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Please read: Chapter 1 The cargo hold of a massive, great ship sailing off the coast, filled to the brim with things ripe for the taking. Sliding down a pole, his tail tucked up to avoid a repeat of the time he skinned the tip by getting it caught in a gear off the chains, Zidane landed softly on the balls of his feet, catlike. He walked off down the hall, past flickering candles in smoky glass holders, and went in a door, letting it slam behind him. "Man...it sure is dark in here.." He muttered to himself, his eyes barely able to see the floor, let alone anything ahead in the darkness of the room he'd entered. He took three timid steps forward, looking around in the vain hope of being able to see anything in the inky gloom, no light source aiding this fruitless search. "I guess nobody's here yet...figure's they'd all be late." He complained, crossing his arms, his tail flicking, irritated. He'd had enough: striking a match, he could only just see by its dim glow. The room was still empty, no matter what he did, so he tried to be patient, walking around with no real aim in mind, and poking around in drawers. After the first few matches burned the tips of his fingers, he light the candle gracing the simple wooden table in the center of the room, the brilliant glow letting him see at last. "Who's there?!" A voice demanded. "It's...uh...me, Zidane!" He called back. The door flew open then, and a group of people rushed in, smirking. "Hey Zidane!" A man with dark hair cried, "You sure are late! Sleep in again?" "Sorry, Blank...I...ahem.." Zidane cleared his throat. "So, where's the boss?" "Ain't here yet." A short man named Cinna grunted, rolling his eyes. Just then a door burst open, a big creature with armour that looked a bit like a dragon bursting into the room. It let out an ear piercing roar, as the small group fanned out into battle positions, attacking it from the left and right, swinging at any flesh that was open. "To your left, kid! Watch yourself!" Blank cried, taking a careful jab at the monsters left leg. Zidane dodged, feeling the rush of air go by as the monster's punch missed him by inches. A final blow broke the head open, revealing a face shadowed by a beard beneath dark glasses. "Oh...my aching head...you people..." The man whined, rubbing a sore spot on his skull. The group took deep breaths, Zidane's left arm hurting from a hard impact with the floor. "Hey, fools!" The man cried. His name was Baku, and he was the leader of the group. He strode to the front of the room, and grinned at them all. "You're lookin' a lot better! But you need to work out your doge, Zidane." Zidane nodded quietly. Baku strode into the next room, and everyone scurried after, Zidane still rubbing his aching arm. He'd need a bandage possibly. He hoped it was a sprain. "Alright!" Baku bellowed from the front of the room, "Let's start this meeting already!" Everyone took a seat, watching him closely. "Here's the plan: Tantalus, that oh so infamous band of merry thieves," He tipped a wink, "That's us, is headin' to the Kingdom of Alexandria." He nodded at a miniature of the kingdom on the table, detailing every spire and window of the massive place. "Our mission: to kidnap the heir to the throne... Princess Garnet!" Everyone was silent. "I'll take it from here." Cinna said, getting to his feet. "So listen up! Our ship's about to dock at Alexandria, and when it does, we're gonna put on our costumes, and perform "I Want to Be your Canary", the most popular play in all of Alexandria!" The others showed little enthusiasm at this. Cinna grinned. "Break a leg, Marcus: you're our lead." Marcus smirked, "Leave the actin' to me. I'm a born thespian. Course, the real kidnappers'll be Blank and Zidane." "I'll distract the audience from backstage with these." Blank said. He groaned. "Ughh...I can't stand oglops..." He grinned. "But I'll manage. don't you worry your pretty heads about me. And that'll be your cue, Zidane. " Zidane had been only half listening, and jerked to attention. "Uh... that's when I kidnap Princess Garnet, r..right?" "You bet!" Baku declared, "You're gonna kidnap the most baaaabe-ilicious beauty in all of Alexandria, Princess Garnet!"