2020-09-29: Unit Selection

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<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

One day ago, the Fahrenheit and the Fereshte took off from home.

On the bridge of the Fahrenheit, Cid looked down on Home. The rusted metal structure burned; fire from the attacking Guado and Warrior Monk forces was already eating it from the inside out. Perhaps, it could be saved, but there was little that could be done.

It came to as a surprise to those who stood on the ship that day: the way that the Al Bhed began to sing, as a sorrowful dirge, the Hymn of the Fayth. Deeper than it usually sounded, and maybe less practiced, than the performances done in other parts of Spira.

"Ready?" Cid asked, keeping his voice serious. "Fire!"

Panels along the side of the Fahrenheit open up, one after the other, showing rows of missile tubes. Then, they fired -- one after the other, scores of missiles driving down into Home. Explosions blossom outward; the blasts make its structure shudder, groan, and then collapse in on itself.

On the bridge, more than a few Al Bhed heads are hung.

    * * *

Today, Cid has much of the spring back in his step. The Fahrenheit and Fereshte have (carefully) pulled close together. The two airships docked, and the bridge of the Fahrenheit -- with its central projector -- is being used as a meeting space. Cid stands on the bridge; a middle aged man, bald-headed, and with a yellow sleeveless outfit on. He folds his arms as he stands there.

"Awright!" he says. "Now, y'all listen up--I'm not that familiar with all of you. Some of you--" He glances over a few Drifters who worked closely with the Al Bhed. At Leon and the other Black Wolves present. And, of course, at Yuna's Guardians. "--but not a bunch of you. But, you helped us out."

He folds his arms, then he glances at Tidus. He nods, once, to him. He spoke with him earlier.

"You've seen the video I put out. You can make your own mind up. But us? We're gonna save Yuna," Cid says. "And we want your help. We got a plan."

There are a number of Drifters and others there. Some look up. Sitting on an empty console, Leon Albus doesn't look up. Not beyond a glance at Cid; a man he has worked for but never met in person. He stops inspecting his fingernails, then he looks around at the others. He keeps quiet, for the moment.

<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.

    Tidus had been there too that day, on the bridge of the Fahrenheit. He and Cid had had a brief altercation, heads butting until the two men mutually communicated their desire to protect Yuna--to keep her safe, to keep her *alive*. Tidus's emotions had been raw, intense, simultaneously fiery and engulfing like the ocean depths; now, he's had some time to cool off. He's not the only one who's messed up by what they've learned today, and at least Yuna is still alive. He's determined to keep it that way.
    
    Cid, after calling for everyone's attention, catches his eye and nods to him. Tidus nods back, youthful features set with grim determination. He's got mixed feelings about the video, but if it gets everyone on the same page immediately about the truth he just learned, then he'll deal with it.
    
    He'll also deal with Leon Albus, Jerk Extraordinaire, who turned out to be Right All Along, which is really honestly the worst thing about all of this. (It isn't actually. But thinking so at least brings a little levity to what is other a really crappy mental atmosphere.)
    
    Tidus doesn't say he's in. He's counting himself as part of the 'we' in 'we want your help' and 'we got a plan.' "Lay it on 'em, pops," he says instead. 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

A lot of things have happened in a very short amount of time. The sacrifice of a brave man, the flight into the Main Gate and the subsequent teleportation into the middle of a battlefield, the Al Bhed losing their Home... and, the revelation of the ultimate fate of Spira's summoners.

Sacrifices... why did it always come down to that? Jacqueline has... had a lot to think about. She's been quiet and contemplative, but when Cid calls a meeting, Jacqueline is there.

"...You'll have the Caravan Kinship's resources at your disposal. As much as that is right now, anyway." Jacqueline says with a nod, before looking toward the other members of the Caravan. "As long as that's okay with the rest of you, of course."

She briefly glances toward Tidus before looking back toward Cid.

"What do you have in mind?" She asks. 

<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.

Lulu has not said a single word about the video. In fact, she hasn't said much at all... Not that that's new. But here and now, while she is quiet, she is here. She was not that far from the altercation--and when Cid looks to her, she looks back, and nods. She says nothing here, either.

The black-haired woman is standing, arms crossed, at the edge of the room, not far from the central sphere. She looks utterly serious, completely somber.

And she is already part of the 'we'. But someone could freeze just to look t her, now. 

<Pose Tracker> Violet Salazar has posed.

Violet has commandeered a chair in deference to her age; she perches on it, blue eyes bright, expression serious. She doesn't know Yuna very well, having only fought alongside her once, but she does know one thing:

        She isn't deserving of death.

She waits to hear what Cid's plan is, ready to take notes in her journal. 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Boudicca has posed.

