Heads Down

Melanie woke up to a slight throb in her head.  The Thanalassian heat combined with the wine from last night was already doing a number on her.  A welcome glass of chilled water, courtesy of the workers at The Hourglass, was waiting for her on the bedside cartonier as well as her freshly cleaned garments.  The warm Thanalassian air made quick work of drying garments that laundry became part of the service for adventurers staying at the guild.  Employees would also leave glasses of frozen ice water so that by morning it would have melted down and still retained its frosty bite for a much needed chilled refreshment.

Melanie took a few sips of the water and groaned slightly.  Every bit of sunlight that managed to pass through the ornate panels in the windows was like daggers piercing through her eyes into her head.  She wondered how Suyaya must be faring after having drank more than twice the amount of the wine last night.  Melanie placed the now empty glass back onto the cartonier and slowly pushed herself out of bed with a loud yawn.  Slowly and drowsily she stumbled across the room to a wooden table where a basin of slightly warmed water and a clean towel awaited her.  After giving her face a good wash she was more or less ready to start the day.

Melanie slipped out of her nightware and into her cleaned red mage garments.  Even her rapier and its focus had been cleaned and sharpened - another service courtesy of The Hourglass.  The inn took great pride in taking care of the adventurers' well being ensuring they had plenty of comfort, clean garments, and even polishing and repairing any damaged clothes and weapons.  Not every adventurer deserved such a service - those who were too unruly and abusive were denied lodgings at the inn and thus had to take care of themselves.  This was true to all inns that had shared dealerships with adventuring guilds, and word got around quickly between them too so if you were denied lodgings at one due to bad behaviour it was a guarantee you'd be denied lodgings at all other city inns.  This was not only to discourage mistreatment of the staff but also to discourage fighting among competing adventurers.

After securing her weapons to her belt, Melanie grabbed hold of her satchel which had been lying on the floor next to her bed and began to make her way to The Quicksand.  Her head started to throb less now that she washed and had some fluids inside her.  She could already hear the loud clinking of cutlery and plates as she left her room and the smell of strong liqour and spiced meats filled the air and her nostrils.  Alcohol was the last thing she wanted on her mind right now - all she really wanted was just a coffee with something light to eat for breakfast.

Her comrades were already waiting for her downstairs at a reserved table.  Shuyaya looked very worse for wear with head buried in her arms and flinching at every loud clatter of plate and glass.  Only Reubemont and Holskwyb looked well rested whilst Johnas was nowhere to be seen.  Reubemont was too busy counting his coins in his purse to notice Melanie coming down the stairway.

"Good monring" she said to them as she took a seat at the table.

"Ah, good morrow!" Reubemont said heartily as he put away his purse.  "I take it you slept well?"

"As good as can be" Melanie replied.

"It can't be any worse than me..." Suyaya groaned from under her arms.  She raised her head slightly to reveal her puffy redenned eyes and pale skin complexion.  Melanie's face grimaced at the sight.  "Yikes!" she gasped.

"I don't suppose you saw Johnas on the way down?" Reubemont asked Melanie, who then shaked her head with a puzzled look.  "Is he missing?"

"Nobody's seen him since last night" Holskwyb chipped in.

"We suspect he may have left overnight as there was a hume fitting his description seen boarding the airship back to Gridania not long after we went our separate ways, but nobody who was around at the time could completely verify if it was him or not" Reubemont sighed a little.

"Gods knows why he would want to return to Gridania alone..." Suyaya groaned barely lifting her head from the table.  "Being a wanted man he would be walking right into the hands of the local authorties."

Melanie started to ponder when everyone's linkpearls chimed at once.  Suyaya grimaced raising a hand to her ear to answer the call.

"Hi, this is Johnas" the voice said from the other end.  "I take it you're all together?"

"Yes" Reubemont responded, "where..."

"Ah good, I need you guys to listen" Johnas's voice continued.  "I returned to Gridania last night with intent on handing myself over to the local authorities, however it appears things have changed overnight in a rather...dramatic way.  You need to come on over and see for yourselves.  Besides which, the Elder Seedseer also wishes to see you herself.  The sooner the better."

