Finding our place

[edgar]

Reports had been coming in steadily from the scouts sent out to investigate the area around Figaro for some time now. It had been several days since the strange phenomenon had occurred, and Edgar could scarcely believe what he was hearing. It seemed as if the entire world outside of Figaro had changed in the course of a single night. 'Is this even possible?' he often found himself wondering. Edgar had been told many times since assuming kingship that the world one went to sleep in may not be the one he woke up in, but he assumed that only referred to politics.

"So, based on what our scouts have found, what does the military situation look like Chancellor?"

"As far as we can tell, the only Imperial presence in the region is the occupying force in South Figaro who, lacking any communication with the capital and Imperial generals, have agreed to temporarily fold themselves into our army. Apart from that, we haven't yet detected any military forces, including the Returners." The Chancellor's answer was accurate and concise, with no hesitation - just as Edgar expected from the man whom he trusted with Figaro's rule in his stead. "The only indication of military action that our scouts have discovered at all is a small town at the foot of what they've dubbed the Spire Mountains. The town is called Nibelheim, and the scouts claim that it burns continuously - the fires never go out."

"They burn... continuously? That's-" Edgar was about to say that such a thing wasn't possible, but remembered just what kind of situation he was in to begin with and cut himself off. "Once we can confirm that the fire won't spread and our people aren't trapped behind a fire we can't put out, I'd like for them to make their way into those mountains. Narshe was a mountain town, and I wonder if its proximity to Figaro might have brought it to this... new world as well. Finally, I'd like to clandestinely send a small force into that coastal town to keep an eye on things there - if there are active military bodies on other continents, the ports will be the first place we'll hear of them."

The Chancellor nodded and went off to deliver the king's orders. In the silence that followed, Edgar took a moment to consider the situation. If the force from South Figaro was all there was of the Empire in this world, and they were willing to adopt a Figaran way of life, then his goal of purging the Empire from Figaro had been accomplished far sooner than he ever imagined. But if there were other remnants here, they would most likely join together and cause trouble. Even if the Empire were no more though, a new world would bring with it new problems. For all anyone knew, a force more vile than the Empire could lay beyond those "Spire Mountains" or across the ocean. Figaro would need to be prepared.

[Kuja]

The skies winds were harsher than the ones on ground level. Kuja would have preferred to stay close to the ground as his dragon was injured and the clear skies made him an easy target. However, the sudden sandstorms that struck in the desert were cruel, forcing the silver haired man into the sky. Gingerly, Kuja touched the side of his face. It still stung from the burn it received while fighting the Red Dragon. His own Silver Dragon was injured too, a scorched wing, but they'd both survive and be as good as new, if only they could find a place to recover. An ironic smile played on Kuja's lips.

'Ah, what chance did you have of defeating me, Red Dragon?' Kuja mused out loud, 'When the mighty King of Dragons could not do away with me?' At this Kuja let out a ringing laugh that seemed to echo through the desert, all the way down to the far off mountains.

Far below, making trails in the sand like little ants, Kuja spotted two men. He flew his dragon over them, casting a large shadow. Kuja watched as they looked up, pointing at him like little gawking children at a town fair. They seemed to be soldiers of some kind, judging by their clothes and their weapons. Kuja directed his dragon towards the soldiers, landing before them in a whoosh of sand, and dismounted his dragon.

'Who goes there?' One of the soldiers asked. It sounded more like an order. Both soldiers had their weapons drawn.

Kuja raised his arms slowly above his head, fingers curling elegantly as they hung in the air. “A humble merchant,' he responded, almost laughing to himself. A merchant, dressed as he was dressed and riding a dragon? Oh well, it hardly mattered.

One of the soldiers had an eyebrow raised. It seemed he was thinking along the same lines as Kuja himself. 'A merchant, is it? Well, sir, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to come with us.” Both soldiers held their weapons tightly, a sign that they meant business.

Even with his dragon standing silently behind him, Kuja must have looked harmless. His face was still red from the burn, his breastplate was cracked down the middle, and he was unarmed. Kuja smiled at the soldiers, arms still raised above his head. 'I see. Very well, where are we going?' Kuja asked innocently, almost submissively.

The talkative soldier relaxed his weapon a little, but kept it drawn. 'The Kingdom of Figaro, back south that way.' The soldier pointed towards some sand dunes. 'About half a days walk.'

