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year 5, quarter 3
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Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 10, 2020 8:05:57 GMT -6
Garnet hated to say it, but there was a slight sense of joy as she wandered the streets of the town that seemed to be called Torensten. Her situation was dire, she knew that, her gown tattered and hanging around her, the stares of many following this apparent Queen in ruins as she walked the city paths, but at the same time... she had forgotten the thrill of seeing somewhere new. When she had travelled with Zidane and the others, every day had been a new experience, and while sometimes it had been scary, sometimes it had been sad, sometimes it had been intense and full of danger, for somebody who had only ever read about the outside world in books, it was also thrilling. Garnet never tired of seeing new cities and new places, having her eyes opened to new worlds, and the last few months, as Queen of Alexandria, had been heavy with responsibility, business, and she had missed this. The excitement of the new...
Of course, she knew she shouldn't be happy about it. She was alone, she was probably in more danger than she had ever been, without anybody to assist her, and she had no idea what was happening. Worse yet, she had once again failed her kingdom, leaving it behind. The joy of adventure and finding a new place should pale in significance compared to her responsibilities; she was a queen. She had a duty to her people.
But there was nothing she could do about now, and she couldn't entirely pretend there wasn't excitement at the thought of another adventure. If only Zidane was by her side... Steiner, Vivi, Quina, Eiko... All of them. She missed them so badly. Especially poor Vivi. It hadn't been fair...
Still, Garnet knew more than most about dealing with stress and worry. She had suffered a pretty bad mental break after the destruction of Alexandria. She had to learn to find her confidence and fight through it, and one of those things was to focus not on what you couldn't change, but what you could. She had to focus on the immediate path ahead of her. Her first goal was to secure funding. She was unarmed, she was in her Alexandrian gown, or what remained of it after the misadventures in the swamp, and neither of those things were good. She wasn't much good in combat with a staff, even after all those adventures, but it was better than nothing, and she needed clothing that would draw less of an eye. Fortunately, she had still been wearing her tiara when she had been teleported to this strange realm, and that alone was worth more than enough gil once sold. Garnet was, perhaps, not quite as confident undercover as 'Dagger' when wearing the ridiculously large gown, but she had seen Zidane barter and trade goods enough times that she knew how to get a reasonable deal, and she had more than enough gil after selling her jewellery (bar the pendant, of course) to ensure she could purchase a new outfit.
She had located a rather high end clothes shop that sold clothing not entirely dissimilar to her preferred travelling outfit, and the seller there had even been kind enough to allow her to use their facilities to wash and change, after seeing the state she was in. Garnet got the impression she wasn't the first lost traveller who had arrived there, albeit none quite in her style attire, which raised some interesting questions. Namely, what had happened and if others were there as she was.
Zidane?
She dared not to hope. Having changed into a familiar, similar orange jumpsuit and blouse, allowing the merchant to keep the remains of her gown in exchange for her help, she felt more confident. The gown was in bad shape, but could probably be saved, and was likely worth more than most of the contents of the shop, so it would doubtlessly help to repay the merchant. The merchant had also been kind enough to lend Garnet some make-up, although she decided purchasing cosmetics would be her next stop. She didn't consider herself vain, but, well, she was royalty, and she liked to look nice. Especially if Zidane did show up. They had only just been reunited. She didn't want him to see her looking scruffy. Sure, he'd seen her in a bad way before, but, well, she still didn't like it...
After asking for directions, she found herself heading deeper into the fashion district of the town, looking at the shops. Shopping like this was turning out to be quite fun! She had never done it before, as a princess and queen, all of her impressive fashions were usually provided, and she had a vast wardrobe to choose from, she didn't buy it herself, and when adventuring, they had been shopping for necessities, not for themselves. This was, in contrast, quite exciting.
Still, she didn't want to spend too long. She'd buy some essentials, and then she'd look for a weapon. She didn't like being entirely unarmed, and she was sure there would be a staff somewhere nearby to purchase...
It had been four hours, and Kuja was already bored.
