The Games We Play

DISCLAIMER: This story is NOT MINE IN ANY WAY. That honor has gone to the beautiful bastard Ryugii. This has been pulled from his Spacebattle publishment. Anyway on with the show...errr read.

Acceptance

"Ah, I see," Grandmother nodded in acceptance, sipping her tea. "Then this flower is my great granddaughter. My, how time flies…"

We sat at the dining room table of my Grandmother's huge house, drinking from cups that must have been of Vacuo make. Mom had barely gone inside before leaving again, off to handle business I assumed. Gou had sniffed around curiously for several minutes, exploring the new place until my grandmother's own dogs had walked in, massive hulking beasts that were several times the growing puppy's size. Despite that, they had played around the room, prancing around until Gou's adventures lead him out the open door and into the rain outside, immediately drawing his attention. Currently, he seemed to be engaged in battle with it.

He also appeared to be losing. I suppose it was fine so long as he had a good time of it, though.

Autumn, on the other hand, now rested within a pot of soil Grandmother had had one of her men fetch from outside. At a touch, Autumn had unwound herself from my wrist and taken root in the soil, transforming quickly to appear the same as any other rose. My grandmother had watched the process with interest as she'd listened to my explanation.

"Truly though, she's amazing," She continued, blowing gently on her drink. "There have been many experiments over the years, but I've never seen an awakened plant grow so advanced. The most I've ever even heard of was a plant capable of limited motion, but they were unable to get any definite responses to signify intelligence."

"They probably just couldn't communicate with it," I mused, hands around Autumn's pot. "I encountered something similar; when Autumn first became self-aware, she was blind, deaf, and numb to the world. I ended up connecting us through Aura, in the end, but…"

I shook my head, imagining those other plants, who'd never had someone to bring them out of the dark. I hoped…well, I wasn't even sure what I hoped for. That they'd found peace somehow, I suppose.

"Remarkable," Was all my grandmother said, stroking one of Autumn's petals. There was a reaction, after a moment, but I don't think she'd been able to speak to Autumn as such, merely draw her attention with her Aura. "Truly, my granddaughter is quite amazing, isn't she? And very beautiful, as well."

There was a kind smile on her face as she spoke the words and I translated them for Autumn, giving her a rough understanding of the context as well. Autumn reacted by changing her face, blossom shifting somewhat in both color and shape as it opened. I'd explained to Autumn how humans considered her flowers beautiful and she'd used them as one of her many forms of response ever since.

"A Middlemist," My grandmother breathed. The name of the flower, I supposed? I didn't recognize it. "It has been a very long time since I've had the pleasure, Autumn."

She tapped her blossom again, a gentle contact with a single finger, and then looked up at me.

"You said she could consume plants, as well?" She asked. "That's how she grows?"

"I think it's more complicated than that," I replied. "It seems more like a melding of minds then a consumption of them—but yeah, that's one of the ways she grows. She's gotten to the point where she can consume entire trees. She feeds on Aura spent around her, as well."

Grandmother smiled at me gently, so her next words were a tad jarring.

"Have you given her anything poisonous yet?" She asked.

"Not yet," I shook my head after a moment's pause. "Issues with when to use it, mainly; she tends to keep her natural defenses up at all times. Until recently, she would cover herself with Atlesian Blackberry thorns, even while wrapped around me—and sometimes she still does, if something frightens her. She…"

I paused, trying to put the thought into words before my grandmother did it for me.

"She's blind and deaf and numb. Trapped in a silent, lightless world, surrounded by strangers," She said calmly, smile momentarily fading. "It's only natural that she'd get scared."

"Exactly," I agreed. "But even so, a lot of people could get hurt if she reacts the wrong way. I've been working on that with her, but…well, it's something that needs to be done right."

"Then see that it is," She inclined her head towards me. "But once she is prepared, do you have any plans?"

"A few," I shrugged. "The merging seems to have greater results when used on another awakened plant and there are a few good ones I can get to easily. Ranunculus, Aconite, and Oleander seem like good places to start."

"Ah," She said fondly. "A good place to start indeed. But don't be afraid to aim your sights a little higher—Abrus and Brugmansia, Conium and Cicuta and old Cerbera and dear, sweet Manchineel. At the very least, you should have no trouble finding Ricinus in Vale, should you so need. But if I might make a suggestion?"

