To Love & Lost
Chapter 4: Salt in Old Wounds
(Warnings: T, none]
Everyone had been surprised when they saw Yuna and Rikku stoically emerge with Seymour in makeshift shackles, things Rikku cobbled together and was all too happy to make as cumbersome as possible. Seymour's back bowed from their weight, but his face was devoid of his catty smirk and instead he looked forlorn, detached. As if his mind were elsewhere. Yuna resolved not to look at him, for though all he'd done was despicable, her compassion sometimes made her slave to its wiles to forgive and move on. Tromell and the other guado had been easier, genuinely contrite for the sins of a man who had led them down a path of ruin. They'd been willing to be slaughtered without fighting back, and though it had been too much for Yuna to fathom, their redemption had been harder won than the impossibility Seymour's would be. Genocide was something she couldn't allow, but even his people's extremes dwarfed the likely unapologetic stance that would be received from the Council.
In spite of the emotional outburst, Rikku seemed dreamily content on their journey to Bevelle. With the Fahrenheit too damaged and the freighter too unwieldy for Bevelle's smaller ports, they'd been gifted a treasure ship manned by a small crew. Seymour had been locked away in the brig, many of the crew having spit and cursed on him in passing, something even Yuna couldn't blame them for doing—as wrong as it felt to her gentle-hearted nature.
Yuna and Rikku occupied the open-air deck, the sea breeze refreshed once they escaped the foggy clutches of Baaj. Gulls wheeled playfully and even dolphins leapt from the waters, playing the wake of the ship as ionized breezes billowed through the girls' hair. "Hey Yunie, how do you think Paine's been doing?" Rikku suddenly asked, glancing pensively at Yuna.
She really couldn't blame her for asking. Rikku and Paine had dated during their time in the Gullwings, only breaking up during their last mission together, acknowledging that their lives took them too far apart to remain together. But, they'd ended it as dear friends, same as before. Rikku had been happy with Paine, and that had made Yuna happy. It really was no wonder Rikku seemed antsy to see the swordswoman again.
"Hm, well, she's been working as an informant for the Council, working with Nooj the most, I think. I haven't spoken to her in a while, really, but I'm sure she'll be happy to tell you all about it," Yuna said hopefully, smiling cheerily at Rikku who broke out in a giddy grin in reply.
Both girls lingered on the deck, even deciding to perch upon the crane and sprawl on it like cats, Yuna a little more decorous than Rikku who splayed every which way. They'd even fallen asleep like that watching the stars, some of those on night watch charitable enough to spread blankets over them, chuckling in amusement at Rikku's haphazard way of sleeping while Yuna was more reserved, curled in a fetal position and sleeping deeply despite the person they shared the ship with. It wasn't until dusk that they came upon the citadel of Bevelle, both girls awake by then, the enormous city rising elegantly and commandingly into the Spiran sky, red as the haori Auron had always worn like a trademark. Once, Bevelle had vacillated uncertainly as to how she felt. At once it was her hometown, a testament to what her father endured, a dark place full of treachery and now...now, she wasn't sure.
Its principal spire reminded her of that wedding—that horrendous, odious wedding—and she had to look away. To think of something else, like the people who commandeered it now. The seat of a reformed Yevon, the seat of the Spiran Council, and a place of renewed hope.
Yuna stood upon the deck, leaning on the rail as the turquoise waters of one of two principle harbors bustled with peoples from all over Spira, the old air of religious fear banished away. Now, it felt warm and inviting, a place that housed many of Spira's people who were learning not to live in fear. But now, even through all this hope, fear still remained; new in the wake of Sin's new plight. Among the crew members it seemed prevalent, a major attack having razed upon parts of the Calm Lands. With Sin now being airborne, it seemed the damage it dealt was far more brutal than what had been conducted while at sea. It made this mission all the more urgent.
Yevon warrior monks, having since been reformed in the last year, formed a colorful barricade of crimson—adopting the old uniform in Auron's honor. Seymour was the first to be transported off the ship, shepherded and separated from the main group into a waiting vehicle with a large cab on its back undoubtedly where Seymour would be herded into while transported to the dungeons. With him out of the way, and quietly absconded into Bevelle's jam-packed thoroughfares, that left Yuna and Rikku behind to be greeted by a zealous crowd of worshipers.
