melodiesoflife | Event || The Enemy Within

Entry tags:

Event || The Enemy Within

Characters: All characters who signed-up for the event.
Where: In their heads.
When: January 15th.
Summary: The Heroes of Light have a vision-- They are living through a hypothetical future where the Sage share his knowledge with them, and things went horribly wrong as some Heroes of Light became the villains in this timeline. Maybe they'll revise their thoughts on getting all of that knowledge.
Warning: The apocalypse, deaths, tragedies, overall a lot of very bad things.

Mingle Threads: The Antagonists || The Protagonists || The Others || General
Free Open Threads: The Two Years || Other Events

#01 Attempts at Negotiations || Trano Golsaucia
#02 Tactical Espionage Action || Aqures Ixen
#03 Judgmental Glares || Aerilon
#04 The Fight for the Crystallized Bodies || Aqures Tosf
#05 The Dusk of the Heroes || Mysidia
#06 The Fight for the Moon || Lunar Gate
#07 Conflict Above the Stars || Moon Base
#08 The Birth of a God || Crystal Life Tree
#09 The Death of a World || Moon Base
#10 Where Everything Ends || Pandaemonium

Conclusion || The Sage in Mysidia

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"Maybe..." her voice trailed off with and her gaze with it. Over the last year especially, she had been having mixed feelings about trying to do good, trying to change this world -- but everything had a habit of getting worse instead. This time, it probably wouldn't be any different, even if by no fault of her cousin's.

But hearing him agree, that was enough to bring some colour back into her cheeks. Yuna looked up at him, so ready to lose herself in any stories that he had to tell, or was willing to tell. "Okay," she agreed, her appetite never really there, but eager for a distraction. "You... can choose where to go," it was easier that way, than admitting that she had long fallen out of touch with whatever tasted good these days.

Vaan nodded and jumped off the pillar, heading toward the central plaza to find a cafe or two to have some food at. He really wasn't starving, but a good meal never did anyone harm. Besides, he had a bit more money now than before, so he could always treat Yuna as well. The young woman looked better than before, but she was not her usual self. Vaan wasn't sure she ever would be and he wasn't sure he ever would himself.

His machina arm would always be a reminder of how things had changed so quickly in what seemed like a short amount of time. Who had taken his arm was never found and only actually knew who had done it.

He finally settled on a small cafe that served some sandwiches and tea, choosing a spot just outside. As they waited for their food, he asked. "So, what do you want to know? I'm not entirely sure where to start."

Quiet until they were seated, she fixed her cup of tea expertly, stirring it as her thoughts briefly strayed. Would she have had wonderful adventures too if she had just agreed to leave everything and go with Vaan one of those times? This world had become so complicated, and as she looked up, pausing briefly on his machina arm, she quickly looked up and tried her best to smile, though the gesture died before it reached her eyes.

Secrets, secrets, everywhere...

"Where were you flying to this time?" she finally asked, tilting her head just slightly. She hadn't really allowed herself to travel further than Mysidia these days, and wondered often about the state of the world.

Vaan stirred his tea too, the steam letting him know it was still a little too hot to drink. "Well, like I said, we're headed to Mysidia now. We think a big battle is gonna go down but we stopped here to resupply. But before that--"

Well, not much happened before that. Just more training from Kidd and finding other supply lines to help get some to Aerilon for the others who were neutral as well. Sometimes they got caught up in skirmishes, sometimes it was just extremely boring.

"I know Rikku made me this arm, but somehow we found a guy who knows this kind of tech too. He tuned it up a bit so it's a bit more mobile, I'm still learning to use it in my fighting but it's not easy. But I've gotten better. It doesn't feel as weird as it used to."

"I've heard there were people gifted when it comes to working with machina in the other cities," Rikku probably would have loved to have learned from them, see that techniques they used... only it was Yuna's fault she likely hadn't pursued any of that. A guardian who probably felt chained to her summoner... Looking down into the still-swirling liquid for a few moments, she looked up, nodding. "I'm glad he was able to help you."

The day Vaan had lost his arm seemed fresh in her memory, it would be hard to ever forget the shape he had shown up to the hospital in.

"Is... everyone still doing well in Mysidia?" she had frequented the pyramid of prayers when the study of Eidolons still seemed like it would be helpful, but hadn't ventured there in some time. The base where the heroes still tried their hardest... she didn't belong in a place like that any more.

