kd7sov: Annoy me? Not at all. If I seemed terse, well... that's because I often am. If anything, I was amusedly bewildered (to the point of using words that don't exist, it would seem). You've found and pointed out nigh every flaw I need to go back and fix, some I hadn't noticed until then, and then you kept saying that you still like this fic. Seriously, I'm doing a massive edit once my baby's fully-grown.
epobbp: I get it, I get it...
Aruken: Adrian's a Water Seer. I believe it was first mentioned in the beginning of chapter 17. All the main Adept crew is awakened, plus Saturos and Menardi. As for anyone else, that has yet to be seen.
AmandaZgreat: And you're my ego boost. Though I have to admit, seeing only seven words was a little confusing. : P
Some Random Venus Adept: Works for me.
End of Response Section
11/3/05
Two years. Two Lighthouses. Twenty-five chapters. Twenty-nine significant characters, twenty-nine separate motivations. Seventy-two Djinn.
And so many memories.
Next time, it'll be smaller.
Disclaimer: Rallalon does not own Golden Sun or any of its characters, places or items. Nor does she own innkeepers, stars, dragons, campfires... insert long list here... or wrinkled jeans. Adrian is Freek's, Lord Aquae Yoshimi's.
.-.-.-.-.-.
"Mind if I ask you a question, Mariner? And I already know that I already did," Felix tacked on testily.
Picard raised an eyebrow. What had Felix in such a bad mood this time? He hadn't seen anyone flirt with Jenna since the last inn, so perhaps it was his leg acting up again. "So long as it has nothing to go with my age, go ahead." It was a sign of how close he was with his new family that he had allowed previous jests on what was the taboo topic of his homeland. It was always rude, even when commented on by the ignorant, and Picard didn't wish to endure another such affront with Felix already in a troubled mood.
Felix leaned back in his chair, gazing into the mug of something the innkeeper's wife had pressed on "the poor youngin' looking in need of something to warm him up." The so-called kindness had cost a few coins, but Picard didn't think that was the trouble either. Well accustomed to the quiet man's silences, Picard began to wait him out.
"...What do you want, Picard?"
His mother, Lunpa, his uncle, his king's approval, his own bed each night... "What do you mean?"
Felix took a sip of the mystery liquid -- Sheba had bet ten coins it was a strange tea, Jenna accepting the wager with a claim that it would give her brother a hang-over come morning. The older two of the group had passed on saying anything, but opted to stick with drinking water. The swordsman's resulting expression, even partially hidden as all his expressions were, proved Kraden and Picard have taken the intelligent choice. The wager looked to still be up in the air. "...Let me put it this way... When you explained reincarnation to me, you said that if a person lost their... their soul, their current life would be their final one, right?"
"Close enough." It was, considering a proper explanation would have taken several years.
"My question is, what would you sell your soul for?"
Unable to quickly come up with a serious answer, he replied, "Certainly not your drink."
"Mariner, I'm serious." A person didn't need to see Felix's facial expression to know it true. Felix was nothing if not serious, from body language to tone.
"How am I supposed to answer a question like that?" It was blasphemous.
"With an actual answer."
"...Allow me time to consider it."
Felix nodded as was his wont, going back to studying his rather full mug. If Picard hadn't had something else to think about, the might have suspected the innkeeper's wife of a desperation's to sell an unwanted brew instead of being concerned over a complete stranger's health. Or he would have pondered why Felix had brought this up so abruptly.
But he did have something else to consider. Did he want his parents back, as Sheba and the siblings did? To a point, but the ache was a part of him, and his parents were well and truly dead. Picard would keep his soul and see them again, in fifty years or fifty millennia. He would wait, and he would endure. To do otherwise would be counterproductive in the long run, no matter how much his heart might call out for haste.
Did he want approval, to be praised for his loyalty as Kraden had wished of Babi? He did, of course he did, but -- and here was a somewhat startling thought -- didn't he already have it? Even just a little? King Hydros had entrusted this mission to him and him alone.
He wanted to prove Conservato wrong, and he was nearing his goal, though it would be a mistake to assume spiting the senator was the only reason behind his partaking in his quest. He wanted people like the senator and Shine to be more open-minded, and so save Weyard a mountain of headaches. He wanted to put an end to fear, to the nervousness that remained be there ax or sword in hand and Psynergy at the ready. He wanted to know that no one would ever be locked up for something they hadn't done. He wanted to be skilled enough in his Mercury Psynergy to rid Felix of his limp, to give Kraden the full use of his eyes and ears while taking away the aches in his joints. He wanted more people like Kraden and the Madran Elder in Weyard.