I tilted my head to the side, not recognizing all of the names—and somewhat worried that my grandmother did. Even so, I raised an eyebrow inquisitively, bizarrely curious.

"Menagerie is quite famous for its…inhabitants," She said, lips quirking slightly upwards. "If its dangerous plants you intend to look for, I'd recommend you aim for the top and research the matter. There's a species of Heracleum that has a fascinating poison; I've seen men fine one minute and blister and burn as they walked back into the sunlight. There's another I'm familiar with, a rather spectacular Dendrocnide, which stings those who touch its leaves, injecting them with a toxin so agonizing and persistent that most chose commit suicide to escape the pain. There's a distantly related tree called the Urtica, though that's native to the north-east, and its one of the few plants I've known to have killed people who simply made the mistake of walking into it. There's also a very poisonous breed of plant by the name of Daphne, though you may know it better as a Spurge-laurel, though it's neither a spurge nor a laurel; regardless, those who eat it tend to meet rather horrible deaths."

She made the words sound conversational.

"These are all on the Kingdomless Continents?" I asked, shaking my head.

"Most of them," She shrugged. "It's among the many reasons why they're that way, though a bit down the list. Still, some have been taken away and grown successfully elsewhere, throughout Remnant's history. Mistral has quite a record of making use of such poisons. I've done some research on that topic myself, as you might have guessed."

I could guess why, too.

"As you grow older, you'll find that all manner of skills can prove useful," She continued. "I and several of my old friends developed some small skill at knitting while at school and it's seen us all a ways. That's where I first met your grandfather, you know, though we didn't get to know one another until sometime after that."

"I've found a number of odd skills useful myself," I admitted. "I can believe it."

She reached over to pat my hand gently.

"Will you be going out tonight, then?" She changed the subject. "If you wish, I'll take you to see the festivities tomorrow."

"Thank you, Grandmother," I replied. "I'd love to. But I do think I'll take a look around some, since I'm new in town and all. I don't need to do anything for the tournament tomorrow, right?"

"Not tomorrow, no," She shook her head. "Preliminaries will start the day after, however."

"Then I'll go for a walk, if that's all right with you, Grandmother."

"I don't mind," She said. "I'll send Grigio with you to make sure you don't get lost."

It wasn't a request, but I didn't mind anyway. I really did just want to take a look around—and, okay, maybe scope out the city so I knew where everything was if, against all odds, something happened to go catastrophically wrong in my proximity. Unlikely as it seemed, I felt it might be wise to prepare myself anyway.

Still, a guide could only help with that.

"Okay," I agreed. "Would you be okay with looking after Gou or should I take him with me."

"It's fine if he stays," She answered with closed eyes.

I nodded once, even though she couldn't see me, and then picked up Autumn and rose to leave—but I stopped when she spoke again.

"Jaune," She said. "If you're going into town, you may want to leave Autumn here, as well."

"Oh? Why?" I asked, frowning. I wasn't suspicious of my grandmother—okay, no, that was a lie. I wasn't an idiot; I was totally suspicious of my grandmother. But I was sure she wouldn't harm me or Autumn. But if she wanted me to leave Autumn here… "You know that without me…"

"I know," Grandmother said, opening an eye to look at me. "But…it's your first day in town, Jaune."

I tilted my head to the side and said nothing for a moment.

"You're talking about the others, aren't you?" I said at last; there was no need to clarify who I was talking about.

"If I was with you…" She sighed slowly. "But no, it may be better this way. Word must have spread by now and they'll want to get a look at you. It should be fine but…just in case, leave Autumn here."

I said nothing, frowning down at the pot I held.

"You're strong enough to stand on your own, aren't you?" She asked after a few moments of silence.

"I can't say, without any knowledge of who I might be standing before," I replied, unafraid. "But you think I'm ready or else it wouldn't matter."

She smiled at that.

"You're ready," She stated. "But I don't know if Autumn is. Could you protect her?"

Could I? There was really no way of knowing yet. I thought I could; I knew I had a long way to go, but I was still strong now. Autumn herself had a fair number of tricks up her sleeves. I was pretty sure we could handle whatever came up.

The better question was 'would I bet Autumn on that'?