"All right, we'll make our way over" Reubemont replied.  Everyone except for Suyaya looked at each other with concerned looks.  "What do you guys think, do you think this is a trap?" he asked.

Melanie began to replay Johna's words in her head.  There was nothing to indicate that Johnas was being deceptive or not, and without the echo to show her any clues she was at a loss whether this was a trap or not.

"Johnas might not be much of a talker but I highly doubt he'd rat us out" Holskwyb said confidently.

"I agree" Suyaya replied from under her arms.

Reubemont looked across to Melanie.  "That gift of insight sure could come in handy right about now" he said to her.  "I take it too haven't been given any visions?"  Melanie shook her head.  Reubemont sighed a little then leaned forward on the table and looked over to Holskwyb and Suyaya.  "Then I guess I'll follow on your advice, since you believe that Johnas is to be trusted then I say let's set sail - to Gridania!" Reubemont raised a fist into the air enthusiastically.  Everyone nodded in agreement including Suyaya whose head was still buried in her arms.

----

The airship ride across the Thalanassian deserts towards the Black Shroud was a smooth and quiet one.  Nobody else was onboard except for Reubemont and the rest of the team.  Melanie was sat against the airship mast.  Her anxieties over her fear of heights would still continue to kick in, especially when she wasn't sure what was waiting for her at the other side.  This was the only way to stop herself from freaking out, although the altitude was still a reminder that she wasn't on the ground and it often triggered a panic attack that she had to grip tightly onto something, take several deep breaths to calm herself down and quietly talk herself out of it.

Reubemont chatted away with his other comrades for a while before heading over to Melanie and took a seat next to her.  "How are you faring?" he asked her.

"Truth be told, not so good...but I'm kinda managing as long as I don't stand up and look over the edge" Melanie replied.

Reubemont nodded a little then leaned in a little closer to her.  "I couldn't help but be concerned about last night.  When you showed up at the table you were looking very pale as if you'd seen a ghost.  Would you like to talk about it?  You don't have to if you don't want to, but just know that I'm here to help and if you do decide you want to talk then it will only be kept between us two."

Melanie closed her eyes to mull over what to say.  I was approached by a dark figure who warned me not to draw attention because I'm the Warrior of Light - but I'm also from another world - and I need to relearn how to become a warrior so that I can continue to save the world and my friends trapped on the 13th...but in order to do that I need to maintain a low profile because if word got around to the Republic that I'm weak and no longer capable of saving the world then they would use this opportunity to retalliate and everything that's accomplished by the grand companies so far would've all been for nothing.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen" Melanie thought to herself.  She didn't want to keep on lying to her friends, but she couldn't tell them the truth either.  She needed to come up with an answer that would be more or less the truth but without saying too much that would compromise her.

"I was approached by a dark figure last night who gave me a warning that as newly fledged adventurers we should be more mindful, especially where politics are involved, so that we don't draw unwanted attention to ourselves.  But there was something about the way he said it that left me feeling very uncomfortable" she said.  "Wow, did I really think that all up by myself?" she thought to herself proudly.

"Oh, I see..." Reubemont said pondering.  "Did you manage to get a look at his face and find out who he was?"  Melanie shook her head leaving Reubemont to continue to ponder more.  "Whoever this mysterious person was is right, we certainly are taking great strides into the unknown before we're even ready to face what's in front of us and interfering with other country's politics is asking for trouble.  Perhaps we should take heed of his advice and lower our pace and our profile.  How strange though that he approached you and not me since I'm the one who's been leading us into these situations." 

Melanie shrugged.  "I guess it's because I was more approachable and by myself."

"Ah yes, of course!" Reubemont exclaimed a bit of excitement in his voice.  "I was surrounded by masters at the Triple Triad games whilst Suyaya was being cheered at by the tenders at the main entrance, and Holskwyb was busy leaping across various small islands high above Costa Del Sol for anyone to even try to keep up and approach her."  Reubemont looked down at Melanie.  "I'm so sorry that you were left to face him alone.  The thought never crossed my mind that even in such a busy place that anyone would try to take such an advantage.  I'll be a bit more mindful in future and make sure that we're not without someone to watch our backs."

