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Haiiiiii-yah! It's me, that damned little black spot on the white bit of your TV! Or not. Just me, Bright Shadow, cooking another creamy concoction of collaborative cognitive capabilities!... in English, that means I'm writing another chappy for my Final Fantasy Tactics Advance series. Clear on that? Okay, cool. Now, for safety's sake, here's the little bit of Cover-Your-Ass I need to keep from getting jumped by the vengeful spectre of Johnny Cochran... ***ATTENTION: This fictional work contains vivid descriptions of sexual actions. If you are under the age of consent in your area, or are easily offended but sex, violence, foul language, video games, mindless ranting, or ninjas, you really have no reason to be here... so PISS OFF! I, Bright Shadow, DO NOT in ANY WAY own the rights to the game Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. All location names, items, jobs, skills, and characters, with the exception of the ones I obviously created, are ALL copyright (c) Square Enix Inc. All of the original characters are my own. This story is ONLY intended for PARODY, and shall NOT be used for profit UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES! Also, DON'T PLADGARIZE THE DAMN THING!!! If you want to put it up on your website, drop me an e-mail. Odds are, I'll say yes, so long as you don't modify the contents, take credit for it, or try to sell it/put it on a paysite. If you even ATTEMPT to use Steal:Story on this, I'll sue your ass into 2500 B.C.! Okay, maybe that's a little overboard, but you get the idea... I have Matinance equipped. ^_^*** There, done. I hate the disclaimer, but it's one of those necessary evils, like lawyers. Oh well. A bit of an A/N as well: The map setup I'm using you can find at gamefaqs.com, under the in-depth FAQ section for the game. The map setup is called "Perfect Ivalice." * * *

Chapter 3: How to Steal a Heart

• * * *somewhere in the Nubswood, near midnight...* I'm sorry, guys. I just can't take this anymore. I wish I was as strong as y'all thought... The words just wouldn't come out, no matter how hard I tried. All that would were bitter tears. My Zorlin Shape felt so heavy in my hands, my Bandanna was coated in sweat from a mad dash through Nubs, and I was honestly wondering how my Brigandine had managed to stay on. I thought I lost one of my Dash Boots, but the lace on it just slipped... but why did I care? I'm not sure. All the running finally caught up with me, and I slumped against a tree on the... wall, I guess. How the hell they grow up here, I don't know. The river down there, it bubbles contentedly, peacefully. Bouncing the moonlight off the ripples and softly casting them at my weary face. It almost makes me forget why I came here. Almost. "Ellah," I croaked to the darkness, my voice barely rising over the water's babble. I shook my head heavily. Why was she doing this, always trying to help me? I don't get her. If she knew what I had done, I doubt the girl would ever see me the same. I know there's only one thing I can do. I roll over and drop down the side, face first, and somehow manage to NOT land on my knife. Damnit. Ellah leaned up against one of the many trees for a moment to catch her breath and get her bearings. Shaun said something about the river they always got into engagements near as he finished Hasting her, right before she hauled ass out of the pub. She raked her mind while gulping in lungfuls of air. "Le'sse here... it should be somewhere around... err..." The white mage frowned and stood back up, scanning the area, trying to hear anything strange. Her right ear twitched suddenly. "Huh?" Turning to look, Ellah focused on the whisper of a noise her hearing caught. "It almost sounds like..." She snapped up. "Running water? Alex!" The Veira thought she was prepared to see anything; obviously, that assumption was a little off. The thief had pulled off one of the Armlets he wore, pulled the sleeve up, and was dragging his dagger across his forearm. Ellah stood, transfixed for a moment, as the Human cut deeply into his flesh, moving slowly and deliberately. His face didn't show much pain, only a deep furrow of concentration. She continued to gape and stare as Alex slowly pulled the blade away and dunked both his arms in the blue water, wincing slightly as he did. The water was cold. It didn't remind me of water so much as it did a bunch of little daggers washing over the skin, cutting into the muscle and chilling the bone. They deserved better. I kept my eyes closed, like I did every time, and let the pain run through me like my own blood. After a good minute or so, I pulled my numbed arm from its wet haven, and let the rivulets from my wounds