    Once upon a time the world would shatter, and from claws and teeth tore the resolve to live, born on the wings of a promise.

    And that's how the story is meant to go.

    There are at times great sorrows; and at their peak there is someone who says no more, and casts those sorrows back, and all is well in all worlds.

    This is the core of a 'happy ending', which in so many aspects is a happy beginning, after all.

    This is...

    Spira is new, to the Seraph Boudicca, who came from Lunar and made a promise to Filgaia. But there is something key about her which Spira understands, too. That green ribbon through her hair - it comes from this drowned land, after all.

    It is a land of so many sorrows, hopes borne on the wings of the Summoner.

    Hark: the gaunt shape of her features, carved from her flesh, drawn lips and creased brow. Silent as a statue Boudicca stands tall, and sorrow is a weight in her eyes, more grey than green in this moment.

    "I will help you," she swears, a shaking timbre to her low tones. "Speak, and direct our hand."

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    Ethius, strange man that he always has been (which is the nicest way to refer to him), only came to somewhat recently on the Fereshte. His right arm has received proper care and the worst possible damage that it could have suffered post water spearing has been averted. On the downside, he only has a shawl in which to cover his upper body with. There is no face cover, necessitating him draping it around himself like a child might trying to hide under bedsheets. It is a strange picture.
     It does nothing to mitigate the stares, though, from where he is seated somewhere on the bridge of the Fahrenheit. He has shown no overt reaction to a terrible truth being shared about Yevon's culture and the truth of what happens to Summoners who complete the pilgrimage to deal with Sin. (Maybe that is why he is hiding under the shawl? Maybe he's scared.)
     As Jay volunteers the Caravan Kinship, he does shift from under his shawl to turn that gaze towards her. She invites the conditional 'as long as that's okay with the rest of you.'
     ...You never did restrain to involve yourself. He thinks. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Ida and her teammates risked their lives to ensure a group of trapped Al Bhed civilians could escape. She spent a while in the Fereshte's infirmary as a result, but here and now, she is standing the bridge, listening to Cid. She's shed the armored duster and bodysuit, and her cropped, sleeveless shirt shows off the lingering results of her defense of Al Bhed lives--lines criscrossing her torso, blueish-grey Hyadean tissue standing out against suntanned human skin.

    Her gaze looks like it could bore through steel as she turns to Cid. It's the sort of intensity that just begs for a purpose--anything it can be put to. Cid is here to give it one, or so he says.

    "Yuna is a dear friend of mine," Ida says. "And the thought of her just perpetuating some cycle, it--" Ida clenches both fists.Blue and gold exoskeleton flows into being around her fingers, and is gone just as quickly. "I will not allow this to come to pass."

    Not unless she wants it, you mean. How can you hope to stop someone who knows she's going to die, and still has resolve enough to see her fate though?

    Ida shakes her head. She takes a step closer to Boudicca. She knows she's as rattled as Ida herself is.

    "Apologies," Ida says, to Cid, because she figures he should at least get her name. "Ida Everstead-Rey. This is Boudicca, my friend and partner."

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei Fong Wong says, "Oh, yeah, let's do it," as he shoves a comically oversized sandwich in his mouth like Jarhead. Sometimes Fei is a simple man with simple pleasures and he is kind of beyond the drama of the TRUTH of the Summoner System. Like, to him? It's so horrifying that he doesn't even comprehend it as a logical system to protect Spira. It must be dismantled because it's cruel. Whether it's necessary is completely meaningless to him. "You know we've got your back, Cid. 'Specially after what you've looked after our ship and friends. Thanks for that."

Lydia saw the video and immediately felt sick to her stomach and has kind of pushed herself off somewhere to try and not have trauma flashes from what happened in her home village. No WONDER Seymour was doing what he was doing. This whole system is screwed up!

But Marivel Armitage...

...Marivel Armitage who struck up a close friendship with Yuna and worried for her.

Marivel Armitage who fretted over the danger she was putting herself in and partly supported the Yevon Church in favor of.

Marivel who started to believe that this time, THIS TIME, a terrible fate could be avoided... What does she have to say about it.

She approaches, forming Guillotine in the form of a walking stick which she uses largely because she is still wiped out from her battle with the Guardian of Desire. She leans on it and looks to Tidus. There is something in her eyes. Something terrible and aching and furious and sorrowful and wrathful and raging behind those crimson lenses.

"You put out that video, did you Cid?"

Tik. Tik. Tik. She approaches the two of them. "When you say you are going to save her, do you mean from her fate or simply from the Church?"

Tik. Tik. Tik.

She comes to a stop before Cid. "Tis true that I doubt that Yuna wishes to die. Tis undoubtedly true. But she has made the decision to sacrifice herself. Is it not just selfish to insist she alter her path for our sake? That's what I was told, when I spoke of my desire to save the one I loved. That I was being selfish."

