Welcome to Adventu, your final fantasy rp haven. adventu focuses on both canon and original characters from different worlds and timelines that have all been pulled to the world of zephon: a familiar final fantasy-styled land where all adventurers will fight, explore, and make new personal connections.
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year 5, quarter 3
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That was the start of her letter -- just four simple words that spoke volumes. ’To my dearest angel.’ ‘My,’ showing a kind of ownership, ‘dearest,’ a term of affection, and ‘angel.’ She was always one for nicknames. They shared that in common, though for her it was a way to express endearment. For him, it was merely another display of his endless derision.
’Here I write to my captor and destroyer of worlds...I write towards the recently departed, hoping in vain my words reach you.’
He read it by candlelight the night after their rendezvous in the garden. He locked himself away in the back room of a villa he’d rented on the outskirts of the city and he carefully unfolded the letter’s soft pages. They smelled of her perfume, and as he read, it felt almost as though she stood beside him, watching with a passive indifference, waiting for his response.
’As we of intellect do, I reflected on the past.’
It was strange, reading of his own demise in a letter aged by years. It staggered his breath, and he felt his own mortality tight in his throat as he learned of Gaia’s joy at what occurred in that hideous tree. It welled within him the way it always did, quiet and painful and whispering its promises of oblivion. Still, he read on. He read her words in that quiet room so far from home -- if he’d ever had a home to begin with.
’When we sorcerers lose our temper, we tend to lose it well.’
How he longed to burn the thing and be done with it! It was a waste of time -- a matter of pure sentiment addressed to one who could never listen. Yet, he found that he couldn’t. How easily he could have broken her. How much easier to set her words alight and scatter the ashes! Why then did he feel compelled to read on again and again on the verge of madness? He read until there was nothing left and then he read it again. He revisited her letter time after time until he could, if asked, have recited it like poetry. It was the compulsion of a thought that had yet to take form.
’I am thankful for you, Kuja.’
Why did the words torment him so?
’I wished to see what you would have done with the life you won for yourself.’
With the life he had won…?
’Yes, please accept my deepest thanks. Thank you for shaking the world up.’
He’d meant nothing of the sort.
’Everything may be broken now, but we have a chance to rebuild something better.’
They would rebuild a world he couldn’t see. A world that had left him behind.
’I try to imagine what my life would be like if I could be left to my own passions. Then I think of you, and I wonder what you would do if left to your own devices. Would you continue the destruction? Or would you pursue art, beauty, or whatever else your heart may desire? In the end, your destiny is now in your hands.’
His destiny.
What was it now?
Kuja sighed and leaned back in his chair, quill pen idly threading itself between his fingers. It had been three nights since he’d first opened the letter -- two nights since he’d said that he’d only stay a single night longer. It was well past the witching hour in his dim, candlelit room. The city was silent beyond his window, still but for the thoughts of those too inspired or tormented for sleep. He couldn’t tell the time, not without a clock or a precise assessment of the position of the moon, but it hardly mattered. He came from a place where time was meaningless and the day to day cycles of sun and moon were nothing more than curiosities in ancient scientific texts.
A piece of paper glared up at him from the writing desk -- infuriatingly blank. He’d written, ‘Lady Hildagarde Fabool,’ then replaced it with, ‘Lady Hilda,’ and then merely ‘Hilda,’ before he’d crumpled it, cast it aside, and grabbed a fresh sheet. Said sheet now mocked him for his lack of clarity. ’Aren’t you supposed to be eloquent?’ it seemed to say. ’Since when have you been at a loss for words?’
In truth, he had plenty of them, more than he could possibly set to paper. They struck him with the wild ferocity of a whirlwind whenever he closed his eyes. Whole letters he would write, rewrite, then scrap in that silent mental space which he could never seem to access with a quill in his hand. He hadn’t slept longer than an hour in three days.
”How clever of you,” he muttered. ”To leave your thoughts at my disposal. Are you so determined to steal the last word?”
He couldn’t leave it like this. He had to respond, but how? His thoughts were an ever-present, howling force that resisted all attempts at order.
’To my dearest angel.’
’I am thankful for you, Kuja.’
’Your destiny is now in your hands.’
Kuja scowled and tossed the pen aside. He needed space.
