What happens to the Aeons when they aren't in battle with Yuna? I don't know either but here's one possible envisioning.
At the Aeon house, a two story home with an extended back yard, shaded porch and balcony in the back, all was quiet in the mid-morning hours. A light was on in the den downstairs and on the other side of the window, four figures sat around a square table, each holding a hand of cards in front of their faces and regarding the others speculatively. They made a very strange gathering that seemed at odds with their appearance and attire. Of the four persons, three were males and the fourth was definitely a woman. She was currently pouting at her hand of cards.
Silence continued to reign before the dragon Bahamut, talons of his free hand clicking loudly on the hardwood table, cleared his throat. "Shiva. It is still your turn." Impatiently, he shifted his feathered wings, the slowly spinning ring moving with them, and twitched his tail, careful not to sit back in the chair that had been modified for his frame. Really, they had just removed the backing and turned it into an improvised stool but he was quite content with it.
Ifrit and Yojimbo shifted and eyed Shiva curiously. She was a fickle one to play cards with in general and they all knew she didn't like to be rushed. The ice blue woman with dark blue hair and hardly a stitch of clothes to her name, placed her elbow on the table and rested her head on her hand. Her blue eyes peeked over the top of the cards to view the other players and she sighed, "I just don't know." Agitatedly, she sat up again and twitched the length of cloth from her lap and let it hang at her hip, her legs completely bare. Finally, she pointed across at Yojimbo, "Jimbo. Do you have any…eights?"
With a long suffering sigh, the samurai responded, "My name is Yojimbo," and he was careful to emphasize the first syllable. He peered at her through his mask, under his yellowish wide-brimmed hat and shook his head. "Go fish." Unconsciously, he shifted the katana at his side and shrugged his shoulders, the ornate pauldrons shifting in turn.
Shiva growled in frustration, "You never have anything I ask for." Annoyed, she flipped back one of the thick bound strands of hair over her shoulder and reached for a card from the middle of the table. The pile was still fairly large and they had been playing for…how long was it now?
As she was just leaning back to situate the card in her hand, Ifrit placed his cards, face down, on the table with exaggerated care due to the length of his claws, and stood up, the chair scraping loudly as it was pushed back. Out of habit, he remained hunched over to allow his horns to follow the curvature of his spine. "I am being summoned," he explained, the wolf-like maw enunciating the words with effort. Quickly, he headed to the door in the front hall and, using the lever handle doorknob, he stepped out, disappearing as soon as he crossed the threshold.
"Ifrit! You're next," Shiva muttered, placing her own cards down and glancing at the other two. Yojimbo looked at the door Ifrit had just exited and then out the back door to the porch where the rest of their companions were resting. Valefor was preening himself, the bird-like creature as large as any of them and equally difficult to keep clean. Ixion was grazing, taking great care to keep the hooked horn from sticking in the ground. Anima, as usual, was grounded, seemingly sprouting from the earth itself and chained by bonds that similarly disappeared in the ground. Even now, she was an odd Aeon, particularly since she wasn't mobile on her own, disappearing and reappearing when summoned and dismissed. Taking care of the three were the Magus Sisters: Cindy, Sandy and Mindy.
Mindy, the youngest, was very attentive to Ixion and continued to run a brush over his dark colored body, the mane and tail nearly impossible to comb out. Sandy, the middle sister who held the characteristics of a beetle, helped Valefor reach the spots his beak could not, moving her great bulk awkwardly when he shook his wings out. The eldest sister, Cindy, who bore the features of a praying mantis, stood next to Anima, offering encouragement and a listening ear. They all felt a degree of pity when it came to the bound Aeon and each did what they could to alleviate her continual torment. The samurai finally came out and caught the last part of the encouraging words she murmured, "I'm sure she'll have need of you soon. Don't worry, Anima. You know how Yuna likes to save the best for last." She cast a plaintive look in Yojimbo's direction as if asking to be released.
She was pleasantly surprised when Bahamut quickly abandoned the card game and headed out, leaving Shiva by herself. "Hey Anima! Let's see if your aim is still what it should be," he quipped, flexing his large wings easily, the large feathers stretching with the motion.
"But what if I hit you?" Anima asked plaintively, clearly torn between the desire to do something and be part of the group and of hurting her companion.
"Then we'll know you've still got it," Shiva encouraged as she came out to lounge in the swinging chair. She was careful to flip her hair over the back so that it swayed with the seat instead of sitting on it. The end of the wrap at her waist trailed gently over the ground near her feet and she smiled at the pair, unconsciously sensual.
"But what if I hurt him?" Anima persisted, the chains jangling near her clawed hands as she tried to add expressive gestures to her concern.
