It was just after noon the following day when Kat finally got word from Marstrom. He had been out all morning, which had meant she and Luce were running things alone. Thankfully, it hadn't been too bad. The man was wearing a frown when he came in and pulled Kat into the back room. He ran a hand through his already tousled hair before he gave her a tired smile and folded note. "Take this up to the temple and ask for Brother Latham. I've pulled in most of my favors to get you in, but I can't get the man out. Sorry, it's the best I can do. It might not have been so bad if he hadn't kept spouting all that nonsense about Zanarkand."
For just a moment, Kat wanted to tell him that it wasn't nonsense at all, but she held her tongue and took the note. "I appreciate this. I don't know how to pay you back, but if you think of anything and it's in my power, I'd be happy to do it."
Marstrom grinned more like his usual self and patted her shoulder with a chuckle as he said, "Tell you what, as long as you don't run off without a word after this and give me time to find a replacement, we'll call it even."
Kat frowned at him as she said, "That's just plain human decency."
The man rolled his eyes and gave her a gentle push toward the door. "If you can get back before the dinner rush, I could use the help." Kat gave him a curt nod and a wave as she headed toward the door with the note clutched in her hand.
The walk to the temple took nearly forty-five minutes, as the Flying Fish was toward the outskirts of town. The whole way, Kat was trying to control her nerves. Logically she knew there was no reason for her to be afraid. She was nothing more than a citizen of Bevelle and hadn't done anything wrong. Still, she knew too much about the hypocrisy that went on behind those closed doors and the disturbing depths some of the highest members were willing to go to. At least if the story matched reality.
By the time she made it to the doors, she was a bundle of nerves and nearly jumped when a monk finally opened the smaller door next to the gates. It didn't help that he was frowning at her. Before he could even ask why she was there, she held out the paper and said, "I was told to give this to Brother Latham. Marstrom, from the Flying Fish, sent me."
The monk's demeanor immediately changed. He smiled and motioned for her to follow him. He was talking over his shoulder while they walked. "We're happy to help anyone sent by Sir Marstrom. I believe Brother Latham is expecting you."
For the first time, Kat began to wonder why her boss had ties to the temple, and her curiosity got the better of her. "Sir Marstrom? Was he perhaps a guardian?"
The monk glanced back with a sad smile. "Yes. He was a Guardian to Summoner Withal. She had so much potential and spiritual energy—we all thought she would succeed. She even made it almost all the way to the sacred city. Unfortunately, the trials proved to be too much, and she perished on Holy Mount Gagazet. After that, Sir Marstrom decided his days as a guardian were over. I suppose that's why he doesn't talk about it much. It's a shame, really. He is still one of the best."
That was the last thing Kat had expected to learn, but it did explain why her boss had connections. At least he wasn't part of the temple anymore. Although the revelation did make her feel a little guilty about her thoughts as she was walking earlier. Obviously, not everyone within Yevon would be bad.
She wasn't given long to worry about it. It took them less than five minutes before they stopped outside a small office, and the guard knocked on the jamb. An older man was sitting behind the desk, pouring over thick tomes. He jumped when the sound rang through the room, but a smile quickly broke across his face as he stood.
The guard bowed out, but Kat was left to walk into the office as the man behind the desk said, "Welcome! You must be that young woman Sir Marstrom told me about. It's always sad to see young people in such dire straights, but at least your body is whole."
Kat wasn't sure what to say to that, so she nodded as she held out the note. "Yes, my name is Kat Summerton. I'm not sure if Marstrom told you what I needed—"
The old man cut her off with a distracted wave. "No need to worry. He explained things well enough." He then folded the piece of paper and put it in a pocket as he came around the desk. "Why don't I escort you down there myself. I'm afraid we can only give you half an hour, so do make sure to take care of business quickly."
It was hard to tell if the old man was distracted or just rude, but Kat wasn't about to lose the chance to talk to Jecht, so she kept her mouth shut and followed the man through some halls and down a couple flights of stairs. When they arrived at a door guarded by two men, Brother Latham nodded to them both as he said, "Give her no more than a half-hour, then please have someone escort her out. I need to get back to my work."
