Author's Notes: Haha, this is more or less just for kicks. Because I'm the type that sits there while playing the game, wondering how long it would be until Cliff did something incredibly stupid. :) And yes, I'm an Albel/Nel shipper, clearly. You'll all see how that plays out later.
Disclaimer: Star Ocean 3 and all characters, items, whatever belong to Square-Enix and Tri-Ace. :D

Tears of Venus
Prolouge

"Wait.... Say that again?" Peppita said with a raised eyebrow. Cliff patiently held up the phial of rather potent looking liquid for her to see a second time.

"I want you to slip this into their drinks," he explained. "Albel and Nel. Make sure that they're sitting next to each other, though, or it won't work."

"Poison?" she asked blankly.

"No."

"That's not the poison Fayt was telling us just came out on the market?"

"No! It's a love potion! 'The Tears of Venus,' the latest and most potent potion Gossam's come out with."

The lightbulb went on in Peppita's pigtailed head. "Oh! I get it now! They have to be sitting next to each other for it to work!" She giggled. "Great plan! So you noticed Albel's crush on Nel too, then?"

"How could you miss it?" Cliff snorted, not feeling the need to tell her that Mirage had hit him upside the head and pointed it out three days earlier. "Anyway, do you think you can do it?"

"Think I can? Of course I can!" Peppita snatched the phial from Cliff's massive hand and tucked it safely beneath one of her belts. "Dinner tonight, right?" He nodded. "Great! It's about time someone did something about this!"

She flounced off happily, humming to herself. Cliff grinned. There was no way the plan would fail now. With Peppita's absolutely innocent appearance and acting skills, there was no chance in Hell of the plan leaking out. The entire crew of the Diplo was in on it as well, though Fayt, Maria, and Roger had looked at him as if he'd sprouted sixty heads when he suggested using a love potion on their Elicoorian friends. Fayt had insisted that it would be a bad idea, that Nel would be pissed once the potion wore off, but Sophia had managed to talk him into it in the end. Cliff had wondered vaguely if the UP3-loving idiot would break down in the end and give Nel or Albel a heads-up; that is, until Albel set up a booby trap under Fayt's bed the night before that had nearly broken his ankle. Fayt didn't seem ready anymore to help Albel in any way, shape, or form. This was a relief.

Cliff strolled off to the bridge, whistling cheerfully. This was going to be great.