He found himself walking idly through the city’s stores and market stalls. There wasn’t much of note, really. The city was as sprawling as it was base -- like Lindblum, he thought, and he had never much liked Lindblum.
Kuja stopped, head tilted as he considered the jewelry on the other side of a glass window. Inside were armlets, bracelets, and necklaces displayed on satin cushions. There wasn’t anything of real interest to him (he far preferred a style of his own) but he couldn’t help but admire their manufactured beauty. There were glittering tiaras, beaded bangles, and opal rings. The jeweler had taken to his craft like a work of art. Kuja sighed, waving his hand as he drifted on.
He longed to be rid of this place.
The flight hadn’t taken long. On dragonback, the journey from the Headstone Forest to Torensten was nothing more than a night’s travel, but the time had hardly been the problem. No, that had come from the company.
Kuja’s lips thinned. Mikoto. He could still feel his infant counterpart wandering the streets of the city -- maybe six blocks away at most. He’d sent her to find her own self-expression, and it seemed she’d taken the challenge to heart. He’d felt her confusion and her dulled sense of excitement all morning though he doubted she’d sensed much the other way around. He’d long learned to block his emotions from a psychic connection lest his master garner suspicion. Apparently it had all been for nothing.
No. Best not to think of that now.
Kuja drifted to the market square, arms crossed, only half paying attention. The people here crowded the streets like ants. Curious ones with their eyes drawn to his hips and nails and the pronounced curve of his waist. He was used to the attention. It was nothing compared to the stir he’d caused in the halls of Alexandria. That palace had been a den of snakes, spitting their disdain for the mysterious young sorcerer with his silver tongue and his self-made wealth. They were old money -- nobles who had never worked for anything in their lives. Alexandria was rooted in its ways and thoroughly behind the changing times. In that way, he supposed its spirited princess had been a sign of progress. At least she’d been willing to-
Kuja froze. Was that…?
He spun around on his heel, eyes sharp on the crowds. He could have sworn he’d seen...But it couldn’t be…
But it was. There, slipping behind a herd of old women crowing over a blue dress was the princess of Alexandria. Garnet til Alexandros the Seventeenth. She trotted through the knots of people, pausing every now and then to consider the markets around her. Alone. The princess was entirely alone.
His mind spun. What was he supposed to do?
There was an urge -- an almost instinctual one -- to approach her, finger at his lips as he laughed behind the back of his hand. He wanted to goad her. He wanted to assert his power and take her magic for himself, but something stilled him. A strange something that he couldn’t identify. That idiot bounty hunter had been easy to taunt. He could speak to the genome with nothing but derision, but the princess…?
He had no use for her eidolons. And really, what would toying with her do?
And so he hesitated, watching her with an expression akin to shock. Then he finally cleared it with a shake of his head. Dealing with her was a waste of time. He was in no mood for street fights or righteous accusations.
”I suppose you’ve found your wings,” Kuja mused before turning and starting down the same paths he’d left. It was just another obstacle to avoid. Not that he was avoiding her.
That would have required some manner of regret. And as everyone knew, he was entirely incapable of guilt.
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 13, 2020 12:23:51 GMT -6
There was a sudden chill on the air, and Garnet shivered. She couldn't quite tell what it was, not at first, but she felt like she was being watched, and she turned. Oh, she knew of magic, of course she did, she used it regularly, but that never extended to sensing somebody. She had heard that the genomes could sense each other too. But this was different. This was almost something deep and primal, a core revulsion, a core fear.
There were explanations that would come to mind later, of course. Perhaps it was because he had wielded an Eidolon ripped from her body, perhaps they were tied by how he had violated her. Perhaps he was so powerful magically that she could feel his presence. But maybe it was just fate, just destiny, giving Garnet a little nudge. Because when she turned, she saw what she thought she would never see again.
What she had prayed she would never see again.
