Star Ocean Oasis

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Star Ocean.

Title: End of Time Series: Oasis

Chapter: 1 of 1

Author's Notes: Another one-shot. Don't expect updates in chronological order. My original plan to weave them all into one story was just way too ambitious. It'd probably take 6 months to get to a starting point. My motivation is probably going to die out by then.

_Entire sentences in italics represent thoughts. _

Sorry, still no beta.

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"More water your majesty?" Lady Nel asked dutifully.

Queen Romeria didn't bother opening her eyes. "We are fine, Lady Nel." The redhead was serving, somewhat overbearingly, as both bodyguard and lady-in-waiting. A queen must have some female attendants after all.

"Maria?"

"Thanks." Maria took the offered water jug, filled a cup and passed it back. The young woman was struggling in the heat. While everyone was feeling the strain, the blue haired girl was very fair skinned and it seemed a relative newcomer to travel. "Is all this really just to test our resolve?" She gestured to the desert looming before them.

The Crimson Blade shook her head. "It's strategically sound. They would see enemy troops coming." She studied the pool of water. "It would be slow going, moving them from water to water."

The queen silently agreed. Slow was an understatement. Even for such a small party, traveling through the desert was proving an ordeal. The heat was constant and oppressive, forcing them to travel at night and take shelter during the day. They had kept a slow pace, mostly for her benefit, since leaving Aquios. But in the desert they had slowed to a crawl. The Queen wondered if without her, they might have made it to Mosel in a single day.

Traveling through the countryside was relatively pleasant. Years had passed since she'd dared leave the safety of Aquios. Peterney appeared by all accounts untouched by the war. While she had never entered Surferio before, (its sovereignty remained a point of contention among most of the nobility) she had enjoyed the experience. It was one thing to hear reports of the city and quite another to see the various denizens first hand.

They'd even taken one along on their journey.

The Queen scanned the other tent, searching for their newest traveling companion. Roger S. Huxley, future mayor of Surferio, but for now just a 12 year old Menodix who fancied himself a warrior. Or "real man" as he would point out with some regularity. Romeria had concerns, though they went unvoiced, about taking a child on a potentially dangerous journey. But the little Menodix (and to be fair all Menodixes were little) had some shared history with the group and boasted that he knew the desert better than anyone. However, he boasted about a great many things. Part of his "charm" she supposed.

She spotted him digging through one of the traveling packs, almost certainly not his own. Cliff shooed him away, in the sense that picking him up by the scruff of the neck and tossing him into a pile of discarded equipment was shooing someone away. Roger dug himself out and shouted back a retort but nonetheless went in search of something else to occupy his time. He was faring well in the heat, better than the rest of the party. Nothing it seemed, could dampen his mood.

Fayt, Cliff, and Roger, were resting under their own tent. Less for privacy (although everyone had stripped down as much as modesty would allow) and more for her protection. The girl's tent had a large rock formation at on one side, the oasis on another. But while a source of life, the oasis could mean death. Water would attract all manner of dangerous creatures. The boys' tent sat on the other side of the oasis to insulate her from anything that might approach the watering hole.

The queen sighed. The sun was well passed its zenith but there were hours left before they dared travel. She was a patient women, used to sitting and waiting. A queen had to be. But the heat was nearly intolerable. She needed something to take her mind off of it.

With nothing else, best to discuss their objectives. "Miss Traydor. You are confident the Vendeeni will cease their actions against our world once you and your companions leave?"

"Yes your Majesty. The Vendeeni are here for Fayt."

"Do they want to use his powers for conquest?" Lady Nel's tone implied it wasn't really a question. The conversation had perked her interest. Not a surprise, really. There was gossip in the castle, but there was always gossip, about how much Lady Nel had changed since meeting them. Normally, the queen wouldn't have given the rumors a second thought. But then Nel Zelpher, leader of the Secret Legion, had vouched for Fayt and Cliff. She had represented their interests despite the danger they posed to her people.

While Queen Romeria's memory wasn't perfect, she was absolutely sure that had never happened before.

"We don't know for sure." Maria had her eyes closed, arms crossed, with one hand tucked against her chin. "I suspect they want to make others like us."

"Make others?" The queen asked. As far as the queen knew "making others" would require nine months and a partner. Odd for the blue haired girl to suddenly start being shy.

Maria didn't seem to notice. "Our technology can alter a child's design before it is born."

The queen didn't know where to begin with that statement.

"What?" Apparently Lady Nel was just as confused.

"That 'how' is too far advanced to explain."

