The Path to Sin (Ikken Isshu + Griselda Banks)

[Ikken Isshu]

"Sooner or later," Aer called after her, "I will convince you that I am more than just a fool!"

"No," Calaman countered, "you will just convince her that you are more of a fool."

Aer snorted and jogged to catch up. Calaman strode alongside Eddora but slightly behind her in his usual manner, though his face was significantly more relaxed from when he had first met Eddora, and certainly more than when he had first run into Aer.

((By the way, I'm rather enjoying the comic relief interlude, but feel free to fast forward it at any time. Drama is as drama does. razz ))

 

[Griselda Banks]

((Okay, that's fine with me. I was kind of running out of ideas anyway.))

Some two hours later, Eddora and her two guardians strolled back onto the beach. They wouldn't normally have spent so long eating, but Ed had insisted on two refills of her sake bottle, which she complained was much too small to begin with. She had caught the concerned glances Calaman had sent her way, and loudly assured him she had eaten far too much seafood to get drunk. That hadn't turned out to be entirely true; she had felt her own unsteadiness as they made their way back down to the beach - but, as she reminded herself, she had been much drunker before.

Now, as they emerged onto the sand once more, they saw that the tide was coming in, the sun was setting, and a green-sailed ship was pulling into port. "Aha!" Ed said loudly. "Right on time!"  

[Ikken Isshu]

Calaman had to content himself with staying near and being ready to catch her, since he didn't think she would tolerate a steadying hand on her elbow as she walked. Still, the sight of the S.S. Liki was a welcome sight indeed. Aer forgot himself and let out a whoop when he saw the ship, tossing his yellow cap into the air and catching it again.

"Let the adventure begin anew!" he exclaimed.

"Not 'till tomorrow morning," Calaman reminded him, which served only to make him pout. "Look on the bright side. Maybe we will be able to browbeat the captain of the Liki into leaving early. That way, we might be able to separate ourselves from the rabble of summoners."

Aer shrugged, then his eye was caught by something in the distance. It was... Valefor?

"Huh," he muttered as he realized there were tiny figures on the aeon's back. "Looks like somebody, at least, has figured out a way to separate themselves. Wonder if everybody is finding new ways to travel."

Calaman followed Aer's gaze and spotted Valefor. "Creative," he said, nodding.

 

[Griselda Banks]

Eddora squinted up at the figure in the distance, shading her eyes with her hand, and leaned back so far that she nearly fell over backwards, catching herself just in time by grabbing hold of Calaman's shoulder. The tiny figures in the sky seemed to waver much more than necessary, and it made her feel sick to her stomach to watch them, so she hastily returned her attention to the earth. "Who d'you s'pose they are?" she asked. "'Cause it better not be Oebr, or I'll smack 'im one!"

Suddenly realizing her hand was still resting on Calaman's shoulder, she pulled away from him and resolutely marched towards the boat. "C'mon, guys!" she called over her shoulder, weaving slightly as she walked. "Let's go beat up the captain like Aer said!"  

[Ikken Isshu]

Aer's eyes widened. "Er - I said browbeat, Ed, browbeat! Let's not go committing crimes, now!" He ran after her, and Calaman, after briefly surveying the beach, nodded his approval and followed them.

Once on the boat, the lighthearted air broke quickly. Something was obviously wrong. All of the ship hands kept their heads down, and the few that passed near the party stank of sweat and fear. Finally Calaman pulled a man aside.

"What's the problem?" he demanded. "Give me a straight answer."

"S-S-Sin," the sailor stammered, averting his eyes. "Off to the east of Kilika. It was spotted just a few hours ago. Everyone's worried it will come here."

Calaman reeled. Sin? Already? Could they afford to be so close to it, this early in their pilgrimage?

"Has it attacked anywhere?" he demanded. The sailor shook his head quickly.

"N-no. It looked to be heading for Luca, but no one knows for sure. Everyone's scared out of their wits. These are dangerous times for a man to be a sailor."

Calaman nodded absently and let the man go on his way.

Aer, narrow-eyed and firm-jawed, cast his gaze about. "If Sin was heading for Luca..." he murmured, and shook his head. "Damn. Luca, of all places... Such a big city..."

