The rest of the journey to Gygal is short and mostly tranquil. Urema rushes to one of the windows of The Destiny and stares out below. The city of Teresa spreads far, nestled under an inactive volcano. The city is highly technological, but still holds on to some gothic architecture. Urema smiles a little as he looks out over his homeland.

'Where are you wanting me to land, Urema?' Kuja asks. 'Any specific area of the city?'
A bronze and iron craft 3m long and 2m wide flies up to the cockpit and matches course and speed. It looks like a manta ray fish trailing multi-coloured smoke and has a glass cockpit at the front. through which I can be seen. The device beeps again.
'Good point, I'll need to set down as well.'

Urema turns away from the window.
'Well, the only place in Teresa big and open enough to allow landings nowadays is the army barracks. That's the place with the big, grey clear areas just south of Mt. Hiiro... the volcano.'

I scowls.
[Landing in the middle of an army barracks, somehow I don't think this will end well.]

Kuja looks at Urema like he's crazy for wanting to land in the barracks, but simply shrugs and heads for there. As The Destiny touches down, he turns to Urema.
'If the army come out and try and kill us, its your fault. I wouldn't take kindly to a warship landing on my land either.'
He smiles arrogantly to himself.
'Especially considering who's it is.'

Aruun looks half-glad, half-nervous at having landed. He looks glade because during the flight he was looking rather peaky, but nervous because he's not too thrilled at landing where they have.
'After you, Urema.'
Urema exits The Destiny and beckons for the others to follow him. He leads them over the landing bay, past numerous other planes and helicopters and luckily, they don't bump into any guards. Suddenly, out of the shadows, a searchlight beam heads towards them. Urema looks towards the lamp of it, and it smashes, shrouding them in darkness once more. Urema leads the others to a tall fence that surrounds the perimeter of the base, on which he focuses, and a hole is blasted through it. He crawls through the hole and drags the others through it as well, and they stop for a rest under a nearby tree.

I is still in the Manta circling overhead. He follows the group and lands smoothly outside the base, near the others, thanks to the crafts manoeuvrability. I gets out and shuts the cockpit.
'Don't you think they'll do something about the airship? It's hardly the most inconspicuous thing ever.'

Aruun sits down and catches his breath.
'I know we didn't have much choice, but it's not the best of places to land in the middle of... I hope we don't get caught.'

'If we do, its Urema's fault for choosing such a silly landing location.' Says Kuja. 'No one will see The Destiny if it doesn't want to be seen. Psychology, you see.'
[This is pretty degrading, trawling around trying not to be caught. This trip had better be worth it. If I rip or dirty my robes, I know who's paying to have them sorted out.]

'Large vehicles take off and land from here all the time, there is plenty of space and it's not far from the main city.' Urema replies, as he turns to the gang. 'Besides... I used to be in this army, they would recognise me if they found me, they wouldn't harm us.'
He starts walking west, towards the bright lights of Teresa, which looks to be just about half a mile away.

Aruun quickly follows him, staring ahead into the horizon.

'You must have been quite important.' I grins. 'Should we address you as Captain, or General? Heh.'
[I don't think I would join an army. Worse pay, less freedom, and I couldn't aid the Gods.]

'I was a psychologist. I worked with soldiers suffering from shock or depression...' Urema pauses for a moment. '...And in some cases insanity. So, I'm just a professor.'

'Professor Soumei…' Kuja says tentatively. 'No, it doesn't really work. I'll stick to treating you with contempt, I think.'
'There's no need to be so nasty, Kuja. Why can't you treat him like a human being for once?' Aruun asks.
Kuja smiles sweetly.

'Because I don't like him. If you had to put up with him probing your mind and suddenly knowing all your secrets, you wouldn't like him either.'
'That was an accident. I told you, I... don't have full control over my powers.' Urema pauses for a moment. 'That's one of the reasons I've come back to Gygal.'
Yes, yes, so you said. Just so long as you get it sorted, eh?' Kuja snaps.
'I hope you do.' Aruun says genially. 'Let's go then, shall we?'

I walks behind the grumbling trio, laughing softly to himself and wondering if he could just once have a normal day.
'There's nothing keeping you here except your own will Kuja, so quit complaining'

Ace looks out of the window of the ship and sighs. Nothing but stars in the big wide black thing commonly known as space. She is now having mixed feelings about leaving her planet, she had to get away from it but leaving it could lead to civil strife. Up ahead she sees a planet and quickly slips out of her saddened daze. This could be it; this could be the beginning of a new life away from royalty for the young princess.

