mag77

It depends. For the most part, I don't mind at all; heck in some games like Star Ocean 4, I love to grind! In fact, the only two games where I hated it are: Dragon Warrior II, and Bravely Default. The reason I hate it so much in DWII is because I finish all the stuff I have to do before going to fight the final boss, and I'm only at lvl 20, when I'm supposed to around lvl 40. However, none of the monsters give you a lot of exp, and they're all super strong. Worse of all is that when I do level up, I only get like 1 hp and my mages get like 1 or 2 mp (same goes for strength, defense, and so forth), so it all feels worthless anyway. BD is kinda similar. While my hp and stuff go up decently, again there aren't many monsters that give you much exp. Worse of all is that the bosses don't give you any exp, but the last four chapters are nothing but a giant boss rush! And while all the bosses levels get higher each time, and thus stronger, my levels remain the same, and I get weaker fighting them. Final Fantasy V, and Dragon Warrior VII can be kind of a pain too, but that's just because you have to level up your jobs as well (which you have to do in BD too). Ugh, I hate item grinding too! Especially for synthing. Glad I'm not the only one.

bandana

Go ahead and relax. I know I haven't been a big help with my excitement, so I apologize for that. Good luck!

spagetti

Laz caught her missing daggers that Ms. Genka returned. Well, it solves that problem. However, she was still certain that something had happened, but with no proof, she had no choice but to put that thought on hold. I'll figure it out later. For now, the Anthros followed the rest towards the shining dome, with her previous excitement returning.

It seemed that the ship shaking like this was far more common than Cid had let on, as his newest message came up on the speakers. Not to mention that Ms. Genka wan't at all fazed by this as she helped Laz off the ship before going back and helping the others. Normally, the Anthros teen would have been ecstatic being out in the open and seeing something new, but she was too preoccupied by what had happened earlier. Was that really just a dream? But it felt too real, and I still got the stuff I found there. But... I guess I could've gotten them from somewhere else; I didn't exactly have time to stash the treasure I found earlier before that guard found me. Those daggers though are missing, and I couldn't have left them in a dream. But maybe I dropped them somewhere... oh I don't know what's going on... She was still worrying over her thoughts to be paying attention to anything else.

"Lazuli? Lazuli, wake up." Said girl heard the gentle and worried voice, and stirred. "What the.. what happened?" Laz slurred as she slowly sat up. "You suddenly passed out here in the hallway," the woman answered, and then asked, "Are you alright?" "Y-yeah, I'm okay," the teen replied, and rubbed her head. Was that all just a weird nightmare? she wondered as Ms. Genka helped her up. Wanting to make sure, she checked some of her pockets, and could feel the jewels she took from down there. She also noticed the daggers she took out to fight with were missing, but she had the other weapons she took from there sheathed on her hips. But that means- "Ms. Genka, something's wrong!" Laz shouted, and ran over to where she had found the trap door. Ms. Genka watched her as the Anthros started tapping her foot hurriedly and anxiously, before pulling her back. "Lazuli, I think you're just a little air-sick," she stated and pulled the reluctant girl down the hallway, "Here, I'll take you to the sickbay until we arrive." "No, Ms. Genka, I'm serious!" the frantic bluenette continued, "I saw it! There was something down there, and it looked just like you, but it was evil. And then the crystal started glowing a really creepy purple, and-" "Please, Lazuli, I'm sure it was just a nightmare. Now come on." "But-" Laz wanted to continue until the ship lurched again, knocking them both down.

Laz got back up once the ship settled, and dusted herself off. "Lurking in places you shouldn't be, aren't we?" she heard a voice taunt, and the bluenette saw that it was Ms. Genka. But, something was very off about her. She can be a bitch at times, but she does mean well, the teen mused, but I can feel it. Something's not right. As she looked over Ms. Genka, Laz noticed something quite odd. "You're not Ms. Genka," she stated bluntly, "You can't fool me. I can feel the malice pouring out of you. The real Ms. Genka can be nasty, but she can be very kind." Laz pulled out the two daggers she stole earlier and got in a defensive stance. "Who are you?"

