Disclaimer: Final Fantasy X is the property of Square Co., Ltd./Squaresoft, Inc., Square Electronic Arts, and Sony Computer Entertainment. Mass Effect is the property of Bioware, Microsoft Game Studios, and Electronic Arts. I am none of these, and as such make no money from this venture.
I probably shouldn't let Shepard renegade interrupt like this but it is rather amusing, even if it takes longer to write.
When Wakka arrived the next morning with a change of clothes, a plate of fruit, and a small bowl of soup, he found Shepard meticulously repairing a small tear in the fabric of her under-armour. She had been awake for hours, well before even the chirrup of her alarm. That her latest dream haunted her was only visible in the slight darkening of the smudges beneath her eyes.
She'd cleaned the pistol with gun oil she'd found stashed in one of her ammo packs before locking it away again and starting on her armour. When she noticed him standing awkwardly in the doorway, she gestured impatiently to one of the few cushions not covered in her things. He sat and watched her silently, clearing a space on the low table for the food he'd brought once he'd set the bright outfit down nearby.
"Have you decided?" she asked, returning to her task.
"I don' know," he grumbled. "You gon' tell me where you got dat thing?"
He sounded petulant, but at least he was willing to talk and had brought her breakfast. Finishing with the patch, she set aside her work and rubbed her brow wearily. Coming to a conclusion, she stood and tugged a heavy curtain across the entrance. At least they could have the illusion of privacy. Reseating herself somewhat closer, she gestured to the food, pulling it to her at his mute nod of assent. Taking an appreciative sip of the mildly fishy broth, she sighed heavily and began.
"Please remember that I haven't lied."
He snorted in disbelief and she twitched an eyebrow up in response. "I have omitted some things out of a desire for smooth relations, but I haven't told you a lie." Yet.
When he made no further interruptions, she continued. "I really don't remember how I came to this island, but it's not where I first woke up."
She took another mouthful of soup as she gathered her thoughts. "I came to in a pile of ruins, alone. I had no way of making contact with anyone; I couldn't think of anyone to even try. I was cold, hungry, and, when they found me, being attacked by a large fiend I had nearly no defenses against."
"What 'bout ya barrier?" Wakka questioned as she paused to sample this morning's fruit.
"It's not perfect and it doesn't last forever." She shook her head. "I had no weapons to fight back with, I was throwing rocks at it until they came. They shot it."
"Al bhed," he hissed, eyes narrowing.
Shifting the half-empty bowl to one hand, she leaned forward and pointed a stern finger at him, expression fierce. "What did I say about talking bad of people who saved my life?" Her voice was low with warning, "They took me on their ship, fed me, gave me weapons to defend myself. They gave me a purpose, and had agreed to take me to Bevelle before we were attacked."
Wakka huffed, his expression mulish. "They take advantage of ya! Give ya machina and set ya against da teachings of Yevon when ya don't know any bedda! How dat savin' ya life when they bring Sin down on ya head like dat?"
Shepard sat back and eyed him carefully. Time to get to the heart of this. "Is this about the war you mentioned yesterday? Sin's rampage a thousand years ago?"
"Ya!"
Smoothing her features, she spoke calmly. "Explain it to me. All of it," she clarified when he looked confused. "As if I were a small child and knew nothing."
With an incredulous look and a stuttering start, Wakka detailed the war of nations, the role of machina in the conflict and the emergence of Sin. He spoke reverently of Yevon, the summoners, and their pilgrimages, though he awkwardly skirted around the details of how one could even temporarily defeat the great evil. She listened intently, finishing the food he'd brought as he outlined the role of the Crusaders and their beginnings as the Crimson Blades. Her brow furrowed as his narrative became clipped and his voice betrayed a deep-seated hurt. She held up a hand when his voice cracked over Djose; she was no stranger to grief, after all.
"What happened?"
He was silent for a long time, looking at his hands curled in his lap. The story came out haltingly. "My liddle brudda Chappu. He joined da Crusaders. I gave him a sword to celebrate. I was proud of him, you know? But he didn't wan' to use it. Preferred to use machina," he spat the word out like a curse, slamming white-knuckled fists on the ground before him. "Sin murdered him for it last year."
He started when Shepard's hand settled over one of his, head jerking up to meet her sympathetic gaze with a look of wild-eyed surprise. She retreated again, speaking softly when she was sure she had his attention. "I understand."
