Notes:  We've got some Japanese folks…
Kisama: A very rude form of "you" that is normally translated as "bastard."  (My kanji book shows the symbol as meaning "King of Donkeys"...hmm)
Kura: A shop that makes sake. (My kanji book says "storehouse")

Conventions:  Don't forget now…
//SOMETEXT// are Auron's thoughts
**SOMETEXT** are Braska's thoughts
~~SOMETEXT~~ are Jecht's thoughts

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Braska's Journey
Bevelle – Chapter Four – The Marketplace

Auron stood before a wall of swords, considering the available options.  The spar with Jecht yesterday had been interesting.  The man clearly had never held a sword before, but was a quick study.  The man from Zanarkand was strong – very strong – and was surprisingly agile and quick for his build.  After a quick hand-to-hand session, Auron led Jecht through a short set of kata moves.  Wellak, curious and eagle eyed, handed the blitzer progressively heavier blades.  Though he had performed the kata rather hesitantly, Jecht had gone through the weightiest swords available in the armory without tiring significantly. 

Finally, Wellak had looked at Auron through narrowed eyes and said,  "Give the man your sword."

At first, Auron had thought to protest.  No one had ever wielded his Grandfather's blades but him.  Then, he realized that the aged Master at Arms was right.  They had to know Jecht's capabilities and limitations.  Auron stood back a few steps and drew forth the massive katana.

Jecht's eyes had widened slightly as the warrior monk slid the blade from its sheathe and moved to hold it, one handed, upright before him.  Then, Auron twisted his wrist and fluidly brought the tip of the sword to rest lightly on the mat.  "Try this," he said.

The blitzer could tell by the monk's body language that he was not happy about letting go of his weapon.  Jecht looked Auron up and down carefully before moving forward to take hold of the blade.  He wasn't sure exactly why, but he could tell that there was something significant about the warrior allowing him to use the sword.  It made him uneasy.

Wellak moved to stand next to his former assistant.  "Let it go, Auron.  It is only a piece of metal."

The monk stood, arms crossed over his chest, and watched as Jecht hefted the sword.   The man from Zanarkand clumsily moved through the four kata positions he had been shown.  For the first time, the Master at Arms and the warrior monk noticed the blitzer strain a bit to complete the final move.  The powerful muscles of the man's arms bulged and rippled. 

"Do not stop," said Wellak raising a hand to make a circular gesture.  "Continue the movements again, Jecht.  Do them over and over until you can no longer hold the blade upright."

Jecht couldn't help his reaction to the directive.  He looked at Auron for some sign of approval. 

~~Why the hell do I care what he thinks?  Because it's his sword?~~

Surprised that the blitzer was waiting for some kind of sign, Auron nodded an affirmative.  A strange look passed between the two and Jecht began to move the blade again.

The two men standing on the side of the mat observed intently as Jecht wielded the massive sword.  Over and over he repeated the movements, each time becoming a bit more confident.  A sheen of sweat began to show on the scared body of the man from Zanarkand and he grunted as he began to tire.  Auron's eyes widened as Jecht pushed through the burning of his muscles and continued the kata yet again. 

//I can't even wield the blade that long!//

"Auron," Wellak turned his head away from the blitzer to speak to his former assistant.  "If you do not mind, I would give you a bit of advice regarding this."

The warrior, astounded, simply nodded.

"If I were you, I would select this man a lighter sword that he might use as he learns how to correctly wield a blade.  If his skill with a blitzball is even passable, he may also use one of modified design to attack flyers and other creatures as you Journey without fear of him injuring himself or your Summoner."  The gray haired man turned to fully face Auron.  "As I recall, you mentioned that you became acquainted with a man in Luca who had apprenticed with your Grandfather.  When you arrive there, I would commission him to create a sword for Jecht.  This 'man from Zanarkand' is a quick study.  If you teach him as you travel, he should be skilled enough by Luca to wield a large glave without taking off your head, or that of Lord Braska, during battle."

Auron looked at Wellak and nodded again as Jecht finally came to the end of his ability to hold the sword aloft.  "Yes.  I will do as you suggest."