run down my arm and back into the river. It was all I could ever do for them. The mage choked back a whine as the young Human sat at the bank, letting his arm bleed freely. He wore a look of sadness now, a face of loss so deep it made the Veira's heart ache. "What could have happened to him?" she pondered in worry, watching the off-red drops fall from his left hand. "What would drive him to do this?" The girl watched as he sighed deeply, then opened his eyes. There she was. Should I be surprised? Probably not, but I was, a little. I wonder how long she had been there... at least long enough to see me fixing my body calligraphy, I guessed. Especially with the look she was giving me. I saw the bit of shock creep in as the wounds started healing faster than they should. This would take a lot of explaining, and there was only one thing on my mind as I she walked over and I sat back; would she still feel for me after I told her? Ellah flopped down next to the thief and immediately pulled his arm up, inspecting the rapidly-sealing cuts. "What the.. this isn't possible!" she breathed, shaking her head. "Even with magical assistance, no wound could seal itself this utterly so fast!" Alex sighed. "That's not why yer here... is it?" She raised her head to meet his troubled gaze, and spoke softly. "Alex... what happened to you? Six months we've both been in the Clan, but you never say anything about your past. I want to know... because I'm afraid." I cocked my head. "Afraid? Of what, me?" I asked stupidly, not really getting the last part of her message, and her eyes just got sadder, and I swear, her ears bent back. "No.. I'm afraid for you. I'm afraid because I've seen how you look when you think no one's watching," she murmured, "how that sparkle in your eyes just... fades, how you slump like a weary old man, waiting for the end... I'm afraid if you keep carrying that burden around, it might kill you." She dropped her head, but I knew she was fighting back tears. "...okay. You want the whole story, eh? Fine by me," I sighed, trying to sound exasperated instead of depressed. "You may wonder why I've never mentioned my family. Well, It's rather simple... they're all dead. Damned Redwings burned down the cheap seats in Muscadet and killed anyone who came running out. I got lucky, I guess... they didn't notice me. I did the only thing a kid could do. I ran. "When I finally stopped, I found myself in Cadoan. I really didn't know what to do, or where to go. I didn't have any money, no friends or family, nothing. So I started watching people, waiting for any kind of opportunity." I looked up from the river to the Veira on a whim, wondering what she might be thinking. She was watching me intently, the same concerned look on her face sharing space with a look of rapt attention. "I didn't have the outfit then, but that's when I really made a thief out of myself. "I stole from anyone who left themselves open, and I mean anyone. Children, elderly, the sick or wounded... anyone. I didn't care anymore, I just had to get the cash for food. That was all I cared about. Half the time I actually bought the food, and I stole it if I couldn't afford any. It was a vicious cycle... all I wanted to do was survive, and that's all I knew... theft. "Then came the day I screwed up. It was bound to happen, you know? I was just a kid." I shook my head ruefully, hating myself for telling this to the one person who shouldn't get involved with me. "I tried yoinking a ring from a Nu Mou I bumped into... heh. Bad idea. I managed to get a hold of it, but when I tried pulling, he just grabbed my hand and twisted my arm around to get a good look at my face. I remember grimacing from the pain... his grip was like iron. He looked me over for a moment. Then he spoke. "'You certainly have potential, young one,' he said with a humorous look. 'I didn't notice your tricks until the ring started moving. Tell me, what is your name?' I remember just sitting there, dumbstruck. I was too... astonished, I guess, to say anything. He loosened his hold, but didn't let go. 'Well, no matter. Tell you what, little thief, I shall give you a choice. Come with me, and put your budding skills to a better use... or I turn you over to the Watch.' I didn't need to think about it that hard. "He took me almost to the edge of the city to his house. On the way, he explained that he had been looking into the rise of reports of theft and missing objects over the past year." Ellah looked at me a little funny. "Yeah." Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn't say anything. "The Watch was chalking it up to a ring of thieves, but he thought it was just a few good thieves who had nothing to do with each other, and said I was proof of that. When we got to the house, he opened the door and looked at me. 