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year 5, quarter 3
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Well this was certainly the hardest he'd ever had to work for a meal. The bar was full with the scruffiest bunch of people he had ever laid eyes on. There were at least fifty people all demanding different things as he scrambled about making sure each person was heard and taken care of in the cacophony that arose from the many raised voices in the pub. Bartz was having a hard enough time with keeping everything straight as it was. He never knew that being a bartender would be this much work. Back home all the bars had been quiet save for one drunkard in a corner babbling incessantly as everyone else enjoyed their drinks in silence. This in comparison was like trying to herd a bunch of wild chocobos.
Bartz had only been in the city for a short while before he had came across this job. People were a lot stingier with their food than Zidane or the other towns he had been had been. Nobody seemed to care he was but a traveler here for just a moment. That line had always gotten him at least a piece of bread or cheese before. He'd almost gotten into some trouble when he had though a loaf of bread was a toss away since it had just been sitting unsupervised on the windowsill of a bakery. How was he supposed to know that this was merely a device to lure customers in? He squared away the little incident by being the baker's sample boy for the day handing out different confections and pastries to passers by. By the end of the day Bart's jovial attitude had even landed him a job offer to be the bakery's sampler, but he declined. There was no way he would able to wake up before the sun did.
And so, Bartz had bobbed around from job to job trying to figure out what suited him best. Nothing seemed to stick though. He had tried and help a local shepherd herd and tame his beasts, but had been fired when he had been too busy naming each one to notice that the gate had been open and that half of the flock had escaped. Bartz had tried to help a local blacksmith, but the ended in ruin as he overfilled his mold ruining not only the mold but also causing a small fire when it leaked onto the bag of materials next to him. He was beginning to get a little desperate by the end of the second day as he lay in an alleyway using discarded fabric as his blanket. He was too honest to resort to thievery ,and he also didn't think he could compete with the dancers he had seen on some of the city's intersections earlier. They way the whirled and twirled was hypnotic and people were more than happy to part with their gil for the way they used their bodies to create art. Bartz fell asleep thinking about what he might try next; no time to mope there was always tomorrow.
When he saw the sign outside the Salty Sea Dragon Inn, Bartz felt like he had nothing left to lose but try. Entering the bar, he could tell this wasn't the sort of tavern he was used to. Everyone looked so gristly and storied. People were drinking heavily in the middle of the day and jaunty songs were sang off key. It had a certain amount of charm about it though, so he decided to stay. Bartz asked the bartender about the post, and he had him wait for moment as he slid into the storeroom. Bartz was surprised to see an old woman about five foot with beautiful hair that Bartz was convinced was made out of pure silver slide out besides the burly man waving him into the backroom after the bartender pointed him out.
"You want a job here?" she asked incredulously eyeing him up and down pointing to the barrel that acted as a seat at the tiny table. "This is a pirate's bar boy, and you don't seem the type." She sat down across from with a laugh. Still she was humoring him, and that was better than Bartz had initially thought would happen.
"A job's a job." Bartz responded. "And you don't really look the type either if I'm being honest." He tried to curb his own sarcasm but the damage had been done. He waited tensely for her to tell him to leave and never show his face in her bar, but he was shocked when instead she gave a hearty laugh.
"You don't think I've been an old woman my whole life do you? Back in my day, I was one of the most feared pirates on the sea. But much like the sea, time ravages us all at some point." she sighed letting the memories wash over her like a wave. "Still, family is family so I made this place for their respite from the seas. I like your spunk even if your tongue's a little loose. You can start tonight." Bartz was shocked and amazed and it was pretty obvious as his mouth sat agape. "I'm Leila," she responded before going into what all the job entailed.
"WHERE'S ME DRINK BOY? I'VE BEEN WAITING NEARLY A QUARTER HOUR!" Bartz snapped out his memories as the patron at the bar nearly spat his words at him. Nervously and quickly, Bartz poured up a beer with no head and quickly grabbed the platter of warming beers he had forgotten to send to a table in the corner. The platter wobbled as he approached the table, and then it happened. One of the steins slipped and fell straight one the men's laps.
Before he could react, Bartz was pinned to the wall by the scruff oh shirt by the man. This would have been much more exciting if this had been a cute man on a date, but instead he was staring into the yellowed bloodshot eyes of a man whose breath smelled as though the souls lost to the depths were trying to escape. "AY. You think you're funny, mate. Trying to make look the fool? We should show these landlover what we do to those who make the Captain look foolish, shouldn't we boys?" A large cheer came not only from the table he was from but seemed to be echoing from many of the tables around him.
