"You've aggravated his emotional instability," Basch said.
Gabranth hesitated and Basch knew the words stuck. "And what would you have me do, brother? Larsa is a child no longer, nor I a relevant member in his house."
"He wishes you were."
"And it pains me to hear it. Would I this responsibility to banish and this threat to extinguish, but I must use my influence as a tool. Not as a salve."
"Your dedication baffles even me. What house have you joined in the great beyond that forces you to perform such work? What motivates them to weaponize your mortal bonds?"
"What motivates, indeed." Gabranth used him to gaze upon the tapestry in the Judge's room of rest, where images of the imperial family's history reminded them their purpose. "Suffice to say I am to perform the work none other has the heart for. And none other has the ties. We do not believe in manipulation for convenience's sake, my brother, but we wish for the survival and wellbeing of all."
"You can at least provide His Excellency closure before you leave."
"If only I could. But I imagine bringing attention to it now would only distract the emperor from his duties. This isn't a time for emotions and idle words, but for decision and action. We can remark on closure once our worlds are secured and our freedom salvaged."
"Would Larsa's satisfaction not prove beneficial to such a goal?"
"I shan't risk it." Gabranth looked away from the tapestries that caused him a sting deep in his breast.
"Then you disappoint me."
"A phrase I am most familiar with. Do well, brother. Guide him where I cannot. This I plead though I have no right to."
"You have every right. I shall do as you ask, though I doubt I am as capable. Our ward wanders the streets without my knowing and harbors brigands whilst befriending thieves. He finds little satisfaction in his work and every excuse to run away. Were you here, you might keep him on a straighter path."
"You mean to leash him as a dog?"
Basch thought of the blood on Larsa's clothes when he returned with Hope. "Only as a young ruler in need of guidance is leashed by the wisdom of his elders. And without a father or older brother to which he might turn, Larsa is left only with us."
"As if the gods find humor in it. Who are we to provide such wisdom?"
"We are all that's left aside from Zargabaath. Or perhaps, I am the only one left besides. And Zargabaath has made it clear he's as ready as we to direct the emperor. You may have duties, Gabranth, but perhaps in death you might provide something more invaluable. Would that I could replace your soul in my body and continue your direction of the boy."
"Would that I might transfer my experience to you in a spell of exchange in protection of your people."
"Archadia doesn't hold my people. Though I took your place beside the throne, I never promised myself to your loyalty. I am of Dalmasca, not Archadia."
"I was never of Archadia, only pledged to the lords in whom I believed. We seem forced to follow where the winds blow us at times, however, and for the sake of all nations, it seems you're taken to the empire's doorstep. Though you do not consider yourself sworn to this land, it behooves you to protect all countries through Archadia's longevity."
Basch couldn't think to contradict him. "I will not let civil war overtake us, brother."
"And that is all I can ask of this world for now. If I could spare you a recipe to cure all ails, then I would part of it at no hesitation. But we can only share what intelligence we gather and only in such a limited way."
"I am bound by honor and by honor I serve my country. I can only hope when I meet you in the halls of our fathers that I can lift my head as high as you."
"A mockery you make of me. You've not done half the wrong I have. When we meet again, I'll find pride in calling you 'brother.'"
Basch couldn't explain the swelling in his throat, so he replaced his helm and moved to leave. "Until then, farewell."
A flicker of sadness and the presence left him.
Cinque stretched, eyes on the blue skies broken up by trees. They landed in the old forest where she arrived last time. But now the summer heat of late afternoon beat upon them despite the canopy, and it was quieter now. "We're here!"
Serah held Dajh's hand and Mog floated above them. "Where to, kupo? Ask around in Tycoon? Find reports of the void, kupo?"
"Something like that." Cinque started off for Tycoon.
"Dajh, any leads?" Serah asked.
"I don't think so. This forest is full of life—i's just sleeping. Why'd I have to come here?"
"Because you ran off when you weren't supposed to," Serah said.
"You got this, kupo!"
Cinque shuddered at the reminder of this world's disconcerting aura. It was good at lulling people into a false sense of security and distracting them from their job. "We're going to Tycoon," Cinque said. "Keep an eye out for liars."
"What lies are we expecting?" Serah asked.
"How do you know if their lying?" Dajh asked.
"They'll tell you that Bhunivelze is a good thing." Cinque forced the words out through grit teeth. "That we should just give up because he's always gonna win."
"Hey Dajh, follow Mog for a minute."
