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Duration: April 2014

Status: Ongoing

Deulis, Seymour - Me

Will, Auron - Baron Vonn Sexyfine

Comments: ...I haven't properly played FFX. I really should. Man this RP is stirring feels for this game so bad. IDK even.

***

The summoner could only think of one thing: there was an unknown third party that was interfering with the work of his colleagues. Whoever this third party was are very specific about their task. Only the summoners disappeared. Without a trace. No blood bath. No collateral damage. Simply a vanishing that makes no sense. Not only were they specific, they also worked very efficiently.

But the brunet was confident that he wouldn't fall under their clutches. Giving his two guardians a side long glance, Deulis was confident in his guardians. They would not let a strand on his head come to harm's way.

It was hard to bite back the smirk on his face with what Will was implying back there. Deulis nodded, then let out a short chuckle or two. "Yes, Sir Isaaru seems quite nice. He definitely commands my respect. Something tells me I'll meet him again---but I feel sad about it. I don't understand..." The brunet smiled grimly then shook his head. "Never mind that, whatever will be will be... We got a Cloister of Trials to pass, gentlemen!"

Having already established a working connection with Will from past trials they'd solved together, they solved the Cloister of Trials at the Djose Temple in no time. The pair released the electric latches on the stone double doors leading into the inner sanctum. They seamlessly coordinated the positioning of the spheres in their proper alignment to allow the door leading to the Chamber of Fayth to open with a spark of electricity and flash of blue white crackle of light. The insignia of Yevon carved into the floor lit up and it was opened.

As always, Deulis gave the thumbs up upon his exit after a while of prayer to the fayth. There was that usual youthful, cheeky smirk as he walked with an uneasy sway of hips with his back straightened up and all.

The brunet's breath came out in shallow bursts as he turned to Will, "Have you ever ridden a shoopuf before? What time is it? I wanna see the sunset at the Moonflow... By Yevon, it's beautiful at night there... It's a sea of stars." He steadied himself by gripping at the blond's upper arms, maybe a little too tightly as their eyes met. Deulis seemed so tired. So...drained. Yet there was something burning still. Something that was keeping him from stopping all together.

Count on Deulis to make light of his situation with his little vices and distractions of beautiful sights, sounds and good food. Not necessarily in that strict order.

***

As Will waited outside the chamber of the fayth with Auron, he was certainly glad that the place seemed a lot cooler than the Kilika temple. While the two were waiting, the blond decided to strike up a conversation. "Not that these are the most difficult things in the world, but I'm glad to have someone who's familiar with the cloister of trials along to make things go by quickly." He said. "These didn't go nearly as well the first time around." Was Auron's response. "The three of us- JEcht, Braska and I- were always arguing about what sphere goes where, where to push pillars...during a heated argument, JEcht nearly pushed me into a flaming door in the Kilika temple. We got a little better about it as time went on, and by Bevelle we were able to cooperate together with ease, but that temple had problems of its own." It certainly seemed like Auron had calmed down after all this time, that was for sure. "So, what happened to Jecht anyway?" Will was curious. "I'm sorry if I'm stirring up memories, but...did he make it back with you?"

If Auron was going to answer Will's question, he didn't get a chance, because the door to the chamber of the fayth opened and Deulis practically spilled out of it. Will got up and ran to the summoner, making sure he didn't fall flat on his face. "You know, I've never even seen a shoopuf before." He answered to Deulis's questions. "I'm not sure what I'm expecting it to look like. Come on, let's get back up to the temple. We're al pretty beat right now." The summoner moreso than anyone else!

***

Deulis couldn't agree more. He managed a small smile at the idea of heading back. It wouldn't matter to him if the temple only managed to offer much a rolled up cot for him to lay on for the night. The brunet would be grateful for just about anything at the moment. At least he and his guardians had a roof over their heads, protection from the elements and meager meals. Simple bread, cheese and temple wine made from fruits of recent harvest. That would be more than enough for them till they ventured into the Moonflow past Guadosalam and finally into the Macalania territory.

The passing thought of visiting Guadosalam did cross his mind... While there was no temple there to cross, the gates to the Farplane that the floral and musk clan of the Guado guarded with their lives was there. Deulis was filled with giddy anxiety (as ironic as that may sound) at the idea of seeking Kamui out... He wanted to see the Al Bhed again. Maybe if he saw the blitzer once more, it would give clarity to his motivations after all that had come to pass so far.

I'm doing this for you after all...

He glanced at Auron briefly and then looked skyward. That one was pretty particular that they make haste with the pilgrimage. Not to dilly dally and make too many unnecessary stop overs. But maybe the brunet could negotiate that since they didn't have to make a stopover at Bevelle, they could opt to pay a visit to Guadosalam instead...?

Hopefully the rounin could be persuaded.

Leaning slightly against Will's frame, the summoner sighed helplessly as he allowed himself to finally give in to the aid of his best friend's steadier form. As time passed by, Deulis became more adjusted towards letting the blond help him whenever. In the beginning, the brunet felt ashamed and didn't want to trouble the other at all. He didn't want to be looked down on, especially not by the swordsman. But soon enough, the summoner came to a realization that it was alright to be weak sometimes and need help.

Will didn't seem to mind at all.

"The world must look so different when you've got the favor of the Maester, doesn't it?," came an acidic purr of a feminine voice. "And oh? You got yourself a new..stray? Hah."

Deulis shot his head up and groaned. What the Farplane are you doing here... I don't wanna deal with this.

***

Well felt his stomach turn as he was greeted with a familiar voice. No, please. Not now... He thought to himself as he slowly turned his head to look at the source of the noise. Sure enough, his suspicions were confirmed; it had been Lady Dona and her guardian Barthello. Great, just great. This was neither the time nor the place for her insults. Not after what had happened mere hours ago. "Hey. Whatever it is you have to say to us, can you just save it for the next time we meet?" He asked. "Please. We're really not in he mood." He made eye contact with her, hoping that just this once a miracle would happen and she would leave them alone.

***

He didn't mind that Lady Dona was calling him out for being on the receiving end of preferential treatment by the Maester Seymour. Deulis couldn't blame her for it. She was probably livid with rage and shocked bone deep that of all the summoners that tried to cross the Mushroom Rock Road that day, only he had been given the right of passage.

But to insult Auron like that? To dare call him a stray?

How dare she even call herself a summoner!

Whatever feelings of comfort and ease brought by the acquisition of Ixion and eventual rest evaporated into the air as Deulis' demeanor hardened with the furrowing of his eyebrows and the tightening of his lips into thin line. His charming smile melted into a peeved cross of a grimace and a pout.

