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May 1, 2024 6:40:19 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2014 13:10:44 GMT -5
[/i]. All the questions; all the hustle and bustle; it had all flatten out into nothing but a deafening silence. The cause of it all was none other than Zidane’s voice. He had spoken out, hushing the crowd as he volunteered to play the hero and suss out what was taking place in Alexandria. Garnet found herself smiling warmly as he turned to her. His blue eyes locked onto hers, silently asking for her to help him on his new adventure. The bartender spoke up, dishing out his stories which he no doubtfully heard from the people which talked openly once drowned in alcohol. Garnet nodded towards Zidane’s friend, grateful for sharing advice. It was the first she had heard of such things. Sure, Garnet was aware that there were dodgy dealings taking place somewhere. But with the increase of guards she questioned how things were slipping through without being noticed? Could it be these new recruits were being paid to turn their backs on these crimes? The thought angered her that the guards would even consider ruining Alexandria and putting the innocent at risk in such a despicable way. Filled with anger and determination, Garnet pushed through the crowd and reached for Zidane’s hand. ”We’ll go.” She repeated Zidane, accepting his apology and putting the people’s minds at rest that the two heroes were willing to save Alexandria once again. Adoring eyes looked up towards the thief, smiling warmly now that all was forgiven. The daring temptation of wanting to hug it out was stopped from the eyes of the city and the gleeful cheers and talks. The atmosphere in the mini theatre changed instantly with the reawakened heroes of Gaia. ”Highness?” A soft voice, followed with a pull on her hand diverted Garnet’s attention away from her love. A young child, no older than five, stood holding her wrist. Her hair was dark, almost as dark as her own. Her eyes were a pale blue, striking against the blackness of her locks. It was obvious from the stained clothes and bare feet that she was from the slums. In her hand was a scruffy looking Moogle plush, with a missing pom-pom from the top of its head. The doll was held out to her, offering it to the queen with an innocent wide smile. ”Moggie will take care of you if you get into trouble.” Garnet glanced at the small stuffed toy, hesitant in taking a toy from a child. One of which seemed to believe that the Moogle was a protector. It reminded her of Eiko and Mog. The useless and fearful Moogle turned out to be one of Eiko’s most powerful eidolons. Garnet had her own powerful eidolons to protect her, as well as Zidane. If she were to take the toy, she would bring it back with stories of their adventure for the child to pass onto her friends and family. ”I’m sure Moggie will be a very brave knight.” Garnet gratefully took the plush toy, holding it with care as she stood back up to her feet. ”I promise to bring it back to you soon. We shan’t be long.” With a pleased look on the child’s face, Garnet stepped back to Zidane’s side and moved behind him, pulling on one of his belts. It would come to a shock at her sudden brashness in tugging at his clothes. ”Zidane will have to take care of Moggie for the time being, seeing as I have nowhere secure for him to protect us from.” The toy was safely tucked in-between one of Zidane’s many belts, fastening him to the thief for their travels. Garnet stepped back in front of Zidane, smiling playfully up at her thief knowing he wouldn’t really mind babysitting the child’s toy.[/ul] [/div]
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May 1, 2024 6:40:19 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2014 9:47:28 GMT -5
Jovial Prince of Thieves
Seeing Dagger so loved by her people brought him a smug sense of pride. He felt he was lucky to have someone that brought the best out in those around her, but a person did not often see this of themselves. Zidane also felt a twinge of jealousy dance across his heart. She was loved and brought to life the dreams of those able to ask those in charge of their world to change it. Zidane had never had such an opportunity. Down in the slums no one could hear your growling stomachs or smell the musk of a day's worked burned into the skin by heat and sweat. There were some nights where, even after all of Baku's sacrifices, they would go to be hungry. Why wasn't he able to have someone like Dagger growing up? Someone to tell him it was okay and fight to make it come true. Perhaps it was the reason he became the way he did. Someone has to be the hero after all! But he never felt that he quite hit that level of hero like maybe a knight or a soldier could reach. But it did not stop him from trying. At least he managed to save Dagger -- though she had returned the favor and saved him in return.
He was happy when she took his hand. It made his heart dance in quiet embarrassment and his palms, inside the gloves, a bit sweaty. Having Dagger close always sent him into a dizzy spell. He always tried to play it off with a laugh or a lewd joke, but in the end he was a bit troubled by the attention she gladly offered him. His thumb brushed over the tops of her fingers as his own digits cradled her palm. She accepted the offer of adventure, and silent apology. He did not want to leave her side ever again.
He could not help the smirk that drew itself upon his lips, the male moving his hands to rest on his hips. Dagger was a gem to him, as well as to everyone else. She was a treasure, shining bright in one's hand.
The girl looked to Dagger with awe. A child that depended on an adult. But Dagger wasn't just any adult: she was their queen. Maybe he had been quick to jump into the fray? It would do no good stressing or inconveniencing Dagger. She already had so much on her plate, a rogue looking to play hero shouldn't be added onto that weight. He turned his back to that round face, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. He drifted off into his own thoughts, unable to concisely determine the one reason he was so amped on going.
