Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:48:36 -0700
From: Amethyst Rose <thepleiadescall@gmail.com>
Subject: Final Fantasy Rosa Part 4

Disclaimer: All rights for the Final Fantasy series goes to Square
Enix. This story is a fan fiction in this franchise universe, categorized
under fan fiction.

This story is obviously fiction. This story will also involve sexual and
intimate relationships between two (or more) males, and if this offends you
or it is illegal for you to be reading, then please leave. If you are under
the age of consent for your community, please leave. And if it does offend
you, I honestly don't know why you're even here in the first place. I mean,
seriously. Come on.

			    Final Fantasy: Rosa

				    IV

			      Deus ex Chocobo

Silver closed his eyes. He searched his memory further, trying to form his
mouth around the spells he had so intently memorized in school. But no
matter how hard he tried, it just wouldn't work. Silver moaned in
frustration; Fog was a spell that caused amnesia. There was no way he could
use magic now.

Not that it mattered, now that he would be executed. Silver made a pathetic
noise to himself. He was never as brave as he let on. He almost gave in
after the torture; and even though he told Void otherwise, he secretly
wished he had never cast Blizzard on him.

Now he was wet and cold, alone in a dark cell, awaiting doom. He knew he
was taking a risk by going undercover. He knew that it was life or death
every day. But now that he was awaiting the other end of the spectrum, it
didn't seem like it was worth it. Silver whimpered. And the lives he saved;
the soldiers he healed and the towns he prevented from ambush. It was all
for naught, now that the rose was in the Impirium's hands. What more could
be done? All that was left to do was wait. Silver tried to fall asleep,
feeling the metal cuffs above him cut into his wrists as he let them hang
limp. Silver wondered if he should count himself lucky that he was leaving
this world.

Silver thought it was his imagination when he heard a soft digging noise to
his right. He shook it off, not bothering to open his eyes. He heard it
again; it must've been someone in another cell, making a ruckus with their
chains. But he noticed that it was growing louder and louder. Silver still
tried to shake it off, until he heard a noise he knew wasn't his
imagination. It was soft and muffled, and Silver wondered if he was going
insane:

"...wark!"

Then another noise; a chiseling sound, like metal on rock. Silver opened
his eyes. The sound was coming from above. He probed the stonewall ceiling,
and gasped when he saw dust pouring from a portion of the ceiling in the
corner. The chiseling noise went at a slow pace, and each time it resounded
Silver saw the stones push down further from their foundations.

Finally, there was a crash; instead of one brick falling down, like Silver
anticipated, the entire corner of the ceiling fell to the ground. Silver
squinted from the cloud of dust and the catastrophic noise. A tall, fit
figure with dark hair and a red scarf emerged from the wreckage, coughing
and wiping dust off his black clothes. He looked around. "Huh." his voice
was light-hearted, and to Silver a bit out of place.

Tori took a second to let his eyes adjust to the dark, but he didn't have
much time. The door to the cell flung open. Two guards entered, their
spears at the ready. One of them looked from the ceiling to Tori, his eyes
wide. "What the hell?" Tori was quicker. He reached into his belt, pulling
out two small bottles. He threw them at the ground under the guards before
they could even blink an eye. A purple vapor erupted from the liquid and
went into the guards' nostrils. Within seconds, their spears clattered to
the ground and the guards fell over, fast asleep.

Tori gave a satisfied sigh. He walked over and dragged the bodies further
into the cell, then closed the cell door. He finally turned his attention
to the white mage in chains. Tori hadn't seen Silver with his hood off
before, and he stopped in his tracks, his mouth a little bit agape. Now
that he was face to face with him, Tori couldn't help but marvel at
Silver's prettiness. Tori also realized that it was possible Silver was
actually younger than himself.

Silver wondered what the man was staring at. He withdrew as much as he
could, and spoke mousily. "Who are you?"

Tori snapped out of his daze. "I'm Tori. Hey, your name's Silver, right?"
Silver nodded, confused. Tori gave a gorgeous smile. "Great." Tori strode
forward and bent down over Silver. Silver tensed up a little, due to the
proximity that Tori suddenly had with him. It was an awkward position, with
Tori kneeling close to Silver's legs and his chest a breath away from
Silver's face. Silver averted his eyes in some fear. He heard Tori's voice
above him. "Hey, relax. I'm picking your locks."

