Fisherman's Horizon.
Zyma leaned against the railing of the ferry heading to Fisherman's Horizon. His gaze fixed on the vast expanse of the sunny blue sky above. A group of birds playfully chased each other, their wings creating fleeting shadows on the water's surface.
Emerging from the deep blue ocean, the colossal blue sun panel gradually came into view. After the Legendary SeeDs saved his life in the Galbadian army's intrusion years ago, Mayor Dobe had become more receptive to friendly outsiders. New residence units were constructed around the central sun panel area. Sean had purchased one of these units, even before the first brick of the entire structure had been laid.
He hadn't seen Sean in person since he moved to Fisherman's Horizon to open his antique shop. Hence, he accepted Sean's invitation to visit him and Tatulia immediately.
Raddie also invited his S21 friends and Acma to his brother's residence unit. Hence, all of them took the ferry from Balamb to Fisherman's Horizon together.
Zyma watched his mentee from afar as she happily chatted with her friends. She had become their frequent tutor, to be previse. He remembered how she had complained about feeling unwelcome alongside Timeth during their first month at Balamb, possibly due to their academic achievements. However, he could see that their kindness had won over any competitive Balamb students.
He couldn't shake her from his thoughts, although Xu frequently reminded solo mercenaries like him not to develop romantic attachments for safety concerns.
Somehow, he also sensed a flicker of affection from Acma. He recognized that look, the yearning for attention that often adorned the faces of teenage girls. He had seen it countless times during his own teenage years, which now felt like distant memories due to the weight of his bloody missions.
At this stage of his life, he expected teenage love to be boring.
But she wasn't boring. Not one bit. She constantly surprising him with her wit and determination. Sometimes she was obedient, other times rebellious, standing up for herself when needed.
In the past, he had relished lengthy missions for the thrill they provided. However, lately, it had become difficult to not think of her when he was away. He could tell that she was missing him by the happy look of her when he came back from missions. Nevertheless, he had resolved not to confess his feelings to her. It could be just a passing infatuation that would fade away before he even realized it. For now, as long as she was safe at home, he would be happy.
When they arrived at Sean's apartment, they were greeted by Tatulia, who used to work in the library. Both Sean and Tatulia had retired as SeeDs and focused on item trading. With Sean's adventurous item collection and Tatulia's extensive knowledge of magic history, the couple lived well by doing what they loved.
Tatulia served the group a delicious lunch, tending for Zyma's special diet. He felt genuinely happy for them, recalling how they had discreetly dated during their school days to avoid detection by the staff.
After lunch, Zyma spent time with Sean, updating him on possible trades. It was during this conversation that Sean revealed an important plan and asked Zyma for help.
"Will you be my GF?'' Zyma asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Yes," Sean replied. "What do you think?''
"Kind of touché, isn't it?"
"But it works perfectly in our context." Sean explained,
Zyma shrugged. "Your call, mate. When?"
"Next weekend. Can you make it?"
"Of course, mate. It would be my honor," Zyma happily accepted Sean's request.
"Bring a girl. I insist," Sean smiled.
While Tatulia and Acma prepared dinner, the S21 classmates played games to kill time.
"No! Put this one in the corner!" Keannu shouted at Raddie.
"You're crazy, if two ones are facing each other, any card would flip both of them!" Raddie dismissed Keannu's suggestion.
"We can always flip them back!" Keannu snapped back.
"Hey, hey, let Raddie practice some basic algebra, won't you?" Shrewdya teased the two friends, her well-manicured hands tightly gripping her mid-level cards.
Raddie narrowed his eyes. He realized he needed a smarter ally to defeat Shrewdya. Otherwise, he would lose his precious Zell card that he had spent months acquiring it from Ma Dincht.
"Timeth! I need you," Raddie called out to his suite mate. "Come over here!"
Shrewdya rolled her eyes. "That's cheating."
"Come on, you let Keannu play with me," Raddie argued.