Again, Kuja smiled. 'Of course. Only, one last request before we head off...' Slowly Kuja flexed his fingers, pointing them towards the soldiers. Almost as if they knew what was coming, both soldiers eyes widened, but before they could raise their weapons, Kuja spoke. 'Freeze.'

A blast of icy wind passed through Kuja's body, flipping his hair about. For a moment, all one could see was a white flash, like being lost in a snowstorm. A ringing laugh escaped Kuja's lips as his vision cleared. The two soldiers were frozen to the spot, wide eyes staring at nothing. 'Fools.' Kuja muttered to himself with an amused chuckle. At least he hadn't killed them, Kuja thought reasonably, he'd shown them a little mercy. Of course, they were sitting ducks if any monsters came along, but there didn't seem to be any mist. Did monsters exist here? Too many questions, Kuja thought to himself as he mounted his dragon and flew in the direction the soldier had given him. Towards Figaro.

[barret]

It was a bumpy ride from Narshe across the desert, with the odd larger rocks knocking his truck up and down. After losing one previously in the swamp, Barret had “acquired” one from the small town. He out a deep sigh, tilting his head out the window of the truck, this desert was one damn long one, perhaps it was mistake coming all this way or even in this direction? He shook his head, it was too late now anyway, he just needed to find the others, Cloud and co. and of course Marlene. Whatever this place was, Barret had to be beaten and he wasn’t about to start now.

After a little while longer, of lonely driving through the dunes of this unknown desert the engine of the truck started to stall, croak and die. Barret slammed in metal gun arm onto the dash board, roaring a curse, and insulting the truck a little. A few moments later the truck halted in the middle of the desert, currently without a single town, city of even house in sight, he was alone. Barret sat silently in the driver seat, a frown on his expression.
“Dammit, cheap second hand crap!” He grumbled, as he kicked open the door and clambered out. He large man trekked around the front of the truck and opened the bonnet; it was obvious from a first glance that he had been tricked, well as tricked as someone could be from stealing as truck. The rebel frowned, so he wasn’t alone.

“You, who are you and what is your purpose here?” Barret turned around; there stood two men, dressed in matching uniforms, perhaps in some sort of army, though not Shinra in any case. The large man, produced his gun arm, though not aiming at them, merely to show he was armed.
“I’m here ‘cause I’m lost, and I don’t give my name to punk kids like you” He ordered in his deep voice, tensing his arms. His muscular body was more likely larger then both of the soldiers put together. The leader of the two soldiers grunted, shifting uneasily in his step. “I see, very well. We will take you to the castle” The soldier motioned in the direction of the castle. “And question you there, arrest him” He said firmly, and with in an instant the other soldier was rushing towards Barret, long pole in grasp. He swung it down at the large man once in range, giving a small battle sound as he did, but someone who saved the world wasn’t about to be pushed around by a couple of guards. With his left hand, Barret snatched the mans wrist, holding it in place, while his gun arm upper cutted up into his stomach. The blow lifted the soldier off his feet, as he grunted, and gasped for air. Then he smashed the metal gun arm on the mans head, knocking him unconscious. He glanced to the other soldier, and began to walk over to him.

Barret lifted both the men over his shoulder, both out cold, and placed them in inside the truck, and shut the door. That would stop them from dying from the heat before they awoke and it would keep them safe from the beasties around. Barret had taken one of their water flasks, before he had headed in the direction of the castle. If they had walked here, then if couldn’t be that far away, maybe an hour or two. The large man began to jog, in the endless desert, and scorching heat.

[Vincent Valentine]

Slowly, Vincent Valentine rose from the ground. As he searched the barren landscape, he realised that he had never seen the area before. It was like the desert landscape surrounding the Gold Saucer...but there were no signs of the Gold Saucer in any direction.
"Where...am I?" he pondered aloud.

Brushing himself off, he looked at his holster. His Cerberus was missing, replaced by the handgun he had when he came out of the coffin. "Where's my gun?" he questioned, frowning. Not only was he left with a basic weapon, but his whereabouts were unknown. There weren't even signs of Cloud, Barret, Tifa or anyone else...not even Yuffie. Getting his bearings, he decided to try and head, in what he hoped to be north. His gauntlet was full of tiny grains of sand, that slowly poured out from the joints in it. His crimson cloak was overheating him, but he had no intention of leaving that behind. He kept his handgun in hand, as light as it was, he could fire enough rounds to down any fiend to come across him without, too much hassle.

