| Rumors of old may hold some truth, but usually they have been twisted by time. -Rules of Life, pg. 75 Part 41 � Sorry.� � . . .?� � Yes, he�s awake. I know because he stepped on me.� She hid a smile behind her hand. � . . .� � I admit it, he�s a klutz sometimes. As graceful as a zemzelett in the morning but as graceful as a dragon any other time.� Garnet put her hands on her hips and made a sarcastic face. � . . .?� I snorted. � I wonder that myself sometimes.� There was the sound of near-silent footsteps behind me. I saluted Garnet briefly. � You have another visitor. I�ll take my leave.� Then I climbed up to the cover over the telescope and peered down where I knew I couldn�t be seen. Zidane tried to talk to her, but she couldn�t say anything and I saw how frustrated he was getting. He obviously had no perception of the situation. Deciding to make a change, I dropped the feather from Zidane�s wing (yes, the one that had caused all the trouble before) in front of Garnet. She caught it and peered at it curiously, then looked up. I winked and she grinned one of the most evil grins I�ve ever seen. I crawled down the back of one pillar and clung to it, watching Zidane�s reaction from a safe vantage point. His eyes widened and he lifted his hands in a placating gesture. � Oh, come on, Dagger. I didn�t say something wrong, did I? Whatever it is, I�m really sorry!� She brushed the feather along her hand as though she were thinking. Zidane curled up defensively, moaning. His wings arched forward and around him protectively. Giggling, Garnet handed the feather back to me. With a relieved sigh, Zidane straightened. I left, wandering down to the conference room. Everyone was there, as I expected, and Tiovex gave me a soft nudge. [You�re looking particularly shiny today.] [My skin finally came off.] [Ah.] Which reminded me . . . [Tiovex, I stepped out of my skin to let Zidane look at it. He touched it and there was a bright yellow flash. It was gone the next second. Do you happen to know what caused it?] He shook his head, puzzled. [No. I�ve never heard of such a thing. I�m very sorry.] [It�s all right. I was just curious.] [You sound tired, Kitiane. Are you well?] [The next being to ask me that,] I snarled, [is going to die.] He patted my shoulder. [Lay down and get some rest, Kitiane.] I did so without complaint. When I woke, Zidane had just entered. He almost tripped over my hind end, barely catching himself. � Sorry, Kiti,� he mumbled, rubbing at his eye. � I think I need some more sleep too.� There was a collective gasp from the rest of the room. � Zidane . . .� Vivi trailed, pointing. � Where did you get those?� � Get what?� Zidane asked, slightly irritated. � Everybody�s been staring at me like I�m from outer space and now I�m being asked where I got �those� from. I�d like to know what the heck you�re all talking about!� � You . . .� Freya began. � You have . . .� Steiner added. � You have wings,� Amarant finished in the same bored tone he always had. Zidane rolled his eyes annoyedly. � Oh please. What�s the big deal about me having wings?� � You didn�t have them before!� Freya snapped back. � Do you see anyone else around here, besides the dragons, with actual wings?� � Nah. I guess not.� She realized he was being difficult on purpose. � Then don�t get all snippy with us.� � Fine.� He shrugged. � They�re a dragonic legacy. Don�t worry about it.� The meeting finally commenced. Zidane volunteered to retrieve the potions necessary to (hopefully) return the Regent to normal. Of course, I went with him. Tiovex decided to attend and Vanel invited herself along, knowing we wouldn�t chase her off. [Can I be a human? Can I can I can I?!] [Sure.] Tiovex cast the spell on her, turning her into a young human, looking to be about four years old, with angel-type wings and a furry tail. [There.] � Wow! Thank you!� Vanel twirled and almost fell over. � Oh!� Zidane reached out and caught her. � Hey, be careful.� She straightened her navy-blue satin shirt and brushed at her jeans. � Such a strange fabric humans wear.� � They�re called clothes.� � Ah yes. Clothes. What is their purpose?� � . . . You�re a dragon. Don�t worry about it.� � Okay!� she chirped. � So where are we going?� � We should probably find Cinna . . .� Tiovex shifted to human as well. He batted at his blue hair, brushed at the sleeves of his white silk shirt, and then dusted off the knees of his jeans, though I couldn�t see a speck of dirt on them. � We could split up.� � No. I�d rather us stay together. Lindblum�s a big place and you�ll probably get lost.� � Dragons have a homing sense and we can fly back to the castle.� � Don�t argue with me!� Tiovex pulled back and blinked, surprised. � . . . All right. Your call, Mighty One.� Zidane narrowed his eyes. � Are you trying to get on my nerves?� � Not yet . . . Do you want me to?� The question was ignored. I shifted to my human form and glanced around. Human sight was so awful it was like being blind. Luckily, I could tune my senses to those of a dragon, which I did immediately. � Let�s just make it up as we go,� I suggested. � Good idea, Kiti.� <--Part 40 Part 42--> |