He left his room and stalked down the hallway, too used to his own solitude to bother with caution. It was a time of night reserved largely for him and him alone -- for beings with too active minds and a body which had never fully adjusted to the daily cycle of time. On nights like these, he would have taken to the library of Alexandria or to the dark streets of Treno, confident that his scheming would go uninterrupted except for the occasional guard or drunkard, all of them yawning and cursing the night. He would stand by the canals, eyes lifted to the twin moons as he reveled in the silent isolation inherent to his singular, unique creation.
That is to say that while he should have sensed her presence in that strange way that all genomes could, he didn’t realize that Mikoto was awake until he came face to face with her in the living room on his way to the door. He froze at the sight of her, and her eyes raised to his expectantly.
Hollow eyes. Childish eyes. Eyes bright as the blue light of Gaia.
”Oh.” Kuja paused before crossing his arms and casting his gaze aside. ”Do you need something?”
[attr=class,bulk] It was concerning. Every fiber of her being seemed to be on edge, as if her anatomy would tear itself apart. The man had not meant it. Giving an immortal being a clock and trying to make them adhere to time had consequences. Especially to a young genome who was still trying to grasp the ways of the world. He did not understand what time meant to her. That it was both nothing and everything to her. Nothing in that it would never affect her physical form. Everything because it would take away the mortal parts she cared for over its silent course. [break][break] When there was Terra, it never mattered. Life and death was equivalent to her. In order for Terra to live and remain immortal, something had to be taken away. That was survival. Terra had always tried to make it a gentle process, but Gaia got the misfortune of seeing their emergency protocols... [break][break] She left samples hoping this scientist could discover what part of her cellular structure may vary from a mortals. The part of her alleles that could be supplied in gene therapy to stop the possible degrading of the body. [break][break] There was anger and annoyance in her. The feelings made her feel ill and hot, all at once. The scientist talked too much about human concepts she didn’t care about. She offered him the genetic resources he said he needed, and he readily complied. The after affects made her sore and turned her stomach. Still, she held a small amount of hope. Could he really achieve her goals with that? She worked with this scientist the last two cycles of light. He seemed to really know what he claimed. She would have to be patient. [break][break] Then, three days ago...she had to search for her predecessor. He had disappeared into the outskirts of Torensten and when she eventually found him, he was in some sort of unhappiness or pain. It was more than that, but she was too unaccustomed to emotions and its expressions to pinpoint what it was exactly. [break][break] Her feelings felt more aggravated by his duress. Even more so by the fact she was banned from mind-talking to him and with a physical barrier between them. She tried speaking from behind the door, but he seemed so lost to her that not only did she stress, she felt like she was losing him already. She sat outside his door even until she fell asleep, just waiting...just hoping she would find him healthy when it opened. [break][break] The Black Mages had their sluggishness before they malfunctioned. They slowed down until they finally stopped. Was he in this process? Was she too late to find the remedy? [break][break] She only found comfort in that his soul’s life force did not seem to be waning. [break][break] By the third night, she found herself overwhelmed with worry for her predecessor and aggravated by the lack of answer from human science. Pacing the front room had not solved anything. Being idle left her even more nervous and hyper aware of his feelings. His restlessness was starting to affect her. [break][break] With nothing more to do, she left the villa. She needed to do something. It would give her a break from the emotions crushing her and take action instead. [break][break] Torensten seemed to be celebrating something vastly different than their last festival. Something with dark colors that praised a harvest or perhaps their own mortality? Was this really a coincidence? [break][break] She padded along the streets until she saw a free confections sign for those in costume. She eyed these free transactions. Then a thought struck her. Quina had given her this spongy sweet and told her to eat it if she felt bad. Would giving Kuja something sweet help him feel better? From traveling with him, she gathered he didn’t like something overly sweet… [break][break] Then, the rest of the day unfolded. They found moogle cloaks and she learned from ‘Yuffie’ the meaning of this odd holiday. Though, it seemed overly aggressive to antagonize your own community unit. [break][break] Once she collected her goal, it was then she returned to this new home Kuja secured for them. She still wore her moogle cape from her endeavor, her face partially covered from the scarf pulled up to hide anything below her nose. Her bright, vacant eyes lifted to see him from under the moogle’s nose, the pom lilting to the side at the movement. [break][break] He seemed pale and his eyes a little red. Had he slept or ate in all this time? [break][break] He spoke and it startled her a little, especially after not hearing from him in days. Her tail snaked from behind her to drop a sack into her hands. “You stay in Torensten and do nothing… Are you unwell…?” She asked softly. One hand gripped the bag a little too tightly, as the other came back to push the moogle hood from her head. It revealed the rare flash of emotion...the concern lit her face in what little light filled the room through the windows. [break][break] A little awkwardly she looked down at her bag. “You have not eaten. I brought you something...” Her first brush with real food left her eyes open. It made her cheeks warm. Quina might have been right that it changes one mood. She stepped forward with the bag and offered it to him. “You don’t like overly sweet. I found something called ‘dark chocolate’ and a cake made with pears and fruit…” Some of the candy had cute shapes with black cats and witches hats. She did her best to make sure there was a variety so that he could choose something he enjoyed. [break][break] She looked back up at him, curiously this time. “Are you leaving?” Her eyes looked up at him wide, waiting for an answer. “May I walk with you?”