Just as he finished saying that, Silver felt the metal cuffs unbuckle, and
he let his limp arms fall to his chest. He barely had any strength to move
them at this point. Tori moved to the shackles on Silver's ankles. While
there, he noticed Silver's thin wrists folded on his lap, nasty red gashes
in contrast with his pale skin. Tori looked up at him. "Are you okay?"

Silver nodded. Tori finished with the ankle cuffs. Silver finally met
Tori's gaze. "I-uh... maybe I asked the wrong question. Why are you helping
me?"

Tori raised an eyebrow. "What, you don't wanna be saved?"

"I'm just confused. How did you come to be here?"

"Well, it wasn't easy. Let's just say it's not a good idea to put dungeons
under the chocobo stables."

"N-no, I meant- I meant why you're saving me, or how you knew who I was,
or... or any of that. I don't even know you!" Silver said. He was regaining
some strength in his voice.

"Hey, now listen. I don't know about you, but I'd be grateful if someone
swooped in, risked their lives, and saved MY skin. Sheesh. I don't have to
be here right now; I could be getting loot right now instead of helping
you..." Tori seemed annoyed, and Silver looked away, hurt. Tori realized
what he said, and he bit his lip in panic.

Silver drew his knees to his chest. "I'm sorry... I'm really grateful, I
just don't know what's going on."

Tori knew he should have been saying sorry, not Silver, but he was never
good at apologies. He blushed at his own blunder and continued. "Okay, umm,
I don't know you, and you don't know me. I was just spying on your trial,
and I thought it was unfair. So now I'm helping you." Tori got to his feet,
and stretched out a hand for Silver. "Come on, let's get outta here."

Silver grabbed Tori's hand, and through the fingerless gloves Tori could
feel the Silver's soft skin. Tori dragged Silver to his feet. But Tori
could see Silver's legs wobbling under his robes. Inevitably, Silver wasn't
strong enough to stand, and he fell over forwards; Tori put his arms under
Silver's, supporting him in what seemed like a hug. Silver was extremely
embarrassed now, and he struggled to muster the strength to stand on his
own, but he couldn't. "I-I-I'm so sorry, I was drained, and I can
hardly... hardly walk, I can't-"

Tori easily supported Silver, who was lighter than Tori thought was
healthy. Silver still couldn't stand by himself, and Tori began to wonder
what the Impirium did to him. "Alright. Alright, no, it's okay. Look, I'll
help you get over to the corner, and then we'll almost be out." Tori now
supported Silver up with his right arm, and Silver draped his left arm over
Tori's shoulder. Tori prevented Silver from falling over with his own left
arm, which was pressed firmly on Silver's chest. He walked Silver over the
debris until they were both under the hole Tori made. Tori looked up it and
whistled.

There was a faint "Wark!" and a white rope descended the hole.Tori looked
over at Silver and winked. "Love chocobos." Silver blushed. Tori motioned
to the rope. "Alright, you can go first. Just hold onto the rope, and the
chocobo will-" Tori stopped. He looked at Silver's wrists again. Tori
remembered that Silver's arms were chained above his head for who a little
more than an hour now, and he didn't look particularly strong. Tori bit his
lip. "...Okay. Here's what we'll do." Tori leaned Silver against the
wall. He firmly grabbed onto the rope with both of his hands above his
head. He motioned to Silver. "Come here, and swing your arms around my
neck."

Silver shifted his eyes. "Huh?"

"Look, you're not strong enough to do it yourself. Just get over here and
do what I say." Again, Silver looked hurt, and again, Tori reprimanded
himself. Silver came close to Tori, and like he said, wrapped his arms
around Tori's neck. Their chests were plastered to each other, and Tori
could feel Silver's faint breathing. Silver purposely avoided looking at
Tori's face, even though they were less than inches away; now Tori felt
especially mad at himself. He gave another whistle. The rope retracted up
the hole.

