The first day of the Auction had a strange atmosphere for the visitors to Timber.
Not for the locals.
Their lives had reached a level of oddity unheard of by tale or history, and had mentally relaxed into 'Impossible thing... That is neat!' territory.
No, it was the visitors who were stunned, wandering around with high level confusion.
The town itself, empty of almost everyone but construction crews, and the massive sounds of continuous work and destruction as it changed whole segments entirely.
The incredibly bored 'occupation' forces, who had new patrol routes avoiding a third of the city… And who no longer had monster incursions to defend against on a daily basis.
The glow.
During the day it was easy to miss. The massive towering silver tree just sort of sparkled slightly with small blue embers, a pretty thing but just part of the atmosphere, the scenery.
At night? A rich glowing blue that made even the darkest alleyways and corners easy enough to walk through. A soft light that made the sky seem a bit bigger and the clouds a little further.
By this point, a number of people with shady intentions towards Timber had unconsciously felt uncomfortable in the city. And a number of people who had active intentions towards Rinoa herself had fled already from the night terrors and the paranoia that clawed into their minds under this light.
But to the visitors, it felt like a dream. A story long told, so old no one could quite remember the words to the legend itself.
And few missed the name 'Lunar Magic' and the connection with the moon's changes.
Once gray or white, the moon now had distant patterns of silver C̭͔̙͇̗̺o̤̪̰̫̫̼̖n͕̰̘̝ș͚͖̻u͖̬͓m̟̱͙i̯͚̠̦ng̞͉̖̣̪ the surface.
The distant red of blood and battle had been devoured long ago, as the colors spread.
And the avarice and appetite of that nightmare had been tamed and charmed by the Forest Owl's angel, Rinoa Heartilly.
The romantics flocked to Timber for the story alone, while the rich and powerful were called by a much older and more cynical lure: Profit.
Still, it felt odd for the visitors to see a bright cheerful banner over a small silver tree entrance to the hidden Owlery, one marked 'Come Visit the Underground Market!' in a happy font.
Oh, the corrupt and anti-competition crowd raged about such a thing, but Lunar Magic just published a statement to Timber Mechanics to be published in their most recent issue: 'The Owlery has a market, and it is underground.'
Which was… Very hard to argue against.
Of course, that SAME article ended up causing MORE waves by mentioning off hand that the upcoming 'Secret Underground Auction' was ALSO underground, but wouldn't be talked about due to how secret it was…
Well, at least that issue of the publication sold well.
It wasn't just immigrants and distant family and workers looking for jobs flooding Timber though, as a totally secret and yet somehow cheerfully discussed Secret Auction' was drawing in powerful people from across the world.
A few visited only out of boredom, of course, and more than a few that just enjoyed following the Balamb Committee's site due to the beautiful men and women who ran the thing… But not only did they talk to others, but the various intelligence agencies of many places and organizations caught on quickly too.
So moving between crowds of low society hard workers and cautious people from the edge of society looking for a chance at opportunity were high status groups of diplomats, leaders, tradesmen and tradeswomen, merchants of all type, and more!
Which had made each day leading UP to this auction strange as well.
At least to the visitors.
In this 'Underground Market', with families and children wandering through cheerful stalls selling impossible things at ridiculously low prices, one could easily find delicious food, rare medicines, beautiful clothing, trinkets and gadgets and doo dads and whatsits.
Yet, to the stunned and mildly amused locals, it was just another impossibility. Another miracle from Timber's Beloved Daughter.
Even the near endless supply of extremely valuable wood from a 'new' underground magical Forest was just accepted as 'neat' to these people surrounded by myths and future legends.
And then… Then the first outsider found out about the 'Custom Order' booth, near the entrance to the market. A facade, a shop that only allowed you to make an appointment to meet with Rinoa directly and request things not offered from Timber merchants in her hidden city below the bone forest of magic.
When the first merchant had requested something they KNEW was impossible to get, and had a quote offered and a sample proving quality available INSTANTLY for them to consider... Well, in the trade game the 'Custom Order' booth was now informally called the 'Wishing Booth'.
Oh, anything you ordered there was easily 10 times more expensive than from any other source, at minimum! Sometimes more than that, depending on unknown factors.
But when you need a medicine that had it's recipe lost a century ago? The 'Wishing Booth' had it.
If a client needed goods but your supply was destroyed? The 'Wishing Booth' just so happened to have replacements available. Replacements of highest quality, quality beyond anything seen before.
Seeds from extinct plants? Material only gathered from rare meteorites? Flowers that bloomed once a century?
Well, how much Gil do you have and how many tons do you want?
