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Duration: April 2014

Status: Ongoing

Deulis, Seymour - Me

Will - 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 blond tilted his head from to side, rubbing at his chin. "You look familiar, boy. Who are you and why are you asking for Sir Rin and Sir Rever?"

Deulis sighed. He wasn't going to enjoy this. "I'm Rever's son. The brat. Scrawny kid. Nearly blew up the Fractus years ago before y'know..." God, he hated that nickname.

There. A lightblub moment. "OH. YOU!" bellowed Roop with a deep laugh and a loud clap of his hands at the realization. No wonder why the boy looked so familiar. He was the spitting image of Rever but...pint sized and something else. "Now I remember you. But weren't you...shorter then? Like this?" The Al Bhed let his hand out and gave an approximate size of Deulis' so many years ago. It was just a little taller of his height years before him and Will were separated. "You're still short though," the man noted giving him a quick assessment of the brunet, disbelief and surprise but familiarity on the man's face at seeing Deulis after so many years.

The summoner gave a sarcastic laugh to the 'short' comment, "Yeah yeah... E kad dryd y mud." I get that a lot.

As Deulis had assured Will, indeed his father had left a sum for the group and other supplies that they would have appreciated. Roop informed the group that Rever said that all their charges at any of the Agency's Inns would be directed to his tab so they didn't have to worry about spending a gil while resting. The man even left a new staff for the summoner to use. It was a moderate upgrade from the one that the brunet was already using at that time.

After handing the things Rever had left, Roop looked at Will and Auron in turn, "I take it you're the guardians? Mhmm... Rever also has something for both of you..." He reached under the reception desk and pulled out what looked like envelopes. Lots of envelopes. He picked two from the bundle and handed one each. There had been a note on the flap that Deulis must not know of the contents therein.

Inside were identical, handwritten letters from the summoner's father. It was short, sweet and direct to the point. He congratulated them for reaching the Inn and managing to reach the Highroad. He wished them good health and hoped that Deulis had not yet given them a head ache. Giving fair warnings that his son could be a little difficult. Of how sarcastic and moody he was. Rever also thanked them for being there when he could not and how he hoped the summoner had asked him but he supposed his son had his reasons for not picking him. Even though the elder brunet never got to know who would eventually read his letters, he entrusted his son into their hands and prayed that whatever Deulis hoped to achieve after deciding to be a summoner, he hoped he'd find it.

"---Keep him safe. Even from himself. I believe you can."

***

A little bit later, Will was outside of the travel agency reading the letter he was given by Roop. He assumed that Auron was inside doing the same, and that Deulis was...doing something. Hopefully he hadn't persuaded the legendary guardian to let him see the letter. There was something to be said for his resolve to be sure, but he hadn't had to deal with Deulis yet. That boy was persistent when he wanted something. Will only hoped that if he did ask to read the letter, Auron would make it clear that neither he nor Will would give them to him

The letter had given him some things to think about. It was good that, despite not being able to be here, Reeve still cared enough for his son to write something. Even if it wasn't for him to read. He just wanted to know that Deulis was in the right hands (And he was, thank you very much! Even with the absence of Auron)) and that he would be kept safe. Will found it funny, and a little heartwarming, that even though he had no idea who would get these, he trusted them with his son's life. He laughed at the fact Reeve couldn't possibly know that Deulis really couldn't have been in more capable hands; A former guardian of Lord Braksa, and Deulis's childhood friend, who despite years of being apart knew him well enough to take good care of him.

***

The moment the two guardians received their letters, Deulis' eyes directly focused on the rather innocent looking envelopes now nestled in the hands of both Auron and Will. There was a determined glint that crossed those gray eyes that only could mean trouble. The brunet lunged towards the pair but as he was about to dive, he found that he had been lifted above the floor by the back of his gi. The summoner yelped in surprise and looked over his shoulder, to find that Ropp had him by the collar.

"Nope," the blond said. The Al Bhed shook his head and sported a thin wry smile on his face.

"B-but...," argued Deulis as he tried to struggle, kicking and all.

"Respect your pa's wishes will you. Tell you what, how about you head to the kitchen like old times?" That was more than enough to get the brunet to agree. Food was involved after all. The summoner smiled widely and headed into the depths of the inn.

"Don't get ideas. He's not a cook. The brat can't cook even if it were a life or death situation. He's the food pest---I mean taster and dishwasher," said Ropp in a loud whisper, leaning towards the younger direction before letting him and Auron go. "I'll go make sure he gets to the kitchen so he leave you two guys alone. I think you both know why already."

As if on cue, the familiar face of the summoner popped out of the entryway and seemed intent in coming back but had been blocked off by Ropp who all but dragged him into the kitchen.

It wouldn't be till much later on that Deulis would have been released from having been forced into kitchen duty to free up the guardians. While they were more than capable to pry off whatever the obstinate summoner could come up with to get his hands on the letter, Ropp didn't want to take chances. The brunet left the confines of the kitchen in a full apron and bandana with an attached hairnet and smelled like a feast. The mixed scents of meat, fruit and seasoning clung to his clothes and skin as he ran out from the back, crossing the chocobo pen until he made it to the outside.

A sneaky but triumphant grin formed on Deulis' face when he saw Will sitting alone at the lawn outlined by the sunset. True enough, getting to the letter was indeed his first agenda but somehow seeing the guardian and the sunset, how the colors of the sky outlined his best friend's features and cast interesting shadows on his features made him stop and simply stare. Suddenly, the brunet felt suddenly conscious of himself, briefly primping before finally approaching the swordsman. Despite having been around Will for days end now, it was only then that he was aware of how much older they both were. Of how grown up they were..

The sunset was beautiful...

"Hey there, handsome. Miss me?," The summoner stalked to the blond with a cheeky opening and grinned. "I don't know what Ropp told you but we had to learn how to cook in the temple since who else but us novices would cook for everyone else? I LEARNED!" He invited himself to sit close to Will and leaned into his personal space rather casually, "So... What did Pa write about?"

***

As soon as Will noticed Deulis coming to him, he folded up his letter, unfortunately not able to pocket it in time. "Well look who's back from kitchen duty." He teased. "It does not surprise me at all that know how to cook. Even if you weren't made to learn, I'm sure you would have done so on your won eventually." He shook his head when the summoner showed his interest in the letter. "I'm not allowed to tell you." He said, before deciding to to tell him the bare minimum so maybe he'd stop asking. "He just said to make sure you're safe and all that. That's all you;re getting out of me." He'd probably cave and tell him when they reached Zanarkand or something, if either of them remembered them for that long.