Silver really must have been light, because Tori hardly felt his weight
while he was hanging off his body. Silver seemed scared, and he held on
tighter onto Tori as they ascended the pit. As comforting as the proximity
was to Tori, he knew it would have to end as soon as they reached the
surface.

Tori brushed hay off his clothes, and Silver sat right back down again on
the ground. The white chocobo that pulled the rope up went to Tori and
nuzzled him; Tori laughed, reaching into his bag and surprisingly pulling
out a carrot that he gave to it. Silver reached over for a large pile of
hay, covering up the hole. He spoke quietly. "What do we do now?"

Tori looked over. The light wasn't particularly bright due to the dark
moon, but it was still brighter than in the dungeon. Silver looked even
better in the starlight. Tori cleared his throat. "Uh, your carriage hasn't
left yet. I think the driver's having a drink. I'll turn us invisible, and
we'll exit when he does."

Silver seemed impressed. "You know how to do magic?"

"Ah, well." Tori scratched the back of his head. "Just Invis. It's enough
to get around. You're a wizard though, you must know tons of stuff."

"Not anymore. Someone cast Fog on me. I'm trying to remember my spells,
but-" Silver clutched his head. "-it's so frustrating, I can't do it
anymore. Only the really weak ones."

Tori perked up. He put a finger to his lips, and bent down next to
Silver. He put an arm around him (which Silver seemed distraught by), and
put his other palm up. "Meek light, be our graceful guide. Invis."

The cold feeling enveloped them both, and Tori felt Silver shiver in his
arm. They continued crouching; the driver, just a touch bit tipsy, entered
the stable and petted the chocobos. He didn't seem upset that one of them
was out of its pen, but when he tried to pet it it seemed quite
dissatisfied. He led the chocobos out.

Tori whispered in Silver's direction, unsure as to exactly where his ear
was. "Can you walk?"

There was a hesitation. He heard Silver back. "No. I'm sorry."

Tori bit his lip. "Then hold on, and promise you'll stay quiet." Tori felt
for Silver's legs. Finding them, Tori put his right arm under them, and his
left arm supporting Silver's back. Silver gave a small gasp as Tori swept
him up, and then marveled at how fast Tori could run while still holding
him.

The chocobo carriage was going back down the palace path, towards the
walls. Tori followed it on foot; the walls opened for the carriage, and
Tori expertly slipped out along with it. He let out a breath, letting it
speed ahead of them, and took a slower pace as he started to descend the
hills back down to the city.

Silver spoke louder now that they were out of the palace. "Um. Thank
you. For saving me."

Tori raised his eyebrow, but of course Silver couldn't see. Wasn't that the
second or third time he had thanked him now? "Look, it's no
problem. Alright? I see things that I don't like, and I fix them. It's not
like you're special." Tori mouthed a curse word, realizing he probably just
hurt Silver again for the nth time after meeting him. Tori started to feel
like an immense dick after a long moment of silence.

The part of the city Tori was treading became slowly more populated as he
went. He dodged and ducked between people all the while. Silver spoke over
the rabble. "What do you do for a living, Tori?"

"Hm? Oh, uh... I, um... Steal things."

"Oh."

"Look, don't get on my case, alright? It's not our fault that things are
like this, we're forced to steal in order to eat! It's the Impirium's
fault! We have to starve so people like you can afford fancy robes..."
Another silence. Tori had never screwed up this badly with someone before;
he just remembered that Silver was part of the Rebellion, so he probably
knew everything he was saying and more.

Silver cleared his throat. Tori wondered if he hated him by now. "Sorry. I
didn't mean it like that." Silver said.

Tori was baffled. So many thank you's, and so many sorry's that he
should've been saying, not Silver. Tori shook his head. They had already
reached the orphanage. He stepped into the doorway, jumped over Daryl, and
walked into his room. Adrienne was perched at a table, playing a cardgame
with herself.

"Adrienne!" Tori yelled. Adrienne jumped so high she nearly hit the
ceiling; she looked behind her, left and right. She reached for her rod on
the table behind her. "Adrienne, it's Tori."

"Tori?!" Adrienne growled. "Dammit! I swear, you're such an asshole!"  Tori
snapped his fingers. The Invis wore off, and light began to hit them
again. Adrienne's mouth gaped open, seeing the white mage in Tori's
arms. "Okay, what the hell did you do?"

