The group had opted for a family room. It was spacious enough for five (even with a ronso for a companion). Yuna had decided on a family room to ensure their safety. Being divided would do them no good in such places. The room was warm, and cosy. There was no traditional fireplace, as Al Bhed favoured machina over the labour of wood collecting and setting up fires. Heat emitted from a machina device, much like in many other houses in Luca. After all, it was not forbidden, although there were many across Spira who would have considered it lazy and unnecessary. When they had all entered the room and the lights were on, and they had ensured the room was sufficiently warm, they noticed that Strider had come in with them, she was sat quite comfortably and calmly in a chair by the door.

Kimahri bore his teeth and claws, and glowered menacingly. Strider looked at him rather calmly and made no movement.
"Hello, Strider. What do you want?" asked Yuna.
"We did not have a chance to finish our conversation earlier, my Lady."
"I wasn't aware we had more to discuss." she said, cautiously.
"You have been lingering around the common room waiting for the wizard all day, but I fear you can no longer wait for Belgemine."
"oh Yevon! You know Belgemine? But why didn't you say? Do you know where she is?" she felt relief, and trust for this stranger came a little easier for Yuna.
"As I said, we did not finish our conversation. As for where she is, I will tell you - for a price."
Yuna suddenly felt doubtful. She knew that the establishment was one for rogues no doubt. She did not have much money, and the Gil she had was to get her to Zanarkand. However, if this person was so untrustworthy, how then did she know Belgemine, who she had trusted and looked up to for so many years. Was Belgemine not who she thought she was? Her thoughts became overwhelmed with doubt.
"I only have as many companions as there are people I can trust, and I must admit that I am having a hard time trusting you." she said.
"Good!" exclaimed Strider. She sat back more comfortably. "Well I am glad you have good senses, Lady Summoner. More sense than two of your companions anyway. I was beginning to worry that the mage here was the only one with any." she said, looking at Lulu.
"Please, tell me why you're here." Yuna said.
"Very well, I shall tell you. I was looking for you. It came to my attention, that you were very keen to avoid attention on your departure from the Luca docks, as your attire and company suggests, you are obviously a summoner. A summoner who doesn't want to receive the love and support of the people she sets out to save? That is most unusual, so I followed. To my surprise you decided to go to the most unsuitable place for a summoner in Luca, I should advise you and your guardians to be more careful."
"I still don't see why that interest would lead you to follow me and watch us all day miss Strider." Yuna said, feeling uncomfortable.
Strider laughed. "Well the explanation is quite simple. I had been informed that you would be carrying out of Besaid, well, a secret which is of great concern for me and my friends."
"Now do not mistake me!" she cried, as Yuna gasped and Kimahri stepped forward to defend her. "I shall take a great deal of care of that secret. And care is needed! As a summoner you will be vulnerable to attention, and given what you carry, I know you wish to avoid unnecessary encounters. You know you need to stay off the pilgrim road, but none of you have walked the wilderness. I have. I know all the lands from Luca to as far as Bevelle, for I have wandered them for many years, I am older than I look. As I said, you can not wait for the wizard any longer, Yuna. I can take you by paths that are seldom trodden, and with any luck you may have the unseen protection of my kin, will you have me?"
"How do you know Belgemine, and why should we believe that you do?" interjected Lulu.
"You are wise to have such caution, mage." said Strider with a grim smile.
"On the subject of caution, you never did tell me how you know my name!" Yuna said.
"Well, this is most welcome. I was worried you would not ask. I believe I can answer both your questions. I know-"

At that moment there came a knock at the door. Drea arrived with refreshments. Strider withdrew behind the door. When Drea had laid down the refreshments on the table she lingered, looking rather uncomfortable.
"Look, here's how it is," she began, looking rather guilty. "I'm afraid I may have messed up big time. With the tournament and everything, I've been so busy and all. You see I owed a favour to an old acquaintance. I was told to look out for a summoner, and that she would have four companions. I wasn't supposed to ask her name, as she would be seeking privacy. But I was given a description. Fine, brown hair that rested above the shoulders, and curious eyes, one of blue and one of green."
"And who said that?" Yuna interrupted, eagerly.
"Well that would be Belgemine, that wizard woman. She roams Spira, so they say. But she did me a favour once, got me out of a really sticky jam. I imagine she'll kill me if I ever see her again, I've really messed this up!"
"Well what have you done?" asked Yuna, desperate for answers.
"A letter! I was supposed to send a letter to Besaid." she moaned. "A few days ago, she comes to me and says she needed a letter sending to Besaid, and that it was urgent. It was addressed plain enough too."

