Good to be in contact with Barret again, and we've met the summoner crew! Probably wouldn't hurt to help them when we can...maybe get them in contact with the Tantalus? An airship staffed by Hero units should help.
Cloud is...well his memories are going to be a bit complicated to recover but we can work with that. We're already going to head to the Empire so we can cross that off on the way.
"You know… I've engaged in some risky behaviors in my time. But this takes the cake." Setzer had the Blackjack hovering a distance away from the swirling black mass. A few hundred feet behind you was Clan Centurio's airship, loaded down with clan hunters.
It looked a bit like someone had kicked an antbed full of black ants. Thousands of shapes were scuttling over and around each other, looking more like a wave than a group of individual entities. The black cloud hovering above was thinner, with some holes wide enough you could see the distant shine of Traverse Town, but it still must have contained hundreds of shadows.
seems like a nice reunion. and we have to gather folks (or at least Tifa?) to restore Cloud's memories? seems doable, afterall we got that info (and hopefully so does Barret now too. sharing information with trusted allies is so convenient, practically doubles its usefulness in times like this)
As the sun started to dip below the horizon and turn the sky a vibrant orange color, you had to quickly wrap up your business and head back to the ferry or risk being left behind. Pocket change was all you had, so you only got 4 seed packets from the flower shop.
convenient excuse for us to not get tons and have a really easy time of things tbh :V
wonder if in the future we'd be able to grow more without having to go out of our way for seeds? (get a consistent supply to be delivered in airships, figure out how to/perform setup to cultivate stuff fully...)
I guess an abundant supply would reduce their desirability/we wouldn't get so lucky selling stuff in the future (especially if an active action isn't spent on it) but could be worthwhile?
a sufficiently dense gauntlet style thing is close enough to a boss battle imo
hmm, so it's a DC of 120 with some pretty intimidating-looking mob sprites, huh?
luckily with the dice mods present we should only need like a roll of 54 for breaking through? which should be doable. probably best to prioritise endurance regardless, we'd probs want to be in a good state when we get there... now the question is what intensity's the most efficient? still good to go hard to move things along before we get worn down, afterall
His artificial arm hangs limply, but his left arm quickly wraps around you, the rough and calloused hand cradling you with warm gentleness. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."
It takes a moment for Barret to respond, and when he does, his voice is rough with emotion. "It's good to see you, too."
"Supposedly, if you start meditating, it can send you into a trance where you relive the memory. So I was thinking, even if Cloud has forgotten his memories, maybe we can help him remember by showing him ours."
"No, wait!" Barret shouted. As if responding to his distress, the image on the mirror changed. It was Cloud again, but the context could not be more different.
He was sitting in a wheelchair, gazing blankly at some distant spot. Your friends surrounded him, gently trying to coax a response out of him, but nothing happened. Barret realized what the mirror was showing and pulled his hand away, but the damage was already done.
[snip] we'd probs want to be in a good state when we get there... now the question is what intensity's the most efficient? still good to go hard to move things along before we get worn down, afterall
I hope you all have been waiting warmly for Griffin and Eve's (Mostly Griffin's) Wild Ride. We've put a lot of time and thought and Xenoblade Chronicles X playtime into this!
like, whether we're blowing through mana, potions, one use stuff etc. mana probably has to last until we get to Traverse(hopefully we'll have the chance to restore it there?) so we'd need to save some for an undecided amount of future waves, and any potions used up we're not getting back
for summoning Shiva/casting Cura it's impossible to tell if we'd get those back or not after we're through, which could be bad.
this is absolutely the "whether to save everything until the end or not" debacle, but it's a warranted question seeing as how this is *probably* at least in part an endurance challenge?
Though, now that you mention it... I would like to know: Are we making any more breakthrough rolls?
(as far as i know (based off what i remember of descriptions), after clearing out/shaking off whatever group of heartless we're bogged down with we reattempt it, which might succeed or might not. hopefully we only need to succeed once
You nearly tackle him, hard enough that he stumbles back a step before catching himself. His artificial arm hangs limply, but his left arm quickly wraps around you, the rough and calloused hand cradling you with warm gentleness. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."