Kuja. It was Kuja. Unmistakably. The silver hair, the outfit, the way people looked at him, as if they could sense something was wrong with his presence. As if he simply radiated power. Kuja was alive, and he was there, in Torensten. Garnet wanted to turn. She wanted to run. She was alone. She didn't even have her staff. The only Eidolon that answered her calls seemed to be Ramuh, and he wasn't powerful enough to stand against Kuja. It seemed he hadn't seen her. She was safe if she just ran away. If she put as much distance between herself and Kuja as possible. Maybe she could find the others. Or run to the city guard and warn them!
No. No. She wasn't a scared little girl anymore. She didn't have anybody to help her. And what would she do? Draw an innocent party into the confrontation while she cowered? Run away so that Kuja might enact whatever evil plan he had in mind? None of those were options. She had somehow been brought to this world, and if Kuja was there too, it meant one of two possibilities. One, Kuja had done it, so knew she was there anyway, or two, it was a coincidence, and therefore she was the only one there who knew how dangerous he was.
Either way, once again, she had responsibility thrust upon her. She just had to hope that Kuja would not try to battle her. Surely to do so here would be suicidal, even for a mage as powerful as Kuja. There were too many people, and he had no army here. No Black Mages to answer his call, and no Eidolons. He had no Trance either, the souls of Terra must have abandoned him when they defeated him in Memoria. This was possibly the only chance she would ever get to confront him safely.
And yet she had no idea what she was going to say.
She marched through the crowd, determined to catch him before her fear got the better of her. "Kuja!" she called out, trying to put as much steel into her softly spoken voice as she could. "I... do not know how you are here, or if this is your doing, but I shall not allow you to do to this world what you did to mine!" she declared, even if she realised she had no back-up plan to enforce those words. She was alone. She was unarmed.
....but Kuja didn't necessarily know that, did he? What would Zidane do?
He would lie. Garnet could lie, couldn't she? It would be just like imagining she was in a play. She could do that, right?
"We are all here! You could not beat us when Tranced, you shall not be able to beat us now," she warned, hoping the words sounded true.
He's a dick, but doing better than I'd have thought
Why should the world exist without me?
Kuja hadn’t known what he’d expected. Since the very moment of his creation, the fates had never once been on his side. Still, as he’d silently turned and continued on, he’d hoped in some deep part of himself than he might pass through unbothered, free to wait on Mikoto without any unpleasant distractions or troublesome reminders of his past.
That small request was not to be.
”Kuja!”
He came to a slow stop, not bothering to turn around. He knew that voice. He’d known it quivering with fear, bursting with hatred, and bolstered by resolve. It was the princess’ voice -- just as he’d dreaded and known would come all the same. She was here to stop his evil plotting. How hilarious.
”What I did to yours?” The girl was shouting now in that oh-so-righteous way. It had attracted attention. He sensed how the crowds had turned, and how their curiosity had chilled to a kind of wary suspicion. Kuja touched at his cheek, laughing softly. ”I rather thought that was your mother.”
It was easier with his back turned. Cold. Dismissive. She really wasn’t worth the effort -- he stood by that -- but he also knew the princess to be far more willful than she looked. With or without her friends beside her, she would never let him leave unapprehended
And so he faced her with a kind of actor’s poise. His eyes were unreadable. His lips were turned to the most mysterious of smiles. He would give nothing away.
”And where are your little friends?” He laughed to himself. ”Zidane? His puppet? That idiot knight?” The rat, the qu, the brat. Zidane had such a way of collecting the unwanted dregs of society.
He crossed his arms, head tilted with a kind of bored disinterest. ”I’m not here for you. And I haven’t done something with any of them either. I really couldn’t care less.”
He raised a hand, waving it dismissively. ”So if you wouldn’t mind. I’d like to continue on my way.”
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 14, 2020 12:33:30 GMT -6
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Garnet knew as soon as she said his name she would have to steel herself to any of his remarks, but the comment about her mother caught her off guard. She had convinced herself that she had moved past her mother's death, that, while grieving for her would always be a part of her, she had accepted that she was gone, and was ready to move on with her life, but that little prod tore at her. It hurt. Not because it reminded her that her mother was dead, but because it brought up the worse memories of her mother, it forced Garnet to confront the painful truth about her, rather than the ideal, happy memories that she had tried so desperately to cling to. Her mother had died a monster. She tried so hard to forget that.
