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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.
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.
This party is a disaster
"Ah, that's me," she says, when Colette introduces herself, trying for "cool" rather than "awkward" but not quite getting there, and she bows in return, grateful for the way it gives her an excuse to look down and maybe make the way heat just rose in her face a little less obvious. "It's nice to meet you, too. I'm Sheena."
Lloyd introduces himself, too, and -- okay, did he just say Anna was his mom? That's unexpected enough to pull her attention away from Colette, and she looks over to Lloyd, unintentionally mirroring the way Zelos searches for Anna's features in Lloyd's appearance. She doesn't interrupt Zelos, who said pretty much what she was thinking anyway - if a legendary guardian had a son, how was that not the talk of Spira for the last decade? - but the noise of surprise she makes, not to mention her expression, probably make her thoughts on the matter clear anyway.
your wlecome for my servcie
"You really expect me to tell the church everything?" Anna laughs, with a roll of her eyes. "My life ain't none of their fucking business, legendary guardian or no. Why do you think no one's been able to find me for the past ten years, huh?" Is it way more than that? Yeah. Does Zelos need to know? No. So she wraps it up with an eloquent, just short-of furious: "Honestly, the church can get fucked."
Lloyd is so tired
“Uh, yeah. I’m her son,” Lloyd confirms, again, wondering how the hell his mother ended up in the company of two people around his age. “How do you know each other...?”
He takes some time to glance back at the little kid that’s been silent since after Anna threw the cup. Squinting, because he looks familiar, Lloyd asks, “and you? What’s your name?”
Colette blinks. “Lloyd? Who are you talking to?”
He gestures over to where the kid is standing. “This guy. Blondie over here.”
“There’s... No one there?”
Lloyd gapes, expression turning to one of confusion. He turns his head back to where the kid stands, grinning mischievously, and then back to Colette, at a loss for words, before he puts his head in his hands. “Just one normal day, that’s all I’m asking for.”
We're off to a great start everyone!
Okay. With that out of the way, now he kind of wants to ask about Lloyd, actually. What brings him here, why, perhaps some good ol' 'who the heck is this guy' getting-to-know-you stuff that doesn't involve breaking the ice with Sin talk, for once. However, before he even can ask something stupid like 'so hey cutie where you from', Lloyd asks how they know Anna, and then goes ahead and glances over at the entrance, asking someone else to introduce themselves.
Zelos glances over his shoulder, eyebrow raised. There's no one there, and Colette says so.
When Zelos turns back to glance at Lloyd again, he's already put his head in his hands and groaned his piece. Oh, aw. Aww. He feels like he already knows what's going on here, and, honestly? Poor fuckin' guy. "There there," Zelos says, chuckling under his breath, one hand patting at Lloyd's shoulder. "It's probably Sin's toxin. Just get some rest, plenty of meds, and you should be fine. Happens aaaaall the time."
SORRY I GOT KIDNAPPED BY SIN
But alright, she doesn't seem too upset about it. And then Lloyd manages to drive the whole thing out of her head by talking to someone who isn't there.
"I don't see anyone either," she says, uncertain. "Zelos is probably right. Things get weird if you get too close to Sin, but it'll pass."
OH WORM
cute boyZelos a small smile, thanking him for his reassurances, and then looks back at Sheena, sending her a smile too. "Sure hope so," Lloyd jokes a little, ignoring the fact that the kid is still there, shit-eating grin still in place and everything. "I've got too much to worry about to have to deal with some poison or whatever."He spins on his heels, ready to put his possibly-losing-his-mind behind him, and approaches Anna again. "So, how'd you end up roping these guys into your shenanigans, ma?"
Colette perks up. "Lady Anna, are you acting as a guardian for Lady Sheena, then?"
"Guardian? She's already my mom."
"Not that kind of guardian," Colette answers, huffing out a laugh, "a summoner's guardian."
That answers none of his questions, Colette, but thanks anyways. Lloyd shrugs, sending a questioning glance over to Anna. "Well, mom? Are you her guardian?"
KRATOS STOP KIDNAPPING CHILDREN
Anna shoots him a glare like death, too not-sober for this, but sober enough to remember she shouldn't address him directly right now. Based on the way he laughs, bright and jovial, he gets the message that she wants to strangle him for that. God, that was so rude.
"I'll see you later, Anna," he says. "You're welcome." And then he vanishes.
Anna stifles a sigh and starts paying attention to the converastion Colette and Lloyd were having, which she missed most of, but she catches Lloyd's final question at least.
