2021-03-07: The First Not of Yevon

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  • Log: The First Not of Yevon
  • Cast: Belize, Pearl
  • Where: The Temple of Leviathan, Bikanel Island
  • Date: March 06, 2021
  • Summary: The yet-to-be-built temple to the Fayth of Leviathan receives it's first visitor- one that the temples Priest does not find so welcome. But it is the Fayth who decides.


<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.

    There are few reasons for anyone to come out to this part of Bikanel anymore. The Al Bhed town of Home once existed here; now, it's a modern ruin, no more than rubble, smoke, and encroaching sand.
    
    Well...
    
    Maybe a little more than that.
    
    After fleeing Bevelle with the fayth of Leviathan and delivering the also-fleeing Maesters to their destination, Belize came here. Perhaps it's inappropriate for them to turn the town of the people they helped slaughter into a shrine for a fayth; perhaps there are Al Bhed who would resent them for choosing this place. But Rikku told them that the Al Bhed, while not faithful of Yevon, do respect the fayth and Summoners--and in their experience, this is true.
    
    The Yevon faith is a shell now, its leadership too enamored with power to cede their place in this world. In that case, all that matters are the Summoners and the fayth and their combined ability to defeat Sin. And to that end, there must be a shrine.
    
    Perhaps this will do as penance for their part in that attack. Rikku did encourage them to go through with it, and they did agree to let the Al Bhed have whatever they build once Sin, and they, are gone. At the very least, it's a large amount of hard labor that they've decided to do all on their lonesome, for a shrine that--with any luck--won't even be needed for very long. After all, once Sin is gone... the fayth can finally rest for good.
    
    And so it is that anyone who comes to Bikanel Island for the Elw teleporters there might notice their activity. Those rumors might spread. And some folks might decide to check it out... Once they do, they'll find, sure enough, the Summoner Belize hard at work dragging debris from the wreckage and sorting it into usable and not usable. Most, if not all, of the long-burning fires have been doused, so only a bit of wet smoke still lingers. There is a small tent at the center of the ruins, and while the folds are closed, one can hear the rich baritenor singing the Hymn of the Fayth from within.
    
    There is a scent of gardenias on the wind.

<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.

    There are plenty of drifters coming and going to the Elw teleporters, there are probably fewer making their way across the sea to visit a new and burgeoning shrine. But today, there is someone.

    They walk across the sands, wearing light but covering robes, and wearing a very mildly conical hat with a mostly opaque veil covering their face. As they close to the shrine, very quietly and gently they can be heard to be humming the Hymn of the Fayth as Leviathan.

    When the figure sees Summoner Belize, they take actual steps to be heard, trying not to startle the summoner. "Greetings." Their voice is deep, but with traits that would be described as feminine. It is also, perhaps, familiar, despite the person's best efforts. "You are Summoner Belize, yes?"

    The figure gives a deep bow. "I seek to commune with the Fayth of Leviathan, if you would permit me." They don't advance yet, keeping a small distance from Belize, and their body language is near invisible thanks to the choice of clothing. As it stands, they simply wait for a response.

<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.

    For all that the weather is hot and sunny--as it typically is on the desert island--and the fact that the Summoner wears fairly heavy robes of their own, and for all that they're clearly putting all of their effort into clearing this rubble, there's no sweat to speak of on their brow. At the sound of approaching footsteps, they tense and raise their head, scowling at the stranger--but when the stranger greets them, bows, and makes their intentions clear, Belize's expression clears somewhat. They lower the ropes they've been using to help move debris, dust off their hands, and stand up straight.
    
    At first, they say nothing--only looking over the stranger in their (her, perhaps, based on her voice) desert-appropriate covering attire, only considering the somewhat familiar tenor of her voice. Then they bow back in the Yevon style, stand up anew, and bore a stare into her.
    
    Pearl's test is simple: "Who are you?" the Summoner asks. There is a bit of an edge to their voice that indicates they aren't asking this in complete ignorance.

