2020-09-28: The Bridal Suite
- Log: The Bridal Suite
- Cast: Belize, Yuna
- Where: Bevelle - Temple District - The Palace of St. Bevelle
- Date: September 28, 2020
- Summary: Belize seeks out the bride-to-be in her prison^H^H^H^H^H^Hsuite.
<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.
Depending on who you are, it's a lovely day today. Bevelle hardly ever suffers from Sin attacks, and that affords it a level of peace and prosperity unseen in the rest of Spira. That means there are plenty of tall buildings with lovely views of what is the biggest city in Spira. The Bevelle Temple, too, has a certain majesty beyond even the rest of the metropolis, and a Maester of Yevon can easily acquire a room with a view for a certain lovely guest (prisoner) of honor. It's here that Yuna is being guarded, and it is here to which Belize heads.
They stride with purpose through the halls of the Temple, back straight, eyes steely. Those in their way quickly get out of their way; they have an air of 'get out of my way or else' that prompts hasty action. The guards posted outside Yuna's room bow upon seeing them, and Belize bows back, all in the style of Yevon.
"I am here to speak with Lady Yuna," they state crisply. "Open the doors."
Given that Belize already volunteered themself to train Yuna and make her stronger to face Sin, and their loyalty is with Seymour, there's no reason for the guards to refuse them. After announcing their arrival to the inhabitant within, the doors are opened. Belize walks in, stopping just past the threshold to look around. The doors shut behind them; they note it, but otherwise pay it no mind.
Upon spotting her, they give Yuna a crisp nod. "Yuna," they state by way of greeting.
<Pose Tracker> Yuna has posed.
The return of Lady Summoner Yuna to a home Temple that never loved her as a ward is also her return to a home Temple that is now eager to embrace her as one of their own. Not TOO publically -- no parades, to be sure, and no greetings from any Maesters or other truly important people. But rumors spread immediately upon her arrival, that Maester Seymour had rescued his bride from the clutches of the foul Al Bhed, and brought her to Bevelle so that, at long last, they may finally be wed.
It's all very romantic, actually.
They say she is being kept deep within the Temple, and not allowed visitors, lest any other spies or heretics try to rob Spira of its joy -- and its hope -- a second time. With a LITTLE resentment, they say she is being attended not by proper Yevonite nuns but by the Guado, in the tradition of her fiance's people, who take custody of the bride immediately before the wedding. And the Guado say little about her at all. One attendant, sufficiently harrassed by a host of the faithful, described her as 'quiet'. Another called her 'polite'.
Belize finds that this is so.
Yuna has obviously been bathed and buffed and brushed, the desert pounded out of her by main cosmetological force. The scene that they walk in on is the latest round of this: both her hands and feet are not, strictly speaking, in her own possession, as they are being lacquered with a shimmering silver coat that suits her extremely well, and that she never would have chosen on her own. She endures this ministration with the dignity of one who has made the only choice that matters, however, and with an unresentful patience that suggests that Seymour will have to keep swapping out attendants at a prodigious rate if he doesn't want their loyalties to waver.
Her clothes must be in the laundry -- little risk that the iconic summoning raiment of the Lady would be thrown out, a small mercy -- and, for now, she has been clothed in a pale blue kimono, pure simplicity, but for the richness of the fabric. This is much less out of place on her than the nails.
She sees Belize through the vanity mirror, and her expression, which had been a pleasant neutrality, breaks into a smile that is much more real, and somewhat sadder, than her former expression.
She murmurs something to the Guado. They reply equally softly.
"I understand," she tells them kindly. "Belize, if you desire privacy, you're the one who'll have to dismiss them," she explains, projecting with extra clarity since she is unable to turn around. "They can take no such order from me."
This must bother her, but it doesn't show and it cannot be heard; she is all graciousness to visitor and Guado alike.
She was always a kind girl, but... she's traveled far, since Macalania, and been tested by paths unknown to Spira. Their strangeness and cruelty is reflected in her, in the same way that any summoner grows, on pilgrimage -- forged by conflict.
Right now, she is much more a kind woman.
<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.
So very romantic. And if those romantic stories leave out the fact that Yuna's mother was Al Bhed, well, who would say such terrible things about the daughter of a High Summoner? Certainly not the faithful of Yevon, and certainly not the Guado either. Who are also the faithful of Yevon--but coming from a different angle. Belize has the privilege of being a friend (or at least a faithful follower) of Seymour, who assisted in Yuna's 'rescue,' so perhaps that is why they get to see her with such relative ease. And they do see her, seated before a dresser, her reflection in a vanity mirror as she receives a mani-pedicure. At least silver is a color that looks good on her, for seeing her being primped in this fashion gives even Belize pause.
