Chapter Nine
The second stage of the journey
Luca was as beautiful as ever that morning. Sun gleamed upon the metal of the blitzball stadium, and gulls were in the air. It was hardly a homecoming for any of them, but they all stood along the railing of the steamer as it pulled into harbor. But unlike Tidus or Jecht's first visit to the city with the stadium, there were neither crowds nor fanfare. Luca was a city of commerce, of course, but it was also a city still weeks away from the Yevon Cup and the official opening of blitz season. The dock where the steamer allowed its passengers to disembark was empty and quiet as they came ashore.
"Follow me." said Aurie confidently, tugging Pacce by the hand and beckoning the others.
"What for?" asked Jecht, who was still taking in the city. For him it had been almost thirty years, a very long time.
"If we want an airship, we should see the Al-Bhed shopkeeper near the stadium. I bet he could get us a discount on passage to Bevelle." she replied cheerily.
"How come?" asked Tidus as they began following her from the Lucan docks and into the city.
"Cause he's a relative." she giggled.
"Let me guess." said Tidus.
"Okay." she agreed.
"Rin?"
"Nope."
"I was so sure too. Is it Cid then?"
"Fraid not!"
"I give. Who is it?"
"You'll just have to wait." said Aurie with a grin, pulling Pacce ahead of everyone else as they made their way to the center of the city.
The man standing behind the counter was tall and rather muscular in a lean sort of way, like a center forward in blitzball, and a good one too. An old pair of goggles hung around his neck. The shopkeeper had quite a collection of tattoos, but most were hidden by his clothing, which was a mismatch of Al-Bhed and Yevonite fashions. He smiled when he caught sight of Aurie with Pacce in tow.
"Heala!" he called boisterously.
"Ihlma!" she giggled in return, releasing Pacce, who was at least momentarily grateful.
"Brother?" Tidus questioned, squinting at him and wondering if he learned to speak a language besides Al-Bhed.
"You!" he boomed, pointing a finger at Tidus and jumping the counter top. "You knocked up my cousin and left her! Are you here to ... to ... impregnate my niece as well? Just wait until Cid finds out about this!" he shouted.
"Um ... Ihlma? Ra ec rana du ramb Yuna!" said Aurie, stamping her foot and placing herself strategically between Brother and Tidus.
"Please, Aurie, you don't have to speak in Al-Bhed anymore. I understand just fine." Brother said to her as his temper began to cool.
"We need your help, Uncle." said Tida, stepping forward. "My ... father, and the rest of us, need an airship to Bevelle. I think mother and her guardians are in danger."
"What kind of danger?" he asked, crossing his arms and still giving Tidus an evil look.
"I ... don't know." she admitted.
"Then how do you know she's in danger?" he asked skeptically.
"Comeon! The dead have returned from the Farplane. When is that ever a good sign?" asked Aurie.
Brother looked slowly from his niece to Tidus to Auron and Jecht and took a stumbling step backward as though seeing them all for the first time.
"This is not possible!" he exclaimed.
"Then what harm is there in giving a band of impossibilities a lift to Bevelle?" questioned Auron.
"Right." he agreed, still dumbfounded.
"Soon." pressed Aurie.
"Very soon." said Auron firmly.
"Right ..." Brother nodded. "Follow me."
The airship was smaller than the one that had carried Auron and Tidus into battle so many years before, but it was also faster, or so Brother told them as he arranged for them to ride to Bevelle without paying a fee. Unfortunately, the only part of the interior of the ship that they saw was the cramped cargo hold into which they were bundled. It was obviously the cheapest way to travel, though certainly not as luxurious as their accommodations on the S.S. Otherworld.
"It's cozy." Aurie argued against their grumblings, Tidus and Tiron's in particular, as she made herself comfortable on Pacce's lap. He turned beet red as she did so.
"It is also a short trip." Brother reminded them from the hatch.
"We can't thank you enough!" said Tida, who was sandwiched between Tidus and Auron. It was difficult to tell who was the most uncomfortable.
"Pa lynavim!" he warned the two girls.
"We will be, Ihlma!" Aurie assured him with a big grin.
"What'd he say?" Jecht asked Tiron quietly.
The boy, who knew only a little basic Al-Bhed, replied even more quietly, "He told them to be careful."
"Oh." said Jecht, frowning. He had never bothered to study the language, although he remembered Braska speaking it from time to time with shopkeepers and the like. Lord Braska had been fluent.
As Brother was beginning to close the hatch, Tida leaned forward in her seat and said haltingly, "Keja ... so muja ... du Cid!"