"Take that back," the brunet said in a firm and icy voice. "Insult me openly and as often as it pleases you. But you will NOT dare speak that way towards Sir Auron!"

Dona's gave the boy a half lidded glance then rolled her eyes and folded her arms in a defensive but closed position cross her bosom. "Maybe if you can start standing on your two feet then." Briefly, her eyes laid upon the one called 'Sir Auron' and she scoffed. That was Sir Auron? Tickle me. She leaned forward, sneering at the younger summoner's state and mocked him with a toothy smirk on her face. "You're always so dependent on your guardians. They can't always be by your side when the times comes."

She turned upon her heel and moved towards the direction of the entrance to the Cloister of Trials, quite expecting Barthello to be at her heels.

Alas her guardian had chosen not to move but instead showed a different side to him at the mention that the new addition to Deulis' party was none other than the legendary guardian himself, Auron. The burly man was gaping like a fish out of water in open admiration and joy at the thought this was indeed the same Auron who had accompanied High Summoner Braska a decade ago. Barthello muttered a quiet apology towards Will and Deulis' direction then hesitantly approached the red clad rounin.

"Are you really Sir Auron...?," Dona's guardian inquired, peering closely at the man through his high collared haori and squinting like so. He didn't quite expect a vocally uttered response though. Somehow Barthello simply received his answer wordlessly and he just...slipped into this mood of anxious fueled excitement, "I-I... I became a guardian because of you! Sir Auron please shake my hand!"

Once Auron dealt with Barthello's request, Deulis couldn't help but be a little amazed with the elder guardian's poise and serenity. He could learn a thing or two from the former monk in how to deal with the celebrity status. Auron did have much more years of experience and fame under his belt compared to him. It was amazing as it was humbling to see how detached and undisturbed the older man was with regards the pressures of being a guardian of two generations of summoners.

The pair left them alone at long last when Barthello joined his summoner, muttering happily about never wanting to wash his hand after Auron had generously shook it.

That was one very bad case of idol worship there. Who would have known?

***

That had been over surprisingly quickly. And once Dona had left, Will had breathed a sigh of relief before realizing Barthello remained. He couldn't hide his amusement when he revealed himself to be quite starstruck by Auron. It made sense; he was quite well known around Spira, normally guardians aren't remembered quite as well as the summoners they were asked to protect, but somehow Auron was a special exception.

"I'm glad she didn't decide to stick around." Will told Deulis once the three were alone. "I really wasn't in the mood to deal with her." Nothing could have been truer. Had Dona said one more thing, Will would have explained to her exactly why this wasn't the best time for her usual attitude. "How did she get here so quickly though? Did she take the Mushroom Rock Road? You'd think that they would keep that path closed until they cleared away the injured and the..." He trailed off. He didn't want to talk about that right now. "So, what's our next stop?" He asked instead. "I'm not really familiar with this area. "

***

A nun of the temple greeted them upon their exit from the main temple. She told them that they had managed to free up one room for the party. The room that was offered was a modest twin bed guest room. Since there were three of them in the party, a rolled out bed would be offered to further accommodate them. She apologized that it was the most that the Djose Temple could offer then. Deulis slipped out Will's comfortable hold and gave his thanks, bowing in gratitude with the gesture of Yevon. He was exhausted that was true but he had an image to fulfill. Seeing the summoner's warm reception despite the odds did give the nun a sense of accomplishment and reprieve about it.

As they made their way through the temple complex of stone and blue white currents that crackled and sizzled through the passages, they would come to see just how many people were being tended to. People of the clergy raced back and forth armed with tools of the medical trade, towels and fresh change of clothes. It was a mess down there. The air was tense with the sound of heaving breaths, dying exhalations and groaning of the injured.

Deulis made a mental note to help after supper.

"Tomorrow we head to the Moonflow. We start early in the morning and we should arrive there by noon or early afternoon. Such a shame, Will... You would have liked seeing the river at nightfall," Answering his blond guardian's question, the brunet began to count with his fingers as he recited the itinerary while consulting a mental map of Spira in his mind's eye. "Then... We check the weather at the Thunder Plains and see if we can cross it. There should be a weather bulletin once we cross the river. If it proves to be too perilous, we will have to make a stop at Guadosalam to wait it out. Sometimes the storms get too turbulent that the towers aren't enough to absorb everything."

Once he was done, he turned to Auron for a sign of approval on the matter.

For some reason, the summoner hoped that there would be a storm just so they could make a stop at Guadosalam.

"Dinner won't be in an hour," the nun announced as she unlocked the door to their shared room. "The mess hall is not too far from here. If you just walk around and explore a bit, I'm sure you three will be just fine. Good evening and take care in your journeys." With a clatter of keys and the resounding click of the lock opening, she grasped the door knob and opened the door. The offered room was very modest. Quite spartan. It smelled heavily of temple perfume and incense, as if the room had been recently doused in the scent. The sheets and beddings were clean and newly washed but the mattresses could have been better. Very simple.

As always, the summoner dumped his belongings at a random spot and rushed to the bath first. Surprisingly that evening, Deulis had the modesty not to just randomly strip off his garments as he made his way inside.

"DUDE, THEY HAVE HOT WATER!"

***

Will nodded as he took in all of the information he was given. "Right, the thunder plains." He said. "That's why I bought those ponchos back in Besaid..." He looked over to Auron, and remembered that he was traveling with them. "Oh! Auron, I'm so sorry. If I'd have known you were coming along, I'd have bought you one as well." Auron shook his head. "I appreciate the gesture, but there's no need." He told him. "I didn't need anything when I crossed the Thunder Plains the first time around, and I certainly don't need anything now." He then spoke to Deulis, "If the weather does get really bad, staying on Guadosalam for a bit would be smart. Braska insisted we soldier on regardless, and we ended up having to dodge the lightning bolts." Auron certainly had a lot of stories about Braska and Jecht.

A little while later, they retreated to their shared room. It was simple, but nice nonetheless. Will had expected nothing more or less from the temple. He had also expected Deulis to rush into the bathroom before he even got a chance to call it for himself, not that it would have mattered. The muffled yell coming from behind the door did cause him to chuckle, however. "That's great, now save some for me!" he called back.

***

"FAT CHANCE!"

It was just a bluff of course. Deulis was not that unkind to use up all of the hot water. The summoner cooed in delight when he found that the bath had been stocked with organic bathing items: from shampoo to soaps and what not. There was the familiar notice that warned visitors not to use anything else. So even in the Djose Temple, they had those in-house biocompost and waste recycling efforts like at Bevelle. The water had to remain pure and recyclable, void of chemicals for that to work. He left the shower smelling a lot like flowers and fragrant bark with a masculine musk.

