2019-06-20: A Diplomatic Mission
- Log: A Diplomatic Mission
- Cast: Yuna, Lulu, Belize, Rikku, White Knight Leo, Auron, Tidus
- Where: Kilika - Town Center
- Date: June 20, 2019
- Summary: Belize and Yuna, and her Guardians, arrive on a last-ditch mission of peace between Althena's Guard and Spira. They fail to bring it about, though perhaps do not fail entirely to reach Leo's heart.
===========================<* Kilika - Town Center *>=========================== Kilika is an island off the southern coast of the Spiran mainland, consisting of a small port and village, a large jungle and a Temple of Yevon. The island is renowned for being the hometown of High Summoner Ohalland, who was a star blitzballer before retiring from the game to complete his Pilgrimage and defeat Sin. As a result of this history, the Beasts are one of the most-loved teams in the entire league, and even rival blitz players will stop to pray at the Kilika Temple before a particularly critical game. The port of Kilika was recently ravaged following an attack by Sin, and the surviving residents are slowly rebuilding. They have received unexpected support in the form of the outlanders who serve the false goddess Althena. A few dozen soldiers and craftsmen are using their strange arts - as well as old-fashioned skill - to help with restoration. The Temple of Yevon has put out the word that this assistance will be tolerated so long as the Guardsmen refrain from proselytizing their false creed; an uneasy sort of feeling hangs over the entire village as a result. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXsmMuXLtuQ
<Pose Tracker> Yuna has posed.
Yuna's second arrival in Kilika is much the same as her first: at sunset, in the wake of lives claimed by Sin -- even if, this time, it was not here, but upon a further shore. The sinking sun, embracing the Western sea, is again blindingly orange-red, painting everything in the colors of tropical fish and coral, or, if you prefer, blood and flame.
There are differences, though. She seems taller (she isn't) and stronger (she is). This time, she is strong enough to smile, as she descends the gangplank and soaks in the place and its people, familiar and beloved to her as a nearest neighbor (they are). But, as her booted foot plants itself on the jetty, it feels much more like coming home.
A fire is coiled around her belly. Or maybe it bloomed from her heart like a rose. It knows this place -- it is this place -- and to come to this place is to reunite with itself. With himself.
It's easy to mistake the radiance she exudes for a trick of the lighting or for self-confidence, and there is some of that; she is so much more self-possessed than she was even weeks ago. But if her body is the wax of the god of this place, her spirit the tinder, then her whole self is aflame.
Yuna burns.
She bows to those at the dock who await the arrival of ferry visitors.
"I am the summoner Yuna, from the isle of Besaid, and this is summoner Belize, and my Guardians," she says, unnecessarily, both her usual humble and friendly self, and with a dignity that wasn't there last time, when she was received by the grannies. "We come in peace, in the name of peace. Please, take us to Sir Leo."
<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.
Lulu does not bow. Not this time.
She said, already, that she would not attempt to talk Yuna out of this conversaton. This does not mean she is relaxed; quite the opposite. She is watchful, alert, and as Yuna bows politely Lulu instead watches, behind and slightly to the side. The black mage does not show any obvious signs of hostility, but...
A dark cloud above the rain is not hostile, either, no matter how many bolts of lightning it might rain down upon the ground.
Regardless, she is silent, and it does not take much to realize that she is absolutely Yuna's Guardian, though where she is she is prepared to watch Belize's back, as well. Lulu knows this place as well, though not so well as one native... and she knows one thing that echoes for her from a single look:
It is not as it should be.
<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.
With the sunset setting the island of Kilika alight, it's easy to both view it in romantic and destructive terms. Belize sees it in both, perhaps an inherent duality in their non-binary nature, or perhaps their nature as a summoner. They never came here to pray at the temple--they never had the chance to, before they failed their mission--but certain emotions well up in them as they follow Yuna and her Guardians off the ship onto the docks.
So... this was Ryuggu's home. They look around. Which of these ruined huts was his house, they wonder? Had someone else already moved in? No, of course someone had. He'd moved to Bevelle, after all; these people wouldn't just leave a perfectly good hut be. Wistfulness sweetens their expression, before the duty ahead hardens it.
They, too, dip into a bow to those on the docks who awaited their arrival. They, like Yuna, burn--not with the sentiment of one who has come home, but with the anger of one continually frustrated by themselves. Were it up to them, they wouldn't be nearly so polite as Yuna--but that's why Yuna leads this expedition, and why they watch over her, much as her Guardians do. They don't smile as Yuna does, but they stand tall, back straight, with a sort of dignity in the nod of their head as they rise from their bow and acknowledge those who would guide them.