<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.

    "...A fair question." The person answers, her voice goes a bit higher, but not particularly high. "I am going to remove my hat." She warns, so Belize doesn't react badly to any sudden movements. And then she does exactly that.

    Under the hat is a shock of green hair, tied back loosely, and the familiar face of Apprentice Summoner Ena. At least, the familiar face of Ena without having done the work to hide her mess of scars. The lack thereof can be confronting- from her face alone it's easy to see the woman has been through alot. She finally speaks up again.

    "You knew me as Ena, but the name I was given at birth was Pearl." She speaks frankly and directly. "I imagine you might have other questions." She says, and then the next sentence takes effort. "I will... answer them as frankly as I can."

<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.

    It's not a shock to see Ena's--or rather, Pearl's--face under that hat, but Belize visibly tenses anyway. They fold their arms, frowning, but... beyond that, they aren't especially hostile, something that might be surprising after her betrayal. But then, this is the site of a Yevon attack on the Al Bhed, and it's precisely for that reason that Belize is rebuilding with the intent to give the shrine over to the Al Bhed... If nothing else, if Pearl had come here with intent to seal the fayth, it seems strange that she'd come alone, then reveal herself for who she actually is.
    
    So: "If you're actually of the Althenan faith, why are you here?" they wonder. "You were only faking believing in Yevon's tenets, were you not?" They smile a faint, sardonic smile. "Not that many of *our* so-called faithful actually believe in the tenets, as it turns out... but there's corruption a-plenty in your own faith as well, so I hope you'll overlook that for the purposes of this conversation... 'Pearl.'"

<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.

    Pearl doesn't seem to take any offense at Belize's smile. "...I am not, truly, of the Althenan faith." She responds, quite frankly. "And were my life my own, I suspect I would not be among them at all. But my life is not my own." This is easily the most Pearl has opened up to anyone who wasn't named 'Jean'. "Not that they know this. And I cannot argue you about corruption in the faith of Althena. This may only serve to make you despise me more."

    "But you are correct. I am no true follower of the Faith of Yevon, either. Nonetheless, there is a reason I asked you to surrender that night." She takes a deep, long breath. "...I had no desire to kill anyone in that hall beyond Maester Seymour Guado. I simply thought this might end the stalemate one way or the other." She pauses again. "I know this is no comfort."

    She steps back, crossing her arms. "But as for my reason to be here... When you led me to commune with the Fayth those weeks ago... It spoke to me. And I need to finish what I started." She takes another deep breath. "Perhaps it's power will finally free me from the shackles that bind me."

<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.

    Belize's expression remains stony and poker-still as Pearl explains some of her situation--how her life is not her own, how she hadn't wanted to kill anyone besides Seymour and thus asked for their surrender... but it's not until they hear how the fayth had actually responded to her that they react with a startle, arms unfolding and eyebrows rising. "You actually *do* have the potential?" they ask... though then they shake their head, not to refuse but to re-focus.
    
    "If you're truly being forced to follow a faith you don't believe in, you have my pity, not my hatred," they reply. "Yevon knows Althena has made it abundantly clear she's perfectly willing to strongarm people into worshipping her. And it seems you're not the only one in the Guard who just wants the war to be over... though from the rumors I've heard, perhaps it *is* over, now." They pause. "Very well. In the end, it is the fayth who decides. I am only here to protect them, and to right one of the wrongs of the Yevon faith." They gesture Pearl to follow, then walk towards the tent further in. "Follow me."
    
    Pearl won't get the benefit of privacy--Belize isn't willing to give her *that* much benefit of the doubt--but they don't bother her once the two are inside the tent. The fayth remains as it was: a great, clear statue with a human being within, tall and strapping with a long hair and beard, a faint smile on their lips, which continue to sing even without moving.

<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.