One of the monks saluted while the other turned to open the door. Kat didn't bother waving to the old man as he left, not that he would have noticed anyway. Instead, she slipped into the room and headed toward the only occupied cell.
Jecht was lying on his side facing the far wall on something that looked like it was supposed to be a pallet but had lost that function years before. Kat had to repress a shiver, but it didn't stall her. She knelt by the bars as she called out. "Are you awake?"
The man in the cell waved one hand over his shoulder dismissively as he said, "Whatever you've come to say, I'm not interested. Unless you can get me out of this place."
Kat wasn't exactly surprised. Yes, the man could be arrogant and careless, but he didn't deserve to be locked up like that. She ignored the tone and scooted a little closer as she said, "I'm sorry, I can't get you out of here, but—"
A scoff cut her off. "I've already had too many problems with broads in this crazy place. If you can't help, then leave."
For just a moment, Kat thought about turning around and waiting to see if anyone else would come for the man and until then, his sexist ass could rot in that cell. However, if she had any hope of trying to convince Braska and Auron to help her, she wouldn't be able to do it alone. She had no leverage, and she certainly wasn't a fighter, so convincing Jecht that she could help him might tilt the scales in her favor.
She took a deep breath and clung to her calm as she said, "Jecht, just because I can't get you out yet doesn't mean I'm not here to help. Now, if you could stop being an ass and at least look at me, maybe we can figure something out."
There was no telling if it was her tone or the use of his name, but the man finally sat up and looked over his shoulder at her. His eyes widened, and he turned when he finally saw her face. "You're that woman from yesterday. The one that got me locked up in here!"
Kat held up both hands and tried to give him a remorseful look. "It's not my fault you're still here—that's because of your talk of Zanarkand. Still, I will apologize for the misunderstanding. It was never my intention to get you in trouble."
Jecht looked totally unconvinced as he said, "Sure could of fooled me. You didn't even say anything when that monster of a man accused me."
He had a point, and Kat knew it. Still, this would be the pivot point, and she hoped like hell that the man was amenable to listening. "I know, and I apologize, but there was a reason for that, and it had nothing to do with wanting to get you in trouble."
The look he gave her screamed, 'I don't believe you,' but Kat pressed on. Too much was riding on this. "Look, let me start a little more than four months ago."
Jecht held up a hand and rolled his eyes, "Look, lady, I don't care to hear your life story, so if you have a point, then make it or leave."
The fact that Jecht wasn't really a villain was the truth, but that didn't keep him from being an asshole, and Kat wasn't sure how much of it she could handle. If her situation wasn't so dire, she would have done exactly like he suggested. Instead, she took a deep breath and said, "My life story isn't much anyway. It pretty much started four months ago, and that's all I have."
Kat's sudden declaration that her life was only four months long at least worked to grab Jecht's attention. He looked her over and then cocked a brow. "I gotta say, you look a hell of a lot older than four months."
Suddenly, Kat wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or roll her eyes. She ended up hiding her smile behind a hand before she cleared her throat and said, "I didn't mean I was born four months ago—I washed up on the shores here that long ago. And most importantly, you are the first person I recognize since then."
For the first time since she walked into the room, she had Jecht's full and undivided attention. He leaned a little closer to the bars and lowered his voice as he said, "Does that mean you came from Zanarkand too?"
Kat couldn't hold back a sigh. It felt wrong to lie to the man, but the truth was even more unbelievable than him coming from a thousand-year-dead city; at least he was from the same planet. Her jaw clenched once before she shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. But something in my gut tells me that you aren't lying or crazy. I don't know what that means about where you are actually from or where I'm from, but I will say I believe you. As illogical as that may be, I just do."
Jecht stared at her with wide eyes for a moment before he sat straight and grinned. "All right, that's better than anyone else in this backwards place. Now, what do we do about it?"
