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year 5, quarter 3
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Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Jun 7, 2022 12:37:15 GMT -6
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Garnet laughed softly when Caius continued to point out that 'Dagger' was a silly name, and that most just didn't want to correct her because they found her beautiful. Garnet wasn't particularly vain, but she had learned long ago to take comments on her beauty in stride. Growing up with a reputation as the most beautiful princess in Gaia (ignoring the fact she was the only princess in Gaia) meant that she had heard such comments all of her life; albeit usually in a more dignified manner. Then on her journey with Zidane he could barely go two seconds without commenting on her looks. It had felt a little awkward, but at this point, she had given up protesting or saying anything.<br> "Well, my real name is Queen Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, so I think that Dagger is quite sensible in comparison," she said playfully. "A lot less syllables." Again, she was only teasing. Garnet's full name didn't seem unusual to her, nor too lengthy, but she was aware that those not used to royal titles and lengthy family names could find it so. She wasn't quite as naïve as she once was. "I say my real name, it wasn't my birth name, but, well, I suppose that's a story for another day," she added, realising that she still thought of herself as 'Garnet' first, and 'Sarah' second, but she had to remember that no, Garnet was not her true name either. At least, not the one she was born with.
"I met Zidane again, but then... he left. I do not know where he has gone," she said, a little sadly, but trying to keep her voice even and professional. Perhaps it was to hide that there was more than just heartbreak behind that. That he had left her again, choosing some far flung duty over her, presumably, and she did, perhaps, feel more than a little anger this time too.
Her attitude shifted as the topic of Kuja was discussed. Her shoulders almost slumped for a moment, before naturally resuming her poise. It was a subtle gesture; Garnet would never actually slump, she had spent sixteen years of her posture being perfectly corrected, but it was about as close as she would come. Instead, she turned away, and lowered her chin slightly, letting out a small sigh, before turning back to face Caius. She listened to his reasoning and his logic as he made each point.
"You are... of course... correct," Garnet said after a moment, her voice hesitating. "Kuja has committed genocide. He has killed, potentially, billions. He has brought three kingdoms, including my own, to ruin, and he has shown no signs of stopping, if what you say is true. I owe it to my people to see that Kuja is brought to justice. As Queen of Alexandria, I can pass the death sentence upon him, and some would say it is my duty to do so. Not only for all of those he killed in my kingdom, but also those in neighbouring kingdoms."
"Alexandria was complicit, and even directly aided, his assaults on other kingdoms on my home world. Although the death of my mother allowed me to pursue peace, as the rulers of the other nations understood her corruption and my beliefs in peace, the political situation could be described as... volatile. Kuja may have been manipulating my mother, but to most citizens, Alexandria was the aggressor. Although Kuja later turned his rage on us, we are still seen as enemies by many. The Queen of Alexandria showing mercy to the man responsible for the utter destruction of Burmecia, of Cleyra and the near destruction of Lindblum, and the deaths of thousands of their citizens would... be unwise," she explained. "I owe it to all the people's of Gaia, my homeworld, to see that Kuja does not harm another soul. And you are correct, the only way of doing that... is to end his life," she concluded.
"Truthfully, it should be a public execution, back on Gaia, to give all of his victims some sense of peace, but it is too dangerous," Garnet agreed. "Every second he goes unchecked, he may harm others," she said, looking down, her hands coming together and fiddling with her pendant uneasily. "As a Queen, I know what must be done. Only, it is... difficult. He is Zidane's brother, and Zidane wished to give him another chance. I know my duty, but also... I feel the disappointment of him in me if I make that decision," she sighed. Torn between her duty and her desires. In a twisted way, was this not what Beatrix and Steiner went through? Except, here, she honestly believed her duty was the right decision, and her desire... was to please Zidane, because she wasn't sure she could handle the look he would give her if she saw how disappointed he was in her. She took a deep breath.
