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year 5, quarter 3
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Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Jun 21, 2022 14:50:20 GMT -6
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Garnet laughed a little when Hilda replied about how ferocious 'Dagger' seemed. She knew that her Auntie was teasing her, but Garnet also believed what she had said. Aunt Hilda wouldn't believe some of the things Dagger had done. Travelling the world, camping in tents, fighting monsters, helping Quina catch frogs, getting married by dwarves, battling within the Iifa Tree, there was so much of her adventure that at times she thought it happened to somebody else as well. But then she had been fighting for something. It felt selfish to admit that she missed those days. The freedom. The adventure. When there had been so much danger and so many people in peril, but it had been the happiest time of Garnet's life.
"Oh, Auntie, sometimes... I honestly miss life as Dagger. There were days that were so hard, but there were others... Days when things happened that you would never have thought of. I remember waking up in a tent, and stepping out to see the sun rise, smelling the dew on the grass, and knowing that you were out there, with just people you trusted with your life, where nothing else mattered but who you were inside. It didn't matter who we were back in civilisation. All that mattered was that you would work together, that you all knew you could trust each other, and that you each had a role, and would fight for each other. It's the most I've ever felt I belonged. And it's the truest to myself I've ever been. No titles and no people treating me differently because of who I was. Just... me..." she smiled softly. And then she laughed a little. "I apologise. I really should stop talking about it. I know that it is not appealing to you. And besides, I'm not a child. I know that I have responsibilities," she said, her smile a little tighter.
"Honestly, I feel like the name should mean more to me than it does. I have fuzzy memories of Madain Sari these days, but so little... Sarah might as well be an entirely different person. Some days I feel like Dagger, most days, I feel I am Garnet, but I'm... not sure that I ever feel that I am Sarah," she explained, to try and let Hilda know she didn't find the name particularly special. "I mean, she is still a part of me and always will be. My connection to the Eidolons, my faded memories, Sarah is a part of who I am, but... she never feels like the main part," she tried to explain.
Garnet laughed and shook her head when Hilda pointed to the designer dress store. Clearly, she was not getting the spirit of this. "No, Auntie, not that," she giggled. She paused for a moment, thinking, looking away, and then she turned back. "Pretend... you're running away! You're on the run and you can't have people realising who you are. What would you wear then? If you had to choose from these stalls?" she asked, waving a hand at the nearby market stalls. That might help her understand, and find her own personal 'Dagger'.
Although Garnet was beginning to suspect that Hilda would never be interested in that kind of thing...
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 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 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 Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on May 25, 2022 16:28:52 GMT -6
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Garnet gave Caius an almost curious look when he said that she was young for an adventurer. Not in her experience, anyway. Zidane had been a pro when she'd met him, and he was her age. Vivi knew how to fight with his magic, and had only been a child. Okay, so he'd also been a magical soldier who had escaped from a Black Mage factory, but the point remained. Heck, Eiko had barely been beyond a toddler and could fight. "In my experience, I'm the perfect age," she replied. "The best adventurer I ever knew was the same age as me," she pointed out. Not that she expected Caius to understand that. But being a Queen at sixteen years old had made sure Garnet grew up fast. She saw nothing wrong with being considered a 'pro' at that age, let alone now she was eighteen. Especially after all she had seen and done. "Besides, I think once you've travelled to the end of the universe to save every reality that there ever was from a genocidal maniac who could blow up an entire world with the flick of his wrist and defeated the literal God of Death, you probably get to call yourself pretty experienced," she added teasingly. "Well, nobody I met on my travels minded Dagger, Swordbert," she teased back. "I thought it was a cute, catchy name. And it certainly wasn't what people expected a Princess to name herself, so I think it helped in my cover," she added, although she suspected her dialogue coaching from Zidane and Vivi had helped there too. "Of course, that might have just been my natural talents as an actress," she added, although her tone was clearly playful and it was clear that she didn't mean that.
