#chrono trigger flea

If Flea had still harbored any doubt that Zarya knew about time travel, the mention of Lavos and the familiar images of Crono and Marle upon Zarya’s cards erased that notion. The images on the cards may have shown two adults, but there was no mistaking the fact these adults were those teenagers that he had met, now all grown up. Flea had a good memory for what people looked like even if he sometimes failed to remember names without practice. It could also be no coincidence that the Lavos he had overheard Ozzie muttering about, the very thing that caused him to warn Glenn and those kids, was the same entity that Zarya’s parents allegedly fought.

Another thing that Zarya shared was that the adults in her life knew Glenn and missed him. She told Flea that he had “gone back home” as did some other people but Flea didn’t care to pay attention to their names. All that mattered was that Glenn had survived the fight and escaped. That meant Glenn could deal with Zarya once they got back to his time.

One thing Zarya was unable to answer was whether or not Slash was alive. If Slash had died before he could tell a soul of Flea’s betrayal, then he could probably go back to other Daemons with none the wiser. He certainly didn’t want to lead the Mystics in Slash or Ozzie’s absence. Deep down, Flea didn’t desire that kind of responsibility. He had only accepted Ozzie’s promotion to become one of his Generals as a means to get away from grunt-work. Ideally, he'd resign as the Void Mage General and go live a quiet life away from the fighting. Maybe he could make things work with Glenn after Glenn helped Zarya. 

~o~O~o~

One day, Zarya asked him why he had been hurt when she found him, although it came out more as a flat statement that he had been covered in big cuts and not awake when she found him. She pointed out that she could see he had scars on his arms and shoulder. At first Flea told her he didn’t want to talk about it, but Zarya asked again later that day and then again at nightfall. 

Flea couldn’t help but vividly recall those terrifying minutes when he had been repeatedly cut by Slash’s sword and how he had been kicked down the stairs into darkness before waking up to Zarya healing him. Remembering how reckless he had been dredged up feelings of shame and anger. Deciding to tell Zarya something so she wouldn’t ask again, he told her that he had been in a fight and didn’t remember going through a Gate, so he didn’t know anything about them. He added that he didn’t want to talk about it any further to which Zarya nodded in understanding.

~o~O~o~

As they neared the area where they had met, Zarya told Flea about the empty castle she had seen. Flea easily spied the building from the sky but it was a pile of rubble compared to the keep Ozzie had used. The keep sat up on the hill very close to the clearing where they had appeared surrounded by a dried up moat. From the air above the keep, Flea could also see the forest thinned out to the distance to the northeast and there were farms and houses. Upon seeing there had been a settlement of some kind so close to where he had appeared, Flea felt absolutely enraged with himself. If he had just thought to fly up to scout after the first night, then he wouldn’t have spent over two weeks trekking along the river with Zarya. They could have found out sooner that they were stuck in the past. Maybe then Zarya would have said something sooner about the Gates she was so sure existed.

A thorough investigation of the keep showed that it was structurally sound. It had a few rooms that appeared to be bed chambers with fireplaces, a few empty rooms which were maybe for a chapel or storage, perhaps a guard house in the lower level and a kitchen on the other side of a central courtyard. Judging from the overgrowth that hid the road to the keep, the structure had been abandoned for some decades. At least the roofs were intact and the furniture hadn’t rotted away.

After convincing Zarya to stay at the keep, Flea investigated the nearby farms and town and found out it was a Daemon town much to his slight relief. Sneaking around and eavesdropping, he learned that it was early springtime. At least this meant he and Zarya weren’t going to freeze to death anytime soon. With this knowledge, he returned to the keep with food for the both of them and told Zarya they would stay at the keep. The keep seemed like a good place to stay, far enough that no one would bother them but close enough that Flea could go and get things they would need in a timely manner. He explained the arrangement to Zarya; she would work on opening the Gate and he would get them supplies when needed.

While sneaking around the town the next day, Flea learned more about this point in history. He learned there was a plague of some kind that was sweeping through the human hamlets, towns and cities of this continent, wiping out entire populations and decimating others. The disease would apparently cause its victims to waste away and seemingly rot alive. A horrible and prolonged suffering before death would claim them. Very few survived. Mystics, it seemed on the other hand, were immune according to the rumors he overheard while stealing supplies. Flea wondered if this was true and if so, why. He decided it was yet another reason to stay away from humans in this era besides avoiding altering the course of history any further than their arrival had.

~O~

One day, Flea decided that since he was stuck with Zarya for the time being, he should teach her everything he knew about magic. If she could copy his innate ability to shapeshift, then she could probably learn everything else he knew. He learned a couple of things in the first few days of taking on Zarya as a pupil. For one, she was terrifyingly quick to learn the spells he knew, casting them easily after only being shown a few times. However, teleportation and levitating took a lot out of her and she could only do either for extremely short distances. Secondly, she was terrible at waiting to follow his directions and nearly burnt the both of them on numerous occasions casting her fire spell and accidentally blinded him once copying his iridescent beam spell. He was grateful at that moment that his spell was a temporary one. He actually began to wonder if it was dumb luck that had allowed her to save him that fateful day that they met.

