(A/N): The first arc, which encompasses the entirety of the -Will- audio drama, will probably span 8-10 chapters. After that, I will approach the multiple, emerging conflicts such as the Yevoner hunters, the mastermind behind beckoning Sin, and Tidus/Yuna's sordid love story with finesse. Hopefully. I've got a lot in store for this fic, and I want to finish it before the actual game ever comes out in five or so years.

Prologue

Kurgum and Chuami stand at attention in Baralai's office, looking to the man they call their Chancellor as he moves from behind his desk, carrying an orange sphere that he retrieved from his locked drawer. Long gone are the days where a young, mischievous priest would host chocolate sphere hunts on Holy Week or recite the daily prayer text every morning at their primary school. Now, they are Sender and officer respectively, addressing their superior.

"I want you two to take a look at this sphere, and tell me what you see."

He holds the sphere out before them, activating the visiosphere via mana sensor. They lean close, spying the familiar stretch of dusk-lit soil that comprises the Moonflow bank along with the myriad of moon lilies native to its shallow, teal waters. The flickering screen pans to a shoopuf wading in a shoal entrenched in pyreflies, tangling noses with that of another shoopuf. Chuami recognizes the courier shoopuf by the slash of its scar on its left hind leg, however―

"How cute." She smiles, pulling back when Baralai withdraws his hands. "The shoopuf got himself a girlfriend."

"...There was something about that shoopuf, though. Is it a Beckoning?" Kurgum looks to his elder, reluctant to voice his skepticism.

Baralai smiles, pleased with his astute observation. "Right you are, Kurgum."

Chuami cuts her gaze to her friend, surprised filtering through her mirth. "Really? How can you tell?"

"The sphere was kind of staticky, but… If you compare it to the live shoopuf next to it, it's translucent, almost like an Unsent."

She crosses her arms, shifting her weight on one foot to tap her shoe. "Okay. So maybe somebody beckoned it. We don't know that for sure."

"That shoopuf is supposed to be the last of its kind." Baralai drops his hands to his waist, cradling the now dormant sphere between them. "One day, another one appeared. It raised quite a commotion among the locals, prompting an immediate investigation."

"Last one?" Kurgum queries, reluctant to challenge his word. "...but weren't there reported sightings of other shoopuf in regions such as Bikanel Desert and Mt. Gagazet? I don't remember classifying the shoopuf as an endangered species..."

"The last one indigenous to the Moonflow."

Chuami averts her eyes, chagrined by the sight of his knowing smile. He could have easily told them all this in a single breath, instead of goading them to challenge his brilliant pool of information. True to human nature, even Baralai with his noble countenance cannot resist the occasional power trip, if only in the realm of knowledge to tease them.

"Enlighten us, Chancellor, because honestly, I don't see what the big deal is. Either the shoopuf beckoned it, or somebody else did. It's just as likely the shoopuf found himself a lady friend. You know how the Hypello love to cart them around in full display. They've been a common sight in the Djose Continent for the past several years."

"You are right, and normally that would be the case, if not for the fact shoopufs are a monogamous species. When they mate, they mate for life." He eventually drops the affability to frown, swayed by the potential gravity of it all. "I sent an officer to investigate these rumors, and he proceeded to question the elderly who have lived there for years. He confirmed that beckoned shoopuf as the very same one attacked and killed by Sin thirty years prior. Such needless gossip would not normally attract my attention... were it not for the fact it occurred in the Moonflow, where beckoned sightings are reported dire to the point of infestation."

Chuami sighs, resigning herself to the argument. "Okay. So? What would you like us to do about it?"

"Conditions have worsened in the Moonflow. On top of that beckoned shoopuf, the area is overflowing with pyreflies again. This goes to show our previous efforts to stabilize it were not enough. I had hoped for it to remain calmer a little while longer, at least until we found a more suitable solution long-term, but with the current state of Spira at it is, thrown into absolute disarray..."

Baralai pauses to sigh, frustrated at the slow progression of things and the lack of visible, significant improvement, before recomposing his thoughts, reinforcing his stance. "If it is not too much trouble, I want you both to head to Besaid and notify Lady Yuna of these events. There are negative implications being cast in the Yevoners' direction, and I wish to discuss this with her at full length in order to dispel such allegations. But first, I need her to come meet with the Spiran Council."

He pauses to hand Kurgum the sphere, watching him stow it away in his knapsack. "Can you do that for me?"

"Of course." Kurgum places a hand over his chest, foregoing the typical Yevon prayer.

It took him forever to drop the habit. Chuami thought this suited him better.

Baralai smiles, reassured by his answer. "If you have the time, then please. Make sure that she views the contents of this sphere." And then he looks to Chuami, crossing his arms in a stern, almost blithe manner. "Be sure to look after him. He's your charge, and you are his assistant. You must always follow his lead, not the other way around."

She glares at him in jest, which he reciprocates in earnest.

"You can't fool me. I know how you are."

"Okay, okay, I'll be sure to keep that in mind." She rolls her eyes, mimicking his posture if not to spite him.

"Okay, then." He lightens up now, dropping his arms to his sides. "Have safe travels. You will be traveling by airship, so if you are susceptible to motion sickness, I suggest stocking up on medicine before heading to the docking station. Here's a slip to give to the pharmacy located within the temple compound. They will provide for all your needs."

This one he hands to Chuami, and she accepts it with a sly smile. "Huh. Reimbursed by the Council. I can get used to this."

"I would advise that you don't. That's only for emergency use."

She laughs, slipping it into the pocket of her red frock coat. "I was just kidding. Sort of."

Kurgum makes a face at her, embarrassed by her wisecrack remarks.

Chuami knows what he must be thinking: regardless of their personal history with the Chancellor, how can she possess the nerve to ignore protocol right in front of their own boss, the leading authority figure of Spira, every single time without shame?

She never makes his job easy, but Kurgum never complains. Besides, Baralai does not seem to mind, accustomed to worse offenders such as the Machine Faction leader, an Al Bhed youth infamous for his equal love of skirt-chasing and rule-breaking, and the ex-Mevyn of the disbanded Youth League ― now Military Advisor of the Spiran Council and General of the Bevellian army ― a half-man and half-machine rumored to be suicidal.

Apparently, the Chancellor likes to surround himself with colorful people.

"Do you have any questions before you depart?"

Baralai's voice anchors her back to the situation at hand, and Chuami stands straighter on her heels, all mirth gone from her stance. "Nope. I think we're good to go. If you have no further instructions for us, then we can leave right away."

"Good." Baralai smiles, regarding them with warmth, hands clasped at his back. "Farewell, then. I hope to see you again soon."

They each give him a heartfelt salute, before departing into the new day.