[attr=class,bulk] There was something different about Mikoto. He wasn’t sure what it was at first. He was far too involved in the prison of his thoughts to care for the details of a fledgling genome. She certainly seemed more downcast than usual though that wasn’t something he could call new. Was that a new outfit or…?
Her outfit.
What was she wearing?
”Is that...a moogle?” It seemed to be a white cloak of some kind draped over her shoulders with the hood pulled up, but the resemblance was obvious. From the bright red nose to the button eyes to rounded ears to the infuriating little pompom bobbing with every motion of her head, it was clearly meant to give off the impression of a lumpy, dead-eyed moogle.
But...why?
”Did someone give that to you?” He couldn’t fathom where she would have stumbled into it on her own, and he certainly hadn’t given her the money for it unless she’d taken to stealing. The thing was hideous. Whoever had lent it to her must have had a vendetta.
He was so distracted by her bizarre choice of fashion that he couldn’t help but blink when she turned the conversation back to him. ’Was he unwell?’ Kuja raised a hand to his forehead and breathed a haughty laugh.
”I’m fine,” he said. Yes, he was just fine and dandy, thank you very much. Nothing was the matter at all. Nothing that he cared to discuss with his diminutive successor, at least.
Though he did wonder, what would she make of it all? She’d tell him that he was being over dramatic most likely. Or perhaps she’d misinterpret the situation and conclude that Hilda had given him some terrible illness. Then Mikoto might want to kill her, and then Kuja might agree, and then he’d find one problem solved and replaced with a murder charge. He was trying to avoid those as of late.
She held out a bag for him, eyes wide with concern. Kuja raised an eyebrow and took it. There appeared to be pastries and other sweets inside. Apparently she’d tried to take his tastes into account. Well that was...nice.
”I was going for a walk.” His eyes drifted past her to the door. Might she come with him? Well, that would only ruin the very solitude he sought in the first place. But he supposed it would cause more trouble if he refused her. Then she might worry even harder and she’d come to the kinds of conclusion that he’d very much rather she not.
Damn it all.
”Do what you want.” He gave a short wave of his hand to show his disinterest as he walked past her and started outside. ”But take that thing off, won’t you? You look ridiculous.”
They walked together, Kuja in front and Mikoto trailing behind. He didn’t have anywhere in particular in mind. Had he been left to his own devices, he might have wandered back to the botanical gardens, but that was out of the question now. He’d resigned himself not to let his mind utter the word “Hilda” while he was under Mikoto’s watchful eye. She had an annoying habit of prying into his thoughts through psychic means, and he had no desire for her to witness whatever emotions might strike him at the place where it all began.
So the gardens were off limits. Which left...what, exactly?
They walked for about ten silent minutes before Kuja realized that he was still holding her bag of sweets. He must have forgotten to leave it on the table.
Kuja slowed to a stop and pressed his free hand to his forehead. He felt something building inside him. Something unpleasant that longed for violence.
”I don’t exactly have time to babysit you, you know.” Her constant presence was irritating to say the least. Even if she remained entirely quiet, he could feel her, and that was enough of a distraction. ”I don’t know what you think you’re doing with me. Do you long so terribly for subjugation? Or am I just another genome for you to fuss over?”
She’d said that she was a caretaker for them on Bran Bal, hadn’t she? Why Garland had thought he needed help monitoring those soulless dolls was beyond him. They were as disposable as they were dull.