It wouldn't be the FIRST place the trade community went for goods, it was firmly established now that it would always cost excessively more here than anywhere else possible.
But it near instantly became the LAST place desperate people turned.
If you had the money and NEEDED something? If all other attempts failed? If you had an impossible desire but a desperate requirement?
The Wishing Booth.
And, some say, if you had nothing to offer, nothing to pay, but your need was great enough… Your wish may be granted as well. For a cost.
The fear of H̙̙̬͕u̙̝͓̣n̗̼̜g͓͙̩̳̞̰e̼r̳̝͎̳͚ kept most people from asking.
And the poorest people who came begging refused to tell what they might have paid.
But like all the events involving Timber these days, it generated whispers. Stories.
A strange atmosphere.
But… Not a cruel or oppressive one.
Families were smiling. Often without noticing it.
Fewer bills, with lower costs. Cheaper food and safe affordable childcare.
Safe homes that didn't cripple savings to acquire.
And underground, away from the armored people that invaded their home, a safe place for children to play. To learn of their past. To learn in general.
Oh, the children didn't instantly become little darlings or anything, they were still kids after all. But the new Lunar Magic systems that all Lunar Magic employees and family member's got did help a lot.
After all, boosting a child with a few units of [[Cure]] into their Magic stat really helped them with most intellectual junk… Even if that meant that kids just had MORE homework tossed on top after the teachers found out that boosted kids could memorize a bunch of stuff nearly instantly with a boost.
At least the grumbling was from a group of much more intellectually stimulated brats than usual?
It was a strange new life being established in the 'Undergrowth', as Timber started to call the magical kingdom under the Owlery. But it was one that most people were really starting to treasure.
But all that and more was for the locals. For Timber.
For outsiders, they were only seeing the market and the hotels and the surface mad race of construction and capitalism.
And uh… Signs. And children wearing outfits. And souvenir stands.
Because after Rinoa saw that keeping things quiet was off the table, Selphie got full support to just do whatever she wanted. Anything.
It made for an… Odd atmosphere.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Headmaster Cid felt a headache trying to stab his brain. "What is this." He tried to wave at the banner, and failed. "All this. What."
The impossible landscape had been brain warping enough, and he had reports warning him beforehand to help mentally prepare himself for that particular shock. Nothing about THIS though.
Sorceress Edea on the other hand was clapping! "Oh it is so adorable! I just love what little Selphie has done with the place!"
The other White SeeD soldiers were keeping a perimeter, needed or not, as the two leaders of their organization stared at the signs.
'Come visit the Secret Underground Auction!'
'Don`t tell your friends!'
'Unless you want to, or they want to sell stuff too, or they are cool like that.'
And so on and so forth.
The signs clashed, half had doodles clearly added on by children, all of them were bright and cheerful, and a few happy looking people wearing big hats with question marks on them were answering questions given by the confused visitors.
Cid's eye wanted to twitch. "I… I am not sure why I assumed that warning our client about the exposure of her event would have led to something other than this…"
Edea hummed, hugging into his side. "I've been calling Ellone on her new Junction system that little Sis Sarah has set up, and it turns out this is all legal."
He blinked. "What?"
She nodded! "Yep! Corporations have been paying a lot of people bribes and stuff to move a lot of laws and special considerations into the books. Like, it isn't illegal to have private auctions, it isn't a requirement to only build above ground buildings, and there are no trade restrictions to the Lunar Kingdom or it's partners. Stuff like that."
Of course there wasn't, the few lucky bastards who got Lunar goods became wealthy overnight.
Her eyes sparkled! "Turns out a LOT of stuff got put into law and whatnot over the years. While nations were fighting and stuff, the merchants wanted better profits and less oversight… Ellone's friends didn't need to really do anything to make all this possible, it was all already there if you know where to look!"
She grinned with happiness… And a bit of melancholy. "In the end, I guess this is a better way to do things. Buying out your enemies and purchasing freedom is a lot less dangerous and deadly in the end than ripping the air out of their lungs."
Oh. Yeah, that had been a messy week. Speaking of which… "Just as an aside, we did promise not to use atmosphere denial on targets in the future, remember."
She frowned a bit. "My babies weren't happy with me either… But it was a major battle! What if my little ones got hurt!?"
Cid mentally sighed. It had 'Technically' been a battle.
In actual fact, it was the LAST battle with humans his wife had ever seen. For years.
Now most nations kept track of her traveling plans and ensured they were VERY POLITE when she was in the area. There was a reason why Sorceress Adel hadn't directly invaded the Gardens, even the one in her own nation…
No one really wanted to push this woman too far.