Kuja made sure she couldn't. "She wasn't the one that burned Alexandria," Garnet reminded Kuja, trying to keep the strength in her voice. "Or the one that turned her into the person that did all those things. That was you. It was always you." Garnet didn't know if it was true. Her mother had changed after her father's death, and obviously Kuja's offers of power had played a part, but she clung to the dream that somehow Kuja had bewitched her mother, but she had no idea if it was true or not. She so hoped that it was...
He asked where Zidane was. Where the others were. Which meant that he didn't know. If Kuja truly hadn't brought them here, then it meant she wouldn't get any answers from him. But it also meant that her bluff would hold. He couldn't know where they were, which meant he didn't know that they weren't there, right at that moment. "Oh, I assure you, they are close by. Do you really believe they would allow me to confront you alone?" she taunted. She hated to say it, but it felt good, having a moment of power over Kuja. Every other time she had faced him, she had been afraid, she had been filled with terror and upset and yes, hate. But now, she felt like she had the upper hand. If he believed her bluff, without his Trance, he must know they could defeat him. It meant for the first time, she had the upper hand over him.
Even if it was an upper hand based on a lie.
"Oh, so simply because you are not committing genocide right at this very moment, I-, I mean, we, should let you go?" she asked, realising that the words were more confrontational than she intended. What WAS her plan? She WAS bluffing. Garnet was no fighter. She stood no chance in battle against Kuja. What was she doing? Relishing in a chance to have the upper hand over her nightmare? Was she becoming just like her mother, just like Kuja, drunk on power?
She wasn't that person. She wouldn't be that person. She had to force herself to take a step back. "I shall permit you to leave... if you leave this town right away. And we never see you again. Nobody should have to face your villainy again. You should never hurt another soul. You being here is a second chance. It would be wise to take it," she suggested, trying to keep the steel in her voice. This wasn't her. She didn't take the lead on threats, on strong statements of aggression. She was the White Mage, the healer, she stood back, the gentle soul, who offered advice, who got upset and cried and yelled and laughed and smiled but she didn't lead the battle. She was no... what was that term she had once used Zidane use? 'Trash talker'. That was not her strength.
Don't get a threats contest with Kuja. He's too talented.
Why should the world exist without me?
The princess was alone. He’d thought so (when had she ever gone unattended?) but it became more obvious by the moment. She was alone and weak and helpless. She knew that of course or she wouldn’t have resorted to lies. Funny. No matter how she matured, it seemed she'd never quite put her finger on the art of deception.
”How gracious of you.” Permit him to leave? He wanted to laugh. ”But I’m afraid I must decline. You see, I have business here.” His lips twitched. What would she think he’d come to do? Whisper sweet nothings into the ears of nobles? Incite the flames of war? He wondered how well she’d take the truth. Ah, but that would be far too humanizing for a villain, now wouldn’t it?
”And there are so many of you. Every time I turn around, Zidane has another pet following along. He collects them like rats.” He pushed his hair back with a flick of his hand. ”If I could avoid you, I would. It was always you chasing after me if I recall.” Right into his traps -- though honestly he hadn’t expected them to fall face first into his desert palace. That had been something of a happy surprise.
”How about I promise never to do evil again? Would that satisfy you? You know how I so love keeping promises.” He laughed. He found that he didn’t much care what the onlookers thought of him. Over the course of minutes, what had once been a bustling marketplace had stilled and rerouted -- at least in their immediate vicinity. The people here had enough sense to know danger when they saw it. A sense that the princess had never seemed to share.
”You and I both know that there’s no one here to save you. And it seems you’re quite unarmed.” Kuja brought his own magic to his fingertips. It danced about his nails like sparkling fairy lights -- ethereal and delicate. ”Not that it would matter. Go ahead. Call your eidolons. How I’d love to see Bahamut stretch his wings!” He looked up to the sky. In that moment, he could almost see it -- the great dragon screeching its fury above him in a brilliant corona of power and light. It had been the last moment that Kuja had felt in control. Everything had come to this.