”I’m the destroyer of Terra. Everything you were built to protect is gone and at my hand! I didn’t free anyone. I would have let you all die, and been quite pleased with the result!” His fist tightened. ”I killed our master. I spent twelve years plotting his downfall and then I murdered him in cold blood. Yet here you are, trotting after me like a wide-eyed puppy. Does that mean that I’ve inherited you now that he’s at the bottom of a ravine?”
She’d gone out and collected sweets for him. She was concerned for him. It was so ludicrous that he could have laughed. He didn’t though. He rather felt like setting something on fire.
[attr=class,bottomlyric] AND WE ARE BUILT TO WATCH OVER [break]EACH OTHER AND WORK TOGETHER...
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Mikoto has learned to shout back. Thank you Nero. =D Kuja
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[attr=class,bulk] Kuja was studying her as he tried to figure out what she was wearing. She patiently waited, her chin dipping into a nod to confirm it was a moogle. It seemed she was to both remove the cloak to appease him and tell him where she received it from. “Yes…” She agreed someone provided it to her. She reached to hold the moogle cape by its neck, then she tossed it off. It floated through the air to land on a nearby chair sloppily. She put her jazz hands in the air like Yuffie did. Though, she had no imaginary fireworks behind her. “Great Ninja Yuffie.” [break][break] Or was she supposed to introduce herself…? [break][break] But her tail drooped and she lowered her arms to fold her hands at her chest again at his tone. The tone that meant he was not fine, even though he said the opposite. She did not understand what she was supposed to do in these situations. If he had the energy to walk, perhaps she should follow just in case… [break][break] She had been so stressed about him, of course she would follow. Even if it was just to be near so she can ensure his health after all this time. Though, she did so with a slight limp in her left hip. A small bandage on her arm. She stayed upwind from the smell of the sweets. The medicines the human doctor gave her still made her feel a little ill. Still, she didn’t complain. She was simply happy to be near Kuja, even in silence. [break][break] Then came his outburst. She shuddered once, then clasped her hands in front of her. Her tail dropped in stress. What did she do wrong? Was she really just a bother to him? He did this often. [break][break] Mikoto badly wanted to run away. It would make Kuja happier, wouldn’t it? It seemed her presence was nothing but some painful memory that constantly haunted him. And it would be the easiest solution for both of them. To leave things unsaid and keep a distance. [break][break] Then Nero’s words creeped into the back of her mind. How he gained his acceptance from his Weiss. “All that time I spent begging and crying for his attention had accomplished nothing, but the moment I took control of my existence and fought to stand on equal ground with him … He finally saw me. He accepted me.” [break][break] Did she need to fight Kuja like Nero did his Wiess? [break][break] As she was trying to take grip of all the thoughts, she started gently. “Because I like you.” It was that simple. Her eyes were wide with sincerity. [break][break] The tip of her tail started with that annoyed twitch the more she thought about it. The more she tried to understand her answers to his why questions, the more she felt her own heat boiling in her. “Neither you nor Zidane were happy to see me. Neither of you were happy with ‘home’.” She stiffened and she felt hot tears in her eyes. [break][break] She felt something grasp at her throat at the pent up story. “When I was forced to live outside Terra, I realized I was not happy there either.” It nearly choked in her throat. Zidane asked her if she even knew the meaning of the word. Apparently she had not. “But I was happy to see you both.” [break][break] She planted her feet, deciding to stand her ground with her story. “You did not destroy Terra alone.” Not in her eyes. No. Zidane came with Gaians. “Zidane and his Gaians would not have simply left the Terrans to assimilate their planet.” Kuja might have schemed and dealt the final blow, but Mikoto was sure the Gaians would have offered much resistance...and probably succeeded. “It’s presence hurt them, as much as it did you.” [break][break] She was struggling to piece her reasoning together. She had not done this before. “I wish there was another way, but perhaps ending it was better for us.” Not just Kuja, but Mikoto, Zidane, the refugees that still had hope of gaining a soul or sentience. “I no longer have to be what I was made to be. Neither do you… I like that…” She could simply be… “If the assimilation process completed, I would no longer be myself, would I? You wouldn’t be you either.” [break][break] It was disjointed at best. She was trying hard to express her feelings. It was terribly difficult. She ached to mindlink with him, but held herself to his boundaries. [break][break] She glared at him. Her tail went from annoyed flicking to full blown thrashing. It was puffed with her annoyance. As if some switch in her went off with what he said to her. Or perhaps the scientific procedures and medicine made her short. Either way, the more she spoke the more confidence she gained. [break][break] “Did you come to destroy Terra and the genomes? Or was it for Garland? It’s like you want us to suffer because Garland made you suffer.” Her words came loud and there were hot angry tears in her eyes. “I don’t understand how that makes sense. He hurt all of us too.” She let the tears stream down her cheeks, leaving hot trails. “He’s not our master anymore.” [break][break] She swallowed and kept her intense eyes on him. “It’s true you destroyed my home. But you are more my home.” He was all she had left of home in this strange world that so badly wanted her to be human. He was more home than Bran Bal had been with empty vessels that didn’t respond back. [break][break] Then finally, “If you don’t want me around, say it.” She was even louder now. She could not understand the complications of his emotions. She needed directness as she learned. She was shaking, but she kept her face firm as she glared up at him. [break][break] "I would like to stay." She held out her hand to him. That's how you show someone you want a bond wasn't it?