It was the wrong thing to say. Wakka exploded upwards, towering over her as he began to pace the small room. "How could you? There's nothin' left! Those al bhed an' they machina took Chappu from me, took him from Lu! Our parents were killed by Sin when we wa' jus' liddle kids! Why we gotta pay for somethin' that happen a thousand years ago? Maybe if we jus' kill dem all-"
She let him get no further. Surging to her feet as well, she snarled, eyes blazing. "Listen to yourself! Do you think you're the only one to know pain? The only one to lose a loved one to something outside your control? To Sin?" Her arm swung wide, gesturing to the wider world outside the walls of the tent. "Look around you!"
He opened his mouth to retort, but she didn't give him the chance. "I've seen them, Wakka, and they look just like you and me. What makes them different? That they don't blindly follow the teachings of your god? That they question the world around them? What?"
She stepped closer, breath hissing between her teeth angrily. "You want a holy war, Wakka? I'll tell you who will win. No one."
He was reminded that she was a warrior, a soldier. Even if her mind didn't remember, her body surely knew how to kill. Her chest heaved and she stepped back again, scorn in her gaze as she looked him up and down contemptuously. "You would kill the al bhed - not just their fighters but their elderly, their women and children, everyone - for the mere possibility of redemption? Disgusting."
Wakka tried to rally, drawing the teachings of the church around him like armour. "They brought Sin down on us all! Yevon shows us how to-"
She cut him off again, hand slashing angrily through the air between them. Her voice was grave as she tried to calm them both, internally cursing her lack of control. "You asked why you should pay for something that happened a thousand years ago. What about them? Don't you think they want Sin gone as well? That they're just as tired of death as you? This works both ways: 'Do not bear the sins of the father upon his children.' That's no kind of justice."
He closed his eyes tightly as if to shut out her words, slumping back down to the cushion and putting his face in his hands. She followed him down, determined to keep them on even footing at least physically, speaking softly as she tried to get him to understand.
"Think about it, Wakka. If you take revenge on an al bhed for Chappu's death, their brother is in the same place as you. So do you allow them to kill you for their vengeance? But then who avenges you? Lulu? And that al bhed's friend kills her, and he is killed by someone else, who is killed by yet another."
Shepard sat back and watched him sadly. With a heavy sigh, she forged on. "I know how it feels to lose people. I know the rage and helplessness that comes with being unable to just fix it."
He dropped his hands to look up at her, but she had picked up one of her gauntlets and was inspecting it closely. "You remember anything?"
Hesitating a moment, she she shook her head. Better to continue the charade for now. "I feel their absence inside."
Twisting the polymer fingers in her own, she forced out the lie. "I may not remember their names or faces -" she remembered them all "- but I also know how that burning need for revenge can never fill that hole."
"But..." his protest trailed off, empty of substance.
She met his eyes then. "Perhaps whoever killed them is already dead, I'll never know, but war is a terrible cost on its own and they have started for far lesser reasons. I wouldn't risk others - friends, civilians, other soldiers, anyone - for my peace of mind."
Another lie - she had risked countless others for personal revenge, even if she'd brought most of them safely out the other side - but one she knew rarely brought the closure she was speaking of. He was still looking a bit mulish, but hopefully she'd gotten through to him at least a little. Shepard sighed and rubbed her brow wearily. It wasn't even midday and she wanted to go back to bed. Usually only dealing with Udina or Sparatus was this tiring.
"Look. I didn't intend to start an argument. Your beliefs are your own, and I can respect that, but as soon as you make a move against someone - al bhed or not - be prepared to have me stand in your way."
Time to use the tactic practiced in governments and militaries across the galaxy: if you haven't secured agreement, keep going as if you had, ignore all protests, and deal with the fallout later. "Now, I'll take this discussion as a 'yes, the gun stays hidden and unused' so that's resolved. Were we going to actually do any hunting today?"
Wakka struggled to gather his thoughts as Shepard stood and began picking up the scattered pieces of her hardsuit. He managed to appear mostly composed by the time she returned from the sleeping area, boots on and daggers in hand.
"I'll be outside, checking out the shops. Find me when you're ready," she instructed, eying him warily before turning towards the entrance and proceeding out into the late morning sun.
Shepard had rediscovered the small credit chip in her ammo pack when she'd been inspecting her armour and, needing at least one item she doubted she could barter for, she wandered towards the central plaza and the shops she had seen there on her way in. Spotting a likely target for her request, the Commander ducked into one of the smaller hide tents just off the square.