It takes a moment for Barret to respond, and when he does, his voice is rough with emotion. "It's good to see you, too."
I have the biggest smile on my face. Aerith's death in the original was always a tragedy, it may have been flanderised into some pure maiden's sacrifice, but her loss hit the cast hard and ripped away everything she could have been.
Giving the FF7 cast a chance to reunite is something I am really looking forward to. Bar Cloud, I'm particularly looking forwards to Tifa, Yuffie, and Nanaki (if the latter two are here anyway). Tifa and Aerith had a great friendship, Nanaki in ReBirth does a lot to flesh out their relationship too.
And Yuffie? Well, beyond ReBirth doing a great job fleshing her out, if you have her in the party when Aerith dies in 7, Yuffie's reaction is to pray for Aerith, turn away, shudder a couple of times, and break down crying. I imagine her meeting up with Aerith again would be very emotional for her.
Still, this at least means Barret knows where Aerith is staying now, so he knows Dalmasca is a place of relative safety. Just hope we can keep a good enough eye on him so that we can help if/when things go sideways on the Pilgrimage.
Poor Wakka though, I don't think Aerith has spent enough time with him to know he was Yuna's Guardian, and Yuna won't have mentioned him to someone she just met either. He'll be so upset when he finds out he missed Yuna.
"You know… I've engaged in some risky behaviors in my time. But this takes the cake." Setzer had the Blackjack hovering a distance away from the swirling black mass. A few hundred feet behind you was Clan Centurio's airship, loaded down with clan hunters.
It looked a bit like someone had kicked an antbed full of black ants. Thousands of shapes were scuttling over and around each other, looking more like a wave than a group of individual entities. The black cloud hovering above was thinner, with some holes wide enough you could see the distant shine of Traverse Town, but it still must have contained hundreds of shadows.
"Having second thoughts?"
"No. I made a promise, and I'm sticking to it. I'm just thinking about how this will be a hell of a story to tell." Setzer smirked. "Is everyone ready?"
Freya nodded, spear in hand, Shadow reached down to scratch Interceptor behind the ear, Alfyn took a last-second look in his medicine pouch, and Angea fiddled with her knife, but they all had the same answer. They were ready.
"Alright. All hands to battle stations!"
"You don't have battle stations. Or cannons." You reminded him.
"I know. I just always wanted to say that!" Setzer gunned the engine. He wasn't kidding about the Blackjack being fast. Within seconds, the airship was hurtling along so quickly that the wind brushing past was almost too loud to hear over. The first shadow to get in your way was smashed to pieces by the bow.
Poor Wakka though, I don't think Aerith has spent enough time with him to know he was Yuna's Guardian, and Yuna won't have mentioned him to someone she just met either. He'll be so upset when he finds out he missed Yuna.
Man, imagine things form Wakka's perspective
You grow up an orphan on Besaid
Love playing Blitzball with your brother, becomes a Blitzball player
Brother dies fighting Sin, decide to become a Guardian, stop playing blitzball
Too distracted by Blitzball while being a Guardian
Alright, time to retire properly from Blitbzll while going on Guardian team with Yuna. Find this weird Blitzball prodigy Tidus who might take over from you afterwards.
Whoops, the world goes wacky.
Yuna quits her pilgramage, and Tidus joins a Machina loving Blitzball heathen team as their captain
Well, if Yuna quits her pilgramage, at least you can refocus on Blitzball with a calm heart.
(as far as i know (based off what i remember of descriptions), after clearing out/shaking off whatever group of heartless we're bogged down with we reattempt it, which might succeed or might not. hopefully we only need to succeed once
That's basically exactly it. Every time you fail the roll, a fight ensues. After the fight, you can roll again. Once you succeed, you'll have one last fight before the Blackjack breaks through to Traverse Town.
Man, imagine things form Wakka's perspective
You grow up an orphan on Besaid
Love playing Blitzball with your brother, becomes a Blitzball player
Brother dies fighting Sin, decide to become a Guardian, stop playing blitzball
Too distracted by Blitzball while being a Guardian
Alright, time to retire properly from Blitbzll while going on Guardian team with Yuna. Find this weird Blitzball prodigy Tidus who might take over from you afterwards.