Once Laz made it back to where they all entered, she heard Cid announce that they were almost to the exam area and that now was the time to eat. Hm, but I already ate, she thought as she had finished what Nick had given her. The Anthros quickly hid among the flowers and plants as the others started making their way down to the dining area. What to do... I could finally explore more of the plain corner and find its secret since everyone will be eating, but they'll definitely notice my absence. But, Nick could vouch for me; he did make me something to eat after all. But, if I go down to the dining room, it'll be a good chance to know everyone... She argued with herself for a little bit before her desire for adventure won out, and she went over to the plain corner. Seeing that no one was here, she thoroughly checked every nook and crany that she could. But, she didn't find anything. Really? Is there really nothing here? Laz thought impatiently and tapped her foot in annoyance. However, she did that for a while and when she did it fifteen times, the floor underneath her gave way, and the bluenette fell in before it closed back up. Ah, so there is something! Laz grinned and pulled out her flashlight, Or is this another trick? However, when she turned it on, the light revealed a ton of dusty boxes and chests. So it is a hidden room! she stood up and cheered, Or at least a room that people have forgotten about, judging by all this dust. The teen started looking through the boxes, and saw vastly different things; from clothing from every different city and culture, to beautiful jewels and jewelery, to all kinds of weapons and armor. Oh God, I'm in heaven! she laughed in complete euphoria. She had no idea where to start. After grabbing a few jewels and weapons and armor, she saw a bright blue glow to her right. Laz got up and walked over to it, and saw that it was coming from a beautiful and massive blue crystal. Woah... the Anthros thought in wonder, and was about to touch it, when she felt the ship violently lurch, causing her to fall over. What the-?!

Aw what, this is it? Laz thought, completely flabbergasted at entering the kitchen. The kitchen was certainly nice, with beautiful oaken cabinets that had lightly spotted granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, not to mention being absolutely huge, but it was completely ordinary otherwise. But this can't be it; there has to be some secret in this place... "Hey, what are you doing here?!" a deep voice boomed, and Laz turned and saw a huge man come in through the main entrance. He didn't look too pleased. "Oh, sorry, sir! I was just really hungry cause I haven't eaten all day, and with the exam comin' up, I can't fight on an empty stomach, ya know?" she said with complete innocence. She was being somewhat truthful; she really didn't eat anything and was quite hungry now that she thought about it. Her stomach even growled to prove her point. When the man heard that, a giant smile adorned his face and he laughed heartily. "Oh ho, so I see! Well, we can't let that happen now, can we?" "Exactly!" Laz said, relieved that he believed her. She stepped aside as he went over to get some stuff out of the fridge, and noticed his striped tail and cat-like ears. He saw her staring and smirked. "I can't let a fellow Anthros starve, now can I?" he chuckled at her stunned expression. After getting all the igredients he needed, the man took them to the nearby counter. "Is a ham and turkey sandwich fine with you?" he asked. "Y-yeah," the teen stammered out, and went over and stood next to him as he started making the sandwich. She was still a little in shock to see another Anthros here; they didn't live anywhere near Aquila. Not to mention that she didn't really get along with other Anthros. Not after they abandoned me. This guy didn't seem so bad though as he introduced himself, "The name's Nick, and I'm the head chef here on the Enterprise." "Neat. I'm Lazuli, but you can just call me Laz," she said as she watched him. Wow, I had no idea that making a simple sandwich could look so artful. "Nice to meet ya, Laz," Nick said sincerely, and was almost done. "Ya know, I saw ya'll come aboard, and noticed that you were the only Anthros among them." "Yep, I am," she said as he handed her the finished sandwich. He told her to wait as he went and fetched her some chips and a bottle of soda. "Here ya go. Now, don't tell anyone I did this for ya; I don't want anyone thinkin' that I'm playin' favorites," he said as he gave Laz the rest of the foodstuff. "I'll be rootin' for ya, kid! Show those humans what Anthros are made of!" Nick beamed at her. The bluenette returned that with her own confident grin and replied, "Of course I will!" They waved each other goodbye, and Laz went down the hallway to the left, since that was the only way to go. Well, it sucks that I didn't find any secret room, but at least I got free food! And that Nick guy seems nice enough, Laz thought and took a bite from her sandwich, Mm, delicious~ Leave it to Anthros to being awesome cooks! She grinned to herself as she continued eating and walking, I'll go back to that place later and see if I can find anything. There has to be a secret there after all; I mean it has all the clans' main traits, except for the Arabias. But for now I'd better go back before someone starts gettin' suspicious.

