Chapter 17: New Friend

Crouched in the snow near the lamplight, Bahamut stared at the pole pieces Shuyin handed to him, but then fit them together in the slip sleeve of the tent canvas. "Very simple," he announced. But when he stood, his assembled end of the frame fell apart. Frowning at the contraption, he looked to Shuyin about what to do next.

The blitzball player laughed. "Told ya. You have to hold the frame up first, then put the canvas over it."

"Zen sees no point in making thin shelter when stone cavern is here," the ronso youth stated from his perch on a rock as he watched the two humans.

"Let's just say it's tradition." Still holding his end of the tent frame, Shuyin waited for Bahamut to finish his.

"Human tradition makes no sense. Zen will hunt." Shaking his head at their folly, the ronso grabbed his lance and headed up one of the winding paths away from the campsite.

"Yeah, because wearing a loincloth in the snow is so much more logical," Shuyin muttered under his breath. It was dark, but the mountain was the ronso's native environment, and Shuyin was dead tired. So he didn't argue about the hunt being part of the tradition, too.

Bahamut pieced the poles together one more time and lifted the frame quickly to keep them together. "I got it!"

"Okay, grab the canvas."

Reaching for it at the same time as Shuyin, the boy gave the canvas a toss over the top of the frame. His end didn't quite make it, but Shuyin's did. And as soon as Shuyin's part was secure, he came to the boy's aid to show him how to bend the pole to punch it into the sleeve. The tent stood. "We did it!"

"Not yet. Get that mallet. We have to stake it, so it doesn't blow away." Shuyin slipped the rain fly over the top, then grabbed the stakes and began setting them in the ring pins. "Hit it real hard."

Bahamut pounded the spike into the ground with all his might, but he didn't make much progress before he grew tired and passed the mallet back to Shuyin. "The ground is frozen. This is going to take forever. But you're stronger than I am, and I know how to make you even stronger, so you should do it."

"Oh yeah? How's that?" Shuyin accepted the mallet and began hammering the spike into the ground with a more focused effort.

Bahamut cast a spell, and the next hit slammed the stake into the frozen ground up to the rope eyelet. The boy smiled to himself at his own cunning, while the blitzball player marveled at his unusual feat.

"How … What did you do to me?" Shuyin tried to tug the thing back out, but it wouldn't budge. "Oh, that's going to be fun to pull out tomorrow. I'm surprised it didn't break."

"It's a spell that increases strength."

Shuyin blinked at him. "That's cheating."

"Should I not use it? It helped you kill the behemoth."

The blitzball player drew back, remembering something. "Is that what that weird feeling was?"

"Huh? If you felt magic in your body, Lenne must have been doing something too. Strength magic is used to enchant weapons. I cast it on your sword and the hammer, not you. Your strength is increased when you use it. But you'll need to have the enchantment done by a mage if you want something like that to be permanent."

"It was a big help. Thanks." Shuyin stared thoughtfully at the enchanted mallet, then set the next stake into the ring pin and drove it into the frozen ground with one hit as well. When the rest of the stakes were done, and the tent was secured, he dropped the mallet into the bag with the other tent supplies and handed Bahamut the ropes to finish tying it down. "Let's go tell your sister it's done."

Bahamut grinned, tied his last knot, and grabbed Shuyin's hand before running into the cavern. "Lenne! Lenne! We got the tent up!"

The summoner had sought comfort for her back in the hot spring but immediately sank further under the water when surprised by their entrance. "Okay. I'll be out in just a minute." She peered over her shoulder, waiting for them to leave first.

"Woah! Woah!" Shuyin pulled the boy back and folded his hands over his eyes.

"Hey! What gives?" Bahamut grabbed the blitzball player's wrists to pry them off, but Shuyin was used to handling slippery blitzballs. Even without uniform gloves, there was no way to escape him once he had a grip.

"Things that might scar you for life if you see them," Shuyin answered.

"Then why aren't you covering your own eyes?"

"Beeecaaaause …" Shuyin drew a blank on excuses for once.