"But Timeth is different!" Shrewdya protested.
"Sorry," Timeth scratched his head. "I don't know how to play Triple Triad."
The whole room turned their attention to Timeth upon hearing his statement.
"What do you mean you don't play Triple Triad?" Keannu asked.
Timeth wasn't sure how to answer a question that already contained its own answer.
Shrewdya asked, frowned, "Do you have any cards?"
"No, I don't have any," Timeth replied, relieved to hear a straightforward question.
"Okay... Do you know the rules, then?" she continued to inquire.
Timeth shook his head. As he realized everyone was staring at him like he was an alien, he quickly tried to bring his trusted friend down with him. "Acma also doesn't know how to play."
Everyone gasped and turned their gazes towards the kitchen, where Acma was attempting to be helpful by cutting vegetables.
"Is it true that the two talented students from Trabia don't know how to play Triple Triad?" Shrewdya asked, as Acma brought a large salad bowl out from the kitchen.
"I've seen people play it before," Acma replied, setting the bowl in the center of the table and mixing the veggies with salad dressing. "It seems like it favors those with higher-numbered cards, so I haven't really bothered to learn more."
"That's not true at all!" Raddie exclaimed. "You can strategize with rules like Same, Plus, and others. Skilled players can win big even against opponents with stronger individual cards."
"Really? What's the Plus rule?" Acma asked, feigning curiosity.
The gang sighed at her question.
Sean and Zyma descended the stairs.
"Tat, do you need any help?" Sean offered.
"Yes, please. Can you help open this can? Acma and I tried, but..." Tatulia replied.
"Sorry, I broke the handle!" Acma smiled awkwardly, still stirring the vegetables, keeping herself busy to avoid any other cooking duties.
"What did you do? Not being able to open a can of food? You're bringing shame to your sensei," Zyma teased his mentee.
Acma was about to retort, but Shrewdya added more to the insult. "She doesn't even know how to play Triple Triad."
Zyma's eyes widened to a degree that Acma couldn't believe human eyeballs could stretch.
"So what? It's just a game that compares numbers from 1 to 9," Acma got in defensive mode and redirected the conversation. "Sensei, is this enough salad for you?" She tilted the bowl towards Zyma.
"Put the bowl down and take a seat," Zyma instructed, guiding her to a chair and firmly placing her into it. "Geez, stop bringing shame to your sensei. I'm a card tournament organizer, and my student declares Triple Triad a simple game? Shrewdya, enlighten our Trabia guests!"
"Trabia guests?" Acma grimaced but was quickly interrupted by Shrewdya.
"Leave it to me, Zyma the Great! Here..."
Shrewdya handed out cards to Timeth and Acma, diving into an explanation of the current rules at Fisherman's Horizon. Apparently, each region had its own unique set of rules that could change over time.
"Got that?" Shrewdya asked.
Acma and Timeth exchanged glances and reluctantly nodded.
"Alright, let's play a few games," Shrewdya declared.
Observing Shrewdya's assertiveness and swift card dealing, Acma started to comprehend why Timeth had been pressured to let this group utilize the simulation room.
Shrewdya won the first two games and happily talked about how she collected the rare cards in her deck.
The third and fourth games ended in draws, which slightly annoyed Shrewdya as Timeth and Acma started catching on to the advanced rules. Shrewdya asked Raddie to join her side in the next game.
Zyma was curious to see the strategy of the Trabia pair, so he stood next to Acma.
"Don't help them!" Shrewdya asked Zyma.
"Nah, just watching," he agreed.
After a few turns, the score was still tied at 5-5. Both sides were skilled at defending their cards by shielding the low numbers on the edges of the board.
Shrewdya took her time to think at each move.
"Here... Raddie pointed to a card and then at its suggested position on the board.
"No... Shrewdya declined. "This..."
"That's the same thing," Raddie said.
Shrewdya's frustration grew. "It's better..." then she put her card down.
6-4.
