summonerd | do you want to die together

do you want to die together

Sheena hadn't really expected this whole summoner thing to work.

The temple at Luca is a temple in little more than name only, small and humble in a way that she remembers Kilika Temple wasn't, without even statues of the high summoners. The little statue that houses its fayth is well-tended, but it sticks out like a sore thumb in a building that might have been a little-used warehouse a few years ago. Even the cloister of trials doesn't feel complete, easy enough even for Sheena to figure out on her own, but none of that really matters, in the end - what's important is the fayth itself, and her ability to pray to it to its satisfaction.

She hadn't been able to shake the feeling that it wouldn't work - that no fayth would ever accept an Al Bhed summoner despite her upbringing, that she'd pray for days with no response - but in the end, it hadn't taken more than a few hours before she'd been answered. Let me come with, her new aeon - Corrine - had requested, and Sheena had been so grateful to them for her success that she'd agreed.

Really, the looks on the temple guardians' faces when she'd walked out with an aeon almost as tall as she was at her side had been more than worth it.

It's sunset when she untangles herself from the small crowd that had gathered to see Spira's youngest aeon, and she can see the sun flashing brightly through the gaps between buildings as she makes her way outside. She rests her hand on Corrine's shoulder lightly for a second without thinking, then realizes her mistake and jolts, pulling it away - but they just laugh silently in her head, nudging at her hand playfully.

There's a second building just adjacent to the temple, a more traditional Martelite affair that existed long before the fayth's temple did, and as Sheena gets closer to it she can hear a commotion of some kind, a woman's voice raised in annoyance and a lower voice answering her. She considers just leaving, the tension of her trial starting to evaporate in a way that makes her long for her room at the inn, but there's no way back to her lodgings without passing by, anyway. Might as well see what's happening. So she puts her hand back where it was, asks Corrine softly not to wander too far as they head towards the source of the noise.

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Oh sweet heavens, is she-- is she bowing to him? In the true Martelite way, too! Oh dear, okay-- this is a lot. Like, enough for Zelos to start laughing, actually, an unsure and high-pitched sound that carries his confused discomfort.

"Ah, I'm not the Minister?" he says, waving his hands in front of himself to get her to stop doing that bowing thing. Corrine is curiously looking their way now, too. "That'd be my mother, Mylene Wilder. You know, the woman who offered to take you in earlier? She's kind of a big deal?"

But... how could a summoner not know about the Minister...? Or maybe Sheena just... didn't know what she looked like, or something. No no, that's not quite right. Mylene's always been kind of uppity about how she's perceived within the church, sure, but she also holds onto her prestige with an iron fist, so...

What the hell.

Sheena shakes her head quickly when he speaks - she knows that much, at least. "I know, I just--" she says, her face heating up. He's not the Minister, but he's still deserving of respect if that's his mother, right? Fuck. "I... didn't realize." Now that she thinks about it, how did she not recognize Mylene Wilder? Maybe the exhaustion is hitting her harder than she realizes.

It's been a long day," is what she offers by way of explanation, though the blush on her face is dark enough to be visible even in the low light. "You know, with the trial and all." She looks away, speeds up her pace a little bit in the direction of the inn to hide her embarrassment.

"The inn's just up here," she says. "The innkeeper's holding my stuff for me, I'll just be a second. You can stay out here if you want."

I'll come with, Corrine puts in brightly, the way they return to her side making their intentions clear to Zelos.

("This is it, then?" the innkeeper asks, as she hands Sheena her belongings. "Safe travels, then."

"Thanks for everything," Sheena tells her, hefting it over her shoulder, with a soft smile. She'll be coming back through Luca soon, she knows, but she can't stay here again. She'd sworn to herself that one way or another, yesterday would be the last night she spent under this roof.)

True to her word, summoner and Aeon are only inside for a few minutes before they reappear, a packed bag slung over Sheena's back. Unless Zelos has any objections, she'll lead the way back to the temple, make polite excuses, and crash hard for the night.

