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year 5, quarter 3
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Kuja didn’t know what to make of her. He’d felt presence in the city, felt her milling around without purpose, and then a stab of grief before she’d purposefully shielded her emotions. Kuja hadn’t expected to see her again after directing the princess to her location. It was a surprise to see her padding towards him. It seemed she had taken his advice to heart. Her face was accented in make-up that she couldn’t have done herself. She smelled of something pleasant and unnatural, and more than that, she wore a dress outside of her usual Terran make. True to her word, she looked different. Expressive. Unique.
And cute, he supposed. That was an unexpected facet of her personality.
”You came back,” Kuja said without any real interest. Did he feel disappointment? Relief? Even he didn’t know. ”I don’t expect you to always wear that, but it was a nice push, don’t you think?” And so it was. With a little encouragement, he supposed she wasn’t entirely useless. ”You’re on a living planet now. You have to learn your own self-expression.”
Among other things. A part of him supplied that his own transition would have gone a fair amount smoother with someone to guide him or to give him anything but dismissal at such ideas. He quickly banished the thought.
”I suppose I should supply my end of the bargain.” Kuja waved a hand, turning from her and walking away. ”You want to learn magic, don’t you?”
He hadn’t expected her to return, but he’d given some idle thought on the matter as he’d browsed through fashion, jewels, and magical components with disinterest, waiting to see her decision. Her magic was weak, but volatile. She would need a safe practice space if they were to refine her power. And that was how he’d come across the Plaisir de Magicka.
It was vapid.
He felt his tail flick as he stood at the gates, arms crossed and lips thin. The promenade was lined with merchants selling all manner of magical wares on display. A young girl stood on her tip-toes at a counter selling, ’Fire, Blizzard, Thunder -- 50 Gil Apiece!’ as she shrieked, “The blue one! I want the blue one!” Down the way, a boy cried over a spilled cone of shaved ice. Kuja was suddenly and thoroughly relieved that he had never been a child.
”We won’t need any of that,” Kuja said, shooting the stalls a scornful look. They were useless ores, the single-use kind that amateur adventurers used when they were too stupid for magic. He hated every moment near this place, but they needed a practice space, and this park would provide. If it was proofed for a child then he supposed Mikoto could be little worse.
They approached the ticket counter. Entry was a hundred gil, and the passes were, for some reason, ten pointed stars with finely cut crystals at each point. The path led them to several open-air courses (mostly occupied by children) until they claimed of their own. Here, they found all manner of contraptions with signs to label them. There was a vat of water that would trigger magic when frozen to rain snow down on them. There was what looked like a furnace which would whistle when the fire was lit. There was a lightning rod that would power some manner of insipid response. Kuja turned to her, unamused.
”I doubt it will need more than a first level spell,” he said. ”Why don’t you show me what you can do?”
[attr=class,bottomlyric] Dropping circle stones on a sun dial.
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Ooops. This ended up longer than I thought. I think she needs a journal for all her internal dialogue. Kuja
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[attr=class,bulk] Mikoto padded quietly toward him, before stopping to look up at him with that stare most of the denizens of a living planet felt unnerving. She simply waited for him to speak, half expecting some words of displeasure for being late or not quite fully completing her makeup quest. Garland would have made her redo a task after pointing out some flaws. Or he would have simply found her incapable, thus sending her on a lesser task instead. She held her bag of items to her chest as she patiently waited to be spoken to first. [break][break] But Kuja did neither. He simply acknowledged her and her efforts. Her eyes lit up at the realization and she felt the pride touch red at her cheeks. Her tail resumed that contented curve. [break][break] Not even the genomes of Bran Bal acknowledged when she changed her clothes to pink and wore accessories. This was new. [break][break] She nodded in awkward agreement as he asked her whether she thought it was a nice push. She had learned plenty from the tasks he gave her. She wanted to tell him about all of it. How Jessie had taught her how clothing stores worked, how to barter, and even that there was not one, but two plays to be seen in Torensten. That she found something for his tail as she was searching for ribbons for her own. How Zidane’s woman upset her as she was eating these ‘kebabs’ because the ‘princess’ flung accusations when she understood nothing