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Distant Memories

Disc 2 Part 1:

South Gate and Treno Part 1

Alex watched out the window as the trolley neared the top, excitement leading her to bounce a little like a kid at the view. "This is so cool! This tram is too neat! We definitely need one where I come from."

Garnet smiled to see her new friend so enthralled. It made her forget for awhile the seriousness of their task.

Steiner stood guard at their side. "Miss Alexandra, young ladies should act their age."

Alex responded by crossing her eyes and sticking out her tongue. "Whatever. And my name is Alex."

"And I told you that name is unbefitting of a girl," Steiner told her. "I will call you by your given name."

Alex grinned in quite the contrary manner. "Okay Rusty."

Airlia sighed heavily. "Will you two come to an agreement already? Right now we have some serious matters ahead of us, after that we can joke." Her mind was drifting to the upcoming confrontation with the queen. She knew she was going to be punished in aiding the princess's escape, but how far would she have to go to protect Garnet?

Alex hugged Airlia gently. "Don't be so worried. I promise everything will work out just fine. If you only think negative thoughts then… so think positive thoughts." Alex advised her.

Airlia nodded, but the worry just wouldn't leave her thoughts. Still, she knew she could fake her happiness fairly well. So plastering a grin, she just quietly took in the sights to try and empty her thoughts.

Alex could tell Airlia was still worrying in her heart so she began softly whistling a happy little tune, as she sat back, pretending to go to sleep. Maybe if she heard the positive sound, she might start feeling it.

Garnet had to agree with Alex. "Alex is right Airlia. Nothing can be gained by worrying. I want to think good thoughts about my mother. I know somethings wrong. She would never do any of this of her own will. That means we can do something to help her. And that's what we're going to do."

The tram finally hit the top and the bell rang. They got off the tram and went to wait in the cafe for the tram down the other side. "This is so amazing!" Alex gushed as she took in everything. "Oh look it's Marcus and Cinna!" She waved momentarily forgetting that she shouldn't know them yet.

The two thieves looked at each other in confusion as they saw two Princess Garnets sitting together and sharing a Bundt cake. They came over.

"Um...hi…" Marcus said. "Forgive my asking but there's two of you…"

"Nah," Alex said. "Just identical strangers. Oh you don't know me yet, I'm Alex!" She knew she was hyper. It must be the sugar in the cake.

Marcus nodded, "I'd hate to ask, but I heard there was something called a super soft in Treno that could help Blank… But it's really expensive… I can't afford it… We can't afford it… But…"

Airlia piped up, "You want us to get it right?"

He nodded with an expression of shame on his face. "Yes."

Garnet jumped up. "Of course we'll help! He saved my life!" Garnet declared emphatically. "Don't worry Marcus. We'll save him!"

Marcus grinned shyly. "Thank you…" Somehow he knew he shouldn't call her by name in this place. "We were planning on stealing it but… it's too well guarded."

The bell dinged outside, signalling that the other tram had arrived. "Come on guys," Alex stood up. "Let us go to Treno and save Blank!"

Marcus couldn't help staring at Alex. "You look like her but you remind me more of Zidane. Where is he anyway? Did you guys ditch him the first chance you got." He chuckled. "Like most of the girls he meets."

Garnet giggled with him. "No. A lot has happened and now we're just on separate missions. I need to talk with my mother. Oh, and this is Airlia. She's my closest friend in the world."

Airlia nodded as she studied the two men before nodding. She knew they weren't bad, but she just wanted to make sure she knew the vibe they exerted since everyone was different and it was how she knew who was nearby, even if they were hiding. "It's nice to meet you both Marcus, Cinna."

Alex bounced. "Okay guys come on before we miss the tram!" She ran out leading the way to the cable car. "We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz..."

Marcus and Cinna exchanged glances. This girl was... different.

Airlia remained in her dampened thoughts as the tram went swiftly to the other side of the gate even as Alex continued to sing her silly songs and Steiner looked like he wanted to strangle her at any moment.

At some point, Alex realized her cheery attitude was not catching on and lowered her head to look out the window. "I wonder what we'll see in Treno. I hear it's a beautiful city. With a big lake and an auction house." She looked at the unhappy Airlia. "Look I know you and Garnet are scared of what you'll find." She lowered her voice to whisper. "But I know it's going to be alright. Being scared, worried, it's not going to help. One thing my favorite teacher always used to tell me is when I'm worried, to think about it like this. Can I do anything about it? If the answer is yes, then I just need to do it and there's no reason to worry. If the answer is no, well obviously worrying is not going to fix it, so why worry?"