[attr=class,bulk] Mikoto didn’t recoil. Well, she did at first, but it was short lived. He wondered at first if she was going to cry -- which would have been obnoxious -- or perhaps simply run off so as not to be a bother. He wondered if he’d see her again after that which seemed likely given her previous actions. She’d excuse herself quietly and run off with her tail despondently drooping, and then he’d find her back at the house because she had nowhere else to go and she was as bothersome as a fruit fly. He expected all of this in the space of the silence between them, yet none of it came to pass. Instead, she looked at him with her honest eyes like pools of glass and said, ”Because I like you.”
Kuja raised his eyebrows, too surprised to immediately counter back. She took advantage of his silence to begin a tirade of her own.
It wasn’t so much furious as frustrated. Her tail twitched then swished then bristled until it resembled a furry boa. This was exactly the reason that Kuja kept his own hidden. It was far too easy a tell for perceptive eyes.
Not that he needed a high level of perception for this conversation. For once, Mikoto was making her feelings exceedingly clear.
”Hm.” Kuja crossed his arms and glanced aside. He felt his tail grow restless in time with hers. How annoying.
”Because you like me? Is it really so simple?” He ignored her outstretched hand, instead choosing to gaze up at the sky. What a strange night it was. What a strange world.
”I don’t…not want you around,” he conceded. His invisible tail thrashed the motion of his thoughts, beating softly at the pavement. ”Perhaps it’s fairer to say that I’m accustomed to solitude. Your presence is...an adjustment.”
This felt strange. Hadn’t he been yelling before? His moods seemed to shift with the passing of the moon.
”I suppose if anyone wasn’t to hate me for the destruction reaped upon Gaia, it would be you. And while I thought you loyal to Terra, it wouldn’t take long for one to develop a distaste of it. I was naive once as well.”
His thoughts turned like cogs in an elaborate clockwork machine. Or perhaps like the gears of a mechanical bird…
”It makes more sense than her at any rate.” He scowled, looking away. ”An old hostage of mine. We crossed paths a few days ago, and she seemed…” He turned a hand, searching for the right word. ”Cordial.” His lips soured as though this were some great offense. He supposed it had been.
”You’ve made your point well enough, but she wrote me an entire letter and I still don’t understand it! Perhaps the isolation drove her mad. She did spend an awful lot of time alone in my Palace…”
He huffed. ”Well, it’s nothing for you to be concerned about. I suppose I’m a tad on edge. Insomnia, you know.” He rubbed at the corner of his eye. ”How anyone can be expected to sleep at night, I’ll never understand.”
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[attr=class,tagline]@blacksuit4
Congratulations, Mikoto! Shouting back was the right answer!