Ignoring the blunt response, the queen focused on the intent. "Alter the design in what way? To what end?"

Maria glanced at Lady Nel's runes. In her current state of dress, nearly all of them were visible. "We have runes too. Only our runes are smaller. So small you can't see them." Maria studied the palms of her hands, the tips of her fingers. "And there are so many. Imagine if every drop of blood in your body held a thousand runes."

Righteousness or blasphemy, she couldn't say. The secrets of runology were a gift from the gods themselves. While some were blessed with potential, only the sacred markings and the rituals involved could grant those powers to the faithful.

If the reports of Master Fayt's abilities were true…

It was a lot to take in, too much for an already difficult journey through unsafe lands. A heavy silence fell over them and the queen regretted choosing the topic. The two younger women were hesitant to talk too freely in front of her. Not uncommon in the presence of a queen. Although she doubted how talkative they would have been otherwise. Lady Nel was a well-known workaholic and Maria appeared cut from the same cloth.

So the task of making conversation fell to her. "I think Master Fayt is doing very well."

"Your Majesty?" Lady Nel didn't follow.

"His prowess in battle is well known" she explained. That was true for both Fayt and Cliff. Their victories against all three of the Glyphian brigades were quickly becoming legend. And even though their companions were not citizens of Aquaria, it was a great source of pride among her people that they could boast a swordsman on par with Albel the Wicked.

"Fayt's swordsmanship is impressive." Lady Nel agreed readily. There was no small measure of pride in her voice. "His skills were essential in our victories, particularly over the dragon brigade." She lifted her own cup to her lips.

The queen was struck with what she could only call divine inspiration. She nodded thoughtfully, bided her time, and then struck. "And in terms of physique, Lady Nel. I find Cliff too overdeveloped. Master Fayt is very well balanced."

Nel choked and sputtered, a faint red gracing her cheeks.

A lifetime of carefully schooling one's features came into play as the queen pretended to misunderstand her response. "You disagree, Lady Nel?"

"Of course not your majesty. I…ah" She flushed further. "I mean…" The queen almost laughed aloud at the red haired (and now red faced) woman's response. Force of habit, she was sure, but too good an opportunity to pass up. "That's two in favor. And you Miss Traydor?" The blue haired woman was blushing as well, made all the more obvious on her paler complexion.

"Swordsmanship has its benefits it would seem." Queen Romeria mused, catching Nel's gaze. If Lady Elena were present she would have laughed, before joining in.

"Yes, your Majesty." Lady Nel mumbled. Clearly uncomfortable, she quickly changed the subject. "Your Majesty, I should prepare our meal now." Rising to her feet, she hesitated. "I… will ask Fayt to take my place. I'd rather his sword and runology be close at hand."

Queen Romeria was pleased that her thoughts were much the same. Evidently, she had chosen her bodyguards well. Their journey had not been without incident. She knew Lady Nel was a skilled fighter but the Secret Legion specialized in intelligence gathering. And Lady Nel refused to leave her side as the two of them stood back from the battles as much as was possible.

Cliff's strength was apparent even to someone as unfamiliar with combat as herself. The blonde man would charge the enemy ranks, scattering them with just his fists. The queen didn't understand why anyone would choose to fight without a weapon, surely such physical gifts would be more effective behind a sword or an axe. However, she could not argue with the results.

The blue haired girl sitting on her right was quite the opposite. Maria made it a point to stand back (almost as far back as herself and Lady Nel) and make use of her strange weapon from a distance. It was like nothing the queen had ever seen or heard of before. Some might liken it to runology but a Holy Mother's vision would not be fooled. Whatever its source, it was not runological. However, Maria did possess some runological talent.

Of the three (she had difficulty thinking of Roger as a combatant) Master Fayt seemed the most versatile, moving throughout the battlefield using both sword and spell. (Fayt had also learned most of the common healing techniques. Although his primary focus was always to engage the enemy before they could close ground on Lady Nel and herself.) How he and Cliff fought in their plate armor without tiring amazed her. It didn't appear to slow them down in the least.

She considered teasing Lady Nel again. "That sounds wise", she relented. She didn't want to be too cruel. With a nod, Nel took her leave. Once again, all business. The queen had a slight change of heart. "Lady Nel." She called.

The redhead turned to face her with the professionalism the Zelphers were both praised and pitied for. "Your majesty?"

A little cruelty had its place. "Tell Master Fayt, he need not don his armor. This heat is _so_ unforgiving. We would not want to burden him."

Lady Nel bowed, a little more stiffly, and started towards the other tent.