Melanie breathed a quiet sigh of relief.  At least she was able to tell Reubemont a plausible half-truth without going into detail about her secret.  That made her feel so much better that she wasn't having to tell yet another lie.

As the airship began to fly over the Black Shroud, Melanie welcomed the cooler air and the smell of fresh running river water filling the air and carrying with it scents of various wild flowers and wild stag.  She felt like she could just plunge herself into the waters at the base of the waterfall just below Gridania.  The songs of various birds made her feel more relaxed and, for a moment, she was reminded of her real home back on Earth and started to feel a little sad and homesick.

Whilst she was enjoying herself travelling to various places and experimenting with new-found abilities, she began to miss the comforts of being at home.  She missed her own bed and her computer and lazy days watching Netflix, but more important of all she was missing her husband Tony.  They may not have been intimate or spoken much to each other the past few months, but she still missed seeing his face.  She started to think back to the more happier times when they were often seen together arm in arm.  He smiled more back then too.  She felt a pang in her heart as she recalled those moments and wished she could just run straight into his arms and tell him she was sorry that she spent so many years ignoring him and wasting away in her own little room doing nothing but play video games all day.  But then would she even be here if it wasn't for that?

The airship finally began its gentle descent into the trees and slowed as it approached Gridania.  Melanie pulled herself back on her feet and gave a long stretch.  Having been sat down for so long had made her legs feel a little stiff.  Reubemont raised himself up onto his feet and took position in front of his comrades as the airship stood to a halt at the docking area.  "Allow me" he said looking over his shoulders to his comrades.  "I just want to be first in line so should anything be amiss I'll be the first one to face it and give you time to escape."  He cautiously stepped off the airship onto the deck and looked around.

"Hmm, nothing so far" he mumbled to himself.  He walked further down the deck with his comrades and Melanie slowly following behind him.  "Still nothing..." he mumbled again as he peered through the doors that led into the airship's entrance and departure terminal, then he turned to his comrades.  "I think we're safe.  Let's see if we can locate where Johnas is and find out what's been going on here in our absence."

Leaving the airship docking area they began to scale the winding staircase leading up to the Carline Canopy.  Melanie couldn't help but notice that nobody was paying any attention to their arrival and that they all seemed to be preoccupied gossping to each other.

"He calls himself The Black Jekyll" she heard one of them say.  "Nobody's ever seen his face.  Some think he's some kind of special hire from a small band of elite assassins from the far north."

As they finally emerged from the staircase Reubemont looked around in surprise at how uninterested everyone was about their arrival.  Even the guards were paying no attention to them.  "Strange..." Reubemont whispered.

Melanie's ears began to twitch as she caught wind of another conversation from some nearby villagers, "and their bodies were left on display right in the middle of the plaza, yet nobody even saw who brought them there!  And there was this note that was pinned on one of the bodies - it said those who ecourage others to give in to acts of crime, whether it be as an act of desperation or as recruitment, will be punished just as harsly as those who fall.  -The Black Jekyll.  I can only imagine this has something to do with those two girls who were here many moons ago.  Didn't they both become members of the Coeurlclaw?  I honestly can't remember."

All around them people were gossiping about "The Black Jekyll" and the bodies that had been left on display in Gridania.  Reubemont sided up to Melanie and quietly whispered in her ear, "Do you think this Black Jekyll has anything to do with the mystery man who approached you last night?"  Melanie shrugged slowly.  She was just as bewildered as he was that none of them had been arrested yet.

As they left the canopy they heard a familiar voice just up the path towards the plaza.  "Ah, you finally made it."  Johnas waved and hurried over to their position.

"Johnas!" Reubemont exclaimed in relief to see his friend safe and sound.  "Tell me, what is going on and what's all this talk about a Black Jekyll?"

"You're never going to believe this" Johnas said a little enthusiastically.  "Those guards you beat up the other day?  Someone going by the name The Black Jekyll took them out and left their corpses in the middle of Gridania.  It's all everyone's talking about now."