The old man seated behind a low table hardly glanced up at her entrance, so she took her time looking at the wares he had set out or hung from the supporting beams. When he finally set his work down, Shepard approached and greeted him. He eyed her odd dress with some suspicion, but his gaze narrowed on the blades she held in her hand. "Unusual design around here, 'specially for someone who ain't al bhed."
She was curious. "How do you know I'm not?"
He looked up at her face again, probably to judge how serious a question it was, before gesturing faintly to his own. "Your eyes."
Shepard's brows raised, then furrowed as she realised that only one of her al bhed rescuers had ever removed their goggles. "What's different about them?"
"They ain't got swirls, girly," the old man grunted, "Now what'd y'need?"
She set the daggers down on the table gently. "Sheaths. Or a sheath, at least."
He hummed thoughtfully, then eased himself up from the table. Hobbling into what she suspected was a back room, he returned shortly with an armload of leather.
"Custom-made?" She questioned. "I don't think I can afford that."
He shrugged, setting the leather down and pawing through it. "How much you got?"
"This, I think." She held out the chit.
The man glanced up and froze, then looked up at her suspiciously. "What'd ya take me for, a cheat? Ain't no way this work'd cost that much."
She frowned and inspected the small metal piece closely. "How much?"
He froze again and she glanced up to see him staring at her intensely. "They said ya got too close to Sin, girly, but I ain't never seen damage this bad."
Shepard shrugged awkwardly. The shopkeeper shook his head and returned to sorting through the leather on the table. "Two hundred gil. Won't take more'n thirty for this work."
She nodded in acknowledgement but, when she moved to settle in and wait, the old man tsked and shooed her away. "G'on. I got the measure of 'em now so take your fiendstickers out for some exercise instead of makin' a lump on my floor. I'll be done by t'night."
The Commander quirked her lips in a quick smile before ducking back out of the tent, daggers in hand. Wakka was standing near the center of the plaza, heading a familiar hide-wrapped ball for the amusement of some smaller children. She approached quietly and watched until the children noticed her and quieted. Wakka finished his set and caught the ball lightly. Grinning, though it appeared a little forced, he waved the children off and headed towards the forest at the edge of the village. She followed silently.
When they'd gone quite a distance into the trees, changing direction every few minutes, she cleared her throat gently. "If you're hoping to get me lost out here, Wakka, you're unlikely to succeed."
The redhead stopped and turned, and she raised her scarred brow at his weary expression. "It"s not dat, ya? I'm jus'... tryin' ta figure out what ya angle is. Why'd Yevon bring ya here if you just gonna speak out agains' him?"
Shepard eyed him for a moment before heaving a sigh. "I don't know, Wakka. Maybe I'm dead and this is the afterlife. Maybe you've been eaten by Sin and this is all a freaky coma-dream. Why does it matter?"
"Well-"
He didn't have a chance to finish his sentence as Shepard dropped one of her daggers to grasp his forearm and yank him towards her. Twisting their bodies as she pulled him around, her right hand came up, blade flashing, to slash at the flank of a charging fiend as it passed through the space he'd just occupied. The large dog snarled as it spun, and Shepard didn't have time to question why the large wound on its side wasn't bleeding before it leapt at them again. Releasing her companion, the Commander rolled to the side in time to hear a heavy thud and a whimper of pain. Looking up, she saw the hulking creature staggering as Wakka caught his ball on the rebound. Darting closer again, she took advantage of the fiend's disorientation to slam her dagger into the back of its neck, severing the spinal cord. The redhead spat to the side as Shepard stood over the dissolving form of their enemy.
"What are these things, by the way?" she questioned, twitching her wrist to shake a clinging rainbow light free of her blade.
"What things?" Wakka asked, idly tossing his ball between his hands.
"The wispy things fiends dissolve into when they die."
There was a moist thunk as the heavy leather ball hit the loam of the forest. She looked up from retrieving her other dagger to find the redhead staring at her incredulously. She shrugged and resumed checking her weapons for damage. "Better get used to it; I have a lot of questions and you're the most likely person to answer at the moment."
"Pyreflies," he muttered, retrieving the ball. "When a person dies, ya? Dey gotta be sent to the Farplane by a summoner or their spirit gets jealous a' da living. Enough hate an' time an' dey kinda... merge. Inta fiends. Das why we gotta kill 'em. Disperse da spirits so dey can have a chance a' gettin' sent or findin' their way to da Farplane on dey own."
