"Right!" Quinn exclaimed, having put his flute away and fastened his sack on his back, "This is the day we reach Nota."
Nina flew over and landed on his shoulder. He was in a relatively good mood, which was great, all things considered. By that, she really hoped he would be cut some slack when the time came to cross Illusion Forest.
"Are you ready to leave?" he asked.
"Sure. I can feel the call of civilization." She got an eager look on her face. "Say, you think we could get some fish when we get there? I haven't had any fresh fish for ages. I mean, since you said we're going to spend the night there, anyway."
"I see no reason why not. I guess we'll just have to see whether Frey's is still open when we get there. You know..." he got a curious look on his face, "...I can't wait to piss off that waiter again. When we get there, make sure to be quite visible to him. Perhaps you should enter first, and select the table and whatever else that would require you to talk to him. Oh, but I know I would enjoy seeing that." By now, Quinn looked like he could barely hold back the laughter.
Nina, however, just stared ahead in shocked silence. When she finally regained her ability to speak, she said, "Yeah! We have to try that." Her face lit up in mischievous glee. "I'm really looking forward to this now."
"He'll have to kiss your furry butt."
The silence lasted for a couple of seconds, broken first by Nina.
"Eeeeuw!"
And then the laughter commenced. It lasted for quite a while.
"Okay, we'll better be going," Quinn said, still chuckling.
"Yeah. Can't miss this opportunity," she replied, taking flight and hovering in front of Quinn. "You lead the way."
And with that, he left, his usual jogging/running speed upheld and Nina on wings not far behind.
Kaira truly enjoyed her service in times like these.
With the setting sun, the city was bathed in a reddish glow. The wind that rode from over the plains calmed the temperature down to refreshing levels. And with most of the business closed for the day, the city was mostly quiet. Oh, there was faint music and laughter coming from the bars, but those just added to the scene of tranquility that colored the city right now. Sometimes people would come staggering out, singing and swinging half empty wine bottles around. They would add something else to the scene.
At the inn close by, the lights shone from each of the windows, illuminating the streets with squares of light on the ground. The people who occasionally came by, either from or to the inn, would wave in her direction if they noticed her standing by the temple gate, or come over for a short talk.
Oh yes, it was good to be here.
She noticed two coming out of the inn. At first she thought he was alone, the blonde haired boy, but that was before she noticed the creature sitting on one of his shoulders. But now they were heading right in the direction of the temple, or for her. And now, this close, she noticed that the boy did not have blonde, but white hair. And he wore a big grin.
"Hello, Kaira. We were happy to hear that you were on duty tonight. We never really got to thank you in person the last time we were here." He stretched out a hand in greeting.
The priestess looked a bit closer at the boy. She barely remembered him, but it did seem like it was the soaked, pale and tired boy that had appeared at her temple about two or three weeks ago, at her last night-service. She hadn't really gotten a good look at him; tired as he was, she thought it was best that he'd be sent to bed. She hadn't seen him since, either, as he had left the next day, the day she had off. But one of the fellow priests had delivered his thanks for him, so she thought no more of it. It was her duty, after all.
The creature sitting on his shoulder she knew all too well, however.
The dragon still wore the scar she had been marked with, it would seem like. But she looked like she suffered no permanent damage from the wound. She was a bit surprised to still see them together. Her father had been by Nota barely a week ago, apparently very upset, asking for his 'wayward' daughter. Although the presence of a dragon, even in human form, at the temple had shocked, awed or generally unnerved the temple staff, he had gotten his answers quickly.
In any case, it would seem like the boy and the baby dragon actually had both become quite good friends.
Then, she noticed that the boy still had his hand outstretched. Sheepishly, she accepted it.
"Oh, that. I received your thanks from the priests, so there's no need worry about it." The priestess looked at Nina, "I'm a bit surprised to see you around, seeing as your father is looking for you, with intentions to ground you for quite a while."
She winced a bit at that. "We've already met. And I will be, when this journey is over."
"I see." The priestess looked a bit amused at that. "Now... Quinn, was it?" she inquired, looking at him. At his nod, she continued, "Would you perhaps be so kind as to tell me about your travels and why your grandfather isn't with you?"
"Oh! Er... sure, I suppose." Quinn scratched the back of his head. "But we will have to save it for when we have gotten ourselves something to eat. It's a long story, and we thought we'd catch Frey's before he closes for the night. But we can come by the temple afterwards for a talk if you like." Then, as an afterthought, he added, "I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised that you know my grandfather. He probably trades with you when he's here."