Melanie's eyes and mouth opened agape.  "So, that's what he meant about cleaning up my mess" she thought to herself.  It was now beyond a shadow of a doubt that the man who approached her last night was none other than the assassin going by the name The Black Jekyll.

"Wait, what?" Reubemont gasped.

"Come, we'd best go somewhere a bit more quiet."  Johnas ushered them from the canopy and led them to a quieter part of Gridania near the waterfall where they could be alone.  "After that brawl you had with those two guards, Gridania went into a state of emergency with mostly people who weren't born Gridanian rioting and petitioning for a change for the treatment of non-native Gridanias, and demanding justice against the two guards responsible for the deaths of the two sisters who they mistreated and were later recruited by the Coeurlclaw.  That was until this morning when their bodies were found lying against the aetheryte plaza having been assassinated in an execution style along with a note left by The Black Jekyll with a warning to all who encourage others into engaging in criminal behaviour to survive.  The Elder Seedseer has taken this matter very seriously and already addressed the Gridanians earlier this morning.  She's proposed new changes that will change the way non-native Gridanians are treated and disciplinary action against those who fail to treat everyone as equals.  It seems that Gridania's finally going to do what it's been promising to do for years and do away with all this nonsense over who is and who isn't a true Gridanian and be more welcoming to outsiders so they aren't left out in the forests to starve and be lulled into joining the Coeurclaw."

"Wow" Reubemont exclaimed.  "All this because of a bar brawl?"

"Most people have already forgotten about that and are talking more about The Black Jekyll" Johnas replied.  "Whoever this mysterious man is he's done us a big favour.  He's now the only other subject on peoples' minds with the brawl being yesterday's news, leaving us to be able to walk around freely without drawing too much attention.  But with that said the Elder Seedseer still wishes to have a private audience with us."

"Then I guess we shouldn't keep the Seedseer waiting" Reubemont said with his arms folded.  Johnas nodded and together the group made their way towards an ancient and sacred area known as Nophica's Altar in Old Gridania.

Winner Takes All

The group safely landed at Ul'dah and made a beeline for The Quicksand.  Inside Reubemont was sat alone waiting for his friends to arrive and greeted them.  "I informed Momodi of the situation over at Halatali.  Already word has spread to the Sultana who has declared Halatali as a no-entry zone save for any highly skilled adventurers willing to try to restore order back to the training grounds."

Melanie watched as a small crowd of well equipped adventurers gathered in front of one of the notice boards hung up on The Quicksand's walls where numerous orders had been pinned up and began to talk excitedly over the newest entry to infiltrate Halatali.

"It is out of our hands now" Reubemont said. "I propose we finish the day off with a little recouperation time."

"Where did you have in mind?" Johna asked.

"The Gold Saucer" Reubemont replied.

"Isn't that place a den of thieves?" Holskwyb asked with a questionable look on her face.  "I heard that the prices were high and the payouts were low, even the larger payouts are rumored to be rigged or at least stacked against the players.  But still, I wouldn't mind a little fun even if the odds of winning are against me."

"I wouldn't mind either" Suyaya piped up.  "I've been wanting to try one of the newest gates there."

"Then it is settled, let us get changed first into something more casual and meet up at the airship landing in say an hour and make our way to the Gold Saucer" Reubemont said with a slight hint of excitement in his voice.

"You lot can go ahead, I'll be turning in early for the night" Johna said rising up from the table and swinging his satchel over his shoulder.  He gave the group a wave and headed over to the staircase leading up to The Hourglass.

"All right, let us get to it then" Reubemont said rising from the table and gathering his belongings.  The rest of the group began to follow suite and all headed towards the staircase chatting excitedly.

Once she had arrived at her room Melanie began to sift through her dresser for something to wear.  There was so many clothes although not all of them would be suitable for wearing in a desert.  She decided on shorts and a tank top with a pair of sandles.  She was just about to leave her room when she looked down at the small pouch hanging from her side.inside it was thousands of MGP and a large collection of triple triad cards.  She realised that to her friends this would be her first visit to the Gold Saucer and if they were to see all that MGP they would become suspicious and start asking questions.  She sighed and emptied her purse into a small drawer making sure she had enough gil to afford a few drinks and made her way to the airship landing.

