Grazton, The Busy Port

[Yuna]

A port city where everyone is always busy. A huge hustle and bustle is always found, and people of all races and creeds find themselves bumping into each other on a day by day basis. One of the most populated cities in Ivalice. There is an airship that passes between it and Rabanastre.

[Thief]

Life in a strange world was tough to adjust to, especially for Kupek. The moogles of Ivalice looked nothing like him or the other moogles back at his home in the caves of Narshe. As such, people kept thinking that he was weird-looking for a moogle. He got used to it after about a week, but it still felt weird to him.

Eventually, Kupek got a job as a bartender at the Grazton pub. It took some time to learn the ins and outs of such a job, but by this time, he became quite good at mixing drinks. He still needed help with ejecting troublemakers, though, largely due to his size. In addition, Kupek found that while working, he receives plenty of information that others could find to be useful. It proved to be one of the more interesting tidbits of his new job.

At the moment, the pub was rather busy, and Kupek was doing his best to keep up with serving drinks to the various customers. He had managed to keep it up so far, but at the same time, he hoped that things would slow down soon, as he was getting a little tired after a while.

[Auron]

If there was one thing Balthier missed from his own Ivalice – his viera friend appart – that thing was certainly the Strahl. How can a leading man actually step up to his role with his wings cut? "A Sky Pirate without a sky, just imagine it!" he though. He missed being his own captain and not depending on others to move freely through Ivalice, though he certainly did not miss all the trouble he had hiding the airship at times.

It was with that feeling of lost freedom that Balthier entered Grazton's pub at around sunset, the heels of his boots making the wooden floor creak loudly at each step, after spending a day roaming the town for info on a possible new target. Needless to say, a no-number of rumors popped up in the obscure alleys of the city – in fact, Grazton reminded him of Rabanastre in that sense, but it thankfully didn't sport all that annoying heat and sand – but he was experienced enough as a Sky Pirate (though a wingless one at the moment) to know half were hoaxes and the other half not worth the trouble.

"Good night, sir," he said to the moogle bartender as he sat down at the last remaining empty table. "Busy as always, I see. I hope you can find time to bring me to eat and drink. Today was no easy day, I assure you. Why must all shady characters in town always come up with hoaxes and false information? Is there no honor among them?"

[Thief]

As tired as he was getting, Kupek kept himself going. He was eagerly awaiting a break, but that was still some time off. Soon enough, though, a man who had just sat down at a table had called to him. The moogle made his way over, notepad in hand in case he needed to take an order, then heard what the man had to say. It was hard to disagree with what was said about the town's shady people, Kupek figured.

"Tell me about it, kupo," said Kupek. "I hear so many things on the job that it's become rather difficult to tell what's true and what isn't. But anyway, what would you like tonight?"

[Auron]

"Oh, so you do hear things here in your cozy little establishment, do you?" Balthier said, growing quite interested in the moogle's remark about the rumors in his bar. "Splendid! Then perhaps you can help me," the sky pirate went on, fixing his hair with his right hand. Unlike those unreliable brokers and information sellers he met in town, the moogle looked like he could be trusted – if he was willing to provide information to a Sky Pirate at all.

The Archadian stopped for a while, deciding on the best way to approach the moogle without scaring a possibly good source of information away. Balthier knew how to deal with moogles – his mechanichs back in the old Ivalice were moogles after all – but this one seemed rather... unique in some sense. "You see," he went on finally, "My name is Balthier and I am what you could call a 'Recollector of Valuable Contraptions and Goods'. I am looking for a new job at this time and perhaps your good ears have, by chance, heard of some commodity that could use some... rescue."

That was a good way to approach his furry little friend on this matter: he wasn't really lying to the moogle while putting it on less... crude terms than simply mentioning burglary and theft. "Oh, and please, do bring me some wine, would you? A man that doesn't drink after a day of hard work doesn't really know true happiness, does he?"

[Irvine]

[Seirait -> From Windtrace Dunes]

Seirait arrived outside Grazton at the twilight hour, his haste spell having worn off after awhile. He stood there in the fading light watching the changing of the guard. More than likely Selferas won't enter the city. Not if he thinks Sephiroth might have alerted the guards.

"The next question is how do I find him? Or how can I make it so he finds me...." he muttered. He looked around him for a place to rest and wait. Finding it in a rock formation jutting from the ground, he climbed to the plateau of rock about two thirds of the way up, giving him an excellent view of the surrounding area.

"Only a start." He sat down with his back against the rock face and leaned the Ice brand vertically beside him. "But how to lead him here..." he continued. "He's lusting after blood, that much is clear. And there must be a reason he went after me first...." The answer was obvious.