Tori had a look on his face like a child who knew he was naughty. He put
Silver down on his own bed. "Um... It's complicated. Adrienne, this is
Silver. Silver, Adrienne."

Adrienne looked down at the white mage, who seemed very scared. "Hi." she
turned her attention back to Tori. "I'll ask again. What did you do?"

"He saved me." Silver spoke up from the bed. Adrienne and Tori both turned
their attention to him. "I was a wizard on the airship. But the General
found out I was a rebel, and after I didn't do what he said, he arrested
me. I was going to be executed tomorrow, but Tori saved me."

"Oh, shit. You're a rebel." Adrienne looked to Tori. "Look, as much as I
support the Rebellion, this is not good. This is really, really not
good. We're harboring a known rebel, and who knows what could-"

There was a scream outside. Adrienne turned to look out the window. Tori
jumped on his toes. "I'll check it-"

"No, you won't. I will." Adrienne got to the door before he did. She
pointed to his chest. "You've gotten in enough trouble already. I'll check
it out, and I'll be right back."

Silence pervaded as Tori was left alone with Silver. Silver still seemed
afraid of him, refusing to meet his gaze. Tori, however, was intent on
looking Silver over; in the fairly bright light of their room, he noticed
something he should've noticed before- Silver was soaked from head to toe,
his robe sticking to his body, his hair wet and studded with droplets. He
was shivering from the cold.

Tori sat in the chair across from the bed. Silver still didn't look at
him. "Hey. Why're you so wet?" Tori decided to ask.

"I was tortured. Before you got there." Silver said it quite
matter-of-factly, and Tori was surprised. He opened his mouth in panic, but
Silver continued. "The new White Wizard did most of it. She was the one who
cast Fog on me. But the Black Wizard was my friend back on the airship. She
forced him to cast Blizzard on me, so that's how I got wet."

Tori cleared his throat. He definitely felt like a dick now. He spoke a
little bit more gently, trying to seem friendlier. "Look. You're gonna need
to take that robe off."

Silver looked at Tori as though he were speaking another language. "B-but,
I barely have anything on under this."

More awkward silence, this time as Silver realized what he had just
said. Silver blushed, and Tori briefly took interest in the prospect that
Silver put out. Tori wasn't sure why his eyes were involuntarily scanning
Silver's body, taking in every contour of that was artfully detailed by the
robe, skin-tight in its wetness: a supple but athletic torso, thin legs, a
fragile figure tapering to Silver's pretty face... But Tori quickly turned
away anyway, dismissing the thoughts from his head. "Well. Then no wonder
why you're so cold." Tori walked over to an old dresser, and pulled out
several articles of clothing: all black. He handed them to Silver, along
with a towel. Silver took them gingerly, and Tori turned around. "Go ahead,
I won't look."

Tori heard the rustling of robes behind him. Silver, making sure Tori was
keeping to his promise, carefully pulled the long white robe over his
head. He rolled it up and placed it next to him. Silver now turned around
on the bed, facing the wall; embarrassed to expose his private parts, even
if Tori wasn't looking. He slipped off his undergarments, and began to dry
himself with the towel.

While Silver had his back turned, Tori did indeed take tiny peeks from the
corner of his eye. Silver's body was willowy and graceful. Tori wasn't
really sure why he was peeking or what was going on in his head, so he
cleared his throat to distract himself. "Um... so you were a White Wizard
on the airship?"

"Yes." Silver ruffled through the clothes that Tori provided. He slipped on
the black cotton pants, which fit him surprisingly well; tight enough to
shape to his legs but baggy enough to be comfortable. He tightened the cord
and tied it off.

"That's pretty cool. I always thought Wizards were old, though. How old are
you?"

Silver slipped on the black t-shirt. It was long, going down over the belt
of his pants, but very snug, sticking to the contours of his torso. "I'm
19."

"Whoa, really? You're just a year younger than me. I didn't know wizards
could be that young."

"They can. The one that's taking my place is 16. Her name is Winnie
Sharp. I heard about her before; the new darling of the Impirium. She's
loyal like a foxhound. I guess they start them when they're young."

