melodiesoflife | "everyone, we leave at dawn."

Characters (ou) Yuna & OPEN.
Where Aqures Ixen → County of Flence → Temple of Water.
When Starting November 18 until the 28th.
Summary Killing two birds with one stone; in search of the Black Mage moogle in Flence, it seems as good a time as any to visit the Temple of Water.
Warning None... yet.

AIRSHIP. (nov. 18 & 19)
Making preparations for a trip like this was a definitely easier said than done. Yuna had made arrangements with the airship crew already, making sure that there was space enough reserved for the party, and as she left the grocer in the city, provisions was another thing that she could cross off of her list. She didn't quite know what sort of jobs the others would be equipped with, but she took her own precautions as best she could, seeking out one of the smithies in order to have her staves and rings looked at. She still felt most at ease wearing the same sort of armour that she would at home and now, dressed in her usual summoner's robes, she couldn't help but feel nostalgic.

When finally the morning of the 18th rolled around, Yuna was one of the first people on deck that morning. She could bee seen struggling with several trunks and packages, trying to line them up and out of the way, chuckling softly to herself. Were she here, Lulu would surely have scolded her again for trying to bring so much...

FLENCE, FISHING TOURNAMENT & RESTAURANTEERING. (nov 20 - 24)
It was quite the breath of fresh air as they touched down in Flence. It was certainly warmer here than when they had left the city, and for that, Yuna couldn't be more glad. The change of scenery really was... nice, she had to admit.

There was a different kind of hustle and bustle to get used to here, but as crowds started to gather, so too did she, in order to see what was going on. "Ah, it looks like... A fishing tournament?" the thought seemed to bring a smile to her lips, reminding her of the simple lives she and Wakka, Lulu and Chappu had led in Besaid once upon a time.

But fishing wasn't for everyone, and really, there wasn't that much excitement in watching anyway, but the smells from the restaurants nearby were enough to entice you inside as well. It seemed as though there were sales everywhere, people excited by the deals but really... Yuna didn't have that much gil to spare, especially if some of those that had accompanied her expected to be paid. Still, it didn't stop her from pausing at windows every now and again to see what creations the chefs and bakers had come up with.

TEMPLE OF WATER. (pilgrimaging it nov. 25 - 28)
Well... this was it. This was the reason she'd come. It was true that no religion seemed to surround the temples, and while she was quietly grateful for that there was still something inside of her that stirred as she stepped out of the city and on the road to the temple.

With each of her steps, her mind wandered to her guardians... what were they doing now? Were they all right? How long had it been since she'd seen them? How much -- destruction had Sin caused in her absence? Or -- was it true that time that was simply standing still? To anyone walking alongside of her, it was obvious that she was bothered by something as she made her way to the temple in the distance. Once in awhile the party may come across a cockatrice, blue elemental and touch me(s) during the day or seeker bats at night.

When they finally arrived, she made her way to the crystal room standing in awe of the Water Crystal itself for a few moments -- before lowering herself to her knees slowly and offering Yevon's Prayer. Perhaps the gesture didn't mean to her what it once had, but... it was still a show of respect.

It had been a longer trek than she had realized, making her wonder if perhaps they should spend a night or two in order to truly explore the place. With the sun setting, she hoped that the caretakers wouldn't mind...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"You can do that?" Momolumi suddenly exclaimed, taking a new interest in Mogtimer, and starting to chatter away about how 'cool-po' it was.

"Well... it's not as if I had much planned for the day anyway. And -- if it's important to the locals here, then why not join in their fun?" there was a chuckle at her own enthusiasm, "You're welcome to join us, if you'd like," she offered. If she wanted to make a good impression on the people of Flence, participating in their traditions seemed like a good place to start.

Once the summoner finally had her things sorted out, she nodded in Sabin's direction again with a smile. "My name is Yuna," she offered with a slight bow of her head, "Is this your first time to Flence?"

"I can most certainly not!" Mogtimer denied, landing on the fish in question with some hesitance. It was slimy, not something he cared to touch, but he would live. "Do you think my arms would even go around that neck? No! Absolutely no-- oh, and now he's leaving!"

Which he was right about! On both counts, as his arms were fairly short, but mostly about the leaving. He was gesturing down the dock towards a good place to cast off from as Yuna settled her gear. With the invitation to tag along, he wasn't about to stay put. Disqualification put an end to his own fishing, but he could just as easily enjoy helping someone else out with it.

"Yep, it is. I came here looking into something, but kind of got sidetracked. Ah, and I'm Sabin. It's nice to meet you. Do you need help with any of that or...?"