"No point in dwelling on problems," Calaman said shortly. "We can either do something about it or we can't, and dwelling on it isn't going to help. And where Sin is concerned" - he glanced at Eddora - "I'd bet a lot of gil that we can't yet do anything about it. The pilgrimage is our priority."

Aer sighed. "You're right, of course. Let's find the captain."

 

[Griselda Banks]

If there was one thing that could sober Ed up immediately, it was the mention of Sin. A wave of anger swept through her when the sailor first spoke its name, and suddenly her mind seemed much clearer than before. "Sin!" she spat to herself when the sailor had finished talking. That abomination...always killing.... And Eddora stomped away, even as Aer and Calaman were still discussing this news.

The captain's cabin was easy to find, and Ed saw through a porthole in the door that a man she assumed was the captain was examining a map or chart of some kind tacked to the wall. Wasting no time with knocking, Ed flung the door open and marched in. "Okay, you!" she bellowed, grabbing a fistful of the front of the captain's shirt. "I am Summoner Eddora, and if you don't get this heap of junk sailing towards Kilika in five minutes, you'll be watching your ship sailing away under my command! Get my drift? Now hop to it! On the double, or whatever you say!"  

[Ikken Isshu]

((I love the first two paragraphs here... Not sure why it's so funny to me, but it is.

Did I mention I finished Dune Messiah? It truly is like the review says: Everything that Dune was, and perhaps more. And this one actually has a few plot twists that aren't easy to see coming from a mile off, like the first book's plot twists were. razz Paul's oracular vision becomes something really stunning in the second book))

Captain Echadean Czendu of the S.S. Liki clenched his jaw muscles with irritation at being interrupted. He pulled the pipe from between his teeth.

"And I am Captain of this ship," he said heatedly as he turned, "and I have a schedule to keep, be there sun or rain or Sin or mad summoner that stands in my - " He stopped upon seeing her livid appearance. For a few seconds, he stood silently. Then, in a very small voice, he managed, "Yes, ma'am."

~

The ship was underway within two hours, with much fearful grumbling from the sailors. Oebr and his guardians were nowhere to be seen, which elicited no complaints from either Calaman or Aer.

As the ship departed the harbor, sailing with the barest fraction of the sun off to the port, and pitch black to the starboard, Aer stood at the prow, leaning idly forward onto the railing. Dimming sunlight to the left; blackest night to the right. Straight ahead was twilight. They sailed into twilight. He sighed to himself and forced his thoughts away from such idle, useless musings.

Onto Sin.

~

Calaman shadowed Eddora, periodically scanning around for any signs of danger. His eyes always returned to the sea, however. Searching for pirates. Searching for fiends. Searching for Sin.

"This doesn't bode well for us," he said quietly. "It's too early to be going towards a place where Sin was seen. We're not ready."

 

[Griselda Banks]

((Okay, you've convinced me. I have to read Dune Messiah!

Um...okay, maybe I should ask: Who was it that was flying away on Valefor's back? And should we have other summoner groups on board as well? I know you said Oebr wasn't there, but what about the others?))

Eddora prowled restlessly around the deck, unable to keep still for more than a minute. She had spent the last two hours breathing down the captain's neck and uttering threats of what would happen to him if he didn't hurry up, but even so it had taken much longer than she had wished. Finally they were off, but.... Maybe it was just the night falling all around them, turning the turquoise water black as tar, but Ed felt uneasy. She kept on glancing out to sea, as did everyone else on board, it seemed.

After a while, Ed caught sight of Aer at the prow, and made her way over to him. As she did, however, Calaman spoke up.

Ed glowered at him. "'Not ready'?! Of course we're not ready! Is anyone ready when Sin bears down on them? Is anyone ready to watch their death approaching? Of course not!" Ed grabbed his shoulders and looked him in the eye. "We can't wait until we're ready, Cal. While we quibble about not being ready, Sin kills more and more people who aren't ready to die. The only way to stop this - any of this - is to hurry. Hurry to the next temple, hurry to Zanarkand, so that we can kill Sin and stop this death! We don't have time to be ready!"  

