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year 5, quarter 3
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Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 14, 2020 13:26:44 GMT -6
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Garnet stood for a moment, feeling her chest rise and fall after her emotional outburst. To the outside observer of course, it was impossible to notice. Garnet knew how to hold herself like a princess, like a queen, she had been trained in it since she was six years old, and could repress the emotion, but she herself was aware that her heart was thudding in her chest, that she had just expressed feelings she had not told anyone before, and now she had told them to Amarant Coral of all people.
And what was the reaction to her baring her soul to him? To her letting her guard down and showing how she really felt? She had told him that she loved Zidane. Had she ever even said those words before? They were so true, so true in her heart, but she wasn't sure if she'd ever actually said them out loud. Well, except maybe a dozen or so times to Zidane when he finally showed his face again during the play, but... not to anybody else. Not so matter-of-factly. She had even caught herself off guard.
And what did she get in response?
"...Yeah."
Yeah...? Yeah?
What did 'Yeah' mean? Oh, she knew what it meant, of course. Maybe there was a time when 'yeah' would have felt a little odd in her mouth, but she knew the word now. She had used the word. But what did it mean in this context? Yeah, he understood her? Yeah, he wouldn't track down Kuja? Yeah, he understood she was thankful he was taking her along?
What did 'yeah' mean!? Why did he have to be so obtuse? She wished Zidane was here. Or Vivi. Or even Steiner. Any of them could fill the awkward gap. She didn't know what to say now. How was she supposed to reply?
She paused, thinking, and decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. She could give meaningless one word answers too! It was one of the first things she'd learned, just before Dali. So with great satisfaction, Garnet looked back at him, and, with her hands on her hips, confidently said; "Alrighty."
She followed him in silence for a moment, before she realised she hadn't actually asked where they were going. She was just... following him. Which might have been fine with Zidane, but with Amarant it was probably a bad idea without checking first. "So, uh... where are we going? I-I do not think we should begin our search tonight. We should get supplies first, and then meet in the morning," she suggested, trying to get an answer out of Amarant as to what he was planning. "I still do not have a staff. I should at least find a basic weapon before we leave..."
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 14, 2020 12:33:30 GMT -6
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Garnet knew as soon as she said his name she would have to steel herself to any of his remarks, but the comment about her mother caught her off guard. She had convinced herself that she had moved past her mother's death, that, while grieving for her would always be a part of her, she had accepted that she was gone, and was ready to move on with her life, but that little prod tore at her. It hurt. Not because it reminded her that her mother was dead, but because it brought up the worse memories of her mother, it forced Garnet to confront the painful truth about her, rather than the ideal, happy memories that she had tried so desperately to cling to. Her mother had died a monster. She tried so hard to forget that.
Kuja made sure she couldn't. "She wasn't the one that burned Alexandria," Garnet reminded Kuja, trying to keep the strength in her voice. "Or the one that turned her into the person that did all those things. That was you. It was always you." Garnet didn't know if it was true. Her mother had changed after her father's death, and obviously Kuja's offers of power had played a part, but she clung to the dream that somehow Kuja had bewitched her mother, but she had no idea if it was true or not. She so hoped that it was...
He asked where Zidane was. Where the others were. Which meant that he didn't know. If Kuja truly hadn't brought them here, then it meant she wouldn't get any answers from him. But it also meant that her bluff would hold. He couldn't know where they were, which meant he didn't know that they weren't there, right at that moment. "Oh, I assure you, they are close by. Do you really believe they would allow me to confront you alone?" she taunted. She hated to say it, but it felt good, having a moment of power over Kuja. Every other time she had faced him, she had been afraid, she had been filled with terror and upset and yes, hate. But now, she felt like she had the upper hand. If he believed her bluff, without his Trance, he must know they could defeat him. It meant for the first time, she had the upper hand over him.
Even if it was an upper hand based on a lie.