Whoops, the world goes wacky.
Yuna quits her pilgramage, and Tidus joins a Machina loving Blitzball heathen team as their captain
Well, if Yuna quits her pilgramage, at least you can refocus on Blitzball with a calm heart.
It's kind of funny to think of how much we've jerked poor Wakka around, but it's also kind of sad. The poor guy has been through a lot, and he'll have to go through a lot more. This is part of the fun of the setting though, I think. This is a messy, messy crossover, where people have a lot of gaps in knowledge to overcome, and a lot of dramatic irony where they don't know things that we (as outside observers, presumably more well-versed in the series than the characters) do know.
You, as players, know that from one of the Cavalry/Cocoon Interludes. Aerith in character doesn't know that. She'll have to find out another way. Barret also doesn't know where his baby girl is, and is praying every day that she's safe.
If that's the case, I'll give you another suggestion: warning other factions about Shinra and their fuckery. Like Clan Centurio, for instance! They might like to know about that, so they don't accidentally get roped into some shady deal and endnup test subjects, or something.
They might be useful for keeping an eye out for JENOVA too.
Princess Garnet stands at a crossroads, at least 3 ways to go, maybe more. The duties of a responsible princess dictate that she open relations between what remains of Alexandria's royal family and Dalmasca, seeking refuge for herself and her people. But perhaps her deepest desire is to run away from that and embrace life with Tantalus, leave her name behind and live as Dagger. Then again, the Eidolons call to her as well, and learning the mystery behind her powers is something she's learned to be curious about, especially in this new world that regards Summoners so highly.
All of these paths and more are open to her, and making a decision will involve carefully weighing the risks and rewards. What should she do?
High Rank Bounty: Garnet's Choice
But that seems like a lot of work, so I'm outsourcing the decision to all of you.
The rules are simple. You have to write an Omake about Garnet making her decision, considering her future, or consulting others on the paths she can take. Anything is fine, but ideally it should tie into the path you're devoting the Omake to. Make sure you mark clearly which path your Omake is rooting for by tagging it as Princess, Dagger, or Summoner.
There aren't any specific limits on how long or short the Omake has to be, as long as you make sure to tackle the subject. Bonus points for wringing those emotions out or explaining how and why Garnet has come to have these thoughts.
I plan to set the time limit around 2 weeks, but if everyone is done sooner, I can cut it short. Conversely, if someone needs more time, I'm willing to extend it a bit longer. You might wonder why that matters, it's because this isn't like a normal Omake post. It's a bit of a competition.
Your goal isn't just to convince me, it's also to convince your fellow readers. Once the time limit is over and all of the Omakes have been collected, we'll hold a vote. Every reader (including me) gets one vote. If there is a tie, I will resolve it my own way. As for the rewards
1st place will have their Omake made canon, with Garnet making the decision that they supported.
2nd place will receive 20 QP or a pick from the Negaquest reward table.
3rd place will receive 15 QP or a pick from the Negaquest reward table.
All other participants will receive the normal QP reward as decided by me.
So please, participate if the topic strikes your fancy, and even if it doesn't, try to enjoy the lovely stories I'm sure are going to come out of this.
Like I said before, I'm starting the time limit at 2 weeks, meaning the 18th of April would be your last day to submit an Omake. But if anyone needs more time, I'm willing to extend it a bit further. Have fun, everyone!
Ooooh! Godspeed, everyone!
I don't know Garnet, not well enough to be comfortable writing her, at least. So that's one less person to worry about for everyone else. ;p
Rabanastre was a beautiful city. The sun glinted off of the roof of the cathedral, banners fluttering in a light breeze. Colourful stone decals covered the buildings while the many varied peoples that called this city home bartered and bantered, the noise rising in a chorus of cheerful shouts and speech.
This place, so different and so similar to Alexandria. Everywhere she looked she saw things which made her heart ache with painful nostalgia, her vision misting over with an illusion of her home. Then something would happen, and the illusion would shatter, and she would be in a foreign land once again.
