FFX RPG: Concrete Metropolis
Started On: 02.12.03
Started By: Alicia (Tidus, Aaron)

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   * Zanarkand *
   The thought came unbidden to Tidus' mind as he stared up at the towers of glass and steel that made up the city of Besaid. True, the Besaid of this world did look like home, but as he reminded himself, it wasn't. It wasn't Spira - which he would have gladly considered home at this point in time - and it definitely wasn't Zanarkand. No matter how homesick he was feeling. And after seeing both the city outside of the palace, and the man who looked and had the same name as his father, the feeling hung on him like a cloak.
   Drawing his sapphire gaze away from the buildings that towered overhead, Tidus glanced at his companion. How could Auron be so calm? Didn't this make him feel homesick? Or maybe make him miss Jecht? Or at very least, cause him to wonder how they had gotten there in the first place? Still, he supposed it was a good thing - they needed to be over the strangeness of it quickly if they were going to get home. Or find Yuna.
   Yuna.
   A bittersweet smile touched his lips. Yes, he missed her, and yes, he was feeling homesick, but he couldn't loose hope. Not now. Even if Auron didn't need his optimistic outlook, he did. He needed to believe he would find the others. He -would- find them, it was just a matter of when and where.
   "We need to find Yuna and get outta here. Uh, wherever here is." He paused, scratching the back of his head thoughtfully with a free hand. And then, he asked, "Any ideas, Auron?" Whether he was asking if his friend knew where to start or where they were, however, was unknown. Though knowing the Zanarkand native, he wanted answers to both.

   Auron was disturbed. Coming face to face with yourself wasn't something that happened all that often. It was, simply put, worrying that someone out there could be, well, the same but different. And Jecht... no, that... spineless bookworm wasn't his friend.
   This world didn't feel right. And despite what they said he could still feel Sin. It was strange...
   "This world isn't like ours, but there are some similarities. Maybe we can use those to find some answers."

   Tidus considered it for a moment and then nodded. There -were- similarities. Seymour was still around, and still obnoxiously evil. The temple of Valefore still existed, even if it had become a palace. And the Auron of this world seemed to have the same stoic outlook on life as his companion.
   "Ok," he responded, drawing the word out as he tried to decide how to use the other man's suggestion. When no immediate solution came he frowned. "How?"

   "We look for those who would give us answers in our world... for a price." Auron smiled slightly. He had just the kind of person in mind, and doubted very much if even a trip between dimensions could change him much. And even if it had... there was always someone willing to sell information.

   "Like...?"

   "O'aka. If we can find him, or possibly an Al Bhed like Rin, we might get some answers."

   A laugh. "Good idea, Auron. And in a city like this, it shouldn't be hard, right?"

   The dead man paused. "Maybe, maybe not. Don't take anything for granted here, Tidus. It's very, very wrong."

   "Oh. Yeah," Tidus responded, some of his cheerful optimism slipping away into the silence that followed. Auron was right, they couldn't take anything for granted, but they needed to do something. Anything.
   "Well, we can still look, right?" The question was rhetorical, and with that, the blitzer was off, heading away from the palace gates and towards the city proper.

   "Of course. But be on your guard. You might want to get rid of that symbol, too." Auron wasn't sure why they'd been so strange about it, but he didn't want trouble to be caused because of it.

   "Symbol?" he echoed, hands lacing together behind his head as they walked.

   "Your necklace, and on your pants."

   "The Zanarkand Abes insignia?" He blinked, confusion playing across his face. "Why?"

   Auron shrugged, "It was all over that palace, and I believe I heard it called the Royal Symbol. If only royalty wears it, it could attract attention."

   "Oh." Funny, he hadn't noticed. But then again, he had been trying to hard to get a handle on the moment that he hadn't noticed a whole lot of anything, so he supposed it made sense. As did the idea of taking it off if it -was- the symbol of the Yuna lookalike and her kin.
   Dropping his hands to the thick steel chain around his neck, he pulled it off with ease. Then, bringing it before his eyes, he started at it for a moment, somehow feeling naked with it off, before slipping it into his pocket. Now there was only the blazing red crest on his pants, which would be harder to get off. Especially considering the fact that it had been sewn into the hems of the leg it was displayed on.
   Frowning, he tried to work gloved fingers under its stitching but to no avail. Great. Now what?

   "Leave it for now. Let's head into town. Maybe we can find other clothes too, if we need them." Auron gestured towards what looked like the town center.

   "No argument there."