"I am, yeah," she answers, though she sends a nervous look at Sheena, seeing as getting drunk enough to fall off the boat is a pretty bad first impression. "If, uh... she's still okay with that."
But then Anna swings her attention entirely back to Lloyd. "I was Yuan's guardian, too, so... I mean." She cuts off, somewhat abruptly, wishing she could take another swig of alcohol to wash down the grief with but that would be rude to Colette and also make her growing headache way worse than it already is. She's silent for a long moment, trying to bite down that grief enough that her voice doesn't crack when she speaks again. "You know. Someone has to."
Save Kratos, she wants to say, but can't. Save Sin, she could say, except not really. Defeat Sin would be the expected term, but those are words her mouth refuses to say, because Sin is smoke and mirrors with her husband at its core, and she can't very well say she legitimately intends to kill Martel herself, though there's nothing she wants more, so--
"Someone has to put an end to this cycle," she says, instead. "So. Yeah." Then she smiles, apologetic. "Sorry to drag you into this, Lloyd. You don't have to come if you don't want to, but... I would really like to show you around Spira, so..."
HE CAN'T, HE'S LONELY
"Oh!" she says, looking over at Anna. "I-- yeah, of course? Seriously, it's my honor." Strange or not, outbursts Sheena's not sure how to take or not - she's helped defeat Sin before. Anna's a hero. And, alright, Sheena knows she's capable of this, but the fact that Anna looked at an Al Bhed summoner with one Aeon and decided that's the one she wanted to throw her lot in with? It's encouraging. (Even if Anna doesn't know that first part yet, but - if she's not a fan of the church, maybe it won't be a total disaster if she does learn it?) Her mind's already made up, but the way Anna says it, like she thinks they can keep Sin from coming back this time, cements it even further in her mind, and Sheena nods, somber. She speaks up again, after Anna's done: "If, uh - Lloyd - wants to come too, that's okay with me." She looks to Zelos for confirmation, again, with a small shrug. She doesn't need another guardian - two feels like overkill, when they're as strong as the ones she has - and this isn't a vacation, but, what, is she going to say no? Four's not that much bigger of a party than three.
WELL THAT'S NOT THE CHILDREN'S FAULT IS IT
But then she points out Lloyd instead, and Zelos raises an eyebrow as he sets his sights on the boy once again. This guy, a guardian? Really now. He's... okay, good looks aside, Lloyd looks kind of twinkish. Maybe on the sporty side, but is he gonna be able to hold his ground during a fight? Not to mention Sin's toxin--do they really want to have a doped up twink following them around?
He decides to voice his thoughts with a laugh. Hands on his hips, a mischievously curious look set on his face as he studies Lloyd again--which hopefully doesn't fucking look as him checking Lloyd out and more as him assessing him as a fighter, okay? Okay--he tilts his head and says, "Guardianship ain't a walk in the park, you know. What, are you a fighter too? Or can you do some magic?"
I wanted him to pay child support not kidnap me
And then Zelos comes up, because there’s always a critic, and Lloyd raises a brow as the redhead checks him out. Damn dude, in front of the three other people in the room? “My mom’s taught me sword-fighting since I was eleven,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest, refusing to back down from Zelos’ mischievous challenges. “If mom is as legendary as you all say she is, then I’ve learned from the master. I know my way around a fight.”
And with that, Lloyd grins again, playful and confident. “So, if you’re done checking me out, mind telling me what we’re guarding Lady Sheena from?”
Hey Kratos, you pussyfest, pay child support
Okay, okay, take a deep breath. You know what? Let's give the poor drugged up twink a break. Zelos pushes himself back a step, back straight and hands on his hips. "Well," he rolls his eyes, sighs, and shrugs, both hands in the air, palms up, "it's actually not up to me to decide if you can be a guardian or not, so if Sheena's fine with it then welcome to the club. She can give you the rundown and itinerary, too." He then turns on his heel a little, finding Colette in the small room once again and dropping his arms to his sides. "Anyway," he says, expression flattening a little as he tilts his head towards the exit, "Colette, dear, may I talk to you for a second? In private."
Here's the deal: Zelos isn't stupid. He knows that, successful escape or not, Mylene will do everything in her power to keep an eye on her son, and Zelos intends to keep himself protected from her ever watchful ire in any way he can. The fact that the plans have changed just means that he has to take new measures towards that, and that's where Colette comes in, really. Zelos has... so much to ask her, and depending on what she answers with, so many favours to request. Thankfully, at least, Colette seems to immediately understand the depth of the deal here.