Though the bulk of them were Spirans, from among the faces Yuna could pick out many of the Al Bhed, localized due to the merger in the last year. Some hypello lingered further back with even the odd Ronso here and there. Maybe not as populous as they could be, but Rikku was overjoyed to see fellow Al Bhed in the Yevoner capital, of all places. Yuna and Rikku cheerily waved, the Al Bhed jumping joyously before the two were politely corralled into a hovercraft that could deliver them to the capital.
"Man, so many Al Bhed! Must make the old fogey Yevonites really wanna squirm," Rikku quipped with a delighted spitefulness, smiling unabashed. She seemed riled from the attention, however, jittery in their seat that caused the vehicle to bob when stopped.
"Maybe, but don't you think you should straighten up a bit? Paine's gonna be the one greeting us," Yuna teased with a smile, offering her a compact mirror.
"Oh shoot, you're right!" Rikku exclaimed, snatching the small mirror and furiously unbraiding her loose braid, threading her fingers through the strands and wincing when she hit snags. Once she was satisfied, she began the swift task of braiding it again—doing all in under three minutes, a new record, Yuna observed with a laugh. "Hey, what's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing," Yuna recovered, waving it off with a secretive smile. "You just seem so happy, I think it's spreading."
"You betcha it better be! As your Guardian, it's my solemn duty to make sure you smile a lot. And not just forced smiles, either! I mean, genuinely, really, really happy smiles, y'know?"
Yuna just acceded with a laugh, Rikku heartily joining in with her. By the time they rolled to a stop, they came to the Highbridge which spanned grandly before them where Seymour would be openly marched to the main palace in tow of Yuna, Rikku, and their other temporary retainers. Thankfully, the entourage wasn't enormous, mainly consisting of warrior monks and some senders with magic proficiency that could easily curse Seymour long enough to debilitate him should anything be attempted. But the half-guado was resigned, even Yuna somewhat disturbed by how submissive he was being, and the silence could be easily mistaken for conspiring machinations, something none present doubted.
"Hey, if it isn't the Lady Yuna come to make these old stiffs feel a bit younger again!" Gippal greeted first, flanked by Nooj and Baralai, Paine striding towards them—towards Rikku before all. "So, you girls been keepin' real busy, huh?" He circled his arm around Yuna's shoulders, something she was surprisingly amicable to, jerking his thumb at the shackled former maester.
"Gippal, please," Yuna laughed, modestly covering her mouth with a blush.
However, the penetrating daggers in Seymour's stare bit into Gippal's nape, the man visibly flinching. Turning warily, Seymour's lips were curled in a slight frown, eyes full of a jealous anger that Gippal met with a cocky smirk. "Good work, ladies. I oughta treat you to some nice margaritas later—as a little thanks on behalf on the Spiran Council, that is," he simpered, clearly aware of Seymour's jealousy—Rikku had likely keyed him in to Seymour's sentiments towards Yuna, something the priestess feigned ambivalence to for now. He seemed all too happy to spite Seymour any way he could, something no one blamed him for considering Seymour had been the one to unleash fiends that had forced the Al Bhed to destroy Home, so a snub seemed the barest recompense.
Baralai seemed the most conflicted, Yuna and Rikku aware of how Seymour had taken the man under his wing after the attack in the Den of Woe, though it did little to absolve the warning looks Rikku shot him. But, the dark-skinned man seemed unperturbed as he detached from the main group to stand before Seymour, the warrior monks just barely standing aside.
"So, this is how it has to be. I'm sorry it's come to this, Seymour," Baralai addressed him frankly, though soft-spoken. The gentle sort that opposed the duplicity of Seymour. He seemed genuinely strained, even as Seymour appraised him indifferently.
"The world has changed much in my absence. I only hope your faith is as strong as the Lady Yuna's sense of justice," Seymour replied obliquely, churlish smirk returned as his gaze met Yuna's, Yuna averting hers almost punishingly. "You've grown much, Baralai. I see being your benefactor has benefited you greatly." Each word was a purposeful barb, and they knew it.
