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 Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 3:52 pm
"I've... been better..." Rune muttered, standing up on wobbly legs, shaking his head. He felt... strong. Digging his claws into the ground, he closed his eyes and smiled weakly. "The earth... it's my element..."
A sudden sound behind them made Rune whirl, sending Keffy sprawling on the ground, while Rune slammed into Aerith, pushing her towards the woods on the right side. "Hide behind the trees!" He muttered, feeling far older than he was, as he felt like the responsible one.
Keffy sat there, standing up to brush himself off when whatever made that loud noise stopped, and a young girl stepped out of what looked to be a carriage.
"Princess, you musn't dirty your feet in the mud!" Murmured the driver of the carriage, but was ignored by the princess. He sighed.
The princess ran over to the young Jivvin, squealing something about him being a baby, and promptly tackled him, picked him up, and cuddled him.
"I prayed and prayed for a baby Jivvin, and now I got one! No one owns you, no one takes care of you... but now you're mine! I'm gonna name him Clowy, okay?" She looked at her driver, and he supressed his second sigh.
"Yes, Princess, now please get back in so we can continue?" The driver murmured, and the Princess obeyed, still snuggling her 'baby' Jivvin.
Kefka could have screamed.
Rune looked at Aerith and blinked, not sure of what happened. But he tilted his head nonetheless in thought, and murmured to her softly, "I suppose we'd better go after him...?"
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 4:03 pm
Although quite shocked by the sudden shove, Aerith remained silent, trusting Rune's instincts. She crouched behind a tree and watched the scene play out, then glanced over at Rune as the carraige drove off. She snorted.
"Of COURSE we're going after him! We can't leave him behind in the past with some snotty princess," she declared. She checked the path to make sure the carraige was a safe distance away, then stepped out from behind the trees. She briefly examined the dirt road, noticing the prints of many horses, passing quite frequently, apparently. She grinned back to Rune. "Looks like we might want to stick closer to the trees," she said, darting back towards him.
For some reason, she felt...lighter. A little older, but not much. She certainly felt happier, and she almost felt like she could...fix everything. There was an eerie feeling of evil lingering somewhere, but she ignored it. That death memory still haunted her...but she pushed it out of her mind. Besides, her happy feeling was...almost overwhelming.
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 4:08 pm
"Snotty nosed princess?" Murmured Rune, to which he tilted his head quizzically. "What's that?" Unbelievably, Rune had never dealt with such a thing.
He shook his head, shaking off the question. "If we're going to stick to the trees... we might as well hurry. Who knows how we're going to get into the gates. If we're Jivvins... after that scene... we might be considered prime bait to anyone who comes across us."
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 4:15 pm
Aerith nodded in agreement. "Right. Hmm...Let me think on that," she said, and after flashing him a quick look, darted into the trees, racing off in the direction that the carraige had gone. "C'mon!" she called back to Rune, weaving through the low-hanging branches and leaping over roots.
Gates will be guarded...Hmmm... she thought, dodging around bushes and trunks. Another entrance? Probably guarded as well...Perhaps...a diversion, and one of them could get in and help the other out? She thought on it. It would be dangerous for both of them. She grinned. Perfect.
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 4:41 pm
"What's your plan, Aerith?" Cried Rune softly as he followed her, keeping close to her heels. He saw the wagon, but he saw her look elsewhere and wondered at her motifs.
Just what was she thinking?
Both of them seemed completely different, now that they were in the Past...
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 4:58 pm
"Still thinking it up," she said idly, in spite of the fact that her mind was racing through ideas. There was bound to be more than one guard, so a diversion would be difficult. Plus they would have to do it quickly, without any noise. This plan was sounding less full-proof by the minute.
Okay, okay, new plan. She thought for a moment. The carraige would have access...and could get through the gate unchecked. No one would search the princess. A smile spread across Aerith's face. "I think I got something," she said. It depended on a way to get on the carraige unseen, though. "Did you see anny compartments in that carraige, other than where the girl was sitting?" she asked, flitting through the trees with ease.
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 5:14 pm
"No, but I did see a small space where they carried their luggage, I think..." He paused, stopping. "Oh, you don't mean... not us... !" He sounded skeptical, and the idea was sounding far less grand than in the first place.
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 5:21 pm
Aerith laughed. "If you have a better plan, speak now or forever hold your peace, 'cause I see that carraige up ahead," she said, quickening her pace slightly.
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 5:31 pm
Sighing, Rune shook his head and followed, really having no other good plan. "Alright, let's go."
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 5:44 pm
Aerith grinned. "That's what I thought," she said, and immediately she darted out of the trees and onto the path, running towards the back of the carraige. A trunk. Fabulous. Without a glance back to see if Rune was behind her ((she assumed he'd keep up)), she sprinted towards the trunk. When she was right behind the carraige, she caught the handle in her teeth and twisted, flinging it upwards. As lightly a she could, she leapt into the trunk, curling up. She looked back for Rune, holding the trunk door up with her tail.