Post by Faris Scherwiz on Oct 18, 2018 7:04:27 GMT -6
[attr="class","oneword1"]
[attr="class","fromyou1"]@bartz
PIRATE FIGHT
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
Lenna had been like a spotlight of sunshine through the storm in Faris’ heart. No longer did he spend ever evening in rundown bars, wasting away the hours with sour breath and worse company. No longer did he feel compelled to throw himself at fights and confrontations, to get his blood pumping with adrenaline and to finally feel alive again after so long alone. With Lenna back in his life, he no longer had a hole to fill with liquor and bad decisions.
No, now he only did that when he wanted to.
”You lads said you’re only in town for the week? Aye, then let’s get more drinks going! I’ve not had a proper round with pirates in ages!”
Faris laughed with the rest of them, tilting his head to the side and leaning his chair back with one foot. Not too long ago, Faris had lived in places like this -- musty bars with slick surfaces, tarnished windows, and the persistent smell of salt. The call for ale had been to him like a declaration of family, these tables had been everything from a strategy room to a meeting hall to shelter for a small child to scurry under, pretending she couldn’t be seen.
Still, as Faris took another shot of cheap whiskey, he couldn’t help the twinge of pain his heart. These were pirates, yes, but they weren’t his pirates. Not his family and not his crew. As much as it felt the same, they’d be gone in another four days or so, and Faris would be left behind again to abandoned bars and empty glasses.
”WHERE'S ME DRINK BOY? I'VE BEEN WAITING NEARLY A QUARTER HOUR!" A great bellow came from across the tables and Faris winced at the noise. A monster of a man swung his arms in rage, barely contained by the stool that supported him. Faris sat up a little straighter and gave the kind of stern look he’d have used on his own crew.
”Now, there’s no need for that,” Faris started, but his voice was quickly drowned out by an agreeing chorus of voices accompanied by the banging of fists on tables so Faris just shook his head and drank what was left in front of him. He didn’t have any authority here, after all, and it wasn’t a scene he was unfamiliar with. It’d ultimately be harmless fun so long as the bartender didn’t make any more mistakes.
There was a crash of glass, a shout, and then a roar of rage. Faris looked up in time to see the monster of a man rising, something (or rather someone) held in his fist as he threw the poor boy against a wall. A swell of shouts rose to meet them, pushing, provoking, trying to slide the man off the edge, and for a moment, Faris could only blink at the chaos.
He was too drunk for this.
"AY. You think you're funny, mate. Trying to make look the fool? We should show these land-lover what we do to those who make the Captain look foolish, shouldn't we boys?" Cheers answered him, and Faris sighed, rising unsteadily to his feet. He knew this scene and he knew how it ended. Either they’d beat the poor boy to a pulp or he’d end up floating face down in the bay. Faris rolled his shoulder, teetered back and forth to find his balance, and then used his chair as a step to climb over the table, step off it by the monster’s side, and approach him without caution.
”That’s enough now,” Faris said, unsure if his words would carry over the chanting and the hollers and the cheers. He reached out a hand to pull at the man’s shoulder. ”The lad’s been proper scared as it is. There's no need for-?”
A fist the size of a meat-cleaver flew towards his face.
Faris cursed and ducked to avoid the worst of it, glancing at the bartender only long enough to see him fall to the ground now that the man’s hands were occupied. ”You’re picking a fight with me?” Faris gave a loud and wild laugh, side-stepping into a more open space to keep himself from getting cornered. ”Are you daft? I’m a Warrior of Light, lad! It won’t end well for you!”
Whether it was the rage, the cheers, or the liquor, the man didn’t heed Faris’ warning, and in fact, Faris didn’t want him to. There was something about the heavy air, the chanting, and the swing of blows that got his heart pumping in a way that nothing else could. ”I don’t give a rat’s ass what you are!” The man squared himself to face Faris, cheeks splotched with red, eyes blazing. ”You don’t mess with the captain!” He gave another roar and pulled a wicked looking knife from his belt. Faris tilted his head and grinned back in challenge.
”You’ve got that right at least,” he said, stepping back into range of the more open tables. ”Maybe you’re a little less of a dullard than I thought!”