*

   Rukka's hand twirled absently with a few of the dark blonde braids that had found their way over her bare shoulder. To any passerby, she seemed perfectly content with staring off into the distance. They were all so happy to judge anyone but themselves.
   'Typical,' she thought as her lip began to curl. 'If you're not Al-Bhed, you're perfect.'
   So right now she was -not- Al-Bhed and the mask she wore to hide her "imperfection" was one of boredom and stupidity.
   As much as she wanted to spit on the shoes of those she recognized as factory owners and elitists, she knew that would draw the attention she didn't need at the moment.
   Her current instructions were to trail one of the officials on their way to speak with Yunaleska and to snatch one of the documents he carried. Her father had insisted the man would arrive between early morning and mid-afternoon.
    So far, no luck.
   Most of those who had passed by the shop where she was casually resting were everyday citizens. Nothing too exciting...
   Rukka's eyes suddenly lost their far off look as they focused on two figures not too far off. They made their way past the hustle and bustle and seemed to be making their way towards the town center.
   'Strange...' she thought as she squinted to make out their faces. Were either of them her target?
   Straightening herself casually, she took a few steps towards another shop across the way with a better view.
   The blonde one was never at the right angle so she could never make out his features. But his companion had one of those faces you never forgot. Not only because of his status, but because Rukka had barely missed running into him several times during her operations. She wondered though...
   'Why is he with that boy?'
   Rukka's curiosity got the better of her and she abandoned the shops altogether. True, her father wouldn't be very happy with her, but she had to do something... especially when she realized what "that boy" was wearing on his pants.

*

   Tidus' eyes had immediately found the skyscrapers that rose in the distance, but the star blizter had failed to notice the smaller two story buildings that surrounded the town center. Shops. Homes. Businesses. But if he had looked to those buildings, he might have seen Aaron moving with slowly, but with purpose over the rooftops.
   Stopping at the edges of ones of the building, Aaron glanced downward, finding his counterpart and the blitzball player in the crowd. Frowning faintly, he proceeded to watch them for several moments as the two moved through the crowd, all the while making motions to remove the royal symbol from their clothing. Apparently they had finally realized what kind of trouble they were inviting by wearing it. Good. Better for both them and his Queen.
   Content that Tidus and Auron weren't going to cause any trouble in the next few moments, the mercenary lowered himself to a knee, and allowed his gaze to drift among the crowd. For the first few seconds, no person or thing stood out as different from the norm. And then he spotted Rukka and his frown deepened. First the two newcomers appearing in the orchards, and then an Al Bhed rebel floating around the city, unchecked. Didn't the city guards know how to do their jobs? Apparently not.
   Snorting in irritation, he pushed his sunglasses up reflexively and then stood. The Queen would want a report. Both on the situation with the tresspassers - which he took a second to find among the crowd again - and now on the appearance of the Al Bhed. And with that thought in mind, he was gone, his destination Yunaleska's offices.

*

   Yunaleska had set aside her work on her desk for now, and was currently standing at the windowsill, peering down over the city, humming softly to herself. The breeze was smooth and gentle, and it smelled like the flowers growing in her garden -- the scene was relaxing, and she was doing just that. She rarely got the chance to.

   And moments later her relaxation period was interrupted by the sound of a door opening and closing as Aaron entered the room. Leaning against the door, he said nothing, waiting for some kind of acknowledgement before he began his report.

   A glance over her shoulder, and she nodded, turning to lean her back against the window ledge.

   "The intruders from the orchards aren't causing any problems," he started, his arms folding across his chest, "and the boy has removed the royal symbol from his clothes. However, there is an Al Bhed wandering around the city." And if Yunaleska had any doubts to whether or not this Al Bhed was a rebel, the frown the posioned Aaron's features told it all.

   She mirrored his expression upon hearing about the Al Bhed. "Do they honestly think their futile attempts are helping to convince me to change my mind -any-? Fools." she glanced over her shoulder out the window once more, and wrinkled her nose in disgust, snorting. "Perhaps I should deal with this one myself."

   "Shall I come with you?"

   "If you like."

   A nod was his only response. He was, after all, being paid to make sure no harm befell Yunaleska, and standing by while she went and stopped someone who most likely wanted her dead was not earning his pay.

   She kicked off the wall, and headed for the opposite, where her guns were situated on a plaque, and grabbed them, examining them before holstering them against her back. "Let's go."

   Pushing away from the wall where he leaned, he pulled the door opened and gestured for her to go through it. "After you."

   A nod, and she slipped through, heading down the hall.