"So can you still do magic?"

Silver took the last piece of clothing, a tight black cargo vest, and put
it on. "I can only remember a couple of my spells right now. Um... I can't
remember any time magic. But I know Cure, Dia, Protect, Swap maybe... and
Poisona." he looked for some gloves, but was disturbed to not see any. He
rubbed his tender hands together.

Tori perked up. "Poisona?"

"Yeah. It's pretty simple. It heals poison."

"Silver, can I-" Tori turned around. Silver sat on the bed, dressed in the
clothes. Tori didn't think it would work out, but Silver looked perfect in
them. The black showed off his skinny figure and contrasted with his fair
hair and skin. "...Umm, I'm glad the clothes fit. They were old ones I grew
out of."

"Thank you for giving them to me."

"Err." Tori blushed. "No problem. You uhh, you look good in them." Now
Silver blushed again. Tori had to call this the most awkward night he ever
went through. "So can I ask you something?"

Silver seemed a little confused at his quick response. "Sure."

"I know someone. His name is Seb, and he's been poisoned real bad, and we
can't afford any antidote, so-"

"I'll heal him." Silver said.

Tori looked at him; he was dead serious. "...Really?"

"Whether I'm working for the Impirium or the rebels, it's always my job to
heal.  But..."

"But what?" Silver gave Tori a very regretful look. Tori accidentally
became defensive. "Well, what?"

Silver backed down again, growing passive. "I need Ether. They drained my
MP before I was imprisoned."

"What's that?"

"Magical Power."

"No, Ether."

Silver seemed a little surprised that he didn't know. "Uh, it's, uh a type
of potion. It's made from a Wei Grass compound."

Tori looked surprised now. "Oh. You mean Crystal Brandy. Sure, I can make
some."

Silver's eyes widened. "You... you can make it?"

"Don't be so astonished." Tori walked over to his desk. He procured several
small glass bottles and a glass, pouring out the correct proportions. "You
know that potion I used to knock out the guards? I made that too."

"Wow. That's... amazing."

Tori felt his face growing redder. For some reason, he felt particularly
gratified when Silver complimented him. He swirled the mixture he made in
its glass, and handed it to Silver. "It's not amazing. A lot of thieves
learn to be chemists also."

Silver gulped the glass down. "But you- do you know how hard it is to make
Ether? Or sleeping potions? We need master chemists in order to make
Ether." he pouted. "And I know I'm terrible at chemistry. It's too hard for
me."

"Yeah, well it's harder to figure out mixtures than to wave a wand around
and memorize poems." Tori instantly regretted the words that came out of
his mouth, and he couldn't figure out why the hell he was letting them
escape in such a way.

Silver was definitely wounded now, and he put the glass down on a nearby
table. He turned away from Tori. "Th-thanks for the ether. And the
clothes. Um. I'll heal your friend now, if you want." Silver swiveled
around, and to Tori's dismay, tried to get on his feet. His legs wobbled,
and he barely propped himself up on the edge of the bed.

"Hey, I can carry you if you can't walk!"

"It's okay. I don't have to bother you. Just show me where he is." With a
flash of light, a cypress staff appeared in Silver's hands. He leaned
completely dependent on it, and Tori could see his arms shaking.

Tori looked warily at Silver. Silver still didn't look at him, and it was
obvious that he probably wouldn't let Tori touch him. Tori opened the door
for Silver and walked slowly, leading him across the hall to Seb's room.

The room was dark and stuffy, the drapes closed on the window, only a small
lamp illuminating Seb's bedside. Tori led Seb in further. They could hear
the sound of rattled breathing coming from the bed.

Tori darted to a corner of the room, picking up a wooden chair and placing
it by the bed. He helped Silver sit down, although Silver seemed reluctant
to receive any help at all. Silver leaned his head over Seb; Seb was just
slightly older than Tori, and looked more mature and rugged than him. His
hair was short and dark brown, his face was shiny with sweat. His eyes were
closed, a wet cloth on his forehead.

Silver turned to Tori. "What happened?"

"He wasn't careful. One of the houses he broke into had a Black Flan as a
guard pet."

"Who keeps Flan as a pet?"