Bahamut sighed in disgust. "If you want to be alone with her, all you have to do is say so."

"So."

"Fine." The boy pulled away as Shuyin released him.

"Go make the campfire like I showed you at the beach. And no cheating with magic, either!"

The boy rolled his eyes at having to pal around with his sister's boyfriend at times like that, but overall he was glad his sister had chosen Shuyin. If not for him, Bahamut knew he would never be able to come on adventures like this. Leaving the cavern and approaching the tent, Bahamut crouched near their prepared spot for the campfire. Shuyin bought special kindling back in Zanarkand at an outdoor sports store because he knew there would be no wood to collect in the snowy peaks. The snow had been cleared away to make space for cooking whatever was caught for dinner, and the tools to start the fire had been set beside it. Bahamut lifted the tools and began an attempt to start the flames the old fashioned way—the way Shuyin taught him on the beach when they grilled their fish. But then he looked back toward the entrance to the hot spring to be sure no one was looking. Shrugging, he dropped the tools to cast a fire spell instead. Satisfied, he sat down and huddled in his blanket to wait for the ronso's return.

))((

Inside the cavern, Shuyin was amused at how Lenne propped her long hair outside of the pool's edge on the ground in an attempt to keep it dry, rather than face freezing temperatures and a wet head with no hairdryer. "Forget to bring a swimsuit?" he teasingly asked as he removed his coat and gloves and placed them next to her pile of clothes. Crouching on his toes behind her, he playfully coiled a ponytail on top of her head until he saw the red bikini ties that answered his question. "Ah, rats. I thought you were slinking under that water for cover."

She giggled at his disappointment. "Well, I wouldn't want to scar you for life. I was soaking my back."

The playful expression faded into concern. "How is it?"

"It's just a bruise now." She waved it off like it was no big deal.

Her dismissal let him know he was right about her odd behavior when he entered. She was hiding something. Suspiciously, gently, he pushed her head forward until he could see her back in the water. A black and blue mark larger than both of his fists put together colored her mid-to-lower spine. He couldn't help but groan at the sight of it.

"It doesn't feel as bad as it looks," she immediately assured him. "It's still a little tender, but the cure spell took away the serious damage, and I'll finish healing it after we're home. No need to waste magic yet … just in case."

Shuyin let Lenne's hair fall to her shoulders and sat down on the rock floor behind her. "If I had aimed for its head or its heart ... Every strike is supposed to prevent a counter strike, but I took a random swipe without really thinking about what I was doing. And then couldn't get back into the fight fast enough."

Ignoring the fact that her hair was in the water now, she turned around to face him and cupped a wet, steamy hand over his mouth. "Shuyin, sometimes bad things just happen. Okay? The behemoth did this to me. You did what you could to stop him." The half of her hair that was now in the water spread around her like a lily frond. "I'm not going to let you be my guardian if you blame yourself every time I get hurt."

He moved her hand to uncover his mouth. "I'm supposed to keep you from getting hurt."

"No. You're supposed to help me accomplish and come back from my mission. And you did."

"My wrong decision could have killed you."

"I wouldn't be here if you hadn't done something right." She could laugh a little about her own fear now that it was over. "I probably wouldn't have even made it over those awful bridges without you. Bahamut certainly wouldn't have been able to carry me back." Her brows rose, and she smiled.

Shuyin removed his boots and set them aside with his coat and gloves. "Bahamut said he enchanted my sword to increase my strength against the behemoth."

"Really? I thought that was an unusually impressive kill."

"But I felt something else, too." He tucked his socks into his boots. "Did you use magic on me without telling me?"

She folded her arms across the top of the shallow pool's wall. "I cast a haste spell to quicken your movements. I haven't done anything like that during your training because I didn't want to interfere while you worked on your own skills. But in a real fight, summoners are trained to support aeons and guardians like that. It's the least I can do in exchange for you becoming my sword and shield. You're not mad, are you?"