He looked over to see Shepard with her brows raised and a contemplative expression on her face. "Ya actually believe me this time?"
Her sharp eyes pinned him down suddenly, brows snapping together as she frowned. "Were you lying?"
"After ya rant on Yevon this mornin'... Ya didn't seem the spiritual type." He shook his head and her expression cleared.
She shrugged dismissively and looked off into the undergrowth. "I can vaguely recall hearing similar legends when I was younger, though not many of the details."
Wakka brightened. "That's good, ya! We c'n get Yuna t' tell ya more when we get back t' town. Maybe it'll help ya remember more."
The Commander paused, then nodded. Whatever information about this place and its... eccentricities... she could gather would be valuable. For now, she gestured for the redhead to proceed her. They had animals to track and kill and that would be best served by moving on and staying silent.
It was nearly dusk before they emerged from the forest again. Suspended between them, lashed to a rough-cut pole, was a long-tailed, quadrupedal deer-like animal with vicious horns and fangs. A brace of small, grey leporidae were tossed across Wakka's shoulder while Shepard carried a bag of soft fruits at her waist. They were greeted with excitement from the villagers, a few children darting around them to admire their kills. Luzzu and Yuna met them near the plaza, Lulu not far behind her charge.
"A successful day, I see," the Crusader noted approvingly.
Wakka grinned and passed over the short-eared hare-like creatures to Gatta, who had appeared at their side. "Got a good number a' fiends while we were out dere too; mostly dingos an' garudas. Dey gettin' bolder."
Yuna gasped softly while Luzzu frowned thoughtfully. The young apprentice summoner took a half-step closer to them, one hand raised to her mouth. "You're not hurt, are you?"
The redhead looked back over his shoulder at his hunting partner, who grimaced in return. Yuna quickly transferred her attentions to the Commander, mismatched eyes shining in concern.
"It's nothing," she sighed. "A nice bruise and a cracked rib or two. I'll be fine if I just rest for a few days."
"Oh no," the younger girl gasped, and Shepard soon found herself the center of a small storm of people.
A couple of young men she recognised from the beach the previous day stepped forward to take the pole and its burden from her while another snagged the fruit from her hip. Lulu shook her head as Yuna reached out, hesitant to touch the soldier but almost unable to hold herself back from doing so.
"Come, Yuna. Shepard." The older woman ordered, braids tinkling as she turned towards the temple.
Resigned and mildly amused, the Commander followed. Yuna walked beside her, fingers twisting nervously as she glanced up at Shepard, reminding her of a young archaeologist she'd rescued what felt like a lifetime ago. Just before the trio reached the stone steps, a hail from behind caused them to turn.
"Walkin' into the temple with weapons bare. Bolder than I thought," the leatherworker chuckled as he caught up to them.
Shepard took the offered wares from him, passing over the daggers as she buckled the sheaths around her hips. Her eyebrows raised as she noted the three separate holsters, but before she could ask, the old man returned her weapons.
"Good to see you haven't nicked 'em, girly," he grunted. Seeing her surprise at the complexity of his work, he shrugged. "Ya didn't say whether you kept 'em together or not, but I guess it doesn't matter now."
"Thank you," she murmured, testing the draw on the two thigh scabbards.
The third nestled comfortably at the base of her spine and she grinned mentally. The old man had probably seen them clipped there on her armour when she first arrived in the village. Shepard withdrew the credit chip from her pocket but he waved her off.
"Gimme a cut of that rusa hide you just dragged in and we'll call it even. Ain't seen a stag like that in quite a while."
Nodding in agreement, Shepard waited for him to start back towards his shop before she looked over at her companions. Yuna was smiling gently and Lulu watched impassively from the top of the short flight of stairs. Shrugging mentally, she resumed following the two into the temple. Silently, they moved through the cavernous main chamber and into a small room to the right of the staircase dominating the back wall. Lulu took up a post at the door, arms folded, as Yuna gestured for the Commander to sit. Wary, Shepard remained standing, turning to keep both women in her sight.
"It's not that I don't trust you," she pointed out when Lulu tried to stare her down. "I just don't know what we're doing in here or why it couldn't have been done outside."
"Oh," the apprentice exclaimed, turning to grab a short blue staff topped with an intricately detailed golden ring.
"Part of my job as a summoner includes healing the villagers," she explained, gesturing faintly towards Shepard's torso. "May I?"