What a relief! Call it some sort of solidarity between children of Maesters or something. She quickly nods, then turns to the rest of the ragtag gang and bows as she excuses herself, and once that's done she and Zelos make their way out of the room, seeking a quieter place to talk.
100 whole comments and no child support
"It was nice meeting you," she tells Colette before she goes, offering her a soft smile that she almost manages not to blush her way through. It's late enough that even if she were to go straight to Besaid's Fayth and pray, they'd still have to wait until tomorrow for a return ferry. Maybe she'll run into her again?
But, alright. With the two of them gone, she turns back to the rest of their newly-growing party, Lloyd's question still needing to be answered. Man, Sin really did a number on his memory, huh?
"A summoner's guardians are just supposed to keep her safe on the pilgrimage until they reach Zanarkand," she explains. "But - I do have two guardians already?" That seems like a lot. It's already two more than she'd ever planned on having. "So if you just want to come along without actually being one, I think that'd be okay, too." She shrugs a little at that, unsure. Lloyd seems nice, but Sheena's only just met him - it's a lot to ask, especially from someone with amnesia. "It's up to you."
what a farce
Sure looks like Sheena did, Lloyd observes, grin turning mischievous. He files this away for later, not willing to give her shit for a baby crush before knowing her properly.
He does set his attention on her words once the curtain pulls closed on the room once more, listening as intently as he can as she explains the duty of a guardian, but his ears catch the mention of Zanarkand and he can’t help the way surprise colors his features, mouth dropping open a little, brows furrowing in confusion. Colette had said Zanarkand was destroyed, Lloyd had seen it...
Stubborn hope worms its way up his chest and into his throat, a question being formed behind his lips, but instead of speaking it aloud, he takes a chance to glance at his mom, asking it wordlessly. Could it be that Zanarkand can be recovered?
After a few seconds, he shifts his expression back into his carefree one, raising his eyebrows and setting a confident beam back onto his face, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Being a guardian, huh? I think I’m in, Lady Sheena,” Lloyd huffs a laugh, pushing an image that doesn’t betray the way his thoughts race with possibilities and stifled hope. “Protecting a lady is the dream of any lowly squire, after all!” He winks, making sure his words come out playful, “I’m sure you can handle yourself, but I’ll make myself useful, I promise.”
what a dick!!
She laughs, a high almost-disbelieving kind of sound as her cheeks start to darken again and she quickly reminds herself not to let her eyes go wide. "Ah, well... it's good to have you, then," she says, offering him a hand. "It's just Sheena, though. It'd be a long trip if my guardians had to call me that the whole way." She grins at that, a little sheepish.
Did anyone say dicks
Not much has changed in his absence, obviously: Sheena and Lloyd seem to be getting along, Anna's still suffering the side-effects of her hubris, and Zelos is still wondering just what the fuck he's doing here at all. All key players are in their places, but right now, there's only one person to follow.
"So," he starts, mostly to Sheena, waving his cookie around while walking up to the summoner and offering her the other one. "Great news! Colette's gonna do us a favour by kind of accompanying us in your pilgrimage as an envoy. We'll meet up with her in Luca for a chocobo rental through Mi'ihen. She's also gonna get us lodging for tonight, so that's several birds with one stone. Soooo," he shrugs, "if you wanna go get Undine today or tomorrow, it's up to you."
WHO'S BEEN TALKING DICKS
"Thanks," she says, touched, as she takes the cookie. And then the rest of what he's saying hits her, and... Oh. The idea of Colette joining their journey, even if it's only temporary, sounds... really nice, actually. She realizes she's been spacing out and coughs, accepting that apparently her face is just going to be kind of red the whole pilgrimage. "S-sounds great," she says, taking a bite of the cookie so she can't say anything too stupid.
She pauses to finish off her cookie (it's good; had Colette made it?) and think over her options before she says, "I guess it should probably be today. I don't know how long it'll take, so if I put it off we might not even be able to leave til the day after..." She lets herself trail off, looks up to the others. "That sound alright?"