    She had not expected sympathy of any kind- she had wronged Belize terribly, by any reasonable mark. He would be well within his rights to tell her to leave. And at this point.... She probably would have. But he doesn't. She doesn't make any snide comments at Belize's astonishment, she simply nods.

    She is also completely aware that Belize is operating under a misconception, as so many others have. She does not correct that misconception. It is easier not to explain. "...The Guard are withdrawing from Kilika as we speak. And I have no desire to reignite things. Better to be a run of the mill heretic than an invader who remains." That explains her looks, then. When Belize leads her in, she follows.

    And once again, Pearl gets nothing she doesn't deserve. She looks upon the Fayth, the being that spoke to her but weeks ago. The being she had shied away from, thinking no intruder would be allowed to connect to the fayth. She kneels, and starts praying. Her prayers are word perfect, recited with ease. Her technique is excellent. And despite what she says, there is something there. If not faith, then maybe hope? It's hard to tell. She is evidently a woman not known for showing her true emotions.

<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.

    It's the reasonable thing to think when told that one's life is not one's own, and that one is part of Althena's Guard for that same reason. It's especially reasonable if one is part of a different faith that the Church of Althena has been trying its damnedest to subsume for over a year. That there might be some kind of shadow cult of assassins attached to the Church is simply beyond anything Belize or really most people could imagine. ...so it's really no wonder that Pearl opts not to explain. It would get exhausting very quickly.
    
    If anything, it's clear to Belize that the training Ena--Pearl--underwent was not simply ignored. She truly did listen. It makes Belize feel sorry for her all over again. Perhaps if Pearl's life *were* her own, she might have converted of her own will. Of course, then she'd be disappointed by a different failure of the church... They shake their head. There's no point in thinking these things now. While they might still believe in Yevon and perhaps *most* of his teachings, they no longer believe in the organization that should support them. They really do understand Pearl's desire to free herself from her shackles... or at least, they believe they do.
    
    It takes some time. It's hard to tell; there's something about the fayth's presence that gives the ambience a certain timelessness, humble as it otherwise is. But, after a while... a ghostly visage of the person in the fayth statue appears, cross-legged, one elbow on a knee. Like when first the two had made contact, their presence is like an ocean storm, and they batter at Pearl's mental defenses with it alone. It's a harrowing, intimate affair; while Belize can see them, their voice is for Pearl alone.
    
    "Ah! It's you again," they say, smirking in apparent humor. "After you ran with your tail between your legs, I didn't think I'd be seeing you again." They flash a broad, savage grin. "Too bad! Figured that'd be the fastest way to get rid of you. So--what brings you back, ye of no faith? Don't tell me you'd still try to take on the Lord of All Waters without even a first Aeon to your name!"

<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.

    This time, Pearl is ready to brace herself. The experience from last time readied her. But nonetheless, it cuts through her like a knife. She may be the only person born in the realms of Althena to have experienced this feeling. And a part of her hates it, resents going up against it.

    But she is not one to allow herself to be bested. She glares into the eyes of the fayth. She does not intend to back down this time. "That may be why I am back," she says bluntly, "I refuse to let you beat me." She watches him, watches his reaction, looks for weakness. Unfortunately, this isn't an enemy she can kill. She can't fight him with her fists, much as she may want to. This is about trying to get the fayth to accept her.

"I require power, and I do not have much time. I need to face an enemy more fearsome than Sin, and you will provide me the power to do so or you will be unable to assist me and I will die trying. A 'first aeon' simply will not do. Is that enough for you?"

<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.

    That part of her that hates and resents this forceful presence only makes it stronger, in the same way that it's only more difficult to try to stand upright and firm like a tree in the middle of a storm. And when Pearl declares she won't let the fayth 'beat' her, the fayth roars with laughter.
    
    "'Beat' you, huh? I like your attitude!" They smirk, spirit eyes glittering. "But I don't plan on letting you 'beat' me, either. Or do you think you can lasso and break the storm like you might some common horse?"
    