"I won't refute what you did, Seymour. And it is because of this that you await trail. I only hope you'll be guided well through it," Baralai replied diplomatically, gaze hardening as he turned on his heel back towards their entourage, specifically towards Yuna to whom he smiled apologetically at. "I'm sorry for whatever you've gone through, Lady Yuna. Please, I implore you to rest. While we gather the evidence, witnesses, and testimony, it might be a bit of time before the actual trial. Bevelle is at your disposal until then." Bowing neatly, he turned away with Nooj and Gippal back into the palace.
Yuna nodded and watched their receding backs, Seymour corralled into a lower entrance where the dungeons were. Even as Seymour passed them, his presence breezing past the pleasant scent she remembered, Yuna's stomach churned sickly. Something deep down told her that Seymour had been brought back for reason, that he really knew more than he let on. That he might even be invaluable, loathe as she was to admit it. Yes, she could forgive, but how could she do so for someone who wasn't sorry in the first place? Who championed for nothing but death to all of Spira and had done so without remorse? All while pursuing her like some object to be won.
At Rikku's insistence, she was reunited with Paine, the three heading out into the city for some air away from the imposing palace that seemed to suck the very air from her lungs.
It was no later than twilight that Rikku and Yuna received their subpoenas to appear in court just two days from that day, Yuna critically studying hers while she, Rikku, and Paine occupied a nondescript bar they were left relatively alone in, part of a restaurant they were lingering in. Having occupied a dim, candlelit booth, the mood was amorous enough for Paine and Rikku to hold hands underneath the table, feigning normalcy even as Yuna smirked secretively at their not-so-covert display of affection. Paine, as usual, was stubbornly ambivalent to Yuna's unspoken teasing.
"I don't like it."
Paine's disquieting dissent shook the content silence the girls had been enjoying until then, Yuna's attentions snapping to the warrior's who was practically glaring down at Rikku's subpoena. "Don't like what, Paine?" Yuna echoed gravely, brows furrowing at the slightly younger woman.
The silver-haired woman worked her jaw before speaking. "Maybe you've been too caught up in all this to notice, but the people of Spira haven't been that happy with you, Yuna. Apparently, saving it twice isn't enough for them, but Sin's resurrection in such a short span of time is having them criticizing you. The short story being that there's a growing population who thinks you shaking it all up wasn't worth it. That Yevon was better off before your Pilgrimage changed everything and offed Yunalesca. I think it's connected to this trial, too."
Yuna's face fell as she bit her lip, a white hot clench of guilt and shame burrowing into her breast. She remembered this feeling and it wasn't one she liked. Probably stemming from Rikku's former accusations of her being too stationary in one place, of even Chuami's of her doing nothing in the face of Sin. Sighing, she opened her mouth to speak before Rikku interrupted.
"Must be the same of fogies who don't like Al Bhed or our sacrilegious machina—that they happen to be inconveniently benefiting off of, I might add!—in Bevelle, either. Well, they can stuff it, right Yunie? Because we're gonna save Spira again and make them eat their own words," Rikku interjected indigently, the girl huffing as she gulped down a dreg of her fruity drink. Paine admittedly smirked in amusement before she schooled her features to their usual seriousness.
"Um, how is it connected to the trial?" Yuna asked timidly, even through the growing clout of anxiety in her breast. It wasn't that she was ignoring Rikku's words, rather that she was taking this reality to heart. Auron had told Tidus she shouldered too much without asking for help, and maybe he was right. Right now, she was anxious with thoughts of how to rectify this mess Spira had been embroiled in again.
"It's a circus, a diversion. The Spiran Council needs a distraction to quell peoples' discontent, hence this. People want a scapegoat they can temporarily point their fingers at even when greater danger looms. It wasn't any different one or three years ago, Yuna. They get that and Spira gets its own mini Calm until they're roused to really fight Sin." Paine was right. What had begun with such sureness was dwindling the further and closer she scrutinized it. Even though having faith in what lay ahead was the key to their success, it didn't seem any different than the former Yevon that blamed the people of Spira for Sin's continuous revival, not the Pilgrimage that sacrificed a summoner and one of their guardians to simply abate Sin for a short time—a ritual of their make they had full knowledge of. A Calm, or just a brief quelling?
"I know, but what can we do about it? Stop it? Even if it needs to be stopped, Seymour deserves judgment. He deserves to see the fruits of his treachery," Yuna admitted quietly, glancing furtively back at Paine who grunted, the warrior unable to argue with that. If he ever deserves forgiveness, he needs to give back as much as he took from us, she amended mentally.