"I know what must be done," she said. And then her voice took on more formal tones. The tone of a queen. "As Queen of Alexandria, I, Queen Garnet til Alexandros XVII, for his crimes against the people of Alexandria, of Lindblum, of Burmecia, of Cleyra and of Terra, hereby do sentence Kuja to death," she declared.
She knew that it must be done.
So why did she feel so guilty having done it?
@caius
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Post by Caius Dragelion on Jun 8, 2022 17:53:32 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
"Well on the bright side. Dagger is easier to remember than... That" Caius remarked with a full-bellied laugh when Garnet decided to flex her full name. The full one, like, the really really long one. Why did royalty always have to have these long names? Caius couldn't even remember what his middle name was. Was it Egg? No, Egg didn't sound right. He sure hoped it wasn't Egg. Maybe it had Dragon in it somewhere, everything else about his life seemed to.
Wait, no, his last name already had "drag" in it. Ok, that was a no. Oh well. Garnet didn't know her name either. Like, at all. Didn't know what her name was period. So she had a fake name, a real name and a more real name that she didn't want to use. Made sense. Sort of--not really at all.
Though it seemed Zidane had come and gone again. By what he had heard of the lad, this was the norm. "I'm sure he will pop up again in due time" Caius would try his best to reassure her. "By what I've heard, he's done a lot of good for a lot of people. Perhaps you can convince him to take you along sometime, if you're worried about being lonely."
But to his surprise, Garnet wasn't as eager to try and redeem Kuja as he had initially thought. In fact, she would straight up order his death as Queen of Alexandria right there on the spot. Caius frowned as he scratched his head a moment, honestly unsure of what to do about this exactly. He didn't like the idea of public executions or really, executions at all. This wasn't an execution he had intended. Kuja needed to be dealt with as a monster did. On the field, being stopped from performing another of his schemes. But Garnet, despite what Zidane wanted and what the boy believed, had talked about all of Kuja's crimes. Ones that made it clear that redeeming him would be almost impossible, and even then... Was he worthy of redemption after all he had done?
"Well, this isn't Alexandria. Perhaps Zidane has the right of it, wanting to try and redeem him" Caius brought up, perhaps in a surprising form of his own. "This world has been a place of second chances for many. Myself included. The truth is, all we've done before doesn't mean anything to the people of Zephon. What they will care about though, is that business with the Lich. That alone may not make him too late for redemption in their eyes, as terrible as it was" he added, taking a deep breath as he thought about it a moment longer. But he had made his decision.
He'd needed a second chance. Who was he to rob Kuja of his if it was possible? But that door was closing.
"I am still willing to give your friend a chance. If he can redeem Kuja before he hurts anyone else, I will allow it. Of course, if you want to stab him yourself, feel free. But I would discuss this with your friend, if you can find him. If Kuja harms anyone else, well... It'll be my responsibility to find and kill him myself."
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Jun 9, 2022 6:04:24 GMT -6
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Garnet found it strange that so many people seemed to react to her name in Zephron like it was challenging to remember. Garnet knew that it was a bit of a mouthful, yes, it was difficult to introduce yourself in a succinct way when your name was that long, but she had grown up as a Princess, where everybody already knew her name. She never met anybody who heard her name and then commented that it was hard to remember, because everybody she met already knew who Princess Garnet was. She supposed it was another sign of her coddled upbringing, and one that couldn't be rectified by a little adventuring. In her world, Queen Garnet would always be a known factor. There was barely a person alive who hadn't heard of her.
It was almost refreshing to meet people here who hadn't heard of her.
"It's the 'XVII', isn't it? I mean, you hear that, and you think, could not my mother and father think of a name that hadn't been used sixteen times before," she said with a light laugh. It was the type of thing royalty could never say about their own identity, but, well, she wasn't royalty here. And when she thought about it, it did feel a little absurd having a number that high on the end of her name...