Alexandria was not his he, and loyalty to one's country was always a deciding factor on who you sided with during a war. Bit he was a bandit. He had no loyalties to any flags, save for his own. Tantalus' insignia was that of a white, winged knife, made to represent their freedom to fight and peace. The blue back represented the clear skies of Gaia when flying high above the clouds. They had no kingdom, they had no king or queen, but that did not make them disloyal. They held their own morals and justified their actions with the obligation to live the life given to them. They had to make due with what they had, and take what they didn't.
But the idea of crooks taking advantage of the poor was rotten in his book. The poor had much more to lose, which is why targeting the rich came without guilt. But it seemed that these bastards were working with the rich; their actions got the rich richer and the poor poorer. But there was also the case of kidnapping, which was a sharp double edged sword. On the one hand if there was profit in it, little could it be faulted, but hurting or otherwise never returning the victim was deplorable. Whatever the cause of his direct anger, he was going to stand up for those who couldn't stand up for themselves.
His tail bristled at the sudden tug of his belts. Whipping his head and torso around he would catch Dagger in a most troubling act. His nose flushed as he parted his mouth to interject she merely need ask if she wanted a peek, but recalling his company (specifically that of a young child) his wit reeled back to the fact a Moogle doll was being secured on his belts. The thief connected the doll, child and a few snaps of Dagger's speech. The thief grinned and whorled around in the heel of his boot. He dropped his torso in an exaggerated bow reserved for actors such as he. His sandy, blonde tresses rained forward, his ponytail slipping over his shoulder as his arm tucked against his stomach.
"I will guard this valiant protector. I can already feel its protective magic surrounding me." He stood and gave a wink. "No way we'll lose with this little guy!" He professed with a proud chest pat.
With the authority the rogue seemed to claim his victories with, one could not help but fall into his pace. His confidence could be infectious. Bidding Ashley and the others a fare well, and with many prayers of success for their queen, the pair would finally be allowed to head off.
The world at night always stood in stark contrast to the day. The peering eyes of folk scrounging refuse bins for any useful trash, or edible food, were the vultures of the night. Hands reached out from the corners, begging passing scavengers for scraps the could not procure themselves due the sickness or weakness. The world was a harsh, spiteful mistress. Peace did not necessarily bring prosperity along side it. Those who suffered most during a war were those unable to afford rebuilding their lives. Any who had barely been surviving were pushed to poverty by Alexandria's destruction. This allowed for rats like smugglers and thieves who had no respect for life to find place on the growing mass graves of a man's desperation.
All the while Zidane quietly ignored his surroundings. This was a life he always lived. This was his backyard. His arms sat folded behind his head and his tail lazily lashes behind him, as if dusting the evidence of their trail into the soot. But his tail never did touch to the ground, and his eyes never left the sky.
"Things look a lot different when you're small. I never appreciated the stars." Zidane would suddenly speak up. "I was always in the dirt, hiding behind Baku's legs or chasing after my bros." He smirked, raising a finger to scratch at his cheek. "I was a little shit, never stopped to appreciate any of it, cause I thought I had it all. Who wanted to be a noble? Stuck inside with a snub-nosed tutor or in tight, frilly clothes unable to run around and play."
A kid always made the best of their situations. Adaptable and always happy. It was when the adults in their lives were sad or hurt that really got to a child. Zidane remembered that the one time he had seen Baku really mad was because one of the Nero brothers had gotten hurt. His injury had gotten infected. It was the first time they had seen Baku sad, bit it was also the first time he had gotten caught stealing. It was some medicine for Genero, and he had spent nearly two days in jail. Genero nearly didn't make it. Boss broke out and made it home in time.
"I didn't see it from their side, nor do I clearly see it from the side of the poor. Not everyone can just get up and find a new home..." He felt like a heel for thinking so harshly of them.
'Why not just leave?'
It was a selfish aspiration. One only a thief would consider. He loved Lindblum as a home, but he never stayed long enough to prove it. He knew he would never quite be able to stay away from that city long. All of his memories were there. And maybe now Dagger knew just a little more about his past than most.
The Noble's district was miles above the water table. The canals that cut through Alexandria were fed from springs inside of the mountains. These waterways flowed down into the, now petrified, Evil forest and into the sea. The slums had the unfortunate pleasure of being by the main source of the canals: the great man-made lake that exemplified the beauty of Alexandria's castle and gave might to her Navy.
Here the muted thrums of homes hosting parties carried into the dark streets. Windows were lit by candlelight while dimmed streetlamps his various figures skulking in the dark. Ignorance was fueled by the bliss of lavish events hosted under the guise of every possible reason. They found any need they could to hold celebratory events from birthing days to coming into an inheritance left by the suffering of a relative far unrelated.
In the distance, beside a manor, stood a group of individuals in dusty, dull colored petticoats and mismatched tophats smoking cigars far beyond their paychecks. To an outsider the seemed like regular gentry out for a smoke on the crisp evening, but with money exchanging hands, where it left interpretation for others, another thief knew straight always it was some sort of business deal going down. But what?
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►TAGS: Next~! ►NOTES: Troubling encounters could lead to a whole new world. ►SKILLS USED: n/a CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE; EDITED BY OUREX DRACO
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