Edited (timeskip heaven now) 2019-10-02 04:52 (UTC)

Though eight in the morning is a thoroughly disgusting hour for anyone to be up and about, Zelos still manages to rise and shine around then just to have time to prepare for the road ahead. Honesty, he's usually up by noon, and that shows in his exhausted gait and barely-opened eyes, the coffee mug he nurses being his only anchor to the waking world as he directs himself over to the gardens one last time. But, well, this is a special occasion, right? Special circumstances require special treatments.

At least the early morning breeze does wonders to help awaken him once he's outside, the juxtaposition between hot coffee and cold morning air a nice trick to surviving such an early awakening. Zelos takes a deep breath, closes his eyes. The garden was always his favourite part of the temple, and yet this hardly even counts as a goodbye. Goodbyes imply an attachment of some sort. And despite calling a religious temple a 'home', Zelos doesn't really give much of a shit about it otherwise. If nothing else, he's just happy to get the hell out of this place for good.

So long, farewell, good riddance, and so on. If everything goes as planned then Zelos will never be returning to these godforsaken walls ever again.

"Such a rarity, to see you up so early."

Martel damn it all to hell.

Well, leave it to Maester Mylene Wilder to be a pest even this early in the morning. Some locks of red hair are displaced when Zelos looks over his shoulder, dancing in the salty sea breeze as he watches the woman approach him. Unlike her son, she has already changed to her proper, daily clothes, ever the annoying image of grace and poise. It makes something in Zelos' blood boil.

It's fine, though. It's all cool. Zelos takes a sip of coffee and fakes a big smile. "Mornin'," he says.

Mylene returns the greeting in such a bored tone Zelos wonders if she also hates waking up so early. "Are you thinking of Lady Sheena?" she then asks when she's close enough, tilting her head, leveling her son with a blank look that makes her frustratingly hard to read. "You've really adapted to your role as a guardian already. How... quaint."

A shrug. "What can I say? I'm super excited to help Spira be rid of Sin."

"A better way of accomplishing thus would be to go on your own pilgrimage. But," Mylene sighs, breaking eye contact by looking away, "I suppose guardianship would also serve the same purpose, in a way."

There's a silence crawling in after she's done speaking, one that claws its way between mother and son as they watch a slowly brightening sky. Yet even from here Zelos can still hear sound of waves crashing in the distance, mixing with that of the foliage of the garden moving in the breeze, the last chirps of crickets. The quietness of sound, mashing with the loudness of this silence, each at odds with one another. The combination almost gives Zelos goosebumps. He fights them off, though, opting instead for staring at a late-blooming flower among its proud peers already in all their splendor, chuckling under his breath as if carefree and unbothered.

"You don't approve of me being a guardian, do you," he accuses.

"Of course not. You were supposed to be the summoner, Zelos," is the answer Mylene wastes no time in giving him.

"Well, I got the wrong job, so it's a little too late for me to be praying to any Fayth now." Zelos takes another sip of coffee, shrugs. He has to make a conscious effort to loosen his grip on the mug and smile. "Besides, you wouldn't wanna tell Sheena her recently-acquired guardian's off-limits now, would you? A summoner without guardians is kind of like, super heresy."

Mylene sighs. "No, I would not."

"Then relax! It should be fine."

She pauses again after that, bringing another silence with her. It's shorter, thankfully; Mylene wastes no time straightening her back and suddenly twisting on her heel to go back. Zelos doesn't make eye contact when she walks by, still staring at that flower, and he fights to keep his gaze trained on it when Mylene stops a few steps behind him, almighty in a silence that only she knows how and when to break.

"'Protect the summoner even at the cost of one’s life'," she recites, toneless voice crawling up Zelos' back. "Your duties as a guardian should not excuse you from following the teachings. So please, do spread good word of our belief in your journey, son."