Not to mention a lovely reminder that she was just one in a long number of people. When there was a Queen Garnet til Alexandros XXX nobody would ever remember who was XVII... "That's... Zidane. Always doing good for people," she smiled, but it was forced. He was, of course. She was sure that where ever he was it had good, and noble reasons, but it was still hard not to feel abandoned by the man that she loved. Again.
She paused, and looked at Caius with a mixture of shock and irritation when he seemed to go back on his idea to kill Kuja, now trying to take the moral high ground after, Garnet felt, he had pushed her to do the opposite. She looked at him, and put her hands on her hips with a huff of annoyance. "Being on Zephron does not erase his crimes. There are people, my people, who will never see their loved ones again, never hold their children or their husbands or their wives or their parents, because Kuja took them away. I watched as my kingdom burned, safely nestled in my castle, but my people? They watched as flames consumed their loved ones. As buildings fell and monsters tore them apart. That happened. And it doesn't matter if Kuja runs to Gaia, or Terra, or Zephron, or into the crystal itself, those crimes must be answered for," she said firmly.
"I am Queen of Alexandria. It does not matter where I go, my responsibility to my people doesn't end simply because I am on a new world. I owe it to them to do the right thing, even when it's difficult. And, despite what Zidane believes... I cannot accept that there is any redemption for Kuja. There are some things that cannot be forgiven, nor forgotten. Ask yourself, what happens when we get home? Can you imagine me standing before the people of Gaia, and stating that Kuja has redeemed himself, so that he will no longer be punished? While Burmecia lays in ruins, Cleyra is gone, the people of Terra have lost everything, Lindblum is missing an entire district, and my own people are still rebuilding from his cruel reign? Some villainy cannot be redeemed..." Garnet said, although she hesitated. A lot of those crimes she had listed were enacted by her own mother, and she had still been desperate to save her in the end. But she had known that her mother was good deep down, that she was corrupted. Kuja was different. He had never been anything but evil...
"I know how I must sound. Zidane... would show compassion. You seem to want me to as well. And perhaps I should. Perhaps the right thing to do is to forgive somebody, no matter their crimes, if they seek it. But... I don't know if I can. Because it is not only myself who needs to forgive him. It is my people as well. And, as their Queen, I must speak for all of them. Being a Queen does not mean doing whatever you wish personally. It means doing what is right for your people, even when it conflicts with what you might desire. It's why I'm not entirely sorry to be stranded from that life currently. But... Kuja feels like my responsibility. My duty. And I cannot see how I can let him live, and honour my own people..."
@caius
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Post by Caius Dragelion on Jun 9, 2022 10:32:23 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
"Was your mother also Garnet then? Or was that her real name but also not real name too?" Caius joked back. People having numbers in their names was weird, but he wasn't going to pretend he knew any better. He didn't understand it at all, but maybe other people did. Though it was easy to tell by her tone and body language that things between her and the monkey lad weren't going very swimmingly. He really did need to take her with him sometimes.
"Tell him he needs to take you somewhere nice next time. I hear there's a resort that just finished being built on the Pale Coast" Caius at least tried to offer. He had heard it was a nice place, but he hadn't really been there himself. He had a pass for a free stay there, but... Well, it had been six months and he still hadn't gone. Caius wasn't really the kind of person that took vacations. But soon enough, things took a serious turn. And she was mad, really mad.
“When you get home” he echoed softly at that note. “I wish it were guaranteed that you would. But I’ve been here for years, as have Zidane and Kuja. The chance isn’t very high that you ever return home” Caius revealed with a bittersweet expression as he tried to figure out how to even begin to frame this to Garnet after that impassioned speech of hers. “And even if you are one of the few who do. Those who disappear from this world are steadily forgotten. When your link to Zephon is severed, so too are the memories of your time here. I imagine that probably goes both ways. It’s very likely that you are either stuck here, or will not remember me or any of this should you return home.”