"I see," they say, to Yuna, of the Guado attendants. "No, it's fine, for the time being. Continue your work. When you are done, leave us," they say, first to Yuna, then to the attendants. To Yuna, they return their attention. "I came to discuss the matter of your training with you."
And the matter of Seymour's un-livelihood, but that can wait until later. One thing at a time. This is Belize's own kindness, such as it is; this way, neither the attendants nor Yuna have to suffer that nail-painting all over again. "When are you scheduled to undertake the trials of the Bevelle Temple?" they continue, which is a nice way of saying 'when will Seymour let you.' Belize may be cranky and hot-tempered, but they do know how to be diplomatic.
<Pose Tracker> Yuna has posed.
Yuna cannot sit up straight, because she was already sitting VERY straight -- it is a stool in front of the vanity, not a chair, and she cannot recline even if she wanted to. But one gets the sense that she wouldn't want to. That her poise, within the complexity of this moment, is the only thing she CAN control, and is, therefore, precious to her. And she is poised, indeed.
But as Belize draws closer, they can see that not all of the child has left Yuna's face after all; there's still a dimple that appears in her cheek when she gives the attendants a look that is entirely sweetness and appreciation.
"They are very gifted," she says softly. "This sort of art barely even exists on Besaid... Lulu taught me a little, but her supplies were too precious for me to want to raid."
The Guado smile a little to themselves and proceed.
Yuna finds Belize's eyes in the mirror. Her own, of course, blare the truth of her heritage in a way that cannot so easily be dismissed or denied. That isn't for lack of trying. The wedding isn't today, but someone has had a go with a trial run on her eyelashes, and they are exquisitely long. Not long enough to wholly disguise the green, of course. But long enough that nobody is really looking at their COLOR.
"I haven't seen Maester Seymour," it seems that one term of her surrender is the restoration of his title, and not a bit of irony leaks into it, "Since..."
Grief, it seems, is not something she can banish entirely. The line of her throat pulses as she tries to swallow it.
Her gaze refocuses on the present, and on her company's reflection. "You know his mind as well as I. Perhaps... moreso than I ever could."
It lingers in her eyes.
They haven't had a chance to talk about it, no.
Not Seymour. That isn't why Yuna is sad, just now.
She has plenty of feelings that belong only to Belize.
<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.
"So I see," Belize remarks, of the Guado manicurists's talents. "Their choice of color is impeccable." At least, they assume that the color was chosen for Yuna, if Yuna only knows a little about make-up. Though if that's true, it *is* a little sad. Not even being able to choose the color of her own nails... This may be a political marriage--Belize doesn't believe for a second that there's any real love left between a dead man and his murderer--but one would think the bride would get to have a *little* say in her wedding day.
Not that Belize is about to express sympathy in mixed company. It's not like it would do Yuna any good, anyway.
They do meet Yuna's eyes. They're lovely eyes too, especially with those lashes curving nigh-endlessly outwards. At this range, the color is not lost on Belize, but... that, too, is something better left untouched upon. Belize was just as much party to the slaughter of the Al Bhed at Bikanel Island as any other Yevonite present was.
It does surprise Belize, though, that Yuna claims they know Seymour as well or perhaps better than she could. They blink a few times, then shake their head slowly. "You give me too much credit, Yuna. I haven't seen him in a long time. Quite frankly, until the other day, I did not know he was still... among us." They give her a tight-lipped smile. "I wasn't entirely sure *you* were still among us, at that. No one has seen you or your guardians since the attack of the Macalania Temple." They shake their head slowly. "But while I would be keenly interested in hearing where you've been, that isn't why I came here.
"Still, I see. I don't believe Maester Seymour has any intention of keeping you from your pilgrimage. If you haven't heard anything yet, I imagine you'll have the chance to essay the Temple and address the fayth after your wedding."
After the wedding. After the honeymoon? Perhaps it will be the *start* of their honeymoon, with a trip to the Calm Lands and beyond to follow. Their eyelashes dip.
"Of the main temples, Bevelle's fayth is the only one you have yet to address, correct?" they state. "But there are more fayth--and more aeons--than these. As you already know." Yuna has, after all, seen Seymour's Anima, and Belize's Leviathan.