Timeth quickly played a card to restore balance.
5-5.
"Take this!" Shandy exclaimed, slamming a card on the board, causing a cascade of flipped cards.
8-2.
"What just happened?" Raddie and Keannu asked, confused as the cards flipped rapidly.
"Same/Plus, baby!" Shrewdya stood up from her chair, dancing.
"Ha... "Timeth realized something and was about to play one of his two cards.
However, he was quickly stopped by Acma, who took the other card from his hand and put it firmly on the last empty spot of the board. "What a clever move, Shrewdya! You're right. This game requires more than just strong cards," Acma exclaimed.
7-3.
"You could..." Zyma began but was interrupted as Acma nudged him under the table.
She discreetly returned Timeth's card to the deck. She kept her eyes on Shrewdya's dancing, making sure nobody saw the card that could have brought them victory. Timeth didn't seem to question Acma's mysterious action.
Ha…
"Let's play another game," Acma suggested, shuffling the deck. "We won't lose this time."
After she dealt the new cards and let Timeth play on his own, she whispered to Zyma.
"I'd rather lose a meaningless game than lose a friend."
Zyma nodded in agreement. "Right."
Zyma spent the Sunday afternoon visiting old connections from his underground trade. He loved these people, rough on the outside but always true to their word. He had heard that Seifer Almasy, the former Sorceress Knight, had briefly resided in Fisherman's Horizon and engaged in monster trading before being apprehended. Zyma marveled at diverse pathes Garden graduates embarked upon leaving their home.
He visited the Grease Monkey, who had connections with Shumi Village. The village was well-known for its infinite supply of Ultima but was very selective about who they shared this high-level magic with. Somehow, the village elders always knew who could be trusted. Grease Monkey's Moomba was the tiniest one Zyma had ever seen, and despite being qualified as a GF, the tiny Moomba couldn't do much, which was quite a pity. Zyma considered the idea of having him as a pet purely for his funny look. He hadn't dared to make an offer though, not that Grease Monkey would be willing to sell his pet.
After obtaining a few Ultima stones from Grease Monkey, Zyma decided to pay a visit to Master Fisherman.
It was quite a fortunate coincidence how Zyma knew Master Fisherman. When Balamb Garden transformed into a flying structure, Cid almost killed the old man while crashing Garden into the town. The stairways surrounding the giant fresh water tank all fell out due to the impact, and Zyma was on duty to fix them up. Once done, he descended to the dock, hoping to catch some saltwater game fish for dinner. Instead, he stumbled upon the anguished master, who had been stranded for hours. The old man ranted about how the disastrous crash had almost killed for a good half an hour before hearing Zyma's rumbling stomache. He completely transforming into a warm, kind-hearted elder upon knowing Zyma was knowledgeable in fishing, though in a different kind of technique. He then invited Zyma to join him for a great meal with his pupil—a little boy named Fisherkid. Zyma visited them every now and then, until Balamb Garden came back to its original location permanently two years ago.
Zyma walked all the way back to the town's entrance along the railroad and took the lift operated by Familiar Face #2. Descending the stairs, he arrived at the dock. He only found the familiar white and blue fishing umbrella which was sadly closed. The old man was nowhere to be seen.
He made his way to the house of Master Fisherman. Fisherkid, dressed in a red jacket, was sitting on a boat, practicing his line throwing as usual. As soon as he saw Zyma, he stood up. After two years, the kid had grown at least seven inches taller. His voice had deepened due to puberty and sorrow. He appeared incredibly thin, with a grief-stricken expression on his emaciated face.
He hold the old man's rusty fishing rod. A lump formed in Zyma's throat.
They sat on the boat together, sharing moments of silence.
Zyma was considering offering Fisherkid some money. The foul smell of his breath and the yellow tint on his fingers stopped him. Gangs often handed out addictive substances for free to lure in vulnerable and lonely youth.
"Come on. Let's find something to eat. It's on me," Zyma suggested.
