his kid sister Kiki, on his way to see his grandparents, and now concerned about making sure his parents knew they were okay. He should be chipper!

It was probably worrisome how good he was at this.

“We’ll be careful,” he said, before he would turn to leave, giving a glance down at Kikiti. Once they were outside, he did turn left, and added in a low voice, “I’m sure you’d like to let your parents know you are okay, right?” He said, and added, “before they start looking…and maybe tip the Arkidians off, if they put two and two together,” there had to be some conversation about a lalafell involved in Cleon’s escape.

It would be good for her parents not to mention it.

Otherwise, they might be harmed. Or used as bait.

“The moogles are good. They’re not going to let anyone intercept.” He said, not sure if she’d ever used the moogle post before. He had, several times.

It was kind of a necessity with all his travel.

And the moogle post was obvious, a place besides the inn with the signature red pom-pom dangling over the door as its sign. "I need to...get a letter to my sister," as he said it, he touched that pink bracelet. An apology, to his real sister.

 

[Arcanist]

It was quite worrisome how good Didymus was at this. Then again, Kikiti wouldn't complain. It got the Arkidian soldiers off their back, and it also made for a good cover story for the townsfolk. So, after Didymus said his piece, she smiled and waved to the woman, who bid them farewell and returned to her daily business.

Once outside, Kikiti looked up to Didymus, who made mention that she would probably want to write to her parents. She nodded. "I agree...plus, they'd be quite worried...at least the letter would let them know I was okay." The last thing she wanted was for either of her parents to be pulled into this mess. It was hers and hers alone, and she had to deal with the consequences of her actions, no matter how morally good such intentions of hers were.

Kikiti nodded again, at his mention of how the moogles were good in handing the letter over the recipient, and only the recipient. "Personally, I haven't used moogle posts all that much. But I've heard good things about them." That was enough for her on that front.

They approached the moogle post - fairly obvious with that red pom-pom over the door - and Kikiti looked to Didymus when he mentioned his sister. "Oh, I didn't know you had a sister," she said, though, she wouldn't have, since she never asked, and he had never said. She wondered why he didn't bring her up...she glanced at his pink bracelet momentarily before looking back up to him. "You must be close if you're eager to send her a letter." She smiled, though, said little else on the matter.

It must have been hard for him to leave her behind after all.

Kikiti was the one to push open the door and walk inside first. Upon entering, she was met by a moogle that almost flew into her on their way out the door. She donned a simple cap and a bag slung over her small, round body.

"Oh, whoopsie! My bad, kupo! Busy, busy day!" The moogle exclaimed before tipping their hat to Didymus and Kikiti, and flew out the door and onto its next delivery route.

When Kikiti turned and looked into the room, she blinked. "Busy indeed..."

It was a standard looking room. There were a few tables and chairs, no doubt for people to sit and wait at, or perhaps to compose their letters there. But, most obviously, behind a counter was an assortment of boxes against the wall, piled with letters and packages and other such things that would have to be delivered. There were a few moogles present at the wall, gathering what needed to be delivered, organised what was most urgent, and so on, so forth. A moogle at the counter spotted the two walking in and brightened up with a warm greeting.

"Welcome to the Moogle Post! For all your speedy and safe delivery needs, kupo! What can I do for ya today?"

Kikiti smiled, walking up to the counter. "I hope you don't mind, but we're both looking to write letters to home. Do you have some parchment and something to write on it with?"

 

[Lucyfer]

“Yeah…she travels a lot, but she knew I was heading this way. I don’t need her coming this way and doing something stupid,” that was exactly what he needed Jagger to do, actually. Didymus felt some guilt mount he continued to lie about his sister. His sister who was very much with him right now, but also very far away. His mind still lingered on the possibility of maybe her being some sort of protective spirit. Something he had the power to call forth.

If only he knew how.

He still found a smile for the antics of the moogle as it zipped by, and stepped in, glancing around. The moogle post was the one thing that never changed – anywhere on all of Hyune, it always looked the same, moogles moving about and packages everywhere. Well, not everywhere, but very visible.

He approached the counter with Kikiti. “Kupo! Of course we do, we usually sell them in packs of 20 for a gil, but if you’re just needing one each we won’t charge you.”

“Yeah, that should be enough,” Didymus said, and two pieces of paper were produced, along with ink pens to write with. Didymus nodded, “What’s the fee right now for mailing?”

“Within Ucantis is just 10 gil, outside of Ucantis on Hyune is 50 gil, and beyond Hyune is 150. Flat rates.”

Didymus nodded, and put up 60 gil. He was pretty sure that Jagger was in Ucantis, but he wasn’t going to take his bets. Not to mention, he made it sound as if she wasn’t in Ucantis, so, best to avoid that. “That should cover it, right?” He looked to Kikiti to confirm, before he would take his paper, and his pen, to find another counter to write on.

He didn’t really want Kikiti to see too much of what he was writing, after all.

 

[Arcanist]

Kikiti beamed, genuinely surprised at the prices. Somehow, she had expected them to be more extortionate. Then again, if they were delivering several letters everywhere, the fees certainly added up...and the profits on the moogles' side of things.

When Didymus had squared up on what was owed for the mailing, Kikiti did the quick maths in her head - which she was used to doing with her father - she nodded. "Yep, 60 gil!" She soon took her own supplies to write this letter, though, rather than joining Didymus at the exact same surface, just chose the one that was closest to her instead. She pushed a stool closer to a table before clambering onto it.