The shower did much for his mood and ache and he found himself feeling quite rejuvenated afterwards.

"I assume that the Djose Temple works like that in Bevelle so... Some rules," the brunet announced while towel drying his dark black hair with a towel, "Lights out after ten. Wanna go out for a smoke or something? Bring your own lights. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate down at the mess hall. There's likely to be a pot for boiling water by the drinks station so help yourselves. Pay as you make. There's a coin box for it. Honor system around here. If you get without paying, know well and good that Yevon is watching you. No using of toiletries and washing stuff that aren't in-house made. As inconvenient as it sounds, we'll have to use the in-house stuff and cooperate. We'll be paying for it before we leave of course. It's to keep the water pure and organic."

He extended a free hand, laying the towel over the crown of his head and began counting. "Alright gentlemen, I think that should be all the rules, at least the basic ones for visitors and guests. So please enjoy your stay. Oh wait! I forgot, we wash our own dishes around here."

Turning to Will, Deulis grinned and threw him the clean towel he'd pick from the inside and stated, "Your turn now. Go get yourself cleaned up so I can get a good eyeful of clean Sir Will already." He winked suggestively at the blond and waited for the other to get inside. While waiting, the brunet busied himself with getting dressed.

Once the blond was out of earshot and inside the bath, he searched for Auron and asked, "...On hindsight, I was hoping we could really stay at Guadosalam for the night before proceeding to Macalania Temple, Si-S.. Auron. Storm or none." The summoner was wringing his hands together nervously, "I have business at the Farplane. It's for my peace of my mind mostly. There's someone I want to speak to... The journey so far has been insightful but has left me with too many questions and uncertainties. I feel that if I crossed Zanarkand without addressing them, I will be ill prepared for what's to come."

***

Will listened intently to all the rules that Deulis laid out for them. They seemed a bit complicated at first, but honestly it wasn't too unreasonable, especially for a temple. "I'm sure I can follow all of those." He said, as Auron gave a nod in agreement, showing that he understood as well. Will nodded, and blushed a little at the summoner's words, and he made his way to the shower to wash up. Yevon knows he needed it.

As Deulis explained his proposal to Auron, the swordsman sat down on his own bed. He said nothing at first, weighing the options in his head. On the one had, getting to Zanarkand as soon as possible was definitely the right call, for a number of reasons. Deulis' group absolutely had to be the one to get to the final aeon first. On the other hand, he'd be lying if he said he didn't understand how the summoner felt. "I see." He finally piped up, reaching a decision. "If that's what you want, then who am I to keep you from doing it? I suppose we all have some loose ends we need to tie up before we reach the end." The idea of seeing the farplane didn't excite him personally which was part of the reason why he had wanted to hurry through Guadosalam, but if Deulis had something he needed to do, then so be it.

***

There was a sense of relief that came with Auron's approval for his proposal. Sure, it didn't seem like the rounin was completely agreeable but at least he agreed to it. After all, the man was quite adamant that they get to Zanarkand before anyone else would. It wasn't as if the brunet didn't also want to be the one to make the Final Summoning happen himself.

Deulis' features lit up as he nodded happily. "We'll be quick! I promise. I just need time to settle---yes, as you've nicely put it... Loose ends. After this, we'll power through the map and be at Zanarkand in no time. I swear it." Realizing how wide his smile was, he raised his hands to cover his face, ashamed of how chipper he was that his guardian was fine with the slight diversion of plans. "T-thank you. I'll see you at dinner, Auron. Thank you!"

He scampered out of Auron's view and headed to the door but then rushed back, "I'll take the rolled up bed!" With that, Deulis went out and headed to the makeshift hospital in the temple with rolled out sleeves and a quick ponytail so he could help the clergy and medical people in helping the survivors of Operation Mi'ihen.

Dinner came around the time the nun had announced. There was plenty of food around then, flavored heavily by natural spice and seasoning. There was a selection of vegetables, fish and meat dishes. Freshly baked bread was passed around, served with butter and jam, at the diner's choice. An appetizer of soup was also provided then. Conversation was lighthearted and gay, no mention of anything about Operation Mi'ihen or it's tragic aftermath. They spoke of daily in and out of the Temple, amongst themselves. Eventually, the party became the topic of the conversation as they asked them about the pilgrimage and the kind of fiends they'd managed to encounter.

A nun smiled behind her hand then chimed in, "The trip down the Macalania Temple is treacherous and filled with danger. Are you three ready with amenities for it? We don't have much right now with the influx of the wounded to tend to but if there's something you don't have but need... Please. We'd be more than happy to aid you on your journey to Zanarkand." It had been the same gracious holy woman who had lead them to their room earlier.

Deulis looked at Will, since the latter had self-designated himself as the financier and keeper for the pilgrimage. The blond had a talent for organization and counting much more than the brunet did so he left that matter to the guardian. He gave his best friend an expectant look, knowing that the other had a better idea of how to respond to the nun's inquiry. If he had to answer, the summoner would probably talk about packing food to feed an army.

***

Will had gotten out of the shower without knowing anything about the conversation that took place while he was in there. Once he got dressed, he joined Auron and Deulis for the dinner that was ready at that point. IT was a really nice spread; the temple really went through a lot of work to put a good meal together, not just for the trio, but for everyone currently staying at the temple. The talk around the table was fairly jovial and lighthearted, probably directly in spite of recent events. Overall, Will was having fun. Will thought when asked if there was anything the group needed. In his head, he went through everything they had in their bags, trying to suss out what they could use. After a while, he came to a conclusion. "Actually, if you have any echos, we could use a few of those. If there are any fiends that could silence Deulis, we'd probably be in trouble without them."

***
The summoner smiled to himself at that. Aw, I didn't know you cared! But then logically speaking, of the three of them in the party, only Deulis could attack flying mobs so really, no point in reading too much into Will's statement just now.

Someone should create a supplementary weapon system that gave fighters a side arm they could easily utilize in defeating airborne fiends like throwing knives or blades with ropes perhaps. That would be fun. But quite complicated and taxing on the energy. Too bad by the time someone would have figured that out, the brunet was likely to be in the Farplane already.

She clapped her hands together with a quick nod of the head, "I think we have some of that! Quite plenty too. We can make some arrangements for Echos for your journey. Though, I think I recall we may have a Silence Ring too lying around somewhere... I can't recall too well."