No, I thought. Not if I didn't have to. Not if there was a safer way. She was…

But…

"Should I stay here, then?" I wondered aloud. "She's still so…"

My grandmother chuckled sadly.

"You remind me of myself, Jaune," She said, her smile briefly sad. "But perhaps you should ask her first?"

I looked down at Autumn, Aura shifting invisibly around me.

"Are you sure?" I whispered after a moment and then looked up. "Is this important, Grandmother? Or should I stay?"

"It might be important," She said. "Or it might not even come up. But…in my experience, problems don't go away just because you ignore them; they just get bigger. I advise dealing with such matters quickly and thoroughly."

She looked at me steadily.

"She can sense Aura, can she not?" Grandmother asked. "She'll know she's not alone. Tell her I'll keep her safe until you return."

I was silent for a minute and then nodded.

"Gou," I said and my dog immediately stopped playing in the rain to rush inside. I winced slightly at the mud and water he trailed in but knelt beside the happily panting puppy regardless and lifted Autumn from her pot. A silent whisper and her shape changed, stem splitting to tie loosely around Gou's neck in a second collar, flower on the back of his neck. Gou continued to pant in what seemed like approval, so I scratched his ears before touching Autumn one last time. I knew she'd be safe here—possibly safer then she'd be anywhere else, but…I suppose this was the first time we'd been a part since she woke up and…I…

I'll be back soon.

For a moment, she rippled with patterns of white and red crystal and I knew she could see me as I rose.

"Stay here boy," I told Gou. "Keep an eye on her, okay?"

He panted in acceptance of his important mission before bouncing back into the rain to continue his efforts to conquer it. Through it all, my grandmother's dogs sat patiently on the porch, just watching the puppy play. I imagined them wondering 'what is this idiot doing?'

After a few moments in the rain, however, Autumn stirred around Gou's neck, blossom rising on an extending stalk, growing swiftly larger as large leaves grew around it to help catch the rain for her to drink. Below the organic umbrella, Gou was struck by profound confusion as he continued to run around for a moment, before apparently coming to the conclusion that he had succeeded in defeating his sworn enemy. He sat down and gave me a doggie grin.

"I'll be back soon," I said.

I walked through the rain, unbothered by the downpour. In Xihai's invisible embrace, the water ran off me quickly, and all it took was a thought for Suryasta kept my clothes warm as well. My grandmother's subordinate walked a step behind me, not commenting on that if he even noticed. He'd offered to hold an umbrella above me when we left, but had nodded easily in acceptance when I'd chosen to stand in the storm instead, appearing used to it.

The man, Grigio, was dressed in a neat, charcoal suit. He looked more like an accountant then a bodyguard, what with his pocket protector, wire-rim glasses, and slowly graying hair, but the symbols above his head made it obvious he was more than he seemed. At level forty-one and with a title like The Garrote, he probably did more than handle finances in his free time.

Well, unless accounting was a significantly more cutthroat business than I'd been lead to believe, which was always possible. How would I know?

"Where do you recommend we go first, Grigio?" I asked absently, keeping my senses focused on my surrounding. With my Clairvoyance, I saw the city for how it really was, beneath the veil of visible light—splatters and colors and remnants of things long gone, spilt blood and worse on the streets and the walls, the swiftly fading traces Aura caused by the daily motions of countless lives and the more vibrant colors on living people. Even without the holographic streetlights, the darkness did nothing to inhibit my sight, and I watched the roads, the rooftops, and any place people might be able to hide.

It wasn't just my Clairvoyance. I kept watch might my other senses, too, waiting for the slightest hint of danger. Occasionally, I felt the stirrings of hostility and hatred from the people we passed on the street and thought I remained relaxed, I'd been prepared in case anything had happened. Crocea Mors had already slide into the blade at my hip and my Elementals hovered invisibly around me, ready to act at a moment's notice. I drew most of my persistent abilities around me, strengthening myself for what was to come.

What could I say? My grandmother had given me a warning; it would have been stupid not to take heed.

"Most people who are new to Mistral try to see the Wonders at least once," The manservant said after a moment's pause. "It's famous for the survival of so many ancient wonders, after all."

"I should probably keep my distance, then," I said, half-jokingly.