Honestly, it was a good policy when it came to ANY Sorceress.
Still. "I can't believe she is making these people wear costumes." Not the people wearing bright colored question mark hats, the ones in full outfits looking like trees and stuff.
She grinned! "Did you see the little ones dressed up as little baby owls!? I wanted to just hug em forever!"
...Alright, yeah, they had been all the adorables.
No, stay focused. "Edwin, our destination?"
The head of the White SeeD squadron saluted. "Auction top level, VIP Box A." He gestured to one side, where some strong looking and subtly armed people were politely keeping other visitors from entering a side area. "Private entrance there, main entrance to the right, appraisal and auction item entry is handled by the booths."
Ah. "Well, shall we then?"
Hopefully once they get there they would stop bumping into so many stuck up politicians that seemed to have wormed their way into this 'Secret' meeting/auction/power display. The closer they got to this location, the more and more 'important' and 'renowned' people they kept…
"Headmaster Cid! And is this the lovely lady Edea herself!?"
...Kept running into. "Ambassador Greenwin, a pleasure… A surprising one. I assume President Laguna is doing well?"
What the HECK was an envoy from
Esthar doing here? They had sealed themselves away from outsiders years ago as a national policy! Sure this particular woman kept making the rounds and keeping connections going, but this was BEYOND unexpected!
She smiled as if it hadn't been years since they last met in person rather than video calls and notes. "Oh darlings, he is fabulous as always. Man focuses a bit too much on science for my tastes, but at least he keeps our people driven. But Edea dear, it's been ages!"
And his wife was hooked. "Karen Greenwin, as I live and breathe! I haven't seen you since… Well, years now! How're your little ones?"
The woman blinked. Confused. "I'm sorry?"
And THAT confused Edea. "Little Michale? And the twins?"
A bit of awkward silence.
Ambassador Greenwin coughed. "Those… Those were my elite security detail. I am not their mother."
His wife didn't even blink. "Have they been eating right? I know the twins didn't look like they were getting enough snacks."
The woman was a bit lost? "Most of them retired? I… I think Gregory was promoted to Lieutenant?"
Edea sighed with fond memories. "They grow up so fast… Why, I remember cleaning diapers for all my little ones, and next thing you know they are leading assaults against oceanic monster hordes and being big boys and girls!"
Her eyes lit up with the madness of motherhood. "Did you know my little bitty Selphie helped advertise this whole auction all by HERSELF!? I'm so proud of her!"
And… That was the sign to move on. "Come dear, we wouldn't want to miss her big event."
Edwin, brave Soul that he was, already cleared a path to the VIP area so they could get OUT OF PUBLIC before ANOTHER event happened.
Still, he had to make niceties. "It's been lovely to see you, Ambassador Greenwin. Perhaps we will see each other again after the initial auctions."
The bemused and more than a little off put woman gave a wry grin. "Have a lovely time, Cid dear. And I will let Gregory know that you send your love, Edea."
His wife beamed! "He was such a serious boy, you know. Felt awkward with hugs and such like the little ones do."
Considering the man had been fourty or so when he met Cid's wife, that was not so surprising. "Shall we head up then?"
Please don't meet anyone else, PLEASE don't meet anyone else!
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Squall was a fairly talented leader, and he was confident enough to acknowledge this.
Not because he was a great fighter, although he felt his record spoke for itself… Nor due to his ability to rapidly shift missions to adjust and adapt to ongoing issues in the field.
No, he was a good leader because he knew his faults. And his weaknesses.
And when those issues came up, he delegated.
It was hard to do. It required large amounts of trust in others, specifically in fields of expertise that he was NOT confident in relying on himself only… More so, it was difficult to judge qualifications for topics and personnel outside of one's comfort zone.
So… It was with hesitance that he asked this. "And I MUST wear this outfit?"
Selphie gave a solemn nod. "We are doing a theme. This goes with Sarah's whole bone aesthetic… A caveman vibe, if you will!"
And when it comes to diplomacy, to the public in general, Selphie was talented. Top tier. "And this is needed?"
Another serious nod.
=Ifrit: I don't know what you are grumbling about.=
=Quezacotl: I've never worn clothing in the first place, I don't see an issue either.=
=Ifrit: My main boy Zell is ROCKING that leopard skin outfit!=
When it came to training, fitness regimens, and surprisingly helping out kids? Zell was the subject matter expert. Hands down. Had a body to reflect that, and no shame to speak of... It was not surprising that wearing that scrap of material didn't phase the boy.
Still.