Will looked out into the sunset, a fairly cliche move. "I came out here to read the letter because it was quiet. ...And because I didn't want you reading over my shoulder, but we can both see that's failed." He laughed. "It's really nice out, pretty peaceful. It feels like we won't get a lot of these moments on the pilgrimage. When we're not out going along the journey and being attacked by fiends, we'll be in bustling towns for one night before leaving and continuing on."

***

Bah! So stubborn!

The brunet furrowed his eyebrows together and puffed his cheeks petulantly when Will refused to budget still and wouldn't tell. "Fiiiine...," Deulis drawled out in an irritated fashion, "You do that. You go read your letter in the sunset and enjoy the quiet... I'm not here, Will. Don't mind me at all!" And that was even after Will had revealed some part of the letter to him already.

While he wasn't too happy at being snubbed on the account of the letter, the summoner had to agree on the fact that yes, enjoying a moment of peace and quiet like this would come as a rare treat from now on once they were back on the road again. Deulis kept his silence though, nodding to himself and letting one hand fall onto the grass, idly combing over them through his fingers.

"You... You're right I guess. But then for me, any moment should be a happy moment, whether you're sitting in front the spectacular view on a cliff that's overlooking the sea at sunset or in the middle of nowhere fighting fiends. You should feel peace... in whatever you do, I think. Like live as if it were your last. Not because you could possibly die but because it is your last. You can't relive a moment after all. So you need to live it that moment in time to fullest... No matter how brief it is because that's the only shot you'll get at life."

Deulis grabbed a particularly long stalk of grass and another, then began to fold and twist them absentmindedly, "I feel calm when I slay a fiend though as shocking as that may sound. Every fiend we slay is a soul that returns to the Farplane. So I think of it was doing someone a favor. It's creepy but after killing so many fiends, we ignore the sound of a happy sigh of sorts that evaporates into the air afterwards..." He sighed, throwing it aside then laid down and stared at the clouds.

"I wish I had been able to do this...pilgrimage thing for myself though. I'm doing it for mostly for others right now. To help Spira... To slay Sin. But I wish I had the chance to travel all over Spira and enjoy the world has to offer. Yes, you're right we're living a fast paced life and there's not enough time to enjoy everything... I'm a little sad we won't see how today's games turned out at Luca. I would've wanted to stay a little longer..."

There was a sad wistful smile on his face as he flopped onto his belly, cupping his face with his propped up elbows, chin tucked under curled fingers as he looked into the horizon, "How about you? Is there anything you wanted to experience... Wanted to try out but you probably can't do anymore since we're on the pilgrimage. I'm sure there is something---anything. I won't judge. Tell me?" Deulis looked up at him, smirking mischievously, "I won't tell anyone else! I promise! At least tell me this since you won't let me know what else is in the letter, okay? Please, Will?"

***

Will nodded at Deulis's musings. "That makes sense. It's a good way of looking at things." He agreed. "You should always look on the bright side of life. It's too short to dwell on the negatives." That was his philosophy. Will's key to success was to just focus on the positive outcome of something. For example, they were going to make it to Zanarkand. There was no doubt about it. Focusing on all the what-ifs that could happen along the way wasn't going to get them to Zanarkand. Walking, however, would.

On the topic of what he always wanted to do, Will had to think about that. "Well, I kind of feel the same way you do, about experiencing the world of my own accord." He admitted. "I probably wouldn't have done that on my own though. I really didn't have the gil, and I also just liked staying in Kilika. So in a way, I suppose it's good I went on this pilgrimage. There are other things that...aren't so good about it, but that's just how things go." Will just then remembered that there was another thing. "Actually, there is one thing I've always wanted to do." He readjusted himself and laid down on his back near the cliff. "It's a little bit underwhelming though. I've always wanted to ride an airship. I know that the Al-bhed have them, it's just something that's always interested me. I'd probably never be able to do it even if I wasn't on the pilgrimage, because nobody would support me ever doing that. I just once want to experience what it's like being up in the air like that, even if it's not that different from being on the ground. I wouldn't knwo for sure unless I tired it."

***

He sounds really sincere about it...

Deulis darted his eyes to the side, studying the blond's features and was surprised at how honest Will was about wanting to board an airship. There was something about how the blond looked so serious about it. The summoner searched the other boy's eyes for any jeer or mischief but found none. It was clear. Absolutely so.. He couldn't blame him for it though. The idea of flying always going to be something foreign and fantastic for creatures who couldn't fly like humans.

"It doesn't feel like you're on the ground when you're on an airship, Will." The summoner stated while looking at the sky. He'd ridden the Fractus before after all. It was an airship that had been utilized to transport stuff in between the inns and aid in their travel tours though they were never used to ferry tourists themselves. They wouldn't impose it even if it was for their comfort. Machina was considered sacrilegious after all. And as it was, it was also on the Fractus he gained his nickname of 'the brat'. Nearly blew it up after a nasty attempt at cooking in the kitchen then. It was also there that...

Surprisingly even after all these years, the memories of the airship were still so vivid to him anyway. "You know your feet are rooted on the floor but it's not the same. The air pressure is much more intense. It's easier to feel tired in mid air. Even when your cabin is pressurized. But you can't feel anything much sadly. You just know it rather than feel like you're flying. I think there's a big difference."

The summoner sat up, crossing his legs over each other then pressed his palms on the ground, "It's fun. But I know something even better than riding an airship if you really wanna experience what it's like being up in the air, Will. Wanna know?" Deulis extended his hand towards the blond in a gesture of offering, given the blond was willing to hear him out, "But first, you need to promise me one thing: will you believe in me if I can tell you that I can? Will you believe in me?"

***

Ah, so that's how it was. "I thought about as much." Will admitted. "I've always imagined it would like being on a moving vehicle going blindingly fast, like a boat or something. Hard to stand up and walk around unless you really had your balance about you, the speed kind of giving you this weird feeling in the pit of your stomach. Not like you're sick or anything though. You know what I mean?" Hell, Will didn't even know what he meant.