After supper had been served, Deulis lagged behind Will and Auron, waiting for them to make their way back. Once they had left, the summoner made his way to the temporary medical quarters so he could help the sick and dying. The classes for the local children and clergy had been postponed until further notice since much of the academic space had been converted into makeshift clinics to tend to specific ailments. He aided them with the use of his curative white magic, filling in between shifts and administered medicine from crushed herbs and animal parts. More than once did the brunet have to perform a summoning for those that did not last the night.

He didn't return to their offered room that evening, having fallen asleep bent over one of the beds inside the classroom clinics. The summoner had drifted in and out of sleep watching over a particular patient that time and had been holding her hand after deciding to just close his eyes for awhile. It was a little girl. As surprising as it was, there had been children at Operation Mi'ihen. This one in particular was serving as a support staff and had been tasked to sending water and other supplies wherever necessary. What was even more chilling was she wasn't alone in the task. There had been other children too. Not all of them were support staff for that matter. It horrified Deulis to have found out there had been child soldiers too. Boys and girls so young and dying all too early because of an all too ambitious folly.

A pair of acolytes knocked on the door of the party, bringing vials of the requested Echo amongst other just as useful items. There were plenty of restorative potions of different degrees, including one Mega Elixir in the bag that the two novices delivered that morning. So it seemed that the nun was being extra nice to the group and gave more than what Will had originally asked for.

"Breakfast is already served!," quipped the smaller one in his well pressed robes, "Hope to see ya downstairs with everyone else!"

***

"A silence ring, eh? Well Deulis should definitely get that!" Will joked as he continued to eat his food. The rest of the dinner had been uneventful; they three finished their meals, washed their dishes, and went back to their room, Deulis opting to instead go back to help the medical staff. Or at least that's what Will assumed when he didn't come back to the room. Will pretty much just fell asleep as soon as he hit the mattress; too worn out to keep his eyes open an longer. Auron had done a quick bit of meditating before turning in for the night as well.

Will was up pretty early the next day. It had been Auron who had waked him; saying something about being expected to not sleep in at the temple. Sure enough, a couple acolytes had shown up at their door not moments afterwards, bringing not only the echoes that the blond had wanted, but even a couple potions as well, including a megalixir! Will thank them for their very generous gift, and at the mention of breakfast, walked with Auron downstairs, both to fill his stomach, and to see if Deulis was there as well.

***

The pair of guardians would have found that the rolled up bed that Deulis had claimed, or at least planned to had not been laid out. It was still at the side along with the summoner's personal items from where Will had left it before laying to sleep for the evening. Meaning, the brunet either woke up earlier than everyone else or had slumbered off elsewhere. But since his belongings were still about, he was definitely within the temple complex still. Question was: where?

And much to the blond's surprise, he would not find the normally hungry summoner at the mess hall. Not even lingering at the kitchen to pester the kitchen staff by looking over their shoulders and stealing small servings of the meals that were to be prepared for lunch later that day. There was no noisy brunet messing at the dishes either, throwing soap bubbles and splashing water at people knowing he could get away with things. It was definitely odd to find that where there was food, there was no Deulis.

In the middle of breakfast, one of the priests approached Auron and confided in the elder guardian that his charge had fallen asleep in one of the makeshift wards and had been moved into one of the beds at the cleaner classrooms turned clinics. "We hadn't realized that he had joined the graveyard shift as well... We simply let him be. He must be very tired right now. He was tending to the sick and performed sendings during the evening. If you will, I can bring you there? The staff weren't too sure if we should wake him up or not... So I came here to inform you and the other guardian as well of the status quo."

True enough, they'd laid the summoner in one of the beds near the charge he was particularly taken with: the third to her left. Deulis had slept in so heavily that when they moved him to a bed, he just groaned and slogged through the floor then rolled onto his side to fall back asleep once the blankets were raised over his form.

"Oh dear. He really is fast asleep still...," commented the priest in a quiet voice who had offered the whereabouts of their summoner and also escorted the pair to the ward. The clergyman frowned slightly and turned to Will this time, "He spoke about going down the Moonflow today? What time do you leave?"

***

Will began to grow concerned when Deulis was nowhere to be seen. Granted, they had only checked the food hall and the kitchen, but the fact that he wasn't in either of those places was a bit worrying! "Where could Deulis be?" He asked Auron. "He left his stuff here, I really hope he didn't just 'disappear' like all those other summoners after I said we wouldn't let that happen."

Around that time a priest approached them and told them about Deulis's whereabouts, completely alleviating his worries. Will and Auron walked with the priest to the clinic, where they saw Deulis sound asleep in one of the beds. "Yeah, I'll bet he had a long night, if the smell of breakfast hasn't already woken him." Will observed. "We don't have a hard schedule, not much of one anyway, but we were planning on leaving once we had breakfast." Will asked both Auron and the priest to step back as he attempted to wake the summoner up. A few minutes later, after he had failed to be roused by nudging, calling his name, and a couple of light punches, Will decided one last thing before he just resorted to throwing a bucket of cold water over his head. "He Deulis, The Kilika Beasts are right outside the room."

***

"BLOODY SON OF A SHOOPUF!"

Patients left and right stirred awake at the shriek that coupled up with the strangled yell and the litany of other cusses both in Spiran and Al Bhed. It was quite extensive to put it lightly. The priests and doctors cast both Will and Deulis alike nasty looks at having caused a ruckus inside the wards considering that some of the patients were actually still sleeping.

An aged nun all plump and portly in her dignified robes of office got up to her feet and walked up to Will, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and dragged the blond outside where she gave him a hard beating of a verbal scolding of being considerate and mindful of others. "---THERE ARE OTHER PATIENTS! YOU JUST WOKE THEM UP! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!" The woman was red in the face and practically squealing in a loud but not close to shouting kind of voice.

The one overlooking the party looked more amused than irate however. He didn't quite expect that someone so holy could be so...foul mouthed. Moreover, he spoke fluent Al Bhed too. Though he couldn't understand a thing the soaked up brunet was saying, it sounded like Al Bhed to him!

Forced by circumstances, Deulis had no choice but to take a shower directly after exiting the wards before breakfast at the mess halls. Good thing the set of robes that Will soaked him in was nothing he would miss so if he left it behind because they were wet and in need of the sun, the summoner wouldn't miss it even for a day. Otherwise, he'd probably give the blond a good scolding too.

Not of the verbal kind. Surely Will recalled how he beat up bullies in their youth. Let's just say, the brunet's heavy hand never softened up through the years. If that stranger from Luca was evidence to that.