LADY SUMMONER YUNA, CORRAL HILL, BESAID VILLAGE in BESAID.

"A letter for me from Belgemine!" cried Yuna.
"Ahh, then you are Yuna?" said Drea.
"Yes, and I am sorry for deceiving you, but we did not know if you could be trusted. But please tell me why you didn't send this?"
"I am really sorry, I respect Belgemine, and would do much for her, and I didn't hold it back on purpose! I had nobody willing to send it, and then people came and offered me a business proposition and I put it in a safe and forgot about it." she finished lamely.
"But she said to me before she left that she had a friend who needed help, and she'd be a summoner from Besaid and that I was not to ask her any questions of her business. Unfortunately it's been rather difficult, I asked you if you were a con artist so that we could use that to stop my patrons becoming suspicious, but as the night drew on they began to talk. I've been trying all night to catch word of what they were saying. But then that Ranger woman, Strider has been asking me questions as well..."
"She did!" said Strider suddenly, emerging from her hiding place. "You could have saved me a lot of trouble if you had simply answered them in the first place!"
"You!" Drea said, looking taken aback. "How in Spira do you keep doing that? What do you want now?"
"She is here with my permission, she has come to offer me her help."
"oh, well. Who you trust is your business, but not even my sort trust the Rangers."
"Then who would she accept help from?" challenged Strider. "A woman of questionable morality who profits from spying and deceit, who dabbles in the black market and uses her position as an inn keeper to gain information that can be used to her advantage? There is no honour in what you do, and whilst Belgemine must have her reasons, I can not see what she sees in you." snarled Strider.
"Perhaps the letter that was intended for Yuna will contain some answers." suggested Lulu.
Drea handed the letter to Yuna and gave her one last apologetic look and left the room. Yuna looked down at the letter in her hand and opened it eagerly.

Dear Yuna,

Bad news has reached me here. I must go off at once. You had better leave Besaid soon, by the end of Zimo at the latest. I will return as soon as I can; and I will follow you, If I find that you are gone. If you linger in Luca for the tournament, leave a message for me here. The landlady (Drea) can be trusted. You may meet a friend of mine there, some around Luca call her Strider. She knows our business and will help you. Make for Yocun. I hope we will meet there. If I do not come, Jyscal will advise you.

PS. Make sure it is the real Strider, her true name is Lucil.

Yuna read the letter to herself, then passed it round to her guardians. "Really Drea, this would have saved us a great deal of trouble if i'd received this letter when it was intended. But what has happened to Belgemine? She makes it sound like she was going into great danger."
"She has been doing that for many years." said Strider.
Yuna looked at her carefully for a moment. "Strider, could you tell me your real name?"
"If it is the only way I can earn your full trust, which it is seemingly more apparent that that is the case, then I will certainly do so. My name is Lucil."
"Well that confirms it, you're mentioned in Belgemine's letter. Why didn't you just tell us your name before?"
"Well because I knew nothing of this letter! Belgemine does not reveal all her plans to everybody, this is how she has operated over the many years she has walked this land. All I knew was that I was to find a summoner and her guardians and escort them to Yocun, and for all I knew, I was supposed to earn your trust without proof. Fortunately I am who I say I am, I hope you no longer have any doubt in your mind. I am Lucil, and if by life or death I can save you, I will."

