********* (I Love You) Chapter XXXV: ChickensFollow

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is Chapter XXXV of my love story ************ (I Love You)[/I]. Read and review, as usual.

Previous chapters, aki, and Interludes

Part I - Connection (Enishi)

Kasho II - Kodoku (Solitude)

Part III - Reunion (Saikai)

Kasho IV- Suriyoru (Closer)
---
(Aki XXX)
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=35&mid=112238583589703268&num=3

(Chapter XXXI)
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=35&mid=1122559673284936731

(Interlude IV)
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=10&mid=1122641776503699968

(Aki XXXII)
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=10&mid=1122987452126376636

(Chapter XXXIII)
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=10&mid=1123084567810865644

(Aki XXXIV)
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=35&mid=1123248225842026665&num=3
---
(Bonus Story)
http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=35&mid=1123501632889873532&num=3

Okay...personal thoughts time.

Yesterday...I found out that a very old friend of mine, Yukito died about a month and a half ago...while I was out of game (not by choice).

Not in game, but in real life.

Goddess...I never got to say goodbye...

So to SA, I'm sorry for how I acted in LS last night...to my PM static, I'm sorry for being so distracted while doing the mission...

I want these tears to stop, but they keep slipping away unbiddingly from the corners of my eyes.

Everyone...hold onto those that are dearest to you, both inside and outside of Vana'diel. You never realize how much you will miss them...until they are gone...
***
Chapter XXXV: Chickens
***
"Let’s get out gear and go then, Dimitri-chan." Hitomi said once we figured out our next destination on our journey for the Eruntalon Code. She made a move towards the saloon's door, and picking my way through the devastation, I followed her. We exited noiselessly, and ascended up the creaking staircase with the greatest possible care. But it was at the top that we found Rycharde standing at our room’s entrance, blocking the way in.

"What the hell happened Dimitri?!" he exclaimed when he saw us, quickly wringing his hands back and forth in quite a display of nervous anxiety. Looking at him, I could tell that he was breathing loudly and sweating a great deal, doubtlessly wondering if there was a fight still going on downstairs as I realized that my clothes were covered in blood.

I shook my head a couple of times and then decided to lie somewhat to my old friend. "Some of the soldier's in training got really drunk, and decided to have a go at each other. My lady friend and I weren't involved, luckily, but your place downstairs is destroyed and will probably need to have almost everything replaced."

Rycharde Senior’s face paled as if he had just seen a bogy heading towards him at night on a new moon's Darksday, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he just shuffled aside, and Hitomi and I slipped inside as quickly as possible. Hitomi shut the door with a sound click, and then turned around to face me with indignation on her face.

"Why lie?" she asked me coldly as she picked up a few trinkets that were laying about of hers on the floor, and then stuffing them into her pockets.

"Because I don’t want anymore trouble for us than we already have. Remember, the Ducal Guard’s after me for treason and for breaking my exile from the Grand Duchy most likely, and Goddess only knows if the beastmen haven’t figured out that we are chasing after the Eruntalon Code and want to catch us also." I said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice as I changed out my shirt, and then stuffed the bloody one away in my gear as I finished packing it up.

Hitomi only snorted with her head bent down as she finished getting her gear ready, and I couldn't make out her face beneath her hat.

"Let go Dimitri." she simply said as she turned around with her finally ready stuff and strolled out the room.

I couldn't help but notice she dropped the 'chan' from my name.

We headed downstairs in quiet, and out the front door without seeing Rycharde, who was probably downstairs figuring out how many thousands of gil it was going to cost to fix things. The town of Mhuara was quieter now that it was nighttime, the way to the twenty four hour chocobo stables lit by a few scattered lanterns that kept flickering to go out constantly. After a couple of minutes, we got to the chocobo stables, and came to the front rental station. Behind the fake mahogany counter, I could see a young hume girl absently mindedly chewing on the ends of her hair, obviously on the verge of falling asleep.

I coughed softly, and seeing that she didn’t stir, I coughed a bit louder. This time, she simply slumped over onto her notepad, laying her head down among all the various inked chocobo licensing numbers and notes. Hitomi, not one to play subtly until the girl woke up from my hints, dropped her bags, grabbed the girl’s shoulders with her hands, and then shook her violently until she woke up with a startled gasp.

"Wh-wha?!" she said as her mind suddenly snapped back into consciousness and she then looked up at us.

"I would like to rent a chocobo, from here to the stables at the Federation of Windurst." I said quietly as I reached into my pocket to pull out a tattered chocobo's license and then flip it over onto the counter's edge.

Mumbling about odd travelers, she picked up my license and looked over it carefully to make sure that it was real. Once satisfied, she then scribbled down the relevant information from it and then handed it back to me. She then plucked out a rental form from a hidden slot and handed it to me.

"Okay, and do you want insurance?" she asked while I was filling out the form, "You know that while the Mhaura Chocobo Stables isn't responsible for any accidents that may result from mishandling, fatigue, death, or Acts of God or Goddess, you yourself are responsible for anything and everything that may happen."

"Yes," Hitomi said quietly with conviction in her voice before I could get a word in, "We go to need it."

The girl only nodded, and then handed me a pink piece of paper to fill out next, detailing the insurance policy. Once she saw that I was having no trouble filling them out, she then started to add the total rental cost together on a spare sheet of paper.

"Carry the four...move the decimal...okay sir, you owe us 1,337 gil. That includes the insurance policy. And due to it being a wartime, you will need to pay up front and now." The girl looked up from her number sheet, and stared hard at me for a moment. "Hmm...I see you are currently carrying 14,666 gil on your person, so you definitely can pay for it."

No matter how many times I may rent a chicken...that always creeps me out they always know exactly how much gil I have on hand...

Pushing that disturbing thought aside, I tossed my wallet onto the counter top and allowed Hitomi to count out 1,337 gil to hand to the girl while I finished up the last of the paperwork. The girl then counted the gil twice to make sure it totaled the amount exactly and then shoved it down an angled slot that led to what I presumed was a safe buried safely beneath our feet. Once that was done, she took my finished paperwork, tossed it aside without bothering to look at it, and then got up from behind the counter to lead us over to the stable proper. Inside, I could see rows upon rows of chocobos asleep on top of straw bedding, each secured safely in a padlocked stable cage.

The girl picked up a key that was dangling on a hook near the doorway, and waited patiently while Hitomi and I selected a fine yellow bird that was happily snoozing the night away near the exit gate. Once we had made our final choice, the chocobo stable employee then unlocked the cage and ushered us in to wake up, tie our gear to the bird, and then mount it while she then opened up the exit gate to the bar.

Hitomi wrapped her arms around my waist tightly once more, causing me to flashback briefly to our ride from Jueno to Selbina, and I then took the reins and slowly steered the bird out of the building and into Buburimu Peninsula.

As the girl locked the gate behind us so she could then go back to sleep behind the front counter once more, I cracked the reins onto the bird’s back, breaking it into a cold run.

With the cold nighttime stars beckoning us, we road onwards to Windurst, and to where we hoped that our journey would come to an end.

-fin: Chapter XXXV: Chickens

Hehehe!!!! I like this even better:




LMAO! That was so great!
And ya said "chicken" like I do! *dances happily*

Although, I've been callin' em turkeys lately... (Thankies, Kihakudoragon lolz)


Rate Up, Rate Up, Rate Up, Nights...
Yer such a talent!