Vaan nodded, metal finger tapping the porcelain before finally taking a sip. He thanked the waitress quietly when their food was brought out. It had been hard, learning to fight again. It's why he was so ready to jump at sailing the skies, anything to get away from what happened in Aqures Ixen. It was like his whole world had shattered when he'd finally awoken, days later and without his arm. They said too much had been damaged, it was all they could do make sure he survived.

He'd been grateful when Rikku brought in a machina arm for him. Painful as it was to attach to his shoulder, even more when learning to move it again. But once he'd gained at least basic mobility... he'd left. First, on his own, then, he joined Kidd and Saori.

"Good, I suppose. If gearing up for a a battle with the others in Aqueres is good," He replied. "We're going there to see what we can do to put a stop to it."

She offered a thankful nod in the server's direction as the food was laid out before them, wanting to wait until Vaan had first pick.

"I hope... that you can." She frowned, thinking about it. She didn't have a wealth of information about what the others across the sea were up to, but ever since they had learned of their intentions to sacrifice the crystallized heroes -- she had sort of feared hearing any more. "I realize that they probably think they're doing everything they can, but I..." her head shook slowly as she finally picked out a sandwich of her own, and laid it on her saucer.

"It's scary," she finally admitted, shifting uncomfortably in her chair, "to think of what they might do."

He picked a couple sandwiches. "Both sides think they're doing the right thing. That's how it always is. Everyone has their reasons, their justification and it just ends up hurting everyone in the process."

He didn't eat yet though, instead he looked to Yuna and sighed, shaking his head. "Sorry, I don't mean to scare you. I guess I'm just... just tired, y'know? The Calamity started this whole thing but it just feels like we're not really going to end it. Or we are and it's going to do more than just end the Calamity. I hope we can stop them."

"No," she shook her head quickly. Perhaps that had been a bad choice of words. Not much seemed to legitimately scare her these days since, well, nearly every corner of the world was in peril "You didn't," Yuna added, trying to ease his concerns, and sighing, not sure that she had the means to do that for anyone any longer.

"And you're right, both the heroes in Mysidia and Aqures Ixen... could stand to examine their methods, maybe," although for obvious reasons, some of the things she'd learned about the Ixen group were more unsettling.

"So many of us -- have people we care about that have fallen into stasis. I just -- can't imagine going to such lengths..."

He wanted to go to Ixen for precisely that reason. Ashe was one of those in stasis and for them to use her and the others-! But his mission was Mysidia. He shook his head and took a bite from his sandwich. "How did it even get to this point?"

Even when they were in the Conflict, it never felt like it had escalated to quite a scale. The War of the Gods was a war, sure, and sometimes, they fought friends or family but... it just seemed different.

Her eyes were back on her tea. It was half-empty by now, and before all this -- she probably would have thought of it as half-full instead. "I don't know..." her words felt just about as empty as she did.

After a few moments of silence and some wrestling of her own thoughts, she finally dared to ask. "You... and your crew -- you haven't been to Tosf lately... have you?"

"No, we haven't," He answered, looking slightly confused. He put down the bit of sandwich he had to look at Yuna. Should he be in Tosf right now? "Is there a problem?"

Because if it's something they needed to get to quickly, he would need to get Mary and see if he could convince her to make a detour if needed.

Again, she answered with a dispirited, "No," as she shook her head. "Not... that I know of, at least." It had been a several months, maybe even much more than that, since Yuna had seen any of the crystallized heroes. She felt even a bit sheepish for asking, looking around the café quickly to make sure no one had been listening. It had probably been careless of her to even bring it up.

She knew that there had been people from Spira locked away in the sub level floors of Kalki's playground. Friends and foes alike... She sighed, obviously thinking about it for the umpteenth time. "I guess I shouldn't be so worried."

Vaan sighed and nodded. Honestly, they had all been on edge lately. Something was up, Kidd's crew were going after something big and nasty but it also felt like something more was stirring. Maybe it was just the culmination of the last couple of years.

His metal finger tapped the porcelain cup before he took another sip.

"I wish things would settle down again, y'know?" He said softly, looking toward the ocean.

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Event || The Enemy Within

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