And with that Maester Mylene Wilder leaves her son rooted in the garden, excusing herself and simply taking her leave.

In the end, Sheena stumbles back into consciousness just a little bit after Zelos, later than is normal for her, but she sets about getting ready and making her final preparations. At least Corrine's not around at the moment; an Aeon can't remain corporeal with its summoner unconscious, though they'd asked her to call on them at some point during the ferry ride. Really, she's just glad they hadn't asked to accompany her through the city in the daytime. There definitely would have been a crowd this time.

It doesn't take her long to get ready, when all her things are still packed, and she pushes the soft hanging rugs that serve as the temple's space dividers aside as she makes her way out of the sleeping quarters in search of Zelos.

She still doesn't know how to feel about him, or any of this. She's supposed to have a guardian, yes, but the talent for summoning is uncommon - of course it would make sense for Martel to want summoners to be protected on their pilgrimages. But Sheena's not unprepared, or a pushover, or stupid; she'd be fine on her own.

On the other hand, a guardian who's the son of one of the highest Maesters in Spira is probably someone who knows what he's doing. And no one will look too closely at her with him along. So if he does actually stick with this instead of getting bored of it and going home... It'll be fine, Sheena thinks. She can use this.

Wherever Zelos is, it's not where she'd expected; she stops the next temple attendant she sees to ask if they'd seen him, but all they have is a suggestion to ask someone in the kitchen. She does, gratefully accepting a small breakfast on her way through, and takes it with her as she follows the cook's directions out to the gardens.

"Hey," she greets him when she spots him, half-waving with the hand not holding her food. "You about ready to go?"

Zelos is so lost in thought that Sheena's greeting startles him a little, but he manages to make his surprise look like curiosity when he turns to face her. And honestly, seeing his summoner--his ticket out of here--really does wonders to make the subsequent grin a little easier to set in place.

"Leaving before breakfast? Now that's just asking for trouble!" he calls out as he turns to join her where she stands, lazily gesturing at a small table on the porch with one hand. "Have a seat! We can use the time to discuss what you wanna do on your journey, after all."

"I didnt't mean right now," Sheena says, though she takes a seat where he gestures. "The ferry doesn't leave for an hour. Just seeing what was up." He doesn't look ready, but how long can it really take?

She mulls over his suggestion for a moment, taking a bite of her food. "I didn't really have anything special planned." She shrugs. "You know, temples, Zanarkand, Sin..." Anything else would just be a distraction from her goal, right?

Yeah, don't worry about it, Sheena, he's got the essentials all packed and ready to go. The sooner he can leave this place behind, the better.

Zelos waves a hand about. "Yeah, yeah, that sounds like the basics, but what's your route?" He sits back on his seat and throws an arm over the backrest, the front legs of the chair lifting off the ground as he uses his free hand to balance against the table, tapping a few notes on the glass surface. "Next up are Kilika and Besaid, and usually, you'd do Besaid first and Kilika second, but we're approaching them backwards. Are we gonna stop in Kilika's temple and then go to Besaid, or go all the way to Besaid's temple, then Kilika, and then try Djose?"

Her first impulse is a rush of impatience - there's really only one way to Zanarkand, especially with all the temple stops being required, so does it matter? - and she scowls a little, but then he clarifies. Alright, that's fair.

"Kilika, then Besaid, I guess?" Sheena says. "We'll have to take the same route either way, but it seems weird to skip a temple and come back." And leaving them for later makes no sense at all, considering just how far it is to Zanarkand.

Zelos nods. "Yeah, sounds fair. We'll probably add a few days to the journey by coming back up after Besaid, but!" He grins and pushes himself forwards again, the chair dropping along with him, perfectly balanced on all four of its legs again. "At least the sights will be pretty, right!"

Well, duh! They're going south! Zelos has never been south. He kind of wonders how they live there, if they even have half the technology and quality of life that Luca has provided. He's mostly curious about sleepy, backwater Besaid. And like, honestly! What's the point of leaving home if one doesn't take in the sights!