And so, today, Auron stood in the shop of a weapons maker trying to select an appropriate training weapon for Jecht that would also serve combat functions for the first leg of the Journey.  He frowned.  Nothing seemed quite right.  It needed to light, but not too light.  It had to be well balanced and slightly bulky, but not too long or dual handed.  Finally, a glint of silver and red caught his eye. 

Slightly longer than a standard katana, the steel was sinuously curved upon itself to create a dual edged weapon.  The haft was long enough for it to be wielded two-handed but Auron could tell by the design that the blade would be light enough for one-handed use.  He called to the shopkeeper and had the piece brought to him for inspection.  He ran a gloved thumb along the steel and checked the edge.

//Fine workmanship.  Sharp./

Motioning with a hand for the salesman to stand aside, Auron flicked his wrist and twisted the sword in his hand.  He swiftly moved through a six-position kata that used both single and dual-handed stances. 

//Nice balance point.  A bit flimsy for some fiends, but useable for sparing…I will have the piercing weapons and Jecht will also have a ball…Of course, Braska always has the Aeon…//

"Hn."  The warrior grunted his approval.  "And how much are you asking for this weapon?" 

The shopkeeper responded with the expected high price and Auron had to suppress a sigh.  He detested haggling.  He disliked it immensely and found it tedious.  The few times he had been required to bargain he had always found a way to place himself quickly at an advantage and trumped the situation by forcing his will.  He closed his eyes in thought and then made an offer.

"I will not pay that," he intoned in a low baritone.  "However, I might be persuaded to buy two items if you cut the price in half."

The shopkeeper made the expected whining denials about feeding several children and the slowness of sales.  It was all Auron could do to keep from exploding.

"That does not respond to my offer." he growled.  "Will you cut the price, or do I go to another shop?"

Auron's negotiation technique was completely outside the rules of etiquette and, had another person been within earshot, would have made for a huge loss of face for the person he addressed.  Lucky for Auron, he and the shopkeeper were alone.  The man finally responded with a real offer.

"I will not cut the price by half, but I will cut it a third if we agree on the second weapon and its price.  What else do you wish to buy?"

The two quickly came to a meeting of the minds over a modified blitzball called a blackout.  The enchantment on the weapon effected most fiends with blindness for a period.  Auron thought it a good compromise.  The troupe would travel through several areas with various types of elementals.  Better to have an overarching kind of enchantment that would work in almost all situations than an elemental one that might cause a target to be healed.  He would have preferred to obtain a ball that also had a sleep spell, but it would be too costly right now.  Braska's funds were somewhat limited.  As it was, Auron had decided to take the cost of Jecht's outfitting upon himself.  Thanks to his Grandfather's skills, and the fact that he rarely spent much of his pay from the temple, he had more than enough extra gil to absorb the expense.

Money was exchanging hands when someone entered the shop.  The warrior paid no attention until he heard a familiar voice say;

"Well.  I'll be damned.  If it isn't Auron; the fallen knight.  My day is starting to get interesting…"

The hairs on the back of Auron's neck rose and his eyes narrowed.  The warrior completed the transaction and took up the sword.  He placed the blitzball under his guard arm and turned.  "Tacat."

The auburn man stood near the doorway thumbing the hilt of his sword.  His voice was haughty.  "Don't you mean, Sir?  After all, you've been censured, Golden Boy.  You aren't really a monk anymore.  No command, no post, no position…no wife…"

Auron took a deep breath and his jaw tightened.  He was not interested in having a confrontation.  Braska and Jecht were waiting for him.  His voice hissed, "What do you want?"

Tacat ignored the question and put forward his own as he stepped toward the raven-haired man.  "Tell me, Auron, how does it feel?  I want to know."  Auron's interrogator ran his tongue over his lip and made a clicking noise as he closed the rest of the distance between them.  "Do you choke on envy at night when you think about your best friend getting what should be yours?"

Confusion played, unbidden, across Auron's face.

"You don't know, do you?  How interesting!"  Tacat leaned inward until his face was only inches from Auron's.  His voice was a taunting whisper.  "Kinoc didn't tell you?  Didn't mention that he got promoted to Second in your place…"

Shock registered in the russet eyes as Auron connected the facts.  Tacat was telling him the truth. 