He raised an eyebrow at Deulis's offer, slightly curious. He sat up as the summoner reached out his hand. "Let me get this straight; you're offering to take me into the air, is that correct?" He asked. After a few moments, he tentatively grabbed Deulis's hand. "Deulis, you're my friend. My best friend, and the person I know more than anyone else. We've been through so much together, even these past couple of days on the pilgrimage. I know I'm the one who offered to be your guardian, but you accepted. You trust me with your life. So I can believe in you for this one thing. I think that's fair."

***

He simply smiled teasingly, taking Will's hand and wrapping his fingers firmly around the blond's arm and pulling him as he got to his feet. The boy would do the same thing with the guardian's opposite arm. "Maybe," Deulis said coyly as he bared his teeth in a wide grin, "Maybe I'm going to do just that. Or maybe something crazier... stupid." The summoner ripped the bandana off his hair and ruffled his long hair free to allow it to fall against his shoulders. He tossed the apron off as well and let it fall in a soft heap on the grass behind them. The entire time, Deulis held the blond's hand and slowly intertwined their fingers in a tight hold. "But you already said your word. So you can't turn back now!"

Deulis broke into a run, dragging the blond along with him and screamed at the top of his lungs.

Into the edge of the cliff overlooking the sea.

The wind whipped harshly against their faces as the began to freefall.

"Believe!," the summoner repeated as he squeeze the hand he held so tightly with his own. He closed his eyes then, smiling peacefully as they came closer towards terrain between them. "Believe in me!"

However the pair didn't dash against the rocks and towards certain death that late afternoon. Instead they found themselves nestled against a soft bed of feathers and warmth, enveloped by the sound of flapping wings and the smell of sea air assaulting their nostrils.

The summoner cracked an eye opened then tugged at Will's hand, "I don't think I've introduced you to Valefor, have I?" Deulis laid a hand on the bird like aeon's head, gently stroking it then spoke, "Hey girl... This is my guardian, Will. I told you about him a few times... He's such a darling isn't he?" The brunet laughed a little. "Fly us around Valefor... I wanna let Will experience the freedom of flying. Come on, girl. Will doesn't know how fun it is!"

***

Will would like to believe that he trusted Deulis. With his life even, just as the summoner did the same to him. They were friends, and Deulis would never intentionally harm him in any way. That said, when the brunette started running with Will toward the edge of the cliff, and then straight off of it, and they started plummeting toward the rocks below, for a good few seconds, he was actuall afraid he was going to die. He shut his eyes as tight as he could, and hoped that Deulis knew what he was doing.

And then he hit something soft and feathery.

Tentatively, Will opened his eyes, and found that he was among the rocks at the bottom on the cliff, and instead on the back of an aeon with Deulis. He gave a long, long sigh of relief, and let go of the summoner's hand, his own hand shaking way too much. "So this is what you had planned!" He said, calming down more and more by the second. He grabbed onto Valefor. You really like your theatrics, don't you?"

***

"Mhmm," nodded the brunet, patting Valefor's head lovingly, "But you can't say that wasn't quite an experience just now. Free falling and having the wind in your face. I bet your heart was beating so loud in your chest just now. I was shouting really loud in excitement though... I can only imagine what you were shouting for. "

The summoner laughed loudly, sadly at the guardian's expense and shifted to the side, giving Will much more space to squeeze himself onto so he could settle on a comfortable spot along the bird-like aeon's back. "I do feel happy you trust me enough to let me do that to you though... I'm not gonna apologize by the way.," Deulis stated as a matter of factly. "Trust me, you'll thank you me later!"

Valefor took off into the sky, rising above the waters till she was high above the Agency. She flew over the edge of the Mi'ihen Highroad, circling over the area and allowing the pair on her back to enjoy the view and the feeling of flight. The aeon glided through the air with a steady pace.

From time to time, the summoner would rub at the brilliant plumage, and whisper things, laughing on occasion and nodded. Deulis was actually speaking to the aeon . To anyone watching, it would seem like a one sided conversation but in reality, they spoke out loud however it seemed that only those with strong links to the aeons themselves could hear the voices of the Fayth.

Eventually she swooped down, extending her wings to full span with the tips pointing upwards and took a nose dive into the sea. But Valefor didn't sink into the reflective waters now dyed a crimson red and bright orange of the sunset. Rather, the aeon gracefully glided against the surface, barely touching the water in a display of speed and control over her power of flight. The summoner laid against his side on the aeon's back, extending one of his arms and letting it drop on the side of her head. He let his pointer finger glide on the surface of the water and closed his eyes, smiling to himself and exhaling peacefully.

"Doesn't it feel so...great? Wind in your face, water under your fingers... And man, the feeling of freedom to just go anywhere."

***

"I was shouting?" Will asked. He didn't know he did that. He grinned as Deulis had a laugh at his expense and refused to apologize about scaring him like that. "I never expected you to, honestly." He said. :But I guess that, if you ever decide to do something like that again, at least I'll know what you're planning." Unless of course he decided not to summon an aeon, but he'd never do that. Right?

Will was having a blast. He'd never experienced anything quite like this before; the rush of excitement of just being able to soar through the air at this speed, feeling free as a bird. "I love this." He told Deulis. "Thank you for letting me experience this. "It's just...It's great. I'm glad you trusted me enough to let me fly with you."

***

The brunet huffed and rolled his eyes then laughed all over again. He reached for Will and lightly slapped him on the arm. He was careful not to slap too strong, least he make the blond fall off. Though if Will did fall into the sea, he was sure the boy would survive the fall. What native of Kilika didn't know how to swim in the first place? But Deulis digressed he'd already given the guardian enough scares for the day already.

"Me? Repeat the same trick? Tch. I don't live to be predictable, my good sir. Almost always do the unexpected and never walk on the safer side of the streets!" Deulis was all smiles, laughter and ease as he laid himself comfortably across Valefor's back and clung to her neck, stroking the bright red and pink plumage that glowed like jewels under the setting sun. The summoner was definitely in his element for all appearances.

"Told you that you'd thank me for this."

He leaned against the aeon's body and whispered something inaudible. Deulis snickered, nodding to confirm whatever he'd told Valefor but not without briefly peering at the blond who seemed to be having the time of his life. Clearly the look of mischief was on the summoner's face in that fleeting look he gave.