Suddenly, the brunet recalled why he disliked mess halls. Despite being summoner and all the sparkly things that came with it, in the end, he was but a young clergyman in the hierarchy of the Yevonites. So no surprise when he entered the halls for breakfast, Deulis got a heavy teasing for it that got him all beet red in shame and in a state of half whining, half irritability. He was so going to get Will for this!

Their stay at the Djose Temple was short and sweet but memorable all the same. The stress of Operation Mi'ihen had been literally washed away by their arrival and even brought some hope to those who were there to receive them. Or maybe quite literally by Deulis' naughty dish washing pranks and Will's unconventional means of waking up people who slept like the dead.

Even as they made their way down the road to the south bank of the Moonflow, Deulis was not letting the issue let down. He was constantly glaring daggers at Will, even in the midst of battle against fiends that tumbled down their right of way.

Suddenly there was music playing in the air. It was faint but it was definitely there.

The summoner's bad mood quickly alleviated. "We're near! That's the music of the creatures from the Malacania Woods. No one's properly given them a name but they're absolutely wonderful musicians! This tune's so old, they don't even know the name to it. They say it's actually from a good one thousand years ago... From Zanarkand!"

Unfortunately for both Will and Auron, 'near' was a very relative term because as far as the eye could see, it was still a very LONG way till they got to the edge of the road for the Shoopuf station. It was just that they had a very excitable traveling companion who was struck with cheer at riding a shoopuf.

***

Will certainly hadn't enjoyed getting chewed out for the stunt he pulled, and he had to admit he deserved it, but it was still worth it both to get Deulis up and to hear his reaction. He was more mad that Auron had managed to slip away from the room while all the commotion was going on, because of course he did. What's more, the summoner's mood didn't change much toward the blond as they continued on their path, Deulis occasionally shooting him dirty looks even during battles with fiends. And every time, he couldn't help but shoot a grin back his way.

But once music was on the air, Deulis's sour mood seemed to d oa complete 180, turning into excitement as he talked about the creatures in the macelania woods. Will smiled, a genuine one this time, as he witnessed the summoner's excitement at this. "We're not even at the station yet." He pointed out. "Save some enthusiasm for when you get there!"

***

With each step they took down the road, the enchanting sound of strings, flute and percussion grew stronger. The fiends were mostly a pushover for the group, especially having fallen into a rhythm of seamless cooperation between the three of them with each passing battle. The music was doing not just good for Deulis' mood but for his nerves, chasing away the pangs of head ache that came with extended spell casting on his part when they were out at battle. All in all, they were all doing quite good on their way down to the southern river bank of the Moonflow.

"I can't help it!," the summoner shot back with laughter in his voice. He was practically skipping, running off ahead of the two guardians and in a great hurry to get to their destination. "It's been so long since I've been here! It's the music, the sound of the rustling trees and that smell---It's the smell of the moon lilies... I'm even excited to go mess with the Hypellos. They're fun to talk to."

Deulis paused to sniff lightly at the air. Yes, that soft and subtle sweet smell of blossoming flowers. It was the smallest of the scents in the air that enveloped the Moonflow along with the leaves of the trees damp with morning dew and fragrant fresh water. Even in it's closed bud state, the moon lilies emitted an uncanny scent like any other on Spira. But once night had fallen, the lilies burst open and---by Yevon's name... It was one of the brunet's favorite scents in the world really.

"Oh yeah, just so you know... Moon lilies make for great tea and herbal remedies. But not so much great ice cream I'm afraid." He was making a reference to the Guado themed Blitzball ice creams back at Luca. "It's bitter and just bitter like that." The summoner grinned and continued, humming along to the bittersweet song of his childhood memories.

They arrived midday at their destination. The shoopuf station was a set of outdoor tents and stalls that catered to the selling of tickets, food and drink concessionaires and souvenir stuff. Fried fish and roasted meat were sold, filling the air with a juicy kind of savory smell. Of course, shops for traveling swords and mages were also set up that sold out weapons and armor for the right price. Since it was a stall, those who passed by were able to barter and haggle the marked price. There were also some merchants besides the usual sight of sellswords and civilians. The most striking feature of the riverbank port of course was the giant crane of which people boarded upon before being set on a shoopuf for travel down the Moonflow.

While waiting for their turn in the line and munching on some fish meat sandwich, Deulis noticed that the incoming shoopuf had a very nasty scar on it's hind leg.

"That looks rather painful..."

***

Even though he had lightly teased Deulis for the way he was acting, the summoner's excitement was starting to rub off on Will, as per usual. Auron, predictably, remained stoic as usual. That man was unflappable. The only time his demeanor seemed to change in any meaningful way was when he talked about his past adventures with Braska and Jecht. It seemed that even as inexpressive as the swordsman was, he had fond memories of them. The remaining walk to the Shoopuf Station seemed to go a lot quicker than usual- probably because the guardians were practically sprinting to keep up with Deulis- and in no time they arrived at their destination.

The place was absolutely bustling with activity. Various merchants, selling weapons and armor. Vendors with freshly prepared food, such as fish and meat, sometimes some roasted veggies. Various parties getting on and off the shoopufs that were coming and going. Will had haggles with one of the merchants to get some great prices on some shiny new weapons or the three of them, and the trio sat down for a lunch as they waited for a free shoopuf. Will looked over to the shoopuf that Deulis had pointed out; the one with a pretty gnarly scar on its leg. "That doesn't look good...what do you suppose caused that?" He asked the two. "That reminds me..." Auron started, as the blond realized he was about to tell a story. "When I was here with Braska, Jecht stabbed a shoopuf with his sword. He was drunk, and having never seen one before, thought it was a fiend of some sort. The Hypello running the place wasn't pleased, and it took a lot of convincing on Braska's behalf for him to let us on. After that, Jecht never touched another drop of alcohol."

While the story was amusing, it did raise a question. "So...you're saying that the scar on that shoopuf's leg is the result of a drunken attack from Jecht." Will said. Auron shook his head. "No. I don't think Jecht's blade even pierced the creature's skin; he really only succeeded in frightening it." Was the response he gave. "This scar is much larger than a sword could do to such a massive animal. My guess would be a creature in the water is that cause."

***

"Or machina even," chimed in Deulis now sinking his hand into whatever the blond beside him as having at the moment. He waved towards the outgoing shoopuf, with a small 'bye bye' and watched it sink into the waters. "The Moonflow is home to a sunken Al Bhed city... They built a city over the river using bridges but for some tragic architectural malfunction, the bridges sunk and so did the rest of the city. That thing may have been the unfortunate victim of an Al Bhed exploration crew testing out a new find from the bottom of the river" He paused to munch on his stolen food and hummed pleasantly to himself when it was to his liking. "Mhmm. Thanks Will. You should buy more of that." The brunet smirked cheekily as he chewed and eventually swallowed.

