This one isn't as eventful as the last two, but the view is back to
Destiny.
Chapter Eleven: Luca, the Blitzball Capital of Spira (Destiny)
The sun had begun to rise in the eastern sky, penetrating the dreary darkness and driving away the forbidding storm clouds. I stood sleepily on the deck, leaning against the cabin's wall and listening to the hustle and bustle surrounding me. We were docking in Luca, the second largest city in Spira.
The villagers' fear and sadness evaporated as the sky continued lightening into a nice robin's egg blue and fluffy cumulus clouds began to peek into view. Seagulls wheeled above, some landing on the ship and looking for any signs of scraps left behind from the crew and passengers. They filled the once frightening air with their sharp cries. I smiled at them and for the first time began to notice the condition of the once grand Draconis. People skirted the sides of a large hole in the weakening floor, and the lower levels had been cut off completely, due to the amount of debris and filth, so all surviving people spent the trip to Luca's harbor staring over the rim of the ship and chatting between one another, excluding those who were mourning their dead. Ten Crusaders had died in the carnage of the attack. Thankfully, Oryon, whom I'd grown quite close to, hadn't been one of them.
He walked up behind me and sighed softly. "Ryuu's not happy that we're stopping. He's behaving strangely, even for himself."
I jumped slightly. I should've been used to Oryon sneaking up on me and speaking as though he'd been there the whole time, but I wasn't. "D'you always hafta do that?" I asked, turning around and glaring at him, not really mad. He chuckled.
"I could call your name fifteen times and you wouldn't respond, the way you are," he muttered quietly and ducked as I swung a playful punch at him. He grabbed my arm as I threw another one at him, and pushed it gently against my side. "We're docking soon. I suggest you get ready."
I squinted as sunlight entered my eyes and asked, "How long are we gonna be in Luca?"
"Don't know," he said "probably only until Ryuu can get us a new ship."
"I hope he takes a while, I'd like to stay in Luca for a bit and I'd love to see a blitzball game," I said, a strange, ecstatic feeling beginning to bubble up within me. It was the same feeling I'd had while doing the Sphere Shot. I felt powerful, in a sense, and raring to go. Energy was begging to be released into the world, and I was just as ready to release it.
Oryon smiled. "You'll get your chance, don't worry. Luca is never short of Blitzball games this time of the year."
I cheered and grinned. "Well, let's hurry up then. I'm tired of this ship. It was nice for the first few days, but now it's just boring."
I looked over at a few children, innocent and already forgetting the danger they'd been in two days before, leaned over a rail and pointed at a pod of frolicking dolphins. The water mammals spouted water in fountains and cackled in their strange language; they leapt above the water cheerily and sprayed the children in the face, causing a few giggles and cheers from them. It was a refreshing sight, and I wished that all of the people on the Draconis could wipe the desolate looks off of their faces and laugh like the children could.
"Fear erases itself from a child's mind quickly," Oryon commented, once again seeming to read my mind. His gaze had followed mine, and he now had his chocolate eyes resting on the two. I nodded, and he continued, "The world would have no troubles, if all could think like they do." And he walked away. Oryon always gave me the feeling that he knew so much more than the average person, even one older than himself. It depressed me a little, because he always seemed so tense. I wondered if it had been from the years he'd spent as a Crusader. Maybe that changed people, but I had never been in a true battle, not with my own flesh at least. In the only instances I could remember I'd had the dragon there to fight for me. Once again, the feeling of uselessness and guilt dug its claws into my shoulder, and I sighed before running off to find Sanya and Ruka.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Ruka grinned at me joyfully as I approached. "We get to stop in Luca! I can't believe it, Luca's the best this time of year!" Sanya nodded and twirled a blitzball on her finger expertly.
"And here I was thinking that I'd miss the next few games, ya? At least one good thing came out of that attack," she said jovially. I shook my head and rolled my eyes. She chuckled. "Don't look at me like that! You'll be sorry later! Ruka's right, Luca's da best!"
"What're we gonna do when we get there?" I asked, and was almost immediately sorry that I had. I could only catch a few words from the outburst that followed.
"… blitzball and… all the cute guys!!"
"… on the beach… swimming… blitzball!!"
I giggled and waved my hands to stop them. "Okay, I think I get the point!"
They stopped and both laughed. "Sorry 'bout that!" Ruka commented.
"It's okay, but I'd like to be able to understand what I'm hearing," I said chuckling and placing my hands on my hips. Sanya put her arm over my shoulders.
"Hey, ya know what? You should try out for blitzball, ya? That Sphere Shot back on Besaid was amazing!" she joked, putting the ball in my hands. "Let's see it again, okay?"
I was surprised. "I.. I.. Uhm..." I wasn't even sure how I'd done it. I wasn't sure of anything. It had been like a different person had been controlling me. I thought for a moment that it might have been the Dragon, but dismissed the idea. He seemed very solitary. I'd tried to speak to him again, but he'd refused to reply, either that or he couldn't.
