Killers everywhere, it ain't no place to run.

[intangibleman]

The Desert Palace, all in all, wasn't such a bad place.

Tyki rather liked it. It was almost lively under the near funereal, subdued air. There might have been a fog hanging over everything, the heavy weight of a member missing, but underneath that was a subtle layer of anticipation, a mountain-stream burble of excitement at what the meeting might hold. For those normally resident, the reaction to strangers was mixed. Some approached the situation with their heads held high, giving no indication one way or another how they felt about the sudden intrusion. Others seemed nervous, the unknown quantities enough to frighten them, not that they broadcasted it. For the minions, there seemed to be a novelty to it. It almost seemed to take the edge off the fear the Arrancar were harbouring.

Almost.

Neliel, however, apparently Sosuke Aizen's biggest fan, seemed positively mired in it. There were moments when she came out of herself a little, but it was obvious that he was on her mind. Him, or her precarious position.

The young girl Road had taken to seemed less concerned, but it was possible she didn't understand the gravity of her situation. The short man with the pet Malboro covered whatever worries he had with a bright veneer of smirking sarcasm, but Tyki could practically smell the fear on him. The lanky Tag with the attitude problem didn't give anything away, instead choosing to sneer one-eyed at everybody, teeth grit and bared like an animal caged, as though he didn't care whether he lived or died so long as he got to sink his teeth into somebody. It was possible this was the case, but Tyki had rarely seen somebody who didn't care when it came down to it. Perhaps he'd get to see his real feelings on the matter after the meeting's conclusion. That might be fun.

The others hadn't presented themselves for inspection.

Tyki found himself enjoying it all. Road was keeping an eye on things, doing her best impression of a precocious young girl there under Tyki's watchful eye, but the reverse was probably more true. She knew more than he did, about everything. It was her who told him what would become of the Arrancar if things went south, her who told him about the members he had never heard of, who he'd never bothered to read the backgrounds of. He simply watched and enjoyed.

What had surprised him was that the majority of the members present and, indeed, those expected, were natives of their own floating continent, and not Ivalice. Some of the residents were certainly lowerworlders, but all of the visitors seemed to come from Niflheim, Lucis or the Jyllandi Union. Was it merely a trip for them, a chance for the to size each other up on neutral ground, with Aizen's imprisonment serving as little more than window dressing? That was possible. None of the had any real personal investment in the man, nor his continued safety, or that of his underlings. He suspected Kreeth was simply there for the holiday.

There hadn't been any newcomers for a few days. The last had been the two from the Union and before those, the Lucian envoys, apparent nobodies there in the stead of somebody important. It was probably fortunate the absent lowerworlders didn't send the same in their places, or the palace would run the risk of being standing room only, with underlings turfed out of their rooms to house the temporarily higher-ranked dogs of members. Road said they were still waiting on a woman from Reseune, a town that bordered the two major halves of the Niflheim Empire, and some mid-tier noble from Nagapur who Road, all full of childlike delight, was expecting to kick off at some point during her stay.

There had been some arrivals last night, but they'd come in without fanfare, or announcement. They felt familiar, so Tyki assumed they were residential minions, gone and returned. He'd soon find out, anyway. He'd left his hat and cane in his room, but still made sure to dress nicely. His white side wasn't welcome in such a place, and the black was far, far classier. He found himself gravitating to the kitchen without effort and he was almost surprised how quick such a thing had happened. Perhaps that was how the palace got you.

He pushed open the door.

"Good morning," he said.

Comments

[sipthehoneylikeabutterfly]

"Yes," Szayel said, dismissing Nel's concerned, "but you could identify the interesting specimens on sight."

He thought back. More of the submissions for the Arrancar project might have survived if they'd borne tags from the beginning. The correlation between successful Arrancar subjects and mistants would have been obvious from the start.

[cierva]

"Maybe if you ask really nicely," Apache said, to Szayel, "the Jyllandis will let you go with them when they leave, and you can get yourself a tag and introduce yourself to all the mental scientists that live up there who'd consider you an interesting specimen. If we're lucky, they'll dissect you."

She paused, looking at him for a moment, taking in his pink hair and ridiculous yellow eyes, and shrugged.

"Though they might find you interesting anyway, I doubt they see many Selkies up there."