'Ready to tell me your name, young one?' 'Alex,' I remember saying in a small voice. 'Very well, Alex. I am Orland, and I will show you how to repay your debts to these people.' "Orland was an alchemist and sage, but he knew far more that you ever would have guessed. I think he had hopped among the jobs so damn much, he may as well have been a clanner." She spoke, the first time since I started. "He wasn't?" I shook my head and continued. "I asked him that, too. He said he had a short history with one, but preferred to work on his own. One of the first things he did was teach me the Nu Mou symbols." I held up my arm, looking at the scar tissue, then showed her. "Brother," I said, looking at the cuts, then pulled my other sleeve up, revealing even more of the curving wounds. "Mother," I spoke again, indicating the sweeping scars on my other arm. Pulling the sleeve back even farther, I bore the gashes on my upper arm. "Father," I muttered coldly as I bunched the cloth up at my shoulder. "I did those shortly after he taught them to me. In fact, he's the one who enchanted them to heal so fast. I told him that I didn't want to forget my family, and he said that was the best way, because scars never go completely away. He taught me how to fight and defend myself, and others... how to steal, REALLY steal... a little bit of magic, white and black, and things most Humans never got on the job... anything I was willing to learn. That's quite a lot, you know. Seven months he trained me, to be something more than a petty thief. It worked. "Then he decided I was ready. Orland told me he wanted to find out anything he could about Clan Borozi and the Redwings, and he wanted me to get the dirt on them. Do remember, this was long before the 'Wings became anything big here in Ivalice. So, I went and tried to get a niche in one of the Clans that Orland thought was suspicious, one called Hollow. They ran me through a bit of a test before they let me in. The details aren't necessary... let's just say I had to steal something big, and I did. In fact, I did it so damn fast, their leader almost thought I wasn't Human." Ellah looked at the thief in shock. "So, after all of the things Orland taught you, you just hauled off and swiped something just to get in a Clan?" Alex glared at the water. "Hey, I didn't want to... I still hate myself for it, truth be told. I was in that Clan for months, learning everything I could about them, and trying to keep my conscience clear at the same time. I never killed anyone. I stole a lot more than I wanted to, but if I ever got the chance, I made it up to the person. Usually, I left gil behind. Anytime we got a big job, I told Orland. "I didn't just walk up to him, obviously. I left cryptic messages in Nu Mou with the bartenders to give him. Let's say we were booked to steal a huge ruby. I'd leave a note saying 'The red sun will rise no longer. Its rays will be split and scattered, never to be seen again in its true beauty.' In other words, the Clan would steal it and it got sent to a gem cutter." Her brow furrowed for a moment. "And no one ever noticed you doing this?" I smirked. "They were racist fuckers, never let a single Nu Mou in the Clan. Ergo, I was the only one who could read the symbols." "I kept that up for five months, give or take. By that time, the Palace was getting ready to drop the hammer on Clan Hollow, and I knew what Orland wanted me to do." The memory flooded my mind as I held her gaze with my own. "We both knew if I jumped ship, it would blow the lid off all our work. So the only choice I had... was to lead the Palace to us. "The whole Clan was loafing around in Baguba Port after an unusually lucrative mission, when the judges busted the doors open. Paladins and templars burst in from the streets, pinning the Clan into the building. As soon as the fight broke out, I got a funny feeling, like I needed to leave. Some of the clanners tore up to the bedrooms, and I hauled up there with 'em. Crazy bastards started jumping out windows, but I stalled, long enough to grab the Crystal Ring I boosted from one of my 'buddies,' then took the two-story dive with the rest. "The judges were expecting that, I think. They had been waiting out on the street, slamming cuffs on most of the misfits as soon as they hit the dirt, but I was better than them. Something in the back of my head told me to run, just break for it and get Orland, and that's what I did. As soon as I saw what happened, I took advantage of one one judge's mistake; he wasn't paying attention to me as I fell out from the room. I kicked the guy from his chocobo and took off for Cadoan." The white mage looked at her friend with a mixture of shock, horror, and concern. His tone darkened as he continued the tale. "By the time that bird got me to where I could see the tops of the town, I knew something was wrong. I felt it in my gut, and urged it onward. When I got there..." Alex paused for a moment, a bitter expression on his face. "I think Borozi hit the place, I don't know. All I do know is the house had been torched. I leapt off the chicken and ran over to the front door... there was Orland, bleeding badly. I tried Curing him, but he just opened an eye weakly and coughed while I chanted. 