Part II: More Magic, More Fantasies

Chapter 30- Pacifica Defense

When you finally reached the reception room, Kyra, Leon, Maceida, and Quistis were already there. "What gives?" you asked.

"Lima thought that all of us going to the meeting would be too imposing, so only she, Alys, and Lightning went," replied Kyra. "The rest of us are supposed to wait here until they're done."

The way that Kyra said "supposed" gave you the impression that she'd rather be mowing the field grass.

"Do we have to wait exactly here?" asked Snow, presumably thinking the same way.

"It'd be better to," Leon told him. "There will be no complications that way."

"Complications?" asked Serah.

"They don't mess around here when it comes to rules," explained Leon.

"This place seems more like some type of... military institution than a school," Tifa said softly as she sat on one of the couches in the room. "The students don't seem to be enjoying themselves."

"If they are they're doing it silently," replied Mumford. "Too much talking out of turn is discouraged."

"Yeah, they don't really care to hear us out on anything," added Maceida. "I have to admit, although the list of things I hated about this school is practically a fucking kilometer long, I actually understand that rule. They're trying to teach us in our formative years that no one gives a fuck about your opinions."

That was harsh, but it had a bit of truth to it.

"I don't think that's exactly what they were aiming for..." Quistis said.

"Well, that's what I got from it, anyway." Maceida shrugged as she poured herself a cup of tea using the set on a small coffee table between the couches.

"What if we want to leave the building?" asked Kyra. "Can we just go?"

"In theory. But why would we? You would just have to come back later anyway when the meeting's over," pointed out Logan.

"But this is so boring!" complained Kyra, as she sat on the couch next to Maceida, restlessly. "I should've stayed at the airship with Oblio and company. At least they get to walk around."

The funny thing was that right now, Riku, Oblio, Rika, Reiko, and Lisandra were probably sitting around the airship complaining that they should've come with you instead...

"While we're waiting, why don't we check in with the others and see what they're up to?" suggested Quistis. "Before they dropped off Logan and I, we were making considerable progress toward finding the crystal..."

"Oh, yeah!" agreed Logan. "As I remember it, we had deduced its location to either Birth Valley in Motavia or some type of mansion-like area in adjacent Dezolis, but I wasn't-"

"Did you just say mansion in Dezolis?!" asked Kyra, sitting up.

"Do you know something about that, Ms. Tierney?" asked Maceida.

"It's called the Esper Mansion, and it's a place where people with a special type of life force live- the Espers." Kyra nodded. "I ought to know; I'm one of them."

"Really?" Quistis looked impressed. "But I've read that Espers don't often leave the Mansion."

"They don't, but the issue we're all fighting has reached the nearest town- making many of its residents bed-ridden as a result- and the Espers have been doing everything we can to help them." Kyra nodded. "But, I didn't want to just patch up everyone's wounds, you know? I want to stop things at the source!"

She grinned, and continued, "Logan, if the crystal really is at the Mansion, everyone there should be willing to help you look for it, especially if you mention that you know me. I'd even suggest that you- politely- ask the Espers to search for you while your team looks in Birth Valley."