<Pose Tracker> Rikku has posed.
It's funny to think about. Not a single one of Althena's Guard will judge her as an Al Bhed.
They probably won't even know what that is.
When you think about the idea of being judged for just being a Spiran it feels a little better...
... until you realize these people just declared war. Will they make the distinction between declaring war on Yevon and Spira? Somehow she doubts it. Right now even if it's just on Yevon though, it's the last thing Spira needs.
Kilika's state alone seems evidence enough of that.
Still, Rikku doesn't look tense about that fact. In fact as Yuna bows, she simply stands on her tip toes behind her - near Lulu and makes this little wave of her hand with a cheerful little smile as the sun glints off of her.
A tiny little one eyed creature with teeth floats up over her hand. Rikku doesn't seem to notice at first as Hob starts turning from side to side to mimic her hand wave with a head shake.
Then she does though. And quickly reaches out to hide Marivel's little friend in her cupped hands. Making this little 'shhh' sound as slides over closer to Lulu.
<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.
Armed Guards meet the ferry at the dock--a dozen soldiers, accompanied by a woman in the robes of a junior Neo-Vane sorceress. The group's commander steps towards the gangplank, looking vaguely bored as she prepares to conduct yet another inspection. Instead, two Summoners present themselves, and she suddenly has to deal with a situation way above her pay grade. The captain's eyes widen visibly. One of the soldiers at her flank snarls, and steps forwards, but she thrusts out an arm, barring his path. "Yevon dogs," the man growls. If he notices anything strange about Rikku, it sure doesn't show.
"Silence," the captain snaps. She turns back to Yuna. Behind her, the Neo-Vane sorceress whispers something into the breeze. "On your honor, you swear you are here for that purpose alone?" She waits a moment for a response. More Guards start to trickle in. In the space of a few minutes, two dozen more have come. The Neo-Vane sorceress nods to her captain, who sets her face in a stern, determined look. "This way."
The walk to the command tent is brief, but not at all unnoticed. The Guards form two lines, one on either side of Yuna's party, but they can't block the sight of her entirely.
"Lady Yuna!" someone shouts, from beyond the barrier. "Please, you have to stop this!"
"Expel them!" someone else cries. "Please, they won't let us Send the dead!"
More such protests follow. The Guard does not silence the faithful, but it does not let them see their Summoners, either.
The Guard's command tent sits in the center of town. "Summoners," the Captain says. "Enter. The rest of you, stay here. No funny business." The captain gestures inside, and allows Yuna and Belize entrance. Two spear-carriers step forward, and cross spears in front of the tent flap. Lulu and Rikku are left outside. The tent flap closes. Inside is a massive wooden table, lined with chairs--and nothing else.
White Knight Leo steps into the tent a moment later, straight-backed, a stern look on his features. He looks at the two Summoners, and folds his arms in front of his chest. "Well," he says. "Did the Temple send you to sue for peace?"
<Pose Tracker> Yuna has posed.
'Yevon dogs,' the man growls.
'Those Al Bhed scum!' cried Wakka, slamming his fist into the wall.
'You filthy little heathen!' snarled the Bevelle nun tasked with her care.
It is not entirely novel to Yuna to be hated for who she is, but it is new, indeed, to be hated for her royal blue eye, instead of her jungle green. Still, her response is the same; she swallows, but holds her head up high.
"Only for peace," she agrees, briefly, gently clasping the Captain's extended hand in her own.
The walk to the tent is much harder; every cry for help falls across her back like a blow. Her shoulders remain straight, but they can't help but stiffen.
It is EXTREMELY unwise for her to call back to them, obviously, definitely.
But, well, it's Yuna. She cannot turn away.
"We're here to help, everyone!" her voice floats back, urgently, across the line of men. It is tight with truth. They ARE here to help -- everyone.
When they're ordered to part, Yuna is, again typically, unconcerned. "Don't worry," she breathes in their ears. "I'll be fine."
And then she and Belize are alone.
And then they aren't.
Yuna bows as deeply to the White Knight as she did the first time they met. It is just a bow, without the prayer, and it turns out that this is more than a little symbolic.
She lifts her chin, then, and meets his eyes.
In hers, that flame lives on. But it isn't a hungry fire, an angry fire. Fire is creation, after all, not only destruction, and in her it sheds, even now, great care for the man she gazes upon.