'Don't bother, Alex,' he said, holding up a hand, 'it's far to much... for your meager magic to heal.' I remember looking at him in bewilderment, I didn't understand. Orland just looked at me and smiled. 'I have no regrets, young one. I have taught you... all I could, and, I hope... redeemed you in some small measure. I may leave... this world in peace, now. Take care... of yourself, Alex.' He shuddered once, and then he was gone." I felt the weight on my heart as I struggled with myself, forcing my mouth to form the words. "I buried him in front of the doorway, then tried to find anything I could that would be of use in the remains of the house. All I found was a pair of katana with a note from Orland. He said he wanted me to have them when he left..." I heard her fidget. "So... he knew he would die then?" "Maybe," I retorted sadly. "It certainly wouldn't surprise me. Shortly after that, the Clan Wars went into full swing. I joined up with Chrysalis about a month before Nutsy split, and I've been here ever since. "So, there ya have it. My story, in all its anti-heroic flair. I'm just a thief, a brigand, only worthy of contempt and scorn. Now do you see," I asked, looking at her big, pretty green eyes, "why I don't want you to bother with me? Everyone close to me ends up getting whacked, and I've already got too many ghosts following me." I turned my gaze away, hoping she would listen. The Veira sat, unmoving, her emotions about to make her explode. "So..." she choked out, "you think something will happen to me if I try to help?" Alex nodded and spoke in a subdued voice. "You're too... too... too damned nice... to get mixed up with me. You deserve better than this, than me." Hot tears spilled out from Ellah's eyes, blurring her vision. "I... I deserve better?" she sobbed, but the Human didn't look up. Nothing could have prepared me for what happened. Normally, Ellah was a rather laid back girl, not prone to shows of emotion... so when she started yelling at me, it caught me off guard. "Who the fuck do you think you are, telling me what I deserve?!?" My head snapped up, and I saw her face; angry and sad and heart-wrenchingly beautiful, even through the tears. "You think you know what's best for me? Bullshit! You're just too damn afraid!" She started sobbing in earnest now. "You're scared and hurt and lost, but you think it's your own fault... can't you see? You blame yourself for things you had nothing to do with," she croaked. Alex was stunned, but she just kept going. "Why are you afraid of being happy, Alex? You think it'll fall apart in front of you? You're so damn frightened you just shut everyone out... and I can't take it anymore," Ellah cried, weeping freely, and the thief closed his eyes to keep from doing the same. "You want the truth?" he asked quietly, getting the mage to look up. "I... I feel too much for you to let that happen, El. I don't want your life to fall apart because of me and my rotten luck... you're to good of a girl to be with me," he said, sighing heavily. "I kept pushing you away, because that's the only way I know to protect people from me... I'm just so taken by you, I don't want you to be miserable because of me," I said, choking back a few tears in the process. I don't remember when the last time I cried was... it was just a really long time ago. A strong breath of wind whipped through the wood, stirring the trees and grass into a lively conversation. "Alex...?" I looked up at the girl who had found the missing piece of my heart so many months ago. "Orland taught you to see things the way a Nu Mou would, right?" I nodded, a little confused. "If you won't believe me, just do one thing... see me the way they would. Just once," she said in a hushed tone, crying silently now. Who was I to refuse? "Allright," I murmured, "just give me a bit to concentrate." I took a cross-legged position, folded my hands in front of my chest, and tried to clear my mind. I forced myself to forget everything I had learned, push aside my emotions and thoughts, and prepared to see all things in a more... arbitrary light. I told myself not to lean on my feelings, but also not to forget them; to