"What am I to do?" she sighed, looking down at the robe Tantalus had given her. It was similar to what she wore so long ago when she first met Zidane, but was far plainer. It was also much lighter, to better handle the desert heat.
"What was that Your, Highness?" questioned the voice of her ever present shadow. Garnet stifled a small snort. Not that Steiner's broad frame could ever be mistaken for her literal shadow. Nevertheless, his words and presence served to pull her mind fully to the present. She turned to look at him, taking in his displeased frown as he constantly surveyed the city for signs of threats.
For signs of Shinra.
Garnet winced, giving her hood a small tug to hide her expression. "It is nothing Steiner. I was just thinking aloud." Despite herself, Garnet couldn't help casting a look around herself, almost expecting to see a black clad Turk looming out of a shadow. They'd been keeping a wide berth from the known haunts of Rabanastre's Shinra cohort. Part of her mind pointed out she was being silly. This was not Shinra's place of power, they could not simply grab her here and expect to succeed with such blatant kidnapping. Still, the memory of being hunted by Zorn and Thorn, the Waltzes, and now a foreign power coiled in the back of her mind.
"Also call me Dagger." Steiner made to interrupt, but Garnet cut him off. "Please."
At the subdued tone, Steiner's face contorted, twisting through a number of expressions before settling back into its displeased mein. "I'm sorry Your- I mean, Miss Dagger. It is difficult to adjust." Steiner shifted, adjusting the outfit the heat had forced him to change into. Steiner had attempted to endure the desert heat but after Zidane had thrown him into a fountain to cool him down he had eventually conceded that heavy metal plate was not appropriate desert attire.
While the people of Rabanastre favoured light clothing, they did carry a number of options suitable for other tastes. Steiner's (well, the Tantalus set he'd borrowed) armour had been traded out for a loose poncho, though he had managed to acquire some Dalmascan armour pieces which remained hidden beneath the outfit. A large broadsword, slightly shorter than his preferred blade, remained in clear view however, the man having flatly refused to go unarmed. Not that anyone had suggested otherwise.
"It's alright. This has been an adjustment for us all." Garnet started walking down the street. She didn't really know where she was going, simply wandering through the streets as Steiner kept just behind her. "But it is better to avoid loudly declaring our presence to Shinra, even if they have few people here."
She never thought she'd find herself missing the reliable 'clank, clank, clank,' of his footsteps.
"You are correct Miss. I must practice greater vigilance; I will not be caught lacking in my duty again," Steiner said resolutely. For her part, Garnet felt a weight she had been ignoring settle on her shoulders again. Duty.
Duty...
Her mood soured. She'd been thinking on it at length, just what she should do now. Aerith had advised her to take her time, and she knew Zidane and Steiner well enough to predict their answers, and the inevitable argument should they overhear the other.
Garnet clenched one of her fists. She needed... she didn't know what she needed. But she knew she needed something. A way to break through the deadlock in her mind.
She paused by a shop, Panamis' Protectives proudly announced by a hanging sign. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Steiner's face twitch as he attempted to resist the urge to enter the shop. The proprietor and Steiner had struck up a small rapport discussing the merits of different styles of armour.
She suppressed an amused sigh, and turned to enter the store. Her knight's face lost some tension as he followed, his steps becoming lighter.
Half an hour later she admitted this may have been in error. Panamis' stock was rather varied, Rabanastre's status as a trading city surviving even through the Upheaval ensuring it had a great variety of goods, but she was loathe to spend Tantalus' coin on impulse buys. Steiner and Panamis had quickly begun debating what they saw as the pros and cons of the Gestahlian armour design, Steiner loudly declaring it superior to the lighter gear of Shinra's forces. Panamis meanwhile, possibly merely to be contrary, had taken the opposite stance; Shinra's focus on mechanical weaponry as their vanguard meant mobility was more important for their troopers.
Their discussion had grown to encompass most of the store at this point, with many of the customers adding in their own opinions on it, the noise from the discussion growing cacophonous in the enclosed space of the shop. The crowded store was quickly becoming suffocating and in frustration Garnet's feet took her outside. However, the urge to move didn't leave her and soon she found herself wandering further and further away.