He keeps that thought in mind even when Sheena's done with breakfast and he gathers what little luggage he has for the journey ahead, letting the excitement guide him as Mylene and the rest of her religious goonies gather to send them off with a prayer and a bow. Even when Mylene catches and glares at him, Zelos still can't help rolling his eyes at it. Please, he thinks, the summoner's pilgrimage is a hazardous journey, full of natural and human dangers out in the road, not to mention fiends and Sin itself. What are prayers gonna do? Like, really, this is completely unnecessary.

Eugh.

It's still pretty early by the time they finally depart from the temple, and the streets of Luca slowly fill with people as the rest of the cityfolk rouse from their sleep. The road to the ferry is quiet and filled with stupid, mindless chitchat from Zelos' side, his excitement to see the southern islands seeping through his grin and obnoxiously high pitched laugh the closer they get to the docks. Look at him, he thinks to himself. Zelos Wilder, leaving Luca. He can hardly believe it, but it's time.

It's finally happening.

Before they board the ferry, Zelos sets his hands on his hips and turns to Sheena, his summoner. "This is it, hun. No turning back," he announces. He then gives Sheena a wink and a smile encompassed by a playful tilt of the head that plays with his hair, a stray leaf detaching itself and slowly falling to the ground. "Ready to go on your pilgrimage, Lady Sheena?"

As much as she tries to present herself as calm and prepared, Sheena's excited, too. She'd spent her whole life in Djose and later Luca - she wants to see all of Spira, while she still can. She's not as talkative as Zelos, but there's definitely a spring to her step as they make their way to the docks.

"You don't have to call me that if you're my guardian, you know," she says. Really, it's kind of weird to hear. She isn't doing this for the prestige.

Sheena lets a slow breath out, looking around at Luca one last time. She'll be back, she knows, but - this is still a goodbye. "But... yeah, I'm ready," she says, turning back to face him. "Sure you want to do this?"

Tough shit, Sheena, he's gonna keep calling you that for the rest of the journey. But instead of pointing it out or making a stupid joke, Zelos stays quiet while she takes one last look at the city, crossing his arms as he waits. What is it that drives summoners, he wonders, to give up their homes and literal lives for the sake of a lost cause, following and clinging to nothing but their own forlorn hope? The amount of selflessness and resolve needed for such a task is nothing if not monumental.

It's almost terrifying how, given a few weeks or so, Zelos and Sheena's roles might've ended up completely reversed. It only serves to make the differences between them all the more obvious, though; after all, someone like him could never willingly give himself up for anything. He's already rejected the pilgrimage for this long. And yet here Sheena is, facing it head-on and calmly asking him if he's ready to follow.

Sure, he'll follow... until he gets what he wants, that is. This was never about Martel. Lying to her like this almost makes him feel bad.

Almost.

"Positively, absolutely, totally sure!" Zelos says in sing-song. "Now come on!" he adds, reaching a hand over to help Sheena walk up the ferry. "Religion awaits!"

Unfortunately for the two of them, their ferry ride isn't as uneventful as either of them might have hoped.

It's a bright, sunny day, but that's about the only good thing that can be said for it - the wind's blowing in the complete wrong direction, so the sail has to be furled, the ship relying entirely on chocobo power, and the sea is choppy, throwing big waves the ferry's way with little warning. One of the crew members suggests that Sheena and Zelos might be more comfortable belowdecks, but Sheena's enjoying herself, even if she does have to periodically brace herself to keep her balance or duck out of the way of the ocean spray.