Garnet's teasing seemed to pause slightly when he commented on dragons, however. She looked back at him for a moment, a distant memory flashing across her eyes. Alexandria burning. Bahamut's wings spread high as he flew over the city, flame seemingly oozing from his mouth. Those bolts of fire, his mega flare, smashing into her home and killing the people she had sworn to protect. Her own responsibility. Both Bahamut and Alexandria. Turned against each other. And her people suffered because she hadn't been able to stop it. "I... commanded a dragon once. Bahamut was an Eidolon under my control. However, he was... a powerful being. Filled with anger and destruction. I could guide him when he was under my power, but Kuja... he got a hold of him. Bahamut was the Eidolon he used to attack my Kingdom. To kill the people I was sworn to protect. I watched my citizens die by the power of the dragon I was supposed to command, and I was helpless to stop it. So many of my people died... Because I failed them as Queen," she sighed. And then the emotions passed. And she was a Queen again, passing on intel about her enemy. "However, you are correct. Kuja did have his own dragon as a steed. And an additional army of them at his command. We engaged them with a fleet of airships before we were able to launch our final assault on Kuja," she explained, but her tone was more matter-of-fact now, as if giving Caius valuable information.
The talk of Kuja did pique her interest however. Somebody had told Caius of him before? She wondered who. A soldier? For a moment her heart leapt; could it be Steiner? Or Beatrix? But it seemed he did not remember. Garnet could relate. She too had some memories that had slipped away. Moments of reuniting with lost friends, except, she couldn't remember who or where. Like Caius said, this place did strange things to your memory.
She sighed, and almost cracked a smile when he spoke about murdering Kuja. "Oh, it gets more complicated than that. Kuja is... a danger to all living things, I have no doubt of that. But... he is also... the brother of the man I love. And that man... he believes Kuja can be redeemed. That Kuja doesn't deserve to die. And I worry that if I kill him, or allow him to be killed, I am becoming the monster Zidane cannot be. And I do not wish to be that. Those choices... Those actions, they are the ones that drove my mother down her dark path. That led to her becoming Kuja's puppet. I cannot do that. I will not. Kuja must be imprisoned. The people must be kept safe. But... I don't think destroying him in cold blood is... the right choice," Garnet admitted.
@caius
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Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Apr 2, 2022 12:16:14 GMT -6
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Garnet let out a soft laugh when Hilda attempted to chide her for claiming she was 'just Dagger'. She supposed Hilda still had some way to go before she fully understood. She smiled over at her Auntie softly. "Oh, you should not underestimate 'just Dagger'," she said with a playful smile. "Dagger has done things that Garnet til Alexandros could only dream of. She explored the streets of Treno alone! She travelled to another world. She helped defeat Kuja. Twice! There are an awful lot of things in my life that I do not know I would have found the courage to do without Dagger," she admitted. This was, at least, true. Once she could embrace being Dagger, and walk around freely, to step away from the constant pressure of being a princess (and later, queen), she had found a whole part of herself that she hadn't known existed. A part that Zidane had helped her discover, of course.
There wasn't quite the dichotomy that Garnet made it sound like there was. They weren't two different people. It was just, Dagger was a label she could be free behind. It was an identity that carried none of the weight of her usual title. It felt... freeing, in a manner that nothing else did. It was hard to put into words, but she was keen for Hilda to experience it.
She was, however, a little disappointed that she turned down Garnet's offer of her true name. She supposed it made sense. Hilda was not half as much a known entity here as Garnet had been back on their home world. Garnet always needed an alias, especially with people searching for her. Hilda, less so. "That would be fine. Or, should I say, alrighty, Hilda," she smiled, using one of the first informal words she'd ever learned. Somehow, she doubted Hilda would adopt it any time soon. But it was worth a try, right?