*

   Auron smiled slightly. Maybe he wasn't loosing his edge just yet... "Tidus, don't look around but we're being followed. By a girl who looks very similar to Rikku. She might be her counterpart in this world."

*

   Eyes narrowed as they watched Aaron and Yunaleska walk off. They hadn't seen him- or if they had seen him, shown dissaproval. Seymour had been on his way to the offices, the pair in the orchards still bothering him. Aaron had beaten him to it, and the half-Guado had fallen back - not that he didn't want to talk to Aaron, it was just hard to trust someone who was meant to be dead.
   An unreadable emotion briefly flickered across Seymour's face before he dismissed the thought. Aaron was always hanging around his wife - it was to get at him, he was sure of it. Aaron was a time bomb waiting to go off and wouldn't hesitate to kill if he had to. That or they were having an affair. A laugh escaped Seymour's lips, and he winced as it echoed slightly.
   "As if."
   From what he had heard - and he had heard it from his vantage point behind the door - there was an Al Bhed running around Besaid. * I need to deal with this before they get there - Yunaleska could be persuaded otherwise. * Seymour set off in a different direction suddenly, his robes mimicking the movement. He would grab Jecht, and then they would go deal with the Al Bhed - hopefully before Yunaleska got there.

*

   * Blissfully comfortable... finally a time to get a nap whilst I still can... *
   Jecht jumped as a heavy banging broke through his sleepy haze. Pulling himself out of bed , he went to pull the door open. He was decent - he was only trying to nap. Looking after a king with the maturity of a four year old was a full time job. Sometimes Jecht had even seen cheese that was more mature.
   The door burst open and smacked Jecht in the face. Letting out a slight howl, the advisor put his arm up to his nose, using his robe sleeve to stem the blood now pouring from his nose.
   Seymour blinked at Jecht. "What did you do to yourself? Nevermind that, come on. We're going into town."
   Jecht groaned inwardly. So much for catchng those forty-winks.

*

   A small tingling sensation ran up Rukka's spine as she continued to close the distance between the strangers and herself. It felt as if a hundred eyes were watching her, like she was the mouse a group of hungry cats were drooling over.
   Any other time she would have "vanished with the dust" as she'd learned to do when a quick exit was needed. It was a trick everyone of the Home-Bound knew how to do, thanks to Cid. Her father always warned her that these kinds of operations were dangerous if the right person spotted her. So what was making her stay? What kept her feet moving?
   "Ugh!"
   Someone ran bluntly into her left shoulder and hurried away, but Rukka did not stop. She only hurried a bit farther ahead and ducked into a small opening in the side of a building not too far from the town center doors.
   To those who were not Al-Bhed, the grunt by the clumsy oaf would have been taken for some sort of lame apology. Rukka knew better, for this was the warning system they had worked out when coming into the city earlier that morning. She recognized the Al-Bhed word for what it was: "seen".
   Rukka had been spotted.

*

   Yunaleska was on the 'chase' as it were, following as discreetly as the Queen -could- in crowded streets. The fact the Al Bhed was dodging in and out wasn't a good sign, and Yunaleska was getting irratated.
   The final straw came when she was close to reaching the girl -- and she was blocked by a large, burly young man wearing the royal guard uniform.
   "Your highness," he spoke softly, leaning down to her level as he was a good 14 inches taller than she. "An Al-Bhed rebel has been spotted in the vincini--"
   She didn't let him finish -- instead, she grabbed him by the hair and hissed loudly at him. "Don't think I don't know that, you moron!! It's -your- fault she's here to begin with!! Get rid of them! NOW!" He was let go and shoved past -- but it was too late. The Al Bhed had vanished.
   She let out a loud curse, and then scanned the rooftops for Aaron, signaling for him to come down.

*

   Seymour was fed up. He had followed his wife and Aaron into the town, a brown cloak covering his royal robes. Not that it helped disguise him - his hair could be spotted a mile away, even if it was tied back. His appearence didn't bother him though. What he could see did. Violet eyes were focused on a pair of people, two people whom he had met recently. And two people he would gladly like to have off of his hands.
   The punk kid and Aaron lookalike were about five feet away from him. It wouldn't take much, and there would be no one here to stop him. He couldn't see Yunaleska or Aaron, and Jecht was also looking, but seperated from Seymour.
   And what was even better, was the fact they had their backs to him. This opportunity was too good to miss. The half-Guado walked towards Auron and Tidus.
   "Ahem. Excuse me."