She knew they didn't see many Selkies up there. Being the result of an Al Bhed and Hume parent, Selkies were virtually never seen on Jylland, except as a rarity, because there were very few Al Bhed there to produce them. She expected some had travelled and settled, but they would still be considered unusual by the general population. She didn't remember seeing many when she was growing up.

[intangibleman]

"It might be that the Tag rule gets stopped in Niflheim and Lucis at some point," Tyki said, optimistically. "Since we both refused to join their Union, it might stop being necessary to obey their rules."

Might. There were enough people in Niflheim that liked the idea of tags that it would be difficult to pull the idea off the table, especially since it had been in use for longer than the enmity between the Union and Empire had been going on. Lucis, on the other hand, had only adopted it after dropping their isolationist policies, but if Tyki remembered right, them adopting the Tag law had been one of the conditions of an alliance with the Union in the first place.

He wouldn't mind having to wear a tag again all that much. He still required another form of ID to point out his Kekkei Genkai, since going about grey and looking like a Tag, while being unmarked, was a good way to end up dragged to a police station having your information run through a system. Maybe it would be easier. Besides, Tags weren't all bad. Sometimes a touch of something exotic made things more fun.

He finished his cigarette and flicked it away, closing the door behind him and moving back into the kitchen proper.

"It would be nice if we could have Licenses instead," he said. "Other than for having to travel down here, I mean."

[thatsit]

"Indeed," Ignis agreed, listening to Apache's obvious ire. "Selkies are a rarity, especially in Lucis. You'd be quite the celebrity." There were also scientists associated with the Kingsglaive that might be content to give him a poke.

Szayel's chakra didn't exactly stand out, but if he was an Arrancar he was one of Aizen's underlings, so he had to have some uses. From the way he spoke, it sounded like he was a scientist himself.

"Unfortunately," he added, "I don't think we'd fit you in our ship." Mores the pity, of course.

[sipthehoneylikeabutterfly]

Szayel gave Ignis a long, considering look up and down. "Well," he said, "you'd be surprised at how flexible I am. I'm adept at fitting into tight spaces."

He smirked as he turned to make his coffee. It was instant, the usual type kept in the kitchen, but only because that was quicker. Anyone that had it in them to go through the rigmarole of making coffee the long way before their first cup was an inhyur monster.

[declaregamuza]

Nel had her attention on Tyki, rather than Szayel. He made smoking look good, it was just a shame it wouldn't make him smell good.

She gave an agreeing hum to Tyki's statement. "I definitely prefer having a license," she agreed. "Guess I'll be giving Jylland a wide berth." She definitely didn't want to be fitted up for a tag detailing her weirdness.

"You had to get a license to come here?" she asked. Having to apply for that might explain why a handful of Jyllandi members were coming. Maybe they were the people that already had one. It would certainly explain why someone from Jylland might send an envoy, like Ignis, instead of attending themselves, if they didn't want to leave a paper trail.

[intangibleman]

"I did," Tyki said, nodding.

Well, he didn't. They'd travelled by illicit means, on the back of a Hollow, in the way Hollows moved between the Seen and Unseen realms, but if they wanted to have a look at Ivalice during their time down there, they'd probably need a License. Apparently even hotels required ID. Besides, the Earl had insisted.

He pulled it out of his inside pocket, on the opposite side to where he stowed his matches and silver cigarette case. He held it out to Nel between two fingers. It was new, clearly recently issued. The Licenses of native Ivalicians tended to be worn, with the leather softened and showing the time their owners had had them. They were issued at birth, changed magically to update content when required, assuming they were kept up to date. They didn't have to be, the important information was always the same.

It looked similar to an Ivalician issued License, probably on account of a lowerworld company being the one who issued them up there, albeit through a foreign branch. It was a different colour, however. They varied by country, to show nationality at a glance, but often the differences on the front were too subtle to tell. The backs had the seal of their country on them. His was dark grey on the face, with the emblems of Ueltham and Überwald party per pale on the back. It listed his name as Tyki Mikk, not Kamelot, and his birthdate, curiously, as the 25th of Violembre/Plumfrost, as opposed to just showing the Ivalician month. His hometown was listed as Undelwalt, though that wouldn't mean much to a foreigner.