That was the question, wasn't it? Kat had been unable to come up with more of a plan than just getting Jecht to maybe be willing to help her when he got out. Although she didn't want to give the impression that she was already out of options, so she said, "I wasn't able to get you out yet, but I think I can convince the monks to let you go if I vouch for you since I was the one you supposedly harassed. You'll also need to promise to stop talking about Zanarkand. At least in this city."
Jecht scoffed and crossed his arms as he glared at her, but she kept going before he could interrupt. "Look, I know the idea sucks, especially since you need to find out how to get back, but right now, you aren't getting much done in this cell. We need to get you out, and that will be the best bet to get it done. Once we take care of that part, I give you my word that I will help you find a way back to where you're from."
He raised one brow at her as he said, "You didn't talk like you have a lot of resources."
Kat sighed. He wasn't wrong, but that didn't mean she could give up. "Not a lot, no, but I have been able to save enough for a trip if I figured something out. I'm not saying we wouldn't have to work for it, but I'll do everything I can. It would help me too, you know. I may need to make things up to you, but we're both lost at sea for the moment, so to speak."
The man continued to sit there with a glare for several seconds before he finally huffed and threw his hands up. "Whatever. I guess if it gets me out of this damn place, then I'm all for it. How long—"
Before Jecht could finish that sentence, the door opened again. Kat had a slight panic attack, as she wasn't done, and it hadn't been thirty minutes yet—or she thought it hadn't anyway. However, the matter of time was quickly washed away when the guard let in two men that were just as familiar as the one in the cell.
Kat scrambled to her feet and bowed a little awkwardly before mentally kicking herself. Why the hell had she bowed? It wasn't like they were royalty. When she looked up, she saw a very young Auron glaring at her and a bemused Braska with a polite smile as he said, "Please pardon our interruption. I didn't realize the gentleman would have a guest."
Kat had no idea what to even say. She hadn't expected them to show up the same day she did, and she wasn't entirely sure if it was a good thing or not. Her lack of a plan was really coming back to bite her. Even so, she couldn't remain silent, so she grasped her hands in front of her as she said, "Oh, no. It's perfectly fine. I'm not trying to get in the way."
Braska looked like he was about to say something, but Jecht butted in. "Hey! What do you think you're doing? We aren't done talking."
Kat gave him a beseeching look—not that she thought it would do any good. Still, she kept eye contact and willed him to understand as she said, "It's no problem. I'll see what I can do to start implementing our plan, then be back later."
Jecht frowned but didn't get to say anything before Braska stepped in. "I beg your pardon for the intrusion, ma'am, but you are welcome to stay. This should not take long. If there is a limit to your time here, I will ensure you are given extra to compensate for my intrusion."
For a moment, Kat was torn on what to do. She had not planned on meeting those two yet, and she wasn't sure if this was a good turn of events or not. Still, she bit the corner of her lip to keep from showing her nerves as she nodded and forced herself to say, "Thank you for your concern. I appreciate being allowed to stay."
The summoner nodded with a smile before he turned to the cell and asked, "You are the one they call Jecht; the man from Zanarkand, are you not?"
Jecht had been staring at Kat with furrowed brows, but when Braska spoke, he turned and crossed his arms. "Yeah, what of it?"
Kat almost wanted to facepalm at how arrogant the man was. Especially since they had just talked about how he should stop talking about Zanarkand. Although, in this case, she would give him a pass. If he didn't, things might not go the way they needed them to. Still, she had to look away when Auron came from behind Braska to reprimand the man in the cell. "Watch your tongue, knave!"
Seeing the scene in front of her was almost surreal, and Kat had to take a step back. As much as she had gotten used to the idea of being in a different world, it was only as Braska gave a reprimanding look to Auron that it really hit her. She was in Spira—the one she knew and had loved. At least she had loved it before she was hurled into it. Now, the thought of the danger she was about to throw herself headfirst into made her a little nauseous.
