Three days passed quickly as Clarise rushed through the house packing all the things she believed her family would need. Jecht has disappeared again, possibly to drink she suspected. He had stopped after they had gotten the house, but the stress and worry about what was going to happen next must have gotten to him. Not that he would ever tell anyone that. No, he would brush it all off and say "I'm the great Jecht, what do I have to be worried about?"
The front door opened before slamming shut. She headed out of the bedroom and into the living room to see who had come in. She shook her head as she saw her husband flop on the couch. He groaned. "Oh, the headache I got." He said as an arm covered his face.
"I'm not surprised. How much did you have this time?" She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Oh, hey, Clarise. Could you keep it down, and not shout?" He removed his arm to move his head and look at her. Immediately he groaned and tried to cover it up, but not before Clarise got a chance to see it.
She rushed over onto the floor next to him. "Jecht, what happened to you? You have cuts all over your face!" She tried to move his arm again so she could see better.
"It's nothing. I just got in a little fight. Nothing serious." He slurred.
"Nothing serious? First off, you're drunk, second, you got in a fight."
"Please don't yell. Told you, my head is going to explode."
"Fine." She lowered her voice. "Maybe it's a good thing we are leaving today. You got yourself into a mess this time." She stood up. "Stay here. I'll be right back." She left the room and came back a moment later with a pill and some water. "Take this. It will help with the pain." She forced both objects into his hands.
He took both and greedily swallowed the water. "Clarise, you know I love you, right?" He said as he finished and handed the glass back.
"Yeah I know. Just hurry and sober up. We are expected at the dock in an hour."
--
Audrey entered the office and bowed right away. "Sir?"
"Lord Seymour is here?" Potentate Mika asked hopeful that his guest had at last arrived.
"He is, sir. Shall I send him in now?" Audrey asked him as he stood straight.
"Yes, please do. After that I want you to bring in some wine for us, then I do not want to be interrupted until our meeting is done."
"As you say sir." Audrey left only to be replaced with Lord Seymour moments later.
Just as Audrey had done, Seymour bowed as he entered the room. "It is an honor to be able to finally meet you sir." He said pleasantly.
"Yes, Lord Seymour. Come in, have a seat. There are things I wanted to talk to you about."
"Thank you sir." Seymour stepped over to the closest seat and relaxed."
"Your quarters, they are sufficient?" Mika asked him to start them off.
"Beyond anything I could ask for. There is nothing left I could think of that I could need. But I do not think you called me here to ask about Bevelle's guest suits."
"No, I did not. Audrey should be here soon. I asked him to bring us some refreshments." As if on queue, the servant walked in pushing a cart with wine, glasses, and food. Mika glanced at him in question.
"The chef said I should bring more then just the wine sir. He said that after Lord Seymour's trip, he might like to try some of Bevelle's finest to regain his energy." He explained.
"Very well. Leave it over here, please." The cart was pushed over, and Audrey bowed his head in respect to the visiting lord before leaving the room and locking the door behind him.
"Brave kid." Seymour noted when he was gone.
"Audrey has been with me ever since he was a child. He is totally dedicated to me. I trust him with my life. Ever since the failed attack on the city of Bikanel twelve years ago, he has come to trust me even more." Mika explained as he poured wine for himself and his guest. He handed one over and Seymour graciously took it.
"And why is that?" Seymour asked before taking a sip of the wine.
"His parents were killed in that attack. They all used to serve me, but they had requested to fill the order that any able bodies be asked to fight. I took Audrey under my wing afterwards."
"I see." He took a glance back at the closed door the servant had left through. His attention then focused on the man in front of him. "What have you called me for then, Potentate?" He asked using the proper title of his position.
"Seymour, you know I am to be eighty next month, correct?" A nod. "It is time I gave up my office. The people desire a younger more energetic leader."
"And you would like me to search for you?" Seymour humbly asked.
Mika laughed quietly. The lord was so naive. "No, the search has been done. I have chosen you to take my place. You are just what the people want. The loss of your father, forgive me." He added when he saw a wince. "Was a great loss to you. You know how it feels to loose a loved one to Al Bhed. You are the first to have gone through it. They admire that. You are strong-willed, patient, young, you will not only give the people what they need, but if able, what they want. They only flaw you have though, would have to be..."
"That I seek a peace with the Al Bhed?" Seymour guessed.
Mika stood and looked out over his beloved city. "Yes." He answered. "None of us have been able to figure out why you persist in such a meaningless effort."