"No," she replies quietly but firmly. "We came on our own. Like last time, I am here not in Yevon's name, but for Spira's sake."
She bows again. Pride is apparently not a big factor in her equation of self. But there is a different kind of dignity in this kind of humility.
"Please, Sir Leo. Please listen to what we have to say."
<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.
'Yevon dogs,' growls one of the soldiers, much like a dog himself. Belize snaps a hard, penetrative glare his way, as if they might bore a hole through his head with their eyes alone. It's good that the captain shuts him up, or they'd have some choice words of their own.
"Yes," they reply tersely, having already lost a significant chunk of patience, and not being a patient person to begin with. Fortunately, that's enough to get things going. Belize nods over towards Lulu and Rikku--and if they've realized that the latter is Al Bhed, they've diplomatically decided to say nothing about it--before walking with Yuna and the captain to the command tent.
The people shout to Yuna, plead, beg for her help. Belize's expression tightens as they look around at the people of Kilika, surging against the Guard-formed blockade, but they keep their attention on Yuna--on how she reacts to all of this. It's no surprise that she can't keep herself from responding to their pleas as best she can, at promising that they're here to help. Belize, for their part, doesn't speak; instead, they make a point of meeting the eyes of all of the faithful who clamor for succor at the unfeeling backs of the Guards with as gentle of an expression as they can manage.
Similarly, when the captain bids the Summoners enter, Belize does so without a word to her. They do glance back at Lulu and Rikku, but no more than that; they walk inside. They do not sit, despite the prevelance of chairs.
When Leo appears, Belize doesn't bow, but they do at least nod their head, a token symbol of respect. However, they also defer to Yuna, who *does* bow, so perhaps that might make a difference.
The question is a reasonable one. Belize shakes their head. "As Lady Yuna says, she came here to negotiate for peace of her own will and accord. I, Belize, am here to support her at her request. Though the Maesters know we have come," they state pointedly, "they did not send us."
Then they nod to Yuna as she bows a second time, and falls silent as she makes her pleas. Again: a sign of deference to the younger Summoner, made clear so Leo may recognize it for what it is.
<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.
While Lulu has one Summoner she is sworn to Guard... it is not strange for her to watch out for another at least to some degree. Separately from this necessity for the situation at hand, she can appreciate to a degree Belize's... approach.
Suffice to say that she is an asset, not a detriment, here, in Lulu's estimation.
Maybe Rikku will recognize the amount of trust it represents, though, that Lulu--when Rikku steps closer to her--does not tell her aloud to be careful, or to avoid drawing attention, but instead simply stands solid beside her. It may yet be that they have known one another for a short time... But not all forging takes time. Some simply takes enough heat and pressure.
Meanwhile, as the soldiers approach, Lulu looks over each of them, noting particularly the sorceress and the captain--but at the words of Yevon dogs?
She says nothing. She lifts an eyebrow, but that is all. ...And then she considers the breeze...
Lulu says nothing to the townsfolk, but she hears them. She hears their voices, but also she hears the quiet instead of playing children, feels tension where she might otherwise note the sights and sounds of markets.
When the Captain directs the Guardians to stay where they are, Lulu doesn't so much as look at her. She looks only to Yuna. There is a question in her eyes, one that does not care for directives--but there's a strength in Yuna...
"We'll be here," she answers her simply, softly, and watches her enter the tent. Now, Lulu looks again to the Captain. She has no spear to cross with Rikku's weapon to mark her own watchfulness.
...But she shows no fear as she waits through the negotiations.
<Pose Tracker> Rikku has posed.
It's a novel feeling to be called a dog of Yevon. Though Rikku is no stranger to being hated either. Yuna might feel the touch of fingers on her shoulder in that moment, as she looks at the soldier who said it for one, two, three seconds. Before her fingers slip off and she pays him no more mind.
She understands why the people call out to Yuna and Belize for succor. Understands it. She doesn't think either of them should have to be that for them, but these people are just hurting from tragedy and she doesn't blame them for it.
Is it any wonder they'd look for a balm - and how cruel it feels for the sight of one to be denied to them.
When the Captain says they'll stay here, Rikku crosses her arms, which causes Hob to peek out from the inside of her now crossed arms, watching Yuna and Belize enter.
If it were any other situation she wouldn't be able to stay still, but right now she understands the gravity enough that she's focused too. Just standing beside Lulu.
"Same goes to you." She replies back when the Captain declares no funny business.
For now she waits too.
<Pose Tracker> Auron has posed.