The man yelled his rage and charged forward, a hulking bull of a man with two hundred pounds on Faris and towering at least a foot taller. Still, Faris didn’t move. Instead he cocked his head, and awaited the captain’s attack. His blood pounded hot with power.
There was a flash of light, and in an instant, Faris felt his cotton tunic harden, elongate, and shape around him. He felt his bracers mold into hard iron and his bandana reach around his head in an elaborate helm. A shaft of light erupted from his hand and then he felt a familiar weight drop into it. The captain didn’t have time to slow, didn’t have time to so much as pull the lunge of his knife before Faris caught the blade with the shaft of a spear and deflected it to the side.
Where there had once been an unarmed and lithe looking pirate now stood a full equipped dragoon. The bar went silent.
”It occurs to me that I haven’t given a proper introduction,” Faris said, staring down the man with a smirk. ”I’m Faris. Captain Faris Scherwiz, if a name be important to you! A Warrior of Light and the Crimson Dragoon who fought toe to toe with that fiend Chaos in this very city! I’ve brawled my way across three worlds and back, and I’ve brought down devils the kind that would send you cowering in your sleep! So I’ll ask again, will you stand down or are you so brash you’d charge into the fire if it meant keeping your pride?”
For a moment, the captain could only stare at him, bug-eyed and slack jawed, before finally he relented, muttering something about this “not being worth it” before slinking back to the table. The rest of his crew said nothing, but eyes Faris with a mix of caution and disdain. Faris pointed his spear at them and nodded. ”Maybe you’ve got half a brain, after all,” he said. ”Aye, you think twice before you terrorize a poor lad like this again! Your blades may be sharp, but there’s always a man with sharper.”
It had finally come for him; he knew his luck couldn't last forever. He had finally bitten off something bigger than he could chew. Bartz wondered what the pirate captain had in store for him. Would he get off easy and perhaps lose some of the pearls of his beautiful smile. Would he feel the blunt force of a fist shattering his jawbone that seemed to go on for days? Perhaps even worse he'd feel the sharp exhale that came when someone stabbed and feel the warmth of blood on his shirt. But what he hadn't expected was to be dropped like a sack of potatoes onto the dusty and sticky alcohol covered floor.
Bartz quickly checked himself over making sure shock hadn't hidden any wounds from him. Assessing that nothing had actually happened to him, Bartz backed into the wall as to make sure not to be seen as a fight broke out in front of him. Great he'd not only almost been beaten, but had also managed to start a bar fight his first go at things. Leila had warned him that things go could get a little rowdy, but he hadn't expected this. Was this what should be considered just a little rowdy roughhousing for pirates? Not knowing what he could really do to help whomever had decided to keep him from looking like pulverized meat, Bartz crawled to an open spot in the circle that had started to form to watch and interject if need.
Bartz felt a blush cross his cheeks as he looked at his savior. Now that was the type of man he wouldn't have mind pinning him to a wall. The man had long wavy purple hair that reminded him of a field of violets he could himself falling asleep in. His eyes were large and expressive, and Bartz was wowed by the color of them like two sparkling pieces of amethyst glowing in the night. Bartz was worried by the man being half the size of the pirate captain, but his bravado when he spoke had Bartz convinced he had faced worse than this. A man he was already definitely more afraid of than the captain.
He gasped with the bright light that suddenly engulfed the man taking the moment that stunned everyone to stand up and move closer. Bartz stood mouth agape as most of the other pirates were, as the captain had been thrown back by the man now dressed in a strange armor. How had he done that?! Bartz wasn't quite sure what a Warrior of Light or what Chaos was but it sounded pretty impressive to him. After the man's warnings, the pirates all seemed to back away sullenly to their tables leaving him alone standing across from the new pirate captain.
Bartz gave small wave as cautiously approached. He should thank this man for saving his ass; he really was grateful but also a little afraid if he said nothing he'd turn on him next. "I uh... I...," he tried to begin feeling his nerves taking over him. Finally he just laughed ruffling his hair with both of hands. "Thanks, man. For a second there I thought I was going to be a new flavor of shish kebab." He fell silent for a moment as he looked away abashed. "I don't really think I'm gonna have this job after tonight with what just happend, so, um," Bartz laughed his nerves away again as he began to circle back to the bar, "but, I also think if I stopped serving there'd be an even bigger riot. Your drinks are on the house. Name's Bartz. Just holler when you're ready for your next round. Well, yeah um thanks again." He gave the his strange rescuer two thumbs up before going back to his job. He could tell he wouldn't be bothered again while that man stayed when the same pirate sitting at the bar who had yelled about the time before said, "Please, sir, when you have the moment, I'd like another."