Without warning,Valefor soared up quick into skies, higher and higher until they were so above the ground the Agency looked nothing more than a colorful dot on the cliffs. Then she somersaulted in mid air, knocking the pair off her back and sending them into their second free fall in a matter of a few hours but just as swiftly caught Deulis and Will before they would plunge into the cold depths of the sea. The summoner was yelling at the top of his lungs again and clearly enjoying the thrill of the flying trick the aeon just now.

Once they were safe and sound against Valefor's back, Deulis was breathing heavily, laughing in between the shallow gasps and turned to Will, "That was fun wasn't it? She's really something... Hey, Will... You alright there?"

***

Will caught the mischievous look on Deulis's face; it was kind of hard not to, really. He immediately became suspicious of what the summoner was planning. "What are you thinking about doing?" He asked, as Valefor started rising higher. He didn't really expect an answer, not after that speech he got about not trying the same thing twice. No good can come from this He thought. Sure enough, the aeon started to go up at a steeper angle, and Will felt himself slipping. "Um, Deulis?" Will was beginning to grow very concerened. "Deulis? Deuli-AAAAAHHH!" Valefor did a flip, and Will couldn't hold on any longer. He plummeted through the air with the summoner for seconds, before the aeon caught them once again. The guardian was visibly shaking for a moment, before taking a few calming breaths. "You;re having fun with this, aren't you?" He asked.

***

The brunet hummed, "Maybe---just a little!" He raised his hand and displayed a gap between his thumb and pointer, grinning as he spoke. Deulis' expression quickly shifted into something less jovial as he narrowed his eyes slightly and quirked an eyebrow, "What. You can't say you're not enjoying the freedom of flight so far...? Even down to the thrill seeking we've had just now. That's part and parcel of the experience, Will!"

It soon came to Deulis' notice that the fiery colors of the daylight red, yellow and orange began to fade into a darker gradient of blue and violet that came with the end of the day. Also, he could see a distinguishable flash of red not too far from where he discarded his kitchen duty garment on the grassy field across the Agency. Sir Auron!

"I think we should head back now... We've had too much excitement in a day." The brunet rubbed the top of Valefor's head, even pressing his lips on the feathery crown of the aeon's. Not too long after he declared so, she took a final round over the Agency and made a smooth landing nearby on empty land, then disappeared into the air of a thick mass of pyreflies.

"I hope I granted your wish, Will. Not quite an airship but if you ask me, this was so much better. Thrills and free falls added without bonus charge."

***

"Okay fine. I am having fun." Will admitted. "Just never do that again." Not that he thought that Deulis would listen to him. On the contrary, he had a feeling that he was more likely to try it again now that Will had mentioned it to him. Will rubbed at his temples. If the fiends didn't get him, Deulis was sure to do him in.

Will did sigh in relief as Deulis decided to call it quits on the flying. "Yes, let's get onto solid ground. We can't stay out here all night." He said. Valefor landed and he got off, nearly flopping to the ground as he tried to walk. "I hope you two are quite finished." Auron said, in as much of a greeting as Will expected. "We're going to be getting an early start tomorrow, so be sure to get plenty of rest." Without waiting for either of them, he went back into the travel agency. Will turned to look at Deulis. "That was...exciting." He told him, trying to keep himself steady. "If nothing else, it can be said that you love to show off. Now come on, let's get to bed."

***

"Hell yeah," came a husky and breathy response from Will's side.

If the blond was wobbly, Deulis was in a much worse state. The moment he stepped off Valefor's back, the summoner's legs were practically jelly and each step took too much effort than it normally would. But the smug smile on his features showed that the brunet was taking it like a trooper and would no matter how difficult it would seem to be. The brunet refused to show how his body screamed in agony and how weak he felt, so drained and tired by the effort of staying in flight for so long. He straightened up and forced himself to walk in a straight line, no matter what.

Ropp informed them that dinner was to be served in an hour until ten in the evening, after that the staff began packing up for the night. The Al Bhed noticed the guardian's face and then looked over towards the direction of the smug but ashen faced summoner and frowned. The clerk frowned and felt sorry for Will somehow. Very sorry.

"I'll take a nap," said Deulis as he entered the room. "Wake me up for dinner. I'd hate to miss what I helped in hours prior." The summoner smiled faintly and threw himself on the bed, belly first and slept like that. No amount of good waking up helped bring him back from the dead then after. The brunet was out like a light until the next morning. It was only in deep slumber that the sheer exhaustion of the task of sending both himself and Will airborne showed. Too prideful to admit that he was tired to Will it seemed. He was snoring lightly in his sleep and if he did wake, it was just to alleviate himself in the loo briefly then off to bed he was again. Didn't even change out of his travel clothes.

But did the summoner regret it though? Not the least. If anything, he was glad that no matter how juvenile the entire thing played out to be, Deulis was happy to have used his abilities to make someone's wish come true. It was indeed an abuse of discretion and the strangest use to make of one's aeons as a summoner but he supposed it should be fine as long as no one was harmed.

At least not permanently so. Will could live with a few scares. Screaming was good for the lungs anyway as some health experts would go by. If he couldn't survive through that then what kind of a guardian was he supposed to be?

And as it was, that was probably not going to be the last kind of fright that Deulis was sure to pull on the younger guardian as they made their way to Spira.

***

Just as Auron said, they had gotten up pretty early Specifically, Will and Auron got up early- around the same time as some of the staff in the travel agency. Breakfast hadn't even been made yet! The two guardians were outside of Rin's, as Auron had wanted to hone Will's swordsmanship. "What exactly are we doing?" Will asked, still not fully awake yet. "Training." Came Auron's answer. "I've seen you fight. You bring down fiends easily enough, but your technique could use a lot of work. There's more to fighting than just hitting things until they die." Will let out a yawn. "Alright, let's just get this over with before breakfast is ready." the expert swordsman pulled out a kendo stick and gave it to Will. He then held a second one in his hand. "Your first exercise is a simple one. Hit me. You may use any technique you like, but the stick must touch my body" Will shrugged. He took a moment to wake up a little more, and then charged at Auron. Unsurprisingly, he dodged out of the way, and countered by hitting the blonde in the side. Hard.