The queen sighed internally. The redhead was hopelessly lost when work wasn't involved.

Queen Romeria watched Master Fayt approach, with his sword but not his armor. The queen almost smiled. Lady Nel must have known she was joking. What had gone through her head when speaking to Master Fayt?

"Your Majesty." Fayt bowed before taking a seat next to Maria, maintaining a respectful distance from her royal person. The blue haired girl was still blushing faintly, looking everywhere but at Fayt.

The queen allowed herself a smile. It was far too easy to embarrass these girls.

Fayt noticed Maria's discomfort, the color on her cheeks. "Are you feeling okay?" He asked, completely misreading the signs. "Really makes you miss planets that are climate controlled."

Climate controlled? Best not to ask.

Maria still refused to look at him. "I'm fine."

It was difficult to imagine someone so…cheerful could possess such power. The Arrow of Apris. Many had suspected when word had first spread of their arrival. A strange object, falling from the sky, made from materials unlike anything they had ever seen.

Fayt was nothing like what she had imagined. Not his youth, his compassion, or his ridiculous blue hair. But there was no longer any doubt. Their knowledge was undeniable. Their origins unbelievable. People from other worlds?

But how else would one describe prophets from the heavens?

The Arrow of Apris was to end the chaos. The queen, like everyone else in her country, had expected the end to come through the fires of war, not by negotiating a peace. She stared into the horizon, where Mosel stood. If they succeeded here, peace would return to the land.

Was this too the will of the gods?

"You're sure we shouldn't have set the cooking fire here?" Maria gave Fayt a sidelong glance.

The queen stopped pondering the will of the gods and turned back to her companions. Watching the two of them now, they didn't look like weapons of war.

"The scent will carry. Could attract animals." Fayt replied, an odd smile on his face. "Nel will just have to make do."

"It wouldn't be so bad if you and Cliff didn't eat your weight in food every day." It almost sounded like a reproach but Maria's tone was as close to playful as the queen had ever heard from her.

There was no denying that. Fighting all manner of beasts (and the occasional renegade Glyphian soldier) in full armor might not tire them but Fayt and Cliff certainly worked up an appetite. No matter the planet, growing boys were much the same. It was oddly comforting. Fayt gave Maria a sheepish smile but recovered gracefully. "Do you _really_ want to sit next to a cooking fire right now?"

Maria pondered the question with exaggerated seriousness. "Hmm, I suppose not."

The blue haired youths went back to watching the other tent. Lady Nel had a pot of water and rice set over the fire and was slicing something green with the practiced ease you'd expect from a Crimson Blade, stopping only to berate one of their traveling companions. Roger hovered at her elbow, determined to win her attention. While Cliff appeared to be sampling various items, eating some and casually discarding those that didn't meet his approval.

Cliff picked up something bright orange with a red stem, taking a generous bite. Fenroot if she wasn't mistaken. Her guess was confirmed when the large Klausian immediately began coughing and spitting. Nel paused in her work, saying or snapping something at him. It was impossible to tell, being so far away.

Roger's small frame shook with laughter.

"Dinner and a show." Fayt murmured.

Cliff made a grab for one of the water jugs but Roger beat him to it, dancing just out of reach. The blonde man lunged after the little Menodix. Roger scrambled away from him, knocked over the makeshift table and dropping the water jug in the sand. In desperation Cliff seized the pot of boiling water (with his bare hands, no less), took one sip, spit it out, upended the entire pot and ran for the oasis.

The man was quite swift when he needed to be.

Maria buried her face in her hands. Fayt was laughing openly. It was a pleasant sound.

The blue haired girl must have felt otherwise. "How can you find this funny?" She snapped.

His answer came with an easy smile. "If you don't start laughing at Cliff's antics, you're going to lose your mind."

Maria was silent for a long moment. "I think you're right. Mirage and I are too far gone."

After drinking his third pot of water and dumping a fourth over his own head, Cliff stood up. With said pot in one hand, he made his way back to the tent. Only to stop short as Lady Nel started screaming at him.

"Not one word!" She screeched. Unfortunately, their tents were set too far apart. Despite Lady Nel's considerable lung capacity they could only make out pieces of the conversation.

"...worse than useless…" Nel threw what looked like half a turnip at the blonde man. It sailed past and ended up in the water. "…go protect…" A carrot this time. More like a throwing knife, found its mark. Cliff fended it off with his pot. "…screw that up!"

Lady Nel had the chef's knife in one hand and her shorter blade in the other. Gesturing towards the ruins of a meal and the now cowering Menodix as her voice reached a fevered pitch. "...and take… with you!"

