The New Zodiac Braves

Taiyo: "Um...sure."

===================================

The two return to the tavern where they enjoy a meal.

Azuma: "So how 'bout starting tomorrow off with a treasure hunt if possible?"

Mimiru: "What happened to going home?"

Azuma: "Can do that too."

L"I never said that."

*She looks to Noct.*

L"You wouldn't be considered either, but duly noted."

Sieg<Ye must be the Taleas' lovers! Just the girls I was looking for!>

"For the last time, we are not here to be hired out for sex!"

Sieg<What? Why, I wouldn't dream of whisking you away from Noctykins & Morti.>

*Lilith & Siegfried look at each other, then ask, "Who are you?" at exactly the same time.*

Zac handed Noctis a glass water while she pondered 'Noctykins'. He then looked over and said, "This is Lilith Psyche, Marques of Limberry, and my girlfriend." He then turned to Lilith, "And this is-"

"Siegfried, it has been ages," Noct said, "How have you been?" Noct answered Lilith's question by saying, "He is a friend of my father. I haven't seen him in years."

Mortal came back with a leg of turkey, and a plate full of potatoes.

Safian:<Should we go find your parents?>

Cassandra:<Why?>

Safian:<I'm starting to get bored.>

L"Marquis de Limberry."

<It has been ages, time flies when you're killin' dragons by the dozen.>

*He looks back to Lilith.*

<You know, I had heard that they got a new Marquis, & you do look a bit like how they described her. The pleasure is all mine. (You sly dog, bagging a Lady of a Castle. Looks like you really aren't just a kid anymore.)>

L"Thank you. I'm surprised that word of the transfer has already reached Lesalia."

*He shakes her hand & Lilith rubs it after he lets go. Then he shakes Euryale's hand, but this time, he's the one rubbing his wrist.*

<Ach, you've got quite a grip on you, lady. Are you a miner, or something?>

*He looks down.*

<...And you seem to have lost your shoes. Would you like me to find them for ya?>

Zac chuckled a bit, but didn't respond to Siegfried.

"She wasn't wearing any to begin with," Mortal said.

"So, you're a dragon slayer?" Sab asked.

Cassandra:<We could go find some mages to talk to.>

Safian:<Why?>

Cassandra:<So you can have some fun.>

Sieg<What? Why not?>

E"I don't like shoes."

Sieg<...You're strange.>

E"You're not exactly blending in with the crowd either."

Sieg<Hahaha! True, true! I like a bit of sass in a lady.>

*He turns to Sab.*

Sieg<Aye. I hunt dragons in the area, keep them from encroaching on the Capitol territory. I have those no-good Ordallians to thank for it. Wouldn't be able to go so deep into dragon territory if I hadn't achieved the rank of Holy Knight during the war.>
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*An old, wrinkled hand latches on both of their shoulders. An elderly mage sporting a goat beard & wearing black robes leans in. If they look closely, they'll see that his hood is made of a Red Dragon's head, but it's pulled down right now.*

"Say no more! Mightiest Black Mage in Ivalice, if I do say so m'self."

*Safian turns around and holds out her hand*

Safian:<Hey, I'm Safian Dorion, a fellow black mage. Nice to meet you.>

*Cassandra stares at the guy like he's a total creepier*

"Oh, you're a holy knight?" Sab said, "How impressive."

*Seraph stares at her hand like it's a dead rat before grabbing a class of wine & strolling out into the foyer.*

S"ATTENTION, EVERYONE!"

*The gathered nobles look at this crazy, then start to move out of the way. He walks through the swath in the crowd to complete silence.*

S"Glad I could get your attention. I'd like to propose a toast!"

*He raises the glass, then pours it on the ground. There's some assorted murmuring & gasping. Lionsguard Knights start to file into the room & draw their swords. Lilith also steps forward, grabbing her weapon.*

<Now, now, interrupting him is rude, wouldn't you say?>

*Anyone who looks up the stairs will note that Senthose is now standing behind Ovelia, holding a sword to her throat.*

Delita<You've gone too far this time, Assassin. This is treason.>

<It's not treason if there's no Ivalice.>

S"But we'll get to that in a moment. For now...has anyone even heard about this 'Delita' guy? I have. See, I may have a touch of senility, but I don't just ignore things because they're 'unimportant.' Comes with not being some stuck-up noble."