He quickly pulled up his left sleeve and pulled out his Dancing Wolf. Quickly he opened a cut on his wrist, smearing his blade with his own blood. Dipping a finger in the pooling blood, he smeared a touch on the rock surfaces around him. When he was finished he pressed two fingers on the shallow cut to staunch the bleeding.

"This should bring him close." he said with a triumphant tone, eyes watching for the appearance of Selferas.

[Seru]

Seirait was engulfed in mist as a small black form darted by, and then he noticed the blood being absorbed into that mist, before sitting on the rock was Selferas. "Next time. Forearm. You could have bled out you fool." He shook his head. "That went about as well as me seducing Queen Cow would." He chuckled. "So. We need to break into Imperial Hall, get your stuff, and..." He stood up, sniffing. "If I am not mistaken..."

He openly licked his lips. "Come on, I'll be vampirizing you soon anyway. Of everyone I've known, you are worthy of being among Ajora's chosen. There's a White Mage nearby."

[Irvine]

Seirait merely nodded at the suggestion of vampirization. Whatever it takes... was all he thought of it. If anything was going to happen they needed to be in sync.

"Dont worry about Imperial Hall. Theres nothing of mine there."

[Seru]

"Well then. I think it's time we gave this world the little nudge it needs. I've been here a month. This place disgusts me already. No morality beyond that imposed by 'Judges'. This world needs the Light of God." Selferas closed his eyes. "And as the only member of the Glabados church here... It is my duty to bring it."

[Irvine]

"Then I stand at your side. All I have left to me is my training, nothing else. I'm a mercenary and it seems that is all I will ever be. You shall have both my blade and my magic. As for the contract...we've already established that. Backstab me and we'll see what a life spell does to you..." Seirait answered with a smirk.

[Seru]

"Betray me, and We'll see what happens when I force feed you a Barrel of potion." Selferas chuckled. "Now then. We need to figure out a base of operations. This land is similar to my homeland in several regards. I find familiar terrain features. The desert, for instance, was nearly identical to the one of my homeland."

Selferas frowned. "We will need to cross it again. On the other side, I pray, is a Mountain range. Within those mountains, if they exist, shall be a set of caverns. My Family had them excavated. In there natural state there were very precious, and very rare ores. And enough Sturdy rock, that if we can pay the team to do it, We could build a grand cathedral to the Light of Glabados."

[Irvine]

"If we need a base of operations then perhaps we should start our own clan. That would provide us with easy access to money through marks and would be a focal point for gathering others to us." Seirait mused. "The only problem would be the financial situation. The construction of such a citadel would require a large sum of money. Besides that, we would need the approval of Queen Brahne."

"If what I fear is true, then you have been branded a traitor, possibly even a mark. The Judgemaster seems to think you're a monster anyway so the latter is likely," he continued. "I find it unlikely that I would be branded as such; I merely stepped in to prevent bloodshed. So if we follow the route of the creation of a clan it would seem that I would be, for all legal purposes, the leader as I would have to make the appeal. And perhaps we would not need financial gain at all. The queen may give us all the aid we need..."

[Seru]

"I've come up with a plan. We'll need to use our remaining time in Grazton wisely. For the first part, we should hold off on making our desert voyage."

Selferas inhaled with a chuckle. "And we need to find me a large black cloak."

"FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS AN OLD TRICK TO RELIEVE THE CORRUPT OF THERE ILL GOTTEN GAINS. IF I MAKE THEM BELIEVE THAT I AM THE INCARNATION OF DEATH, NOBLES CAVE WITH AMAZING EASE."

[Irvine]

"Then I suppose that shall fall to me. Thankfully, I still have a touch of money from my time before this ill-fated journey with Seraph. It should be enough to aquire said cloak." With that Seirait stood up, jumped off the rocks, and raced towards Grazton before the shops closed.

He arrived at one of the traveller's gear shops mere minutes before it closed. He quickly grabbed one of the longer black traveller's cloaks and threw it around himself. It dragged about a foot and a half of material on the ground and wrapped around him nearly twice. That should be good enough for him.

Placing it on the counter, the hume running the store told him it would be 278 gil. Seirait placed the last of his gil on the counter, just barely enough to cover it. He took the cloak and headed back out.

As he went back to the exit where he came in at he passed by the announcement board. As he glanced at it he found a bill for the capture/death of Selferas. Sneering, he ripped the bill off the board and shoved it it his coat pocket. His thoughts had been confirmed. They were hunting Selferas.

[Seru]

Selferas ghosted along the town, looking for a proper mark, finally picking one, a suitably rich merchant. Noting the Location of there home, Selferas took to his bat form, and flew back to the place he would meet Seirait.

To believe I am reduced to thievery. But I must keep in mind, a Holy Cause is holy, no matter it's means. I know this all to well. Else I would have slain myself, were that not reality.