    She says she requires power, that she has little time. The claim of a foe more fearsome than Sin visibly piques their interest--they lift their head and widen their eyes--but when she lays out what will happen if they don't help her, they snort. "And you'll just grab at whatever power happens to be available, without knowing if you can even control it? Sounds to me like you're going to end up dying trying anyway. If this foe of yours is even mightier than Sin, what makes you think it can be defeated at all, let alone by a weakling like you?"
    
    Despite their derisive words, though, that interest still gleams in their eyes like the edge of a starlit knife. She hasn't been accepted--but she hasn't been rejected, either.

<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.

    It may be difficult, but that doesn't mean she can stop trying. If there's one thing she's learned, this Fayth likes a fighter. She can't be the first to back down, the first to break, or it's all for naught. But she can't just blunder on, or the Fayth will reject her again. It's a tightrope she's walking, in the middle of a storm. And she's only gona and given herself weights.

    "I'm not an idiot. I cannot simply bear down on you and make you accept me. Much as I wish we could solve this with our fists. But if I'm to fail, it will not be because of cowardice." Still, the fayth's words cut like a knife- she's shown desperation. A weakness.

    "Maybe it can't. Maybe simply I can't." An odd expression crosses Pearl's face, flashing briefly. Sadness and hope in one, maybe? "But if I can do enough damage to cripple it so that someone else can finish what I start, perhaps I would die a happy woman. If I am lucky enough to simply die." She takes another breathe. "And to face Sin is death anyway. I may not fear that being, but I can see the obvious. It's just making sure that I die with a purpose, instead of being just another corpse on the road."

<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.

    "Haha! A good fistfight *would* make it easier!" the fayth crows, slapping their knee. They lean forward, their cheek on one fist, and grin anew, their teeth bright and sharp. "But you can't beat Sin just by punching it, and I'm betting you can't beat this worse-than-Sin foe of yours just by punching it either."
    
    Pearl acknowledges maybe she doesn't have the power to beat this foe--but if she can be a stepping stone towards beating it for good, then she can at least die with purpose. The fayth looks thoughtful at this, nodding twice. It's a concept they're well familiar with. Summoners have been dying as stepping stones for a better future for centuries now.
    
    "So what is this foe that's even worse than Sin?" they ask. "And what makes you think what I have to offer is the edge you'll need against it? After all, you don't plan on doing a whole pilgrimage, do you? But the pilgrimage is necessary--it's what trains a Summoner, makes them strong enough. Do you think you can just use me as a shortcut to power?"

<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.

    "No, I can't. Long ago I thought maybe I could, but... It has become evident that is not the case." She pauses, as the Fayth of Leviathan asks who her enemy is. "...I believe him to be a man, the man who made me this way." It's underwhelming, coming out like that, but for Pearl having controlled her emotions so well, one can easily feel feel the fear creeping out of her. A fear so absolute, so all consuming that she is unable to fear anything else.

    "He is someone who has existed in Lunar for longer than I have been alive, who operates with impunity to turn children into weapons. And so far only one of us ever got close to being able to challenge him, and she tried to run instead." She does not look as angry at this fact as she should at that, as angry as she once might have.

    "Maybe he lacks the raw destruction of Sin, but his influence has grown large, and his clan only grows more numerous by the day. And as a fighter, he is unparalleled. It took one of the greatest heroes in Lunar to drive him underground, and he's only gotten stronger since."

    She pauses at the idea of a full pilgrimage. "...I do not think it is possible. Not now. Even though the war has ended, there is still much disarray." She pauses again. "And I would be surprised if they let in a woman of no faith, as you suggested. So I shall have to strengthen myself as a summoner another way."

<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.

    "You would compare a mere man to Sin?" the fayth utters, incredulous. Still, despite their tone, they don't slap Pearl down or stop her--they continue to listen to what she has to say. Because there *is* that fear, that all-consuming frozen flame that would devour her alive, that fear that drives her to fight to the death if she must. People all feel fear, but to fight on and fight harder than ever through it... That, too, is courage, and the fayth can feel that in and through her as they commune in this way.
    