Cliff backed away, not taking his eyes off her for fear of more produce based attacks.

"Tell Fayt …"

The blue haired swordsman hummed softly at hearing his name.

Cliff slowly wandered over to their tent, empty pot in hand and a despondent Roger in tow. "So…ah." He scratched the back of his head. "Nel feels my vast combat experience should be put to use seeing to her majesty's safety." The expression on the blue haired man's face was decidedly unimpressed. Cliff cleared his throat. "Fayt. I can handle this. You mind giving her a hand?"

Roger perked up. "I'll do it. No problem with the oaf outta the way!"

"Listen pipsqueak-"

Fayt's hand shot forward, catching the young Menodix by the tail. Ignoring the indignant yelp that followed, he dragged Roger back. "Stay here." He gathered his sword in one hand and white vest in the other. "Might as well", he glanced sidelong at Cliff, "food poisoning out here would kill us."

"Hey there, Fayt." Cliff called as Fayt began walking away. He held the cooking pot out to him. "Here." Fayt shook his head and tucked the cookware under his arm. "Smooth Cliff."

Cliff turned to the remaining group members, saw the stony expression on Maria's face and choose to sit on the other side of the Queen. Roger paced sullenly next to him.

The Queen opened her mouth to thank Cliff for his aid or some other needless pleasantry (the heat was taking its toll on even her social graces) when Maria launched into a tirade. So the Queen just covered a smirk behind one hand and enjoyed the show.

"Was that the best you could do?!" The blue haired girl barely held her temper in check.

"What do you mean?" Cliff sounded honestly confused.

Then she let go of it completely. "I _meant_ was that the best excuse you could come up with! I already know you're a hazard in the kitchen."

"I'm not that bad-"

"He was right, food poisoning would be fatal right now."

"You tell 'em!" Roger glared up at the towering Klausian.

"You're the one that knocked everything over", Cliff shot back.

But the Menodix wasn't paying attention to him anymore, staring into the distance, frowning.

Something had caught the boy's attention. And the queen had never seen him frown before. Following his line of sight, she found the source of his discomfort. In the other tent their makeshift kitchen had been (mostly) sorted out. Lady Nel and Master Fayt worked, sitting side by side.

It was only through sheer force of will that she managed not to smile. It was almost too adorable. The little Menodix had such an obvious crush on Lady Nel.

The two of them worked together smoothly, passing the occasional item between them. Lady Nel was again using the cutting board. Master Fayt was stir frying something with the ingredients as she prepared them. The redhead held a small plate out to him. Master Fayt thanked her, he was too polite not to, took the offered plate and returned his attention to the pan. And Lady Nel… let her eyes linger on him while he wasn't looking.

The queen's eyes widened. Perhaps Lady Nel's answer wasn't purely out of habit.

_Why Lady Nel, what would your father say?_

They continued working, the occasional glance between them. Until Fayt stopped abruptly and stared at her. Lady Nel must have felt his gaze. She paused, locking eyes with him. Fayt brought one hand towards her face.

The queen leaned forward.

The spell was broken as Fayt casually picked something orange out of her hair. Nel growled in frustration, raked her fingers through her hair. She glared angrily in Cliff's direction before turning her glare on Fayt, now doubled over in laughter. More words were exchanged. And how the queen wished she was close enough to hear them. Fayt held up his hands in mock surrender.

Anger turned to embarrassment and Nel rubbed her eyes wearily. After giving her hair one last check she picked up an onion and hunched over the cutting board. They carried on for a few minutes before Fayt started speaking to her again. She shook her head but visibly relaxed and stopped slicing into the onions like they were the Dragon Brigade.

Fayt deposited the contents of the skillet onto a serving dish. Nel passed him the sliced vegetables and he returned the pan to the coals. He said something to her before returning his attention to the food, stirring the contents occasionally. The Queen couldn't be certain, not at such a distance, but she thought she saw Nel narrow her eyes at him. Then she suddenly leaned sideways and bumped him with her shoulder.

Maybe there was hope for her after all.

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A/N: This one came out a lot longer than planned. It's always a challenge getting into a character's head, particularly when you don't interact with them much in-game. But I've enjoyed observing the party's (specifically Fayt, Nel, and Cliff) interactions/dynamics from the outside. I'd do it more but there are so many events that involve just the trio of Fayt, Nel, and Cliff. Please leave a review. Feedback is always appreciated. Even flames have their place.


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Star Ocean, Humor, Romance