Auron doesn't like the idea of letting Yuna go into a tent, minus her guardians, with some strange man. Then again, there is another in there, so maybe it'll be all right. Besides, Yuna's the boss here. And so as Yuna steps into the tent, Auron offers quietly, "...Call if you need us."
And just as quickly his mind adds, ('If you can.')
But that aside, says nothing. Outwardly he maintains a calm facade... but he is inwardly very much not happy with this development. Still, there isn't anything he can do, so he waits with Yuna's other guardians.
<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.
Leo doesn't sit, either. He inclines his head in a slight little bow, and fixes his gaze on the two Summoners. He recognizes Yuna, and heard what she did in the wake of Operation Mi'ihen. He does not recognize Belize. "Summoner Yuna," the White Knight says. He glances at Belize, waits a moment for them to introduce themselves if they so desire.
Leo sees the earnest, selfless humility in Yuna's eyes, and Belize's clear deference to her. He steadies himself. Doubt, Leo reminds himself, is a poison of the soul that paves way for a far greater infection. "Then there will be no peace," Leo says. "Not until your Temple surrenders its hold on the heart of the people of Spira. Not until it confesses that it has done nothing but perpetuate a cycle of death."
<Pose Tracker> Yuna has posed.
Blood rushes to Yuna's head, into her cheeks, and she burns again, this time in a more literal way. It's shock, not rage, and she sways very slightly as she rises from that second bow.
But she does not lose her grip on herself. She can still feel Rikku's hand on her shoulder; Lulu's question in her eyes; Auron's stalwart support. And Belize, also, whose subordination she cannot accept. She gives the other summoner a quick glance, then looks back to Leo.
"Yevon... has done much good for Spira, good that I think you have had no opportunity to come to know," Yuna replies, carefully, choosing each word thoughtfully. "But... Sir Leo, even if I agreed with your beliefs and your goals, I would advise peace. You cannot wrest the hearts of Spira by force."
She glances at the tent flap, and takes a deep breath, before facing him again. Her hands clench one another, at heart-height.
"The people of Kilika cried out to us as we came here. They are most distressed; where once you were their saviors, now they see you as oppressors... it is truly sad, for I know you to be a man of honor, who has already been very generous to this island, and to this world. But this war... this war puts more at risk than only the campaign of belief you wish to wage... I fear for your people as well as our own. You see, war is what created Sin in the first place. A thousand years ago, Sin first appeared to end the last war in Spira... by killing all who fought, on both sides."
She doesn't get louder; instead more intense.
"If it happens again, I truly believe that no one will survive. And... I do not know if I can defeat Sin in time to prevent its wrath at the folly of another war."
Though she plans to try. That, too, burns in her eyes.
"Please, Sir Leo. I know little of the Goddess Althena, but I cannot believe she would wish this fate upon you, let alone all the peoples of Spira you wish to convert. I have heard her miracles are those of healing, and mercy."
Like our own, Yuna realizes; it dawns in her face.
<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.
There are some things that, hopeless or not, must be attempted. This may, or may not be one of those things; time will tell. ...And time, it seems, is something that Lulu has right now, on edge and watchful, aware of the passage of moments at a sharp sharp pace.
She hears what happens within, though she does not watch the opaque barrier between her and her charge. She says nothing, not to Rikku or Auron or to the Guard around them. Indeed it may be strange, a woman in black with a doll. However...
Her lips press together more firmly, when she hears the White Knight's voice. Her fingers stretch, her left hand at her side opening and partially closing, and she shows nothing at all in her eyes for the moment.
Not 'she's unreadable, neutral' nothing, but a lack of anything even expected for a few moments as she stares at the Captain, the best weapon she has against the absolute and total rage building within her.
<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.
Much like Yuna, blood rushes to Belize's head--but this isn't shock. It's anger, bright and incandescent. Leo's immediate, in their view bullheaded refusal for peace unless the Temple bows its head and grovels to the Church, is more insult than they can possibly bear.
"Excuse you? 'Surrenders its hold on the heart of the people'? You hold the villagers of Kilika hostage, deny them the rites of Sending for their loved ones, and *you* dare accuse *Yevon* of perpetuating death?" they declare, voice growing in heat as their fists clench white. "Do you even have any idea what becomes of those who are not Sent?"
Fortunately for everyone involved, Yuna cuts in here with her careful, diplomatic words. This is enough to catch Belize's attention, to remind them that they are here to support, and losing their temper may cost them their chance at peace--may have *already* cost them peace, if Leo is as self-righteous and up his own ass as he appears to Belize. (They at least won't say that at this point.) Instead, they settle, nodding along with Yuna at key points.
