Otherworld Year Seven: Chapter 2




The driftwood hissed and sputtered in protest, not wanting to catch, then finally giving in to the forces at work, upon its weathered, faded surfaces, the logs coming slowly aflame... Auron's controlled, steady breath upon the stubborn tinder, producing a meager, but acceptable fire, against the evening's chill.

Sitting up, he gazed at the burning stumps of wood, and contemplated their source, wondering what distant shore had offered them up to the sea, and what they had been, before the relentless tossing of wind and wave, had rendered them unrecognizable.

A fitting analogy for his own state, he thought. He no longer resembled the young man that had washed up on this beach seven years ago. He had been changed by time, by grief, by knowledge, by the people around him, by Zanarkand, by so many things. And now he faced more change, a small crossroads in his existence.

Gabe had been right, he had needed some time off. It had only been a few days, but he already felt a difference. He had not realized the extent of his tension, until he had begun to release it.

He had spent the past two days working out, cleaning the apartment, honing his sword, shining his boots, doing laundry, shopping for supplies, and various other tasks, to keep himself occupied.

This morning he had finally come to the realization, that he truly could allow himself to rest if he chose to, and so he had spent the day here at the beach... just walking the tideline, watching the small shore birds running to and fro at the water's edge, gazing at the windswept clouds that pushed across the sky. Not analyzing. Not thinking about anything in particular. Just being.

It felt good. It felt necessary. He must endure. He must remain whole.

Because the truth was, he had no way of knowing how long he would remain here, in Zanarkand. Jecht/Sin could appear tomorrow, or ten years from now. Although he doubted Jecht's ability to retain his humanity for that long. He himself was a fine example of that problem, which only reinforced the idea of loosening up.

That which could not adapt, was destroyed. It was a simple fact. He could not continue to stand unmoving, against everything in his path. He must be willing to bend, or he would break... the eventuality of it, certainly counter-productive to his purpose.

It didn't mean he had to take up ball-room dancing. Just be willing to resign himself to his situation in the fullest sense, and embrace the absurdity of it to an extent. He had no doubt that he would remain his charming self... the weary, heavy-hearted, short-tempered man he was now. But he could use a little softening around the edges.

He had nothing to lose, except perhaps a modicum of self-respect, and a few-million brain cells.

So be it.

Raising his jug to the glowing fire, he smiled.

"Here's to vacations."

************

"Hey Auron, I'm actually kinda glad to see you... I'm bored outta my skull." Tidus exclaimed, opening the door to admit his taciturn guardian.

"I'm exceedingly flattered." Auron replied, with more than a hint of sarcasm, as he descended the entry stairs, and walked to the low couch, lowering himself to sit. "Where's Breese?"

"She went to visit her sister. She won't be back till late." Tidus explained, waving his arms about wildly, for no apparent reason.

"Unable to find a date?" Auron asked teasingly, scratching at his chin.

"Don't rub it in." Tidus scowled, then suddenly brightened, as a desperate idea began to take shape in his thoughts. "Come on Auron, let's go do something."

"Like what?"

"You'll see."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

************

Auron followed Tidus, through the automatic sliding-glass-doors at the front of the large building, the cacophony of sounds within, assailing his sensitive hearing, and he winced slightly, at the unexpected level of noise.

The long, high-ceilinged room, was brightly lit from recessed panels across its span, a raised platform, facing a series of polished runways below, running perpendicular, with seating arranged in semi-circles at one end of each length, adjacent to a mechanized control station, of some sort.

"What is this place?" Auron enquired, continuing to scan the cavernous room.

Tidus snorted. "It's a bowling alley... sheesh." He sometimes thought that Auron was from another planet, the way he questioned such obvious stuff.

"Grab a lane, I'll get some shoes." Tidus said cryptically, then sauntered off down the long carpeted platform.

Auron descended a short flight of stairs on his right, that led down to the 'alley,' and stopped, to observe this activity of 'bowling.'

He watched, as a man stuck his fingers into a series of holes across the surface of a solid looking sphere, then lifted it to his chest, and positioned himself in front of the alley. Then the man took several quick steps forward, drawing his arm back, and released the ball along the surface of the straight lane... Auron following its path, as it rapidly spun, toward a phalanx of stationary objects at the far end, that stood under a small dome-shaped recess. The ball struck the hard, white surfaces of the uprights, and scattered them, with a reverberant echo, as they tumbled into one another and backwards.

"Strike baby, yeah!" The man exclaimed, dropping to one knee and pumping an arm at his side, in a dramatic fashion.