Will fell to the ground, curled up in a ball in pain. "Like I said, you could use a lot of work." Auron laid a potion down next to Will. "Once you're feeling better, we'll practice some meditation-" Just then, there was the loud roar of a vicious fiend, followed by the panicked noises of chocobos. "I think we have company." the swordsman quite obviously stated. "Quickly! Go inside and get Deulis! We'll cut your training short for today." Will didn;t need to be told twice. He downed the potion, and ran inside the travel agency, where he ried to wake the Summoner up. "Deulis! Wake up! The chocobo Eater is here!"

***

A whiny growl and a badly aimed pillow.

The summoner cried and howled, turning his back to Will and refused to get up. Deulis curled into a ball and shut his eyes, pretending not have even sense the blond trying to shake him awake and all.

That is until he heard the words 'chocobo eater'.

With that, the brunet was up in an instant, bolting upright and glided off the bed in record time. He ran up the bath, splashed some water in his face (Deulis screamed while doing this. Cold water? Early morning? Nope, he wasn't a morning person.) and made work of his hair in a quick, loose ponytail at the near end with a ribbon while walking to the door. Side bag with battle essentials? Check. Staff harness with the new spanking staff from Pa? Check.

"Bring it on," he responded with a wild glint in his gray eyes. However the yawn in between that said battle driven statement pretty much ruined the tough gung-ho summoner image Deulis was aiming for as he stepped out to meet the fiend that laid beyond the threshold of the Agency.

Deulis ran up to the elder guardian's side, yawning softly with a raised hand, "G'morning... Hope I'm not too late to join the party you two started." The brunet eased into a battle stance, taking his staff out of his harness on his back and breathed deeply. One look at the fiend and the summoner made a face. "Still as ugly as ever those things..." Though he sounded as if he'd met the chocobo eater at an earlier time, this was actually the first time Deulis was ever able to see it this close. Back when he was younger, it was the adults who dealt with the fiend and told him and the younger folks to stand back and watch.

It was during a fight with a chocobo eater at the Calm Lands that the brunet first saw just how nasty a well aimed kick and served blitzball was. It was Kamui's fighting style inspired by the High Summoner Ohalland, himself. The memory of that made him smile in melancholy as he wracked his brain for the more salient details like any helpful tactics.

Like most things, it would seem that this fiend was also weak against fire. The summoner turned to Will and asked, "Where's your new blade? Did you get anything that's fire based? I'll dish out as much spells as I can... This is such a tight spot to fight in." After that, Deulis looked at Auron, "...Do you have any experience fighting with this? I've only watched from the distance in the past and it's been a whack till die then but... maybe you have some brighter ideas?"

***

"Hell yeah I got a fire sword! How could I not? Just look at it!" Will said, pulling out his perpetually flaming blade. "I'm glad I bought it, too. A lot of things are weak to fire around here." Truly it was the universal equalizer. At Deulis's question Auron shook his head. "I haven;t dealt with this fiend in particular, but I don;t see why this one should be too much trouble." He said. He turned to speak to Will. "Consider this an introduction to what I'm planning on teaching you." The swordsman made a stance, holding his sword out in front of him, and lunged at the Chocobo Eater. The blade pierce its flesh, and it cried out in pain. "I've just made the fiend weaker." He explained. "He should be more susceptible to physical attacks. Give him a whack."

Since he was planning on doing that anyway, Will ran up to the Chocobo Eater and swung his firey sword at it. The attack caused it to fall down onto its back. "Damn, you weren't kidding." He said, laughing as the fiend struggled to get back up. He was like a turtle! "Ha! Can't stand up, can you?!" As if in defiance, the Chocobo Eater instantly flipped itself back up, and charged at the group with its arms outstretched. In addition to hitting all of them, the attack also pushed them back a good deal, closer to the edge of the cliff. "So that's it''s plan! To push us off the edge!" Auron stated. This was pretty much the opposite of good.

***

While getting back up after swung at by the fiend, Deulis let out a drawn out sigh, "Will, what did I tell you about teasing fiends... They have feelings too! Look what you make it do!" His light scolding was drowned out by the soft chuckling. The summoner got back to his feet, lightly bouncing on his heels into battle position and looked at his two guardians. He opened his mouth to speak but found himself quiet by the reality that struck him: he wasn't alone anymore. There were two very reliable people at his side that was going to make this happen. Not just slaying this misfit of a fiend that was harming his favorite animals in the world but everything. It filled him with plenty of energy and inspired him to do so much more somehow.

"Well then, gentlemen, two can play it at this game," he declared as he raised his staff and chanted with his mind's voice, sending a volley of burning red fire at the fiend to burn through it's muscular and overly large arms. The eater groaned and at the attack and retaliated but Deulis managed to evade the brunt of it's swing with a well timed sidestep, "Race ya off the cliff then!"

It made much sense now that he thought about it.

The chocobo eater with it's long heavily built arms and oversized head (with it's disgusting twin gaping jaws and purple lance like tongues, ugh. What kind of Spiran was this one to be so disgusting in their afterlife as a fiend? So ugly) would mean that it was a very top heavy creature. The fiend had massive talons for legs but meant for walking and not so much to kick and scratch considering it's short length. The center of gravity was low thus with well timed strikes on it's head, the monster would go turtle and have a difficult time getting up because of the weight of it.

"I'll leave it to you two with your toys to get it on it's back often then. I'll try to damage it as much as I can with my spells. Then at the right time we shove it off the cliff. Are you both with me?"

***

Will nodded. "Right. Give it a taste of its own medicine!" He said. He looked to Auron, who also nodded. They were going to teach the fiend a lesson about not playing fair. Deulis kept hammering on the chocobo eater with spells, and sure enough it fell over on its back again. "Now, push it bakwards!" Auron told them. Will rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know. Deulis ust told us that."

Both Guardians laid on some heavy attacks, causing the fiend to be pushed back. "We're doing it!" Will said triumphantly, seconds before the chocobo eater, still on its back, cast lightning on him. After recovering from the attack, he narrowed his eyes. "You're going to wish you never did that." He told it. The battle went on for a while; every time they knocked the fiend down and pushed it back, the fiend did the same to them. Finally, Will and Auron gave it one big push, causing it to go careening off the cliff and into the water. "Well, thank goodness that's over." Will sighed, falling to his knees in exhaustion.

***

The chocobos had been herded back into their stables during the entire ordeal. There were armed civilians that guarded the enclosure and waited on bated breath as the three fought it out with the fiend. The civilians were hardly warriors but were workers at the Agency armed with their tools of the trade such as pitchforks and spades. So it came as a huge relief that they had lodgers like the trio that had just successfully won over the chocobo eater. There was a collective sigh of relief all over when it finally plunged into it's watery defeat and would hopefully never be heard of ever again.