of Terra and its denizens. That she left Mikoto alone in the makeup store, but seemed to cheer up afterwards with cake and perfume shopping. And most of all, how the young genome wished Kuja had been there with her. [break][break] Plus, there were all the new questions that stirred from these encounters. [break][break] But, he was already turning away, and Mikoto held her silence. It was simply enough to follow behind him. It seemed he had more activities in mind for her. And she did indeed want to learn magic. [break][break] She took note of his displeasure at this place. Mikoto could not blame him. She was already tired from the adult human interactions after a day. These smaller humans seemed overly obnoxious to her. What did screeching like these children accomplish? It would not fix the spilled cone or provide these items without gil. Even the child genomes Garland created did not have this much energy or the lungs. In fact, child genomes were just small adult genomes in demeanor. [break][break] Mikoto looked up at Kuja, as if unsure why he would choose such a noisy place. Bran Bal, Black Mage Village, and even Headstone Forest were quiet and peaceful. She was finding she preferred that. [break][break] Though she could not help but wonder if she did need those items from the vendor. Would they be useful in testing and experiments? [break][break] As they continued through the gate, Mikoto was very aware that she was drawing an unprecedented amount of attention from the children. She tried to ignore those unrestrained calls of “monkey” and parents having their sleeves tugged on where they can get a tail too. As long as they did not physically bother her, she tried to pay them no heed. [break][break] When they finally found their own practice magic range, Mikoto put her bag down. So, he wanted her to try again. Even after her disappointing display from when they first met. She studied each contraption briefly. How it worked was not terribly difficult to understand. [break][break] But, now that Kuja had asked her to do it, she suddenly felt the hesitation rise in her. Much like when she first stepped foot in the city. But she reminded herself that this is what she asked for and it would not do to waste his efforts. Her frown deepened just a little with her concentrated determination as she stepped first toward the low fence line that separated them just out of arm's reach of the vat of water. [break][break] She made sure her feet were firmly planted beneath her and she tried to redouble the concentration she had before. What had the black mages shown her? “The Black Mages told me to consider the water’s flow…” But that had been a relatively new concept to the Terrans, not to mention maybe a little misleading. Water was always still on Terra, much like the water in the vat. “But ice...doesn’t flow. The molecules condense at first when cold, but then expand with crystalline structures, correct?” Did she need to know how the elements work to use them? She at least understood the basic science of liquids. [break][break] She tried to ignore Kuja’s watching eyes and pushed out both palms towards the water. She tried to reach within and tried to draw from the magic inside her. Brow creased, her eyes focused on the water. There was a stirring in the wind that brought a chill and it stirred the vat of water. It had not been enough to freeze it completely, but at least two inches of the surface froze over and expanded slightly upward. [break][break] It was enough to trigger the soft snowfall that landed on her cheeks and shoulders. She felt goosebumps prick at her skin from the sudden chill. Extending a palm up to catch the small snowflakes and curiously observe the unnatural weather effect. Her spell was short lived, and the warmer water beneath the ice caused the spell to crack and disperse. The snow stopped. [break][break] Eyes scanned the other obstacles before looking back up at him. “Do you want me to try the others? Or do I try one at a time?” She seemed unable to discern his intent. Did he want her to try one, then he offers his evaluation. Or try all of them at once, and he’d give her his evaluation when she was done?
Mikoto did her best. Or so Kuja assumed from her overly serious expression, her tight-lipped frown, and the nervous sway of her tail. She recounted what the black mages had taught her (oh the irony) and held out her palms as though pushing her power towards the water. There was a slight spark of magic. A very slight spark, and then the water chilled. A few inches of ice formed on the surface. Apparently this was enough for the device because it rained down a flurry of snow on them both. Mikoto’s crystalline star buzzed, and one of the ten points lit up as though she’d won some prize.
The children’s amusements may have been impressed. Kuja was not.
”Well. It was better than nothing.” He waved a hand, arms crossed as he considered her results. At six months old, he supposed she could have done worse. At least she knew how to harness her magic at all. Zidane had never reached that legendary feat. A fact that endlessly amused him.