Looks simple enough, Auron thought, as he moved to an empty station, and sat, to wait for Tidus.

************

"Okay, watch and weep." Tidus boasted, as he turned, then paused for a moment, before he moved forward and launched the ball, with a quick forward motion of his arm... waiting expectantly, as the ball traveled rapidly to its destination. All the pins went down, and Tidus spun in a tight circle, pumping one fist in front of his face, as he turned to grin at Auron.

"Your turn, give it a try." Tidus said, in a smug tone, as he strutted back to sit down, crossing his arms over his chest.

Auron made no comment, as he rose, removing his left arm from his robe, then approached the ball return, testing several of them, until he found a decent fit for his fingers. Then he stood quietly for a moment, getting a feel for the weight of the ball, and studying the pattern of the pins, deciding upon the best point of impact, to bring them down.

Then he moved, in a slow, fluid motion, effortlessly propelling the ball down the alley... the pins struck with such force, several of them flew into the neighboring lane, spinning in a pale blur, then finally coming to rest in the gutter.

"Um, Auron? You might want to ease up a bit on your delivery." Tidus said, agape at what he had just seen, as he looked over at the astonished people in the lane next to theirs, and shrugged his shoulders, with a sheepish smile.

"You're certain that's all that's required, for a perfect game?" Auron asked some time later, as he gratefully removed the hideous looking foot coverings, that had been necessary to participate in this past-time.

"Yeah, that's it." Tidus grumbled. "Are you sure you've never bowled before?"

"I would remember something as exciting as this, I'm sure." Auron replied, with a smirk.

Tidus sighed, and shook his head. Why the hell did Auron have to be so good at everything, anyway. It wasn't fair. Oh well. Maybe he could make up for it, by getting Auron to spend some gil.

"Let's get something to eat, I'm starving. Winner pays."

"Hmph."

************

Tidus and Auron settled themselves onto the swiveling stools, facing the long metal counter, that extended the length of the small cafe.

Auron found himself even more suspicious of this, than he had been about bowling. The place looked decidedly un-sanitary, and smelled alarmingly like old socks.

"You've eaten here before?" Auron asked skeptically, turning his head, to scrutinize his young charge.

"Yup. Trust me." Tidus replied with a nervous laugh, as a paunchy man in a grease-spotted apron, with a pencil stuck behind one ear, approached them from behind the counter.

"What'll you have?" He asked gruffly, his attitude matching his appearance.

Tidus looked at Auron, not quite sure enough of himself, to order for both of them. Ignoring the old guy's authority too much, was never a smart thing to do.

"Make the call." Auron said, bravely nodding his consent.

Tidus grinned, then turned back to the waiter. "Two double-cheeseburgers with everything, two large fries, and two chocolate shakes."

"Comin up." The waiter croaked, pulling a pad from his apron pocket, and scribbling the order down. Then he turned and pushed through a swinging door at his back, just to the left of a glass-doored cooler, a large neon display across its front that proclaimed... 'Blitz-Beer: When You Really Need To Score.'

Auron suppressed a groan, as he realized the greasy fellow was more than likely responsible for the cooking, as well as waiting on customers. Just go with it, old man, he reminded himself, releasing a small sigh.

As they waited for the food, Tidus regaled Auron with several Blitz tales, catching him up on his latest triumphs, as the up-and-coming player in the Youth League. Listening to him, Auron had little doubt that two-years from now, when Tidus would be eligible to try out for the Pro League, the stories would get even better, and he smiled... thinking yet again, how much like his father the boy was.

The waiter finally emerged from the back room, a large platter grasped in each beefy mitt, then unceremoniously slid them across the counter. "Be right back with the shakes." He mumbled, then disappeared again.

Auron looked down at the pile of food, then up at Tidus... one eyebrow arched in a silent question, as only he could ask.

Tidus however, was completely ignoring him, already wedging the burger into his mouth... taking a huge bite, then following it up with a handful of fries, his jaw working overtime to masticate his eager consumption.

Auron turned back to his plate with a shrug, then grabbed the burger with one hand, and pulled his collar down slightly with the other, staring at it for a moment, then biting off a small portion, tilting his head in judgement, as he slowly chewed... his eyebrow arching again, in surprise.

"This is quite good." Auron observed, taking a large bite this time, and following Tidus' example, by mixing it with fries.

Tidus turned to look at him, his lips attempting to turn up in a smile, against his bulging cheeks, then spoke in a muffled voice from around his mouthful of burger... "Told ya."