"Your grandmother often says the same," Grigio stated, nodding minutely. "Should I suggest something more modern, then? The Cyber Coliseum has finished construction and there's always someone fighting there, if you'd like to see. It has a connection to Hellenistic Gaming, as well, if you wish to entertain yourself. Large shipments always come in during the Olympia festival, due to the relative safety and large consumer base, so there should be a variety of new games to play; as I understand it, the newest installment of the Lost Kingdom saga has been selling very well."

"Oh?" I asked, looking over a shoulder at him to give a curious glance.

He shrugged a shoulder.

"It's a joint venture," He said by way of explanation. "Between us and Alexandria."

"Ah," I nodded, considering it. So Nine had already come out, then? I'd forgotten about it, during my training—it and who knows how many other games. The Lost Kingdom series had always been good, except for maybe three and five, but…I hadn't really played a lot of games since I'd gotten this power. I mean, my life was a game now. Like I'd told Adam, I had different things to focus on now and playing games had fallen to the wayside.

And maybe it was the fact that I was in a city known for ancient history or maybe it was the rain, but thinking about it…that was a little sad. Those games—Lost Kingdom, Grimm Nights, Blackblood, and the Wild Hunt, especially—had gotten me through a lot. I'd perfected all of them, knew them from start to finish, and had had a lot of fun. A lot of my childhood was in those games that I never played anymore. There was a part of me that wanted to go back and play them again, for old times' sake. Even if it was pointless, maybe even a waste of time, I…

But at the same time…was it stupid that I was honestly worried that I wouldn't enjoy them anymore? That the possibility that I wouldn't like them anymore seemed like an honest concern?

"I…" I sighed and shake my head. "It's rather sad, but I seem to have fallen out of games, recently. I think I'd rather curl up with a good book."

"As you say, sir," Grigio nodded calmly. "And if so, you've come to the right place. Alexandria's library is the largest on Remnant. When asked how many books she wanted to see within it, Alexandria once said 'if possible, all the books in the world,' and ever since, the first of any book that's come into Mistral's possession, whether by conquest or trade or theft, has been stored in the library, with a copy being given back if necessary. The only library that was ever considered able to compete with it was Vacuo's House of Wisdom, but when Vacuo was under siege during the War, they transported countless books to Mistral to have copies made, should the worst come to pass. Now, hundreds of millions of books have been stored within the library over the millennia, accounting for duplicate copies, and its keepers now seek to store all of those books in a web format, though progress is relatively slow."

"Amazing," I said, smiling slightly at how passionate he sounded. A part of me wondered how he and my Grandmother would react if they knew about my ability to consume skillbooks for knowledge. When it came to the ancient wisdom within the library, would they be horrified at the potential destruction or intrigued by what I could learn?

Well, I hadn't intended to destroy the priceless artifacts within the library in the first place, but it was good to know that copies were being transcribed.

"How many of the books can be read?" I asked, curiously. "That is, how many are open to the public and how many have been translated?"

"It's hard to say," Grigio shook his head. "Though the connections between the Kingdoms has done much to increase the library's size, much of it came from the conquest of nearby nations over the millennia or from the transcription of ancient texts. In its totality, it's believed the library contains books in over two thousand languages, very few spoken today. With the issues of syntax, culture, translation and transcription…it's hard to say, but decrypting many of the works held within the Library is a major goal of its keepers. The vast majority can be read, however, and the access of that majority will not be an issue."

"Oh?" I asked. "Do we…?"

"It is maintained and funded by the Alexandria and Roma families, with some aid from the Khagan, but the library is not owned, as such," Grigio shook his head. "It strives to be an open source of knowledge for all of Mankind, supported by deals and agreements old and new. Even during the Civil War, the library was agreed to be off limits for its 'enterprises of service to all Mankind.'"

He gestured to indicate the quotation and I nodded, remembering the words.

"It's this way, sir, if you're interested," He said, pointing down the street as we reached the intersection. "If we cut across Ashina, we can head towards Primus fairly easily."

"Sure," I smiled. "One second, though; would you mind checking my notes? On the people following us, I mean."

"Not at all, sir." Grigio assured.

"I count a girl down the street, trying to stay out of sight, that guy we've seen leaning against, like, seven different walls, and that guy who's not even trying to hide. There were a few people who watched us closely when we were nearby, but didn't follow us—I figure they just reported back to someone else—though I'm more worried about the guy way over there, watching us on top of the tower." I said calmly, like I was mentioning the weather. Like so many times before, I knew appearances would matter greatly here, so staying composed was important. Grigio, for his part, didn't even twitch until I mentioned the last one, at which point his eyes flicked to follow my gaze and he couldn't stop himself from frowning.