”Magic is fueled by the soul,” Kuja said. It felt odd speaking of it in such a way. For so long, his magic had been a thing all his own -- one taught by Garland in the cruelest of ways but that he had since personalized. It was as much his own as his very soul. That was to say, very much so even if Garland would never admit it.
”As Terrans, you and I both have an affinity for it. Our souls are stronger than those of Gaians and far more developed. Even Zidane can do it subconsciously. Though his soul has to practically burst from the seams before that happens.”
Trance. How very unfair that he should manage the kind of unrefined magic that Kuja had honed for longer than his counterpart had been alive. But then again, what was fair between them?
”I don’t know what the black mages taught you, but I learned on a dead planet. Garland was such an efficient teacher.” His lips twitched with his own bitter disdain. ”Magic is fueled by the soul, and each element is a force of will. It’s a mistake to think of water specifically. Blizzard is a draining force that saps heat and life from a condensed space. It immobilizes. You should consider it as a matter of malicious defense.”
Or so he had learned it. Garland had gone on and on in the same manner as Mikoto. Cellular structures. Crystalizing molecules. Magic wasn’t a matter of scientific analysis. It was a passion. A feeling. Kuja had once connected it with fear. Now he had recognized those distinct willful forces for what they were.
Kuja raised a finger. Not a whole swiping arm, but just a finger that he swished carelessly to the side. The entire vat of water froze solid, cracking the glass that contained it. Snow burst from the top in a mad flurry of snow. Kuja sighed.
Had he cast even a first level spell at full strength, the whole device would have been encased in glacial ice. Control was key.
”You should have felt that.” he said. He imagined the psychic colors of his soul were far more perceivable than Garland’s had been in demonstration. Another swish of his finger and fire erupted from the vat’s center, melting it with a barrage of steam that whistled out the top. Had he broken it? He didn’t care.
[attr=class,bottomlyric] DROPPING CIRCLE STONES ON A SUN DIAL.
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He's lucky she is an attentive and fast learned. D;< Kuja
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[attr=class,bulk] Mikoto patiently waited for his evaluation. Her face held no real expression, though her tail seemed to express her nervousness with its low soft flicks. The attached machine buzzed and chimed. It’s starburst lit up in one corner, and she wondered if each corner represented a different task. Would she need to complete all ten challenges? It was certainly an interesting distraction. Was it meant to gratify humans in their accomplishments? Perhaps, by Zephonian standards, she had done well. [break][break] But by Terran standards, it was clear she had a way to go. [break][break] So, it was the soul Garland blessed her with that fueled her magic. She pressed a hand to her chest, similar to the spot Garland’s red orb pulsed. Her eyes dropped as she processed the thought. Is that why certain genomes were selected to harbor a soul - to wield magic as Terran weaponry? But it seemed more than that. She could bend reality to her will due to the tender care placed on each soul by Garland. No wonder her master was careful in his selection of angels. [break][break] “At least Garland taught you.” She said softly, her eyes turning to look at the starburst that lit up at her success. “He simply left me in the village to wait.” He fully expected Zidane to return to Terra and fulfil his purpose. Had he expected Zidane to teach her in his stead? There was a flaw to that logic. Zidane had forgotten everything. Even Kuja contested he had not truly learned to wield the power bestowed upon him. [break][break] And was Kuja not a better teacher than either Garland or Zidane? He had proven his strength over her former master and understood this Terran power better than Zidane. The snow flurries finally died down as her spell fizzled. [break][break] It seemed Blizzard was to be matched not with molecular structures but with the properties of cold. The absence of heat, which, in turn, immobilizes life. Her eyes turned to her now lifted arm as she thought about the spirit of Headstone Forest that grabbed her. The redness and cold was finally gone. The ghost’s assault had simply chilled her to the bone and felt terribly malicious in action. Was she aiming for something similar? [break][break] Mikoto knew his power was great but to see even a sliver of it in person was always a bit surprising. Where she exerted all her effort, he had but to even lift a finger. She could feel the touch of Kuja’s soul in her mind's eye. It was difficult to process the swarm of colors and complex feelings, but she tried. Blues and violets. A cold urgency with a fierce bite. She had indeed felt