Tori averted his eyes. "Well, people get bored..."

Silver bent down over Seb. "This should be quick work." He held his staff
in his hands. His voice was quiet yet commanding. "White wind, cleanse
toxic impurity. Poisona." A green cloud evaporated from Seb's body; Tori
made a disgusted noise, retracting from Seb as if he were a dead
possum. The cloud eventually dissipated.

"Is he better now?"

Silver didn't turn to face Tori. "Life's refreshing breeze, blow in
energy. Cure." A glowing silvery wind conjured in the air, swirling above
Seb's body and illuminating it with white light. Tori paused,
awestruck. Silver put his staff down and calmly watched, not moving from
his seat. The silver wind and pure light subsided. Silver gave Tori a
cursory glance. "He's healed."

Tori approached the back of Silver's chair slowly. He nearly jumped when
Seb opened his eyes and sat up in his bed, as if awoken from a
nightmare. The wet cloth on his forehead dropped to the ground, and he
wildly looked around. "Wh-what happened?!"

Silver put down his staff, and placed his hands out on Seb's chest, pushing
him back down again. "Shh. You're okay. But the poison was in your system
for a very long time, so it's likely your muscles have atrophied. Take it
slow for now."

Seb seemed confused, but he took Silver's advise anyway, settling in on his
pillow. Tori marveled at the gentleness Silver handled a stranger with. Seb
focused in on Silver's face, and gave a very bright smile. "Hey there."

"Hi."

"I'm Seb. Did you heal me?"

Silver opened his mouth to answer, but Tori cut in. "This is my
cousin. To-Tobin. He just moved in the other night, and he knew some white
magic."

Seb furrowed his eyebrows, looking to see who talked. He relaxed
again. "Oh. Hi, Tori. Hey, but I thought you were an orphan."

Tori clenched his teeth. "Well, yeah. Orphans can have cousins too, can't
they?"

Seb seemed skeptical. He scanned Silver over. "...He doesn't look like
you." Seb laughed, fixing his eyes on Silver. "Besides, he's too pretty to
be *your* cousin!"

Silver blushed madly. Tori shook his head, sticking out his tongue. "Shut
the fuck up, Seb. I swear... in a coma for a week and you still haven't
changed."

"Ha! As if. So, Tobin. What brings you to this hellhole?"

Silver caught on quickly. "I just arrived from Quatra. Things are pretty
bad over there, I thought it would be better here with my... cousin."

Seb nodded. "Ah. Quatra."

Tori put his hand on Silver's shoulder. "He's very tired, `cos he walked
here. So anyway, we should probably get some rest ourselves." Silver picked
up his staff, and propped himself up again. Tori trailed Silver out the
door.

Seb tried to get up again. "Hey! Hey, I wanna talk to Tobin some more!"

Tori waved at him. "Adrienne left some loot for you. Bye!" Tori shut the
door behind him. He sighed and looked to Silver, who now leaned against the
far wall. "Thanks for healing him. Don't worry about Seb; he loves to mess
with people."

Silver looked a little bit jarred. "I guess I have to get used to being
called Tobin, huh?"

Before Tori could respond, he and Silver saw Adrienne rushing back down the
hallway. "What's up?" Tori asked.

Adrienne pushed Tori and Silver into their room, not speaking a word until
she had shut the door behind her. She pointed at Silver. "You gotta go."

Silver opened his eyes wider. "What?"

"You have to go." Adrienne ran to the other side of the room, drawing the
curtains on the window pane. "There are palace guards outside looking for
you. They're searching houses."

Tori looked at Silver, who was still having trouble standing. "No way. We
can't. I'll cast Invis, and-"

"The guards were bringing around some white wizard. She's a total bitch,
and she's leading the entire expedition. There's no way an invisibility
spell would trick her."

"Um, look." Silver spoke up again, and Tori and Adrienne diverted their
attention to him. "Maybe I should just turn myself in... If they catch you
guys, then they'll put you to death too."

"No!" Tori gave a surprising outburst, making Silver and Adrienne
jump. Tori looked at Silver. "We'll get you outta here. We'll go out the
back way."

Adrienne pouted. "I hate the back way!"