She turns on her heel to study the crowd for a long moment before turning back to Cid.

"I am willing to help you save her. I am willing to commit ARMS to your cause--of saving her. But I want you to understand what that entails."

Her eyes are cold, dangerous--but maybe Cid, maybe Tidus--maybe out of anyone, they are the ones that she empathizes with most right now. Maybe Rikku.

"I will use every ounce of my power, and my resources to shake the foundation of this world. I will shatter its gods, if I must. I will be a threat of the world--a creature my kind were bred to eradicate--for the sake of one girl who I am particularly fond of. I will do this for you, Cid..."

"Because out of everyone on this wretched planet... You and Tidus were the only people who were direct with me. You were the only ones who shared the truth. You were the only ones that showed the wretched system of heroes I was supporting."

"Though," She looks to Tidus. "Tis a question that makes me wonder how come you did not know the truth. But I will inquire after that later, friend. Still."

She nods once. "I am proud of thee. I was right to put my faith in you."

She looks to Cid. "That is my condition if you wish for ARMS' help. You must acknowledge that we will go to every conceivable avenue to save her even if we must risk Spira itself. Do you accept this?" 

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    Near enough to Leon, Citan Uzuki stands with his arms folded over his chest, his attention on Cid alone. He had watched from the Farenheit as the missiles were fired. And he'd witnessed for himself, later, the content of that sphere.

    He had spent most of his time in Spira speaking with the residents, learning about their culture and their beliefs. Still, there are things that they will not freely speak of to an Otherworlder. There had been things that were going unsaid, he had realized. That, coupled with the various movements throughout the land... He could only speculate at the shape of what was not spoken, then.

    It's an unfortunate thing to realize that one's vague suspicions were correct.

    He glances once at Leon. "You wish to save her," he says -- Fei may commit himself, but the doctor does no such thing. Then he asks, "Where is she now?"

    Because it seems more than likely that Cid, in fact, knows this thing. 

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

Home burns from the inside out. Explosions tear down what little remains from the outside in. It was a necessary sacrifice, some might say; needed to keep the Yevonites from gaining access to the advanced technologies stored within the tetanus-infested, twisted-metal spire. With how much overwhelming firepower was employed to tear the city down, Cyre almost believed that the Al Bhed cared little for the place that they called 'Home.'

The looks on their faces as they watched their home burn told him just how wrong he was.

"What she said," Cyre says of Jacqueline's offer of assistance. "We might not be able to do much, but I'll be damned if I let them sacrifice Yuna for the sake of delyaing the inevitable...!" It's like the Pillar System all over again. Maybe that's why Seymour did the things he did? Maybe that's why they summoned Desperation? Maybe the Pillar sacrificed themselves much like the Summoner is expected to, and Desperation was always destined to break free eventually if none were offered up to bloody its altar?

Cyre's expression darkens in deep thought. If that were the case, then... What would happen to Spira if they did prevent this from going through?

Well. Whatever.

They can punch that space whale when it breaches. 

<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

Cid gives Tidus a look. 'Pops?' His expression says everything.

"All right! So, while you bunch have been... uh... I'm not totally clear on it. Filgaia?" He punches his fist into his hand. Then, he grins. "Doesn't matter! Glad we got your support." Cid nods at Jay. "We're gonna need it."

Then, Cid looks at Ida. He nods once. "Looks like my niece has made a buncha friends. Nice to meet you, Ida. And you, too, Boudicca." He looks at the Seraph, then considers the word 'partner,' and doesn't quite translate it to Al Bhed and back right.

"And congratulations, always love to see it when two people fall in love!"

He looks at Marivel, then. He blinks, once at her. "I'm gonna fight to save her, and ain't in the habit of bothering with other folks' gods, masters, or whatever y'wanna call 'em. You don't need to worry about that. I've been fighting for her longer than any of ya, anyways. Ain't no sense in letting Yuna throw her life away!"

He paces back and forth. "Althena's Guard have been busy. They're attacking Bevelle -- and they even killed the Guardian Dragon, Evrae." He looks back at Citan. "That's good for us, 'cause that's where Yuna is!"

Cid bobs his head.

"So we're doing this in two teams. First team is going to use some stolen Guard uniforms, some machina, and make it look like the Guard's launching an all out attack. That's gonna be a distraction." He glances, once, at Leon Albus. "Captain Albus, you said you'll help?"

"Endangering the lives of scores of Althenan Guardsmen?" Leon asks, pleasantly, as he looks up. He smiles, in a cheerful sort of way that people who know him is his 'putting on a show for the employer' face. "Well. Sounds like a lovely Friday afternoon."