Her friends were already at the landing waiting eagerly for her to show up.  An airship was stationed at the landing ready to take off.  "Come on Brovola, the airship's waiting!" Reubemont called out to her.  Melanie quickly purchased her ticket and skipped over to the group as they began to board the airship.

Even though this was Melanie's 5th time riding an airship she was not sure she would ever get used to it.  She clung onto Reubemont as soon as she was onboard and buried her head into his chest once she felt the airship rock into action.  Reubemont held onto her trying to offer her some small amount of comfort.  She was not as fearful as she had been the first time he saw her board an airship but she was still deeply afraid.

The airship rocked a little as it began to depart from the landing and soared high into the sky leaving Uldah behind it, crossing over the deserts of Southern Thanalan and towards the unchartered territories west of the Sagolii Desert.  It was believed nothing could live out here, yet somehow Godbert saw potential out in this dusty and overwhelmingly hot climate to set up Eorzea's one and only famous casino complex which attracted patrons from all corners of Eorzea.

"Brovola, take a look at this" Reubemont nudged her gently.  Melanie unburied her face and looked across the airship deck.  There in the distance was the God Saucer shaped like a gigantic sabotender propping up several domes.  On top of the highest domes was what looked like faiground rides although these were non-functional and were only there for aesthetics.  Below the sabotender was the actual casino complex itself - a cluster of domed buildings of similar design to those in Ul'dah.  The airship lowered itself downwards until it was barely hovering above the sand and pulled in to a small tunnel that led into the complex.

Inside it was pretty clear why the complex was named the Gold Saucer.  The wall tiles, pillars, even decorative sections of the floor were made from gold.  The whole place was lit up with many colourful lanterns, glowing balloons and stained glass windows.  Several young ladies awaited them at the landing dressed in very flaunting bunny outfits like they were from a Playboy magazine.  "Welcome to the Manderville Gold Saucer!" one of them addressed the group.  "Is this your first time visiting?"  Reubemont slowly nodded with his jaw agape and barely able to take his eyes off the ladies.  "If you would like we can give you a tour of the casino" she said in a cheery voice.

"Y-y-yes, of course" Reubemont stammered.

"Oh boy, here we go" Holskwyb whispered over to Melanie's ears in a sarcastic voice.

The bunny girl escorted the group into the main entrance square of the complex.  The domed ceiling was made of tinted glass that one could still see the night stars outside but as if they were in daylight.  The square despite being round was heavily decorated with colourful displays of stained glass, balloon lanterns, large chandeliers, fountains, banners, strip lights, and even parts of the floor was made from glass that lit up displaying colourful patterns.  Whoever designed this place definitely had a thing for both gold and bright colours.  In the very center of the square was a tall replica of the Gold Saucer sabotender surrounded by a circular counter with numerous well-dressed employees.  At the perimeter of the square were numerous round tables where several people were either being served drinks by waitresses dressed in the same flaunting bunny outfits or desperately scratching away at several scratch cards they had purchased.

"Before we proceed I must inform you that the Gold Saucer has a strict no weapons rule.  I must therefore request that you hand in any weapons you have at the main desk and they will be returned back to you when you choose to depart.  Everyone looked at each other and then at Holskwyb who then rolled her eyes and pulled a pair of small daggers from under her jeans with a frustrated sigh and placed them down heavily at the main desk whilst glaring at their escort.  The escort nodded satisfied and continued the tour.

Melanie noticed not everyone looked happy.  Some of the patrons were there with their kids sobbing in front of them.  It was very likely that they had gambled away the last of their coin and from what she could hear over the noise it seemed they were looking to use their children as a means to get out of debt.  Others at the tables were extremely intoxicated and wailing over having nothing left to even afford a ride back home.  Some patrons looked frustrated as they desperately searched their pockets for anything they could use to gamble with.  It truely was a very depressing sight seeing so many gambling addicts looking so helpless and desperate.