"I know that you think I'm silly, Auntie. And that my situation was rather different. If I didn't have to adopt Dagger as a personae, I likely never would have. I had to go undetected, and so I had no choice. But once I did... Oh, Auntie, I know you don't believe me, but the feeling I had... that first time in Dali, when I tried to be 'Dagger' instead of 'Princess Garnet'... Walking around without my every action, my every step, scrutinised. Without being stopped from doing what I wished. And with people interacting with me based on my own merits, not on the title I had been granted. It just... it felt wonderful. It was so freeing..." she tried to explain. Maybe Hilda really would never understand. Maybe it was different for her. Hilda's status was something she always had to fight to gain. Garnet's was something she was always fighting to escape from. "I don't know if I ever told you this, but 'Sarah' is my birth name. The name I was given in Madain Sari. I only found out when we studied the Eidolon Wall. There are times... when I wonder if that's why being Dagger made me so happy. That maybe, I was being my true self. The peasant girl. That I was not really a Queen. But... I think now I've come to accept the truth. That I am Queen Garnet til Alexandros XVII, but I am also Sarah the Summoner from Madain Sari, and I am Dagger, the White Mage Adventurer. I am all of those things. They are all a part of me. I cannot deny any of them," she explained. And then she gave another small smile, one with, perhaps, a touch of mischief. "But it is fun to pretend for a while," she added with a smirk.
"Let's try the market! They do some clothing here. You'd be surprised what wonderful clothing you can discover once you allow yourself to look through different eyes. They may not be gowns and jewels, but some of them are..." she paused, searching for the right term, in Dagger-speak. "...cute. I would call them cute," she smiled.
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Mar 25, 2022 17:15:22 GMT -6
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Garnet gave Caius a look, and a small huff when he told her that he was surprised after his first meeting that she was now making a name for herself. "I told you before, I'm a pro adventurer really. I've done all kinds of things. You just caught me at a bad time," she explained, although her tone was playful. It was obvious that she was just teasing back at his playful words, but she did consider it truthful as well. It was easy to dismiss her as a sheltered Queen, but she had seen so much, and learned so much, by Zidane's side, and she didn't want him to think she hadn't. She had seen adventures most could only dream of. Even if they hadn't always been for the best...
"Well, I still don't see how 'Dagger' is any stranger a name than 'Garnet'. They are both objects," she pointed out, still huffing, although aware that she seemed to be losing this argument, since apparently his Dragonblades were named after an actual dragon. "I'm not a fan of dragons," she admitted after a moment. Kuja had a pet dragon. An army of dragons had attacked the Invincible. And of course... Bahamut...
She glanced in surprise to Caius when he said that he knew Kuja. And then she felt a sense of overwhelming relief when it seemed this wasn't another person going to defend Kuja's ways. Relief. And perhaps a little... guilt? Yes, guilt. Because Zidane would have wanted Kuja to live. But Garnet, in her heart, agreed with Caius. He had to die. "The things that man has done..." Garnet said, her tone darkening a little as she thought on him. "I am sorry for what you endured. I can tell you what I know of him. Perhaps, one day, it will help you defeat him," Garnet told him. Plus, now, she wanted him to know. How lucky he had been to escape. "He was born on another world. I mean, from my home world also. A planet called Terra. He had been created for one purpose. To annihilate life on my home planet and prepare our world for the Terrans. However... Something happened. Kuja rebelled against his creator. He intended to use the power of Eidolons... Summoned creatures... to defeat his former master. Eidolons that could be extracted only from the last summoner. From... me." Garnet paused for a moment, pained by the memory. "He formed a false alliance with my mother, corrupted her, and used her to plunge the entire continent into war. And then he tore my Eidolons from me and used them to commit genocide. He destroyed entire kingdoms, before turning the power on my home Kingdom itself. And yet, it was not enough. His master came for him, and we were all pulled into the battle between the two."
"It developed that his master had given him a limited life span. That he was soon to die. The revelation drove Kuja insane. He absorbed the souls of those still on Terra, and used the power to enter Trance. And then he turned his power onto the planet Terra itself. I saw him tear an entire world apart with his magical power. He destroyed his own home planet before my eyes. And it was still not enough."