As neither woman really able to counter what was spoken, they consumed the dinner before them in quiet and ruminated deeply on what was to come.
The two days that passed were spent in rather obscurity, neither Rikku nor Yuna interested in venturing out except to visit Braska's old apartments—which had since been converted into a museum—and his memorial both left a bouquet each at. Even though the weather was beautiful and sunny, the most they aspired to doing was sitting on the balcony with just enough room for a cafe table and two seats to watch the bustling port below, to predominantly read or go over old spheres, even discussing inconclusive, upcoming legs to their journey. Rikku preoccupied her time with synthesizing as many unneeded concoctions as possible, and augmenting effects on to existing equipment. The necessary concentration kept her quiet and sane, the Al Bhed unable to cope long in total silence without conversation or something to keep her hands and mind busy.
The morning of the trial came with a longer grooming ritual for them both, Rikku having exploited Baralai's charitable offer as much as she could, squeezing as many expensive soaps and lotions and shampoos as she could from local boutiques just so she and Yuna would be the cleanest, most expensively outfitted girls there. Yevoner robes had been requisite for Yuna, modest garb that Rikku was all too content to bastardize. Seeing as they would be worn once, and over their existing default outfits, Yuna didn't advise her to do otherwise. Rikku had her pride as an Al Bhed and no amount of blasphemer's warnings would ever prompt her to give a damn.
Knocks came to the door that startled them both, Rikku flinching while Yuna merely raised her head from the desk she'd seated herself at, standing to answer it. When an armed guard revealed to be on the other side, Rikku jumped from her unkempt bed and kept her features as neutral as she could despite the anticipation and lingering sense of dread in them both. A vehicle awaited them outside their hotel and tinted windows made it impossible to see, both girls just journeying in uncertain silence instead.
Instead of traversing over the Highbridge, they were led into another entrance of Bevelle Palace where Yuna and Rikku would be stationed at Baralai's side, until they'd be called to the stand—in the same niche Grand Maester Mika had once presided. The enormous domed antechamber with its vaulted ceiling of stars languidly passed constellations, the moat of fog that fed into the dungeons below seeming to be the sole source of light, ensconced crystals casting meager coronas of it. Standing to the right, all rose when Baralai entered, Yuna and Rikku to his right while Gippal and Nooj presided to his left. Below, on the ground floor, an enormous bevy of people from the three factions were stationed, Yuna espying Dona, Barthello, Isaaru, and Shelinda. She surmised they were the jury.
"People of Spira, we come to you presenting our case: Spira vs. the former Measters of Yevon. Too long has judgment of them been forestalled, and today they will answer for their crimes!" Nooj began, a hand raised as he addressed those present, leaning on his cane for balance. A ripple of scandalized gasps arose from the audience, Yuna's head swiveling to stare in bewilderment at Baralai who impassively kept his eyes trained forth. Even Chuami and Kurgum, standing at a gallery level below their own, seemed just as shocked.
Before any more questions could be stirred, from the depths rose not one, but three platforms outfitted with high, narrow bars and a caged ceiling. Rikku whispered how she could make out the sight of enchanted runes, likely curses that would keep them from scattering away into pyreflies. Yuna's brows furrowed and her lips pursed, but she knew she could say nothing lest she be complicit with impeding justice.
As they arose higher, the trio of them paused just feet from the main pulpit the five of them stood, the occupants being Wen Kinoc to their right, Yo Mika in the middle, and Seymour to the left—Yuna inwardly relieved that Seymour was the farthest from them in spite of his eyes she could still feel on her, something she was growing uneasily accustomed to of late. The murmurs only seemed to rise in volume until Nooj pounded the gavel for silence, effectively doing so.
"These men will be judged before you—all of you—for the crimes and offenses they have instigated against the people of Spira. As former mevyn of the Youth League and now presiding judge to this trial, I speak as but one of many whom have been damaged by what these three men have done in the name of power and deceit," Nooj continued, voice carrying a collected strength throughout the chamber, those of the jury awed by his presence. Seymour, however, only seem to regard him with his trademark conspiring smile.
