Zidane Audition

Trying to adjust to a mostly settled life, especially after spending most of your life traveling in an airship that doubled as a base for a group of thieves, wasn't the easiest thing in the world. Zidane Tribal had wasted no time in finding that out. It wasn't all bad. Palace life was a life of luxury! Usually. Being here on the queen's favor didn't exactly earn him any points with the nobles or higher-ups in the city, since they still looked at him as a thief. Zidane didn't mind that much, and most of the time they only scowled at him when he walked by or threw bread at him if he wanted to raid the kitchen for some of the delicious food they had here. They didn't try to shun him after all he'd done to protect Dagg....er, Garnet, like everyone had been reminding him to call her, but they didn't treat him like he completely belonged there. Zidane couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. But with the way people were always looking over your shoulder to make sure you said the right thing to keep from making anyone angry, Zidane could see why Garnet broke away from here in the first place all those months ago.

All those months... If Zidane could start back over on that day they performed for the queen and they were planning to kidnap Garnet, he figured he'd do it all over again. Maybe minus the parts where he yelled at his friends. Zidane didn't always think about what he'd found out about himself or everything that had happened. He barely thought about it at all during a normal day. But whenever he did, he kept thinking about Kuja and the way they'd parted ways at the Iifa Tree. Zidane genuinely thought Kuja could be convinced to leave it all behind and come back here with him, but it seemed that his brother had more answers to find before his mind could be at ease. And Zidane hadn't heard anything about him since that day. There was no telling what he'd been doing all this time, but the performance had to end eventually. Maybe someday Kuja would find all of his answers and try to put together a more normal life...well, at least as normal as Zidane's....if the people would let him. Zidane hoped so, even if it was a stretch.

He stopped staring at the stars and suddenly remembered his problem, his legs starting to impatiently swing again. "I've gotta find something to do...." Pushing himself off of his perch on one of the palace's balcony railings, Zidane crossed his arms and looked over the city. There was plenty to do - the bar was sitting there waiting for him. But the bartender there didn't seem to like him. At least, that's the impression he got when his drink had been watered down right in front of his eyes. Most of the other places were shops, and he didn't need to buy anything. And there was the brothel....that would go over so well with Her Highness. Zidane thought about convincing some of the others to drag around the city for some entertainment. But who? Most everyone was either out of town or busy with their duties. And the ones he could maybe manage to yank away from their duties were Steiner, and Steiner always did something to embarrass Zidane out in public.

So that left one person. The first choice every day of the week. ...But it was going to take a little work to get her out of that dungeon they called her room.

Zidane spun around and jogged back into the castle, zooming past a couple of maids and guards while he made his way towards the staircase. While he rushed up, ducking under more guards holding long pikes and a few servants with trays to the sounds of protest, Zidane wondered what kind of challenge waited for him at her door this time. There was almost always someone there to explain to him why he couldn't go inside, and Zidane almost always ended up seeing her anyway. He was a thief, after all. He knew how to get past security. Locks and a couple of guards was like child's play.

....But there was no one at the doorway. Zidane stopped dead in his tracks, skidding a couple of feet, while he stared at the door. That was strange. There was usually guards posted here even when Dagger was elsewhere. Zidane didn't necessarily think there was anything wrong, but it definitely made him bring his guard up. They were just trying to be sneaky, obviously. "Did the noble tin cans finally give up?" ...And after a second or two of standing there, ready to dodge, he was left hanging. "Nothing? Not even a little bit of effort to keep me away?" Zidane finally gave a little shrug. "Okay, but don't come to me when Beatrix gets mad at you."

Zidane trotted right up to the door, listening for anyone inside. He could hear something faint and musical. A wide smile crossed his face. He wondered what Garnet was up to inside. Maybe she was just reading. Or practicing something. Or changing.

....Zidane was going in.

He pulled at the handle on the door and started his way inside, a bright expression on his face and "Dagger....I'm home!" coming out of his mouth.

ACCEPTED!

2/2

Go and make that app!