"Nah, I … kinda liked it," he hesitantly admitted. "Felt like a massive adrenaline rush that slowed time so I could think about what I was doing. I guess I just have to trust that you won't do anything funky to me in the process. Maybe you should show me what you can do, so I know what to expect next time."

"Okay. And maybe you should learn a few magic tricks of your own to compliment your fighting style. I could teach you a few spells, you know." She crooked her finger for him to come closer as if sharing a secret.

A wry smile touched his lips. "I'm game." Shifting to a squat, balancing on his toes, he placed one hand on the slippery rock edge and leaned over the water to receive a small kiss. He had to brace himself with both hands as she wrapped her arms around his neck, but the added weight threw the awkward balance off and pulled him into the shallow pool. Up to his neck in hot water, his body began an extreme thaw. He grimaced at the merciless sensation, but the painful tingling soon became deliciously relaxing.

Lenne tried to hide a guilty smile, so he didn't recognize it as a prank until she snickered.

Shuyin lifted an arm to see his soaked sleeves but chuckled in spite of it. "Why?"

"I wanted you to join me." She grinned and raised a prune-like finger to touch the new, silver Abes earring she had not seen until now under his wet hair.

"You couldn't wait five minutes? I was trying to keep my clothes dry for a reason, you know." Removing his sword, he unsheathed the blade to pour water out of the scabbard. Then, he replaced it and set it on the ground next to his coat while giving her a flat expression that made her laugh.

"Too many layers were taking too long." She splashed a little water into his face.

He blinked the water from his eyes and ran a hand over his face. "You do realize this means I get to sit in here where it's warm, while you go out there where it's cold to get me some dry clothes from my backpack."

"No, I have to stay right here where it's safe. There are fiends out there."

"Even little pools can have water fiends." He splashed her back.

"Hm, this water fiend wouldn't happen to be signed on with the Abes, would he?" She giggled and swept her hand through the water, sending a wave toward him.

Laughing at her teasing and deciding he'd had enough of it, he stood and sloshed armfuls of water over her. Lenne screamed and shielded herself, but as she tried to escape the pool, he grabbed her around the waist and fell back into the water with her. "Oh, and he tackles hard! Looks like it's going to be one to nothing for Team Shuyin, folks! Lenne has no escape from that fantastic block! She hates blitzball, but look at her laughing now."

))((

Outside the hot spring, Zen came back with a fresh bandersnatch draped over his back and found Bahamut huddled at the fire by himself. "Shuyin not here?"

"He's hogging the hot water with my sister." Bahamut sourly thumbed over his shoulder toward the cavern entrance where loud laughter, shouts, and splashes could be heard.

"Bahamut is cold?"

The boy nodded.

"Ronso have fail-proof way to make others share." Zen set his kill near the fire and bent to scoop a large handful of snow, packing it into a ball. Considering the size of his hands, this snowball was tremendous.

Catching onto the ronso's idea, Bahamut grinned and copied his actions. When both of them were armed, they stealthily entered the cavern and fired without warning. The ronso's large, frozen missile hit bullseye between Shuyin's shoulder blades, and Bahamut's two smaller ones hit the back of his head and Lenne's shoulder. Both of them gasped in shock as the cold, cold snow clung to them before it melted off with the steam and dropped into the pool.

"You better be glad I had two shirts and thermals on or that would have stung like crazy!" Shuyin shouted when he saw who did it. Water-logged layers and all, he jumped out of the pool raced after them.

Zen quickly pulled the laughing boy back outside.

Shuyin paused to scoop a few snowballs of his own and tagged Bahamut in the back with a couple of quick missiles. But when he scooped another for the ronso, Zen stood before him, an impenetrable force with massive, folded arms and a snarl. Shuyin changed his mind. One final snowball sailed into the back of Shuyin's head from the opposite direction. Cringing at the frozen sensation as it slid down his neck into the back of his wet shirts, he whirled to find Lenne standing inside the entrance of the cavern. "You know, red bikinis kinda paint a target on the space between the top and bottom." He started to aim the snowball meant for the ronso at her, instead.