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 15, 2020 5:30:52 GMT -6
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And just like that, Kuja did what he always did. What Garnet should have known he'd do. It didn't matter how confident you were confronting him, how certain you were that you were right, that you were safe, that you would win... Kuja could always twist a situation and turn it upon you. At the Iifa Tree, her mother had an army and a fleet of ships and Kuja had stood alone; her victory had been assured, but he had won easily. At Alexandria, Garnet had her own army, her loyal knights, a defensible city, and even called forth the most powerful Eidolon in Alexander's history, but again, Kuja had crushed it all. Even on Terra, where Garland had been Kuja's creator, seemingly his master, ruler of an entire planet, Kuja had twisted the situation again and defeated Garland, obtaining unstoppable power.
What had she thought she would do alone? How had she thought she'd maintain the upper hand against a man like that? She had been an idiot. And now she would pay the price.
Of course he saw through her deception. Oh, Garnet liked to flatter herself, to think she was getting good at telling lies, that she had mastered her 'Dagger' personality, speaking like a commoner and blending in, but really she was kidding herself. She was dealing with Kuja, a master of deception, of manipulation, of lies. How had she ever thought she could convince him of anything?
He was right, of course, that she was unarmed. Not that it really mattered. Staff or not, she'd be able to do nothing physically against Kuja. Garnet was not a physical fighter. She was... weak. Not mentally, no, Garnet might have worried that she was once, but now had confidence in her strength of character, in that she could do the right thing, but that didn't change the fact she was a Queen and formally a Princess. The heaviest thing she had to lift in her day to day life was a hairbrush, and that was if a maid didn't do it for her, and her deadliest fight she had been in before she had fled Alexandria Castle all those years ago had been when she got a particularly stubborn tangle in her long hair after bathing. She had never been cut out for physical confrontation. And yes, she had trained to leave the castle and got rather athletic, and yes, travelling with Zidane had given her slight muscle tone for the first time in her life, but she was still, physically, weak in battle. And that was over a year ago now. Since then, any physical skills she had gained were long since lost.
In a physical confrontation, Garnet stood no chance. But then again, Kuja wasn't a physical fighter either...
Garnet took a step back, fear flashing in her eyes, but it was mixed with something else too. Irritation. Anger. They had always chased after Kuja? Did he really believe that? He had come to her! He had chased her all over Gaia. He had needed her power. He had violated her and stolen it from her because he needed what she had. She knew that he was tied to Zidane, that they were brothers, that they had a shared destiny, but it had been his desire for her that had started this. His desire for her power.
He had come to her.
When everything else broke away, she realised that deep down, this had always been between her and him. Kuja had taken everything from her. Zidane and her friends had managed to replace it. That was the truth.
"Y-you have a funny way of remembering things," Garnet replied, her voice stammering even as she tried to find her strength. "I did not chase you. You chased me. You needed me. You think you are so powerful, but you have always relied on others for your power. You needed my mother's resources to build the Black Mage army, you needed me for my Eidolons, you needed Garland and Terra for the souls to enter your Trance state... You have always relied on others just as much as I do, only I do it through friendship. My friends stand by me willingly, you have always had to steal your power," she reminded him. She wasn't sure what she was trying to do achieve. To stall? To give her time to come up with a plan to escape?
Or were they simply words that she had been dying to say? She had so often watched Zidane threaten their opponents, to banter with them, even Steiner to deliver declarations of how he would beat them, and never truly understood. There seemed no point in bickering with your enemies, she didn't want to threaten, she just wanted to avoid confrontation if possible, but now she thought she understood. It made her feel stronger, even when she was frightened. Her words gave her some strength.
