Heathen Frolic

*Ark stands up, groaning as his Phoenix Down bursts into flames.*

Ark: <Stupid samurai thing.>

*He looks at Hitomi.*

Ark: <We need to fix her.>

*Luna administers another Phoenix Down.*

"I lost two of my Phoenix Downs in one fight...and that was a really weak version of the Aeon, too. As for where we'll go next, I'm taking the airship to Guadosalam. If anyone has anything to do anywhere else, I can drop you off & come back for you."

Ark: <Yeah, I want to go to Luca.>

"I'm fine with Guadosalam, it sounds like it will be an interesting place to visit." Ingrid says with a smile.

*Hitomi sits up looking around like she has no idea where she is.*

"Wha... What happened?"

"Quick recap: We got killed by Yojimbo. We used Phoenix Downs. We're back in action. I'm going to Guadosalam. Is there anywhere you want to go while Ingrid & I take care of business there?"

"I died?"

[Should I have felt something? I don't feel any different, so maybe I didn't feel anything.]

"There's nowhere I want to go."

[Macalania Temple would be nice, but I doubt I'll be seeing that place ever again.]

Ark: <I'm going to Luca. Do you want to tag along? They have a nice theater there you could check out. And you could always watch a game or just see the ships.>

"I hated Luca."

"Okay, then I guess you can come with us."

"Okay?"

Ingrid furled her eyebrows, "Are you asking a question?" She asked a bit confused. "You sound a bit unsure."

"That's just how she talks. Come on."

*The group lands in the Thunder Plains, since it's the flattest area closes to Guadosalam. Luna, Ingrid, & Hitomi disembark, seeing the dead, charred trees that mark the entrance to the Guadosalam forest-cave. The airship then lifts off, the crew having been instructed to drop Ark off in Luca. When they enter Guadosalam, Guado start to whisper & duck back into their houses. Luna approaches the 2 Guado guards outside Maester Jyscal's mansion.*

"I want to speak to Maester Jyscal."

<And if he refuses?>

"Then...then I guess I'll just have to summon an Aeon & force my way in!"
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*The ship lands on the Al Bhed dock in Luca. The Al Bhed team is disembarking from their own boat, getting ready for the next Blitzball game.*

Ark: <Hum. Thanks.>

*He disembarks and runs towards the Al Bhed Psyches as soon as he spots them, smiling.*

Ark: <Rao rao, kioc! Fryd'c ib?>

Ingrid tried hard to avoid looking completely awed during the walk from the Thunder Plains, but it was a bit hard for her not to be taken aback by the beauty of the surrounding area. As the group came upon Guadosalam Ingrid noticed the unusual looks, and all the people avoiding them, she guessed it had something to do with the resident Guado in the party, but Ingrid stayed tight lipped on the matter. When confronted by the guards Ingrid was a bit shocked by Luna's hostility, "I wish you would have told me people here didn't like you, I would have stocked up before we left the Calm Lands."

[Do we really have to be involved in Luna's quest to see the Maester?]

"(Sorry.)"

*The doors open & the party walks in. Maester Jyscal descends a stair case.*

"Thank you for seeing us, Maester Jyscal."

<Well, you didn't give me much choice, did you? What is this about? Are you insane? You know you're all wanted fugitives right now, don't you?>

"Yes, well, about that...I wanted to know what you & Senthose were discussing a few days before we came to Bevelle.>

*His face falls.*

<Oh...that...well...Senthose wanted to talk to me about...about my wife.>

"You have a wife?"

<Yes, well, those who know haven't taken it well. She's a human woman, you see. No one's really happy about the--ah--possibility for inbreeding. And Senthose said to me, "What are you going to do if you have a son?" You were mentioned. It seemed like he was trying to convince me...that if you were to defeat Sin, then everything would just work out. The Guado would come to accept my family decisions, tensions between Yevon & the Al Bhed would ease...& then he went & attacked us. So maybe he just wanted to get me on board. But I'm not. So if you've sided with the Al Bhed, I suggest you rethink your allegiences, before they become public knowledge. You're close to defeating Sin, you all still have a chance at redemption.>
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*They glare at him like he's an idiot.*