"Oh c'mon!" Sanya teased with a wink. I blushed.
"I can't."
Ruka imitated my hand-on-the-hip position. "You only can't if you say you can't! At least try!"
I looked down at the ball in my hands, and sighed. "Maybe when we get off of this ship." I emphasized the maybe. I felt so unsure of myself.
~*~*~*~*~*~
White foam surrounded the injured ship as it slid into an open dock in Luca's harbor. Seagulls continued wheeling overhead, their harsh voices mixed with the cries of the crew as they anchored the ship in and began to lower the ramp. The villagers chatted excitedly between themselves, planning out their small, restful vacation in Luca, the blitzball capital of Spira.
Oryon muttered softly to me, "You'll like it here. We all just need to relax, and this is a good place to do so."
I nodded and followed the small mass of people down the ramp. A tiny crowd of spectators gathered and gawked at the Draconis, whispering apprehensively between themselves, wondering what had happened aboard the ship. A few Crusaders jostled them away, making room for all of the passengers to exit the ship. I heard the normal squeals of hopeless teenagers as Ryuu exited the ship, his short hair flowing behind him and a smug smile upon his arrogant face. I seethed. It only took a small glance at the man for anger to bubble up within me. 'He probably didn't even fight that fiend!' I thought as he walked past. His yellow eyes caught mine again, and he smiled his best try at a seductive smile. It didn't work on me, but a few girls were reduced the squeaking idiots as he did. I couldn't see what they did in this man.
I ran to catch up with Oryon, and shot a glare at Ryuu, making sure that he knew my feelings, making sure that he knew that I trusted and admired my russet-eyed friend much more than him. He sneered and walked away in a huff.
We left the crowd quickly, Oryon, Sanya, Ruka, and I. We hadn't the slightest clue where the adults had gotten themselves to, but the others didn't seem to care, and Oryon didn't seem to want to hang around with the other Crusaders and their captain if he didn't have to, so we began to venture into the city.
Sanya, Ruka, and I talked happily amongst ourselves and Oryon kept quiet, adding a small grunt or a laugh in every once in a while. We were just leaving the docking area when I began to feel the hairs on the back of my neck prickle, and I got the strange feeling that someone was watching us. I turned my head slightly and caught a small glimpse of fiery red hair, and then nothing. I stopped, puzzled.
"What is it?" Oryon asked.
I blinked twice, just to make sure that I was seeing okay. "It's.. nothing.."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Eleven: Luca, the Blitzball Capital of Spira (Destiny)
The sun had begun to rise in the eastern sky, penetrating the dreary darkness and driving away the forbidding storm clouds. I stood sleepily on the deck, leaning against the cabin's wall and listening to the hustle and bustle surrounding me. We were docking in Luca, the second largest city in Spira.
The villagers' fear and sadness evaporated as the sky continued lightening into a nice robin's egg blue and fluffy cumulus clouds began to peek into view. Seagulls wheeled above, some landing on the ship and looking for any signs of scraps left behind from the crew and passengers. They filled the once frightening air with their sharp cries. I smiled at them and for the first time began to notice the condition of the once grand Draconis. People skirted the sides of a large hole in the weakening floor, and the lower levels had been cut off completely, due to the amount of debris and filth, so all surviving people spent the trip to Luca's harbor staring over the rim of the ship and chatting between one another, excluding those who were mourning their dead. Ten Crusaders had died in the carnage of the attack. Thankfully, Oryon, whom I'd grown quite close to, hadn't been one of them.
He walked up behind me and sighed softly. "Ryuu's not happy that we're stopping. He's behaving strangely, even for himself."
I jumped slightly. I should've been used to Oryon sneaking up on me and speaking as though he'd been there the whole time, but I wasn't. "D'you always hafta do that?" I asked, turning around and glaring at him, not really mad. He chuckled.
"I could call your name fifteen times and you wouldn't respond, the way you are," he muttered quietly and ducked as I swung a playful punch at him. He grabbed my arm as I threw another one at him, and pushed it gently against my side. "We're docking soon. I suggest you get ready."
I squinted as sunlight entered my eyes and asked, "How long are we gonna be in Luca?"
"Don't know," he said "probably only until Ryuu can get us a new ship."
"I hope he takes a while, I'd like to stay in Luca for a bit and I'd love to see a blitzball game," I said, a strange, ecstatic feeling beginning to bubble up within me. It was the same feeling I'd had while doing the Sphere Shot. I felt powerful, in a sense, and raring to go. Energy was begging to be released into the world, and I was just as ready to release it.
Oryon smiled. "You'll get your chance, don't worry. Luca is never short of Blitzball games this time of the year."
I cheered and grinned. "Well, let's hurry up then. I'm tired of this ship. It was nice for the first few days, but now it's just boring."