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 10:20 pm
Shaking his head, he leaped in behind her, and then fell haphazardly on her, growling a slight bit. "Could you have picked a smaller trunk?" He murmured, putting his muzzle close to hers.
Thunk. Click. The trunk's lid slammed shut and locked, leaving them both in there until someone let them out.
Rune didn't say anything - it was pitch black, and horse's hooves clopped on the ground, growing nearer to the castle.
No - he didn't need to say a word. Inwardly, he sighed.
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 2:12 pm
Aerith grinned in the darkness, nudging her muzzle against his playfully. "I could have, but I felt that this would torture you sufficiently," she said with a small laugh. She didn't even mind the lack of space, or the fact that she was squished up against Rune. Out of boredom, she snuck her tail up to tickle Rune behind the ears. She grinned, apparently finding this very funny.
In spite of the lousy conditions, he spirit wasn't dimmed at all. In fact, she felt...better. Something was keeping her up no matter what happened. It was...great.
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2005 12:01 am
Rune snorted, mostly out of discontent that he was too much of a gentleman to do that back (or maybe he was just trying to deny that he had a crush on her), and shook his head when his ear was tickled.
"When I get out of here..." He warned, then stopped as the carriage came to a halt. Voices outside murmured quietly to each other, and then the brash girl's loud voice.
"This trunk is for you. It was hand carved by the most exquis.. um, talented woodcarver." Kefka, now dressed up in ribbons, hung mutely in her arms, fuming to himself. "It's from Papa, Mama, and I, for our most trusted guard."
"Why, thank you." Murmured a deep but kind voice, much like Rune's, though a bit more strong. Rune colored slightly, but was glad it couldn't be seen in the dark.
The trunk shook as it was lifted out of the back, and the lock fiddled with until someone opened it... revealing the two Jivvins inside.
"Why... this is the most exquisite gift ever, Driala!" The guard bristled, then picked the red one up, setting him on the ground, then the pink one next. "I hope they didn't mind the ride, at all?"
The girl stiffened, and for a while said nothing. She couldn't deny the gift was for him; she had no idea that there were Jivvins inside! Besides, if she said no, her Papa would scold her and give her dirty things to do, such as... SHUDDER... clean the kitchen with the maids!
"Y-yes, they're for you..." She finally murmured, holding the clown sprite Jivvin tighter. He coughed, but learned long ago not to resist.
Rune glanced at Aerith, silent. His eyes told her to do the same - not say anything, but to play it out.
And that's also what his spirit told him to do.
"TWO Jivvins... I'm honored, Lady Driala. Babies, even...!" He bowed to her, and then picked up the two (carrying one under each arm), motioning the carriage inside and walking after it slowly, making sure to have a light hold on both of them.
"Truly honored. You two will have the comfiest place in the castle. Besides the Queen's Room, of course." He winked at them.
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2005 10:33 pm
Aerith shielded her eyes with her tail as after a few moments, the trunk was opened. Before she could figure out what was happening, she was scooped up and there were words being exchanged. But before she could try to escape the grasp of some weird guy, she caught Rune's eye, and got the message.
It was fortunate that she had, too, or else she would be leaping out of the man's arms and jumping at the woman to grab poor Kefka, who was looking a little disheartened in all the ribbons and whatnot. She also didn't enjoy being presented as a 'gift.' Honestly, Aerith and Rune were living creatures, not possessions! But she allowed it, as she realized that this was the only way to intelligently get Kefka back.
Her spirits were heightened at the words "comfiest room in the palace." However, she had to re-focus herself and shake the thoughts of relaxation and lounging out of her mind. They were on a mission, they weren't gonna simply sit around and be some prince or noble or whatever's pets! They were gonna get Kefka, and go home. She'd had enough of this past place. Though, the people weren't that awful...at least they weren't being eaten or anything. Aerith was grateful that they were only being taken as possessions, not as...dinner.
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2005 10:44 pm
Figuratively speaking, Kefka wasn't that disheartened. Though he still did fume. The girls' arms were rough, but he planned on revenge. Oh, how he planned...
It took awhile to get up the stairs and to the 'comfiest room in the palace', but the guard finally achieved in getting there, and set both of the Jivvins on the silk covered bed. "Make yourselves at home," The man piped up, and turned to look out the window, sighing in relief. "Good, they've gotten another guard out there. I am... most honored, though." The man's voice was soft, almost like Rune's.
"My name is Vanguard. I'm the top knight here." Stripping off his armor, he set it in the corner and set his spear against it, revealing a thin and well muscled body, but with many scars around the waist. He reached into his armoire dresser and put on a cottony black shirt, sighing as he walked over to the stove, checking it to see if it was still burning.
The fire had gone completely out.
"Well, there goes tea." He murmured, his eyes going soft. "You guys stay here, and I'll bring some dinner, as well as some tea." He smiled at the two Jivvins, then went out the door, shutting it behind him.
Rune rolled over, for once, completely and totally happy. His paws pressed against Aerith as he lay facing her, and he grinned devilishly.
"This is grand." He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "I feel like I could love everything here."
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