Post by Faris Scherwiz on Oct 19, 2018 19:41:55 GMT -6
[attr="class","oneword1"]
[attr="class","fromyou1"]@bartz
Faris is sending some mixed messages
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
” I uh... I..."
Faris glanced over to see the nervous form of the bartender approaching him. After a moment, he gave a nervous laugh and threw both of his hands into his messy brown hair.
Faris froze. Wait, that looked an awful lot like…
”Thanks, man. For a second there I thought I was going to be a new flavor of shish kebab. I don't really think I'm gonna have this job after tonight with what just happened, so, um..."
It sounded like him. It looked just like him with his messy hair and wiry frame and that damned laugh Faris would have known in his sleep! But if Faris was right, then why was he walking away? Heading towards the bar like they’d never met before? Did all of it -- his careless gate, the nervous ruffling of his hair, the blue gleam in his eye -- mean nothing?
”Your drinks are on the house,” the mysterious bartender continued. ”Name's Bartz. Just holler-”
And that was all Faris heard before a visceral, triumphant shout erupted from him and he’d leaped forward, pointing at the man and shouting, ”I knew it! My gut’s never wrong!” The cry echoed around the now-silent tavern but Faris didn’t care. He didn’t care that all manner of ruthless eyes were upon him and he didn’t care that he was still in full armor, dressed up like a goddamn warrior for his long-awaited reunion. None of that mattered because the man standing before him was Bartz.
That no-good, loose-headed, flighty son of a-!
”So you’re acting like we’ve never met now, eh? After all the times I risked my skin for you? Taking you to that Wind Shrine and all over the far corners of the high seas? Or is something loose between your ears?” Faris started towards him, clanking with every step until he cursed under his breath and banished his armor in another flash of light. Properly dressed again, he stalked right up to Bartz and stuck a finger into his chest.
”I’ve been looking all over for you, and this is where you’re found? Skulking about in some bar like you’re not a Warrior of Light and the best damned wanderer the world’s ever seen? You’re as careless as you are fickle, and if I had a silver piece for every hour I’ve spent missing your sorry self, I’d have enough to buy myself a ship and a crew all over again!”
Faris let out a short huff of air before grabbing Bartz’s arm and dragging him towards the door. ”Whether you’ve forgotten or you’re just daft, you’re coming with me! Lenna’s waiting, and this is no job for you! You, Bartz Klauser, are a man who couldn’t settle down if his life depended on it, and I won’t stand by while you kill yourself trying!"
So that was that. Bartz had just managed to start wiping out a stein when the armored man began yelling in the bar. He gulped wondering if he had somehow offended the man in his thankful ramblings. He gently placed the glass down as the Warrior clanked towards him claiming that Bartz and he were fast friends or at the very least Bartz had been a pirate with him a some point. Bartz scratched his head trying to think it all over. Nope as far as he remembered he had never been on a pirate ship although the idea was enthralling.
Before Bartz even had time to fantasize about sailing the seas, he felt a hard poke on his sternum. "Ow," he mumbled at the man who now was back in the clothes he had been before fending off the attacker. Bartz looked long and hard at the purple haired lad. Although the man was a couple inches shorter, Bartz felt like he was the one cowering under the man's righteous anger. Bartz felt the clutch of the man's hand on his arm. Although the man could easily have taken him down, he almost objected to the scene unfolding until he said his full name. He didn't know who this Lenna was, but no one knew his full name. The intrigue and mystery was enough for Bartz to sigh and shrug his shoulders as he was led out of the bar. Hopefully Leila would find it still standing in the morning.
Bartz thought over some of the things the man had claimed about him. He hardly ever visited shrines let alone one he knew was about wind. They were always too stuffy and people asking if the traveler knew what direction their life was headed. Bartz hardly knew which direction he was walking let alone the one his soul was supposed to be on. And as for being a Warrior of Light, he scoffed at the idea. There was no way he could see himself battling against any sort of concept of chaos or whatever this man had said he fought. Still the man knew his last name, and Bartz was sure the only person who knew that was Boko since his parents had both passed.