"And give mine to Lady Yuna!" he replied, beaming at her attempt at speaking Al-Bhed before sealing them into the cargo hold of the airship.
It wasn't pitch dark in the hold of the airship, but it was shadowy, lit mostly by orange emergency lights and daylight that filtered through tiny chinks in the hull. It was uncomfortably warm and crowded.
"You know, " Tiron commented, "we could probably have scraped together fare for a passenger ship."
"This ship was leaving. It is more convenient, even if comfort must be sacrificed." Auron replied.
Everyone was quiet, listening to the dull roar of the engines as the airship lifted off and began to wing its way toward Bevelle. Pacce and Aurie, Auron noted, were beginning to look sleepy. Tiron and Jecht seemed rather bored. But the two people beside him, Tidus and Tida, looked positively uncomfortable. Auron nudged the girl unobtrusively.
"You have your chance." he said in a low, growl-like whisper in her ear, nodding toward Tidus.
She shook her head. Her eyes pleaded with him to leave her alone. The cargo hold of an airship was hardly the place for any discussion that she might have with the father who had left her before she was even born.
"You're sure?" he prodded softly, his breath hot against her skin. Disappointment was in his tone.
Tidus, finally taking notice of the elder guardian's whispering, cut his eyes at him in an expression that said, "You want to leave my daughter alone?" Obviously stating his unvoiced displeasure at the close company being kept by the two of them.
Auron, mindful of his friend's feelings, leaned away from Tida, who was staring blankly at the gritty floor of the hold, and raised an eyebrow as though to say, "You don't trust me?"
Tiron, perhaps the only one to notice the silent barrage of looks and glares, sighed and asked, "Are we there yet?" And promptly turned his attention to the ceiling of the hold. "Aurie's uncle was wrong. This is going to be the longest flight in the history of Spira." he thought.
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A/N: Thanks for the reviews Bunny and sulou! And a special thanks to Shido21 for the reviews and the question: "One question though: how old are the children?" Um, I don't think I have said explicitly how old. Tida is 18 give or take a few months, Aurie and Chappu might be twins (I couldn't decide if the idea of 'twins' was over-used or not) and if so, they are on the high side of seventeen or so, and Tiron would be the youngest of the three at probably 16 - 17. I'm not so good with ages and keeping track of time. Oh, and thanks for the compliment about Auron. I guess you can tell he's my favorite.
The second stage of the journey
Luca was as beautiful as ever that morning. Sun gleamed upon the metal of the blitzball stadium, and gulls were in the air. It was hardly a homecoming for any of them, but they all stood along the railing of the steamer as it pulled into harbor. But unlike Tidus or Jecht's first visit to the city with the stadium, there were neither crowds nor fanfare. Luca was a city of commerce, of course, but it was also a city still weeks away from the Yevon Cup and the official opening of blitz season. The dock where the steamer allowed its passengers to disembark was empty and quiet as they came ashore.
"Follow me." said Aurie confidently, tugging Pacce by the hand and beckoning the others.
"What for?" asked Jecht, who was still taking in the city. For him it had been almost thirty years, a very long time.
"If we want an airship, we should see the Al-Bhed shopkeeper near the stadium. I bet he could get us a discount on passage to Bevelle." she replied cheerily.
"How come?" asked Tidus as they began following her from the Lucan docks and into the city.
"Cause he's a relative." she giggled.
"Let me guess." said Tidus.
"Okay." she agreed.
"Rin?"
"Nope."
"I was so sure too. Is it Cid then?"
"Fraid not!"
"I give. Who is it?"
"You'll just have to wait." said Aurie with a grin, pulling Pacce ahead of everyone else as they made their way to the center of the city.
The man standing behind the counter was tall and rather muscular in a lean sort of way, like a center forward in blitzball, and a good one too. An old pair of goggles hung around his neck. The shopkeeper had quite a collection of tattoos, but most were hidden by his clothing, which was a mismatch of Al-Bhed and Yevonite fashions. He smiled when he caught sight of Aurie with Pacce in tow.
"Heala!" he called boisterously.
"Ihlma!" she giggled in return, releasing Pacce, who was at least momentarily grateful.
"Brother?" Tidus questioned, squinting at him and wondering if he learned to speak a language besides Al-Bhed.
"You!" he boomed, pointing a finger at Tidus and jumping the counter top. "You knocked up my cousin and left her! Are you here to ... to ... impregnate my niece as well? Just wait until Cid finds out about this!" he shouted.
"Um ... Ihlma? Ra ec rana du ramb Yuna!" said Aurie, stamping her foot and placing herself strategically between Brother and Tidus.