//Why didn't I realize that at the Garrison?  He was wearing the uniform.  Why didn't Kinoc tell me?//

"You know," Tacat was so close to Auron that his breath was hot on his face.  The warrior monk's body, dressed in his Guard uniform, was almost touching that of the man he goaded.  A feral grin played across his face.  "That's the second blond you've screwed things up with.  Not much good with women, are ya?"

Auron's patience was almost at an end.  Growling out of the back of his throat, his hand reflexively clenched at the hilt of the sword in his hand - the leather of his glove creaked as it strained against the hard surface.  Russet eyes darkened to mahogany in anger as Auron attempted to hold himself in check. 

Tacat's smile grew wider.  "Oh, getting riled are we?"  His voice was filled with joy and anticipation.  "Hitting a bit to close to home, am I?  Good."  The auburn warrior monk pitched his voice low, the promise of violence filled his words.  "Let's take it outside where I can finish what I started on the Highbridge…Kisama!…"

The tension in the room was palpable.  Suddenly, the door to the shop opened again, spilling light across the two would-be combatants.  Braska entered.

"Auron, are you coming?  Jecht has finished at the kura and I wanted to…"  The Summoner's words stopped as he took in the scene before him.  The emotions rolling off his Guarding slammed into him and his eyes opened in surprise.  "Is everything all right?"  His even voice was concerned.

"Fine," Auron replied curtly through clenched teeth.  "I was just leaving."

The red-clad warrior made to move for the exit and Tacat used his body to block him.  The monk put lips to Auron's ear and hissed, "I still have unfinished business with you, Auron.  I always keep my promises.  You are a dead man."

Auron's head snapped to look into Tacat's eyes.  His voice was filled with disdain.  "And you are an adolescent fool, Tacat."  The warrior slammed his shoulder into the guardsman to push him out of his way and strode toward Braska without looking back.  His red robe fluttered angrily around his legs and he swept past the Summoner to throw open the door of the shop.  Without a word, he exited.

Braska stood there, amazed.  He looked at Tacat, and then at the open door where his Guardian had left a moment before.  He longed to question the warrior monk that stood there, but the look of brutal cruelty that reflected from Tacat's eyes stayed the priest.  Finally, Braska turned and left – closing the door behind him.

Auron was down the walkway, leaning against the side of an artists shop with his eyes closed.  The pained expression on his face was unlike anything Braska had ever seen.  The Call told him that the younger man was a maelstrom of emotions.  He walked over, and Auron raised his head to look at his Lord.

"Auron, what was that about?"

The reply was abrupt.  "Nothing"

"It did not look like 'nothing' to me."  Braska sighed, an expression of worry on his face.  "Who was that?"

"Braska, I do not want to talk about it."

The priest stood there, looking at the warrior and considering the options. 

**I could force this issue.  That man could be a problem and I should know what this is about on a purely defensive level.  But, pushing could make tension.  There's already too much because of Jecht…**

Braska decided to let it go.  He was just about to say something when Jecht did it for him.

"There ya are!  What happened?" The cocky blitzer was closing the distance swiftly with a cast of sake under one arm.  "I turned around and everyone was gone!"  His tone betrayed him.  The man from Zanarkand was little unnerved by finding himself alone.

Smiling at Auron, Braska addressed the blitzer.  "We were just taking care of your weapons, Jecht."  He put a reassuring hand on the warrior's shoulder.  "Why not show them to their new owner, Auron."

The Call passed a feeling of relief to the Summoner.  Braska hoped that Auron could tell he only wanted to be supportive.

Jecht and Auron quickly fell into a discussion regarding the items the warrior had obtained.  An expression of mild amusement on his face, Braska observed as the warrior turned over the sword and attempted some instruction.  Jecht slashed the sharp blade in the air at random and made a few boisterous comments about not needing to be told how to use the thing.  It was everything the Summoner could do to keep straight faced when the blitzer almost cut Auron's ponytail off at the shoulder blades. 