Brows furrowed, she looked between the summoner, the rod, and Lulu in confusion. "You're going to heal my cracked ribs... with an oversized magic wand? All I need is some tape and a couple days of light duty and they'll be fine."
"The rod is a focus for her white magic," Lulu murmured, stepping closer. "You... are lucky to be alive with damage this severe. Exactly how close to Sin did you get?"
The Commander edged back, hands falling to her dagger hilts as she eyed the older woman with trepidation. "I don't think that has any relevance to the current discussion."
Turning to Yuna again, she inclined her head briefly. "Do what you need to or allow me to leave and tend my wounds in private, please."
Nodding sharply, the apprentice closed her eyes and concentrated. Silently, she mouthed a few words and raised the short staff. Immediately, Shepard felt the difference in her chest as her ache subsided and she could stand straight without pain. Twisting away from Lulu's looming presence, she lifted her shirt in time to see the last of the bruise fade into her skin.
"Well that's handy."
Looking up again, the Commander straightened her clothes again and nodded sharply to Yuna. "Thanks, but now I'm going to go help them dress the rusa, or whatever it's called. I understand there'll be a bonfire tonight; I'm sure there'll be plenty of venison to go around once it's roasted, if you two care to join."
With that, she slipped around Lulu and out into the temple proper. Silently, she took in the large room and its quiet worshippers, soaking in a little of their peace for herself. She gave a brief nod to the robed man she assumed was head priest before leaving the chilly stone room for the failing light outside. Wakka met her again at the edge of the plaza, grinning and shaking his head when she inquired about their prize. When she mentioned giving part of the hide to the leatherworker in payment, he nodded and assured her he'd get a piece for the old man. Before things really got going, Shepard slipped off for a bath and to change into the clothing the redhead had brought that morning.
It seemed as though the whole of the village turned out for the bonfire, and Shepard made sure to stay to the edge of the gathering. It wasn't that she was uncomfortable with large numbers of people she didn't know - the myriad of Alliance formal events with mandatory attendance had seen to that - but she also didn't want to encourage the probing questions she was sure many of the residents had, given their suspicious looks. She managed an informative conversation with Luzzu and Gatta, however, about the nature of the Crusaders. It allowed her to corroborate much of Wakka's history lesson from earlier in the day and gain more of an insider's perspective into the closest thing this strange world appeared to have to a military. It was late when she finally retreated to her borrowed home and prepared herself for bed.
She had yet to actually fall asleep when raised voices from outside drew her back into the living area. Sneaking wasn't exactly her expertise, but Shepard crouched in the dark of her tent and parted the entrance flaps with cautious fingers. Silhouetted by the dying fire were the unmistakable forms of Wakka and Lulu. She didn't have to strain hard to hear their conversation, even lowered as their voices were now, without the heavy fabric between them and she tuned in with interest.
"No. You can't just go around appropriating people, whether they've lost their memories or not." Lulu sounded tired, as if it were an old argument, though Shepard wondered if maybe it was just arguing with the brash redhead that was wearying.
"Look, she's a soldier, ya? Anyone can see she knows how to fight. We need that."
"Kimahri-"
"Ya, I know, but it never hurts to have more," Wakka cut her off gently but firmly. "Someone who doesn't resent the rest of us."
"She doesn't exactly trust us," the proud woman sniped back.
"Give her time! I wasn't exactly subtle with th' Yevon talk before our hunt."
Silence, in which only the crackling of the fire could be heard. Then, Lulu gave a sharp huff.
"This is about Chappu, isn't it. You want to take a Crusader as a Guardian to get back at them for his death."
"No! I just..." Wakka sighed, a pleading tone entering his voice. "Anything to keep Yuna safe, Lu."
Another silence, then finally a soft 'tch!' and the rustle of heavy fabric.
"We'll take her as far as Bevelle," she conceded. "Perhaps someone there will recognise her. Any further than that is between her and Yuna."
Lulu began to move off, her skirts rasping on the stone plaza and her braids tinkling gently. A few steps later, she stopped again, her voice carrying back a hard edge. "If there is a problem along the way, Wakka - if she brings us more danger or causes Yuna harm in any way - you are responsible for it."
Unspoken was the inference that he would be the one to bear the burden of her wrath.
When both of them had moved away and only the sounds of crackling embers and island nightlife filled the air, Shepard dropped back into bed and drifted off to sleep.