The hours waiting for their turn on a shoopuf took awhile. There were only two shoopufs that took hour long treks across the water and while the line was short, it wasn't the briefest waits to be taken. They were third in line so they only had to wait for up to two hours max unless something came up midtravel. Enough time for the party to settle in and have their noonday meals.

No wonder the place also had musicians from the Macalanian woods performing songs and there were dancers and other sorts of entertainers all over. Jugglers, story tellers and contortionists were scattered all over the small river port. So were people of varying races and origins.

Eventually their turn came in around midafternoon after plenty of songs, chats and meals (some pilfered off Will's hands), they boarded the giant crane before being helped onto the shoopuf's carriage by a Hypello escort. Once all three of them were seated on comfortably, the amphibious Spiran skittered onto the driver's seat on the creature's neck and cleared it's throat, "Ebullibody puleesh shtaay sheeted until it issh shafe to move...?" Everybody please stay seated until it is safe to move.

Deulis laughed. The Hypello lisp and way of speaking was so endearing. While it was pitiful they had never seemed to grasp the way of Spiran on their tongues, he wouldn't have wanted it any other way to hear this questioning tone greeting him at every time he'd come to ride a shoopuf.

Then it occurred to him that this would perhaps be the last.

In a moment of spontaneous thought, the summoner was struck with an idea. Since this was going to be the very last time he'd ever have this opportunity, he might as well make it worth it's weight in gil. The brunet pulled at his hair tie and let his hair fall against his back and started to strip out of his robe till he was down to his tunic and underpants.

He climbed onto the railings and jumped into the water, landing with a loud crash.

Shortly after, Deulis bobbed out of the water from the chest up, one hand combing the hair away from his face and the other rowing through the surface, "Come on Will! The water's great! I'll show you the sunken city too. It'll be fun!" He waved at the guardian, beckoning him to join him in with a wide faced grin. Then the summoner flinched, feeling something strange. He looked about him, warnings bells for danger all ringing loudly in his head when something pulled at his leg and dragged him back into the waters.

***

It annoyed Will a bit that Deulis kept stealing his food, but he couldn't be mad at the summoner. He only ever took a bite at a time, and he wasn't exactly subtle about it. Honestly he was just having fun, Will couldn't fault him for that. It took a few hours to their designated shoopuf to arrive, being that there were only two of them to work with. It didn't matter much; the three were happy to talk and laugh amongst themselves as they listened to musicians around them play various tunes until it was finally time for them to board the enormous animal.

Once they had finally gotten onto the shoopuf, and it set off for the other side of the bank, Will leaned back against the ridge of the seat and relaxed, content to just enjoy the slow ride and take it easy. That is, until Deulis started taking off his robe. "Um, what are you-" was all the blond could get out before the summoner completely surprised him and jumped into the water. Will leaned over to the edge to look at the brunette, who had surfaced and asked him to join him in the water. "Yes, very funny." Will said, though he did seriously consider taking Deulis up on his offer. "Now get back on the shoopuf so we can..." He trailed off, watching Deulis get pulled under the surface. He stayed silent for a moment, before panic started to set in. What just happened? "What just happened?" He echoed his thoughts as he waited for Deulis to surface on his own and reveal the stunt as a prank. When that proceeded to not happen, Will began to take off his heavier clothes. "Auron, I'm going down. If I'm not back in a few minutes...do something. Anything. I don't know, just do something." And with those confusing instructions imparted unto the swordsman, he jumped into the water to search for Deulis.

***

"Oh no!," cried out their Hypello driver when two of his passengers dove into the water just like that. He pulled at his reigns and instantly, the gentle beast came to a halt. "Whed ishh going on...?" For once, that questioning tone was right on the money! He turned his froglike head towards Auron, worry reflected in his eyes.

This was not good! Oh bother. Why did this have to happen on his shift. This was awful for business! So terrible.

Underwater, someone had indeed taken the summoner while Deulis had been defenseless in the river. The kidnapper had forcefully pulled him underwater by his ankle and were swimming towards some direction above the sunken city. They were clad in a diving suit and fitted googles. Blond hair. They had managed to restrain the brunet, binding his wrists quickly with a pair of cuffs. The individual in the diving suit had him further bound by encircling an arm around his waist and the other covering his eyes. They seemed to have a hard time because the brunet was not being an easy victim, as he kicked and struggled hard against his captor's hold.

They seemed to be working in pair when the swimming stopped and Deulis was loaded on top of a small underwater craft. The brunet's eyes widened in horror as he was tossed onto a platform on top of the craft and quickly caged in by a transparent sphere. It was like being inside a mini spherefield for blitzball. Comfortably, there was oxygyen being pumped inside his enclosure so he was able to breathe easily then. He pounded his fists on the wall and found that it bounced back and showed no signs of damage with the force of his strikes. What in the...

The summoner began shouted and continued to punch through the glass cage, sometimes kicking in Al Bhed. "KAD SA UID UV RANA. HUF." Get me out of here. Now. Sadly for Deulis, whoever piloting the submarine either didn't hear him or had ignored him completely.

Yes, a machina. The kidnappers were Al Bhed. Once Deulis had been set in a bubble like enclosure on top of the submarine, the first Al Bhed made waved towards the submarine and did some quick signals to which was responded with a mechanical rumble and creaking of metal appendages. With that, the captor swam off and left the craft on it's own to navigate alone through the water towards the opposite direction that it's ally had escaped to.

***

Will had no idea what he was expecting when he dove down to retrieve Deulis from...whatever it was that got him. He certainly wasn't expecting to see some large machina with weird spindly tentacle things and some kind of bubble that held Deulis. So, the Al-bhed were behind this mass summoner kidnapping. Or at least that was what it looked like from this little contraption; people certainly wouldn't go through the trouble of building something like this just for one summoner.

Since he couldn't breathe underwater, he really didn't feel like dealing with this. That, and he didn't think just whacking it with a sword would do anything other than scratch the paint. That's when Will saw, right below the bubble that Deulis was in, some moving...parts. They weren't quite gears, but they gave him an idea. Will pulled out the new sword he had bought and, as much as is pained him to get rid of it, he jammed it in between the moving parts and waited. With any luck, at the very least the bubble containing Deulis would shut down.