There was a silence after this. At last, Yuna spoke. "I believed somehow that I could trust you, even before this letter. Or at least I wanted to. You have an intimidating appearance, yet I think that If you weren't to be trusted, you would seem fairer and feel fouler, if you understand."
"I see." laughed Strider. "I look foul and feel fair. Is that it?"
Yuna smiled at her apologetically.
"Well, with the permission and approval of everyone, we shall call this settled, shall we? I will be your guide. We will have a rough road tomorrow. Even if we are allowed to leave this place unhindered, which is increasingly unlikely, but if we can then I shall get us lost into the wild as soon as possible. There are other ways out of Luca if one does not wish to follow the Mihen highroad, I believe we can slip out unnoticed through the woods. From there we will divert and head for the ruins of Fydlrdufan."
"Fydlrdufan?" said Wakka, piping up for the first time. "What's that? It sounds Al Bhed."
"It may once have been, Wakka. It is an old ruin, atop a hill, south of the highroad. It commands a wide view all round, and there we shall have a chance to view our surroundings, and find the safest route. After Fydlrdufan I fear our journey may become more dangerous."
"More dangerous? But there could be Al Bhed in these ruins!" insisted Wakka.
"I assure you, although you may recognise the name as Al Bhed, what was once a watch tower before then never belonged to them. You may not be aware of this, but the Al Bhed language is a continuation of a dialect that was once spoken by many in Spira prior to the machina war. I assure you, not many either know of the ruins, nor care to attempt to plunder it."
"When did you last see Belgemine? Do you know where she is, or what she is doing?" asked Yuna, eager to move the conversation on.
"I do not know." Strider said, looking very grave. "I met her outside of Luca not too many days ago. I have watched the gateway to the southern isles more closely than I have been accustomed to over this past few years. We met a few days ago in here, and she told me that her business in Besaid had gone well, and that you would be expected to be leaving in the next few days, and that you would be headed for Yocun. I figured that she had the situation under control, and I left to go on a journey of my own with my kin. That proved to be a mistake, because whatever business Belgemine had to the east has seemingly gone wrong."
"She said something about going to seek answers. Does that mean anything to you?" Yuna asked, growing concerned.
Strider contemplated her words for a moment. "The exile, perhaps? Well, it would certainly answer my question of what her business was in the east. However the question of her delay is not answered. Belgemine is very proficient at traveling great distances by speed. It would not have taken her long to reach the exiles dwelling, nor would it have taken long for her to return."
"Who is the exile?" Lulu asked, puzzled.
"The exile is somebody of great wisdom, and also of great sorrow. He values privacy and also secrecy. He is one of the most learned scholars in Spira, it is no wonder Belgemine sought his council."

Suddenly they heard a commotion outside. Footsteps approached and the door burst open. Shinra entered the room and hastily shut the door. When he caught his breath he looked up and noticed everyone staring at him in alarm, and he spoke.
"You better watch out, they're getting rowdy downstairs. A lot of them think you (he pointed at Yuna) are a real summoner, and they think with Spira in crisis, they can kidnap you and ransom you off to Bevelle."
"This is what I feared. You were never meant to linger here for so long. Your cover story was sufficient to last a couple of hours at most, but your demeanor and your reluctance to join the rest in their foul conversation has obviously earned you more than a fair share of suspicion." said Strider.
"What are we going to do?" said Yuna in alarm, looking at Shinra.
"I'm just a kid." he shrugged. "Drea is downstairs trying to calm everyone down. She is having to increasingly find more, er, creative ways of keeping their attention."
Tidus let out a low whistle, which earned him a disgusted look from Lulu.
"We need to leave, as soon as possible." said Strider. "If you weren't all so exhausted and intoxicated I would suggest leaving now, although that would also be unwise, as they now no doubt watch all exits from this building with great attentiveness."

Again, they heard hurried steps approaching. And again the door burst open and hastily shut the door. Drea was stood they, and looking fairly undignified to say the least. Her manner of dress caused Yuna to blush and avert her gaze, whilst Lulu gasped in disgust. Tidus and Wakka did not know where to look, although they found it difficult not to stare. Strider looked at her in the eyes and seemed quite unabashed.
"Well, what is it? I'm guessing your distraction isn't as successful as you had hoped?" asked Strider.
"It was going well, but they are getting really suspicious, at first it was only a couple of them discussing it lightly, however most of them are now in agreement that Yuna would fetch a pretty price. There is a lot of Gil to be made here, and they keep pressuring me to get it on it." Drea explained.
"And what is the promised price, a nice fat share of the pot?" Strider said, angrily.
"I'm not going to hand Yuna over to anybody except Belgemine! And I'd like to tell you that I have a bit more honour than that thank you very much. Although for your information they're willing to offer me as much as 25%."
"Well, how very noble of you to refuse. It would be noble if you're hands weren't tied and you made the decision to not sell us out by your own free will. However, a debt is a debt. Isn't it?" said Strider.
"Yes...well." Drea pursed her lips. "I came to warn you all that they all just agreed that they're going to do it anyway, they will come for you and they think they have enough down there to kill your guardians, and sell you to the temple. It won't take them long to guess your room. I only have a few family sized rooms."
"What are our options?" said Yuna, worried.
"I can put you up in the attic. It's for storage, and we can remove the ladder once you are all up there. It would be quite safe. Right now, your options are limited. So its either fight or flight. Although I would rather you choose the latter. You would be doing me no favour by killing a large portion of my customers and business associates." pleaded Drea.
"Your "associates" are cut throats and scoundrels." spat Strider. "Will you help us, or sell us out? Fayth help you if Belgemine comes here to find you sold us out for a pouch of Gil!"
"Now listen here Ranger!" Drea said, raising a finger at her. "I said I wish to help Yuna and I will. It won't be easy to convince them to stay away, but I think I can manage it. Believe it or not, Luca is home to good Al Bhed, and none to far from here. I will call on them, we will keep watch tonight. We will do our best to draw them away from here, make it seem like you fled in haste. But you must go to the attic, and you have to be quiet, can you manage that?"
"Yes, we can. Right everyone?" said Yuna, looking around at her guardians, who nodded.
"I'd like to see some Al Bhed try and take Yuna!" Wakka said loudly.
"Well, if its a fight you want, it is a fight you will get if you keep raising your voice so foolishly Wakka." said Strider.
"It seems we must trust Drea in this. If Belgemine trusts you and our options are thin, it seems we are in the hands of you and your kin." said Lulu.