<Fa yna ib ykyehcd dra Glories dutyo.>

Ingrid once again wondered what she got herself into. "I don't mean to butt in, I'm Ingrid, and I'm kind of new to all of this, but how would Luna defeating Sin cause all of that? Lets not even discuss the fact that it won't last forever, the Calm I mean, but how does the defeat of Sin somehow change public opinion about your wife? How does it ease generations of hatred? The Al-Bhed could erase Sin from the face of Spira with some kind of Machina Laser cannon, and still probably be hated for it by the Yevonites." Ingrid shook her head, "I'm sorry Maester, but I just don't see how it adds up. Also, what do you mean 'redemption'? What evil has been committed that it requires an act of redemption from Luna?" Ingrid felt a bit of flush in her cheeks, "I'm sorry, I kind of said I'm new, then started to ask a bunch of far reaching questions... I'll be quiet now."

[It's funny, because everyone else is at Guadosalam.]

*He nods with a broad smile.*

Ark: <Okay then, kuut milg!>

*He plunges his hands into his pockets and walks away.*

[With all that's happened lately, I guess I can say goodbye to any possibility of ever becoming a player...]

*He goes to sit by a few crates at the edge of the docks, staring out at the sea.*

[I understand that Luna... like every High Summoner, probably gave up on dreams herself for the sake of Spira. But it doesn't make it any less unfair that she has to die.]

<No, no, not at all. Keep in mind that this is all Senthose's theories, & he may have been lying from the start, but he seemed to think that a team of humans, Guado, & Al Bhed defeating Sin would show that they can work together. What's more, it's now no secret that he's been backing the pilgrimage. As for redemption...well....>

"Don't stop, Maester. Explain to them all how we were branded traitors because we saw something we weren't supposed to when YOU ordered us to follow Senthose down into the catacombs & apprehend him."

<Well, I wouldn't...I'm not at liberty to...who are YOU to accuse US of corruption?! Arriving here in a machina, threatening to use Aeons to blast your way into my house, interrogating me at spear-point about my private correspondances....>

"My spear isn't even drawn!"

"But there's machina under Bevelle."

[Were we supposed to see it, so that we'd be branded traitors or is he just dumb?]

Ingrid looked from the Measter, to Luna, then back. Once again she asked herself how she found herself in this situation. Just because a joint group took down Sin won't mend the world, it is a wonderful hope, but woefully idealistic. Ingrid thought to herself, keeping true to her word of staying quiet. Ingrid listened to Luna telling them how she became a fugitive, and Jyscal's less than stellar response. "Machina may be frowned upon, but I don't think it quite equals corruption, nor do simple threats, and that last part was just a flat out lie." Ingrid shrugged, "If you're going to lie so plainly, and throw blame elsewhere you must feel pretty guilty about what you did."

<Begone. You are no longer welcome in Guadosalam.>

*Jyscal turns & starts climbing the stairway again.*

"Well...I think that went well."

Ingrid sighed, "Well indeed... and here I was hoping to spend a bit more time here enjoying the sights." She said, running a hand through her hair as she did. "So, where to next?"

Ark: <I wonder what everyone else is doing.>

*He closes his eyes, lays back against a wooden crate, and falls asleep with a smile on his face.*

Ark's Dream
Luna: <I wish Ark was here.>

*She walks up the path leading to Jyscal's mansion in Guadosalam. Ingrid is knocking her head against a wall near the guards, and Hitomi is sitting a ways up the path to the left, reading some book.*

Guard: <Why are you here, and why isn't Ark with you?>

Luna: <I'm sorry, he wanted to go to Luca. We all miss him too. Can I speak to Maester Jyscal?>

Guard: <Pfft. Whatever.>

*Hitomi looks away from the book as she hears a loud groan nearby. Ingrid has just rammed her staff into her stomache and is now lying on the ground, bleeding to death. Hitomi shrugs and walks into the mansion as well. Inside, she finds Luna and Jyscal talking.*

Luna: <...Yes, I'll make sure to ask him to send everyone an autograph.>

*Jyscal grins and turns into Senthose in a very brief flash of light.*

Senthose: <You're a monster. Monster. Monster. Monster. Monster.>

...