"Apparently the rules down here state that if you wish to participate in society, you must do so as a License holder," he said, sounding very much like he was repeating back something he'd read, or been told, at an earlier date. It sounded far too formal for his grasp of Ivalician.

[cierva]

"Can't you shove him in the boot?" Apache asked, raising her eyebrows. "I'll pay his fare."

Personally. Out of her own pocket. Szayel would be a sight to see on Jylland, that was for certain. Pink haired, tall and skinny, with orange eyes and the worst glasses this side of a dodgy fashion magazine where bubble wrap was considered an acceptable material for clothing, he'd certainly attract a gaze or two. Hopefully from a hungry monster.

[declaregamuza]

Nel had to fight the urge to 'aww' at Tyki's license. It looked so pristine, he couldn't have had it for more than a couple of months. It could have easily been mistaken for a baby license.

She gave a short laugh and a nod at Tyki's words, though. He sounded like he'd been on the receiving end of a civics lecture, and been told to memorise it because there'd be a test later. It sounded like something Ignis would say.

"Yeah, they're all purpose ID here. It's your travel ID, pilot's license, weapons permit," since it was kept up to date with a persons's classes as well as every other possible detail about their life the ones that used their classes tended to get more dog-eared than most citizens'. "Mine doesn't look that new any more," she added, but didn't pull it out to show, "I don't think it ever looked that new."

[thatsit]

Ignis grinned, directing his attention to Apache. Szayel really wasn't very popular, then. Given how forthright he'd been, Ignis could understand why. The man really needed to step back and rein himself in.

"Unfortunately," he said, "the storage space within the car is accounted for." He paused for effect before suggesting, "I suppose we could tie him to the roof?"

[sipthehoneylikeabutterfly]

Szayel rolled his eyes. Ignis was picking Apache's side, then. That was a waste, it really was. She obviously wasn't his type, and since she went for oblivious Al Bhed idiots, Ignis wasn't hers, either.

He stirred his coffee and cradled his cup, throwing a haughty glance in Ignis and Apache's direction. "If you two could stop flirting before I've had my coffee," he sniped, "I'd appreciate it. You're going to ruin my appetite."

[cierva]

"Szayel, this is why you rub people the wrong way," she said, giving a laboured sigh. "You don't see a difference between 'conversation' and 'flirting'."

Sure, so conversation in this case involved being silly and plotting ways to get rid of Szayel, but what could you do. It was just funny. Until she registered what Ignis said, and looked puzzled.

"Car..?"

There had been a car in the hangar. She hadn't thought about it much, it looked old fancy, but definitely a four-wheeled ground vehicle. Tired as she was, she hadn't considered how they'd have got it there. Over desert or through the caverns..?

"Oh... yeah, how did you get that here?"

[intangibleman]

Tyki's license lacked the part filled in that said he'd been accepted as the holder of a pilot's license, or one for ground-based vehicles in any country that required them. His Classes were, similarly, blank. That didn't say much, it simply didn't give a clue as to what weapons he might be proficient with. It wasn't hard to carry and use weapons you weren't cleared to use, and simply having the Commando class on your license meant that you were automatically permitted to use anything. His had nothing.

"Quite useful," he said. "Weapons aren't restricted in Niflheim and pilot and driving licenses are a separate thing."

He didn't need the anyway. He couldn't fly anything.

[thatsit]

Ignis dried his hands and shot Szayel a withering look. "If you're made uncomfortable by my conversing with an engaging and attractive young lady, there are plenty of other rooms in this Palace in which you can take your breakfast." He turned then, away from Szayel, and all but lit up as Apache asked about the car.

It wasn't his car, it was on loan from the Crown, but he did wish it was his car. Lucis had been behind the curve in terms of airship technology, but what they lacked in genuine technological advancement they made up for in style. "Don't be taken in by its appearance," he said, masking his glee about the Regalia poorly, "it is, in fact, an airship as well as a roadworthy vehicle."

[declaregamuza]

The idea of having to carry multiple forms of ID in order to have all your licenses sounded inconvenient, to Nel. But then, having to wear something that declared you to be a mist mutant sounded even worse again.

She would have to ask Apache about that later. "A bit different down here, then," she said. Better, too, she hoped, or at least for Apache. Tyki obviously didn't have to deal with the tag business, so maybe he found a license restricting.

