Eorzia was in peril...<br/><br/>Gaius van Baelsar, master swordsman of the Garlean Empire has awakened the power of the fearsome Ultima weapon, an ancient force of destruction that features in the master plan of the evil Ascian overlord Lahabrea. Ever since the last great catastrophe that nearly destroyed the world, this dark scheme has been in the making, and now, it is up to the young miqo'te seeker of the moon, Motoko, and the Free Company under her control known only as Shin-Ra no deshi, or rather Shin-Ra's Disciples. Motoko stood, impatiently waiting as the last member of Shin-Ra no deshi was...uncharacteristically late to his duties. The small, cat-eared summoner looked as majestic as ever, her Gauda-Egi floating listlessly next to her as the elegant, ornate summoner robes that she had fought so hard to obtain billowed slightly in the soft breeze of the Praetorium.<br/><br/>-----------------------------------------------------<br/><br/>"Where the hell is that bastard!?" Sayuri whined in frustration as her guildmades stood in silence at her outburst. Huffing a bit, Sayuri quickly took off her headset and typed in an "AFK" message as she bolted from her plush gaming chair with a frustrated pout on her face. Glancing around her desk quickly she realized that she had left her phone on the other side of the room by her bed.<span style="font-style: italic">Great...now I have to make them wait even LONGER!</span>Sayuri thought to herself in frustration. "I told him...I warned him..'we're going to do an early morning raid, so be up!' yet he's probably sound asleep!...at least he's worth his weight in gil as an archer." Sayuri said to herself.<br/><br/>For most people, simply getting a phone on the other side of the room was a non-issue, however, for Sayuri, that "other side" was quite far away. Being a princess of the empire, Sayuri's accommodation where nothing short of lavish. Shining marble floors, solid gold adornments at every corner, gigantic windows draped with curtains of fabric that cost more per-yard then the tri-yearly earnings of most imperial citizens....and more importantly, scale. Sayuri's room was simply huge, and now that asshole Suketsune was making her highness traverse the whole place....all because he decided to take a nap while Eoriza's fate hangs in the balance.  Of course, it was partly her own fault. In her eager rush to go game, she had forgotten all about keeping her phone near her, and despite her apparent frustration with her sister's entertainer, she did legitimately like Suketsune as a friend.<br/><br/>Indeed, ever since the young man had entered into the royal court the two of them had immediately hit it off. They shared many common interests, and Sayuri liked having somebody around that "spoke her language" More importantly, he knew what it's like...to be isolated from everyone. He was, and still is, the only person other then the empress herself who able to truely understand her. However, right now was not the time for fond memories! Eorzia needed Shin-Ra no deshi! It needed Suketsune and his marksman skills!...and like hell Sayuri was going to let him forget that!<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">He BETTER have a good explanation...not even the Kami will save him if he fell asleep!</span>Sayuri thought to herself as she hastily flipped through her contacts and selected his number. However, to her surprise, there was no ringing; not a single dialtone. Something was wrong....I mean, it was one thing to just let his phone go to voicemail but to just turn it off totally? All of the sudden, Sayuri's mind filled with every possible scenario of what could possibly be going on. Many of which happened to be terrible, though, at least to Sayuri, not all that logical. She took a deep sigh and pulled herself together.<span style="font-style: italic">He probably just didn't want anybody disturbing his nap...</span>she thought to herself. However, despite all her rationalization she could not help but feel<span style="font-style: italic">something</span>was wrong, here. It nagged at her, filling her mind with stress. All the frustration at Suketsune's tardiness had now been replaced with concern for him...and all kinds of questions. Sayuri nervously flipped through her contacts once more, this time going to Ryouko's number. Ryouko...she hardly had anything in common with that girl. Sure, they both loved cute things, and both liked to die their hair and dress pretty but other then that she only knew her by virtue of her relation to Suketsune. To Sayuri, Ryouko was a bit too obsessed with her appearance, and her music was too...well...pop. She had a good heart, though...maybe a bit too good for Sayuri's tastes, but none the less, she was at least reliable, and right now that's what mattered to the Princess.<br/><br/>She selected her number and immediately was revealed to hear the sweet sound of a ringing. Soon she would hear Ryouko's friendly voice telling her that Suketsune was sound asleep, safe in his home...Or at least that's what Sayuri wanted. Little did she knew that the news she was about to receive would be anything but comforting...