it. [break][break] She closed her eyes and turned away, expecting the machine to burst for a second. However it held and she felt the flurry of snow come back to nip at them. Straightening she studied his work, his words sinking in once more. Then as he iced the contraption, he undid his work with Fire. Another wave of psychic colors of crimson and golds mixed with a burning passion. Her vision swirled for a moment. [break][break] He was quick to encourage her to try again. [break][break] For a few seconds, she did nothing. The snow that fell at their feet melted into the cement. Her eyes kept closed as she breathed evenly. He moved so fast that she was trying to piece together what he just told her. A slight shake of her head followed. She could ignore the fire impressions for now. The ice she tried to conjure up the same feelings and images. But it was hard when most of her feelings had been muted most of her life. She focused hard and did not let go of it. [break][break] The swirl of colors. The apparition sapping warm life from her flesh. The snow landing on her nose and shoulders. The slight chill on her skin after the dip in the river. [break][break] It was harder to connect to that feeling of the urgency of defense. But she trailed her thoughts back to the ghost she tried to sink her mage masher into. Some of the pieces were coming together. [break][break] She pressed out a hand again and this time the magic sparked a little brighter. The water in the vat did more than chill over. A small iceberg appeared in the vat as half its water froze. The machine gave its choked whistle, though instead of snow, it rained on them. The light seemed to be much dimmer in its ghastly glow. “Hn.” A soft sigh, as if unsure if something was still not clicking with her or if she needed more practice. [break][break] Discontent at being so soggy now, Mikoto padded out of the machine’s range with her bag. Some kids came screaming down the pathway, just chasing each other. The moment they saw the rain, they were thrilled and started to play in it. Peals of chuckling and giggling ensued as they stepped in the puddles and splashed the water at each other. [break][break] “We can try another machine.” Mikoto suggested, “Another one for blizzard? Or the fire contraption is right over here. I felt the impressions for that too.” She wasn’t bothered by being soggy, as she padded to the next area with the furnace.
This time, her attempt wasn’t quite so pathetic. It wouldn’t have protected her or anyone else in a practical sense, but he saw her concentration, and even he couldn’t deny that the results were more substantial. This time instead of merely frosting the water, she brought at least half of it to a solid freeze. The ice bobbed in its glacial water, and Kuja tilted his head, considering it. It wasn’t terrible, he supposed. It was progress. He was about to say so when the machine gave a horrible, labored groan whirred to life.
It rained.
For a moment, Kuja merely stood there as the water sprayed down on him, wetting his hair and face and sleeves. It was cold water. Freezing, in fact, as was the intention. His tail flicked with barely concealed irritation. The climate was warm, at least. Stifling in its own right between the harsh sun and the suffocating humidity, but he couldn’t exactly call damp clothes a relief. Not to mention his hair. He felt it wilt its new weight, and in this particular climate, he knew it would frizz as it dried.
Kuja closed his eyes, counting down from ten. He heard a shriek of delighted children as they rushed in, their clumsy footsteps splashing in the new puddles. They giggled. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six…
”We can try another machine,” Mikoto said in her eternal monotone. ”Another one for blizzard? Or the fire contraption is right over there. I felt the impressions for that too.” She wandered off without much concern for the glacial rain.
Kuja finished his count then flipped his hair over his shoulders and started after her. The shrieks of the children faded behind them. It did not silence. Kuja longed to end them.
Once they reached the next device, Kuja stopped, crossing his arms. It was a furnace. The magic here was nothing more than a glorified match. Kuja tilted his head and spoke without passion or interest.
”Fire, as you might imagine, is the most wild of the fundamental elements. It requires unrestrained passion. Of course, black magic can’t be cast without some intent to cause harm. Ice seeks to drain and immobilize. Fire seeks to burn. Observe.”
Another careless flick of his finger. The furnace erupted in brilliant white-yellow flames. The furnace screamed like something alive. His ten-pointed crystal hummed as one of the ores lit in proof of his victory.
Lovely.
Kuja extinguished the fire with a blizzard spell and then recrossed his arms, careless and unexpectant. ”Go ahead,” he said. ”I find anger to be the most appropriate emotion. Or the desire for violent retribution.”
