22.10

Early the next morning, the day's edition of the Liar hit the streets in Lyr. The headline announced that twenty editors and reporters in the Liar's headquarters had been slain. Zyrdicia had magically fire bombed an entire floor of the newspaper's office in retaliation for the last articles about her. At the end of the piece, a large box in bold type announced, "Exclusive interview with Zyrdicia about her marriage to the mysterious man in Karteia, p.3"

Inside, the paper had printed an enormous, full-color picture Zyrdicia. Unlike the last photo to appear to in the newspaper, there was nothing impromptu about this one. She sat sideways on a black couch, her feet curled under her. Her head rested upon her open palm against the back of the sofa. Her expression as she stared into the camera was candid, sincere and sublimely innocent. The image had been perfectly composed to capture her at her most endearing. She looked as though she were about to confess her most intimate secrets to a dear friend.

The photo took up most of the page. The text surrounding it read:

"ZYRDICIA SPEAKS OUT ABOUT THE MYSTERY MAN IN KARTEIA

"After reports surfaced that Zyrdicia was single again, Lyr's favorite demi-goddess emerged from her seclusion last night to set the record straight. She invited the Liar for a long-overdue chat about the rumors circulating about her marriage to Dirk Blackpool.

"LIAR: It's been a long time since you've talked to us. Why?

"Z: Because I haven't been in Lyr.

"LIAR: Have you been keeping a secret from us?

"Z: Yes-the secret is that I was happy for the first time in over a century.

"LIAR: You've always been so gregarious and full of life here in Lyr. Are you saying that was a lie?

"Z: It was a distraction. I was bitterly lonely without Azriok. Parties and pleasantries here kept me from feeling it for a while. But the loneliness was always there, lurking in the background like some beast waiting to devour me.

"LIAR: And it's gone now?

"Z: Exactly. That beast has been slain. I'm finally over Azriok, and I've found someone else.

"LIAR: Why have you decided to come forward with this now?

"Z: The article you printed two days ago convinced me that it's time to talk to the city openly about Dirk. Your story was so nauseatingly false in every respect. I would hate for anyone think it was true.

"LIAR: What was incorrect then?

"Z: I have not 'dumped' Dirk. In fact, right before I left Karteia, things were better than they've ever been.

"LIAR: Are you saying that your marriage isn't a sham?

"Z: I adore him. Really. After Azriok, I had become convinced I would never be this close to anyone again. Dirk got through to places in my heart that I thought had died years ago. He turned my entire world upside down. No man has ever made me feel this way.

"LIAR: It sounds like it might be unsettling.

"Z: It's intensely unsettling. But sometimes it's also tremendously comforting. When Hell conspires to make my life difficult, he has an uncanny way of making it all go away. It's as though problems are afraid of him. He's obsessively protective of me.

"LIAR: Isn't that a little silly? Everyone knows you don't need protecting.

"Z: Of course I don't. But that's what makes it so sweet, actually. He does it anyway and scoffs at the notion that I don't need it. It's charming. He always knows when something is bothering me, and he can usually make it go away.

"LIAR: But are you in love with him?

"Z: I have had a very difficult time coming to terms with that concept recently. It's meant letting go of some ideas Azriok had taught me. These are ideas that I had clung to my entire life. It's also meant coming to terms with the fact that no matter how powerful I have become through Sephiroth magic, part of me is still human. And the Sephiroth part of me can't extinguish that. But to answer your question, I've come to realize that I am in love with him -and I'm shocked to hear myself say it.

"LIAR: That's quite a bombshell. As you know, love has been out of fashion in Lyr for fifty years. Is it back in style?

"Z: I suspect that it will be after this.

"LIAR: Dirk must be the happiest man in the world, to have you in love with him.

"Z: I haven't told him yet, actually. It's been very hard for me to even admit it to myself.

"LIAR: Why are you telling us?

"Z: My entire life has been public. This should be too. If people are going to be speculating about my relationship with him, I would prefer that they understand the true facts of it.

"LIAR: Are you truly finished with Azriok then?

"Z: He's done nothing for me but make me miserable. I'm not a Sephiroth and never will be. In finding someone new, I'm actually relieved to be able to feel any emotion this deeply. I feel more alive than I ever have. It's as though I was sleep walking for the last century, and I just woke up.

"LIAR: But at the Council Meeting, you looked terribly sad. Why?

"Z: Magnus called the meeting even though I was in no mood for it. When we got there, it was all I could do to sit still. I missed Dirk at that moment in a way that I've never missed any human. It's been very hard for me the last few days to be away from him.

"LIAR: So does this mean that you and Magnus are no longer an item?

"Z: We never were. Magnus is just a very dear friend. When my life falls apart, he's the one I can trust to take care of me. I don't think I could have let go of all the useless lies Azriok had spun about love if I hadn't had Magnus there. He helped me realize how much I really do love Dirk.

"LIAR: Why weren't you with Dirk the last few days, then?

"Z: I misunderstood something he said and was angry that he had said it. But it's fine now. I'm going back to Karteia tomorrow. I can't wait to see him, in fact.

"LIAR: What did he say?

"Z: If you want details, you'll have to get them from him.

"LIAR: Why didn't you announce your marriage? And why haven't you made a public appearance with him?

"Z: I didn't announce it because everyone already knew about it. And as to public appearances, we don't live in Lyr, so we have no reason to make public appearances here. Frankly, he hates Lyr.

"LIAR: Surely you understand the city's curiosity about him?

"Z: Of course. And to satisfy it, I'll bring him to the holiday fight at the Coliseum, after the Days of Darkness.

"LIAR: He's the most mysterious personality of the year in Lyr. Everyone wants to know more about him. When can we interview him?

"Z: I will arrange it soon. When it happens, I will even let you bring a photographer into Castle Blackpool, our home in Karteia.

"LIAR: We'll all look forward to that. One final question remains: how does he feel about Azriok's Edict?

"Z: There is no Edict. At least not anymore.