"Oh, so simply because you are not committing genocide right at this very moment, I-, I mean, we, should let you go?" she asked, realising that the words were more confrontational than she intended. What WAS her plan? She WAS bluffing. Garnet was no fighter. She stood no chance in battle against Kuja. What was she doing? Relishing in a chance to have the upper hand over her nightmare? Was she becoming just like her mother, just like Kuja, drunk on power?
She wasn't that person. She wouldn't be that person. She had to force herself to take a step back. "I shall permit you to leave... if you leave this town right away. And we never see you again. Nobody should have to face your villainy again. You should never hurt another soul. You being here is a second chance. It would be wise to take it," she suggested, trying to keep the steel in her voice. This wasn't her. She didn't take the lead on threats, on strong statements of aggression. She was the White Mage, the healer, she stood back, the gentle soul, who offered advice, who got upset and cried and yelled and laughed and smiled but she didn't lead the battle. She was no... what was that term she had once used Zidane use? 'Trash talker'. That was not her strength.
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 14, 2020 1:00:56 GMT -6
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The attack on her mother stung a little, but Garnet had steeled herself against such things long ago. The loss of her mother had been so painful, so difficult, and some days, it still hurt. Some days, she would wake up in the mornings, and there would be a wonderful, brief moment where she forgot all the tragedy that had happened, where she thought she would find her mother, the good woman she once was, waiting for her in the downstairs chamber, before reality came crashing back. But she had accepted the loss, she knew that she had to move on, that she had to focus on her future, and she could push it down when she needed to, let it retreat to the back of her mind.
Besides, in a rather odd way, Amarant was trying to be nice. By telling her her mother's schemes were nothing compared to Kuja, he was reminding her that her mother hadn't been as bad. Sadly, Garnet did not think the people of Burmecia or Cleyra would agree, and even after the time of peace and the kingdoms working together, even with her beneficial position of being respected by Uncle Cid and Lindblum, she knew she had a long road ahead of her in healing the politics of the world. It would be a long time before the sight of Alexandrian soldiers was ever trusted again.
But he kept on, and finally, he got to her. When he asked if she was 'okay with that', she turned, a glare in her eyes. "Of course I am not 'okay with that'," she shot back, her voice angry, for a moment radiating that royal authority that had been naturally ingrained in her since she was six years old, her tone, while not commanding, that tone of voice that was used to her commands being followed, and used to being respected. Garnet so very rarely sounded like that, she was softly spoken and polite, and it was even rarer that true anger laced her voice. Sorrow, pain, heartbreak, passion, these were all emotions she was intimately familiar with, but expressing true anger? It was rare. It was unbecoming of a princess and a queen, so it wasn't something she often did, but here, Amarant had pushed her far enough. "Kuja murdered my mother, he destroyed my Kingdom, he violated me and took my power and used it to kill so many others... I watched..." she hesitated, having to stop, try to regain control of her voice. She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't sob. Not before Amarant. Not over this. "...I watched as my kingdom burned, destroyed by the very power that came from within me. That was ripped from within me. Because of him. I watched the people I was duty bound to lead, duty bound to protect, murdered by my own power. I..." she stopped, and she turned away, regaining her composure. She might be undercover as Dagger, but it still wasn't becoming to act this way. Especially not when Amarant cared so little for her. This pain, these emotions, she might have told Zidane in that moment, but Amarant shouldn't see them. Besides, she always told Zidane, she told everybody, that she had processed that part of her past, that she had moved on. That she could handle it now. She hadn't thought it was a lie, but her outburst made her think maybe it was.