"It's all right I think I've got everyth--" no sooner had Yuna started to protest his offer for help, then the tackle box went crashing to the ground. Apparently she hadn't had as good a grip on it as she thought, but thank goodness it was shut tight. "Whoops..." As her cheeks flushed slightly, she chuckled, a little embarrassed. "I guess I could use some help after all..."

Momolumi, having lost interest in the moogle that apparently couldn't headlock the giant fish (and muttering something along the lines of 'why did you say you could then') trailed behind on foot.

"What... was it that you were looking for?" the summoner asked, tilting her head slightly, "I haven't been here long myself, but -- maybe I could help." Since, as it so happened, she was looking for something too.

Poor Mogtimer, left behind with his grand inability to put a giant fish in a headlock, but now that the moogle was out of sight, he was also out of mind for the time being. Sabin moved to grab at the tackle box once it gave way to gravity, but too slow. He would pick it back up, however, and carry it along for Yuna.

"Hmm, what was it?" As if he may have forgotten. He hadn't, but he really had to figure out the best way to phrase it. In the end, he just settled on shrugging and answering with, "Oh, right, I'm looking for a boat. I figured Flence would have tons of them, you know? Only I think they're all planning on staying put for the tournament."

"A boat?" she repeated, then nodded at his own conclusion. "I think you might be right. But... perhaps you'll have better luck once the tournament's over? It should only last a few days, I think..." At least, that was what Yuna had heard. As she moved along the docks, now with much more ease thanks to Sabin's help, she finally stopped at a place that no one else seemed to be manning at the moment.

"Well... what do you think? This seems like as good a spot as any... right?" quiet was one of the most important things when it came to weeding out the good fish, even she knew that.

"Were... you hoping to take the boat out to one of the other islands?" she asked gently, setting down the rods and starting to get herself organized.

"Here?" Sabin dropped into a crouch to stare at the water, as if scrutinizing it, when they reached where Yuna meant to fish. It was water. There wasn't a whole lot to see beyond the reflection of sun, sky, and themselves. Still, he gave a nod and stood back up again after setting the tackle box down on the dock.

"Yep! Here works."

Anywhere would have gotten the same answer, but at least the answer is firmly positive, right?

"And, uh, I don't think I'm really supposed to say where I need a boat to," he added once he was back up, having trouble not sounding a little sheepish. "People seem to get upset when I do."

As he spoke, Yuna let Momolumi take the reigns as far as baiting the hook went. He seemed to know what he was doing, and with at least some skill as he started to set things up. "They do?" she tilted her head to the side, looking over Sabin's way again.

"Well, what if -- I promise not to tell anyone else?" She was half-kidding, but there was an encouraging smile on her lips if he felt inclined to share. "And I promise not to get upset, either," the summoner added quickly, raising a free hand as if she was taking an oath, even though it was obvious she was just trying to keep the mood light.

"A promise, huh? Alright. I'll be holding you to that," Sabin replied, although not in any particularly serious way. Even if Yuna didn't keep it, he couldn't imagine doing anything about it, not when she seemed like such a nice person. He did drop his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, though.

"I was hoping to find a boat to get into Empire territory by."

After saying that, he put a finger to his own lips and added, "But don't repeat it or anything right here. I'm pretty sure the idea would upset the fishermen, too, not just the other heroes..."

"The Empire..." she whispered back, then quickly looked over her shoulder again to make sure that they were indeed out of earshot. He was right, just talking about that regime or anything to do with it seemed to put the citizens on edge. She nodded in agreement, she wouldn't repeat his intentions to anyone, regardless of the half-serious promise she had made just a moment ago.

"But... that might be dangerous, you know," Yuna continued in a low voice, looking back out and over the water, re-adjusting her grip on the rod. The line stayed still just below the surface.

"All right. Then... if you do find a way... why don't I go with you? It's always better to go as a group," it especially made fighting easier, "and I'm a healer as well so I'm sure I could be useful to you." She didn't like all the secrecy surrounding the Empire and whatever they had planned. It reeked of the going-ons of Yevon... Ask no questions, seek no answers... she didn't like it.

"I do dangerous stuff all the time, so it should be fine," Sabin admitted shamelessly. Even training back in the mountains had been dangerous and that had only been training. Maybe it was just that life in general was dangerous, so why worry?

He dropped into a crouch, idly balancing on the edge of the dock and turning his attention to the bobber floating on the water below. It made him somewhat harder to hear, but still audible, at least to Yuna.

"Ah, well, are you sure? I can say I wouldn't mind the extra company, that's for sure. I don't see why my brother would, either, but I might have to ask him first."

"everyone, we leave at dawn."

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this is so late, im so sorry!!

s'all good, yo