"Great!" Cid says. "So, I'm gonna need some of ya on that job! But there's another one, too!" But he waits, a moment, for any questions.

<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.

    "What?" Tidus says to Cid, defensively.
    
    A lot of people have shown up for this planning session, which Tidus is grateful for. Some of them are friends; some of them, mere acquaintances. He gives Ida and her partner a wave and as best a smile as he can manage under the circumstances; he remembers the former during that assassination attempt. Another incident where he threw himself into everything while knowing nothing. He gives a wave to Jay, too, appreciating her offer of resources. They'll definitely need that after what the Al Bhed just went through.
    
    Marivel cuts in. A hurricane of emotion is in her eyes, and she speaks of what she'll do and why she'll do it, while also questioning how Tidus could have not known the truth. "I--I'm not from Spira. The stuff that's common sense here, I just didn't know. I know it's pathetic, but... that's the truth," he admits quietly. "But yeah. We'll talk about it later." She tells him she's proud of him. He ducks his head and rubs the back of his neck. "...Thanks, Marivel."
    
    Save Yuna, even if it means risking Spira itself. Tidus quirks up a smile. Marivel is so extreme. He really likes that about her.
    
    Beyond this, though, he lets Cid handle the questions. He's the one explaining everything, after all. 

<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed.

Cecilia Adlehyde has turned inward; though her position is close to the front, her head is bowed and her hands folded, curling around themselves thoughtfully.

Spira's summoning isn't like hers, of course. But it had seemed familiar, like something Filgaia could have had once; with summoners, shamans, those close to the spirits of the world, revered and admired. But to think such a truth lay under it all...Others call their support. She only manages to tilt her eyes up to listen, while one of her hands drifts to the heavy case lashed to her belts - the case holding her Mediums.

"I can't...let them do this," she says, though perhaps she means 'this' differently from what everyone else is thinking. "I'll go wherever you need."

She can't speak for anyone else right now. For all she knows Claude, Jack, and Rudy are all still back on Filgaia. 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Nimue has posed.

Nimue, overstimulated and worn down, has been chilling in Marivel's bag for an unspecified amount of time. But now she is not! She pops out, and it is as if she has always been there, at talk of someone sacrificing themselves.

"... Maybe this is a surprise but I'm actually all in on this one!" She nods respectfully to Cid -- or, well, as respectful of authority as any Nimue gesture ever gets, probably because there is a bigger, more church-shaped authority that this involves dunking on. Hell, there are two of those!

After a second, she reflects, "I mean, I want another, longer, less bumpy nap first, though. I wasted a ton of energy just getting back to this nightmare rock. My mana lobe hurts." She insists that that is a very real organ. Everything Nimue says should be taken with some healthy skepticism. 

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

"Good. I apologize for my lack of diplomatic skill during this trying time. You'll have to settle for my fangs but they're more useful anyway."

She looks to Tidus. Tidus reveals he's not from Spira? Marivel notes it but doesn't press further for now. There are some things she's willing to not ask about in the middle of an exposition drop, not even now. She nods once. "I understand." She manages a smile. "I suppose it is pathetic but--at least we're not alone in our 'pathetic' state."

She takes in a deep breath, lets it out slowly. She looks to Ida and Boudicca. "We will be assisting the Al Bhed until further notice."

Nimue reveals herself. Marivel considers Nimue.

And then she says, "Well if Nimue's in then I know this is the correct course."

MEANWHILE Fei reaches for his second sandwich. The plan for the Blackc Wolves is brought up. Fei cracks a smile. "Is it gonna be Friday? Okay cool. Kind of looking forward to not having to undergo emotional trauma and/or catharsis for a fight."

He gives Leon a cheeky thumbsup. 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"Filgaia, that's right - I believe Spira calls it 'Gaia'. We came here through an ancient teleportation device." Jacqueline explains. "We can tell you more about it when the situation is less dire, if you like."

Cyre agrees, and Jacqueline nods. The Pillar System, it was like that too, but... her thoughts had primarily gone to Lunata. She might still be with them, but there was no doubt that Ge Ramtos had stolen her life.

Cid accepts the assistance and Jacqueline nods, offering him a smile, though she does glance toward Ida as she introduces herself and Boudicca. She had been in such a hurry to help that she almost forgot about that part.

"Ah - I'm Jacqueline Barber." She adds. She listens to everyone's impassioned words, but doesn't comment. And then, she listens to Cid's plan. Two teams... one of them acting as a distraction by disguising themselves as members of Althena's Guard. Well, that's not really her thing.

She looks toward Nimue, then, raising her eyebrow briefly at the mention of 'mana lobe'. ...Is... is that a thing? Not that she knows anything about Seraph anatomy. 

<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.