She's just thinking about letting Corrine have their promised taste of sea travel, the waves a little calmer than before, when it becomes clear that even after three years in a port town Sheena hasn't learned how to tell what the ocean's doing. The crew shouts, and the ship lurches with the biggest wave yet, and Sheena yelps in surprise as she tries not to lose her balance and be swept overboard. She manages to catch herself on the deck rail, wrapping one hand around it firmly to keep herself in place, but Zelos must not have been so lucky, because he stumbles. For just a second it looks like he might go over, but the boat's movement shoves him Sheena's way instead, and on instinct she throws her free arm around him to make sure he stays where he is.

The ferry settles, the wave passing as quickly as it came, and Sheena untenses, tries to straighten up, but Zelos is still unsteady, his weight throwing her off. "Hey, you can get off me anytime," she starts, a little annoyed. She looks up into his face, and--

Too late, she realizes there's no hiding or explaining away her eyes at this distance. She hadn't even lasted a day. Her words die awkwardly in her throat, annoyed expression melting into something more like panic as she freezes up.

Edited 2019-10-03 12:16 (UTC)

The sudden lurch catches Zelos completely off-guard, and he stumbles about without anywhere to hold onto, arms flailing about until Sheena catches him. Instinctively, he clings to her and then reaches for the railing, fighting for purchase until the rest of the sea's tantrum is done with.

Once the ferry settles, the tension releases Zelos so suddenly that it leaves him trembling when he lets go of the railing. Oh man, his arms are going to hurt in the morning, he's sure of it. And Martel almighty, that was fucking terrifying. His position is still unsteady and unbalanced against Sheena, but he tries to straighten up when she protests against him being here, maneuvering them until she looks up to his face and--

Sheena's pupils are spirals.

He blinks, stupefied for a moment as he takes that new bit of information in. Sure, the colour itself should've been a sign, but it's not like green eyes are exclusive to the Al Bhed. That re-contextualizes everything. Sheena, an Al Bhed. What the hell is an Al Bhed doing willingly putting herself through the pilgrimage, ready to die for a world that despises her kind for no fucking reason whatsoever? What does she care? How was she expecting to get through the more religiously overzealous settlements?

"What do you think you're doing?" he mumbles privately for her, eyes narrowed as he continues looking at the spirals in her eyes. "You're an Al Bhed. You could be killed for this, you know."

Oh, this is bad. This is so bad. She never should have let him come with. On her own, maybe she could have gotten far enough that she could have convinced anyone who found out to just let her die for Spira instead of just plain dying. But now? He's going to tell, and of course anyone would believe the son of a Maester over an Al Bhed who'd tricked her way into bonding with a single Aeon, and--

"Keep your voice down," she hisses, unnecessarily, her voice pleading. "It's none of your business, okay? I just-- I have to do this. Even if I'm an Al Bhed." There's determination in her eyes past the panic as she meets his gaze. Distantly she registers that his eyes are different colors, but doesn't think about it past that, too caught up in the adrenaline rush of both I just almost got washed out to sea and I'm going to fucking die.

Zelos spares a glance to the side, where all the other crew members are trying to recover from the mess the big waves made. No one's really looking their way right now, and Zelos takes that chance to grab Sheena by the arm and lead her away somewhere further from prying ears.

He grumbles behind grit teeth. "It's because you're an Al Bhed that it's all of my business. That, and I'm your guardian now, Lady Sheena," Zelos hisses the title back, still whispering otherwise despite the distance he made. He rakes a hand through his hair. Honestly, he has no problem with her being an Al Bhed. It'd be hypocritical if he did. To hell with all those prejudices that serve no one but a church he doesn't even believe in--everyone dies equally under Sin's rampages, anyway. "How the fuck were you expecting to get through Gagazet? To get through Bevelle?"

For a second Sheena thinks about tugging her arm free, trying to run, but - where would she go? What would the point be? So she lets go of the railing gingerly, not having realized just how hard she was gripping it, and lets him pull her off to the side. Her life is in his hands right now, she realizes, and she tries to keep calm.

... Tries.