[attr=class,bulk] Mikoto tensed up trying to get her point across. It was hard and she didn’t like how dizzy it made her feel. Though, she visibly softened at his response. Her shoulders relaxed down. Her tail, while still fluffed, became much more relaxed as she also calmed into the space between them. She watched his expressions curiously as he glanced away and spoke in a less annoyed tone towards her. Had she guessed right? She must have. In a way, she felt a little lighter from the endeavor. Her hand drew back to curl towards her heart, as he refused it. [break][break] She did not answer his first questions. It sounded more like he was asking himself these questions. And he wanted her to stay. She felt herself ease more, as if her shoulders felt less heavy. She listened quietly as she typically did. It was understandable that adjustments were needed for both of them. [break][break] Though, he began talking of a female, perhaps Gaian. Unless he had a palace here too? This female apparently didn’t follow his logic, but this seemed typical of Gaian females. Mikoto had no idea what he was really talking about or why letters and being cordial made him upset. But, the gears behind her eyes were turning. If he took her hostage to his palace and she liked him then... “Maybe she does not like her home too...and likes your palace better.” She offered, trying to be helpful. [break][break] She drew her brows. She was not terribly versed at how Gaians thought. There was already conflict between her and Garnet. “What did she say that’s confusing?” [break][break] Mikoto would be concerned. He had insomnia for three days and his emotional impressions were crushing her as she waited. “I can find sleeping herbs.” Maybe not as strong as the stuff in the theatre play, but she had a green boy show her the different herbs here. And she wanted Kuja to get some rest. He wasn’t sleeping because of this other person. “If you do not understand her, why bother with the encounter?” With Garnet, she simply walked away from the encounter. Then again, she tried three times to do so before she was successful… “Will she keep annoying you?”
[attr=class,bulk] Mikoto was listening. She had advice. His first instinct was to dismiss everything that came from her well-intentioned lips, but he was too tired for such games at the moment. He would entertain her thoughts. For now.
”That’s ridiculous,” he said. ”This woman is the regentess of Lindblum! She’s high nobility. She didn’t seem to like her station much, but I fail to see how my palace could compare.” In the essentials, at least. Aesthetically, he much preferred the brooding velvets and ethereal lights of his desert palace to Lindblum’s eyesore of a castle. Even if she was dissatisfied with the expectations of her court (which she certainly seemed to be), she hadn’t, to his knowledge, lived with the daily threat of execution until they’d met. Kuja had made no secret that her life was held in his volatile hands.
’Out of all your transgressions, returning me to what I ran from even after you tramped it hurt the worst.’
What she’d run from? She’d had no greater freedoms under his hand than that of her husband. As far as he could tell, she still seemed willing to defend the man even after their disputes. Perhaps if the regent had abused her...Perhaps if she’d wanted nothing more than to see his blood on another’s hands…
But no. That wasn’t the case. He still couldn’t understand it.
”She said that she doesn’t wish to hate me,” he said, and when that sounded absurd to his own ears, he added, ”She thanked me! For abducting her! Out of every soul on that doomed planet, you’d think that she’d have the most reason to hold a grudge. I stole her freedom, razed her country, nearly killed her niece -- that’s the princess of Alexandria, by the way. The girl Zidane’s infatuated with? They’re related by marriage as most among the nobility are. Hilda and I spoke often when she was under my control, and she was pleasant enough, but that was a survival mechanism! She knew that I might dispose of her as I did the rest of her airship’s crew when I stole it. There’s no reason for her to keep up the act now! At least not to the same degree.”
Mikoto’s suggestions were hollow and obvious. ’Why bother with the encounter?’ It was like shouting at a brick wall, but as one who spoke to himself often, he could find at least some value in having the obvious echoed back to him.
”She wrote me a letter, Mikoto. I have to respond!”
Which sounded somewhat childish when spoken aloud. He wouldn’t bother explaining it any further.
”I have a stockpile of sleeping weed back on Gaia, but nothing here works quite the same. What’s the use in tranquilizing my body if my mind is still racing?” His eyes ached with exhaustion. He felt the threat of a headache lurking behind his right temple.
”I have no idea how to reply,” he said. ”The words come and then go and none of it feels right. She’s like a puzzle that I can’t comprehend. So I turn it over again and again, examining its component parts, but they never fit together properly.” He raised a hand to his forehead and gave a humorless laugh. ”She’s as infuriating as Zidane.”
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[attr=class,tagline]@blacksuit4
Yes, I have to do this. No, I will not explain myself.
[attr=class,bottomlyric] AND WE ARE BUILT TO WATCH OVER [break] EACH OTHER AND WORK TOGETHER...