After walking for a short time, he realised he still hadn't come across any fiends, but he felt as though he was being followed. His indecision tearing at his mind. Should he turn and fire, and give away his position, or continue walking, until he had worked out the amount of pursuers and they're distance from him. His mind raced as he decided...until...

"You, what reason do you tread these borders?" Yelled a man. Vincent turned and faced him, his long fringe blowing in the sandy winds. He remained silent, after all, he had no idea himself. In the long silence, he could see frustration raising in the man's features. It was then, he took notice of the mans uniform, that matched that of the man standing next to him, plus a few stars on the shoulder. A captain? Not ShinRa, in any case. he thought with a plain, expressionless face.
"You there, I said, what reason do you tread these borders?!?"

He had better answer, or else they were liable to turn their weapons against him. Pausing for a moment, he considered his choice of words. "I'm not sure. I have never seen this area before." he looked at their faces, specifically, their eyes...that would tell him whether they believed him or not. They didn't.
"Fine, we'll take you to the castle. Arrest him."
"Yes, sir."

Vincent thought quickly. Castle? Arrest? those options didn't suit him...not that there were any options for him. Replacing his handgun, he raised his arms as they approached. It was then that he noticed a structure to their left, and something moving in the other direction. Something was headed toward them at a constant speed, a jog if anything. It wasn't too fast, but it wasn't very slow either. It had to be a jog. It was big too, and had a somewhat, familiar structure to it, in Vincent's mind.

"Barret." he spoke, and the two men looked to each other, shrugging, and took Vincent by the arms. In an instant, Vincent had wrenched his left arm around the privates skull, knocking him out, quite quickly. and as the other man reacted, Vincent rolled backward, pushing from the sandy ground with his left hand and landing on his feet, throwing a small stone at the captain, hitting him square in the chest, leaving him breathless. He whipped out the handgun, and aimed at the captain, and walked up to him slowly. Having being aimed at, the captain did nothing, as he regained his breath. Standing next to him, Vincent hit him on the back of the head, with the bottom of the clip. Falling to the ground, the captain swore colourfully, and passed out.

He searched the two men, carefully, and took a water flask from one. The other had nothing of interest to him. The heat of the sun on the desert was rough on Vincent, especially wearing his cloak. Well, at least it wasn't black.

[edgar]

(ur in my desert, hurtin my d00dz... )

[Kuja]

((I kinda figured it suited Kuja, but I didn't think Barret and Vincent would be quite so heavy handed. Then again, one is a glorified assassin and the other is a terrorist, so... ))

[barret]

((Barret ain't about to let some soldiers order him around let alone try and arrest him))

[Vincent Valentine]

((And Vincent is far from willing to be taken in for walking through a desert. He's not exactly ready to go to prison, when his only purpose is to help. ))

[Kuja]

The wings of the silver dragon beat against the currents of air slowly, taking it and the silver haired man riding on its back over the vast desert. From the sky, Kuja could see a few soldiers scattered here and there, some occasionally pointing up at him and making a beeline back in the direction they came. Kuja smiled to himself, knowing he would reach the kingdom before any of the soldiers could on foot.

Finally, Kuja saw a castle looming in the distance. As it grew closer, he studied it closely. It was large, though not really to his taste. The structure was blocky and plain, and lacked any of the elegance of his Palace. Hopefully the inside would be a little nicer, Kuja didn't want to imagine himself stuck in a boring, stuffy castle. For a moment he mourned the loss of his Palace and the creature comforts that came with it, the slick marble floor, high ceilings, beautiful stained glass windows that cast magnificent reflections onto the immaculate statues, and his Black Mage servants. Oh well, he'd have it all again soon. Very soon.

Kuja approached the castle slowly, letting the guards see him clearly. They all had their weapons drawn and were following the dragon with their eyes. As it landed, they formed a circle around the two of them. 'State your name and business in Figaro!' One of them asked, the leader Kuja assumed.