    Perhaps this man lacks Sin's raw destructive force, but there are ways to be powerful beyond mere force. They nod as she describes Lunn's influence, his clan, how he turns children into weapons and that no one so far has been able to challenge him. They can read between the lines, or perhaps they simply sense it from the resonation of her own soul, that she is one of those weapons this man created.
    
    In that moment where their souls resonate, Pearl can feel something of them in return: how they were a ship captain and sailed the seas they loved until Sin appeared... how Sin's marauding stole the seas from them, filling them with rage and sorrow... how they willingly gave up their life to defeat Sin and take back the ocean--take back freedom--for all the world.
    
    "A pilgrimage is not the only way to gain strength, it's true," they agree, nodding. "When water is blocked, it worries away at cracks until it leaks through, then expands those cracks until they break and the water bursts through. What's important is that will to keep flowing forward, even when others would have you stay contained."
    
    They lean forward, lowering their arm. "What of you, then? You say you're willing to sacrifice yourself if you can at least deal a crippling blow. But for what do you fight? What future do you want to make happen by defeating this foe? Tell me what it is you're willing to give up everything for!"

<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.

    Despite the Fayth's incredulity, Pearl stares back at him. She can't just dismiss it, but... Sin they know how to fight, as futile and cyclic as it seems to be. She has no ability to fight her enemy. "I am not sure if they are man or something else. Or if he has something else behind his power." Information she could sorely use.

    She feels the Fayth's memory in this resonation, who they were, what drove them to fight. Her reason feels small in the face of the seas, but it still feels important.

    Pearl's own memories rise, clear, crisp, and full of woe. She tries to suppress them, but she can not. And maybe, she feels, should not.

    ---------------------------

    A dark night, she can't remember where, or when, but she remembers the night. Two bodies- a man and a woman- lay on the ground in front of her. Their blood covers her face as she tries to back away. She can see where their faces should be, but they're just a blur. The horrible things that came after. A figure in a mask grabs her by the throat, and lifts her feet off the ground. She kicks, but can't reach.

    Tears and blood mix, as she weakly cries out. "Mommy... Daddy... Help..." The figures on the ground do not respond, and her last sight before she blacks out from lack of oxygen is the man in the mask. Her great, overwhelming, unending fear.

    ---------------------------

    Her next memory, she is encircled by children with black garb, adults standing over them. The black uniform sits ill on her, and she shivers with fear. Sitting and watching is the man in the mask. A girl with long green hair walks in front of her. She's taller, older then a few years, and Pearl looks upon her. She's not sure what she's supposed to do. She doesn't know how to fight.

    The masked man holds up a silver medallion and speaks. "If you have skill, strength and the ability to learn, you may one day wear one of these. Those of you who don't will die. These are your only options. Thrive or die. Do not try to escape. There is nowhere on Lunar you will be beyond my reach. Begin."

    It's over in seconds. Pearl feels the worst pain she has felt in her young life. Just a taste of what was to come. The green-haired girl delivers two blows. The first is a blow to her solar plexus, and Pearl feels all the wind knocked out of her as tears fill her eyes. She doesn't see the next blow, but she feels it as she drives deep into the ground. The pain of her nose breaking badly, blood running down her face.

    The voice of the green-haired girl reaches her ears. "Better luck next time." It's only a few seconds of that pain before the darkness comes.

    ---------------------------

    The Fayth asks of her what future she seeks. It takes her a few moments to speak. "I want him dead. I want everything he has done unmade. I want all those who chose to follow him to pay for their crimes. I want the Shadow Dragon Cult to be purged from the memory of the world. I want my vengeance." It takes her a few more seconds. "And I want what happened to me to never happen to any person ever again. I want to free all of those still held in his grip. Those that can still change to have a chance. I want them to have freedom. Friends. Childhoods."