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LOL. I AM JUST...shjfhdsjhfsj....ON SO MANY LEVELS Kuja
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[attr=class,bulk] She listened intently to his every word. It was still difficult to understand the hierarchy of humans. However, from his description, this person seemed important and well off. The more he described Hilda and her relationship to Garnet, the less she understood her intentions as well. Maybe she was a defect. Her brows knitted together. If Zidane liked his irritating Gaian female, then perhaps there was a similar impact with this second one - Hilda - on Kuja? “Do you like her?” Her tail swished thoughtfully behind her, trying to piece together all his information. She wanted to be helpful, so that he could finally rest again. [break][break] “Why not dispose of her like the crew?” It would spare him much trouble now. Then another thought caused her to frown. It seemed this letter was more important than disposing of someone. Based on his tone, it was mandatory to respond. If she was disposed of, then she could not receive said response. She prepared to be fussed at for such a dumb question. He could not go back in time to do such a thing anyway. [break][break] “Maybe it was not an act...?” If she was acting the same now as she did then...perhaps there was no change? Perhaps that was her normal behavior. [break][break] If he would not sleep, then, he needed a place to rest for a moment and clear his mind. Mikoto liked to go high to avoid people to do such a thing. But, she remembered where the man in the armor took her. She felt better sorting things out there. “I found a spot…” As usual, there was no real clarity in her words. Instead, she walked along the quiet, dark streets of Torensten a little ahead of him. [break][break] “Gaians are enigmas and infuriating.” She echoed agreement back to him as they padded towards the bay. She could already smell the salt. “What words come and do not feel correct?” She looked up at him, the wind lifting her hair slightly. Why couldn’t he just give her a mash of words and be done with it? Then this Hilda could have a puzzle she couldn’t comprehend and go away. Mikoto had too many questions. “Ask her about the incomprehensible parts.”
[attr=class,bulk] Mikoto was silent for a moment, as deep in thought as he was in his own brooding. The listened, processed the information, then came to her conclusions. ”Do you like her?” she asked, and Kuja scoffed.
”Of course not. She’s Gaian. I suppose her company is pleasant enough, and she’s capable of intelligent conversation, but…” Well, that hardly mattered, did it? When they were from two different worlds? That was how he was accustomed to thinking at least.
Mikoto considered his words again, tail swishing in time with her thoughts. ”Why not dispose of her like the crew?” The obvious solution. Kuja felt his own tail join hers in its irritable rhythm.
He knew he shouldn’t have told Mikoto.
”I could,” he said slowly. ”She would hardly put up a fight, and I know well enough how to make it look like an accident. She even left me with a way to find her again. How terribly trusting of her.”
Trusting or stupid. He hardly saw the difference.
”Hm.” He considered the idea carefully, imagining it in all its facets. Her mechanical bird had been left in his care, set to return to its owner on command via biological analysis. He could follow it easily enough to her location, and then…
A quick-fire spell -- perhaps a few for good measure in case she countered the first -- and he would be rid of her forever.
But that wasn’t right, was it?
”I’d still have the letter,” he said. ”And if that were burned, I’d still have it memorized. Murder can’t solve everything, you know.”
Only most things. Not this time.
Mikoto spoke with an uncharacteristic confidence and started walking ahead. Kuja raised an eyebrow after her. ”A spot...?” he echoed, but she didn’t seem much in the mood for elaboration. He followed.
It irked him slightly, not knowing where it was that they were going. It irked him more being the one following behind. Still, he was too tired to argue, and it wasn’t as though he had any better ideas for a location. His curiosity was piqued, one might say. He braced himself for disappointment.
They were headed towards the port district, it seemed. An interesting choice.
”Gaians are enigmas and infuriating,” Mikoto said as they walked, and Kuja laughed. My, wasn’t she social this evening? He didn’t think he’d heard her say more in the past month than she had in the last hour.
”Infuriating, yes. Enigmas, hardly.” They walked along together beneath the flickering streetlights. The city was hushed at this time of night. He wondered as to the hour. ”Most Gaians are driven by passion over logic. Envy, greed, hedonism, love. Those disciplined enough to resist those passions are often slaves to some kind of petty code like honor or morality. It’s simply a matter of finding what drives them.”
He should know. He’d manipulated enough of them.
”I don’t know. I can hardly get my thoughts straight.” And it wasn’t as though he wished to share the depth of them with Mikoto of all people. Or with anyone else, really. ”I want to ask her why, but she’s already explained herself. In two dozen paragraphs of structured prose.”