"You don't have to keep being my guardian if you don't want," she shoots back, voice a little louder than she meant it to be, and she covers her mouth, pausing to make sure no one heard. Everyone has better things to be worried about right now, thankfully, and Sheena realizes this is probably a bad tack to take if she wants to stay alive. She's already been caught - might as well fess up.

"That's why I dyed my hair," she confesses. "Nobody expects an Al Bhed to have dark hair, so if I keep my eyes down and don't get too close to anybody, no one notices." He didn't, and wouldn't have if he hadn't been thrown right into her face, after all.

Okay, that comment about the guardian thing? Totally warranted. It's not like Zelos has to stick around, but-- leaving Luca, only to go back immediately? Faking offense at that is easy when he actually is pretty offended. Mylene would never let him hear the end of it, and then she'd send him to do his own fucking pilgrimage. Zelos would rather actually stay, thank you very much.

Instead of voicing that, though, Zelos chooses to go for something else. "Honey, if you keep your eyes down when you get to Bevelle you are going to be called a heretic by half the church," he says, gesturing broadly with one hand. The boat begins to sway again, the waves unrelenting and misbehaving, but it's not too much to worry about just yet, so Zelos scoffs and puts his hands in his hips. "That is, if they don't call you a heretic for not having any guardians with you in the first place. Martel almighty, what were you thinking!"

Sheena's trying to be mature here, really she is, but something about the way Zelos is treating this makes it so hard. It's like he thinks she didn't even have a plan, or something.

"I know what I'm doing, okay?" she says, crossing her arms over her chest as she pulls herself up to her full height. There's a yell from one of the crew members behind her, but she ignores it, too incensed by Zelos. "I just--"

Whatever she just doesn't end up mattering, because Sin chooses that moment to completely surface nearby, the wave from its movement rocking the ferry hard once more and splashing down on everyone still on deck. Sheena whirls around to face it, staring up but unable to quite take it all in. It raises a claw, slowly but purposefully, and--

Sheena pushes her sodden hair out of her face, makes a quick decision. Glances back to Zelos, just for a moment. Their fight can wait, can't it? If they even survive this. "I'm gonna summon, see if I can distract it," she says. "Can you cover for me?"

She doesn't give him time to answer before she brings her hands back to her chest, starting to channel the power Corrine had given her just the day before. Gotta get this off quick, before Sin flips the boat-

Edited 2019-10-04 05:08 (UTC)

Sin surfacing throws Zelos off-balance again, and he stumbles backwards until he hits a railing. He wastes no time immediately clinging to it and quickly using it to get back to his feet. One look at the scene and Zelos knows exactly what's going on: the claw that raises from the water is large and way too heavy for their boat to withstand its collision. If no one does anything, the boat will be flipped over, and then everyone will be at Sin's mercy in the waters--

He can't let that happen. Zelos isn't going to die here, and like hell he'd allow Sheena to die here either.

Putting their fight behind him for now, Zelos pushes himself forward with a grin when Sheena asks him to cover for her, gathering black magic in his hands. Zelos doesn't think about what he's doing, how utterly nerve-wracking being so close to Sin is right now, doesn't dare think about anything other than the cold feeling of magic at his fingertips as he slowly freezes the water surrounding its claw. He just follows his instincts and stands right in front of Sheena, holding his ground as a human barrier between monster and summoner.

All Sheena needs right now is time. Zelos pushes himself to his limits to freeze the water as quickly as he can, the ice rising up Sin's claw until the discomfort is enough for Sin to forget about flipping the boat and fight against the restraints instead. The concentration needed to pull this off and maintain it is exhausting, but Zelos keeps at it as best as he can. "Sheena!" he calls through grit teeth, eyes trained on Sin. "Hurry up!"

Fuck, fuck. How had this worked? Sheena's pretty sure this shouldn't be so hard, but the cold panic in her veins is keeping her from focusing on calling for the Fayth's help. "I'm working on it!" she calls, with more than a touch of desperation. "Keep going!"