Lulu remains quiet, as people voice their support, and voice their surprise, and as Marivel in particular speaks of what she means to do, and what she means to shake. She speaks of truth, of a wretched planet...

Lulu remains expressionless, for now. She waits until more have spoken, until more of the shape of what is to come is plain.

Delaying the inevitable. 'Them.' A danger to Spira itself... 'Them' again.

Lulu thinks only of Yuna's words, of her admonition: Don't say it isn't worth it. She can hear Yuna saying it again, already, hear her voice, see her eyes.

Shaking her head, Lulu waits through the plan. She listens. 

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    Citan nods, just the once, as Cid explains where she is -- and the loose details of the plan to get her out. "A distraction, then, I see..." He rubs at his chin thoughtfully. "And using the cover of a known foe, at that! Well then, perhaps I may be able to be of assistance with that plan."

    Glancing back at Leon, he nods again as the Captain of the Black Wolves agrees to aid that part of the attack. "Let us speak of this in depth later," he says to Leon, apparently content to leave it at that for the time being.

    Fortunately he doesn't need to look at Fei to know what Fei is up to. Somehow... the doctor just knows. "...Let us hope not," is his remark in that direction.

    After that, though, he does the most important thing: he watches and he listens. 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    Ethius' quiet and shawl-blanketing continues throughout theatrics and declarations. His gaze does track over to Marivel and how she refers to Tidus as he confirms the first thing that comes to mind - he's not from Spira. (Why this thought sticks out to him... well, that's probably not important, as he does not seem too keen to speak up on or press the issue much.)
     His attention, such as it is, firmly returns to Cid as he discusses the matter of what Althena's Guard is doing - in fact that has him the most animated of just about everything said, in so much that 'he is sitting up.' He's still hiding most of himself in a shawl. He is not the picture of defiant courage in the face of an unfair cycle, but in all fairness he is still recovering.
     ...The moment Luca fell under attack was the moment Spira's course was no longer its own. Ethius thinks to himself, remaining quiet in a sea of those pledging their assistance and heartfelt desire to see Yuna safe no matter what they have to upend in the process. I cannot let the Guard as they are do what they please. This level of involvement...
     Ethius stands up. Well, tries to. He staggers once, reasserts the shawl around him to make sure it's not drooping too low in which to hide his face, and then actually stands up for realsies.
     While she has been reticent to show cooperation, Kourin's experience with the Guard is valuable. Should I be able to convince her to share some more details...
     "I would be willing to cooperate in such an operation." So Ethius states.
     He fails to introduce himself properly, again. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Ida smiles and nods, the very picture of politeness, even through the laser focus. This lasts up until Cid gets halfway through that sentence, and her expression abruptly changes: puzzlement, then embarrassment. The Ida of several years ago would've wanted to melt into the floor, and maybe never ever see Cid or Boudicca ever again, or at least for a year or so, however long it takes the gossip to die down.

    The Ida of right now merely turns red in the cheeks. The silvery-blue line running across her right cheek sticks out more. "Work partners," Ida clarifies. "Byndhanc." She pronounces it a little funny, but it's the right word.

    Then Marivel makes her entrance, and that anxiety in the pit of Ida's stomach turns into a full-blown crawling sensation. She should've known Marivel would react to this worst of all. Hell, the news hit Ida hard, coming so soon on the heels of Brad's death, and what she witnessed in the destruction of Home.

    She knows that Marivel means every word she says. And it's this deep trauma--this sincerity--that causes her to shoot Leon Albus a look for his flippancy. It wasn't so long ago she saw him kill someone as a distraction.

    Getting on the high horse, are we? How many Yevonites did you kill back there? Did you bother to count? How many more would you kill, to save Yuna?

    Ida looks like she's just bitten into a lemon. "And the other team, Cid?"

    God, it's weird knowing another Cid. She's so used to 'Cid' being a blonde woman with an eyepatch and impeccable style.

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

"You're saying I have the opportunity to commit double heresy?" Cyre gives Cid a look of eager admiration, because singular heresy is one thing but *double* heresy is the kind of thing that gets Cyre out and dancing on piles of burning scriptures.

But then, maybe *just* this once, his talents are not going to be the most well-utilized by this particular task. Nevermind that giving Leo even *more* reason to hate the Carakin is perhaps not the best idea...!

"P...ass?" Cyre says with a shrug? "But there's more, you say? Tell me of these things that need doing...!" 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Boudicca has posed.

    "Eh..?" Boudicca's grim features are interrupted for a moment by the most unlikely of all sources: linguistic miscommunication.