The stable master was an Al Bhed woman with shoulder length blond hair dressed in a jumpsuit and googles on her face. She ran up to Will and Auron, thanking them for their heroic act of bravery. "---Thank goodness you were here! We wouldn't have known what to do....Sir Rin isn't available right now so we were pretty much chocobo without head!," The blonde laughed at her joke. "Normally he would lead the assault but... He hasn't returned yet from his trip since yesterday. Should be coming around anytime soon. Aah, at any rate, thank you so much for your efforts! If there's anything, and I mean ANYTHING, we can do for you at the Agency, please don't hesitate to tell us!"

She ran towards the back, yelling something that promptly had everyone else letting the avians out of the stables at a time so they could openly graze and extend their wings and talons out in the open. A chorus of excited and hesitant squawks could be heard in the distance as the yellow birds were let out again; some had to be yanked with some force because they had gotten into such a twist and were nervous because of the eater's presence.

It was at that moment when a small group, around three, of travelers came to view. They were dismounting from their saddled up chocobos, with some of the workers coming up to help return the birds back into the pen. They were led by none other by the owner of the inn himself.

"Sir Auron!," came the thickly accented Al Bhed voice. Rin came up to the pair with brightened eyes and a jovial smile. He greeted them both with a kind expression on his face then proceeded to addressed the rounin, "It's been so long since we've last met! Ten years has it? Looks like things have been good to you seeing that you're in good shape." Then he turned to Will, "Hoh.... Who is this young man, Sir Auron? Is he your apprentice? He looks promising. Hello there, young man. I don't think I'm introduced myself. I am Rin, the proprietor of the Agency. And who would you be?"

***

Auron put away his weapon as soon as Rin arrived. "It's been a while indeed." He agreed. He glanced over in Will's direction (Who had since gotten up and was chugging a potion) when the blonde was mentioned. "You could say that. He does show a lot of potential, he has Jecht's fighting spirit. He still has a long way to go however." Will put down the potion when Rin approached him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Rin." He greeted. "My name is Will, and me and Sir Auron are Deulis's guardians. We just took care of the chocobo eater before you arrived." He was actually quite proud of that, considering it was still rather early in the morning. Speaking of which, his stomach had started growling. "You'll have to excuse us. You see, we hadn't even had breakfast before the fiend arrived." He said. He didn;t know about Auron, but Will was sure that Deulis would appreciate a hot meal right about now.

***

The Agency owner smirked at the mention of Jecht, "Ah that one... Yes, I do recall him. He was the other guardian who accompanied Sir Auron and High Summoner Braska ten years ago. He was a talented blitzball player and quite a lively fellow. I remember him very well." Rin crossed his arms and nodded towards Will's direction, "Potential eh? That's a lot coming from a man of Sir Auron's calibre. And oh? Did you? That's very impressive young guardian. Thank you for dispatching the fiend from everyone at the Agency then. Aren't we lucky to have someone as brave as you then." He chuckled a little at the sound of Will's stomach growling and agreed that yes, the blond could use some breakfast himself.

Will was going to need plenty of energy considering the summoner he was tasked to protect.

"You should head out for breakfast as well, Sir Auron. It's not any different from the meals from ten years back we've always maintained the quality of our services. Please, do follow up after Sir Will's by all means," Rin offered graciously. Auron was after all just as an important guest and the Al Bhed wouldn't want to starve the man.

Breakfast buffet was already made available by the time everyone would make their way into the common hall. There was a modest serving of all kinds of breakfast type meals from cereals to breads and servings of meat and vegetables. It wasn't fancy looking but still as filling, if anything it tasted like homemade cooking.

As the blond had predicted, Deulis had someone managed to get a booth all to himself and was heartily having his breakfast. The staff was gone meaning he'd at least gotten back to their room and he looked less haggard before the guardian had forced him out of bed for the fiend. The brunet was calmly drinking coffee then.

***

"I could use a bit to eat, thank you." Auron said. He bowed to Rin, and started to walk inside. He turned back to Will and Deulis. "Are you two coming? It would be senseless to continue the journey on an empty stomach." As the swordsman entered the building, Will began to follow suit. "Well Deulis? Shall we?" he asked, not even waiting for an answer before he went inside the travel agency.

A little later, the three of them were in the breakfast hall, eating up for the long journey ahead. If there was anything to say about the staff at Rin's it was that they really knew how to cook! The entire time, Auron had been talking to Will about various training exercises he had planned to put him through as the blond ate his eggs and fried potatoes. When he was finished talking to him, the guardian made his way over to the summoner's booth, his own coffee (With a rich chocolate-y creamer) in hand. "Hey Deulis." he greeted, sitting across from him. "We really showed that fiend who's boss, didn't we? I doubt it'll be showing it ugly mug around here again! ...Probably because it's dead."

***

The blond's victory-fueled words made him think. Instead of meeting the greeting with a just as enthusiastic response along the same line of thought, Deulis entered into a state of deep thought that made him pause to rub at his chin and hum out loud. He laid his porcelain mug on the surface of the table and stared at the dark liquid within in earnest. Would that really be the last they would see of that chocobo eater?

Eventually, he looked up to meet Will's blue eyes and with a very serious expression asked, "But what if it has babies, Will? This isn't the first time chocobo eaters have been sighted here. Where there are chocobos, there are chocobo eaters too by default. What if fiends actually do make babies? Then there's no end of it unless you kill even the babies! Can you kill a baby fiend, Will? Do you have it in you to kill an infant even if it's a fiend?" Deulis thought back on the questions he'd uttered, throwing them back at himself and it made him think that while his queries had been rather shallow and even juvenile, it revealed a gap in the teachings of Yevon of some kind.

Fiends were the souls of the former living who were distorted by their envy for the living. But if that were so, why are there only specific fiends that populate an area? No matter how many you slayed their type in a locale, why do they always come back? Either there were too many slayed souls with the same like minded interest to evolve into a certain type or they reproduced.

The scriptures never explained how fiends chose their forms. Or how the remain a steady number.