And just like that, he was reminded of those who had left them. He hadn't really thought too hard about that fact until now. But it had to be the truth, didn't it? If they couldn't remember them here... Why would they remember those they were leaving behind? Shouldn't it work both ways? That meant those he had lost wouldn't remember a thing about him, or any of their experiences. It was an awful thought. He didn't like thinking about it.
“Though I will repeat my point that nothing is stopping you from executing him yourself. I certainly won’t. That is your choice to make, even if I end up choosing to believe in Zidane’s ability to redeem him” Caius reminded her at that. "Though you may want to discuss this with Zidane next you see him. I imagine he wouldn't be very happy... And yet..."
Caius chewed on his lip as he thought on her words. "I hate to say it. But you’re right in a lot of ways. Even if we are here now, there are still people here and elsewhere who have been affected by his crimes. Even if he can be redeemed, it may well be too little, too late. I can admit that I’ve… Done things in Lucis that I am not proud of, but..."
The things the bandits had made him do. But he still did them, didn't he? Though in the end, that final choice before he left for Insomnia... That had been his choice. Nobody had made him do what he did. Even if they deserved it.
"I have stopped at nothing to make it right in Zephon. Zephon was my second chance in more ways than one. Perhaps that is why I wish to believe in Zidane’s wish. But my plight is nothing in comparison to what Kuja has done, and still does now, and I would be naïve to think otherwise. And giving him any opportunity to strike could lead to deaths that we may well have been able to prevent.”
He wanted to show compassion, why wouldn't he? But this was hard.
"In the end, the only person who can make that decision is you. And you said yourself, you are now separate from the life of a Queen. So the question is. Garnet, Dagger, what may be that you call yourself. What do you think is the right thing to do? How do you wish to best honor your people, as Dagger?"
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Jun 9, 2022 15:51:17 GMT -6
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Garnet felt that same surprise once more when Caius asked who her mother was. Because, of course, everybody on Gaia had known Brahne. After her campaign of terror, of course they had. So it was almost amusing that once again, here she was an unknown entity. Here, nobody had any idea about her family or her past. "No, my mother was known as Queen Brahne. But 'Garnet' is a very traditional name for Alexandrian royalty, hence its use so much," Garnet explained. Again, it was fairly common knowledge as far as she knew, but of course, in Zephron, there was no Alexandria. Hence no history of the name. It was still a somewhat sobering, strange thought, after a lifetime of people knowing everything about her (adopted) heritage.
She smiled and shook her head a little as he spoke of Zidane taking her somewhere nice. "If he's not around... it's because somebody needs help. I... may miss him, and I may be sad, but if I wished for him to stop helping to take me somewhere... then he wouldn't be the man I loved. It's just... frustrating... and lonely... sometimes..." she sighed. Plus, she had to remember, at least this time she knew he was likely still alive. Her mourning over his loss last time had been grounded in the fact that she thought he had died. He was alive, she knew it, this time. He was just... not with her.
She had to believe it was for a good reason.
"Years? When I met Zidane, he didn't seem as if he had been here for years..." Garnet frowned. It was true that memories of Zephron were hazy. She could remember her life before perfectly, and her life beginning in Zephron, but how she passed between the two was lost to her. "He must have gone missing when I did. Which means..." What did it mean? Some kind of temporal magic? Time magic was possible, she knew, but not something she knew much about. At least not on this scale.
And then the more obvious fact sank in.
"Wait, Kuja has been here for years?" she asked, her voice suddenly full of worry. "This is worse than I thought. When I thought he had just arrived, I was concerned, but if he's been here for years, who knows what plans he has put into motion? On Gaia, he spent ten years manipulating himself into a position of power before striking. He could be doing the same thing here. We must be very, very, cautious," Garnet warned.
As for not getting home? Garnet was less concerned about that. "It may be challenging, but I believe that I will find a way home. That we all can. Something brought us here. That something can bring us back. I have travelled between worlds before, on a trip that seemed impossible. We found a way then. I'm sure we can find a way now," she insisted.