Why could she not decide? She kept trying to move forwards, to find a path, but every time she tried to make her decision anxiety clawed at her throat and mind. She was perhaps the most free she had ever been, so why did it feel like chains held her down more than ever?
On one path was Yevon, the arts of the Summoner. Even now, guilt dogged her steps of what she, what her fear, had allowed to happen. Had she been stronger, been better, could it all have been avoided? Did she really deserve to guide a people when she could not even find the courage to call on her own power?
But to take the time to learn to wield her power would be to abandon Alexandria. To abandon her mo- her people. Some would say no news is good news, that the fact that no one had heard of hoards of Black Mages descending to ravage towns and Eidolons of terrible power wiping out peoples would mean that perhaps things had turned out for the best. Instead it fed her anxiety. What had happened to her home? Were her people safe?
Tantalus offered another path. Despite styling themselves as thieves, the Tantalus troupe were perhaps some of the more noble people she had met. They had risked life and limb to save her twice now. Even if they would never accept it, she owed them. She could join the troupe, travel the land and see the world. To go with Zidane and the others, to see new sights and meet new peoples. She could see it, Dagger the thief, healer and rogue all in one. With her trusty allies they'd travel robbing from the rich and aiding the downtrodden.
But... would that just be running away? From her power? From her... from her mother? A poisonous hope even whispered to her, sparked by an idle comment made by Aerith about Midgar having come from an earlier time relative to her, that perhaps her mother was as she remembered in the past. Would it be right, to cast her people, her power, and her family aside for her own selfishness?
So wrapped up in her own thoughts, she let out a startled yelp as she collided with another person; the impact causing her to trip as she landed in a tangle. "Ah, my apologies," she quickly said, getting her feet under her as her counterpart did the same. The other person was a woman, not much older than her with brown hair cut to her shoulders. Like her, the stranger also wore a plain robe, the hood knocked askew from the fall and a sword hung from her waist.
She looked familiar, but Garnet couldn't place where she had seen her before.
"No, no, I should apologise. I was lost in thought regarding a certain matter and failed to keep an eye on my path." The stranger looked Garnet up and down, checking for injury. "Though from the look on your face, I see the feeling may be mutual."
"You aren't wrong," she sighed. "My name's Dagger."
"Amalia." She gestured to a nearby bower. "Perhaps it may be better if we got out of the thoroughfare. At the very least I feel it might be better if the pair of us avoid getting so distracted we collide with other people," came the slightly wry response. Garnet covered her mouth as she let out a small giggle and nodded her ascent, retreating out of the baking sun to sit on a nearby bench.
The pair sat down, Garnet stretching her legs out as she leaned backwards while Amalia leaned forwards, resting her elbows on her knees. They sat in mutual silence for a minute, content to let it stretch.
Eventually Garnet broke the silence. "How do you..." she started, only to pause. Then she tried again. "Things have been changing quickly, haven't they?"
Amalia remained quiet for a moment. "Yes." She looked up, taking in the sight of a banner fluttering with the sigil of Dalmasca. "For so long Rabanastre was choked by the Imperial occupation. And then one day it vanishes. It all seemed to happen in an instant after that, too few of the Archadian soldiers remained and they were as confused as we were. Even so, without the threat of their airships it didn't take long to overwhelm them.
"I had been working for so long to free my people. And yet, I do not think I ever quite thought about what that would be like," Amalia finished with a downcast expression.
"What do you mean?"
Amalia was quiet once again, though this time her expression contorted with anger and Garnet wondered if she had overstepped before Amalia spoke again. "I hate the Archadians. For what they took from us. For who they took from me. I envisioned a great battle, the people rising up in a tide, tearing their fleets from the sky as we cut down their soldiers. I wanted... I suppose I wanted them to suffer as I had." She sighed, the anger leaving her face. "Instead I find myself denied my vengeance and having to chart what the future holds without closure."