"With all due respect sir, I have my reasons. Reasons I prefer not to discuss." He said as he swirled the liquid in his glass and watched as it calmed once more. He swirled it again as Mika continued to talk.
"Well, never mind that. We will discuss that later. If you do decide to take my place, I believe it would be in your best interest to travel around Spira. Allow the people to know who you are. Let them get to know you. Start In Zanarkand first, then make your way south. Within two or three months you should be done and be able to come back here and take your place. I will take care of matters here until your return."
"That is most generous of you. Give me a day to think this over?"
"Of course. It is a bit much to take in all at once. Perhaps I was wrong to throw this upon you like this."
"Do not be sorry. And I will give you my answer by this time tomorrow." Seymour stood and finished off the wine before setting his goblet on the cart. "Very fine wine indeed. I will be in touch." Then he unlocked the door himself, and walked out.
--
Rikku lay on her back in bed examining the contraption she had found by the beach the other day. I was small, no bigger then her palm, but she still couldn't figure out what it did. She turned it every which way, but nothing gave her a clue as to what. She raised her arm above her head to throw and smash it against the door. It opened just before she could do so.
"You awake?" Auron's voice drifted in.
She lowered her arm. "Yeah, come in." She placed the small contraption into her pocket as she sat up on the bed.
He did so, but said nothing as he sat on the edge of her bed. "So what's up?" Rikku asked him when he refused to speak.
"Riana," He began. Rikku's heart dropped. He never used that name unless other people were around. "There is something we must discuss."
She gulped. "Like, like what?"
He sighed, "I wonder." He vaguely answered.
"Auron, what is it?" She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder wanting to know what he had to say, yet at the same time not.
"Let me say it then." A new person stated as they entered the room. "Riana, you are eighteen now, correct?" It was Lulu. Rikku figured she must have been outside the door waiting.
"Lulu, what are you doing here? My lessons don't start for another hour."
"I know." The mage chuckled. "But this is a small village and words travel fast. You have been here only two weeks, and there are those who feel you should not be here with two grown men. Albeit, one is a Ronso." She said more seriously.
Rikku removed her hand from Auron to gape in shock. She couldn't leave Auron. Even when she tried to deny it, she needed him. Just having him close made her feel safe. "So what, what did you want me to do?" She hesitantly asked.
"Wakka and I have a spare room, you can stay there until you are built a hut of your own." Lulu suggested.
Auron stood and made his thoughts known. "I do not think that would be wise. Wakka would not be happy with an extra houseguest."
"Very well. What do you think we should do with her?" Lulu snapped.
"Hey guys, I'm right here you know." Rikku interrupted.
"She needs to stay somewhere where she will be safe."
"Hey, I have an idea, guys." She tried. Only to, once again, be ignored.
"She will be safe. Wakka and I are both well trained." She answered him sternly.
"Oh, fine. Stay here and argue. I'll be over at Yunie's if you need me." Rikku slid off the bed and out of the room. Neither one seemed to have seen her leave.
Kimahri was there when she arrived. He nodded at the young woman as he let her in. "Hello, Kimahri. Yunie around?"
He pointed her back to the bedrooms. After a quick thank you, she walked back to where he had directed. "Yunie? Where are you?" She called out.
"Riana, that you?" Was her response from behind a door on her left.
"Yeah, it's me. Can I come in?" After getting an answer, she slowly opened the door.
"What's the matter? You look upset?" Yuna asked as soon as she saw her. She put down the broom she was using to give Rikku her full attention.
"Auron and Lulu are fighting. Apparently the village doesn't think it right for me to be staying with Auron and Kimahri. Right now, I just wanted to get away from it. No one in Kilika thought anything of it when it was just me and Auron there." She sighed and dropped back on the bed. "Ever since we moved here, life has just gone downhill."
Yuna saw the anguish on her face and sat down next to her. "I know how you feel. Life was hard for me too when I first moved here. But Kimahri was there for me. He helped me get through it." She patted the younger girl arm. "You'll get through it too, I promise."
"Thanks, Yunie." It was silent for a little before Rikku broke it with a question. "Yunie, can I ask you something personal?"
"Well, that would depend on how personal." Yuna answered.
"I just. No, never mind." She pulled herself to her feet. "I should be going."
"Riana, ask. I don't mind."
"Ok then, but you forced me to." Rikku smiled as she sat back down. "What do you think of Al Bhed?"