And then he asked the hardest question she'd faced yet. What would she do as Dagger, regarding Kuja. As Garnet, it was simpler. She had a duty. A responsibility. She was a Queen of a wounded people, working to restore a fractured alliance, all destroyed by that man. But Dagger? What did Dagger believe?
She paused, and turned away again, instinctively twirling her pendant in her hands.
"....As Dagger... I think... I believe that enough people have died. That taking another life just continues the cycle of violence that brought us to this end in the first place. As Dagger, I would want to find another way. But I don't know what that is. And I don't know what it may cost, if Kuja's machinations are already under way..." Garnet said softly, considering the puzzle Caius had proposed to her.
@caius
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Post by Caius Dragelion on Jun 9, 2022 16:13:53 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
"Well, at least ask to be his traveling buddy for a few of his do-goodies. You're both traveling around helping people, right? Why not do it together here and there? I don't know much about... Couplings. But I imagine you're itching to do something together. Anything, really, if you've been apart for this long" Caius advised, having pieced together at that point that the two were a thing beyond simply friends. She was too concerned with what he was doing without her, and getting severely upset that he was doing said things without her and not being here with him. Her saying he was the "man she loved" confirmed those suspicions.
Sheesh, Caius trying to give dating advice? This was a new one. Even he knew that. He had no idea if it would help at all, but it was worth a shot.
Garnet was confused though, when Caius said that Zidane and Kuja had been here for years. Especially Kuja, who actually generated a great deal of concern. "Aye, the Lich thing was some time ago. My companion was just a little guy when I met Kuja. Could probably eat him now though, if he was so inclined" he brought up, though he was admittedly a little concerned himself if Kuja had a thing for weaning himself into power so he could strike. "Strangely enough, he's been off the grid for, I dunno, six months or more? Since before the Kraken incident for sure. I've had a watch out for him, but he's become completely undetectable. If he's trying to gain power at all, he's doing it exclusively behind closed doors."
Or at a play. Where Caius hadn't thought of looking. Too many witnesses for a bad guy, he would have thought. "Though one thing doesn't add up to me. If it's been ten years already for you, and he's been here a few years longer, and you I believe mentioned he is struggling with having a very short lifespan.. Does he even have the time to play the long game?"
Surprisingly though, Garnet didn't seem concerned about how long it would take to get home. Or about the memory thing. What did seem to hit though, was the hard hitting question. What did Dagger think was right?
Truthfully, she didn't know.
"Then it's up to Dagger to find out what that is. Preferably before it's too late" he pointed out. "But Swordbert will try to help where he can."
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Jul 25, 2022 8:08:53 GMT -6
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Garnet cocked her head and smiled a little at his suggestion of asking to be Zidane's travelling buddy. If she found him again. "Yes, you'd think that would make sense, wouldn't you?" she half-smiled, although her tone spoke that she was perhaps slightly annoyed. Not at Caius, of course, but at Zidane. "And yet, he's run off and left me behind. Again. After all the adventures I had with him. You'd think he'd know by now that I could handle it," she sighed. That was the only logical reason she could assume Zidane would leave her behind. He thought that he was protecting her. But she didn't need protecting. Not any more...
Garnet paused, frowning, trying to take in this new information. Kuja had been missing for six months, and Caius seemed to act as if he had been there for years before. Which begged the question as to how time flowed in Zephron. Garnet was pretty sure it hadn't been YEARS that she'd been stranded there. But it raised concerning questions. Like if she could get back to Gaia, would she even return to the same time period? "That's... mildly concerning. It seems that as people come to Zephron, we do not all arrive in the same time frame. I have not been here for anywhere near as long as Kuja. How... odd..." She pondered. A rudimentary type of time travel? Could that be Kuja's goal here? Mastery of time might solve his expiration date issue. It was worth making a note of.