"Please, Aurie, you don't have to speak in Al-Bhed anymore. I understand just fine." Brother said to her as his temper began to cool.
"We need your help, Uncle." said Tida, stepping forward. "My ... father, and the rest of us, need an airship to Bevelle. I think mother and her guardians are in danger."
"What kind of danger?" he asked, crossing his arms and still giving Tidus an evil look.
"I ... don't know." she admitted.
"Then how do you know she's in danger?" he asked skeptically.
"Comeon! The dead have returned from the Farplane. When is that ever a good sign?" asked Aurie.
Brother looked slowly from his niece to Tidus to Auron and Jecht and took a stumbling step backward as though seeing them all for the first time.
"This is not possible!" he exclaimed.
"Then what harm is there in giving a band of impossibilities a lift to Bevelle?" questioned Auron.
"Right." he agreed, still dumbfounded.
"Soon." pressed Aurie.
"Very soon." said Auron firmly.
"Right ..." Brother nodded. "Follow me."
The airship was smaller than the one that had carried Auron and Tidus into battle so many years before, but it was also faster, or so Brother told them as he arranged for them to ride to Bevelle without paying a fee. Unfortunately, the only part of the interior of the ship that they saw was the cramped cargo hold into which they were bundled. It was obviously the cheapest way to travel, though certainly not as luxurious as their accommodations on the S.S. Otherworld.
"It's cozy." Aurie argued against their grumblings, Tidus and Tiron's in particular, as she made herself comfortable on Pacce's lap. He turned beet red as she did so.
"It is also a short trip." Brother reminded them from the hatch.
"We can't thank you enough!" said Tida, who was sandwiched between Tidus and Auron. It was difficult to tell who was the most uncomfortable.
"Pa lynavim!" he warned the two girls.
"We will be, Ihlma!" Aurie assured him with a big grin.
"What'd he say?" Jecht asked Tiron quietly.
The boy, who knew only a little basic Al-Bhed, replied even more quietly, "He told them to be careful."
"Oh." said Jecht, frowning. He had never bothered to study the language, although he remembered Braska speaking it from time to time with shopkeepers and the like. Lord Braska had been fluent.
As Brother was beginning to close the hatch, Tida leaned forward in her seat and said haltingly, "Keja ... so muja ... du Cid!"
"And give mine to Lady Yuna!" he replied, beaming at her attempt at speaking Al-Bhed before sealing them into the cargo hold of the airship.
It wasn't pitch dark in the hold of the airship, but it was shadowy, lit mostly by orange emergency lights and daylight that filtered through tiny chinks in the hull. It was uncomfortably warm and crowded.
"You know, " Tiron commented, "we could probably have scraped together fare for a passenger ship."
"This ship was leaving. It is more convenient, even if comfort must be sacrificed." Auron replied.
Everyone was quiet, listening to the dull roar of the engines as the airship lifted off and began to wing its way toward Bevelle. Pacce and Aurie, Auron noted, were beginning to look sleepy. Tiron and Jecht seemed rather bored. But the two people beside him, Tidus and Tida, looked positively uncomfortable. Auron nudged the girl unobtrusively.
"You have your chance." he said in a low, growl-like whisper in her ear, nodding toward Tidus.
She shook her head. Her eyes pleaded with him to leave her alone. The cargo hold of an airship was hardly the place for any discussion that she might have with the father who had left her before she was even born.
"You're sure?" he prodded softly, his breath hot against her skin. Disappointment was in his tone.
Tidus, finally taking notice of the elder guardian's whispering, cut his eyes at him in an expression that said, "You want to leave my daughter alone?" Obviously stating his unvoiced displeasure at the close company being kept by the two of them.
Auron, mindful of his friend's feelings, leaned away from Tida, who was staring blankly at the gritty floor of the hold, and raised an eyebrow as though to say, "You don't trust me?"
Tiron, perhaps the only one to notice the silent barrage of looks and glares, sighed and asked, "Are we there yet?" And promptly turned his attention to the ceiling of the hold. "Aurie's uncle was wrong. This is going to be the longest flight in the history of Spira." he thought.
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A/N: Thanks for the reviews Bunny and sulou! And a special thanks to Shido21 for the reviews and the question: "One question though: how old are the children?" Um, I don't think I have said explicitly how old. Tida is 18 give or take a few months, Aurie and Chappu might be twins (I couldn't decide if the idea of 'twins' was over-used or not) and if so, they are on the high side of seventeen or so, and Tiron would be the youngest of the three at probably 16 - 17. I'm not so good with ages and keeping track of time. Oh, and thanks for the compliment about Auron. I guess you can tell he's my favorite.