Once everything was set out on the table and ready to go, Kikiti figured that she would have been ready to start writing. Yet, she just stared at the blank page, frowning. She wasn't sure how to start off. There was so much she wanted to tell them, but she wasn't sure how much she could tell them. Writing letters was a lot harder than she thought. But she sighed, and figured if she put pen to paper, it would come to her much easier. And so, that was what she did.

Mama, Papa,

I'm sorry for not writing sooner. I'm sorry I couldn't let you know where I disappeared to and what has happened. But I want to let you know that I'm safe and you don't need to worry about me. I didn't run away from home or get kidnapped or anything silly like that. I just got caught up in something serious, but I'm okay.

Actually, you'll probably find out soon enough...so, at least hear it from me first. During the invasion, something horrible happened with the Queen. Only Prince Cleon and his bodyguard made it out of there alive. I helped them escape, though, I'm sure the Arkidian soldiers who we faced saw us, figured out who we were. Maybe I was wrong to do that, to put myself in danger like that, but I know deep down, it was the right thing to do.

So, I need you both to do something for me. Please don't mention me to anyone, especially any Arkidians who start asking questions. As far as they should be aware, you two shouldn't have a daughter. I know that might be difficult, and that I'm asking a lot when I'm already piling this on you. I can't tell you where I am, only that I'm safe. I don't know when I'll be home again. Hopefully, it isn't long until I see you both again.

I love you both very, very much. Please stay safe.

All my love,

Kikiti

She could already feel the tears pricking at her eyes. In defiance, she lifted her arm to them, wiping at them a few times before she let her emotions get the better of her. She didn't want to get those tears on the letter.

They would understand how sad she was, how scared she was of things to come, whether or not she would be able to come home again. And she didn't want them to worry any more than they probably already were.

Eventually, Kikiti shuffled off the stool, after sealing the letter in an envelope addressed to Marden and Sosola Tochu. She approached the counter with the moogle still lingering at it and slide the letter across it. "Thank you. Just to these two people in Ucantis, if you could," she requested quietly. Then she sighed, mumbling, "Oh, I didn't give you a..."

"Oh, that's okay," the moogle said with a reassuring smile. "We'll find them no problem. Just leave it to us, kupo!"

 

[Lucyfer]

Didymus was glad that Kikiti went off to do her own writing, just as he did. He was quick to begin.

Jagger,
It’s your brother, Gemini. I’m traveling a bit right now with a group, including them. We’re all safe, Pisces, Cancer, Libra, and myself. Can’t give you the names for the others but I’m sure you understand with how things are right now.
Anyways, we’re heading north, going to meet a CLIDE just outside Ucantis, just so long as the weather isn’t bad.
I hope you stay safe,
Gemini​

Didymus had been quick with it, and didn’t use too much thief’s cant, though he figured Jagger would figure out that the CLIDE was capitalized for a reason and unravel it to ‘Elcid’. The comment on the weather was another bit of cant – saying weather was bad, even as a hope or future thing, expressed a need for help. Saying it was good, meant help wasn’t necessary.

Small things.

He was sure Jagger was familiar enough with some.

He probably could have been more subtle with the code names, but he really needed to get that home to her that he knew something about this weird situation with the Zodiacs, and knew he was one of them, too. He figured his hand writing might be familiar enough for her to figure that out, or at least his phrasing.

Something.

‘Don’t fuck this up, Jagger.’

He folded his letter and put it away in the envelope with Jagger’s name across it and brought it to the counter for the moogle, not bothering with an address. Moogle magic. “Don’t worry, they get this to travelers, it’ll get to your parents,” Didymus said, seeing the wetness of Kikiti’s eyes. He almost wanted to grab his letter and rip it up.

Almost.

He’d deal with that pang of guilt instead. “C’mon, we should get on our way.”

 

[Arcanist]

Kikiti, quite obviously, was none the wiser to Didymus' guilt or to what he had done. Even if she had a slight inkling, the emotions of the moment and the letter-writing would have overtaken such suspicious thoughts in a heartbeat.

She glanced up as Didymus handed over his sealed letter to the moogle. She did spy a few letters, only a few, J-A-G, though the rest she hadn't made out from her height or her wet eyes. His sister certainly had an odd name, then again, she couldn't talk, with Kikiti being the result of a naming convention among Lalafell specifically. Hers outside of the Lalafell community raised eyebrows for sure.

The girl wiped at her eyes again. "Ye-yeah. I know," she said quietly, sniffling all the while. "I guess I'm just worried about them..." She knew they could handle themselves. They were tough, after all. Her dad took no shit from anyone, and her mother, even for her small height, was a fierce and fiery individual. She just hoped that they were formidable enough against the Empire, should they try anything.

"Alright..." Kikiti took a deep breath in, centring herself, before breathing back out again and managing a smile to the moogle. "Thank you again for your help."

"No problem! Hope to see you again soon, kupo!" The moogle saluted. Whether or not they'd see this moogle again was questionable, but perhaps they would be lucky.

Kikiti turned and with Didymus, headed towards the door. Hopefully Cleon and Reva hadn't been wondering where they were, and gathered enough things for camping out tonight.