"Kuja operating in secret is somehow more alarming than the alternative," Garnet admitted. "He is an expert at manipulating others. He could be controlling an entire kingdom and we wouldn't even know it. Do not underestimate him," she said with confidence. It was one of the few things that she was absolutely certain of.
"Hm. From what I understood of Kuja's revelation regarding his lifespan, it was not that it was short, but rather finite that bothered him. Kuja things that he deserves to live forever. The end of his life may be tomorrow, or twenty years from now. I am not sure that he ever knew," Garnet explained. There was the possibility that she was wrong, of course, but it seemed the best way to say that Kuja was, simply put, massively overreacting to the scenario. Everybody died. They didn't try to blow up the planet because of it.
"Well, thank you, Swordbert," she smiled back at him when he agreed to help her. Although she wished she did have a plan. There had to be a way to contain Kuja, didn't there? Something they could do. She paused, an idea flickering across her mind. "....Back on my world, there was a place... called Ipsen's Castle. It was... a strange place. With technology from another world. Terra. Kuja's world. It... erected an anti-magic field over the entire castle. Nobody could cast a spell. Not even Kuja. He feared that place because it took away his power. What if... we could find out how they achieved that? A way of creating an anti-magic field. It could be used to apprehend and contain Kuja. Like a massive Silence enchantment..." she suggested. It was a feasible plan, she felt. If they could replicate whatever had made Ipsen's Castle the trap that it was, they could reuse it here, to capture Kuja...
@caius
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Post by Caius Dragelion on Jul 25, 2022 10:31:31 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
Caius didn't take her annoyed tone personally. He knew what she meant. Probably. “Perhaps it isn’t that he thinks you cannot handle it. Perhaps he is undergoing something risky that… Well, let’s just say that I can probably relate in some measure” Caius mused aloud. “It reminds me of a job I was on with a friend. While our relationship is not the same as yours and Zidane’s, perhaps I can apply it in some measure to his feelings. The job went horribly wrong, and my… Previous interactions with the party involved made it even worse. One of us was going to have to dive in and finish the job. I wanted to do it, but she insisted. Reminded me that I was more capable of driving Vordun, while she was not, and if anyone could finish off a mage, it was her.”
He sighed and shook his head. “She was right, of course. Her logic was sound, I knew that. But I still hesitated. Something she wasn’t happy with me for, and something I have… Since been very poor at explaining. The truth is, it was never that she couldn’t handle it. Of course she could. With her abilities, she could handle a powerful mage far better than I could. She was the most suitable, and we both knew it. I just… Hesitated because I didn’t want to live with the chance of losing my best friend. If one of us had to take that risk and potentially die in the middle of a horde of magic-wielding bandits, I would prefer it be me.”
He smiled bittersweetly. “It was selfish of me. I thought I was doing the right thing by wanting to spare her that risk. But it wasn’t. All I did was insult her honor because I was overprotective of someone who doesn’t need protecting. I know that we both signed up to lead the Dragonblades knowing the risks that our line of work carries. Either of us could die on the field of battle at anytime, possibly even when the other isn’t even there to help them. She’s… Currently on a vacation of sorts, though knowing her she’s getting herself into trouble. I worry for her often, as I am sure you do for Zidane. I fear that I will never see her again, instead being beset by courier carrying news of her demise. But I know I need to have faith in her. So that I shall.”
Caius had a bad habit of trying to take on all the burden of things by himself. While he wouldn't admit that it was a bad habit, he could at least potentially recognize it in Zidane. He had seemed like a well-meaning kid when Caius had met him.
Also, had Caius actually mentioned being the Dragonblades leader to Garnet before? Because he had a habit of leaving that part out in introductions.
“Perhaps Zidane is experiencing that same selfish feeling. Thinking he’s doing the right thing by wanting to bear the blunts and burdens of these things himself, ensuring you are safe. I think it is something worth having a discussion about, next he returns. Just… Be honest with your feelings. If he cares for you, he will at least listen.”