Picard wouldn't think of trading his soul, even theoretically, for one of these. However, all of them...
"Felix?"
Said man looked up, dark brown eyes watching as alert as ever.
"I want to be wise enough."
"Enough for what?"
Once past the first one, the second question wasn't at all difficult. "Enough for everything."
Whatever the reaction of the younger man was, it was hidden by the hair eternally falling in his face. The pair sat in silence for a few moments longer, watching a brave Djinni sip from Felix's mug. It seemed that in exchange for having mouths which none could see when closed, the elemental creatures lacked a sense of taste.
"What do you want, Felix?"
The reply was far faster than Picard's had been. "To be strong enough."
That Felix didn't believe that he was so already was disturbing to Picard. "...Enough for what?"
Felix looked at him, one of those looks that spoke volumes that the receiver of the look should have already known. "For things to have turned out differently," he said, then pulled Iron out of the otherwise empty mug by the tail. The pair watched the little one hop about dizzily on the table for a time.
"You're one of the strongest people I know, Felix," Picard told him at last.
"That's odd. You're one of the wisest people I know."
He rolled over in his draught-induced sleep, groggily seeking an event further into the future, yet so long ago.
"This is nice."
"I guess." Jenna shrugged, looking up from her spot around the campfire. She shot Picard a look and he shrugged back at her. Neither knew what had gotten yet another odd mood out of Felix. Glances at Sheba and Kraden proved the same thing of them.
"You don't often get to see the stars this clearly. It snows so much in Prox; it was a wonder that anyone knew any constellations at all. But on the nights it didn't snow, those were... those were amazing. Nearly everyone would be outside - completely bundled up - just to see. It was practically a festival. They'd tell stories and spread the knowledge. It happened so rarely and the monster attacks so often that they must have been afraid they wouldn't be able to teach everything to all the kids fast enough. ...They even taught me, on those nights."
...That explained what he was thinking about, certainly. And once known, it was a catching mood.
"No offense, but the nights of Lalivero are the best I've ever seen, and I'm not being biased. When there weren't any sandstorms, I would spend the night up on the roof with my little... with Faran's son. It was always so clear, and crisp, and calm. The stars would be out and a lot of people would be sleeping. You could really hear the desert on those nights. He and I would stay up, just to hear it. We wouldn't talk at all; we'd communicate through Mind Read. He thought it was so amazing... He wanted to be an Adept, too, though he didn't know the word for it."
"You've got a little brother, Sheb'?"
"I... Yeah. He's really cute, though he hates it when you call him that."
"Hehe, Felix was the same way. He had the best reactions."
"It's gotten to be a relief that I'm not anymore."
"What, cute?"
"You're cute, Felix."
"..."
"See, Sheb'? Best reaction ever."
"...Your turn, mariner."
"All right... Well, there's a lot of fog in Lemuria, but the stars are easy to see. Yet there's nothing as beautiful as the solset over the water, watching it dazzle while standing on one of the palace balconies. The diamonds of the waves turn to rubies and topaz, all the wealth of the world sinking down into the sea only to be replaced again and again with each wave. You can smell the spray and feel it on your skin. When it booms against the cliffs it's the most perfect sound in the world, natural and constant in its crescendos and decrescendos. It's powerful, but gentle enough to lull you to sleep. Long after Sol goes down to rest, it will be there, constant and ever-changing."
"...That was beautiful, Picard."
"...It's home. And to be truthful, I was adapting a poem my mother would read to me when I was young."
"Hee hee, and when was that?"
"What's home to you, Kraden? Vale or Tolbi?" ("Come on, Picard, answer the question!" "Please?" "I said I wouldn't tell you and I don't plan to make myself a liar.")
"As fond as I am of Vale, Tolbi has a special quality to it. It's educated, yet full of markets and gambling. And the palace... No offense meant, but..."
"Allow me to guess. It's larger than that of Lemuria."
"In part, yes. But what goes on there... The research, the quest, the excitement... but it might be that it's all gone now. I dearly hope not. I've never been in a room with so many scientists as I have been in Tolbi. I've had some of the best discussions of my life. The best of my friends... even my first love. Ah, how long ago that was. That girl never read a word in her life, yet... She wanted to know everything. Reading and writing, she had no time for, but if I told by her stall and bought but one tomato, she would listen to me for hours while she worked and then always ask the best questions. I gave her a lucky medal, once. The next day, she insisted that we go up to the fountain together; I couldn't refuse her anything. She'd picked the best time of day somehow. I'm sure Picard knows what I'm talking about here."