    "No - no, not that sort of partner," she hastens to clarify, lifting a gauntlet-clad hand, palm up. "We fight as a unit, not... it is not romantic." You'd think she'd be better at explaining this by now, given their whole Thing, but it's Boudicca, so of course she isn't. Luckily, Ida knows the right word for it! Probably. Boudicca hopes that's the right word.

    "I am glad you feel that way," she moves on to nod to her elder Wind Seraph, Nimue - and also to Marivel, whose feelings she is not quite so glad about but that is a complicated story. Boudicca is of course still kind of taking that order as a suggestion, because Boudicca doesn't really have much experience in the military. Give her some time to figure it out.

    And then her attention goes back to Cid.

<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

"Just remember what I told ya earlier!" Cid groans at Tidus.

Then, he looks about. He nods at Cecilia -- smiles at Nimue, even. For some reason, it feels nice to see people so eager to chip in, after trying to explain his beliefs for so long.

Cid looks at Marivel, then he nods. "Good. I'm glad you're with us," he says. He looks at Jay, then, and tilts his head. "Yeah--uh--naw, I'll talk to y'all later about that teleportation device. There's some stuff you don't know, but I got my priorities."

He hooks his fingers together, then he cracks his knuckles.

Leon glances sideways at Citan. He nods his head, then. "Of course," he says. "We'll go over it." Then, he glances at Fei, and flashes him a smile. "Should be a delight, eh?"

He meets Ida's eyes. He blinks, then shrugs at her, like he is honestly surprised that she expected anything else out of him.

Cid glances at Ethius, and then he nods. "Good!" And then there is a glance between Ida and Boudicca, before he shrugs. "Well... if ya say so!"

Cid paces, working off some nervous energy.

"Awright. So the second group -- and that's where Yuna's Guardians will be -- are gonna go after Yuna herself," Cid says. "We've got word that Seymour's gonna try for a weddin'. One of Rin's folks reported it. And we've calculated the headwinds, and... we're gonna get there right before everything goes down. So..."

Cid grins. "Those missiles aren't the only machina weapons this thing has. We've got some harpoons," he says. "They've got wires -- and we're gonna send y'all right in there. Grab Yuna, and then get out! And, uh, probably fight the whole buncha Warrior Monks, Guado, Seymour, and everyone else that's gonna stop you. It's gonna be dangerous, but..."

Cid's hand balls into a fist. "That's my sister's little girl. I ain't leaving her there."

<Pose Tracker> Rikku has posed.


Rikku is not in the best of moods. She's still frazzled not just from the knowledge that Yuna was taken by the Guado, but the command her Dad uttered. For a not insignificant amount of time she's been looking out one of the viewports in the vague direction of where Home detonated.

Hardly the Merriest she right now. And she's mourning far more than a place.

Far more.

She's shifting from side to side, one hand rubbing her arm, as the Drifters discuss the plan. As many of them talk about how they found out from the video. She's not embarrassed about her role in the videos. She meant what she said.

The pilgrimages have to stop.

Marivel's discussion with her Father and Tidus does draw her attention though, as she looks in their direction. "I don't think Yunie would approve of you saying you'd risk Spira itself." Rikku says, without judgement. "Butttt - I'm not one to talk because... when I originally set out. I really wanted to save her, and I wasn't really thinking about what I'd have to do to do it."

Rikku looks around to all the others, "Because... like my Dad said, she's family. And I'm not ashamed of doing whatever it takes to protect family."

It's like she's gradually regaining some of herself by simply focusing on the thought of something she can do... rather than fixating on what she's lost.

Though, then her father outlines the second part of the plan, and Rikku gapes, completely taken flat-footed and startled, "A wedding? Still? But he's..."

There's a lengthy sort of pause as she digests this information. The mental image of Seymour with literal holes in his form at the forefront of her mind as she and mouths the word quietly, "... creepy..."

She apparently then gets back on track and says to Lulu and Tidus as she all but bounces on her heels with a hand held high, "Anyhow... I'm all for it. We're going to save Yunie! And nobody's going to stop us!"

<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.

    Marivel reassures Tidus that at least he's not alone in being pathetic. Tidus's smile widens. She really is a good friend. "Hey, don't worry about it," he reassures her of her lack of diplomacy. "You all saw how I nearly decked Cid out, I was so freaked out about Yuna."
    
    Cid tells him not to forget what he said. "I won't!!"
    
    Nimue pops out of literally nowhere. "Woah!" Tidus utters, flailing in surprise for a second. But she voices her support, so regardless of the strangeness of her appearance and her mana lobe or whatever: "Right on!"
    
    Cid continues explaining. Though he already knew about it, Tidus grimaces about the part where Seymour's going to try to force Yuna to marry him. Again. He might've had a point after all about the sacrifices, but that doesn't make him any less of a skeezy slimebag. "Creepy's not the half of it," he mutters.
    