"He journeyed to the centre of creation. To the crystal that gave life to the entire universe. And he sought to destroy it. To end all life. Forever. But we stood against him. We followed him there, and at the heart of all creation, we fought back. We defeated him, and the dark god that followed his assault on the crystal. I thought we had saved reality. I thought he had defeated him for good. But..."
She didn't mention Zidane, or Kuja surviving and being rescued. It seemed too complicated. And besides, Kuja had been dying after the fight. She still had no idea how he had survived.
"I don't know what he's planning here. He seems to have lost the power of Trance, but I have no doubt he will try to regain it. And if he does, he will think nothing of cracking this planet apart like an egg. And then... I fear he will repeat his goal from before. He will try to end all of creation. He would rather destroy everything, than allow a world to exist without himself in it." Garnet explained, and then she sighed again.
"I am... sorry. This is a lot to unload on you. I just... His presence here... It is... weighing heavily on my mind," she admitted.
@caius
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Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Mar 25, 2022 16:50:21 GMT -6
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There was no denying that Garnet was impressed by the chateau Hilda had acquired. Having been spending her days in a shared, basic church, Garnet had to admit, there was a part of her that longed for the luxury Hilda had managed to restore to herself. Oh, Garnet could live without it, she could endure much worse hardships than not having her poster bed, but that didn't mean there were some nights that she was uncomfortable in the cold shared chamber that she didn't miss the castle a little.
But when she understood what Hilda had to do to earn this place, and the role she had to play, and Garnet had no interest. She had never asked to be royalty, and she wouldn't chose it if she didn't have to. She much preferred the honest life. The free life.
It had been a pleasant day so far. Garnet would have liked to say it had been like her old life, before the concerns of the world weighed upon her shoulders, but it was subtly different. Back then, she had just been a child. But now, she felt like an adult. Hilda was, of course, still her Aunt, but the conversation felt like a conversation between two adults. Even if she let Hilda brush out her hair, which was particularly nice. If Garnet was being honest, she did sometimes miss her shorter hair. It hadn't just been a way to leave her trauma behind, although that had been a big part of it. The honest truth of the fact was that her shorter hair had been much more practical while travelling. But somehow it didn't feel right to cut it. Not while Zidane was still missing. Not while she still had that sadness in her soul.
But soon, they arrived at the festival. Despite Garnet's best efforts, Hilda still wore a dress, albeit one that drew somewhat less attention than her usual attire. She supposed it was a start. She let out a small giggle however, when Hilda asked if she had 'made an appearance' at one. "Auntie, you forget, I'm just Dagger, the white mage from the church. I don't 'make appearances', here. I just go to things," she laughed lightly. "Although, I did make an appearance at one festival. It feels like a life time ago now..." She thought back to the Festival of the Hunt. Of course, her presence hadn't been officially announced. She had been flying under the radar still. But her Uncle Cid had treated her like, well, a visiting princess. She remembered cheering Vivi on, watching as he ran through the crowd. Her heart knotted. Vivi...
And she remembered Zidane of course. Wanting him to lose, just so that she could tease him. And of course, trying not to think about that stupid date. As if she'd go on a date with him....
The thought was absurd now, and she couldn't help but smile a little at the thought of her foolishness back then. She returned to present day, and smiled over at Hilda.
"You know, you should try it. Why don't you, just for today, try not being Lady Hildagarde Fabool. I'll be Dagger and you can be..." she paused, trying to think of a name for her Auntie. A thought crossed her mind. The only name she had to give. "....Sarah. You can be Sarah. Come on, Auntie. Just one day of being yourself, without having to worry what others think. It's one of the most freeing things I've ever experienced..." That and not wearing a dress that was several times bigger than herself, Garnet thought, but she wasn't sure Hilda was ready to be introduced to pants just yet...