The escort continued to show them around deeper into the complex.  Various mingames were scattered in different rooms ranging from claw machines to test of strength machines.  Each domed hall had a large area in the center dedicated to a specific game or "gate" as they were called.  The escort then led them into a larger dome where the floors were lined with red carpet.  A number of long ramps and stairways circled upwards to an upper balcony that circled the perimeter of the dome.  At the widest part of the balcony was a small plaza with a glowing statue of a sabotender in the middle.  At the back wall was a large wide counter and a tall display made of gold behind it.  Above the display Melanie was able to just make out the word "bonus" written in Eorzean.  "This here is our largest and most popular game which we call the Jumbo Cactpot" the escort said without breaking a smile.  "Every week a random number is drawn and those who have participated have until the next event to claim their prize.  At Jumbo Cactpot everyone is a winner even those who don't have any matching numbers."

"This place is incredible" Suyaya said as she gazed around in awe.

"Forgive me for asking but how does this place manage to stay afloat if everyone who participates in the games is a winner?" Holskwyb asked the escort.

"It's a trade secret.  There are many ways in which the Gold Saucer can profit from that even our most expensive prize is but a drop in the ocean to our coffers" the escort replied.

"Ah, our guests have finally arrived!" a male's voice responded from behind her.  Melanie turned around to see Godbert who was now sporting a white tailless tuxedo, a black pair of gentleman 's shoes, white gloves, and a very tight pair of black shorts.  It certainly looked far more appropriate than when she saw him earlier that day in just his underpants.  "I take it you're enjoying your visit to the Gold Saucer?"

"'Tis truely wonderous!" Suyaya chirped.  Godbert looked down at her and smiled behind his bushy moustache.

"I'm not sure it's my style.  I was never one to spend coin on gambling" Holskwyb said in a cynical tone.

"It's not all gambling we have here" Godbert said to her.  "We also have physical games that test one's strength and endurance.  Take for example the Leap of Faith - a challenging obstacle course set high into the clouds to test your balance and endurance, or The Slice Is Right to test your wits and reactions against the proud Yojimbo."

Holskwyb curled a smile in the corner of her mouth.  "Physical games huh?  Now you've got me interested."

Godbert smiled again and nodded.  "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to resume my duties.  This place doesn't run by itself.  If you have any further enquiries pray speak to one of the hosts and they'll be more than happy to assist."  He then bowed in front of everyone and departed from their presence.

"What a gentleman!" Suyaya exclaimed in awe as her eyes followed Godbert.

 "Indeed" Reubemont said staring at Godbert in admiration.  "I don't know about you lot but I fancy a few hands at Triple Triad.  I've heard it's quite the rage all across Eorzea, and what better place to start than at the very place it all began."

"I saw some patreons scribbling away at what looked like small cards, I'd like to find out what all that's about" Suyaya said eagerly.

"I thought you wanted to try out one of the new gates?" Reubemont said a little surprised at her sudden change of mind.

"All in good time" Suyaya replied with a grin.

"You know where you'll find me" Holskwyb said with a grin, mashing a fist into her hand.  She then looked over to Melanie.  "What of you, have you a game in mind?  We could always pit our strengths against each other and see who reaches the finish line first."

"I think I'll pass on that one" Melanie said a little sheepishly, "although I saw a few game machines below.  I'd like to try my hand at those."

"Suit yourself" Holskwyb said ruffling her shoulders.

"I see we've all picked different places to go to, so let's say we have our fill and meet back at the main entrance in, hmm, let's say in 1 hour?"

Everyone nodded in agreement and the group began to disperse.  Melanie retraced her steps back down a long winding ramp that lead down to the lower levels.  She started to feel a little giddy as she made her way towards a small arcade area at the over side of the arena.  She was reminded of the times she visited the arcades as a teenager in Blackpool and also at the huge Warner Brother's cinema in her home town when it was built in an unused industrial estate.  It was a ways to get there on foot and at the time not many busses travelled in that direction, but she and her friend Stella would go there from time to time and before long the estate had been converted into a massive entertainment complex with a ten pin bowling arena, arcade machines, and a competing superstore to buy cheaper popcorn and drinks before heading over to the cinema to watch a movie.