<Pose Tracker> Yuna has posed.
Yuna isn't sure if Belize misunderstands her on purpose or not, but doesn't push. In a way, intentionally or not, this lets her get a little space from her true feelings, and that is no bad thing.
This is neither a place nor a time for the fullness of unvarnished truth.
Though it becomes slightly moreso, as the Guado withdraw, after strict instructions for Yuna to not move until her nails have finished drying. They help turn her on the stool so that she and her visitor are finally, truly, face to face; then they depart without another word.
Yuna lifts her chin so she can see, and be seen, properly. She wants very badly to fiddle with her hands, but that is not allowed, so she holds them very still, overstill, instead.
"I am glad to see you again," she says, well behind the bleeding edge of this conversation, but unwilling to leave this behind so easily. It too is a truth worth telling. "I feared for you too... it was like the whole glacier exploded. I still can't believe that really happened."
Her voice trembles very slightly, like a half-rung glass. Her fingertips do too. Maybe the vibration will help them dry faster.
"I can't believe that anyone could... hate Yevon so much," she murmurs, eyes downcast. "That they would try to destroy its fayth..."
It is possible that she is unaware that Bevelle is currently under siege.
<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.
The Guado finish their task; Belize gives them a nod of approval as they turn Yuna around and leave. They watch them go, waiting until the door is firmly shut and the footsteps have faded before looking back at Yuna.
"Thank you," they reply. Their stern expression softens a bit when Yuna continues about how she feared for them. They sigh a bit and cluck their tongue as they look out the nearest window. "It was certainly a shock. Sin may have wreaked destruction on Spira for the last thousand years, but these Otherworlders are bound and determined to catch up as rapidly and violently as they can." A not entirely fair statement, but not exactly *un*fair, either.
A pause. They look back at Yuna. To hate Yevon so much as to attempt to destroy its fayth... Well. They already made their views on this matter clear. As for if Yuna knows if Bevelle is under siege or not--honestly, it wouldn't surprise Belize if she'd been left ignorant. In all fairness, though, the war against the Althenans doesn't need summoners to fight; those are better left encouraged to remain on their pilgrimage, to keep their eyes on the bigger prize. Losing or winning to the Althenans will mean nothing if Sin destroys everyone the next day. To that end, now that the Guado gone: "So where *have* you been all this time? I will be blunt: I'd thought you had perished that day. Surely only that would keep you from your pilgrimage, I had thought."
But then, their attackers had included Otherworlders. And if they could come here, perhaps they could go back--and take one of Spira's hopes with it.
<Pose Tracker> Yuna has posed.
Yuna doesn't disagree about the Otherworlders' propensity for violence. She was already looking down, and now she bows her head, too, in quiet affirmation of Belize's not unfair assertion.
The memories of Macalania return to her afresh, beneath her friend's questioning. So many griefs unspoken. She does not raise her chin again, and her softness softens further, to something fragile indeed, now that there are no Guado here to see.
"We fell into the lake... deep, deep. We all would have frozen and drowned, but a... magic caught us. Something ancient. Older than Yevon... I did not believe it possible."
With Belize she is entirely among her own kind. There is no need for pretense. Though her shoulders are still square, her spine still resolutely strong. Perhaps it isn't a front. Perhaps it is who she is now, or at least who she's becoming.
"It drew us into an underwater temple. Plainly there was only one path forward; but, we emerged..."
At last she tilts her head up, but now too far up, PAST Belize, to the highest angle at which she might look through the (closed, curtain) window. The idea of the window.
"...upon Gaia. Filgaia, as they call it. I lived the dream of every summoner... I set foot upon a world without Sin. And no sooner did I realize this, did I begin my search for a way home."
A horror lives within her. A question she has not yet had the opportunity to ask. The Al Bhed might not have told her, even if they knew. But she trusts Belize to be honest.
"How many attacks have there been?"
How many lives were lost, she's asking, because of her -- accidental, but this is irrelevant to her -- delay?
<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.
As Yuna explains what happened, Belize listens. It's a fantastic story, to be sure, and fascinating in its own right. They never would have imagined that there was something older than Yevon deep in Lake Macalania, let alone a temple that would send one to an entire other world. Their eyes widen slightly, surprised not at the news of travel off-planet but by the method. It's almost interesting. If they were they swim to the bottom of the lake, could they do that too? ...Though they have no reason to bother, really. They rest a hand on their chin and consider.