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Mar 1, 2022 4:00:39 GMT -6
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Garnet sensed sarcasm in Caius's response regarding her deeds during the storm, and put her hands on her hips, giving him a look.
"Are you teasing me?" she asked, although her tone was still playful. "It may not be as impressive as fighting a Kraken, but it was not exactly a simple spell. We had to face... things... Memories... That I would rather have avoided altogether." The corruption in the water shrine had tried to use her own memories of her mother against her. To trick her into giving up. Of course, it hadn't worked. Garnet had faced false memories before, and she knew who she was now. She missed her mother, every day, but she also knew that she had to move on without her.
Of course, that moment made her consider the nature of the corruption itself. What had it been? To be so intelligent in its pursuit of hurting them, of knowing them, it made her think that whatever was behind it must have been a malicious entity. Something must have summoned the fiends to this plane. But she didn't want to think about it. Not on a night she was supposed to be enjoying herself.
"It's not silly," she insisted, putting her hands on her hips again when he commented on her chosen moniker. "I don't see how 'Dagger' is anymore unusual than 'Caius'. They are both just words," she huffed, before moving on to follow Caius again.
Her expression darkened a little when he asked about Kuja's name. He thought his Dragonblades could stop him. Maybe they could, Garnet knew better than anybody that Kuja could be defeated, but she had also seen his endless power. She couldn't help but feel he was her responsibility. She didn't know how she felt about putting others in danger.
"Kuja. His name... is Kuja. But... please, be careful. I have stood and watched as he destroyed an entire planet single-handed. I followed him to the centre of creation and all life itself and saw him try to end it all. He is not to be underestimated." She didn't, of course, say more, but there was a tiny, childish part of her that was currently thinking 'more impressive than fighting a Kraken, don't you think?'.
He mentioned that he could throw her in the air, and she huffed again, hands on her hips.
"But you are a Dragonblade, so why don't you just spout wings and fly into the air yourself?" she asked. "Perhaps being named after things doesn't mean you have the same properties as that thing. You never ask if I'm a jewel just because my name is Garnet," she pointed out. "....But it is strange.... I'm sure the exit should be around here somewhere."
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Feb 19, 2022 12:03:39 GMT -6
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Luckily, Caius agreed with Garnet's suggestion, which she was glad of, and she turned back around just as he did. She was relieved. It wasn't that she didn't want to see the maze, it was just that she didn't want to miss the rest of the festival. Besides, she didn't particularly see the excitement of a maze made out of corn. Maybe after you'd been lost in a dozen labyrinths, including one comprised entirely of your memories and the memories of your friends, corn just seemed a little dull in comparison. "Oh, well, I've largely been working as a White Mage for hire. I've been doing some healing at the local church in exchange for accommodations, and teaming up with adventurers at times," she answered with a smile. "I was actually part of the team responsible for removing the corruption from the water crystal while you battled the Kraken." Not that Garnet minded a lack of fame; if anything, it was refreshing, but she thought it probably said something about human nature that those who had battled the monster had become famous in Torensten while those who had removed the corruption from the crystal were much lesser known, even though it was their actions that had stopped the storm.
"All under the name Dagger, of course," she added with a teasing smile, since she knew Caius had criticised her alias when they first met. Not that she had cause to worry; she'd travelled the world as Dagger. She was much Dagger as she was Garnet, and she didn't care if Caius thought it was a silly name. It did it's job.
"Sadly not everything is as positive as I'd hoped. I've discovered that a very dangerous man from my own world is also here. He... very nearly destroyed my home city, killed my mother, and caused untold harm to my world. I thought that we had defeated him; that he was dead, but now he is in Zephron, and I don't know what he's planning. It's been... stressful..." She admitted.
She turned to him with a shake of her head, trying to forget the bad thoughts. "How about you? What have you been-" and then she paused. "Uh, is it just me, or should we be out of this place by now?" The maze seemed to stretch on forever, but Garnet was sure that they were just recounting their steps. They hadn't walked THAT far into it, had they?
@caius
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