| If your memory fails you, just take a wild guess and see what turns up. -Carved in Black Mage Village Inn Part 77 They tittered in amusement. � Well,� Garnet said with a final giggle, � maybe it�s good that he lives on automatic most of the time. That keeps his opponents from predicting his moves.� � True.� I sighed. � I�d love to stay and help, but he�ll get suspicious and he asked me to bring him some food because he was �dying�.� I rolled my eyes again. � Because we all know how malnourished and underfed he is.� They giggled once more. � You can go to the kitchen and get him something, though I�m supposing you brought your two shadows with you.� I nodded. � I used to have three, but I lost one.� � Want it back?� � No, you can keep it. It�ll reattach to me whenever I visit anyway.� I turned and left for the kitchen. Once inside, I raided it and gathered up a meal�s worth before returning to Zidane. � Wow! Thanks!� He took a loaf of bread from the top of the pile and tore a chunk out of it before passing it on to Kuja, who had a look of polite disgust on his face at Zidane�s lack of manners. � What?� � You just . . .� � Well, there doesn�t happen to be a conviently dropped knife. I could go get my dagger or better yet, how about we use Rusty�s sword?� He drew the Ragnarok from its scabbard on the still passed-out Steiner and lifted it over his head. � Now just hold that loaf still. I�m not that good with swords, but it�s a pretty big target, so I shouldn�t miss . . . If I do, you�ll have to survive without a hand.� He brought the sword down and Kuja shut his eyes. Zidane stopped the blade hardly a quarter-inch from Kuja�s face. � So you really do trust me.� Kuja opened his eyes, jerking back in surprise at the sword�s proximity to his nose. � If one does not trust their allies, they should be alone.� Zidane returned the sword to the scabbard. � Ah, you worry too much. Just take a piece and set it on that tray. Nobody�ll see. If they do, they won�t care. I do it all the time. They�ve given up trying to teach me manners when there�s no one to show manners to.� � Oh gee, thanks.� � You don�t count.� � You�ll give me your bad habits.� He grinned, barely hiding a mouthful of half-chewed bread. � Everyone needs at least one bad habit.� � I have plenty of my own. I don�t need any of yours.� � Like what?� � I have malicious tendencies and a bad sense of direction. Especially when it�s night.� � Oh, that�s okay. I�ve an excellent sense of direction.� � That doesn�t help me.� � Don�t worry about it, Kuja! I had a pretty nasty sense of direction myself for the longest time. I�m sure you�ll get it eventually.� � Maybe when I�m dead.� � Isn�t that eventually?� Kuja swatted at him. � I won�t need it then!� He ducked. � Well, I�d want a sense of direction!� � What for?� � You wouldn�t want your final destination to be Hell when you were aiming for Heaven, would you?� �. . .� [That�s a bit on the extreme side, Zidane.] � So?� He looked around. � Man, this scenery�s getting old.� He peered inside at the guards. � Can we go to the garden or is that closed off too?� They looked at each other. � It was open, last thing we were told,� one answered. � Okay. Thanks.� He turned back to us. � Come on!� [What about Steiner?] � Rusty? Uh . . . Ah, let�s take him with us.� [I�ll get him,] Tiovex volunteered. Kuja climbed on my back and we all flew over the garden wall and landed within its quiet boundaries. We were all much more comfortable inside the garden�s protective walls and settled down to finish up the food. � We have to leave some for Rusty because he�s not allowed inside either.� [He�s not?] � Beatrix chased him out. Told him to keep me busy. The guards won�t let him back in.� I carried my share over to him and set it beside him, then returned to the others. Zidane paused. � That�s not what I meant, but okay.� [Unlike you three, I do not need to eat constantly. I�ll make it.] � I don�t need to eat constantly!� [Constantly enough!] With an outraged cry, he lunged at me and rolled me onto my back, reaching for my throat. Kuja turned to Tiovex. � Was she really insulting him or is he just blowing off steam?� [It�s hard to tell, but I do believe he�s just taking out his frustrations on her, which was the point of her picking.] Zidane began to beat my head on a rock, knowing it would give me only a slight headache. � Why does she do it?� [To keep him from getting stiff and snappy as everyone gets when they�re under any kind of stress. Be careful, she might try to do the same to you.] � I don�t want to hurt her.� [Believe me, it�ll take a lot more than beating her head on a rock to hurt her at all.] � But she only weighs eighty-nine pounds!� [So? After everything she�s been through, she�s still alive, isn�t she?] � . . . Yes.� [Then what are you worried about?] <--Part 76 Part 78--> |