Fragments (Final Fantasy Tactics)
Final Fantasy Tactics: Delita, Algus, and Ramza; fragment
I.
Dear Sister,
You may have wondered upon our abrupt departure from Igros Castle, but I assure you --
Delita paused, blotted, and brushed the feathered tip of his quill against his pursed lips. How was he to finesse this? There may be many ways to explain to a beloved sister why she had been unceremoniously abandoned, but only one came to mind. And, somehow, "Ramza Beoulve thought it was a good idea" did not seem like something that would comfort Teta.
There were moments when the thought did not comfort Delita either.
Conditions were not exactly ripe for the penning of an exquisite epistle. For one thing, there was his second-hand paper. For another, there was his quill (i.e. scratchy). For yet another, The Merrier Milkmaid was rising toward an aria of drunken noise around him. Public houses did not lend themselves to remorseful composition. He would have chosen another place to write -- any other place -- but The Merrier Milkmaid had been their first stop since scurrying from Igros Castle under the cover of night.
"Delita! Oy, Delita!"
Delita looked up. He was sitting at a wobbly table beside the second floor's railing, over which he could see the weaving crush of drunken townsmen and Gariland cadets. Among that mass, he could see two familiar blond heads together. Ramza was bouncing up and down, trying to see over heads; Algus was watching the crowd with an expression -- Delita could recognize it even from this distance -- of supercilious disdain.
"Delita!"
Delita lifted his arm and gave a half-hearted wave. Ramza did not immediately see him, and finally Algus gave him a nudge and a nod toward the second floor. Ramza gave an enthusiastic war whoop and began pushing his way toward the stairs.
Delita sighed. He did not think his letter was getting written tonight.
II.
Algus leaned against the railing. "I thought we had agreed to keep this expedition a secret."
"Teta wouldn't tell," Delita said.
"Women can't control their mouths," Algus said, laughing a little.
Delita glanced at Ramza, and Ramza coughed uncomfortably. "I just think, Delita," he said, "that the fewer people who know about where we've gone--"
"You told your sister where we were going," Delita said quietly.
Algus stiffened. "What? I thought we had agreed to keep this expedition a secret."
"Alma wouldn't tell," Ramza said hastily, "and, besides, she found me saddling the chocobo, and I had to tell her where I was going. If I hadn't, she would have woken up the entire estate. She would have," Ramza said to Algus, who had closed his eyes. "You don't know my sister. She's not nice and sweet, like Teta. She's...loud. She can be very loud."
"Of course," Algus said, opening his eyes. "Why not? Why not tell your sisters? Why not tell all Igros? Why not tell your brothers?"
Ramza giggled nervously. "Because my brothers would have objected, of course. After all, they wanted me to stay in Igros. Don't you remember?"
Author's Note: Two fragments of a story that went nowhere badly.
I.
Dear Sister,
You may have wondered upon our abrupt departure from Igros Castle, but I assure you --
Delita paused, blotted, and brushed the feathered tip of his quill against his pursed lips. How was he to finesse this? There may be many ways to explain to a beloved sister why she had been unceremoniously abandoned, but only one came to mind. And, somehow, "Ramza Beoulve thought it was a good idea" did not seem like something that would comfort Teta.
There were moments when the thought did not comfort Delita either.
Conditions were not exactly ripe for the penning of an exquisite epistle. For one thing, there was his second-hand paper. For another, there was his quill (i.e. scratchy). For yet another, The Merrier Milkmaid was rising toward an aria of drunken noise around him. Public houses did not lend themselves to remorseful composition. He would have chosen another place to write -- any other place -- but The Merrier Milkmaid had been their first stop since scurrying from Igros Castle under the cover of night.
"Delita! Oy, Delita!"
Delita looked up. He was sitting at a wobbly table beside the second floor's railing, over which he could see the weaving crush of drunken townsmen and Gariland cadets. Among that mass, he could see two familiar blond heads together. Ramza was bouncing up and down, trying to see over heads; Algus was watching the crowd with an expression -- Delita could recognize it even from this distance -- of supercilious disdain.
"Delita!"
Delita lifted his arm and gave a half-hearted wave. Ramza did not immediately see him, and finally Algus gave him a nudge and a nod toward the second floor. Ramza gave an enthusiastic war whoop and began pushing his way toward the stairs.
Delita sighed. He did not think his letter was getting written tonight.
II.
Algus leaned against the railing. "I thought we had agreed to keep this expedition a secret."
"Teta wouldn't tell," Delita said.
"Women can't control their mouths," Algus said, laughing a little.
Delita glanced at Ramza, and Ramza coughed uncomfortably. "I just think, Delita," he said, "that the fewer people who know about where we've gone--"
"You told your sister where we were going," Delita said quietly.
Algus stiffened. "What? I thought we had agreed to keep this expedition a secret."
"Alma wouldn't tell," Ramza said hastily, "and, besides, she found me saddling the chocobo, and I had to tell her where I was going. If I hadn't, she would have woken up the entire estate. She would have," Ramza said to Algus, who had closed his eyes. "You don't know my sister. She's not nice and sweet, like Teta. She's...loud. She can be very loud."
"Of course," Algus said, opening his eyes. "Why not? Why not tell your sisters? Why not tell all Igros? Why not tell your brothers?"
Ramza giggled nervously. "Because my brothers would have objected, of course. After all, they wanted me to stay in Igros. Don't you remember?"
Author's Note: Two fragments of a story that went nowhere badly.