Meanwhile, back with the gang, Urema pauses a second and looks at the bright city in the distance.
'It's been a while since I've been here... but I don't think I'll forget a single moment of my life in Teresa...'

Aruun stands next to him, admiring the blinking metropolis up ahead.
'It must be nice to come back to your hometown after a long journey away from it.'
He turns to Urema.
'Is it nice... are you glad to be back?'

Kuja looks out over the city with the others.
'Everyone gets homesick sometimes. At least its nicer than Sol's Pass, eh?'
He thinks about it for a moment, then speaks to Urema in a way that's almost friendly.
'Urema, you do have somewhere in the city to stay, don't you? Like a proper home? Because I don't know about anyone else, but I don't fancy sleeping rough.'
[He'd better do... sleeping rough in a big city is dangerous for anyone.]

Urema thinks for a moment.
'The place I lived wouldn't accommodate all of us... we'd have to stay in an inn. There are some nice ones in the city that I know, don't worry.'

I ponders to himself.
[Only those who have a home can get homesick. I wonder where I was born, but that is of little consequence I have my own life now, my own family.]

Mystyk walks out from cover, as shadows drip away from his being he looks about. Seeing the city, such a rich city, his eyes seem to light up.
'Ah-hah, finally somewhere worth coming to. Maybe we should get moving before it gets too dark, I don't want to have to rescue you all.'
Mystyk jumps high and lands on top of a nearby tree. To himself he says,
'Oh yes, this should be quite profitable, finally, hanging around with these losers is paying off.'
He jumps down, falling gracefully and landing before the group. He looks at them, with slight contempt, urging them to move onwards.

As the ship enters the planet's atmosphere, Ace begins to wonder how much fuel it has left. An alarm goes off and 'Uh-oh' was all she could say. The ship falls from the sky and crashes into a forest. The impact knocks Ace unconscious.

Aruun takes note of Mystyk, but doesn't seem to be entirely pleased to see him again.
'Oh, hello again, Mystyk.'
Aruun pulls his robes tighter around himself.
'He's right. Let's get in before night falls.'
Kuja looks at Mystyk with a look so filthy, it makes the way he regards Urema seem downright loving. He sighs a little.
'You again.'
He treats Mystyk with ignore and stuffs his hands into his pockets, as if they are getting cold.
'Are any of these inns you know nearby, Urema? It's not getting any warmer out here.'

Urema runs his finger through his hair and stares out to the bright lights of Teresa.
'Just a bit further, about half a mile or so, so let's get walking.'

They start walking after Urema. After a few more minutes of walking and talking, they reach the outskirts of the city. There is a lot of hustle and bustle, as large video screens display up-to-date news of a crash-landed airship in a forest, as well as a sunken cargo vessel and an avalanche. Urema complains about the Gygalian press being 'disaster mongers' and leads the gang to a nearby inn. The doors open automatically to reveal a cosy looking place with a roaring fire, numerous bookshelves, a creaky staircase and most importantly, a bar.

Aruun approaches the fireplace and rubs his hands together, smiling appreciatively.
'Ooh, that's better.'
He yawns and his antennae droop to the sides of his head.
'I don't see why the press would want disaster stories. My planet is full of them... it's the last thing you want to see on the news, though.'
Urema has seated himself opposite Aruun at the fireplace.
'You're right, but a disaster is always front page nowadays. I bet they thing it makes better news, but if you ask me they're just forcing people's misery onto other people.'
'Here, finally. I reckon you took us here the long way, Urema, because you knew I needed tea. Heheh.'
Kuja goes over to the bar and gets himself a cup of tea, then sits himself near the fire, glad to be in the warm again.

Urema turns to Kuja. 'The army barracks are nestled quite a bit away from the main city, I suppose it stops people from snooping around.'

A black haired and rather pale man, dressed in gaudy red and gold clothes leaps up from the bar wielding an ornate pictograph box.
'Oh man, are you I?' He clicks his camera. 'Yeah, have to be. Man, it's great to meet you!' Again, he clicks it. 'I mean you sir, you are a legend. Steev's the name, say...'

I looks weakly between Steev and the group before there is a sudden flash of light and he keels over forward, unconscious but breathing.

Steev blinks. 'Whoa I swear that was not me, honest.'

Kuja looks at I, at Steev, back to I.
'Jeez, that thing looks like a pictograph, but are you sure it doesn't fire lasers?'
He prods I with a foot then kneels next to him to check if he's breathing.
'It's okay. He's just unconscious. Are you sure it wasn't you?'
He looks at Steev suspiciously.
'Sure seems like a hell of a coincidence, if not.'