"Ah-ah-ah ..." She wagged a finger in warning, then wrapped her arms around herself with a shiver. "You promised you wouldn't hit back, remember?"

In the flickering firelight, Bahamut giggled at the way a thick fog rose off of Shuyin's steamy hot clothing and head. "You look like some kind of angry ghost."

Zen looked down at Shuyin's bare feet, which were bright red in the snow. "Shuyin cold?"

"Shuyin's very cold!" The blitzball player visibly shuddered.

"Then Shuyin share hot water with little brother."

The blitzball player looked down at the snowball in his hand. "Okay, fine!" He shivered again, but then shrugged. "What the hell." Shuyin pitched his last snowball at the ronso, then sprinted away. Scooping Lenne into his arms, he ran back into the cavern. She laughed and screamed again as a big splash echoed from the interior.

The ronso dusted the snow from his chest and placed a large, blue hand on the boy's shoulder, pointing Bahamut in the direction of the hot spring. "Humans have no fur. Stay in hot water. Zen tend fire and cook fresh meat."

Bahamut ran inside the cavern, stripped down to his shorts, and jumped into the water with his sister and "big brother" for the splash fest.

The ronso's lion-like face split into a toothy grin at the way the humans played, much more lively than his own people. But he shook his head at how the nearly hairless creatures had no sense about protecting themselves from the mountain's elements. Walking to the tent, he pulled the entire thing out of its staked position. Collapsing it under his arm, frame and all, he carried it out of the wind and snow into the warm, steamy cavern. Then, he returned to the campfire to clean and cook his prey.

))((

Later that night, dressed in new dry layers and wrapped in a blanket, Shuyin ate his dinner of roasted bandersnatch, dried fruit, and hard cheese as he reclined against Lenne's knees at the campfire. Lenne and her brother were also redressed in dry layers and wrapped in blankets, but the ronso remained stoic and bare in the drifting flurries. The wind had died down, at least. They had all been thankful for that.

"Elder Kinan said there were hidden caverns in these mountains," Lenne spoke over the snapping and popping of the fire. "Are there more hot springs like this one?" Setting down her finished plate, she curled cold fingers around her mug of hot coffee.

"Many hidden caverns. Enough to shelter all ronso and half of Zanarkand," Zen informed her. "Some have hot springs. Tunnels run deep into mountains … like maze. If ronso are attacked, winding warrens protect our weak while warriors fight in mountain pass. Hidden ruins above clouds, too, but few dare climb summit."

Shuyin stopped chewing and tilted his chin toward the ronso. "Ruins on top of the mountain?"

"Ancient watchtower. Some say First Age." Zen pointed toward the summit behind them.

Shuyin sat up with interest. "Ooh. Can we go see it?"

"Down, boy." Lenne clapped a hand over his shoulder and pulled him back. Then, she pulled her blanket closer around her as she chewed on the last piece of greasy, smoky meat from her plate. "I've had enough adventure for one day, thank you. Besides, you have training, and your blitzball championship tournament is coming up soon, isn't it? We don't need to invite trouble by exploring old ruins on top of a mountain."

Zen's tail twitched. "Shuyin plays blitzball?"

"Zanarkand Abes," he proudly answered, casting his leftover scraps into the flames.

"Zen visited Zanarkand once before. Watched games. Remember Abes. Good team. Not much interest for blitzball among ronso. No place for sphere pool on Gagazet."

Shuyin nodded at the ronso's logic. "True. But ronso could train and play somewhere else, like Zanarkand. As big as you are, there's no way anyone could sneak past your blocks and tackles."

"Ronso look stupid in human uniforms."

Shuyin snickered at a mental image of the ronso wearing his uniform. Lenne and Bahamut apparently had the same humorous picture in mind because, within seconds, all three of them were giggling at the stoic ronso. "You couldn't fit one leg into my shorts if you tried. I'm serious, though, you should ask about it. I'm sure the stadium management would rent it out to the ronso the same as they do to us."

"Ronso never played. Only watched."