use what I had learned to the most effective ends, and let my conscience guide me. When I opened my eyes, the "normal" part of me knew I had worked. Everything seemed more... lucid. I remembered why I did this, and looked at the white mage seated in front of me... and nearly lost my focus as her emotions hit me, much like a wave crashes into a sailor hanging onto a piece of flotsam. I held on, but was astounded nevertheless. "You... how do you manage?" I said softly to her, apparently in a more sagacious tone than normal. "So much pain you carry... I can almost see your heart breaking from the unrequited love you have harbored for so long..." I think that's what ruined my mindset, because my brain kicked back to normal after I said that. Somehow, she managed to laugh a little, in spite of all the tears. "Don't you get it, Alex?" she asked, both laughing and crying at once. "I don't care who you were, I fell in love with you for who you are. You could have been the devil himself before you came here, and I wouldn't care. You've changed since then," Ellah said, locking my eyes with her soft stare, "and that's what matters." The Veira closed her eyes sadly. "If you still don't want me, then that's allright. You already did the one thing I asked for..." Her voice trailed off as another wave of sadness washed over her. She sniffled and sobbed quietly, tears still cascading down her face at the thought. Her ears picked up the sound of cloth brushing against grass as the Human rose, and she tried not to let her sadness show. No footsteps, no sound, nothing. Ellah didn't open her eyes, no matter how hard she wanted to. Then, before the mage knew what happened, he was holding her gently. I saw her eyes open out of the corner of my vision, even as blurred as it was from the silent tears I had shed. "I can't stand to see someone as good as you be so damn depressed. You don't need to cry anymore, Ellah. I'm here for you," I said softly, my heart speaking on its own accord, "and I'm not leaving. Not for anyone or anything in the world." I couldn't help it. I was crying again, silently. How did I miss it? Was I so caught up in keeping people away from my past, that I feared the future? She answered my question simply, just by hugging me tightly. We sat there, taking comfort in each other for a while, letting out sorrow slip away, like leaves in a stream. I stroked her soft white hair lovingly, listening to her breathe, and finding a peace of mind I never knew I could achieve, just by staying in this girl's embrace. Ellah ran a hand across my brow, running it under my Headband, and spoke. "Wow, Alex... you ran all the way here... you're covered in sweat," she noted. "Nice one there, captain obvious," I joked, getting her to giggle. "Well," she said softly, "let me help you with that." Ellah leaned back and dunked both of them into the river, earning a sputter of surprise from the thief, who she thought was swearing; it turns out, he was chanting, because a red flash tore through the water, and the temperature rose enough to be considered comfortable. The mage raised her head from the water and looked at him. "Wow... I forgot you knew magic for a second there," Ellah said with mild surprise. "What happens when the rest of the water from upstream gets here?" Alex smirked and held up his right hand, showing a delicate ring of white Crystal. "I cast it into this, El. It keeps spells in it and kinda re-casts them on a smaller scale, so right now it's a water heater." The Veira's eyes widened a little. "Really? That's a neat trick," she commented, putting her Spring Staff on the bank of the river and wading over to the Human. I laughed a little. "Think so? I figured it out on accident, really," I confessed sheepishly, grinning like an idiot. Ellah shook her head and sighed, taking my hands in hers. "That sounds about normal for you, Alex," she joked, resting her head on my shoulder and inadvertently poking my nose with her ear, to which I fidgeted and snuffled. She giggled, a pure and light-hearted sound, and looked up. "Sorry," she said abashedly, "those things always get in the way." I rolled my eyes at her and smiled. "I might as well get used to it... not like you can do anything about it. I don't mind, though," I replied, drinking in her gaze. Then before I knew it, our mouths had locked together in a passionate oral wrestling match. I didn't quite understand why we did, but if I asked myself if I cared at the time, I could already tell myself, "...what the fuck are YOU on?" We parted and looked at each other, both of us wearing the same dreamy face, before going back to a well-earned game of "tonsil hockey," as I once heard it called. Ellah's eyes closed as the second kiss