"You're Grandmother mentioned that you had good eyes," He said. "My apologies, sir; I had missed that last one. His name is Swart; he works for the Barca family. He's…"

Grigio frowned, seeming displeased.

"How bad is it?" I asked him.

"…I hesitate to say," He murmured. "He's not armed, but it's what his presence implies that's worrisome. If you'll allow it, I'll address the matter later, sir. For the moment, it may be best to pretend he isn't there while keeping him in mind."

I nodded at him and watched him closely.

"Since you're more experienced at this than I am, how do you think I should handle this?" I asked. "Directly or indirectly?"

"The ones following us are of the younger generation," Grigio said after a moment of thought. "The heirs and one of their close companions—they want to get a feel for you and where you stand, most likely with their parents' permission. For them…I feel a direct reproach would be best. Just remember that first impression are important."

I nodded, already thinking the same thing.

"Ulaan Khagan," I said, raising my voice even as I kept my back turned. "Kyanos Alexandria. Melania Delphos. Do you need something?"

I saw Grigio glance at me sharply at that but didn't flinch, didn't even turn around until I heard footsteps come near—and when I did, I made sure it was slow and casual. I looked over them almost absently. Ulaan, the large guy who'd leaned on a few walls and watched me openly, was a large, tanned man in red and white. Kyanos hadn't even bothered with that much and had openly tailed us, wearing a green T-shirt and jeans. Melania had stayed in the shadows, which I'm pretty sure had darkened around her, but when she stepped out she was wearing pastels and a floppy hat.

"It's Melanie," She said. "Only my mom calls me Melania."

"Didn't see you there, Melania," Kyanos said despite her words, smiling at her. "You worried about me?"

"Well, you're an idiot, Kyanos." She answered. "Of course I'm worried."

While they were speaking, I looked at Ulaan, the one with the highest level. He was big, so much so that he towered nearly half a foot over me, but more than that he was calm. He looked me over and did the same to him. After a moment, he nodded at me in acknowledgement.

"Jaune Roma," He said at last. "Welcome to Mistral."

"It's good to be here, thank you," I replied, not correcting him. I wasn't a Roma, but then, he probably wasn't a Khagan; whichever family was in power held those names in Mistral. That he extended that name to me was an act of respect—if probably more to my grandmother than to me. "I'm surprised to see you so soon, though."

"No, you're not," He answered.

"No," I said, smiling a bit at that. "I'm not. Still, it's good to see you, I hope. I take it you're here to get to know me better?"

"Something like that," Kyanos smiled widely, showing his teeth. "Itri was too busy being an asshole to come, but you'll see him around eventually. He's like a cold—everyone has to put up with him eventually. Look forward to it."

"I will," I replied, thinking he may have already sent a representative. "So then, what should we do?"

"Well…" He seemed to ponder that for a moment. "Originally, I was gonna pick up some porn, explosives, and beer so we could all go up to the catapults and have a nice male-bonding experience—"

"Don't ask," Ulaan murmured as I raised an eyebrow.

"—But Melanie's blown that plan all to hell with her damn cooties and boobs," He shook his head and sighed. "God, what a bitch."

Melanie leaned back without the slightest change in expression and kicked him in the ass. He stumbled forward a few steps but recovered quickly and continued without comment, ignoring her interruption but for a widening of his smile.

"Well, she's my friend so I have to put up with her, however much she sucks, so try to do the same, okay? I'll make it up to you later," He said, sidestepping another kick in the pants without even looking at her and placing a finger to his lips thoughtfully. "Let's see, though, what could we do to get to know each other…"

He smiled suddenly and pointed in the opposite direction of the library.

"I guess we could play some games?" He said. "We can hang out with some of my friends. What do you say?"

I looked at them all carefully.

Heir of the Scourge

LV37

Ulaan Khagan

Heir of the Conqueror

LV34

Kyanos Alexandria

Nymph's Shadow

LV31

Melania Delphos

"You sure you want to?" I said, pretty sure I knew what he had in mind. "Because I'm…pretty good at games."