As much as I loathe Lightning, I have already accepted the reality that she'll be in KH3, cause Square loves her so much. However, she had better not have a giant role in the game, because it'll be very telling about their bias towards her. It'll be extremely unfair too, since the other SE characters don't really have important roles in KH, and I'm just afraid that they'll give her a massive role.

Laz didn't have to worry for long. Soon, that same skeleton creature she saw earlier came back and started chasing the blonde poser. Heh, pretty funny! As amusing as it was to watch, now was the perfect time to sneak off. Looking around closely, the teen saw that no one was paying attention to her, and she slowly took off. Go too fast, and I'll definitely cause a scene. Once she made it down the stairs into the main lobby, Laz once more made sure no one was near. After not seeing or hearing anyone, she approached the nearly invisible mark she found earlier. Now, what do you do exactly? She ran a gloved finger over the mark, and it didn't do anything. Hm, maybe... The bluenette channeled some of her magic into the mark, and it opened up the wall silently, leading to a dark hallway. Ooh, perfect~ she grinned and took a little flashlight out from her pocket. It was one of the few good things the Technos have invented in her mind. Looking around one more time and seeing that the coast was clear, Laz turned on the light and entered the hallway. Once she was fully inside, the wall closed back up just as silently. Oh well, I'll figure out how to get out later, she thought, not worried in the slightest; she was used to such things after exploring so many caves and ruins. And plus, now no one can find out I opened up this secret way and follow me.

Damn straight! Even though I don't like Pokemon

Aaron chuckled nervously and stammered that his eyes were a little sore. "Those rooms... I wonder what's inside, so I think I'll go check em out!" he blurted out and made a hasty retreat, leaving Lazuli befuddled. Is he okay? He's acting kinda strange... but then she couldn't help but wonder, Or maybe I was right about him the first time, and he is just like the others and sees me as inferior. "Ya know he's trying to hit on yas, right?" someone called out to her, and Laz turned around and saw a sneering Sara saunter over, clearly wanting to cause a scene. "Pfft, what are you talking about, Princess?" the bluenette snorted and laughed, "Look, I know blonde's ain't very bright, but surely not even you can be that stupid." After she said this, Laz saw Aaron sneaking up behind Sara, and then lean over to whisper, "Ironic to hear that from you. I bet the person you're into is dying to see you right now." The blonde nearly jumped out of her skin, and that made the Anthros snort in amusement. Aaron smirked, and put his hands in his pockets as he leaned back, trying to look cool. But after seeing just how shy he was, he ended up looking rather adorable to the Anthros girl. "On second thought, not interested. Sara was it? If this combat exam is based on competition, then I'll be sure to make some waves," Aaron continued, "I hope you do too, for the sake of yourself and your team." With that, he walked away again, though at a much more leisurely pace. Good, I'm glad I didn't upset him. Again, it would have been an excellent time to go exploring the ship, but now Sara was watching her. And if Laz left to do what she intended, Sara wouldn't hesitate to rat her out. I gotta find someone else to talk to, so she'll get off my back...

I got Larxene too, and I already have her. But, I did get Xion, so I'm happy! Wish I could've got the other Org.XIII medals though; I wanna collect them all.

I honestly thought that maybe SE was making a Mario Kart-like game, but with characters from their own franchises.

"I see!" Aaron laughed, clearly just as happy as she was, and grabbed her waving hands and lowered them. Laz didn't mind though, and didn't notice that he held on to them for a little longer than was normal. However, he immediately stopped and dropped her hands, and closed his eyes before turning away. She did see a glimpse of his face though. "Are you okay? Do your eyes hurt or somethin'?" Laz asked, generally concerned for her new friend. She misread his embarrassment as pain.