There was much to do, and little time. Shinra attended to their luggage and took it to the attic. When Shinra returned and declared all was clear, one by one they slipped silently out of their room and down the hall, where they ascended the ladder to the attic. There, makeshift beds had been set up for them. They were of limited comfort, and were merely blankets on a hard, wooden floor, with only a thin sheet separating them from the wood, but it was better than naught. When they were all finally safe and out of sight in the attic, Drea came to check on them one last time before turning off the light and descending the ladder, which she removed and put into storage for the night. Wakka's head hit the pillow with little hesitation, and soon his snores filled the attic. Tidus promptly followed, yet he was a little more dignified in how he took rest. Lulu studied Yuna a great deal before she finally slipped off. Like a mother, she watched Yuna with loving concern, even stroking her hair whilst Yuna lay in her bed with her eyes open, afraid to go to sleep. Kimahri and Strider were both too reluctant to rest, and it soon became apparent that both had made a non verbal agreement to stay up and keep watch. For how long Yuna stayed awake, she did not know, but she outlasted Lulu who's hair stroking soon ceased, and she slipped into sleep. Finally, Yuna's eyes began to strain, and she drifted off.

After what felt like only a few short moments, Yuna woke to the sound of whispers. She opened her eyes and found that a dim, morning light was apparent outside of the small window in the attic. She looked around and found all her guardians had been roused. When everyone was awake, Strider leapt down the attic hole and returned a short while later with the ladder, and when everyone had descended safely, she led them back to their room. They found it in a complete mess. Windows had been smashed, beds upturned, cupboards ripped open. Every potential hiding place seemed to have been scourged. Strider left to fetch Drea, who came in wearing luxurious red pajamas and and irritable look on her face, with large, dark bags under her eyes.
"I've seen bar fights here plenty of times, but this was really something." she yawned. "They guessed which room you were in and smashed the door down, despite my locking it. When they found out you weren't here, they went into a fit of rage and turned on each other. Some took to the streets and looked for you, a few even went into the woods. But they never thought to look for you up in the attic at any rate."
"You have our thanks, Drea." Yuna bowed.
"I am sorry this has happened, If only I'd sent that letter." she said, sadly. "I mean bar fights I'm used to, but guests being unable to sleep in their beds? That's not good for business, not good at all."
"Yes, dark times indeed." said Strider, with a hint of sarcasm. "Well, you have helped us and we are grateful. You will be rid of us shortly, we only require your help a little while longer. Never mind breakfast, just some drink and perhaps some food we can eat on the road, and we will be on our way."
Drea nodded tiredly and left them, and returned shortly with some light food that they could eat on the go. After a quick breakfast on their feet, they were ready to depart.

It was before dawn when they stepped out of the agency, and the sky was illuminated by pale twilight. The streets were empty, and no sound came from the city. It was an eerie contrast to the atmosphere of the previous day. Drea and Shinra stepped out to bid them farewell.
"Goodbye, sorry for the inconvenience!" said Drea.
"It's alright," said Yuna. "It was really my fault to begin with. If I hadn't drawn so much attention to myself, then none of this would have happened."
With one last sad smile and a wave, Yuna turned around and followed Strider and her guardians into the nearby woods and they set out into the wild.