***

Relief washed over the summoner's person at the the blurry vision of something blond haired and handling the sword. Looked more like a stick from Deulis' vantage point but it was definitely not an Al Bhed. There was something very peculiar about the machina jail he was in. It was frosty in composition so everything outside were simply colorful blurs. Leaning against the glass, he pressed closer to get a better view of things. Deulis squinted his charcoal grey eyes, narrowing his vision to further convince himself that it was no other than Will. Knowing that it was his steadfast guardian was enough to invigorate him and keep his hopes up. Yevon only knew how much he needed some kind of beacon of light to keep him going right now.

As the blond drew closer, confirming the brunet's suspicion, Deulis couldn't help but feeling triumphant. He let out a small victorious cry and pumped his fist in the air. Will would get him out right? Guardian's code? Surely... Unless the blond was still cross with him for eating much of his lunch while also going off to buy his own rations. But then for some reason, the food seemed to taste better if he stole off from his best friend's plate. Weird.

He could hear something go off on the machina that held him imprisoned. There was that telltale sound of malfunction, then something bright and sparks going off under the water. The underwater craft began to shake and sputter, making odd noises while swaying from side to side. What was happening? The next thing Deulis knew the enclosure opened up without warning. There was a sword shoved under the mechanism near the platform he'd been standing/sitting/been on and he looked up to see Will now in much clearer vision.

Without being told, the summoner simply shot up towards the surface and pushed through the water as fast as he could. Never had Deulis had such a rush during a swim. But then it wasn't everyday that Al Bhed tried to kidnap you and hold you in confinement underwater. Well, at least he was still right on the money that jumping into the water and taking a swim would make this trek down the Moonflow very memorable.

Just long enough for the brunet to make far enough, the machina began to stabilize and rear it's ugly head towards Will's direction. The submarine was still swaying from side to side uneasily but the sparks had calmed down already. A quick fix seemed to have gone underway from the inside. It seemed it wanted revenge of kind as it began to prepare an assault, opening up it's chest filled with all too many missiles ready for launching.

***

Will's face lit up as his plan worked! Well, it was less of a plan and more of him just trying something in the hopes that it would save Deulis, but it worked! He watched as the summoner wasted no time in swimming as far away from the machina as possible, which reminded him that he should probably be doing the same. Since he had spent a lot less time in the water than he had last time he had to save Deulis like this, he didn't feel the need to use haste this time. This was good; they were in the clear! As soon as they reached the surface they could climb back onto the shoopuf and put this whole incident behind them.

Then Will happened to look back, and had he been able to he would have swore.

Unsurprisingly, the sword (Which to the machina might as well have been a toothpick) wasn't enough to stop it, and the thing was giving chase. As if that weren't enough, it looked like it was readying some sort of attack. With missiles. As they launched, the guardian swam as fast as he could,hoping to somehow outrun them, eyes darting from the missiles to the surface in front of him, hoping he didn't meet the fate the Al-bhed were trying to force him into.

***

Thankfully for everyone in attendance at that time, the submarine craft was hardly in a stable condition. The machine continued to sway left and right as it aimlessly fired at nothing and practically missed the intended targets of either guardian or summoner underwater. The missiles pierced through the surface of the water in a matter of seconds and exploded in the sky in a sequence of fiery bursts. Much like fireworks only less decorative and more intimidating in sound.

The shoopuf let out a startled cry at the explosions and thrashed midstream, in obvious alarm and fright. The Hypello let out an animal growl as it tried it's best to keep the animal in check and bring it back to calm. He turned over his shoulder and saw that he was left with one passenger yet.

"Puhleeash hold onto your sheeaaats...?", the driver said in the firmest voice he could muster as he exhaled deeply and pulled the reigns on the shoopuf to make it come to a complete stop to the side. Much to the Hypello's relief, the animal came to an abrupt stop so startling it nearly threw him off his seat if not for the security belt that held him close.

"Are you okaaaaay...?," he asked Auron one more time.

Moments later, Deulis surfaced first and at the sight of the shoopuf, felt like a huge burden had been taken off his shoulders. He paddled through the water and yelped when the shoopuf scooped him up on with it's curled trunk, tossing him back on the carriage along with the elder guardian.

The summoner landed with a wet plop on the floor, no surprise causing a not too small puddle of river water to collect at his spot and looked about.

"Where's Will?"

***

As if on cue, Will shot out of the water much like one of the torpedos, landing in the shoopuf's carriage with an audible thud, though it probably felt like nothing to the creature. The blond had attempted to use haste again in order to escape the attacks, resulting in a bit of a repeat of what had happened on the S.S. Liki; in that he practically flew out of the water and landed hard on the surface of his intended destination. It wasn't a very fun feeling, but it was better than possible being caught by the torpedos.

"Oooooohhh..." Will groaned, as he tried to get his bearings. "I've really got to stop using that move." Once he was feeling a bit better, he sat up and turned to Deulis. "Well, that wasn't fun." He quipped, before flashing him a tired smile. "Okay, it was a little fun until the torpedos started happening. I'm just glad it's ove-" Suddenly, Will was interrupted by the machina emerging from the water. It seemed like whoever was piloting it wasn't done with them yet. "Damn it all! Quick, throw stuff at it!" He shouted, grabbing some grenades from his bag. He had bought a few from a shady merchant at the shoopuf station, and he had no idea if they were legal here or not, but he didn't care, he just threw whatever he had at the mechanical monstrosity and urged Deulis and Auron to do the same.

***

"Hooooold on tight...?"

The Hypello announced as he steered the shoopuf head on into a thicket of moonlilies, knowing well and good that the machina would follow and find itself entangled in the roots of the waterbound flowers. True enough, the silly Al Bhed aboard the submarine craft did and struggled in vain to follow their trail. The bombs that had been hurled from the carriage was also partly why the frog-like driver decided upon this because anymore explosions of kind would send the shoopuf into a heart attack.

Yevon forbid! There were only two left and business be damned if they loose their precious pair now, not when both happened to be male! Dreadfully bad for business it definitely would.

Sure enough, even the gentle beast found itself caught amongst the lily pads but nothing that expert maneuvering couldn't get out of.

Once the machina with it's noisy mechanical sputters and sparks was out of sight, everyone was finally able to rest easy and relax their persons.

Deulis then turned to Will, "So you still wanna go swimming?"

Apparently, the summoner didn't seem fazed at being nearly kidnapped by the Al Bhed and was still in a great mood to go take a dip in the cool waters of the Moonflow. "We've done diving tours here before when we do South Spira tours. I still remember how it goes too!

***

Will shot Deulis a look at his suggestion. "I think I've had enough swimming for one day, thanks." He said, and to illustrate his point he coughed up a not insignificant amount of water. "Ugh, I think I swallowed a fish." Okay, so maybe that was an exaggeration, but it definitely felt like he swallowed something back there. Either way, he meant what he said and didn't plan on getting back in the water even if Deulis tried to drag him in.