"I am as unarmed as you are," Garnet replied. They both knew this was bravado, not usually something Garnet went in for, but she was grasping at straws. Garnet's magic was powerful, yes, but it was also harmless. It aided others, not injured them. She had perhaps the odd spell she could cast that might slow down Kuja, but he was likely immune to the majority of the effects. Silence would never work on him, nor would Mini. What else could she do? Heal him to death? Reflect might slow some of his spells down, and Shell might give her the ability to endure one or two of his attacks until help arrived...
The only slight benefit was that he didn't seem to be aware that she had lost the majority of her Eidolons. She could only call Ramuh, but if she could keep him thinking she had access to the more powerful beings, perhaps he wouldn't engage her. Not that she'd ever call them here in a populated city. She had seen the damage they could do to civilised areas, and she would never be part of that.
"W-we are both alone," she said, her voice stammering, losing its strength through fear, but she was trying desperately to find it. "If you attack me... here... in this city, the guard will come. Other adventurers. You shall be outnumbered. You cannot harm me here..." she insisted, hoping her voice didn't crack, that her words sounded true. It was a logical assumption, wasn't it? If he attacked her, if she could hold out just long enough with her white magic, surely help would arrive. Not everybody would wonder by and ignore a fight. There were enough guards here, enough travelling adventurers armed, to come to her rescue, surely?
There she was again. The damsel in distress. Weak. Pathetic. Helpless. The words echoed through her mind. She was so... helpless all the time. Why had she tried to confront Kuja? Hadn't she learned by now... anything she tried to do on her own ended in disaster? Garnet was only as strong as her friends, and without them... she was nothing... wasn't she?
Villainy is just a job, okay? He's got a life, you know
Why should the world exist without me?
He’d always relied on others. He’d always needed others. Now wasn’t that the pot calling the kettle black? Kuja watched her without patience, so thoroughly dismissive that he could have cut it with a knife. He needed people, yes, but only as tools. They were puppets playing by his strings -- and he was always thoroughly in control. And so he waited through her self-projected accusations without bothering to interrupt her. What did it matter when not a single word struck him?
”I am as unarmed as you are.”
Ah yes. Because he was well known for relying on weapons.
”I told you. I have no interest in a fight.” Kuja lowered his hand, head tilted. ”I really don’t care much about you at all. You were the one who stopped me in the street. I was more than happy to go about my business.”
Whatever that was. Wasting time, he supposed. What had his life come to?
”As you said, it’s not advantageous to do anything now. Or ever. I have no access to eidolon extraction. What else could you possibly be good for?” A hostage, he supposed. The sitting queen of the kingdom of Alexandria. Or maybe simply for his own amusement. If he wanted to toy with Zidane.
”If you’re insistent on apprehending me then I suggest you try again another time. Perhaps with an entire royal guard?” His lip twitched. Even so, it might not be quite enough. Not that he would ever take the risk. ”I’m shopping if you must know. Or browsing at least. The charms here are rudimentary at best” Kuja scoffed. He’d made his fortune on magical weapons and accessories. He knew crude work when he saw it.
”And I have no intention of leaving. I’m escorting someone on my dragon. Unless you’d like to rush her, there’s not much I can do but wait.”
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 15, 2020 9:17:39 GMT -6
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Once again, Garnet felt the fool. No, worse, she felt like a child. Here she was, all alone, trying to confront Kuja, and he was running rings around her. Verbally. It reminded her of back before she had fled Alexandria, when she had only been fifteen, trying desperately to convince Beatrix and Steiner, or any of her handmaidens or servants that something was wrong, only to be patronised and treated like a child, and left second guessing her intentions.
This was different, of course. She didn't merely suspect, she knew the truth of what Kuja was. But that didn't mean he hadn't felt her leaving naive, weak and helpless. He had completely won this verbal confrontation, she knew. He was right. She couldn't do anything here. His little jab about bringing the royal guard really hit it home. Of course, he knew there were no Alexandrian Knights here, no guard, nothing Garnet could do. Even if she could arrest him and he went quietly, she wouldn't know where to take him. Would she just find somebody who looked like a guard and hand him over, trying to convince them that he was a threat?
She would look insane if she told her story of him destroying another world and threatening her kingdom, a kingdom that apparently did not exist here.