"Well, how about I take you to the pool while you're visiting? Let you see what it's like."

Lenne chuckled. "What are you trying to do? Drown him? You could probably take him to the practice pool, but the sphere pool would be too claustrophobic for someone not used to holding their breath that long."

Zen's pale green eyes lit up at Shuyin's offer. His ears flattened against his head, and he nodded in acceptance of the invitation. "Hot springs sometimes run deep. Zen good at holding breath underwater."

Shuyin grinned. "Sphere pool is it, then."

"Oh, gosh!" Lenne straightened, nearly dropping Shuyin's back in her abrupt shift. "I didn't even think about lodging. Where will he stay? I don't want him to have to pay for a hotel room."

"Maybe there's a vacant guest room at the temple," Bahamut suggested, licking his greasy fingers. "This trip was partially their idea."

"He can stay at my place," Shuyin offered. "I've got a spare room. I don't know if he'll fit in it, but we can try."

"Are you sure?" Lenne asked, not wanting to inconvenience him for the sake of her mission.

He shrugged. "I don't mind. Course I may make him work on the engine and swab the decks since he un-staked my tent, and now I have to put it up all over again before I can sleep in it. I live on a houseboat, by the way." Shuyin waited for inevitable gush of awe.

"Zen not afraid of water. Ronso not afraid of anything."

Not the typical response, but that in itself made Shuyin chuckle.

"Ah, but you haven't seen his clutter," Lenne added before sipping her coffee.

))((

The next morning, Lenne woke huddled in a tight ball between Shuyin's chest and arms. She shivered and tried to snuggle closer into his cozy, fleece clothing for warmth, then smiled to herself and stretched her legs to hook his ankle between her feet. Usually, the ticklish sensation woke him, but this time she had three pairs of socks to compete with. "Darn these layers," she grumbled.

Easing up onto one elbow, she looked over her shoulder. Beneath their shared pile of blankets in the tight quarters, Bahamut's back was to her, but his ribs rose and fell with a gentle rhythm that let her know he was still sleeping rather soundly. Zen slept outside of the tent due to his size and preference for the cavern itself. Facing Shuyin again, she gave him a soft kiss and snickered quietly at his sleepy response. "Good morning," she whispered when his eyes opened as thin slits.

Shuyin smiled and slid his hand over her waist to draw her closer.

"No, no, no," she whispered, tapping a finger to his nose to stop him. "I think the sun's up outside the cavern. It seems brighter."

"You woke me up to tell me that?" He rolled his back to her.

"These sleeping bags are useless against this rock floor, and I'm freezing my backside off in spite of all the blankets." She grabbed the back of his heavy shirt and buried her cold, red nose into it. "Camping was fun, but going home would be even more fun now, wouldn't it?" she hinted.

"I offered to warm you up," he drowsily muttered.

She frowned at the back of his shaggy, blond head, then used one hand to pull all three shirts away from his back, so she could plant the other ice-cold hand on the middle of his well-insulated bare skin, thus demonstrating one point in her complaint.

"Holy shhhh—" Shuyin jerked away from her as much as the zipped trio of sleeping bags would allow and turned to block her before she could perform the same stunt on his chest. "Your fingers are like ice!" He shuddered as the chill spread across his entire torso with discomfort.

She giggled. "See? I'm freezing." The smile turned into mild disappointment. "And my back is killing me. I really need to finish healing it."

He quieted with what appeared to be sympathy. "Or I could just throw you back in the hot spring."

Lenne reached for his shirts again, and with only a brief tussle, her icy hand hit his ribs.

"Okay! Okay!" Shuyin scrambled and crawled out of his side of the sleeping bags to get away from her. "Home it is." Rising to his knees, he bumped his head against the low ceiling of the tent, but quickly pulled his shirts back into place to shield himself from another attack.