"What Lady Yuna says is true," they add, calmer, but decidedly clipped. "Sin is attracted to death, to war, to devastation. If you go through with this, it *will* come again, and in force. If we could barely turn back Sin while working together, it will raze us all if we split ourselves with a war."
They huff out an irritable sigh. They think little of the Goddess Althena if this is how her followers comport themselves, but they know better than to insult a fanatic's goddess to his face. Instead, they leave Yuna's comments on Althena's miracles being of healing and mercy stand, and attempt to rein themself back into something approaching logic and reasonability. "Sir Leo. You accused the Temple of disrespecting those who fought and died during Operation Mi'ihen. If you truly are saddened and angered by this, why do you refuse the Kilikans the rite of Sending? To Send the dead means to grant them peace--and, on a more practical level, to keep them from returning as fiends. Yes, Sir Leo, those who are not Sent return as monsters to prey upon the living. And I can see only two reasons why you and your Guards might forbid Sendings in light of this.
"One, either you did not know this. In which case, your ignorance of the realities of Spira speak very poorly of your people's ability to help us and *our* people in ways the Temple supposedly cannot. After all, is not allowing fiends to run free *itself* a perpetuation of a cycle of death?" They let this sink in; then they continue, "Two, you *did* know this, and you did not care." Their eyes narrow. "If that is the case, then it is as you say, and there truly is no recourse for peace. For to admit you knew means that all your outrage over those who perished during Operation Mi'ihen was nothing more than a venomous falsehood to serve a transparent goal of conquest."
They take a deep breath; when they let it out, their demeanor is one of the calm of the frozen surface of Lake Macalania. "Is that the kind of man you are, Sir Leo? Is that the kind of man your Goddess Althena would have you be? Lady Yuna, daughter of High Summoner Braska, the last one to defeat Sin and quell its rage for *any* amount of time, believes you are both better than that. I would like to believe this also. Will you not calm your heart and rethink your men's course of action, to prevent more of the tragic bloodshed that you so decry?"
<Pose Tracker> Rikku has posed.
Rikku finds herself visibly wincing as Leo makes his accusation inside.
There's a moment where her whole body just has this flinch moment of 'Ooo' awkward.
A finger finds herself scratching against her chin.
"That's... a little much."
Even for all of her criticism of Yevon even she thinks that's way overboard.
Not long after she finds herself both proud of Yuna's entreaty for the good of the people of Spira.
... And then finds herself liking Belize going off on him that hard. The fact of the matter is that while Rikku has been tempted to do that to many people throughout her whole life, she's never felt brave enough - or felt it would simply result in more trouble than it's worth, always psyching herself out of it and replacing it with some cheerful fast talk.
She has to admit - it feels a little cathartic to hear someone do that, even if some of the things they're saying gives her mixed feelings.
</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Auron has posed.
Auron has been listening, yes. But he has been keeping watch on the guards here. This 'Leo' might be an honorable man -- or at least claim to be -- but that may not extend to his underlings. So while he's picking up what of the conversation he can, he's been making sure not to let any of these guards leave his gaze too long.
In contrast to Lulu's void of emotion to disguise her rage, though... should Auron be able to pick up Leo's words of 'a cycle of death', he will look in the direction of the tent quickly, with a look of surprise. Not anger, not indignation. Just surprise.
Of course he quells it quickly; he doesn't want to give away too much here. He returns his expression to the stoic, unreadable one that has become kind of his hallmark in the time that Yuna and her guardians have known him. Hard to believe that as a younger man, he would have regarded Leo's words with equal rage to Lulu... and would probably have wrecked everything by trying to storm into the tent.
Thank the Fayth for growing up...
Rikku's words draw Auron's attention then, and he notes quietly, "...Maybe. Maybe not. I can see how it could look that way."
Of course what he doesn't say is that's how it looks like from the inside too...
<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.
<poem>
'Do you even have any idea what becomes of those who are not Sent?'
Leo thinks back to Marivel's accusation--or, what he thought was nothing more than an accusation at the time. Doubt is a poison, he reminds himself. Leo's ears twitch. His jaw tightens. "I do," he says. "But did Lady Yuna not perform one mere months before this happened? Did the priests not Send the--" Leo stops, forces himself to breathe. "Do you even know how broken, how twisted all of this is? Where the Goddess rules, we need not guide the dead to their rest."