Heading over to the machines Melanie couldn't help but feel the nostalgia and once again forgot she was in foreign lands.  In front of all the other machines stood out a gigantic and very ornate claw machine filled with plush sheep of different sizes.  The brightly lit machine was painted gold with the words "The Moogle's Paw" etched out in Eorzean and had a gigantic moogle head on the top of it.  The claw wasn't your typical claw but a mechanical moogle.  Back on Earth these devious devices were set up to be one of the first arcade machines you saw to tempt you with promising rewards from soft toys to rolex watches and even wads of cash, but they were all a fraud.  It didn't matter if you positioned the claw perfectly over them, the claw simply would not get a grip and anything of weight would easily slip through the flimsy mechanical fingers and reward you with nothing but misery and frustration at having wasted your time and money.  Smaller items also didn't stand a chance with them just falling through the gaps in the fingers.  The only time she ever won at one of these machines was when it was a lightweight soft toy that barely fit in the palm of her hands.

Melanie had already played at this machine several times on her computer, however that was more of a game of skill rather than a game of chance and she always won more than she lost.  Perhaps it would be different on Eorzea.  She fumbled around her pockets for a golden coin known as a Manderville Gold Point, and with baited breath dropped it through a small slot on the machine.  The machine lights began to flash and the moogle let out a purring noise as it kicked into action.  Taking grip of the controls Melanie guided the moogle towards a medium sized toy, then taking a deep breath she pushed the button to make it descend downwards into the toy pile.  The paws gripped the plush toy, however one of the paws was pushed out of place by a larger one next to it and as such the paws weren't able to get a firm grip and swerved towards the disposal bucket empty handed.

Curses!

Melanie let out a frustrated sigh and started to think this was no different than back at home, but she was not defeated yet.  She decided to give one more try, this time aiming the moogle slightly to the side so that the paw wouldn't get blocked by the large toy.  The moogle descended once again into the pile.  Melanie watched in anticipation as both paws took hold of the toy with a firm grip.  Melanie felt her heart beat fast as the moogle swerved its way towards the disposal bucket still holding onto the toy and jumped excitedly as the moogle hovered over the bucket without losing its prize and dropped it into the bin.  With a squeal she bent down to collect her winnings.  Tied around the toy with a piece of string were 3 Manderville Gold Points.  She untied the coins and placed the toy in her pocket, which, like with every kind of container, seemed to hold anything of any size including an elephant, and began to feed the coins back into the machine for another go.

Whilst she was distracted by the machine Melanie failed to notice a shadowy figure hiding behind in the shadows.  He stepped out slowly as to draw her attention whilst remaining within the shadows.  "It would seem that you have competely misunderstood the meaning of the words keep a low profile" he said in a low voice.  Melanie was startled as she didn't expect to battle anyone here nor by herself.  The shadowy figure chuckled quietly.  "Don't worry, I'm not here for a fight.  I thought I should let you know I cleaned up your little mess in Gridania, and I bring for you a simple message - Don't. Screw. Up. Again.  I would not want to make this a regular habit of cleaning up after you, do I make myself clear?"

Melanie, still frozen in her spot, felt a lump form in her throat.  "Who are you?" Melanie asked once she could speak.

"Who I am is not of importance" the shadowy figure replied.  "What is important is that you messed up and you risk compromising yourself when what you should be doing is laying low and learning how to become a warrior.  To be honest what you choose to do is none of my concern, however when it involves me to fix your mistakes then it becomes my problem, and thus - you become my problem.  Take heed of my advice the next time you and your comrades decide to make a big scene among yourselves."

"Wait!  Who sent you?!" Melanie called out as the figure stepped back into the shadows.  Melanie ran around the machine to confront him but he had vanished completely.  Her body started to tremble as she slowly turned around and walked away from the arcade.  She needed a drink to calm her nerves and somewhere where there was lots of people and no shadows to hide behind.  She walked slowly and cautiously back to the main entrance hall, all the while the shadowy man's words repeating in her head.  She barely noticed the time fly by and her comrades waiting for her at the main hall.

