Lady Yuna, the daughter of High Summoner Braska, was performing the Sending for the dead. Maester Seymour watched from above while Yuna's guardians prowled the beach around her. The Mushroom Rock road was full of Crusaders looking for fallen comrades. A short distance from where Yuna danced, a dark-clad figure fell against a pile of rocks. No one noticed her as she lay there, unmoving. There were too many like her across the beach, too many bodies that weren't moving, for anyone to pay attention to her.
Paine collapsed wearily against a stone outcropping on the shore. She buried her face in her arms and allowed a few bitter tears to escape. Gippal, Baralai, and Nooj were missing. The four of them had escaped from the doomed Crimson Squad deathtrap, but in the aftermath with the failed Operation Mi'ihen, they had been separated.
The summoner was working her magic nearby. If Paine listened, she could hear the sighs of the dead as they released their hold on their mortal bodies and became pyreflies. She didn't want to listen. She'd heard that sigh all too recently in the cave they'd been sent in to investigate. Supposedly, since they were the only survivors, they should have been honored as members of the elitist Crimson Squad. But the Squad was a lie, a trick designed by Maester Kinoc that ended up in the deaths of several young men and women.
In the rush of people struggling to escape from Sin, Paine and her friends had been separated. Paine had ended up on the beach just after the final push by Sin. She'd run through the haze, looking for any sign of them. Paine sat in the grim graveyard as she waited for someone to notice she was still alive.
Paine lost track of time. As the sun set with glorious colors, a gentle hand touched her shoulder. She looked up into the concerned eye of the Al Bhed-turned-Crusader Gippal. "Paine?" "Gippal!" She struggled to her feet and gave him a quick hug. "I thought you were dead."
"I almost was," he told her. "I got caught in Sin's backlash. You?"
"I made it down here after the battle," she said. "I haven't seen the others. Have you?"
Gippal shook his head. "I found a slightly more sheltered spot," he told her. "Someplace a little safer from spying eyes. I've got a fire going and I managed to snare some fish. It's amazing what a little bit of machina knowledge can do for a person. We can look for the others tomorrow."
"Thanks," Paine said gratefully. "I didn't exactly relish the idea of going up to the command center for help. I don't think I'll be very popular there, especially if Maester Kinoc recognizes me." She followed Gippal across the sand to a sheltered cove.
Paine and Gippal shared a meager supper of roasted fish. He pulled the tattered remains of the fabric that had covered some of the machina weapons out and gave one to Paine. They bedded down next to the fire, each wrapped in a make-shift blanket. Paine only hoped that the next morning would yield more than her panicked race across the sands had.
The next morning found the two of them scouring the local countryside very carefully. For the most part, they avoided the Crusaders still wandering around. By noon, the two friends were beginning to give up hope that their companions were still alive. As they progressed along the Mushroom Rock road, they heard a soft moan near the edge of the cliff.
Paine peered over. "Baralai!" she called.
The Yevon priest looked up. "Paine? Is that you?" He blinked several times.
"Gippal, it's Baralai," Paine said, looking over her shoulder. "He looks a bit worse for wear."
Gippal joined her. "What do you think?" he asked.
"If I dropped down, I could probably help him up," Paine said slowly as she judged the distance between the rattled priest and herself. "Do you think you could pull him the rest of the way up?"
"Probably," Gippal replied. Paine jumped off the edge and landed lightly next to her friend. "Any really serious injuries?"
"I think he hit his head coming down," Paine hollered back. She pulled a potion out of her pocket. "Here, drink this. It should help."
Baralai downed the bitter liquid. He smiled weakly at her. "Those things are so disgusting," he joked.
"That's the point behind them," Paine told him with a wink. "We take them to remind us why we don't get ourselves hurt unless absolutely necessary." She helped him to his feet. She cupped her hands. "Put your knee in my hands. I'll boost you up so Gippal can pull you the rest of the way." Baralai nodded and did as she suggested. Once he was up, the two men reached down and Paine jumped up to catch their hands. They pulled her up as well.
Paine hugged Baralai. "Did you happen to see Nooj before you fell off the edge of the road?" she asked.
"Briefly," Baralai said. "I had hoped he'd be with you two."
"We haven't found him yet," Gippal said. "Any idea which way he went?"
"Towards Djose Temple, I think," Baralai said, rubbing the back of his head. "I was hit by a couple Crusaders running from Sin, so I can't be certain."
"Let's go see," Paine said. "There's an inn near the temple, where the summoners stay. Maybe he stopped there."
The three weary friends limped along the road until they reached Djose Temple. Summoner Yuna was already there, but she was inside. Paine and Gippal waited outside, sitting on a stack of crates, while Baralai went in to see if Nooj was staying there.
A few minutes later, the Deathseeker and the priest exited the inn. "I didn't think I'd see you guys again," Nooj said, relief evident in his voice.
"Can't kill us that easily, Nooj," Gippal half-teased. "You know, this might not be the safest place for us."
"I agree," Baralai said. "There are too many priests and warrior monks around. Someone's bound to recognize us eventually."
"The Mi'ihen Highroad isn't that far from here," Paine pointed out. "If we move quickly, we can make it in a day, maybe two."
"Sounds good to me," Gippal said.
"It would be a good place to rest," Baralai agreed. "The Al Bhed have no real love for Yevon and probably wouldn't turn us over to the maesters if they came looking for us."
"Let's move out then," Nooj said. The friends set out at a brisk trot, hoping to get away without being recognized.