She felt the wind blow and the goosebumps pricked. She was chilled, but the sun felt warm, leaving an interesting sensation. Almost made her want to curl up somewhere and contentedly sleep in the sun. But of course, there was always some task to perform. Mikoto was not one to shirk her duties, nor waste her predecessor’s time.
[break][break] She turned to look back at him, only to see his face with those deeper, displeased lines. Did the rain displease me? Or the screeching of those children. And did he have additional tips from the previous spell? It seemed she would not get the answers. He already was gauging the next machine and speaking. She listened carefully and did her best to connect her memories to his description.
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Intent to cause harm… Fire seeks to burn…
[break][break] Like the destruction the Black Mages claimed they were forced to cause. No. Like Pandemonium on fire. Terra burning. She trembled again.
[break][break] Attacked airships falling out of the sky at the Iifa tree.
She raised her palm up and a spark of magic flickered. The force seemed to flicker with a small fire at first. But Mikoto suddenly seemed stuck in a thought mid-spell as her eyes were unfocused.
[break][break] Anger is the most appropriate emotion. Or the desire for violent retribution….
[break][break] Had that been why Kuja slayed their master? Garnet had said he was afraid, perhaps even wanted to break away from his home..but had it been in anger and retribution instead? She shook her head, some damp hair sticking to her cheeks. Now was not the time was it. When had she felt anger? She thought back to the colors of the spell.
[break][break] Garnet had called Kuja and Garland evil. Zidane’s woman called Garland selfish, which felt like an insult to Terra itself. Garnet was displeased by Mikoto’s attempt to help, wanting instead to use Mikoto like a sonar to find Zidane. Had she not been freed from being a tool? She remembered that irritation she felt, her tail bristling. Her tongue shoved into the roof of her mouth. Her eyes darkened for a moment.
[break][break] The fire in the furnace grew too great and burst, as her own pent up feelings of a ruined home and recent disagreements boiled over.
[break][break] The machine screeched as if it was terrified of the success. The star lit as if startled.
[break][break] The heatwave afterwards seared at her skin, and it caused her wet hair to frizz and fluff. She was dazed for a second at what had happened, suddenly feeling very tired and taking a step back to steady herself. Her head spun and then…
[break][break] Another screeching from behind them from a child. It took a moment to regain her senses to realize the boy was rubbing at his eyes much like she had when Kuja used his lightning spell. It must have unexpectedly looked at the flash of her spell and was blinded. The child’s predecessor ran up the pathway glaring at them and looking concerned at the smaller human.
[break][break] Mikoto shot Kuja a glance. She wanted to ask him if that’s what he had felt back then. But her head swirled from draining her energy. Instead, she pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth with puffed cheeks.
[break][break] Her eyes turned back to the earth-shattering screaming child. She did not necessarily care about it, but the noise would make concentration difficult. And her mentor seemed displeased at the last screaming children.
[break][break] Unconsciously, she found herself padding to the child and kneeling down. The mother seemed alarmed as the genome reached out to touch the child’s head as if she were to pat him. Effortlessly, she took his blindness away. The kid seemed to not notice at first as his crying raged on. Then came a strangled choking as the crying came to a surprised, confused stop. He and Mikoto stared at each other for a moment, before Mikoto stood up and the mother began tugging on her child to leave.
Something shifted in the genome. Kuja felt it before he saw it, and he saw it before she cast. There was a small flash of her soul, hot and red, and then something darkened her eyes. It was a strange look for a doll, he thought. Though he supposed that in that white dress with her ribbon and her makeup, she looked very little like the soulless vessels of Bran Bal. In that moment, he saw something else. A real person.
He tilted his head.
Her eyes flashed and magic erupted from her in a shockwave. Heat burst from inside the furnace with such a violent force that it the metal cracked as the whistle screamed with a flood of smoke it couldn’t contain. Kuja raised a hand as heat and light struck them both. He felt his dry to a half-damp frizz.
He wanted to feel annoyed. He couldn’t quite manage it.
”Repressing something?” He smirked, glancing over to see her staggered and dazed. All of her magic at once then? He waited as she righted herself and blinked stupidly at one of the screaming children behind her. She looked uncertain before she padded over to the child and knelt in front of him. What Kuja thought she was doing was beyond him, but he waited until she’d quieted the creature and returned to him. It must have been something she’d picked up from Zidane.