As it turns out, it does. And it's not so bad, so far, having guardians. Maybe the Cloister of Trials takes longer for them to get through than it should have, with that many people, but - they're all still getting used to each other, right? And they make it through, in the end, without too much property damage, and then Sheena's standing in front of the entrance to Undine's chamber, feeling a whole lot less ready than she should be. At least last time, there hadn't been anyone who'd known her around to be ashamed if she'd failed. She swallows hard, glances back to her guardians one more time. "Here goes," she says, trying to keep the waver out of her voice, and steps forward, pushing the curtain aside as she vanishes from sight.
i've been eating them--
Anna also knows that depending on how things go, the actual bit where the Summoner prays to the fayth could take hours, so now there's nothing to do but sit around and wait. This was always Anna's least favorite part of the process. (She and Kratos always managed to find one way or another to kill time, but she tries not to think about that, tries not to think about Kratos, not now, not while her head is still pounding with how drunk she got earlier, not while her mind is already spinning with the familiarity of being here and how deeply it makes her miss those she has lost, but now isn't the time, isn't the time, isn't the--)
Zelos is glued to the temple's deeper entrance with his worry, and doesn't look like he's intending to move from his spot, not until Sheena returns. So, what Anna does instead of wallowing in her grief, is pull Lloyd aside. They haven't really gotten a moment to talk alone until now, and there's a few things she should tell him, and she feels sorry for... a lot of things. Everything. But that's nothing she can unpack here. Still, she should talk to her son.
"Sorry for getting you involved in all this, Lloyd," Anna opens with, the guilt in her throat unable to do anything but escape. "I'm glad you're here, though." And it has been nice, making this journey with her son, Lloyd's reaction to the cloister's dumb puzzles a welcome distraction from her memories of Yuan and Kratos. "I really, really am."
Also: "And, uh, just before I forget, and probably because he's bound to show up again," Anna says, somewhat hushed, though she's pulled Lloyd far away enough from Zelos that unless Zelos is really trying to eavesdrop they should be fine. "That boy you saw earlier? The one no one else could? His name is Mithos. He's a fayth, like Sheena's praying with now," Anna nods in Sheena's direction. (She doesn't mind the fayth so much. They're good people, and the only part of this stupid religion that doesn't make her want to gouge her eyes out). "I, uh. Mithos is a friend of mine. We've known each other a while, now. But until Sheena meets him in person, you and me are probably gonna be the only two who can see him, which is... obnoxious."
Honestly, Anna hadn't even thought of the complications regarding Mithos constantly following her up until just about now. She just hopes Mithos will be more careful in the future, and knows he probably won't be, because he straight up doesn't care.
(Well, Anna's past the point of caring, too, so she can't really blame him.)
"Anyway, thought I'd warn you," Anna finishes, laughing nervous with the realization this was a weird and kind of lame explanation. She reaches out and claps Lloyd on the shoulder. "And let you know you're not going crazy, because you're not."
SHAMELESS
By the time they make it through, Lloyd's bored as fuck and antsy about the fact that he hasn't yet talked to Anna, so he's grateful when she pulls him aside, Zelos keeping watch as they talk quietly. The truth is, guilt has slowly been trickling down Lloyd's throat with the passing tick-tocking of a clock, the knowledge that his mother had been telling the truth for the past eight years and he had been denying it an iron-clasped bear trap on his conscious. Lloyd wants to apologize to her, first and foremost, and finally actually listen to her and what it is she's experienced. It's the very least he can do for her.
So maybe that's why he frowns when Anna apologizes first, brows furrowing with his confusion. Why is she apologizing? It's not like she's done anything, really, and the idea that he would have preferred to stay behind is laughable. Call him a mama's boy, but he's had to deal with being left behind once, and he wasn't going to have that happen again if he could stop it. "I'm glad to be here too, mom," he says, shaking his head slightly at her apology. "I want to be here, so don't be sorry."
It's nice to know, also, that he wasn't actually going crazy back in the infirmary, even though it feels too little too late. Lloyd wishes, in a rather deadpan inner voice, that he could have known that Mithos was a ghost, for all intents and purposes, and that somehow, in between being swallowed by Sin and sent flying face-first into the ocean surrounding Besaid, he had become a medium. He wants to ask more questions, too, like what a Fayth does, why they both can see them but Sheena can't, but he holds his tongue, instead waiting for her to finish.
The hand Anna puts on his shoulder feels a little insulting, honestly. Lloyd knows she doesn't mean anything by it, but he thought she was fucking dead, he kinda wants more than a shoulder touch from his mother. So instead he pulls her into a hug, closing his eyes for a brief few seconds before finally apologizing for himself. "Thank you. And... I'm sorry, mom. For not believing you about Spira and everything. You were telling the truth this whole time and I wasn't giving you the support you needed. I believe you now. I'm so sorry I didn't before."
OH, ALWAYS >;3c
Oh.
