Gippal grinned. This all seemed too good to be true. Could finding and saving everyone be this easy?
Here they were, him, Baralai and the girl Baralai had asked to help them. She was sixteen years old; a white mage in training. Gippal learned that the girl was nearly a full fledged white mage. In fact she would have become full fledged if she'd refused Baralai and stayed with her training master.
The girl, Yuna, gave that up in order to help Gippal and Baralai. She was what most would call pure. She thought of others before herself. She was a terribly shy girl, and didn't talk much. This greatly surprised Gippal. She was so shy, yet she agreed to this. In this mission of sorts the mage might have to fight.
Baralai, Yuna, and Gippal walked through Besaid, of course dressed as humble nuns, so any slavers wouldn't even dare think to kidnap them, or recognize Gippal.
They were all three sitting in front of a lodge; the inn for visiting people. Yuna bit her lips, gripping her staff tightly in her pale, shaking hands.
"Y-you see anyone?" The girl shyly whispered. She since heard the whole story; what had happened to Gippal and all the others. Gippal felt Yuna had other reasons to help them, other then she was just a kind, pure hearted person.
Gippal shook his head, looking around for a slaver he recognized so they could follow them back to the headquarters. "Not yet," he whispered back.
Baralai looked down at himself, feeling very strange dressed up as a woman, and a nun at that. 'This had better work,' he thought, patting his side, making sure his knife was still attached to his side under his nun robes.
"What about that guy?" Baralai whispered, nodding toward a greasy man, "he looks suspicious."
Gippal's eyes went wide when he looked at the man Baralai pointed out. He shot up, grabbing Baralai and Yuna's arms.
"I know him." Gippal growled, baring his teeth. "He's the one in charge with checking out the worth of new slaves."
"The worth?" Yuna paled.
"Yeah, he'd touch you everywhere, making sure you're in tip top shape. The better your body was the more money you're worth. And if you're pure...well that's just what most are looking for. Fresh, untouched." Gippal shook his head, trying to forget.
"T-that's horrible." Yuna whispered. Now she felt even more frightened. In this man's eyes she'd be worth a lot, wouldn't she? She was pretty pure, in more ways then one.
"I'll follow him, you two stay here." Baralai whispered.
"Hey, no way am I letting you go on your own." Gippal said, grabbing Baralai as he started to follow Bud.
"We can't all three follow him. That would be too obvious." Baralai insisted. "I have to go on my own. It's two risky if you go Gippal, and I'm not sending Yuna on her own."
Gippal bit his lip, "you don't think they'll kidnap a nun, do you? I wouldn't put it past them." Gippal said, his voice laced with worry.
"They wouldn't in broad daylight. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Baralai smiled.
"A-all right, but don't go in. Come back after you find out where he goes and we can all three go in tonight." Gippal instructed.
"Okay, I won't play the hero," Baralai grinned, blushing when Gippal kissed him on the cheek. "Ack, what are you doing? Nuns don't kiss!"
Yuna giggled, 'eeping' when both boys looked at her.
"That was just a good luck kiss, shesh." Gippal shook his head. "Now go, before he's out of sight."
Baralai nodded, silently following Bud.
---
"Any new slaves, Ned?"
"No, Bud, and you know we can't risk kidnapping anymore people from Besaid." Ned shook his head, "we'll just have to make do with the ones we have."
"But we've had those three for two days and nobodies interested in them. It's because they're too old. These days’ people want younger slaves."
Baralai felt sick as he listened to the two men talk. How could people do something like this? They were talking as if the people they'd kidnapped were animals. No, worse then animals.
True to his word, Baralai didn't play the hero. He knew that he alone couldn't take on the two men. Being as quiet as he could he headed back for the lodge.
---
"Where is he?" Gippal looked around, fear clearly on his face.
Yuna looked around too, shrugging. "D-don't worry. H-he'll be back soon." She quietly whispered, her cheeks a little flushed.
"I can't help worrying. If anything happens to him, I'll never forgive myself for getting him involved in this."
Yuna smiled, pointing behind Gippal.
Turning around, Gippal breathed a sigh of relief; he watched as Baralai walked up to them.
Baralai smiled, coming up to Gippal Yuna.
"I..."
"Ooof!" Baralai got the wind knocked out of him when Gippal glomped him hard, holding him tightly.
"Y-you worried me." Gippal whispered.
Baralai blushed, pushing Gippal away. "Gippal, nuns don't hug."
Gippal thumped his chest with his thumb, "well this nun hugs and stuff!"
"Y-you guys are making a scene," Yuna whispered, pulling on Gippal and Baralai's arms. "Let's go in the lodge and talk."
Both boys blushed, following the girl into the lodge.
---
"Can I help you?" A boy of about sixteen asked. The three teens looked at the dark haired teen, noticing how dull his eyes looked. And if they weren't mistaken he'd been crying recently.
Yuna being the person she was couldn't ignore that. She walked over to the boy, "are you okay?"
"She doesn't stutter when she's worried about someone," Gippal muttered to Baralai. Baralai nodded.
The boy looked at Yuna, seeing her staff. "I-I'm fine. Hey, you're a white mage, aren't you?"
Yuna smiled, thought she didn't believe the boy. "Well, almost. I'm a WMIT."
"Oh, well, I'm Gata, can I help you?" Gata asked.
"I'm Yuna," Yuna smiled.
"Baralai."
"Gippal."
Gata blinked, "wait, aren't you two nuns...those are...?"
"Hehe...oops," Baralai blushed. He and Gippal had said their real names, forgetting they were wearing nun robes.
Gippal eyed Gata up and down. 'He's a young teen; has a nice body...he could be at risk. Maybe we should tell him the truth.'
"I-is there a p-private room where we can talk?" Yuna asked, back to stuttering.
Gata numbly nodded. 'This world's not making sense anymore.' He thought as he led the three into the back room.
---
Gata looked at the three in front of him, his eyes wide, "you're joking...right?"
Gippal sighed, "Afraid not, Gata."
"I see, so these slavers have three new slaves that they've had for two days, but they're not selling, right?"
"Correct," Baralai said.
Gata smiled widely.
"I'm not sure that's something to be smiling about," Gippal said, confused by the look on Gata's face.
"No, you don't understand! My best friend went missing TWO days ago! He's got to be one of the three!" Gata said, excitedly.
"There is a good chance he's there." Baralai nodded.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
"Whoa, we can't just barge in; we have to wait for the cover of night." Gippal said.
Gata frowned, but understood. "All right. Tonight it is."
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