None of this makes sense, and yet Althena's instructions were crystal-clear. Go to Spira, and avenge the dead by purging that distant place of its sin.
"What good have they done?" Leo says to Yuna, heat rising in his voice. Doubt is a poison, he reminds himself. "No Goddess walks among them! No divinity came to greet us--only men, men who tell their faithful to obey them, and them alone." Something in Leo's heart twists. For a moment, he wonders what sort of person Yuna would've become if she'd only grown up in the Goddess's embrace, and not some backwater spit of rock and death. "Men whose champions have failed to end that beast for good."
Belize speaks of Yuna's father. Leo looks at her, his face tense, his eyes darkening. Suddenly, the 'failure' he was railing against has a very human face. "The Goddess Herself commanded this," Leo murmurs. Is he talking to the two Summoners, or to himself?
<Pose Tracker> Yuna has posed. <SoundTracker> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJvFCkT10uc
Lulu would be proud: Yuna has enough self-control now to not whirl to stare at Belize with slack-jawed alarm, which is basically her internal reaction. That and a healthy amount of admiration.
THAT part shines through a bit, as she bows her head to listen to her senior, and then, somewhat nervously, awaits Leo's reaction.
During that time, she takes a couple of deep breaths, visualizes the peaceful waves of Besaid, the hooting jungle of Kilika.
The smile of a boy as he makes the perfect Blitzball shot on the surface of a ship.
When it comes, she is ready to meet it.
"The Sending is our funeral rite, Sir Leo. It is not something that you do once and ne'er again. I do not know why things are different where you come from, but it does not change the truth of Summoner Belize's words. What you call broken and twisted... it is all we know, all we have ever known. Even before Sin, I believe there were pyreflies. There must have been, since there were summoners..."
Leo's anger causes her to rock back, which creates motion; waves in her skirt, her sleeves, smaller ones in her hair.
She shapes the prayer, then, as tenderly as a mother might hold an invisible infant.
"Yevon provides guidance, stability; as you are demonstrating now, even with Sin abroad, peace is not guaranteed, but under their leadership it has lasted one thousand years. Yevon provides healing for the wounded -- including the survivors of Mi'ihen, who the monks of Djose welcomed back with open arms. Yevon provides homes and schooling for the orphans of Spira..."
Her eyes darken, slightly.
"...of which I was one. Sin makes so many of us."
Ifrit's fayth rages inside of her, pacing back and forth across the boundary of her soul like a caged tiger. He wants to be summoned, so badly. He wants to create the aeon, the sacred child of their souls, and drive these men from his shores.
Yuna shakes her head very slightly, the beads at her ear clicking against each other.
And her gaze lightens, shining. A smile breaks across her face. And faith and resolve and, most of all, real optimism, shine brighter than any expression, in her voice.
"It is true, it is as you say -- no summoner has permanently defeated Sin... yet. But perhaps this will be the time that it works, that Sin is defeated forever. That is the highest wish of all summoners... of all of Spira. For a thousand years we have tried. Tomorrow I will keep trying. It is... all I know how to do. And even if I fail... don't say it isn't worth it... because it is. Even for a little while... people can sleep in their beds without being afraid. That kind of time is worth anything. Don't say it isn't worth it. Don't say that the Calm is nothing but failure."
Her hands separate and press at the air, a calming gesture. Then they spread, fingers wide, in offering.
"But please, I... I would perform the Sending here and now, even if you reject peace between our peoples. Please, do not deny the dead their rest. If there are dead in need of guidance... please... allow me to Send them. Please, Sir Leo."
<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.
Lulu shows no obvious reactions beyond the subtle way in which she moves to calm herself and a look that could give pause to even hardened soldiers. She does not speak openly in response to what Belize says, either, listening in silence to their argument.
The truth is that Lulu is proud at Yuna's ability to hold herself, here; there are reasons Lulu herself does not give in to the fury she feels right this moments, and many.
'The orphans of Spira.' How many are they? How unusual is the alternative?
At Yuna's request--at what could become a conclusion--Lulu lets herself regard Rikku, and then Auron. "A little?" she replies, but that is all.
She simply lets herself focus for a moment not on the guards... but on the water in Kilika's humid air, the fire flowing beneath its rock.
There is no magic to feel from her, no hostility; just a breath, as she meditates to a degree upon Spira where they are now, lets herself be a part of the world instead of a woman standing apart from it.
Her expression doesn't change. Still, Lulu waits.
<Pose Tracker> Rikku has posed.