'I am Kuja.' His voice rung out, light yet forceful with an air of someone regal. 'A nobleman from a distant land. I have come seeking the council of the Monarch.' Kuja finished, hiding a secret smile. It was a performance Lord Avon himself would have applauded.

[edgar]

With the last of the reports having come in, and knowing that he couldn't expect to hear anything new for another day or two, Edgar was becoming restless. Hearing about this new world was one thing, but Edgar had always been the type to want to see and touch things for himself, and this was no different. He knew that he had a responsibility to remain at the castle should something come up, but the Chancellor was plenty well-equipped to deal with just about anything. 'The man has lived in this castle longer than I have' Edgar thought with a smile. So surely it couldn't hurt for the king to leave for a little while. Even if it was only until sundown, the time outside Figaro Castle would do him some good. The idea of promising to be back before dark made him feel a bit childish, and the fact that he knew the Chancellor would insist upon an escort didn't help any.

"But if the Chancellor doesn't see me leave..." A smile crept into Edgar's expression as he walked out of the throne room. The guards outside were about to ask if their king needed anything before he interrupted them.

"I'm going to go check on the chocobos, you follow?" One of the guards suppressed a laugh and nodded, confirming that he understood exactly what Edgar had in mind. It wasn't the first time they had played this little game. But before he could begin sneaking his way to the chocobo stables, a jolt of activity rushed through the castle, and Edgar followed the commotion to the outer wall above the front gates. There, several of his more zealous guards had a man on a silver dragon surrounded.

The situation bordered on ridiculous. Should the man -at least, Edgar assumed it was a man with a name like "Kuja"- decide he wanted to be elsewhere, he could simply take to the sky. Or if he wanted a fight, Edgar didn't believe there was much they could do against a silver dragon, as Figaran soldiers simply weren't equipped to deal with such a thing. He would need to diffuse this situation quickly before it turned ugly. The king calmly instructed his guards to give their guest some space and stand at ease before addressing the silver-haired... person.

"I am King Edgar Figaro. I'll have to ask your forgiveness for the behavior of my men - recent events have put them slightly on edge." Edgar didn't know what exactly the situation with the world around them was, whether it was a patchwork as it seemed or if only they were new here, and he didn't want to reveal anything that wasn't necessary. Not only did he put little faith in the dragon rider's honesty, but regardless of whether this Kuja was telling the truth or not, he certainly didn't need to know their circumstances.

"If you wish to speak with me, you're welcome in my castle. Unfortunately, we haven't the facilities to accommodate your mount, so you may wish to send it southward where the climate is more hospitable."

[barret]

“Huff, huff, huff, this is worst than that time breakin’ into the Shinra buildin’, I can’t run any longer.” Barret panted as he ran, or jogged to others, through the desert, the hot sun and scorching winds beating down on his skin. He had been trekking through the endless desert for a while now, and in the far distance, he had caught a sight of a spec of something, be it a castle or big rock it was hard to tell. Well, that was the case at the beginning but it soon came to pass, that it was obviously a castle, good times; he could finally get some water. The flask had actually run out a while back, Barret was never one to think logically, to keep food a drink for when he needed it. If the big guy wanted a drink he would take it, without thinking ahead.

As he watched the castle ahead of him, he caught the quick sighting of something passing over head, it was silver. A silver Dragon? Even in his time that wasn’t normal. He watched it, not stopping his pace, as he landed into the castle. As his eyes trailed down, it also noticed a sort of shine to the left of him, and there, not so far away stood a familiar face, Vincent, finally that brightened the foul mood. No matter how much a dark lad Vincent was, a familiar face was a familiar face. He turned in his path slightly, and began on his journey towards Vincent. Eventually he reached his comrade, and collapsed, his hands resting on his tights, as he leant over.
“Oi” he grumbled, leant over slightly, but still generally the same height. “Where… the hell… is everyone else?” He mumbled between breaths. He noticed the guards beside the red covered man; he most likely met the same greeting as he did, earlier. Just who were these guys? Did they have a connection with Shinra? Or even what was going on?

[Vincent Valentine]

Vincent stood, watching Barret as he approached. It was ironic that he would meet Barret in the middle of a desert, that was unfamiliar to him, and most likely to Barret as well, but he didn't really care.He watched him as he hunched over and spoke to him. Barret always had a tone, as though he were ready to kill someone, but Vincent had already become accustomed to it.