Deulis frowned, raising the cup of coffee to his lips and letting it pass his lips. This was not good... He would have thought that going on a pilgrimage would further his faith in Yevon and perhaps save him from his own demons till the fateful Final Summoning. Quite the contrary was beginning to unfold. The summoner found himself at odds with how he was questioning the tenets of the religion. It bothered him immensely.

"At any rate, I doubt that will be the last chocobo eater Sir Rin and everyone else are going to be privy to. I just know it."

After the three had their breakfast, the stable master approached them once again and offered three of their chocobos to escort them as far into the entrance of the Mushroom Rock road. It was on the house, the blonde said with a grin. Three of the in-house riders would also ride with them to bring Deulis and his guardians there so they didn't have to walk by foot and conserve their energy for Djose.

"Sorry folks!," she apologized, "Just up to the entrance of Mushroom Rock. Would've been more than happy to send you all the way to the Temple of Djose but for awhile now, Mushroom Rock's been off limits. More than a week now."

***

Will refused to say any more about the subject. he was quite done thinking about the moral implications of killing fiends. As far as he was concerned, if there was a fully matured fiend standing in his path, he'd kill it. Aside from being a danger to people, they were, for the most part, still the souls of the unsent, and killing them meant they got sent to the farplane. This philosophical musing was too much for him as early as breakfast. Speaking of which, after it ended, The group was given an offer to ride chocobos through the highroad, and offer which was sure to delight Deulis. So the remainder of the journey went quickly and without interruption, and Will was eventually able to put their earlier conversation into the back of his mind as he had fun riding the chocobo.

Eventually however, they could go no further. Mushroom Rock Road had been blocked off by a couple of crusaders, and apparently it had been like that for almost a week now? Will got off his chocobo and looked around. "Well, that's unfortunate." He said. "How are we supposed to continue on with the pilgrimage if we can't go through the area." "We'll just have to wait it out, it seems. For however long it will take." Came the voice of Auron, who had also dismounted. A quick scan of the area revealed that they weren't the only ones waiting for passage through. There were merchants, travelers, and...Lady Dona? Will felt a sense of schadenfreude as he made his way over to Deulis. "Look who also got stuck here." He told the summoner, as he watched Dona argue with a crusader that refused to let her pass, even though she insisted she needed to continue the pilgrimage as soon as possible.

***

While his guardians worried upon the hindrance to their pilgrimage, Deulis didn't so much mind about it. He seemed more preoccupied, feeding the chocobos he'd ridden with greens from his handand lightly playing with the oversized bird, stroking the crown of it's head and earning a happy squawk or two from it. The brunet and the chocobo rider that had been the summoner's backseat driver seemed impressed with the boy's talent considering chocobos were fussy animals.

So they'd been informed about the blockade already and yet they proceeded to risk a chance at passing. It was rather surprising that they were denied entry even when one used their title as a summoner though.

As they spoke amongst themselves of their combined plight with the lady summoner, a huge cargo vehicle arrived from the same direction they came from. Since it was driven by Crusaders, no surprise it received clearance and made it's way through. But what was inside?

Why did the chocobos suddenly keen in fear at the presence of the cargo load?

Deulis glanced towards where the blond had directed and saw Dona and Barthello, who were just as stuck as they were. A smirk crossed his lips as he looped an arm around the bird's neck and pulled it towards a one armed hug to comfort the avian who had grown uneasy all of a sudden. "Well then... I suppose being a summoner isn't always going to be your ticket out of a sticky situation. That or Lady Dona didn't smile graciously enough at the guards to buy her way out." He chose that moment to turn to Will and winked at him. "Let me take care of this." Deulis gave the chocobo a final pat and snuggle to bid farewell.

He removed the cloak he'd been wearing, folding it over his arm and tossing his hair over his shoulders then made his way to the guards. The brunet approached them with the most beautiful smile he could muster and was surprised that the guards seem to regard him in a different way, judging from how they switched to a more rigid posture at the sight of him.

Or something else over his shoulder.

Deulis looked behind him and found the culprit for the soldiers hardening up all of a sudden.

The newly installed maester Seymour Guado was making his way down the dirt road leading to the entrance of the Mushroom Rock Road, flanked by two guado guardians on either side of him. The summoner quickly stepped aside to make way and bowed his head low, trying to make himself look small and discreetly backing away so he could return to both Auron and Will.

"Ah, we meet again, Sir Deulis."

Now it was his turn to freeze up! Did he just say 'meet again'?!

SO YOU WERE STARRING AT ME THEN! ARGH. The smile on his face instantly collapsed at the greeting.

***

Will grinned at Deulis's comment. "I'd like to think that with the way she's acting, she'd be detained even if the path weren't blocked off." He joked as the summoner went off to handle the situation himself. "Does he do this often?" Auron asked. "What, you mean use his status as a summoner to get things he wouldn't otherwise." The swordsman nodded. "He certainly talks about it often. I can't speak for Deulis, but it seems like he doesn't want to abuse it too much." Auron gave another nod at that. "Braska was like that." He said, reminiscing about his former comrade. "He would often take advantage of the fact that he was a summoner. Sometimes to get things he wouldn't normally, sometimes to be allowed into otherwise exclusive places. But most of the time, he used it to get us out of trouble. Mostly it was because of something Jecht did, but Braska wasn't exactly a perfect angel himself." Will couldn't see past his collar, but he was almost certain that Auron was smiling.

Just as Deulis was about to work his magic on the Crusaders blocking their path, a familiar face approached the group. It was the new Maester Seymour, coming through this path. It was pretty much inevitable that he'd be able to get through. He walked right past Will and Auron, and greeted Deulis. What was this about meeting again? And how'd he know his name? As these questions were going through Will's head, Auron tapped him on his shoulder to remind him to kneel. "Maester Seymour, what a surprise!" One of the crusaders said. "What brings you to the Highroad?"

***

The brunet raised his gaze to the maester at the address. Seymour had been looking down at him with a strangely benevolent expression on his face. When their eyes met, Deulis was the first to turn away sharply, choosing to bow again and dropped to a knee in reverence. As he got up, the summoner wasn't so sure if he could indeed 'handle this' as he'd earlier bragged to his guardians.

"Good day, Your Grace. Fancy meeting you here as well..." We're just about to leave.

Seymour's lips cracked into a soft smile at the greeting, nodding in approval then turned towards the Crusader, "I'm here to give my support for the troops for Operation Mi'ihen. It would surely raise the morale of our very own and our allies."