I looked over at a few children, innocent and already forgetting the danger they'd been in two days before, leaned over a rail and pointed at a pod of frolicking dolphins. The water mammals spouted water in fountains and cackled in their strange language; they leapt above the water cheerily and sprayed the children in the face, causing a few giggles and cheers from them. It was a refreshing sight, and I wished that all of the people on the Draconis could wipe the desolate looks off of their faces and laugh like the children could.
"Fear erases itself from a child's mind quickly," Oryon commented, once again seeming to read my mind. His gaze had followed mine, and he now had his chocolate eyes resting on the two. I nodded, and he continued, "The world would have no troubles, if all could think like they do." And he walked away. Oryon always gave me the feeling that he knew so much more than the average person, even one older than himself. It depressed me a little, because he always seemed so tense. I wondered if it had been from the years he'd spent as a Crusader. Maybe that changed people, but I had never been in a true battle, not with my own flesh at least. In the only instances I could remember I'd had the dragon there to fight for me. Once again, the feeling of uselessness and guilt dug its claws into my shoulder, and I sighed before running off to find Sanya and Ruka.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Ruka grinned at me joyfully as I approached. "We get to stop in Luca! I can't believe it, Luca's the best this time of year!" Sanya nodded and twirled a blitzball on her finger expertly.
"And here I was thinking that I'd miss the next few games, ya? At least one good thing came out of that attack," she said jovially. I shook my head and rolled my eyes. She chuckled. "Don't look at me like that! You'll be sorry later! Ruka's right, Luca's da best!"
"What're we gonna do when we get there?" I asked, and was almost immediately sorry that I had. I could only catch a few words from the outburst that followed.
"… blitzball and… all the cute guys!!"
"… on the beach… swimming… blitzball!!"
I giggled and waved my hands to stop them. "Okay, I think I get the point!"
They stopped and both laughed. "Sorry 'bout that!" Ruka commented.
"It's okay, but I'd like to be able to understand what I'm hearing," I said chuckling and placing my hands on my hips. Sanya put her arm over my shoulders.
"Hey, ya know what? You should try out for blitzball, ya? That Sphere Shot back on Besaid was amazing!" she joked, putting the ball in my hands. "Let's see it again, okay?"
I was surprised. "I.. I.. Uhm..." I wasn't even sure how I'd done it. I wasn't sure of anything. It had been like a different person had been controlling me. I thought for a moment that it might have been the Dragon, but dismissed the idea. He seemed very solitary. I'd tried to speak to him again, but he'd refused to reply, either that or he couldn't.
"Oh c'mon!" Sanya teased with a wink. I blushed.
"I can't."
Ruka imitated my hand-on-the-hip position. "You only can't if you say you can't! At least try!"
I looked down at the ball in my hands, and sighed. "Maybe when we get off of this ship." I emphasized the maybe. I felt so unsure of myself.
~*~*~*~*~*~
White foam surrounded the injured ship as it slid into an open dock in Luca's harbor. Seagulls continued wheeling overhead, their harsh voices mixed with the cries of the crew as they anchored the ship in and began to lower the ramp. The villagers chatted excitedly between themselves, planning out their small, restful vacation in Luca, the blitzball capital of Spira.
Oryon muttered softly to me, "You'll like it here. We all just need to relax, and this is a good place to do so."
I nodded and followed the small mass of people down the ramp. A tiny crowd of spectators gathered and gawked at the Draconis, whispering apprehensively between themselves, wondering what had happened aboard the ship. A few Crusaders jostled them away, making room for all of the passengers to exit the ship. I heard the normal squeals of hopeless teenagers as Ryuu exited the ship, his short hair flowing behind him and a smug smile upon his arrogant face. I seethed. It only took a small glance at the man for anger to bubble up within me. 'He probably didn't even fight that fiend!' I thought as he walked past. His yellow eyes caught mine again, and he smiled his best try at a seductive smile. It didn't work on me, but a few girls were reduced the squeaking idiots as he did. I couldn't see what they did in this man.
I ran to catch up with Oryon, and shot a glare at Ryuu, making sure that he knew my feelings, making sure that he knew that I trusted and admired my russet-eyed friend much more than him. He sneered and walked away in a huff.
We left the crowd quickly, Oryon, Sanya, Ruka, and I. We hadn't the slightest clue where the adults had gotten themselves to, but the others didn't seem to care, and Oryon didn't seem to want to hang around with the other Crusaders and their captain if he didn't have to, so we began to venture into the city.
Sanya, Ruka, and I talked happily amongst ourselves and Oryon kept quiet, adding a small grunt or a laugh in every once in a while. We were just leaving the docking area when I began to feel the hairs on the back of my neck prickle, and I got the strange feeling that someone was watching us. I turned my head slightly and caught a small glimpse of fiery red hair, and then nothing. I stopped, puzzled.
"What is it?" Oryon asked.
I blinked twice, just to make sure that I was seeing okay. "It's.. nothing.."
~*~*~*~*~*~