"Do you understand how it felt? After all we had been through, after all I knew I had ahead of me, leading Alexandria, rebuilding my kingdom, our relationships, undoing all the damage my mother and Kuja had done... at sixteen years old, being queen, with no parents, no real family, only the family I had forged for myself... And I had one thing that I knew would help me. I had him. Zidane. With Zidane by my side, I truly thought I could do anything. But... then, when I needed him most, he chose Kuja over me. He went to save the very man who had inflicted all that tragedy upon me," she explained, her voice somewhat calmer now, although still racked with pain. "It would have been so very easy to hate him for that, but I could not. Because I understood. Because, Zidane understood Kuja. He knew that he could have become him, had the situation been reversed, that Kuja had fallen so far through no fault of his own. I wanted to give into my emotions and be angry that Zidane abandoned me. There were days when I woke up alone and yes, I wanted to see his face just so that I could shout and scream at him for abandoning me. But I did not, because I understood. That's what love is. It is sometimes putting what somebody else needs to do before your own needs. Zidane needed to rescue Kuja. It was something he had to do for himself. I could not stand in the way, and I should not. So no, I am not 'okay with it', I shall never be 'okay with it', but... I love Zidane, and if he is, indeed, 'okay with it', then I shall at least endeavour to accept it," she finished firmly.
"If we cross paths with Kuja, I suspect we shall have to fight him. If we do so, I guarantee I shall fight by your side, but if he does not plan to harm anybody, for now, my priority is finding Zidane, not finding and killing Kuja," she answered, her composure back, her voice its dainty, soft self again.
"As I recall, you always have had your own reasons," she replied, when he interrupted her thanks. "But, regardless, you could travel alone. Instead, you have agreed to travel with, and to assist me, and for that, I am thankful," she nodded her head a little, even if the words probably seemed a little odd after her outburst of previous anger.
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 13, 2020 15:59:58 GMT -6
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Garnet saw the wink from Jessie and realised she had definitely said too much. It didn't really matter, not there, after all, what would happen if she told her that she was a queen? Of a country in another world? It meant nothing. But she still thought advertising she was royalty was possibly a bad idea, and so she looked a little sheepish. "O-oh, I-I was.... a handmaiden... to a Lady once... Th-that is all..." she quickly lied, her eyes darting about as she did so. She had never picked up Zidane's talent for bluffing, but she did like to try. She could think of stories quickly enough, she was a very quick thinker after all, it was just as soon as she started to say the words they felt absurd and she lost her nerve. It was feasible though, right? And as a handmaiden, it would explain when she slipped up and sounded a little too formal, right? It was a good cover story. She wished she'd thought of it sooner. "You've never seen I Want to be Your Canary? Oh, you are missing out!" Garnet smiled. Now she was in her element even more; geeking out about theatre was one thing, geeking out about her favourite play? Even better! "It is one of the classic romantic tragedies by Lord Avon! A beautiful princess, Cornelia, falls in love with a brave, handsome peasant Marcus, but her father, King Leo, does not approve. He instead wishes her to marry Prince Schneider. He plots to force the marriage, but Marcus and his friends scheme to see true love shine through. But Marcus is betrayed by his best friend, Blank, who believes that war will come to the kingdom if Cornelia does not marry Schneider. He kidnaps Cornelia, to convince Marcus that he has been abandoned by her, on the night they intend to abscond. But Marcus's love for her is too strong, and he knows the truth. So he returns to save her, but in the resulting confrontation, tries to murder King Leo to free Cornelia from his grasp. Cornelia, however, still loves her father, and throws herself in front of the sword, dying herself. Marcus, stricken by grief, takes his own life for what he has done. It is one of the most tragic love stories ever written. The ending always makes me cry... The title is a metaphor, you see. Cornelia fears being caged by her love to Marcus, but Marcus tells her that he wishes to be her canary; placed in her cage, as a sign of his unending love for her." she explained, stopping briefly to remember the rather more improvised version when Zidane had revealed himself to her. A moment that she would never forget. "The themes of loyalty and betrayal that run through it are fascinating, as well as a testimony to the power of love, but also a warning of its destructive power. There are so many critical essays on it. I have read them all!" she went on, before pausing, and realising that given Alexandria did not exist here, Gaia did not exist here, Lord Avon probably didn't either... "Uh, well, at least, in my homeland. I am... from rather far away, I am afraid. A kingdom known as Alexandria. I... do not honestly recall quite how I came to be here," she admitted after a pause. "Sadly, I also do not know if there are any copies of I Want to be Your Canary here either, but.... if you find one, you simply must read it!" she said, her enthusiasm returning.