Garnet nodded at this, her thoughts turning to her own situation. "I know what you mean. Kind of. Things left unfinished. What could have been. How we expected things to go. The Upheaval changed all of it, and we just have to accept it and move on." The question once again came to her, and this time she found she could give voice to it. "How do you know what path to take?"
For a third time the conversation lapsed into silence, Amalia giving thought to the question. "A part of me does not. A part wishes to go hunt down whatever pockets of Archades came with us. But to do so would be to leave those who rely on me, or worse, drag them on my crusade. I suppose I use my duties to guide me when I fear I am losing myself to my anger."
"And when our duties are not clear, what then? And is it not arrogance to assume that we do hold responsibility over others? To make decisions for them."
"Perhaps," Amalia allowed. "And yet I do not think I could just walk away. So long as there are those who look to me, who are willing to aid me, I owe them my aid in turn."
"And if you have other duties, what happens when you must sacrifice one duty for another?" Garnet replied.
"Once I would have said to sacrifice the lesser duty for the greater," came Amalia's own careful response. "But now I wonder if that answer was wrong. Now... now I think the answer would be to turn to my allies. To trust in them as they trust in me." Amalia let a small, if chagrined, grin steal over her face. "As a friend has made inadvertently clear, I cannot lead every charge, but they can travel paths that were hidden to me."
"Trust in my allies, hmm?" Garnet mulled the response over, bringing her hand to her chin.
"Rather trite, I am aware. But I do not think it wrong." Amalia stood, raising her arms as she stretched. "There is simply too much to do, and we must decide for ourselves how we aid those we have a duty to. Some duties will contradict, I cannot protect my people while hunting down scattered Imperials for revenge. But there are others I can entrust to those around me.
"So, whatever your problem is Dagger, my suggestion would be to find what you can leave to another, and what is the path that only you can tread."
Garnet thought on the words. Which was the path that only she could walk? Tantalus still called to her, but in truth she felt like joining them would simply be running away. She didn't want that, not anymore. But that still left the path of the Summoner with Yevon or devoting herself to her role as a Garnet Til Alexandros XVII.
As a Princess she had a duty to care for the people of Alexandria. As a Summoner, it was her duty to wield her power responsibly. A part of her said the people and stopping her mother's ambitions were her greater duty. But, besides having no idea where they were, there were others who would gladly take up that burden, at least for a time. No one could learn to wield her power for her however.
The more she thought on it, the more the thought firmed in her mind. Had she known how to, or at least had the confidence to wield her Eidolons, perhaps her mother would have become what she is. And besides, she thought, there's nothing that says I cannot take up my duties as Princess once I have learned to better wield my power.
Garnet nodded to herself and looked up at the patiently waiting Amalia. "Thank you for the advice. I think I needed that. I'm sorry I can't give you any in return."
Amalia waved her off, a soft smile on her face. "Think nothing of it. You gave me the chance to voice aloud some thoughts I was having and make a few realisations of my own."
"Well, then you're welcome to whatever help I was." Garnet smiled as she gave a thankful bow, one which Amalia returned. "But whatever your responsibilities are, I pray they remain light."
"I shall pray for yours as well, though I feel we are both the type of person to gather burdens to themselves so it may be a vain hope," Amalia answered in amusement. She then looked at the position of the shadows and her eyes widened and she slumped slightly. "Ah, I think I've been gone too long. I'm afraid I need to beg your leave."
"It is not a problem, I probably should get back to my own friends."
"It was good to meet you, Dagger. I hope we meet again." The two bowed to each other and then Amalia turned away, making her way to the north of the city. Garnet watched her, before making her way back to the armour shop, feeling lighter than she had in a long while.
As she walked however, a thought slowly came to her. Amalia was walking in the direction of the royal palace. Perhaps she was a guard or knight of some kind? At the very least she spoke as though she was in a position of some importance. She felt like the memory of where Garnet had seen her before was on the tip of her tongue.
The memory failed to come to her before she made it to the store however, to find Steiner finishing up his discussion with Panamis. Two members of the Royal Knights of Dalmasca had joined in at some point, a pair of taller men, one with short dark hair and the other with blonde hair along with a beard. Garnet caught Steiner's eye and he immediately straightened.