began, griping her Human tightly by the waist as he wrapped his hands around her upper back and stroking her head lightly. This one was more urgent and frantic than the first, with more moans and other odd noises from the pair so deeply in love. The second parting was far more reluctant than the first, more drawn out and heartfelt, and the healer took one of Alex's hands in hers, squeezing lightly, and ran it under the flowing hem of her Mistle Robe to her velvet lips. The thief looked at her in surprise. "Here?" he queried in light shock, clearly being astounded at her boldness and pent-up sexual desires, to which Ellah answered by simply pressing his hand against her groin and smiling. The Human shook his head with a smirk. "I never would have guessed how bad you really are..." and the Veira smiled and whispered in his ear, "Only like this... only like this." Deftly, Alex ran a finger from bottom to top of her crevasse before rubbing the sensitive nub outside, slow and gentle, coaxing a gasp and murr of contentment from the female. He swirled his digit around in circles, or simply rubbed over it, and pressed on occasion, holding her close the whole time, like a dear treasure that could get swept away in the river. I had absolutely no sexual experience in my lifetime. Sure, Orland explained the basics to me, and I read a few of the texts he had... and they were only research texts, mind you... but that seriously didn't add up to much. I was guessing right now, and judging by the reactions, she didn't seem to be displeased with the current course. I felt her pull off my Headband and bandanna, toss them ashore, and run a hand through my hair, then she began to lick my ear. To say the least, I wasn't prepared for it, but much like my companion, I didn't mind. I mean, it tickled, but that was the only bad part. Ellah stopped for a moment, and spoke softly in my ear. "Alex... put a finger in me," she moaned, giving me shivers. I moved my hand down her folds to her cunt and spread her lips open, teasing her a little by running my finger along the outer bits for a second or so before pushing it into her with ease. She gasped a little at the entry, but soon it was more at the "come hither" motions of my finger than anything. The mage shuddered in pleasure from Alex's advances, holding onto him as her knees buckled slightly. The Human, in response, lifted her up gently and set her on shore. Ellah sat up and spread her legs with a lustful grin, and the thief eagerly complied, pressing his face to the Veira's groin and darting his tongue over her clit. I almost couldn't believe that this was happening. Here I was, doing something to this wonderful woman that I had honestly believed would never happen a few hours ago. Somewhere, though, in the back of my head, a part of my senses stubbornly refused to focus on the very positive situation in front of me. Unsurprisingly, I always had a minor paranoid streak that has to manifest itself when anything good happens, keeping me on my feet if someone or something tries to catch me with my guard down. Considering I had my head planted firmly in Ellah's groin, my guard was quite down. Alex wrapped his left arm around the Veira's waist and pulled himself closer, putting his hand at her entrance. Quickly he spread her lips apart with his index and ring fingers and ran the middle one down the soft and sticky flesh, listening to the mage coo and murr in pleasured frustration. Wordlessly, the thief slid the finger in, bending it to reach the same spot that she loved, and began to rub it furiously, as well as licking her clit the whole time. Ellah writhed in pleasure and gripped the back of the young Human's head as he fingered her, moaning and gabbing her breasts over the Robe. The feel of it was almost indescribable, something like being dunked in a warm liquid and letting the heat permiate through you. "And loving every minute of it," she thought lustfuly, pulling her Robe over her head and laying down, still ruffling the boy's hair while pulling at her own hard nipples. I felt her hips begin to buck a little as she lay on the grass. Gods above, was this really happening? Am I actually bringing this girl to orgasm? My thoughts were hurried and jumbled - until I heard something over Ellah's moans and heavy breathing. Immidiately, I removed myself from her warm pussy and spun around as swiftly as the water would let me, and my gave leveled at a pair of boots. Looking up a little, I saw an archer, obviously Veira, sitting calmly on a rock several feet away, and reactively reached for my dagger - then mentally slapped myself for leaving it on the shore. Even from behind, it was easy to tell that Alex must've made some sort of self-reproachful