They arrived at a seafood bar. Zyma ordered nutritious food for the boy, who kept his gaze low, focusing on his plate and struggling to hold back tears. Zyma imagined that this meal might have been the first genuinely caring gesture that he had had since the passing of the Master Fisherman.
Zyma did the boy a favor by leaving him alone and approaching the bartender, whom he knew well.
"Make sure you only serve him food. No alcohol or cigarettes, please. Find Sean if you need more," Zyma discreetly slipped some bills into the bartender's hands.
The bartender nodded in agreement and disclosed. "There're some gang members probing him."
"Names?"
Zymae headed towards the Horizon Bridge. He found who he was looking for. He did what needed to be done. Violence or money. He let them pick.
Zyma strolled along the railway bridge, thinking of Fisherkid and lost in memories of his own childhood.
A beloved child. An orphan. A pupil. A lonely teen like Fisherkid. A gang member. A mercenary. He had been all of these throughout his youth.
When his mother transformed herself to save him, he became an orphan in every sense of the word. A year later, a Selkie elder discovered him and took him in as a pupil. Just like Master Fisherman, the elder eventually passed away, making Zyma in the situation of Fisherkid as of today. He had dug the elder's grave with his own hands. Soon after, he joined a gang and rose to become its most formidable fighter. However, luck wasn't always on his side. In one of the bloodiest defeats, where his wounded slender body was left drenched in mud, Cid and Matron found him, and the rest became history.
They gave him food. They gave him a home. They gave him the strength to search for his mother, allowing him to be a beloved son once more.
Cid saved him.
And today Zyma saved Fisherkid.
Zyma chuckled at the idea of considering himself on par with Cid, after just being nice with a kid. As clumsy and gullible as Cid had always appeared, the man had undeniably saved thousands of orphans like Zyma with nothing in his hands. No big money. No power. Only his kind heart.
Cynics may criticize Cid for taking advantage of stranded youth and training them to be mercenaries for money. Only those who have to constantly wonder where their next meals would come from can understand. They would readily pick up a sword for a man who offered them bread on the brink of starvation. And as for where the money went: more bread. And more kids to have a 'home', like Acma.
He decided to sit down to watch the sunset by the sea.
He wondered what his crush was discussing with her friends. The girl was a magnet he couldn't understand why he was attracted to her. But he had been in love enough times to know rationalizing why one fell in love is futile.
She never told him about her childhood. That didn't bother him too much. He was merely curious about the circumstances that shaped such a complex individual. She possessed a competitive spirit, yet knew when to draw the line. She was smart, but didn't feel the need to flaunt it like many other smart women he had encountered. She was perfect in her own imperfect way.
He daydreamed about a future where they would retire and live together. He imagined helping her set up a lab to study monsters and cure GFs. Knowing her love for books, she would probably request a large custom bookshelf, similar to the ones in Garden's library. He would gladly fulfill her request, drawing on his woodworking skills from his days running a humble junk shop. They would also host dinner parties for their friends, much like Sean and Tatulia were currently doing.
For a loner who disliked routines and constantly pursued thrills, he found himself pleasantly surprised that the idea of talking to her everyday didn't intimidate him in the slightest.
"Found you, sensei." A familiar voice came from behind, interrupting his daydream, and Zyma involuntarily smiled.
"What do you want, kid? You said no training over the weekend."
"Of course, no!" Acma exclaimed. "I'm still bleeding from yesterday's longsword class."
"My special ointment didn't help?"
"Sort of."
"Use it three times a day, don't skip. Your boyfriend… or future boyfriends may not like scars."
"Pfff, like I care what they would think. I have plenty already."
"Plenty of boyfriends?" he teased.
"No! Scars! Plenty of scars!" she exclaimed.
Zyma chuckled then frowned. "Again, what kind of training did you have in Trabia? I always had the impression that Trabia students pet Mesmerizes the whole day."
"Tch... you know so little about your pupil, sensei."