Steev laughs.
'Ha! No, just pictures.' He takes one. 'See, I'm sure a pretty lady like you doesn't mind having her picture taken.'
Ace's mouth started to move and whispers 'Mithras'. The word echoes everywhere in the sky, through the land and across the waters.

Aruun has not been taking much notice of Steev, I and the others. Instead, he has been dozing slightly in front of the fire. However, as the whispered word echoes across the sky, his antennae twitch and he jerks awake.
'W-what was that?'

Kuja glares at Steev, once again astounded by the ignorance of those around him.
'I'm not a girl, thank you very much.'
[You blithering idiot!]
As the echoed whisper enters the room, he looks up, surprised.
'Mithras? Who said that?'
[What was that?]

'What the Infernal was that?' Steev asks. He turns to Kuja. 'No way, you're female. A bit on the washboard side, but other than that looking good, baby.'

The sound echoes through I's unresponsive ears.

The word had some sort of effect on nature because when Ace whispered this in her unwakened state it started to rain pretty hard.

Kuja gives Steev a look that says, 'Carry on like that and there's going to be some seriously painful Magick heading your way.'
Aruun's antennae twitch again, picking up the sounds of rain. He then goes to I and prods him with a large toe.
'I... are you ok?'

Kuja smirks.
'It's okay, Aruun, he's still breathing. But really, we can't just leave him on the floor. You there, pictograph boy, put him on that chair there.'

Steev, ignorant to the subtleties of expression pulls out one of his guns and waves it dramatically at Kuja.
'Excuse me lady, I'm Steev Hoskins III, and don't forget it.'
Steev props I up on a chair and he flops forward onto the table in front, his head bangs rather heavily.
'Anymore great ideas?'

Urema looks a little uncomfortable about all the now-occurring hassle, but focuses his attentions on I.
'Why did he faint?'

The rain fell harder and harder. Dark clouds fill the sky, thunder starts rolling and lightning strikes.

Aruun jumps at the sound of thunder.
'Oh, that was loud...'
He approaches I and casts a small water spell, splashing him in the face.

The water drips off I's head and on to the table, with seemingly no effect in resuscitating him. After it has pooled around his face, I sits up and cricks his neck. He brushes the water off his face and shrugs. Turning to the group, seemingly no worse for wear, I shakes his head and mumbles.
'Just when I was having some fun. Meh, what do I expect. Ahem. I am afraid I must depart now, as the Gods have called me. That is why I collapsed back there, I can't converse with them consciously and they have very bad timing. I have enjoyed my time with you all.'
[Well not ALL.]
'It has been fun, if dangerous, and I shall meet you all again... sometime.'
With these parting words, I races out onto the street and vaults up the side of a building and is obscured by the rain.

Steev turns and grins at the group.
'Fun, dangerous, even for I? Count me in I'm sticking with you guys.'

Kuja watches I leave, his expression seems apathetic but it is difficult to judge how he could be feeling. He then turns his attention back to Steev.
'Call me lady one more time, Steev and I swear I'll... ' Kuja trails off into threats that sound most unpleasant and painful.

Aruun sighs.
'Kuja, do you have to be mean to everyone you meet?' He smirks slightly. 'After all, Steev's mistake is one anybody could make...'

Ignoring the others, Urema looks to the doors I just walked out of and looks rather sad. He turns to the others and tries to put on a brave face.
'Well, it's time we got some sleep. We can discuss what we're going to do next in the morning.'
And with that, he heads upstairs.

Ace wakes up with a headache.
'Where am I?'
Lightning strikes and it makes her jump. She crawls out of the wreckage and falls face down in a puddle. She tries to stand up, lightning strikes again and she starts running through the forest trying to find a way out.

Aruun bids them all good night and heads upstairs himself. Before going to bed, he presses his face against the cold window and watches the storm rage. His antennae are still wriggling and his eyes fall on the forest in the distance. Taking one look back at the bed, he opens the window, steps out on to the sill and fully ejects his wings. They are beautiful, iridescent wings the shape of a dragonfly's. He waits for the right wind, then jumps out, letting the breeze catch his wings and carry him into the air. He glides towards the forest.

Kuja glares at Aruun as he leaves.
'I think I will be turning in, too. Goodnight.'
He turns and goes off upstairs too. When he gets to his room, he flomps onto the bed, grateful of it being there.
He nearly falls asleep in his clothes, but hauls himself up and undresses first.
[Urgh, that damn Steev guy. People just don't have the common sense they were born with.]

Steev sits and feels bored, so to alleviate the dullness he walks up to the largest guy in the bar and head butts him. This subsequently starts a bar fights and a battered Steev goes off to bed half an hour later, bruised but happy.