The warrior snatched the weapon from the blitzer's grasp.  It was clear to Braska that Jecht felt contrite about the blunder.  The man from Zanarkand attempted to apologize, but the warrior was so enraged that he didn't notice.  Auron got in Jecht's face and started a tongue-lashing that would have made any other man cringe in terror.  The look on Jecht's face held no fear – it held anger.  The Summoner was, again, startled.  He could tell that Auron was coming almost unhinged and that Jecht was about to call him out. 

**Why is he responding to Jecht like this?  I do not understand it.  Yes, the man is a bit different.  But that is to be expected.  One must make allowances for differences in culture…**

Braska intervened.  "Auron."  He said sternly.  He put a hand on the younger man's shoulder and the warrior spun to face him.  "Jecht is sorry.  He said so.  I am sure he has learned his lesson."

The look on the warrior's face said that he didn't believe Jecht had learned a damn thing.

"If he does something stupid like that when we are engaged in battle he will get you killed, my Lord!"  Frustration rolled off Auron in waves.  His voice was pitched high and loud.  "He is an irresponsible, uncouth, self-centered, reckless, drunk!"

//He is just like Tacat.//

"Hey!"  Jecht was finished.  He was done.  The fact that Auron was a package deal with Braska no longer mattered.  It was time to show this young man who was boss.  His voice was loud and livid.  "That's it!  You and I are gonna tango!"

Braska's eyes flew wide and he did the only thing he could think of, he jumped in front of Jecht as the blitzer threw a right hook at Auron.  The fist contacted the Summoner in the shoulder and he dropped to the ground in pain.  Both Guardians looked at the man on the pavement, stunned. 

Auron dropped to his knees at Braska's side, full of remorse. "My Lord!  Are you all right?"

//Oh Yevon!  This is my fault.//              

Jecht stood there, looking ashamed.  "Braska, what the hell did you do that for?!  I didn't wanna to hit you."

~~Why did I let that little punk get to me like that?!  Damn it!~~

"I am fine, Auron."  Braska waived the warrior away from him and pushed himself to all fours as he prepared to stand.  His voice was sad.  "I can not allow you two to fight.  It is wrong.  Violence is wrong.  You will never fully resolve a problem with aggression – you will only perpetuate misunderstanding."  The Summoner stood and brushed at his robes and addressed the blitzer.  "Jecht, you do not know me well.  It is impossible for you to know how I abhor hostility."  He then turned to face his young Guardian.  Braska's face was the picture of displeasure.  "But you, Auron, know better.  I am very disappointed."

Auron's eyes squeezed shut and his head dropped in shame.  He exhaled deeply.  "Forgive me, Lord.  It will not happen again."

"Auron," Braska responded firmly, "I am not the one you need to request forgiveness from."

The warrior set his jaw and turned to face Jecht.  He performed the sign of prayer, bowing low at the waist and said, "I apologize for my rude behavior and hasty words, Jecht."

The blitzer stood there looking ill at ease and said, "Yeah.  Well.  I'm sure I'll say something to piss you off too.  We'll call it even." 

The red-clad man raised his head to look at Jecht.  His expression was confused.

//Did he just accept my apology, or do I need to stand here?//

Jecht looked increasingly embarrassed as Auron remained bowed at the waist.  Finally, he said in frustration, "Jesus, Auron.  Stop that bowin' shit.  You're makin' me uncomfortable…"

Braska let out a sigh.  He looked on as Auron up righted himself and the two seemed to put the argument behind them.

**Well, at least it is detente.  They are so alike in so many ways.  Why do they not see it?**

"Auron, Jecht and I should be getting back.  It is almost time for the evening meal.  I assume that you will be eating with Shana tonight since we will leave in the morning."

The warrior nodded his head.  "What time and where shall we meet, Lord Braska?"

The Summoner rubbed at his sore shoulder.  "We will meet at the temple just before dawn."  A meaningful look passed between Braska and Auron.  Both knew why the man wanted to leave that early.  He couldn't face Yuna. 

"Dawn?" Jecht said.  "Isn't that a touch early?" 

~~What the hell?  I'm NOT a morning person.~~

"Is the breezeway near the exit to the Highbridge a satisfactory meeting place?"  Auron inquired.  He ignored Jecht's question.

Braska nodded.  "That will be fine.  We will see you then."

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