"I have nothing against them, if that's what you mean."
"You know, I never even heard of them until just before we left Kilika. I knew of the temples, but we never did follow what they said. Kilika was like that, just kinda did our own thing. But then I came home upset because of these people who tried to attack me and stuff. That night we snuck out of town, I didn't know why. It was the first time I heard of Al Bhed.
"Then I find out what, or rather who they are. Auron wrote a letter years ago for me, just in case. I thought it was fake at first, but now I don't know what I should think about it."
"I think...that maybe you should believe what is in that letter. If Auron wrote it, then there is a lot of truth in it, Rikku."
Rikku froze. "You called me...Rikku. Tell me you didn't see it. Please." She begged.
"I'm sorry. I picked it up after you dropped it on the floor. I know it's all true, because I was mentioned in it too. Braska was my father." Yuna explained. "I remember Auron. Not much, but enough. I was nine, and it was his house I ran to when my parents were killed. He had left to go see my uncle.
"The next day I left and made my way outside Bevelle. I was alone and scared. Kimahri found me then. He had just left Gagazet. Lost his family when they tried to help fight against Bikanel. Apparently he was the only one who didn't agree that the Ronso should have been involved. The others took his wife and daughter and kicked him off the mountain. When he found me, he brought me here, to Besaid. And I've been here ever since."
"At least your story has a happy ending. I have no memory of my family. Auron is all I remember of my childhood. Then he went and hid my heritage from me."
"Are you...angry with him?" Yuna questioned trying to get Rikku to open up to what she really felt.
"No, I understand why he did it. But then three days ago, when we got in a fight, I found this by the beach." She pulled the odd shaped machina from her pocket. "I don't know what it is. It must have been washed ashore by the tides. Somehow I managed to put it together, but I have no idea how it works, or even how I managed to put it together."
"May I see it?" Rikku handed it over to her. Yuna held it in her hands and turned it every which way trying to see something that maybe Rikku had missed. It was small, about the size of her palm, round with a flat bottom, she guessed so that maybe it wouldn't roll. Her finger must have triggered something, for a second later soft chimes began to sound.
Rikku watched as she rolled it around inspecting it. Then the chimes sounded. Her ears perked up at the sound. "Oh Yunie, how did you do that?"
"I, I don't know." She peaked under it and found what she must have touched. "Oh, here it is. A small button under here does it." She hit the button again turning of the music. She glanced up seeing Rikku's eyes held a far off look in them. "Rikku, Rikku?"
"Huh, oh I'm sorry. That tune. It was so familiar. But I don't know why. As far as I know, I've never heard anything like it." She whispered.
--
Auron and Lulu had finally come to an agreement. Provided Yuna allowed it, Rikku would be staying with her. Auron was heading over himself to ask about it. Lulu walked beside him as she searched for Rikku, it was time for her magic lesson and she was no where to be found.
They found both girls at Yuna's. "Riana, have you been here this whole time?" Lulu asked after Yuna had let them in.
"Of course! You guys were too busy fighting, I guess you never heard me say where I was going. But Yunie and I did have a nice discussion." She smiled as she responded cheerfully.
"Well no matter. It's time we go. You have a lesson starting now." Lulu admonished.
"Ok, See you later, Yunie!" Rikku called over her shoulder as she left.
Thus leaving Auron and Yuna standing alone. "Sir Auron." Yuna began. "I remember you now. You were friends with my father."
"Correct."
"Then you must have also known my uncle?" She pressed.
He turned away from her, but still answered the question. "Again, correct." Why was she asking this now? These were things he had buried within himself in hopes never to be brought up again.
"Uncle Cid is dead, isn't he?"
"I would rather not discuss this, if you don't mind." He tried to dissuade her politely.
"I'm sorry. But I do. For the longest time I thought I was alone, and now I find out that I'm not. I can only guess why my parents were killed, and I assume you would know the answer. You were there, weren't you?" Her tone had dropped as she spoke till she was almost pleading with him.
"No, I was not. I did not fight or defend anyone. I ran away like a thief at night." He answered her question flatly.
"Rikku, she...she told me about how you have been taking care of her. You're all she remembers of her childhood, you know."
Auron turned and faced her again. He removed his dark glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose before putting them back on. "I know, but the time has come when she can't stay with me any longer. I have done what I could in raising her. She needs to move on."
"You almost sound as if you don't want that to happen." Yuna said softly.
"I don't."