"Ah Brovola, I was just about to...are you alright?  You look pale" Reubemont looked at Melanie with a concerned expression.  Melanie snapped back into reality and shook her head.

"No, it's nothing" she said forcing a smile.

"You certain?  How about then I get you a drink, on me?" he said with a smile.

"A free drink?  How can I refuse?" she said smiling more.

Reubemont's smile grew larger as he saw her looking more relaxed and at ease again and walked over to the nearby bartender.

Melanie took a seat at the round table with the rest of her comrades.  Everyone looked to have had a great time at the Golden Saucer.  Holskwyb was busy admiring her arm muscles whilst Suyaya was kicking her feet back and forth with a gentle hum and sporting a pair of bright pink cheeks from whatever she'd been drinking.

"I take it everyone had fun?" Melanie said as she settled down.

"Indeed" Suyaya said still beaming and with a slight hiccup.  "I won top prize at the mini cactpot!  I was treated to a glass of twice-mulled wine on the house, and before I knew it I was sipping and scratching away and won yet again!  I was dubbed the luckiest patreon and am now the new owner of these..."  Suyaya rummaged around a small purse tied to her waist.  Melanie expected her to pull out something like a new pair of earrings, but her smile soon turned to absolute shock when Suyaya pulled out a pair of bunny ears and fish net stockings.  "Well, it's the Golden Saucer, what else did I expect?" she thought to herself with a slightly grimacing smile.

"At least you're coming away with something, unlike some" Holskwyb said as she lowered her arms.  Melanie tilted her head with a puzzled look on her face.  "Reubemont decided rather than trying his hand at the novice contestants to go right ahead with the Triple Triad master himself.  Needless to say he came away empty handed and stripped off all his ego."  Holskwyb chuckled quietly to herself.

"And you, what did you come away with?" Suyaya said glancing at Melanie.  Melanie quickly ruffled around her purse and pulled out the soft plush sheep.

"Isn't that cute" Holskwyb said with a grin.  Suyaya's eyes and mouth however were open wide as if she had seen a gigantic cake of dreams.  "Oh wow, I've always wanted one of those!" she gasped as she gazed completely infatuated at the plush toy.

"Um, you're welcome to have it?" Melanie said seeing how enamoured Suyaya was.  Suyaya eagerly grabbed the toy and sank her face into its soft exterior.

"You do know you can simply win one of those at the arcades?" Holskwyb said staring in surprise at Suyaya, who was now completely entranced by the soft plushiness and off into another world.

Reubemont returned to the table carrying 2 drinks with him and was happy to see everyone looking happy...or too happy in Suyaya's case.  "Ah, you're looking a lot more relaxed" he said to Melanie with a smile as he passed one of the glasses to her.  A slightly sweet and spicy scent permeated her nostrils as she raised the glass towards her.  The wine was a deep rich mahogany colour with a silky sheen to it.  She tipped the glass to her lips and took in a gentle sip.  The flavours of various spice accompanied by citrus fruits swirled around her tongue leaving behind a gentle warmth that felt like she was being wrapped around in a warm blanket.  Melanie sat back feeling very relaxed and almost forgot about her encounter from earlier.

The rest of the evening went smoothly with everyone just chatting away.  Melanie was quite happy to just sit back and listen as she gently sipped on her glass of twice-mulled wine.  Once it was time to return back to Ul'dah Melanie was already far too tipsy to be concerned about her fear of heights and sat back against the airship mast and watched the stars as they sailed across the desert.  As she looked at her comrades silhouetted against the moonlight she then remembered the shadowy figure and his words of warning to her.  "Who in the hell was he and how does he know about me?" she pondered.  She could only imagine someone with authority such as Krile could've sent him, but would Krile really send such a shady person as him to seek her out?  And what did he mean by "cleaning up her mess"?  "Huh, no point worrying about it now.  Maybe I'll find out what he meant by that tomorrow" she thought to herself.

Little did she know that's exactly what was going to happen.