Sin tugs at the ice covering its claw, and there's an awful, deep cracking sound, and Sheena finishes summoning. Corrine bounds in from somewhere she can't see, nudges her affectionately with their head, and her breath catches as she tries not to sob with relief. Where do you want me? they ask, as if Sin isn't right there in front of them, and she chokes on something like laughter.

"Can you - drive it off?" she asks, but even as the ice continues to crack, Sin just seems to be tugging away from the ship, not trying to attack it. It's trying to turn, towards -

Oh, fuck.

"Drive it out to sea!" she orders instead. "Away from Kilika!" and Corrine launches themself out into the waves, a beam of energy gathering in their jaw before they release it in Sin's direction.

It tugs away, cracking the ice and pulling itself away. At least Sin's movements cause more high waves to draw ice from, and Zelos struggles to keep the encasing going by layering it with each new wave. He exhales harshly, draws in a sharp breath. Restraining an enemy this size is new to him, and the magic use and expense needed to keep it going is almost painful, but Zelos keeps at it even as Corrine fires their beam of energy.

For such a young Aeon Corrine sure is just as powerful as their brethren. Sin stumbles into the water with the force of the beam, its weight cracking Zelos' ice and pushing it in the opposite direction it was going. Good, but not enough; Sin's instincts are a terrifying force. They have to either distract Sin long enough that it prefers to fight them instead, or it gives up and turns tail. But if this thing makes it to Kilika, hundreds of people will die. They cannot let that happen.

Zelos is a little sluggish, but he can still see Sin changing directions again, stubborn. Okay, okay, fuck. Seeing as the ice trap is a bust now, Zelos releases the magic holding it in shape and lets the water drop back down into the ocean, jumping backwards and closer to Sheena.

He can't help the low growl. "Oh, no you don't!" he shouts as he raises his hands again, sparks flying at his fingertips as he heats up the air around Sin, producing a powerful flame. Sin roars in pain when it makes contact with its skin, pulling away a little again, biding time.

Edited (FUCK YOU) 2019-10-04 18:38 (UTC)

Sheena dimly registers Zelos's presence at her side but doesn't react to him, all her attention - and energy - focused on Corrine. They dodge around Sin until they're between it and Kilika, gathering another beam of light in their mouth and firing it straight into the bulk of Sin's body, like a dog herding livestock. It falters, just the tiniest bit, with another noise of pain, and Sheena's heart leaps in her throat. "Keep going!" she screams, as loud as she can, and even if Corrine can't hear from this distance her bond with them carries the sentiment across.

It's working. It's working. With every beam of energy and blast of flame, they're forcing Sin out into open ocean, away from Kilika. Sheena spares a quick glance to Zelos, elated, because Sin lets out a roar and turns to leave, and they've done it, they--

Sin wheels around, quicker than anything so large should ever be able to, sending a whirlpool of water out around it that hits the ship hard enough to knock Sheena off her feet and one clawed hand slamming directly into Corrine. They cry out in pain and wisp away into pyreflies, form fading, an echo of the pain hitting Sheena as her link with them goes dormant for the moment, and she freezes as Sin turns to face Kilika.

"No," she gets out, quiet, and then "No, no! Come back!" she screams, louder than before, to no avail. Trembling, she musters up a little bit of spare energy, throws her own ball of fire in its direction. It might as well have been a pebble, for all that Sin cares about it; it doesn't even slow in its approach, the waves only building.

The second that Zelos has regained his balance after the ship rocks again, Zelos is already rushing over to Sheena, kneeling to help her in any way he can. Her screams force him to turn and face Sin though, and he watches, miserably, as it disappears off into the sea, rushing in Kilika's direction.

A heavy weight settles in Zelos' chest at that, as the implications of Sin hitting land will be. His shoulders slump, and he goes from kneeling to just sitting there next to Sheena, watching the waves and Sin receding. Zelos curses under his breath. Well... that was...