Which was as clear an answer as he could request. If only all of life’s questions were answered in the form of an essay.
”I suppose I’m unsure of myself, in part. She’s offered her hand, and I'm uncertain whether I should take it.”
[attr=class,bottomlyric] AND WE ARE BUILT TO WATCH OVER [break] EACH OTHER AND WORK TOGETHER...
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Mikoto has been thinking about this for a long time. Ever since Zidane told her to. Kuja
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[attr=class,bulk] Right. The letter was more important than getting rid of someone bothering you. She was absolutely dumb. He was right. Still, to have memorized two dozen prose from a Gaian, and for him to speak well of her when he did not like her, must mean she left an impact. It left her wondering what was said that bothered him so. [break][break] She pondered on it, a slight limp touching her leg again as her hip ached. Humans were crude in their science. Even worse in their medicine. Did Kuja really make do with these tools? There was an echo of respect that fluttered in her chest. Though, she couldn’t help but wonder how they survived this long. [break][break] Ah. There it was. She walked down the cobblestone lined hill to the small trail with a bench. This was the spot. The wind felt cool without the sun. In the distance was the quiet, sleeping city. Some of the magical lights still lit the streets and docks. Even some of the boats tethered just beyond held some kind of fire in its cabins. Yet, beyond was a great expansive darkness. The ocean breathed and released in its rhythm. If Mikoto closed her eyes, she could almost feel like she was drifting. The only light that grazed it was the high moon, slightly off center from the sky at this point, and the gentle touch of the stars. [break][break] It was quiet and far away from the people. It felt safe here. [break][break] Mikoto did not sit on the bench, she was too sore for that. Instead, she stood behind it and looked out. [break][break] “Like in the plays.” She said softly, as he discussed what Gaians were driven by. She watched them and was still unused to their impulses and seeming madness. But, she supposed they did have a reason for such behaviors. Humans may not be the smartest, but when driven into a corner, they had their intelligence to get them out of it. [break][break] She simply listened. There was no judgement here. [break][break] This Hilda offered her hand to him…? Mikoto did not understand how that occured in a letter, but she understood what it meant to do so. “She wants to create a bond.” Mikoto stated, her eyes were not leaving the ocean. Mikoto offered her hand to him too. And, for some reason, so many others did so towards Mikoto. “Zidane said people would call me Mikoto. That I should make friends.” She learned from the Qu that friends were not made in a vat. [break][break] Mikoto still was not sure if that was 100% accurate. [break][break] She supposed she liked being called by her name too. “He didn’t know the reason why we live, but his friends eased that burden.” She closed her eyes and the wind blew. “He took me to black mage village. We shared and learned together. We were more productive working together. I found the burden easier.” Did she make any sense? They created homes and brought food together. They shared lessons. [break][break] Her eyes held that vacant, distant look. “As Zidane left with his Gaians, I responded they didn’t even have a million in one chance in defeating you.” The probability of their defeat was too high to calculate. It was worthless to resist. Kuja would squash them like bugs. Her tail fluffed at the memory, swishing behind her. “Yet, he took his Gaians and proved me wrong.” As he said he would. Her tail stilled at the thought. [break][break] Mikoto was being inconsiderate with her words. It didn’t matter to her. She was trying to make a point using her experiences, since putting it into words was such a difficult concept. She took a deep breath in the pause. It still did not feel right. “I do not know if you should take her hand. However, we were not designed to be alone.” Garland had kept them all apart, despite designing them to work together. Even their abilities allowed them to sense one another and enhance the other. [break][break] She had not been happy in Bran Bal without bonds. But, she was content in the village. She was content standing by Kuja. “I have endured and learned a lot through bonds.” Zidane, Black Mages, Nero, and Cecil saved her life. She would not be here without them. Kuja allowed her to remain ‘Mikoto’ and helped her adjust to Zephon. And all the others taught her so much. [break][break] Bonds. “My bonds are all I have.” [break][break] Soft. Simple. Sweet. [break][break] “Why not take her hand and observe what happens?” [break][break] She turned to look at him. Then deadpanned, “If she doesn’t please you, walk away.” Like Mikoto did with Garnet. She tried to create a bond and failed. [break][break] Suddenly, she felt tired. She had a long day and talking was draining her. Even so, she was quite pleased and grateful Kuja was talking with her.