"As chancellor of the Spiran Council, on behalf of all Spirans, human and otherwise, I will read to you the offenses you have committed," Baralai spoke after Nooj, his former teammate regarding him gravely, as they all did. Even Gippal bore no traces of underlying amusement or arrogance he was keen to sport. "Yo Mika, former Grand Maester of Yevon, you have been condemned for treason, the enabling of mass murder through the falsehoods of Yevon, unlawful duration of office, the sacrificing of innocent lives in unlawful ploys, and countless other crimes too exhaustive to be listed here. You, Wen Kinoc, former Maester and Minister of Military Affairs, are to be persecuted for treason, the formation and subsequent slaughter of the Crimson Squad, the conduction of Operation Mi'ihen, the kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, and endangerment of High Summoner Yuna and her guardians, and countless other offenses too long to list here. Lastly, you, Seymour Guado, former Maester of Yevon and Minister of Temple Affairs—"
However, Baralai was cut short when Gippal touched his hand to the chancellor's shoulder, a mirthless grin on his tanned visage as he condescendingly snapped his fingers for Seymour's attention, the half-guado dispassionately regarding him in silence. "Yeah, yeah, that got your attention? You goddamn duckfaced, antennae freak?" A shocked silence spanned, but neither Nooj nor Baralai interrupted him, both likely curious as to what Gippal had to say. Most likely approving, even if they wouldn't admit aloud. "Remember me? Y'know, one of those heathens you Yevonites like foisting all the damn blame on? Yeah, one of those. Kinda like those two ladies over there, one of which you keep staring at like she's a goddamn piece of meat." Admittedly, that banished the smirk that had been present on Seymour's face.
"Yeah, you smug bastard, you wanna tell the nice folks here all about how you unleashed fiends upon Home? How you almost killed High Summoner Yuna's cousin, probably a lot of other folks that might've been her family? What about how Rikku here nearly lost her father? Oh wait, folks! How could I have forgotten how you sacrificed the guado, the people you were supposed to lead, to this goddamn little scheme of yours all just so you could get Lady Yuna in the end? Like it never fucking occurred to you those were her people, too, huh? Or what about Maester Kelk Ronso who you murdered on Gagazet along with his people, almost to the point of extinction? Man, wonder if I should continue to mention while you were off in fucking la-la-land over in the Farplane, your people waited to be butchered, to atone for your crimes while you fucking ran with your tail between your legs! Man, you piece of shit. You goddamn piece of shit," Gippal concluded, grinning wolfishly and bitterly, perhaps one of the only modes of revenge he could muster in this situation. But, his green whorl gaze remained transfixed on the half-guado's, angrily fearless.
Those present had quailed into silence, the shock read on everyone's faces except on those whom already knew. Sphere recorders who'd been recording the entire ordeal gaped in shock, no one seeming to move. Yuna bowed her head bitterly while Rikku gazed on to Gippal with a conflicted look of concern and agreement, her anger matching his own. Yuna felt guilty, even if it weren't her fault. It was because of her that all those Al Bhed, guado, and Ronso perished in those dark weeks. Tears bitterly stung in her eyes, but she wouldn't allow them to be shed. Not yet. Furtively, she turned to Seymour whose facade seemed to be breaking, unable to match eyes with anyone in the pulpit. Wen and Mika were similarly cowed, though they hadn't said a word since appearing, either.
"To think, you would raise the dead only to butcher them like lambs to a heathen god once more," Mika observed darkly, sagely, after an uncomfortably long pause, shaking his head with a grandfatherly loftiness. Almost as if he were blameless.
Kinoc chuckled sarcastically while folding his arms. "Well said, Mika. You know, once these kids were part of the Crimson Squad. Now look at them, playing pretend at the helm of Spira. And people wonder why Sin is back." Seymour was the only one who was completely quiet, almost to the point of despondency. "This is foolish. Just kill us like you meant to and let us become fiends, or send us off. It doesn't matter in the end."
After the brutish statements were spoken, loud jeering erupted from the audience, many throwing debris at the three cages and earning nothing but derisive indifference from Mika and Kinoc, Seymour numbly positioning himself away from the worst of it, but not much else. "Children will be put in their place. Sin has returned because of your transgressions. We were brought back to save it, but if it continues like this, you will doom yourselves," Mika orated, hands extended as if preaching to his submissive crowds from just years before.