"Oh, yes. He's been quite the help for us. Give him our thanks next time you see him, and I will see you both when you return. I'll be, as you probably would have guessed, at the temple."
A moment later they found themselves at the door of Frey's, their minds put to rest by the "open" sign and the sounds of someone working in the kitchen. Now if only...
"Hello, and welcome to Frey's." The voice greeting them in entering was light of tone and warm of heart, which meant...
"Drat." Nina voiced her displeasure of having her entertainment partly ruined. She had really been looking forward to it, too.
"Oh well," Quinn added, "I guess we'll just have to come back later then. Unless he quit."
"Or got fired." Nina shot in, rolling her eyes but smiling a devilish grin. "That'll be more likely, if you ask me."
"Er... Excuse me, " the owner of the voice said, "...but can I help you with anything, like show you to a table or something?" She had gone up to them, and was now gesturing towards the tables in a 'come in and sit down' manner.
"Oh," Nina's attention turned back to the 'now', "...yes, and thank you."
"No prob. Hey, you're a dragon, aren't you? You must be the 'pet' that made 'Frankie' go into such a snit a few weeks ago. You should have heard him. He made such a big fuss about it after you left, right up to the point that he nearly got himself fired." She showed them to a table but continued as she put the menus down. "Oh, but I would have loved to see it. He can be such a pretentious snob sometimes. I never stop wondering why Frey hired him in the first place."
"Well, I'm still up to pissing him off someday. We'll just have to come later, when he's on work," Nina said, her devious smile deepening. "Now, if we only knew his schedule."
"I can help with that," the waitress added, grinning widely. "But only if I can watch the show when it starts."
"You can have front row seats, if you like," Nina replied, her eyes lightening up and her grin deepening more.
"Great," the waitress said. "So... how soon do you want to do this? Tomorrow perhaps? He's on the evening shift tomorrow."
Both Nina and Quinn's face fell a little at that. "Well, I guess we're going to have to take a raincheck on that, then. We're heading out tomorrow at dawn, I'm afraid."
"Oh," the waitress said, clearly disappointed. "Then, please promise me that you'll include me in on the show when you get here the next time. I really don't want to miss it."
"You've got yourself a deal," Nina finished and turned her attention on the menu. With her wings folded, she looked all the more like a cat, thus she made a rather odd sight when she sat there, opening the menu with her front paws and reading through it.
Upon selecting the desired meals for the evening, the waitress left for the kitchen. A while later, the meals arrived, and Quinn and Nina both eagerly devoured the contents, though with good table manners on both parts.
And when they were finished, Quinn had himself some herbal tea, and the both of them just sat there for a while before they decided it was time to head over towards the temple.
"Ah, welcome to the sanctuary of Althena, Quinn and Nina," Kaira said as the people in question entered through the main gate. They were both quickly ushered to one of the side rooms, where a sofa lined the back wall, a table in front with a couple of chairs on the other side. A chandelier hung low over the table, its light dimly illuminating the area surrounding it enough to see the tapestries lining the walls, but not enough to make out the motives.
"Please, have a seat, both of you," she continued, gesturing towards the seats. "I'm looking a bit forward to your tales. It will be a nice break from the reading I usually do on my night shifts. I do love to read, but I need to do something different from time to time."
"Yeah, well, where should I start, though." He looked thoughtful for a second. "I suppose the whole thing started four months before we met the first time, when I was here with my gramps. I just didn't know it yet..."
And Quinn launched into the tale of the painful seizures that grew in severity and marked the necessity of leaving on his journey. Kaira asked about the illness and, naturally, offered to see if she could cure it, but Quinn told her that it would probably do no good, and that she should hear the rest of the story for the 'why'.
Then he continued.
He spoke of the carnival and his friends there, learning that Kaira knew Roine, too, as he had grown up in the village Kaira lived in before moving here. Resuming again, he spoke of Tomari and Shin, adding a little about the past and the happenings there, but he made sure to tell Kaira that he didn't hold any grudges, and that they were actually good friends now. Kaira smiled at that. Continuing, Quinn spoke of Meribia, the way he experienced the 'capital' of Lunar, quite possibly the oldest city of all.
And then there was Vane.
Or the gist of it anyway. They had not stayed there long or visited the main buildings, with the exception of the library. The next part of the story made Kaira cut them off.