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 13, 2020 15:37:36 GMT -6
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Garnet put her hands back on her hips as he muttered under his breath and looked at him sharply. "I heard that," she remarked, when he called her a 'kid'. She didn't argue further, but only because the words stung more than her defiant look suggested. Was that all she was? After all she had been through, after all she had learned? Garnet always worried that deep down she was still just a coddled child, a spoiled brat who didn't understand the world, even after everything she had been through. She was always worried that even though she carried the title of Queen, she was just a clueless little girl who nobody would ever take seriously. That even the loyalty and love she inspired from Steiner and Beatrix was because she was a child to them, and not a leader. That she really was useless. She always felt so helpless. So... pathetic...
No. She couldn't feel that way anymore. She was a queen now.
She turned back to Amarant, ready to try and assert herself, to tell him she was no child, that he should respect her as an adult, when he spoke more, and she lost her train of thought, her confidence faltering. Wait. She had been here before? Living on a beach with Zidane? In that brief moment, it seemed both impossible and insanely idealistic. She tried to imagine that, no people, no responsibility, no titles and expectations, just her and Zidane, living in peace.
It seemed impossible, of course. Even if you offered that to her, she knew she had her responsibilities back home. She knew what she had to do. She could never have that life. She was queen of Alexandria, and she always would be. She had a duty to her people to find a way back. She thought about that beach, about Zidane living with her there... She realised she felt jealous. Jealous of herself. Was that silly? Of course it was, but this other Garnet, who had that life on the beach with Zidane, oh, how Garnet wished it was her. Well, it was her. How Garnet wished she could remember. It sounded so... perfect.
She paused at the news that Zidane saved Kuja. She had known that was what he set out to do, but she had never realised he had been successful. It was so hard to process. Kuja had done so much evil, killed so many, but he was Zidane's brother, and... her mother had done the same. If Garnet could have saved her, she would have. She tried to. She tried everything to. She paused, and looked away. "My Mother committed sins equal to Kuja's. Perhaps worse. But I tried to save her. If you gave me the chance to, I would have. I cannot blame Zidane for saving Kuja. I... hate Kuja... I always will. I hate him with every fibre of my being, but I cannot ask Zidane to let him die when I could not do so to my own mother. My mother who enslaved Vivi's people. And yet... it tore me apart to see her die," she reminded Amarant.
"Our objective was never to kill Kuja. It was to stop him. And we did. We saved Gaia. We saved all life as we know. Kuja is here, but his Trance form is gone, he does not have my eidolons, he is considerably less of a threat. If he tries anything, if we're all together, I know that we can stop him again," she said, meaning every word. Naive faith? She was sure Amarant would think so. But she believed it.
It didn't matter how angry Amarant was at Zidane though, he was willing to look for him. And when Garnet realised it, her features lit up. "I knew you would! Thank you! We should gather some supplies. We could leave first thing in the morning..." she said, already formulating a plan for their journey to locate Zidane. She still didn't understand how he had been here weeks, with another version of her, but that didn't matter, did it? Not against finding him. Not against being with him again.
She would find him. And cross the mystery of her lost memories after the fact.
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 13, 2020 15:21:48 GMT -6
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The young actress was truly delightful to talk to, and Garnet realised that it was the first time since she had arrived in Torensten she was truly having a fun time. She loved exploring new places, particularly free of her status and reputation, but she had been so stressed about where she was and what was happening it was so pleasant to finally have an opportunity to let her hair down, so to speak, and actually discuss theatre. "Well, I would not suggest charging into battle any time soon, but I think you acquitted yourself on stage most well," Garnet smiled a little. This girl was fun, although Garnet wasn't sure why she seemed to want to test her skills in battle. Garnet had been in enough fights to know she never wanted to wield a sword up close. Standing back from a distance and casting spells was enough for her. Close combat was terrifying. All flying metal and blades and blood. She never wanted to do that.