*

   Jecht was tired. He hated busy towns and crowds like this- it was hard to get to places. His nose had stopped bleeding, but there was dried blood on his robe sleeve and a big purple bruise across his nose. Jecht sniffed and scratched his chin. He would never find anyone in this place, not when it was this busy.
   A loud curse caught his attention and he turned towards it, noticing Yunaleska. Jecht scurried over, glad to see a familiar face.
   "Your majesty."

*

   The sound of the breeze snapping against cloth followed the gesture as the mercenary leapt from his place on the rooftop's edge to the ground. Landing in a crouch, a single hand on the ground to balance him, Aaron pushed himself into a standing position. A single hand went up to adjust the sunglasses that had slipped down just below the tops of his eyes in the fall, and then he frowned. The Al Bhed girl had disappeared, both from his view and from Yunaleska's apparently. And to worsen matters, Jecht had showed up... which meant Seymour wasn't far behind. Wonderful.
   "You lost her," he said, not as an insult but instead as a simple statement, completely ignoring Jecht.

*

   "Huh?" Tidus asked, looking left and then right quickly against Auron's advice. A flash of color and blonde hair caught his eye as he started to turn back to the other man, and immediately he spun to face it, only to find it gone. A look of hard concentration on his face, the star blitzball player searched the area with his eyes and then put his hand in front of him, pulling it downwards in a gesture of victory. An alley. He had found an alley, and that was the only possible direction the Rikku-looking girl could have headed in. Or so he assumed, not bothering to realize that with the city's crowd, she could have disappeared anywhere.
   "C'mmon, Auron," he called over his shoulder, "maybe she knows something."
   And with that he headed towards the alley, or would have if a voice he had gotten all too tired of hearing stopped him. Seymour. A chill - half of anger and half of dread fear - ran up his spine and he turned again, poison in his eyes.
   "Not you again."

   Auron stopped. Did they really need to deal with Seymour right now, or should they find the Al Bhed girl who looked like Rikku and see what she knew? Choices always turned up in people's stories... was this one of his to make?
   The former Monk looked at Seymour. He could feel the bad intentions just radiationg off off the half -Human Half-Guado king. "We don't have time for this Tidus... go, find the girl. I'll see what Seymour wants." He looked at Tidus over the top of his glasses. "Don't get into any trouble."

   For a moment, Tidus seriously considered it, and then a thought struck him. He couldn't just abandon Auron. He couldn't just leave the other man to deal with, possibly fight Seymour all alone. Besides, he had never backed out of a fight with Seymour before, and he'd be damned if he did no. Despite Auron's order, this was his story - it had been from the beginning, or so the former monk told him - so it was his choice wasn't it?
   Yes.
   His jaw tightening, a hand fell on the hilt of the Caladbolg, and a second later, in a flash of blue and gold, it was in his hands. Dropping ever so slightly into the position he had adopted as a fighting stance, the blitz ace shot Auron a determined glance. "C'mmon," he urged, energy and enthusisam radiating off him in waves, determined to catch on to his companion. "We can take him!"

   Seymour blinked. Not once, but twice. The blonde one still seemed to hate him. It was almost as if they'd already met beforehand. Plus the fact the pair of them were stood there talking as if he wasn't even there. Take him indeed.
   Seymour's eyes rested on the Caladbolg in Tidus' hands. "That's no pretty can opener you've got there..." A smile slowly crept across Seymour's face. If he was going to win this one, he would have to use tactic, and a certain amount of grace. It wasn't the boy he was worrried about - Seymour had eaten bigger breakfasts than that runt - it was the male. The male who looked just like Aaron. And would probably meet the same fate.
   The King of Spira leaned back on his feet, whilst speading his arms wide. "What are you going to do? You can see I am unarmed. We are in the middle of a town, surrounded by civillians." My civillians, and my soldiers too...
   "So... it's just a case of what you are going to do. We can either sort this out painlessly, or do this the hard way." Seymour smiled. "...So what's it going to be?" If the two attacked, which the probably would, he would have to move quickly. As relaxed as he looked, every muscle in Seymour's body was poised for action, tense as if they could almost foretell what was coming

   Auron looked around. He culd probably cut Seymour in half where he stood...and then what? They'd get mobbed by soldiers. Although he was dead, the idea of being torn limb from limb still didn't appeal to the Guardian. Besides, the longer they stood here the futher away the girl got.
   "Move aside. We're not looking for trouble. We've met someone similar to you, and had...problems with him, so my friend here doesn't particually like you because you remind us of him. All we're looking for is information. Surely your Majesty has no problem with that?"
   Being reasonable cost nothing but time. Besides... he didn't trust Seymour to stay dead. But if they had no choice Auron would cut him down in a heartbeat.