"Ghaleon? You mean the man that first betrayed and almost destroyed Lunar, then later saved it from a far greater evil?" Kaira was flabbergasted. To actually see the form of Ghaleon... He hadn't shown himself at all in known history since he died at the hands of Dragonmaster Alex, and when Zophar had resurrected him, he had made himself scarce, usually staying in Pentagulia, the citadel of evil raised over the goddess tower. And since he had passed away again, after assisting Hiro and company, he had not been heard of any more. Many concluded it with him finally accepting the eternal rest, most agreeing that he had, all things accounted for, deserved it.
But now... he had been appearing again, and to this boy. It was not a lie, of that Kaira was sure, but why would he take any interest in the boy's disease? As a priestess, some of the hardest tasks Kaira had were to tell patients with fatal illnesses that there wasn't anything they could do. Even if it was just a few people... why was he singled out for help, and by Ghaleon no less?
Then something came to her.
"The Blue Star? You're going there?"
"Yes, that's where he told me to go. My cure apparently lies with the guardian, Lucia."
Puzzling as it seemed, it made some sort of sense, she guessed. Lucia was, after Althena's rebirth, the strongest being known to Lunar. Or the Blue Star for that matter. If his cure wasn't found anywhere else, it would have to be with her.
"Hold that story for a second." Kaira rose up rather quickly and headed for the back room, leaving Quinn and Nina both rather puzzled, giving each other matching stares.
After a while, during which some peculiar sounds came from the neighboring room, Kaira returned with a couple of papers, neatly folded up. She handed them to Quinn.
"These might help you find the location of the Star Spire. I guess that one would be the best to go to, as it is the closest one from the end of the Illusion Forest."
Folding them open and taking a look at them, Quinn saw that they were maps showing the location of the Star spire, amongst different things, and maps to the different areas surrounding it. Even though the maps predated about 300 years, it would definitely be of help. But Quinn still wondered if he could accept it. It looked quite old and worn, not to mention that maps like these was very rare to come by. And whether they were the temple's or Kaira's own property, they had to be of immeasurable worth.
"Keep them with you," Kaira added, looking at him like she could read his mind, and had probably at that moment done just that. "I should think the situation merits it. If you really don't want to keep them, you can give them back when you are done with your business at the spire and the Blue Star. But right now they will help you very much. Even though you might know the way, Nina," she added, looking directly at Nina, who by now was struggling to stay awake, but even so turned her head in the priestess' direction, "it should still save you both a lot of time. Heaven knows you might need it." Shown with a nod, yawn and a mumbled apology, Nina agreed.
Not being able to come up with a convincing argument against it, Quinn finally, but still hesitantly, accepted the maps. After putting them in a pocket inside his tunic and giving his promise to take good care of them until he returned them, Kaira insisted that he should finish the tale.
He immediately complied. There wasn't much more to tell, really. They had gotten the message and, deciding that Ghaleon was in all probability telling the truth, they had left Vane rather quickly. Finishing with the episode at the river, it was the part Quinn wasn't particularly proud of. At least considering the fact that he had almost given up everything, had it not been for Nina's desperate move. It was very easy to see why they had become such good friends and why Nall had entrusted his daughter to the young man.
"Well," she said, rising up from the chair she had been sitting in during the story, "I guess it's getting a bit late. You have to get going rather early. With no more water to cross, you should be able to take advantage of the daylight to the best of your ability. However... I'm not sure whether you know this, which is why I'm telling you this right now, but there are no more cities or settlements from here to the Star Spire. You still have some distance to travel, so I suggest you get all you need here at the market tomorrow. And you should at least do your grandparents a favor and go by them, at the very least to ease any uncertainty they might have by now. Besides, they should be told where you are heading."
"Okay, okay," Quinn said with a tone of mock exasperation. "I got it. You know, you remind me a bit about my grandmother." He rose up and went over to pick up Nina, who had just dozed off, but awoke as he lifted her.
"Mmmmh. Are we leaving?" she asked sleepily, looking at Quinn with bleary eyes. Quinn nodded.
Kaira, who just laughed at Quinn's comment, spoke up. "It isn't the first time I've heard that. I guess I have myself to thank for it, though. My fellow priests and priestesses remind me sometimes that despite it being one of my best characteristics, it could also be one of the most aggravating ones at times."