"You won't," Bahamut assured her quickly, flashing a confident grin. He didn't give her more time to debate and worry before he flapped hard and launched himself into the air. All eyes turned to follow the majestic dragon while Anima charged up her Oblivion attack.
Her torso rocked as dark beams of power burst from her shining eye, the disfigured face contorted in pain. Swiftly, the beams flew after the soaring dragon. He was truly magnificent in his flying prowess, adeptly swooping and dodging as necessary. Valefor watched with a careful eye, certain he could move faster and with tighter turns but for the bulk of the dragon, Bahamut was a master in the air. It was also probable that he was considerably more resilient than the lighter bird. Dragon skin was notoriously thick.
Yojimbo was the first to look away as a sleepy Daigoro wandered out from the house where he had been resting. The samurai knelt next to the grinning dog and fondly scratched the small ears. "Ifrit's back," he murmured, looking inside curiously as a rather drenched Ifrit made his way out back. The samurai eyed him, at which the fire lord sighed.
"Waterga took me out. Lousy casters…" he grumbled before he sat down next to Yojimbo to watch the flying efforts of Bahamut.
At that same moment, Ixion picked up his head and snorted. "Aww. Good luck Ixy," Mindy smiled with a pat on the unicorn's neck. Ixion stepped away from her and then sprinted for the boundary of the fence to hop over it neatly. "We never get to have any fun," she sighed with a glance to her other sisters as Ixion vanished as soon as he cleared the barrier.
"Ow…ow!" Bahamut roared as he misjudged the timing and was pelted by two attacks in quick succession, one of which hit his wing, briefly making it useless. In vain, he flapped the one good wing and sent himself into an out of control spiral down.
Mindy shrieked as the dragon fell towards her, her tiny bee enhanced body no match for the bulk of the falling dragon. Valefor warbled a warning, swooping in low to snatch her out of harm's way and flying to safety as his flying brother crashed into the spot she had been. Cindy and Sandy rushed over to where Valefor had deposited Mindy and sighed in relief that she was unharmed.
Ifrit pushed himself up and padded over to Bahamut to help the disgruntled dragon to his feet. "Every time," the fire Aeon chuckled, shaking his head ruefully.
Bahamut shrugged and rubbed the back of his head. "It doesn't hurt that bad," he admitted. "But the landing could use some work." It was not uncommon for him to be shot out of the sky. Considering all the attacks Anima could fire, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Landing safely tended to be the hardest part.
"Oh! My turn!" Shiva cried, hopping up from the swing and sprinting for the door, hair and skirt trailing gracefully behind her. She hadn't quite made it before Ixion hopped back over the fence, lightning still sparking off his horn and trailing off the ends of his mane and short, fluffy tail. He shook his head at the spectacle and wandered over to the moaning Anima. Gently, he touched his horn to the chains that bound her and released the last of the electrical discharge.
"Yow!" she jerked, the chains jangling loudly. "What was that for?" Though she was angry at him, her attention was finally diverted from having hit Bahamut…again. Ixion just looked at her and shook his head before wandering over to the shade and folding himself onto the ground. He had done his part for the day.
Silence answered the question as the others looked around, debating what to do next. Gradually, they all broke off individually. Yojimbo wandered to the side of the house, playing with Daigoro who bounced around his feet. The others watched the pair with smiles and then looked at the remaining group. Ifrit headed inside first, still shaking water from the thick, orange hair that ran down his upper back. The Magus Sisters ran to the table and took over the deck of cards, shuffling them anew and starting a spirited game of war. Valefor flapped up to his perch on the balcony of the house to sun himself. Anima had to content herself with watching the clouds, as usual. "A bird. There's a sword. Huh…that one's a chocobo…"
The relative calm was shattered when Shiva came back, opening the door with a resounding crash as she hopped in, grinning. "Yes!" she cheered, her high momentarily dulled by the sisters at the table. Briefly miffed, she was about to say something and then thought better of it. With a resigned sigh, she stretched up and smiled at them, throwing in a wink for good measure. "That should be it for at least a little while." A careful glance around showed that none of the others were nearby and she sighed again. It was so much more fun when they could share in the victory. Yuna had won again and she was almost in town so it was likely they wouldn't be called upon any time soon. Easily, she slid herself into the extra chair at the table and looked at the three expectantly.
The sisters looked back at her; Cindy's mantis features gaunt and imposing while Sandy's beetle features were round and forceful. Mindy giggled and snatched the cards up before the other two could argue. "Come on, Shiva. Let's see how your luck holds today," the youngest grinned, doling out the cards and ignoring the looks from her sisters. "I know you remember war. Ready. Aaaand go!"