Garnet didn't seem happy with the premise that Kuja had been missing for months, and the more she talked about it, the more concerning it became for him as well. Not to mention not knowing his lifespan, and the fact that he might just be over-reacting to not being immortal. The latter did sound like him, for what little interaction he'd had with the man. Caius rolled his eyes and quietly scoffed when answered to as Swordbert. He supposed he'd brought that one upon himself. But Garnet would talk of a place, that... Well...
"That place sounds more than cruel to imprison someone in. But if it becomes necessary, then let me know if you find any sign of any magic related to that, that you come across here" Caius brought up. He didn't like the idea of imprisoning someone in something like that. It just felt... Wrong. But if Kuja was potentially going to destroy the world, they may not end up with much choice.
Hmm... Speaking of imprisonment...
"You know... An associate came to me recently, claiming that two of their own associates had been imprisoned in Sonora. They are magic wielders, like you and I. Yet something has kept them in this prison for a very, very long time. It may very well be that this magic could be found in Sonora."
He frowned though, at the thought of her going there. "Thing is. Sonora is, if I haven't said this already, as cold in the hearts of its people as it is located in the coldest tundra. And a Sonoran prison is nigh impenetrable. Nobody gets in, and nobody gets out. They're not very welcoming to out-worlders either. I wouldn't recommend going without Zidane or some kind of super trustworthy escort. And one who can remain with you for the duration of the trip"
Preferably not him. He did not like Sonora. Nor could he stay there for long periods.
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 30, 2022 14:26:21 GMT -6
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Garnet understood what Caius was saying, and perhaps were the situation reversed, she would be tempted to put herself into danger instead of Zidane. But a lifetime of being a royal, of having others ready to protect her, meant that she was more adapt at asking for help when she needed it. Even when she had ventured off to do things on her 'own', she had always had Steiner by her side. Zidane though, she supposed he was different. She wanted to protest and say that after everything they had been through, he had learned to take her with him, but he hadn't. At the end, he had gone back for Kuja alone. Was this any different?
She understood his point, however. It seemed the person he spoke about was more suited to certain tasks than Caius, and that was certainly true of Garnet and Zidane. She was a powerful healer, yes, but she was still not much of a combatant. She had Ramuh, but that was all, in this reality. If it was true danger Zidane was facing, maybe he had made the decision to leave her behind. It was understandable. But that didn't mean that she approved. "I'm not worried about my honour," Garnet replied, sounding a little frustrated. "Zidane... he kept me waiting for a year. He left me to go on his own mission and whether it was because he thought I couldn't handle it or he wanted to protect me or, perhaps, more likely, he wanted to protect Kuja from me, I never found out, but he already kept me waiting for a year. And then he came back into my life, and now he's just... gone again. Being swept aside twice... regardless of how noble the reason... is difficult to... deal with..."
Garnet paused to consider. "In fact, no, it's worse than difficult. It.... it's.... it's SUCKING!" she declared, almost getting the slang she had overheard used by some of the younger white mages in the church right, but, well, not quite. It was a good effort though.
She calmed down a little, and looked over at him. "Although, if you'll forgive me saying it, it does sound like your relationship with this person may be more like mine and Zidane's than you realise," she said, smiling slightly. She wondered if even Caius knew how he really felt. It had taken Garnet a long time to figure out her own feelings, after all.
He moved on to discuss her plan regarding Kuja, although he seemed hesitant. "Cruel?" she asked curiously. "We need to imprison him somewhere. What other choice do we have? Removing his magic isn't cruel. It's for everybody's safety. It's still more than most would say he deserves," she pointed out. She listened to his comment regarding Sonora. She knew very little about that place, however, and sighed. "If I was still Queen, I would just send an envoy to obtain information about their prisons. But... as I am here, I don't know what I can do. Maybe... I need to go there. Try and learn of what they have done, and to see if they're willing to imprison Kuja there."