[Ikken Isshu]

((I didn't make any decision as to who flew away, and as for other summoners, you can include whoever you like. I just wanted to be rid of Oebr for a while. I imagine the flier was probably Oebr, considering that it kind of seems a little sacrilegious to use an aeon for anything as mundane as travel, and he's the only guy I can think of who would be so irreverent as to do that. It's only an idea, though, so if you disagree, feel free to stick your own summoner on Valefor's back.

Short post this time, but I like it nonetheless.))

"And the people of Spira don't have time for us to rush on ahead without being ready," Calaman snapped without thinking. Stunned at his lack of restraint, he reined himself in abruptly and checked his tone. "A summoner who gets herself killed out of haste isn't any good to anyone," he said quietly. "We can't help anyone from the Farplane, Ed..."

 

[Griselda Banks]

((Okay. No, your reasoning sounds good for Oebr.

And ack! I'm sorry for the delay in replying. I guess I should've warned you - I was out of town for several days. But I'm back now.... [/lame comment]))

Eddora straightened, trying to tell herself she wasn't stunned at Calaman's sharp reply. It didn't work.

Ed frowned at her guardian's words, but she had to admit - to herself, at least - that he was right. Not about to let him have the last word in the matter, however, she snorted, crossed her arms, and said bitterly, "You're wrong on one point only, Cal. I'll be helping Spira just fine from the Farplane, once all's said and done."

Ed turned awkwardly away from him and stared out at the horizon - or, rather, at the darkness that shrouded the horizon from sight. She didn't want to be thinking about such things, not so early in the pilgrimage...but it was no use beating about the bush or pretending. Such truths had to be faced boldly in the face.

Ed just wished she believed that herself.  

[Ikken Isshu]

((No worries. Glad to see you're back. smile ))

Calaman winced. He hadn't expected her to pull that out of her sleeve, but it was true enough. Still, it was beside the point... But he had a feeling she'd gotten his point well enough, so he didn't press it.

"It'll be dark soon," Aer said from behind them. Calaman glanced back; Aer took his place on Eddora's other side. "We can only pray that Sin doesn't decide to show up..."

"There's no point in worrying about something we can't do anything about," Calaman said tiredly. Aer was silent for a long time.

Then, quietly, "There's no point in pretending it doesn't exist, either."

 

[Griselda Banks]

Inwardly, Eddora squirmed uncomfortably. She couldn't help feeling that the two of them were accusing her. They considered her choice to rush ahead to Kilika rash, and feared it would be the end of all of them. My choice was right, she insisted silently. It is! It's better than just sitting around waiting for Sin to attack Besaid, anyway.

Finally, Ed let out an irritated huff of breath and rested her elbows on the railing. "Well, if Sin shows up and kills us all," she grumbled, "you have me to blame. Though I doubt that'd be much comfort from the Farplane."  

[Ikken Isshu]

((Seeing as how I had Keskes and Satiyen show up and depart in one post, feel free to interrupt with dialogue throughout the 'conversation.

And ooh, I just realized we're going to Kilika at last, which means I can soon implement my plan with the three characters I created for Kilika. biggrin ))

With a snort, Aer absented himself wordlessly. Calaman closed his eyes and felt the soft ocean wind. He found himself wondering how something so soothing could exist in the same world with... Sin.

"So," came the voice of Luseik Kusefora's mage-guardian, Keskes. Calaman turned to regard the boy standing with Satiyen, the Ronso guardian. "You're the ones who rushed the captain into setting sail?"

Calaman started to speak, but then he noticed the boy was grinning; so, he wasn't looking for a confrontation, it seemed.

"Both you and your guardians speak the truth, Lady Eddora," the Ronso said in his curiously eloquent speech. "Sin cannot be defeated from an island in the middle of nowhere... But neither can it be defeated from beyond the grave. A summoner has responsibilities to the people of Spira, and those responsibilities preclude a premature death."

Calaman was looking a little pale; the Ronso had only restated his own concern, but his wording was... Well, as with his general speech, it was curiously eloquent for a Ronso.

"Just don't push yourself too hard, Lady," Keskes said, his grin gone, replaced by a sober expression. "Just because we're rivals doesn't mean Satiyen and I want to see a beautiful lady go off and get herself killed."