She didn't consider herself a coward, as she had faced some scary thing in her days of diving and working with Dr. Jones. But the idea of facing off against Sin with nothing but swords and magic made her break out into a cold sweat. Especially the magic part. She had known it was part of Spira, but she had yet to see any. It was a difficult concept to wrap her head around.
Kat had been so absorbed in her own thoughts that she missed part of the conversation. She looked back in time to see Braska chuckle awkwardly as he said, "That easy to see, was it?" The summoner's smile then dimmed as he continued, "I soon leave on a pilgrimage—to Zanarkand."
That immediately grabbed Jecht's attention, and the sideways glances he kept sending Kat disappeared. His eyes were wide as he walked right up to the bars and said, "Seriously?"
Braska nodded once with a simple hum before he said, "I would like you to join us. Though the trip will be dangerous."
He then paused and gave Kat an apologetic look. It only took her a moment to understand why. Her eyes widened, and she held up both hands. "Oh! I think you may have the wrong idea."
Braska's expression turned a little confused, but he didn't get to ask what she meant as Jecht said, "Hey, let's focus. What's the deal with Zanarkand?"
The summoner's eyes lingered on Kat for just a moment before he turned back to Jecht. "If we can reach the end of my pilgrimage—Zanarkand—then my prayers will be answered, and you will be able to go home. Or so we think." Braska sent one more questioning look to Kat before he finished with, "What say you?"
Jecht's response was a grin and a fist pump as he said, "Great! Let's go."
Kat wasn't sure if she wanted to roll her eyes at Jecht's absolutely over-the-top behavior or if she wanted to scream in frustration that everything was moving too fast and she still didn't have a good plan. Not that it made a difference as Braska looked between her and Jecht with a frown as he said, "Hmm, so quick to agree?"
Jecht scoffed before he said, "Anything to get out of here."
Braska took a step back with a nod. "Then it's settled."
Although, that seemed to be the last straw for Auron, who had been standing quietly to the side. His expression was just shy of a glare as he said, "Sir, I must protest. This drunkard could never make a guardian."
Jecht immediately grabbed the bars and shook them a little as he practically yelled, "Hey! You want to step in here and say that?"
Braska then turned to face Auron with a small smile. "What does it matter? No one truly believes that I, a fallen summoner wed to an Al Bhed, could possibly defeat Sin. That is what they say. No one expects us to succeed."
Auron looked nearly defeated as he earnestly raised a hand. "Braska, sir…"
He trailed off as though he wasn't sure how to follow up. Kat understood. It wasn't like anything that the summoner had said was incorrect. Although, seeing this conversation in person made her wonder about what was reality and what wasn't. Watching flesh and blood people act out a game she once played was odd, to say the least.
Thankfully, Braska did not seem to be one to let the situation or perceptions stop him. He chuckled lightly as he said, "Let's show them they're wrong. A fallen summoner, a man from Zanarkand, and a warrior monk doomed to obscurity for refusing the hand of the High Priest's daughter—What delightful irony it would be if we could defeat Sin."
Auron's brow furrowed, and he looked like he had more to add, but Jecht rattled the bar he was still holding to get their attention. "Enough talking. Get me out of here already!"
Auron's frown deepened as he glared at Jecht, but he didn't say anything as Braska motioned for one of the guards to come over and open the cell. As soon as Jecht was out, he stretched dramatically and swung his shoulder around a few times, as though he had been in a cramped space for way too long.
Kat shook her head with a quiet sigh at his antics, but she wasn't prepared for what happened next. She was still worrying the corner of her lip with her teeth as she tried to figure out what to say to keep the three men from walking away and never seeing them again when Jecht walked over to her. He put one hand on her shoulder as he looked at the other two men and said, "Look, I get that I don't have a lot of room to negotiate, but if I go, she goes too." It took all Kat had not to fall down on the spot. Maybe she had grossly underestimated the man.
A/N: Horrible cliffhanger, I know, but at least the journey is starting-or rather, it's about to lol. From here on out, things should only start to get more interesting. What do you all think so far? How do you think Kat will fit in, or what will happen just to get her in lol. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed it so far. Thanks for reading and cheers!