face, because their visitor smiled a little. "Easy there, boy, I'm not here for a fight," the archer said calmly. "I just heard the commotion and wondered who had the balls to wake us up out here," she explained as Alex pulled himself out of the water. "Oh. Erm... sorry," the theif said bashedly, "I didn't know how loud we were being..." he stammered a little, scratching the back of his head. "Oh, it's allright. I perfectly understand," the other Veira shot back casually with a bit of a head shake, "you just got us a little worried, that's all. It's been crazy enough here, we've been having trouble keeping things under control." I nodded and sighed. "So I've heard. Well, sorry to disturb you," I said, looking up. Again, the archer smiled, and rose. "No, it's cool. You two don't have too much fun now," she said with a friendly wave and walked off. I chuckled and turned back to Ellah, who was sitting up now. "We sould be heading back now, I suppose," she said, looking a little miffed, and I picked up her Mistle Robe. "Yeah, but don't get so down about it. We can always play later," I said with a light grin and tossed her garment back, then stood to retrieve my gear. I think he's around here, somewhere... I pondered to myself, hoping I woldn't get any more of the Rangers from their beauty sleep. As the mage dressed, Alex stood and gave a short and crisp whistle. Ellah moved to rise, and the thief assisted her. Her ears picked up the sound of faint rustling nearby, and she gave the Human a quizzical look. "What did you just do?" He only smiled, however, and looked expectantly to the clump of trees and brush that the sound came from. "Just calling for a ride," was all that was said. As the Veira opened her mouth, she heard a loud crunch of dead vegitation and turned to find a red blur leaping from the cliff. Ellah watched in amazement as the red panther bounnded happily over to the Human, who promply knelt and began to pet the creature like an exceptionally large housecat. "Hey, Sifer! How've you been, boy?" he said happily as he ruffled the panther's head, and it meowled happily in response. Alex looked over at the dumbstruck mage and smiled. "I told you I learned things," he said cheerily as he scratched the beast behind the ears. "Sifer, go say hi to the nice lady," the boy told it, and it quickly trotted over and nuzzled up against the Veira's legs, much like some big-but-social cat would do. Timidly, she reached down and petted the head of the panther, and it gave her a light lick on the hand. Ellah gave a small "Eep!" in surprise and pulled her hand away, and the creature returned to rubbing itself on her, purring contentedly. Much like a very big, but very tame cat. "It's allright," the thief said with a laugh, "he won't bite. If you haven't noticed yet, he's a little bigger than most red panthers, and a lot nicer to boot." The mage looked down at the beast, and mentally noted that he was, indeed, larger than an average red panther, as Alex knelt again and pulled out a few Curealls and fed them to Sifer. "Yep, he helps me out sometimes," he said hapilly as the panther ate, "and I keep him fed pretty regularly." He stood and offered a hand to the confused girl. "In fact, I usually call him when I need to be somewhere fast. Like now," quipped as the Veira took his hand, and he led her to sit on the big cat. "You sure he won't mind?" she asked, still a little wary of the situation. Instead of Alex answering like she expected, though, the panther meowred gladly again and gave her a friendly look. The Human laughed and got on. "Yeah, you tell her. C'mon, we're headed back to the pub." Not to far from the now-empty clearing a pair of Rangers stood quietly. The archer nodded and spoke to her companion. "It was her, no doubt about it. Forgive me for asking, but why's it so important?" The other Veira, a summoner, smiled softly. "She's just an old friend, and I have been unable to spaek with her for quite some time. I'm just glad to know she's well," the horned figure said with a trace of joy. "Her choice of lover is certainly odd, but he belongs to a respectable clan." The archer tilted her head in silent query. "Chrysalis," her companion told her, and her head snapped back up. "Really?" the archer said with a bit of enthusiasm. "I've heard a lot of stories about them," she murmured in amazement to the smiling summoner. "Yes, I am sure you have. Come, we need to get some sleep before dawn." * * * There, done! How'd you all like the 1st person perspective? I'm still experimenting around with it, so I may or may not keep it, depending. That being said, however, I DO intend to put more yiff in next chappy, along with the arrival of the group at the Palace. Yay! Happy times, all!