In The Name of Love

~Sal Ghidos~

*Cloud is waiting not far beyond the shop because, by this point, the fire has consumed over half of the slums. He gets in a low stance, holding the blade in both hands, pointed behind him. He screws his face up in concentration & then...stands there.*
=====================================
~Lesalia~

*Roatha, who had been heading for the door, abruptly spun on a heel & followed Noctis.*

R"Much appreciated. Hey, do you mind if I ask the maids to get me a thing or two?"

"By the gods, I knew this wouldn't work..." Zac starts to panic, and tries to think of a way to stem the spread of the fire.

--

"Sure, just don't hit on them," Noct said, "They're bad liars, and my mother fires them if they're hit on."

~Sal Ghidos~

Cloud<Shut up! The Limit Break takes a while to charge, & you're breaking my concentration.>
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~Lesalia~

R"What? Why?"

Zac let out a sigh, "I hope this works..."

--

"Because my mother is a horrible person who wants nothing but my sadness in life," Noct replied.

"That isn't nice," Sab chided.

"Tell me I'm wrong."

"That isn't the point..."

~Lesalia~

R"Isn't that only if YOU hit on them?"
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~Sal Ghidos~

*Cloud FINALLY swings the damn sword &, true to his word, a giant tornado encircles the slums. However, it only puts out about half of the fire, so he begins building up the move again.*

"You'd think so," Noct said, "Doesn't work in practice."

--

Zac is mildly impressed, would have been better if it worked in the first go, but whatever.

~Lesalia~

R"They should get jobs working for someone less godawful."
==============================
~Sal Ghidos~

*After the second usage of Finishing Touch, it starts raining, helping Cloud's progress immensely. By the time he's done, they've saved...a few shacks. Cloud starts to twirl the sword over his head, but kind of half-asses it, before somehow suspending it on an invisible sheath at his back.*

Cloud<That...wasn't very effective.>

Noct shrugged, "Just don't drool on the pillows."

--

"Agreed, but it is better than nothing..." Zac said.

~Lesalia~

*Roatha has gone to bed. Euryale waits for Noctis to come back down.*

E"We'll need a plan to get in the castle. And then to get back out of it, before anyone realizes we just murdered the guy in charge. Hopefully, because they never realize that."
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~Sal Ghidos~

Cloud<If you say so.>

*The flower girl approaches them.*

FG<I wanted to thank you for saving me.>

*She frowns when Cloud turns away.*

Cloud<...Don't mention it. But you should really learn to fight for yourself. Even though most of the thugs are dead now, there will always be others.>

"What Mr. Broody-pants over there means is we're glad you're alright, but it would do you well if you had a means to defend yourself," Zac said, "Do you know how to use a weapon?"

--

"I was expecting that guy to have a plan," Noct said.

Sab shook her head, "It was really Lilith who came up with the plans when I traveled with him."

"You know him?"

"We traveled together briefly."

~Sal Ghidos~

FG<I know how to use knives & make gunpowder, but...I don't really like hurting people.>

Cloud<No one ever does. You learn to hurt them before they hurt you. If they're smart, they run away before they can get hurt.>
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~Lesalia~

E"He might have one, but there's no harm in coming up with something if he doesn't, is there?"

*She looks at Sab.*

E"Huh. Small world."

"Yea," Sab said, "He was part of the group when I was traveling with Iliad and Zac, Noct's brother."

"So, what kind of plan did you have in mind?" Mortal asked.

--

"So, you know how to use a gun?" Zac asked, pulling out his Mythril Gun and handing it to her. "Don't use it to solve all your problems, but it won't hurt to have options."

~Sal Ghidos~

FG<I couldn't take this from you! They cost a fortune!>
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~Lesalia~

E"I don't know, but we need something. There will be a lot of guards, & he won't just agree to see us for no reason. Plus, this is basically filler until they can timeskip over in Sal Ghidos, anyway."

"Consider it a gift," Zac said, "For the excellent suggestion you gave me about flowers."

--

"Uh," Mortal sighed, "I like it better when we just run it and beat everyone up... Besides, thinking about something productive isn't our style. Our filler is usually lesbian drama, and sex."

~Lesalia~

E"Well, usually our enemies don't have hundreds of guards, armed to the teeth."
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~Sal Ghidos~

FG<But I might not even put it to use. Those thugs were only after me because of a medical loan. It's not like I expect to get mugged every day.>

"I guess you have a valid point there..."

--

"On the off chance that you needed it, I'd feel bad if you didn't have it," Zac said, "It is a gift."

~Sal Ghidos~

*The flower girl reluctantly takes it.*

FG<Thank you again.>
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~Lesalia~

E"If we could open the gates & get up to the roof, we could sneak into the castle. We'd just have to defeat the guards before they alerted anyone else."

"You're welcome. Just point it at bad guys, and squeeze the trigger," Zac said.

--

"I think we could do that fairly well," Mortal said.

~Sal Ghidos~

*Aerith stows the gun in her dress, curtsies, & leaves. Cloud stabs the Rune Blade into the ground.*

Cloud<You should take this back. I don't want it. It's too heavy, it would just weigh me down.>
===========================
~Lesalia~

E"I'm still a little concerned. If this goes badly, we'll have way more to worry about than an assassin with an agenda & a ninja with a grudge."

"It is a gift to you as well," Zac said, "It might be of some use to you. If not, sell it, think of the money as compensation for help in the fight."

--

"I wonder how Vanessa is doing..." Mortal stated.

"Uh, anyway, wouldn't some masks help us keep our identities hidden?" Sab suggested.

~Sal Ghidos~

Cloud<I can't take anything from this world. I have to get back to the Promised Land. I'll phone in the verdict.>

*He waves, & turns around.*
=================================
~Lesalia~

"I think he'd recognize our body types."

Zac let out a little chuckle, "Sure thing, just don't dilly dally."

--

"Robes?" Sab continued.

~Lesalia~

E"Maybe."

*Euryale yawns, covering her mouth with her hand.*

E"Bu I ink...that I'm just going to go to bed for now."
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~Sal Ghidos~

*If Seraph is still out there, it's now pitch black, making it difficult to search for him. And, of course, it's still raining.*

Mortal stood up and nodded, "Agreed, lets go to bed."

Noctab stood up, and began heading towards Noct's room. "Good night you two," Noct said.

"Goodnight," Mortal replied.

--

Zac decided to wait out the night at an inn.

~Sal Ghidos~

*The next day, Zac is informed that a woman is waiting for him in one of the booths.*
==================================
~Lesalia~

*Meanwhile, Roatha has awakened, & is sneaking from room to room. Euryale catches up with him about the same time he's diving out of the bathroom.*

E"...What are you doing?"

R"Trying to avoid the lady of the house, after all of the horror stories you people told me about her."