”You know there’s such a thing as control,” Kuja said, but he didn’t sound displeased exactly. She’d tapped into something both in her soul and her power. He couldn’t say he respected that, but it was something for a genome less than a year old. He magicked a bottle of ether into his hand and tossed it to her.
”Drink that,” he said. ”You exhausted yourself.”
He walked past her without another glance, inspecting the fiery device as he went. It wasn’t built to handle a competent fire spell -- not even at first level. The metal was warped outwards. Black charcoal coated it both inside and out. He sincerely hoped the owners wouldn’t expect him to pay for all of the damages. He might very well choose to kill them instead.
”What was that?” he asked as he went, not bothering to check if she was following. ”Someone you’d like to burn?” It had taken Kuja some time to find a reliable source of anger within himself. At first, it had been nothing but an offensive move born from fear and the desire to keep Garland’s plentiful monsters away. He’d been stronger with ice than fire and stronger with thunder than ice, but his hatred had a slow burn.
Garland, Terra, Gaia, and all the idiots who inhabited it. How he’d longed to end them all.
[attr=class,bottomlyric] Dropping Circle stones on a sun dial.
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Kuja She made up for her lack of dialogue last post.
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[attr=class,bulk] His first question went unanswered for no other reason than his voice felt like a distant echo as her senses recovered. Her mind felt hollow and her soul drained, as if she had fled for her life from the unseemingly dangerous movers. She watched the child walk away with its mother into the distance. All she had ever been good at was fleeing, climbing, and taking away status effects from the other genomes. But, today she saw that maybe there was a potential for maybe something more? [break][break] She turned back to him to find a small bottle tossed at her. She deftly caught it. Was breaking the machine a lack of control? Had he not broken the first machine? She tilted her head curiously. Or was it simply because she expended herself too soon? “How do you put restraint on magic?” It was simple to tell her that control existed. Not so easy to put the thresholds into practice. [break][break] She uncorked the blue crystal bottle, as she trailed after him. She pressed the rim to her lips and drank the herbal fluid inside. Her nose scrunch at the taste, even if she could already feel her strength regain itself. She had a few choice substances while she was here, and she was sure the taste of this one she would never forget or get used to. But she finished it without complaint or question. [break][break] When she finished, she recorked the bottle and placed it in her bag. This time his questions did reach her, now that her head stopped humming its disease at her. Eyes burrowed into his back, not quite sure how to answer. She had not been sure herself. “I thought of Pandemonium burning.” She said bluntly and insensitively. If he was to teach her, she had to be honest on what happened during her training. The burning of Pandemonium, Bran Bal, Terra…that was the best image she could muster. “But I couldn’t imagine the anger and violent retribution you must have felt.” She would not insult him by saying she could. He knew her emotions were terribly blunted. And her words held no malice, only soft uncertainty. [break][break] She paused in her words, trying to find the next part. “I don’t want to burn her.” She said vaguely and she really didn’t. Another hesitation, then, “Why did you send that Gaian female to me?” It had not been hard to figure out. Garnet had known she was traveling with Kuja, but hadn’t known that Mikoto was there. So she did not spot the two of them together. “Zidane’s woman followed me because I reminded her of Zidane and was displeased I was not. She also distrusted me because I reminded her of you. Both these things made her unhappy around me, yet she still followed me after I told her it was okay to leave.” Mikoto could not change the Gaian's feelings. There was no point in her trying. [break][break] Her tail lash side to side. She didn’t understand Gaians at all. “She tried to explain what happened in Pandemonium to me. She made judgements of Terrans that Gaians have no right to make.” Did worms have a right to judge the birds for eating them? “She made some conjectures that I felt were contradicting and used concepts beyond my understanding. We simply do not understand each other.” And yet, they still tried to understand each other and shared food. She did not hate her, but she was not comfortable to be around. She also knew that look in Gaian eyes. They found her mannerisms odd and unnatural. “I am unsure how you lived among them for so long.” She honestly did not. [break][break] And yet, they were tolerable. There was something in them that she found curious in observing them. Jessie came to mind. [break][break] She stopped to turn her back on the topic. She did not want to be in a bad mood. Her teal eyes found a series of food stands. She wanted this herbal taste out of her mouth, which seemed to worsen the more she spoke on the subject. She slightly turned back to him and pointed at the snack stand, full of odd foods - ice cream bars, cones, popcorn, hot dogs, packaged sandwiches and bottled drinks.