"Oh, it's okay. We can't help our feelings for someone, after all," Garnet assured Jessie. It was true, wasn't it? She had fallen for Zidane and had no choice in the matter. And yes, she had felt a little jealous, especially when he seemed to get her confused with another girl. Oh, she had played it off, but it had infuriated her, feeling like she was just any other girl to him to be flirted with. Until, of course, she learned that wasn't the case. She saw how much he really cared for her. And realised how much she cared for him.
She smiled as the two discussed the play. It was nice to discuss, to be able to speak critically about it. It had been a while since she had somebody to truly talk to about theatre. Oh, she tried, talking to Steiner, but she might as well talk to a wall, or Beatrix, who was polite but seemed largely uninterested. Again, Zidane was a fan, even if he was more of an actor than a critic, but... well, she had missed him for so long...
"Of course, there is a danger that I am projecting my desired outcome on the text, but I have found that villains have those who follow them either out of fear or because they have no choice, while those who do good inspire loyalty and work together out of mutual friendship. And when those two ideologies clash, I truly believe that the latter shall always triumph. People can be weak when they are alone... but together, they are strong. Together, they can do anything," Like defy a God of Death and save the world, Garnet thought. "I would very much like to see this hypothetical second play. The themes of friendship and strength would be fascinating to see, and it would also be nice to see how Lady Tousson rises to her new role. It is one thing to be destined for a position of power, but... if you have to adopt it, before you are ready, it can be... quite... challenging. Sometimes, you do not know what to do... and you feel as if every decision that you make is wrong..." Garnet paused. She had probably said too much. "I mean, or so I hear. It would be nice to see those themes explored in a sequel."
"I think you are right, though. To have people who follow you because of love, not because of duty, should be the goal of all good leaders," she admitted. She wondered if it was true of her subjects. Sometimes she wasn't sure. Garnet was never sure, she was always second guessing herself, so nervous, so uneasy. She was a queen now and she still felt like she would get everything wrong if she was alone. But, of course, she wasn't alone. And Steiner and Beatrix had had the option of remaining loyal to her mother, but chosen her. Zidane loved her. She could take solace in that. She was young and had a very long way to go before she could be the wise and gentle queen she wanted to be, but at least she knew she had those who loved her... "Oh, um, well, I studied drama, and I am something of a fan, but I haven't really... been involved in much theatre work myself, no," she answered, feeling a little like this was a disappointing answer and might damage her fledgling friendship with this Jessie girl. "Although I once played the role of Cornelia on stage in a performance of I Want To Be Your Canary," she added, hoping that this helped. That was a strange memory to think of. She had real fun on the stage in that moment, and maybe it was even the first heartbeat of an attraction to the strange thief who had chased her. That had been when escaping the castle had been so excited she had almost forgotten the seriousness. Before it had all changed. Before her identity was revealed and her mother had fired on the ship...
Zidane would probably have joked that the performance had 'ended explosively' or something. Garnet almost cracked the same joke, but the words caught in her throat, memories of her mother's angry face as she fired the weapon, the realisation of how wrong things had gone, the panic shooting through her in that moment coming flooding back, and she had to force them back down, just to smile to Jessie.
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 13, 2020 14:25:58 GMT -6
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Garnet frowned at this latest revelation. It wasn't just his claim that he had seen Zidane on 'some beach in the middle of nowhere', but more how he seemed to be speaking as if it was significantly in the past tense. For that matter, Amarant seemed quite at home in Torensten. As if he had been there for a while.
But how could that be possible? Garnet had only just arrived, and Amarant had been there, at her eighteenth birthday party, only hours before she had arrived here, hadn't he? It didn't seem right. The entire thing made no sense.
"What? No. I have not... been to any beach. I... only arrived here.... maybe a day or so ago. This is the first time I have seen you. I haven't seen Zidane, and I definitely haven't been to a beach. I..." she paused, frowning again, and shook her head. "Amarant, what is going on? The last thing I remember, we were celebrating my eighteenth birthday. Zidane... he... returned during the play. We were reunited. I was..." For a moment, she had to stifle a tear. "...so happy... and then, I was here. In some swamp. I managed to find my way to town, find a change of clothes, but..." she paused again. "I saw Kuja. He's alive. He's here, somehow. I don't... I feel like I'm trapped in some nightmare. I finally... I was finally happy, and now I'm here, alone, and I don't understand what's happening. And it's not like before, when I didn't understand what my mother was up to, or who Kuja was, this time... I feel like it's the universe that doesn't make sense..." she paused again, before looking back at Amarant.