Airlia shook her head, opting to remain silent. Her friends were better off not knowing her past, nor why she hated the idea of fighting the queen more than anything. Garnet was her best friend, and she was the princess's protector. Yet if they were to learn of her indentured servitude, would they think any less of her… But that aside, how could she even think of fighting a woman who was very much like her mother in most aspects or fighting the queen who saved her from that life. It was like fighting herself, and it would always be a lose-lose situation, no matter the outcome.

Alex could see it wasn't helping and all she could do was hug the other young lady. She tried to be comforting to the girl. Her more mature side was coming out a little. "Just know if you need to talk, I'm here to help."

Garnet came and got in the hug too. "Me too Airlia. You have friends…"

The bell of the trolley dinged as the car came to a rest finally at the bottom of the mountain. "Oh! We're here!" Alex stated the obvious. As they got off the car, Alex said one last thing to Airlia. "If you look for the bad, expecting to find it, you surely will."

Airlia nodded, and tried to clamp down on her fears, but too many things went unanswered in the castle for the past year. Cutting off Garnet from all contact was strange and so unlike the gentle queen. Then there were the strange jesters that came into the castle, Zorn and Thorn. Her princess had woken up groggier than normal on more than one occasion since then, furthering the need to get her princess out of the castle. Something just wasn't right.

Steiner didn't like traveling with thieves but with the Princess intent on helping the red-headed one, he had no choice. So he took point, leading the way to Treno and personally cutting apart many monsters that got in their way. Finally they reached the city.

Alex was rendered instantly speechless at the beauty of the city. Her mouth fell open. She'd had this dream many times but in this dream, it was so vivid. She absently walked over to the fountain and reached her hand down to feel the water. "This place…" She said as she regained the ability to speak. "This place is so beautiful! Wow…"

Marcus shook his head at the odd girl. "We should go find the Super Soft."

Airlia nodded, "Find the vendor who has it, and we'll take care of the rest Marcus, please."

He nodded as the pair gratefully dashed off. Airlia turned to Garnet, "We should see about finding a place to stay for the night Dagger. It's been a long journey… for all of us."

Alex nodded. "Can I go look around?" She asked as though she was a little kid at a theme park.

Steiner shook his head. "We should stay together." He stated. "A young lady does not walk around a busy city on her own."

Alex pouted and Garnet rolled her eyes. "Steiner hush," Garnet said. "Go ahead Alex. Have fun. We'll see you at the inn."

Alex squealed with glee and took off to go explore the large city. She disappeared down the stairs on the left side of the city entrance.

Alex found nothing much of interest at first, beyond a tower that she knew would be locked. She did the raid the chest next to it though for a couple thousand gil. Down the stairs, she found the Club À La Carta, a gorgeous alfresco style dining spot that was for members only. She found that most of the nobles looked at her strangely. Was she really so odd looking as to gain stares from everyone?

Her wanderings took her outside of a beautiful lake-front palace. She walked over to the lake, awed by the reflection of the moon bouncing on the ripples of the water. Again, she had to kneel and feel the cool, wetness of the lake. It all felt so real.

"Hey there cutie," a slinky voice said behind her. A red-haired man with four arms approached her.

"Um...hi…" she said nervously.

The man drew nearer. "You're new in town aren't you. I can give you a tour…" He placed a hand on her shoulder.

She took one of his fingers and pushed the hand away. "No, I don't need one. I'm alright alone." She did not feel comfortable with this man.

The man pressed and put his arms around her waist instead. "Oh come on. You're more lovely than even any of the noble women. Let me show you a good time."

Alex pushed his arms off of her and tried to step away. "No, thank you, but no. I don't want the good time you're suggesting."

The four-armed thief tried again but before he could get his arms on her again, he felt one of them, his upper left arm being pulled and twisted behind his back. He grunted in pain.

"I think the young lady said no," Kuja's voice said making his presence known. Alex took a deep breath.

Airlia smiled as she got the princess settled in to the inn before turning to Steiner. "I'm going to go with Marcus about the Super Soft. Please, make sure she stays safe. I'm counting on you."

He raised an eyebrow as she leaned in, "I don't know what kind of cost that it'll be, this way it gives them less chance to be dishonest with us."

Steiner nodded, "Agreed. I will keep Dagger," it sounded awkward coming off his tongue, "Safe. Hurry back Yepa."