Anna squeezes Lloyd back as with all her strength, holding tight. She spends about two seconds trying not to start crying before she gives up, hoping Lloyd doesn't mind too much about her getting snot on his shoulder when she tucks her face against it. She laughs and sobs in the same breath, her relief so overwhelming she can't do anything else with it, especially as words fail her for a moment or two.
"It's okay, it's okay," she says, even though the past eight years have been the worst eight years of her life, because Kratos is suffering and Yuan is dead and Spira hates her when it chooses to believe she's more than insane, and Lloyd-- He'd been so angry, when she returned home without Kratos, he'd been so angry and hurt and it wasn't like it was her fault but she bore the consequences anyway. It took them years to fix it, fix things between them, and even still up to this point he hadn't believed her, and.
She didn't realize how deep that wound ran until Lloyd's words touched it, like antiseptic on a bleeding cut, sharp and painful and better all at once. Anna laughs and clings to her son, feeling more settled in her skin than she's felt since.
Well. Before.
"I mean, why would you believe me, huh?" Anna jokes. "Of course it all sounded like nonsense! Imagine trying to explain Sin to someone who's never seen him, huh!" She laughs again, sharp. "It would sound like complete bullshit, and so would--"
She cuts off. That's. That's not a conversation she can have now, not here, not in a temple, not when Zelos is in the same room. But... tonight. She'll have to tell Lloyd about Kratos tonight.
"Nothing, nothing," she covers up, as she's done probably a million times before now. "The point is I understand why you didn't believe me, so I'm not mad, but... Thank you. Thank you."
shows up six days later with sinbucks hewwo
There are still some unanswered questions, though. Where's Kratos, for one. Though Lloyd knows better than to get his hopes up on his father being miraculously alive and well somewhere in Spira - (he knows, had that been the case, that Anna would have searched for him immediately) - there's a part of him that clamors for proper knowledge on just what happened to him, the father he never got to say goodbye to. And Lloyd wants to ask, opens his mouth to do just that, but pays attention to how Anna clings to him and sobs, to how Zelos stands only feet away, and closes his mouth again, instead pressing a kiss to Anna's hair. He can ask later.
Lloyd gets the feeling it won't be a great story to tell.
There are other things he wants to ask, too. What Fayth are, why he can see them but Sheena and Zelos and Colette couldn't, who Yuan was, what happened during Anna's time in Spira. They all linger heavily in his mind, curious despite himself and the knowledge that whatever his mother had gone through must have ended in tragedy. But for now, he stands, hugging her close, and takes in the comfort that even though he's lost his home and everyone else he's known, Anna remains.
"Thank you for being patient with me," Lloyd mumbles, closing his eyes. "I promise I won't be an asshole like that again. And... I'm glad you're alive, mom. I was -" he takes a deep breath, letting it go with a sigh. "I was afraid you weren't after what happened in Zanarkand."
did you remember to use the family discount
So she's here, a loophole in Spira's system of death, clinging to life for now as tightly as she clings to her son, knowing she cannot let go until she has finished that which she refused to let a stupid thing like dying prevent her from achieving.
But that's... not something she can tell Lloyd, now. That's not something she's sure she can tell him ever. Maybe once all this is over? But that's such a long way off...
She clings to him tighter. "No, I'm alright," she tells him, gentle. She doesn't feel the same ache in her chest for Zanarkand as Lloyd clearly does, but she hasn't seen Zanarkand the same ever since Mithos told her the truth about what it was. "I'm here, I'm here," Anna says again, filling the silence that's too loud with her thoughts and all the things she cannot say here, not on Martel's holy ground.
Eyes closed, chin resting on Lloyd's shoulder, she sighs long and deep. "There's... some things I'll have to tell you, still. Not here. Not now." She exhales, pulls away from Lloyd, though she lets her hands trail down his arms, gripping them tight and refusing to let go as she meets his eyes. "Later, alright?
I hate you all. What the fuck is a family? Bitch I'm gonna kill you
Naturally, his thoughts wander to Sheena, his summoner.
He taps his fingers against his forearm and hums, brows furrowing. It's... been quite a while since she went into the chamber, actually. Besaid's Aeon is-- that'd be Undine, right? Hm. Well, Undine isn't supposed to be one of the more difficult ones to convince--in fact, according to most summoners Zelos has met, she seems pretty agreeable--so a regular summoner wouldn't have taken longer than a few minutes in there pleading their cause before walking out with their new Aeon on tow. That's part of why it's pretty standard for most young summoners to start their pilgrimage in Besaid, then leaving the more rowdy Aeons, like Bahamut, for last.