"We have to go and find Zidane. Can you show me where you found him? We need to try and find a way back home, and we should be together when we do it. Especially with Kuja on the loose. Who knows what he's actually planning?" she suggested. Of course, it didn't occur to her that Amarant would just say 'no'.
"Surely you do not intend to remain here?" she asked, slightly taken aback by how he still seemed so cold and distant.
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 13, 2020 13:12:45 GMT -6
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The long stare from Amarant was strange, and slowly, Garnet felt her heart sink. Had she made a mistake? Of course, Amarant had always been surly, and hardly the most friendly, and out of the entire team he seemed to be the one who viewed her with the most disdain, the weakling princess in the group, and he was the one who valued only muscle, but... they had been a team, hadn't they? They had fought together against some of the worse things either Gaia or Terra had to offer, they had journeyed to a new world together, when he had been invited, he had even come to her birthday play. There must have been something there, surely? Some friendship?
Surely he did not hate her that much...
"H-he does not do that anymore!" Garnet said, huffing and putting her hands on her hips in annoyance. At least the man had finally answered! The long wait had been incredibly awkward, and Garnet had only grown more and more uneasy as she stood there before him, in the crowd of heavily armed people.
And then, after a moment, she processed what he had just said. It was so... casual... So... without concern. As if he had seen him. As if Zidane WAS here! "W-wait... you mean... you've seen him?" she asked, her voice excited again. "Amarant, please. I-I do not know how I came to be here, or... what is happening, but since I arrived, I have only been alone. You are the first ally I have found, and.... Zidane, if he is here, I must find him. Have you truly seen him or are you merely being...." she paused, searching for the right word. Eiko would say 'Amaranty', but somehow the made-up word refused to grace the young queen's lips. "....you?" she finished, because it was the best way to summarise his behaviour.
"Please, do not push me away. There is much we should discuss, and..." she paused, hesitating awkwardly. "I... need you. I do not think I can do this alone," she admitted. Garnet knew every time she had tried anything alone, she had failed. She had only ever succeeded because of her friends. And Amarant was the only one there, so she needed him now more than ever...
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 13, 2020 12:58:05 GMT -6
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Garnet smiled a little at Jessie's friendly response. She was sweet and modest, at least, if her comments about swordfighting were anything to go by. Garnet couldn't disagree, she definitely couldn't lift a sword that large either, and despite travelling all that time with Steiner, she still had no idea how to wield one. "It was very impressive regardless; an actor does not need to possess the skills themselves, only convince the audience that they do, and you certainly convinced me," she smiled, hoping what she said was taken as a positive review. "Besides, I do not think I could even lift the fake sword, let alone a real one, so you still did rather well," she added with a teasing smile. It was probably true. Being a queen wasn't exactly the type of role in which you built muscle, especially not when you depended on your white magic if you ever had to be in a combat situation.
"Thank you so much," she said to the man as he departed. Unfortunately, her comment about the man confused Garnet. She was never the best at picking up in innuendos, and she wasn't entirely sure what 'nice on the eyes' meant. She ran the sentence through her head a few times, as she often did when she heard a colloquialism she didn't understand. "Nice... on the eyes? Oh! You mean he's pleasant to look at!" Garnet exclaimed as she understood, before realising she had said that a little too loudly and he may have heard. "Oh, uh, sorry, I mean... I understand," she said a little quieter. Presumably Jessie liked this man. Garnet wished that she could offer some advice, but she had only ever been in one relationship in her life, and she still wasn't really sure how that had happened. Oh, she was so happy that it had, but if she had to retrace her steps, give advice to her younger self? She wouldn't know where to start.