"It must have been a good mockery then."
"Picard, there was no hint of mockery in its design, only respect. The sollight hit the water so well... It was beautiful. I can't remember what time of day it was. What I do remember is that when she threw her medal in, the sollight glinted off of it so... The reflected light shone on her face, and... I was in love. But enough of an old man's ramblings. It's your turn, Jenna."
"Hmm... I think I know a moment a little like that in Vale. More like Picard's, though. It's when the Sol's already up over some of the trees, high enough to shine over to light up the shop and make the Psynergy Stone sparkle, but not high enough to hit the inn. I don't know why, but it's my favorite place... moment, I guess, about Vale. It makes everything purple and bright. The little kids used to try to skip stones when that happened. It made the colors dance more."
"I remember that."
"As do I."
"We'll have to see it again, big brother. When we're done."
"And we'll come, too."
"Yeah."
He wanted to stay there with his friends, but... He had to look further.
"I knew what I was doing the moment I raised my sword."
This pain, this guilt... were had it come from? Back, away... away from it...
"Flash!" he yelled, his hand raised high.
You got it.
The dragon's attack collided with the barrier, giving Jenna the moment she had needed to Revive Isaac. She shouted to Picard, pointed where Garet lay sprawled on the aerie tiles with an old, black book. The words were lost under the Doom Dragon's roar, but the meaning was understood.
"Shade!"
Going!
Flower flying through the party, Felix and Isaac attacked in unison, Meld fusing their power. The second head of the Doom Dragon was felled, nearly hitting the two Valemen as it crashed to where Garet had lain moments before. A yell for Granite was heard, followed by a cry for Daedalus. Ivan summoned Eclipse as Mia cast a Ply Well over him and Sheba called for Kite. Said Djinni landing on Picard's head, he had only a moment to wonder what Sheba wanted of him before the dragon took flight, rising up far too high.
Then Picard knew.
"Flash, set!"
The monster was rapidly descending upon them, faster than the Lemurian could react.
"Fl--"
He knew pain as he'd never known it before.
"... a miracle..."
What? What about a miracle? He needed to know about the miracle... but the pain, oh Eclipse, the pain...
There was a man. A man in a cell... who didn't know why he was there...
"Ply!" spoke a different sort of voice, and he shivered, phantom pain rapidly numbing. "Ply!"
The voice continued. "You're here, Adrian. You're in Lemuria, here, now."
...And so he was, he realized, panting and struggling to sit up. "D-dragon... Big... big dragon..."
"Calm down," a man with face aged by both time and worry told him softly. "There's no threat to you here."
"But... The dragon... Their- their parents... I mean, the dragon-"
The man held up a hand. "Adrian, there are no dragons any longer."
"...No dragons?"
"None. Nothing even remotely close."
.-.-.-.-.-.
Makrina rubbed at her shoulder. While a Jupiter Djinni could disguise her ears and other developing Proxan qualities, they couldn't stop the itching of the scales. She felt like she was turning into some sort of monster, no matter how offensive the term was towards Menardi.
'I don't see what the problem is. It's perfectly normal.'
'How could this be normal?' she demanded. Makrina had always taken for granted that she looked good. It was how she was. Now she barely looked human when she saw herself in the mirror. First her shoulders, then her ears, and then at last her face; all ruined. Makrina didn't think herself all that egotistical, but she liked knowing she looked good. She liked knowing that people would generally have a good reaction to her appearance.
'Don't tell me this is your first molting.'
'...You mean that this is supposed to happen?'
'Every other year.' Had Menardi her own body, the pair would've been staring at each other.
'It's disgusting.'
That was, in the type of hindsight that comes immediately after doing something stupid, obviously the wrong thing to say.
'It's just different, you sandskin. You'll never learn how to transform at this rate.'
'I don't want to learn that! I want to be a normal human!'
It was, and always would be, a bad idea to get in a fight with a person in one's own head. All forms of sulking away were impossible and there were no ways to make this not so.
'You are a normal human!' Menardi spat back. 'One of the only two in this entire world.'
'This,' she replied, pulling off one of the scales close to her neck, 'is not normal!'
"Zoshchenko."
Makrina ignored Satornil, dropping the scale.
A hand landed on her shoulder, and she tensed automatically.