=Shiva: Come on stud, wear the lion-kini.=
It was a bit much to ask. "Can… Is there at least a cowl or cape to go with it?"
Selphie's eyes were sparkling suspiciously brightly. "Nope! It would go against the whole vibe I'm trying to rock here."
Sigh… Damn it.
The mission.
Do it for the mission.
=Shiva: Oh my GOD it has a lion tail!=
=Ifrit: Bet you could put a chain in that and use it to whip a fucker in the face! WAMP!=
For the mission, Squall.
Taking his shirt off, he held up the two tiny scraps of fake fur, one with a dangling lion tail.
He hesitated, hands on his pants about to unbuckle them. "Selphie."
She was unfocused. "Hmmmmm?"
Sigh. "Please leave me alone to change."
No, that pout wont work. She was lucky enough he was going to wear this abomination to fashion in the first place. He nodded as she left the room.
About to continue, he paused. "And close the door."
MULTIPLE female groans came from behind him as the door closed.
That… That had been a bit too close.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Sarah hummed contently. "[[
Scan,]] [[
Scan,]] and… [[
Scan!]]"
This was turning out to be QUITE profitable. She had gotten a good copy of [[
GF: Siren]] and [[
GF: Cerberus]] easily enough, some of the military support people in Timber had them apparently, but all these outsiders? Well, that's where the good stuff was.
More relevantly and accurately, it wasn't necessarily the diplomats and royalty visiting themselves… But the expensive and highly valued professional guards PROTECTING these outsiders. Mmm, yoink!
Got [[
GF: Brothers]] from a group visiting from Deling City, along with [[
GF: Carbuncle]]. The Headmaster Cid, his Sorceress wife Edea, and those protective White SeeD soldiers? Snagged [[
GF: Diablos]], [[
GF: Pandemona]], and [[
GF: Leviathan]]. Already had [[
GF: Alexander]] of course, though Squall says he didn't talk much.
Of the other listed documented Guardian Forces, there were no signs of [[
GF: Bahamut]] or [[
GF: Eden]], which was fair enough because that data came from SUPER sketchy sources and was mostly legends and whispers… And although everyone KNOWS about [[
GF: Tonberry]], very few people have the balls to go looking for it to hook him up for a Junction.
Like, Sarah couldn't blame anybody either. Who wants to fight a whole bunch of instant kill monsters just for the chance to instantly die against a god-like force?
The few documented abilities it offered were odd but useful, like mental manipulation (Selling for more, buying for less, long distance communication/item warping with previously met shop owners) or empowering/weakening foes in combat… But those skills were not worth being poked with instant death knives.
As for the other GFs… Well, there was no data on how to [[Scan]] them correctly OR how to hook them up to the Junction systems without something exploding.
But all that was just the cream of the crop, lovely frosting on top of the big deal!
That woman ambassador from Esthar actually had a guard Junctioning [[
GF: Cactuar]]!
Score!
Oh, and there were a bunch of important people and Selphie had convinced all the younger kids to dress up and help out and all that stuff, but as far as SHE was concerned, this was the bigger deal!
Now the Lunar Magic system would PROPERLY hook up to Luck and Evasion! Suck it, world!
The update would apply for anyone using the Para-magic Pillars, as she really only wanted the Update Nodes to be used when people got new and adjusted hardware, or wanted to switch out which GF they were working with.
Oh, and now Timber citizens could get scanned copies of any of those GFs too, for what it's worth… Even though it was becoming a thing for most people to pick Shiva on purpose, despite compatibility levels.
Because, first of all? The more you use any GF, the more compatible you become.
And secondly? She was attractive, lived inside the Owlery, and sold ice cream to kids.
That was some good public relations right there. Kids loved her, young men and women were attracted, and old people were properly outraged in public about how provocative she dressed and how 'back in THEIR day' and so on and so forth.
Point is, it saved a massive headache trying to hunt these guys down. Only missing three? Not bad! And it unlocked a bunch of new skills for Rinoa's people to be tested for, ability wise.
And then her mind skipped a few steps.
Uh.
Hello, bare chested and flexing Zell wearing a small set of leopard furred briefs.
And… And apparently someone convinced Squall to wear what seemed to be a fluffy bikini with a lion's tail.
Oh no, Selphie… What have you DONE!?
As the boys slowly carried a throne onto the stage, a wild Selphie appeared on the thing waving to the stunned crowd of famous people, diplomats, nobles, merchants, and collectors. "Hello, all you beautiful people!"
Unlike the boys carrying her ride, she had on an explorer's outfit.
Still cute and all, but not showing off the flexing pecs and tight stomachs like the boys were.