[sipthehoneylikeabutterfly]

If Szayel was forced to roll his eyes any harder he was going to roll them right out of his head. What was the point in talking to someone, especially someone like Apache, unless it was business, or an attempt to get them into bed? It wasn't as if Apache was interesting.

[cierva]

Apache looked surprised, but interested. She, still leaning on one hand on the table, straightened up a little.

"How?" She asked, thinking back to the sleek, four-wheeled vehicle in the hangar.

Parts of the Jyllandi Union maintained a traditionalist outlook, with magic being far more common than technology. Nagapur wasn't one of these cities. Close to the border of the notoriously modern and technologically hungry Niflheim Empire, Nagapur was an industrial city, no matter how much it tried to put aside that part of its history. The position it held on the river had always been useful. She'd seen what contraptions used the roads these days, and they were a far cry from both the chocobo-pulled carts once common and the Al Bhed technology of the Lowerworld.

The car was different from all of it. Lucian technology apparently differed from that of Ivalice, Niflheim and the Union. It was flashier, for one.

[intangibleman]

"A little bit. Not any people have the licenses though," he said, thinking about it. "There's a new train... they have been linking up all the towns and cities."

Even those in the Misty expanse of darkest Überwald. They used to be impossible to reach, except by days and days of travel on a Chocobo, or as part of a caravan, and even then the monsters who called the wilderness home made it a crapshoot as to whether you'd ever arrive at your destination with all your limbs intact.

[thatsit]

Ignis moved to take a seat near Apache. "The original design is a car," he explained. A luxury car, of course, the Regalia represented the finest in Lucian vehicle manufacturing. "It's been modified to transform into an airship when required."

He gave a small shrug. "It did mean sacrificing storage capacity, but that's not a huge concern in the grand scheme of things." Certainly not when you were of the royal household. It was an inconvenience at worst, and it wasn't as if the Regalia was something you'd take on months long trips in the wilderness.

"Perhaps I can show you, later?"

[declaregamuza]

Nel recalled the train journey in Nabradia that they'd taken to Luxerion. It wasn't her preferred mode of transport, she had to be honest. Being stuck in a metal can on rails made her antsy. The fact there was nowhere to go if things went wrong had tickled at the back of her mind.

On the other hand, it was fast, direct, and a lot more comfortable than riding a chocobo for hours.

"We only really have trains in a few places here," she said. "I suppose they're a lot safer for lone travelers," she conceded. "Depending on the traveler."

[intangibleman]

"They're good for places you can't use airships," Tyki said, giving a bit of a smile. He'd only been on a train once or twice, and had spent the bulk of the journey staring out of the window at the landscape whizzing by. "They're still a bit of a novelty out in Überwald."

Places like Gralea and Cartanica had been linked by rail for years. Including the more backwoods towns and cities in lands the Empire had quietly claimed as their own was necessary, or the people there simply wouldn't accept their rule. They barely did anyway, with some not acknowledging their inclusion at all, and others deciding that it made no difference whether they were left alone with a distant ruler, or left alone without one. So long as nobody tried to micromanage the villages, towns and outposts, there'd be no uprisings.

[cierva]

"Yeah," Apache said, looking interested. "That sounds good. I've never seen anything like it."

The thought cheered her up. Ignis wasn't her type, and she absolutely was not flirting, and she was pretty sure Nel was right about him batting for Szayel's team, but the car sounded fun. Yylfordt would probably like it, too. It'd be extra fun if she got to see it before that gearhead got his fingerprints all over the sleek and shiny bonnet.

[declaregamuza]

Nel smiled at Tyki. "I've only been on one once," she admitted. "It's definitely the easiest way to get past Jagd, but I still prefer airships."

Or chocobos. Hell, these days she could release and go for a casual trot instead. It was a lot less limiting.

[thatsit]

"You'd be more than welcome to look," Ignis said. It wasn't as if the Regalia was brimming with top secret Lucian technology either. The rest of the world made faster, bigger airships, so there was nothing to try and steal. "It's certainly a unique model, especially outside of Lucis."

The Regalia was unique inside Lucis, too, but Ignis wasn't about to go telling everyone that.