"Ah, my apologies, good sirs. I believe I have kept my companion waiting too long." Steiner quickly began offering stiff bows as an apology, to the amusement of the knights who waved off the apology before giving Steiner a firm handshake. Steiner hurriedly ran over to Garnet.
"Making new friends Steiner?" asked Garnet, an amused lilt to her voice, cutting off Steiner's apologies as she did so.
"Ahem, well. It is rare that I am afforded the chance to talk with other knights who take their duty seriously. Knights Ronsenburg and Azelas were very knowledgeable. I doubt that rogue Zidane could appreciate the subtle nuances of good armour design," he harrumphed. Zidane would probably take that as a challenge if he found out, she thought.
As they began making their way back to the aerodrome where the Prima Vista was docked, Steiner spoke up again. "I apologise again for taking up so much time, Miss Dagger."
She waved him off. "Oh, it's quite alright Steiner, I took a walk around the city and met someone who gave me some advice on a decision I was struggling with."
"Ah, I see. May I ask what you have decided?"
"I would like to talk with the Yevonites and learn more of summoning," Garnet said resolutely. "I can't keep hiding from my own power, not when my mother may still be out there."
Steiner shifted uncomfortably at the reminder of Alexandria and Brahne. "If that is your wish, then I will do my best to aid you. At the very least, the airships will make travel simpler," mused Steiner, already trying to work out the best route he could from memory.
Steiner stopped suddenly, a realisation coming over him. "Wait, Princess, when did you go for a walk around the city!?" he exclaimed.
Garnet suppressed a sigh of annoyance.
Here's my entry for the high grade bounty: A possible route for Garnet taking the Summoner path.
Well that wound up being a whole lot longer than intended. I'd actually been having ideas about a Garnet and/or Steiner omake for a bit. Steiner needing to be thrown in a fountain because he's overheating came from that, and I wanted Ashe and Garnet to have a talk because they share a few traits that could make them interesting to bounce off of each other.
A number of ideas got cut from this. I'd planned on having Steiner reveal Garnet was a princess to Ashe prompting her to reveal her own true status. Another cut was Steiner rushing up to the pair shouting causing Basche and/or Vossler to think he's going for Ashe and instigating a small fight. In the end it didn't work out though, so I just had Garnet and Ashe leave unaware of precisely who they just spoke to, and gave Steiner a nice conversation with the two other knights.
You know what else I intended? For this to be the pro-Princess omake but Garnet and Ashe had other ideas. So this wound up being a pro-Summoner omake instead.
Writing wise there are a few bits I'm not sure I managed to keep the character voices, well, in character. Ashe is a pain to write considering the vaguely Shakespearean tone to XII's dialogue. Not totally sure the way Garnet and Steiner speak matches the way they talk in IX's dialogue either but I feel more confident with them at least.
Definitely hope I never get the inspiration to put the Occuria in anything, having to check over the dialogue to make sure it is in iambic tetrameter will drive me mad.
I wanted... I suppose I wanted them to suffer as I had." She sighed, the anger leaving her face. "Instead I find myself denied my vengeance and having to chart what the future holds without closure."
Also: I just want to give a shout-out to these lines here as my favorite out of your piece. It feels like this just speaks volumes about her feelings. Well done!
Also: I just want to give a shout-out to these lines here as my favorite out of your piece. It feels like this just speaks volumes about her feelings. Well done!
Ashe's speech just came to me as I was writing. I'm pretty pleased with the substance of her words even if they could probably be touched up to fit better with the way FFXII characters speak.
I'll be honest, I didn't expect to get an Omake so soon, or so eloquently put. The competition has barely started but I can tell this one is a contender. I'm placing it into Apocrypha for now, but the contest winner will be moved to Sidestory, stay tuned for that.
Onto the story itself, I love how you gave us a step-by-step reasoning of how and why Garnet came to this conclusion, with bonus funny points for having Steiner prattle on armor. Seems very in character for him. The talk with Ashe was great, and it definitely touches on some things I've thought about with her. She basically got exactly what she wanted, but in a way that denied her the chance at revenge.