    "And that's it!" Tidus declares, louder, once Cid has finished outlining. Rikku joins in, and he gives her a fierce nod. "You know it. We won't stop 'til we've got Yuna out of there and back where she belongs!" 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Stuff they don't know, huh? Jacqueline nods. She won't press him on that for now. As he says, they have their priorities right now. And those priorities were establishing the plan to rescue Yuna, and enacting said plan.

Jacqueline listens as Cid explains, a frown crossing her face as he does.

"He's still trying to put on that wedding?" She says in disbelief. She shakes her head. Was it that important to him? She goes quiet though, as he continues. Harpoons, hm...? That would certainly make a convenient form of entry.

"It's alright. We'll get her out, safe and sound - you have my word." Jacqueline says with a reassuring nod. She smiles, then. "Besides - if he does try to stop us, I've got a few choice words I've been saving for Seymour. Throwing a wrench into his plans... well, that'll be the icing on the cake."

She knows, inwardly, that it'll be dangerous. There was no telling how many of them would make it out of this. But, maybe some levity is what they need right.

"For many of us, this isn't our first time storming an enemy stronghold, right?" She says, looking about. "We'll get through this, together." 

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Marivel looks to Lulu. "..." She tenses briefly but--nothing occurs of it. Then she thinks a moment--she nods once and goes quiet for now.

She wonders about the groups. Which should SHE choose? She expects how she feels and how Yuna feels are no longer quite as congruent as she thought. Nevertheless...

...To have found out through a sphere like that. She takes in a deep breath and lets it out. No, that no longer matters. Whatever Yuna's fate shall be, Seymour definitely shouldn't be the one to decide it.

Should you be, Marivel?

She'll cross that bridge when she gets there, she decides.

Though she does quirk her head a bit. Is Cid....

Her gaze trails towards Rikku--but first Tidus reassures her. Strangly, Tidus has a particularly effective calming effect on her where some of her closest friends have failed. Maybe she just---empathizes with how he feels right now most of all simply because--someone HE cares about is on the chopping block off their own volition. It's familiar and with familiarity rings comfort. But then again--Tidus is a close friend, isn't he?

"It was very charming." Marivel says on that matter.

Her gaze turns to Rikku.

"I don't think she would either."

Marivel cracks a fangy grin. "But if she's allowed to follow her heart's desire than surely...so am I." She thinks for a moment and adds, "Me neither, Rikku. Thank you."

'Creepy'.

Marivel nods her complete agreement.

Fei meanwhile is still working on his second sandwich. He isn't sure it's a good idea for him to try and bust Yuna free considering he kept trying to kidnap her? She might get the wrong idea. Or more worryingly, she'll completely understand... and he'll feel really shitty! 

<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.

    "A wedding," Citan muses aloud, wrinkling his brow. "I wonder what the purpose of that might be..."

    But he lapses into silence again before long, watching Cid studiously as he explains the plan and goal of the second team. 

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

"Ugh, the wedding, still?" Cyre groans with all the pent-up frustration of a man who has seen this sort of thing play out too many times before. "It's like he's one of those super-orthodox Granasians. 'No ding-ding without wedding ring' or something like that. You know? That sort of thing. Can't the guy just... get over it? If she's not interested, then it just gets *increasingly* creepy and--"

Cyre pauses, catching himself. He was ranting. He can't be ranting, not here, it's not the time. But sometimes, a guy's gotta get some stuff off his chest...! At least Jay understands, more or less.

"Sounds like that's where we aught to be," Cyre echoes in agreement. "I've still got to pay that tree-faced jerkwagon off for summoning a mini-Sin back home." Plus, something just feels right about crashing Seymour's wedding plans. It's just the right blend of petty revenge and righteous quest to tickle Cyre's fancy in a way he can't possibly resist. 

<Pose Tracker> Violet Salazar has posed.

Violet pauses in her note-taking, taking stock of the crowd, and the people offering their support. Some she knew: many more she didn't. A young Al Bhed girl -- Cid's daughter by the sound of it -- voices her determination to save her family. Tidus optimistic. Jay reassuring. Cyre vengeful. She still hasn't chosen which mission to go on... 

<Pose Tracker> Lulu has posed.

Lulu looks to each person who speaks up in turn, but her expression is unreadable. She's watching them; that's all that it's possible to be sure about. But she watches Cid, too. The only time her expression is less than blank ice is when it softens imperceptibly watching Rikku discuss her feelings on the matter... and what Yuna's feelings are likely to be. She hasn't spoken that aloud, herself. Not here, in this company.

But still, as Tidus and Rikku speak up, Lulu finally adds her voice. "No matter what, we will reach Yuna."

What happens after? Lulu doesn't know, yet. She only has speculation.