"Okay."
Serah moved to Cinque's side and matched her stride. "Are you okay?" Serah asked.
"No one's even shot me in the head so I'm great!"
"That's not an accomplishment, Cinque."
"Since when?"
"Never mind. You seem bothered."
"Maybe a little."
"Wanna talk about it?"
"Talk about what?"
"About what's bothering you?"
"Why?"
"Because it helps to talk through these things. I know when I'm upset that I like to talk to people I trust and sort through my emotions."
Cinque still couldn't see the use. "Why not just channel it in battle?"
"Because it's healthy to talk to people. It trains you to control them instead of letting them control you. Like… if you captured someone, wouldn't it be more effective to find out their secrets than kill them immediately?"
"Not really. People are really bad at telling the truth."
"But if they were better at it, aren't secrets more powerful than dead people?"
"Not if you want to scare the bad guys into giving up."
Serah stared at her like Cinque said something weird. "Then how about—?"
Serah walked into Dajh, who stood frozen in the middle of the road. Cinque reached to shake him out of it, but Serah knelt beside him first and asked him what was wrong.
Cinque felt a tug on her heart and joined Serah. Mog flitted about them in a panic. Dajh cried silently, tears streaming from puffy eyes. He stared ahead and his mouth twisted with sadness. Like Ace when Izana died.
Serah tried to talk to him. Cinque took him in a hug and let him cry into her chest. Serah joined them and Dajh sobbed, his little body shaking with the force of it.
The city ahead looked quiet, but Cinque couldn't imagine it being sadder than Dajh. He said something about his friend disappearing. Of course, they'd just meet her with the dead later, but for some reason, people stressed out at the transition.
"It'll be okay," Cinque said. "It always works out in the end." She hugged Dajh tighter and his hair tickled her chin. She giggled and Dajh quieted.
Serah gave her an odd look after and Dajh didn't act happy, but he seemed calmer after. She expected he was tired like she always found herself after crying and suggested they find a place to sleep when they found the chance.
Serah gave a noncommittal answer to that one.
Leonora barely caught her breath before the Turks rushed them into a rundown and abandoned complex that looked too big to be anything but an oversized hotel. They found rooms upon rooms upon rooms and Leonora wondered how many ways she could hide in this place.
"Those things were spirits," Paine said once they settled in what must have been a workroom once. "Unless you can think of something better, we should all learn to Send and fend them off. We can't beat them for good, but it'll keep them off our butts."
"And what was this Sending thing again?" Reno asked. "Enlighten me."
"The act of putting the dead back where they belong. Mortals and spirits were never supposed to mix and that's why we can't fight them on equal ground."
"Explain how we do that," Elena said.
"We dance."
Silence. The Turks glanced among themselves and Seifer looked intrigued. Lebreau rolled her eyes and moved toward the door without leaving.
"Dance," Elena repeated.
"I hate it, too," Paine said, "but that's how Summoners used to Send and it's the only way I've ever known it to work."
"Is this fight really worth our dignity?" Reno asked. "I don't think so."
Leonora faced him. "It's for the good of the planet!"
"And how does my making a fool of myself help the planet?"
"It makes it your job to do whatever it takes to keep your world from falling to these monsters in your streets!"
"And you decided that when?"
"I didn't! It's common sense!"
"I'm not doing it," Lebreau said. "Ciao."
"Right behind you," Reno said.
Rude got up and followed them out the door. Paine looked between those that remained. "You guys talk dance lessons. I'll go beat some sense into those guys."
Paine left and Irvine whistled. "Got quite the party already," he said. "How can we make this even more exciting?"
Leonora hummed. "I didn't pick up much on performance like this from my world. How about you all?"
"We have our own method," Elena said. "It came from the western region near Wutai, where people valued art and battle equally. We've since refined this style of theirs for our use." Elena demonstrated motion of the arm. "It retains an elegance to it like you're dancing, but with the right timing, you can snap a person's spine."
Fujin said, "Seifer."
"Shut up, Fujin."
Irvine perked up. "You can dance, Seifer?"
"None of your business, Kinneas."
"Kind of like whatever you did with the Lifestream before we arrived? Wait." Irvine guided Leonora away from Elena and toward Seifer. "I know I've heard this before. You can pull a mean slow one, can't you?"
Seifer should have killed Irvine on the spot with the intense look of hate in his eyes. "I'm a gentleman—of course I can dance."