"How?" Is a singular question to Auron. Certainly Rikku is skeptical of Yevon at the best of times, but even that's a huge leap for her. However when Lulu says that, it silences her. Not because she's intimidated by Lulu but because she's... focusing on the task at hand.
She has to remind herself. They're in hostile territory. Yuna could be in danger at any moment if this goes wrong.
And she's her Guardian.
However she finds herself listening to Yuna with a little cant of her head. There's this little inhalation through her nostrils as she hears Yuna describing herself as an orphan. An orphan taken care of by Yevon. Hob bumps into her at that moment, with a little chirruping noise, and Rikku puts a finger to its little round head to stroke it.
Her eyes trail to the ground a little though the more and more Yuna speaks.
She loves this side of Yuna. This side of her that's so willing to give. That's so willing to advocate for those who can't stand for themselves.
She just wishes... she just wishes she could say something that would make Yuna think this whole pilgrimage isn't worth it.
Even knowing she doesn't have those words though. Even knowing that Yuna's right.
... It doesn't change the way she feels all the same.
<Pose Tracker> Auron has posed.
It's really hard to get mad at Leo for... well, feeling pretty much the exact thing Auron has, many times. For saying exactly the same thing he did, ten years ago, when Braska decided to take the chance that 'maybe it wouldn't come back this time'...
Sin always comes back. It comes back after the Calm every time! The cycle will continue, and your deaths will mean nothing!
But there's always a chance it won't come back this time. It's worth trying.
At the snippet of memory that floats into his mind, he closes his remaining eye tightly, just briefly, to suppress the memory. Now is not the time or place for him to get emotional. Or frustrated. And there's plenty of need to be frustrated. All these people decrying the very thing that Auron himself has been trying to end the need for -- deaths caused by Sin, the church's overbearing stranglehold on Spira, Summoners uselessly throwing themselves on the pyre of the Final Summoning over and over...
...So many people who could be his allies, all at each other's throats. Because he cannot tell anyone the truth. Because their heavy-handed approaches from all different sides would wreck things. They would remove Yuna from the front lines, shield her from the horror that is Sin and the Church of Yevon. And that cannot happen. Only when Yuna sees the truth with her own eyes -- the truth that was denied Braska and Jecht -- can she be expected to take a stand.
It's just. So. Bloody. FRUSTRATING!
It's Lulu's words this time that draws his awareness back. There is the ghost of a smile there in response. "Perhaps. Just a little," he quips. Yeah, he's being a bit of a smartass here, but it's one of his defense mechanisms.
To Rikku, he notes, "It might be better to talk about that elsewhere." Since... well. Hostile territory and all.
<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.
If Belize knew that their anger is a source of admiration, they might be proud of that. As it is, they're quite unaware of it--which is not really a better thing.
Their nails dig into their palms as Leo admits to having known of what becomes of those Unsent. So Leo is somehow, miraculously, a combination of an ignorant fool and a self-righteous warmonger. "The trouble with a Sending having been performed months ago is that, sadly, people continue to die. All that live eventually do, as it turns out," they state icily. "A Sending performed last week does nothing for an old man who passed away last night. One would think that anyone possessed of basic logic skills would realize this--or does your Goddess denounce critical thinking as well?"
That's probably going too far, but Belize has a hard time caring. Fortunately, once again, Yuna comes in with her much kinder, more reasoned words, with an explanation that will probably go over far better than their own insults, their own fury. They, too, make the Yevon prayer sigil, for themself and their own peace than anything else. Leo once again derides the sacrifices of the Summoners; this time, Belize lets Yuna handle it. But they underscore her gentle, impassioned words with a granite stare that seems to add, '...you asshole,' to the end of her every sentence.
"And where *Yevon's* teachings guide the people, *we* need not fear a spiritual illness that warps the minds and bodies of the living," they remark. Were they icy before? They're downright *glacial* now. Lake Macalania would seem cozy by comparison. "It seems both of our lands have their troubles, Sir Leo. I would not cling too tightly to the rock of self-righteousness if I were you. For the time being..." They bow stiffly. "Please do honor our request to have Lady Yuna to see to the Sending. It does your people no harm, and it is a great boon to ours. If you care at all for those who were lost, then: please."
Leo states that the Goddess Herself commanded this. Their eyes narrow, and they stand straight again to look him dead in the face. "I see. I did not know Althena is a Goddess who craves war and bloodshed. How... enlightening."
<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.