Taiyo clings to Aroma, frightened.

===================================

Azuma: "Any requests for the treasure hunt? I think I want a sword. Or maybe something that is useless to me. Like a gun."

Mimiru: "No. I don't care. But your erratic behavior is annoying."

Mortal reaches for her swords but they're not on her, so she just looks angrily at Senthose.

Zac, for his part, put a hand on the holster of his gun, but didn't draw it yet, looking between Seraph and Senthose.

Noct and Sab both stand, but don't do much more than look on.

*Cassandra realizes she forgot her sword*

<Damn it.>

*Safian gets into a fighting stance, wondering if she should be attacking*

*Aroma puts an arm around Taiyo's back, & her other hand on the back of her head, eying Seraph worriedly.*

S"Speaking of, you probably don't know who I am, either. I've been living in the wilderness for a while. Have the Church to thank for that. They were afraid of me, you see. Thought they could only be rid of me with an arrow to the back. But, as you can see, that didn't work so well for 'em. But I'm over it now. In fact, I'm over this whole country! I'm going for an explosive finish, & I am not a fan of easy death. You might have bungled the Lion War, letting this common fool end it...but at least you've still got me."

*Seraph cackles. Up above, Ovelia is looking faint.*

Delita<Ever the coward, picking a fight with someone who isn't a warrior.>

Senthose<Oh please, do get over yourself. The only reason I went after Ovelia is because people actually care what happens to her. You're only King because you're married to her. You've got a long way to go before you stop being a nobody. But if we do our jobs, you'll never get the chance. Still....>

*He takes the blade away from Ovelia's throat & pushes her aside.*

Senthose<You're welcome to try.>

*The second he lets go of Ovelia, Lilith runs forward, slashing at Seraph. However, she hits air, as he's already teleported by the time she gets there.*

L"He can't have gone far!"

Sieg<Do you know this man?>

*Safian turns around, looking for Seraph*

Taiyo: "I want Azuma and Mimiru here."

"Yes, help me take him down!" Zac said, drawing his pistol and aiming at Senthose and taking a shot, aiming for the arm.

Noct flies into the air and looks around for Seraph in the crowd.

Mortal frowns, looking for a sword to grab.

Aroma<Don't worry, Taiyo, I'll protect you.>

*Euryale spots Mortal eying a Lionsguard's sword.*

E"Please don't steal anyone's sword."

*Senthose ignores the bullet & quickly closes in on Delita, slashing him twice. Delita tries to gain some distance, but Senthose lets loose with a stream of fire from his mouth, & causes Delita to fall down a few stairs. Senthose teleports next to him & blasts him with several streams of holy energy. Seeing the Lionsguard heading up the staircase, he teleports out.*

Senthose<I think I've made my point.>

Sieg<I don't know how it's possible, but...I think that man is kin to dragons.>

*Noctis cannot see Seraph, but she sees Lilith running towards the exit.*

*Cassandra and Safian run to see if the king' s alright*

Taiyo: "I'd feel better if they were still here."

Mortal balls her fists up, not knowing what to do.

--

Noct follows Lilith out to the exit. Zac sees Noct flying that way and follows.

*On the stairs, the Lionsguard are yelling to stay back.*

<Are you all right, Your Highness?>

Delita<Yes, yes. It would take a lot more than that to kill me. Go check on my wife.>
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E"Siegfried...we need to go to the bathroom?"

Sieg<Um...alright?>

*Euryale grabs Mortal's wrist & heads for the bathroom.*
----------------------------------------------------
*Outside, the crowd is chattering in an agitated frenzy. Lilith grabs the first woman she sees, & she jumps.*

L"The Black Mage! Where did he go?"

*She silently points behind the castle, & Lilith runs off in that direction.*

Noct follows Lilith and Zac follows his sister.

--

"The bathroom?" Mortal asked.

"Wait, where are you going?" Sab asked.

Cassandra:<Ok, he's alright.>

Safian:<Let's find the creepy mage guy.>

*They head outside*