"Then what are your feelings on execution?"

"...Ok, fine!" Adrienne quickly went to a pair of large black drapes in the
back of the room that Silver was surprised he hadn't noticed before. With a
great sort of frustration, she flung them open. A windowpane with ancient
foggy glass loomed in the wall. In the dark of night, Silver couldn't see
where it led.

Tori walked over and pried the window open with much effort. The shivering
evening air swept in, banishing warmth. Adrienne pushed him out of the way,
taking her time stepping out through the window. Silver turned around; a
commotion sounded outside the door, and it could be heard through the thin
walls. Yelling, screaming, and angry rabble.

Tori swung one leg out the window, straddling the frame briefly. He
outstretched his palm to Silver, who hadn't budged. "Come on!"

The noise outside grew louder. Seeing no other option besides the one
behind the door, Silver grabbed Tori's hand.

Out in the hallway, Seb had finally gotten to standing, although his knees
evidently wobbled. Winnie Sharp motioned the three knights that accompanied
her forward. "You. Open the doors."

Seb looked to his left at his room, and his right at Tori and Adrienne's
room. He thought of Tobin. "...What doors?"

Winnie rolled her eyes. "You're kidding, right? Those doors! Left! Right!
Move it!"

"Do I know you?"

"Do *I* know *you*? No. But that doesn't stop me from raiding your house,
and it better not stop you from getting out of my way!" Winnie attempted to
push her way past Seb, but Seb was surprisingly strong.

"I'm awfully sorry, miss. I've been poisoned real bad, and I'm having
trouble moving anywhere."

Winnie gave a fake grin. "Oh. Sorry to hear that." she turned
around. "Guards? Pick him up, move him out of the way. So stupid..."

One of the iron-armor clad knights stepped forward and with amazing
strength, literally lifted Seb straight off the ground. With a frustrated
series of moans and a furious struggle, the knight successfully lifted Seb
out of Winnie's way.

Winnie checked the door on the right; empty, smelled a little musty, like
poisoned people. She wrinkled her nose from distaste. She turned to the
door on the left, slowly creaking it open. Perhaps expecting to something,
she slammed it suddenly. No one. Just an empty room with a pair of
fluttering drapes.

                                           - + - + - + - +

"Did you hear?"

Jennings had run into the frame of the door. All of the soldiers who were
eating a late dinner looked up from their food, confused.

Biggs chewed and swallowed his bit of sandwich, and Wedge across the table
from him handed him a napkin. "What?"

"Silver! He escaped!"

There was a gentle rabble in the dining room. Some heartened chuckles, some
silence. Wedge looked at Biggs, shook his head then laughed. "What does
this mean?" Biggs asked.

Wedge's eyes lit up, as brief memory of Silver tutoring him in Altamine
Academy returned. He remembered his first passing grade in Magic Mechanics
Class, and the beaming pride on Silver's face when he heard the news. He
smiled, and thoughtfully rubbed his chin. "It means that maybe there's
still hope after all."

                                                   -+-+-+-

                                            To be continued...

"Fun" fact for fans!: Wedge's name was at one point Conrad, and Biggs also
had a different name that I don't quite remember anymore. But then someone
reminded me that Biggs and Wedge were reoccuring names in FF, and I
realized that hey, they fit perfectly! Along similar lines, Adrienne used
to be named Alison after my favorite singer of all time Alison Goldfrapp,
but... I changed it for some reason. :P

Hello every-body,

Long chapter, yes it is. And a super-awkward chapter for Tori! Wow, he's
really bad at this. Maybe he'll figure out how to talk to people he likes
later on, but right now he's really quite a doofus. I wonder what Silver
thinks of him?

Thanks for reading this far ^^.

Questions? Comments? Recommendations? Fan Mail? Hate Mail, maybe? Wanna
just chat? Email me at ThePleiadesCall@gmail.com . Love to hear from you!



If you like FF Rosa, maybe there's the very vague possibility you'll like
other stories I've submitted:

Charmed Reborn (Celebrity), Pokemon: Amethyst (Celebrity), Teth (Fantasy),
Diana Celes (High School), and Hallow (Sci-Fi/Fantasy).