"I would argue the gentle part of that…" Irvine pushed Leonora at Seifer. "Come on. Show her your moves."
Seifer's face turned pinker than raw meat and he cleared his throat. "I'll kill you."
"We won't watch, I promise!" Irvine gestured to the others. "Come on, let's give them some space."
Leonora looked at Seifer and gripped her staff to steady her shaking hands. "You don't have to if you don't want to."
His lip twitched. "Drop the staff."
She set it aside and he took her freed hand with such force she lost her footing. "Uh—"
"Say nothing."
"… Okay."
"No, not like that—ugh, fine. Fujin." Seifer released Leonora and Fujin took her place. "Like this."
Seifer and Fujin danced together in slow circles with elegant twists and turns like they performed for a ceremony. Leonora lost her breath at the fluidity of it and almost forgot to track the movements for herself.
When Seifer offered his hand again, Leonora did her best to remember the pattern of theirs but couldn't replicate it.
"Slower," Seifer said. "You're getting ahead of yourself."
"Oh."
"Not that slow. Come on, pretend you're like a bird, it's not that hard."
"Birds don't dance."
"I know they don't, it's just—fine. Forget it." Seifer left her and Fujin watched him go before turning to Leonora.
"Disappointment," Fujin said.
Heat rose in Leonora's cheeks and she looked away. "I'm sorry I'm not practiced, but—"
Fujin offered her hand. "No. Disappointed in Seifer. Try again."
"… Okay." Leonora accepted and they repeated the motions.
Eventually Irvine came in and whistled at the sight. "Looking good, you two! Fujin, I never pegged you for such a stunner!"
"Unsurprised."
"It's hard," Leonora said between steps.
"It's not about what everyone says," Irvine said. "What I reckon, this is more about finding your inner power than finding one proper technique. Though, I must say I really like this one."
"Because it's pretty." Leonora managed a twirl by Fujin's hand. "But where's the meaning?"
"Who says there has to be meaning?" Irvine asked.
"You just said it's about inner power. I don't see power in surface aesthetics."
"Underneath," Fujin said before twisting her about the middle.
"She's right," Irvine said.
Fujin sped up and Leonora struggled to keep pace. "Aesthetics cover," Fujin said. "Not stand by themselves."
"Then what's it covering?" Leonora asked.
Fujin gave her an intent stare with her good eye. "Effort."
"Ooph. She said it better than I ever could."
Leonora frowned to herself. "Effort could mean anything."
"And aesthetics can cover anything," Irvine said.
"Abstraction."
Leonora pulled away. "Isn't there anything we can do that's easier?"
"We only have one idea," Irvine said. "And we're using it."
"We don't want to find other ideas?"
"We can. But this we know kinda works."
"Pointless," Fujin said.
Heavy footsteps sounded in the other room and Lebreau shouted, "Yeah, but I'm not waiting, you hear!"
"We've all lost people, Lebreau." Paine's voice. "Don't let him goad you into something stupid."
"Stupid stuff is the only thing that's gotten me anywhere! Waiting doesn't do jack squat!"
Irvine and Fujin said nothing, so Leonora kept quiet, too.
"I watched him disappear! Watched three of them disappear! And that shit haunts me! I could have stopped them, you hear? I could have stopped them!"
"We all could have. And yet we don't because we're not ahead, yet!"
"And that ends now! I'm getting ahead of him this time! And when I get my hands around his neck, I'm gonna squeeze so hard his brains pop clean out!"
"And how will you do that if you don't make it past Cosmo?"
"Better than if I don't go at all!"
"It doesn't work that way."
"I'll make it work that way!"
Leonora stepped away from the door and found a place near the entrance to sit. The two kept arguing.
"We'll get back at him, won't we?" Leonora asked Irvine and Fujin.
"Sure," Irvine said.
Fujin glowered so fiercely, it should have burned the wall above Leonora. "Murder."
"More than murder," Leonora said. "Let's make him regret ever being created."
Fujin gave a small smile at that. "Agreed."
"It's gonna suck," Irvine said. "Y'all know how to push my limits."
"I'm used to it," Leonora said.
Fujin tapped Irvine on the shoulder and made him dance with her, resolve renewed in her steps. Leonora thought they could pass for a cute couple, but she doubted Seifer would ever allow it.
Would Palom care if he saw her with Irvine? Would by Eidolon breath he'd get jealous, but she couldn't imagine it. Especially once Seifer came back and started a competition with Irvine to see who did a better jig.