"I have no eidolons left to extract. You took them from me already, remember? Now they only exist in the gems you extracted them too. I had to relearn their power from there. Something it seems that you could not do," It was another show of bravado that was pointless. A desperate grasp to not feel so helpless and pathetic, she knew that. It was accurate though, Garnet had relearned her eidolons from the gems that Kuja had put them in. Apparently Kuja could not do that himself. She assumed it was due to her blood as a summoner. Or perhaps he merely hadn't possessed them long enough. Either way, it was another small victory for her. A jab to save what was probably in truth a tattered ego. She felt more and more foolish for trying to confront him. She should have been smart. Kept looking for Zidane. Told him what she had found out. And hidden until then.
Confronting him had been foolish.
"You murdered my mother and destroyed my kingdom. What did you expect me to do? Simply walk past you with a smile and a curtsy?" she said with a slightly childish pout when he commented that she had been the one to stop him. It wasn't quite the defiant words she had intended, but it was accurate. Besides, people were still listening, it seemed, and she wanted them at least sufficiently warned of this man.
But what he finished with concerned her. Escorting someone? The idea of Kuja escorting anyone, unless it was for his own personal gain, was utterly ludicrous. Oh, she was sure that he had escorted her mother at first too. Played nice. Whispered sweet kind words in her ears. In a way, Garnet was lucky she had been so coddled and kept away from it all. Sometimes she worried what would have become of her if Kuja had played the sweet uncle to her. Luckily, he had only ever viewed her as a tool, and not her own person. He had never understood that she had her own will, her own desires, and her own abilities. To him, she had just been...
...a puppet. Just like everybody else... "You are escorting somebody?" she asked, probing for information. "Perhaps I shall... 'rush' them... Where might I find them?" she questioned. It was obvious what she was implying; she wanted to know who Kuja was with and work out what his plan with her was. She immediately imagined it was another case of him corrupting a powerful ruler, like he had done so with her mother, but time would tell. She needed more information. He knew as well as she did that she couldn't actually confront him here, she had no way to arrest him and no way to stop him, but she could, at least, work out his current plan...
He is being so mundane here and I'm really down for confusing Garnet
Why should the world exist without me?
Her attempts at verbal sparring were hilarious. Adorable even. It was like watching a puppy pretend to growl. ’Something he couldn’t do?’ Did she really expect him to learn to summon? The princess, a summoner? Maybe she’d never quite put the connection together between her race and her abilities. If Kuja could have learned it himself then the entirety of Gaia would have fallen long before her sixteenth birthday.
”How weak you must think me,” he said. ”Unable to summon on my own. When I’m not a summoner.”
He didn’t particularly wish to linger on the subject. Despite his innate lack of ability, he’d still gained that power in the end. Gained and then lost in spectacular fashion. He supposed it was somewhat of a sore point for him even now -- though certainly not in the way she tried to strike him.
She was just a child, pouting and huffing. Was he really supposed to take her seriously?
”I’d really have rather you’d minded your own business,” Kuja said dryly. ”You don’t make for the best conversation.” There was nothing he loathed more than grand speeches about justice and protecting the people. Unless of course he was in a mocking mood. Which he wasn’t particularly. He felt his tail swish with his growing irritation.
”If you’re looking for information, you’ll be sorely disappointed. She didn’t have much interest in my evil schemes.” Which was undoubtedly what the princess was after. Or should he say queen? He’d file away her inevitable coronation for a later taunt. Her change in title was all thanks to him, after all.
”Though if you’d like to find her, by all means go ahead. She knew Zidane at any rate, and she’s been nothing but a nuisance. I’m sure she’d far prefer the underside of your wing over mine.” His tail swished again. Why couldn’t anyone leave him alone?
”She’s approximately four blocks east of here -- probably still looking for that ribbon I promised her. Though I would like my gil back if she’s not using it. I left my fortune on Gaia and haven’t much to spare.”
He tossed his head to the side, arms crossed. ”Now if you wouldn’t mind.”