"Wait, wait, hold up for a minute," Bartz said pulling the man's grasp from his arm. He hadn't realized it had gotten dark while he was inside the bar, but now the port was alight with lanterns that hung above the streets. It seemed they might be in a market area the way the people bustled about and Bartz waved the man over to an empty bench. "I for one have never done some of things you've accused me of doing. Sailing the seas, being a warrior, and your whole bit, but you know my full name and that's something I keep to myself." His brow furrowed as he tried to connect the dots.
Still as he looked at the man in the pale light something fluttered in his stomach. He decided to toe the line to see if it sparked anything. "But are you sure these aren't things you want to do with me instead of things we've done. My apologies if we've spent a wanton night together of plotting, but I can't recall, but I can't even recall your name let alone these tales of yours." Bartz shrugged and gave a cheerful laugh the smile continuing to linger on his face afterwards. It wasn't the first time he had forgotten someone in such a manner, and he hoped to dissuade the man if this was what had happened. Bartz wasn't the settling down type of guy.
Post by Faris Scherwiz on Oct 22, 2018 12:57:28 GMT -6
[attr="class","oneword1"]
[attr="class","fromyou1"]@bartz
Faris looks like a stalker
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
"Wait, wait, hold up for a minute.” Bartz yanked his arm out of Faris’ grasp and took a step back to face him. They hadn’t gone far, just a little way down the road to the port-side market shimmering with lanterns and sea salt. The pulsing of waves rumbled on from a distance. ”I for one have never done some of things you've accused me of doing. Sailing the seas, being a warrior, and your whole bit, but you know my full name and that's something I keep to myself."
Bartz looked troubled, and somewhere in the that furrowed eyebrow, Faris felt his heart sink. He really didn’t remember. Part of him felt like he was losing his friends all over again.
Something glittered in Bartz’ eye that Faris didn’t like. ”But are you sure these aren't things you want to do with me instead of things we've done?” Bartz leaned forward closer to him in interest. ”My apologies if we've spent a wanton night together of plotting, but I can't recall, but I can't even recall your name let alone these tales of yours."
Bartz shrugged his shoulders and gave that usual carefree laugh of his. All the while, Faris felt his hopes dim to embers.
”You really don’t remember?” He couldn’t help the hint of pain that colored his voice as he looked over Bartz again. He didn’t look any different than before. Not at all, even with his different clothes and everything he said. It was like Bartz had been picked up before they’d ever met and thrown at him through time and space. Faris groaned. ”Am I the only one that made it through without something rattling loose in his head?” He crossed his arms and took a long, thoughtful breath.
Complaining wouldn’t get him anywhere.
”You told me your full name yourself somewhere along the road. We were sharing a drink in a town somewhere -- I forget which one. Walse, maybe? -- and we got to talking about where we came from. You’re not one to share lightly and neither am I if I’m being honest, but you stick with someone long enough, you start to learn their secrets whether you like it or not.”
Faris stopped and considered one of the lanterns and the moths all huddling by the flame. Right now, what he needed most was to convince Bartz to come along. The rest could wait until after.
”You, Bartz,” Faris started, looking at him head on as though with a challenge, ”Were born somewhere far out in the middle of a sea of trees. Lix, I think. We went there once to search the place for better blades. No, not blades...Things to throw. Ninja stars and the like. Aye, I remember now.” Faris squinted up at the sky in concentration. ”Now, if I’ve got this right, you said your mom died when you were young. And your papa -- Dorgann, wasn’t it? Well, it was one of the Dawn Warriors at any rate -- he told you to go see the world. That’s about all there was to you, I think.”
”And I’m Faris. Maybe you don't remember my name, but we met when you, the dunce you are, tried to steal my ship.” Faris shot him an unamused look that was only slightly undercut by his own smirk. ”Trying to get to a Wind Shrine, you said, to help out a princess and an old man you’d just met. Why, that was the daftest thing I’d ever heard, but I’ll be damned if I wasn’t curious. So I took you along, and just like that, we were all chosen by the crystals and I got dragged into your messes.”
”And if you don’t believe me, you can save it for Lenna. She doesn’t remember a thing either, but maybe meeting you’ll do the trick. Seeing me got her a little back to herself, even if the same can’t be said for you and your thick skull.”
"I uh... I...," he started as he noticed the crestfallen look overtake Faris' face. For once he bit his tongue and listened to the man tell him all the things he knew about him. He was telling him things Bartz had never told anyone, some things that not even Boko knew. This Faris knew of all the places in his world, and of his secrets. Bartz fidgeted uncomfortably at the mention of his parents. They had been dead so long now, but remembering that they were gone still proved a sore subject to think on. He grimaced and turned his face at the thought of them.