"I'm sorry, Shu." She sat up with a wince and put a hand to her bruised spine. "I know you're enjoying this, and so is my brother. And I had fun, too. But …"

"What kind of guardian would I be if I insisted on something that caused you pain?" He gave her a sleepy smile. Then, stretching a leg over her, he placed a foot on Bahamut's back and rolled the boy back and forth. "Hey, you." The blitzball player didn't stop until the kid rolled over on his own and gave him a grumpy face. "Your sister's ready to go home. Pack up, or I'm packing you in the tent bag with the rest of the gear."

The boy rubbed his sleepy eyes. "Can we come back without her?"

Shuyin chuckled and began unzipping their combined fortification of warmth against the nighttime lows. "After the playoffs, okay? Count on it. Hey, maybe we can check out those ruins."

Bahamut grinned and nodded in eager agreement as he sat up.

Lenne unzipped both middle portions of their sleeping bags and began folding and rolling the blankets. "We can take him home first, and I'll just shower and finish taking care of my back at mom's place. Then, I can come by your boat to pick up Zen to take him to meet High Summoner Yevon."

"Why not let's all go to the temple first? Then I can take Bahamut and Zen back to the harbor with me, and you can crash at your place for the rest of the day."

"I am not presenting myself to the high summoner looking like this."

"Well, look at the bright side." Shuyin chuckled. "For once, no one will recognize you without your disguise." As soon as he said it, he had to dodge her swipe.

))((

Back inside the city limits, the party of four opted to go to Shuyin's houseboat first, and he showed the Zen the lower level bedroom that used to belong to his parents. The ronso barely fit on the bed diagonally, but he seemed pleased to have such an interesting place to stay.

"Oh, and … a little gift." The blitzball player ran back to his own room and grabbed his red-and-black-checkered uniform and a spare blitzball he had lying around. He took both of them back down to the ronso and presented them to him. "There you go. Something to refashion into a new loincloth for the sphere pool," he joked. "Welcome to Zanarkand."

Zen grinned—something that almost frightened Shuyin since he'd never seen a ronso grin before. "Thank you. Zen never forget Shuyin." He thumped his fist over his heart, then thumped Shuyin's chest in a similar manner, nearly knocking him backward into the wall.

Shuyin mouthed an "ow" and rubbed his chest where he'd received the friendly punch. Maybe inviting the ronso to play blitzball wasn't a good idea after all. He began to doubt whether he would survive his tackles.

After hot showers and a change into everyday attire, the humans of the group were happy to set aside their heavy packs and escort their ronso guest to the temple.

))((

When the party of four presented themselves to the summoners in charge, Lenne explained the ronso's presence, and they were escorted to the office of High Summoner Yu Yevon. Shuyin had never met the man in person, but he looked exactly like he did in any holograph or com sphere image he'd seen. Dressed in flowing, immaculate robes of white and green, Yevon wore his long black hair tied in a jeweled cuff that hung low at his shoulders, while loose tendrils fell free at his ears. A thin, black goatee adorned his mouth and chin, and his narrow eyes, an unusual lavender color, showed the stress of his political burdens in the form of dark, sullen circles. This was an incredibly intelligent man, one that almost radiated power to anyone standing in his presence.

Lenne introduced her guardian and guest, and Yevon greeted them warmly. He listened quietly without interruption as she summarized their excursion to Mt. Gagazet. When she finished, he smiled and seated himself at a tea table, gesturing for everyone else to join him. "Your actions speak well of you as a temple ambassador, Lady Lenne."

"Thank you, sir." She bowed respectfully before taking the chair opposite him and gestured for the ronso to sit next to her. Bahamut and Shuyin took their places on the sofa across from them.

"I am more than happy to allow Zen to train in teleportation magic, here at the temple," Yevon continued. "And I think having gates in the mountain pass will benefit all of Spira. Allowing the ronso to create and keep watch over them ensures their own safety, so there is no breach of trust. At least not on Zanarkand's behalf," he added with a hint of remorse that he could not make promises for the governors of other cities. "I will leave our guest in your capable hands, for tutoring and accommodations. Let us know if he requires anything during his stay."

Lenne smiled and nodded in return. "I will, My Lord."