There was the brief sound of ripping cloth, then a yelp of "Flude!"
Something tore with the satisfied pain of a scratched itch. Matthew turned back, Felix ready for anything. "Wha-"
"Let me see it."
Makrina turned to find Picard picking small fragments of red scale out of Satornil's hand, the latter muttering under his breath. Not that Makrina didn't hear all of it anyway. For some reason, his ears were quivering in an amused fashion. Why would Saturos find that funny?
It took a very long moment for her to realize what had happened.
'Did you think they were for decoration, girl?' Menardi asked, sounding more entertained than she had a right to be. 'You have a very stupid friend.' With her counterparts prompting, she inspected her shoulder. It wasn't bleeding all that much, but the shirt had some definite holes. She pulled a few of the loose, broken shards of scale out before Matthew decided to try a Cure on her.
'...This should not be possible. Any of this.'
'That's too bad.'
"Uh, guys," Matthew announced nervously, staring past her, "we're drawing a bit of attention to ourselves... Let's get going, shall we?"
It didn't take much looking about to know that it was true. Jupiter Djinni could only cover so much of what went on, a fact that Makrina was perversely pleased with due to Menardi.
"Right, Felix," Picard agreed, rinsing Satornil's palm off with a handful of water that had materialized from wherever it was the Mercury Adept found water. "Ply... We're set. Don't do it again."
Satornil met her gaze for a moment, and Makrina found it easier to look away than look back.
"Small chance of that."
.-.-.-.-.-.
Hua could not remember the last time she'd been this nervous. She'd been through exams, taking them, teaching for them and giving them, and she'd done all of this calmly, confidently. She could retain information easily, almost as easily as she could learn it. Sometimes, she would know what was on the test even before she took it, the exact phrasing.
She was a Jupiter Adept. She had wisdom, she had sight, and she had the power of wind.
And it was now failing her horribly.
Where are you, brother?
It was too personal to see. Hama had warned her of this, and she had managed to maintain an attitude of sufficient detachment in the past. But now it was so much more difficult. A brother she had never met, a friend she had yet to see, a realm of power and wonder she had but a glimpse into; this was nigh impossible to stay detached from. Hua had to be more than her Psynergy. There was more to a seer than her sight.
Her common sense, for example.
The airport no longer allowed non-passengers to the gates, making them wait outside of the screening and metal detectors. She would wait outside. She would hold up her small piece of cardboard. And he would come.
Even worried, Hama had the most calming presence of anyone Hua had ever known.
A slight breeze blew around her and she turned, searching eyes finding only a vent from which the air conditioner blew. Perhaps it would be too much to hope that he had a noticeable amount of Psynergy...
A voice spoke out to her from behind, asking with words of a language Hua had never heard aloud.
She turned once more, and a boy roughly a decade her junior stood there. A small purple creature peeked out from one of the breast pockets of his jacket. Sporting an unfamiliar logo, the jacket was blue and black, and it was zipped up half-way, displaying a grey shirt underneath. Headphones rested around his neck, a thin, black cord snaking down into yet another pocket of his coat. Nervous hands fiddled with it. His jeans were wrinkled; his shoes were dirty. He had a minor case of acne and a pair of mosquito bites on his forehead.
His eyes, their mother's eyes, were studying her, memorizing her, in very much the same way she was memorizing him.
"Yes," Hama said in reply for her. "I am your sister."
"I missed you." He smiled a little, relaxed a little. "And it's wonderful to meet you," he added, only slightly jokingly.
"You're well, Ivan?"
"I'm well. Can I expect the same of you?"
"You can."
Hama didn't often talk for her, causing some irritation now. However, Hua had to admit that she had no idea what to say when it finally came down to it.
Evan held out his hand to her, eyes questioning. Were they supposed to hug? How much of a language barrier was there? Why hadn't they started off with small contact first?
Hand touched hand. Mind contacted mind.
Sister met brother.
Half-brother.
Half-brother?
Most likely.
...Oh.
Their mother had divorced Hua's father when Hua had been a girl. Only recently, with Hama teaching her visions, Hua had discovered what had become of her mother.
...Oh.
...Brother...
...This was too personal, too soon.
...That was fine. She wouldn't push.
...He appreciated that. Really, he did.
She knew.
So... about that whole thing with dead people using their bodies...
She admitted that it did take some getting used to.
He imagined so.
They shared it all at once, mind speaking to a speaking mind. They listened as they spoke, two silent siblings, separate in a crowded airport.