"Thank you," Garnet said with a polite bow as she took the script. "Really? It was not written by one of the great playwrights? I would never have guessed!" she remarked in surprise. "Lady Tousson is a wonderful character, although..." Garnet hesitated. She didn't like to criticise, but she was thinking aloud. "I do wonder about her friends. I... Where I come from, there was... a story... about a young... noblewoman... She was a princess... and she too had to flee her home, because she suspected a great evil. But... being a princess, and naive to the world, she was not able to fight back alone. Instead, it was with the strength of her friends that she... that they... triumphed. Sadly, I do not think it true that a woman raised as Lady Tousson could become so formidable alone..." she observed. "But perhaps that is why the play is so popular; it is pleasant to dream, is it not?" she suggested with a smile. It was a nice thought. Imagining that she had left home, learned to use a sword, saved her mother and defeated Kuja single-handed.
No. In truth, she wouldn't like that. She could dream, but that wasn't her. She didn't like to fight, and if she had to, she would rather do so stood by her friends. No matter how strong a person was, they were much stronger together. She always believed that. "What do you think? Perhaps Lady Tousson should not return from the forest alone? I would say it is the friends she made, the knights she met in the forest, that her real strength, not her swordplay. General Haido stands alone, and that is why he shall always lose," just as Kuja did...
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 13, 2020 12:23:51 GMT -6
There was a sudden chill on the air, and Garnet shivered. She couldn't quite tell what it was, not at first, but she felt like she was being watched, and she turned. Oh, she knew of magic, of course she did, she used it regularly, but that never extended to sensing somebody. She had heard that the genomes could sense each other too. But this was different. This was almost something deep and primal, a core revulsion, a core fear.
There were explanations that would come to mind later, of course. Perhaps it was because he had wielded an Eidolon ripped from her body, perhaps they were tied by how he had violated her. Perhaps he was so powerful magically that she could feel his presence. But maybe it was just fate, just destiny, giving Garnet a little nudge. Because when she turned, she saw what she thought she would never see again.
What she had prayed she would never see again.
Kuja. It was Kuja. Unmistakably. The silver hair, the outfit, the way people looked at him, as if they could sense something was wrong with his presence. As if he simply radiated power. Kuja was alive, and he was there, in Torensten. Garnet wanted to turn. She wanted to run. She was alone. She didn't even have her staff. The only Eidolon that answered her calls seemed to be Ramuh, and he wasn't powerful enough to stand against Kuja. It seemed he hadn't seen her. She was safe if she just ran away. If she put as much distance between herself and Kuja as possible. Maybe she could find the others. Or run to the city guard and warn them!
No. No. She wasn't a scared little girl anymore. She didn't have anybody to help her. And what would she do? Draw an innocent party into the confrontation while she cowered? Run away so that Kuja might enact whatever evil plan he had in mind? None of those were options. She had somehow been brought to this world, and if Kuja was there too, it meant one of two possibilities. One, Kuja had done it, so knew she was there anyway, or two, it was a coincidence, and therefore she was the only one there who knew how dangerous he was.
Either way, once again, she had responsibility thrust upon her. She just had to hope that Kuja would not try to battle her. Surely to do so here would be suicidal, even for a mage as powerful as Kuja. There were too many people, and he had no army here. No Black Mages to answer his call, and no Eidolons. He had no Trance either, the souls of Terra must have abandoned him when they defeated him in Memoria. This was possibly the only chance she would ever get to confront him safely.
And yet she had no idea what she was going to say.
She marched through the crowd, determined to catch him before her fear got the better of her. "Kuja!" she called out, trying to put as much steel into her softly spoken voice as she could. "I... do not know how you are here, or if this is your doing, but I shall not allow you to do to this world what you did to mine!" she declared, even if she realised she had no back-up plan to enforce those words. She was alone. She was unarmed.
....but Kuja didn't necessarily know that, did he? What would Zidane do?
He would lie. Garnet could lie, couldn't she? It would be just like imagining she was in a play. She could do that, right?
"We are all here! You could not beat us when Tranced, you shall not be able to beat us now," she warned, hoping the words sounded true.