The Ronso rolled his eyes at this. "He knows well enough how to hold his tongue around fiends," the warrior muttered with a shake of his head. "Come, Keskes," he said as they began to walk away, "I wish to inspect the ship to ensure that it is seaworthy enough despite the hasty departure..." Then they were gone into the nighttime shadows. Calaman turned back to the railing and cast a sidelong glance at Eddora.

"No one wants to see a good person die," he said quietly as he turned his eyes back to the water. He kept his voice low as he spoke. "We're not just arguing with you because we want you to do what you're supposed to do as a summoner. We're arguing with you because we're worried you'll push yourself too hard, like the mage said. We're worried you'll get yourself hurt, or killed, and you know full well that we'll hold ourselves responsible for it. Risk yourself, Lady - Risk yourself all you want. But just... Please, be aware of your limits."

 

[Griselda Banks]

((Really? Cool; I can't wait!))

Both Keskes and Satiyen's words rankled Eddora very much; she could almost feel her hackles rising as if she was a wolf. She checked her tongue, however, when she looked up at all of Satiyen's formidable height and obvious strength, and decided it would probably be wise not to pick a fight with someone such as he. Of course, she wasn't intimidated, as such...of course not.

Ed waited until the two of them were out of earshot, then let her breath out in a puff that sounded more like a curse. "'Beautiful lady,' am I?" she muttered to herself, turning stiffly back to the railing. "Pushing myself too hard, am I? I'll show them, the...." Her speech devolved into senseless muttering.

She cut herself off at Calaman's words, but as he spoke she gripped the railing tighter and tighter, till it would have splintered had it been much weaker. She swore bitterly, then glared at him. "You're only fourteen, Cal! Why in all of Spira did you want to become a guardian at fourteen?! A fourteen-year-old blaming himself for any harm that comes to me...." She swore again, gritting her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut. It hurt. She could almost feel a physical pain in her chest. That's why I chose him, she thought. He's so much like me.  

[Ikken Isshu]

Calaman looked over to Eddora, expressionless. He said nothing, only turned his eyes back to the sea.

~

((And, since I made such a pathetically short post...

A brief introduction to the three characters, which you'll see IC anyway:

Mulogo; 10 years old, he is Keskes' brother, named in Keskes' profile but not yet introduced. He's a fledgling Black Mage with a surprising amount of skill but not much power. He can fight with a cudgel but doesn't carry one with him; he usually uses sticks instead, when he needs to.

Jalisat; 13 years old, he is a fledgling fighter who fights mostly with a sling and rocks. He's got some muscles on his little arms, though, and he can do some damage with a nice big stick. He is the de facto leader of the trio.

Marceil; 11 years old, also a fledgling fighter who is self-taught with many aspects of Knight training, as her father is a soldier in Bevelle. Much of her free time is spent outdoors and in the woods of Kilika, and at the age of eleven, she can already hunt, track, survive in the deep woods, and, with a knife, hold her own against most men. She can use a dagger, short sword, staff, cudgel, and short bow, but usually only carries a dagger on her, mostly because her mother won't let her carry any other weapons, despite her father's approval.

As an added note, all three of their names have meanings that I thought appropriate for their personalities/characters, if you care to look them up. smile ))

Jalisat tramped on through the woods after Marceil, despite Mulogo's voiced concerns about how far from the village they were straying.

"If Sin shows up," Jalisat said, "we should be in a good place to defend ourselves, right?"

"But it's not safe," Mulogo panted. "We shouldn't be going so far into the woods. What if we get lost before we get to the temple?"

Marceil, ahead of both of them, turned back. "If you two keep talking, we won't ever reach the temple. It's up ahead. Come on. Trust me, Mulogo, I know this forest like the back of my hand."

"That's right," Jalisat said. "Trust her. She knows where she's going."

~

((As an extra note, we ought to at least get Jalisat into our party before leaving Kilika, because his character has extra drama to start once we reach Guadosalam (don't ask). I won't ask to take all three of the kids, since Eddora's already got one kid for a guardian. But Mulogo might be good for later drama as well, since he's Keskes' brother and Oebr's son.))