Had… Had Rinoa approved all this?
The men's muscles flexed, shiny with either oil or sweat, as they allowed the leader of this circus to dismount.
Like… Good for her and all, but what the heck!? Wasn't her DAD here!?
Selphie strode with far too much confidence as a massive number of eyes watched her. "Welcome to the first secret underground Timber auction, hosted by the glorious leader herself, Rinoa Heartilly and her sexy jungle clan!"
Squall growled at the name, which… Well, honestly fit to the theme at the moment.
It DID make Selphie pause at least. "Name subject to change. Now, I'm sure everyone is interested in the many goods being sold here tonight to some lucky few!"
She moved to one side as the wall display lit up. "A description of the item as well as the most recent five bids will show on the screen, and everyone feel free to [[Scan]] them as we work our way through the list! Each day will focus on a different category of items, and there will be a brief pause every two hours for those who need to request more funds, mingle, or just get a snack or two from our many food booths!"
While not traditionally seductive looking like many auctioneers tended to be, she DID have two male eye candies behind her… And the powerful women in the audience were certainly appreciative of the fact.
Selphie grinned wide at the crowd! "Today, we will be introducing MCards, their variants, and suggested ways to use them yourselves to drastically simplify spell gathering, transfer, sale, and replenishment! But the MCards are NOT what we are auctioning!"
Confused muttering filled the room as three devices came up from the floor.
Thankfully, the girl had this in hand. "No, the MCards are just new equipment being manufactured by Balamb Garden and its partners, through technology advancements provided by OUR partner and sexy lady, Ms. Sarah! Sarah, give us a wave!"
Bone wings were hidden right!? Good.
Sarah gave a weak Ṣ͕̰̰͙̙̥m̥ͅi̳͕̜͓̫̙ḽ͔̟͎͓e̝̬̞̦͍ at the crowd, many of whom flinched for some reason.
Selphie pulled back the attention (Mostly) and walked to the center of the stage. "No, the MCards can be purchased at a set cost from the Market level outside or from the appraisal booths directly, at any time… Though if you want a contract for a steady ongoing supply, please contact Headmaster Cid for details."
With a dramatic pause, she snapped. "No, today? We will be auctioning MAGIC!"
A glowing board of glittering MCards were revealed from under a red silk covering.
Interested murmuring made it hard to focus as many people began casting [[Scan]] at the glittering objects… And the noise got drastically LOUDER as some of the spells involved were discovered!
Selphie's smile was a rabid and hungry shark incarnate. "The first few items will be bulk basic spells. After all, who DOESN'T need a couple thousand [[Cure]] at hand without sending important people out to pester the wildlife? But at the end of the day…"
She held up a single card. "Anyone interested in a full 10 units of [[Holy]]?"
Stares burned into the item… [[Holy]] would block 40% of almost ALL status effects when Junctioned, it was VERY valuable. Protected. Preserved.
Her hand flickered again, the card joined by another. "Maybe a 10 set of [[Full-Life]]?"
The auction house got VERY noisy. Apparently keeping a good supply of the more powerful [[Full-Life]] was a bit more tricky than the more widely collected [[Life]] spells.
Damn.
Now that Sarah could see how rabid people were over only a few dozen or so units of healing magic, it was a really good thing they hadn't offered a hundred units of [[Triple]] or whatever.
Oops, those two people in the back looked like they were about to get into a fist fight!
Nope, none that. "
A̷̛̻͇͕͇͚͈̟͢ͅh̸̴̡͖͈̭͉̲͍͖̖͙̘̤̖͎̻͍͢ͅę̙̜̥͙͎̘̮̹̲̳͍̥̹͓͖̲͚̟͢͢͢ͅm̺̠̳̝̭̰̳̮̭̭̬̜͉͔̻͢͞ͅͅͅ? P̯le͔̱̬̙̭ͅa͉s̼̯̙̟̜e ̮̼̬̟̟k̺͓eep̠̲̦͚͚͔̤ ͖̝̝͕̥͈t͉h͕̘̹i̥̠̳̲̺̭n͈g͕̹̝̺̩s͖̻̣͔ͅ ͔͙͙͍̙̹c͙̖̤̦̳̟ͅi̗̰̯v̝̤͈i̻̙̮̤l̹."
There.
Now they weren't fighting.
...Why was it suddenly so silent?
Selphie coughed. "And that's our lovely girl Sarah everyone! A wonderful cuddle monster, but… Best not cause any trouble, yeah?"
EVERYONE nodded.
Sarah blinked, confused, at the still staring crowd.
What? What happened!?
