The Palace of St. Bevelle

"So you've made us all enemies of them... smooth Senthose."

*Hitomi steps away from Senthose.*

"What do you care? It'll just be one less person who might want to stop you to worry about."

<I only took Luna down here. The rest of you were sent by the very Maesters that ordered your execution.>

*He looks down at Hitomi.*

<I think it's a shame, but if you want to kill yourself, I won't stop you.>

*He re-teleports near Ark.*

<The only reason I never flat-out declared war on Yevon is because of the hypocritical high clergy & their machina weapons. With Bevelle taken over from within, the remaining temples have no realistic way to pose a threat to us. Just look there!>

*He points back to Vegnagun.*

<The Maesters will continue scapegoating the Al Bhed until we quit using Machina entirely, possibly even after that. Yet they use machina themselves. So the important question raised is this: What are they really doing to stop Sin's destruction? And the answer is, "Nothing"! But -I- have an answer. If Sin can't be destroyed, then I will simply take control of it, just as I have turned its spawn against it & just as I have taken control of its essance within me!>

"That goes without saying."

Ark: <This is ridiculous, just because they're wrong it doesn't mean you can just kill them! We'll never let you do it! Right... Luna?>

*He stares at her like he's suddendly not sure she's against Senthose as well.*

"I don't think taking control of Sin is a good idea. You've already gone a bit addled from just a bit of its power. You're practically raving right now. I don't condone mass genocide ether."

<Try & stop me.>

*Luna stares at the floor.*

"Ark...you weren't here when he announced who...what I am."

Ark: <What are you talking about?>

"She's a sinspawn"Zephyr says bluntly but places his hand on Luna's shoulder. "And as her guardian I will protect her, even if she's a bit misguided at times." He looks at Senthose, "I didn't say anything about stopping you, not yet anyway, I merely said you've gone insane."

*He widens his eyes and turns to Senthose again, pointing his dagger at him.*

Ark: <I don't care what you say she is. You're betraying the Al Bhed and threatening Spira. And I'm still a Guardian.>

*He glances at Luna.*

Ark: <Hey, Lunes. I may not know much about all of this Yevon crap, but one thing I do know: the job of a Summoner wasn't always to defeat Sin.>

*Hitomi bites her lip and continues her way outside of the chamber.*

*Hitomi quickly finds herself in a passage of many staircases & lifts & has no idea how to get out.*
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<I know she's the reincarnation of Sinspawn Selene. I knew it even before I used the Scan spell on her. She is essentially my daughter. What kind of parent wouldn't recognize his own child?>

*She looks at Ark dully, as though she's beyond the point of shock.*

"What are you talking about?"

"What kind of parent would put such emotional stress on their own child?" Zephyr retorts.

*Hitomi looks around and heads up a flight of stairs.*

Ark: <Before Sin appeared, there were Summoners already, and I'm guessing they weren't summoning for freak shows. What I'm trying to say is, if Sin wasn't around and Spira was still in danger, wouldn't it be their--your duty to protect it anyway? I don't like these guys, calling us heathens when they're using machina for much worse purposes, but killing them is not a solution. Don't you want people in Spira to live in peace, even if only for ten "meaningless" years?>

*He glances at Zephyr.*

*Hitomi somehow winds up back in the same room as Senthose & co.*

"You're right...Senthose, I cannot let you do this!"

<I could waste time arguing what a bloodless coup this is or pointing out that if I didn't perform the experiment that "put such emotional stress on you," then you wouldn't exist to be stressed out in the first place, but I think I'm just going to say, "Fucking stop me.">

*He strides towards the exit Hitomi just came from.*

"What do you want us to do Luna?" Zephyr asks her.

Ark: <More of that later, we can't just let him get away!>

*He chases after Senthose.*

*Hitomi looks away and overall does nothing to try and stop him.*

"Stupid Senthose."

*Luna casts Hastega, assuring that Ark is the first person to catch up with Senthose. He turns around & black ooze seeps out of his hands, forming into twin katana-like swords with black blades & handles like a skinned fish, needle-like teeth making up the guards.*

"Luna... summon Ifrit for me" Zephyr tells her.

*Luna twirls her spear, touching the charred earth. Ifrit bursts from the ground, catching her & setting her down gently nearby. Some weird shit happens to Senthose, whose robe hems become more finlike, & crisscrossing lines of a hard material cross over his body, encasing it in a humanoid cage-like structure, with blue eyes spaced all over the front of the face. His voice comes out of it oddly warped.*

<Aeons? You actually expect AEONS to be capable of hurting me?>

"That's Sin's armor!"

"No, I expect to do more than "hurt" you" Ifrit walks over to Zephyr in its lumbering gait and Zephyr pats it's head. "Lets go!" He runs with Ifrit in tow.

*Ark dashes forward and double slashes at Senthose.*

Ark: <Senthose! The Al Bhed don't want war--or destruction. You can't make this decision all by yourself!>

*A mighty angry looking Hitomi casts Osmose on Senthose.*