In turn, Zarya tried to teach Flea how to cook. She begged him to help nearly every meal, but then she would pout and take over the moment he started to make a mistake, telling him ‘No’ and showing him the ‘right’ way to do things. Flea thought that she was overly particular about how meat should be prepared and cooked when he was able to steal some. She was adamant about handwashing before and after touching raw ingredients much to his confusion and annoyance. Flea thought the liberal use of soap was a bit much. He had only ever used the stuff to bathe when he got the chance to sneak off to an inn in disguise back in his time. He counted himself lucky she somehow knew how to conjure water so they didn’t have to travel to the river to get it.

~o~O~o~

After a few days or so in the keep, Zarya asked about going into town with Flea. She used her magic to give herself pointed ears and stated firmly that she was a Mystic like Flea before repeating her request. Flea was hesitant to take her into town, worried that she would do something to reveal herself as a human and endanger them both. He told her he would think about it. He didn’t intend to, but after being asked for the twelfth time that morning, he relented. He told Zarya she could go with him to get supplies, but that she had to stay disguised and stay quiet. He stressed the importance of lying about when and where they were truly from. They could say they had traveled far, a sliver of truth in their lie, but no one would believe them about being from the future. Not that they could prove it being so far in the past where records were scarce to nonexistent by Flea’s era. 

Zarya, for the most part, seemed to understand. She did not mention being a human or that she was from the future. She did, however, almost conjure a flame in the middle of the town square. Flea quickly put a stop to her efforts and quietly emphasized that she couldn’t just cast spells at random like that. As he hurried her back to the keep, Flea told Zarya that she had to have some self control if she wanted to stay safe while they were stuck in this era. Zarya protested going back, but Flea had made up his mind. He wasn’t going to give in next time she asked and told her so. She could just stay at the keep so she could focus on finding a way to open the time portal she insisted existed. 

~o~O~o~

Flea woke up to the sound of Zarya singing to herself down the hall. He peered toward the window. It was still dark out. Why did she have to get up so damned early? She always got up right before dawn and would routinely wake him before he was ready to get up. Groaning, he buried his face in his pillow and called out for Zarya to sing more quietly. Laying there and still hearing her singing, he thought to himself that he should be used to this by now. It had been about a few weeks of it, but this was his new life. He was a magical mentor and guardian to a strange kid from the future. A kid who told him every day that she would find a way home for them.

Things quieted down and Flea sighed. Maybe this time he could get some more sleep. However, just as his mind began to drift off, the door slammed open and Zarya came into the room.

“Good morning!”

Flea sat up, startled and confused. “Wha- It’s not even dawn, kid!”

“Flea’s birthday?” Zarya chimed quizzically.

“What the hell is a birthday?” Flea asked. The word sounded obvious but he had learned that often Zarya wasn’t that straightforward about things.

Zarya looked at him in equal confusion. She had been wondering for a while when Flea’s birthday was. Surely his birthday was soon. How could he not know what a birthday was? Reaching into her messenger bag, Zarya got out her flashcards. She pointed to the pictures of cake and another for “happy” and then an odd picture labeled “calendar” before telling Flea her own birthday and then repeating her question about his birthday.

“You’re asking what day I was born? How the hell would I know that?” Flea grumbled. “We didn’t do that kinda thing where I grew up and I didn’t exactly have time for it when I was fighting in a war.”

Zarya frowned some more and abruptly left the room without another word. Flea sat there, dumbfounded and unsure if he should try to go back to sleep or accept defeat and get up. He laid back in the bed and stared at the ceiling as he debated which choice to make. He desperately wanted to go back to sleep but he was sure that Zarya would just come barging in the moment he drifted off once more.

When Zarya didn’t return to pester him, Flea got up and shapeshifted his look for the day. He had given up on looking fabulous, opting for more practical clothes. Who was there to compliment him besides Zarya, who was as naive as she was kind, and the town of Daemon a several hours travel northeastward?

He found breakfast, a steaming bowl of porridge and a cup of tea, sitting on the table in the small and primitive kitchen. No Zarya in sight. Maybe she had gone back to the room that she had claimed. As he ate, Flea found himself grateful that for all of Zarya’s bizarre behaviors and quirks, at least the kid could cook. He also realized that the keep was awfully quiet. Zarya was always talking to herself or singing, yet he didn’t hear her voice. As he ate, he wavered between trying to convince himself that Zarya wasn’t truly his responsibility and worrying about the young girl as he unconsciously picked up the pace on eating the food she had left for him. Finally, Flea reminded himself that Zarya held the literal key to him returning to his time so it would be in his best interest to ensure she was alright. Once he was finished eating, Flea checked the entirety of the keep only to discover that Zarya was nowhere inside the building. Flea let out a sigh and realized that Zarya had probably run off to town by herself.