Fuck. Holy Martel, Zelos feels like a failure.

Someone from the crew comes shouting over at them after a few minutes in silence, checking for injury, making sure who's still here and if anyone got thrown off the ship. They thank Sheena's quick thinking in summoning, and Zelos sticks to her side like glue through it in total silence as he watches the waves. A heavy and full-of-barely-restrained-grief silence, shared between every person aboard this ship as they stay behind and Sin rushes to the mainland.

It's not safe to turn the ship back on just yet, the captain says. And from here, they can only watch.

Edited 2019-10-05 04:55 (UTC)

Sheena shakes off the praise, numb - what does it matter? They hadn't done anything but make Sin angrier, if that was a thing it could be. She tries to pull herself to her feet, but can't, falling unceremoniously back down before she even gets far. That's fine. It's not important, right now. She pulls her knees to her chest instead, leans a little against Zelos without even thinking about it, unable to look away from Sin.

As they wait, the crew begins to sing.

It's just one midshipman at first, voice uneven and unsteady as they lift it in the hymn, but the others quickly join in. It's somber in a way that she's never heard it before, almost hushed as they watch Sin make violent contact with Kilika. Sheena joins in too after a moment, her voice low and hoarse from screaming.

It's surreal and detached, watching the ensuring contact all the way from here, in the safety of a boat at sea. It's even more so when the ship's crew begins to sing the Hymn of the Fayth, the serene and yet somber sound at odds with the horrifying imagery of Kilika's destruction.

And Zelos... feels a little like an outsider here, not really belonging in this communal bubble that's surfaced among Martelites. It's kinda funny, really. For all his religious upbringing and his hometown being one of the most fucking religious cities in Spira, it's not exactly like Zelos can call himself a man of faith, and so singing the Hymn of the Fayth along with the rest of these people feels like a bad idea, or even insulting to the moment at hand. So he stays silent, watching Sin instead. He doesn't move from where he sits though, not even as Sheena leans against him.

He doesn't mind it, not really.

Who knows how long it is between Sin's contact with Kilika and its eventual retreat back into the sea, but at some point, it happens. The air already feels empty without the crew's singing. Zelos remains silent even as the crew finally gives a green light to get back to the mainland, turning the ship's engine back on and slowly making their way to the shoreline.

There will be many dead on the beach, Zelos realizes. A lot of souls and pyreflies left behind to fester in their own anger at the unfairness of their demise, and rightfully so. The only logical thing to do would be for a summoner to perform a Sending before they can even think about becoming fiends, hopefully as soon as they hit land, which means...

Zelos spares a glance at Sheena. Well, if she's really going to do this, then he hopes she's ready for that.

Probably not. He's probably in Zanarkand playing Blitzball or water baseball

WATER BASEBALL SOUNDS SO BAD???

LLOYD SWINGS HIS BAT... AND THE WATER RIPPLES... WHEN WILL HE STOP SWINGING

Lloyd uses two bats, so the answer is "never"

Fuckin' Lloyd causing tsunamis with his bats. Lloyd is now Sin

I can't believe Aly was right after all

[Anna voice] Son I hired you to kill Sin not to BECOME Sin

(Lloyd voice) Wait you're paying me?

[Anna voice] [Leaves]

AURION-IRVING TRAITS: ABANDONMENT

OH I HATE IT

IMAGINE HOW LLOYD MUST FEEL

God he got left behind in Zanarkand

THEY JUST WANTED TO GET HOME TO HIM...

YEAH AND LOOK AT HOW THAT WENT

The universal constant of abandonment

At least Kratos is here

Here he comes

I WANT TO SEE MY CLAWED DAD?

ARE YOU SURE???

WELL /I/ WANNA SEE DAD

DO YOU? DO YOU REALLY??

WELL. MAYBE WHEN HE'S NOT A GIANT WHALE

THAT'S. THAT'S FAIR

Hey what's the Fayth in Kilika