Laz was completely awestruck by the airship. Are they all this massive? she wondered. The bluenette's eye slowly took the interior in. The northeastern part had many high tech gadgets, Technos obviously, while the northwestern part seemed to be an alchemy lab. Medieval probably. The southwestern area had vines growing all along the walls, and flowers and other flora grew there; it seemed to replica her own species culture. The southeastern area though was completely barren. What, no love for the Arabias? she thought angrily, but then noticed a very, very tiny mark on the wall. Oh, clever. Its almost completely blended in, but you can't fool me! As much as she wanted to check it out, everyone else was still here. Don't worry little guy, I'll remember to see ya soon. Laz followed the others out to the main area. Most of the others went off on their own, but she saw that the male teacher and one of the girls head to the bow together. She could also see, and hear, Solisa's excitement as she ran around squealing like a suger-high child. Why is she so excited? the Anthros questioned, before she heard what sounded like a chocobo. "I'M COMIN' SWEETHEART!!" Solisa suddenly shrieked, and then she bolted down the stairs with Grace following. Laz only hummed though. She really wanted to sneak out and explore more of the ship on her own, and it seemed like this would've been the perfect opportunity. Everyone, including Ms. Genka and Cid, were too busy with their own things to notice her. Everyone except... She could feel Aaron staring at her, and took a quick glance at him. He wasn't glaring at her like almost everyone seemed to enjoy doing, but he actually seemed captivated by her. It was strange, but it felt nice too. But then she gasped though, suddenly self-concious. Wait, did he see the other half of my face?! Laz quickly felt her hair still covering her right side of her face, and sighed in relief before humming again. Not wanting to let this weird bout of shyness take over, Laz confidently strolled up to the cobalt haired teen. "Amazin' view, huh?" she asked him as she leaned over to look down at the scenery. Wow, we're so high that I can touch the clouds! And she did just that. "Oh wow, my glove's all wet!" she exclaimed with glee, and waved her slightly wet glove in front of Aaron's face. She had to admit; even though she couldn't do what she had planned yet, she was still having a pretty fun time.

When Cid gave his permission for them all to board the ship, the blue haired Anthros made sure she was in the middle of everyone. If she entered first, all eyes would be on her, but it would be suspicious if she boarded last. No, its best to play it safe and wait until everyone's distracted, then sneak off. For now, just blend into the group. Laz hoped this would work, as she could be very flamboyant at times due to her feisty personality.

Hey, thanks for adding me as a friend!

Hm... maybe you could do each of the game's main hero and/or the game's respective crystal? Like Dissidia

Laz scoffed at what Ms. Genka had called Cid. The number one treasure hunter? I don't think so! But this does confirm that this is the Cid I was thinkin' about. She was glad she was right and mentally smirked. However, it did catch her off guard when Solisa said that he had took care of her since she was four. Well, I did hear that he left the Arabias about thirteen years ago, and that was when they found me and let me join. Maybe he could sense my skills back then and left cause he felt threatened? The bluenette chuckled and had a tiny devious smile on her face. Oh, it is so on old man!

They all finally made it outside when Sara asked what would be happening. When Ms. Genka answered that the exams would be taken out of town, Laz couldn't help but let out a booming, "AW HELL YEAH!" However, even her exuberance was deafened by the thunderous propellers coming from the airship above them. Once it landed, a rebellious and handsome looking middle aged man came walking out of it. "HEEEY!! Come on over! We've got places to go and a sight to see!" he yelled out. Suddenly, she saw Solisa run up to him and squeeze the daylights out of him. But it was what the black mage said that shocked the Anthros. Wait, this is the Cid?! The famous adventurer? Laz thought, completely floored, and forgetting that Solisa called him 'uncle.' The one that used to be with the Aribias, but left to join the military? She glared at him a little. I heard that he stole something from one of our leaders before leaving. Hm, maybe there's a chance I could steal it back or fight him. She grinned at that. This could be fun~

made

Laz smiled after hearing Aaron's determination. I'm glad he's becomin' more confident, she thought, as she walked ahead of her teamates, he really reminds me of Kuraido back home. They're both so shy and cute; they even look similar. The Anthros chuckled a little when comparing this new guy and her best friend together, but then she stopped. Wait a minute; could I be wrong about Aaron too? I mean Technos guys don't have emotions, but yet he does... Boy, I hope this isn't gonna start becomin' the norm... me bein' wrong all the time... I don't think I could stand it.