Oh. How awkward. Kuja’s eyes drifted to the sky. Pandemonium burning. He could almost grasp the images through the eternal fog of his memory. Purple-blue light striking towers and parapets and the loathsome mushroom-like structures specific to Bran Bal. His vision was clouded red -- within him, outside him, emanating with a terrible power that pounded beautifully in his heart. And he’d watched it burn. Oh, how he’d watched it burn.
”Shouldn’t you hate me?” She’d gone on and on about what an inspiration he’d been and how he’d freed her. Valid appreciations, he supposed, but if the thought of Terra's destruction caused her so much anger then it seemed outrageous that she should be here now. Was she only pretending to have forgiven him? It seemed unlikely.
Then why…?
But it seemed that was not the only piece on her mind. ”I don’t want to burn her,” she said abruptly, and Kuja raised his eyebrows. How convincing. If she had to say it then it must have been true.
”I thought you might prefer it.” Kuja waved a dismissive hand. ”You cared for Zidane, didn’t you? And he had that particularly Gaian touch. He was, likewise, an idiot.” He smirked faintly. Why shouldn’t he be entirely honest when the genome hung on his every word. ”She annoyed me,” he went on. ”I was only going about my day when I was suddenly accosted by accusations and her oh so righteous condemnations. She seemed to think that I’d abducted you. Now wherever would she have gotten an idea like that?”
He wondered.
Mikoto went on. It seemed she had quite a lot to say about what irked her. Kuja couldn’t help his own amusement. It felt somehow justifying to see her defy both the will of the princess and of Garland’s late spirit in equal terms. The former would try so very hard to see the good in her. The latter would be disgusted that she’d felt such base emotions as anger at all.
”I am unsure how you lived among them for so long.”
Kuja blinked in surprise before he brought a hand to his lips, laughing lightly. He supposed he did deserve some small recognition, didn't he?
”It’s infuriating, isn’t it? Hearing them go on endlessly about justice and good will and the value of life? It gave me some satisfaction knowing that I would kill them all. The cycle needed souls. Garland could hardly let me forget.”
How strange it was, speaking to someone of his eternal frustrations. How much stranger to speak with the expectation of sympathy.
”Gaians are stupid,” he said frankly. ”It’s best to keep that in mind.”
They came to a small plaza between their ridiculous tests. It smelled of salt and grease. People milled about -- mostly children and their beleaguered parents -- screaming for candy and frozen treats. Kuja detested this place. If ever he longed to burn something, it would be every gaudy inch of it, but he couldn’t deny its practicality. The machines were built specifically for magic and gave instant feedback for success. No matter how minor that success might have been, he supposed it would be effective all the same.
Kuja started to move on -- they were wasting time in this loathsome place -- but Mikoto had turned to him. He saw her wide eyes -- as blue as the light of Gaia. He saw their childish longing as she pointed towards the concessions to make her point abundantly clear.
Kuja touched at his temple. She really was a child, wasn’t she? In her own Terran way that had nothing to do with bodily development. Her mental capacity was fully matured, but her soul lacked any sort of experience. She was, in essence, a child, and her emotions responded as such.
He sighed, flipped back his bangs, and magicked his gil towards his hand. He tossed one hundred of them at her. It wouldn’t buy her much, but hopefully it would satisfy that irritating longing in her eyes. Next would come disappointment, and he’d have to deal with that for the next hour at least. It was better to give her what she wanted.
He crossed his arms as she left, waiting for her to finish. Waiting alone in a hellscape of children complaining and running and throwing dirt at each other or whatever non-Terran children did. They were so insufferable that he truly wondered how the entire race hadn’t gone extinct. Who, in their right mind, would possibly choose to procreate?