"Keep talking, but they won't listen. Just let them play cops and robbers and we'll find rest, eventually," Kinoc said dismissively, turning to Mika and shaking his head in egotistical disappointment.
Rikku was the one who reacted the worst to them, shooting before Kinoc and Mika with anger surging in her eyes. "How dare you! How dare you say those things and think they're okay! What are we to you?! Your mindless, expendable rabble to play dollhouse with however you want? Don't you realize what you've done, how many innocent people you've killed because of your selfishness? So many of my friends and people I loved are dead because of you—same goes for Ronso and Guado and hypello, too! You evil, sick, twisted psychos!" Rikku railed passionately, shouting through a furious stream of tears as her lower lip worried and she sniffed loudly, wiping away in futility as they just rushed down harder. She hiccuped as her throat closed, all before dashing off into the shadows where no one could see her, where Paine waited to capture her in a protective embrace. Gippal trailed after them, rubbing soothing circles into Rikku's back while he and Paine traded pained expressions.
"Order! Everyone, be quiet! The next person who speaks out of term will face a sentence in the dungeons!" Nooj thundered, clapping his cane furiously in place of the gavel that seemed too meek in comparison. His expression conveyed his unstoppable order, Yuna watching on with a stricken expression at Rikku's passionate and utterly tragic tirade. Even when it ended, she felt guilty for not having said anything.
Silence ultimately prevailed, the air thick with a dark tension that not even the maesters sought to speak out against. Nooj's expression hardened as a recovered Baralai cleared his throat, folding back the scroll where the charges were written as it seemed useless now. Sucking in a breath, he spoke officiously: "In light of these charges, your fates have been decided: there will be a public execution at dawn tomorrow by hanging. Each defendant will be hung before the people of Spira, then sent on to the Farplane. Their guilt has been made apparent and...I rest my case."
"Chancellor, I object!"
It was their turn to be shocked as all eyes trained upon Yuna, the woman's eyes pleading as they locked on to the men, they receptive but waiting. When it dawned on her that the outburst had been vocalized, Yuna sighed deeply and recomposed herself, continuing quietly, "Chancellor, nothing about this trial was fair. There were no witnesses, no testimony, no evidence—nothing. I'm sorry, but I must object."
Though Nooj postured to speak, Baralai stopped him, a hand outstretched as if to stop the brunet. "Lady Yuna, as unusual as the circumstances were, the trial has been conducted. Two key witnesses spoke, and the defendants have voiced their own guilt. I know, perhaps...it wasn't fair as it should be, but these men are guilty and the people of Spira, especially you, are evidence enough of their crimes. Nothing more needs to be done."
"I object," Yuna repeated firmly, hands clenching into fists. This seemed to draw Seymour away from his detachment, watching Yuna with an enraptured gaze, even hope peering blearily from those hard, amethyst eyes. "Your honor, I'd like to negotiate a different sentence for one of the maesters." Though most present looked surprised, they were still listening. Gaze sinking down, she continued, "Seymour Guado has committed many atrocities, but I'd like to request a different course of action. To atone for his crimes, I ask he join me on my mission to rid the world of Sin again. I'll take full responsibility for him, and send him if anything happens. Let me deal with him, Chancellor, in exchange for his release."
The quiet that spanned was palpable, but those disquieted by Yuna's words even though her eyes burned with implacable resolve, Baralai and Nooj in disbelief at what had just been spoken. Baralai's brows furrowed together in bemusement before he ventured, "Lady Yuna, are you absolutely certain of this?"
Yuna nodded her head firmly. "I know...it's not the sort of thing you'd think I'd do, but I have a hunch he knows a lot more than he lets on, and that he could even be instrumental in helping us defeat Sin. Please, just believe in me. That's all I can ask of you."
Nooj uttered a long sigh, then gesturing for the three cages to be lowered again into the foggy, bright pith of the waiting dungeons. Then, for those present to be corralled away and herded out into the streets to disburse. After a long moment when most had been cleared away, he fixed his gaze on her and laughed wryly. "Lady Yuna, you are full of surprises."
Yuna puffed indignantly at him. "Well? Is that a yes or a no?"