    She sounds surprised to be speaking those words, but even more so that they're genuine. Is this what it is like, when you can't hide your true self from someone? Is this her true self? No, surely not. There's no way a monster like her can be kind and noble.

<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.

    Powerlessness. Fear. Rage. Sorrow. And a mulish, unquenchable drive to fight back all the same--to take revenge on that which stole what they loved from them--to take back for the whole *world* what their enemy has stolen.
    
    These are all things the fayth understands well. And for a moment, just as the tide flows and ebbs and flows again in an infinite cycle, the memories that wash forward from Pearl wash back once more with more detail.
    
    A beautiful moonlit night out on the open sea. The person the fayth once was stands on deck with their crew, all of them laughing and celebrating the anticipated end of a successful mission of delivering fine goods and treasures to Bevelle, glasses clinking, candles burning, salt from the sea and gardenias from the lights wafting on the air.
    
    The celebrations cut short as something rises from the sea. Pearl will recognize it as Sin in all its abominable glory... and hear the shouts of alarm on the crew. The captain, who would be the fayth, is sensible; they call immediately for a retreat from this massive monster. But Sin is faster.
    
    The crew is slaughtered. The ship is shattered. The treasure is scattered. Only a few manage to make it out alive, and of those few, only the captain makes it back to shore; the rest die on the seas, and they are the last one alive when a ship spots them floating on the jetsam of their ship, picks them up, and takes them to Bevelle.
    
    It's there they hear that Sin had also attacked an island not far from where their ship had been. Countless lives had been lost there, too. They scream with rage, sorrow, and their own impotence. They've lost everything. This fiend of fiends will continue to scourge the world. So they'll take everything from Sin too--and take everything back, for those who yet remain.
    
    And so they would submit themselves to become a fayth. They would transform, still alive, into the dreaming statue, and they were enshrined far to the west at the end of an archipelago... Centuries would pass, with summoners coming every so often on their pilgrimage to pray for the Aeon... But disaster would strike. Waters would swallow up Uijundo Temple as it sank, leaving all but the inner sanctum submerged. And so they too have bided their time, waiting for better luck next time.
    
    The vision clears. Pearl and the fayth face each other once more. They look at her with understanding eyes and a melancholic cast to their lips. "I, too, desire these things," they admit. Their fists clench. "Call it selfishness, call it selflessness... It's what my blood boils for." They pause a beat, giving her an appraising look. "It looks like you and I have much in common, Pearl." Then they smirk. "Heh. Why not? If there's truly another foe in this world as hateful as Sin, I wouldn't be able to rest until I could help crush it myself!"
    
    Briefly, they calm again. "You should know, though, I can't guarantee I can stay with you until the end. When Sin's obsession ends, so too will the dream." Whatever that might mean, the fayth does not explain--indeed, they have a grim, somber, yet somehow wistful look on their face. It's cleared in an instant by a toothy grin and an adventurous sparkle in their eye. "But 'til then, why the hell not give your story a go? I'm a betting sailor! And I'll choose to bet on you--to make sure that the children of this world can sleep safe from ALL the great monsters that would steal their futures away."
    
    They lean forward, their form slipping ghost-like into Pearl's. But they aren't simply passing through her; she can feel a piece of their soul merge with hers, to intermix--to spark a great power she can feel within her, only a dance away.
    
    "Let's each of us get our revenge--*Summoner* Pearl," echoes the voice of Leviathan from within her soul.

<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.

    Pearl can feel it the strength of those memories. Camaraderie and celebration, cut out from under them. The rising of Sin, the creature synonymous with death. A sensible attempt to flee. A roar for vengeance, a desire to take everything from an enemy that took everything from them. Pearl feels it in her blood. A soul searing cry for vengeance. That she can understand.