He advised against it, of course. She sighed, and shook her head. "Zidane is not here, and every hour we waste is an hour that brings Kuja towards the fruition of his plans. I may not have a kingdom here, but I am still Queen Garnet til Alexandros XVII, I have been trained in negotiation and diplomacy since birth. It may be our only hope for this entire world that I can get through to them. And if I have to go alone, I shall," she said with determination.
@caius
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Post by Caius Dragelion on Aug 30, 2022 18:33:36 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
Wow, who would have thought a Queen would have such a potty mouth? Caius blinked a few times at that. While "suck" was pretty basic language for him, he didn't think a royal would have it in her. Or well, a royal not named Noctis anyway. But leaving her for a year was a pretty rough thing for someone to do if they were in a... Well, entanglement. He sure hoped that he had a good reason for that one. Though admittedly, Caius was starting to have a difficult time remembering anything about Zidane enough to know if he would or not. This world, as always, played tricks on people's memories.
"If the mission took a year, it is what it is. I highly doubt he would desire to be apart from his partner for that long if he could help it" Caius spoke simply at that. "It sucks. I have been apart from the Dragonblades for upwards to several weeks back when I was travelling full time. Their absence is not something I enjoy -- even if necessity has dictated as such. All I could do in those cases is work hard to get back to them."
Though Caius smiled slightly when Garnet insinuated matters in a way that even Caius understood. “Hmm. I would equate her more like family to me” Caius calmly answered to that. Their relationship was not romantic. That had been made clear. They were friends, and he cherished her friendship. But they weren’t more than that. Garnet would bring up that they didn’t have much choice when it came to Kuja, seeming surprised, maybe even almost baffled that he would say such a thing. “I said cruel, not unnecessary” Caius corrected then. “All prisons are cruel necessities. But cutting somebody off from something that is part of themselves is that much more. Meaning it is a decision not to be made lightly and only if you feel that there is no other way."
He didn't like it one bit. But if Garnet felt it was the only way, then it was what it was. Speaking of things that he didn't like, she intended to go to Sonora. "Not in Sonora, you're not. If you tell anyone you're a Queen, you'll be figured out for an outworlder and locked up in the same kind of cell you want to throw Kuja in" Caius advised her in kind. "If you do decide to investigate out there, you'll be having to deal with the underworld, not Sonoran law enforcement. If you ask about their prisons, you'll likely be arrested under suspicion instantly. Not that Sonora's underworld is much safer."
Caius thought it over a bit longer. "If you're going to go looking for information on the prisons in their underworld, you'll want a bodyguard who isn't tied to Sonora. Someone tough enough to handle being outnumbered, and who can blend in well in Sonora" he mused aloud. "I would recommend hiring one of the Dragonblades. Preferably one of the more experienced ones."
A bit more thought. And then a sigh.
"I can go if need be, but I can't go for a long trip right away. I need to stay close enough to Torensten to handle things until we've got enough administrative staff trained for me to go on those trips. You would have to wait, maybe investigate at Torensten's magic school in the meantime. But if you absolutely cannot wait... My best recommendation is to find..."
"Celes Chere."
Caius scratched his chin a moment at the thought. Ironically enough, she was the same person Caius had just been talking about in his previous story. Though he hadn't named her as such...
"One of our leaders. Tough as nails, adaptable and versatile. Expert spellsword, skilled in disguise and subterfuge, and she's one of our best healers. Knows what it's like to work for a horrible empire like Sonora, and what it's like to work against it. The kicker is that she's on a working vacation right now. Taking jobs on our behalf, but not reporting in and deciding to travel on her own schedule. So finding her could be tricky. Last I heard, she was operating somewhere between Provo and Sonora, so I might be able to track her down and get a letter to ask if she is willing to take you up on it. Kuja is on our watch list, I think she'll understand if I mentioned it related to that."
More particularly, Celes was probably the best suited person to keep Garnet from doing something foolish. Caius knew that even he was a pushover compared to her.