But, Zelos thinks, opening his eyes to stare at the marble floors, Sheena is... she's not any regular summoner, firstly. And that's a problem. Because Corrine or not, she's still an Al Bhed, an outlier to the tradition. It makes no sense, but-- maybe the Aeons will be putting her through harsher, more thorough trials just because of that, or something. Like her wishes and will are worthless, or like she needs to fill some stupid special quota to seem worthy just because she's different.
Honestly, Martelism is all just a bunch of fucking sh--
A loud noise and sudden movement snap Zelos to alertness. Violet eyes shoot open just as the door to the Fayth chamber opens, and Zelos wastes no time in pushing himself away from the wall and turning on his heel to face the chamber, ready for the exact moment when Sheena's whole weight collapses against him as she exits the chamber. Holy Martel, she feels exhausted. "Oop, hold on," he groans, adjusting the summoner in his arms before lowering her to the staircase to help her sit on the steps.
"There we go, hun. Catch your breath," he adds. After a few seconds Zelos offers her a little grin, then a pat on her shoulder. "You good?"
sounds fake!!!!
But here, with three people - including legendary guardian Anna Irving - waiting for her outside, in a temple she doesn't know, as the minutes tick by, the lack of response starts to get to Sheena.
Is something wrong with the way she's praying? (Is it her, her Al Bhed blood too much for any Aeon that isn't the easygoing Corrine to forgive?) She pictures herself waiting for days, praying for a blessing that will never come, and she shudders, making up her mind.
"Undine!" she calls, voice trembling as it rings off the Fayth's chamber. "If I'm not worthy then just say so," she pleads, more quietly. "Please." Sheena squeezes her eyes shut and bows her head, praying just one more time with all the focus she can muster. She opens her eyes, after, and --
A Fayth stands before her, shimmering and soft in the light. Sheena gasps, staring up at her, all her words driven away by the sight.
The woman stretches out a hand, lips moving around a song Sheena knows well, more beautiful than she's ever heard it, and
Sheena takes it.
It's not - painful, exactly, an Aeon taking up residence in your head, but the way Undine makes space for herself leaves Sheena feeling a little hollowed out, a rushing wave pushing her off to the side of her own mind. Coupled with the relief in her every limb it's enough to make her unsteady on her feet, by the time it's over.
"Thank you," she whispers to the chamber, still full of song even with Undine's presence gone, and turns, focusing only on the movement of one foot in front of the other to get her out of the chamber and back to her guardians. Maybe it's not so bad, not being alone. They'll know what to do while she's recuperating, right?
There are stairs outside the chamber, she thinks distantly, aren't there? She needs to be careful - but as the door opens she catches sight of Zelos, standing right next to it like he'd been waiting for her. Hopefully he won't mind too much if she leans against him, just for a minute. She makes to do that, swaying, before her legs inform her she's overestimated them and send her crashing against him, leaving him supporting her whole weight. There's a moment where she tries to catch herself, to brace herself against him rather than just collapsing, but he moves her before she can manage it, helping her sit down.
"I did it," she tells him, and she grins up at him in return, exhaustion clear in her voice. "Just... just give me a second. I'll be okay." The coordination to find his shoulder and pat it in return feels beyond her right now, so she shoots him a thumbs up instead.
REBEL AGAINST THE LIARS
Somewhere, at the back of his mind, Zelos feels a pang of something prideful for Sheena's progress, and he pats her twice on the arm again, laughing. "You did it!" he cheers, voice low and mostly private between them both. "Two down, at least four more to go. Unless you wanna detour from the standard path and get a few strays, but," he laughs again, "that's your choice."
DID I HEAR REBELLION?
A few extra--days? weeks? She knows it's not that much time, realistically. But whenever she thinks of Sin, thinks of Kratos, sweating blood and crying as he breaks under the weight of all his grief, it's hard not to feel like she hasn't already wasted too much.
WE'RE REBELLING AGAINST YOU
OH..................................................
UNIONIZE THE KIDS!!!!!!!!
WAIT I'M CONFUSED AM I BEING REBELLED AGAINST TOO OR AM I PART OF THE KIDDIE TABLE
YOU CAN STAY BUT YOU'RE ON THIN ICE
THANK U I WON'T LET U DOWN
DO NOT DISAPPOINT ME
I WON'T I SWEAR
I ON THE OTHER HAND HAVE DISAPPOINTED YOU ALL WITH HOW LATE THIS IS
YOU'RE OK DON'T WORRY WE'RE NOT DISAPPOINTED