"And what of your experience on this journey, apprentice?" Yevon turned his attention to Bahamut. "What were your impressions of the ronso?"

Bahamut looked to Zen and smiled. "They are a people of action more than words, but their actions speak for themselves. They are reasonable and honorable. Their lives are humble, but their heritage is proud, like the mountain they protect. It will be good to have the ronso as friends and allies."

Yevon smiled again. "Well-said. A summoner must learn to seek the connections between the people and their land … even here on Spira. Did you enjoy this kind of assignment?"

Bahamut grinned at Shuyin. "I did!"

Yevon took note of who the boy directed his enthusiasm toward and nodded in gratitude to the guardian who, apparently, made a difference. Then, he turned his attention back to Lenne. "There is one other thing I wanted to speak with you about before you go. The temples require a stronger defense in these uncertain times. I am seeking summoners for special assignments. You, Lenne, are among my most gifted disciples. Your management of this task confirms my thoughts that you are capable of handling … 'adventurous' missions. Would you be interested in accompanying my daughter, Yunalesca, to one of the other temples to become an honored guardian stationed there?"

Lenne's eyes lit with excitement. "Which one?"

"I believe you are our best candidate to handle the defense of the temple in Bevelle."

Shuyin's heart skipped a beat. "Bevelle? You're sending her away to Bevelle?"

Yevon turned his attention to the guardian. "You think she is not capable of this task?"

"No, sir. I mean, I think she's capable. But ... Bevelle?"

Yevon shifted in his padded chair and stared at Shuyin, visualizing something else for a moment. "I recognize you now. You're Jecht's son. You go by a different name in the sport."

Shuyin had not considered that the high summoner might be a blitzball fan. "Um … yeah."

"Why do you not want her to go to Bevelle? She can take you along if she chooses. Of course … that would mean giving up your blitzball here."

Shuyin didn't know whether he was really being invited to speak his mind or if Yevon was merely trying to make him feel included in the conversation. But he decided this was important enough to speak up. "Bevelle despises magic. I think it would be stupid to send her there as a summoner against their wishes."

Lenne frowned, reminding him to mind his manners because of who he was talking to.

Yevon didn't seem upset to hear the blunt opinion, but he studied Shuyin with an intensity that made the blitzball player uncomfortable. "Well, I trust you won't assault me if I disagree with you about the 'stupid' part." A small smile touched his lips, following the reference to the very publicized incident with the drunk. "You are correct that the Bevelle temple is in a tight spot at the moment. But that is exactly why it needs someone like Lenne to protect it. A summoner takes her job knowing it means having to defend others who cannot defend themselves—a vow guardians should also be very familiar with. If you are not willing to fight by your summoner's side, you should step out of her way."

Shuyin's brows dipped. "Wouldn't it be safer to pull all summoners out of Bevelle?"

"And let Bevelle and the rest of Spira fall prey to the Founders' intentions toward us?"

"You're not the one guarding the temple."

"Shuyin," Lenne scolded.

Yevon met Lenne's worry and Shuyin's concern with a tempered nod and a raised palm. "It's alright. Let him speak. Perhaps it would ease your guardian's fears to know I've decided to place a new aeon within each temple, in case the local summoners need an immediate defense. Yunalesca is currently in Besaid, creating an aeon for that temple, so you don't need to make a decision right now. Give it some thought. But I offer you the promotion as Bevelle's most honored protector because I believe you are capable of handling one of our most delicate situations. We need someone to protect the temple's summoners from the Founders while continuing to protect the city itself from fiends."

"I ..." Lenne looked at Shuyin. Whatever decision she made for herself now affected his life, too. And he clearly wasn't happy with this.

"You must be fully committed to this position if you take it, Lenne," Yevon advised. "Give me your answer only when you are certain. Just remember that the summoners within the Bevelle temple are in danger until it is fortified."

Though the high summoner seemed friendly enough, Shuyin thought he understood now why Bevelle disliked this man. There was no negotiating or compromise once his mind was made up.