She sat down next to him.
"How did you know you could cast Holy?" he asked. "It's not like anyone conveniently possesses that magic in their pocket."
"Yeah… I mastered Thundaga quite early, and Selphie was the one who suggested I try high-level magics. It was quite generous of her, considering the high chance of a Miss for such an expensive spell. I only cast it twice. I mostly use Thundaga since Trabia is full of Mesmerizes."
"Even Thundaga, using it at your age is unheard of."
"Thank you, sensei, for finally acknowledging my potential."
"Are you sure you're really 16?"
"16 and 8 months. Assuming the fake birthday of January 1 like everyone else, of course. Why?"
"I want to buy you a drink," he teased. "Just kidding. But I think you may be older than that. Orphans without parents, it's hard to know their age, right? Human cells have limitations when it comes to bearing magic. There are prodigies and geniuses for sure, but biology is something hard to break."
"You're starting to sound like a nerd."
"Thanks to you, pupil."
Acma chuckled.
"And you're the one dodging my question today. Tell me more. How did you end up in Trabia Garden?" Zyma pressed.
"Sorry. I want to remain a mystery. A friend who knows you well can become your worst enemy - your words, sensei."
"What about your boyfriend? How did you two meet in Trabia?"
"He's not my boyfriend. Didn't we already clear that? He's possibly my relative."
"You see, in many cultures..."
"No," Acma interrupted firmly, then wrinkled her face in disgust. "Ew..."
He was taken aback by her sudden assertiveness.
"I'm sorry. Too far? You know I'm just kidding," he turned to her, observing her face closely.
"I just want to make it clear to you," she sighed and continued. "You said I'm the kind of person who would put hundreds of labels on a relationship. The truth is, I prioritize my mercenary career above all. I have goals and people I want to save…"
She paused, but Zyma sensed that she wanted to say something more important. She waved awkwardly into the air and spoke quickly.
"I understand the risks involved in being in a relationship. So why label something when both parties already understand each other's thoughts?" She finally turned to him. "Do you agree?"
Zyma was no fool and instantly realized her implication despite her vague language. She meant to keep her question vague to probe his feelings for her.
He promptly responded, all his self-imposed restraint forgotten now that she gave him a clear signal.
"I think we're on the same page with that. I'm happy as things are. Are you?"
Her burgundy eyes widened, and a blush spread across her cheeks, revealing a joyous smile. "Me too."
"Good," he responded, biting his lip to contain his own happiness and maintain a composed demeanor. "When we become SeeDs, let's revisit this talk."
"Sounds like a good plan."
"Until then…"
"Yeah," she nodded in understanding, "let's keep things as they are. Deal?"
"Deal."
They exchanged shy smiles, deliberately avoiding each other's gaze, until Zyma extended his open palm.
"Given what we learned from our previous deal, let's have a deposit this time," he said, still fixated on the open horizon and maintaining his smile.
"Deposit?" Acma questioned, clearly confused.
Zyma nodded.
What on earth? She wondered, instinctively searching her pockets for some cash. "Um... How much do we need? I don't have much."
"Anything will do," he replied, still smiling.
Feeling extremely awkward, she placed the bills in his hand, pondering what was going through this jerk's head and if he had misunderstood her. Why would he even think of ripping her off in this moment?
As their hands touched, he gently held onto her hand. Turning towards her, he tried to suppress his grin and used his other hand to return the bills to her pocket, leaving their palms in full contact.
"There. Enough," he said, smiling mischievously.
She looked away, blushing, and giggled. He surely got her this time. She reciprocated his gesture by interlocking her fingers with his.
Their hands had collided forcefully countless times during training. However, in this moment, they shared a tender connection filled with warmth and happiness.
"Gosh, I love doing business with you," he exclaimed while lightly squeezing her hand, attempting to sound professional but unable to contain his joy.
They smiled and savored the last rays of the setting sun before making their way back to Sean's in a peaceful silence.