Baralai and Nooj exchanged looks, Nooj throwing his free hand up in defeat while Baralai laughed softly. "I'm afraid it wouldn't be in our best interests to say no, and there aren't many people alive left who have faced off with Sin personally. ...I trust your judgment, Lady Yuna. I just hope you won't turn away our aid in these troubled times. The fight with Sin isn't just for the Summoners any longer. It's all of Spira's fight."
Yuna smiled hopefully at Baralai's words, beaming up at him with a coy smile. "Thank you, Baralai. We'll do our best, promise. And I won't let Seymour have his way, either."
Nooj had already began to stalk away, likely to prepare for the executions tomorrow, as guilty as it made her feel. She sighed, left alone with Baralai in his wake.
"I don't doubt you. I don't think any of us know what to expect this time, but perhaps doing unorthodox things will be what pulls us through," Baralai postulated speculatively, Yuna resuming her soft smile.
"We're just playing this by ear, aren't we? But...I have faith we'll pull through alright. If my father beat Sin while disgraced, with a man from Zanarkand and an ousted warrior monk, why can't I be a little unorthodox, too?"
"Yuuuuuuniiiieeeeee, please tell me I didn't just hear that!"
Rikku's whine pitched high as she unceremoniously dumped herself in her bed, Paine sitting halfway upon it and nearby, looking disgruntled. Yuna was sheepishly smiling at them with her legs crossed on her own bed, admittedly blushing.
"I'm sorry, guys, but I really think he could be what helps us defeat Sin. Plus, he actually was absorbed by it for a time. Maybe he has some insight," Yuna supplied meekly, twiddling her thumbs. Maybe she really hadn't thought through her plan after all.
"I'd buy it if that plan involved strapping some deadly enchantment to his back and launching him down Sin's throat or something," Rikku dully quipped, head turned in profile enough for her words not be muffled by the sheets, Paine drumming her fingers testily on Rikku's back in lieu of a table, frowning deeply.
"After what he did to you, I don't see how having him part of your team will help," Paine replied dryly, scrutinizing Yuna intensely that caused the older woman to avert her gaze. "How do you know he won't try to kidnap you again and destroy Spira in the process?"
Yuna bit her lip, ceasing her thumb twiddling. "It's...just a hunch. When Gippal went off on him, he seemed...affected by it. Guilty, for what he'd done. Maybe it's a stretch, but I think it got to him."
"It's Gippal! Whenever he's mad, he usually means it! He's not as much of an airhead as people say he is," Rikku retorted, rolling on her back while Paine's fingers absently stroked along her navel and through the intricacy of her outfit.
"I know, but it's Seymour. Maybe he changed while in the Farplane. If he didn't, he would've joined in the other maesters' deprecation of us, I'm sure of it."
Paine grunted in accession, knowing that Yuna was likely right. Rikku, on the other hand, sighed loudly and in clear exasperation. "That's Yunie for you! My cousin, the golden-hearted girl who sees the good in everyone!" she proclaimed sourly and with arms raised in mock exaltation before flopping them back down at her sides dramatically, earning a crooked smile from Yuna while even Paine snorted in amusement.
"Mm, it's late out. Gosh...I'm so sleepy. Why don't we hit the hay?" Yuna offered, her bed suddenly looking like the coziest surface Bevelle had to offer.
Paine raised her hand in intercession, then directing it towards Rikku. "I'm staying. If Rikku's going to be having nightmares, someone has to keep the Seymour-boogieman away and you need your beauty sleep," Paine simpered dryly, earning a delighted squeak from Rikku who affectionately wrestled her down to cuddle like an octopus with her, Paine chortling and kissing her brow as she drew the quilt over them both.
Yuna giggled fondly at them, heart warming to see them so happy. Even if the journey ahead would be filled with uncertainty, she had the utmost faith in her friends to help carry them through.
"Good night, you two."
Last thoughts: Two things: one, I headcanon Paine as a lesbian and Rikku as bisexual, so they have an established if informal relationship that will be mentioned like it was in this chapter. Secondly, we all know Seymour had it coming. Man invented the duckface before it became a thing, so someone was bound to call him out on it.
Concerning their ages, it's my theory that the time passed in each game was at least several months, making her a bit older. In this fic, Yuna's 20 bordering on 21, while Rikku and Paine are both 19 with many months between them, Paine probably due to turn 20 herself.
Peace, G