Gaians were stupid. He would never be convinced otherwise.
One of them punched another wailing boy in the stomach. Another discarded his popcorn, plucked a bug from the ground, and ate that instead. Kuja waited, tail flicking and magic sparking at his fingertips. He imagined striking them all down with a well-placed thunder spell. It was, as always, endlessly cathartic.
Her head fell to the side at his question, as if a big question mark stood above her head. “Hate?” This was not a concept she really understood. Was it as complex as this love the Gaian tried to describe to her? “I don’t really understand.” She said softly, her eyes downcast in thought. “The woman’s account was full of contradictions. I doubt a Gaian could understand your motives.” Garnet said something about how Kuja had been freed from his home, and still did bad things. That he did not take those actions against Gaia for Terra. But had Kuja really been free of it? Did Garland not keep an eye on him? Did Garland not limit him like he did the other genomes? No Terran would be free of their home until they offered themselves up.
[break][break] But Garnet also said he was angry and wanted to break free of home. That he had been afraid of dying. How could he want to break free if he was already free of Terra, according to Garnet? Garnet’s account did not make sense. Mikoto wanted to understand it from Kuja.
[break][break] “But...Terra was your home too. Did you not burn yourself as well?” She shook her head. Wasn’t that punishment enough? Or was it? Even Zidane was unhappy at its sight and called it a dump. “The Gaians blamed you, but they were there too. They defied Garland as well.” Weren’t they partly to blame for its destruction? Everything had been going well until they showed. “If you had not acted, what would they have done?” If they simply left Terra, then it would have spelt their doom. Nicely asking Garland to stop was out of the question.
[break][break] She had so many questions about what happened.
[break][break] Her gaze met his for a quiet moment before, “...and someone had to lose.” Either Gaia, Terra, or both would fall. Both could not stand together. “And how can I judge, when I would have followed in your footsteps.” Would she have done the same as her brothers? Both defied Garland in the end.
[break][break] Kuja explained his reasons for sending Garnet to her. She had nothing to contest about it. She might have cared about Zidane, but his mannerisms were perplexing. And the Gaians found genomes unnerving, which is why they were left with the Black Mages.
[break][break] “Gaian concepts on morality are flawed.” She conceded. Good, evil, justice, all were concepts that were beyond the structures of logic. They were attempts for Gaians to understand the world in their lens. “But I do see value in life. Is that not why we were in conflict with them?” She contested him. Souls and lives were at stake then. An entire civilization waiting to wake up. The genomes she wished to see awakened. “Your life is valuable.” And Zidane's.
[break][break] And she would keep in mind that Gaians were indeed stupid.
[break][break] Even if he sighed and touched his temple at her, he did not deny her a snack. In fact, she knew he had not denied her anything she asked for thus far. Had he not offered his own gil, his own transport, and sent her someone he thought she might get along with? These she had not asked for. Was he really as bad as Garnet stated?
[break][break] She took the coin and wordlessly padded through the crowd, unafraid of being lost. Kuja’s resonance was beacon enough to find her way. She looked over the freezer section, drawn to the allure of its chill on a hot day. Her eyes locked onto a packaging of a moogle. Such critters kept her company in Bran Bal when they decided to visit. Another had a packaging of a chocobo, which made her think of Bobby Corwen.
[break][break] She selected these ice cream bars from the freezer and offered up the gil for them. Though she had no idea what these flavors would be. She took back her change and padded back to the very annoyed looking Kuja. She offered him the chocobo character ice cream, before walking over to a semi-clean looking bench to sit. She had observed plenty of people taking seats and eating, so this felt like the appropriate thing to do.
[break][break] She unwrapped her ice cream bar and looked at the deformed moogle face and pom pom. It looked like they melted a moogle and projected its image onto a stick. What was this? Is this how Zephonians really saw these creatures. She looked a little concerned for the perception of these people. “Why do they shape sustenance into inaccurate representations of these creatures?” Especially when she was sure this was not going to taste like a moogle. Not that she had tasted a moogle before. She took a bite, and was satisfied with the vanilla and cherry taste of it. Her legs swayed softly back and forth. She curiously waited to see what monstrosity Kuja’s looked like.