Airlia hurried back to the bandit outside and smirked. "Lead the way Marcus. We need to get that Super Soft."

He led the way east to a small shop marked, "Mystic Remedies." Going inside, they found a petite elderly woman with silver hair and a pale complexion. She wore a black gown that was black as night, with shimmering green eyes. "Welcome young man and young woman. What may I help you with? A love potion perhaps?" She cackled as Airlia paled.

"What?! No! We're looking for a cure for someone turned to stone in the Evil Forest. We need something called a Super Soft." Airlia explained. It wasn't that Marcus wasn't cute, but he just wasn't her type. Hell, thinking about it, she didn't really feel any interest in anyone aside from performing her duties to protect the princess.

The woman smiled sadly. "I can joke though young lady. Yes, I had a Super Soft, but it was purchased by another."

Marcus growled as he slammed his fists on the desk. "What?! Who bought it?! Maybe we can buy it from them?"

The silver haired woman shook her head. "No, I don't have a name unfortunately. He was a gentleman with a pale complexion, perhaps a few tones darker than mine, and long silvery hair. I've never seen him before and he left a few hours ago, so I don't even know if he's still in town."

Airlia nodded, "Well thank you anyways. We'll be going." She dragged Marcus out before he could put his foot further in his mouth than before.

Looking at him, "We'll have to split up and see if we can find this mystery man." He nodded before he darted off.

Alex was so relieved when Kuja sent the four-armed man scurrying away in fear. "It's so good to see you! I was afraid I'd have to do something drastic to get him away from me."

Kuja smirked. "Well fortunately that was not necessary. Though we do seem to be meeting a lot. Is it just coincidence that brought you to Treno on the same night I return to my mansion here?" He drew near her. "Or were you following me?"

Alex giggled. "Oh no, of course not. I haven't seen you since Lindblum, how could I be following you? No, I'm on my way to Alexandria. Everyone I've met has said I look like the Princess. Well now, I need to see this princess and see for myself." She sat down on a nearby bench. "And I'm helping some friends look for something."

"Oh really," Kuja sat beside her. "And what are they looking for?"

"Something called Super Soft to help a man who was badly petrified," she replied. "I want to help my friends to help their friend."

Kuja's brows furrowed. "The Super Soft? Now that is another coincidence. I purchased a Super Soft just earlier today. Just a few hours ago in fact."

Alex gasped. "That is a coincidence. It's also odd. Is there any way I could… buy it from you. I found 2000 gil?"

The man laughed. "2000 gil wouldn't even come close to what I paid for it. It's a rarity and I do like rare things." Seeing her face fall, he couldn't stop himself. "However… I might be willing to part with it… in exchange…"

"In exchange for what?" Was he about to…

"Dinner? I'm a member of the club here," he told her. "Have dinner with me. Tomorrow night. I think that would be an even exchange for the Super Soft."

Alex blushed. He was. This was her favorite part of the dream always. Although she rarely go to finish it out. "Yes, I'll have dinner with you. Tomorrow night."

The silver-haired man smiled, the first time he could remember having a genuine smile. "I assume you're staying at the inn here? I'll pick you up tomorrow evening when the clock chimes seven." He kissed her hand and left her.

Alex waited for a just a moment before running off in the direction of the inn. She whooped and leaped excitedly into the air every few yards. The stares didn't even faze her in her state of mind. She burst into the inn. "I have a date tomorrow night! And I found the Super Soft!"

Airlia blinked hearing Alex's excitement as the words came crashing down on her. "Date? Where is the Super Soft?! Someone bought it and we wanted to find them to buy it in return."

Alex quickly told them about the man she met outside of Dali, then again in Lindblum. "Now I've met him again, here in Treno and he saved me from being accosted by a perv. I told him we were looking for Super Soft and he said he had just bought it and he asked me out on a date! I said yes! He is so cute!"

Airlia nodded as she excused herself for a moment to find Marcus to explain everything to him. He growled. "So we're just to trust Alex then to get it?!"

Airlia nodded, "Yes, you will leave it to her. I trust her and if she said that she will obtain it, then it is true. Do not pursue it any further."

She left him fuming while going back to the room. Once settled in, she realized Garnet and Alex were discussing what to wear tomorrow...

AN: Alex is really still thinking this is a dream by the way. Like how Alice in the Tim Burton movie spent 80% of the movie believing it was all a dream.