Yuna believes, that much is clear to Leo. It is hardly the first time he's faced down someone so resolute. Why does he keep thinking of Mauri? Is this who she might've become, had she been born in Spira instead of as Leo's little sister? Would she have been orphaned, too? Would she still have fallen ill, and needed the Goddess's--
Ronfar's--
His--
Doubt is a poison, Leo reminds himself.
Belize speaks up. The White Knight's lip curls. It takes every ounce of discipline he has not to try and shout them down, or to call in the Guards. How dare they, Leo thinks, but does not say. When he manages to choke down his fury, his tone is icy--and yet, somehow not nearly as cold as Belize's. "Althena is just and merciful. Look up at the world you call Gaia, and know that it is dying. Know that Althena Herself delivered her followers from that dying world, and brought them here. She wrought a paradise from nothing. You would not exist if not for Her grace." Leo meets Belize's gaze. "And despite your rejection of her, she extended a hand to you. And you slapped it away."
Leo takes one last look at Yuna. His lips tighten. He tries not to think of Mauri. "Perform your Sending if you must. And then--" Leo's voice hitches. "Go."
<Pose Tracker> Yuna has posed.
Yuna's eyes widen at Belize's rising harshness, but she does not look away. They widen further at Leo's response, and she looks up, as though trying to see Gaia through the walls of the tent.
"I will pray every day for peace between our faiths," she promises. "I would like very much to learn more of the Goddess Althena... and our shared history... though I fear... that I may not have enough time left..."
Nor is there time enough to ponder that enigmatic remark, for she steps back, and bows most deeply of all as her request is granted. Her warmth never left her, but now it overflows.
And within her, the rage of Ifrit's fayth... pauses, at least.
"Thank you, Sir Leo. When men perish on Kilika, I implore you to call once again upon the summoners. We will always come, at need, to guide the souls of the dead to the Farplane."
She extends a hand to Belize.
"Shall we go do it together?"
<Pose Tracker> Yuna has posed.
Outside, Tidus, who's been here all along, shatters the pretense that everyone isn't listening in: "DON'T WORRY, YUNA, WE CAN GO VISIT THEM TOGETHER AFTER YOU DEFEAT SIN!"
<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.
"Althena is just and merciful, so she calls for our deaths? Do you even listen to yourself talk, man?" Belize says, incredulous. "You say that the Temple ensnares and befuddles the minds of our people, but from where I stand, it's your Althena who has you so addled you cannot even see the venom that drips from your own fangs."
They have no lack of further harsh words for Leo, too--but then Yuna, dear Yuna, takes Leo's talk of Gaia to heart and meets it earnestly. Her kindness, her calm, at and even now of all times reminds Belize of Seymour. It's no wonder he's so taken with her... A little ashamed of their own behavior, they bow as well. Some things are worth swallowing one's pride for. "As Lady Yuna says. Allow the Summoners to see to the people's final rites, and you will see far less hostility from the people."
They stand, and while Yuna's request that they do it together is expected, its sting is no less sharp for it. They wince, but give her a melancholy smile all the same and accept her hand. "Let us see to the people, then," they say diplomatically--for they're not to explain anything in front of a Guardsman.
And then one of Yuna's Guardians says the most--Belize winces again, this time for Yuna's sake. This time, they manage to hold their tongue.
<Pose Tracker> Auron has posed.
Well, it could have gone better. But it could have gone worse. A Sending is being allowed, though the larger goal of getting these interlopers out of Kilika isn't happening. On the bright side, that does mean that Yuna suddenly has a much better chance of being the one to get to Sin. With Althena's Guard not letting Summoners in to get to the temple, that's less training that can be done. Few Summoners would chance taking on Sin without being fully trained. So there's time to...
And then Tidus starts yelling, and Auron fights the urge to facepalm. He does turn in Tidus's direction, though, and give him a look. It's that look he often utilized during the time he was seeing to him. It's a look that might be familiar to the bleach-blond. What does the look say?
...Idiot.'
But there's more important things than chastising Tidus. This is likely not going to be a popular decision with Althena's Guard, to let any of the Summoners Do Their Thing. So Auron needs to make sure that the rest of Yuna's guardians are there to support the Summoners in this endeavor. Of course, when it comes time for the Sending to actually happen?
Auron is very notably Not There.
It's very sudden, too; one could almost imagine a dotted red outline where once was Legendary Guardian and now is no more. How he managed to escape notice in departing for wherever he was is anyone's guess. But not to worry. He'll show up again soon after, when the others are ready to leave.