She looks back to Marivel, as she mentions her heart's desire. But she doesn't speak to her yet in this company, either.

"...It will be an assault in the heart of Yevon," Lulu points out after enough agreements. "I wouldn't blame any of you for having second thoughts. Just be sure you're prepared." 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Ida lets her gaze slide off Leon. She still feels uneasy as she watches Cid pace. What is this 'other half' going to involve?

    Ah, Ida thinks. Obviously. She can't help but be taken aback by the word 'wedding', though, and it shows on her face. Her eyebrows rise, pinching together in distress; her mouth opens ever-so-slightly. She looks at Rikku, as if confirming that this is in fact a deeply disturbing turn of events. Rikku seems to agree.

    'That's my sister's little girl.'

    Things click into place. Ida knew that Yuna was half Al Bhed--that she'd been tormented relentlessly as a child until her father saved Spira. But she didn't say who her mother was. That would make Rikku...

    Ida looks back at the young engineer with newfound empathy. "We'll get her back," Ida says, and that laser-focused determination is back. "This would not be the first time I've had to rescue a dear friend from some monster's misguided nuptials."

    This might be news for those who weren't around when Tobit Calice made his ill-fated gambit to marry Rosaline.

    Ida lets out a breath. That memory isn't pleasant, as flippant as she was about it. "Besides. If Seymour thinks he can treat her like some trophy he can steal, I'll have to disabuse him of that."

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

'Gods above,' Cyre thinks to himself, 'Please do not turn into a giant pink hellcat and set me on fire this time.' 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Boudicca has posed.

    "He would still..." Boudicca trails off, as the others enumerate Seymour's sins, but the anger in those words is a portrait all its own. Boudicca does not know terribly much about human romance - but in the books it is a considerable ritual, and hardly one to be forced in this situation.

    What a despicable creature.

    "I know well Spira's course is not mine to decide," she says. "But I will do this much: Yuna will be safe." If that disturbs the world of Spira...

    ... she will deal with that when they come to it.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Nimue has posed.

Tidus proves himself supremely susceptible to being messed with. Nimue smiles. She won't do it *now*, during Serious Time... but she makes a note. actually, she makes a few notes.

"Man -- these are both really appealing operations!" Nimue muses; she absolutely wants to both bust up a wedding *and* mess with Althena's Guard, who she has a special place in her heart for. With a glance to Ida, she agrees, "... Yeah. That's really what it's about, right? That's what the whole thing adds up to. Seymour wants to steal a whole-ass person and use her up."

Nimue's muscles tense and coil, insofar as quasi-real muscles can do anything. As Boudicca says Spira's course isn't hers to decide, Nimue replies, a little tightly, "I, meanwhile, am totally comfortable deciding this one to the greatest extent possible, now that I know what's up here." 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    With Ethius having volunteered and having his contribution accepted with a minimal of questions, he sits back down and keeps that shawl covered around him as the second part of the plan is discussed - the actual infiltration of the wedding and extraction. Lulu lays out the risk in no uncertain terms - this is the heart of Yevon, at a time of high alert and uncertainty. He quietly watches more bravado and promise on display, and the shawl slinks a bit more around him.
     Until Boudicca speaks up. He gives her a brief look of indeterminate quality (other than it's A Look, it's Ethius, he sometimes communicates exclusively in uncomfortable staring).
     "I will be prepared once the timetable is provided," he says to Lulu as he levels his gaze back forward. For a man who is currently sitting down and hiding in a shawl, he sounds certain of his words despite appearing in a position of weakness and vulnerability. 

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

    There is someone who is not here. This is not notable, as there are many people who are not here, except that Gwen is now coming in, her curly hair showing signs of being smushed to one side against a pillow. "... Guh."

    It was a rough day, meeting that grenade.

    But Gwen is Now Here, and halfway listening, trying to suss out the context as she tries to tame her hair and the sleep still stuck in her eyes. One thing rises to importance, beyond the talk of groups, marriages, and sacrifices.

    "...... So Yuna is in trouble." She clears her throat. "... I'm in. With... wherever I'd be best." 

<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

"Then me and Yuna are gonna hafta figure that out," Cid tells Rikku. It's a little testy -- but only a little. He is worried, after all, about Yuna. He looks at Rikku, then, makes a face, and says: "Yeah. I know." He looks at the others, considering their protests of the wedding. "I don't know why. Or what he wants. But I think Maester Seymour... he's the type of person who has something to gain by pushing for this marriage."

He knows Seymour is Unsent. He has reports on it.

He grins, as they make their promises -- their assurances that they've done this before -- and he nods his head. "That's what I like to hear! I tell ya, nothin' like the fire of youth!" He punches his fist into his hand again. "We'll get this done!"

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