Of course Yuna would immediately try to return upon finding herself away from Spira. She takes her duties as summoner so seriously. That's why, despite everything that happened with Seymour, Belize still has high hopes for her. It's a strange feeling, yes, to see her again after being presumed dead for a year, but Belize is no stranger to death in any case.
As for her question...
"Not as many as one would expect, actually," they reply, folding their arms. "That great metal creature that fought with Sin was actually strong enough to wound it and drive it away for a time. For a few months, Spira knew peace." Peace, without Summoners. Of course, that creature left at least as wounded; at the very least, Belize hasn't seen or heard word of it since then, while the same can't be said for Sin. "That being said--you are not the only summoner in Spira, Yuna. You're not to blame for situations that were beyond your control."
It would be a lovely sentiment if not for a certain undertone in their voice that implies the opposite: that Yuna *is* to blame for the situations that *were* in her control.
"In any case, with Sin active or not, there are few summoners who have been able to enact their pilgrimages. Bevelle is currently under siege by the Althenans," they continue, matter-of-fact. "There are secret ways of getting in and out of the city, so rest assured we won't be falling anytime soon. But..." They make a sound of disgust and shake their head. "It *does* make a hard existence even harder--and arduous journeys even more arduous. Your absence was not your fault, but now that you have returned, Spira has greater need for you than ever."
<Pose Tracker> Yuna has posed.
Yuna winced at the memory of Home, and she winced at the memory of Macalania. But she does not flinch from Belize's judgement, here and now. It is, after all, why she's here -- why she came to Bevelle. And she owes her friend that opportunity to judge, far more than she does the Temples.
She is relieved to hear that things were not as bad as they could have been, and crushed, all the same, by all the carnage implied. Even one person's death, she would have taken to the grave as a lifetime's regret. She already has. And now, again.
She isn't the only summoner in Spira. But Isaaru was unable to gain access to Kilika's fayth, before it was sealed, and Dona, Macalania's, before the fayth was sunk. And Belize...
She didn't say that they might better know Seymour's mind, because she thought they might have recently spent more time together.
"I wish only to complete my pilgrimage," she says with the earnest manner which has defined her, and which time and trouble has not changed at all. Her heart's desire is so plain, so simple. It always has been. She has others -- other desires, other wishes -- but they cannot withstand the force of the original, the first, the foremost. "For the sake of everyone... who cannot."
She stares straight into Belize's eyes, and dares to stand.
<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.
It's true on all counts. There are other summoners, but Yuna currently has the best chance of completing her pilgrimage and defeating Sin, barring some miracle end to the war and the fixing of all the wrongs the Otherworlders have wrought. As for Belize and Seymour, well... for now, they're still coming to terms with what has *actually* become of Seymour, someone else they thought had been dead for the past year. And, technically, they weren't wrong.
'For the sake of everyone... who cannot.' And Yuna looks them straight in the eyes.
"....."
Belize breathes out a faint sigh. For a moment, their shoulders sag. Then they shake their head slightly and stand straight once again. "Then in this, I will continue to support you," they reply crisply, meeting Yuna's eyes. One blue, and one green, for a heritage shunned by Yevon... But while Belize is no better in that respect, they care more about Yuna's wish-- "For *I* only wish to see Sin destroyed once and for all--for those that lost their lives because of it."
<Pose Tracker> Yuna has posed.
Yuna's eyes are not a mirror of Belize's.
There is no subtext to be found in her. No judgement; no blame. And no threat.
Only a raw and true compassion.
Perhaps it isn't such a surprise.
She has always served the dead before the living.
This is what it is, to be a summoner.
"I am sorry," she says quietly, truly gently.
<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.
This is what it is to be a summoner--in life, and after it. But there are some summoners who are, emotionally, a cut above the rest. Even Belize couldn't have managed Yuna's kindness and compassion back in their day.
It's uncomfortable. But it's not unwelcome. If Yuna were any less than who she is, Belize wouldn't have been able to accept her.
"If you are sorry, you know what you must do," they reply--but they also pat Yuna on the head, if Yuna allows them to. "In the meantime, now that I have confirmed your will, I shall speak with Maester Seymour about a suitable place for your training." They withdraw their hand. "So be ready at any time."
They turn towards the door. "Goodbye for now, Yuna. We shall see each other again soon." And after accepting Yuna's farewells, they will make their leave.