    And then for their island to fall into the seas, where no other summoner would go. Something about it hurts her heart, in a way she can't explain. To gain the power to gain your revenge, and to then be unable to use it. Is there a crueler fate, than to be denied that way? Or is that Pearl's deranged way of thinking?

    She continues her eye contact with the Fayth as they speak. "Then?" But so comes the caveat, and she nods slowly. "...So be it. At least we shall slay one of our enemies before it is done." It's hard to be exposed to that desire to slay Sin, to not feel it yourself. Even if she can only slay one monster, then maybe that's enough.

    But it won't stop her aiming for two.

    She feels the Fayth's soul intermix with hers. She feels the power rise in her, the power only a dance away. One she knows in her heart. "Thank you. We shall have vengeance."

<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.

    Pearl stands; the fayth vanishes; Belize unfolds their arms, sea green eyes widening a bit in surprise.
    
    "I admit, I didn't think you would be able to get through to the fayth," they say, a note of respect in their voice. "You might be the first not of Yevon to become a fully-fledged summoner."
    
    And even then, it's only because of the training she received while she posed as Ena. Without that, she wouldn't know the prayers or the dances. Still... There's a certain wonder in Belize's heart at this reality. How many more of Althena's faithful could have actually undertaken the pilgrimage if their respective cultures hadn't clashed so violently?
    
    Still, they frown thoughtfully, one hand rising to their chin. "So what do you intend to do now?"

<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.

    When she hears Belize's voice, she knows that all is done. For now, at least. Pearl stands, and turns to them. "Neither did I," Pearl admits, almost... sheepishly? "I had thought that my goals would be too different from theirs. But..." She trails off, and listens. She lets out a sad smirk. "Yes. A summoner without a Pilgrimage and without Guardians, but even so."

    She seems a little in awe, still. That a soul as shattered as hers could be deemed worthy. But Belize asks her a question that snaps her out of it. "I have someone I need to kill. But I do not know if they are still on this continent, or how he got here in the first place." She seems so firm in that conviction. "And I have to do what I can against Sin. The Fayth said we would seek our revenge. Not just mine." It's not quite an alien concept to her anymore, but it's still unusual. She's done the bidding of others for a long time, but rarely because she wanted to. "So it seems I will be in Spira for a while yet. I'll be sure not to let anyone know that any of the Guard have remained. I may be seen as a heretic, but..."

<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.

    Belize looks at Pearl for a long moment. Then they nod once. "I see. If you will help fight Sin, then I have no complaints. Maybe you'll be the one to take it out permanently--or else the one to find a way to defeat it without needing to sacrifice the Summoner." They smile faintly. "Both of those, Spira sorely needs."
    
    So she'll be in Spira for a while longer. They nod again. "Perhaps so. But the organization behind the teachings of Yevon is corrupt, as you well know. What matters are the Summoners and the Aeons--those who will actually defeat Sin. Be cautious--but there's no need to hang your head. The fayth has deemed you worthy, after all."

<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.

    Find a way to take it out permanently, or without sacrificing the summoner? One could hope, she supposes. She is not that optimistic. "Perhaps. We shall just have to see." Belize also reminds her of the truth of the matter. "I would say the biggest obstacle would be what the people thought, but... I can avoid them if I must.

    Pearl straightens up. "That is true. I must use well the power it has granted with me." She moves to pick up her hat. "Thank you for granting me this opportunity, Summoner Belize. I do not know if we will meet again." She gives a bow, but not the sign of Yevon. "I hope you find a comfortable life here."

<Pose Tracker> Belize has posed.

    "You're welcome," Belize replies graciously. When she bows, but not in the sign of Yevon, they return the gesture in kind. "Comfort is not my purpose for being here," they say dryly. "But I appreciate the sentiment all the same." They draw back the drape of the tent for themself and Pearl to leave. "Whether we meet again or not, I wish you well on your journey--Summoner Pearl."
    
    Once Pearl has made her way out, Belize will return to their self-appointed task of cleaning up the rubble of the ruins of Home.