"When we get to the other side of the bank, remind me to tip the Hypello for the move he pulled back there." He told the other two. "Speaking of which, I guess we've found out the cause of the summoners disappearing, huh? But then that raises the question; how does nobody know what's going on? You'd think people wold notice a giant machina abducting people, especially if they're doing it right in front of their guardians." Will shook his head. "It doesn't matter. If they're smart, I'll doubt they won;t bother us again any time soon!"

***

The summoner grinned, laughing at the response and the look on the blond's face. So worked up over that? Come on! Where's your sense of adventure? You only live once! Deulis feigned disappointment and sighed audibly, "Aww...," came the brunet's little whine, "Okay, okay... No swimming then. Since you said so." He crawled to the blond's side on fours and laid a hand down the other's back, running a soothing palm down his spine. "But that was fun wasn't it? That was definitely the BEST shoopuf ride ever! Can definitely brag about an exciting ride down the Moonflow, huh?" The adrenaline rush of the moment had left the brunet in high spirits and highly excitable. Despite the danger that having almost gotten kidnapped posed, he was still rather chipper about further making this last trek down the Moonflow count.

"Correction though, that wasn't fish. Actually, you just had a mouthful of plankton. CONGRATULATIONS! How does it feel to eat like a shoopuf? That's something that's normally not offered under travel tours you know. You lucky stud!"

He looked over his shoulder and grabbed his belongings, rifling through his clothes and items then took out a medium sized wooden box carved with motifs of flowers, trees and twining vines. Inside were layers of vials laid in a row. Each vial contained an oil of fragrant plant local to Spira with a specific medical value. Deulis plucked out two vials, one white and the other violet, and poured a small bit of it on a piece of cloth, then handed it to Will, "White magic ain't always the cure to everything. Don't worry, it's not poison. It's vanilla and lavender oil. Should help you calm down and soothe your mood a bit."

Was Will for real?

A frown crossed the boy's face as he packed up his aromatherapy oils. The brunet shook his head, "There has to be a mistake... I don't think we should jump to conclusions that easily, Will. We should look into other cases as well before coming to that. It could've been an error on the Al Bhed... I don't know. I'm sorry, I can't accept this..." Deulis exhaled deeply, troubled by the blond's conjecture and in absolute denial of it. It was just too difficult to swallow. How was---No way. It couldn't be. But the fact of the matter was still, someone had indeed tried to whisk him away and imprisoned him using machina.

What if it were Spirans pretending to be Al Bhed to pin the blame on them?

Anything was possible.

***

As Will used the oils that he was given (Which, to Deulis's credit did actually help the blond's mood) He listened to the summoner;s response to him. He wasn't surprised that he wouldn't be quick to blame the Al-bhed for something like this, and even thinking about it Will had trouble believing that they would hate Yevon so much as to kidnap summoners, but that didn't just make that thing they saw not exist. "Regardless of whether or not Al-bhed are kidnapping summoners, we were attacked by someone piloting a machina." Will said. "Even after I rescued you, they shot torpedos at us. It's probably too early to jumps to conclusions, but the fact remains; Someone has a machina and they don't like us."

They finally stopped at the other side of the bank, and true to his word Will gave a tip to the Hypello controlling the shoopuf, who thanked him in his own way. The three got off of the shoopuf, took some time in the station to dry up their wet clothes, and continued on. "So, Guadosalam's not too far from here, correct?" Will asked. Auron nodded. "You could say that. It's just a straight path to it now, we should be able to get there without any more distractions."

***

There was a commotion that greeted them upon their arrival at the north bank of the Moonflow. The trip that should have lasted for an hour at most extended itself up to nearly three and there was a very long line of very disgruntled people waiting for their chance to board the carriage. One of the Hypello who seemed to radiate with the aura of 'boss' walked up to the driver and was engaged in a very heated conversation with the other who had all but shrank in place, taking in the light scolding at the apparent tardiness.

Deulis had caught the sight of the scene while changing into a fresh set of clothes and packing up the ones he'd been in during his brief excursion down below the sunken city under the Moonflow. It made him uneasy seeing that one of the heroes of their trip to be put under such pressure. He went up to the pair and explained his case, further supporting their Hypello's argument and spoke carefully so as not to incite anger in the irate boss.

Then out of nowhere, a pair of Ronso who had been overhearing the conversation chimed in.

"Yes! Many summoner gone missing. Biran heard so."

"Yenke too hear same thing!"

The brunet was surprised but thankful, quietly muttering his gratitude towards Yevon at the quick and timely save. "We were attacked underwater while in transit. Your driver was quite the hero who had kept calm and helped us through. If anything, I apologize for the inconvenience that my presence I may have cost." Deulis reached into his bag and took out an entire bag of gil (all this time, he had that much gil on hand and still he would badger the blond for money to spend on food) then handed it over, "Here. Take this. It's my life's savings. No, I insist... It's the least I can give to make up for everything. Please."

While hesitant to accept the life savings of no one less but a summoner on a pilgrimage, the Hypello bowed, taking the fattened bag of money with a bashful expression on his amphibious face. Satisfied with everything now in order and no more fightin, Deulis took his leave and bowed before joining the group again.

"Sorry, I had to do something. The little guy was being bullied on! I just couldn't sit and watch."

As his guardians discussed the itinerary, it made him smile to hear that they were indeed heading to Guadosalam rather than bypassing it. Deulis glanced briefly over Auron and smiled, quietly thanking that the rounin had honored his words at the Djose Temple.

***

"Hey, it's your money, do what you want." Will said. "Of course, if I knew you had that much I would have made you buy your own food." Both he and Deulis knew that was a lie. Maybe some people might call the blond a pushover for doing whatever the summoner asked him to, but those people could go to hell. They continued on the path, fighting fiends along the way, and it felt like they would reach their destination in no time! But as they walked bast some lilies, out of the corner of the eye Will thought he saw something washed up on the shore.

It looked like a person.

Will began to lag behind the other two."Hey, you guys keep going and I'll catch up. There's something I need to check out." He told them as he started walking back to where he saw the (Hopefully not dead) body. He had to check it out, if only to sate his curiosity about it. He finally reached the spot, and kneeled down to get a better look at what was definitely a person now; face down in the bank. It looked like it was a woman. A young woman. With blond hair. "Wait a minute..." Will said to himself. was this who he thought it was? No, it couldn't be. She was all the way in Luca!"