"I don't know. I only know I just came out of a strange kind of sleep, and I was here." he wasn't keen on speaking too much, it was just that he was a bit unsure of what was going on. "Do you know what's happened?" he asked, looking at the large man before him. He handed Barret the flask he had retrieved, and took the flask frm the other man. Luckily for them, the four people were in the slight shadow of the Castle behind them now. Daylight was dying.

[Kuja]

Kuja was able, with some effort, to suppress his surprise upon seeing the King of Figaro castle. He could hardly have been older than Kuja himself, and something about the way he held himself seemed...common. Edgar Figaro struck Kuja as a King who wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty, to mix with his people. He wouldn't be so easily manipulated, unlike the foolish Queen of Alexandria. If greed was in a persons heart, Kuja would exploit it. However, it didn't seem like this would be the case here.

Kuja gave a deep, elegant bow to the King, reassuring him that the actions of his soldiers were perfectly acceptable, what with all the confusion and such. Kuja's manner was polite, even respectful. Though he could tell the King, and even the soldiers did not trust him, he did not think it would take much to persuade them. The confusion, worlds seemingly melding together, would work in Kuja's favor. He'd use it as a scare tactic.

'I am humbled by your kindness, King Figaro. Your hospitality is greatly appreciated.' Kuja said before whispering to his dragon. Moments later the great silver wings beat until it was airborne. Kuja watched it sail off into the distance, before returning his attention back to the castle. Kuja reflected that he didn't have to act sincere, the truth was he was grateful to finally have a place to rest his feet, and possibly be treated to a meal.

[barret]

The large man took the flask, and raised himself to full height, placing his lips against the small opening and gulping down almost the entire amount of water in one fell swoop. Some dribbled down the sides of his mouth and onto his beard, giving it that sparkling effect. Barret threw the rest over his head and shook it around violently to dry himself off a bit. The cooling down of the water was what he needed, the sun had done him no favors. His gun also, had heated up drastically, and even pressing it against someone’s head for would have done damage. After finishing all the water, he used his left hand to cast aside the flask, there was no longer a reason to hang on to such a thing, but the castle, not too far away was what he was really interested. It was big, and they had yet to be spotted by any guards on the walls, he believed. Barret mumbled and grunted, tilting his head to Vincent, while his body faced the castle.

“Whatcha think? Maybe some people in there know what’s goin’ on, eh?” Barret stated. But then again, there was the constant reminder that those guards who not only attacked him, also Vincent were from there. If they just strolled in the front, they would get themselves arrested, then again, they could bust in there and cause some trouble. Yet they didn’t know anything of these people, nor did they have a reason to bust in, all this thinking just made Barret tired. He wasn’t one for thinking much. He wasn’t keen on sneaking in there either, he hated sneaking, not only was he bad at it just wasn’t the way he rolled. He thought, he might as well start getting ideas out there.
“I say we go through the front, ask to talk to the big cheese, and bust up anyone who stops us” It may have been the more violent method, but hey so far they only proved to be threatening.

[Vincent Valentine]

Vincent remained expressionless, he never really showed much of any emotion since...well, since Lucrecia died. He never felt much need to, anyway. As his much larger companion made quick work of the flask, he simply stood, with his arms folded in front of him. He wasn't so sure on what had happened over the time in which he fell asleep, and when he awoke here...wherever here was...but he was determined to find out...especially if it would help himself and his ally find their way.

Barret's simple plan of action, seemed far too dangerous, a course. Vincent slightly shook his head, then spoke his voice.
"I don't think that too wise. Doing that, they'll immediately mark us as threats. We should be calm, and for a greater level of safety, bring these two with us." Vincent wasn't a very confident person with his plan thus far, but he knew it would make more sense than go in, with they're guns blazing.
"I suggest we bring them in...and tell them we were left no choice but to rend them unconscious, when they threatened us with arrest. We'll look like we're here by accident. With some...luck...we'll manage a free pass to safety." He explained...hopefully Barret would get his meaning...otherwise they may be caught unawares, and arrested anyway.

Vincent knelt by one of the guards, and lifted him, resting the guard's arm over his shoulder. and carried him toward the castle. It was up to Barret now...