"Steal your ship? This princess must have been something else if I was willing to steal a pirate's ship!" Bartz laughed at the audacity of the idea. Why would he have helped a princess and an old man other than maybe out of a spot of trouble on the road. He had a hard time imagining himself traveling with anyone, aside from Boko, let alone such an odd motley crew. He tried to picture that thought but laughed it away. It was crazy talk, but still it nagged him that this man knew so much about him, but he knew nothing about him.
"Hey! My skull's just as thick as the next guy's!" he complained with a jovial tone. "I can't say I remember any of that, though." he admitted when Faris had finished his spiel. "Tell you what though. You know too much about me for this to be a farce or someone trying to pull my leg. You mentioned a crystal," Bartz dug in his pocket for the emerald looking shard that he'd found on his person in that great big field. "If this is that, tell me what's so special about it and I'll tag along to meet this princess of yours. Thing must be worth a small fortune."
Post by Faris Scherwiz on Oct 24, 2018 20:10:42 GMT -6
[attr="class","oneword1"]
[attr="class","fromyou1"]@bartz
Faris looks like a stalker
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
"I can't say I remember any of that, though,” Bartz said and Faris shook his head. Of course he didn’t. Neither had Lenna or that Warrior or just about anyone he’d met, but that didn’t mean it Faris wasn’t a little crestfallen at the news. Despite all the stories and the names and the details, Bartz still couldn’t recognize any of it. Faris would have given just about anything to embrace his friend right now -- the one he knew that had shared in all of his most trying moments, fighting right beside him as the warrior he’d always been, but then again…
Then again, Bartz was his friend. And whether he remembered or not, Faris wasn’t about to abandon him. Not here. Not like this.
”Tell you what though,” Bartz said before the storm could start raging too hard in Faris’ heart. ”You know too much about me for this to be a farce or someone trying to pull my leg. You mentioned a crystal..." Bartz reached into his pocket, shuffled his fingers a bit, and then pulled something from it. A shining something that glinted in the low lantern light. ”If this is that, tell me what's so special about it and I'll tag along to meet this princess of yours. Thing must be worth a small fortune."
”That’s…” Faris leaned forward the squint at the thing. It was jagged, whatever it was. And small enough to be completely enclosed in Bartz’s palm. It shimmered in the low light, and Faris caught a color flash from it -- green. He touched at the cool edge of the shard and shivered at the power inside of it. That power...it called to him. Not like a voice, but a feeling. A familiar one too, just like the one that warmed his blood every time he needed strength.
Faris pulled back, staring at it before grinning. ”Aye, that’s it!” he cried before looking at Bartz head on. ”One of the crystals! Or a shard of it, at least! That’s a piece of the wind crystal or I’ve gone daft!” Faris shook his head, letting out a breath as he muttered, ”And here I thought maybe you weren’t the same Bartz I knew after all…”
”But that’s a piece of the crystals, clear as day. If you let it, it’ll give you enough power to take on the world! Now what was it the wind crystal could give you…?” He tapped at his chin, thinking. ”Well, there were the mages. Black and white. Then...a knight? Aye, that was right. A monk maybe. Or a thief? Well, it’s been too long, but you get the idea. Those crystals can give you powers like nothing else can. You saw what I did back in that bar? That was the earth crystal’s doing, and I bet you can manage even better than that if you tried!”
Faris’ eyes gleamed with passion. Bartz would be back to himself before they could blink. Faris just knew it!
”Well, does that answer your questions? Are you ready to come along yet? I’m not usually one for kidnappings, but I’ll do it if have to.” Faris leaned forward and gave Bartz a stern look. ”So you’d better come quietly,” he said before grabbing his arm again and dragging him once more towards the inn.
Despite his strong step and harsh look, Faris couldn’t help the swelling of excitement in his heart. Bartz was here! His friends, all in the same city again! He’d been alone so long, and now…
Well, it didn’t matter that they couldn’t remember more than their own names. Faris could deal with that just the same way they’d all dealt with Galuf until he’d returned to himself. Now wasn’t the time to go questioning how things were or complaining that the situation could be better. Bartz was here, and that was all that mattered.
”It’s not long now,” Faris looked ahead as he marched them towards their temporary new home. ”Not long at all.”