The statement made the Crusader brighten up, as he nodded and waved his hand to gesture to the rest of the platoon to give clearance for the maester to pass through. A moment of quiet passed as the soldiers scrambled to their positions but the guado did not move to make his way through the Mushroom Rock Road. The Crusaders gave each other knowing looks in their eyes, steady and unmoving in their stance

Now his business with the Crusader was done, the blue haired guado turned to Deulis and chuckled lightly, "At ease, there is no need to be so formal with me. What seems to be the problem?" Still the summoner refused to meet his violet eyes and continued to keep his head low, posture quite rigid and feet ready to bolt at any given minute. The maester laid his eyes on the brunet then turned to both Will and Auron. He did catch Deulis briefly glance towards the direction of the road. "Ah, I see. Very well." Just like that, Seymour seemed to have understood the problem without a spoken word.

"However, I would like to a request..." came Seymour's deep raspy voice, "I would like to bring Sir Deulis and his guardians along with me."

"But Maester Seymour... Maester Seymour, sir!" The Crusader's eyes widened comically at the request, definitely uneasy about the idea. The man pressed his lips into a thin line, looking at the summoner and his guardians then back at the guado.

"Do not worry, Crusader. I will take responsibility for them."

Dejectedly, the Crusader finally relented out of duty than of personal choice. "As you wish, Your Grace."

Wow. This sucked royally. So now it would seem that he owed the maester a favor. If only Deulis could openly roll his eyes at the 'gesture of kindness'. It wasn't like he asked Seymour to use his position and influence to get pass the protocol, so to the brunet's point of view, he decided he didn't owe the other man any thanks.

But with how Seymour expectantly gazed at him, as if waiting for him to follow at his heels...as if asking for words of gratitude.

This man was impossible! Groaning out loud and finally rolling his eyes, he exhaled petulantly and was left without much choice but to give his thanks to the maester.

Seymour laughed, "I haven't met someone who was so open about their dislike towards me as you, summoner. Do you not fear me?" He smirked, staring him down in a quiet reminder of how vast and wide their positions were in the hierarchy of the clergy.

"I fear your position more, Your Grace," replied the brunet a little too honestly. OH s**t. His eyes widened in horror at the slip, raising both hands to cover his mouth.

Surprisingly, the blue haired priest did not take offense. If anything his smile grew wider. "What a breath of fresh air your honesty is, Deulis. I hope this won't be the last of our conversations." With that, he gave the summoner a curt bow and moved along his way. The brunet was left glaring saucers at the maester's formal robes of office in abject horror and surprise. Did he just---How'd he manage to survive
excommunication at openly offending a maester like that? What the hell?!

***

Will looked on with his mouth open as the events took place around him. Without a word to him about it, Maester Seymour requested that the group be let in with him. Not only that, but he seemed to take Deulis being quite rude to him (not that Will cared how the summoner acted around a maester) very well. "Well, that just happened." He said as the maester walked the path, moving away from them. Apparently he wasn't the only one shocked by Seymour's move. Lady Dona matched Will's open-mouthed expression, with an added hint of rage. "But- How- Why do they get to go!?" She asked. Barthello stepped in in an attempt to calm her down.

As Dona's Guardian worked to keep her blood pressure low, Will walked up to Deulis. "...Okay, so now we've got a path through Mushroom Rock Road." He said. Personally, he would have been fine waiting out whatever the Crusaders were planning, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, no matter how weird it would be. Since Seymour was out of earshot at this point, Will had something to ask. "What did you mean back there when you said you feared the Maester's position?"

***

He wanted to just die.

As in die, die, die. DIEEEEEE.

Getting to Zanarkand in the most beautiful death possible for any Spiran was no longer imperative.

The foot in the mouth moment Deulis had just now did not go unnoticed by those in their immediate surroundings. Distrustful glares and harsh whispers were made in response to the summoner's rudeness towards the master. The brunet could only hang his head low in shame as he unfolded his cloak and pulled the hood over his face, in a vain attempt to block out everything. How wonderful it would be to simply disappear into thin air right now!

He ******** up. He ******** up royally. No need to rub salt at the wound.

The summoner's bottom lip was quivering, as if holding back the urge to simply sob and cry, which was quite true, "I---I really screwed up big time didn't I?" Deulis' voice was cracking up. He looked at Will, worse for wear and absolutely broken. "I'm going to get excommunicated... He was just humoring me. I swear. I just know it. I'm so going to get excommunicated..." The brunet moved to hold himself in a loose embrace as they advanced through Mushroom Rock. The thought of it bothered him so much to the point he was almost desperate to turn back time and wish he hadn't been so...blunt about it. "I feel so much like s**t right now, Will. Like---shitshitshitshit. s**t!"

He didn't care that he'd gathered attention on himself once more when he yelled out the last word. Oh look. A flan. Looks like the summoner managed to grab the attention of a fiend or two now.

As much as he wanted to cry, no tears left the sides of his troubled gray eyes. Exhaling deeply, the summoner looked at his two guardians in turn, then back at Will, "Sorry about that... Auron, Will. I---I just had a foot in the mouth moment there. Let's...go, I guess. I'll just.. Let's just go as far as we can and worry about other things, later." He spoke quietly, rather small and unfeeling compared to the normally spirited tone Deulis used. "And uh... Will, sorry but I didn't quite catch what you asked. I had a moment just now. Sorry for being such a b***h about it, could you repeat that for me?"

***

Will silently nodded, and the group moved past the formerly blocked entrance and to the beginning of Mushroom Rock Road. The place was full of crusaders moving about, and discussing the plan they were going through. Hell, even a few members of the clergy were there, as unlikely as that sounded. Evidently Seymour wasn't the only one who wanted to show his support. "You're not going to get excommunicated." Will said, putting a hand on Deulis's shoulder. "I think Maester Seymour likes you. He's kind of making it obvious. " Whether or not Deulis was okay with that, was another story entirely.

"It's going to be okay." Will continued. "I know that doesn't mean much coming from someone who isn't the biggest fan of Yevon, but just trust me on this." He looked over to Auron, hoping he had something to say to Deulis. "What you said is far from the worst thing I've heard Braska say to a member of the church." He told him. Will blinked when the summoner asked him to repeat his question. "Oh. I was just...I wanted to know what you meant when you said you feard the Maester's position."