"Oh well, it'd be a mistake to ignore good advice, I guess," Quinn replied, bowing. "Thank you for your hospitality."
"The pleasure was all mine," she said, waving her hand in a dismissing way. "I should thank you for the visit, as well as the story. The night services can get a little boring at times, as there's little to do besides reading." She followed them to the main gate, opening it as they got there. "I hope to see you some other time, Quinn and Nina. You are always welcome here, both of you."
"Don't be surprised if we do," Quinn said as he left, carrying the half-asleep dragon. She was by now grinning broadly.
"Time to get some shuteye, eh?" he said to Nina, to see whether she was awake.
"Mmm. Don' mmmin' if I do," she mumbled, earning a chuckle from Quinn.
And after entering the inn, he put Nina on the sofa and went straight to bed.
"Quinn."
He heard his name again, calling him.
Or perhaps it wasn't. Perhaps it was just the wind, or the sound of a river flowing.
But there was only the darkness enveloping him.
And the woman.
She wore a long, flowing dress, and her blue hair almost reached the ground. Her blue eyes sparkled with magic.
And still, she seemed familiar to him. Even though he didn't know who she was, as he had only seen her in his dreams. Could it be that she was the guardian?
Lucia?
She had the answers, he could feel it. She knew him. She knew the ailment that was wreaking havoc with his body with such regularity and such growing force.
She looked at him, and it was a look that told of happiness and sadness. But why was she happy, and why was she sad?
"Quinn."
He tried to answer, but he found himself unable to, for some reason.
"Quinn!"
Lina, the aura photographer currently stationed in Vane, studied the aura photography she had taken about a week ago.
It was the aura of the young man that had traveled to Vane to be cured of an illness that was unknown to them, or so it seemed. He had, strangely enough, left the very same day, giving no explanation for the departure. He was in an awful hurry too, if the information the receptionist had given her was any indication.
But that was not the strangest part.
The strangest part of it all would be what the camera had caught on the film. His aura, well, it was the strangest aura Lina had seen in her entire time at the photography center. Oh, she could easily see what sort of magic he possessed, or what he had the potential for if he chose to train them to his full extent. But the shape of his aura... it was rather different. It seemed like it was blocked, somehow. Or muted, shut off or something similar. From the report, it was said his aura flared when he had his seizures. The source referred to his grandfather, Gowan, who lived on the plains up by the Madorian seas and the mountain ranges.
But, the goddess, the power he possessed. His shield and defense spells outranked the best mages' in Vane by quite an amount, and from what she could see he had some decent healing spells as well as a certain expertise in lightning magic which alone would put him up besides the best mages in Vane by rank. At least she thought it was lightning magic, even if the coloring in some of the area was a bit different. Perhaps something had happened to the film when the picture was taken. Or it was a spell they had not seen before. He was quite the enigma, the young man.
As for the reason of his visit, no cause for illness was to be found. Not yet, anyway. She would look into it later, if time allowed. If she found anything then, it would be rather easy to get him back to Vane. It would just take a couple of teleport spells.
She put the photo away. There was more work to be done.
"Quinn! Wake up!"
He responded by snapping his eyes open and sitting straight up, almost toppling the hovering dragon right over.
"What? What's going on?" Quinn looked a mite disheveled -- a sign of restless sleep -- and well and truly confused. For what reason the latter, Nina didn't know.
"You're asking me? You were mumbling so much as you were sleeping and moving around like you were partaking in the Meribian marathon.... What?" she said, having caught the wince and the stare Quinn gave her.
He sighed and rubbed his face in an effort to wake up some more. "Never mind. Inside joke." He rose up, heading for the bathroom. Nina quickly flew over.
"You were dreaming about blue haired women, perhaps," she said, a smirk growing in her face.
"Actually, yes. Although I don't find the dreams as funny as you might think," he said, looking at her steadily.
It was her turn to wince. "I'm sorry, Quinn. I didn't mean to pull your chain like that." Quinn smiled at that.
"I'm not mad at you, Nina. It's just... the dream. It's so aggravating that I can't figure it out, because I feel that it has something to do with my illness. Which means that the woman is probably Lucia, yes."
"Figures! Well, I guess we'll just have to get there, then. I have a feeling all your questions will be answered when we meet her." She grinned.
"Right! Let me just get ready."
And he did so. Then, after they left the inn, they went for the market to buy the things they would need for the journey.
And when they were done, the journey continued.